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Brown Hill Community NewsletterEdition 4, November 2016

An initiative of the Brown Hill Community Partnership, supported bythe Brown Hill Progress Association and the City of Ballarat

Diary DatesDECEMBER

Friday 2: 50th Anniversary of theBrown Hill Public Hall

Saturday 3: Brown Hill Pool opensfor the Summer

Sunday 4: 6 p.m., BBQ and Carolsat Brown Hill Uniting Church

Tuesday 6: 6 p.m., Brown HillPartnership Meeting (p.2)

Friday 9: Brown Hill UnitingChurch Op. Shop closes forChristmas/New Year

Friday 16: 7 p.m., WholefoodsBallarat closed for Christmas/NewYear

Wednesday 21: School Term 4finishes

2017

JANUARY

Thursday 26: Australia Daycelebrations at Brown Hill Reserveand Brown Hill Pool.

Monday 30: School Term 1 starts

FEBRUARY

Wednesday 1: 9 a.m., WholefoodsBallarat opens for 2017

Friday 3: Newsletter Edition 5submissions due tobrownhillnewsletter@gmail.com

Tuesday 7: 7 p.m., Brown HillProgress Association Meeting,Brown Hill Hall (p.4)

Tuesday 14: Brown Hill UnitingChurch Op. Shop opens for 2017

Brown HillCommunityFestivalWhat a night! Thanks to thehundreds of people who came toenjoy the beautiful Brown HillRecreation Reserve / ProgressPark on Friday 28 October for thefirst Brown Hill CommunityFestival.

With fantastic performances fromthe Brown Hill Kindergarten andCaledonian Primary Schoolchildren, followed by the movingsounds of the FederationUniversity Pipe Band, we were allwell entertained!

Brown Hill Progress Associationsold 650 sausages, the UnitingChurch 280 pancakes (yum!) andCaledonian Primary School'sEnergy Breakthrough team sold 98fruit cups.

Thank you to Nykiah and James,our MCs and all of the communityvolunteers - what a team!

What a wonderful evening! Congratsto all who organised tonight's event.You've started something wonderfulthat can grow & flourish as the yearspass. It was so nice to see so manyturn out to enjoy the fun. Thank you Itwas fabulous! Jodi (...more p. 2)

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Welcome toEdition 4There is so much in this Editionthat only a teeny tiny space is leftfor the Newsletter Committee! Wehope you enjoy all of thewonderful stories about ourcommunity.

We have included the first BrownHill Business and ServiceDirectory on 8 pages in the centre.You should be able to carefullyremove it to put it up on yourfridge!

We received this great feedbackabout Edition 3: "WOW, what abrilliant collection of Brown Hillarticles. Congratulations. I wouldrather read this than any othernewspaper. Well Done." Laura.

To give your feedback, ideas forstories, or join the volunteer team,email us atbrownhillnewsletter@gmail.com ordrop off a note to the office atCaledonian Primary School,Thompson Street, Brown Hill(during school term).

We will be back with Edition 5 inFebruary 2017!

Brown Hill Community NewsletterCommittee

PartnershipUpdateCity of Ballarat's EngagingCommunities Program – BrownHill

The Brown Hill Partnership Group(BHPG), supported throughCouncil’s Engaging CommunitiesProgram (ECP), met on Tuesday, 8November 2016. The groupconsidered funding pitches for 3community-based initiatives inBrown Hill.

The BHPG agreed to allocatefinancial support to theseprojects:

*Contribution to Stage One of theRefurbishment of the Brown HillCommunity Hall Project;

*Brown Hill CommunityNewsletter – Securing the Legacy;and

*Brown Hill Online CommunityHub Project.

Interested in finding out moreabout the Engaging CommunitiesProgram in Brown Hill?

Contact Council’s EngagedCommunities Unit on 5320 5746 orgo online and “like” the MakingBrown Hill Facebook page.

Gemma,Connor &Walter -Finalists!On Saturday 8 October, the 2016Community NewspapersAssociation of Victoria (CNAV)Conference and Awards were heldin Bendigo.

Three volunteers from the BrownHill community attended theConference and enjoyed sharingideas with many other groups whorun community newspapersacross Victoria.

In the Awards category 'Bestarticle by a person 18 years oryounger', the Brown HillCommunity Newsletter was afinalist, with the article, ‘Quick

Brown Hill Community Festival(continued from page 1)

A big thank you to all involved in theorganization of this fantastic event!What a lucky community we are inBrown Hill, we've had a lovelyevening. Danielle

It was a great night & a big turnout.Judy

To see more comments andphotos, visit the 'Making BrownHill' Facebook page. Photos andfeedback welcome to:brownhillnewsletter@gmail.com

Witted Walter’ by Gemma andConnor (Edition 2).

A very fun character piece thatcaptured the spirit of the intervieweeand the interviewers. I’m sure thereaders loved this piece! I did!

Judge: Stuart Winser – Librarian,Goldfields Library Corporation.

Well done to Gemma and Connor,who received their certificates atthe Brown Hill CommunityFestival. Thanks Walter for tellingsuch entertaining stories!

Brown Hill Progress Associationcooked 650 sausages!

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FireAware mascot, Penny Platypus

Do you reallythink thatpeople shouldbe surprised?How often do we hear after amajor fire has affectedhouseholds, especially on theurban-rural fringe of towns andcities, that “they had not beengiven adequate warning of thedanger they were in"?

Leading up to 'Ash Wednesday'Victorians were experiencing theworst drought on record; therehad been 3 days over 40oC and 8days over 35oC in the 2 weekspreceding 16 February 1983. TheBureau of Meteorology had issuedbushfire alerts for SA and a TotalFire Ban for Victoria on themorning of the 16th. People couldsee and smell the smoke ofbushfires all around them, therehad been disastrous bushfiresearlier in the season, and theycould feel the gusty, hot, violentwind early in the day and knew awind change was expected. Howmuch more warning did theyneed?

Brown Hill is one of the mostvulnerable and at-risk suburbs inBallarat, along with Nerrina andInvermay, of being potentiallyimpacted by a bushfire. Will yoube one of those saying, “Whyweren’t we told...”

To learn more about the bushfirerisk to your suburb and ways toprepare your household andproperty for the bushfire season,access the following link to theBrown Hill Community FireAwareNetwork web pages:www.pleanetwork.com.au/fireaware-network-understanding-risk/

Remember: being aware of andpreparing for the bushfire seasonis just like taking out insurance –it can prevent or lower the risk ofpotential loss and damage, both inhuman terms and property, and ifyou don’t need it this season thenwell and good, but if you do....

For more information about theNetwork and the resources it canprovide, contact the NetworkCoordinator Hazen Cleary 0408690 493.

Fire at BrownHill CricketClubThe Brown Hill Cricket Club wasbroken into on Friday 21 Octoberand the kitchen was set on fire.Fortunately, the fire did not takehold and was confined to a sectionof the kitchen, but both the fireand smoke have causedconsiderable damage to therooms.

The Club had just finished havingthe rooms completely repaintedthanks to the City of Ballarat'sfunded Brown Hill Partnership,but it will need the main hall &kitchen completely repainted,new kitchen fittings and bothcarpet & vinyl floorings to bereplaced.

AttentionBrown HillWalkers!The Brown Hill NewsletterCommittee is seeking volunteersto hand-deliver the newsletter totheir neighbourhoods - which isgood for the environment andfosters a more connectedcommunity!

When the next edition ispublished, 100 copies of thenewsletter would be dropped offat your address to be delivered toyour allocated streets.

If this sounds like something youmight be able to help with, pleasefill in this online form:http://goo.gl/3eanoX (scan theQR code below to go directly tothe website) or contact us byemail:brownhillnewsletter@gmail.com.

A significant amount of stock fromBallarat Wholefoods was alsodamaged.

The community needs to be madeaware that there has been anincrease in arson activity in theBrown Hill area in recent times.

Phillip Knowles, President, Brown HillCricket Club, 0407 399 971.

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Splish SplashSplosh - timeto swim!The Brown Hill Community Poolwill open on Saturday 3December. Come along for fun &games in the two pools. Pack somesnags and cook dinner on the newBBQ. Snacks are available from thekiosk. In warm weather, openingtimes are:

*12 noon to 7 p.m. on weekendsand holidays.

*2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on school days.

Earlier times are available forgroups with prior bookings.

Summer activites include: Zumba(fun water aerobics to funkytunes) and VicSWIM in January(for children over 4 years old, call9271 3800 to book. Limited placesavailable).

Stay in touch via the 'Brown HillCommunity Pool' Facebook pageor phone 5338 8663 or 0438 282899 after 1 December 2016.

2016-17 Lifeguards

This season we welcome back:Jacqui, Kate, Tahlia, Egan, Kieran,Ryan, Riley and Sam. All thesepeople have worked for us in thepast year or two and are provenperformers.

The Brown Hill ProgressAssociation - a short history

The Brown Hill ProgressAssociation (BHPA) was formed asan umbrella association by theexisting Brown Hill Public HallCommittee at a public meeting on14 May 1969. The meeting waschaired by His Worship Cr. M.Brown , Mayor of the City ofBallarat. The Association Aims andObjectives as per the Constitutionare:

*To promote the economic, socialand cultural development andprogress of Ballarat as a whole andBrown Hill in particular.

*To raise funds to further theseaims.

The BHPA has stuck to these aimsdiligently ever since its inception,

with financial and manpowerassistance to community membersand other local organisations suchas the primary school,kindergarten, swimming pool,church and community groupsetc. The jewel in the crown of theBHPA has always been the BrownHill Public Hall, which has seenseveral major upgrades over theyears (mostly self-funded) and theadjacent Progress Park / BrownHill Recreation Reserve. The Hallhas been the focus for hundreds ofsocial events ranging from birdshows to rock and roll dances overmany years.

In 2005, the Ballarat City Councilthreatened to close the local pooland a public rally was held. TheBHPA stepped in and the PoolCommittee was formed. Thiscommittee continues to run andimprove the pool with theassistance of the City of Ballarat.

The latest phase of 'development'in our suburb has come with theassistance of the Brown HillPartnership, bringing togetherlocal schools, the kindergarten,sporting associations, businessand dedicated communitymembers with the BHPA. Theestablishment of the CommunityNewsletter has been a great linkwith the community and over thenext year or two we hope todevelop a web presence with theBrown Hill Community OnlineHub and another major upgrade tothe hall to make it more multi-functional.

The BHPA always welcomes newmembers and meets the firstTuesday of each month in themeeting room at the rear of theHall. Become a member for $2.Contact Brendan Stevens on 53348014 (evenings).

2016/17 Brown Hill Pool prices

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Brown HillHall turns 50Early in 1952, the Brown HillSwimming and AdvancementCommittee had its monthlymeeting and raised the question:“Why not build a new hall?” Thenext month's meeting would be avote, for or against.

Mr W. Bawden (my father) sentme to this night, to apologise forhim. The vote was “for” and fundraising events were planned -bottle drives and euchre (cards)nights. (At one night I recall wemade 19/6 i.e. $1.95.) The old hallbeside the pool (ex tram shelterfrom Sturt St) was not suitable forcards, so St. Mark’s Hall andcommittee members' houses wereused.

The land east of the pool and nextto Callinan’s house seemed thelogical spot, so the Council wereapproached for assistance. In1964/65 we had raised what wehoped might be sufficient to callfor tenders. However, thecheapest quote was above ourfunds, so we formed a co-operative and, with 'paid up'money, started our new hall.

In mid-1966 the roof went on, thewalls were going up and locals,under leader Kelly Thurling,started buying timber, sorting andstacking it before laying.Members, including G. Davidson,F. Tolliday, N. Whitcher and L.Rinaldi waxed and waxed againthis new floor.

The Brown Hill Public Hall openedon 2 December 1966, with a veryfull house and a successful night.

From 1967 regular bookingsstarted – a couple of groups arestill with us. The Committee held

balls, dances, cabarets, tropicalisland night, New Orleans Jazz andstarted débutante balls.

About this time we paid for aceiling to be added. The kitchen,in the corner of the hall, was notvery satisfactory, so we planned toadd more room at the rear. MrTom Evans (MLA) was successfulwith securing some funding, so ameeting room and kitchen wereadded.

Late in the 1980s, we decided toextend again. A small meetingroom and a 'proper' kitchen wereadded with kind financial helpfrom a member of the seniorcitizens. At this time, and alsolater, it was suggested my bedshould also be at the hall!

The next extension was down theeast side, providing more dancingspace. This work cost more thanthe original building!

Move to 2015, when we assistedthe Council by paying for outsideelectrical work - a major upgradethat was not budgeted for. Thenthe Council paid to replace themain floor, done early in 2016.

Future work on our much-loved

Brown Hill Public Hall is beingplanned.

2 December 2016 marks 50 yearssince the Hall first opened. Keepan eye on the Making Brown HillFacebook page.

Ed Bawden, Brown Hill Public HallCommittee member since 1952

Ed Bawden at the Brown Hill Public Hall, November 2016

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RockingBrown Hill.....Top Katz Rockers, Kelly and I, bothbelong to other rock-n-roll clubs -the Geelong Jukebox Rockers andthe Ballarat Rockers. We havemade many friends over the yearsand feel privileged to know somany fine, fun-filled people. Wecan heartily recommend the ‘rockand roll dance’ experience topeople who would like to trysomething a little different.Dancing is a great way to maintainfitness and the added camaraderieof like-minded people adds suchjoy to our lives.

The Brown Hill Public Hall is aterrific dance space and thefacilities meet our needsadmirably. The floor is beautifuland dancing there is always fun.We have 3 dances a year, the thirdSaturday of February, June andOctober.

We often get premier bands fromMelbourne to play at Brown Hill,presenting top classperformances. Bands report goodacoustics in the hall.

We are always seeking out newbands to bring to Brown Hill and

are happy to host The Smokin’Wingtips in February , a terrificband of talented musicians, andwe are itching to dance to and beentertained by them.

Top Kats, Joyce & Kelly

It’s in the bagCurrently in Australia there areover 105,000 individualsexperiencing homelessness.Almost 23,000 of these areVictorians.

It can be a real struggle to gainaccess to the basic necessities thatwe all take for granted every day.

We have been collecting items andbagging them up, doing our littlebit to help those in need. Thesebags are being donated to the

'Ballarat Shower Bus' and also tothe 'Pop Up Shop for the Homelessand Those in Need – Ballarat.'

The idea is really simple. If youwould like to help, simply startbuying/collecting items thatwould be of assistance. Pass themon to us, and we will bag anddeliver them. So far we havebagged 38 toiletry bags, twoteenage girls' handbags, twowomen’s handbags and two Mumand Bub handbags.

Items can include, but certainlyaren’t limited to: pads andtampons, toothbrush &toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrushand hairties, shampoo &conditioner, soap/shower gel, facewipes, sanitiser, tissues,moisturiser, sunscreen, chapstick,baby wash, baby lotion, socks,underclothes and backpacks andhandbags to pack items in.

Would you like to join us inproviding some dignity and hopeto others?

Please contact Angela ontinettifamily@tpg.com.au

Find out more on Facebook: 'It's inthe bag - help for the homeless'

Percentage of Victorians who arehomeless, graphed by age

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Eureka Mums– helping localfamiliesEureka Mums is a volunteer-runnot-for-profit organisation basedin Sebastopol, Ballarat. We re-home new and pre-loved babygoods and nursery equipment tofamilies in need. We believe thatby reusing and recycling much-loved babies’ and children’s gear,we not only share the joy ofmotherhood with each other, butwe save the earth’s preciousresources too.

I started volunteering with EurekaMums when my little boy was 12months old. I appreciated howincredibly lucky I was to havefinancial resources to provide formy child and wanted to assistother families to feel a sense ofdignity and pride when watchingtheir little person grow anddevelop. Eureka Mums providesme with the opportunity to playan active role within thecommunity and teach my son thathelping others can be a rewardingexperience.

If you would like to assist EurekaMums with donations, please visit

Brock leads byexampleMeet Brock. Brock has spent his 15years growing up in the BrownHill area. He attended both thethree-year-old and four-year-oldgroups at the Brown HillKindergarten, where thefoundations for some amazingfriendships began and stillcontinue for both himself and hisfamily.

In 2007, Brock moved on to thelocal Caledonian Primary School.Here he had the opportunity tostrive for his personal best, whilebeing supported by warm andunderstanding teachers. He hadthe chance to participate in manyextra-curricular activities such assports, Lego robotics, science days,Energy Breakthrough and theschool choir. In 2013, Brock wasproud to represent the school asVice-Captain before graduatingand beginning his adventure intosecondary school.

At the Ballarat Secondary College -East Campus, Brock was welcomedand supported by a team ofenthusiastic, caring and motivatedteachers. He strived for academicexcellence, which was recognisedwith numerous awards forexcellence throughout years 7 and8, then being selected as SportsCaptain in year 9.

In September of this year Brockwas 1 of 9 students throughoutBallarat to receive The Order Of

Australia School CitizenshipAward. This was a majorachievement.

Brock’s nomination submitted byhis school read: “for being awonderful, mature andcommunity-minded young person,who has contributed in amultitude of different ways to theschool community. He sets a fineexample through modelling theschool’s expectations of respectfor others. Brock has also led theCollege Community EnergyBreakthrough team. In this, he issupporting and mentoringyounger and less experiencedstudents, as well as providinginvaluable experience and expertadvice to the staff. The college isproud to have such a wise, youngman among its students.”

Brock has also been a member ofthe East Ballarat Cricket Club forthe past 4 years, where hecurrently plays in the under 16’s.

Brock is a proud and activemember of the Brown HillCommunity.

Angela Tinetti, Brown Hill

Brock receiving his award from thenMayor Des Hudson (September 2016)

www.eurekamums.org for a list ofitems we re-home, or emaildonate@eurekamums.org.

Bridget Veld – Eureka MumsVolunteer & Team Leader and BrownHill resident

Bridget (centre) volunteering atEureka Mums

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Brown HillCommunityNewsletterThis publication is a communityproject of the Brown Hill ProgressAssociation and is supported bythe City of Ballarat through theEngaging Communities Program/Brown Hill Partnership. It ispublished bi-monthly.

Editorial Advisory Committee:

Alice Barnes, Geoff Dickson, BrianGreen, Sarah Greenwood-Smith,Megan Hekkema and IanWesterland. Proof reader: JockFreeman.

Distribution is via Australia Post toall businesses and residences inBrown Hill (except those with a'No Junk Mail' sign). Additionalcopies will be available forcollection at businesses andcommunity hubs around BrownHill. Electronic copies will beavailable in PDF format on the'Brown Hill CommunityNewsletter', 'Making Brown Hill'and 'Brown Hill Community Pool'Facebook pages, or by emailingbrownhillnewsletter@gmail.com.

Contributions for Edition 5 mustbe submitted by Friday 3February tobrownhillnewsletter@gmail.com or inhard copy to the reception desk atCaledonian Primary School,Thompson Street, Brown Hill.

Contributions should not exceed250 words and up to twophotographs per item may besubmitted (but may notnecessarily be published). Materialmay be edited due to space, style,clarity or for legal reasons.

The name and address of the

person submitting any materialmust be provided (address not forpublication).

The Editorial Advisory Committeereserves the right not to publishmaterial considered to beoffensive or inappropriate orwhich is not deemed to havecommunity interest or relevance.

The views expressed orinformation provided in thispublication are not necessarilythose of the Brown Hill ProgressAssociation or the City of Ballarat,including any officers, members,agents or contractors.

Printed by Ballarat Mailworks on100% recycled paper.

Brown HillSeniorsOur open day on 10 October wasenjoyed by all. On October 19, wevisited Boort to look at theSpanner Sculptures, all made withspanners, thousands of them.

We are now looking forward to adrive around Ballarat, finishingwith lunch at the Brown HillHotel.

On 5 December we are celebratingour 45th Birthday and on 19December we will have ourChristmas lunch. Then we closeuntil early February.

A happy Christmas to all thecommunity from Brown HillSeniors.

Enquiries Doreen 5331 2157

Getting toknow ourCouncillorsBrown Hill falls in the City ofBallarat's North and CentralWards. The North Ward is northand east of the Western Freewayand the Central Ward is to thewest. After the recent Councilelections, the six Councillors forBrown Hill are:

Central Ward

*Belinda Coates

*Mark Harris

*Samantha McIntosh (Mayor)

North Ward

*Amy Johnson

*Daniel Moloney

*Grant Tillett

Caledonian Primary School grade5/6 students came up with tenquestions for our Councillors, tohelp us learn more about them.We have included answers fromtwo Councillors. We hope topublish answers from the otherfour Councillors in future editions.

Getting to know Cr. DanielMoloney, North Ward

1. What are your plans to clean uppollution and litter around Ballarat? –Dylan

I think we all play a role inkeeping Ballarat a beautiful placeto live and I hate seeing a smallnumber of people dumping theirrubbish and expecting others(including the Council) to clean upafter them. I’m especiallydisappointed to see peopledumping TVs, mattresses andother large rubbish in theenvironment, so I’d like us to

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consider a hard waste collection atsome point in the near future,though that is not currently partof the Council’s plans.

2. Do you have any plans to make newplaygrounds or improve currentplaygrounds? - Laylah and Hayley

I’d love to hear your ideas, Laylahand Hayley, about improvementsto playground equipment, as ouryoung people are the expertshere.

3. Do you plan to make Ballaratbigger? - Jonnie and Zac

Ballarat is already growing at afairly rapid rate, to the west of thecity in particular. We are fairlyunique here in Victoria, wheremost of the population lives in onecity (Melbourne). In most otherstates and other parts of theworld, you see three or four largecities in each state, with thepopulation more evenly spreadaround, so I do see Ballarat gettingbigger in coming years.

4. Do you support anyone in theBallarat Football League? - Jonnie andZac

I must confess I don’t get to thefooty much here, so I’m open tosuggestions, Jonnie and Zac. But Ido get to a few Collingwood gamesper year (so the black and whitehas me leaning toward supportingthe Roosters).

5. What do you think of the kids of thisgeneration? – Xander

I have a son in primary school anda daughter near the end of highschool here in Ballarat. I’m alwaysincredibly impressed by howsmart and dedicated so many ofBallarat’s kids are. I think the kidsof this generation are sointelligent and well-connectedonline, but I like to remind them

to not forget about directlyconnecting with the communitythrough volunteering.

6. What do you like about Ballarat? –Ben

Gee, Ben, where do I start? There’sso much I love about Ballarat. Atthe top of my list, though, I’d haveto say that I really like howfriendly and accepting people arehere.. And I must say that LakeWendouree is one of my favouriteplaces on the planet.

7. Are you going to introduce anymore big events to Ballarat? - Abbieand Emily

We already have an event of somesize in Ballarat most weekends ofthe year, though I’d love to see acouple of big show-stoppers cometo town. I’m really lookingforward to seeing White Nightcome to Ballarat in early 2017 (thefirst time in the world it will go toa non-capital city).

8. What new ideas do you have forBallarat? - Abbie and Emily

I’d like to see some changes to theway we get feedback and ideasfrom the community, includingkids. Giving people the chance to

offer their ideas to make Ballaratbetter is really important.

9. Are you going to improve thepathways around Ballarat? It wouldreally help people to get around moreand become more fit – James

You’re absolutely spot-on, thatgood paths encourage people towalk and run more by having asafe place to get fit (and get out ofthe car). Many of our footpathsare starting to get a bit old and Iknow there’s a big challenge tokeep up with the maintenance ofhundreds of kilometres of paths,but I’d like to see moreimprovements.

10. Could you build elevated tram linesaround Ballarat? – James

Hi James. You haven’t beenwatching the Simpsons by anychance, have you? (The monoraildidn’t end so well for Homer andthe residents of Springfield.) Iguess there’s nothing you can’t dowith unlimited money, but Ireckon this one would be a bit tooexpensive. It’s such a pity that theextensive tram network we usedto have in Ballarat was ripped up,and there’s only a small bit aroundthe lake now.

Cr. Daniel Moloney, North Ward

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Getting to know Cr. GrantTillett. North Ward

1. What are your plans to clean uppollution and litter around Ballarat? -Dylan

The problem of pollution andlitter is not just a Ballaratproblem. It is a universal problemfor which there is no real, singleanswer.

I come from outside the built-uparea and nothing disappoints memore than to drive up Gillies Roadearly in the morning and to findsomeone has dumped a boot-fullof rubbish on the roadsideovernight.

I guess community education isone answer to the matter, and, ofcourse community participation.Do not walk past small pieces ofrubbish - pick them up. Oneshould not have to do that but... !!!

Council has a responsibility toprovide ongoing education and, ofcourse, things like rubbish bins atappropriate locations - and,naturally, these bins need regularemptying. As I sit and ponder thisquestion, however, I keep comingback to community pride andcommunity education as being thebest guardians against littering,etc.

2. Do you have any plans to make newplaygrounds or improve currentplaygrounds? - Laylah and Hayley

It is a long time since I used aplayground, but my expectation isthat Council will certainlycontinue to maintain existingfacilities and provide new ones asdemand can be demonstrated.

3. Do you plan to make Ballaratbigger? - Jonnie and Zac

Well, the decisions to makeBallarat bigger do not come from

Council as much as from StateGovernment. My own view is thatBallarat should try to maintain thecharm and dignity of the Ballaratof old, and any expansion must(should) only come after strongconsideration of the downside,and with full understanding of theoutcomes.

4. Do you support anyone in theBallarat Football League? - Jonnie andZac

No, I do not support any particularteam in any particular sportingdiscipline, but I enjoy them all.

5. What do you think of the kids of thisgeneration? - Xander

You know, the kids of today arepretty smart. But so they shouldbe, because modern technologyhas the capacity to make them so– no computers, calculators ormobile phones when I went toschool. Pen, but usually pencil(and a good rubber to fix up theerrors we made), was the best wehad. No heating or cooling in theclass rooms, and often kids withno shoes on (in the summertimeat least). Many parents could notafford shoes.

6. What do you like about Ballarat? -Ben

Ballarat is a good place to live,with excellent medical facilities,

plenty of open space to moveabout, pretty good sportingfacilities, generally speaking, andall the things to be found in alarge city - but with just enough ofthe rural outlook to enable arelaxed lifestyle.

7. Are you going to introduce anymore big events to Ballarat? - Abbieand Emily

This is a good question. Ballaratdoes have a number of big events.There is one on this weekend as Itype this letter - the BallaratShow.

Then we have the Begonias andthe big cycle race; even the iceskating rink. But what we do nothave is lots and lots of money, andwhat we have must go around allof Ballarat.

The Show is run by a committee oflocals; the Begonias by a similargroup but with some Councilsupport; the cycle race and theskating come at enormous cost –like it or not, money is the key toall things. So, no, I do not supportlots of new big events if theCouncil has to pay, but I dosupport the notion that Councilcan support groups (like theBegonias) who contribute to theevents.

8. What new ideas do you have forBallarat? - Abbie and Emily

Ballarat has just gone through awhole series of big new ideas,most of which have not beenproperly funded and cannot becompleted without significantextra money. So, my big idea is toget all those half-finished thingsdone and then let us look for thenew challenges.

9. Are you going to improve thepathways around Ballarat? It wouldreally help people to get around more

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Wholefoods Ballarat ChristmasBreak

Wholefoods will close for theChristmas/New Year period onFriday 16 December at 7 p.m.  

We will re-open on Wednesday 1February 2017 at 9 a.m.

Results of the BallaratWholefoods Festival Raffle

At the Brown Hill CommunityFestival, the Ballarat Wholefoodsteam sold 103 raffle tickets.

Thank you to everyone whobought a ticket and to the verygenerous prize donations.

WholesomeWholefoods

Ingredients:

1 lemon or lime, cut into wedges

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar(preferably with mother/culture)

500 ml mineral or soda water,chilled

2 teaspoons of honey, maple syrupor agave (to taste) 

Directions: 

Squeeze lemon/lime wedges into ajug, leaving wedges in jug oncesqueezed. 

Add apple cider vinegar, sparklingwater and honey to jug. Stirvigorously with a chopstick orwooden spoon. Serve over ice. 

Recipe from the Ballarat WholefoodsRecipe Book.

Homemade Lemonade

Third Prize: Izzy

Grounded Pleasures gift box witha range of delicious drinkingchocolate.groundedpleasures.com.au

Fourth Prize: Lisa

Two Family Day-Passes to theBrown Hill Pool, donated by theBrown Hill Progress Association.

Congratulations to the winners!

First Prize: Aaron

Family Day Pass to Sovereign Hill,donated by the City of Ballarat.sovereignhill.com.au

Second Prize: Sarah

A seasonal fruit and a seasonalveggie box donated by MagicMeadows via Ballarat Wholefoods.magicmeadow.com.au

Getting to know Cr. GrantTillett. North Ward continued...

and become more fit – James

Unfortunately, because of poormaintenance and the wet winter,the roads around Ballarat are inbad shape – sorry, no cash for newpathways. Once the roads arefixed, then let's have a go.

10. Could you build elevated tram linesaround Ballarat? - James

It is a great shame the oldtramway was removed - not one ofour finest hours – but building anew one would be an impossibletask, I fear.

Magic Meadows Fruit Box

Magic Meadows Veggie Box

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Did you know that you can cancelyour white and yellow pagesdelivery: www.directoryselect.

ParentswithoutPartnersThe Ballarat Branch of ParentsWithout Partners was formed in1969. The aim of the organisationwas to support single parents andtheir children, regardless ofmarital states or custody.

Various social functions wereorganised for adults and childrenand were always well supported.

In 1976 we started holding a danceeach month at the Brown Hill Halland,40 years on, these are stillvery popular. Over the yearsthough, membership numbershave decreased.

One of the highlights of thebranch was to instigate theforming of the Eureka WardNeighbourhood Childcare Centrein 1976.

Any enquiries regarding theorganisation would be welcomed.

Margaret: 5338 2978

Trevor: 0409 433 522

Shirley: 5335 6180

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Brown HillState SchoolNo.35 - AHistoryThe name Brown Hill started off asBrownbill in the times of golddiscoveries in October 1851. InGolden Point, William and HiscockBrownbill found there were toomany diggers there and came tothe spot that is now Brown Hill.Here they struck gold and in theirhonour the diggers called itBrownbill's diggings. Over timeBrownbill gradually changed intothe name we use now - Brown Hill.

Brown Hill has been home tomany schools before our currentstate school. John Finlayestablished the first two. InDecember 1867, he opened PlankRoad School and, in January 1868,the Gracefield School (named afterhis daughter in England). TheBrown Hill Primary State Schoolfirst opened as the EurekaNational School in September1853. It had been bought by thenational school inspector from a

digger. Mr Spencer Creeny wasthe first head master and within 3months had 50 students attending.

After Mr. Creeny resigned, Mr.M.C. Carey took over. At this stage,only 21 students were inattendance. When Mr. Careyresigned there were only 2students attending. However, inSeptember 1856 there were again50 students and by 1872 there 227in attendance. Mr. Nicholson washeadmaster at the time and heestablished the school's firstlibrary. Because of the biggernumbers, another building wasleased and became the juniorschool. Years later, Mr. Potter washead teacher. He continuallyworried about the abandonedmine shafts in the school grounds.In 1876, a five-year-old drownedin one of the mine shafts.

In 1877 a new school building wasstarted (which is the front portionof our present state school). Theold building was sold by 1878 andin 1884 there were 150 studentsattending. Jumping years forward,in 1946 the number of studentswas greatly increased. Theincrease meant more space was

needed. In 1959, one moreclassroom, a staff room and thepresent office were added. In 1963,two classrooms were added andthe attendance was 258. In Mr.Ryan's term as head teacher, twoovals (both with cricket pitches)were constructed and the gardenswere looking beautiful.

Annie, Grade 5, Caledonian PrimarySchool

Caledonian Primary School circa 1970

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YarroweeRiverHighlightsTourOn a rather drizzly Sunday (18September) 24 local communitymembers gathered at Gong GongReservoir to begin a tour of theYarrowee River. The tour was toshowcase the works of the threeyear 'Breathing Life Back Into theYarrowee River' project, whichsaw the state government allocate$1 million into revitalising theRiver. The Yarrowee River beginsin the hills at Gong Gong, thenflows through Nerrina, Brown Hill,Black Hill, Ballarat East, BallaratCentral, Golden Point, Redan,Mount Pleasant, Sebastopol,Mount Clear, Magpie andCambrian Hill, where it turns intothe Leigh River and flows into theBarwon River at Inverleigh.

After leaving the reservoir wetravelled downstream to our firststop at the newly constructedBrown Hill wetland. As it wasshortly after the large rainfallevents Victoria experienced thisSpring, the wetland had expandeddramatically. This wetland will act

as a great habitat refuge forcreatures such as frogs andwaterbugs and is a great place forkids and adults to explore nearbynature.

At both Dowcra Street, Sebastopoland Humffray Street South inMount Pleasant, we showed theamazing work that the communityhas contributed to this project inthe form of clean-ups andplantings. Initially, BallaratCouncil had removed a lot ofblackberry and willow. This wasfollowed by 10 community andschools planting days when 3,500indigenous plants were put in theground and guarded from theever-present rabbits.

Our following stop at Bala Street,Sebastopol, was to highlight thebiggest infrastructure portion ofthe project, which is mostlyunseen. A gross pollutant trap(large pieces of rubbish) wasinstalled in this area due to itsbeing identified as a pollutionhotspot. This means it will collectthe rubbish at the end of thestormwater drain before it hits theriver or nearby Redan wetlands,reducing pollutant impacts on thewater.

We finished the chilly but pleasantmorning with a lunch back atGong Gong, which was a greatchance to talk about futureinvolvement in the YarroweeRiver and how we can all worktogether.

If you would like to be alertedabout some of the upcomingYarrowee River events in BrownHill or are interested in joiningthe Friends of Yarrowee River,please contact our Yarrowee RiverProject Officer onjanelcg@iinet.net to be put on themailing list, or keep an eye out inthis newsletter.

Jane Bevelander, Yarrowee-LeighCatchment Group

Warming up in the bus between sites

Looking at the gross pollutant trap in Sebastopol.

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ObituariesVale Eric Carthy

17 February 1917 - 13 November2016

We acknowledge the recentpassing of Eric Carthy, a long-standing and well-known memberof the Brown Hill community. Ericwas 99 and worked at CaledonianGarage for many years. Oursympathy goes to Eric's family andfriends.

Vale Wallie Coles

Long-term Brown Hill resident,footballer, umpire and bird-watcher, Wallie Coles died lastmonth. Wallie was born atQuambatook on 15 November,1931 and died in Ballarat on 26October, 2016. Wallie lived in ReidStreet, Brown Hill, for 54 yearswith his wife Elaine and their 3children, Sharyon, Colleen andGlenn. Because of his failinghealth in recent years, their homewas sold and they relocated toInvermay Park to be nearer totheir family.

Wallie had a real passion for bird-watching and had an enviableability to immediately whistle thecall of lots of birds. He couldremember the call, the key, thepitch and so on, and come up witha perfect rendition of an amazingnumber of bush birds and others.

There were few people who couldmatch him with that. Wallie wascontacted by a number of bird-watchers from interstate andoverseas because of his localknowledge and he gave his timefreely to them whenever he could.

As far as the local branch of birdobservers is concerned, he was a

co-founder in 1983 and continuedactive membership until illnessprevented it about five years ago.He was the Branch ConservationOfficer for many years and did hisbest for the birds and theenvironment in whatever way hecould.

Wallie had seen more than 650different sorts of Australian birds;he gave occasional talks tostudents and others and escortedthem on bird-watching outings. In2007 he was given a DistinguishedService Award by the Bird

Observers Club of Australia.

Later in life his passion was for theDitchfield Nature Reserve alongthe Yarrowee River, which waswithin walking distance fromhome. Wallie could be seenwalking the tracks, bird-watchingand talking to other people alongthe way, often sitting on a chairwaiting for a square-tailed kite tofly over.

Roger Thomas and Helen O’Donnell,BirdLife Ballarat.

Wallie Coles

Wallie Coles

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My LocalShoppingStripIn a rare moment of sunshine thisweek, when I was enjoying a strollup to my local shop, I got thinkingabout the mini-shopping stripsthat adorn our surroundingsuburbs. We take them for granted- they are always there - yet wehead into town to the big stores.So what happens to the littleshops in the suburbs?

In my local strip there is amilkbar, post office, servicestation, fish & chip shop,hairdresser, laundromat, andwithin walking distance there is amechanic and pub with bistro, bar& bottle shop. I’m happy to say Iuse most of those businessesregularly.

I often head to the shop, even justas an excuse to get out and walk. Iused to visit the fish & chip shopoften, too, but since pregnancyfish & chips hasn’t really been mything, I still love to send peoplethere! I use the laundromat when Ihave 'big' things that needwashing. I haven’t visited themechanic for a few years, but, nowthat I’m home more often thesedays a local service is just whatthe car needs!

The convenience of the servo istoo good to worry about collectingdockets and driving all over townto find a few cents' discount. Wedon’t visit the pub as much thesedays, with a baby, but it’s nice tobe able to walk up and get a nicemeal while enjoying the views ofthe creek over the back deck. Ihave also used the pub as a babyshower venue on a quietafternoon. We have booked the

hall to have ourlittle guy’s firstbirthday and weare very muchlooking forward toheading to theswimming poolwhen the hotweather comesback, too.

It’s these thingsthat make our littlepiece of Ballarat

unique, but also bring it togetheras a community. It’s no surprise tosee someone you know at theshop, or get a toot from a friendwhile you’re at the park or out fora walk and you get to know thepeople running the businesses inthe area.

Some days, when I have beenhome for a few days in a row withnot many outdoor adventures, it’snice to get out and see real people,so I head to the shop. It saddensme to see shops close down. Everynow and then I drive past an oldmilk bar that has recently closed,another pub that has shut down,or another business building thathas the blinds closed.

So, as a community, in each of oursuburbs, we need to do our best tosupport those small businessesaway from the big shoppingcentres. Is the difference of a fewcents or a couple of dollars reallythat big that we need to drivelonger distances (and spend moreon fuel) to get the fewconveniences that we might needon occasion? It seems to be thatonly once these small businessesclose down do we stop and realisewhat we had and suddenly miss it.Let’s all do our bit and keep ourlocal businesses running.

I’m also loving the committeesthat City of Ballarat has set up; inmy case it’s “Making Brown Hill”(Brown Hill Partnership), acommittee of local residentsworking with the Council to makeour area even better!

Recently, new barbeques andpicnic tables have been put in thepark. I'm very much lookingforward to having a picnic or twothis Summer.

Louise Jones, Blossom Connect

First published on Louise's blog :www.blossomconnect.com.au

Local shops, Humffray Street North

Local mechanic, Humffray Street North, Brown Hill

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Brown Hill Community Festival Photo CompetitionThe inaugural 'My Brown Hill' photo competition was run in thelead up to the Brown Hill Community Festival in October.Residents were asked to submit photos that represented BrownHill to them.

Entries will be printed over several editions of the newsletterand posted on the 'Making Brown Hill' and 'Brown HillCommunity Newsletter' Facebook pages. They will also be ondisplay during December at the Ballarat Central Library,Doveton Street North.

The judging panel included staff from Brown Hill Kindergartenand Caledonian Primary School. Entries were judged on theway in which both the image and the description captured theessence of Brown Hill.

We thank those who entered the competition and encourageeveryone to email your Brown Hill photos to:brownhillnewsletter@gmail.com.

Brown Hill Festival Committee

1st Prize: Harry

'Brown Hill Playground'

I love Brown Hill Playground because I can playFireman Sam there. I use the binoculars aswater cannons. The fireman pole is fun!

2nd Prize: Oscar

'At the Creek'

This is my Brown Hill because we haveadventures with Daddy here.

3rd Prize: Lydia

'Golden bloom'

I like exploring Brown Hill whilewalking with my mum.

The Festival Committee would like to thankThornton Richards Camera House (416 SturtStreet, Ballarat, camerahouseballarat.com.au)for donating a $20 gift voucher for first prizeand the Brown Hill Progress Association fordonating two Brown Hill Pool Family DayPasses given as the second and third prizes.

Pre-school category