Elpho Info

Community Newsletter for the Elphinstone, Faraday, Sutton Grange and Metcalfe districts
June 2014 Volume 62
Winter 2014: Hasnt really hit
yet, has it?
NEXT EDITION
Articles and advertising for
the June Elpho Info are due by
Friday 22nd August 2014.
Email your articles, photos, etc
to gattfiona@gmail.com
Gill at the shop is the contact
for billing queries and MOST
ANNUAL ADVERTISING IS DUE
BY THE NEXT ISSUE.
Elpho Info is a member of
the Community Newspapers
Association of Victoria.
The Elpho Info can be read online:
http://elphoinfo.blogspot.com.au/
Fiona Gatt (editor)
Spice Up Elphinstone!
The whole town is invited to
the Spice Up Elphinstone! event on
Saturday June 14th at the Elphinstone
Hotel. The event kicks off at 4:30pm
and if you arrive by 5pm and bring
your invitation (which you should
have received in the mail by now - or
pick one up from the pub) you will be
in the draw for the door prize.
Elphinstone is a vibrant
community, home to families,
tradespeople, weekenders, workers
who commute to Melbourne, artists,
home businesses, farmers, sports
clubs, one of the best small primary
schools in the region, a well respected
fire brigade, friendly post office, an
up-and-coming pub and more. What
the town hasnt had in a while is a real
voice or a whole town community
fundraising body. The Elphinstone
Progress Association hopes to fill that
void.
Come along and enjoy a great night
for young and old with:
- a bonfire out the back
- 3 piece band
- giant Jenga for the kids
- free glow sticks for the kids
- $10 curry meals
- drinks at bar prices
This is the first opportunity
to fundraise for and support the
Elphinstone Progress Association and
to give us some feedback on the new
Elphinstone Community Plan. The
Progress Association has already been
sucessful in obtaining one grant (a
new notice board will be installed next
month) and weve applied for another
(for a professional planner to design
improvements to certain areas). We
need your support to continue!
Elphinstone Progress Association
The Elphinstone Community Plan
outlines five broad priorities which
the community has identified as
important. It is envisaged that the
plan will act as a road map for the
future develop of Elphinstone for
not only local residents and but also
all levels of government. Although
priorities are listed one through to
five there is no weighting attached
to the order and all priorities
are considered equal in terms of
importance and timeliness of actions.
Priority One highlights the need for
corrective action regarding mapping
and signage within the Elphinstone
area.
Priority Two focuses on the need
to connect people both within the
Elphinstone community and to the
surrounding communities through
both information connections and
social and physical connections.
Priority Three considers the need
to improve and enhance both the
facilities and the environment within
Elphinstone.
Priority Four concerns enhancing
and supporting recreational facilities
and opportunities in the Elphinstone
area.
Priority Five highlights the need
for a more thought-out and planned
development of the area through
the creation of a comprehensive
town master plan and therefore
must encompass all the aspirations
outlined in priorities one to four.
Actions by which the community can
begin to achieve these priorities have
been identified and are included
within The Elphinstone Community
Plan.
Note: Copies of the plan will be
available at the Spice Up Elphinstone
event!
A summary of the Elphinstone
Community Plan
Elpho Info 2 June 2014
What a busy month for our staff and
students at Elphinstone Primary
School. The highlight being our
Paddock to Plate excursion where
we travelled around our local area
looking at where some of our food
comes from. Our first stop was Gary
and Heather Pollards apple and pear
orchard. We looked at how they are
grown, picked and sorted and the
students even got to pack a 1kg bag
of apples each and take them home!
The next stop was to Neil and Frances
Girvans sheep and cattle farm where
the students were treated to sheep
shearing and watching the new lambs
and Angus beef being raised. We
finished the day off with a sausage
sizzle and enjoying the beautiful view
across the Coliban river valley. We
also had local apiarist Chris Dawson
visiting the school showing the
children how they extract the honey
from the hives and he explained how
the bees convert the nectar they
collect into honey. John Gatt also
Elphinstone Primary School
Wright Street Elphinstone
5473 3285
elphinstone.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
www.elphinstone.vic.edu.au
Some of the netball team
Some of the students at the Pollards orchard
popped in with some of the ducks
that they raise and how they are bred
and cared for.

Samantha Zan organised the 5/6
and 3/4 netball teams who played
magnificently over the 2 day
Castlemaine carnival last month. We
also sent most of our 3/6 students to
the Bendigo racecourse in the District
Cross Country Championships where
we had Declan Pridham finishing
23rd in the elite blue section and also
Keelan Gardner and Tom Spencer
running against the best students
in Northern Victoria. Campbell
McLennan finished third in his race
and the 11 year old girls took out
the team event. Not bad for a small
school!
Last Thursday we took the 3/4
students to the SAFE day at Kyneton
where students listened to CFA,
Police, SES and other emergency
services presentations. The boys
were fascinated with the real life 000
calls from children their age.
We finished off the week with the
rescheduled group day at Redesdale
where students competed in track
and field events along with some
other games and activities.

We are also finishing off our popular
clubs program where students select
which club they would like to be in.
Many thanks to Sue McLennan and
Caroline Wells (Cooking Club), John
Gatt (Computer Building Club) and
Su-Anne Girvan and Deita Walters
(Gardening Club) for giving up your
time and expertise on Wednesday
afternoons. We also appreciate our
creative staff members for a fantastic
variety of activities with Nina Perry
(Clay), Daniel Lidgett (String craft)
and Samantha Zan (Puppet making).
The program will be running next
term, any assistance or ideas from
the Elphinstone community will be
appreciated!
Brendan Stewart, Principal
Opportunity to learn First Aid
The Elphinstone Primary School hopes
to host a First Aid course on November
3rd. To go ahead we need 10 attendees
so we are offering places for anyone in
the community. Contact the school if
you are interested.
June 2014 Elpho Info 3
Elpho Info 4 June 2014
Elphinstone Fire Brigade
The Elphinstone Fire Brigade would
like to sincerely thank the local
community for digging deep during
our recent fundraising efforts to
obtain a defibrillator.

Firstly, we would like to thank
Mani and Chris for the fantastic
St Patricks Day fundraiser, which
they ran especially for our cause
at the Elphinstone Hotel. Our local
publicans went above and beyond,
decorating the hotel with a green
theme, which was well received by
the large, and in some cases green-
tinged, Monday night crowd. It meant
a lot to the Brigade to have Mani and
Chris offer to take on this project,
then proceed with gusto with a
very well organised event which was
enjoyed by all those in attendance. It
was a great success and we would like
to thank all of our community who
made the effort to attend, especially
on an early weeknight, and for
supporting the Spinning Wheel and
raffles held. Mani and Chris donated
prizes and also organised more from
sponsors including Lion Nathan and
Hardwicks Meats. We also had a
surprise birthday cake for our long
serving member Kath Chapman, who
celebrates her special day along with
St Patrick. Manis lovely Irish stew
was served and was a big hit with the
dinner-time crowd. If this is a sign of
the meals to come, we look forward to
enjoying her fare on a regular basis!

Our other fundraiser, the annual
garage sale, was our biggest yet and
many locals and visitors took the
opportunity to take home a bargain.
It was once again very satisfying
to turn our communitys donated
quality goods into cash to put towards
our goal. So we thank the donors
from the local community for rallying
to the cause, and the many happy
purchasers for making this event such
a success.

We also had many individuals in
the community, some of whom are
already regular contributors to the
Brigade, hear of our defibrillator
plan and forward donations. We are
sincerely grateful to you, and say a
very big thank you for your kind
support.
Elphinstone Tanker 1 pictured with some of the horses saved at the
Taradale fre in February 2014. Photo courtesy of the Bendigo Advertiser
Brigade members Peter Bevin and Shane McLean with the new defibrillator
Elpho Info 5 June 2014
We also acknowledge and thank the
Mt Alexander Shires Community
Grant scheme for funding half of the
defibrillator cost (approx. $1500).
The Shire has been very supportive
of the Elphinstone Fire Brigade, and
also other community organisations
in our town. The Brigade has secured
several grants in the last few years
and appreciate the Councils ongoing
assistance, not only from a financial
sense but the success also continues
to buoy the camaraderie amongst
Brigade members.

The good news is that we have now
purchased the defibrillator, which
will improve our preparedness for a
cardiac emergency on the fire ground.
If the defibrillator is required within
the local community, we stress that a
call must be placed for an ambulance
first. Once arranged, you can then
call 000 again and request the
Elphinstone Fire Brigade defibrillator.

With Winter on our doorstep,
Elphinstone Fire Brigade continued
house fires come to the fore and
generally happen very quickly and
unexpectedly. Over the years there
have been various causes including
heating, clothes drying, cooking and
even a simple hair straightener can
cause a house fire if left on. Drying
clothes on a clothes horse too close to
a heater, or the lint building up in the
filter of a clothes dryers are a couple
of things to consider. Unattended
cooking is a big risk as distractions
can happen so easily and the cooking
soon forgotten. Also having your
wood fire flu cleaned out annually for
any build up is a wise idea.

Whilst it is always useful for homes to
have a fire blanket and extinguisher
on hand, we cannot stress enough the
importance of dialling 000 for help as
soon as possible. Sometimes people
are reluctant to call as think they can
manage it themselves, when often the
event escalates all too quickly into
something too big for an individual to
handle. The Brigade would rather be
called unnecessarily than not called -
we are happy to put our skills to use
and I think all members would agree
that we learn something from every
job we attend.

Winter is also a great time to clean up
around the property, and the physical
activity in doing so is a great way of
keeping warm. Leaving the clean up
until Spring can sometimes cause
problems when Spring suddenly
becomes Summer overnight. This
year there has been some talk of an
early start to the fire season given the
weather predictions, therefore why
not make an early start in Winter and
have less stress in Spring?

The Brigade encourages the
community to take care around the
home and wishes you all a fire safe
Winter!

Tracey Franze
Secretary
Elphinstone is lucky that our
community has a public hall complete
with cricket ground and tennis courts.
Of late there have been a number of
incidents that have arisen such as
the theft of the gates at the entrance
to the hall, gas bottles stolen and the
most recent is the theft of water. We
as a community pay to replace items
that have been stolen.
The committee pay a Coliban water
bill on behalf of the community just
the same as households do. The
money comes out of the bank which
in the most part has been raised by
hiring of the hall and fundraising
(food and wine festival etc.)
Please if you see something
suspicious speak up!
(If youre not comfy approaching
someone take down a rego number.)
Our Community Hall
Let someone know ... Gill or Dave at
the shop or the police if youre sure
theyre up to no good!
Lets protect our assets for future use!
Elphinstone Facilities Committee
Feb Mar Apr
mm mm mm
AVERAGE RAINFALL
Elphinstone 1988-2003 42 32 46
Castlemaine 1966-1994 33 36 45
Harcourt 1968-1994 38 56 49
ACTUAL RAINFALL RECEIVED
Elphinstone 2013 8 1/2 55 1/2 67 1/2
Rainfall by Wes Watson
Many thanks to local resident Wes Watson for keeping rainfall
records and diligently passing them on to be published in this
newsletter.
Elphinstone Playgroup.
Tuesdays 9:15-11.15.
Bring a piece of fruit to share.
Cost is $5 per session.
Contact Rebecca Paine on
0488935558.
Playgroup
Elpho Info 6 June 2014
castlemaine FNC
magpies
Te Annual Castlemaine Football Netball Club Ball
Dress: Formal I Dinner & Dancing
Tickets $50 drinks at bar prices
Pre-dinner drinks & nibbles from 6.30pm
Dinner 7.30pm sharp
Tickets available at the clubrooms from secretary Lorelle Huntly
until June 24. Early bird tickets bought before June 1 will go into
a mystery prize draw. No tickets at the door.
Saturday, June 28th
Old Castlemaine Gaol
Elpho Info 7 June 2014
With winter now upon the Elphinstone Hotel is very happy to announce that the kitchen is very close.
It is all fted out, needs a few fnishing touches, and then council approval. We are hoping to be serving
meals by the end of June. In the mean time we are still serving great beer and wine and are developing a
nice collection of shelf spirits and liqueurs to warm us up during the winter.
Chris and Anne will continue to look after the bar and I (Mani) will be cooking, and two lovely local girls,
Mara and Penny, will be joining us to help out behind the bar and in the dining room. I often get asked
what I will cook and have decided it is best to cook what I cook at home! So you can expect a blackboard
menu with meals such as braised lamb shanks, silverside, beef and red wine, chicken schnitzel, pasta
(of all sorts), roasted lemon chicken, chips, steak sangas, soups, curries, Sunday roasts etc. There will
be vegetarian options, gluten free options, low fructose options, dairy free options and there will be
desserts!
Elphinstone is a great community and a great place to live! Having the hotel back up and running is the
icing on the cake. The hotel is a great space for live music, for a quiet drink, for big events, for a catch-up
with some friends, and soon a great place to get a meal. It is a place to come and yarn with new and old
friends (and us of course). It is a great place for kids to run around, for dogs to visit, and with our horse
paddock it is a great destination for horse riders.
So we look forward to seeing all of you who have stopped by over the last six months again and soon
meeting the rest you who have not yet made it the Hotel.
The Elphinstone Hotel
ZUMBA
Weseley Hill Hall
Mon 7-8pm
Kyneton Sports & Aquatic
Centre
Tues 7-8pm
Fri 11am-12noon
HEDGE END HEALING CLINIC
revitalise your health and well being
Carolyn Hudson
remedial massage therapist
infant massage instructor
health provider recogniton
AAMT member
ear candling, hot stone
massage, reflexology, shiatsu
0416 108 823 Taradale
B o w e n w o r k s C a s t l e m a i n e
Loretta Nicoletti
Relaxation and Deep Tissue Massage
Bowtech Bowen Therapy
Lymphatic Drainage
Holistic Healing
Ear Candling
Lomi Lomi Massage
Member of AAMT and BBAA
203 Barker St, Castlemaine
5473 3490
2497 Calder Hwy, Elphinstone
0423 466 126
Euro Commercial Repairs
Late Model Euro Diesel Specialist
Full Diagnostic & Repair Service
Mark Gardiner
Master Technician
Lot 5 Carinya Crt, Elphinstone, 3448
0428 449 152
eurocr@bigpond.com
8 Elpho Info June 2014
AJ CHAPMAN EARTHMOVING
ANDY & KATH CHAPMAN & GIRLS
Calder Hwy, Elphinstone, 3448
For all your Backhoe & Tip truck
requirements
Quarry and Road Supplies
Grader hire
Driveway & House Sites
Andy has 24 years local knowledge &
experience
For further information phone:
0408 507 770 or 5473 3294
DISCLAIMER
Articles and comments printed in this newsletter are the result of contributions from
local groups and relevant news articles pertinent to Elphinstone/Sutton Grange
and Metcalfe areas. Views may be refective of a group or organisation, and
are printed as information to all readers. Neither Elphinstone/Sutton Grange
and Metcalfe Progress Assoc. nor the Editorial Team are liable for any mistakes,
omissions or misprints. It prints and makes no representation as to the truth or
accuracy of any description and accepts no liability for any loss suffered by any
person who relies on any statement contained herein. The Editorial Team may
at time fnd it necessary to alter text so as to accommodate space, but will in no
way alter the validity of a story. They will endeavour to make these changes
with the authors.
ELPHINSTONE NATIVE PLANTS
TRACEY WORSEY
LOT 3 WRIGHT ST, ELPHINSTONE
A WIDE RANGE OF GROUND COVERS
AND SHRUBS. ALL PLANTS GROWN
ON SITE FROM GARDEN STOCK AND
SEED. NATIVE PLANTS SUITABLE FOR
GARDENS AND SOME LARGER TREES;
EUCALYPTS, WATTLES, AND HAKEAS.
54733211
BY APPOINTMENT PLEASE
Mount Alexander
Conveyancing Services
PO Box 88
Elphinstone VIC 3448
for all your conveyancing needs
Sally Henderson
Conveyancer
Ph: 54 733 531
Mob: 0402 232 968
Email: mtalexconv@bordernet.com.au
Elphinstone Post Office
and General Store
5473 3200
Weekdays 7.30am-5.30pm
Saturday 8.00am-1.00pm
Sunday 8.00am-12noon
Public Hol8.00am-12noon
Gill and Dave
FUN AND FITNESS
WITH DANCE
Looking for an activity program which includes fun,
ftness, meeting people, artistic outlet, recreation, great
world music?
Then join us for INTERNATIONAL CIRCLE
DANCING
Where: Over the Moon Dance & Yoga Studio,
9 Templeton Street, Castlemaine.
No partner necessary.
When: Fridays, 5.30 7.00 pm.
New people warmly welcome. All dances fully instructed
by a qualifed teacher.
Cost: $7 per session
Contact: Marie Ph 54733355, 0412 447 600
email: marie.feigl@gmail.com