WHYLD Newsletter February 2018
WHYLD is pleased to bring you this second edition of our annual Newsletter. We became incorporated last year and so are now formally WHYLD Community Group Inc. Our vision is to bring the towns of Woori Yallock, Hoddles Creek, Yellingbo, Launching Place and Don Valley together to form a connected community. We have established a base in the Tennis Club building at Wickhams Reserve in Launching Place and hold our meetings there on the third Tuesday of each month, so if you are interested in any of our activities feel free to come along. Above you will note some regular events coming up in our community this year, so keep this Newsletter somewhere handy as a reminder to bring your family and friends along and support your local events.
WHYLD welcomes new members, so if you are interested in any of our events or activities, please feel free to contact us by email: welcome@whyld.org.au, and please do like us on Facebook: WHYLD Community Group, or for more information visit our website: whyld.org.au.
Wickhams Recreation Reserve, on Wickhams Road in Launching Place is a little-known sporting ground to many Yarra Ranges residents, but a well-kept secret by WHYLD locals. It is also a popular place for camping it seems! There is ample room and lovely shade, it has a nice backdrop of mountains and it’s peaceful – just what people are looking for when they need a free place to stay overnight.
While the Reserve is already frequented by campers and recreational vehicles, camping is not endorsed by the Yarra Ranges Council and does incur a fine if caught. But this doesn’t deter campers and, on any given day over summer, there are frequently up to six different groups in cars, campers, 4WD’s, tents, enjoying the scenery, socialising and doing nothing wrong, outside of breaking a local law!
While there is no signage to suggest No Camping Allowed, some internet research has found Yarra Ranges General Provisions Local Law 2012- (No 1 of 2012) item 9.3 Camping in Public Places, which states: “A Person must not, without a permit, camp in or on any Public Place in a Vehicle, tent or Caravan or in any temporary or provisional form of accommodation”. How many interstate and international visitors would think to look this up?
We recently spoke to visitors who were camping at Wickhams Reserve. Several of these were overseas visitors – backpackers doing seasonal fruit-picking work in the area. Another couple, Aussies who had sold their
house and were now living full time on the road in their motor home. They can’t afford to stay in a caravan park every night and so frequently look for “free camping” which isn’t so readily available around Melbourne.
We also spoke to a resident neighbour of Wickhams Reserve who spoke nothing but praise for the itinerant campers at Wickhams. While he was initially against the camping, his frequenting of the Reserve, and observing campers firsthand for several years changed his mind. He stated that they were to be commended for keeping the Reserve clean & tidy. This is more than could be said of our local youths who frequent the Reserve at nighttime disturbing the peace and doing doughnuts on the gravel carpark.
WHYLD Community Group would like to suggest it’s time for Free Camping in the Yarra Ranges. Some of our members have travelled in Victoria and interstate, where a range of camping options are available to “grey nomad” – travellers and retirees downsized to a caravan or motor home and a life on the road, international backpackers in their campervans working their way around Australia and the Aussie family who just want a cheap and relaxing weekend away from home.
We would like to be able to return the hospitality shown to us by so many councils across Australia. Yarra Ranges boasts numerous reserves and parks that are often only used for sport on the weekend, and we think this is a great place to start.
On 12th November 2017 we celebrated the 5th consecutive Medieval Village Fair at Camelot Castle, Yellingbo. While the temperatures were higher than previous Fairs, we still attracted a large crowd, many of whom were there for the first time.
Each successive year we have focused more on activities and less on market stalls, although at the same time we were very pleased at the variety of stalls offered to the attendees this year. Apart from the cottage-industry products on sale, visitors are always mesmerised by the various medieval LARP (Live Action Role Play) groups that come from as far away as East Gippsland and Northern Victoria. Both Mums & Dads as well as children continue to be spellbound by the vintage Punch ‘n’ Judy show, the Medieval storytelling and of course the mock battles and surprise on-the-spot duels. A new element this year which attracted many visitors was the Deer Hound display. This year the King & Queen of Camelot presented two of the LARP groups with special awards, acknowledging their loyalty and diligence over the past 5 years (see photo). This year we hope to expand the activities to include archery and who knows what else. Keep the date free – Sunday 18th November.
A calm day with warm winter sunshine set the mood for a successful Winter Warming last June.
An estimated 300 people attended the event with an additional 50 volunteers involved. Everything came together on the day, except for the crowds. Where were YOU? Rest assured, those who came had a wonderful time. The community groups rallied and came out to do what they do best! Hillcrest CFA managed an impressive
bonfire and the car parking. SES provided shelter and lighting for people to make their way safely as dusk fell. Hoddles Creek Red Cross brought out the BBQ and turned on an impressive spread of subsidised food and drinks. The fire dance performance came together, as the culmination of months of skills workshops, choreography and practice. An event for all to remember as the days grew longer. Come and join us this year on June 17!
Did you know that our local Woori Butcher hosts a BBQ outside the shop every Saturday morning?
Rod Brook and his friendly staff set up the BBQ outside his shop and provide sausages free of charge to a number of local community groups including Rotary and Upper Yarra SES, who cook and sell the sausages as a fundraiser. WHYLD is pleased to take up the available 5th Saturday vacancy and so look forward to seeing you there on March 31st, June 30th and September 29th. Come along, grab a sausage and have a chat.
Thanks, Rod, for your generosity, support and the sausages.
This is a group where residents in the WHYLD district can get together to swap home produce/plants (edible or ornamental), homemade preserves that they have an abundance of and the gifting of items that would otherwise be disposed of, such as glass jars, plastic bottles, pots, etc. The extent of items for swapping/gifting is up to the members’ imagination.
Please keep in mind that the focus of this group is to swap and/or donate such items with no cash payments. There are many other local groups where cash payments occur, and things are advertised for sale – this is not the focus of this group. It is also a place to share knowledge, photos of home produce related activities, stories and questions. The sharing of knowledge is integral to developing a sense of community in our group.
We meet on the first Sunday of the month from 1 – 3 pm at Sheep Station Creek Road Reserve in Yellingbo. Please contact us to confirm: merrilynbrunt@bigpond.com or phone 0409 979 825.
Students at Hoddles Creek Primary are setting up for a great year in 2018.
We are a small school, offering many opportunities for our students. Our small numbers allow us to develop comprehensive and individualised learning programs. We offer Japanese language and cultural lessons for students in P-6, recorder program for our senior students, P-6 Choir, Art, PE and Library, along with our excellent teaching in Literacy and Numeracy, Science and Inquiry.
We are very lucky to have such beautiful school grounds, including a recently built Centenary Garden and space for our students to run around and play alongside our school chickens. Our students take on a number of leadership roles, including School Captain, and Sustainability and Library Monitors. They strive to be awarded the annual Ted Gramlick Leadership Award, or the Sir Harrie Massey Academic Award. We are excited for 2018, and we welcome you to visit for a school tour at any time.
Search for “Hoddles Creek Primary School Noticeboard” on Facebook and “LIKE” us to receive news, information and see some wonderful things that are happening at HCPS. You can also visit our website at http://www.hcps.vic.edu.au.
