Forrest Post December 2013

The FORREST POST

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Welcome to our pilot edition...

The Forrest Post aims to be a monthly newsletter, a place where you will be able to share news, pictures and information about our town.

The Forrest Post is published by the Forrest and District Community Group and we as editors welcome your feedback and contributions, including writing stories and putting the newsletter together.

Collect your FREE monthly copy from the Forrest General Store, cafes, shops and accommodation around town, or subscribe at [email protected] to receive your copy electronically.

Thank you to the Forrest and District Lions Club for funding this edition.

Editors, Mandy Bishop and Mary Dracup.

©Forrest and District Community Group

It takes something special to be the best in the world at what you do. It takes incredible commitment to become the world champion for the third time.

That’s what Forrest resident Jessica Douglas achieved in October when she was crowned World Solo 24 hour Mountain Bike Champion at Mount Stromlo in Canberra.

“This was my best race

ever,” said Jess. “I won with integrity and won because I really, really wanted it.”

Starting at noon and riding through the heat of the afternoon sun, Jess continued through the night, her bike lights illuminating narrow dirt tracks, then finished with another 6 hours riding after sunrise.

At around midnight she caught, then passed the

Christmas presence Senior Constable Tim Kerrison, who has been an active part of the Forrest community, has left to take up a new opportunity.

According to Bruce Thomas, who is Acting Superintendent for the region which takes in Forrest, the position has

been approved and we can expect a new officer in town in the New Year.

“One of our priorities is to maintain policing over the holiday period,” said Superintendent Thomas.

He said Victoria Police recognise that Forrest’s location on the main road

between Colac and the coast gives it particular significance requiring ongoing police allocation.

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commenced

December 1, 2013

Details on the CFA and

Colac Otway websites

lead group and was never headed.

“As night fell, I felt myself gain energy, build flow, enjoy the riding,” she says.

England’s Kim Hurst made a late charge, but Jess pulled out one of her fastest laps to win by 20 minutes.

Husband Norm is race partner, managing food, drinks, bike preparation and tactics. Forrest locals Sam and Andrew Evans helped out as pit crew.

Sam describes the experience as truly inspirational.

“Jess’s phenomenal mental ability to be able to overcome the long hours and the pain to achieve the final result is extraordinary,” he said.

More than 400 riders from 20 countries competed. Australia’s Jason English took out his fourth consecutive title in the men’s race.

Follow Jess’s blog at www.jessicadouglas.com.

Triple crown for Jess Douglas

Nothing beats a warm hearty soup during an Otways winter, and nothing beats the Otway Soup Fest it would seem.

The Soup Fest has taken

out the “Special Event –

Festival” category of the

Colac Otway Business

Awards. The Birregurra

Festival shared the award.

Run as a fund raising event

by the Forrest and District

Lions Club, the event

includes competitions for

best soups and is ‘hotly’

contested. Club President,

Nellie Shalley, proudly

accepted the award on

behalf of the club at a

dinner in Colac. The award

was sponsored by Bulla

Dairy Foods.

HOLIDAY OPENING HOURS

Open 7 days from Boxing Day until the end of January

Serving breakfast & lunch Sunday to Wednesday (9am - 5pm) and Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Thursday- Saturday (9am - late).

Open for extra dinner services between Boxing day and New Year's Eve, check out the brewery window or our website for opening hours.

Our kitchen is open all day! Thursday nights is PIZZA night, plenty of

flavour and casual style dinner. Bookings are a great idea

Phone 5236 6170

[email protected]

forrestbrewing.com.au

“The Otway Soup Fest is

becoming a special event

on the Forrest event

calendar,” according to

club member and fellow

organizer, Delwyn Seebeck.

“This is our second award

this year, having already

received the Lions District

2012 Activities Shield.”

Held on the Queen’s

Birthday weekend each

year, hot soup is always

popular with locals and

visitors. This year it

coincided with Run

Forrest, so the queues

were long and the event

was a sellout.

The next Otway Soup Fest

in on Sunday June 8, 2014.

Soup Fest scoops award

School children tell tales of characters who might have been

Forrest school children have

published a book that brings to life

200 years of the history of Forrest

and district, telling in vivid detail

the stories of people who might

have lived here in days gone by.

They learnt many of the details of

the lives of the real sawmillers and

their families, bush nurses, shop

keepers, teachers and others who

lived locally in history walks

around Forrest, guided by long-

term community members.

The children visited historical

properties in Birregurra, and

explored indigenous and maritime

history in visits to museums in

Apollo Bay and Cape Otway. They

were also able to immerse

themselves in hundreds of

historical photos, videos and other

references supplied by the Forrest

and District Historical Society.

The children each chose an era

and, over 10 weeks, created a

character who might have lived in

those times, somewhere in the

district. They drew pictures of

what that character's world might

have looked like, and wrote stories

and poems from their character's

point of view.

The guidance of Jiri Novak and

Gregory Day as well as artists,

photographers, parents and

community members inspired

their contributions.

The result is a beautiful book of

poems, pictures and stories from

all grades of the school. It may not

tell the factual history of this area,

but evokes tales and images with a

different – colourful and noisy –

kind of truth.

Mark Arkinstall, who helped to

launch the book, said he was

overwhelmed by the quality of the

students' writings and the success

of the whole project. He praised

the inspiration of the teaching

team and the support of the

parents, and said he was sure the

children would remember and

benefit from their project for the

rest of their lives.

Copies of Characters, Forrest

Victoria are available to purchase

from the Forrest School.

Illustration from

Characters, Forrest Victoria

by Lily Schuhmann

A home for history The Forrest and District Historical Society has entered into a lease with Barwon Water for the West Barwon keeper’s cottage on the Apollo Bay Road as the future Forrest History Centre.

The house of several rooms provides excellent space for the Society’s meetings and for the display of photographs and historic memorabilia.

The Society grew out of a 2006 project to develop the History Walk for Forrest. It now has over eighty members.

The past six years have seen the accumulation of over 1500 photos, 200 documents and maps, 50 family histories and some

will also have space to locate some outdoor exhibits such as antique farm equipment and an original mixing vat from the Forrest Bakery. Eventually the site will become a history museum open to the community, school groups and tourists.

Ken Widdowson, President FDHS

important oral histories on video and tape. With so much to protect and share, it has become apparent that a permanent home is needed to store the archive, carry out further research with members and display some of the interesting historic materials.

The new Forrest History Centre

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Q: How long have you been in Forrest and what brought you here?

Bob: Probably 33 years. We came here to take up a dairy farm. This one had exactly what we wanted for the price we could afford.

Carol: I was teaching at Pennyroyal at the time, we were living in Deans Marsh.

Bob: We were worse than novice farmers, we knew nothing! I was a motor mechanic by trade. We moved in at 11 in the morning and we had to milk at 4 o'clock, on our own. We didn't really know what we were going to do. The flats were flooded and the cows were down there, we had no idea how to get the cows home. We had three kids … it was September so it was fairly cold and wet. We were hoping to light the fire in the wood stove, but the chap had used every skerrick of wood or kindling. That first night was pretty interesting!

Q: What's kept you here in Forrest?

Bob: I really regret not having been born here. I love the area, the small town. I'm involved with lots of things in the town – probably the biggest thing for me would be the Football Club. I've been Treasurer for about 33 years.

Carol: I'm much the same. I like the openness, I have no desire to go back to the city. Our three kids are based in the city and when we go there we're surrounded by fences, cars – it's so nice to hit Yaugher Road and come home.

Q: You don't milk cows anymore – why did you change?

Bob: I always had a bad back, then I think a cow fell on me, and one day I was trying to push a round bale over a fence and it just went on me. I finished up on the floor for 8 to 10 weeks. It was sad because I enjoyed milking, it was a good lifestyle, a good way to bring up a family.

Q: Carol, you used to teach at Forrest?

Carol: I've been finished about 20 years now. After Pennyroyal I taught at Yeodene. I taught at Forrest for 6 years, but left when the Kennett Government closed all the small schools. The Forrest School's a lot different now to when I was there, with the kinder and all the development that's gone on.

Q: What's the most remarkable change that you've noticed in your time here?

Bob: The decline of the dairy industry. When we came here there was virtually a farm on every corner. Now you're battling to find a dairy farm around here. There was Bruce and Gill Neale, and Tommy Stewart, Hunts, Murnanes. We bought Hunts' and Stewarts' and leased another farm, so at our highest we probably milked about 180.

Carol: They were all small, family farms, and they're really not viable anymore. Most of the football players came from the farms, too, and those families have all gone. We had a senior team, reserves and a junior team.

Bob: On a Saturday morning I'd go around the town in my ute and pick up the players in the back, just to get them there in time. There were some great kids.

Q: And the future?

Carol: We'll keep operating the B&B [Forrest River Valley] until such time as we can't, but we'll probably stay here till health pushes us out, if it does.

Be fire aware in the Otways this summer... Can I... Fire Danger Period Total Fire Ban

Have a BBQ? Yes – with provisions* Yes – with provisions* Light a campfire/light a fire in the open air?

Yes – with provisions* NO

Use an incinerator? Yes – with provisions* NO Weld, grind or solder? Yes – with provisions* NO Use a chainsaw, grass trimmer or lawn mower?

Yes – with provisions* Yes – with provisions*

* View provisions on the CFA website Courtesy Alan Winter, Forrest CFA

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Q: What's brought you to Forrest?

Craig: I'm a school teacher here in Forrest: I

teach grades 3 to 6. We moved here in April,

from Hordern Vale where we had a property.

I'd been driving to work here for the last 3

years and we decided to move here to see

what it's like to live in Forrest before perhaps

we buy here.

Beccy: It was so that as a family we could

have more time together, instead of Craig

driving for 2 hours a day.

Q: Beccy, I heard you're an artist, what

sort of art do you do?

Beccy: I've been doing cut-outs, out of paper,

very intricate but very large pieces. My

Masters was on belonging and connections to

place. I've found being here in Forrest

definitely lends itself to that - a lot of what I

was doing was on how people connect to

nature and establish a sense of belonging. As

well as having the bush here, I've found this is

one of the warmest communities we've lived

in.

Q: What do you like most about living

here?

Craig: As Beccy said, the people - and the

mountain biking. I discovered mountain

biking since I moved here and it's almost

changed my life, I love it so much. It's made

me extraordinarily fit, and I had no idea how

beautiful the bush was here until I got into it.

How diverse the vegetation is, the amount of

wildlife. The other thing I love about

mountain biking is it keeps you in the

moment – you're focusing so much on not

falling off the bike, you're free of all your

other thoughts, you're just there.

Q: Plans for the future?

Craig: If I'm able to secure a long-term

position at the school, I can see us living here.

Beccy: I'm hoping to have an exhibition next

year, maybe at a local gallery. I'll show some

of the work I did for my Masters degree and

whatever else Stan lets me do!

Owner: Sharon Bradshaw of the Forrest Brewery.

Why the name? She was named after Florence Broadhurst, the wall paper & textiles designer from the 60s & 70s. I was reading her biography at the time Flo arrived.

Favourite pastime: The ‘5 o'clocker’ - an almost daily, almost 5 o'clock walk we take with Jen from Station Street and Charlie her chihuahua.

Best trick: Flo is very patient & obedient, when we walk I make her 'stay' at a particular spot on the path, then I walk ahead a few

hundred metres and call her. She comes charging along like a horse running sideways.

A notable misadventure: We had friends & family staying in the caravan park a few years back and my Dad took Flo down to the caravan park to visit whilst I was working, then forgot about her and returned to the brewery. Some time passed before we realised we'd lost her, so we took off in the car around the streets looking for her, only to find her standing like a statue in exactly the same place he'd left her, waiting for his return.

Sharon Bradshaw

Sleeping off the ‘5 o’clocker’.

Open letter of goodbye from Gill Neale...

I came to Forrest in 1966, and lived in the community with Boxer and Squincher and Thunder and Bugs and Zuey, without knowing their real names for decades. I shopped for everything in one of the three general stores, standing at the counter and asking for what I wanted, then letting them do all the fetching and weighing and wrapping and adding up, while swapping all the local news at the same time.

I could go on a bus six days a week to Colac, early enough to get the morning train to Melbourne if needed, or

come back after lunch with the mail, sorted at the separate post office in Station Street.

We also had a resident school principal, resident policeman, several resident Forestry officers, a Lands

Department inspector, all with families and involved in the community, a visiting maternal welfare nurse, visiting

banker, a separate preschool centre, three active churches, a butcher's shop, and a footy team made up of all

locals.

Forrest was ringed by many family dairy farms. In the township itself, the engines of the timber mills were like a

throbbing heart, starting up early on Monday mornings and beating reassuringly for the whole working week. Log

truck drivers and bush crews were needed as well as the mill workers, and with the government departments in

the town, plenty of employment was available for the locals.

We spoke to and made eye contact with everyone. We shared and were involved with our neighbours' concerns.

(We were related, in many cases.)

It's different now, not better, not worse, just different. Just as I've been here long enough to qualify as a local, I'm

moving on. Good luck to all who live and visit here. Gill

Forrest tracks on horseback

Forrest Horse Riding Club was proud to host the annual Australian Trail Horse Riders Association (ATRHA), Western Victoria Regional camp on the weekend of 16-17 November.

Horseriders are always asking us to invite them back to Forrest and we saw it as a great opportunity to raise vital funds to assist in renovating our dilapidated clubrooms.

We were expecting about 50 nominees and ended up with 106 people from all over the state! Our core group of 10 regular riders, family and friends hosted a weekend that was a booming success. We also raised $3600 towards the clubrooms and many riders supported local businesses.

82 riders headed out on the Saturday on the back tracks of Forrest and Barwon Downs. The 5 hour ride took us through Haydens, Goats and Mahers track, entering the Otway Forrest Park through Ken Widdowson’s farm and King Creek track. All in fantastic weather!

On Sunday, 52 riders enjoyed a shorter ride along the Forrest rail trail and a few of Yaugher’s wider tracks.

The event would not have been possible without local support and our thanks go to all who contributed. The club invites riders to join us on regular rides on the third Sunday of each month.

Jo Simms, Secretary Forrest Horse Riding Club

Life on two wheels... one weekend ... over 5500 riders ...

Lunch at the Forrest town trail head was a welcome stop for the more than 5000 riders of the 30th annual RACV Great Victorian Bike Ride.

The 9 day, 610km ride started in Mt Gambier in South Australia on November 23. The route included Portland, Port Fairy and the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell before heading into the hills.

The Otway stage included an overnight stay in Gellibrand and on to Birregurra, passing through Forrest on November 29.

The spectacular scenery along Turton’s Track and into Forrest helped to divert attention during the hilly sections.

Lead riders arrived in town before

10am, with most cycling in around lunchtime. Forrest’s cafes provided welcome coffee stops on the cool November day.

Whilst some riders found the climbs a challenge after days in the saddle,

others reported it as their favourite stage of the ride.

The next stage took riders back through the Otway forests to Torquay, with 5200 completing the final leg to Geelong on December 1.

Great Vic pedals into town

Here we are now 3 years in and what do we have. More than 350 riders arrived in town ready to hang with their mates and do some racing.

We introduced a number of new categories this year. Everyone loves to feel competitive and we'd like to think that we assisted many more in being able to feel like they are racing. The "Clydesdale" category was certainly a hit which means we might even extend it next year to a "Super Clydesdale".

At the front of the field we had our strongest male and female elite

Caspers Accommodation

a true ‘Ride-in Ride-out’ experience Located in the heart of Yaugher Trail Network

Fully self contained apartment sleeping up to four

Contact Rob or Deb [email protected] 0408 982 880 www.rideforrest.com.au

fields ever. Our male elite field extended to 25, resulting in a huge tussle all weekend between the top two with the eventual winner Kyle Ward over World Eliminator Champion Paul Van der Ploeg.

We had professional Xterra athlete Renata Bucher from Switzerland cause havoc for our biggest elite female field ever. Renata took the prize, only 5 minutes separating her from Jenni King in second.

For those new to our event, the first

thing that normally grabs them is

that our event revolves around the

township of Forrest ... this is a truly

Forrest Festival a big success

unique experience within Australia

A big thank you to all involved, we really enjoy bringing these events to you and we look forward to 2014.

Norm and Jess Douglas, Event Organisers (with event winners Kyle Ward and Renata Bucher)

The Forrest Post is an initiative of the Forrest and District Community Group. Every effort is made to remain current, accurate and non-partisan. Submissions may be edited to fit available space or to remove any material which does not fit with the above objective or could in any way be deemed offensive. Feedback, submissions and advertising input are encouraged. You may request an electronic version by email delivery. Contact [email protected]. Editors: Mandy Bishop, Mary Dracup

Found in the forest...

Cascading water and light create patterns

on the dam wall.

The big spill Barwon Water’s storage in the Otway Ranges, West Barwon Reservoir, spilled over following three months of above average rainfall.

Water started flowing over the spillway on Sunday, November 24, at a rate of 450 million litres a day.

West Barwon Reservoir overflowed several times between July and October, 2012. Prior to that, the last time it spilled was July, 2002.

Barwon Water General Manager Infrastructure Systems Paul Northey said it

PRETTY AS A PICTURE...

Share your photos of this beautiful part of the world: [email protected]

Fuel reduction burning efforts in April have given rise to a towering forest of flowers.

Xanthorrhoea Australis, or Grass Tree, is endemic to Australia with a life span of greater than 300 years, and a growth rate of around 1 to 2 cm per year.

As the plant grows new leaves replace the old, which in turn dry out and hang as a skirt. The skirt, which is very flammable, generally catches alight as a fire front moves past, adding further heat directly to the plant. Well adapted, new growth begins immediately and is often followed by a mass flowering event.

The flower stalks grow very

quickly, at a rate of 2-3 cms a

day. They can reach a height of

up to 3 metres. This abundance

of nectar can be an important

food source for insects, birds and small mammals such as pygmy possums, as generally other plants have not recovered enough to provide other major food sources.

The grasstree provides habitat for a wide range of insects, reptiles, small mammals and even birds, who find both shelter and food at different stages of the plant and the forest’s life cycle.

Aboriginals’ use was many and

varied, with the flower spikes

being used as a fishing spears.

Flower heads were soaked in

water to create a sweet

drink and resin from the trunk

was use as a type of glue when

making spears and other tools.

Grass Trees are very vulnerable

to the root rot disease called

cinnamon fungus (Phytophthora cinnamomi). You may have seen some plants in the bush where the leaves have gone brown. In some areas the fungus can be devastating, wiping out many plants.

Peter Ashton, Forrest Guesthouse

was unusual to see the reservoir spilling in late spring.

“The last time West Barwon spilled in November was 2001,” Mr Northey said.

“Good, consistent rainfall since August has seen West Barwon remain at a high level, even with a large volume of water sent to Wurdee Boluc Reservoir, which is also currently at capacity,” he said.

Rainfall at West Barwon in August was 71 per cent above average while in September and October it was approximately 28 per cent above average.