The Ballarat Independent.

Australian professional rodeo to be held at Ballarat polo grounds February 16th

Ballarat's community groups performing at Buninyong Brewery to assist refugees

Christmas haste leads to Christmas waste - well that's my theory anyway.

Every year I grit my teeth and rue the fact that I am complicit in buying objects that no one really likes. Sometimes Christmas just feels like a waste of time, money and resources. There's e-waste when we replace phones, e-readers and laptops. There's packaging waste when we buy plastic toys with 10 layers of plastic wrap. And let's not forget the batteries.

In the Nineteenth Century Monster meetings were a regular form of protest. Without a vote it was one way ordinary people could voice their grievances and desires. In 1851 Castlemaine was known as the Forest Creek gold rush. It was the world's biggest ever gold rush.

Its illegal to define someone by their colour, or their disability.

Heart Foundation walkers and Sport Central Staff participating in Run Ballarat

With 22 candidates standing for the Ballarat City Council elections, it's not easy to sort out who's who and what they stand for. The Ballarat Independent is here to help. We've put the same eight questions to all candidates and published their responses, along with their contact details so you can find out more.

Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc (BRRA) has redeveloped their website to create a dedicated ‘council watch' page.

Let your phone do the talking

Some things need addressing. Here's what I do. You can too!

Maybe, just maybe, Farnsy was onto something. Among all those bagpipes, maybe there was a message that we should all be taking on board now. Maybe you're the voice. Maybe you should try and understand it. Then make it loud and make it clear.

And one of the best ways to do that, is as a councillor.

Over 1,000 students from regions around Victoria have been collaborating with acclaimed East Timorese singer and songwriter, Ego Lemos (currently in London performing in international concerts that accompany the Olympics). Now Ballarat Locals get the chance to hear this fantastic chorus concert at Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts Sunday 26th August at 2pm.

Ms Hayes, who grew up in Ballarat, strongly believes our community needs women leaders with diverse experience, and the two trial sessions Women with Disabilities Victoria are running called "Enabling Women" will be a great opportunity for women with disabilities to come together, learn from one another and take action.

Some things, Australians are just awesome at. Literally, properly awesome, as in, inspiring awe.

Take our obsession with building ‘big' things, for example. The Big Pineapple. The big Prawn. The Big Merino. The Big Rocking horse. The Big Gina Rinehart. **That last one may not actually exist. Yet.** We recognise just how awesome we are, and build something so ridiculously big to celebrate it that it leaves people awestruck.

From this week, all City of Ballarat planning applications that are advertised to residents can be viewed at Council's website

Application details including plans and supporting reports can be viewed online throughout the 14 day advertising period.

On Sunday 8th July a meeting will be held at Trades Hall Ballarat at 2pm for all people interested in opposing the cuts to TAFE provision and education and training in our region. Everyone is invited, if they want to listen, if they want to speak or if they want to become actively involved.

After grandstanding at last night's Council meeting that politics has no place in Council, Ballarat's Liberal Councillors then split down party lines in sheer hypocrisy, to vote against a motion calling on the Baillieu Government to review its disastrous cuts to TAFE and VET.

Artist Fiona Morgan will be at The Good Life Festival Daylesford on Saturday June 2 freely giving out meatless meals recipes from her soon to be published cookbook. These are recipes that everyone will enjoy not just die hard hippies! Find out how easy and tasty vegetarian meals can be.

You may have seen some funny dressed cyclists on Sunday at Heritage Weekend. This was for a Tweed Ride, organised by the Ladies Classic Bicycle Association of Ballarat. The event was so popular, that we are hoping to make it an offical event of Heritage Weekend next year.

Budding photographers are being invited by the Australian Human Rights Commission to use their cameras to capture those things that remind people of the importance of living in a fair and equal society, and then enter these photos in the Commission's 2012 human rights photo competition.

“Councillors, be brave and reach for the sky.” Cr. Judy Verlin.

“Tell 'em they're dreamin'.” Daryl Kerrigan.

Daylight robbery of ratepayers could well be the last resort for Ballarat City Council if dreams for the Eureka Sports and Entertainment Precinct get out of hand. Some might say they already are.

The Global Financial Crisis has hit philanthropy hard in Ballarat; not only has there been a marked drop-off in the larger, infrequent donations that the Foundation is based on, but the return they get from investing that donated capital had dropped from an estimated 10 to 20 per cent per annum pre-GFC earning, to an eight per cent post-GFC earning lull. Kate Taylor talks to the Ballarat Foundation's CEO Noel Trengove about supply and demand in our local charities.

Someone said to me the other day, "I think it might be too late to do something about the environment," and for some time after, I felt very deflated, and then I felt like a banana, but that was neither here nor there really. What I did think though, was maybe this is how people are feeling. Maybe people feel helpless. That the chance of major change is neither possible or probable, I disagree. I understand why people would feel this way though.

The Australian Local Government Association - the national voice of Local Government, representing 560 councils across Australia - being a signatory to this important and life-changing document.

Is the BCC even a part of this body? If so, why, eight months after this document was signed, was this particular council's individual members understanding of the word "equity" still so parochial, draconian and sadly lacking in November of 2011?

Colin's disability is about the least most interesting thing about him as he's predominantly known as an entertainer. His title of "Australia's Little Giant of Entertainment", Colin was awarded the honour of being named the "Telecom Local Legend for Victoria". Colin new autobiography is a must read.

Ballarat primary school pupils will battle it out in the pool this Sunday for a chance to take on western Victoria's best at the regional championships in Horsham next month.

But pupils are already at a disadvantage, and they haven't even stepped onto the blocks.

The Editor. I wish to endorse the recent letter by David Fawell who voiced concerns about the un professional administration by well paid city officers. Councillors often can only base their decisions on advice provided by council officers.

I base my opinions on the recent Civic Hall farce.

During 2011 a large and somewhat anarchic group formed to discuss and lobby for the arts. The membership of around 500 arts practitioners and supporters grew from facebook discussions about invigorating and nurturing the arts of this region.

Lets get some facts and figures about disability sorted out. According to the ABS, just under one in five Australians, or four million people, are officially recognised by the government as having pensionable disabilities. Of those, 15.6% site a bad back as their disability and 14.8% claim they have arthritis.

Cr Craig Fletcher, Mayor of the City of Ballarat at the time of this interview, describes himself as a "boy from Sebas" and just wants to sit down for a chat. Jon Stanger sat down for a chat with the Mayor, the only thing was that a media minder was also in attendance. This aside, Craig Fletcher comes across as a fairly genuine and forthcoming character.

It might be the first time this month you’ve asked a question like this, but it's more than likely the 10th time that day this poor kid has been asked the same rude question.

The Ballarat Mechanics' Institute sits proudly in the centre of the city, but what do you really know about it? Melissa Watts discovers that inside the old building is a hive of activity.

“Ballarat again faces the prospect of only one or two experienced councillors surviving from one council to another, as was the case in the elections of 2001 and in 2008. This is not good for anyone...”

The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities. ~John E. E. Dalberg, Lord Acton, The History of Freedom in Antiquity, [1877].

There is light at the end of the tunnel - but how long is the tunnel?

The Equal Opportunity News informs us that Anne Burgess, who is the Acting Commissioner for Equal Opportunities has said:

"On this the International Day of People With a Disability on Dec 2nd, I want to applaud some giant steps, at last, in strengthing the rights of people with a disability."

People seem to love Xmas, but for some of us, its a logistic nightmare.

Residents of Blackwood, Barrys Reef, Dales Creek, Golden Point and Simmons Reef are invited to an evacuation planning information session on Wednesday 14 December.

Out of a gate a man emerges, another appears behind him, watching him almost like a pet dog about to be left behind. The first man looks untidy, disheveled and wearing an old shirt. He wears nothing else other than a pair of thongs.

If the Ballarat City Council actually adopted universal access to the letter of the law, how would it effect our lives?

I set out for an adventure on my borrowed stunt-bike one gorgeous, sunshiney day and rode (no-handed) to the bright orange building that is Ballarat's Aboriginal Culture Centre - and found it closed. I then cycled to the University's Sturt St campus and attempted to enter their Aboriginal Education Centre. It had been dispossessed and turned into a canteen. I rode all the way to the Mount Helen campus and tried again. What was the Aboriginal Education Centre is now a shop. Commerce occupies centre space. This is Ballarat's indigenous story.

An extraordinary story about a sex worker and her clients with disability. Nominated for the prestigious Walkley Award for Excellence in Documentary 2011.

Robyn Perham brings another interesting perspective to The Ballarat Independent. Is universal access, support for people with disabilities and non-discriminatory language about helping just a few people, political correctness and special treatment or is it simply about equality?

Year 9 student, Lydia Edwards, writes about the Triple-R Day held recently at Daylesford Secondary College as part of National Recycling Week.

Recently Daylesford Secondary College had a special reduce, reuse and recycle day to celebrate National Recycling Week. The day consisted of activities focusing on sustainability, and a speech from guest Rod Quantock. The idea of the day was to teach students about reducing, reusing and recycling. There were car washing competitions, a relay through recycled materials teaching us about what materials go where, a competition to make a scare crow out of recycled materials and the senior Italian class made a special pizza lunch in the school's wood fire pizza oven. The staff and students were also entertained by school band, The Riff.

My name is ROBYN PERHAM (formerly GOBERT,) and I am now working as a Director (Administration and Personnel) for MPMS P/L. I am living on Lake Learmonth, in western, rural Victoria.

17 acts performing live celebrating local original music!

The Victorian Government has decided to cut $481 million dollars out of the VCAL budget over the next 4 years. Melissa Watts explains the potential impact of these cuts and why it matters.

Robyn Perham says the Ballarat City Council keeps discriminating against her. She wants to form an action group to fight it.

There are alternatives for artists to formal galleries, applying for grants, writing applications, and paying both hire costs and hefty commissions to get their work shown.

A bid by the architects behind Ballarat's Civic Hall development to win over public
opinion has fallen on deaf ears.

Melbourne based Lyons this week revealed changes to the original plans for the City of Ballarat-funded $40 million development.

There were several themes that came out of the recent Arts Forum. One of these was the difficulty many creatives feel in finding and connecting with other artists. There is perceived to be a lack of opportunity for artists to meet each other.

There are no excuses now!

Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc (BRRA) will hold a second community meeting regarding Council's proposed civic hall redevelopment project. The meeting is being organised in conjunction with the City of Ballarat.

Belinda Coates from the Ballarat Greens explains her involvement in the Civic Hall issue and says it is not a new issue for the Ballarat Greens, having spoken out in 2010.

Greek community event at St Nicholas' Church and Aust Ex-POW Memorial to mark Hellenic National Day (28 Oct) and Remembrance Day (11 Nov))

'Nanna-technology' is back in fashion and the arts in Ballarat look set to make a resurgence. Put these elements together and you get the wonderful Ballarat Artisan Festival. Find out how the 2011 Festival went over the weekend and check out some colourful pictures of the event here.

The Hepburn Community Wind Farm was declared officially open yesterday when 10 year old Neve Bosher of St Augustine's School in Creswick cut a massive ribbon wrapping the girth of a 68m high wind tower, in front of more than 760 people.

Miss Bosher beat a field of 147 other school children in the region, in a competition to name the 2 REpower wind turbines. Her winning names are Gale and Gusto.

Message from Prime Minister Julia Gillard for the opening of Hepburn Community Windfarm.

CFA community meetings are scheduled for November in the Ballarat region so residents can learn about fire risk in their area and how to turn awareness into action.

Check out the extended video interview Victoria's new top fire chief did with The Ballarat Independent here.

Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc (BRRA) has formed a sub?committee called the "Civic Hall Project Citizens Committee". Its purpose is to work on assessing the Council's civic hall proposed project from the perspective of the benefits to the community and the city.

The Ballarat Greens say that Ballarat City Council is trying to push through their $40million redevelopment plans quickly because they know that the campaign against this proposal is rapidly gaining momentum.

Roll up, roll up, the first weekend in November brings us the three day creative extravaganza that is the Ballarat Artisan Festival.

After a weekend rally of over 500 people opposed to a $40 million Ballarat City Council proposal to demolish Civic Hall and build new offices, it's worth revisiting a public meeting organised by the Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association on Sunday 18 September.

‘Not Violent - Not Silent' and ‘Violence against women stinks' will be the key slogans used as part of a campaign to support White Ribbon Day.

Council's garbage truck fleet will promote the messages in support of the White Ribbon Day campaign to end violence against women.

Year 10 Japanese language students from five Ballarat secondary schools will put their language skills to the test today in the 2011 Inagawa Speech and Cultural Competition.

The seventh annual speech competition is sponsored by the City of Ballarat and run by the Ballarat Japanese Teachers Network.

Jade Standing's interview with Nyibol Deng, a Sudanese immigrant in Ballarat, is a must-read. A warm light hearted look at us all. You will get to know Nyibol, a remarkable woman and you'll get to know yourself. What is it to be a Ballaratian? Do you know your neighbours? Why is it that some in our comunity go unseen?  Jade's article will make you feel good about yourself, challenge you and entertain you.

A roundup of the public art happenings so far and the current paid opportunities available for artists to enliven the Ballarat area.

The Ballarat business community, residents and Council Officers are rallying to clean up and recover after Saturday's flash storm event.

The City of Ballarat has been out talking with residents and businesses who have reported damage from the hail event.

Approximately 520 residents marched from Ballarat Town Hall to Ballarat Civic Hall, to show their disagreement with the $40 million dollar demolition and redevelopment of the Ballarat Civic Hall.

The Civic Hall Walk (yesterday 23/10/11) was an open and well supported community event. It's estimated that in excess of 500 people attended the walk to show support against the City of Ballarat's proposed $40m redevelopment of the Civic Hall precinct (300 Mair Street).

Fun will be the name of the game in the Phoenix Mall on Thursday (27/10), when families descend on the Ballarat CBD, to celebrate children.

The seventh annual Children's Fun Day will be hosted by Ballarat City Council, along with other family and children's services based in Ballarat.

The Ballarat municipality was subjected to Saturday's flash storm event.

The City of Ballarat responded rapidly with three teams dispatched to check road conditions and impacts on residential and business areas.

Ballarat Songwriter's Night, songwriting brilliance showcased online in a 34min Ballarat music TV show. The first time such an array of local songriters had been placed together on the one bill.

The driver of the 300 Mair Street project was always to unlock a key site in Ballarat's Central Business District for commercial development and job creation.

This site can yield a suite of commercial developments that will deliver almost half the required commercial space for Ballarat's CBD over time with the capacity to house up to 1,500 new jobs and up to 1,000 car parks.

Fast food advertising on prime time television and the future of plastic shopping bags will be debated by Year 5 and 6 students attending an outreach program run by the Parliament of Victoria in the Council Chamber of the Ballarat Town Hall this week.

On October 24, 2111, the residents of Ballarat will open a time capsule that will have been buried for 100 years. Inside they'll find an array of 2011 coins; newspapers, and messages of good will from local school children, residents and the Mayor of Ballarat, Cr Craig Fletcher.

Community safety was in the limelight on Wednesday (19/10) with the inaugural Rural and Safety Conference and the announcement of the 2011 Community Safety Awards.

Council hosted the inaugural Rural and Regional Safety Conference on Wednesday 19 October at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

Local artists and curators are encouraged to apply for the 2012 Backspace exhibition program. The space is available free of charge and no commission is taken on sales.

Backspace arts venue is an exhibition space owned and managed by Council. It provides a professional opportunity for local artists at various stages in their career to present works in a supported setting.

Earl is a local musician with a difference - his target audience is barely in primary school.  He plays regular gigs around Ballarat and has recently recorded and launched his CD 'Hello Good Morning'.

The recipients of the 2011 City of Ballarat Youth Awards will be announced at a free event to be held at the Regent Multiplex Cinemas tomorrow night (14/10) at 6.30pm.

The Youth Awards were developed by the City of Ballarat Youth Council and Youth Services, to provide an opportunity for the community to celebrate and recognise Ballarat's many young people who make a positive contribution to the community.

To mark National Week of Deaf People - 15 to 21 October - Ballarat Regional Library Service will host a number of activities, using the sign language of Auslan,

The National Week of Deaf People (NWDP) is a week-long national celebration of Deaf individuals and the Deaf Australian community.

Council seeks Ballarat residents to provide input into the future development of arts and culture in the city.

If you are involved in the arts in any capacity, whether it be as a practitioner or as part of the audience, Council wants your feedback.

As a newly arrived Brit in Ballarat, two questions invariably recur within every new conversation. At some point, the generic friendly stranger will ask, "So why did you come to Ballarat?" This will shortly be followed by a blunt, "So when are you going to leave?" Got to love hard core local disaffection.

Initial proposals for the remaining three precincts in the Ballarat West Growth Area were presented to landowners and stakeholders today at the Ballarat Town Hall.

Attendees were asked to comment on the plans for the Bonshaw Creek, Greenhalghs Road and Carngham Road precincts which have been updated following the initial consultation session in August.

A wireless CCTV camera network may be introduced across the region if a funding application through the State Government's ‘Public Safety Infrastructure Fund' is successful.

The funding application will be made to State Government as part of a collaborative project between the five local government areas of Ballarat, Moorabool, Hepburn, Golden Plains and Pyrenees.

Primary school students in Ballarat have only a week left to submit their ideas on a new name for Willow Island at Lake Wendouree.

The City of Ballarat is running a renaming competition to find a more considered name for the island which was completed in 2008.

Plans for the ‘MS 24 Hour Mega Swim' are well underway but more swimmers and supporters are wanted.

The City of Ballarat is proud to be supporting the ‘MS 24 Hour Mega Swim', a fun community event that raises money for MS Australia's Go for Gold Foundation which provides scholarships to people living with Multiple Sclerosis.

Recipients of the 2011 City of Ballarat Youth Awards will be announced at a free event to be held at the Regent Multiplex Cinemas next Friday (14/10) at 6.30pm.

The Youth Awards were developed by the City of Ballarat Youth Council and Youth Services, to provide an opportunity for the community to celebrate and recognise Ballarat's many young people who make a positive contribution to the community.

Strange, but what can bacon, bogans and Ballarat all have in common? My answer: people, they are all myths. As a Brit recently moved to Ballarat, I have three pressing issues plaguing my brain. Why is ham being marketed as bacon; what is this elusive creature you term the bogan; and am I really in Australia at all or did my airline just fly around Britain for twenty-six hours before dumping me back on English soil?

The City of Ballarat's draft Reconciliation Action Plan is now available for public comment.

The draft plan was adopted at an Ordinary Meeting of Ballarat City Council last night (28/09).

Registrations are now open for the inaugural Rural and Regional Safety Conference 2011.

The free conference, to be hosted by the City of Ballarat, will be held on Wednesday 19 October at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

The Alternative Technology Association supports the push by Victorian community groups fighting to reverse government restrictions on wind turbines.

The Ballarat Libraries school holiday program kicked off yesterday, leaving local children spoilt for choice this break.

Activities will take place on almost every weekday of the school holidays with something for all ages and abilities.

Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association Incorporated held a public meeting on Sunday 18th September 2011 to allow the community to discuss and learn more about the Council's $40m civic hall redevelopment. Around 160 people attended the meeting.

Students in the Studio and Future Art groups at BRACE Education Training and Employment will open an environmentally-inspired show at the Post Office Gallery on Thursday between 5:00-7:00pm.

Students from the Ballarat Deaf Facility will feature in a large scale animation to be digitally projected on to the Town Hall throughout National Week of Deaf People, 15 to 21 October.

The animation is being created by University of Ballarat Graphic Art student Hannah Shuttleworth and will involve students from the Ballarat Deaf Facility signing "From Little Things Big Things Grow", which is this year's theme for National Week of Deaf People.

Creswick's Longest Picnic will be taking place at Federation Square on Thursday 6th October, 11am - 2am.

Young people and more experienced knitters have joined together to improve their knitting skills and provide some warmth for African children.

Anyone looking to make a difference and learn some great knitting tips can join the 'Knitty Gritty' team at YHQ. Young people are of course always welcome as it's their space.

The Liberal Member for Western Victoria, Simon Ramsay MLC, will be among the panellists at a meeting to discuss plans for the development of the Civic Hall site in Ballarat.

The $40 million dollar project to demolish the Civic Hall, subdivide the land, and build a new Council office on a corner of the site has stirred significant debate and confusion amongst Ballarat residents.

At its ordinary meeting last night (14/9), Ballarat City Council received a report that consolidated all of the risk analysis undertaken throughout the 300 Mair Street project.

The report said in preparing the Civic Hall Risk Management Matrix, Council officers have engaged in detailed risk management activities to reduce risk factors related to the project since the project's inception.

The matrix outlines key risks to the project, the likelihood of the risks and strategies being used to mitigate potential risks.

The Apex Foundation enthusiastically supports Ballarat City Council's request that State Government reduce the number of electronic gaming machines in the city.

Apex Foundation Chairman Jim Hughes said the community group commends City of Ballarat for its community leadership position with regard to the number of electronic gaming machines within the city and their effect on the Ballarat community's health and well being.

Ballarat's community media are joining forces to deliver you the best content and give you ample opportunities to have your voice heard and your story told. Leon and Jon from The Ballarat Independent had the honour of being invited as guests of Amy and Lauren on their program 'Tinderbox' on VoiceFM, Ballarat's own community radio station. They brought a special surprise of their own, check out the video here.

Hepburn Wind has been announced as a finalist in the 2011 Banksia Awards, Australia's most prestigious environmental awards series.

The Hepburn Community Wind Farm, located in Leonards Hill in Central Victoria, has been nominated as a finalist in the education award category for its pioneering clean energy model and its efforts to catalyse a whole new sector - community owned renewable energy.

Communities across Ballarat and the surrounding region are being asked to help get fire management and Township Protection Plans right. Recognising that often local people know best, you've been invited to participate in the development of your local plans.

Residents will have a chance to have their say on the City of Ballarat's draft Gaming Policy Framework, proposed to become part of the Ballarat Planning Scheme.

The draft framework forms part of Council's push to reduce the number of Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) in the city, following the adoption of the Gaming Machine Community Policy on 24 August.

I love living in the Hepburn Shire. I love the fresh air, the biodiversity and the sense of community. To preserve a healthy, viable rural, Australia for my grandkids is a priority for me. That's why I invested in Hepburn Wind and why I'm a committee member of our local sustainability group (SHARE).

In response to some valid and important criticisms of 'What's Wrong With Eureka', this second article provides more insights into the development and nature of Australian democracy.

Two key intersections in Buninyong will be retrofitted in coming months to ensure easier and safer access for people with disabilities as part of a broader program which will see $105,000 spent this year to upgrade Ballarat's pedestrian infrastructure to meet Disability and Discrimination Act (DDA) guidelines.

Work has begun to replace a crossing at Slattery Creek on the Addington-Creswick Road, which was washed out by floods in February this year.

Excavation and removal of the old culvert is complete and preparation works for the new culvert base will begin next week.

The Eureka Stockade and Ballarat is popularly known as the birthplace of Australian democracy. But was it really?

Ballarat Mayor Craig Fletcher has welcomed news that Ballarat's crime rate has dropped almost 10 per cent over the past 12 months.

Victoria Police figures released today showed that overall crime rates in Ballarat had fallen by 9.5 per cent in 2010-11.

Residents in the Montogomery St, Wendouree precinct will have a chance to share their ideas for the redevelopment of their local playspace tomorrow.

Council is inviting the community to have their say on the plans to develop Ballarat's Bakery Hill entrance precinct.

The City of Ballarat is leading the national debate on problem gambling with its resolution to advocate the Victorian State Government for a reduction in the city's gaming machines.

More than 85 landowners attended an information session about the Ballarat West Growth Area last night.

Hosted by the City of Ballarat and SMEC Urban, the session provided landowners with an opportunity to have their say on draft layouts for precincts, 1, 2 and 4 of the project.

A new concrete footpath in Dundas Street Miners Rest linking intersecting streets to the Miners Rest Primary School is the biggest project completed this financial year through the City of Ballarat Footpath Program.

Graphic arts students have featured in the statewide launch of Hearing Awareness Week, with their work projected onto the front of Ballarat Town Hall.

Ballarat City Council, University of Ballarat and Deaf Access Grampians have partnered to promote Hearing Awareness Week and give students the opportunity to showcase their work.

Local climate change action group Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions (BREAZE) are feeling The Crunch with support from Social Traders and their corporate partners to develop a new social enterprise.

Six new social enterprises will benefit from The Crunch program which will provide mentors and peer support in developing a business model for a new enterprise.

Repairs to Moneghetti Track at Lake Wendouree have progressed well over past weeks.

Three kilometres of track damaged by the unusually wet winter to date have been stabilised with cement and granitic sand.

More than 6500 square metres at the ‘finish' of the Lake Wendouree rowing course has been excavated since a trial dredging program on the lake began two weeks ago.

Ballarat's youngest shoppers have a brand new area to discover, with the opening of the new play space in the Bridge Mall.

Scaffolding will be removed from the Arch of Victory over the coming days.

The final coat of mineral paint has been applied this week with finer weather allowing this process to occur without disruption.

A diverse group of Ballarat residents gathered at Civic Hall on Saturday to express their frustrations with Ballarat City Council and the $40 million proposal to demolish Civic Hall, sell off public land and construct new Council offices.

Jon Stanger talked to the residents in attendance about what brought them there.

This is article #4 in Jon Stanger's series of #5 reasons Ballarat City Council should reject their current course of action on Civic Hall. The articles, including this one, also read as five ways the current Council is heading off track.

Here Jon puts the microscope, or possibly the blowtorch, to Council's conflicting roles.

Two Civic Hall public meetings have been announced, one this Saturday 20 August, the other 18 September. The August meeting is being promoted and organised largely thorugh Facebook while the Setpember meeting is a more formal affair being arranged by the Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association.

Planning permits have been received by the City of Ballarat for the Ballarat Airport Infrastructure Upgrade project.

Six Ballarat locals from Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club join 250 international participants in the "Tour De Timor" mountain bike race to help promote tourism in Timor whilst raising money for the Timorese Solar Lighting Project.

Jon Stanger found so many flaws in Ballarat City Council's plan for Civic Hall that it wouldn't fit into one article, so he broke it down to five. As well as five reasons to reject the current course of action on Civic Hall, it reads as five ways the current Council is heading off track.

Here Jon puts the microscope, or possibly the blowtorch, to the commercial and financial viability of Council's Civic Hall proposal.

Organisers of the Ballarat Car are gathering some last minute Come to Life goodies that they will give away to children they meet as part of the 2011 Variety Bash 'Across Bass Straight'.

South Street Art Studio is a new venue that opens soon in Ballarat, offering classes in art making, meditation and art therapy.

The tutor, Linda Franklin, loves to share her considerable experience in working with creativity and personal development.

For her, facilitating and enabling others to uncover their natural creative ability has always been a peak experience and a beautiful thing to share.

The Ballarat Town Hall's ‘A Hall' will open its doors to the public to feature two photographic exhibitions as part of the 2011 Ballarat International Foto Biennale.

Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc (BRRA) believes the community should have more input than they have had in the past into big decisions such as the recent $40m civic hall project.

Jon Stanger found so many flaws in Ballarat City Council's plan for Civic Hall that it wouldn't fit into one article, so he broke it down to five. As well as five reasons to reject the current course of action on Civic Hall, it reads as five ways the current Council is heading off track.

Here Jon puts the microscope, or possibly the blowtorch, to Council's approach to culture and heritage.

Ballarat businesses will learn the secrets to writing successful tenders through the City of Ballarat's Tender Write workshop series.

The five-workshop series will kick off on Thursday 18 August and will include three hands on workshops to assist businesses in perfecting their tender writing skills.

People in Ballarat will have noticed weed clearing from Lake Wendouree and beautiful expanses of open water beginning to appear.

30% of the total lake weed area to be harvested has now been completed. This equates to 38 hectares and 700 compacted tonnes of weed.

Jon Stanger found so many flaws in Ballarat City Council's plan for Civic Hall that it wouldn't fit into one article, so he broke it down to five. As well as five reasons to reject the current course of action on Civic Hall, it reads as five ways the current Council is heading off track.

Here Jon puts the microscope, or possibly the blowtorch, to Council's community consultation process.

Local business, RU Advertising  supports Gallery 806 as a means of encouraging artistic pursuits in the community and supporting creativity as a whole.

Local Girl Guides have been working to assist an on-going project of another service organisation, the Lions Club. The Guides have collected nearly 52kg of ring-pulls for a project that creates prosthetic limbs.

Local Girl Guides and Scouts have accepted the challenge to take action in their homes to help the environment.

Up to 250 Year Ten Science students will participate in the Science and Engineering Challenge at the University of Ballarat‚s Mt Helen Campus this Friday, 22 July.

Eight local high schools will each enter a team of between 24 and 40 students. The teams will then be divided into eight groups of three to five students.

A local foodbowl and one of the fastest growing residential areas of Victoria, Bacchus Marsh is now in the sights of coal miners.

Jon Stanger talked to Managing Director of Mantle Mining, Ian Kraemer.

Sharon Knight, a somewhat refreshing addition to politics in Ballarat, represents the electorate of Ballarat West. Having held the position for just over six months, Sharon comes across as genuine and open. Describing the Baillieu government as indifferent and lacking in enthusiasm, Sharon says she sees part of her role as connecting people to politics in a way that suits them.

Imagine if the Ballarat area had a vibrant arts community. What would that mean to you? What would that look like for you? What if it was as easy to meet other artists as it is for footy players to find a team? What if there was a dedicated arts space? What if studio/ rehearsal/ exhibition space reliably existed? What if experienced artists had a place to share their knowledge? How would such an arts community improve living in the Ballarat area for everyone? Surely you have opinions?

There are many successful working examples of thriving, connected, nurturing artistic communities out there and happening right now. The people of Ballarat & surrounds are invited to gather on Friday July 22 to figure out how we can make this happen here.

For someone who describes themselves as being an average student whilst at school, Romain Marteau is without a doubt one of the most successful people I know.
"Be keen to learn and take every opportunity offered, I wouldn't be here if I hadn't".

Public Holidays in Victoria are for working Mums and Dads to be able to take time off with their families, and Ballarat Show day holiday allows workers to take their children to the show.

Geoff may not come across as the most passionate or flamboyant politician, so what inspired him to become involved in politics? Here's how he describes his journey

Recent comments from Commerce Ballarat supporting the announcement of 1.5 hours minimum shift for young casuals fail to see the dangerous precedent created for the many Ballarat workers in precarious employment, says Ballarat Trades and Labour Council, the Ballarat Unions Peak Body, representing over 13,000 union members in the region.

Holidays are good for our health, right? Holidays help to reduce stress too, don't they?

In fact, research shows that reducing stress is one of the primary motivations for taking a holiday.

As the Government's carbon committee negotiations draw to a close in Canberra, Hepburn Wind, Australia's first community-owned wind farm, located 10km south of Daylesford, Victoria, began exporting energy to the electricity grid today.

The Clunes area will receive $890,000 over the next four years to identify and implement local solutions to social disadvantage facing Clunes, Talbot and Creswick, Member for Western Region David O'Brien said today.

Public art is not new to this city. Ballarat has a significant collection, many examples of which you can see throughout Sturt Street. These primarily demonstrate our famous heritage from the goldrush era. It is time, don't you think, to ensure that while we appreciate where we have come from, it is important to ensure we are not only looking backwards into history? We are well overdue for the creation of a cultural legacy which equals that of Ballarat's past.

Recorded in photos, a fun night including music, performances, art, food and passionate speakers. Kaleidoscope celebrated the 17 different cultures we have living in Ballarat.

eARTh (Earth Art) Exhibit in support of the Creswick Railway Workshops Association

TBI columnist Jon Stanger embedded himself with Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions (BREAZE) volunteers as they doorknocked Ballarat households seeking residents' views on renewable energy. 

Jon talked with BREAZE spokesperson and volunteer Maggie Towers about the campaign and how she got involved.

Professors Erica and Andy Smith of the University of Ballarat have won an Australian Research Council Linkage grant for a project titled 'Recognising the Skill in Jobs Traditionally Considered Unskilled'.

It has divided the nation, and the world. "SlutWalk", the international movement to decry a culture of victim blaming has kicked up a storm of conversation across the globe. But as Collin Van Uden wonders - is it the right one?

Melissa Pirie, bicycle blogger extraordinaire for BREAZE (Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions) discovers it's easier to maintain your bike than you might have thought.

Find out how Melissa and a couple of friends went about sprucing up an old mountain bike to get it back in the bike lane.

Federal Member for Ballarat Catherine King has refused to take a stance on how revenue raised from a proposed price on carbon should be spent.

Kate and Will's royal wedding has certainly revived interest in the monarchy, but Catherine King hasn't given regional climate change campaigners any royal treatment.

Ballarat in the first couple of decades of gold was such a melting pot of nationalities. There were English, Irish, Scots, Cornish and welsh as well as people from all over Europe. In the district around Ballarat there were pockets of people who had all come from the same region of the Old World to seek their fortunes in the new. The descendants of the Italians and Swiss are still living in places like Daylesford and Hepburn Springs today.

As much as we might cry foul over sensationalistic media practices, Collin Van Uden thinks that what passes for "public interest" is -- at least in part -- to blame.

That we have entered into a new epoch of communication can hardly be contested. This internet thing has a lot going for it, most obviously so in terms of the way we share information. So what do we do with it?

Moving to a more sustainable life isn't as difficult as you might think...

My partner and I decided back in 2007 after being hooked on British T.V. show River Cottage, that it was the life we wanted to live.

So in late 2009, we packed up our single bedroom terrace cottage in the heart of Sydney's inner west suburb of Erskineville and headed for Creswick just north of Ballarat.

The Ballarat Independent (TBI) is here. TBI is an online media offering for readers in Ballarat looking for a different point of view. TBI won't do stories on road accidents, court reports or knife crime. We are a vibrant, entertaining, controversial and funny online paper with stories that matter to all of us.

Come have a look at whats happening this May 28th

It may have been a cold and rainy day in Ballarat, but the fires of creativity were burning at Babushka Bar on Saturday 10 April. Babushka Bar is a new addition to Ballarat, replacing Bar Saloon Bar on Hummfray St North.

Starting with a highly anticipated exhibition opening for Ron McKeegan's visual art, not the talent Ronnie is known for, but if this new exhibition is anything to go by that is likely to change now. Better known as the front man for local bands 23rd of Elvis and 80 Hundred, Ronnie has produced a striking collection of works on paper.

If you've read articles by Brendan Gullifer in The Ballarat Courier on wind energy, you would be forgiven for thinking that wind turbines are making people sick, dropping property prices and dividing communities. However there are questions emerging about what causes the biggest impact on people. Are wind turbines the problem, or are Brendan Gullifer, the Landscape Guardians and anti-wind energy campaigners the problem?

The Earthship concept is an excellent example of redesigning build environments which the recent workshop held at the local tip demonstrated. People were so inspired that a motion was put forward at our local Council to complete the project and use it as a demonstration site.

SHARE is planning to hold a series of workshops and working bees to complete the project leading up to next year's full training for Earthship building. The project has also elicited interest from several parties who would like to build their own Earthship. If you would like to know more or get involved in the workshops and working bees please contact us on 5309 2664.

Hepburn Wind has fulfilled its promise of building Australia's first community owned renewable energy project, after a weekend of celebration and turbine construction at Leonards Hill, 10 km south of Daylesford.

Saturday's brilliant weather was the backdrop to a true celebration of community achievement. Around 300 people of all ages including lots of excited children gathered to watch the turbine being raised. The day included local musicians, an SES sausage sizzle, children's entertainment and the constant clicking of cameras.