Queenscliff-based Kelly Koumalatsos  has been named major prize winner in the seventh annual Koorie Art Show.

The Wergaia, Wemba Wemba artists collected the Creative Victoria Award for Excellence in Any Media, incorporating a cash prize of $10,000, for her work Portrait Of Sister In Laws; Wemba Wemba Great Aunty Frieda Stewart And Wergaia Great Grandmother Eleanor Stewart, 2019. 

Featuring a possum-fur printed blouse, and accompanying photograph, the work serves as a portrait of Kelly’s ancestors. 

“It represents the strength of the woman in my family and their ability to do more than simply survive the oppression of the times,” she said in a statement about the work. “The possum fur print symbolises the cultural identity of Granny and Aunty regardless of the colonising life that was around them.

“Granny, who was born on Ebenezer Mission in 1887, was a strong and determined woman who had kept her own dictionary of Wergaia language.”

The photograph was taken early 1900's.
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The Show is the only exhibition in Victoria dedicated to showcasing the work of Koorie and Victorian based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Ninety artists from across Victoria submitted works.

After a health scare on the Point Lonsdale main street a few months ago, Tamara Gaylard did not have to think twice when she was approached to house defibrilators (AEDs) in her two family-owned IGA supermarkets.

Her only proviso was that they be placed on the outside of the Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff stores, where the public could access them in a hurry.

As a result, both shopfronts are now home to the borough’s first externally-mounted machines.

“We had an incident in the street where somebody wanted one and, I know there’s many in clubs, but I couldn’t find anybody with a key and I couldn’t access one,” Mrs Gaylard said.

Whilst the individual requiring medical help survived the episode, the incident highlighted an obvious problem – ready access to the life-saving devices.

“Ours are the first ones that we know of in the borough and we’re taking a risk that they might get stolen by mounting them on the outside of the shops, but they may also save a life,” she said.

Local resident David Jarman is the driving force behind the installations. 

Having secured $3,000 from the Queenscliff Point Lonsdale Community Enterprise grant program for the Quienscliffe Neighbourhood House, he set about raising a further $3,000 to cover the full purchase and installation costs of the two defibrillators.   

“I think it’s really important for the community to be able to look after ourselves and our visitors,” the former builder said. “There’s roughly 20 AED’s in the borough, but they’re all locked away.

“My idea was to have one in each of our main streets that are available 24-7.   

“I came from an era where on every major building site we had a minimum of one death, and we all breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t us and reviewed our first aid training,” he said.

To coincide with the installations, Ambulance Victoria recently held a series of HeartSmart CPR training workshops for IGA staff and other business owners.

“We’re rolling the program out to different areas across the region with the aim of teaching more people how to perform CPR and how to use a defibrillator,” said parademic Bob Crole.
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“Queenscliff is a perfect community to reach out to… anywhere where we’re more than 10 minutes away from a cardiac arrest is going to be difficult for the patient, so if we can get members of the community to start CPR and use defibrillators, we’re going to see survival rates go through the roof,” he said.

The Point Lonsdale Lighthouse reserve will be officially known as the Point Lonsdale Maritime and Defence Precinct after a decision by Heritage Victoria to give it greater protection. 

The ruling means the entire area, not just the lighthouse itself - as has been the case up until now - is deemed to be of significance for its maritime, defence and cultural role in the state’s history. 

All buildings, ruins, archeological features, roads, trees and landscape elements will be covered.
 
The decision formalises a Heritage Victoria recommendation made in September and takes the reserve a step closer to gaining National Heritage Listing.  
        
“The proposed changes in this amendment will ensure that other significant buildings and features are included in the registration,” said Heritage Victoria Executive Director Steven Avery. “It will also includes land to protect the cultural heritage significance of the place.”

The reserve was deemed historically significant for the strategic role it has played in maritime navigation and rescue dating back to the 1850s, for its associations with national defence including both World Wars and for cultural reasons including as the location of Buckley’s cave.  

Under the ruling, no works can be carried out on the reserve without prior approval.

It is unclear what it means for a current Queenscliffe Council plan to demolish three of the four remaining World War II (P1) huts on the reserve. Under that proposal, unanimously endorsed by Councillors in January in contradiction to the recommendations of its own community reference group, only the MacDonald hut would be retained and restored as an interpretive building. 
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Without clarifying the impact, Borough CEO Martin Gill welcomed the ruling: “The Borough of Queenscliffe is delighted by the announcement of expanded heritage protections for the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve. In fact, Council was actively encouraging residents to support the proposal on its website and in mayor’s columns,” he said. 

“This expanded listing not only ensures this much-loved location gets the protection it deserves, but ties in closely with Council’s plans to clean up and improve the existing site. 

“We are also actively seeking the view of the Waddawurrung to recognise and acknowledge the Indigenous heritage on the site. The expanded protections provide a strong base for partnership with the Victorian Government to protect and enhance the site.”

 “Improvement plans are currently making their way through the relevant approval processes. We hope to have more news to share with the community soon,” said Mr Gill.

The State Government has contributed $500,000 and the Borough of Queenscliffe $100,000 towards the $600,000 cost of the reserve masterplan, which also includes new pathways, improvements to the lighthouse surrounds and a ship viewing platform.
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The reserve has been placed on a priority assessment list  for inclusion on the National Heritage List.

The game of croquet is very much back in vogue in Queenscliff, with the town’s century old croquet club now boasting more than 50 members and still on the look out for more.

A determined effort to introduce newcomers, through come and try days, coaching and improved visibility, has swelled numbers to their strongest in recent years.

And a new partnership between Croquet Victoria and the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), which re-affirms the health benefits of the sport, is set to grow participation even further.  

 “This is a group of local Queenscliff croquet Club players who exemplify the benefits of regular exercise and activity, fellowship and fresh air,” said club secretary Denise Spark.

“Many of the members are over 90 years of age and are formidable opponents.”

“Croquet is played all year round on a social basis as well as competitive, and is stimulating both physically and mentally,” Mrs Spark said.

Encouraging members to wear their red shirts when they take to the courts, on the prominent King and Hesse Street intersection, has been credited with helping to lift the club’s profile, as has its regular come and try days.

“Members participate in a region-wide pennant competition or play socially, and new members are always welcome,” said Mrs Spark.

The APA recently released two videos – one for participants and one for health professionals – highlighting the croquet’s benefits, particularly for the elderly, because of range of gentle physical movement involved.