Welcome back to Streets of Your Town for 2022!
Since our last newsletter, it feels like the world has thrown everything at us. The ongoing Pandemic, floods and war have filled our newsfeeds. So for the start of season four of the podcast, we’re going to have some fun.
I figured we all need some light and hope in the world right now, so I’m taking you to Daylesford in regional Victoria, where the ChillOut Festival is about to launch from March 10 to 14.
It’s the first time the festival has run full tilt since Covid struck, and this year celebrates the 25-year Silver Jubilee of transforming the Central Highlands of Victoria into Queer Country.
Come sit on the outside table with me at Larder, one of the town’s most well-known coffee haunts.
I mentioned to the waiter as he brought out my delish brekkie that I would like to do a story for my podcast on The ChillOut Festival, and wondered if he knew who I could talk to? He smiled and said he didn’t really know, but give him a minute.
He wandered back inside and I thought that would be the end of it, as I tucked into my hipster delight breakfast. But five minutes later, wonderful waiter returned, to tell me, “he’ll be here in five minutes”. I think this gives you an indication of how tight knit this beautiful little town is, and how the bush telegraph is still alive and well even in the social media age.
He introduced me to Mathew Charlesworth, the charming manager of the Daylesford hot spot Betel Boy. And this episode of Streets of Your Town was born.
“The beautiful thing about coming to Daylesford is that you get that good quality country service. They love food and they love good quality coffee,” Mathew said.
Daylesford is on the map as the gay capital of regional Victoria. This isn’t just a recent phenomenon, Daylesford has become well known for being a friendly space for LGBTQI communities from around the country, for decades.
“Absolutely Daylesford has been one of the most leading country towns for gay pride in all of Australia,” Mathew says.
“We were Priscilla Queen of the Desert before it was even on the screen. You could come here and put your frock on and you could climb Mt Franklin.
“You could do whatever you wanted and everyone here was there. We know so many of the shop owners in the area—they just want to feel included.
“I know myself being young and being part of the LGBT community it’s been home, it’s been warm and welcoming—it’s pride for me. And that’s what’s most important is that we are proud to be who we are and it’s an accepting community. No-one’s left out. Everyone is here, everyone is in it together.”
During ChillOut the town comes alive with Carnivale, a Street Parade, a pool party, the Poof Doof After Party and a good old fashioned Bush Dance.
“The atmosphere that we have here is that everyone feels welcome when they come through the door,” he said.
“The Sydney Mardi Gras is nothing on the country. We have more room to do things. We can do it bigger and better but we also are more welcoming. You come to this town and you instantly feel like you’re part of the family.
“The biggest thing about ChillOut for us is accepting who we are, but also everyone around us as well. And we’ve got that safe environment and zone for everybody.”
Mathew found it easy to describe what he loves about living in Daylesford.
“It’s the warm welcoming country vibe. Everyone’s accepted. Everyone’s loved,” he said.
“And everyone knows each other. And we’re here to support each other which is fantastic.”
Behind the Scenes
I send out a big thank you to all the people of Daylesford for making me so welcome, and to my wonderful mate James Hancock for giving me this story idea over a bevvie in Melbourne while I was there recording interviews for a very exciting podcast coming to you later this year.
It was so wonderful to see Melbourne dusting itself off from this seemingly never-ending pandemic and see people out and about mingling again!
If you have a story idea—make sure you reply to my newsletter email, and tell me where you’d like me to go for my next episode of Streets of Your Town.
Writing for In Queensland
And in other great news—I’m also writing arts stories for brilliant independent media organisation In Queensland. Here’s a link to some of my stories from the past month! If you have any great arts story suggestions for me—pass them along as well by sending a reply to this email.
Backstory
It’s been a busy as always few months for The Wandering Journo, pumping out podcasts not just for Streets of Your Town, but also in-depth investigative audio documentary work for Griffith Review’s Backstory. My latest doco for them has just been released. It was an interesting crossover for my work for the Disability Royal Commission, and my work as a freelance journo.
In this episode of Backstory, I investigate how inclusive our education system really is of children with disabilities. I speak to parents, researchers and support organisations trying to navigate a system with stated government policy to foster inclusion, but one that in reality sometimes forces choices onto children with a disability that are not always in their best interests. For some parents of children with disability, this Omicron outbreak is the last straw in a fraught relationship with the education sector. Already confused by official policies that often conflict with what they’re told on the ground by principals and teachers as to what options are available for their disabled children, parents are now turning to the Disability Royal Commission and to Griffith Review, to tell their stories.
What a wonderful publication Griffith Review is to support long form investigative podcasts in this way and bring these issues to a broader audience.
And while I’m mentioning the Disability Royal Commission, keep in mind that the deadline for submission is the end of this year, and if you want to request a private session with a Commissioner to tell them your story, that needs to be done by June 30. Give me a yell if you need any help trying to navigate this. My personal mantra is to help give voice to people. As an advocate for the Disability Royal Commission through Speaking Up For You, this is my job, to help people decide whether they want to give a submission, and if so, to help them figure our how best to do that. It’s vital that as many voices are heard as possible in this once in a generation investigation.
From the vault
Now this one is REALLY from the vault—27 years ago from the vault in fact!
And I think we can all file this in the “you never know where that nice gesture you did will end up”.
You can read the story behind the clipping at https://www.facebook.com/nance.haxton/posts/10158463137146722.
See you next time, fellow wanderers!
Nance
The ChillOut Festival with Mathew Charlesworth