[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”]F[/dropcap]or every fantastic community event, there is usually a band of hardworking, energetic, enthusiastic and lowly paid band of volunteers keeping it alive.

Look behind the scenes of many of the wonderful events happening around Port Fairy-Crossley at the moment, and there is fair bet that you will see Carol McDonald in there somewhere, helping out in some way.

The indefatigable Carol is technically ‘retired’, but she is not one to slip into her slippers and watch daytime television. Instead, she has become an invaluable supporter of the local arts community, particular through her involvement in the Port Fairy Ex Libris Festival of Words, held a fortnight ago, and the women’s community choir, the Red Tent Singers, who perform regularly throughout the South-West.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] M [/dropcap]ost recently, however, Carol has been the driving force behind the wonderful Fifteen Minutes of Fame nights held on the first Friday of the month at the St Brigid’s Church community hall at Crossley. Carol and her team of volunteers have created an opportunity for newcomers to show their talents, and for more seasoned performers to reach a new audience, while providing a relaxed and entertaining night out for the audience. The hall is always crowded and each event helps to raise funds for the church building, which is community owned and operated by the Friends of St Brigid’s.

Carol loves a laugh, loves a champagne and loves to spread her energy to the benefit of others and so she is our very worthy third quiet hero.

Bluestone Magazine is donating a voucher for coffee and cake to each of our quiet heroes. This week it will be at Slitti Cafe, Bank St, Port Fairy.

If you have been following this section, you will know that given we are called Bluestone, we thought it only fitting that each week we dig out a track that has the word ‘blue’ in its lyrics or title.

What better way to start the working week than with some music?

So click play and let the voice of the late, great Etta James ease you into the week.

(We have chosen this version to save you having to watch the Youtube ads)

Given we are Bluestone, each week we are going to dig out a track for our Blue tunes – songs that have the word ‘blue’ in their lyrics or title.

Last week we kicked off with a classic track from Linda Ronstadt.

This week, something very chilled…a cover version of the New Order song, Blue Monday, by the wonderful Flunk.

(We have chosen this version to save you having to watch the Youtube ads)

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color:#A5CECD;”] T [/dropcap]he Liberal Party will be well satisfied with its thumping victory in Wannon at the weekend as part of the national swing against Labor, but now it is time for Dan Tehan to deliver.

To date, Dan has been in the luxurious position of being able to make significant promises that have yet to be tested, but the people of Wannon will now apply a very different yardstick to that which he has enjoyed as a member of the Opposition.

For the first time as the Member for Wannon, he will be expected to not only stand by his promises, but to also defend the decisions of his entire Government: decisions which, more often than not, will be well beyond his control.

This is what Dan’s opponent in Labor’s Michael Barling faced as a mere candidate: an expectation that he, personally, should be held accountable for decisions that were being made much higher up the political chain.

[box] Given the announcements in the lead-up to the election, Wannon will be waiting expectantly to see how long it takes for Dan to come good on his word as part of Coalition Government.[/box]

First cab off the rank is the $10 million promised for the Peter’s Project cancer treatment centre. Once the new Government is installed, that should surely be signed off without delay.

Next will be a reduction in mobile phone blackspots across the electorate, plus the rollout of the Coalition’s cheaper, copper-based broadband scheme which promises, by the end of 2016, five times the speed we have now in places like Naringal and Nullawarre and Dunkeld and Maryborough.

The potholed roads around western Victoria should be a thing of the past by the next election, and the Princes Highway between Warrnambool and Melbourne will be well in the throes of transforming itself into a true national road that is a pleasure to drive with its smooth surface, multiple overtaking lanes and dual carriageways.

The Coalition promised that the scrapping of the carbon tax would mean more funds for this sort of spending and would also reduce our cost of living.

[box] This week, make a note of your electricity bill, grocery bill and mortgage repayments, because we have been assured that they will all tumble without the carbon tax and an improved economy.[/box]

And so, to the economy. We have been told it was a basket case and modern times have rarely been so grim. Dan – and the Coalition – has promised more jobs, although I doubt they will be in renewable energy, and more opportunities for young people seeking training, a higher education or employment. The national unemployment rate currently sits at around 5.7 per cent; please make a note of that too.

Come 2016, we can retrieve our notes and be in a position to see if the landslide was deserved.

For the sake of a now super-safe seat like Wannon, I hope that it is.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”]A [/dropcap] RATHER GORGEOUS looking goat called Isabelle is the silent partner behind the skin creams, soaps and lip balms of Make Mine Milk.

Make Mine Milk, based in Colac, grew from challenging circumstances several years ago, when sisters Donna Manders and Marlene Holohan were searching for gentle skin products that could be used by their terminally ill mother.

“It seemed that everything we bought had a bad reaction, because of the chemicals and additives in many commercial products,” Donna said.

“Once we started to read labels and ask questions, we began to wonder why you would put some of these things on your body.”

At about the same time, Donna decided to leave her highly paid, full-time public service job for a complete treechange and the sisters, together with their families, moved to western Victoria.

This is when Isabelle, a British Alpine, came into their lives after Donna spotted her in terrible condition at the saleyards and demanded she be allowed to take her home.

“I had no idea about goats at all but that is really where it all began,” Donna said.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”]T[/dropcap]he combination of Issy and the search for skin products came together, with Donna and Marlene deciding to make their own soaps and creams using Issy’s goat’s milk. There was just one catch: they had no idea how to do it.

“We aren’t industrial chemists, that’s for sure, but we spent a lot of time on Google, a lot of time asking other people questions and a lot of time making mistakes through trial and error,” Donna said with a laugh.

After months of experimentation – and testing on humans – they cracked a winning formula that is based on each product being made up of at least 50 per cent goat’s milk and using only ascorbic acid as a preservative.

Not long before their mother’s death, the pair decided to go public with their products and held a small market stall at the Birregurra Festival in 2010. Their wholesome, ethical approach to production struck a chord and they have been part of a western district market circuit ever since.

“Our motto is ‘we grow it, we milk it, we make it’ and that pretty much sums up our philosophy,” Donna said.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”]W[/dropcap]hile the goat herd had expanded considerably in recent years, from a single goat to 23, Make Mine Milk is mindful of staying small.

“We only take orders that match our resources because, to me, there is a fine line between expansion and exploitation,” Donna said.

There are plans, however, to introduce a milking sheep to the herd. One wonders what Issy will think of that…

For more information on products, please visit the Make Mine Milk website.

[box type=”download”] Make Mine Milk will be at the Birregurra Festival on October 12-13. [/box]