When local Clunes resident Leslie Scott discovers two brumbies living on the rugged Mount Beckworth, she almost can’t believe it. Brumbies don’t live in Central Victoria, and the terrain is not suited to them, so how did they get there?
The horses are scared and unused to people, but the mountain is not a safe place for horses. With summer heat on its way, the waterholes are drying up and food is getting scarce – and local rumour has it that logging is soon to begin. Looking into the eyes of the young colt she names Milo, Leslie knows it’s up to her to gain their trust and get them down to safety.
‘Every day for months Leslie makes the hike up the mountain, slowly but surely building a connection with Milo and his companion Lucy, but there are other mysterious things happening up there – bones being rearranged into different shapes – and always the question: who left the horses here in the first place?
Once Were Wild is a fascinating and heart-warming story about a woman and her resourcefulness and determination to do what’s right for two beautiful brumbies.
Leslie Scott’s love for horses and the bush began when she got her first pony at age 6. Her father, an experienced bushman taught her to listen, appreciate and be able to read the bush. When Leslie can’t get to the high country, she immerses herself in the rugged terrain of Mt Beckworth, a nature reserve seven minutes from her front gate. Leslie lives on a small property with her husband in historical Clunes, rural Victoria. They have a menagerie of animals. In her spare time she’s either riding her horses in the bush or hiking through it with her dog. For Leslie the bush is not just a place to visit – it’s her home.
This event is a BMI Community Cultural Project – Ballarat’s Oldest Cultural Institution
What a joy it was to have Dervla McTiernan welcomed by a packed house in the Minerva Space last night. Thank you to Lauren, The Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, Julie Stevens and her team at Ballarat Libraries Lexie Jeuniewic, Collins Booksellers Ballarat on Lydiard, Geradine Christou & Marilyn Furness and her amazing
Hello everyone. Well things are certainly heating up at the BMI as Ballarat weather cools down. There’s no excuse to be caught out in the cold though, as our welcoming and warm surroundings provide the perfect venue for a variable feast of information and entertainment over the next couple of months. To backtrack a little,
In this issue: Rosemary’s Library New Releases and Recommendations | Message from the Chair | Shindig Success | Annual Appeal | Author Talks | Australian Heritage Festival | Ballarat Heritage Festival | Twilight Talks | Vegas 70 | Live Comedy | Live Gigs | Alfredton Rotary Fundraiser
Sanctuary Garry Disher. Grace is a master thief, specialising in valuable stamps, watches and jewellery. She never stays long in one place, so when she’s recognised at a Brisbane stamp expo, she must go on the run again. But she’d like a shot at a normal life, and settles in the Adelaide Hills, where she
Has Anyone Seen Charoltte Salter? Nicci French. 1990When beautiful and vivacious Charlotte Salter fails to turn up to her husband Alec’s fiftieth birthday party, her children are worried, but Alec is not. As the days pass, Etty, Niall, Paul and Ollie all struggle to come to terms with theirmother’s disappearance. How can anyone just vanish without
As part of our events for the Australian Heritage Festival, the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute is delighted to be screening the documentary The Lost City Of Melbourne with a live conversation with director and producer Gus Berger. Berger’s film documents some of the many grand theatres, cinemas and buildings across ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ which were obliterated at
2 course dinner & lots
of dancing
