Flowers nonetheless line the entrance of the historic pub the place her dad and mom are publicans, a tragic reminder that lower than two weeks in the past the media had flocked to this similar Gold Rush city to report on the 23-year-old’s alleged homicide.
Hepburn Shire Mayor Brian Hood mentioned the whole municipality, together with the city of Clunes, about 30 kilometres north of Ballarat and residential to fewer than 2000 individuals, had been left reeling following a spate of current tragedies.
On the finish of final yr, 5 individuals, together with two kids, died when a automotive ploughed by way of a beer backyard in close by Daylesford. Lower than two months later, Ballarat mother-of-three Samantha Murphy disappeared and was later deemed to have been murdered.
Days after Murphy’s disappearance, Rebecca Younger, a 42-year-old mom of 5, died in her residence in Ballarat, in an obvious murder-suicide by her associate. In March, 37-year-old miner Kurt Hourigan died in a rock collapse on the Ballarat Gold Mine.
“Council could be very aware of the cumulative impact of those types of occasions,” Hood mentioned. “Now, we’ve had [Rachael Dixon’s] very uncommon dying. It’s fairly a shock.”
Hood, who moved from Melbourne to the close by city of Trentham seven years in the past, mentioned he hoped the dying on the Clunes wellness centre wouldn’t trigger financial hurt throughout the area, which is slowly getting again on its toes after the coronavirus pandemic.
“[Clunes] is extra of a farming group, I feel it’s honest to say,” Hood mentioned. “However there are these wellness retreats which can be so fashionable proper throughout Hepburn Shire. They’re extra identified in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, however they’re unfold proper throughout the shire.”
The mayor mentioned these drawn to Hepburn Shire for its many different well being and wellness retreats had coexisted peacefully for many years alongside the native farming group.
Clunes’ major avenue resembles one thing out of a Wild West movie – a large highway dotted with heritage buildings from the Gold Rush period, together with a pub, bakery and bookshops. Filmmakers have used this historic streetscape, filming scenes for Mad Max and Ned Kelly films.
Because the starting of the nineteenth century, bathing in Hepburn Shire’s mineral springs has been intricately tied to well being, wellness and therapeutic retreats.
But Clunes isn’t any different way of life capital like Byron Bay or Nimbin. Soul Barn, the “artistic wellbeing centre” the place attendees fell unwell, is one in every of simply two different well being companies within the city.
And, regardless of a small however rising arts group, Clunes nonetheless thrives off the farms on its fringes, in contrast to close by Daylesford, which is thought for its award-winning eating places, day spas and artwork points of interest and is brimming with different well being companies providing every thing from massages to holistic therapeutic companies.
With out eager to remark concerning the particular Clunes case, and discussing wellness retreats usually, Dr Ian Musgrave, a molecular pharmacologist who works on the College of Adelaide, mentioned occasions at such retreats had been designed to enhance each bodily and psychological wellbeing.
The occasions diverse significantly in nature, from being strictly vegetarian or vegan to others which will embrace using mind-altering substances.
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This masthead just isn’t suggesting {that a} wellness occasion on the weekend at Soul Barn included use of such substances.
Soul Barn launched an announcement on its Instagram web page on Wednesday distancing itself from the occasion.
“There aren’t any phrases to specific the deep sorrow and shock we’re feeling right here at Soul following the tragic incident that occurred on April thirteenth,” the publish mentioned.
“Soul Barn hires out workshop areas to exterior companies and facilitators. The occasion which came about on April thirteenth was a non-public occasion, and people facilitating the occasion don’t work for or symbolize Soul Barn in any means.
“None of our common therapists, employees or facilitators had been current at any level throughout this occasion.
“We share the shock and devastation of everybody concerned, and our hearts are with these households affected. Soul Barn is closed whereas police full their investigation.”
On Wednesday, Mayor Brian Hood was nonetheless struggling to reconcile the deaths of the 2 girls linked to Clunes.
“It’s an excellent little group. It’s a historic city,” he mentioned. “Just some weeks in the past, [the town] celebrated their main annual competition in Booktown. That pulls plenty of guests. It’s an excellent competition. However individuals now can be doing it robust.”
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