Firstly, I'd like to thank Coll for her amazing work stepping into Lost Magazine for our February edition. It was wonderful, and I'm excited to work on this exciting project together from now on! However, it appears that we're playing holiday tag, as Coll is off on her honeymoon - congratulations to the newlyweds!

Well, it sure is nice to be back! After a few weeks travelling abroad, I can't believe I am already sitting at my computer racking my brain for what to write.. Maybe I'll just let the Lost team of writers and photographers do the talking.

In 2018, Alexander Hancocks fled the smoke of Sydney city for Hepburn Springs. At Pancho cafe, a local favourite, he is greeted affectionately, “I love that people talk to each other and say hello in the morning,” he explains. It’s been almost a year since that warm Valentine’s Day when Alex opened the doors of his men’s clothing and retail store, Buster McGee.

“My partner's last name is McGinniss and my mum would call me Buster as a child, that's my nickname. They say that you should have an affinity to your brand.” Buster McGee is nestled in one of the most historic rows of shop fronts in Victoria, on Howe Street in Daylesford. “I just didn't want to have to go down to Melbourne to buy clothes, especially on the weekends if I needed a shirt to go out,” says Alex, “I love the look of the shops. Buster McGee is located next to the Secret Garden and DA Apothecary, then Bistro Terroir and The Donkey's Tale.”

Winding up the back roads of Glenlyon reveals a serene landscape of happy-go-lucky wandering piglets, chickens rummaging inside a truck, pensive goats and an inquisitive dog. Catherine Farm is the life-blood of Catherine and Bohdan, Glenlyon locals who want to give back to the earth.

“We operate our farm on a scale appropriate theory...what this means is that there’s only so many animals, plants and people that one peice of land can sustain before the symbiotic relationships of nature are thrown off kilter,” explains Bohdan, with a vibrating smile that lights up the room. “If you work with nature nature will work with you. To farm this way you must have a personal relationship with the land and observe the seasons; the way water and wind move across the land.”

A blanket of smoke rolls in over the hills yet the reality of the devastation is still hard to fathom. Our region has been spared and we remain safe but the fury of mother nature perseveres and continues
to wreak havoc in other less fortunate regions of Australia. As we welcome in the warm month of February, gratitude flows for our nations heroes, our appreciation for a breath of fresh air is heightened and hearts are heavier than ever with a sense of what Australia has truly lost.