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Loudon Cooper, Terra Ceramics

Micro and Small Business Day is a new initiative designed to equip small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs with new skills, industry connections and inspiration from local success stories.
The one...

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Countdown to CDoc 2025

CDoc will host the Australian premiere of Thomas Riedelsheimer's Tracing Light.

The countdown is on until the 2025 Castlemaine Documentary Festival opens at Castlemaine's historic Theatre Royal July 4-6.
One of the highlights of this year's festival will be the Australian premier...

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Now or never for Hub

The Castlemaine Community Investment Co-operative debenture campaign to buy Castlemaine’s historic Hub building is in its final days with an incredible $1,404,500 having been raised by members as of Tuesday morning. Local community members are urged to sign up to be a member and purchase a debenture before the campaign closes this Sunday June 29. The Co-op needs to raise $1.95M to be successful in its bid to buy the historic building and retain it in community ownership.

The debentures offer up to 4 per cent annual return over a 5, 10 or 15-year term, making them an attractive option for socially conscious investors.
Both individuals and organisations can participate, with minimum investments starting at $500 through to $500,000.

From Pub to Hub
The building has a long and proud history perhaps most notably during its century as the Council Club Hotel where it was a place of conviviality, warmth, a place to relax and a place where local residents may have had one or two too many.
In its time as a pub it was run by up to a dozen different licensees and their families and housed up to 20 guests at any one time. During its lifetime the hotel is estimated to have served around five million beers and two million meals and was an important gathering place for the Castlemaine community.
Renowned local storyteller, writer and folk musician and Co-op member Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky said he was honoured to be invited to narrate a short film on the history of the building – From Pub to Hub back in 2010.
“The information was painstakingly compiled by the current owners of ‘The Hub’ Neil and Heather Barrett and they asked me to help bring it to life. “The short film features some incredible images and some wonderful stories and memories from local characters about the role the hotel played in the local community during its lifetime and a little bit about its most recent transformation,” Jan said.
The hotel was founded by Charles Medcalf in 1875. He came from a long line of family butchers and migrated to Australia in the 1940s. He married his wife Eliza Brand in Adelaide in 1849 before making his way across to the goldfields.
He ran four hotels on the local goldfields including the grand two storey Metropolitan Hotel which once stood on the corner of Mostyn and Hargraves Streets where Subway is today.
“Later Medcalf knocked down the former gold rush buildings at the corner of Barker and Templeton Streets to build his very own single storey hotel. It is not known why he called the new hotel the Council Club Hotel – but as it was two drop kicks from the Castlemaine Town Hall as it was back then so this would seem the likely explanation,” Jan said.
The new hotel got quite the glowing write up in our sister paper the Castlemaine Mail’s predecessor The Mount Alexander Mail at the time stating Medcalf had spared no expense on his latest offering.
He later grew tired of the business and sold it his son-in-law John Dale who was married to his daughter Eliza. However, Dale reportedly met a tragic end and a year later in 1893 Eliza sold the hotel to William Munchin.
Just after Federation in 1902 the owner at the time Aitken hired Tonks Bros to add a second storey to the building which reportedly took the team just 84 days.
The “handsome” newly renovated building was once again praised in the Mail as a “an ornament and credit to the town”.
Among the characters to share their memories in the film was one of the town’s last icemen Bob Phillips who delivered ice to the pub three times a day to keep the beer lines chilled until electricity came to Castlemaine in the late 1940s.
In 1958 the hotel welcomed what were to be its last licensees Jim O’Keefe and his wife Bon.
Daughter Lois O’Keefe was 16 at the time and not impressed with the move from Frankston.
“I just hated it,” she said.
But things soon improved for Lois as she quickly joined the social fabric of Castlemaine.
While working as barmaid at the family pub she met her future husband Jack Ginnivan and was married at 19. The couple welcomed twin boys Craig and Bradley Ginnivan a year later.
In the film Craig and Bradley recall playing in the bar in the 1970s and causing a few patrons to think they were seeing double!
Lois recalled that a couple of blokes from the brewery had created an ‘electric chair’ for the bar which was rigged up with some batteries and locals used to love tricking visitors by inviting them to ‘take a seat’ before they received a rude shock.
“Inevitably their beer would go flying but my father would compensate the unsuspecting patron with another beer,” she said.
Trading on Sundays was illegal in those days and over the years the Lewis, Lewin, and O’Keefe families had a few run-ins with local police. But mostly it seems local officers turned a blind eye to the practice if the hotel kept any Sunday gatherings quiet and composed.
Sleeper cutter and truck driver the late Max McLean and his brothers are pictured an image taken on the last day of trade at the pub.
In the film Max shares the story of one old fella who was advised by the barmen he was full and replied, “‘I’m not full at all. When you see me walking along with my head back then I am full.’ Why is that the barman asked? ‘So I don’t spill any’,” Max said.
Due to rising costs the owners of the Council Club Hotel at the time – Carlton United Breweries – made the decision to close the pub in 1970 and the popular hosts the O’Keefe’s retired.
In the 1970s and 80s the building was looking for a new career. It was a fish and chip shop and later a clothing store. In 1980 it was passed in at auction well below its reserve of $53,000. It seems nobody could see a good use for the former hotel – it was a low point in the building’s life. However, six years later it was purchased and began another successful new chapter as B & B and quality restaurant Ellimatta.
Current owners Neil and Heather Barratt purchased the building in 2006 as a home for the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group (MASG) but much of it was unusable when they first took it on.
In 2009 they renovated the building from the ground up utilising the sustainability features they are so passionate about.
‘The Hub’ was officially opened for business in April 2010 by Barry Jones.
“Crosby Architects did the design for the renovation of the building and then worked with a team of consultants to design The Paddock. It’s been a long association,” Heather Barrett said.
“We also installed double glazed windows in the foyer, the light well which acts as a thermal chimney, water tanks, energy efficient lighting and many other features.”
Over the years the building has hosted a number of successful businesses including restaurant The Good Table, Bonkers on Barker Cafe, coffee windows, and a range of sustainability and community focused businesses and community groups.
In March 2023 the Barretts made the difficult decision to put the 120-year-old property on the market.
At the time the Castlemaine couple said they were both ‘above’ retirement age and had decided the time had come to sell the historic property to focus on their other major project – The Paddock Eco Village, which was recently competed, their other passion The Hub Foundation, and spend time with family.
The pair were both awarded OAMs for their environmental work at The Hub Foundation and The Paddock Eco Village in 2021.
The Barretts have now been proud custodians of the iconic building for the last 19 years and the Co-op are thrilled to have their support in their bid to keep the site in community hands.
The building currently houses 17 tenants across the 19 rooms and the coffee window, plus a meeting room. This includes the sustainability organisations: Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) community composting, Connecting Country, Trust for Nature, Vegetation Link, eco2sys, Farmers for Climate Change and the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance.
To find out how you can purchase a debenture and part of the building’s next chapter visit the Co-op website www.castlemaine.coop
You can also view the film From Pub to Hub on the website at https://castlemaine.coop/pub-to-hub

The Council Club Hotel was originally a single storey building.
The hotel was original a single storey.
A second storey was added in 1902.
A number of local families have connections with the former hotel.
Many local families have a connection to the former hotel and its various licencees.
Many would remember its days as the popular Ellimatta Restaurant.
Many would remember the days the building was home to the successful Ellimatta Restaurant.

Your impact is saving lives

Jonty and Brett from Anytime Fitness have thrown their support behind this year's challenge.

So far in The Push-Up Challenge (June 4-26) funds raised will allow Lifeline Loddon Mallee to answer 382 more life-saving calls. That’s 382 chances to offer hope, support and connection to someone in ...

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Soccer stars shine at Chewton

Alfred Chaffey chases down the ball as U14A teammate Seth McGill offers support. Photo: Max Lesser.

It was another bumper weekend of soccer action at Chewton Soldiers Memorial Park last weekend.
The Mail caught up with the Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club's Under 14A Mixed side as they tackled S...

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Magpies valiant against the Dragons

Magpie Jack Sutherland keeps his eye on the ball as his Dragons opponent lays a tackle. Photo: Max Lesser

The Castlemaine Magpies played host to the Sandhurst Dragons in round eight matches at the Camp Reserve on Saturday.
The Seniors found themselves up against the ladder leaders. The Magpies were valian...

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Kyneton unleashes secret weapon

Players enjoying their afternoon tea. Kyneton's secret weapon Gwen Byrne is seated at the far end of the table.

Twice a year the Castlemaine and Kyneton Croquet Clubs compete for a trophy donated by Kyneton IGA.
On May 30 Castlemaine hosted the contest at its court in Berkeley Street, Castlemaine.
Although Kyn...

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Another milestone reached

Colin presents Lesley with her 100-milestone

Congratulations Lesley Likens for hitting her 100-parkrun milestone, an achievement that takes persistence and dedication. Globally, parkrun acknowledges particular milestones in participation for bot...

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Co-op debenture campaign smashes $1M

BREAKING NEWS: The Castlemaine Community Investment Co-operative have raised $1,007,500 of investments to buy the Hub – over half what they need! 

A generous member also has just offered to match new debenture applications up to a grand total of $50,000. For each member who submits a debenture application of at least $10,000 then the other investor will submit one of their own for the same amount, until they’ve invested $50,000 total. If you’ve been waiting to invest then apply quickly and you could double your impact on the Co-op’s goal.   

143 members have invested so far and the co-op are getting new members every day so there are still over 200 members that might be thinking about it. Act now – apply here. 

And tell your friends to be part of this history making initiative. The offer will close on June 29 and if the co-op don’t raise the funds the opportunity will be gone. 

Hub campaign nearing $1M

The Castlemaine Community Investment Co-operative had raised $945,000 toward the purchase of the Hub at the time of going to press.

Director Angus Gratton said those investors who have been thinking about it need to act now.

“There will be no second chance. The investment offer closes on June 29, and if the sale amount has not been raised, the deal is off for good”.

The Co-operative is currently pursuing its first investment to purchase The Hub, a beloved historical building in central Castlemaine that is tenanted by environmental and sustainability organisations and small businesses often missing in rural towns.

Board member Jeanette Pope said they are thrilled so many people have joined and invested.

“The Hub truly will be community owned if we get it over the line. Whatever happens we will always be proud of how many people recognised what a unique opportunity this is, not only to take something precious to the community off the market and protect it for good – but to make history as the first co-op to do it this way.”

If the Co-op is successful it will run the building as is, using the rents to pay back investors debentures when they come to term.

“But there are short term opportunities to increase the community benefits, said board member Cath Jolly.

“We could build an NDIS social enterprise in the community garden, and the cafe will be up and running again soon. The co-op will also work with the Hub Foundation to continue its legacy of programs like YIMBY and the bulk solar buys.”

Board member Warwick Smith said potential investors should act quickly – read the disclosure statement, seek advice, become a member and apply. “We are offering debentures – a type of fixed term loan from members. You decide the amount (from $500, the term (5,10 or 15 years), and your annual interest rate (up to 4%). We’ll give you back your loaned amount at end of the term.”

“Come join 131 others in using your money to create something great for our town and for future generations.”

All information is available at www.castlemaine.coop to apply for a debenture and help make history visit https://castlemaine.coop/hub-apply/

My Maldon – Liz Butterworth

Liz has worked at the Midland Express/Castlemaine Mail for the past fifteen years in various roles including; accounts, administration, classifieds and sales, meaning she is probably a familiar voice ...

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A bittersweet budget

During the adoption of the 2025/2026 budget at last Tuesday's Ordinary Meeting, councillors expressed their perturbation at being able to obtain sufficient funds to meet the needs of the community.
T...

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