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My Castlemaine with Jeanette Pope – Part Two

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Castlemaine Mail
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Jeanette Pope, sixth from the left, is pictured with the Castlemaine Community Investment Co-op crew.
Jeanette Pope, sixth from the left, is pictured with the Castlemaine Community Investment Co-op crew.

The first instalment of Jeanette’s two-part interview was published in last week’s Mail on June 26.

One of the founding members of the Castlemaine Community Investment Co-operative (the folks who recently bought The Hub), Jeanette was one of five recipients to receive the 2026 Paul Ramsey Foundation Fellowship. She will spend the next 18 months utilising the $250,000, 18-month fellowship to help write a manual to help other groups understand the process for cooperative investments, to help address disadvantage and to look at system barriers.
Initially, when the co-op first started, Jeanette was only planning to volunteer an hour of her time to help with an investment lodging…
“I’ve really enjoyed it – finding my tribe to do something you all believe in is a really great thing,” she said.
“We ran this successful campaign – a bunch of volunteers, and suddenly we got our feet under the desks of a big building, and everything goes crazy! Be careful of your success – it’s a really big, complicated baby!”
After being contacted by 45 different groups wanting “serious” support to help get projects off the ground, Jeanette realised they needed to put something solid in place to share their findings and take the pressure off the volunteers who were starting to feel overwhelmed by the requests coming in, so she applied to the fellowship.
Three months in, and Jeanette is working hard to create additional partnerships for The Hub. They’ve teamed up with the Child Care Co-operative, which will use the garden for classes with children and an intergenerational gardening program with Dhelkaya Health.
They have also partnered with Connecting Country, who, in return for storing the tools in the shed at the back of The Hub, will set up a revegetation library allowing people to borrow tools.

And the all-important questions:
Who are your dream dinner guests? When I moved here, my father told me that one of our ancestors was a woman, Mary Cleaver, who had a little shrine in the Welshmans Reef Cemetery as the first pioneer. She was 55 years old and travelled across from Perth. Her husband had died, and she had two adult sons. She came across her by herself with menopause, across the continent! So, I’d like to have dinner with her. The other one is John Deeble, the guy who wrote Medicare. He mentored me for a while, and he was the smartest, funniest, happiest person I’d ever met. I’d probably like to have a conversation with him at some point again.
What are your philosophies? Be kind and fight back. Social justice has always been a thing for me; I’ve always been the guy who cares about stuff. I find it ridiculously rewarding. I like people. I love hearing people’s stories. I love trying to wrestle with something like the projections. I feel really lucky.
What are you reading at the moment? Voluminous, boring annual reports. Nothing interesting. I have been reading some Substacks. There’s an American airline that has gone down, and someone put up a crowdsource to buy it back, and they’ve raised $371 million or something to buy this airline, and I’m loving that!
What hobbies do you enjoy? I really like gardening. I love Australian natives and I’m re-vegetating around our house. I love flowers, and I take photos of them and draw them. I get a lot of joy from being in nature and the crazy, beautiful, symmetrical world that is native flowers.
Finally, what do you love most about home? The Hub. I love being here, I love Joe, who owns the cafe, I love the community here. I love that whenever you come down here, there’s always someone to talk to and there’s always something going on. There are 19 tenants, but there are 562 members – so there’s always someone for me to talk to!

French connections!

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Castlemaine Mail
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Local and beloved performers, Georgia Darcy and Louise Lawson (Cecile), will be returning to Shedshaker Brewing for another unforgettable Bastille Day celebration on July 14.Louise and Georgia, pictur...

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Pool to go under the hammer

By
Lisa Dennis
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Swim Mt Alexander (SWIMMA) members Lee Edmonds, Reece Hodge, Bryn Davies, Annie Jones and Suzanne Donisthorpe want to see the Drill Hall retained in community hands.
Swim Mt Alexander (SWIMMA) members Lee Edmonds, Reece Hodge, Bryn Davies, Annie Jones and Suzanne Donisthorpe want to see the Drill Hall retained in community hands.

Lisa Dennis The historic Castlemaine Drill Hall, formerly Castlemaine Fitness Centre, is reportedly going to be placed on the market shortly.With news of the anticipated sale circulating there has bee...

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Free soup nights

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Castlemaine Mail
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Head along to the Salvation Army Castlemaine Hall on Wednesday nights from 5.30pm to 7pm for some delicious warming soup.
Made with local vegetables from the Castlemaine Farmers Market enjoy a nourishing homemade soup and friendly conversation .
A collaboration between Mount Alexander Food Futures, Salvation Army Castlemaine and Castlemaine Farmers Market, this initiative links growers, shoppers, volunteers and community.
Winter soup nights are free or by donation at 47 Kennedy Street, Castlemaine.

Contributing to community recovery

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Castlemaine Mail
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Members of the Harcourt Valley Community House were excited to hear MP Maree Edwards' funding announcement on Thursday.
Members of the Harcourt Valley Community House were excited to hear MP Maree Edwards' funding announcement on Thursday.

The Harcourt Progress Association has successfully secured $49,910 in funding from the Tiny Towns Fund to create a new Community Garden at the Harcourt Valley Community House.
The funding comes at an important time for the Harcourt community, who are working through recovery and starting to rebuild six months on from the devastating January bushfire.
Visiting the community house last Thursday, MP Maree Edwards said it is a really great announcement for the community.
“While this investment cannot undo the impacts of the fires, it will contribute to the community’s ongoing recovery by creating a welcoming space where residents can come together, reconnect, and support one another – and benefit from a community garden,” she said.
The Bendigo West MP said she is hopeful that the Coolstore, which was completely destroyed, will be up and running in the not too distant future.
“There were so many local businesses impacted by the loss of the Coolstore, and there is a lot of work to be done to rebuild,” she said.
“There is obviously a lot of trauma associated with a very horrible fire like we had here in Harcourt, and recovery takes a very long time, but this community is incredibly resilient.
Harcourt Valley Community House Voluntary Manager Jeanette Teague said the community garden will be a great way to bring the community together.
“And it’s a great way to grow fruit and vegetables – good wholesome food we can provide to our community in the recovery and going forward,” she said.
“We also host community lunches every Friday. Many of the people who come have been directly impacted by the fires, and it gives them that contentedness and an opportunity to get together – there’s been lots of new friends made.”

Larger-than-life

By
Jade Jungwirth
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Ned (right) with fellow artist Simon Dubbeld in front of his painting of the Bee Gees.
Ned (right) with fellow artist Simon Dubbeld in front of his painting of the Bee Gees.

Castlemaine artist Ned Middleton has an exhibition on display at the Five Flags Merchants in Castlemaine - open every day from 8am to 4pm until August 31.Ned paints bright, larger-than-life acrylic an...

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Misty Green Vale encore

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Castlemaine Mail
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Misty Green Vale is the newest project of Felicity Cripps. Photo: Tim Hillier
Misty Green Vale is the newest project of Felicity Cripps. Photo: Tim Hillier

With the first show sold out, Misty Green Vale will be returning for an encore performance as part of a very special fundraiser for Castlemaine Art Museum on July 26.
Misty Green Vale is the newest project of Felicity Cripps, emerging from Dja Dja Wurrung Country.
Working under a pseudonym inspired by childhood memories, Misty Green Vale makes minimal, atmospheric music shaped by intuition, nature, and streams of consciousness.
Immersive soundscapes bypass rational thought, revealing a deep devotion to the natural world and the unseen spaces in-between. Ethereal, resonant vocals, hypnotic textures and repetition, combine to form a sound that reaches through the listener toward the cosmos and beyond, awakening memory, intuition, and a sense of looking inward.
Having recently stepped back from her nine year tenure at the helm of Castlemaine’s iconic Theatre Royal, Cripps is delving full time into her music, allowing the new emergence of Misty.
Felicity told the Mail the music was written throughout her final year at the Theatre Royal and in the months since.
“It became a way of grounding myself through a tumultuous time, and the process was both challenging and joyful. Those songs have since become the foundation of a new musical project called Misty Green Vale. The name marks a gentle transition into creating work that is, first and foremost, for myself.
“While the songs are deeply personal, they aren’t really about me; they’re more like a stream of consciousness—a meditation on memory, place and the quiet, shared experiences that shape our lives. It felt like the right moment to step away from my own name and allow this music to exist under a new one.”
The artist hopes to release the resulting album later this year.
“Because this work feels so personal, I wanted its first performance to take place somewhere that carried a sense of occasion—almost a sacred quality. While I was thinking about possible venues, CAM CEO Leslie Gurusinghe, called to ask if I’d consider performing a fundraising concert for the museum. It felt like one of those rare moments where everything aligned. I was equal parts terrified and thrilled,” she said.
“We announced the first performance and it sold out within days, so we’ve added a second show—a Sunday matinee on July 26 at 5pm —to meet demand. All proceeds will support the museum, and tickets are available through the CAM website at castlemaineartmuseum.org.au/events
“The music I make is no longer about me, but I make it for me, first and foremost. Having a name to work under, separate to myself, makes it easier for me to talk about… It’s no longer personal, it’s just a way of sharing something that I feel is universally meaningful,” Cripps said.

Friday, July 10, 2026

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Castlemaine Mail
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MAPS launches new website

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Castlemaine Mail
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The new Members Gallery showcases beautiful images such as this stunning photograph by Patrick Kavanagh.
The new Members Gallery showcases beautiful images such as this stunning photograph by Patrick Kavanagh.

Something special is happening for those who have a Mount Alexander Photographic Society’s (MAPS) membership!
The local camera club recently launched a brand new website at castlemainecameraclub.com.au
As part of this exciting new offering the MAPS team have created a page just for members’ images, along with a cover page that lists everyone’s names—each one linking to their own dedicated gallery.
MAPS president Harley Parker said this is a wonderful opportunity for every member to proudly share their art with a wider audience.
“Each participating member will have a web address that can easily be shared with friends, family, potential clients, exhibition organisers, or anyone interested in seeing their work. It provides a simple way you can send a webpage link to someone and say, ‘Here, this is my photography,'” Harley said.
“These are carefully prepared, static gallery pages (not a self-updating portfolio system) – but truly exceptional new images can be added. Your photography deserves to be seen, and our new Members’ Gallery is the perfect place to showcase it,” he said.
“Join us and become part of a vibrant local photography community,” Harley said.
MAPS gather on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Chewton Town Hall. Check out their website for more details.

Why waste changes are being considered

By
Castlemaine Mail
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Michael Annear, Director Infrastructure and Development, Mount Alexander Shire Council


Mount Alexander Shire Council is considering important changes to our waste services. I want to outline why these changes are being explored, what the proposal looks like and what it could mean for our community.
The starting point is clear: our current system is not keeping up with where we need to be. Too much organic waste is going to landfill, including valuable materials that could be reused. At the same time, community expectations are changing. Many residents have told us they want better ways to manage food and garden waste more responsibly.
There is also a clear statewide push in this direction. Victorian Government policy requires councils to move to a four-stream system – separating general waste, mixed recycling, glass and food and garden organics. The question for council is how to implement this in a way that reflects the needs and expectations of our community.
We are considering introducing two new services in 2027: a weekly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection and a network of local drop-off points for glass. At the same time, general waste would move to a fortnightly collection, with mixed recycling also collected fortnightly.
FOGO is a key part of this. It allows households to put food scraps, garden clippings and other compostable materials into a dedicated bin. Instead of going to landfill, this material would be processed locally into compost that can be used in parks, gardens and potentially in local agriculture. We estimate this could divert around 900 tonnes of waste from landfill each year and reduce emissions by over 1,000 tonnes.
We know changes like this can feel like a big shift. Moving to fortnightly red bin collection, in particular, will be an adjustment for some households. But experience from other councils shows that once food waste is removed from general rubbish, the amount going into the red bin drops significantly.
We’re also thinking carefully about cost. If these changes go ahead, introducing FOGO and glass together is expected to save around $400,000 annually, compared to delaying. That’s largely because landfill costs are rising, along with fuel, labour and equipment expenses.
It’s also important to say that this proposal won’t replace home or community composting. If you’re already managing your food and garden waste successfully, you’ll be able to apply to opt out of the FOGO service. We’ll also continue to support community-led initiatives like YIMBY.
No final decision has been made. This is about sharing information early, being transparent about the challenges and giving people the chance to ask questions.
I encourage anyone interested to learn more, submit questions and attend our upcoming information session.
You can find more information at mountalexander.vic.gov.au/proposed-waste-changes.

RedGum claims top honour!

By
Castlemaine Mail
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The RedGum team are proudly pictured with their stall at the 2026 awards event.
The RedGum team are proudly pictured with their stall at the 2026 awards event.

RedGum – The Waldorf School of Central Victoria was thrilled to recently be named as the 2026 ResourceSmart School of the Year!
This award recognises outstanding sustainability achievement in Victorian schools through:
• positive impact and innovation
• addressing sustainability as a cross-curriculum priority
• engaging the broader community
• improvements to campus operations and/infrastructure
• sustainability leadership in the education sector/other schools.
RedGum holds sustainability as a core value, and this ripples out from students to families and the broader community, creating a network of inspired sustainability champions.
RedGum is a 5 Star ResourceSmart school fostering strong connections to nature which are embedded in their Steiner curriculum and includes First Nations perspectives and whole community in the care of the land the school occupies.
Biodynamics, permaculture principles, and a passionate school community were key in transforming the school site from barren grazing land with just three trees to the thriving ecosystem it houses today.
The school garden, using rain water tanks for irrigation, is maintained by parents, staff and students.
The produce from the veggie patch is used for cooking classes, shared with local charities, and sold by students at school and the Young Growers Market.
As well as installing nesting boxes across the school campus and championing a comprehensive recycling system, the student-led RedGum Eco Club built a bird hide to encourage students to observe local birdlife during their breaks. RedGum has more recently opened this space up to birdwatchers and has also used it as a space to mentor other schools who are just beginning their sustainability journey.
A few Eco Club representatives attended the awards at the MCG and were thrilled with the outcome for RedGum
“I knew we had a chance, but we were still surprised when our school was announced,” Sonny said.
“It’s an amazing feeling!! All of the other schools had incredible entries too,” Hamish said.
“It felt great, I loved meeting Dirtgirl!” Yolande said.
Student initiated Eco Club meet weekly and (with supportive staff mentors) have been a driving force in keeping sustainability at the forefront of the School’s practice and partnerships.
“We started RedGum Eco Club so that students notice nature even more and to help the school become a 5 Star ResourceSmart School. In the Eco Club we make new friends from different classes and learn from each other’s interests in birds and animals,” Sonny said.
“I have really enjoyed learning to become a leader and encouraging others to get on board with the many projects the RedGum Eco Club has started. Looking forward, I’m keen for EcoClub to keep developing our wetlands and help the universities with their research collection. I have an idea of us building some floating islands of water plants to make the dams healthier for native fish,” Sonny said.
Taking an innovative approach to using their wetlands as a classroom, RedGum students are collaborating with RMIT university to study gas emissions from stagnant waterways. They are also working with Junior Landcare, North Central Catchment Management Authority and Charles Sturt University to increase biodiversity in the wetlands, and to study what impact this may have on native aquatic species.
Judges at the awards said: “RedGum models what is possible when a deep commitment to sustainability is paired with strong local and global awareness.”

Celebrating Maldon’s iconic Athenaeum Library

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Castlemaine Mail
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'Around the Margin of Books' Heritage Photo Exhibition will feature at Maldon Athenaeum Library next weekend. Photo: Darron Davies.
'Around the Margin of Books' Heritage Photo Exhibition will feature at Maldon Athenaeum Library next weekend. Photo: Darron Davies.

Maldon Athenaeum Library will be hosting an exhibition of beautiful photographs that capture the character of the library, its book collection and its visitors titled ‘Around the Margin of Books’ on July 11-12.
The exhibition is part of the Maldon in Winter festival. The photographs are the result of an ongoing project by well-known artist, Darron Davies.
Darron poetically explores the beautiful atmosphere of this famous Maldon landmark, including its architecture, books and personalities.
Based in Castlemaine, Darron has worked primarily in photography and has produced a wide variety of projects, ranging from the classical style portraiture of rodders, to quiet and reflective macro-photography, landscape photography and alternative darkroom methods. He has received a number of prize finalist nominations for his photography including being a finalist five times for the prestigious Blake Art Prize, as well as a recent finalist in the Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize. You can enjoy some of his work at https://www.instagram.com/darrondavies/
Darron sees every project as an artistic exploration, as well as a deep dive into a culture and its history, all the while deepening his knowledge and sense of photographic practice.
His Maldon Athenaeum Library project, ‘Around the Margin of Books’, is an extension of his Book Physical Project photographically exploring old
books, which has been exhibited in Melbourne and Bendigo.
Over the past few months Darron has spent many days in the library, working carefully to best capture its physical features as well as talking with library members and volunteers to immerse himself in the community and culture. His amazing images will be available for purchase during the exhibition.
During the course of the exhibition Darron will be available to discuss his exhibition and answer any questions you may have about his art of photography.
Entry to the exhibition is free. However, a small donation to help support the library would be welcomed.
You can view ‘Around the Margin of Books’ Heritage Photo Exhibition at the Maldon Athenaeum Library, 97 High Street Maldon on July 11 and 12 from 10am-2pm.

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