The next important step towards Harcourt and district’s bushfire recovery will take place this Sunday, July 26, when the Harcourt and District Community Recovery Association (HADCRA) meets to make decisions about the establishment of the new association.
Approximately 75 homes and 250 sheds, farm buildings and other structures were lost in the January 9 fires. In all, the fire burnt through roughly 4,000 hectares of land. The Coolstore building loss affected approximately 80 businesses, and the total number of bushfire-affected businesses was 157.
We are less than six months on. Recovery is a long road.
Right now, much of the recovery is being run by government and other agencies. They are doing important work. But the Harcourt and district community wants a bigger say in what happens, and in how it happens.
HADCRA is how they will get that say. The way they will replace what has been lost, be better prepared for the future, and where they can build back stronger than before.
HADCRA members are invited to attend this Sunday’s meeting at the Harcourt Leisure Centre at 2pm on the proposed incorporation of the new association.
The purpose of this establishment meeting is:
– to consider and, if thought fit, resolve to establish the association.
– consider and adopt the proposed rules (Constitution) of the association.
– resolve to apply for incorporation under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic).
– appoint a person authorised to lodge the application for incorporation on behalf of the association.
– declare nominations for the inaugural committee.
– receive brief statements from candidates for election to the inaugural committee.
– open voting for the election of the inaugural committee.
Voting is available to members only.
For more information on the proposed rules of incorporation and the voting process, email harcourtrecovery@cch.org.au
Not yet a member and keen to be part of the region’s recovery? You can sign up online for free at https://forms.gle/tCPN6dXc7tvczTV48
Rising Naarm/Melbourne-based folk artist Bec Sykes has been carving out her corner of the Australian music landscape with her songwriting prowess, striking voice and captivating stage presence.
Bec will be visiting the Taproom at Shedshaker Brewing on Sunday August 9 for a matinee show as part of her first solo tour of the eastern states.
The magnetism of her live performance is as palpable when performing stripped back on the iconic Melbourne Recital Centre stage as it is with her full band at lauded sticky carpet venues; performances that are grounded with a refinement and growth in confidence that mirrors the deeply personal evolution traced on her “beautifully intimate” (Atwood Magazine, US), Australian Music Prize-nominated debut album Pepperpot Magic (2024).
Released alongside lead single ‘Last to Know’ – which has since had more than 1.3 million streams on Spotify alone – Pepperpot Magic saw Sykes reclaim her power after leaving behind her Christian upbringing and a lonely relationship. Its arrangements are meticulous yet understated, spanning the minimalist to textural, and lay the foundation for Sykes’ voice to work its spellbinding power.
After her breathtaking debut single ‘Edithvale’ led her to win iconic Melbourne record label Pieater’s (Maple Glider, Big Scary) ‘Pie School’ competition and the Josh Pyke Partnership in 2020, Bec Sykes toured nationally with Josh Pyke and has since supported Sarah Blasko, Merpire, Telenova, Jem Cassar-Daley, Mia Wray, Teenage Dads, Didirri and Katy Steele.
Pepperpot Magic has received acclaim and praise from triple j, Double J, triple j Unearthed, ABC News Breakfast, ARIA The Future of Music, frankie magazine, Rolling Stone and many others.
Bec told the Mail she can’t wait to return to Castlemaine with her solo show after appearing at the Theatre Royal in support of Didirri a couple of years ago.
“As an independent artist it has felt really amazing to be able to step out of the organisation and promotion role and back into the role of musician and entertain a crowd. I’ve performed in the Simba Sessions in Kyneton, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Angelsea and I’m scheduled to play in Bendigo this Saturday.
“At Castlemaine I will be supported by local artist Jules Sheldon and fellow Naarm artist Guthrie who regularly performs in Daylesford.
“I’ll be performing in a duo and will be joined on stage by Ronan Nicholson on pedal steel guitar,” she said.
Bec revealed that the album got its name Pepperpot Magic from a now-defunct fairy/occult shop that existed in 90s Boronia.
“My older sister used to work there and I remember visiting it as a child. The songs on the album are quite heavy and personal, but I am more playful by nature. I like the juxtapostion between the title and the music,” she said.
Whilst touring Bec has also been treating audiences to a sneak peek at some new material including ‘Convincing Ground’ which is quite different from her previous material and touches on her family’s connection with the Portland region on the Great Ocean Road, aboriginal history and decolonisation – an issue she is deeply passionate about.
After the whirlwind tour she aims to take some time and space to delve into writing and recording new material.
“I don’t really have a timeframe in mind. I will trust in the process,” she said.
The show will kick off at 4pm. Entry is free.
Castlemaine Community House and Autoplex Castlemaine are launching a new introductory course ‘Drive Forward’ connecting locals with the region’s booming automotive industry.
Perfect for school-leavers, those looking for a career change and for folks who are curious about cars but never had the opportunity to learn!
The local automotive industry spans far more than mechanics — covering welding, auto electrics, diesel mechanics, retail, electric vehicles, parts, sales and more, meaning there are pathways to suit almost every interest and skill set.
Drive Forward is a short, hands-on course for anyone considering a career change, applying for their first job, or simply wanting to learn more about cars. No prior experience or qualifications are needed.
This new and exciting course is being delivered in partnership with Autoplex and has been designed by a leading female mechanic, ensuring the program is inclusive and creates opportunities for anyone interested.
The course covers practical car mechanic skills participants can use from day one, alongside the workplace skills employers say they value most.
Participants will combine classroom learning with practical, hands-on activities, including visits to local workshops, tool-based learning, a tour of Bendigo TAFE, and opportunities to connect directly with local employers.
Local employers say the timing couldn’t be better, with the industry facing a shortage of skilled workers.
Phillipa, from PJ’s Tyre & Auto, said the business was eager to welcome new talent into the trade.
“It’s hard to find great people to join our team. There is a shortage of people coming into the industry and we’d love to have skilled locals we could employ. It’s such a big industry and we need people with skills from electrics to reception to mechanics,” Phillipa said.
Ryan, from Central 4×4, said the industry had changed significantly in recent years, and that adaptability was now central to the job.
“Working with vehicles isn’t like it used to be. These days you have to be interested in learning all the time, the introduction of electric vehicles and other tech means we are constantly skilling up and that’s what keeps it interesting,” Ryan said.
Bookings close next Friday July 24. The course will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at CCH at 30 Templeton Street and kicks off on July 28. The course is being offered for the special introductory price of $40 (Full) / $25.00 (Concession).
Register for an information session at: www.cch.org.au/courses/drive-forward-mechanics-course-castlemaine/
Rural and regional women across Australia are facing growing impacts of our changing climate system: floods, droughts, bushfires, frosts, other extreme weather patterns – putting our families and community at risk from climate impacts.
The Women’s Climate Congress (WCC) to be held in Castlemaine on Friday July 24 seeks to explore what could happen if women across our region came together to shape practical, community-led solutions for the future.
The event follows on from the WCC’s ‘Women Changing the Climate’ Victorian Congress at the Castlemaine Town Hall in March 2025, and the subsequent launch of the WCC’s Rural & Regional Climate Hub (R&RCH) pilot in Castlemaine which has continued local conversations around building community resilience.
The 2026 Castlemaine Women’s Climate Congress, headed up by local R&RCH coordinators Heidi Michael and Margaret de Kam, in partnership with
Women’s Health Loddon Mallee, are inviting women from the Loddon Mallee region to explore what matters most to to women in the area, and how we can work together to create meaningful local impact around climate solutions.
The congress will comprise two events the first being a ‘Tea Circle on Climate Conversations’ at Castlemaine Community House, 30 Templeton Street from 10am-12pm.
This free event will be an opportunity to enjoy a cuppa and connect with other local women of all ages to talk about climate.
From 1pm participants can then join visiting Australian director Liz Courtney at the Phee Broadway Theatre for a special Castlemaine screening of her internationally acclaimed documentary exploring Antarctica, climate science and the global changes shaping our future.
Antarctica – The Giant Awakens is a breathtaking journey to the frozen edge of our planet, where science, courage and discovery come together to reveal the beauty, wonder and urgency of understanding our changing world.
The documentary follows a team of young female climate scientists as they embark on a mission to Antarctica, led by Prof Benjamin Horton, one of the world’s leading experts in sea-level rise.
Antarctica, nearly twice the size of Australia, holds 75 per cent of the world’s fresh water. However, the Antarctic ice sheet, perched on a bedrock base, is now under threat as colossal ice cliffs surrounding the West Antarctic coastline are collapsing due to warming ocean temperatures.
Prof Horton emphasises the urgency of understanding the rate of glacier melt and the impacts of increased fresh meltwater into salty ocean currents.
Liz Courtney said the documentary aims to inspire communities and younger generations to engage with science, leadership and solutions for the future.
“Antarctica may feel far away, but what happens there affects us all. This film is about courage, discovery, science and hope – and the importance of communities coming together to understand and respond to change,” Courtney said.
The screening is open to people of all genders and ages and will be followed by a live Q & A with the director.
There will also be a second screening later that evening from 5pm-7.30pm so parents, their children, and interested people working during the day can also attend and see the film.
To book tickets for the Tea Circle visit https://events.humanitix.com/tea-circle-on-climate-conversations-castlemaine
Tickets for the film screenings are $10, $5 concession, children free (up to 18 years) visit https://events.humanitix.com/rural-and-regional-climate-hub-castlemaine-film
Jade Jungwirth
Despite living in Barooga at the time of his birth, Darren was actually born at Bendigo Hospital while his mum was visiting her parents. His early childhood years were spent on a hobby farm outside of Strathmerton. During his teen years, his family moved into the township, which had a population of 400, and he and his sisters would catch the bus to high school in Cobram.
“I like the country so much – the way the communities work in small towns – everybody’s connected in the footy club and the netball club, and I loved playing tennis in the summertime; sometimes six sets in a day while playing junior and senior competitions at the same time. You knew everybody, and everybody knew you,” he said.
“The other side of the coin is everybody knew everybody’s business.”
Securing a spot under the shire engineer (who in those days was the one in charge) at Numurkah Shire Council for his Year 10 work experience gave Darren a clear path forward from a young age.
“From that moment I knew I wanted to be a civil engineer,” he said.
“It made me – I won’t say work hard, but it made me focus on the right subjects to get into civil engineering, and I got the HSC marks I needed to study at uni in Melbourne.”
During the summer holidays, Darren would return to the engineering department at the Numurkah Shire Council.
“It was just an amazing place to learn about engineering, but also what local government did, and to see how much impact they were having was incredible,” he said.
After finishing uni, Darren was offered a spot in the VicRoads graduate recruitment program alongside 99 of his peers.
“That was just an unbelievably good program,” he said.
“It was an enormous organisation that was well structured and well-funded at the time, and they were an exceptionally good engineering organisation.”
His first job was working on what was then ‘affectionately’ referred to as the South Eastern Car Park (turning the intersections of Burke, Taronga and Toorak Roads into freeway standard).
After a year working on the South Eastern Arterial Project, he moved to Shepparton to work on the Goulburn Valley Freeway Project with projects spanning from Seymour through Shepparton and up to the border of Tocumwal.
He was then given the opportunity to work on the bypass of Albury and Wodonga, and after spending a few years living and working in Albury, he was given a promotion and moved to Benalla to look after the maintenance of all roads in the North Eastern parts of Victoria; including his favourite ones in the high country through the snowfields
Another promotion resulted in a move to Ballarat, where he was responsible for the construction and maintenance of all VicRoads roads in Western Victoria.
Reaching a ceiling on his career living in the country and not wanting to move to the city, Darren decided it was a good time to move back to his first love – local government. He landed a job as a director with the Loddon Shire Council.
“That was 21 years ago, and I haven’t left local government since!”
After five and a half years at Loddon Shire, Darren moved to the City of Greater Bendigo Council for another five and a half years before landing the gig of CEO in Mount Alexander.
“As soon as we knew that I had the job, my wife and I came down and started house hunting,” he said.
“I’ve always had the belief that the CEO should live in the shire. I wanted to know that whatever I affect in the community, it’s my community and it affects me as well.”
Darren met his wife, Wonona, a town planner, at a conference in Sydney. She lived in Newcastle at the time and had two kids, and he lived in Victoria and had two kids here. So the pair spent twelve years flying back and forth!
“It was one of those things, when you know it’s the right person, you just do it and we knew that eventually the kids would all grow up and we’d end up in the same place,” he said.
“We’ve lived together in our place in Castlemaine for the last nine years. It’s been fantastic. Now instead of getting on a plane to see each other, we get on a plane together to go somewhere else! Nowadays we also get to spend a lot of time at the footy with our kids watching our beloved Carlton; and the last few weeks have been especially enjoyable trips!”
The second instalment of Darren’s two-part interview will be published in next week’s Mail on Friday July 24.
Lisa Dennis
Castlemaine’s Felix Matheson, 17, was thrilled to pull on the green and gold and represent Australia’s Under 18 Gridiron team in the international ‘Festival of Football’ in Auckland, New Zealand last weekend.
Felix and his Aussie teammates defeated their New Zealand counterparts 34-22 to bring home the ultimate prize!
The win caps off a whirlwind 10 months for the Castlemaine Secondary College student, who made his first foray into American football back in September 2025 when he began training with the Bendigo Dragons Gridiron Club.
Felix is a longtime soccer player with the Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club, where he was highly respected for his goal keeping abilities, but was looking for a new challenge to keep him fit during the summer months.
He could never have anticipated where the journey would take him, but the decision has potentially unlocked a future full of possibilities.
After a quick introduction to the game, Felix soon found himself lining up for the Dragons Men’s Div 2 side in the Gridiron Victoria competition tackling sides across the state from Ballarat and Geelong to metro Melbourne.
One fellow player commented, “He was thrown deep end at times last year going up against some of the league’s best defensive lineman whilst still learning about the sport in general! Not once did I ever hear him complain! He took it all on board, learned as the games went on and he had a lot of fun at the same time which is the most important part!”
Felix was delighted to play in the Vic Bowl Championship final in his first season.
Whilst the prize eluded the Dragons, Matheson’s inaugural season was reportedly nothing short of outstanding and saw the talented Offensive Lineman named the 2025 Bendigo Dragons ‘Rookie of the Year’, 2025 Gridiron Victoria Div 2 League ‘Rookie of the Year’, and saw him receive an invitation to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Naples, Florida, USA in January 2026.
Felix and his family subsequently made the journey to the US where he really took a deep dive into the American sport.
Felix’s coaches said competing and testing in an international environment takes courage and commitment, and it’s an experience that has no doubt helped shape him into the player he is today.
In late 2025 he was also invited try out for the Victorian Under 18 State Team and was chosen to represent Victoria at the National Championships in Queensland in April.
The Vic side played three games across the tournament winning one and losing two.
Felix’s performance in Queensland saw him come under the notice of national selectors and he was invited to try out for Australian Under 18s squad.
He was thrilled to make the cut and attend a week long training camp in Sydney, before being named in the starting line-up for the Festival of Football in Auckland, New Zealand.
On Saturday Felix and his teammates dominated from start to finish to claim a decisive victory.
Felix thanked everyone for their support to get him to this point.
“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent Australia, and I was really determined to make my family, friends, coaches and the Australian Gridiron community proud!” he said.
Felix’s sister Stella was among family and friends which made the trek to New Zealand to support Felix and the Australian side and couldn’t be more proud.
“It was an honour to be there to support him and his teammates. It’s been a real rollercoaster for us too! Learning about the sport, visiting the US and now New Zealand. We never would have envisaged this journey 12 months ago. But we are very excited to see what comes next for him,” she said.
Felix is now focusing on completing his Year 12 studies and enjoying his second season with the Dragons.
But he’d love to see where the sport could take him.
“I’d love to secure a college football scholarship in America. That would be the ultimate goal,” he said.
