Castlemaine history enthusiasts will be delighted to learn about a new book which delves into the history of a number of local pioneering local families including the Lindsay, Martin and Crump families.
The new book titled A History of the Lindsay and Clarke Families 1852-2025 has been painstakingly researched and written by Judith Hopkins whose family has a long connection to the Warragul & Drouin Gazette.
Judith told the Mail the book began as a yearning to know more about her Nana Reita Clarke’s family.
“To satisfy this itch, I contacted the Clarke family historian, Verna Woods. Verna had reams of information on both the Lindsay and Clarke families, and generously shared it with me,” Judith said.
This initial information led her to make a number of important family connections and these people were a catalyst for two-years of extensive information gathering.
Her research led her to Castlemaine where she connected with Ruth Giddings at the Castlemaine Historical Society who assisted Judith to delve deeper into her Castlemaine family connections.
“Once gathered, I couldn’t bear to see this research lost. I wanted it recorded and passed on to future Lindsay and Clarke generations,” Judith said.
Thus the idea for the comprehensive family history book was born.
“Did I find any skeletons in the closet? Well no, but I did find some interesting characters along the way, Sir George Samuel Measom and Major Charles Newman for instance, plus a predominant sense of determination: the two Lindsay boys, the Clarkes, the Martins, the Crumps and the Newmans, all had the will to succeed in a new, fledgling land, a long way from home,” Judith said.
Judith’s great great grandfather James Lindsay and his wife Susan (nee Kilpatrick) were pioneering members of the local community establishing a saddlery shop and tent at the corner of Mostyn and Union Streets in 1855 and later opening a larger business on Barker Street.
Shortly after they settled in Castlemaine tragedy struck. James’ brother, Robert, 22, who joined the police force on arrival in Australia, died as a result of an accidental gunshot wound after leaning on his musket whilst guarding 45 prisoners.
James and Susan went on to have nine children, naming their first son in honour of Robert, but sadly the high infant mortality rate took its toll on the family, with three small graves.
Lindsay took active roles in community affairs, including urging the Railway Committee to reconsider plans to divert the railway line away from Castlemaine.
As a tribute to his life work he was mentioned every year in Castlemaine Annual Show reports as having taken all saddlery prizes.
Another ancestor, Charles Martin, was a master butcher and the Martin and Crump families built homes and settled in Wimble Street in the mid 1850s.
Judith recently visited Castlemaine to share her newly completed book with her friends at the Castlemaine Historical Society, and also visited the former family homes in Wimble Street, and family graves at the Castlemaine Cemetery.
Judith said her research into the book highlighted the important role local newspapers played in recording the everyday happenings of rural people and events
“The Mount Alexander Mail (predecessor to the Castlemaine Mail) provided the answers to many questions.
“I would like to acknowledge these reporters of the past, and suggest local newspapers today are just as important as they continue to provide account accounts of local news and, importantly, are still archived for future reference,” she said.
Anyone who would like to know more about Judith’s research and limited edition book is welcome to email her at jbhopkins@bigpond.com
The Smith & Western Jury will be performing at the Taproom at Shedshaker Brewing this Saturday June 13. The band sound like the moment a freight train barrels past you—loud, fast, and impossible to ignore. Forged in the backrooms and beer-soaked stages of Naarm/Melbourne, the band deliver a rock-driven punch laced with a western twang—familiar at first glance, but unmistakably their own.
Their 2024 debut, Hotel Texas, didn’t just introduce them —it put everyone on notice. The record earned ABC Country’s Feature Album of the Week, with rotation across Saturday Night Country, Edge of Country, and Henry Wagons’ Tower of Song on Double J.
Cinematic clips for Button That Collar and Hotel Texas also landed on CMT Australia, expanding the band’s growing reputation for drama and scale.
Now they return with a new single, Lucky Stars—a darker, more introspective cut that reveals another side of the band.
Written in the aftermath of sudden health upheaval, the track wrestles with uncertainty, disconnection, and the strange reality of life-altering news delivered in ways that can feel rushed, dismissive, and detached. It’s a moment of stillness beneath the noise—proof that the band’s storytelling cuts as deep as their sound hits hard.
In October 2025, the band stepped into the studio with producer Jordan Koop (Orville Peck, PONY) to record their second full-length album. The new material pushes harder and cuts deeper—proof that The Smith & Western Jury aren’t slowing down.
From Out On The Weekend and Queenscliff to Tamworth and Meatstock, and supporting heavyweights like Ella Hooper, Luca Brasi, and Henry Wagons, their live show stomps and sweats, leaving no one standing still.
The Smith & Western Jury lead singer, Sam Lombardi, told the Mail that the band loves playing regional shows.
“Castlemaine has been on our band bucket list for quite some time,” she said.
“We’re super excited to be playing at Shedshaker Taproom.”
The train isn’t stopping—it’s only picking up speed.
For tickets, visit: events.humanitix.com/the-smith-and-western-jury
The latest art show at Grist Cafe Bakery in Wesley Hill was officially opened on Tuesday.
The exhibition by the ‘Grist Cafe Art Group’ has been created by a group of friends who originally met through Dhelkaya Community Health’s ‘Get Connected’ program.
During weekly get-togethers at Grist, against a backdrop of other art shows throughout the year, the idea formed that the group would like to have their own art exhibition.
The works to be displayed are the product of people who have practiced art over a long period of time through to those who have been more recent converts.
The eclectic range of works include colourful oils and watercolours, charcoal sketches through to photography, and feature a diverse subject matter from landscapes to portraits.
Some works are for sale, but others have deep personal value and will be retained by the artist.
One such special piece is a group collaboration ‘The Warrior’ which has transformed a base created by technicians at Peter Mac, to be utilised by one of their members during radiotherapy treatment, into an incredible work of art.
Each member of the group contributing a magnificent ‘feather’ to be added to the work as a tribute to their friend and to all those challenge by cancer.
The show will run until June 26.
A personal new documentary Harcourt Fires by local writer and photographer, Katherine Seppings, has been selected for the LOCALS program at this year’s Castlemaine Documentary Festival (CDoc) June 26-28.
On January 9, 2026, as the Fogarty’s Gap Road fire approached, Katherine evacuated from Harcourt town to North Harcourt, experiencing the fire twice. She captured the terror and devastation on the day, and the following weeks of recovery and renewal.
Katherine has extensive knowledge of bushfires. She contributed to The Complete Bushfire Safety Book, written by her mother, Joan Webster OAM; has organised local Community Fireguards, and has documented the aftermath of major bushfires in Victoria since Ash Wednesday, 1983.
“Living in Harcourt, and documenting the fires here on January 9 was deeply personal. It felt imperative to share what I witnessed, and to honour the impact on our whole region,” Katherine said.
LOCALS, one of the highlights of the festival, returns for its fifth year to celebrate homegrown storytelling and champion grassroots creative voices from across the region.
From heartfelt to hilarious, this vibrant collection of short-form documentaries offers a window into the people, places, and stories that make our community unlike any other.
For tickets to this special event visit https://events.humanitix.com/locals-2026-after-party-at-theatre-royal
For more on the festival program visit https://cdocff.com.au/
The first instalment of Ken’s two-part interview was published in last week’s edition of the Castlemaine Mail on May 29.
Throughout his years teaching, Ken witnessed massive changes to public education, including the abolition of technical schools and the introduction of VCE. Locally, this led to the merger of the tech and the high school.
The replacement of the comprehensive T.O.P. arts program with a single VCE art subject was devastating for many teachers.
Through the union, Ken and his Castlemaine colleagues fought back.
“We lobbied the Education Department, saying, ‘Hey, what about us? What about these art courses?’” he said.
“Through our lobbying, they gave us a second arts subject called Studio Arts.”
The new tech school building was built in Norwood Hill, but the art and PE departments operated across the road from the Commercial Hotel, where the IGA carpark is now.
Over the decades, Ken became head of the CSC art department, head of arts, a leading transitions teacher, and later one of the founding teachers of CSC’s Steiner stream — one of only two secondary Steiner streams operating within Victorian state schools.
“I genuinely love the classroom and I do miss it.”
Though increasingly frustrated by growing pressures on teachers – larger class sizes, increasingly complex student needs, and reduced preparation time – Ken remains deeply passionate about public education.
“I still think state schools are undervalued and underfunded,” he said.
“But ultimately it’s such a worthwhile vocation.”
A federally funded study tour to Finland, Denmark, and Sweden years before left a lasting impression on him.
“The biggest takeaway was how empowered the students were,” he said.
“The students greeted us, showed us around the schools, and explained their learning while the teachers sat quietly at the back.”
When Ken and his fellow teachers asked a group of students what they knew about Australia they yelled, ‘ACDC, ACDC!’
He believes Australia could learn much from Scandinavian education systems that invest heavily in teachers and student wellbeing.
Ken has five sons, who all attended school in Castlemaine and his youngest son Caspar, is currently doing is teaching rounds in outdoor education and Castlemaine Secondary College!
Outside teaching, Ken has continued his artistic practice, exhibiting at Lot 19 in recent years. He is also an ordained priest in the esoteric Christian church and helped establish the Castlemaine Johannine Community.
On leave since the beginning of the year, and preparing to officially retire in July, Ken still volunteers in the classroom and will be heading off to camp with a group of students later in the year!
And the all-important questions:
What hobbies do you enjoy? Gardening and breeding rare chooks. I think I’m a chookaholic – I’ve got about 80. I’m in a book club and a biodynamic compost group.
Who are your three dream dinner guests? One of them would be Rudolf Steiner. Jesus Christ. And Nick Cave.
What are your philosophies in life? Human kindness. I think in this day and age, kindness is a radical idea. Not being selfish, caring about others, caring about the environment and caring about the future.
Finally, what do you love most about the place you call home? People are basically kind. Just look at what happened after Harcourt, after the fires, and how everybody rallies together, but at other times, it’s a very divided town. I think it’s a town with a social conscience, generally speaking. And I’m proud of the fact that Castlemaine had a majority yes vote in the referendum.
94.9MainFM’s highly anticipated and much-loved community event, the MAIN Game, returns for its seventh year this Sunday June 7.
The historic Camp Reserve in Castlemaine will host the annual battle royale between the Rockatoos and the Radio Galahs.
The MAIN Game brings footy and fundraising together for local radio station 94.9 MainFM, a cornerstone of the community for many years. Both teams, comprising local radio presenters, tradies, musicians and respectable community members are excited to put on a show while raising vital funds to support MainFM’s programming and community efforts.
It’s more than footy!
The event is family and dog friendly, with activities for the kids, MAIN Game merch, as well as food stalls – BBQ, donuts, pizza and coffee – not to mention the MAIN Bar, where you can grab a beverage, featuring two local Castlemaine breweries.
Music & Entertainment!
Castlemaine’s own dynamic brass ensemble, Thompson’s Foundry Band will set the tone with some brass brilliance ahead of the first bounce, with Elo & the Shinkicks taking the stage at the half-time break. Bring the kids and a footy so you can have a kick on the hallowed turf between quarters, just like the old days!
MainFM94.9 will broadcast all the sounds, sights and action from the ground with its informative and entertaining commentary team, Macca & Gus!
“There’s no doubt footy brings people together and the MAIN Game ticks all the boxes as a fun community event,” said Steph Riddel, Station Manager at MainFM.
“But it’s more than just footy – it’s a community footy music mini- festival fundraiser,” she said.
“Not only will this be an entertaining game of footy, but it’s also a fantastic way to show your support for MainFM, which plays such an important role in keeping the community connected.”
About 94.9 MainFM
MainFM has been serving the local community with music, news, specialist programs, and a platform for local voices since 2015. As a beloved local radio station, it continues to provide important content that fosters connection, inclusivity, and engagement within the community.
The gates open at 12 noon. Tickets are available at mainfm.net
