The Harcourt Bowling Club Men’s and Ladies Singles Championship Finals were held on Friday January 23.
On Friday afternoon Rod Harris and the reigning Club Champion Mark Swain contested the men’s final.
Rod got off to a good lead at 10 to 1, then Mark found his pace and slowly caught up to be within 3 at 18/15 then, 22/19 and 24/22. The gallery was indeed treated to first class bowling by the pair as each end had special moments.
After just under three hours of 31 ends Rod Harris claimed victory on 25 to Mark Swain 23. Congratulations!
The ladies final followed Friday evening, Diane Marsh and Wendy Chaplin bowled well and gave the gallery a good display of competitive bowling. Diane kept up to Wendy for 18 ends at 17/13, but Wendy slowly drew away from her over the next six ends to win at 27 to 16. Congratulations!
As a side note, Diane had lost her bowls in the fire, and after a thorough search of the house she found her old set of bowls so she could compete in the championship.
Thanks to President Gary Maddern who marked for both of the championship games – a marathon five hours!
The winners Rod Harris and Wendy Chaplin will go on to represent Harcourt in the Divisional Championships in Bendigo. We wish them good bowling and good luck.
Weekend Pennant
The heat disrupted round 12 of Weekend Pennant last Saturday; with the expected hot day the Bowls Division declared that all games in Bendigo District were to start at 9.30am instead of the usual 1pm. Teams were juggled to accommodate for players who were unavailable for the early start.
Division 2 64/1 lost to White Hills. Scores were Brett Jenkinson (skip) 12/22 – Brian Leech, Terry Chisholm, Tim Carr. Steve Douglas (s) 12/28 – Col Foster, Wendy Chaplin, Darrell Normington. Rod Harris (s)19/25 – Barry Marsh, Jude Ewing, Carrol Frost. Gary Maddern (s) 21/21 – Chris McAuliffe, Cheryl Maddern, Mary-Anne Doyle.
Tomorrow, January 31 – Harcourt will host Serpentine.
Division 4 60/2 lost to Calivil 79/16. Les Harding (s) 17/19 – Rod Watson, Libby Harris, Kathy Harding. John Grant (s) 19/21 – Ian McMillan, Fran Corstorphan, Kay Frances. Mike Saward (s) 16/12 – David Jeffries, Jett Podesta, Wendy Walsh. Ken Tribe (s) 8/27 – Diane Marsh, Geoffrey Ace, Gary Selwood.
Tomorrow Harcourt will travel to Bendigo East.
Division 7 49/14 defeated Bendigo 30/0. Russell Maltby (s) 23/18 – Vinka Maltby, Ron Douglas, Sheila Oxley. Pam MacGregor (s) 26/13 – Stephanie Holt, Graeme Hill, Faye Hards.
Tomorrow Harcourt will host White Hills
Midweek Pennant
There was no Midweek Pennant played on Monday. Midweek will resume next Monday on February 2 for Round 13 when Division 2 will travel to Kangaroo Flat, Division 3 will host Heathcote, and Division 6 will travel to Strathfieldsaye.
The community-led recovery effort for fire-affected residents of the Ravenswood, Harcourt, Sutton Grange fire is gaining powerful momentum, marked by significant financial support and a series of events signalling a strong path forward.
Community Resilience on Display
The enduring spirit of Harcourt is shining through. Key local businesses, Harcourt General Store, Rodilesa Nursery, Woop Woop Gardens, Henry of Harcourt, the Harcourt BP Service Station and Post Office, have reopened, providing essential services and a sense of normalcy. In a vibrant sign of looking ahead, the Harcourt Applefest Committee has announced the beloved Applefest will proceed on Saturday, March 7, promising to be a “bigger and better” celebration of community resilience.
A symbolic ‘Harcourt Reopen’ event will be held on Saturday, February 21, hosted by the Victorian Miniature Railways (VMR) in conjunction with events at Woop Woop Gardens. VMR, whose members were instrumental in firefighting efforts and provided the initial coordination base for the relief hub, will be open for the entire weekend (February 21-22) to welcome the community back.
Significant Recovery Funding Announced
The recovery effort has received two major financial boosts:
1. The Harcourt Progress Association (HPA) community GoFundMe has surpassed the $300,000 mark, a testament to incredible statewide generosity.
2. Premier Jacinta Allen has announced a $500,000 support package specifically to assist the local cool store operations that were destroyed, providing crucial aid to the region’s agricultural heart.
Ongoing Essential Support Services
Core, in-person support continues for affected residents at two locations:
· Harcourt Leisure Centre Community Hub:
Open Wednesdays and Fridays (support services and community pantry 11am-3pm, free community lunch 12pm-2pm).
· Castlemaine Distribution Centre (5 Johnstone St):
Open for fire-affected individuals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am-1pm, and working to connect residents with donors of larger items.
Available Support Services at the Leisure Centre include:
Services Australia
Anglicare
Dhelkaya Health
Red Cross
HPA desk
February Schedule: Learning, Wellbeing & Fundraisers
A full calendar of events supports various recovery needs:
· Practical Sessions:
“Livestock Management after Fire” Feb 4, 11am start
“Farm Fencing & Land Planning” Feb 11, 11am start
A recording of the Jan 30 clean-up session is on the HPA Facebook page.
· Wellbeing:
Free yoga at Symmetry Life (Feb-Mar) at the Harcourt Community House on Station St
The ‘Thread Together’ mobile wardrobe will be at the leisure centre the last three Fridays of February.
· Community Fundraisers:
-Marty Supreme screening for Harcourt: Feb 5, Star Cinemas, Eaglehawk.
-PubSing for Harcourt: Feb 6 & 14, The Taproom Castlemaine.
-Harcourt Bushfire Benefit & Art Auction: Feb 14, Old Castlemaine Gaol.
-Rock for a Cause: Feb 15 from 12:30pm, The Handlebar, 73 Mitchel St, Bendigo.
-Rods’n’Riffs for Harcourt: Feb 28 from 1pm, Union St Blues Club, 20 Trantara crt Bendigo.
A Commitment to the Long Term
“These funding milestones and events are powerful fuel for our recovery,” said a relief coordination spokesperson. “Our focus is firmly on ensuring this support translates into long-term resilience, responsible distribution of funds, and a stronger community for all.”
About the Harcourt Progress Relief Group
A volunteer-driven initiative, overseen by the Harcourt Progress Association, coordinating with local organisations, businesses, and government agencies to support the recovery of fire-affected residents of Harcourt, Ravenswood, Walmer, Sutton Grange and surrounds.
Website: www.harcourtprogress.org.au
Email: harcourtrelief@gmail.com
Relief Centre Phone: 54153101
This February, PubSing is hosting two special events in Castlemaine to raise funds for the Harcourt community following the recent fires.
When the first event on February 6 sold out in 24 hours, they figured they’d better host a second event… on Saturday, February 14, because… well, “PubSing Hearts 4 Harcourt”.
The local PubSing organisers have been running community singing events at the Taproom and the Fringe Festival for the past seven years, and have recently started running events in Bendigo and small communities in central Victoria.
A couple of years ago, PubSing were invited to do a gig in Rochester as part of the flood recovery program. Grateful to be able to offer a bit of relief and some joy for the small rural community that had been through so much as a result of a devastating natural disaster.
PubSing organiser Marion Yates said witnessing some of the tough country blokes up the back of the pub singing along to ‘You’re the voice’, eyes glistening with emotion, was a deeply moving experience.
“There is a unique sense of togetherness and connection that develops amongst the crowd through singing together in a big group; it is often quite a powerful emotional release,” Marion said.
“After the January 9 fire, we knew immediately that we wanted to offer something similar for Harcourt and other fire-impacted residents, and extend that to our whole community, who are feeling the devastation in different ways.
“Singing together is a powerful way to gather, connect, release some of the emotion we are all feeling, and send some love to our friends in Harcourt,” she said.
“We would like to honour the incredible strength and capacity of the Harcourt community and acknowledge that Harcourt knows what Harcourt needs. All funds raised will go directly into the Harcourt community.”
Aptly, the three leaders will be leading the group in a special arrangement of the Hunters and Collectors anthem ‘Throw your arms around me’ for about an hour and a half, and then the group belt it out together.
The iconic Australian rock ballad is often requested as a song for PubSing, but Taproom owner and long-time drummer of Hunters and Collectors, Doug Falconer, who has previously felt reticent about it, graciously gave the group the go-ahead for the fundraisers.
“Doug and Jacq (Taproom owners) are deeply connected with the Harcourt community personally and through the local small business network, and along with so many local businesses have been directly impacted by these fires – losing 80 per cent of stock in the Coolstores,” Marion said.
“We feel that the refrain ‘throw your arms around me’ is really appropriate and captures the sentiment of huge love and support coming from across our whole community for Harcourt and surrounds after the devastation of the fires.
“Together, we will throw our arms around Harcourt.”
PubSing Hearts 4 Harcourt – Throw Your Arms Around Me at the Taproom, Walker Street Castlemaine from 7.30pm to 10.30 om on Saturday February 14.
Book at www.trybooking.com/DIWDO
Fire-impacted residents and local CFA volunteers are warmly invited to attend for free.
