The Central Victorian Rangers Baseball Club will be running two ‘Come and Try Days’ in March.
If you have ever thought about trying your hand at baseball this is your golden opportunity!
The first session will kick off tonight, Friday March 13, at the Elphinstone Recreation Reserve, Olivers Lane, Elphinstone. The session will run from 5.30pm-8pm.
A second will be held on Sunday March 29 from 11am-2pm at Elphinstone Recreation Reserve.
CV Rangers are looking to field four teams in this year’s Bendigo Baseball Association winter season. They are seeking players of all ages and genders as they are hoping to field two junior and two senior teams in 2026.
CV Rangers member Ben Walter said they are also on the lookout for supporters, officials, coaches, sponsors and volunteers.
“All equipment is supplied and no experience is required. Players of all ages are welcome. Come along and play baseball with people from across Castlemaine and surrounds,” Ben said.
“It’s the perfect way to keep your cricket skills sharp over winter. Try something new – give baseball a shot!”
For more information about the ‘Come and Try Days’ or getting involved in the club as a player or supporter check out their website at www.centralvicrangers.com.au or visit their Facebook page.
Ballarat synth-pop sweethearts, The Mavis’s (spearheaded by siblings Matt and Beki Mavis) are set to return to Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal this Saturday night March 14!
Fresh from a run of sold-out shows with TISM, the band are gearing up to release brand new material — their first in years!
They have kicked this off with another glistening pop masterpiece in their new single ‘Heaven’ which dropped on February 24.
Produced by the legendary Mark Opitz (AC/DC, INXS, Divinyls, Cold Chisel), ‘Heaven’ is already gaining airplay across Australia and also featured on Coast To Coast AM in the USA, syndicated across 700 radio stations.
The Mavis’s rose to fame in the late 90s with their multiple ARIA Award nominated single ‘Cry’ and album ‘Pink Pills’ – touring with Kylie Minogue, Green Day and playing all the major festivals.
The Mavis’s perform live at Theatre Royal, Castlemaine from 7pm with guest DJ Jane Gazzo. Get your ticket at https://theatreroyalcastlemaine.com.au/music/ or via Oztix.com.au
Victoria’s largest electricity distributor Powercor is trialling a new product designed to protect power poles during bushfires, strengthening the power network for regional communities in high bushfire-risk areas.
Powercor will wrap fire-retardant mesh around the base of a pole, protecting it from low-intensity grass fires. In normal conditions, the mesh allows the pole to breathe, but when exposed to heat, it expands and hardens to shield the pole from flames and embers.
The trial will focus on protecting wooden power poles in areas most exposed to grass and scrub fires, helping limit damage to the network and reducing the length or likelihood of outages for when customers rely on power the most.
It is the first time the technology has been used in Victoria and forms part of Powercor’s broader work to deliver a stronger, more resilient network as extreme weather events become more frequent.
Crews trialled installation of the mesh in a controlled environment at Powercor’s Ballarat depot in February, with the first field trials expected to begin within weeks. Initial
installations are planned for locations including the Grampians, Maryborough and areas west of Ballarat.
Head of Strategic Projects Craig Savage said the trial was about further improving how we prepare the network for fire conditions and reducing the impact on the power network and local communities when fires occur.
“Victoria is one of the most fire-prone parts of the world, and at the same time our customers rely on power more than ever, especially during emergencies,” Mr Savage said.
“This trial is about strengthening our network in known high-risk areas so we can limit damage during fires, reduce outages and restore power faster for the communities we serve.”
Almost 300 poles were impacted by grass and scrub fires across Victoria in January, including at Harcourt, Cobram, Skipton and Natimuk. While Powercor crews responded quickly to rebuild the network, in some areas, it was days before crews were able to safely access fire-damaged areas, meaning customers were off supply for longer periods.
If approved by the Australian Energy Regulator in April, Powercor plans to roll out the technology more broadly as part of its 2026 to 2031 investment program.
“This solution costs significantly less than installing a new concrete pole and provides a stronger level of protection against passing fires than existing treatments for wooden
poles,” Mr Savage said.
Powercor has more than 250,000 wooden poles across its network and expects to propose a rollout of a combination of fire mesh and concrete poles in more than 1000 high-risk areas by 2031.
Every Tuesday some 40 enthusiastic players gather at the Church of Christ in Blakeley Road, Castlemaine to have a friendly competition game of contract bridge. Some of these return on Thursday for a second game in their week.
Numbers in Castlemaine playing bridge are constantly growing and have doubled over the last five years, mainly because players enjoy themselves so much playing bridge and exercising their mind to keep the gray brain cells active.
The majority of the people playing there started their bridge by attending a U3A class to learn how to bid at Contract Bridge. In some cases they have returned to serious card playing after having learned to play 500, Solo or other card games in their youth, or when they needed a break from studying at University or College.
If you enjoyed playing cards when you were younger and you are looking for a captivating interest for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in your retirement then perhaps it is time to get into contract bridge. Perhaps when you were younger you played Scrabble or Chess and again are now looking for a mental challenge in the company of a friendly group of people.
The U3A Monday morning class ’26MON09: Learn Contract Bridge’ starts on Monday March 30 and the Class Leader Graham Forbes who has been teaching these classes for over eight years would love to see you there. Any questions please to Graham on 0406 346 466.
To register visit the U3A website is at u3acastlemaine.org.au
