Enjoy a film, take a dance class and join a community lunch at the 2026 Seniors Festival.
Mount Alexander Shire Council and Castlemaine Community House invite older residents to connect with their peers and discover something new over the month of October.
The month-long festival shines a light on the contributions, creativity and community spirit of older Australians.
This year’s theme is ‘Connect. Create. Celebrate.’
It’s a joyful invitation for seniors, families and the broader community to celebrate positive ageing and take part in events and activities close to home and right across the state.
The festival offers a range of free and low-cost events like chair yoga, a jazz jam, Mahjong, community lunches and information sessions.
The Country Concert is back with a highly anticipated performance by singer-songwriter Danielle De Andrea, who will be delighting guests with her nostalgic, golden age music blended with pop, country, soul, bossa nova and jazz.
The Castlemaine Community Lunch is on Tuesdays from 12.30pm at the Castlemaine Town Hall. Join a very special lunch on Tuesday October 13, which includes a Seniors Festival mini-expo. And see the program for other community lunches across the shire during Seniors Festival.
Seniors can also enjoy nine days of free public transport from Saturday 3 to Sunday October 11.
“There’s so much happening at this year’s Seniors Festival,” said Mayor Toby Heydon,
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to get out, meet people and have fun.
“From live music and community lunches to workshops, wellness activities and information sessions, there are plenty of ways to get involved.
“You might discover a new interest, reconnect with an old one or simply enjoy spending time with others.
“Have a look through the program; I’m sure something will catch your eye!”
Browse the program at www.cch.org.au/community/mount-alexander-seniors-festival.
For more information or a printed program call Castlemaine Community House on 5472 4842.
Connect. Create. Celebrate.
My Castlemaine with Hayley West – Part Two
The first installment of independent death worker Hayley West’s two-part interview was published in last week’s Mail on September 25.
“The best way I can describe what I do is that I am a funeral director, but I don’t have a brick-and-mortar home. I have an arrangement with a funeral home in Daylesford where my people can have sleepovers in her fridge if needed. I’m a funeral celebrant, and I’ve trained as a death doula, but I don’t choose to do that work – I like the post-death space. I call myself a necro-pragmatist. I have empathy and like working with people but I like the practical stuff I like doing all the admin and transporting people to the cemetery,” she said.
“I ask the family what soundtrack they think their person would like for the ride. I was taking one person from Axedale to Daylesford. It was nighttime; it was raining. I was in the hearse, and it was just the person in the back and me, and I was just like, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’ What a privilege; that’s what it feels like – taking him on his final ride.”
Hayley still practices her art, although she has mostly moved away from object-making.
“I call myself a socially engaged artist. The last project I did involved the hearse. I made a sound installation, and people could lie down in the back or sit in the front and listen to it.
“Another work I did was in Glenlyon for Radical Fields. I got people to lie in a grave and consider their own mortality. The whole day was spent talking about death. I did a shroud demonstration as well.”
A big part of Hayley’s work and art practice is normalising death, saying “it will happen to all of us at some point.”
“My daughter has been exposed to me talking about death since she was a child, so it’s pretty normal,” she said.
“I’m always trying to say to her and her friends, ‘If you go to a dance or a party, I can take you in the hearse!’ She’s pretty cool about it.
“I think normalising children around death is a good thing too.
“I had a little gallery death advocacy space called ‘The Departure’ at The Mill when it first opened 10 years ago. I’d get families walking in, and they would see the wicker coffin that I had, and they’d either go, ‘wow, what’s that?’ Others would back out.
“My favourite project there was that I would give kids black marker pens, and I had this collective floor memorial work and ask people to write the name of someone who had died on the floor. The kids loved it. They’d be drawing pictures of their goldfish and cats and dogs and Nana. It was so great.
The Mail asked Hayley if she had any interesting or humorous experiences with death, and while she hasn’t had any in her professional life, she does have a personal anecdote about an incident involving her deceased brother-in-law while living in the Blue Mountains.
“We went to the mechanics hall in the morning where the funeral was going to be; the hearse backed up, and the pallbearers got out to get the coffin out of the back of the hearse. Just at that moment, someone jumped out of the hearse and jumped into the hearse; the keys were in the ignition, and it sped off with him in the back, in the coffin!
“I was standing there with the funeral director, and she said, ‘Oh my God! This has never happened before!’ My ex-husband jumped in his car and sped after the hearse. We rang the cops and said, ‘They’ve driven off with him in the back!’ And they said, ‘What, he killed him?’ And we said, ‘No, he’s already dead!’
“The hearse got to the end of a dead end, which was out the front of the grammar school, and all the kids were out playing rugby.
“My ex jumped out of the car and opened the door, and this guy said something like, ‘ Can you take me home?’ It turns out he had dementia and had been missing for days. He was really young; he was in his 30s, and he’d escaped from the care home.
“I put the story on Facebook and got a call from my friend in Darwin who was working for the ABC asking if he could interview me. It went viral and right around the world!
“A friend of mine went to a deathie quiz night recently, and it was a truth or dare question on the quiz!”
And the all-important questions:
What hobbies do you enjoy? I have a show on MainFM called ‘Dead Air’ which I have been running for the past five years, and I do the Read Along Mums program at Tarrangower Prison.
What music do you enjoy listening to? I’m really into doom metal. I always joke that when I grow up I want to be a doom metal vocalist. That’s what I aspire to be – probably when I’m 80 and have time. I love going to see live music.
Who are your three dream dinner guests? Grace Jones and Andrea Gibson, a poet who died recently – she was an amazing writer and Vivienne Westwood.
What are your philosophies in life? For me, facing your own mortality makes you live life to the fullest. We can all be fearful about how we might die, but death doesn’t bother me at all. You’ve got to take risks, within reason, and you’ve got to enjoy life. Some people really do fear death and what comes afterwards, but I don’t really care about what comes afterwards. I just want to decompose. I don’t want an expensive funeral. I want to spend money on bands and food. Life is short. If you have arguments with people, either let that person go or fix it straight away. I’m 55. I can’t be bothered.
Finally, what do you love most about the place you call home? People are really invested in the town; people want to get things happening. There’s a sense of community; everyone’s really friendly and a lot of creative people, and there’s so much fun stuff to do.
Hayley will be running a Coffin Weaving and Shrouding Castlemaine with Zimmi Forest on at 9.30am on Saturday October 10 and at 4pm on Sunday October 11. events.humanitix.com/shroud-immersion-castlemaine-vic
A disgusting stench
Name supplied
For years I’ve enjoyed walking in our Botanic Gardens. Not now. Since the invasion of flying foxes, a section of the gardens has developed a disgusting stench, which often spreads widely, even drifting through the children’s play area. I haven’t heard anyone say they welcome and appreciate the putrid bat pong. Parts of the garden have the added risk for getting splattered with bat poo. I witnessed just that recently when an out-of-town visitor to the gardens copped a direct hit on his head. He wasn’t impressed. I doubt if other visitors are impressed as they walk through the reeking plop zone on the west side of the gardens. Park Run participants have to run through this disgusting area three times every Saturday morning. Welcome to Castlemaine?!!
Why have these bats chosen our attractive gardens as their dormitory when there is plenty of native bush out there for them to roost in? Perhaps it’s because the exotic deciduous trees are more attractive to them than the indigenous trees which have been perfectly suitable for their entire evolutionary history. Should we be expected to tolerate the invasion of these messy, reeking bat tenants? Their numbers are growing, so the foetid air is not going to improve. Let’s choose to appreciate them out in our abundant native bush, where they should be.
An opposing point of view might be that we have no right to interfere with the natural behaviour of our fauna. However, this argument is not an absolute rule because we do put up high fences to keep roos out of our veggie patch. We place little pointed spikes on our local Post Office ledges to keep pigeons from roosting there. Surely, we’re justified in taking similar preventive action to reclaim our (formerly) pleasant park domain. Or are we resigned to surrendering our unique comfort space to these stinky intruders? Surely there are acceptable, humane ways of encouraging them to return to their natural habitat, thus allowing us to fully enjoy our beautiful Botanic Gardens again.
My Castlemaine Hayley West – Part One
At 17, Hayley left her home in the Dandenong Ranges and headed to the city to study. Her university career began with languages, then moved to furniture design before finally settling on a degree in sculpture. She’s worked as an artist ever since.
“Going straight from high school to Monash uni, I just protested and drank lots of beer for the first two years. Oh, and I joined the radio station,” she said.
After finishing uni, Hayley moved to Darwin, where she managed an artist-run space for eight years and had her child.
When her daughter was eight months old, she applied for a three-month Australian Council Residency in London.
“I didn’t tell them I had a baby when I applied, because I thought it might be something that would put me down the list. When I got the residency, I said, ‘By the way, I’ve got a baby.’
“If you still want to continue with your practice and learn and develop your practice, then your child just has to be part of it.”
Hayley fondly recalls taking her daughter and her husband at the time on a three-month residency in Senegal in West Africa.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I could speak French, and at three she was such a sponge. It was great for her. We were living in St Louis, the old French Port from the old colonies, and it’s a UNESCO heritage town. It was amazing. It was small, and she would just run around the streets with a little friend she met.
“She’s 16 now.”
Over the years, Hayley’s art began shifting towards focusing on death and dying.
“I think I worked out that I had seven significant deaths before I reached 40,” she said.
“I had a sister who died when she was three, and I was six. I had an uncle; he was 21 and had just emigrated to Australia, and he died drink-driving. My grandfather died, and I had two friends who died by suicide. Dad died when I was in my 20s, and mum died when I was in my 30s.
“The theme of death started creeping into my art practice after Dad died, which was around the time that I graduated from sculpture.”
Attending RMIT in the 90s, Hayley said their studio space was basically a classroom shared with other people – there weren’t big studio spaces, like they had at VCA.
“We had to think very conceptually and present work in stairwells, toilets and on the rooftop and that kind of thing, so I had that ideology as part of my practice,” she said.
“Installation, conceptual art and then death as a theme grew from there.”
The family moved to the Blue Mountains for three years, which Hayley describes as being “horrible for various reasons.” Not knowing anyone and struggling to find work, she decided to do her master’s in research in visual arts.
“This was in 2012, about 15 years after I finished studying. I got a scholarship to feed the family and started researching the funeral and death industry,” she said.
“That’s when I first came across the concept of a death cafe. I found one in the Blue Mountains. I went along, and I had this epiphany. It was so amazing to be around people who wanted to talk about death and dying.
“Originally, I went with this idea that I would use it for research for my master’s, and I had a series of questions like: what do you do with stuff people leave behind when someone dies? “But when I was there, I realised it was just a really beautiful space to talk openly about anything. I was totally amazed.”
Hayley ended up befriending the host Dr Kerrie Noonen (who was instrumental in the death literacy movement) and co-hosting death cafes with her. Kerrie also helped Hayley get a job at Penrith University working on an end-of-life project with Compassionate Communities.
“I kind of went full bore into it and became a death literacy advocate,” she said.
Hayley described being death literate as being informed and understanding that there is a choice in end-of-life and post-death care.
“If you’re a little bit death literate, you know you don’t have to have a coffin. You can ask the funeral director for a shrouded burial,” she said.
“You can have a shrouded burial or cremation anywhere, but if you want to have a natural burial ground, the only choice around here is Chewton Cemetery. They have a dedicated area up the back which is dedicated to natural burials. No embalming, no plastics, no brass handles on coffins; you’re generally just in a shroud with no polyester clothing underneath.”
Hayley and her family moved to Castlemaine in 2015. She co-hosted death cafes locally for 10 years before COVID brought them to a halt.
After working at La Trobe University as a librarian for 10 years, Hayley began part-time in the visual arts department. A mechanic friend bought her a hearse, and earlier this year she decided it was time to start her own business as an independent death worker.
The second installment of Hayley’s two-part interview will be published in next Friday’s Mail on October 2.
Pétanque champs
Castlemaine local Ruth Giddings and her triples team took out the win for the Victorian Pétanque Championships on Sunday.
28 teams from across Victoria headed to the Weird Entertainers and Pétanque Club in Dandenong, where they battled it out on the notoriously tough and rocky piste.
An open-age event, participants ranged in age from 20 to 80 years.
Having played socially for more than 13 years, Ruth was astounded at her team’s win.
“I love the tactics of Pétanque,” Ruth said.
“It’s a great game, and people of any age or physical ability can play.”
Partnered with Esther Boulger from Bendigo, who calls Ruth her mentor, and Myriam Parson’s from Camberwell, the three women beat some of the top players in the state/
Coming 7th after the first four games, Ruth and her teammates were elated to make it into the Principale (the main championship bracket for the top-qualifying teams).
Winning the next two games, the women played the final untimed game, winning 13-6.
Playing from 9.30am to 5.45pm, 78-year-old Ruth who suffers from arthritis, said she struggled to sleep that night, both from the excitement and the aches and pains!
Maccas debate reignites
Debate has reignited about the prospect of a McDonald’s restaurant at the entrance to Castlemaine, with residents divided between those supporting the development and those campaigning against it.
The latest development came this week after a planning application was lodged with Mount Alexander Shire Council for the construction of a building and the creation of a crossover at 72-80 Forest Street.
The site is in a Transport Zone at the town’s entry point.
News that the multinational fast-food company had purchased the land previously sparked a range of reactions, from support and indifference to strong opposition.
A group of local children rallied against the proposal, while opponents formed the ‘MAC OFF – Protect Castlemaine’ campaign.
The campaign has also joined a broader statewide push for stronger Victorian planning laws that would give councils greater powers to restrict new fast-food developments.
Meanwhile, a new Change.org petition has emerged in support of the Castlemaine proposal.
Petitioner Wayne Taylor said a McDonald’s would provide affordable and convenient dining options while creating employment opportunities for residents.
“There are some individuals who are opposing this initiative, attempting to halt the progress of something that could greatly benefit our local economy,” Mr Taylor wrote.
The petition states a McDonald’s franchise would “not only provide an additional dining location but also create much-needed job opportunities for our residents”.
Opponents have raised concerns about the potential impact of automation on employment, pointing to a recent trial of artificial intelligence technology at an Australian McDonald’s restaurant.
The competing campaigns have placed the proposed development back at the centre of community discussion as the planning process gets underway.
Mount Alexander Shire Council Interim Director Infrastructure and Development Anthony Petherbridge confirmed a planning application had been lodged for the Forest Street site.
“The application will be publicly available during the advertising period, at which time interested parties may make formal submissions for or against the proposal,” he said.
Council is currently unable to provide further information about the proposal while the application progresses through the planning process.
Once the application is formally advertised, residents will be able to lodge submissions supporting or objecting to the development through council’s website or by emailing info@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.
The proposal follows months of community debate over whether a McDonald’s is appropriate for Castlemaine, with the outcome now to be considered through the formal planning process.
Young writers take centre stage
Some of Australia’s best-loved children’s authors, illustrators and storytellers will descend on Newstead on October 11 as the Newstead Young Writers Festival returns for a full day of creativity, stories and inspiration for young people and their families.
The festival will bring more than 20 professional writers, illustrators, artists and storytellers to central Victoria for a packed
program of workshops, conversations, storytelling and creative activities.
The Main Stage program includes a conversation with former Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin with Wild Things in Conversation, a Becoming a Writer panel with Gabrielle Wang, Ellie Marney, Suzanne Inglebrecht and Adam Wallace and acclaimed author-illustrators Ann James, Simon Howe and Lucinda Gifford will discuss how they weave pictures and words together.
There will also be a special First Nations Storytelling session featuring Uncle Rick Nelson, Aunty Maryline Nicholls and Bec Phillips, sharing stories and cultural knowledge from one of the world’s oldest continuing storytelling traditions.
Young writers can choose from more than 20 workshops covering everything from comics and graphic novels, drawing
and picture books to science fiction, crime writing, zines, character creation, diaries and storytelling.
Featured presenters include Trace Balla, Dee White, Penny Tangey, Bridget Farmer, Jasper Peach, Lachlan Walter, Amy Doak, Christie Nieman, Ella Mulvey, Simon Howe and many more.
Tickets are selling fast, with some workshops already sold out and other sessions close to capacity.
A Golden Ticket costs just $15 and gives school-aged writers entry to the festival and unlocks up to four free hands-on creative workshops for the day.
Adult general admission is $5, while children under five are free, making the festival an affordable day out for local families.
Festival Eve kicks off on Saturday October 10 at 6pm with a special Song Weaving songwriting workshop for teenagers with award-winning musicians Mo’Ju and Eliza Hull.
The festival will culminate in the announcement of the inaugural John Marsden Story Prize winners at 3.30pm.
Sunday October 11 10am – 4pm at Newstead Arts Hub, Central Victoria
www.newsteadyoungwritersfestival. com/tickets
The importance of creating spaces
As part of Women’s Health Week, a group of local women with lived experience of cancer came together at the beautiful Buda Historic Home and Garden for a day focused on connection, wellbeing and relaxation.
Surrounded by stunning spring gardens and colourful blooms visible through the garden windows, the group enjoyed the opportunity to connect in a trusted and reassuring environment.
The day included a visit from Sammy, Dhelkaya Health’s wellbeing dog, a gentle movement session run by a Dhelkaya Health exercise physiologist, Eliza Mulholland, and a creative art therapy workshop facilitated by Dhelkaya Health art therapists Annie Fox and Meredith Davies.
There were plenty of laughs, meaningful conversations and opportunities to connect with other local women while taking time out to relax and recharge in a peaceful setting. Attendees also heard from Mending Casts, a fly-fishing group that offers supported fly-fishing experiences and promotes the wellbeing benefits of spending time outdoors and connecting with others.
The event was a wonderful reminder of the importance of creating spaces where people can come together, share experiences, build supportive relationships, and explore new pathways to wellbeing.
Six charged for burglaries and vehicle thefts
Detectives from the Central Goldfields Crime Investigation Unit have charged six people following an extensive investigation into a series of rural burglaries and motor vehicle thefts across the region over the past two months.
Six people have now been charged with a range of offences relating to burglary, theft and motor vehicle crime.
One man was remanded in custody to appear before the court, while a further five people were charged and bailed to appear at a later date.
Police allege the offending caused considerable distress to victims, with multiple rural properties targeted during the crime spree.
The outcome demonstrates the commitment of detectives and local police in holding offenders accountable and protecting regional communities.
Property crime has a significant impact on rural communities, and these offences are taken extremely seriously. Detectives have worked tirelessly over an extended period to identify those involved and bring them before the courts.
Castlemaine Police Acting Senior Sergeant Curtis Dillon said he would like to remind residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods.
“Rural property owners are encouraged to secure vehicles, machinery, tools and fuel stores, and ensure homes and sheds are properly locked when unattended,” he said.
The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information relating to property crime or suspicious behaviour is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
What a coincidence!
The Castlemaine Fringe Festival is bringing a great Aussie film classic to the Theatre Royal on Thursday, October 8.
Fringe is inviting the community to celebrate one of Australia’s most beloved comedies at its annual film fundraiser, with a special screening of Muriel’s Wedding.
The 1994 classic, starring Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths, will take audiences back to the world of Muriel Heslop, while an ABBA karaoke session will add an extra dose of singalong fun to the evening.
The fundraiser will help support the 2027 Castlemaine Fringe Festival, which will run from April 9-25, 2027.
Festival Director Azzy Jay said the film fundraiser was a chance for the community to come together, have a great night out and help build the next Fringe festival.
“Muriel’s Wedding is such a quintessentially Australian film, and it’s the perfect choice for a Castlemaine Fringe fundraiser,” said Azzy
“Add some ABBA karaoke into the mix, and you’ve got everything we love about Fringe — great entertainment, a little bit of nostalgia, plenty of fun and, most importantly, bringing people together — hopefully in some sparkly outfits.”
The annual film fundraiser has become an important part of the lead-up to the next festival, helping Castlemaine Fringe raise funds to support the diverse program of artists, performers and events planned for 2027.
“Putting on a festival of this scale takes an enormous amount of community support,” Azzy said.
“Every ticket helps us bring the 2027 Fringe to life, supporting the artists and creative projects that make Castlemaine such a vibrant place to live, work and visit.”
With Muriel’s Wedding providing the big-screen entertainment and ABBA providing the soundtrack for the evening, audiences are encouraged to come along ready to sing, laugh and celebrate.
“Whether you know every word to Dancing Queen or you’re just there for the movie, we’d love people to join us,” Azzy said.
“It’s a great excuse to get together with friends, enjoy a classic Australian film and help make sure Castlemaine Fringe can keep doing what it does best — creating opportunities for artists and bringing brilliant, unexpected experiences to our community.”
Castlemaine Fringe Film Fundraiser screening of Muriel’s Wedding (1994) will be held on Thursday, October 8 at the Theatre Royal and will feature ABBA karaoke.
