Cage misuse prompts appeal to public

MAAW shelter manager Rosie Skinner in front of the shelter's night cages which have been misused in recent times prompting the shelter to issue a public appeal. Photo: Eve Lamb

Eve Lamb

Misuse of the night cages intended for dropping off stray animals found wandering after hours has prompted Mount Alexander Animal Welfare animal shelter management to speak out in the hope of putting an end to the pesky practice.
“We provide our night cages specifically so local residents can drop off any strays that are found wandering when the shelter is not staffed,” MAAW shelter manager Rosie Skinner says.
“But recently people have been using the cages to dump their own animals even when the shelter is staffed and we’re sitting right here.
“These cages are designed for stray animals to be dropped off after hours and not for people to surrender their own animals.”
The night cages include four cat cages and one larger dog cage and are situated at the front of the shelter gates.
“Dumping in the after-hours cages causes unnecessary stress for the animal,” Ms Skinner says.
“And when an animal is dumped in the night cage with no history it makes it harder and more time consuming for us to process the animal and get it through to the adoption stage.
“With no history or information available, these animals must be considered as a stray and that means… Read more in today’s Mail…

LOCALS to feature on the big screen at the Theatre Royal

A short film on the glitzy and glamourous local dance troupe Lady Fun Times will be among the offerings to feature at LOCALS on July 1. Photo: Penny Ryan Photography.
A short film on the glitzy and glamourous local dance troupe Lady Fun Times will be among the offerings to feature at LOCALS on July 1. Photo: Penny Ryan Photography.

The 2022 Castlemaine Documentary Festival (C-Doc) is only one week away! This year’s festival returns to Castlemaine’s iconic Theatre Royal from July 1-3.

Film buffs can expect a weekend of moving documentaries and post screening conversations for film lovers and those curious about the world and the people in it.

This year’s festival will kick off next Friday night, July 1 with inaugural special event ‘LOCALS’ an evening focusing on just that! Local films!

Castlemaine Documentary Festival director Claire Jager said they can’t give too much away just yet but audiences can expect some great offerings from local film makers.

“Beloved local dance group, Lady Fun Times, knocked us up a treat – no surprise there! There’s is also a taster of the feature doco planned about the Mt Alexander Falcons,” she said.

“There’s some films about well-known Castlemaine personalities, some very touching personal stories as well as some that are around tougher issues – driven about the things affecting us and our planet. Some are inspired by our natural world and others are animated, or music focused. Amazing creations!” she said.

See today’s Mail to find out more about the three day festival and get your tickets today!

It takes a village – Housing Strategy to be launched

My Home Network members Kaz Neilson, Janet Trotter, Isabella Shaw, Alison Whitten and Jan Steen welcome the community to attend the launch at the Town Hall.
My Home Network members Kaz Neilson, Janet Trotter, Isabella Shaw, Alison Whitten and Jan Steen welcome the community to attend the launch at the Town Hall.

A new 10-year social and affordable housing strategy is set to be launched at Castlemaine Town Hall next Wednesday June 29.
The strategy will outline how community members, organisations, businesses and government can work together to address Mount Alexander Shire’s housing crisis.
My Home Network (MHN) developed the ‘Mount Alexander Shire My Home Network 10 year social and affordable housing strategy’ in collaboration with a range of local and specialist stakeholders and in consultation with Mount Alexander Shire Council.
Dhelkaya Health (formerly Castlemaine Health) CEO Sue Race said the hospital recognises the impact of housing stress on our community.
“We are proud to support and participate in the work of the My Home Network, working collaboratively with local services, government, housing specialists, community and people with lived experience of homelessness and housing stress,” Ms Race said.
Everyone is invited along to the launch, which will feature a range of MHN speakers on local housing solutions and importantly, community members will have the opportunity to sign up to one of MHN’s working groups to be “part of the housing solution”. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.

Castlemaine Maternity service celebrates its first birthday

Dhelkaya Health (formerly Castlemaine Health) held a special celebration at Buda Historic Home and Garden last Friday to mark the first birthday of its new look maternity service.
VIPs including Mums, Dads and Bubs which have utilised vital local service were among those that gathered to celebrate.
It was a first birthday party to remember with entertainment and balloon animals for the kids and an afternoon tea of sweet treats for the grown ups.
Dhelkaya Health CEO Sue Race opened proceedings by introducing Dja Dja Wurrung elder Aunty Kerri Douglas who welcomed everyone to country and shared a Dja Dja Wurrung teaching ‘Bunjil Dreaming’.
Ms Race then acknowledged and thanked all the key people and groups who had contributed to the establishment of the new Midwifery Group Practice model of care including local GPs and Obstetricians, midwives, the Castlemaine Maternity Service Governance Committee – which is comprised of members of the hospital board, staff members, consumers, Safer Care Victoria, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Foundation, Victorian Branch, Bendigo Health and all the families which had utilised the service. See the Mail for the full story…

Castlemaine Documentary Festival invites you to join ‘The Rumba Party’

Melbourne's La Rumba are set to feature at the Theatre Royal.
Melbourne's La Rumba are set to feature at the Theatre Royal.

Next Saturday night July 2 is ‘RUMBA Party night’ at the 2022 Castlemaine Documentary Festival (C-Doc) when they screen The Rumba Kings at the Theatre Royal Castlemaine from 7.30pm followed by a live music performance from 9pm.
C-Doc director Claire Jager said The Rumba Kings is a joyous exploration of the liberating power of music.
“The screening will be followed by live music from Melbourne’s acclaimed La Rumba giving festival-goers a chance to hit the floor and dance the night away!” she said.

Founded upon a shared love for both old and new wave Spanish flamenco, La Rumba present their unique and passionate take on the spontaneous rhythm that is rumba flamenca. Having performed steadily on the Melbourne scene for the past 10 years, La Rumba have established themselves as true crowd favourites: from their infectious grooves right through to their stirring guitar-instrumentals, this is one night not to be missed!

See the Mail Living section for more. Out Now.

A final farewell

Members of the Castlemaine Presbyterian Church congregation say their farewells to the old gem. Photo: Max Lesser.
Members of the Castlemaine Presbyterian Church congregation say their farewells to the old gem. Photo: Max Lesser.

The Castlemaine Presbyterian Church held its last service at the Lyttleton Street building last Sunday, June 19.
Beginning June 26 services will be held at the Olivet Christian School, 89 Main Road, Campbells Creek for 10am Sunday Service.

Week one in Spencely: CHIRP moves in

Week One Milestone: CHIRP director of Healthy Communities and Social Support Services, Grant Hamilton, overlooking part of Spencely House, the new home of Castlemaine Community Health (CHIRP) situated within Castlemaine's main hospital campus. Photo: Eve Lamb

Eve Lamb

After sitting vacant for about two years, the former Spencely House aged care house tucked deep into Castlemaine’s main public hospital site is again full of activity.
This time, though, it’s busy in an entirely different guise as the new permanent home for Castlemaine Community Health (CHIRP) that’s just completed its first entire week of being fully shifted into what’s now been re-invented as its custom-refurbished site.
It’s an exercise that’s involved shifting all of its 25 or so staff – plus all of its services and programs – ranging from housing and family services to exercise physiology to the new location at 142 Cornish Street.
And if there was one message that CHIRP’s Healthy Communities and Social Support Services director, Grant Hamilton, was keen to convey when the Mail visited to record the first-week milestone in residence, it’s that all of the CHIRP programs and services remain otherwise unchanged.
“No services have ceased,” he said.
“They’re all now… Read more in today’s Mail

Big weekend of art and all that jazz…

Mount Kujo dispenses a high energy performance in the Phee Broadway during last weekend's successful Castlemaine Jazz Festival.

Eve Lamb

Strong results for both the Castlemaine Jazz Festival and the town’s Rotary Art Festival over the Queen’s Birthday weekend auger well for the future of both.
Particularly strong sales of art works and visitations to the town hall art show venue over the weekend have delighted organisers of the annual Rotary Art Show.
“It’s been fabulous,” one of the art show’s committee coordinators, Robert Cordy said.
“Everything was up on pre-pandemic levels. All up some 1500 people of all ages attended the show.
“We hope to have raised around $15,000 for Rotary’s ongoing local and international charity work,” fellow art show committee coordinator Judy Kinnersley said.
For the jazz festival organisers there had been some anxiety over sluggish ticket sales in the lead up to the event’s post-COVID return as music gigs state-wide contend with niche challenges of getting back on track after two years of pandemic impacts on the sector.
But in the end, the musos – about 196 of them all up – and the jazz lovers came to the party in sufficient number and energy to have organisers breathing a sigh of relief and already planning for next year’s.
“It’s really exciting to see there is still a place for the jazz festival in Castlemaine and a future for the festival in Castlemaine,” Jazz Festival director Calum McClure told the Mail, post event.
“I think it … Read more in today’s Mail

Project Hope hosts free horse event

Castlemaine's Julia Murray with rescue horses Ziggy and Mimi ahead of tomorrow's free safety awareness training around horses event being hosted by Project Hope Horse Welfare Victoria. Photo: Eve Lamb

Eve Lamb

Often it’s not intentional cruelty that leads to the suffering of horses, but simply ignorance of their basic needs, says Julia Murray.

The results, though, can be horrific adds the Castlemaine local who is a staunch member of Project Hope Horse Welfare Victoria which dedicates itself to ensuring our equestrian friends have happy, pain-free lives.

The group has members state-wide and Ms Murray is keen to encourage more Castlemaine area residents to learn more about what it does, and possibly sign up as members.

Right now she’s also encouraging all local horse owners – and anyone else who’s interested – to trot along to a special free equine safety session the group is hosting tomorrow, Saturday June 18, near Ballarat

Tomorrow’s free ‘Safety Awareness Training Around Horses’ session is being presented by equine veterinarian Dr Lesley Hawson and Ms Murray says it’s a great chance for all horse and pony owners in central Victoria.
“It’s a free event supported by Animal Welfare Victoria,” she says.
“Dr Lesley Hawson has a wealth of … Read more in today’s Mail

$125,000 funding boost for Victorian Goldfields Railway

VGR vice president John Hoy, president Steve Strangward, board member Tony Llewelyn, restoration volunteer Tom Donaldson, Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards and Mount Alexander Shire Council CEO Darren Fuzzard are pictured with the newly restored carriage Acheron.
VGR vice president John Hoy, president Steve Strangward, board member Tony Llewelyn, restoration volunteer Tom Donaldson, Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards and Mount Alexander Shire Council CEO Darren Fuzzard are pictured with the newly restored carriage Acheron.

Victorian Goldfields Railway (VGR) is steaming ahead with plans for the next stage of its infrastructure works thanks to a $125,136 grant towards strategic planning.
Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards visited the VGR yards at Castlemaine on Wednesday to announce that the non-for-profit volunteer organisation had won funding from the ‘Enabling Tourism Fund’ towards the final planning stages for the heritage steam train linking the historic gold mining towns of Castlemaine and Maldon.
The announcement comes just days after Ms Edwards announced $120,000 in funding to assist the Castlemaine-Maryborough Rail Trail with crucial planning.
Ms Edwards said VGR is an icon for Central Victoria and the government are continuing to invest in improving our tourism drawcards for the region.
“We’re providing the foundations for investments that will grow tourism and create jobs across the state,” she said.
“We know how well loved the railway is by the communities of Castlemaine and Maldon. This funding will enable you to do the work that’s required to build on what you already have here and look at expanding the project,” she said. See the Mail for the full story…

50 year milestone for Wayne

Long time Don employee Wayne Dennis (centre) recently celebrated 50 years with the company and is proudly pictured here with some of his colleagues.
Long time Don employee Wayne Dennis (centre) recently celebrated 50 years with the company and is proudly pictured here with some of his colleagues.

Don KR Castlemaine employee Wayne Dennis recently celebrated 50 years of service at the long running Castlemaine institution.
Wayne told the Mail he was just 15 when he started at the original old 1905 factory site in Richards Road.
“I applied on May 31 and started the next day on June 1, 1972. I began on day shift packing those triangle shaped leg ham tins that many people will remember,” he says.
“Within a few months I moved on to the boning and trimming department and I ended up there for 30 years!” Wayne said.
Wayne has seen a lot of changes and a lot of faces come and go over the years.
“When I started out it was the Castlemaine Bacon Company Ltd, then it became Castle Bacon, then KR Castlemaine and now Don,” he said.
He was chuffed to receive a handwritten letter of congratulations from George Western III himself and various letters of acknowledgement from across the company. See the Mail for the full story…

MAIN Game fundraiser kicks goals

The Rockatoos and Radio Galahs vie for the ball at the Camp Reserve on Sunday. Photo: Max Lesser.
The Rockatoos and Radio Galahs vie for the ball at the Camp Reserve on Sunday. Photo: Max Lesser.

There’s no doubt about it. Footy brings people together. And Sunday’s MAIN Game was no exception.
There was a wonderful community spirit amongst the 300+ crowd as they cheered on the Rockatoos and the Radio Galahs at the historic Camp Reserve in Castlemaine for MainFM’s annual footy match fundraiser.
The game didn’t disappoint, with both teams going head to head for a close finish. Reubin Williams from the Rockatoos sealed the deal with a set shot in the last quarter to win by 10 points, the first victory for the side since both teams first met in 2018. See the Mail for more images from the event.

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