Castlemaine’s Camp Reserve will be bustling with activity this coming Sunday April 3 for one of the region’s largest and most successful events, the Castlemaine Lions Club Swap Meet.
This year marks the 36th annual swap meet after a two year covid hiatus.
The swap meet is the local service club’s major fundraiser and over the last three decades its had raised thousands of dollars to put back into many community projects such as the Mount Alexander Shire Accommodation & Respite Group’s McDonald Lions McDonald Hill Respite House.
This year’s event it is expected to once again draw thousands of visitors through the gates from across the state and beyond to buy and browse from 550 plus stalls selling all manner of things including vintage and veteran car and motorcycle parts, memorabilia, antiques, collectables, and bric-a-brac. See the Mail for all the full story.
Get set for the Swap!
National bronze for Jade!
Castlemaine Cycling Club member Jade Maddern has won two bronze medals this week following two amazing performances representing Victoria at the 2022 Australian National Track Championships at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane.
On Tuesday Jade competed in the Elite Men’s Team Sprint.
Jade and Victorian teammates Sam Gallagher and Ned Pollard started fast with Jade finishing it off to take the bronze medal in a time of 44.967.
Jade concluded his national campaign racing in the 1km Time Trial on Wednesday and was thrilled to also take out an individual national bronze for his efforts. Congratulations Jade! See the Mail for the full story.
Fascinating facts, fabulous fashion and festival fun at Buda
It’s autumn and the fun and events are popping up all over along with the bulbs.
Castlemaine’s Buda Historic Home & Garden is making the most of the balmy autumn weather by offering a host of events over the coming months, starting this Saturday April 2 with ‘Tinsmithing and Backyard Chickens’.
Then from the April 22 Buda presents a series of events for the National Trust Heritage Festival including a Twilight Tour, exhibitions and more. See our all new ‘Mount Alexander Living’ liftout in today’s Mail for more…
Positive Ageing group here to help
Representatives from the Positive Ageing Advocacy Group (PAAG) were on hand to chat to attendees at the weekly Mount Alexander Community Lunch at the Castlemaine Town Hall last week.
PAAG members Marilyn Bennet and Ian Braybrook said the local group was formed to advocate for Seniors in the shire.
“We aim to help local Seniors understand and exercise their rights and have their voice heard on local issues such as affordable housing and social supports,” Ian said.
The group also work with young people who are caring for a parent or relative in need of support.
“Some people are nervous about making enquiries and others are not tech savvy. Our group gives them a voice, considers the needs of local seniors and acts upon these needs when appropriate,” Marilyn said. See the Mail for the full story.
Drivers on notice
Eve Lamb
Breach the road rules around Castlemaine’s school crossings and … you can expect some pain in the hip pocket at very least.
That’s the message from police following an alarming increase in the incidence of drivers flouting the road rules at Castlemaine’s school crossings.
School crossing attendant Tony Peachey says that in recent days he’s observed a worrying rise in the number of motorists illegally driving onto the crossing before he has moved off it while on crossing duty near Castlemaine North Primary School on busy Barker Street.
“People are ignoring the safety issues to the detriment of ourselves and anybody else using the crossings,” he said.
“The number of people not bothering to stop when I’m still in the middle of the road is increasing exponentially.
“I would also estimate it’s close to 75 per cent who are … Read more in today’s Mail…
Old rockers never…
Eve Lamb
It’s not everyone who’s rocked live on stage with the best of ’em through the headiest days of pub rock and lived to keep getting air play in 2022.
One such die-hard rocker, however, is Chewton’s Glenn Braybrook, who just the other day had a significant personal epiphany.
“I realised it was 50 years, almost to the day, since I first played in public,” revealed the singer-songwriter, who’s played with bands supporting AC/DC, Jimmy Barnes, Cold Chisel, Rose Tattoo, Motorhead and Suzi Quatro… to name a few.
“I couldn’t believe I was that old! I went ‘Shit what happened?!’ Because musos don’t grow up,” mused Braybrook who, since ’81 has been a staunch member of old-school rock outfit Darkcide – on rhythm guitar and vocals.
So what’s a law-abiding musician – who saw out the ’70s and ’80s touring the nation dispensing sound sufficiently hardcore to please the likes of the Hells Angels, while intermittently supporting various major rock legends – to do to mark such an anniversary? … Read more in today’s Mail…
Castlemaine talent shines at IDYLL 2022
A joyous crowd of music lovers of all ages gathered at Lot 19 last Sunday March 20 for Castlemaine Idyll 2022.
The community event has now been running for a decade and celebrated with musical treats to the theme of ‘Chutzpah’ and once again gave aspiring stars their moment in the spotlight to shine.
And shine they did with the performers once again making the task of judges – singer and performer Aurora Kurth, writer and broadcaster Clementine Ford and Bridge Hotel publican Pat Furze – an extremely difficult one. See today’s Mail for a full spread on this fantastic community event.
Magpie women off to a flyer
Castlemaine Football Netball Club’s new Senior Women’s football team are celebrating this week after claiming the ‘atWork Australia Cup’ at Shepparton on Sunday.
This was a significant day for the team as it was also the first time they had played together, 2022 being the first season CFNC has fielded a senior women’s side!
Playing five games against Benalla, Echuca, Tatura and Shepparton United with the final played against a very competitive Echuca Football Netball Club, the Magpies emerged victorious and the club are so proud of how far the side have come throughout preseason. See the Mail for the full story.
Art Book Fair this weekend
To complement the 2022 Melbourne Art Book Fair, Castlemaine Art Museum is hosting a two-day regional art book fair inside the beautiful 1931 art deco building this weekend, March 26 and 27.
The two-day National Gallery of Victoria satellite event will from run 12-4pm each day and will see CAM host stalls showcasing work by central Victorian artists, writers and publishers, and two afternoon panel discussions on creating and publishing in the regions.
CAM director Naomi Cass said they were excited to be partnering with NGV’s Melbourne Art Book Fair to present a regional celebration of art book culture.
“Featuring local artist books, publishers, designers, print makers and poets, this free event also includes a pop-up exhibit of children’s books from Beth Sinclair and two afternoon creative conversations,” she said.
“Come along and meet the artists and writers and support Castlemaine’s vibrant creative community. Books will be for sale and your questions on how to publish your own work will be answered.”
Saturday’s discussion hosted by CAM’s director Naomi Cass will centre on ‘Publishing and Design’ and will hear from Kristin Gill from Northern Books in conversation with Stephanie Holt from Editors Victoria on getting your work published and what makes good book design.
Sunday enjoy an artist talk from 2.30pm. ‘COLOSCENT’ combines the investigative practices of multi-disciplinary artist Anna Schwann and painter Simon DeBoer to tackle the absurd task of deciding what colours smell like, realising a new perception of colour synaesthesia through the invisible medium of scent.
Don’t miss this very special event.
The MAIN Game set to return!
After a two-year hiatus, MainFM is excited to announce the return of the MAIN Game to Castlemaine on Sunday June 12 at the Camp Reserve!
Event goers can expect a seriously fun game of Aussie Rules footy, plus live local entertainment alongside food stalls, a BBQ and the MAIN Bar.
The MAIN Game is a community engagement and major fundraising event for local community radio station 94.9 MainFM.
A Kick to Kick and Information Session will be held next Sunday April 2. See the Mail for more details.
Council serves up response to court call
Eve Lamb
Castlemaine residents keen to see an upgrade of the town’s West End tennis courts are likely to be pleased with this week’s council decision.
At its March meeting on Tuesday the council unanimously pitched its support behind taking further steps towards the court upgrade that 95 local residents have actively called for via an earlier community petition presented to the council last December.
In their petition the residents have called for a public consultation process with the council to determine preferred options for an upgrade or redevelopment of the old courts which they say are showing obvious signs of deterioration.
“The council officers have inspected the tennis courts and agree with the petitioners that the existing tennis courts are… Get the full story in today’s Mail…
Outdoors adventures rock
Eve Lamb
Plans to create a new rock climbing club are among a suite of new outdoor adventures and cultural opportunities planned for Castlemaine and surrounds.
Experienced rock climbing instructor Emma Dubuc runs not for profit Mirawara Outdoor Experiences which is preparing to host famed rewilding mentor Claire Dunn as part of an educational and culturally enriching three-day camping experience over April 9-11.
Set for the Walmer bushland the upcoming Way of the Ancestors camp will also feature Dja Dja Wurrung Indigenous elder Aunty Marilyn Nichols who will share knowledge of traditional Indigenous culture including some hands-on basket weaving techniques.
“We need to learn from the Indigenous ways of living more sustainably,” says Ms Dubuc whose background is in outdoor education.
“A main focus is to reconnect kids with nature.”
As part of next month’s two-night camp, Claire Dunn bestselling author of My Year without Matches and Rewilding the urban soul will share her know-how and survival skills including… Read more in today’s Mail