Hi Sue. Here we are in your executive suite at Castlemaine hospital and you have a beautiful view here overlooking the town as you go about your very responsible job as CEO for Dhelkaya Health. Can I ask you what, in a nutshell is most rewarding aspect of your work?
Probably making a difference. Being part of the community and improving access to health care services and age care services for the community, listening to the community, working with the community.
What’s most challenging about the role?
At the moment the biggest challenge is getting staff for our workforce, particularly nursing.
Do you live locally?
I do. I live in Campbells Creek. We bought a property and moved here in February 2021.
Where did you move from and where are you from originally?
We still have our family home in Melbourne, and I’ve got half my family still in Melbourne and originally though, I grew up in central Victoria, in Tatura, the Goulburn Valley.
So any other particular involvements in the community beyond your demanding role here with the health service, Sue?
I go to a good gym… I’ve joined a local personal training place which I really enjoy and I’ve met some lovely people through that… The recent local health service amalgamations with CHIRP and with Maldon have kept us really busy… But I’m really keen to get more involved in landcare. And I have an interest in art and the Castlemaine Art Museum. I have been a member of CAM but I need to renew that… and if I had time I’d like to join Buda (historic home and garden) as well.
Special place Buda isn’t it. But speaking of gyms, health, and fitness, we’ve got Run The Maine coming up with funds raised going to benefit the hospital.Will you be getting involved in that in any particular way?
Yes. I’ll be registering for the 5km walk. I’ll be there. I’ll be helping with presenting medals at the end.
Any philosophies by which you like to lead life?
Be open, and honest. For me it’s about respecting people from all walks of life. Actively listening. Working with people. Collaborating.
Any pet peeves?
(laughs) Not enough time in the day.
Three dream dinner guests?
Simone Carson AM – co-founder of SecondBite – one of Australia’s largest food rescue organisations; Dylan Alcott – I heard him speak at a conference which was inspirational; My father, died unexpectedly 10 years ago – I miss our debate about politics.
What are you reading at the moment?
I’m reading Three Women by Lisa Taddeo.
What is your musical artist or genre of choice?
Well I do like Michael Bublé.
So you’re a bit of a jazz fan?
Yes. And probably going back to the ’80s some of the music from the ’80s when I was at uni – Elton John, Queen, Jackson Browne.
Finally then Sue, what do you enjoy most about the place you call home – in your case Campbells Creek?
The garden. The native birds, and I just love the peace. But for me home is where your family is and I have one of my daughters in Campbells Creek, while my partner works in Melbourne so he’s between Melbourne and here, and my other two girls are in Melbourne.
So home for you is both Campbells Creek and Melbourne?
Yes.
My Castlemaine with Castlemaine hospital, Dhelkaya Health, CEO Sue Race
Local EV roll call: the shift to electric vehicles is gaining pace
Proud local electric vehicle owners rolled up at the Newstead enviro shop last Friday to show off their respective wheels, exchange notes and celebrate World EV Day.
World EV Day, September 9, is a global movement of EV owners and is now in it’s third year.
It was the first time the Newstead enviro shop had played host to a local celebration of the day but after a strong turnout by 22 EV owners and their respective 13 different evs, the business’ owner Frank Forster says it’s likely to be the first of many such annual gatherings.
“We had everything from Nissan Leafs all the way up to high end Teslas and Jaguars,” Frank says.
“People are basically in love with their EVs and the reasons include that they require very little servicing, the cost savings in terms of paying for fuel, and their performance.
“But there are still some issues with charging infrastructure including reliability and location.
“We’ve surveyed all of the owners that we have contact with and through a whole lot of questions we’ve got some useful data.
“Some of the key takeaways are that the EV owners we’re in contact with are all driving at least 250 ks a week and the majority are driving 250 to 500 ks a week.
“And another key finding is that 90 per cent of their charging is being done at home.”
Frank also says there are strong anecdotal indicators that a high proportion of non ev drivers plan to make their next car purchase an ev.
The Newstead enviro shop offers a “medium speed” charging station which drivers are typically using for “top ups”.
But Frank confirmed he’s now actively planning to upgrade it, before the end of this year, to something a little faster – “although we are restricted in terms of power supply to AC charging ,” he says.
Friday’s local World EV Day gathering represented a great opportunity for local EV owners to compare experiences and share useful info, and happened as Mount Alexander Shire Council got in touch with the Mail to confirm that Castlemaine’s public EV charge station, sited behind the Visitor Info Centre, has finally been updated to enable simultaneous charging of two vehicles at once.
“While dual chargers were installed, it’s only since the beginning of September that two cars have been able to charge at the same time,” a council spokeswoman confirmed late last week.
“The power to these chargers is 100% renewable.”
End the deaths: death in custody prompts call for urgent action
A peak Aboriginal health organisation is demanding urgent action to end Aboriginal deaths in custody following last Sunday’s death of an Aboriginal man at Castlemaine’s Loddon Prison
Mr Austin, a 38-year-old Gunditjmara and Wiradjuri man, died at Loddon prison near Castlemaine in Victoria on Sunday, prompting the call from the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.
VACCHO has issued a statement calling for “urgent action to address the completely avoidable loss of lives that continues to shatter the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Victoria”.
Corrections Victoria had earlier this week confirmed Mr Austin had died at the prison on Sunday September 11 and that the matter has been referred to the coroner.
In a statement, a Department of Justice and Community Safety spokesperson confirmed there were no more details surrounding the death at this time.
“As with all deaths in custody, the matter has been referred to the coroner, who will formally determine the cause of death,” they said.
There have been 24 Indigenous deaths in custody across Australia in the 12 months up to June this year.
In its statement the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation said it was deeply saddened by Mr Austin’s death and extend their most sincere condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the deceased.
The organisation also noted that “this latest tragedy is the second Aboriginal death in custody in the state in five weeks”.
Let’s take a look back at the Victoria Railway Foundry
Then: Victoria Railway Foundry. Circa 1861. The decision to construct the Melbourne to Murray River railway was followed quickly by the setting up of a Victorian Railway Foundry at Castlemaine by Messrs Cornish and Bruce in 1860. The new complex was bounded by Barkers and Bruce Streets, shown here in the centre of the photograph and by the railway corridor behind it. The foundry utilized the former three storey flour mill as a saw mill and a pattern room, while the grinding stones on the ground floor were used to grind corn for the horses. The other buildings on the site contained 20 forges, blacksmiths, carpenters, and wheelwright shops as well as large engine rooms. The Foundry was obviously very efficient and by 1862 the rail line had been built and it had outlived its usefulness. By 1864 the site had become a coach building factory.
Now: Fast forward to the current year and the area has now changed completely. The only remnant of the former Foundry is the old flour mill that actually predated it. It can just be seen hiding behind the street post near the centre of the image. The remainder of the site has now been taken over by a caravan park, a service station and gas supply business, and a series of houses. The car on the extreme right is parked where, in the previous photograph, the provision merchant store of E. Bradley was once located on the northwest corner of Barker and Bruce Streets. Photos and historical details courtesy Ken McKimmie
Historic moment for our Castlemaine Women’s Team
The Castlemaine Magpie Women’s side will take on Golden Square at the Queen Elizabeth Oval (QEO) tonight, September 9, at 7pm for the chance to bring home the silverware in what would be a dream end to their incredible inaugural season. Catch our two page Grand Final spread in today’s Mail and be sure to get along and support the girls as they vie for premiership glory. Read the full match report from last week’s preliminary final here.
Ginnivan best
Congratulations also to Castlemaine Football Netball Club Women’s Football Captain Meg Ginnivan who was also awarded equal first in the Central Victoria Football League Best & Fairest Vote Count on Sunday night.
Meg has put everything into this season and CFNC are proud to have her representing them at a League level.
Meg, along with Magpie teammates Shelby Knoll and Tia Davidge also made the ‘CVFL Team of the Year’.
Tia finished 4th in the vote count while Shelby finished equal 5th.
Mail on Main podcast: September 9, 2022
Listen to the Editor of the Castlemaine Mail Lisa Dennis discussing all the big local stories of the week.
Magpie Women’s Footballers strive for premiership glory tonight!
The Castlemaine Magpies Senior Women’s Football team kept their premiership hopes alive after a convincing 29-11 win over Bendigo Thunder at Canterbury Park on Friday night.
The Magpies have been league-favourites throughout their inaugural season competing in the Central Victoria Football League.
Their previous Round 18 match up against the Thunder saw Castlemaine’s first loss of the year by a single point margin.
A 14-48 semi-final loss against rivals Golden Square last weekend in front of a home crowd forced the Magpies to reassess in the lead up to the preliminary final on Friday night.
The low scoring game saw the return of key forward Lily McNair from an ankle injury the previous fortnight and she proved effective kicking two goals for the game. Also returning was Michelle Barkla, a machine in centre-half back, who took up Captaincy as skipper Meg Ginnivan sat the game out on the sidelines with injury.
The Magpies looked strong in the first term with improved forward entries seeing a goal each kicked by McNair and rising talent Shelby Knoll. Thunder player Jaime Sawers managed a goal whilst lead goal kicker for the league, Britney Mueck, was effectively neutralised by the defensive work of Magpies fullback Taylah Sartori. Unfortunately for Thunder this continued all game. Scores at quarter time were Castlemaine 2.2 (14) to Bendigo Thunder 1.2 (8).
The pressure through the second term intensified as each team tried to get on top of the other and ended with an evenly matched 2.3 (15) to 1.3 (9), the Magpies retaining the lead.
Castlemaine’s game was elevated compared to the previous weeks clash with key forward targets Bridie Semmens, Tiahna Cochrane, Ella Cochrane and Knoll all playing their roles.
Magpie midfielders Emily Cooper and Tia Davidge proved essential as did the rucking capabilities of Emma Pedretti and Semmens who each took a turn against a very physical Thunder playing-coach Jac Louttit.
Castlemaine sibling coaching duo Tiahna Cochrane and Jordan Cochrane used the half-time break to remind the team of its capabilities.
The third quarter being a danger-period in past matches against strong teams like Golden Square. The team was determined to rise to the occasion and lock in a win.
Despite keeping the Thunder scoreless for the third term, and multiple forward entries, the Magpies could not convert and kicked six points for the quarter. They entered three-quarter time ahead on 2.9 (21) to Thunder’s 1.3 (9).
Excitement was mounting across the ground going into the fourth with a substantial crowd lined up along the boundary to cheer on the Magpies. With only a two goal lead and a grand final at stake the out-of-towner’s were anxious to lock in a win.
A desperate Thunder had sustained several injuries over the game but were no less focussed as they pushed for an all important goal to restore confidence. The Thunder had two opportunities throughout the quarter but could not convert. An inspired performance by McNair widened the lead as she kicked her second goal for the Magpies. The final siren sounded to cheers from the gathered crowd. Final scores were Castlemaine 3.11 (29) to Bendigo Thunder 1.5 (11).
The local favourites are now through to the 2022 CVFL Women’s Grand Final to be played at 7pm tonight, Friday September 9, at the Queen Elizabeth Oval (QEO) in Bendigo. The bar and food will be available for spectators in what will be a promising performance by two top-tier teams.
See pages 32 and 33 for our double page feature on the grand final side.
Rampant growth in Victoria’s illicit vaping black market
Theo Foukkare, CEO Australian Association of Convenience Stores
According to Roy Morgan there are now 285,000 adult vapers in Victoria with CMA research revealing 88% of all nicotine e-cigarette purchases are being made illegally without a prescription.
Australia’s vaping policy has clearly failed. Since the introduction of the prescription model on October 1, 2021, the unregulated illicit black market for e-cigarettes has boomed with widespread reporting of black-market operators profiteering from the sale of illicit e-cigarettes to children.
The Roy Morgan data, based on monthly nationwide surveys of 4,500 adults shows Victoria has seen growth in adult vaping of nearly 200% since the 12 months to June 2018.
The demand for e-cigarettes from adult smokers is overwhelming, yet current policy settings are forcing vapers to purchase unregulated products with no electrical safety or ingredient standards from the black market. It is clear compliance with the prescription model is unenforceable as it applies to adult vapers due to the severely constrained legal accessibility for adults.
New Zealand, the European Union and the United Kingdom have successfully dealt with this issue by making e-cigarettes a strictly regulated and controlled consumer product sold to adults upon age identification by lawful retailers.
A likeminded approach in Australia would allow legal regulated access to adults while cutting off the incentive of black market operators who are currently exploiting the demand for e-cigarettes by illegally selling unregulated products to whoever they want, including children.
A big thank you from Waterloo memorial event organisers
Tom Taft, Castlemaine
I would like to say a big thanks to the Castlemaine Cemetery Trust for all the help and assistance they gave me organising the event for our Waterloo veterans. I would also like to thank Laurie from Geometrix for donating the rock to me. I would also like to thank the girls that sang for our two soldiers, Bob the bagpiper, and Danni the celebrant for all her hard work. You all have my deepest gratitude.
Kindred exhibition at Boom Town Wine celebrates talented local artists
A special pop-up exhibition Kindred, generously supported by Boom Town Wine, will bring together the talent of 11 local artists for a special one-off event next Thursday evening, September 15.
The exhibition is the culmination of the Introduction to Professional Arts Practice course, the first of its kind run by the Castlemaine Community House. Local artists with varied backgrounds and experience came together over the nine-week course to gain an introductory understanding of the intricacies of being a professional artist with co-facilitators Helen Kelly and Zoe Amor.
The exhibition will feature works by Malini Lewis, Diana Orinda Burns, Teagan Niessen, Sally-Ann Charnock, Tiffany Raae, Brenda Hine, Emma Ragheb, Luca Royle, Lorraine Le Plastrier and facilitators Amor and Kelly.
On display will be printmaking, sculpture, mixed media and digital presentations through the PechaKucha platform.
While works are diverse in medium and theme, the kindred nature of the group of artists demonstrates the united driving force to create and express thoughts and ideas. It also shows the community spirit and the bond that artists share through collaborative engagement.
Co-facilitator Helen Kelly commented about the ‘kindred’ nature of the class.
“Zoe and I have had the privilege of working with this talented and motivated group of students who have made facilitating the ‘Introduction to Professional Arts Practice’ an absolute joy. They are forming a really strong bond that will put them in good stead for their future creative endeavours. Nurturing a supportive classroom environment was one of our main aims, but this group gelled beautifully from the very first session,” Kelly said.
Zoe and Helen bring many years of professional arts experience as makers, producers, directors and curators. The course covered a broad range of topics, covering: presenting work to the public including commercial gallery representation and non-traditional options; marketing and promotion, including writing artist statements, CVs and biographies; and business skills such as record keeping, taxation and copyright.
The pop up exhibition will run from 4pm to 7pm next Thursday, September 15 at Boom Town Wine at Shed 10, The Mill, 9 Walker Street.
My Castlemaine: with Buda committee of management president Bronwyn Rudolf
Hi Bronwyn. Here we are sitting in the beautiful surrounds of Castlemaine’s historic Buda home and gardens where you get to spend a fair bit of time in your capacity as president of the Buda Committee of Management. It’s a great contribution to make. What motivates you?
Buda is a very special place and it is all run by volunteers. People really connect with this place. It’s really a worthwhile place to meet others who are interested in keeping history alive. It’s marvellous. I attended the AGM and came onto the committee in 2013 after we first came to Castlemaine in 2011. I just thought it was such an exciting place. I put my hand up to go on the committee and I’ve been on it ever since. I really do find it very rewarding.
So you’ve called Castlemaine home since 2011 but where were you before that?
I spent 30 years in Melbourne.
What’s your working background?
I’m a building designer. I’m really interested in the built environment and in the 1970s when I was a student I came here and did a measuring project with a whole lot of other students. That was well before I ever thought I’d live in Castlemaine. We measured a number of other historical buildings in Castlemaine as part of the project and I just thought ‘this is a special place because there’s so much that’s intact’. In the ’70s a lot of stuff was being pulled down…
Also my great aunt was the same age as Hilda (Leviny of Buda) and in fact had mutual friends in Newstead, and so I sort of felt a connection with Buda through my great aunt.
Anything else keeping you busy in the community Bronwyn?
I’m a member of a number of things: the historical society and the Pioneers (& Old Residents’ Association). But on the whole it’s basically Buda for me.
Any philosophies by which you like to live life?
My philosophy is that I’m very blessed to have opportunity… and I just think it’s really important to give back to the community. Both of my parents were very involved in all sorts of community activities so I was always aware that if you could do something to help other people then that was a good thing.
Three dream dinner guests?
Stephanie Dowrick (writer), Hilda Leviny (of Buda fame) to find out a bit more about her life. That would be great. And I’d like to have dinner with my great grandfather, Fred Strangward. He was just a very interesting man. He did mosaic woodwork. Some of his work is in the Ballarat gallery and that work was given to the Ballarat gallery by (former Australian Prime minister) Alfred Deakin – whom he gave it to.
Pet peeves?
Negativity. It does a lot of damage…
What are you reading at the moment?
I’m reading Corporal Hitler’s Pistol by Tom Keneally. A very interesting read set in Australia.
Musical genre or artist of preference?
Oh I love My Friend the Chocolate Cake. I really enjoy putting that on when I’m cooking.
What do you enjoy most about life in Castlemaine?
I love being able to walk or ride my bike everywhere because I live in town. You can walk to the theatre. You can walk to the shops. You can walk to the station. I can walk up to Buda. I just love that. Not having to get in traffic.
Castlemaine Fringe accepting expressions of interest after successful fundraiser
Castlemaine Fringe hosted a Winter Warmer at the Wesley Hill Hall on Saturday August 20 to raise funds for the 2023 Castlemaine Fringe Festival.
Local musicians, Meg Corson & Disco Panic, played a sensational set which really got the crowd moving. The band was followed by local DJ Mr Browns Funksolution.
The hall looked spectacular, the food was delicious and the cocktails were fabulous – thanks to the team of volunteers from the Castlemaine Fringe Planning Committee. It was great to see such a diverse crowd of people enjoying their night together.
Castlemaine Fringe would like to thank all of the community members who volunteered their time or loaned equipment to help make the night a success.
The Castlemaine Fringe Festival is now accepting expressions of interest for the 2023 festival which will be held from March 17- April 2, 2023. Head to castlemainefringe.org.au for more details.