Work got underway this week on the Castlemaine Steiner School’s highly anticipated $1.28 million Science and Technology Lab.
Members of the school community gathered on the site on Friday to turn the first sod on the project which has been made possible
thanks to a capital grant from the Federal Government.
Castlemaine Steiner School administration and marketing officer Rachael Pearce said they we are excited to expand their buildings to include the dedicated Science and Technology Lab for senior students.
The space will include state-of-the-art science, technology and computer studies facilities, universal access toilets and a ‘hang out’ area Class 7 and 8 students. The building has been designed by Life Design Architecture and the tender for construction has been awarded to Searle Brothers Builders. See the Mail for more.
Major project gets underway
The brides have chosen…
Eve Lamb
The brides have spoken – and what they’ve said is reason to drink a toast at one local Harcourt winery.
Harcourt Valley Vineyards Winery has taken out a coveted 2021 Brides Choice Award after brides over the past year voted the venue the best wedding winery venue for the Ballarat and Bendigo region.
The national annual Brides Choice Awards are dedicated to rewarding wedding sector businesses that operate in regional areas of Australia.
The brides themselves vote in their top choices across just about every aspect of the wedding industry, from DJs and wedding cakes to hairstylists, photographers and, of course, the all-important venue for The Big Day.
News of the category coup for Harcourt Valley Winery comes as it faces an exceptionally busy time ahead with a considerable backlog of weddings booked up following multiple postponements of many couples’ special days due to the impacts of COVID on events and hospitality. Read more in today’s Mail…
Sticky issue causes stink
Eve Lamb
The sticky subject of dog deposits in public places gained traction at last week’s Mount Alexander Shire Council meeting amid a fresh public venting of frustration at pooch owners who fail to pick up after their recently relieved canine companions.
Castlemaine’s Diane Linton aired the matter during public question time.
“I’m still waiting to receive a notice regarding the new regulations for cat and dog ownership which will include notification to dog owners to pick up their animals excrement,” she said in a letter read presented to the council.
Read more in today’s Mail…
Halloween themed demo
Eve Lamb
For many Castlemaine climate activists, climbing into ghoulish costumes today will not so much be about cadging Halloween treats as it will be about making a critically serious point, they say.
The “zombie apocalypse” they plan to stage in front of the town’s National Australia Bank at 10am today is pitched not just for Halloween this Sunday, but also for the start of the world’s COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow with which Halloween, this year, happens to coincide.
“The UN has declared a Code Red for humanity, and this meeting represents the world’s last chance for its political leaders to act decisively to protect civilisation from climate apocalypse,” says Castlemaine’s Emma Dubuc, among today’s demonstration organisers.
“The zombie apocalypse is an apt metaphor for where we’re headed unless we act urgently to contain global heating within safe levels,” says Malcolm Robins, another of the organisers of today’s demonstration.
While today’s “zombie apocalypse” carries a dead serious message, organisers with Climate Justice Mount Alexander and Central Victorian Climate Action say participants expect to have some fun as well with dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller on the publicly prominent program.
“Providing social distancing rules are followed, everybody is welcome,” Malcolm says.
“We really want our community to be actively involved in this urgent issue and we’re also inviting community participation in a follow-up Bike Ride for Climate event which we will have at the end of the Glasgow Climate Summit on Saturday November 13,” Emma says.
“To mark a hopefully successful outcome at the end of the Glasgow Climate Summit we’re asking our local community members to decorate their bike, and themselves, with a climate theme and display a pledge for personal climate action.”
Barkers Creek club to honour those who served
Barkers Creek Cricket Club will be holding a special event at the historic cricket ground on Armistice Day, Thursday November 11, to commemorate and honour the cricketers and residents of Barkers Creek who volunteered to serve the country in World War I.
Armistice Day commemorates the signing of the Armistice ending WWI at 11am on November 11, 1918.
The day will see the unveiling of a permanent photographic display, honour board and club history.
The Castlemaine Highland Pipe Band will be in attendance at the event to be officially opened by former premier of Victoria Steve Bracks from 6pm.
Among the soldiers to be honoured will be Walter Peeler who played with the club in 1909 and was awarded the highest military honour, the Victoria Cross for Gallantry, and Alexander ‘Alec’ Grant, captain of the club’s 1921 Premiership team who served at Villers-Bretonneux in France. See the Mail for the full story.
New booking form to reduce wait times
The CHIRP Community Health-Castlemaine Health COVID-19 Testing Clinic has seen a significant increase in demand for testing recently, with the team taking over 2,900 swabs in October alone.
The clinic has introduced a new online form to help streamline bookings and reduce wait times for people coming through for tests.
Castlemaine Health community services and wellbeing executive director Kerryn James said they review the clinic on a regular basis to make sure it continues to meet community need.
“Our most recent analysis showed that we have completed more tests in the past two months than over the whole of the previous year,” Ms James said.
This increase was driven by a local outbreak in Mount Alexander Shire with several exposure sites in Castlemaine, combined with an expanding number of cases and exposure sites in surrounding areas. Anyone who needs a COVID-19 test should complete the new registration form available at www.chirp.org.au/covid-19 or call the COVID-19 Testing Line on 5479 1005 and leave your details. Your call will be returned and an appointment time booked in. All clinic details, including location, date and time, are also available on the website. See the Mail for the full story.
Creek welcomes new sponsor
Campbells Creek Football Netball Club’s (CCFNC) resurgence continues to go from strength to strength with the announcement on Monday that the club has secured a major sponsor – Five Flags Hotel.
Five Flags proprietors Paul Kelly and Leonie Fisher-Gardiner said they are extremely proud to support the historic Magpie club as they prepare to make their return from recess.
CCFNC president Maddy McMullin said the club was thrilled to sign their major sponsor.
“We are so excited to have the Five Flags on board for such a crucial season, we cannot thank Paul and Leonie enough for their generosity and look forward to building that relationship and other local connections within our community for the oncoming season,” she said. See the Mail for the full story.
Blow out the cobwebs on the clay trail
Ceramic artists from across the Mount Alexander and Hepburn Shires are set to open their studio doors as part of next month’s Central Victorian Clay Trail.
The Central Victorian Clay Trail is one roadmap that will lead you on a journey of discovery to the inner sanctums of the region’s ceramicists and help blow out the lockdown cobwebs!
This year 14 ceramics studios will open to the public over the weekend of November 13-14 offering a glimpse into the working life of a potter.
Visitors will explore the individual processes artists use to take clay through to its final state. There will be a huge range of styles and techniques on show, from sculptural work to tableware and everything in between. See the Mail for more…
Young film makers celebrated
Mount Alexander Shire’s newest flock of award-winning film-makers were celebrated on Friday at an outdoor youth film festival in Castlemaine’s Village Square.
Young film makers, backed by supporting teams of stars, sound specialists, script writers and scene setters, stepped up to receive their awards for best films at the Second Annual COscar Awards and Youth Film Festival.
Winners were as follows:
• Indiana Blaise: ‘The Haunted Forest’ Best snapshot (8-13 years).
• Indiana Blaise and Suzie McDonald Motee: ‘The Mad Murderer’ Best snapshot (8-13 years).
• Harper Russell-Just: ‘What I love about living a regional life’ Best snapshot (14-18 years).
• Olivia Rae Beckley: ‘Lost and Found’ Best short film (8-13 years).
• Jin Turpie: ‘Ocean Adventure’ Best short film (14-18 years).
• Mollie Francis: ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Fairy Tales’ Best short film (open). See the Mail for the full story.
State to be reunited
Victoria is set to be reunited tonight, October 29 at 6pm. The move comes a week early thanks to the response to vaccination, with so many Victorians between the ages of 12 and 15 having raced to get the jab.
Regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne will unite and move forward on the same restrictions, enabling people from Melbourne to travel to regional Victoria and interstate again.
Most indoor settings, including restaurants, pubs, gyms and hairdressers will open with no caps subject to a DQ4 (1 per 4sqm) limit, if all staff and patrons are fully vaccinated. Most outdoor settings will remain at DQ2 (1 per 2sqm) limit up to 500, where staff and patrons are fully vaccinated. These indoor and outdoor settings will also apply to weddings, funerals and religious gatherings if all attendees are fully vaccinated. Caps of 30 people will apply for weddings, funerals and religious gatherings if vaccination status is unknown.
Entertainment venues will reopen. For indoor seated venues including cinemas and theatres, there will a 75 per cent capacity or DQ4 up to 1,000 people and for non-seated indoor entertainment venues there will be a DQ4 limit with no patron cap. Outdoor seated and non-seated entertainment venues including stadiums, zoos and tourism attractions will be open with a DQ2 limit up to 5,000 where staff and patrons are fully vaccinated. Events – such as music festivals – will be able to host up to 5,000 attendees, subject to any restrictions related to the venue. The Chief Health Officer may also grant an approval for larger crowds for significant events and venues under the Public Events Framework.
Masks will remain mandatory indoors but will no longer be required outdoors. It is highly recommended you continue to wear a mask outdoors where you cannot physically distance, such as a busy street or outdoor market.
The next milestone in the Roadmap will be when Victoria hits the 90 per cent double dose vaccination target for Victorians 12 years and over – predicted to be as early as Wednesday November 24. At this point, caps or density quotients will be removed for all settings, and masks will only be mandatory indoors in some high-risk settings such as hospitals, aged care, public transport and justice and correctional facilities.
On the cusp of reopening Victoria recorded 1923 new cases and sadly another 25 deaths Thursday. Mount Alexander recorded two new cases. The region currently has 11 active cases. Greater Bendigo recorded another 29 bringing their total to 239 active cases. Macedon Ranges recorded 21 new cases bringing their total to 77. Hepburn Shire recorded one new case bringing their total to nine.
If you have been to a covid exposure site or have symptoms please be sure to contact CHIRP Community Health and be tested on 5479 1005.
If you’re yet to be vaccinated you can organise your jab through the Castlemaine Health website, your GP or local pharmacy.
Services explore amalgamation
Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health have announced that the two organisations are exploring the possibility of amalgamation.
Maldon Hospital board chair Vanessa Healy and Castlemaine Health chair Peggy Ronnau told the Mail this week that the two organisations have been working together for 42 years and are now investigating how the two health providers could potentially come together moving forward.
Ms Healy said it is something the two boards have been discussing for around two years now, but the pandemic has stopped the conversation going any further.
The hospitals are now reaching out to the Maldon and wider Mount Alexander communities and urging locals to have say on the joint health services’ future with a six week community consultation.
Ms Ronnau said the boards of Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health have jointly agreed to explore a voluntary amalgamation as they believe it would deliver better health services for the communities of Mount Alexander, and secure Maldon Hospital in its current form for generations to come. The boards will now commission a proposal that will examine the potential benefits of unification. See the Mail for the full story.
Community renewable energy: session explores options
Eve Lamb
Castlemaine’s West End Resilience Group is inviting all with an interest in community renewable energy options to head online and join its upcoming information night on Monday October 25.
Starting 7pm, Monday evening’s online session will take place via Zoom and is open to all, West End Resilience Group’s Alison Whitten says.
“The session will featuring our guest speakers, Alan Pears and James Jenkins, and the aim is to create interest in community renewable energy options for Castlemaine and to hear about another community in Yackandandah that’s on the way to being 100% renewable by 2022,” says Alison, a West End resident with a professional background in urban planning and design.
“Alan Pears is an environmental consultant and a pioneer of energy efficiency policy in Australia since the late 1970s.
“He has been involved in energy-environmental rating and regulation of buildings, green building developments, and efficient appliance development and he’s looking forward to providing Castlemaine residents with insights into new developments in energy generation, storage and distribution.
“And James Jenkins is a resident of Osborne’s Flat near Yackandandah in north-east Victoria, and is a member of the committee that oversees Totally Renewable Yackandandah (TRY).”
Alison says TRY is a volunteer run community group with the lofty goal of powering Yackandandah with 100% renewable energy, delivering resilience, savings, lower emissions and proving it can be done.
“The West End Resilience group formed in response to the 2019-20 bushfires and growing awareness of the impacts of climate change with the aim of connecting people and supporting the community as a whole to be more resilient,” says Alison who now works with the City of Melbourne in sustainability and resilience. Read more in today’s Mail…