Castlemaine’s long awaited dog park is complete and well-behaved dogs of all shapes and sizes are encouraged to use the new fully fenced off-leash facility at Wesley Hill Recreation Reserve.
The new space is now open for use during daylight hours. It is located at the northern corner of the reserve, adjacent to the lower/stadium carpark off McGrath Street.
Councillor Dave Petrusma said there was no ‘official’ opening or fanfare due to COVID-19 but all the fencing and gates are done and fresh water available. “Please be mindful that social distancing and masks presently apply as it does for other open spaces within the shire,” he said. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
Paw-fect spot to play
Council elections loom large
Four of Mount Alexander Shire Council’s current seven councillors have confirmed they’ll seek re-election in October’s local government elections, while two have confirmed they will not.
Those who intend to nominate are mayor Cr Councillor Christine Henderson and councillors Tony Cordy, Stephen Gardner and Max Lesser.
But councillors Bronwen Machin and Dave Petrusma have both confirmed they will not stand for re-election.
Loddon River ward’s Cr John Nieman is the only current councillor who declined to indicate his hand either way at this stage.
Cr Nieman this week told the Mail his intention would not be made public until shortly before the close of candidate nominations…. More in today’s Mail Friday, August 28.
Victory, Victoria! A binary drive
It was a drive through a world of masked avengers, marauders, superheroes. Many generic. Old Man, Young Girl. Middle-aged Woman. But many specialists too. The Hunter (power: stealth) was masked in leopard-skin, the Bishop in shining pink satin. A bad bastard, The Bishop (power: evil). An arch-villain. Paisley Woman (power: gorgeousness).
At the hospital in Bendigo, superheroes were everywhere. This time the look was mostly surgical. Patient Man and Patient Woman (patience). Or perhaps, just perhaps… they were all Surgeon Woman and Surgeon Man, (Power: can cut anyone, anywhere, anytime, go deep and save lives. You’ve got the look, now live the dream. “Nurse. Scalpel!”). Patient Boy (Glee) with arm in sling bounded gleefully ahead of his mum across the pedestrian crossing, almost becoming Casualty Boy, again. Masks, mask, masks. As they stepped out of their cars the superheroes donned their secret identity like Superman running into a phone box. The only face I saw outside was Forgetful Man running back from the Ravenswood servo to his car with an apologetic handwave (Power: to be human and make you think, “that’s me, inner chuckle, warm glow, shared human experience”.) Good power that one, if a bit common.
I err about the non-mask wearers, A******* Woman (ability to burst one’s bubble) had also forgotten her mask. She had three Nurse Women and Men (courage) at bay inside the entrance to the hospital with her walking stick, beating them from her borrowed wheel chair (also lazy!) and demanding to go out for an effin’ smoke. Top superheroes, Nurse Man and Nurse Woman, but they needed a touch of the Bishop in that moment.
Inside the hospital the cavalcade of masked magnificoes continued. Humble Self Effacing Woman making sure her request to retrieve the phone she had left in the ward did not get in the way of Super Efficient Busy Woman on the front desk (power: ability to rip the Husqvarna out of the back of the ute and cut a load of firewood, if her full face-shield mask was anything to go by).
Upstairs, Renal Specialist Man with the alluring eyes (power: ability to deliver great news, and whose eyes aren’t alluring these days?) was pleasantness itself, although he, like me and everyone else, had lost his lipreading power and was a bit deaf.
In the carpark, pushing the help button on the car park boom gate, I said, into the steel grill, “Hello. I lost my ticket. I am going to have to pay full price”. Now, cynical readers may struggle to believe this bit. The Invisible Man, (power: top bloke) said, “Have a good day mate’, and put up the boom gate.
I drove into out of the carpark gloom into the sunlight, out of the of narrow and crooked valley of despair in into the sunlit uplands of hope and freedom. The steroids, maybe.
This is better than State of Origin. Go Vics! We will beat this thing. Just have to keep doing the right thing. And if you don’t, we’ll send The Bishop round to your place.
* Name supplied.
Operation Free a Refugee takes off
A local campaign to free a refugee from indefinite off shore detention appears to be gaining traction with many residents chipping in to support it.
Last week’s edition of the Mail ran a story detailing the efforts of Castlemaine’s Rural Australians for Refugees RAR project
to raise $18,500 – the price tag needed to fund resettlement of a refugee in Canada. See the Mail for more. Out Now.
Work to begin
Construction on an exciting new play space located in the centre of Harcourt will begin shortly.
Mount Alexander Shire Council manager parks, recreation and community facilities Cath Olive said council is really excited about this play space, and the important role that residents and our local Indigenous community have had in the design process.
The play space at Stanley Park North will feature a large six-metre high tower with an exhilarating ten-metre long slide, play stalls, a climbing wall and array of play equipment. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
Police hit the streets
Victoria Police Local Area Commander Inspector Donna Mitchell says Victoria Police have recently welcomed a new Chief Commissioner of Police, Shane Patton.
On August 12 the new Chief Commissioner addressed the Goldfields Police Service Area (PSA) and explained his vision to local members.
Inspector Mitchell said the CCP’s objective is to reduce crime and make the community feel safe.
“To this end, our CWOPSafety forums and Coffee With A Cop sessions have all been suspended due to COVID-19. So, we are going to try something different. During September and October, we are going to do some spring cleaning, starting with ‘Conversation Encounter’,” Inspector Mitchell said.
“The police are coming to you, in your supermarket, your newsagents, your bakery and in the main street. Our goal is to speak to as many Goldfields PSA community members as possible. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
RSL remembers
Castlemaine Returned Services League (RSL) members quietly laid wreaths to commemorate the VP Day (Victory in the Pacific) last Saturday, August 15 and Vietnam Veterans Day on Tuesday, August 18.
This year marks the 75th anniversary since World War II ended and the 54th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan in 1966.
RSL secretary Barb Templar said many Victorians tuned in online to watch VP Day Services at the War Memorial in Canberra and a commemorative broadcast at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.
“It was also wonderful to see many stop in to pay their respects at the local cenotaph throughout Saturday,” Ms Templar said. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
Surprise donation funds rare rail restoration project
A generous private donation to the Victorian Goldfields Railways is now enabling the restoration of an extremely rare piece of the state’s railway history.
Aided by the welcome $10,000 surprise donation, a fourth year carpentry apprentice and VGR young volunteer who lost his paid carpentry job due to COVID, is now able to help VGR restore its rare but dilapidated vintage railway refrigerator car to former glory.
“I lost my job because of COVID in late April,” says 20-year-old Fletcher Cole who’s been a dedicated volunteer with the railway since age 14.
Now the young VGR volunteer has started putting his carpentry skills to good use to rejuvenate the early 20th century rail refrigerator car.
“This was built in 1911,” he says.
“The reason why it’s unique is that this one’s the last one that’s in operating condition.
“The walls are insulated with cow hair. There use to be a trough that ran along the roof filled with salted ice.”
In the days before refrigeration as we know it, this method using ice was needed to keep meat and other produce cold and fresh during transportation from regional Victoria to metro Melbourne.
“It’s not every day you get to preserve the last running examples of this kind of van,” Fletcher says.
“It’s very special. It’s unique.
“I’ve always loved trains. This is sort of living my dream, basically.” More in today’s Castlemaine Mail 21.08.20
Bravo!
Lorraine Le Plastrier, Mount Alexander Shire Disability Advocacy Group (MASDAG)
I would like to congratulate people in Castlemaine for their rapid response to mask wearing. So many people have taken up the challenge. Bravo Castlemainians!
More news: Our Shire is part of the Victorian Government initiative to provide masks for vulnerable people. You can call the Shire Covid Support number 1800 512 446 to find out how to collect your mask.
One in a million
Darren Chester, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
Around one million Australians served during the Second World War, and many Australians today have a connection to at least one of them.
As we approach the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War on August 15 this year, there is no better time for us to uncover and capture the stories of these one million people and ensure they live on.
For families, it is a chance to learn more about someone who served, and for the nation, it is a time to gain a greater understanding of our involvement in this major conflict.
All we need to do is ‘Just Ask’ the question – what did my family do during the war? How do I learn more about Australia’s involvement in the Second World War?
It is easier than ever before to research a family member’s military history. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has brought together all of its nominal rolls, including the Second World War nominal roll, into one website to make it easier to search and find information on those Australians who served in this war. The National Archives of Australia is working to digitise all of its Second World War records and the Australian War Memorial also has a wide range of useful information just a click away.
If you need a little help, start with the Researching Australians at War page on the Anzac Portal – www.anzacportal.dva.gov.au.
Ancestry.com.au is also helping Australians pay tribute to those who served and sacrificed in the Second World War by providing free online access to all Australian and New Zealand military records on the site from August 13-16.
I encourage all Australians to look into their family’s Second World War history and capture these stories, and to visit anzacportal.dva.gov.au/vp75 to learn more about a war that changed our nation’s history forever.
Competition ceases
Castlemaine Golf Club has put in place the latest restrictions to help keep COVID-19 away from our region and keep our residents safe.
Notices are displayed on the noticeboard near the front door for members and visitors, and the club ask that these be read carefully, and observed.
Key points are: social golf only, wear a mask, play in twos, use sanitiser, and social distance. See the Mail for more. Out Now.
Victorians encouraged to ‘Go Well’
‘Go Well’ – a new weekly health and wellness radio program hosted by Australian publisher and Castlemaine resident Cate Mercer ‘went live’ on community radio station MAINfm 94.9 recently, as Victoria continues to see significant and concerning daily numbers of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and deaths.
Providing a balance of evidence-based and alternative health news and views, particularly when it comes to mental health, is important to Mercer who is also the founder and editor of The Art of Healing magazine and has been actively involved in the health industry for almost 20 years.
“With so much misinformation around on social media, and people battling with the mental health effects of this pandemic, I think it’s more important than ever to make credible, well researched information more accessible,” Mercer said.
“I’ve always wanted to host a radio program and with people spending more time at home or commuting in their car and thinking about their health at the moment – it feels like the perfect time to finally do it!” she explained.
The program airs Thursday mornings from 9am to 10am and will feature various special guests.
One of Mercer’s first guests was Dean Mighell – director of Path of the Horse, a non-profit equine therapy centre that assists people of all ages and walks of life to become more self-aware, build resilience and seek better mental health and well-being.
Dean and his team help people with Autism, veterans, emergency services personnel and their families manage PTSD, anxiety, depression, addiction, grief and lots more.
“My hope is for this new show to inspire and teach Victorians of all ages and circumstances to ask more questions about their health and wellbeing and to seek out tools and support that suit their individual needs, beliefs and lifestyle,” Mercer said.
Cate has worked across a range of industries including IT, accounting, cinema and film, newspapers and magazines and job roles throughout her career, from design to management, marketing to sales.
She started The Art of Healing magazine in 2002 while living in Byron Bay, after identifying an opportunity to provide reliable information for people seeking alternative options for good healthcare.
After being introduced to the local area by a friend in 2013, Cate relocated to Castlemaine and has never looked back.
“I am constantly in awe of the beauty in this area, and love feeling the changes in season which you just don’t have in warmer more temperate climates.”
Cate continues to edit and publish the quarterly magazine, and has recently begun hosting the radio program to take the concepts she writes about to a broader audience who are interested in health and wellness.
“I just feel it’s so important to walk the talk, so I do want to share how I take care of myself and how I have incorporated what I have learnt over the years into my own life. At the essence of it all, the body is really good at looking after you, if you just give it what it needs – and time,” she said.
“It’s interesting to look back from 2020, and see just how much people have changed. There really has been a huge shift in consciousness,” Mercer said.