Guildford’s historic music hall is bracing itself for a kooky ukey love story like no other.
Uked! the play-along ukulele musical premieres at the little historic venue over June 20-30, bringing comic theatre and uke players together from across Victoria.
While that may sound like a potentially dangerous combination, the Castlemaine based writer and producer, Jane Caferalla, describes this unique stage production as a story with something for everyone – notably including those who play ukulele.
The script follows the fortunes of Karla – played by Castlemaine’s Rebecca Morton – who is dumped on her 50th birthday by her violin-playing boyfriend, Brian.
Desperate to belong and prove her musical worth, Karla buys a ukulele and joins a dating site to discover that love and the ukulele have much in common.
“I just love this show,” Rebecca says. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail …
Kooky ukey love story
Story of survival
Local Indigenous elder Aunty Julie McHale will share significant aspects of her life story when she presents the keynote address at this Sunday’s Sorry Day commemoration event at Harcourt.
Chatting to the Mail ahead of Sunday’s event, Aunty Julie said her discussion will trace her family stories back to her own ancestry with the Trawlwoolway people of Tasmania – and also to her own strong connections to Harcourt where she was born and lives today at the foot of Leanganook (the Indigenous name for Mount Alexander).
All are invited to attend this Sunday’s special Sorry Day commemoration at Harcourt’s Stanley Park where a historically significant scar tree still bears the mark of where the Indigenous people of the area once cut timber for a canoe. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail …
Lashings of gallows humour
Castlemaine Theatre Company is getting in touch with its darker side as it gets set to stage black comedy Frankenstein’s Children.
With a cast of 10 the latest production by the well loved local theatre group opens tonight, Friday May 17 and will run through to June 2 at the Phee Broadway Theatre.
Director, Stephen Mitchell relates how impressed he was when he first saw Frankenstein’s Children staged during the Adelaide Festival.
“The writing is an actor’s dream,” Stephen says.
“It’s rooted in a historic reality and it has a political edge to it that is I think still absolutely relevant today.
“It’s 1832 in London. It’s the height of the industrial revolution, the birth of Capitalism, and the great irony of this story is that the great boom product is actually human bodies and I think there is something beautifully telling about that, about the rapaciousness of consumerism. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail …
$5M pledge
Federal Labor has pledged $5 million to build a dedicated purpose-built home for Castlemaine District Community Health (CHIRP) if elected to government this Saturday.
Bendigo Labor incumbent Lisa Chesters visited the health facility this morning to make the announcement.
Ms Chesters said Labor’s $5 million investment will help construct a new, purpose-built facility for community services as part of the Mount Alexander Health and Wellbeing Hub.
New council facilities will also be included in the planned shared space.
“This would enable Castlemaine District Community Health (CDCH) to implement a more holistic approach to health across the area, and develop a collaborative approach to ongoing community engagement,” Ms Chesters said.
“Castlemaine District Community Health will play a vital role in leadership around integrated chronic disease management and preventive health in the Mount Alexander Health and Wellbeing Partnership.”
Castlemaine District Community Health CEO Di Couch welcomed the pledge.
“It’s going to be a great asset for the Castlemaine and District community moving forward and this is a great first step towards our bold vision to develop the Mount Alexander Health and Wellbeing Hub – in partnership with Castlemaine Health and Mount Alexander Shire Council.”
Bold plan to improve station thoroughfare
A Castlemaine architect has put forward a public proposal he hopes will lead to improved pedestrian and traffic flow around the entrance to Castlemaine’s railway station.
At very least architect Andrew McLeod hopes to generate conversation around ways the station’s front entrance and parking areas can be made more user friendly.
“The existing situation with the junction of Kennedy and Templeton streets is a chaotic blend of buses, taxis, pedestrians and cars,” the local architect says.
His proposal would offset the entry and exits to carparks away from pedestrians and intersections while adding 35 extra car parking spaces. Full story in today’s Mail…
All aboard the Colonial Express
You could pick the die-hard railway buffs by their cameras, positioning in the landscape and expectant gazes as they stared down the track alongside Castlemaine railway station last Saturday morning.
They were there for the Victorian Colonial Express, a very vintage K class steam loco hauling Victoria’s oldest railway carriages.
Victorian Goldfields Railway is running the vintage steam train between Castlemaine and Maldon for the next few Saturday’s this month to coincide with the National Trust Heritage Festival, the VGR’s Jonathan Newton says. Get the full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail.
A trip through time
Don’t know what a Bullnose Morris Cowley is?
Nevermind – this weekend offers a prime chance to find out as one of these very rare English made vehicles goes on public display complete with its own three-quarter scale replica World War One mine. It’s just one of an extremely diverse range of rare collectibles that make up a special exhibition being staged by Castlemaine Pioneers and Old Residents Association at Castlemaine Town Hall this Saturday and Sunday.
“To celebrate our 139th birthday we’re putting on this display featuring aspects of the shire from 1900 through to 1925,” the Association’s secretary Wilson Bunton says. Full story in today’s Mail …
Victorian twist on teen portraits
Fryerstown photographer Denise Martin pays creative respects to a Victorian era tradition in her latest exhibition featuring current day portraits of recent final year secondary school students.
“My projects are often inspired by personal cycles or transitions in life,” reflects the photographer whose Teen Portrait exhibition opens at Castlemaine’s Upstairs 22 Gallery tonight. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail.
Top exhibitors trot to show
The big and the small of the horse world goes on show in Castlemaine this Sunday for the annual April feature show.
With gentle giant Clydesdales at one end of the spectrum and miniature horses and Shetlands at the other, the long running show brings top exhibitors trotting to Camp Reserve from across the state and further.
Among them, Elphinstone’s Sally Henderson will be exhibiting her classy minis from success at the Miniature Horse Association National Show held at Sydney over Easter. Full story in today’s Mail..
Keeping the legacy alive
The state government is helping the Castlemaine RSL keep the legacy of veterans alive for future generations with a $1617 grant to conserve and store WWI uniforms. See the Castlemaine Mail for more.
When loss is gain
The universal human experience of loss is central to a new exhibition by award-winning artist Lucy Foster.
In Healthy Loss, which opened at Castlemaine Contemporary Arts Space on Friday, Foster explores notions of loss, of grieving and of letting go. But perhaps most central to this body of work is the artist’s consideration of the potential for loss to be a positive, rather than a negative, experience. Full story in today’s Mail…
Green light for new late trade store
Castlemaine looks set to get a new late trading convenience store following a council decision this week.
The applicant behind the move had been seeking approval to develop the existing Best Motors service station and vehicle sales business at 30-32 Duke Street, adding extra fuel bowsers, parking and a new 24 hour-seven day convenience store at the site.
At Tuesday night’s council meeting councillors were asked to make a decision after seven objections were received, with the council’s planning department recommending the application be refused … Full story in today’s Mail.