The final tally is in and it shows that this year’s Covid-modified virtual version of Run The Maine raised $9000 for Castlemaine Health.
The impacts of Covid on crowd gatherings forced the RTM committee to run the event with the theme of ‘Run Your Own Race’ encouraging runners to run alone at any location and upload their times.
And keen runners responded well with 205 registering for the runs ranging from 5km to 21 km.
“It’s brilliant,” RTM event director Gavin Kraser told the Mail this week following final tally confirmation.
“It’s surpassed my expectations.”
The committee keenly hopes next year’s Covid landscape will permit the event to return to the 2019 format when more than 700 runners participated on courses in and around Castlemaine raising $25,000 for Castlemaine Health.
“We want to build it into a really significant event for Castlemaine and central Victoria,” Mr Krasner said. See the Mail for the full story.
Run The Maine raises $9000 for hospital
Lest we forget
It was a respectful, masked and socially distanced crowd that gathered at Castlemaine’s cenotaph on Wednesday – to Remember.
The threat of Covid might still be lurking, but the assembled crowd was not about to let eleven am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month pass without due notice.
The minute’s silence honouring those who died fighting to protect the nation in WWI, and conflicts since, was observed along with The Last Post, the Australian National Anthem and a brief address by Castlemaine RSL president John Whiddon. See the Mail for the full story.
Community answers the call
Community members with metal detectors were urged to turn out last Saturday November 7 in the hunt for a lost wedding ring.
As detailed in the Mail on October 23 local couple Emma and Piers were seeking the community’s help after Piers lost his wedding ring after a night out celebrating their second anniversary at Castlemaine’s Railway Hotel on Friday October 9.
Hearing about their plight local metal detecting enthusiast Bill Sikora came to their aid and organised last Saturday’s ring hunt. Volunteers spent three hours retracing the couple’s steps from the Railway Hotel, through the Camp Reserve and along Forest Street and Bruce Street but unfortunately the ring was not found.
Determined not to give up Emma and Piers have pledged a $150 reward for the ring’s return and Mr Sikora has kindly chipped in a further $150. See the Mail for the full story.
Bush Tucker on the menu
Bush Tucker is on the menu at Castlemaine Health all this week in celebration of NAIDOC Week (November 8-15).
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. However, this year they were postponed due to Covid.
Castlemaine Health’s Aboriginal Liaison Officer Melinda Harper and Chef at Castlemaine Health’s Quick Fix Café Roland Farve developed the Bush Tucker menu featuring a host of native Australian ingredients.
Ms Harper said Castlemaine Health always acknowledges NAIDOC Week but this year they wanted to try something different.
“Bush tucker ingredients have been used by Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years. We wanted to bring some of those ingredients and flavours here for our staff and visitors to try,” she said. See the Mail for the full story.
Bridget’s birds fly for Big Design Market
Even as a child in Northern Ireland Bridget Farmer always loved birds.
When she came to Australia at the age of 27, Bridget says she was “blown away” by the variety of native avian life around her.
Now living in Guildford, Bridget turns her appreciation for her “little winged muses” into unique art pieces.
She’s now one of a number of local designers and artisans whose creations will be part of this month’s Big Design Market Online.
In previous, non-Covid, years Bridget has personally taken her work to the Big Design Market at both Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building and also Sydney’s foreshore Barangaroo Reserve.
“The Big Design Market is a real buzz. You get to meet your customers in person,” says Bridget of the last two year’s markets that she attended along with “boxes and boxes” of her creations.
“People tell me their stories of their affinity with birds – so I get to hear the most beautiful stories.”
Due to the Covid pandemic this year’s Big Design Market is shifting online offering pre-Christmas shoppers a chance to peruse the original work of more than 200 designers, over 100 of whom run Victorian based small businesses.
“I concentrate on Australian native birds,” Bridget told the Mail during a visit to her Guildford studio this week.
“Essentially I’m a printmaker mainly focusing on dry point etching.”
Her designs celebrate the native birdlife she sees around the local area and she turns these into items including linen tea towels, bird mobiles and desk sculptures, enamel lapel pins and original etchings.
The hugely diverse range of products on offer in the Big Design Market Online include a swag of new kids’ books by independent publishers including The Very Hungry Bum by Castlemaine based Atlas Jones & Co.
The Big Design Market Online happens over Wednesday November 18 to Sunday November 29 with a website, instagram and Facebook.
Library supports inclusion
During lockdown Castlemaine Library was working behind the scenes to make the local venue more accessible for all community members.
Castlemaine Library manager Jess Saunders said that back in January Mount Alexander Shire Disability Advocacy Group (MASDAG) conducted an audit of the newly refurbished library to identify areas that needed improvement in terms of accessibility.
“MASDAG noted that our our new tables and booth seating prevented those in a wheelchair from utilising the seating areas.
“I approached the Rotary Club of Castlemaine for support to craft two new benchtops to make the new tables wheelchair friendly and they were more than happy to support the project,” Jess said. See the Mail for the full story.
New club joins CDCA
Maiden Gully Marist Cricket Club has joined the Castlemaine District Cricket Association (CDCA) senior competitions this summer and enjoyed their first matches as the season opened last Saturday, October 31.
Maiden Gully Marist Cricket Club president Neil Byers told the Mail it was an historic day for the club playing their first official match on their brand new turf wicket with their A Grade side hosting Newstead.
“We have been playing hard wicket in the Emu Valley Cricket Association for more than 40 years but decided to make the move to turf and join the CDCA,” he said.
Mr Byers said that the competition will provide a great new opportunity and challenge for the club’s A Grade, A Reserve, B Grade and Women’s sides. See the Mail for the full story.
‘Monster’ website launch at Chewton
All roads led to Chewton on Monday for the launch of the Chewton Domain Society’s (CDS) new highly anticipated ‘Monster Meeting’ website.
The special launch event took place outdoors in Chewton’s Ellery Park due to COVID restrictions.
A small but enthusiastic masked crowd were on hand as Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards and Parks Victoria chief ranger Karen Doyle launched the new offering.
CDS president Helen McGeachin welcomed the editor of the new website Pat Healy.
Pat had already been receiving accolades for the work done, a small group having been given viewing permission prior to the launch.
Pat acknowledged the work done by CDS members in actively recording Chewton’s history, and the new website which now focuses on one aspect of that history – the Monster Meeting.
“It tells the long overlooked story of how the transformation of the government, economy and society of the colony of Victoria began at the Diggers’ Monster Meeting at Forest Creek on December 15, 1851,” Ms Healy said. See the Mail for the full story and visit www.monstermeeting.net to check out the exciting new resource.
Purchase a piece of history
Maldon’s former ‘Porcupine Township’ Pioneer Settlement has been listed for sale for the first time in a decade presenting a unique opportunity to purchase a piece of history.
Ed Carthew of Carthew Real Estate Bendigo listed the unique property last Thursday.
News of the impending sale went national on Sunday when the Today Show made a live cross to the property.
The sprawling 15 acre property features two cottages which have been converted into the main residence, seven motel rooms, a separate three bedroom residence which is ideally sited to act as a manager’s residence, a restaurant with kitchen and coolroom, separate laundry to service the accommodation and of course a glimpse into our colonial past – the Porcupine Township.
The township itself features its own pub, ‘Charlotte’s Barn’ – a barn which was actually relocated from the Moolort Plains and was utilised as a dance hall, a blacksmiths, printers shop, general stores, various huts, a doctors surgery, Cobb & Co headquarters and even a bowling alley! Many of the buildings still house the chattels and authentic shop displays that originally featured in the tourist attraction. See the Mail for the full story.
Aboriginal bush tucker farm for Harcourt
An Aboriginal Bush Tucker Farm being established at Harcourt is poised to create new employment opportunities for Indigenous youth and a new attraction for the region.
To be operated by Nalderun Aboriginal Services the bush tucker farm is being established with help from a $200,000 Djakitjuk Djanga grant announced on site yesterday by state agricultural minister Jaclyn Symes.
Meaning ‘Country’s Food’, the Djakitjuk Djanga program provides grants to eligible Aboriginal businesses and organisations to help overcome barriers to commercially producing native plants for use as food and botanicals.
“It’s a program that’s being delivered by the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations who have partnered with Agriculture Victoria to be able to provide this grant,” said local Indigenous elder Aunty Julie McHale who is sharing her native food plants expertise with those closely involved with the venture.
The farm is being established on a 2.6 hectare site donated for lease by the Henry family of the area’s Henry of Harcourt cidery business. Read more in today’s Mail and Tuesday’s Midland Express. 06.11.20
New faces: council results declared
Mount Alexander Shire Council will have four fresh faces – alongside three familiar ones – after the results of the council election were formally declared this week.
On Wednesday evening the Victorian Electoral Commission declared the results of the Mount Alexander Shire local government election with three councillors returned and four new councillors now set to join them around the council table for the next four years.
The successful candidates are, for Castlemaine Ward: Rosie Annear, Bill Maltby and Gary McClure; for Loddon Ward: Matthew Driscoll; Tarrengower Ward: Stephen Gardner; Calder Ward: Tony Cordy (unopposed) and Coliban Ward: Christine Henderson (unopposed).
New councillor elect for the keenly contested Castlemaine ward, Rosie Annear received 17.07 per cent of first preference votes with Bill Maltby achieving 18.38 per cent of first preference votes and Gary McClure 15.14 per cent.
Greens candidate Keppel Cassidy missed out but had also fared well with 14.1 per cent of first preference votes flowing to him.
The only Castlemaine ward candidate standing from the previous council, Max Lesser, was unsuccessful, recording 4.99 per cent of first preference votes. Read more in today’s Mail 06.11.20…
When mattresses make art
If only mattresses could talk….
On second thoughts, perhaps it’s best they don’t.
Nevertheless, at Castlemaine’s Northern Arts Hotel mattresses with mysterious pasts have begun making an engaging statement.
Local artist Frank Veldze is a dab hand at using the recycled innerspring metallic cores of pre-loved mattresses to fashion stylish art works.
The pieces he creates have featured in prominent places like Sydney’s Sculpture by the Sea exhibition, chic private gardens on the Prom and the Peninsula, Sydney International Airport, and a public park in Moreland Street, Melbourne where City of Maribyrnong Council recently purchased one of the unique sculptures previously exhibited at Castlemaine’s Lot 19.
Now, new owner of Castlemaine’s Northern Arts Hotel, Maggie Fooke, has commissioned Frank to install some of his sculptural mattress work at the Barker Street front of the local accommodation establishment.
Frank has spent the past few weeks busily installing the work and soon ornamental grape vines will be planted, using the innerspring coils as creative climbing frames. Read more in today’s Mail 06.11.20…