The Mount Alexander Shire will seek to have responsibility for approving the proposed Baringhup solar farm transferred from itself to the state government.
At their meeting in Castlemaine on Tuesday night, councillors unanimously voted in favour of the move which, if successful, will see the state planning minister responsible for approving the application.
The council’s planning department is currently assessing the permit application by multinational renewable energy developer RES to develop the proposed $195 million solar farm on 300 hectares of farmland two kilometres west of Baringhup.
In the scramble to shift to clean renewable energy, the proposed solar farm has potential to generate 75 megawatts of renewable energy, but has drawn some local opposition including from a number of landholders whose concerns include loss of productive farming land for agriculture.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the local Tarrengower ward councillor Stephen Gardner moved the motion that council request the planning minister decide the application and that the minister establish a decision making process providing fair opportunity for all locally affected stakeholders to be heard. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail.
Council move on solar farm
56 and still counting
Yvonne Leishman, Castlemaine
I was reared in Chewton until I came to Castlemaine to live 56 years ago. In that time I have been a ratepayer.
I wheeled my baby son down to the CBD along Ray, Bowden and Yandell Streets, not a decent footpath anywhere. So I either walked along the side of the road or walked through mud and wet grass.
In this shire we have roads close to town that have never been sealed. Gutters fill up with gravel, stones, bark and gum leaves each time we get heavy rain. So Mount Alexander get your head out of the sand, walk around the town, don’t drive, and see what needs doing with ratepayers’ money.
By the way, my son is now 54 years of age and things haven’t changed.
Much appreciated
James Taylor, Castlemaine
I cannot let the chance pass to comment on the regular feature, ‘Let’s Have a Cuppa’. The last two editions which covered Brian McCormick, our present Senior Citizen of the Year, was a warm friendly interview and much appreciated in these troubled times.
And it was also a reminder that men do not have to feel they are alone when we have the Men’s Shed, of which Brian is the current president. Keep up the good work. I look forward to my Friday “fix” of the Mail.
Theatre residency program unveiled
Mount Alexander Shire Council has announced the full line-up of the 2019 At Home residency program which boasts 11 residencies at the Phee Broadway Theatre in Castlemaine.
The At Home program provides industry development opportunities for local creatives through three different types of residencies: Create At Home, Play At Home and Exhibit at Home.
At the launch on Monday, families and creatives were given a sneak peek at instruments and sound devices from Sonic Labyrinth, the first At Home residency project for the year. For the full story pick up a copy of the Castlemaine Mail.
Locals moved to help save the Darling
A Maldon father-son team are headed to the Darling River to make a documentary film highlighting the environmental crisis impacting the iconic river system with the goal of helping to find a solution.
In making When the river runs dry, anthropologist Peter Yates and his son, filmmaker Rory McLeod hope to do their bit to help return the river to health and avert its further decline.
Peter and Rory were moved to action after seeing the recent tragic images of the mass fish kill events in the Darling River near Menindee.
“We realised that between Rory and I we have the skills to do something really powerful about this, so we just decided ‘let’s do it’,” Peter says.
In a bid to help finance their film, the intrepid local duo are raising funds via the Pozible online crowdfunding platform.
Lachlan’s cycle of life
When Castlemaine local Lachlan Hough began a 1300 kilometre bike ride on the Oodnadatta Track he had no idea his journey would be turned into an exhibit. However, later this week the Turbo Gallery at Rainbow in north west Victoria will feature both photographs and journal entries from his trip, allowing people to experience both the physical and mental journey Lachlan went on. See the Mail for the full story.
Sweet success
Hope Assistance Local Tradies (HALT), The Maine Barber and Icecream Social have joined forces to create a unique new community partnership with offers some ‘sweet’ rewards. See tomorrow’s Mail for the full story.
Friends group formed
A group of passionate local supporters of the ABC have banded together to form an ABC Friends group in Castlemaine.
The move comes following the highly successful campaign held at the Maxi IGA complex in Castlemaine late last year to gather signatures in support of the ABC. See tomorrow’s Mail for the full story.
Disappointed
Dr. Norma Gray PhD, Castlemaine
Returning to my home town of Castlemaine to retire I am extremely disappointed at the visual appearance of the Forest Creek area between Ten Foot Bridge and Barker Street.
I have searched the Mount Alexander Shire Council website to see if I have misunderstood the ‘Castlemaine Creekways Management Plan’ only to discover that on P14 dot point 5 states: provide and showcase links to history – social/cultural/geographical also in the ‘program logic framework’ under Management Goals it states: To protect and celebrate the history and heritage of the Gold- rush era. This brings me to the point I raise. Are these goals being achieved?
Castlemaine has a very unique history and the levee banks built along this section in the 18th century to divert the natural water flow are part of our
historical heritage, however, only patches are visible limiting their true significance. These stone wall constructions skirt the town centre and could be
incorporated into walking tours if Forest Creek was returned to its natural beauty showcasing the distinctive structure of the creek bed. Similar structures of such historical significance throughout the world have remained in their original state to attract worldwide visitors. My question now is to the residents of Castlemaine: Do we want to see this significant piece of history disappear into the undergrowth that is now our creek?
Removing trees not the answer
Joyce Sanders, Castlemaine.
As someone who has been fighting VicRoads’ tree-cutting campaigns for 15 years, the community of Newstead has my complete support.
There are so many other faults in our roads (potholes, poor signage, narrow edges, etc.) that VicRoads could be spending our public money on, and all of them involved with safety. Our own council fought to stop their tree-cutting past Chewton, and others fought campaigns on the Maldon Road. Sadly, when VicRoads got up to the Echuca road, they even dared to remove single isolated trees in paddocks.
If we were going to follow the logic of removing everything that a car could ever potentially run into, we would have to remove all power poles, all kangaroos, most buildings, and in the case of Castlemaine we’d need to get rid of all verandah posts and street furniture. Removing trees is not going to make drivers drive more safely. Only the driver can make that decision.
Thanks art lovers
Azzy Jay, on behalf of Castlemaine Fringe Festival Committee 2019.
The 2019 Castlemaine Fringe Festival committee would like to thank the wonderful artists and supporters of the arts that make up this vibrant, wonderful community. The fundraising Art Auction held at The Taproom on February 2 showcased some of the incredible talent of our local artists
and our communities appetite for fun and connection as well as some serious bidding, raising well over $11,500 in art sales, 50 per cent of which will go towards funding this year’s Fringe Festival, with the remaining 50 per cent going to the artists themselves. Such a great day, huge thanks to the artists who
contributed work, Suzanne Donnisthorpe and Jacinta Walsh for their wonderful commentary and knowledge of local artists, the Bosky Nova band for their tunes, Bill Maltby, our esteemed auctioneer and the Taproom for being such great hosts, The Bridge, The Mill, The Castlemaine Mail and Midland Express, Castlemaine Now, Print Together, The Castlemaine State Festival, Get Outta Town and the Wesley Hill Market Traders for their prizes and promotion and this wonderful Castlemaine community for turning up and putting their money where the art is!
The threat is real
Pat Healy, Chewton.
There are opinions and there are facts. Some issues, such as the date of Australia Day, are a matter of differing opinions that can promote important community discussion, as Ian Braybrook suggests (Castlemaine Mail February 1). But others, such as the impact of global warming, are a matter of fact. And opinions don’t change facts, although they can have serious consequences when they ignore or deny the facts. History is littered with examples of wars and disasters resulting from actions based on powerful people’s ill-informed opinions. And today, actions that communities across the world should be taking to minimise the impact of global warming are frequently hindered or even prevented by people who hold tight to their woefully ignorant opinions that 1 or 2 degrees of temperature rise will, in Bill Bayliss’ words, (Castlemaine Mail, Feb 1) “pose no threat” to our future. So by all means let us all discuss our differing opinions on anything and everything. But let us never forget that opinions that ignore or deny the facts almost always lead to, at best, unfortunate outcomes. And at worst they can lead to the sort of existential disaster that now threatens our planet and our children’s future.