Are you passionate about social justice and want to know more about inclusivity? Do you want to better understand the experiences of LGBTIQ+ people?
Castlemaine District Community Health (CDCH) has received funding for a two year grant – Castlemaine Takes Pride – to improve the wellbeing of people in the LGBTIQ+ community.
CDCH prevention and allied services manager Louise Falconer said there’s a huge amount of goodwill in the shire and they want to build on that.
“The first step to improving health and wellbeing is to create a supportive environment free of discrimination,” Ms Falconer said.
“In September we’ll hold community workshops to give everyone in Mount Alexander the chance to find out more about LGBTIQ+ issues and about how they can support their LGBTIQ+ friends.
“We want everyone to come along. Doesn’t matter how much you know or don’t know. The most important thing is that you want to learn,” she said.
For the full story see last Friday’s Castlemaine Mail.
Supporting LGBTIQ+
Game on!
Castlemaine Office Supplies’ (COS) renowned board game aficionado Justin Hallam-Stephens has just returned home from a whirlwind tour of Gen Con in the United States.
The Indianapolis games expo, which has been running for over 50 years, is the biggest games event in North America and is a must for games retailers, enthusiasts and collectors with over 60,000 attending. For the full story see last Friday’s Castlemaine Mail.
Forgotten Rebels
La Trobe historian and author Associate Professor Clare Wright and Hollywood producer and writer Anne Kenney stopped over in Castlemaine on Tuesday last week as part of a research tour of the goldfields region for upcoming project Forgotten Rebels: From Book to Screen.
La Trobe University recently announced it is investing $200,000 into developing the pilot TV script and treatment for Associate
Professor Wright’s Stella Prize winning book, The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka about the little acknowledged role of women in the Eureka Stockade.
Anne Kenney (Outlander, ER, LA Law) has been secured to develop the pilot script. For the full story see last Friday’s Castlemaine Mail.
Politics opposite the pub
Local political pundits are in for a treat this weekend as Newstead hosts Politics Opposite The Pub with former leader of the Democrats Cheryl Kernot among the featured guest speakers.
The keenly anticipated Sunday session is part of the Words in Winter festival and has organisers itching to exercise their democratic rights to present the event that is really three in one – all at Newstead’s Community Centre. Full details in today’s Mail.
MND event returns
The third ‘MND up the creek’ is set to be held on Sunday, August 19.
Event organiser Steve Adamson said Rod and Carol Hadfield have been very kind in offering their Chewton property for use for the event after technical issues around insurance were raised and the event which was to be held at the Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve was cancelled.
“It’s back on, and its going to be a great day,” Steve said.
For more details read the full story in the Castlemaine Mail and see the post on the Castlemaine Mail Facebook page. Please note Steve’s correct contact number is 0427 705 771.
Solar win for CSC
Castlemaine Secondary College (CSC) has won a fully installed 20.625kW solar system worth more than $26,000 as the Victorian winner of Origin Energy’s Solar for Schools competition.
CSC’s winning entry was submitted by school captain Nioka Mellick-Cooper and driven by the school’s sustainability group. School council president Beth Mellick said the school’s entry came about by chance. Read the full story in the Castlemaine Mail.
Elements of earth
Four Newstead area artists have joined forces to create the latest exhibition now showing at Newstead Railway Arts Hub.
EarthBody features original works by Chrisanne Blennerhassett, Ann Berg, Belinda Prest and Saide Gray – all inspired by elements in the natural landscape of central Victoria’s woodlands, plains and forests. Full story in today’s Mail …
Pitching in for stricken farmers
As farmers in New South Wales grapple with record-breaking drought, a local family business in Castlemaine is pitching in to help out.
Derek Steen’s Auto Care has instated Fridays for Farmers with 100 per cent of labour costs from any car service booked in on a Friday from now through to the end of October going to help drought stricken NSW farmers feed stock facing potential starvation. Full story in today’s Mail …
Kian wins
Castlemaine Secondary College student and Castlemaine singing talent Kian Brownfield has won the prestigious Triple J Unearthed High competition for his song Waiting.
Kian was reportedly performing his song before a whole school assembly last Wednesday when the school fire alarm sounded. As Kian and fellow students filed out of the gymnasium they were greeted by a couple of Triple J presenters aboard a fire truck who delivered Kian the exciting news that he was the 2018 winner!
Visit our facebook page at /www.facebook.com/castlemainemail/ to catch the video of the special announcement.
Calamity Jane hits the stage
Castlemaine Secondary College student Karli Showell spent her work experience week with the Castlemaine Mail editorial team recently to get a taste of life as a journalist and photographer. We invited Karli to write something of interest to her and are delighted to share this piece she wrote about CSC’s upcoming production, Calamity Jane!
Karli Showell
Castlemaine Secondary College is proud to present our upcoming production of Calamity Jane! This year I’m the stage manager for our school production and, as I was doing work experience at the newspaper, I thought this would be a great opportunity for a little promotion!
In the past you may have been to some of our other CSC productions including our most recent ones; Little Shop of Horrors, Into the Woods, and Grease. This year’s old time favourite musical is hitting it off with rehearsals already underway, costumes being made and props being sourced from all around town!
Calamity Jane is a musical about American frontierswoman, Martha Jane Cannary, who was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok and fighting against Indians. Our musical being based off the movie starring Doris Day as Calamity, directed by David Butler and produced by the Warner Brothers, has a humorous cast and little modern tweaks.
The main casting roles including some of our Year 12’s, Lilly Betts as Calamity, Dante Michielin as Lieut. Danny Gilmartin, Nioka Mellick-Cooper as Henry Miller, Holly Showell-Roche as Rattlesnake, Murray Hammersley as Joe and other main characters including Lloyd Meadows as Wild Bill Hickok, Maisie Mellick-Cooper as Katie Brown, Isla Byrne as Susan, Teague Calloway as Francis Fryer, Sigrid Doolan as Adelaide Adams, Nelly Wilsher as Doc, Michael Penrose as Hank, Otis Showell-Roche as Pete and Alkira O’Sullivan as the Colonel of Fort Scully.
The chorus this year being made up of mainly Year 7 and 8 students and our main singing chorus of Year 10 and 11 students.
We are always lucky to have many parent and teacher helpers with the school’s own drama teacher Darren Lowe filling the role of director. This year Year 12 student Martineau Byrne has also taken on the role choreographer.
Parents and teachers help to make costumes and source props and also do hair and makeup on the production nights. My job as stage manager involves writing
down directions and props for the cast members and also working out sound and lighting cues for the other stage crew.
Our school prides itself on having one of the best music streams, offering music camps and school productions. But these events couldn’t happen without the support of you – the community – buying cakes and sausages at our bake sales and buying tickets for our shows.
This latest experience behind the scenes has given me the chance to work with some amazing people and learn a lot about the industry of productions.
So please, come and see this terrific production and support all the hard work and effort that has gone into making it possible. The show will be staged at the Castlemaine Town Hall for three shows only on Thursday August 30, Friday August 31 and Saturday September 1 at 7.30pm. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students and $70 families (2 adults, 2 kids) and can be purchased online at Trybooking.com/388595.
Celebrating 50 years
In today’s fast paced jobs market is not uncommon for employees to move on to a new opportunity every few years.
In fact, it is estimated today’s young people may have as many as 17 employers in their lifetime!
So when Flowserve’s Castlemaine pump division stalwart Gordon Brown recently notched up an extraordinary 50 years of service at the local foundry, it was certainly cause for celebration.
Gordon told the Mail he started work at the foundry, then known as Thompson Kelly and Lewis, as a 16-and-a-half-year-old.
“I was tired of school and my trade teacher suggested I approach Thompsons to see if there were any opportunities available,” Go
rdon said.
“I approached them early in the week, got a positive response and returned to school on the Friday to let the headmaster know I was leaving indefinitely.”
“He was delighted and wished me the best of luck with my apprenticeship.”
Flowserve general manager operations Australia/New Zealand David Boak said that Gordon’s achievement was remarkable.
“We regularly present service awards for 10, 20, 30 and 40 years service but when I saw Gordon’s 50 year award it really made me stop and think. This employee has devoted his entire life to the company and that is something that we as a company, Gordon’s family and of course Gordon himself should be very proud of,” Mr Boak said.
Flowserve employees celebrated the milestone with a cake, the presentation of a certificate and gift followed by a luncheon.
Gordon said when he started at Thompsons, which was founded in Castlemaine in 1875, there was more than 600 employees.
“I feel fortunate to have survived the various restructures. I’ve had to adapt to suit the changes and have worked in numerous roles, predominately in machining, including the role of supervisor.”
Gordon said when he started with the company work was carried out in gangs where the older more experienced workers would pass on their skills and knowledge to the younger workers.
“I’ve seen many characters before me achieve their 50-year milestones so I guess that really inspired me,” Gordon said.
“I appreciate everything the role has given me, it has help put a roof over my head and put our children through school.”
Gordon said he has certainly seen a lot of changes at the foundry in his time.
“It was all pen and paper when I started back in 1968, there were no computers! There were also big changes when we moved from the imperial system to metric,” he said.
Nowadays Gordon works as shop controller and spares using his extensive knowledge to ensure everyone has the components they need and everything is running smoothly.
Local Power
It was a day to remember in Ballarat on Sunday, July 29 when home grown footballing talent, Kane Farrell, made his AFL debut for Port Adelaide. For the full story see last Friday’s Castlemaine Mail.