Entries for the 2019 Castlemaine Poetry Prize are now open.
After a recess in 2017-2018, while Castlemaine Mail editor Lisa Dennis was on maternity leave, the popular competition returns in 2019.
Entries are now open in the Senior (over 16) section. Two awards will be presented this year for ‘Best Poem’ and the ‘Judge’s Choice Award’.
There are three categories (and prizes) for juniors. The sections are for Grade 2 and Under, Grade 6 and Under and Year 10 and Under.
The poem must not have been published or have won another prize, a strict maximum of 40 lines applies and all entries should be double spaced. Poets can choose any theme. There is no entry fee but only three entries from each poet are allowed.
Contact details, including a phone number must be enclosed but preferably not on the same page as the poem.
Castlemaine poets Tegan Gigante and Annie Hunter will judge this year’s competition.
Elliott Midland Newspapers is proudly sponsoring the 2019 Castlemaine Poetry Prize which carries a first prize of $100 (Senior section) and an award. The ‘Judge’s Choice Award’ is proudly supported by Soldier and Scholar Bookshop and the winner will receive an award and a $50 book voucher.
Mount Alexander Shire Council is sponsoring the three junior prizes with the winner of each section to receive a trophy and $50 book voucher.
Selected entries, including the winning poems, will be published in the Castlemaine Mail.
Entries can be submitted via email to ldennis@midnews.com.au, mailed to 2019 Castlemaine Poetry Prize, 29 Templeton Street, Castlemaine, VIC 3450 or dropped into our office at the same address.
The junior section closes on Friday July 26 at 5pm and the senior section closes on Friday August 9 at 5pm. For more information call Lisa on 5472 1788.
The awards will be presented to our winners at ceremonies to be held in mid September. Stay tuned for details.
Castlemaine Poetry Prize returns
Hot jazz to warm weekend
Castlemaine will warm itself with plenty of hot jazz this long weekend as the town hosts its sixth annual jazz festival.
As the program fires up this evening, the festival’s Tina Helm says this year’s running of the event aims to appeal to a broader audience.
“We’re really aiming towards quite a broad audience this year, as you can see from some of the programming such as Seven Ups and Shirazz that we’re aiming at younger audiences as well,” Tina says.
“They’re really big party bands so there’s going to be some wilder times thrown in there among the more traditional jazz. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail…
Flu season hits home
More Castlemaine residents have been getting flu vaccinations this season with local health professionals also reporting a spike in the number of influenza cases so far this season.
Castlemaine pharmacists are among those reporting an increase in the number of people keen to get a flu jab in an effort to dodge the dreaded flu this season.
At Castlemaine’s Mostyn Street Clinic Dr Gavin Rowland reports an observable increase in flu cases this season with swab test results indicating it’s the A strain that’s been most prevalent locally.
“There’s been a lot of flu going through the town,” Dr Rowland said.
And while the flu arrived early this season, the raw numbers suggest it’s not just the early arrival that’s inflated the case load so far.
“I think it’s a genuine increase,” Dr Rowland said.
Practice nurse at Castlemaine’s Lyttleton street Clinic Jane Fitzgibbon says there have been more confirmed cases of influenza A locally this year – and more people wanting to be vaccinated against flu. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail …
Feast of Art
Art lovers are in for a treat this long weekend as the Rotary Club of Castlemaine hosts its 32nd annual art show, transforming the local town hall with wall-to-wall quality original artworks.
Enthusiastic organisers began setting up days ago, installing hundreds of attention grabbing original pieces spanning multiple genre and media including watercolour, oil, pastel, photography and 3D works with jewelry a new inclusion.
Among the many talented artists represented is 97-years-young Castlemaine resident Peggy Shaw, still an enthusiastically practicing artist who has donated some of her ever-popular work as a raffle prize for this year’s show.
The long-running and much anticipated annual art event raises funds for a wide range of community projects that the local Rotary club supports, last year raising more than $10,000.
The club’s chairman Vin Cappy says all of the proceeds raised this year will again be channeled into club projects. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail.
LET’S GET ACTIVE!
Eight weeks after open heart surgery Newstead resident and local councillor John ‘Nemo’ Nieman has a new lease of life and is encouraging others to be more active in their own healthcare.
With the Healthy Heart of Victoria 2019 Active Living Census now open, John is encouraging people to have their say. See more in the Castlemaine Mail.
That big jazz sound
The Goldfields Jazz Orchestra is getting set to dispense some big sound at next weekend’s Castlemaine Jazz Festival.
More than a year on from when Castlemaine Secondary College music teachers Kirsten Boerema and Michael Timcke had a brainwave to form the region’s own jazz orchestra, the big 18-piece outfit has become an invaluable creative outlet for jazz musos who live and work everywhere from Bendigo to Ballarat.
Right now they’re in full swing rehearsing to perform at Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal as part of next weekend’s festival line up. Full story in today’s Castlemaine Mail …
Get cracking for the Colossal Cake-Off
The cake loving coordinators of Castlemaine Artists Market are challenging everyone who thinks they can turn out a pretty impressive cake to get cracking and enter this Sunday’s Colossal Cake-Off.
This Sunday marks the popular market’s 13th birthday and the return of the Colossal Cake-Off is a very apt way to celebrate, says the market’s manager Rachel Valentyne who is co-coordinating the cake-based event.
The Colossal Cake-Off proved an instant hit with market goers when it ran over the last two years, going down with well with cake bakers and eaters alike and raising funds to help run Castlemaine’s award-winning Main FM 94.9 community radio station in the process.
Punctum goes potty
The creative folk at Punctum Live Arts have decided to clean out the negative energy and make some more space to be creative, starting with the leftover pots from their Cooling House project.
They’ll be holding a silent auction, open now until Monday June 10. Find out more about this event and other local events by reading the What’s On page in the Castlemaine Mail.
Kooky ukey love story
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 …
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.”