The Harcourt community are celebrating this week after the announcement that the township will receive a $372,131 boost towards the construction of new unisex player and umpire change facilities at Harcourt Recreation Reserve.
Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards visited Harcourt on Wednesday to announce the state government investment which will benefit the local netball, football, cricket and tennis clubs. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
A Castlemaine man says he will fight a council decision that would require him to remove a large private waterslide he has already built in his front yard.
Castlemaine’s Brent Clayton says he is receiving legal advice and anticipating a VCAT hearing, after Mount Alexander Shire councillors knocked back granting retrospective approval for the 34 metre long waterslide – that’s longer if you count the bends.
This was despite a recommendation by the council’s planning department to retrospectively grant a permit with conditions.
Mr Clayton this week told the Mail he had the waterslide especially designed and built to run into an existing dam on his Merrifield Street property for family and friends to enjoy.
However, the site is affected by a heritage overlay, triggering the need for a permit.
An application for a permit was subsequently lodged in January, drawing formal objection from a neighbour whose concerns include that the waterslide disregards significant elements of the planning scheme and is out of character with the area.
The objection also relates to potential noise and impacts on flora and fauna.
A planning department report to the council recommended granting approval subject to conditions including limited the hours of operation, and landscaping.
And Mr Clayton told the Mail he had engaged a landscape designer in an effort to address the concerns.
But at the council’s June meeting councillors narrowly voted against granting a permit retrospectively… Read more in the Castlemaine Mail, Friday July 10, 2020
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The team at Windarring Recycled Store at 317 Barker Street are thrilled to be back on deck after the COVID-19 hiatus.
The crew at the Barker Street Store and at the Vintage Bazaar stall at The Mill Complex both resumed work in late May and have been overwhelmed by the warm response they have received from customers at both sites.
In fact, they recorded record sales at the Bazaar in June.
The Barker Street store is currently open reduced days and hours – Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11am-3pm and has social distancing and hand sanitising measures in place.
Windarring support worker Jakob Schmitt said they continued to work to support their clients and ADE Supported Employees during lockdown. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
More drug related offending has been detected in Mount Alexander Shire area in recent months, but Covid-19 appears to be driving some other forms of criminal offending down.
That’s the observation of local police this week, following the release of Victoria Police’s most recent crime statistics.
Castlemaine’s Senior Sergeant Peter Carey says there has been a 25 per cent increase in the detection of drug offending in the local police patch for the latest calendar year since January.
“We’ve seen an increase in the detection of drug offences. That’s a 25 per cent increase for the calendar year.
“Currently we’re at 195 detected offences as compared to 156 for the same time for the previous calendar year.
“Most of those will be possession, generally cannabis and methamphetamine.”
But he attributes this to a strengthened focus on detection of drug crime – rather than an actual increase in the local rates of drug related offending. Read more in the Castlemaine Mail 03.07.20
Retired corporate lawyer Mary Edquist only took up art in her early 50s but when she did it produced an explosion of work.
Now the latest exhibition by this Harcourt based artist is about to open at Castlemaine Contemporary Art Space.
Let there be more light will mark a return of public exhibitions to the little local gallery after weeks of coronavirus imposed hiatus.
Mary says the natural landscape of Harcourt has had a strong influence in the creation of the abstract impressionist works, many of them large-scale pieces, that feature in this show. Let there be more light opens at CASPA – situated above Stoneman’s Bookroom – on July 6 and runs through to Friday July 31. With social distancing still in place, gallery visiting times will be limited to Saturdays and Sundays between the hours of 12-4 pm. Read more in the Castlemaine Mail Friday, 03.07.20.
Prepare to bunker down, grab a brew and settle back to soak
up this year’s Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival offerings from the comfort
of your own couch.
That’s the message from the creative team behind the C-Doc festival as ticket
sales opened ahead of the festival that’s set to run over three consecutive
nights from Friday July 17.
While Covid-19 has forced this year’s fest to shift its screenings from
Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal to online delivery, the creative team is determined
to ensure the event maintains both its showcase documentary films plus its live
interactive panel discussions.
“Our point of difference as a festival is that we have the live events and
we’re still having the live events,” C-Doc general manager Scottie
Charalambous told the Mail this week.
“We’ve still really pushed to have those panels. (Festival director)
Claire Jager’s worked really hard on putting the right faces in front of the
cameras this time, rather than in front of the audience.
“And some of those participants will be streaming in from New York. It’ll
be as close as you can get to the live performance.
“So you will still get what C-Doc is essentially about but it will just be
through your tv or computer screen.
“So bunker down in the middle of winter and enjoy what we’re bringing to
you.
“We’re doing it because we didn’t want to let the community down.”
It’s the annual festival’s sixth year, and the first with it’s new creative
team at the helm.
Taking up the reins in January they were in full flight preparing to deliver
this year’s festival with its In The Clouds theme when the pandemic struck.
The team say its been a challenge but it’s one they’ve risen to meet head on.
“You have to be nimble,” says festival director Claire Jager whose
own professional background is in documentary production.
“Now its online appointment viewing. You’ll be tuning in for the night as
if you’re watching a live show,” she says.
“So you’ll see the film and then there’ll be a panel discussion afterwards
which will be streamed live.”
Ticket sales opened earlier this week via the festival’s Facebook space and
website where the program can also be found.
Forget toilet paper, over the last couple of months the hot new Covid commodity has been chooks!
The Mail caught up with Newstead local and Farmers Market regular Graeme Elshaug of Fancy Chooks on Wednesday to chat about the demand for domestic birds and how loads of families and young couples have been flocking to local markets to purchase chooks for their backyards.
Graeme has had a passion for chooks since he was a youngster.
“My Nana Martin, my mum and her sisters had chooks and my mentor Jack McPherson got me started breeding pure bred Australorp when I was just nine,” Graeme said.
“My mum and I used to attend all the agriculture shows. Mum used to enter her flowers, preserves and cooking and I’d take my chooks.”
Fifty six years later that passion continues.
Graeme and business partner Bill Wouda have been run off their feet since just before the crisis hit.
You can catch Fancy Chooks at the monthly Castlemaine Farmers’ Market tomorrow at Western Reserve. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
The Castlemaine Health Board of Management has accepted and endorsed the final Maternity Service Review report and its recommendations to ensure the return of maternity services to Castlemaine Health as soon as possible.
The review recommends a new model of maternity care, along with new clinical and governance processes. The reviewers have advised that, due to concerns about the potential risks associated with the current model of care, the service remain suspended until the key recommendations are addressed. It is hoped the service can resume within six months.
The virtual board meeting on Monday evening was attended by the GP obstetricians, members of the public and Safer Care Victoria.
Board Chair Margaret (Peggy) Ronnau told the community members and doctors present that “every board member is totally committed to the implementation of the recommendations of the independent report ensuring the maternity service can re-open as soon as possible.”
The next key steps include the appointment of a Clinical Lead – Midwifery; the appointment of a Project Officer to assist Castlemaine Health to transition to the new model of care; the establishment of a a Midwifery Governance Committee to oversee the implementation of the recommendations and transition to the new model of care and the establishment of a maternity Community Consultative Committee including between six and 10 community members. See today’s Mail for the full story and comment from Castlemaine Health, local GPs, Support Birthing at Castlemaine Health and Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards. Out Now.
Mount Alexander Golf Club stalwart Joyce Smith has claimed her 53rd Ladies Championship at the club.
The long time member claimed the win after the final round of competition on Tuesday this week once again writing her name in the history books – winning 53 championships in 55 years.
Fellow club member Jean Carmichael said its an incredible feat that may never be surpassed.
“It’s an amazing effort. We are extremely proud of Joyce and warmly congratulate her,” Jean said.
Joyce said playing at her beloved club has been a joy.
“I just love it. The people are the greatest you will find anywhere and the course is looking the best it has in years thanks to the hard work of our volunteers,” she said.
Joyce said the key to her success has been practice.
“I don’t mind practicing. In fact I really enjoy it. I think that if you want to be good at anything it takes practice,” the golfer said. See the Mail for more local sport news. Out Now.
Margaret Grey, Castlemaine
We appreciate all those businesses which have managed to stay open during the current crisis to keep our lives safe and comfortable e.g. medical practices, the post office, supermarkets, butchers, fruiterers, shops selling books, clothes, household items etc.
In addition great compassion is needed for all those cafe proprietors whose businesses have been so drastically affected by the covid virus. Some are closed, many are selling only take-away food and drink and nearly all of them are struggling financially.
Perhaps to keep our cafe culture going and vibrant we could give a thank-you card to every establishment we have enjoyed patronising- and even those we haven’t patronised yet. When we deliver a card we could also buy a coffee, cake, savoury snack or take-away meal.
Part of the reason we live in this area is the gregarious sociable atmosphere of local cafes so it is in our own interests to help these businesses survive and happily thrive.
One of Castlemaine’s newest imports, talented artist, teacher and author Catherine O’Leary has recently launched her latest book on the art of feltmaking Felt Forward – New Technologies in Feltmaking.
The former Melbourne artist’s favoured medium is a niche but worldwide ancient art form.
Catherine has been pursuing a passion for feltmaking for more than 30 years and is now at the forefront of developments in the art internationally.
Catherine has previously published a title on the subject From Felt to Fabric through publisher Lark Books in the USA in 2011.
This led to opportunities to teach and to present at schools, workshops and events all over the world including throughout Australia and the USA, England, Wales, Ireland, The Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea.
During that time she has been continuing to hone and master her craft and is excited to be able to share all she has discovered in her self published new title Felt Forward. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
Mount Alexander Shire Council is proud to announce the launch of a community driven project called Get Lost to showcase local creatives and is calling on artists, community, the creative sector and investors to get involved.
Mount Alexander Shire Council’s cultural development officer Vicki Anderson said creative minds across Jaara Country have been collaborating to explore new ways to finance, make and share creative work.
Ms Anderson said the Get Lost project, launched Tuesday, includes a creative and innovative online platform for makers and creators to collaborate, exchange ideas and share content.
“It also includes a grants program to kick start and generate content development and a philanthropic fund to establish the vital funds needed to support our creatives into the future.
“This exciting initiative was developed in partnership with the local creative workforce and the timeline has been rapidly accelerated due to COVID-19,” she said. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.
