To coincide with R U OK? Day (September 9) and National Suicide Prevent Day (September 10) grassroots Castlemaine health promotion organisation Hope Assistance Local Tradies (HALT) is working to reduce suicides in the trades and construction workforce with the launch of a new initiative.
The campaign aims to get the message of help-seeking out to tradies on building sites nationwide.
It centres on a sticker for the back of toilet doors on work sites, using QR code technology that links directly to a curated list of mental health resources and support services. See the Mail for the full story…
HALT launches new national initiative
Lions celebrate 50th anniversary
This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of Harcourt Football Netball Club’s 1971 Senior Premiership win in the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League (MCDFNL).
As featured in last week’s Mail 2021 marks five decades since the Harcourt side lined up against local rivals Campbells Creek to vie for grand final honours.
Harcourt Football Netball Club had big plans to mark the 50th anniversary milestone with a reunion last month but unfortunately covid lockdowns have forced the event to be moved to 2022.
To mark the special occasion Steve Tonzing, the son of 1971 Harcourt FNC premiership coach, captain and ruckman Trevor Tonzing, has penned a fantastic book about the memorable 1971 win.
Steve said he was only seven at the time but he remembers it was a very special day and one his dad was incredibly proud to be part of. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now…
A day for Dads!
There was a vibrant atmosphere at the monthly Castlemaine Farmers Market last Sunday September 5 with many dads at the market being spoilt with Father’s Day goodies.
Castlemaine Police spent some time at the market chatting to stallholders and were reportedly happy with the covid safe practices observed by stallholders and the wearing of masks by all.
CFM secretary Sally Kaptein said it was wonderful to see locals turning out to support farmers and producers at the monthly event and doing so in a safe and responsible way. Photo: Max Lesser.
Quiz night!
Join the Mount Alexander Shire Council Youth Mondo Team this arvo, Friday September 10, from 4pm for a Free Quiz Night! First place takes home a $50 prize!
Local young people are encouraged to test their skills in general knowledge, music, sport, pop-culture and more.
Not comfortable using your webcam? All G! join in just using your audio and still enjoy a great night of brain busters.
To get involved shoot the Mondo Lounge a message at youth@mountalexander.vic.gov.au, call or text 0429 421 214 or Direct Message them via the Mount Alexander Shire Council Youth Facebook page.
For this event you will need access to a laptop or PC, mobile phone/tablet and WIFI.
The Quiz Night is aimed at ages 12-25 years.
Fast charge station for the ‘maine
Eve Lamb
Castlemaine finally has it’s own public electric vehicle fast charge station in a move positioning the town in a prime strategic stop on the state’s expanding road map of charge stations.
The new Tritium fast charge station was installed last Saturday in the car park behind the town’s Market Building and Visitor Information Centre, and has quickly been being put to good use by the growing number of EV drivers.
Among them new Nissan Leaf owners, Chewton’s John Ellis and Marie Jones this week tried out the new charger and were quick to give it their personal stamp of approval.
“I think this is brilliant,” said Ms Jones. “It’s so local and central and is also helping to normalise the uptake of electric vehicles.”
Mr Ellis said getting an EV was something he’d been contemplating for a long time before finally making the purchase in recent months.
“We’ve got a (solar powered) charge station at home, but certainly this new charge station will be handy for shopping,” he said.
Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance executive officer Rob Law said the new tritium fast charge station will cost EV users 40c/kwh to use to charge up.
“The charger will be 100 per cent renewable electricity from first of January 2022,” he said.
“The charger has two plugs and allows two cars to charge at the same time. It’s not yet set up for two cars at once but hopefully in the next two weeks (it will be),” Mr Law told the Mail this week.
“At 75 kilowatts, it’s one of the fastest ones on the whole Charging the Region’s network,” Mr Law said. Read more in today’s Mail…
‘Gonzo’ plunge into the ghetto
Eve Lamb
Out of two global disasters comes the newly released debut novel by Castlemaine’s Maz Wilson.
Ghetto traces the life of a young Australian photographer as she takes a ‘gonzo’ plunge into the ghetto, sharing a rundown terrace with grungers in inner Melbourne, squatting in a condemned tenement with ‘fringe dwellers’ in London and living with artists in a seedy loft in Manhattan.
Then, instead of covering the story, Alex becomes part of one, as she escapes New York’s most audacious attack.
While a work of fiction, Ghetto is strongly grounded in fact surrounding the 2001 9/11 World Trade Centre twin towers attack, and the book’s release coincides with the 20th anniversary of that catastrophic event that triggered the war on Afghanistan.
“I went to writing school at RMIT and at that time 9/11 hit,” recounts widely-travelled Wilson whose prior published non-fiction works include Life on the Edge and Brunswick Street Art & Revolution.
The second global calamity that brought the book into being is the COVID-19 pandemic with the writer acknowledging that it was finding herself in lockdown that brought the book into being.
“You can thank COVID for that,” she says.
It had been fomenting for two decades – ever since the date of the actual twin towers attack when Wilson, at the time studying writing at RMIT, was prompted to start taking notes recording the devastating historic event as it unfolded before the eyes of the world.
She says that in writing Ghetto she drew heavily on factual news reports alongside her own personal experiences of locations in which her narrative unwinds including Fitzroy, London and New York. Read more in today’s Mail…
Graffiti vandals strike again
The Castlemaine community was dismayed after graffiti vandals targeted a number of community buildings and businesses last week.
Members of the Castlemaine Hot Rod Centre (CHRC) were extremely upset to discover extensive graffiti and tags splashed across the entrance doors and various walls around the Castlemaine Autoplex facility at Etty Street.
CHRC chairman Larry O’Toole said he discovered the latest damage after calling into the centre to undertake security checks last Wednesday morning (August 22).
The group discovered discarded paint tins and footprints at the site where the offenders had walked through the paint and have passed this all on to the local police. Anyone with information about these latest incidents is urged to contact the Castlemaine Police. See the Mail for the full story…
Get your entry in!
Have you got your entry in for our 2021 Castlemaine Mail ‘Golden Ticket’ promotion? You will have discovered the ninth and final piece of the jigsaw puzzle in last Friday’s August 27 edition.
If you missed any of the pieces contact our office and we can arrange back copies of the Mail.
To be in the running to win a share of $5000 to spend at one of our 21 wonderful Golden Ticket buy local promotion businesses all you need do is collect the nine puzzle pieces which appeared in Mail over the nine weeks and paste them to the back of your ‘Golden Ticket’! First prize is $3000, second prize $1000 and third and fourth prize winners will receive $500 each.
Our Golden Ticket businesses include: Barker Street Cafe, Beehave, Castlemaine IGA, Castlemaine News & Lotto, Clifford’s Quality Cuts, Dales Discount, Extremity Street and Sport, Greenaway Bins. Hip Pocket Workwear Castlemaine, Hot & Crusty Bakery, JM Leech Jewellers, Maine Shoes and Accessories, Maldon Crystals, Midland Pet Supplies, Miss Maisie, Mulberrys Delicatessen, PJ’s Tyres, Robertson Hyetts Solicitors, Stevens Mensland, Taylors Home Centre and The Tea Dispensary.
Once you’ve collected all nine puzzle pieces, drop your lucky ticket off at the Mail office or post it to us at 13 Hargraves Street, Castlemaine.
You can enter as many times as you like but you must use the original golden ticket and puzzle pieces. You can also obtain back copies of the Mail from our office when restrictions ease.
The competition winners will be drawn on Wednesday September 15, notified by phone and published in the Mail on September 17.
All participating businesses have ads in the paper featuring the ‘Golden Ticket’ and will display posters in their windows throughout the promotion. Good luck!
Creek marks 50th anniversary milestone
The Campbells Creek Football Netball Club is set to mark the 50th anniversary milestone of their Firsts and Seconds sides both vying for grand final honours in the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League (MCDFNL) in 1971.
Creek’s First 18 tackled Harcourt in the premiership showdown that year and was unlucky to finish runner-up after a real arm-wrestle.
The Creek Magpies Second 18 came up trumps however in their match against Newstead. See the Mail for the full story…
Embroidery event on soon
Have you ever wanted to give your furnishings or clothing a bit of a lift or create beautiful new art pieces using the ancient art of embroidery with a modern twist?
Commercial classes tend to be expensive and quite a distance away but here in Castlemaine we have our very own branch of the Embroiderers Guild of Victoria and their talented members have a range of specialties and a passion for stitching.
The local branch are holding their next gathering on Wednesday September 15 if restrictions allow and invite interested community members to come along.
Kid’s lockdown special hits the radiowaves today!
After the overwhelming success of last weeks kid’s special – local radio station MainFM 94.9 are putting together a Kid’s Lockdown Special: Part Two!
Tune in today, Friday September 3, from 11am to 1pm, for the two hour special broadcast, dedicated to and programmed by the kids of Mount Alexander Shire – and quite possibly beyond, presented by Fionna Allan and her 10 year old daughter and co-presenter Elin Allan-Rogers.
MainFM first presented The Kids Lockdown Special last Friday August 27 and it was incredibly well received with more than 60 local young people tuning in and contributing.
The project, conceived and presented by MainFM presenter Fionna Allan of popular MainFM show ‘One Crowded Hour’, invites kids to submit recorded messages, poems, jokes, request songs and shout outs to their friends. See the Mail for the full story.
Vaccinations – your questions answered
With the news this week that 16-39 year olds are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, Castlemaine Health’s busy clinic staff are working hard to respond to all the enquiries.
Castlemaine Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Nurse Unit Manager Shelley Leathem has urged the public to use the Loddon Mallee Registration Hub link on Castlemaine Health’s website to secure an appointment.
“We’re receiving a high number of calls with people requesting an appointment, but the only way to register is via the link. Once you’ve registered using that link, we’ll contact you when an appointment becomes available,” Shelley said.
We asked Shelley to answer some of the most frequently asked questions the COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic team are hearing. See the Mail for details. Out Now.