The dedicated team at Castlemaine Art Museum (CAM) have been working hard behind the scenes to continue to maintain the gallery, catalogue the collection and prepare new exhibitions for the public to enjoy when the gallery can reopen.

Regular email updates and ‘Reflections on Castlemaine Art Museum’ generously shared by local artists and curators have also been keeping the CAM community connected with the collection during lockdown, including contributions from Judy Annear on painter Jenny Watson, Peter Perry on Arnold Shore and Mark Dober on Fred Williams.

CAM Renewal Director Naomi Cass said it has been a very busy time.
“The community will be pleased to know the gallery has been well cared for during the closure and we have continued to work on photographing and cataloguing the collection to be featured on our beautiful new website which is being developed as we speak,” Ms Cass said.

The Castlemaine Art Museum is being assisted in this work by its new media partner Art Guide Australia and the project has been supported by funding from the Albert and Barbara Tucker Foundation. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.

Local advocacy group Support Birthing at Castlemaine Health (SBACH) and local GPS are extremely disappointed with the Castlemaine Health Board’s decision on Monday night to continue the suspension of birthing services until the beginning of its planned review, which was understood was not due to commence until next Friday June 5. 

The move comes despite a 1000 plus strong community petition calling for services to resume whilst the review takes place.
SBACH spokesperson Arabella Davison said no response has been given to the community’s requests for details about why the Board commissioned the review, what concerns have been raised, or who has raised them. 

Castlemaine Health has advised the Mail its planned review of its maternity services has now commenced.
Dr Rupert Sherwood has been appointed to lead the review. 
Dr Sherwood is the Acting Clinical Services Director Women’s and Children’s Division at Western Health, and former president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

He has 20 years of experience as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Consultant and over 40 years as a medical practitioner, including 10 years as a GP obstetrician in Albany, Western Australia.
CEO Ian Fisher said with Dr Sherwood’s expertise and the support of Bendigo Health, it may be possible to reopen maternity services earlier than the July 1 date tabled. See the Mail for the full stories. Out now.

The upcoming Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week will be recognised a little differently this year, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved and show respect. 
Sorry Day, held on May 26 each year, is an annual day of remembrance to acknowledge the pain and injustice experienced by members of the stolen generation. 
National Reconciliation Week starts the following day from May 27 to June 3. 

Mount Alexander Shire Council usually hosts an event to commemorate Sorry Day, however due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, will take to social media to mark the occasion. 
Council’s inclusive communities coordinator Sharna Cropley said whilst we can’t be physically together to show respect, we can show respect publically via social media and privately on the Country where we are. 
“Every one of us has a role to play in reconciliation, and by all of us playing our part, we can collectively build relationships and communities that value, recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their cultures and their histories,” Ms Cropley said. 

Throughout Reconciliation Week Council will share interesting links on their Facebook page, showcasing some of the work of their partners including videos from our local Elders, as well as flying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait island flags proudly from our historic Market Building. 
The theme for the 2020 National Reconciliation Week is ‘In this Together’. This theme was announced last year, but is now resonating in ways that were not foreseeable at the time. 

“It is a reminder for all of us that like with reconciliation, in times of crisis, we are all in this together,” Ms Cropley said. 
“We encourage everyone to acknowledge this important week in their own special way and look out for the many virtual events happening online.” 
Enjoy Indigenous films and videos from our region and across Australia through the Central Victorian Indigenous Film Festival. Now in its fourth year, the film festival will be hosted online in 2020, with plenty of options to choose from. The program will be available at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au. There are also many other virtual events happening around the country. Find details at https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/. 

This year also marks the twentieth anniversary of the Reconciliation Walks in 2000, when people came together to walk on bridges and roads across the nation and show their support for a more reconciled and inclusive Australia.