Community News
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Lighting up Kyneton
Kyneton has a festive glow thanks to a new Kyneton Christmas Collective lights and decoration competition this year. The newly formed collective is a small group of passionate community members planning Christmas activities in Kyneton throughout December. A lights and decoration competition has been a much-anticipated event with prizes awarded for the residential displays. The…
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Giz Asaurus’ grand reveal
The identity of Gisborne’s loveable sign-baring dinosaur Giz Asaurus has been revealed as he moves to pass the suit on. Gisborne teen Sam Upsher revealed himself as Giz to much excitement during the the Gisborne Festival parade earlier this month. The 15-year-old created the identity about nine months ago as a way to connect with…
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Don’t kill your compost, it’s alive!
Good quality, home-made compost is teaming with life, and because of this we need to care for it, to the very end! When we have spent months making a great batch of compost, getting it just right, the last thing we want to do is kill it.At the heart of it, compost is about creating…
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Students learn bushfire readiness
Grade 5/6 students at St Ambrose Primary School in Woodend undertook an important project this semester, addressing a critical issue: the increasing risk of bushfires in Australia. Worsened by climate change, these events are becoming more frequent and severe, posing significant challenges to communities. Current research emphasises the value of place-based, action-oriented bushfire education to…
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Student’s artwork featured in Melbourne
Woodend RMIT student Lucinda Johnson-Cornes’ textile design will be featured on a range of new furniture installed by Melbourne Central Shopping Centre from December. The sofas and armchairs are manufactured by Indigenous furniture supplier Winya, where Johnson-Cornes undertook a work placement during her Bachelor of Textiles (Design) (Honours). The design is inspired by the native…
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Call to restore creek
Romsey residents are seeking action to clean up Five Mile Creek and improve the surrounding area for passive recreation. A masterplan for the creek includes a vision for the reserve as well as a series of initiatives such as pathway extensions, environmental improvements, signage and passive recreation infrastructure. Residents have reported willows and fallen tree…
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Is that mulch or is it compost?
There is no agreed definition of what compost actually is or isn’t, and a huge array of commercial products sold as ‘compost’ look more like ‘mulch’ to me. Some people use the terms ‘mulch’ and ‘compost’ interchangeably, but that could get very confusing if I say, “it’s a good idea to mulch your compost after…
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Local talent to shine
The 2024 Rotary Carols in the Park returns to Castlemaine’s Victory Park this Friday evening and is once again set to feature a host of local talent. Rotarian and Carols coordinator Scott Buchanan is at the helm for his third and final year and says it will be a special event not to be missed.…
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‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’
Festooned with hand-made Christmas trees, bunting and bows, Castlemaine resembles the township of ‘Whoville’ from the Christmas classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Unfortunately, the resemblance does not end there. Like every classic tale, a villain appeared and stole the ladder the volunteers were using to decorate the town. The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole…
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Gardens make progress
The Friends of Kyneton Botanic Gardens group is ending 2024 with increased membership and major progress in the gardens. Members are also celebrating two successful tours as part of the Daffodil and Arts Festival, a successful plant sale with Kyneton Horticultural Society in November and significant plans for the year ahead. The Friends have worked…
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A sprinkling of Christmas sparkle
Newham CFA members have brought Christmas sparkle to their home village … and a lot of it is clever recycling! While a mass of hundreds of solar-powered twinkling lights give the intersection where the fire station stands a festive glow at night, during the daytime the recycled decorations stand out in pride of place. Wooden…
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Seaweed in compost? Yes but…
The answer to the question of whether adding seaweed to our compost will enhance it, is a simple yes. Seaweed is a rich source of nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphate, which are essential for plant growth. It also contains vitamins, amino acids and trace elements like manganese, zinc, copper and boron, which are often…