Community News
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Ready to roll at Romsey
After 11 years of community campaigning and determination, Romsey Skatepark is now ready to roll. A large crowd gathered to mark the skatepark’s official opening on Sunday, where the project creators and supporters were celebrated. Lancefield Romsey Lions Club has been a key driver of project with long-serving Lions members Ged McLaughlin vital in building…
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Kyneton Hospital offers new services
Kyneton Health has introduced new services and equipment to make it easier for patients to access high-quality, bulk-billed Allied Health support close to home. In recent months, Kyneton Health has strengthened its lymphoedema care and cancer support services, and added a new podiatry service. Local residents living with lymphoedema or cancer no longer need to…
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Preserving life’s memories
Talented Chewton filmmaker Noora Niasari is offering residents an incredible opportunity to document their loved-ones’ stories, immortalising their memories forever. Noora and her partner Keiran Watson-Bonnice, who has years of post-production experience, brought their collective love and expertise in filmmaking together to form Parandeh Pictures in 2022. Back from the whirlwind tour of Noora’s 2023…
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Volunteers celebrate their garden
The gardens at Macedon and Mount Macedon Community House are in full bloom — and so too is the community spirit behind them. Surrounded by ornamental and productive plantings, the Community House has become a thriving hub for local volunteers who have spent the past year transforming the grounds into a series of vibrant garden…
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‘Heroes amongst heroes’
The tight-knit community of Harcourt North held a gathering on February 13 to thank some of the heroes who assisted them during the devastating January 9 fire and its aftermath. Ravenswood South property owner Bryan Palmer thanked all the firefighters who came to their aid on that fateful day in “what must have been unfathomable…
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Team Top Gun returns
For David Tyquin and his son Calvin, the 2026 Shitbox Rally isn’t just about driving a $1500 car across Australia, it’s about driving hope. The Kyneton and Malmsbury father-son team is returning to the rally to raise funds for the Cancer Council in support of families impacted by cancer. From May 1-9, they’ll tackle some…
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Giving back to those who gave
In support of the Redesdale and District communities, the Redesdale Recreational Reserve Committee and the Redesdale and District Association are hosting a community barbecue on Sunday to support volunteer firefighters who lost their homes during the recent fires in Harcourt. “Our community barbecue is about giving back to those who gave so much for others…
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Breaking down barriers
A welcome barbecue held recently at the Woodend Children’s Park brought together refugee families and local supporters, marking the start of the year for Macedon Ranges Rural Australians for Refugees. Despite cool and blustery weather, about 30 refugees and asylum seekers travelled from Melbourne to attend the event. Coordinated with support from the Melbourne-based Brigidine…
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Music for Mark’s Country Place
Head to the Kyneton Mechanics Institute on Sunday March 1 for a special afternoon of classical music in support of Mark’s Country Place – a developing all-access garden in Kyneton dedicated to people of all abilities. Music for Mark’s Country Place is a Baroque concert featuring distinguished Melbourne Symphony Orchestra musicians and local mezzo-soprano Kristen…
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Re-imagining the shire’s future
A community art project is celebrating the stories, spaces and creative spirit of Castlemaine and beyond. Mapping Our Futures is the brainchild of self-confessed ‘map nerd’ Michael Chew, a local designer and social ecologist. Michael worked alongside four other talented local artists, Wendy Hopkins, Sarah Taylor, Kirsten Moegerlein and Eunice Rigo, to bring the project…
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Tatts for a cause
Forest Creek Tattoo is gearing up to hold a ‘Home is where the Harcourt is’ Tattoo Flash Day this Sunday February 8. The Castlemaine-based tattoo studio has hosted a number of Flash Days in the past for causes close to their heart, and wanted to do something to support the community of Harcourt and surrounds…
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Community a ‘lifeline’ to small business
By Lara Prust Kyneton’s Super Sushi had customers lining up outside their doors for the first time in years over the long weekend. Local resident Danni Gray had her eye on Super Sushi since it opened in 2013, thinking how “ballsy” it was to open a sushi store in a small regional town. Four years…