Community News

  • Banter and goodwill – Volunteers keep op shop tradition thriving in Woodend

    Banter and goodwill – Volunteers keep op shop tradition thriving in Woodend

    A special camaraderie exists between the volunteers who manage Woodend’s Uniting Church Op Shop. This cheerful group shares a love of giving back to the community, plenty of cheeky banter and a healthy sense of humour – a necessity when the clothing off your own back gets accidentally sold out from under you! “You can’t…

  • Help in your pocket

    Help in your pocket

    A handy new wallet card is available from local businesses and community hubs to keep local residents mentally well in Mount Alexander Shire in the lead up to Christmas. Central Victorian Primary Care Partnership executive officer Shelly Lavery said the the new cards were easy to understand with tips on how to stay on top…

  • Youth shine in awards

    Youth shine in awards

    Extraordinary and diverse achievements of young people were celebrated in the Macedon Ranges Youth Awards last week. Eight youths recognised across six categories were: Michael Smith, Daniel Smyth, Isaac Fletcher, Shyla McPhail, Kirk Close, Kyle Hayes, Monet Lewis and Emily Medbury. Mayor, Cr Jennifer Anderson said the event acknowledged the many ways young people participated…

  • Reverse advent calendar to share some Christmas cheer

    Reverse advent calendar to share some Christmas cheer

    A different kind of advent calendar aims to bring cheer to Macedon Ranges families in need this Christmas. Woodend Neighbourhood House is inviting locals to take part in the reverse advent calendar project. Unlike a regular advent calendar where the focus is on receiving a treat every day, the reverse advent calendar takes the focus…

  • Celebrating our differences

    Celebrating our differences

    Today is the International Day of People with Disability. Mount Alexander Shire Disability Action Group chair Lorraine Le Plastrier said one in five Australians lived with a disability and 90 per cent of those lived with an invisible disability. “The theme of this year’s International Day of People with Disability is ‘not all disabilities are…

  • Busy, busy, busy at new Romsey Co-op

    Busy, busy, busy at new Romsey Co-op

    The new Romsey Community Co-Op was officially opened on Saturday. An initiative of the Romsey Neighbourhood House, the strategically placed co-op shop serves multiple purposes, and is run entirely by volunteers. The exciting project has already received considerable support, and months of work and planning culminated in Saturday’s opening. Neighbourhood house coordinator and co-op manager…

  • Mosley to feature on Castlemaine radio program

    Mosley to feature on Castlemaine radio program

    After only 12 weeks on air, the new Go Well radio program hosted by Cate Mercer on Castlemaine’s 94.9 MAINfm has secured its first internationally acclaimed guest with two exclusive interviews with Dr Michael Mosley set to be broadcast on November 19 and 26. The interviews will focus on the topics of fasting and sleep;…

  • Reach out to connect

    Reach out to connect

    CHIRP Community Health has appointed a new LGBTIQA+ engagement officer to reconnect the community after a lengthy period of COVID isolation. Sherene Clow, a long-time local of Castlemaine, hopes to reach out to both long-term residents and newcomers to the shire who have not been able to connect with others during lockdown this year. Ms…

  • Show tickets up for grabs

    Show tickets up for grabs

    Would you usually be busy preparing your craft or your cattle, selecting a fine wool fleece or cultivating your prize-winning rhubarb to enter in the Kyneton Show? Does your family count down to the carnival or is Show Day your favourite? With COVID restrictions forcing the rescheduling of this month’s show, the Kyneton Agricultural Society…

  • Max Barton reaches major milestone

    Max Barton reaches major milestone

    Max Barton celebrated her 100th birthday last Wednesday COVID-style inside RM Begg Kyneton Aged Care, with family members and friends outside the home listening to the bagpipes that Max has always enjoyed. Max’s chief form of entertainment when young was singing around the piano with her piano-playing mother and her four siblings. This is something…

  • Romsey’s new hub

    Romsey’s new hub

    Macedon Ranges makers and producers will have a new platform to connect with the community as the Romsey Community Co-op prepares to launch in November. The multi-faceted community hub aims to provide opportunities for local creators to generate a source of income and also support a community garden and food share service. It is a…

  • Song with heart tops charts

    Song with heart tops charts

    Macedon Ranges country music artist Donna Fisk has topped the Australian Airplay country charts with her hit Shoulder at the Wheel. The song, produced by Robert Angello, Nashville, was the theme for a Trentham community led hay run to help “the forgotten” farmers and community of Lake Cargelligo, earlier this year. Fisk joined the convoy…