Community News
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Successful bid to reduce speed limit
Sutton Grange residents have successfully lobbied to have the speed limit on the Bendigo-Sutton Grange Road within the township reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h. The local community has been lobbying for the change for 20 years. Mount Alexander Shire Council submitted a request to Regional Roads Victoria to reduce the speed limit, following consideration of…
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Young Voices continue to Zoom
The Young Voices of Macedon had planned to return to live rehearsals at the Norma Richardson Hall in Woodend in third term but it has proven necessary to extend the Zoom arrangement until restrictions in Greater Melbourne are lifted. Several choristers and teacher Emma West live in Sunbury and are experiencing lockdown. Choir director Dianne…
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Hub push for funds
Macedon locals are fighting to keep momentum for a much-anticipated community hub as they face a cost blowout for the project. Volunteers are seeking $90,000 in Macedon Ranges Council’s 2020/21 budget to meet the funding shortfall for the building contract and continue efforts. Macedon’s Samara Hodson said the community had rallied behind the project and…
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Farmers looking after their own
Arnold-based primary producers Carly and Darren Noble of small farm business The Agri-Food Network recently launched a Mental Health Gift Hampers initiative aimed at bringing a smile to the face of fellow central Victorian farmers and small producers doing it tough during COVID. The couple launched the program in late March after close friend and…
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Milestone for Romsey Men’s Shed
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday to mark an important milestone for the long-awaited Romsey Men’s Shed project. With a lease signed and a building permit obtained, the slab for the shed is expected to be poured within the next fortnight. Rain on Friday failed to dampen the enthusiasm of those present at the…
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Warming Woodend with cheer
Woodend Library has been yarn-bombed and its bright new look is bringing joy to visitors. The library’s frontage, bike racks, trees, posts and outdoor bench-seats are covered in hundreds of knitted and crocheted pieces created by the community. Library manager Lulu Cockram said the temporary street art project continued the fun from previous years. “It’s…
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Lancefield recycling centre launches
Lancefield locals are encouraged to think twice about what they are sending to landfill through the launch of a Lancefield Recycle Centre last week. The Neighbourhood House initiative enables residents to ethically dispose of normally hard-to-recycle waste through simple sorting at The Townhouse drop-point. People can now easily dispose of and recycle bread tags, writing…
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Sustainable living at The Paddock
Work is set to begin shortly on stage two of The Paddock Eco Village in Castlemaine after the project took a hit during the recent pandemic. The Paddock developers Neil and Heather Barrett said they were all set to go on the next stage when coronavirus struck and three of their buyers were forced to…
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Brighten Jacob’s day
Riddells Creek local Scott Trezise says we need a bit of positivity in the world at the moment, so he is calling for help to brighten the day of a teenager with a big ambition. A Queensland teen named Jacob Mackay has Asperger’s syndrome and is keyring obsessed. He hopes to one day break the…
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Theft in hard times
A disappointing theft in hard times has set Kyneton Community House back in making its childcare playground safe. About $300 in softfall and sand meant to meet playground safety and compliance was stolen from the community centre’s carpark between June 12-14. Community house director Claire Rawlinson said witnesses saw someone filling a wheelbarrow before disappearing…
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Radio to rock the Royal
Castlemaine’s not-for-profit radio station MAINfm kicked off its week-long ‘2020 Radiothon’ fundraiser on Saturday evening with an epic PubSing Castlemaine online sing-a-long to this year’s theme ‘Here Comes the Sun’, live from The Taproom at Shedshaker Brewing. The radiothon continues this week and will culminate with another massive virtual live music event – the Big…
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Challenges ahead for RM Begg
RM Begg Kyneton Aged Care is calling for financial support to help it survive. The community owned not-for-profit organisation has provided quality aged care to the district for more than 60 years but the challenges it now faces are increasing. Government funding of the sector is supplemented by interest earned on invested Refundable Accommodation Deposits,…