Community News
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The simple joy of walking
Marita Brown is one of the original Lancefield ‘Movers and Shakers’. She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 18 years ago but it hasn’t stopped her from forming a local walking group, and now signing on for Parkinson’s Victoria’s A Walk in the Park for the eighth time. The Melbourne walk raises funds to improve the…
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Chicken art hatches enterprise
There’s something about chicken art. People seem to go just a bit clucking mad about it. “It’s just egg-cellent really,” said artist Linda Newton, almost deadpan, as she showed the Express around some of the inclusions in Manu Feto Chicken Art Show that opened at Castlemaine’s Drying Shed Art Space on the weekend. Linda is…
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Parma charmer
When Castlemaine youngsters Kate Hemphill and Ainsley Nash heard about the impacts of the drought in NSW they decided they’d do something to help. The two junior students at Castlemaine Primary School went direct to their principal Peter McConnell with a letter they’d penned outlining their proposal to help the drought-ravaged farmers. “We wrote a…
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Pick up a Perry’s pupcake
The team at Perry’s Stockfeed and Saddlery in Kyneton are unsurprising all avid animal lovers. That’s why it’s no surprise they are excited to be taking part in the RSPCA’s Cupcake Day. The day is a fundraiser to help the RSPCA end animal cruelty in the sweetest way possible. Perry’s team and their supporters are…
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Parma night for the farmers’ fight
Local pubs, clubs and restaurants are serving up parmas with added incentive. They have backed the widespread ‘Parma for a Farmer’ campaign that sees participating venues donate $1 towards drought recovery in NSW for every parma sold during the month of August. Kyneton RSL general manager Rebecca Hemphill said people in Kyneton had thrown their…
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Gisborne SES wants you
Gisborne SES is calling for daytime responders to keep up with demand across the region. Gisborne SES deputy controller of operations Di Dale said the unit was seeking to grow its member base to improve responses and would host a recruitment evening next week. “We are targeting people from all walks of life in around…
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Foundry’s first grads
One of Kyneton’s newest foodie hotspots, the Social Foundry on the corner of High and Mollison Streets, is celebrating the first round of graduates from its successful Skills for Life program. Together with the Kyneton Community and Learning Centre, the Social Foundry has the united goal of training and assisting young people who need to…
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Cash windfall boosts budget
Public submissions and an unexpected cash windfall of $465,000 in federal government grants has changed the shape of Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s 2018/19 Budget Report. Council adopted the budget, Strategic Resource Plan and Council Plan at its ordinary meeting last Wednesday with minor changes including distribution of additional government funds. Projects to benefit from the…
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Brigade calls on community
Langley-Barfold Fire Brigade volunteers are appealing for community assistance to replace their stolen support vehicle. The Ford Ranger was found torched near Lake Eppalock in April and now the brigade is faced with the challenge of replacing the vehicle and having it fully functional before the next fire season. Brigade captain Ian Lonsdale said the…
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When less is more
In a world with a population forecast to hit 8.5 billion in just 12 years, the need to find more effective means of housing people is becoming ever more urgent, Castlemaine’s Anitra Nelson says. As associate professor with the Centre for Urban Planning at RMIT, identifying new and more efficient ways of housing people is…
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Fight refuelled – Petrol station plans resurface with bid for restaurant
*Published: Midland Express, September 4, 2017 Controversial plans have reemerged for a service station at the southern gateway to Woodend – this time with a 23-seat convenience restaurant in tow. Reminiscent of 2015 plans, the design incorporates illuminated signage and four double-sided petrol bowsers with canopy, but also includes a double-storey shopfront and what could…
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Petrol plans doused
*Published: Midland Express, October 10, 2017 Brakes have been put on divisive plans for a petrol station and 23-seat convenience restaurant at the southern gateway to Woodend. Council planners have now red flagged the proposal, taking heed from a similar plan for the High Street site that lost at VCAT in 2015 with strong community…