Featured
-
Expanding opera’s reach
A long and distinguished career in opera has taken Dr David Kram all over the world, but it is his work here in Australia that fills him with the most pride. Born in London, Dr Kram studied at the Royal College of Music (London), at Luigi Ricci (Rome) and at Adelaide and Monash Universities where…
-
An elite contribution
The worlds of football and ballet have collided under Susan Mayes’ world-leading physio research and she has been acknowledged for her work in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. The Riddells Creek resident has been named a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to physiotherapy, particularly to ballet. Working with elite dancers from…
-
Fryerstown photographer gets OAM
Receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia, acclaimed local photographer Julie Millowick has taken this Queen’s Birthday opportunity to urge for decisive support for renewables transition, describing our times as at a “turning point”. The Fryerstown-based creative has received her accolade for service to the visual arts – particularly photography. The long-serving lecturer in…
-
Queen’s Birthday gong for a ‘£10 Pom’
Arriving in Australia in 1957, aged 25 and a proud ‘Ten Pound Pom’, Ron Alexander never looked back. The carpenter loved the larrikin fun of Australian building sites and was soon dubbed ‘Ron the Pom’. “I didn’t take offence to it, it was a term of endearment as far as I was concerned. You give…
-
Call for solidarity
Hundreds gathered in Castlemaine’s Victory Park on Saturday to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and our indigenous community as part of the Castlemaine Solidarity Gathering – Declaration of Intent. The gathering was called by local Dja Dja Wurrung elder Uncle Rick Nelson in a show of support for real change as…
-
You’ll never see another!
By the time Eric Burton stepped into his customised Styliner ’49er they were old friends. They had a long acquaintance stretching back 33 years because that’s how long it took Eric to get the old machine back into a decent state after buying it in 1987 from a car dealer in Golden Square. When he…
-
In Your Face at Newstead
A new art project at Newstead will invite people to try their hand at portraiture, capturing the faces that make up the local community. The Newstead Art Salon In Your Face Portrait project has just received $3000 in grant dollars through Mount Alexander Shire Council’s latest community grants round with a series of 25 In…
-
Tastings back on the menu
Cellar door operators are toasting their return in time for the Queen’s Birthday weekend following pressure on the state government to ease COVID-19 restrictions on the sector. Yesterday wine tastings returned to the menu but doubt hung over the industry until Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes threw a lifeline on Friday. Ms Symes announced cellar…
-
Spit roast sparks blaze at New Gisborne
Residents in a duplex house in New Gisborne woke in fright to find their home on fire in the early hours of this morning. Firefighters were called to the Monaghan Road address at 1.52am to find the rear verandah on the southern dwelling fully alight with flames spreading to the home. The homeowners had alerted…
-
Grants cash splash
Maldon Urban Landcare has reason to feel well pleased with itself this week after being named among the local groups to secure some grant dollars through Mount Alexander Shire Council’s latest round of community grants funding. All up, 16 successful local groups and organisations have secured a grant – sharing in close to $48,000. Announced…
-
Community rallies for maternity services
Local group ‘Support Birthing at Castlemaine Health’ garnered more than 1000 signatures in 72 hours calling for birthing services to be reinstated at the hospital during the current review. Castlemaine Health announced on May 16 that it had temporarily paused birthing services to review its policies, procedures and processes to ensure they aligned with the…
-
Foundry powering on through pandemic
Castlemaine’s Billmans Foundry was gearing up for the unveiling of its largest project to date – two beautiful bronze whales created by Wollongong artist Julie Squires and fellow artist Theresa Ardler in Sydney’s Botany Bay – when the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Regarded as Australia’s leading manufacturer of bronze fountains, street park, garden furniture and…