Featured
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Forest fears furore
With less than a fortnight before the state election, a fight has erupted over a plan to reclassify the Wombat State Forest as a national park. The Victorian Environmental Assessment Council has released a draft report recommending a combination of national, regional and conservation parks for the forest, stretching from Woodend to Daylesford. The new…
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Up in lights
Hollywood Theatre will soon light up for two young Woodend filmmakers. Flynn Mazza and Kale McQuade were named winners of the International Youth Silent Film Festival’s regional finals for their murder mystery Suspected. Their three-minute film follows a detective interviewing four suspects and their work is now bound for the international finals to be held…
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Upgrade in doubt?
Plans for a $1.6 million upgrade to Mount Macedon Fire Brigade’s existing station are now in doubt as proposals emerge for relocation. The Express understands the brigade and Country Fire Authority have been in discussion over possible relocation to land between the entrance to Mount Macedon golf course and the Victorian Emergency Management Institute on…
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A challenge for young and old
Some started work on their entries months ago, others will throw something in at the last minute, but whatever you do, don’t miss out on entering the Kyneton Show on November 16 and 17. There’s something for everyone, regardless of age or skill. It could be something from your garden, kids’ craft, your chook’s eggs,…
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Rename the juvie
A Malmsbury resident is calling for a name change for the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre in order to reclaim the good reputation of the town. Comedian, ABC presenter and Malmsbury cricketer Simon Rogers said an inmate riot and escape in January last year, in which the youths went on a spree of carjackings and home…
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Students ‘strike’ for climate change
A group of young Castlemaine students say federal government inaction on climate change is threatening their future and have staged a strike calling for climate action. About 30 Castlemaine students – aged around 14 years old – travelled by train to Bendigo on Friday and held a peaceful demonstration at the office of Nationals’ Senator…
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School in strife – From 43 students down to eight
Langley Primary School began this year as a small but vibrant school with an enrolment of 43 students. Ten months later it has an enrolment of just eight students and permanent staff departing or on stress leave. The mass exodus has come following a flurry of claims of students feeling unsafe and bullied, and staff…
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Precinct certainty: community a “rolling thunder”
With state capital all but secured for the Macedon Ranges Regional Sports Precinct, attention now turns to the federal government and peak sporting bodies to round out the funding. A $15 million pledge from Opposition Leader Matthew Guy last week now competes with Labor’s pledge of $11.6M toward the New Gisborne project which unites visions…
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Walk to the Cup
Kyneton Cup Day holds particular significance for former local resident Nathan Elms (‘Elmsy’) and even more so this year. The 19-year-old will be walking onto the Kyneton Racecourse for the last leg of his Caulfield to Kyneton Walk for Prostate Cancer. Nathan is making the 105km effort for his father who was diagnosed with cancer…
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Tower proposal ignites debate
Residents of Wesley Hill at Castlemaine are up in arms over proposed plans for the installation of a new Optus communications tower just a couple of hundred metres from nearby homes. The residents say it will be a ‘blight’ on the heritage landscape and will be visible as visitors drive into the gateway to Castlemaine.…
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Sisters get show-ready
Drummond North sisters Rhiannon, 12, Zoe, 10, and Sasha, 7, have been preparing for months for the cattle competition at November’s Kyneton Show. It will be the first time all three Hohnberg girls are old enough to enter the Junior Handler competition. “They live for it,” their mum Hannah said. “That’s all they talk about…
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It takes a village
Gisborne Leading Senior Constable Jason Azzopardi could not stand by as he saw the impact of issues like bullying, mental illness, substance abuse and family violence on youth in his community. To help young people avoid becoming victims or offenders, he created not-for-profit youth engagement program KidzFlip, and was recently recognised for his work as…