Featured
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Ranges rallies for the Ramshaws
The Macedon Ranges community has rallied to raise more than $20,000 for a Carlsruhe family devastated by house fire. Sally Ramshaw and her four children were lucky to escape their home after it caught fire in the early hours of September 15. She woke to what she described as an “unforgettable, synthetic wheat smell”. A…
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Creek safety concerns
Farmers are demanding answers following the release of Class B recycled water into Deep Creek across Romsey and surrounds. Greater Western Water announced on Wednesday, sustained heavy rainfall had led to “a significant rise in water held in storage at the Romsey Recycled Water Plant”. It follows Coliban Water sewer spills in the Kyneton area…
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Inspirational wartime women the focus of new novel
Lisa Dennis Castlemaine multi-award winning crime author Ellie Marney is in the US today for the worldwide release of her latest book, The Killing Code, based on the inspirational story of the role of female allied codebreakers in World War II. The Killing Code is a thrilling standalone historical fiction novel from the author of None Shall Sleep – which…
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Forced to flee: Afghani women make film in the ‘Maine
Eve Lamb A group of young Afghani women who recently fled the oppressive rule of the Taliban have visited Castlemaine to play key roles in a new short film. The three were all in Castlemaine to participate in filming of My Yellow Dress, a short art film being made by local creatives and filmmakers including Castlemaine’s Bruce…
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Energy park on hold
Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group has put its community energy park project on hold indefinitely after receiving confirmation from the state government that regulatory barriers can’t be overcome in the next term. The vital step to enable the project to move forward was for the government to amend the Plantations Act to allow for non-forestry uses,…
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Blaze at Carlsruhe
Fire tore through a two-storey mudbrick home at Carlsruhe early last Thursday morning. Brigades from across the district turned out to the blaze at a property on Institute Road about 2.30am. The fire gutted the upper storey of the home while the lower level sustained significant smoke and water damage. All occupants of the home…
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Sewerage spills
Ongoing wet weather is impacting sewer and water networks across the region. Coliban Water is monitoring the situation at its water reclamation plants, particularly at Epsom and Kyneton. A spokesperson confirmed there had been a number of sewer spills due to excess stormwater, including in Jeffrey Street, Kyneton, and Ellesmere Place, Malmsbury. “We have a…
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Healthy start for hub
A healthy community food initiative is spreading its roots in Kyneton. The Good Food Hub encourages growing and preparing healthy food on a budget. It is the latest venture of Kyneton Community House, which has seen a kitchen and community garden space introduced at its new High Street premises. With the help of dedicated volunteers…
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Safely dispose of chemicals
Residents in Kyneton and surrounding communities are being encouraged to clean out unwanted household and garden chemicals ahead of a Detox your Home event coming to town on Saturday. Running for more than 27 years, Sustainability Victoria’s Detox your Home is a free and convenient service for residents to safely dispose of chemicals making homes…
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Self portrait a prize finalist
Eve LambA self portrait by Castlemaine’s Elizabeth Nelson has been chosen as one of the 40 finalists in Western Australia’s premier portrait prize, The Lester. Rendered in oil on canvas, Nelson’s self portrait is titled Bared and is the second self portrait the local artist has painted to make the finals of The Lester. “I’m…
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Open your heart and your home
Lisa DennisAfter raising six children of her own, Castlemaine’s Beryl Grey opened her heart and her home to provide a safe and loving space for some of our region’s foster children. During Foster Care Week (September 11-17) she is encouraging other local residents to consider doing the same. Australia is facing a dire shortage of…
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Campaign to protect the forest
In just six weeks Wombat Forestcare has raised more than $12,000 for a campaign to stop VicForests’ salvage logging operations in the Wombat State Forest. Spokeperson Gayle Osborne said the local community cared deeply for the forest and was greatly distressed by the damage caused by the industrial-scale extraction of the fallen timber by VicForests.…