Featured
-
Don’t push the safety envelope
A new safety education campaign by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority puts the spotlight on the many pressures placed on pilots when contemplating, planning and conducting a flight. At a seminar next week, pilots will learn about not flying beyond the edges of their personal limits. This is vital as about 80 per cent of…
-
Nation’s best at Hanging Rock
Hanging Rock Winery’s 2021 ‘The Jim Jim Three’ pinot gris gewürztraminer riesling has taken out the Blended White Trophy at the National Wine Show of Australia. The wine show is an invitation-only event, showcasing the best wines from other wine shows throughout the year, which makes the winner the best in Australia in each category.…
-
Ned on song for big reveal
Eve Lamb Castlemaine’s Ned Middleton is getting used to being described as ‘inspirational’. Living life with Down Syndrome has never stopped him from living life to the fullest – and with an added dash of creative flair. Having already made his mark in the worlds of dance and community radio, Ned is now preparing to…
-
Saving our apple heritage
Carr’s Organic Fruit Tree Nursery at Harcourt is urging community members to ‘plant a fruit tree you’ve never heard of’ in a bid to save our heritage fruit varieties from extinction. Carr’s Nursery’s Katie Finlay said there were hundreds of different apple varieties in the world, but many were on the brink of disappearing. “If…
-
Talent awarded ahead of art show
Eve Lamb Castlemaine Rotary has celebrated some significant local arts talent with its annual Paul Harris Fellow Awards ahead of what’s shaping as a bumper art show. At its awards evening held at Mount Alexander Golf Club last Wednesday, the club presented its Paul Harris Fellow honours, named after the Rotary movement’s Chicago-based founder, to…
-
A complicated tale of joy and despair
Like most people in his profession, Mark Chew is more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it. Photos show a quiet, reflective individual, with, just occasionally, a hint of sadness. It’s hardly surprising. He’s seen things. For more than 30 years, Mark has carved out a career as a highly successful commercial photographer.…
-
Council votes to sell
Macedon Ranges Shire Council will sell Hanging Rock’s East Paddock to the state government with conditions aimed at securing community priorities. Retaining public open space in perpetuity and ensuring any development on the East Paddock is consistent with protecting the natural, cultural values and views of the site will be vital to any agreement. Ensuring…
-
Stakes high for forests
In the same week that the Victorian Government announced permanent protections for Victoria’s three new national parks, the government also flagged new penalties for anti-logging protesters. Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, last Thursday announced $4 million to establish the new boundaries for the parks, which will be created by linking existing…
-
Nalderun celebrates friendship
A Reconciliation Week (May 27 – June 3) exhibition was officially unveiled at the Castlemaine Market Building last Friday morning. The day saw team members, friends and supporters of local Indigenous service, Nalderun, gather for speeches, the presentation of Nalderun Awards and a morning tea to launch the week. The event was opened by Nalderun’s…
-
Thought-provoking film and Q&A
Northern Books and Nalderun are partnering up to bring an exciting Reconciliation Week event to Castlemaine. The event will see a screening of the provocative and award-winning short film, Refugium, followed by a Q&A session with the film’s creators. Refugium is a short film of speculative fiction in the climate emergency context, by artist-researcher Jen Rae (Métis)…
-
Honing healthy skills
Nutritious and delicious food made from scratch is on the menu at Gisborne Secondary College. Students have been sharpening their skills through a cooking course delivered by local culinary nutritionists Expert Eats, Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health, Healthy Heart of Victoria and Macedon Ranges Shire Council. The classes are based on the cooking videos of…
-
Saving gorgeous Gertie
Guildford-based animal welfare group Parrot Conservation Australia is appealing for community help following a costly surgery to save one of their beloved sulphur-crested cockatoos. The local grassroots organisation rehabilitates surrendered and injured birds and has been battling to stay afloat for the past two years due to the impacts of COVID. However, founders Roger Sellwood…