News
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Death enters election race
Former Macedon Ranges Shire mayor Annette Death has been announced as Victorian Labor’s candidate for the seat of Macedon at November’s state election. The Riddells Creek resident, a Labor Party member for almost 20 years, will contest the seat following the retirement of incumbent MP Mary-Anne Thomas. Ms Death served as a Macedon Ranges Shire…
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Residents devastated as historic church listed for sale
Riddells Creek residents say they are devastated by the decision to sell the town’s historic St John’s Anglican Church, arguing the 100-year-old building is an irreplaceable part of the community’s heritage. The church, which closed last year amid declining congregation numbers, has been listed for sale by the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne with a price…
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Car ploughs into geese
Witnesses were horrified at the scene of a car ploughing into a flock of geese, killing and injuring many, at Malmsbury last Thursday evening. About five of the geese were killed instantly and two were left injured on the road. Witnesses say the driver of the car made no attempt to stop, slow down or…
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CFA loses council contract
Local fire brigades have lost their longstanding fire equipment maintenance contract with Macedon Ranges Shire Council, which provided a valuable source of income for their work. The council has instead awarded the tender to a private contractor, Bendigo-based Elliots Fire and Safety Services. For decades, qualified volunteer technicians from Macedon Ranges CFA brigades have serviced…
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Changing hearts and minds
Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary founder and director, Pam Ahern, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday 2026 Honours List, in recognition of her service to animals. The award recognises more than two decades of sustained, hands-on work rescuing farmed animals from cruelty, neglect and slaughter, and the sanctuary…
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Community champion awarded OAM
Long-time Gisborne resident Patricia Kaye has been recognised for more than five decades of dedicated community service, receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours. Patricia was honoured for her extensive contributions to community organisations across Gisborne and the wider region, particularly in the areas of health, emergency services, arts,…
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Haste on Clarkefield plan “unreasonable”
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has called out the state government’s haste in its four-week consultation on a development planned to change the face of Clarkefield. At council’s meeting last week, Cr Jennifer Anderson revealed the council had been informally refused a time extension on its submission to the process. With submissions closing yesterday, MRSC has…
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Who’s going to clean up this mess?
A Woodend mountain biker has expressed frustration after being shuffled between three state government agencies while trying to report illegal rubbish dumping in the Wombat State Forest. Matthew Connor was appalled to discover several piles of bathroom and kitchen renovation waste dumped along forest tracks last month. “A group of us know the bush very…
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Not lovin’ it – kids rally against Maccas
A vocal group of primary and secondary school students from Castlemaine and surrounding districts gathered for the Kids Against Maccas rally in Castlemaine last Thursday afternoon. About 300 young people, parents and supporters wearing anti-McDonald’s shirts and carrying placards picketed the site of the proposed McDonald’s restaurant on the corner of Forest and Hargraves streets…
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Macedon calls for reserve upgrades
Macedon sporting clubs have called for upgrades to Tony Clarke Reserve to keep pace with surging participation. User groups have united in a bid to improve facilities including clubroom upgrades, female-friendly changerooms to support club growth, and an overarching plan for the reserve’s future. Macedon Football Netball Club president Ron Rutledge said the precinct was…
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Building a work of art
Castlemaine’s industrial past has been brought quietly back to life, with Shades of Gray owner Peter unveiling the painstaking restoration of a second workshop space in the heart of town. What could easily have become another demolition site or block of flats has instead been transformed into a richly detailed 1940s-1950s workshop restored almost entirely…
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Intersection safety improvements questioned
Residents in Batters Lane at Kyneton have questioned the efficacy of intersection safety improvements on their road after a two-car collision sent four people to hospital last Tuesday morning. Emergency services were called to the scene at the intersection of Batters Lane and Pipers Creek Road about 9.20am. Police allege a 77-year-old man from Hoppers…