News
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Inmate and officer injured
An inmate at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre was taken to hospital after a fight with another inmate on Saturday. A Department of Justice and Community Safety spokesperson said the incident was contained quickly and police were notified. “One young person was transported to hospital for treatment and precautionary checks. He returned to Malmsbury Youth…
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VACCINE ELIGIBILITY EXPANDING FOR ANYONE 16 AND OVER
Every Victorian aged 16 years and over will be eligible to access a COVID-19 vaccine at state-run vaccination centres from tomorrow. The expansion of the state vaccine program will further help Victoria reach its goal of one million doses over five weeks. The change means that from Wednesday August 25, anyone aged 18 to 59…
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‘We can’t take your word for it’
People from lockdown postcodes have been caught flouting restrictions and trying to gain entry to businesses in the Macedon Ranges. State-mandated identity checks for hospitality and retail have revealed an alarming number of rule-breakers, people refusing to cooperate and abuse directed at small business owners.Businesses found serving people who should not be in the regions…
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Rubbish in focus
Mount Alexander Shire Council is investigating the introduction of tip passes and a potential kerbside hard rubbish collection. At last Tuesday’s council meeting Cr Christine Henderson moved a notice of motion that council receive a report outlining the estimated costs of providing tip passes to all residents on an annual basis and an annual hard…
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Vital call to keep market going
Lancefield Farmers Market will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday as lockdown restrictions allow. Stallholders and organisers maintain the open air market with strict COVID-safe measures is one of the safest ways to access fresh, local and nutrient-rich foods. Market manager Isis Jordan said both organisers and stallholders would be enforcing QR check-ins, social distancing,…
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Police conduct roving patrols of region’s borders
Police have been patrolling the region’s borders looking for metropolitan drivers breaching the chief health officer’s stay-at-home directions. Sergeant Mark Stephenson of the Macedon Ranges Highway Patrol said his team was coming across a number of people from Melbourne metro areas. “A large number of people appear to meet the exemption criteria but there has…
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LOCKDOWN HARDSHIP – Small businesses at risk of insolvency or bankruptcy
Kyneton barrister Paul White says state government support has come too late for many small businesses facing hardship in rolling COVID lockdowns. He is giving free legal advice to at least 41 small businesses in the region at risk of insolvency or bankruptcy. Twenty-three of those cases are from the Macedon Ranges. “They are typically…
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LOCKDOWN ACROSS REGIONAL VICTORIA
Due to the ongoing level of community transmission, the large number of mystery cases and a surge of new cases and exposures sites outside of metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria will enter lockdown from 1pm today. Additionally, further measures will be implemented to protect children across the entire state, as the number of infections among kids…
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All that glitters
This year marks the 170th anniversary of the discovery of gold on Mount Alexander Run in 1851. To celebrate the historic occasion, the Castlemaine Historical Society Inc will present ‘All That Glitters’ on Saturday September 4 with two special guided walks of the 1850s Gold Commissioners Camp. Described at one point to be the richest…
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Don Watson in conversation in Woodend
Advisor and speechwriter to Premier and Prime Minister, screenwriter, satirist and traveller, Don Watson is the author of 13 books. His latest offering, Watsonia: A Writing Life, features musings on subjects as diverse as Travel and Terrorism, Language and Leadership, Football and Faith and, most intriguingly, the question of Australia: Who are we? Where are we?…
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Mental health support – locally
Romsey Neighbourhood House is seeing the benefit of addressing mental health support – locally. A collaboration between RNH and MindHealthHub is providing individuals in the community a supported connection to psychologists via telehealth in a safe and private space. This is the first face-to-face supported telehealth service connecting individuals to mental health clinicians in the…
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The show must go on
Little Gallery at Trentham’s mid-year show aims to not only feature high-profile regional guest artists but also raise funds for the storm-battered charity Path of the Horse and the Quarry Street Reserve after a devastating storm in June. LG artist Rose Wilson said the town had been through a lot of late, so when lockdown…