News
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Nominate now for the Mount Alexander Business Awards
The Mount Alexander Business Awards are on again and it’s time to nominate your favourite business.The awards are proudly run by Mount Alexander Shire Council, in partnership with gold sponsor Don Smallgoods and media partner Castlemaine Mail / Midland Express. Council’s manager of economy and culture, David Leathem, said local businesses were the backbone of our community.“Your vote…
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Yes in my backyard
A trial neighbourhood solution to reducing organics in landfill will be expanded thanks to a $60,000 grant from the Victorian Government’s Recycling Communities Fund.The YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) model, run by The Hub Foundation in Castlemaine, aims to connect people through small hubs, nurtured by a small team of community composters. The community composters…
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Passion pays off for mumpreneurs
Seven Macedon Ranges businesswomen have been named finalists in the 2021 AusMumpreneur Awards.The Women’s Business School awards celebrate Australian mums in business achieving outstanding success. Two of those are Gisborne’s Carmen Hofman, an Emerging Entrepreneur title hopeful, and Katrina Buttigieg, who is vying for Creative Entrepreneur and Author/Writer. Katrina is a writer and proud mum…
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Miller’s Max shortlisted
Delighted and surprised is the way Castlemaine writer Alex Miller has described seeing his debut work of non-fiction shortlisted for the National Biography Awards. Late last week Miller, already much celebrated and awarded for his fictional works, learnt that his first published non-fiction book, Max, had been shortlisted for the prestigious awards, which, with a prize pool…
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Fires inspire Woodend musician’s debut song
Hannah Cooper is using her music to start important conversations.Her beautiful but haunting debut, The Fire Song, comes with a message about summer fire danger and climate change. Hannah penned the song in January last year following the horrendous Black Summer bushfires.Its release in February this year served as a reminder that many Australians were still…
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WORKFORCE CRISIS – Overworked vets understaffed and under stress
Castlemaine veterinary professionals are among those demanding something be done to address a widespread shortage of vets amid reports the problem has become a crisis. Castlemaine Veterinary Clinic practice manager Athena Williams said vets were under increasing stress with compounding anecdotal evidence of a vet workforce crisis particularly impacting rural and regional areas.“There is little…
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Another assault at Malmsbury YJC
A Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre staff member was assaulted in yet another attack by an inmate yesterday.A Department of Justice and Community Safety spokesperson confirmed the incident occurred but said paramedics were not required to attend. “A staff member has been transported to hospital for assessment and Victoria Police were notified,” the spokesperson said.“The safety…
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Feedback sought on Hanging Rock plan
Feedback has opened on Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s updated Environmental Management Plan for Hanging Rock.The plan will continue environmental works, such as weed control and revegetation, and focus on enhancing the site’s vegetation and habitat. Ecological restoration specialists, Practical Ecology, updated the plan funded by the Victorian Government.The plan builds on the work outlined in…
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Video celebrates local landcarers
A new ‘Landcare Celebration’ video pays tribute to the hardworking and passionate volunteer groups across the Mount Alexander region. The Connecting Country video was funded through a Mount Alexander Shire Community Grant and features a number of landcare volunteers talking about why landcare is important to their community and the vast diversity of projects across…
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Telstra payphones are now free for calls within Australia
Telstra today announced that all Australians can now make calls right across the country for free on Telstra’s network of more than 15,000 payphones. In the past year, about 11 million calls were made across Australia from Telstra payphones. This included more than 230,000 calls to critical services like ‘000’ and Lifeline, proving a crucial…