News
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Fire-prone Macedon set to become a powerhouse
A private company that purchased five hectares of land in Macedon will submit plans next month to build an energy storage facility in a designated bushfire-prone area. South Energy is developing a project titled Macedon BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) to install 128 20-foot containers with lithium ion batteries at Lot 2, Black Forest Drive,…
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Next week: changes to the healthcare system
Medicare services are set to change from next Saturday, November 1, and provide patients with improved access to bulk-billed GP services. The launch of the new Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program provides an additional quarterly 12.5 per cent incentive for practices that bulk bill all eligible services, with the payment split 50/50 between the GP…
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Demolition day arrives for skatepark
It’s been 11 years in the making and now works on a new Romsey Skatepark are finally under way. Lancefield Romsey Lions Club has been a key driver of project and celebrated the milestone last week as demolition works began. Long-serving Lions member Ged McLaughlin said the community began campaigning for a new skatepark in…
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Tiny Homes: The movement gaining rapid momentum
Bentley Building Group Tiny Homes is a family owned and operated building company run by Scott and Prue Bentley and based in Ballarat. In 2023, Bentley Building Group entered the world of building Tiny Homes with excitement. It had been a dream of Scott’s for a few years. Taking over a factory for this very…
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Mass murderer relocated to Castlemaine
Notorious Hoddle Street killer Julian Knight, 57, has been moved from maximum-security incarceration into the medium-security Loddon Prison in Castlemaine. On August 9, 1987, the then 19-year-old Knight fired a semi-automatic rifle on Hoddle Street, Clifton Hill, killing seven people and injuring 19. The former Australian Army officer-cadet pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 1988…
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Hall of Fame honour
“Wow!” was the first word that came to mind when Lancefield local and Edgar’s Mission founder, Pam Ahern, learned she had been inducted into the Garryowen Hall of Fame, announced at this year’s Royal Melbourne Show. The Hall of Fame, established in 2009, recognises riders, horses and individuals who have displayed outstanding commitment to the…
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Deer control to begin
The impact of increasing feral deer populations has put control of numbers in the spotlight. Parks Victoria will, this week, begin its night deer control program in Macedon Regional Park with licensed and professional shooting contractors. Deer are an introduced species and Parks Victoria recognises they “pose significant risks to native biodiversity, water quality, public…
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Fire quickly escalates
A grass and scrub fire broke out on a property along Coffeys Road at Bullengarook, about 2.40pm, on Sunday afternoon and quickly escalated to a 10 tankers call-out. Air support was brought in to assist, along with multiple dozers working hard to bring the blaze under control. CFA crews also responded to another grass and…
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Illegal burn-off sparks warning
An out of control burn-off at Wildwood, south of Clarkefield, last Wednesday has sparked warnings of illegal rubbish burning. On arrival, firefighters identified multiple large burn piles containing waste materials that are illegal to burn under Victorian law. Several district fire brigades worked for four hours to bring the fire under control and make the…
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Luke claims title
Woodend’s Luke Kirby has claimed the national dressage (secondary) all abilities class title at the Australian Interschool Championships. He joined more than 100 student riders as part of team Victoria to compete at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre last month. Luke, 18, has autism, a moderate intellectual disability, very little language and epilepsy. He may…
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Open space plans open to feedback
Destination-level open spaces, use changes for existing sites and new open space areas are among plans highlighted in the draft Macedon Ranges Open Space Strategy. Last week, Macedon Ranges Shire Council endorsed release of the draft document for community consultation for four weeks, launching in early October. The strategy outlines how the council plans to…
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Trump’s headache advice
Medical practitioners across this region and wider Australia have refuted the U.S. President’s claims last week when he suggested there was a link between autism and the commonly-used painkiller paracetamol. Donald Trump announced last Tuesday, “I think we found an answer to autism”. A White House press conference proceeded and U.S. officials suggested pregnant women…