News
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STAFF SPEAK OUT – Council employees detail impact of restructure
Former staff members of Macedon Ranges Shire Council have spoken out about what they describe as a disregard for employee mental health and wellbeing in the lead up to and during the recent organisational restructure of the council. The restructure included the dissolution of the Community Wellbeing directorate, reducing council’s four-tier structure to three. Council…
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Revamp for Carlsruhe roadhouse
An application has been lodged with Macedon Ranges Shire Council for a permit to redevelop the Carlsruhe BP Roadhouse into a freeway service centre. The plan would see the new service centre face onto the freeway instead of onto Cobb and Co Road. The developer has worked with Regional Roads Victoria on the plans to…
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Program grows wings and saves lives
Live4Life, the only youth mental health and suicide prevention model designed specifically for rural communities, has received outstanding validation in an independent two-year evaluation. The evaluation of Live4Life in Benalla and Glenelg Shires found that 75 per cent of young people expected the skills they learned to be useful throughout their lives and 65 per…
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Inmates arrested at MYJC
Critical Incident Response Police were called to Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre about 4pm yesterday after four inmates accessed the roof of a secured building inside the prison complex. Armed with a metal pole and planks of wood, they shouted abuse at police while smashing roof panels, exhaust fans and airconditioning ducts. Despite attempts to talk…
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A tree-change tale from Kyneton
The challenges of renovating a rundown country home in Kyneton provided ample material for playwright Tahli Corin and her screenwriter husband Josh Tyler to produce a short film for an exciting new performance initiative. The couple’s contribution is one of 16 new plays about the places we live destined for both live performance and digital…
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It takes a village
Perhaps now more than ever, we are all keenly aware of just how important it is to shop local and rally community support for those most in need. As aged-care facilities around the world are under unprecedented duress and small businesses, particularly in hospitality, are under enormous financial strain, a wonderful good news story has…
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Grand old dame gets a makeover
Works to restore and preserve Castlemaine’s historic Market Building are continuing to draw a huge amount of interest. The Express caught up with heritage contractors Ivy Constructions who are working closely with RBA Architects and Conservation Consultants to undertake extensive testing, maintenance and restoration work on the much-loved local icon on behalf of Mount Alexander…
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Turning periods into pathways
A group of local Macedon Ranges women has been making sustainable, reusable menstrual hygiene kits to distribute to girls across the developing world. The local chapter of Days For Girls is one of many around the world (there are about 120 in Australia) that make and distribute the kits together with vital education regarding reproductive…
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A welcome sign of spring
It’s a welcome sign that spring is here when the daffodils are blooming and the lambs are being born. Quadruplets in sheep are extremely rare so it was a surprise for sheep farmer Andrew Sellars-Jones to see these four healthy girls arrive at Chandpara in Tylden this week. They are purebred southdown sheep and are…
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Council CEO resigns
Macedon Ranges Shire Council chief executive officer Margot Stork has today resigned from her position. Ms Stork said she was proud of the many achievements of the past three years while leading the organisation, including major strategic work on the Statement of Planning Policy and Hanging Rock Strategic Plan, and delivering organisational reform. The mayor,…
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Roadhouse rejected for Woodend
A controversial bid for a 24-hour roadhouse with room for three fast-food restaurants at Woodend North has been rejected by Macedon Ranges Council planners. Plans included 16 fuel bowsers, a convenience store, three kitchens with two drive-throughs, internal and external dining areas, a picnic ground, parking and bays for 13 trucks. The ambitious proposal was…
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Democracy shift for Hepburn
The launch of a new ‘Community Voice’ group marks a new era of democracy in Hepburn Shire. Community Voice is a non-political grassroots movement that aims to shift the process of local government towards participatory democracy by encouraging continual community participation. Spokesperson Jen Bray said the results of the 2020 Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey,…