News
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Rainbow flag to fly
The rainbow flag will replace the Australian flag at Woodend’s war memorial clock tower for seven days in support of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia. Macedon Ranges Shire Council approved the move last week at the request of Cobaw Community Health to extend the annual celebration of inclusivity and support for the…
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Cranberry, crimson and sapphire!
Fifth generation North Blackwood potato farmer John Dunn grows no less than 18 varieties of potatoes! John Dunn and Sons grow coliban, cranberry red, crimson pearl, desiree, dutch cream, exton, kennebec, king edward, kipfler, maris piper, nicola, otway red, pontiac, purple congo, sapphire, spunta, toolangi delight and Wilwash potatoes. John is teaching his granddaughters Sophie…
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British bike invasion
Hundreds of British bikes invaded the roads around Castlemaine over the weekend for the annual All British Bike Rally. Triumphs, Nortons, Vincents and BSAs were among the makes that rolled into Newstead Racecourse Reserve where motorcyclists camped en masse for the run organised by the BSA Motorcycle Owners Association. On Saturday Maldon’s main street served…
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My message to others
Luke Brown was just 34 years old when he collapsed suddenly and died, leaving a young family heartbroken and the community of Kyneton in disbelief. His wife Vanessa was 28 weeks pregnant with the couple’s second child, George, and had 16-month-old Harvey to care for also. Luke had suffered a coronary artery atherosclerosis – a…
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Cost blowout halts powerlines project
Lifesaving safety measures planned for one of the highest fire risk areas in Victoria will no longer be completed as planned due to a project cost blowout. A key recommendation of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission was that powerlines be run underground in high fire risk areas and locally, Spring Hill was one of…
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Pilots execute precision task
Anzac Day is an early start for many people, including members of the Kyneton Aero Club who for the past eight years have been a part of Anzac Day services at Mount Macedon and Kyneton. Performing these Anzac Day flyovers are a precision task requiring special approval by the air safety regulator CASA, coordination with…
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Urgent calls for more police
Romsey’s Thrifty-Link Hardware has had five break-ins in eight months and owner Nick Waldhauser has reached breaking point, desperately calling for more police resources. Last week offenders caused business losses of $40,000 including damage and stolen goods. “When this has happened five times, how long will it take until we’re no longer here as a…
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This ole house …
For many restoring a dilapidated house solo on a budget of practically nothing could be a headache. But for Castlemaine’s Cr Max Lesser it’s become a creative challenge and one he’s relishing since taking on the job to convert a degraded house at Harcourt’s Victoria Road entryway into something to catch the public eye. “I…
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Blow-out: council awards play space contract
A desire not to water down the grand plan for Castlemaine’s new Victory Park play space has prompted Mount Alexander Shire Council to vote in favour of awarding a $455,793 contract to build it despite a significant budget blow-out. The new play space for the well-used local park had been estimated to cost $326,000 with…
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Fun of the fair
Thousands travelled to the historic township of Maldon for the 142nd Maldon Easter Fair last weekend. The five days of festivities included a scone bake, torchlight procession, billy cart races and Dancing in the Streets event on Saturday evening. The fair was capped off with the spectacle of the grand parade on Easter Monday. The…
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Contaminated water fear for Campaspe River landowners
Landowners along the Campaspe River downstream from the Kyneton Water Reclamation Plant fear they may have been drawing contaminated water from the river for the past decade. Unusually high stock deaths in recent years and the disappearance of aquatic wildlife have led landowners like Huntly Barton to demand answers from Coliban Water in relation to…
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Ditch deadly netting
Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network is urging locals to ditch deadly fruit netting in order to protect threatened species. The network recently responded to three separate call-outs over 48 hours for two flying foxes and a goshawk that were entangled in netting. While all three rescues had positive end outcomes, that is not always the case,…