News
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Upgrade pre-empts severe season
With a severe fire season forecast, the state’s environment minister has visited Mount Tarrengower to check progress on the $1 million upgrade of the heritage-listed fire observation tower. “We are coming into a significant high fire risk season,” Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said on Friday as she and Bendigo West…
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Opening day jubilation
The opening of the Romsey Community Health and Wellbeing Space last Thursday was a happy, enthusiastic occasion. Those present were excited about the remarkable transformation of the town’s former primary school site, and the prospect of a visionary ecotheraphy park being completed. Several speakers addressed the gathering before a ceremonial ribbon cutting, with Cr Natasha…
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Board for school site
A cooperative to support the old Kyneton Primary School site being in public ownership and community control has been established. At a recent meeting to garner support for what has become known as The Town Square project, 70 people signed up to become inaugural members of the cooperative and eight candidates stood for five board…
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Local finalist
Castlemaine artist Mark Dober has been announced as a finalist in the prestigious Black Swan Prize for Portraiture in Western Australia, the third richest prize in Australia after the Archibald and Doug Moran. Dober’s work is a self-portrait and was selected from more than 500 entries to feature in an exhibition of 40 finalists at…
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A night for Matty
‘A Night for Matty’ is taking place in Mount Macedon on Saturday in support of Matt Bennett, a Lancefield local who is facing a devastating cancer prognosis. Many in the Macedon Ranges community would know Matt. In August 2017, Matt was diagnosed with stage four testicular cancer. Despite undergoing numerous rounds of grueling treatment, at…
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Help blow the trumpet
Castlemaine’s Thompson Foundry Band is blowing its own trumpet by making a movie following its sellout concerts at last year’s Castlemaine State Festival. Local filmmaker Leonie Van Eyk has a film in production and the band is crowdfunding to raise the money to complete it in time for an early evening gala premiere in the…
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School celebrates a rainbow first
Plenty of purple was promenaded as Castlemaine Secondary College raised its first-ever rainbow flag with pride on Friday. A party atmosphere prevailed as Castlemaine Secondary College celebrated Wear It Purple Day in support of young LGBTIQ local students and others beyond the local community. “Wear it Purple Day is about showing rainbow young people, and…
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Plans not yet rock solid
Commercial development at Hanging Rock’s East Paddock is unlikely but has not yet been ruled out as Macedon Ranges Shire Council last week adopted its strategic plan to guide decision-making for the precinct over the next 50 years. The long-awaited Hanging Rock Strategic Plan recognises the state and national significance of the precinct, setting out…
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Hay big senders!
Locally harvested hay bales are making their way to drought-affected farms in NSW and Gippsland. It’s the first cut of hay from the newly Bolinda-based International Racehorse Transport’s property and managing director Chris Burke said the 77 round bales would be donated to those in need. “When we heard about the situation for farmers in…
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Biggest pothole in history
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has unearthed one of the biggest potholes in its history, on Premier Mine Road, Kyneton. A council employee operating a grader for maintenance work uncovered what seemed to be an air or ventilation shaft from a nearby historical mine site last Tuesday. Council’s director of assets and operations Dale Thornton said…
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The splash on our pool contracts
A new $1,056,455 council contract will see Bendigo Regional YMCA Youth Services manage outdoor pools in Castlemaine, Harcourt and Maldon over the next three years. Mount Alexander Shire councillors unanimously voted in favour of awarding the pool management contract to Bendigo Regional YMCA Youth Services at the ordinary meeting of council last Tuesday night. But…
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Crossing risks real
Victorian Goldfields Railway volunteers were on edge again last Saturday night with a night train event running and safety concerns about the Bendigo-Maldon level crossing not yet met. Andrew Reynolds from VGR said the railway had run a number of trains at night and at odd hours of the day in the past few weeks…