News
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Rage at lives lost
Twelve empty chairs, 12 empty pairs of shoes. Stark symbols of the deaths of 12 asylum seekers held in detention on Manus and Nauru over the past five years – and in Castlemaine there are many who are outraged and want those deaths to be noticed. Last Thursday members of Castlemaine Rural Australians for Refugees…
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Living gently on the land
Environmental warriors Neil and Heather Barrett are well known for their active involvement in business and the community, but it’s their campaigns for green change that have been the couple’s greatest success stories. Heather now coordinates the Hub Plot behind the Hub building which they purchased in 2006, while Neil is chair of the Hub…
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Crunch time: Barnes’ Castlemaine Rock ceases operation
After 165 years of operation, Castlemaine’s iconic Barnes’ Castlemaine Rock lolly manufacturing business has ceased production. Fifth-generation business owner and operator Peter Barnes, whose great-great-grandfather started the business in 1853, has confirmed the Aussie icon in sweets making turned out its last batch of the much-loved lolly late last month. Mr Barnes said ongoing sales…
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Monks seek peace
Buddhist monks from Wat Mai Buddhavongs have found peace in Gisborne South’s countryside where they plan to spread their roots. The Lao Buddhist Society of Victoria has applied to build a Buddhist wat (temple) at 125 McGeorge Road where three resident monks are already settling into life in the Macedon Ranges. Venerable Phuthixay Phuthibandith said…
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Truckies let down
*Published Midland Express: July 24, 2017 Livestock carriers are driving home the need for shower and wash amenities to be installed nearby Kyneton Saleyards’ well-used truck wash. Drivers say most truck wash facilities have personal wash facilities on site or at least nearby, however, Kyneton has operated without since the 1980s. Bloomfields Livestock’s Colin Bloomfield…
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Curiosities of old Castlemaine
There’s the crib board crafted from the timber of a wrecked paddle steamer, the officious rubber stamp and elaborate holder once used to mark urgent yesteryear telegrams from old Castlemaine, and the original 1851 gold licence of one industrious Mr Lillicrap. They’re just some of the tale-rich treasures carefully held by Castlemaine’s Pioneers and Old…
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An extraordinary festival of ideas
The 2018 Bendigo Writers Festival is set to kick off on Thursday August 9 and run over three days, featuring some spectacular talent from across the region. Castlemaine’s Suzanne Donisthorpe will conduct two live interviews on stage, each about an hour long, with the opportunity for a question and answer session at the end. The…
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Locals join the ride
Castlemaine locals Greg Barkla and Bob Bent have teamed up to take part in the Black Dog Ride, a 10-day motorcycle tour to raise funds and awareness for the suicide prevention organisation the Black Dog Institute. The lads will join hundreds of participants from across Australia on the ride, an adventure that will see the…
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Buzz along to the bee
Do you fancy yourself to be an exceptional speller? Can you recite all those grammatical rules we learned at school – “i before e except after c” – in your sleep? Are you always wondering if embarrassing has one r or two? Then it’s time to test your spelling prowess against your friends at the…
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Blaze takes ‘Durrol’
‘Durrol’ one of Mount Macedon’s last hill station homes has been destroyed by fire. The devastating loss came last Wednesday when local firefighters responded to a call at the 117-year-old Edwardian weatherboard just after 9.30am. Macedon Fire Brigade captain Ross Luke was first on scene and said the blaze had already taken a strong hold…
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New courts to be a hit
Tennis will become even more of a hit in Riddells Creek with three new Tennis Australia compliant hard courts to be constructed. The $100,000 upgrade for Riddells Creek Tennis Club’s long-awaited stage two development will be funded through the Building Better Regions Fund – Infrastructure Projects stream. Riddells Creek Tennis Club secretary Andrew Nicoll said…
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IMPORTANT EVENT UPDATE
Academy Award nominated filmmaker Feras Fayyad will not attend the 2018 Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival screening of his film Last Men in Aleppo due to visa administration issues. Instead, he will join the audience live by Skype after the special screening of his film at the Theatre Royal Castlemaine on Saturday at 7.30pm, for an…