News
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Mann gets it done
Known to many as 3AW’s ‘Mann About Town’, Mount Macedon local David Mann has been named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours for his service to the community through charitable organisations, to business, and to the promotions and marketing sector. Mr Mann is affectionately known as “the…
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Fight refuelled – Petrol station plans resurface with bid for restaurant
*Published: Midland Express, September 4, 2017 Controversial plans have reemerged for a service station at the southern gateway to Woodend – this time with a 23-seat convenience restaurant in tow. Reminiscent of 2015 plans, the design incorporates illuminated signage and four double-sided petrol bowsers with canopy, but also includes a double-storey shopfront and what could…
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Petrol plans doused
*Published: Midland Express, October 10, 2017 Brakes have been put on divisive plans for a petrol station and 23-seat convenience restaurant at the southern gateway to Woodend. Council planners have now red flagged the proposal, taking heed from a similar plan for the High Street site that lost at VCAT in 2015 with strong community…
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Early birthday gift for brigade
News of a new fire station is an early birthday present for Carlsruhe Fire Brigade as it prepares to celebrate 60 years. The brigade can expect to settle into a new site next year, calling home to a multi-bay facility with kitchen, meeting room and other enhancements for volunteers, following the surprise announcement of $600,000…
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Backlash over bike review
Community backlash may force Macedon Ranges Shire Council to reconsider a review of its ban on motorised recreational vehicle use within 500 metres of a house. The local law was adopted five years ago in response to a multitude of complaints about recreational vehicle noise and impact to amenity, but councillors recently voted 5-4 to…
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Battle of the vines
Several Macedon Ranges locals are set to feature in an innovative Australian-developed lifestyle TV series that is about to shake up the staid world of wine on television. Welcome to Battle of the Vines where there is only one question – “Who makes the best wine?” The six-part series is ‘State of Origin’ style across…
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Two Mad Italians – And a dinner at Braemar College
Back by popular demand, and with the support of the Italian Institute of Culture, accordionist Pietro Roffi and violinist Davide Monti return to Australia for one performance only together at the Woodend Winter Arts Festival. There will be one other chance to see Roffi: He will be the feature artist at the Festival Finale Dinner…
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Homegrown jazz debut
Castlemaine’s own Goldfields Jazz Orchestra is a testament to people power – and to the zest of the region’s homegrown music talent. Inspired after catching some of the big sounds at last year’s Castlemaine Jazz Festival, Castlemaine Secondary College music coordinator Kirsten Boerema and instrumental teacher Michael Timcke thought – why can’t we do that?…
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Music and movement
This weekend Woodend will be bursting with colour, music and movement as the Woodend Winter Arts Festival launches with the much-loved free fireworks on Friday night. It will be the biggest Friday night for entertainment in Woodend for the year as the town is set to triple its population with visitors from Melbourne, interstate and…
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“Pathetic” – Councillor slams Australia’s recycling inaction
Mount Alexander Shire Council has joined calls for a federal government inquiry into the future of waste and recycling in Australia with a local councillor slamming the nation’s recycling inaction as “pathetic” at last week’s council meeting. Meantime, the federal member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters says the nation’s recycling and waste management is at crisis…
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Wildlife carers slam proposal
A government department proposal to consider making it illegal for wildlife carers to rehabilitate native wildlife species deemed ‘over abundant’ has raised the ire of many local wildlife carers, rescuers and others concerned with animal welfare. The proposal mooted on page 31 of DELWP’s current Review of the Authority to Control Wildlife discussion paper suggests…
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‘A win for democracy’
Two Castlemaine fathers who appeared in court last Friday charged with trespassing in a politician’s office during a protest against Queensland’s proposed Adani coal mine are hailing the court’s decision as a win for democracy. Damien Cook and Bernard Tonkin, both members of Central Victoria Climate Action, fronted Bendigo Magistrates Court on Friday charged with…