News
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Woodend traffic fix closer
Woodend’s notorious Urquhart/High Street intersection was the prime concern for respondents to a transport study for the town. The intersection near Coles supermarket made up 37 per cent of the 67 submissions to the Woodend Integrated Transport Study survey. Users of the intersection contend with main street congestion, a confusing layout with several turning points…
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Clay coin currency to circulate
Eve Lamb First there was bitcoin and non-fungible tokens …. But after a while they became sooooo yesteryear and then there was … the silver wattle … a brand new currency about to be released into the Castlemaine economy as part of an innovative arts and economic project. Somewhat at the opposite end of the…
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Live4Life heads interstate
Youth Live4Life is expanding its award-winning youth mental health and suicide prevention program interstate, thanks to an $871,163 federal government grant announced last week. Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, visited Woodend last Wednesday to announce the grant recipients from the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program. “We are thrilled to have secured funding…
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Dance ya socks off
Eve Lamb Expect some quality sound when Castlemaine Sound hosts its Pride edition dance party at Castlemaine’s Village square this evening. That’s a main message from organiser Casey Rice who knows a thing or two about dispensing dance grooves with satisfying bass. “We’re going to be bringing our own sound system so there will be…
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Lions to stay, but need your support
Kyneton Lions Club will continue to operate despite fears last month it may shut down due to low membership. Members voted to continue the club’s fundraising efforts and activities with hopes to attract new members over the next year. “We will persevere,” club treasurer Dennis Bertoncini said. “We had the zone chairman attend our April…
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D’Arcy a leader
D’Arcy Egberts has an in-depth knowledge of Australian war history beyond her years. Her dedication and leadership skills earned her a place in the Shrine of Remembrance Young Ambassador Leadership Program. The year 10 Sacred Heart College student was among those assisting at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance ANZAC services on Monday. For the first time,…
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Moo-ving arrival
Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary is celebrating the birth of a calf named Little Flower with a unique story. Sanctuary founder and director Pam Ahern said Little Flower’s mum Petal was recently surrendered into their care with two other former milking cows. “Their humans loved them deeply and wished for them to be spared the dire…
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Host of COVID restrictions scrapped
Close contact quarantine, proof of vaccination and mask mandates for most settings have been scrapped with a raft of other pandemic orders. Minister for Health Martin Foley changed restrictions on Friday following a near 70 per cent uptake of the third COVID vaccination. “As the peak of the Omicron wave begins to subside… Victoria will…
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Licence on hold
Coliban Water’s bid to amend its licence for the Kyneton Water Reclamation Plant is temporarily on hold, after Environment Protection Authority Victoria called for more information. The licence regulates releases of wastewater from the plant to the Campaspe River and has allowed a maximum ratio of 20 per cent treated water to 80 per cent…
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Don’t burn your bridge… just yet
Eve Lamb It seems the small red pedestrian bridge installed across a public roadside drain on Castlemaine’s Barker Street may be around for a bit longer yet. Local couple Mike and Adrienne Thorbecke had installed the little red number in recent months but recently received council notification that without the relevant permit, under local law…
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Promises to fix mobile blackspots
New Optus and Telstra mobile phone base station sites will be built at Gisborne South. The federal government announced funding for the blackspot area last week, and election pledges also revealed Woodend is in sight for improvements. McEwen Labor incumbent Rob Mitchell and Liberal candidate Richard Welch have pledged to work with the community and…
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Work in high places
Eve Lamb At a lofty six metres high, the ceilings at historic Maldon Primary School are imposing – but also badly overdue for repair. Now, after a lengthy tendering process, the little school has locked in a contractor to carry out that big repair job worth a cool $50,000. Bendigo-based Program Property Services has been…