Castlemaine
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The harsh realities of living rough
People often talk about the pervasiveness of homelessness but what does that really mean? There are a multitude of different forms of homelessness, from staying temporarily with friends and family, couch surfing, living in a car, or living on the streets. But what does living rough really look like? One local man, Angel, and his…
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We can eradicate poverty
Through his charity, I Am Someone, Steve Argent has worked tirelessly for 18 years to raise more than $4M and help thousands of impoverished children living in Uganda, Kenya and Sierra Leone. The charity has given more than 11,000 impoverished children a helping hand by setting up 12 schools and eight children’s villages. It has…
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Radiothon returns
Castlemaine’s award-winning station MainFM is getting amped up for its annual Radiothon and looking for support. Bring the Noise is the theme of MainFM’s Radiothon for 2023. What is the Noise? It’s the music, it’s the talk, it’s the singing, it’s the song, it’s the chit and the chat, the events and the vibe, it’s…
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Light through the darkness
An exhibition of emotive monochrome landscape works by emerging central Victorian artist Kristy Lynch was unveiled at Castlemaine’s Lot19 Arts Precinct on Saturday. The 37-year-old up-and-coming artist from Bendigo lost her sight in 2018, and as a result, lost her sense of self and purpose in the world. She began painting as therapy in 2019…
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Talented artist to be celebrated
The exquisite tapestry and beautiful ink sketches of late local artist Keitha Taft are set to be featured at Castlemaine’s Phee Broadway Theatre foyer next week as part of the shire’s annual 2023-2024 exhibition program. Keitha’s proud husband Tom Taft is thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to share her incredible works with…
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Help the Silver Tops sparkle
Castlemaine’s renowned seniors dance troupe, the Silver Top Dancers, is seeking community support to purchase a set of spangly new uniforms. The popular local group harbours dreams of auditioning for Australia’s Got Talent and has launched a GoFundMe campaign in a bid to raise $3000 to purchase the new outfits, which aim to bring a…
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Trade, exchange and connect
An Offers and Needs Market will be held in Castlemaine next month, giving people an opportunity to meet to identify and exchange passions, knowledge, skills, resources, opportunities and needs. Facilitator Samantha Wittenberg said the concept was nothing new, with roots in ancient indigenous cultures, but just needed a bit of support to re-enliven it. “From…
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Families disadvantaged
The recent capping of public transport fares has been celebrated by many in central Victoria, in particular individuals who regularly commute to Melbourne, but the new pricing structure has resulted in the eradication of the popular Family Saver Ticket, putting families travelling with young children at a disadvantage. Castlemaine resident Nina Trikojus told the Express…
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Soil removed from supermarket site
Work has begun to prepare the old Castlemaine gasworks site for a proposed new Woolworths supermarket. Four Lantrak trucks have removed two mounds of soil from the Lascorp Investment Group site on Duke Street. The activity sparked intense debate on local social media site Castlemania as some community members welcomed the beginning of works while…
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Food for the soul
The Cup of Kindness Community Food Van is a new initiative designed to offer a little help to local people who are doing it tough. The little green and purple van will be parked in Mechanics Lane Castlemaine (just down from the library entrance) every Thursday from 10am to 2pm serving free hot soup and…
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Literacy trailblazer recognised with OAM
Castlemaine teacher, educational consultant and author Rosemary McKenry has received a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to education in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. Rosie said she was shocked to receive the award honour. “There are so many amazing teachers working in our Indigenous communities and in the English as a Second…
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Second birthday sale for Good Op Shop
The Good Op Shop at Castlemaine will celebrate its second year of being open with a mini sustainability expo and sale on Saturday. Six local groups will hold stalls in the courtyard to share information about their sustainability and conservation work. “We wanted to share the amount of amazing work that is going on in…