Castlemaine
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A stitch in time
Castlemaine’s Repair Cafe is getting set to return for 2019 bringing broken or dysfunctional goods back to good use while diverting waste from landfill. And as the eager band of Repair Cafe volunteers prepare to get going in their brand-new venue of the Castlemaine Town Hall, that’s not all they’ve been achieving. “It’s been fabulous.…
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Respect our cyclists: road aggro alarm
Castlemaine health professionals, parents and cyclists are calling for more care and respect on our roads following recent incidents of motorist aggression towards local cyclists. Castlemaine chiropractor Dr Marg Peck and psychologist Susie Burke both have cycling sons who regularly train on the roads, and they contacted the Midland Express to raise concerns about incidents…
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Path-breaking project
The first residents are expected to begin moving into Castlemaine’s new cutting-edge eco village housing development, as early as this September. The Paddock Eco Village is being developed on a site off Castlemaine’s Reckleben Street by a team – that includes architects, a landscape architect, town planner, civil engineer and energy consultant – led by…
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Parlez-vous Francais?
The hot, dry bushland of Walmer is a very long way from Canada’s French Quebec famed for its icy winter carnival. But you don’t have to chat to local French language tutor, Emma Dubuc, for long to see she loves the Aussie bushland she now calls home. Originally from Quebec City where French was her…
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Billboard blow – VCAT overturns council refusal
Castlemaine residents who opposed plans to erect a large advertising billboard in Johnstone Street have been left in shock after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal overturned Mount Alexander Shire Council’s decision to refuse a permit for the sign. Council received 28 formal written objections to the proposed sign at 42-44 Johnstone Street, which is…
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Surprise musical legacy for the men
It’s not every day you get left a surprising musical legacy. When dedicated Castlemaine Men’s Shed member Lindesay Hart passed away earlier this year he left a bequest for his mates at the shed – the entire contents of his own home shed. Turns out Lindesay’s shed contained a wide range of goods ranging from…
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Vote time in Don KR enterprise dispute
About 70 maintenance workers involved in an enterprise agreement dispute at Castlemaine’s Don KR Factory have been asked to vote on whether to accept the latest offer from parent company George Weston Foods Limited. Pay and conditions are at the heart of the enterprise agreement dispute which erupted in a series of stoppages and bans…
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On the house
Castlemaine café operator Dot Hardman of The Dot in Barker Street has embraced the community movement ‘One on the House’ that aims to brighten the day of locals doing it tough. Dot said well-loved local ‘Nana’ Barb Templar of the Castlemaine RSL first suggested the idea of ‘donating’ an extra coffee for those doing it…
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Castlemaine base for Glenrowan film shoot
Castlemaine has been chosen as the base for next year’s anticipated filming of Glenrowan, the latest ambitious film project of established filmmaker Matthew Holmes. Holmes is the filmmaker behind 2016 bushranger film The Legend of Ben Hall and with Glenrowan turns his attention to portraying the final 48 hours of Ned Kelly’s life as a…
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Push for defib
Momentum is building to get a defibrillator installed for after-hours public access in central Castlemaine. Bronwyn Grieve, community health nurse at Castlemaine District Community Health, is among those busy gathering signatures for a petition for a chance to win a defibrillator for after-hours public access. Bronwyn says Australian Hearts has a competition running and those…
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Castlemaine writer wins literary award
A Castlemaine writer has drawn partly on her own past experiences as an aerial circus performer to take out a prestigious $50,000 national literary award. But Libby Angel also drew on threads of early Australian history to pen her first novel, The Trapeze Act, which has just been named winner of the coveted $50,000 Barbara…
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Tower proposal ignites debate
Residents of Wesley Hill at Castlemaine are up in arms over proposed plans for the installation of a new Optus communications tower just a couple of hundred metres from nearby homes. The residents say it will be a ‘blight’ on the heritage landscape and will be visible as visitors drive into the gateway to Castlemaine.…