Woodend
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Post-pandemic poets
Chamber Poets is back in full swing after successful June and July events and continues to play a key role in supporting poets in the aftermath of the pandemic. At the next spoken word event on August 13, Tru S Dowling of Bendigo and Amanda Anastasi of Melbourne will converge in Woodend to promote their…
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Hoons to face court
Two men have been charged after police responded to a hoon driving incident in Woodend on July 15. Police received reports of two utilities doing burnouts in High Street about 11.45pm. Police discovered tyre marks on the road and located two vehicles matching the description nearby. The driver of one of the vehicles, a 19-year-old…
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Thief targets coop
Four isa brown hens were stolen from St Ambrose Primary School in Woodend over the Queen’s Birthday weekend. Staff and students were devastated to make the discovery with signs of damage to cyclone fencing and an open coop. “The top of the cyclone fence in which the coop was enclosed was damaged and the coop…
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Comp tempts taste buds
Holgate Brewhouse is tempting taste buds through a competition tapping into one of its most popular beers. The Woodend brewery is offering a $500 prize pack to the most creative and delicious recipe starring Holgate’s Temptress Choc Porter. Holgate’s Lucy Watson said the malt-driven beer was infused with Dutch cocoa and vanilla beans. “It’s ideal…
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The nun in the cage
A recent program screened on ABC TV showed an 87-year-old Melbourne nun, confined in a cage. She was protesting the detention of refugees by Australian authorities. It was all in a day’s work for Sister Brigid Arthur – one more example of her determination to stand up on questions of social justice. For nearly seven…
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Tourism-draw questioned
A multi-million dollar redevelopment of ‘The Old Factory’ in Woodend has been rejected at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Impact on the town’s commercial core, question of genuine tourism draw and the need to maintain industrial areas were key factors in the decision. Branded a tourist destination, the original plan included a 40-stall market,…
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A complicated tale of joy and despair
Like most people in his profession, Mark Chew is more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it. Photos show a quiet, reflective individual, with, just occasionally, a hint of sadness. It’s hardly surprising. He’s seen things. For more than 30 years, Mark has carved out a career as a highly successful commercial photographer.…
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Prioritise safety call
Woodend’s St Ambrose Primary School community is calling for pedestrian safety works to be prioritised in Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s draft budget. About 100 people used Walk to School Day as an opportunity to highlight the dangers for students with a lack of safe crossing points in the Woodend school precinct. More than 150 parents…
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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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Watsonia in Woodend
Watsonia: A Writing Life, is the 13th and latest offering by author Don Watson. It is a collection of essays on subjects as diverse as Travel and Terrorism, Language and Leadership, Football and Faith and, most intriguingly, the question of Australia: Who are we? Where are we? And where do we go from here? Watson…
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What! Me? Sing?
Notes from a wobbly Woodend Warbler Lindsay Cumming When my daughter, newly arrived in Woodend with her family last year, suggested I join her to give Woodend Warblers a try, all I could think of were obstacles. I hadn’t sung in a choir since school, over half a century ago. I don’t read music. I…
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Idea takes seed
Three friends are establishing a native nursery for the Macedon Ranges, with a goal of continuing and expanding the legacy of Woodend identity Robin Baker. Robin was the owner of Acres Wild Nursery and his death in 2019 affected many people in the community. He was passion about native plants and conservation. In discussion with…