Driven by a country town community values
ENCOURAGING people, businesses and organisations to put their hand in their pocket to support a worthy cause is often a difficult undertaking. Unless you are...
Councils face belt tightening on rates again
FOR the fourth year in a row, local government is under a rate cap imposed by the state government. According to Municipal Association of Victoria,...
Rare beauty found hiding in Victoria Park
ALONGSIDE the grand avenues of European trees - Oaks, Elms, Planes and Cedars – planted on the 130 hectares of Ballarat’s Victoria Park in...
Green woodsmith eases technology blues
PAUL Ryle is a self-confessed total and utter wood geek. “Whereas most kids spent their paper boy money or spending money on sweets or comics...
Seven seasons scarves created from leftovers
WHAT started with an approach from Creative Victoria ended up as a collaboration between two Ballarat women - friends for nearly 40 years –...
Spoilt for choice at Ballan Farmers’ Market
BREAD hand-shaped and baked in Daylesford, cheese handmade in Ballarat, and olive oil grown and bottled in Gordon are a few of the local...
All that jazz
FANS from around the country came to the 73rd Australian Jazz Convention held in Ballarat last week. From Boxing Day to New Year’s Eve the...
Kick back to the sounds of Summer Sundays
MUSIC, fun, wine and food – a perfect recipe for the upcoming Summer Sundays concert series running in January in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. Over...
Rent free retail space for artists in Block Arcade
BALLARAT Evolve Creative Spaces is Tara Poole’s baby. Chair of BECS Ms Poole set up and spearheads the project of placing local artists rent free...
Coles shoppers get behind 3BA appeal at the checkout
FOR the past five years Coles Supermarket manager Sharon Germon has rallied team members across four stores to support the 3BA Christmas Appeal. This year...
New library not just about books
THIRD place is how Jenny Fink describes the about to be opened and recently renovated Sebastopol Library Community Hub. “Home is first place and work...
Santa on the tracks despite weather
THE wet weather didn’t hamper the Santa tram last weekend. Locals braved the rain to climb on board to meet the bearded man in the...
All fired up for Christmas
FIRE fighters from Ballarat City Fire Station and newly opened Lucas Fire Station joined ranks donating toys and money to the 3BA Christmas Appeal. Ballarat’s...
Creative plan takes shape
LAST week the City of Ballarat held a mass conversation at Ballarat’s Creative City Consultation Gathering. About 200 locals, creatives and enthusiasts, gathered at a...
Families sing the season at Ballarat Carols
THREE generations of the Goldsmith family from Wendouree staked their claim to a patch of the Mars Stadium oval just before 6pm on Sunday...
Kids Christmas party supports cancer research
THE Mining Exchange on Sturt Street Ballarat was a sea of kids, balloons, picnic rugs, mums, dads and grandparents at the FedUni Children’s Centres...
High flying new CEO at BCH takes off
WHILE Sean Duffy, with 25 years experience in the health and not-for-profit sectors, is eminently qualified for his new role as CEO at Ballarat...
Big cheque for White Ribbon Australia
HARCOURTS Ballarat real estate consultant Christine Browning realised domestic violence could happen to anyone when the daughter of a close friend ended up a...
Universal three-year-old kindergarten coming
MINISTER for Education James Merlino paid his first visit to a kindergarten under his expanded K-12 expanded ministerial portfolio on Tuesday, 11 December. Mr Merlino...
From little things big things grow
WHEN the Art Gallery of Ballarat invited Castlemaine artist Eliza-Jane Gilchrist to develop a children’s workshop based on a work in their collection in...
HERO horses find new life off the track
STANDARDBRED horses – used for harness racing – have an image problem. Thoroughbred horses are often described as slim, athletic, proud animals, whereas standardbred horses,...
Exploring entrepreneur has eyes on Iran
ONE of Missy Saleeba’s passions is travelling - in particular to less visited and more unknown parts of the world. Gordon resident Ms Saleeba has...
Making gravy at Trades Hall
PAUL Kelly’s song How to Make Gravy, a fiveminute lament on loss and a missed Christmas dinner is the song of choice for Bar...
Remembering lost child at Christmas
WHEN a family suffers the loss of a child, grief can be unbearable particularly at Christmas. The annual Ceremony of Remembrance is a time for...