Mayor's Message – 1 May 2025
Published on 01 May 2025
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Easter long weekend and, for those of you affected, nice school holidays, too!
I was able to wind back my workdays a bit to spend more time with my kids, while they were home from school.
We stayed pretty close to home, enjoying taking things a bit slower and spending more time with our puppy and cats.
As always, it’s been a busy month for Council!
2025/2026 Budget update
At our April Council Meeting, among other items, Councillors approved the Proposed 2025/2026 Budget to be made available for community exhibition for two weeks – the next step in the budget process.
We thank everyone who took the time to provide feedback during this period, and Councillors look forward to hearing from those who’ve indicated they’d like to speak to their submission at an Unscheduled Meeting of Council on 13 May.
From there, Councillors will consider these submissions, before the Budget comes to the June Council meeting for adoption.
Council Plan, Municipal Public Health & Wellbeing Plan, and Community Vision
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback during our first round of consultation for our 2025-2029 Council Plan and Municipal Public Health & Wellbeing Plan, and mid-term check in on our ten-year Community Vision, whether via Shape, by speaking to our fantastic officers or consultants, through a Councillor at one of our listening posts, or by completing a postcard.
We received a huge amount of feedback from a wide range of people, community groups, and organisations across our shire and are very thankful to have such an engaged and generous community.
At present, we’re compiling, absorbing, and considering what we’ve heard, and beginning to develop our new plans. Once these are in draft form, they will be presented at a future Council meeting for approval to be made available for community comment.
You can keep up to date on our progress on Shape Mount Alexander.
How great are kids?
Over the last month, I’ve been continuing to spend time with kids in schools, kinders, and childcare centres across the shire, hearing about what’s important to them, why they love living here, and what could make it even better.
I’ve particularly spent a lot of time with kids in three- and four-year-old kinder and, I have to say, they have some fantastic ideas for our shire!
Thank you to staff at Newstead Kinder, Maldon Kinder, Castlemaine Kinder, Busy Bees Castlemaine, and Carinya for welcoming me into your spaces, and allowing me to have such great conversations with your little people.
Returning to Carinya and Busy Bees was particularly poignant for me, as my kids attended Busy Bess when they were little, and I attended both myself as a child!
I will admit, I spent a moment at Carinya gazing wistfully at the old “conversation pit” (now a sandpit) and remembering when I was sent home in disgrace for biting someone there. Luckily, I no longer bite – and there was more to the story than met the eye.
Listening posts
Councillors have continued getting out and about at listening posts and events across the shire.
I held my first listening post of the year outside the Castlemaine Market Building, a few Saturdays ago. I was joined and supported by the wonderful Glenn Deaker, our Operations Manager, and we had some important conversations with residents about roads, as we sought feedback on our Road Management Plan and Asset Plan.
I also took the opportunity to wander the streets and (gently and nicely) accost people with postcards and ask them to provide feedback to inform our Council Plan.
Thank you to everyone who took a postcard and stopped for a chat. It was wonderful to meet so many people and I had some great conversations.
See what listening posts are coming up here.
Maldon Croquet Club 100 years celebration
It was a joy to attend Maldon Croquet Club in commemorating their centenary, at their clubrooms on 1 April.
Cr Rosalie Hastwell and I joined past and present club members, members of nearby croquet clubs, and the president of the Victorian Croquet Association in celebrating the club’s history and members, as well as its ongoing success.
Cr Hastwell and I unveiled a beautiful new plaque to mark the occasion and I tried my hand at a game of croquet using unique crooked mallets.
Anzac Day
I had the pleasure of attending two Anzac Day events on 25 April, with my Councillor colleagues also attending the many other commemorations in communities across our shire.
My kids and I walked in the procession beginning at the Castlemaine Town Hall, along with those who have served, those representing a family member who has served, and members of local emergency services and Scouts groups.
The march was led by the Highland Pipe Band and ended at the Castlemaine RSL, where a large crowd was gathered before the cenotaph.
There were moving speeches by the president of the Castlemaine RSL, and the Castlemaine Secondary College school captains, as well as musical performances by Thompsons Foundry Band and Maggie Jackson.
I shared my Mayor’s reflection, as well. Together, we sang God Save the King, and the New Zealand and Australian National Anthems, stood solemnly while The Last Post was played by a lone bugler, then observed a minute’s silence.
Finally, we laid wreaths on the cenotaph. I laid a wreath on behalf of Council, alongside Victorian Senator Bridget Mckenzie, who joined us to commemorate Anzac Day, as well as representatives of Lisa Chesters MP and Maree Edwards MP.
Afterwards, we were welcomed for morning tea. I thank the Castlemaine RSL for organising this commemoration, as well as the many people who attended to mark Anzac Day.
Later in the day, I headed out to Nuggety (near Maldon) to attend their Anzac Day ceremony. It was raining quite a lot, but there was still an impressive turnout!
The Nuggety commemoration was a small and intimate affair, but incredibly moving. Speeches were made, we stood and sang together, and wreaths were laid on the beautiful cairn, emblazed simply with the word “Peace”.
Afterwards, many of us stayed to enjoy afternoon tea. It was a joy to meet so many members of this small community, and to experience their beautiful Anzac Day ceremony.
On the drive home, I rescued a turtle (or tortoise?) from the middle of the road and safely relocated it to a nearby dam. It was my first time meeting a turtle (or tortoise) in the wild!
Local Government Mayoral Advisory Panel 2025
I recently found out that I was fortunate enough to be selected as a member of the 2025 Local Government Mayoral Advisory Panel (LGMAP), along with eight other Mayors from across Victoria.
The panel is chaired by the Minister for Local Government, Nick Staikos, and advises him on a range of legislative, regulatory, strategic, and policy decisions which impact the local government sector.
This is my second time as a member of LGMAP, though I worked with a different group of Mayors and a different Minister, previously.
The panel has its first meeting on 24 April, in Melbourne. It was a pleasure to meet the Minister, and the other Mayors appointed to the panel.
Between the nine of us, we represent Victoria’s 79 councils, across the categories of metropolitan, interface, regional, large rural (which Mount Alexander Shire is), and small rural.
I look forward to working further with this group and am hopeful that the advice and information we can share with Minister Staikos will contribute to positive change in the local government sector.
Finally, remember, your Councillors are here for you and you can always contact us – find our details here. Just keep in mind, we’re people, too, and we can only do our best!
That’s it from me (for now).
Rosie
Mayor Rosie Annear
Mount Alexander Shire Council