27 February 2025

In this newsletter – help shape a small business event, two EOIs, International Women's Day, community wealth building, businesses making the energy transition.

Special event for micro and small businesses. Save the date - Friday 27 June

We are organising a special event to celebrate and support the many micro and small businesses in our shire. To ensure the day is beneficial for our business community, we need your input. Your feedback will help shape the activities planned for the day. Tell us what matters to you!

June 27 is United Nations Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises Day. We aim to use this day to celebrate our local businesses and provide practical support for those running, or considering starting, a business in the shire.

Please take a moment to complete our survey and share your thoughts. Together, we can make this event a success.

Gastronomy Festival EOI

The City of Greater Bendigo, as Australia’s first UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from experienced event organisers to develop a major gastronomy festival for the region from 2026 and beyond. The EOI also includes the development of a smaller gastronomy event in 2025.

EOIs are being welcomed from event and festival directors residing and working in Mount Alexander Shire. 

If you are interested in seeing the EOI festival scope document, please contact Michelle Symes michelle.symes@bendigo.vic.gov.au

Applicants must register and submit their proposal through the City of Greater Bendigo's Vendor Panel marketplace by 24 March 2025. If you are not registered on Vendor Panel, please apply via the link below, selecting the category "Event Management and Services".

Community Wealth Building Masterclass

SGS Economics and Planning is presenting an exciting masterclass addressing the foundational elements of local economic development in the Victorian goldfields region. It will explore how community wealth building can help ensure that investment benefits local businesses, workers and communities. This masterclass will provide practical guidance on scaling these efforts.

The day will be co-led by Patrick Fensham from SGS Economics and Planning, and Neil McInroy, global leader in Community Wealth Building at the Democracy Collaborative, Chair of Economic Development Association Scotland, Chair of Shetland Island Energy Transition Taskforce, and Independent Review of Inclusive Business Models. 

Guest contributor Melina Morrison is CEO of the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals, and she will share practical  Australian case studies across farming, healthcare, housing and energy sectors of inclusive member-led businesses.

📍 Location: Castlemaine Civic Centre Council chambers 27 Lyttleton St, Castlemaine VIC 3450
📅 Date: Friday 14 March 2025
⏰ Time: 10:30am – 3:00pm
💵 Cost: $1,250 + gst

EOI Opportunity: Council Plan community reference group

We’re planning for the future, and preparing three key Council documents that guide what we do, and how we do it, over the coming years.
As part of that, we’re looking for representatives from our local business community to join the reference group.
To find out more, email Ed Butler on e.butler@mountalexander.vic.gov.au or call 5471 1700.

Join local businesses moving towards renewable energy with MANZWG

Mount Alexander Net Zero Working Group (MANZWG) is made up of local citizens and business owners in the Shire. It celebrates businesses who have already moved their operations to 100% clean energy, and encourages and informs others planning to make the change towards renewable energy and sustainable practices. Making the move cuts running costs while also helping Mount Alexander Shire reach net zero as quickly as possible to prevent and ameliorate the effects of climate change.

MANZWG celebrates several local businesses' journeys to renewables on their website, with articles, photos and short videos. The Mill Castlemaine and Mostyn St Clinic are two businesses whose switch to renewables has been documented with short videos describing their experiences and the benefits gained in making the change to renewable energy. Maldon Bakery and other local businesses of many different types have short articles about their particular needs and solutions. These are tales of step-by-step progress, where commonsense and good business planning is used, both to cut costs and to improve operational security.

For businesses wanting to make the move but unsure of the first steps on the conversion path, MANZWG suggests to first check the available state and federal government incentives and rebates available. Then undertake an energy audit to reveal the patterns of current energy use, which will expose where the biggest cost-savings are to be found, and in what order to make improvements. Engaging an energy assessor for this initial report is a great idea.

Email MANZWG at team@mtalexnetzeroworkinggroup.org if you'd like to be featured.

International Women's Day Breakfast with Women's Health Loddon Mallee

Women's Health Loddon Mallee is hosting a breakfast to mark International Women’s Day. Join them in Bendigo for a shared breakfast, coffee, inspiring speakers, and stimulating conversation.

This year’s International Women’s Day event will feature a keynote address by the Hon Maree Edwards MP and a panel discussion on the theme ‘March Forward: It’s Time to Turn Promises into Progress’. Panellists include Aunty Marilyne Nicholls, Eliza Hull, Dr Kirsty Forsdike, Dulce Muñoz, and Sherene Clow.

📍 Location: Bendigo Town Hall 189-193 Hargreaves St, Bendigo VIC 3550
📅 Date: Friday 7 March 2025
⏰ Time: 8:00 – 10:00am
💵 Cost: Free

Interested in gaining insights into advanced manufacturing and innovation?

NORTH Link, The City of Greater Bendigo and AusIndustry are extending an invitation to manufacturers in Mount Alexander Shire to join them on a fact-finding tour in Melbourne’s North. The tour will take you to three leading organisations at the forefront of manufacturing innovation and digital transformation. 

You'll visit La Trobe University's Digital Innovation Hub, Sutton Tools, and Integra Systems, where you'll gain firsthand insights into cutting-edge technologies like AI, IoT, and robotics. This is a unique opportunity to learn from industry experts, see innovation in action, and expand your network. For more details and to RSVP, email Paul Henderson from AusIndustry below.

📅 Date: Friday 14 March 2025
⏰ Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm

Q&A with Culum Revell, Founder & Director of Daedulux

We met Culum at the Castlemaine Career Fair last week, and wanted to find out more about what he does.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your business, Daedulux? What do you do, and what inspired you to start it?

At Daedulux we harness drone and AI technology to improve efficiency, sustainability, and data-driven decision-making across agriculture, infrastructure, and environmental management. My background in aerospace engineering led me to explore how drones could be more than just military or hobbyist tools; instead, they could help industries work smarter, safer, and more efficiently.  Daedulux is like the Swiss army knife of aerial intelligence - versatile, precise, and built to solve real-world challenges.

Starting a business can be challenging. What kind of support or advice did you receive when launching Daedulux, and what would you recommend to others starting out?

I received sensational support from the team at StartUp Central Victoria. Their mentorship and resources were invaluable. My biggest advice? Take advantage of local business networks. Castlemaine and the surrounding region are full of support and collaboration opportunities. 

You’ve worked with other local specialists. How important has local collaboration been for your business?

Collaboration has been key to Daedulux’s success. I’m currently working with Peter Corlett (Strabo Geospatial), Michael Brown (Orchard Mate), and the brilliant minds at Ligantic. Partnerships like these allow us to turn aerial data into high value, actionable insights for councils, farmers, and businesses. 

For local businesses or organisations that might not be familiar with your work, how could Daedulux help them?

Daedulux provides aerial data solutions to cut costs & time wasted, enhance sustainability, and improve efficiency - whether it’s yield prediction in olive orchards, post-infrastructure safety assessments for surprise hail storms, or emergency response planning for our local region. I’d love to connect with more local businesses to explore how drones can empower smarter decisions across industries.

Thank you Culum!

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Mount Alexander Shire Council
email: business@mountalexander.vic.gov.au  web: www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au

Mount Alexander Shire Council acknowledges that the traditional custodians of this
land, the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung peoples, proudly survive. We acknowledge their continued practice of custom and their close cultural, spiritual, physical, social, historical and economic relationship with the land and waters that make up
their country, which includes Mount Alexander Shire.