The Ballarat Independent.

To mark National Week of Deaf People - 15 to 21 October - Ballarat Regional Library Service will host a number of activities, using the sign language of Auslan, The National Week of Deaf People (NWDP) is a week-long national celebration of Deaf individuals and the Deaf Australian community.  

Council seeks Ballarat residents to provide input into the future development of arts and culture in the city. If you are involved in the arts in any capacity, whether it be as a practitioner or as part of the audience, Council wants your feedback.  

As a newly arrived Brit in Ballarat, two questions invariably recur within every new conversation. At some point, the generic friendly stranger will ask, "So why did you come to Ballarat?" This will shortly be followed by a blunt, "So when are you going to leave?" Got to love hard core local disaffe

Initial proposals for the remaining three precincts in the Ballarat West Growth Area were presented to landowners and stakeholders today at the Ballarat Town Hall. Attendees were asked to comment on the plans for the Bonshaw Creek, Greenhalghs Road and Carngham Road precincts which have been update

A wireless CCTV camera network may be introduced across the region if a funding application through the State Government's ‘Public Safety Infrastructure Fund' is successful. The funding application will be made to State Government as part of a collaborative project between the five local gove

Primary school students in Ballarat have only a week left to submit their ideas on a new name for Willow Island at Lake Wendouree. The City of Ballarat is running a renaming competition to find a more considered name for the island which was completed in 2008.  

Plans for the ‘MS 24 Hour Mega Swim' are well underway but more swimmers and supporters are wanted. The City of Ballarat is proud to be supporting the ‘MS 24 Hour Mega Swim', a fun community event that raises money for MS Australia's Go for Gold Foundation which provides scholarships to

Recipients of the 2011 City of Ballarat Youth Awards will be announced at a free event to be held at the Regent Multiplex Cinemas next Friday (14/10) at 6.30pm. The Youth Awards were developed by the City of Ballarat Youth Council and Youth Services, to provide an opportunity for the community to c

Strange, but what can bacon, bogans and Ballarat all have in common? My answer: people, they are all myths. As a Brit recently moved to Ballarat, I have three pressing issues plaguing my brain. Why is ham being marketed as bacon; what is this elusive creature you term the bogan; and am I really in A

The City of Ballarat's draft Reconciliation Action Plan is now available for public comment. The draft plan was adopted at an Ordinary Meeting of Ballarat City Council last night (28/09).  

Registrations are now open for the inaugural Rural and Regional Safety Conference 2011. The free conference, to be hosted by the City of Ballarat, will be held on Wednesday 19 October at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.  

The Alternative Technology Association supports the push by Victorian community groups fighting to reverse government restrictions on wind turbines.

The Ballarat Libraries school holiday program kicked off yesterday, leaving local children spoilt for choice this break. Activities will take place on almost every weekday of the school holidays with something for all ages and abilities.  

Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association Incorporated held a public meeting on Sunday 18th September 2011 to allow the community to discuss and learn more about the Council's $40m civic hall redevelopment. Around 160 people attended the meeting.

Students in the Studio and Future Art groups at BRACE Education Training and Employment will open an environmentally-inspired show at the Post Office Gallery on Thursday between 5:00-7:00pm.

Students from the Ballarat Deaf Facility will feature in a large scale animation to be digitally projected on to the Town Hall throughout National Week of Deaf People, 15 to 21 October. The animation is being created by University of Ballarat Graphic Art student Hannah Shuttleworth and will involve

Creswick's Longest Picnic will be taking place at Federation Square on Thursday 6th October, 11am - 2am.

Young people and more experienced knitters have joined together to improve their knitting skills and provide some warmth for African children. Anyone looking to make a difference and learn some great knitting tips can join the 'Knitty Gritty' team at YHQ. Young people are of course always welcome a

The Liberal Member for Western Victoria, Simon Ramsay MLC, will be among the panellists at a meeting to discuss plans for the development of the Civic Hall site in Ballarat. The $40 million dollar project to demolish the Civic Hall, subdivide the land, and build a new Council office on a corner of

At its ordinary meeting last night (14/9), Ballarat City Council received a report that consolidated all of the risk analysis undertaken throughout the 300 Mair Street project. The report said in preparing the Civic Hall Risk Management Matrix, Council officers have engaged in detailed risk manageme