Friday 15th November

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: I've got all the details of the new MyWay+ rollout and what's on this weekend

☁️ Weather: 25° and cloudy.

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Breaking: No Buses Today

Due to a snap decision to strike by the ACT Transport Works Union early Friday morning, there will be no buses running in Canberra on Friday. Drivers are striking over violence faced on the job. Details here.

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News: 🚌 MyWay+ Date Announced

Canberra's new public transport ticketing system, MyWay+, will be available from Wednesday, November 27. The new system will allow travellers to pay for rides using contactless payments (Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay, Google Pay), the MyWay+ app, or a new MyWay+ travel card.

The new MyWay+ app and website are now live. You can register an account, although it's not necessary, as you can tap on and off with any credit or debit card, or Apple Pay and Google Pay. The new real-time journey planner is also available through the app and the website.

If you still prefer to use a physical MyWay+ travel card, they are now available at retail outlets or can be ordered through the app. A senior concession can be applied to the MyWay+ card at retail outlets and online. Old MyWay cards will not work with the new system.

More details here.

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News: 🏆 The Australians of the Year for ACT

The Australians of the Year for the ACT were announced in a ceremony last night.

Australian of the Year for the ACT

Megan Gilmour was named the Australian of the Year for the ACT. Ms Gilmour is the founder of MissingSchool. After her son survived a traumatic illness, Ms Gilmour was inspired to help the 1.2 million Australian children at risk of missing school due to chronic illness.

2025 Senior Australians of the Year for the ACT

The 2025 Senior Australians of the Year for the ACT are Peter Ralston OAM, and his wife Marilyn Ralston. The pair founded the Achilles Running Club Canberra in 2013. The club makes it possible for people who are vision impaired to walk and run at regular running events.

2025 Young Australian of the Year for the ACT

The 2025 Young Australian of the Year for the ACT is Daniel Bartholomaeus, an artist and neurodiversity advocate. Daniel is a mentor with The Friends Initiative, a social group for neurodivergent people. He has also worked with the United Nations, National Gallery and Daydream Machine to help young neurodiverse people realise their potential.

Local Heroes of the ACT

The winners of the Local Heroes of the ACT award are Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello, cofounders of Cafe Stepping Stone. The cafes in Dickson and Strathnairn employ mostly women from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

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👉 This Weekend in Canberra

This weekend, there will be a French Fair, a vintage car display, monster trucks, and more.

Get the full rundown of weekend events here.

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Coming Up: 🟣 The Phantom

The Gold St. Movie Club takes classic movies and combines them with a fun night at the pub. Partnering with Impact Comics and the Geek Markets, Gold St. is putting on an extra special screening of The Phantom starring Billy Zane. There will be bingo, games, and prizes, and if you wear purple, you'll get a special prize at the door. It's happening on December 1. Details here.

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Something to do: ☕️ Redbrick Coffee Courses

Have a fancy coffee machine sitting at home but struggling to make the perfect brew? Local roaster Redbrick Coffee run home barista courses. The course covers all the basics of using a home espresso machine and how to perfect your espresso and milk skills. Details here.

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Coming Up: 🚒 ESA Come and Try Day

Fancy a career change? The ACT Emergency Services Agency will be recruiting firefighters in 2025. There is an upcoming information session as well as a "Come & Try Day" where you can discuss the physical elements of becoming a firefighter and try your hand at the hose reel drag and team member rescue. Details here.

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Stage: 🤣 War on 2024

Join Charles Firth (The Chaser), James Schloeffel (founder of The Shovel), Mark Humphries (ABC TV) and Veronica Milsom (Mad as Hell, Triple J) for a night of satire, sketches and the best headlines from The Chaser and The Shovel. Details here.

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Classifieds

🎶 Vinyl Records Sale! Saturday November 16, from: 10am to 3pm at: Dickson Community Market, Dickson place shops, Outside Woolworths/Library. New arrivals. Retro music bargains and rarities, music from 1930s to 1980s. Jazz, funk, soul, RnB, blues, reggae, rock, pop, folk, latin, zydeco.

Mostly new, mint, sealed LP gems, used, original LPs from the 1970s/1980s, 16 crates of LP vinyl magic, buy with confidence, quality condition from a private collection of 150 crates. Eftpos: All Cards accepted OK. Enq: Julian: [email protected]

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Tidbits:

Canberra's Andrew Charter retires: Kookaburra and Canberra Chill goalkeeper Andrew Charter has announced he is retiring from international competition. Andrew is Australia's most capped goalkeeper and in his 13-year career has won a World Cup, a silver Olympic medal and three Commonwealth Games gold medals. More.

Road Closures: The Canberra Triathlon is happening this weekend, and there will be a number of road closures around the lake. More.

More Unique Gifts: Yesterday I wrote about some of the upcoming markets where you’ll find locally made goods. Thank you to Daniel and Lauren for suggesting Pop Canberra in Braddon and Trove in Dickson as two more places in Canberra to find locally made gifts.