Latrobe Valley Express Wednesday 10 May 2023

Drought Drou breakers

Yestoinclusivity

By ZAIDAGLIBANOVIC

LOUD applauserang around the gallery at the Gippsland Performing ArtsCentre as Latrobe City Council endorsed its support for the LGBTIQA+ community in the latestcouncil meeting on Monday, May 1.

CouncillorTracie Lund championed the motion for council to release apublic statement regarding the council’s commitment to including trans and gender-diverse people in the regionand opposingtransphobiaand trans-misogyny.

The motion also notes existing local initiatives that support people who are lesbian,gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse,intersex, queer and/or questioning.

Council stated they would support theGippsland Pride Festival, which provides asafeand welcoming place for trans and gender people in the community.

This comes after Latrobe City

Councillor Melissa Ferguson received extensive criticism for her Twitterposts earlier this month, with some Twitter users labelling some of her comments as hate speech and transphobic.

Gippsland Pride Initiative took to Facebooktocondemnrecent comments made by aLatrobe City Council official, statingthey were“reprehensible, harmful, hatefullyignorant and worse still, factually incorrect”.

Themotion also noted strategicobjective 3.8 of the ‘Living Well Latrobe’ plan to ensure that councilrecognises and valuesthe rights and social needs of the LGBTIQA+ community, which aims to address discriminationand access to council services and events.

The motionalsoallowscouncil officers to make and present areport to council based on the recommendations of both local and state reports, including the state government LGBTQ+ strategy and the Rainbow Brick Road Report.

The Rainbow BrickRoad report was an

academic study done by those in the local community led by the Gippsland Pride initiative.The report will be releasedon International Day AgainstHomophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) day on Wednesday, May, 17.

Cr Lund raised this motion to support theLatrobeValley’s diverse community with cheersfrom supporters of the GippslandPride Initiative attending the meeting.

She described how her daughter felt “powerless” and “overwhelmed” by the discrimination she witnessed.

“We know ourfriends and family in that community who are already facing considerable challenges throughout their life and suffer significantly higher rates of self-harm, depression and suicide than the rest of our community,” she said.

“I note the disgusting and cowardly behaviour that we saw on the steps of the Victorian Parliament on the 18th of March this year. Inote it has caused agreat deal of distress and sadness to

our community, and frankly, it has no place in our community.

“Data from the Victorian Agency of Health information shows that five per cent of Latrobe residents identify as LGBTIQA+, close to 4000 residents.” In her speech,CrLundcommended on the work the GippslandPride initiative does in supporting the LGBTIQA+ community.

“As councillors and leaders in our community, we have aresponsibility to support everyone, and we should never be neutral when situations of injustice arise,” she said.

Cr Bradley Law,CrGraeme Middlemiss and the Deputy Mayor, Cr Dan Clancey, all spoke in favour of Cr Lund’s motion,despite opposition arguments from Cr Dale Harriman basedonthe motion’s wording which he arguedwould result in unintended consequences.

Continued Page 8

LV Family Violence Unit reform

By ZAIDAGLIBANOVIC

FOLLOWING the Royal Commission into family violence, the Latrobe Valley Family Violence Unit has seen colossal reform. The Royal Commission into Family Violence was completed in 2015. The Commission made 227 recommendations to reduce theimpactoffamily violence in communities which the state government has acted on. The role of the Commission was to find ways to: prevent family violence, improve support for victim-survivors and hold perpetrators to account. The Commission included 25 days of public hearings. Community conversations were held with over 800 Victorians, and nearly 1,000 writtensubmissionswere received.

Speaking to Detective Sergeant PaulZiebell from the Latrobe Valley family violence unit, he described abetter family violence response.

"Because of the royal commission, we obtained some positionsasa result of the (population) growth of the local area," he said.

"We were allocateda number of members (for family violence).The problem we had wasthatthe geographicalarea thatweobviously work in (across Gippsland), so to makeiteasiertoprovideservice to thearea, we split the area into threelocations, withobviously (Morwell) being the majorhub of thethree locations."

There are other family violence units across Gippsland as The Baw Baw crew operates out of Warragul on asmaller scale, and there is also the Wonthaggi team that responds to the Bass Coast and South Gippsland area, but Morwell serves as the significant headquarters.

In the past year, according to the Crime Statistics Agency, Victoria police reported2,559 incidents with 790 charges laid in the Latrobe region Latrobe City has the highest rate of family violence call outs in Victoria.

Det Sgt Ziebell said the local police had seen much growth in better responding to family violence.

"What (The Royal Commission) did was put guidelines in place for us to do our job better, we did areasonable job,but Ithink with the royalcommission and what came out of that obviously was the family violence code of practice and our own family violence code of conduct it put guidelines in place for us to do our job even better again.

"We are getting better at it, we still have away to go to achieving agoal. We are never going to stopfamily violence,Ialways sayit’sthe beast that will always give to us, and the only thing we can do is to up the ante regard to how we manage it."

The Det SgtZiebell said the road to improvement hasn’t been easy as the community battles increased stressorsofthe lastfew years,including the closure of Hazelwood power station.

"The other thing we contend with is unemployment, so with the closingofHazelwood...The problem we had wasthe closing of Hazelwood and thethree years of lockdown with COVID,” he said.

Det Sgt Ziebelle explained that though unemployment does not directly correlate to family violence, it doesincrease crime ratesand was achallenging time to work through.

Interestingly Det Sgt Ziebell said that while family violence incidents happened during Coronavirus induced lockdowns, he said that the Latrobe Valley family violence unit "saw the increase when people startedcoming out of lockdown and Ithink it was probablybecausepeople hadtheir liberty and were able to move freely about," he said.

He explained that: "there’s some sort of discussion around the lockdowns stopping people from obtaining their drugsand alcohol, and thatsort of limitedthe amount of family violence occurrences."

COVID-19presented areal challenge to the unit's response; despite asignificant decrease in overall family violence incidents, the process of handling such asensitive crime in aglobal health crisis came with its issues.

"To manage it (family violence during lockdown), it was quite difficult for us as aunittomanage because we still had to go out and do our checks with the victims and the respondents...we had to be very mindful how we did our job, but we still knew we had ajob to do."

According to the Royal Commission, police are an essential component of the frontline response to family violence and are frequently the first point of contact for victims. To enhance Victoria Police's response to family violence, the Royal Commission found there should be agreater emphasis on:

-Riskassessment and management of perpetratorresponsibilityfor intervention orderviolations;

-Data-recordingand data-sharing issuescaused by cultural norms and attitudesamongsomepolice officers;

Victoria Policehave been improving their approach to family violence by following the Royal Commission recommendations this includes:

 Rolling out anew evidence-based family violence risk assessment and risk management tool to guide the police response;

 Deploying 415 new specialist police roles to investigate family violence incidents, including 277 detectives in 31 Family Violence Investigation Units across the state;

 Establishing the Centre of Learning for Family Violence;

 Trialling the use of body-worn cameras to collect evidence and victim statements from family violence incidents; Deploying mobile devices(iPhones and iPads)so thatpolice officers can complete family violence risk assessments at the scene and access relevant criminal history in real-time, and;

 Expanding Koori Family Violence Police Protocols state-wide.

So what exactly is family violence?

According to the Family Violence Response Centre, family violence is defined as any threatening, coercive, domineering, or abusive activity between family members, domesticorintimate connections, or previous intimaterelationships that produces fear in the individual experiencing the behaviour. Family violence is not aone-time argument; it is apatternofviolent behaviour done by one personagainst another. Familyviolence does not only include physical or sexual assault. It can encompass avarietyofabusive behaviours, many of which are unhealthy and damaging. Family Violence may be abuse from an intimate partner or casual partner to the abuse of an elder, parent or child.

The Latrobe Valley Family Violence Unit has been the front runner for many regional trials of Victorian Police programs, including the pilot run of the elderly abuse prevention program.

Det Sgt Ziebell explained how the local police protect the community’s most vulnerable.

"We do presentations at retirement homes and some of the clubs, we did one at the Warragul golf club last year, and from that, we've now got another two presentations," he said.

TheLatrobe Valley Family Violence Unit works with many other departmentsand stakeholders to aim for better victim outcomes.

"We workverycloselywith familyand child protectionservices around the exposureofchildren who are involved in thesefamily violencedisputes,” he added.

Though Victoria Police's recent reforms have proved beneficial, there is still much to be done. The nextgoal for the police is to better connect their responsewiththe socialsector. With afocusonintegrating activities across and between departments and agencies. This includes improved information sharing, closer work with the judicial system, and strengthened referral process to services like the Orange Door network and other support services for victims and, lastly, acontinued commitment to the DhelkDja Partnership Forum(Forum that addresses issues of Aboriginal family violence).

In other developments, there is theAlexisFamily Violence Response Model (A-FVRM) which is an integrated response between Victoria Police and social services to improveresponse to recidivist family violence. The Alexis program has already been piloted in metro areas successfully; results have found that from the 111 families in the pilot program, the police found an 85 per cent reduction in recidivism for these clients.

"These programs are already running in the metro, and we are going to be the first one in a rural area to trial it,” said Det Sgt Ziebell.

Det Sgt Ziebell describes acommunity-orientated responseasnew developments fromthe A-FVRM program willbecoming to the LatrobeValley Family violence unit, with two family violence service employee specialists joining the unit to respond to family violence cases immediately. He explained that it would make for the L17 referrals process to The Orange Door network immediate and would offer swiftand effectivesupport for victims. This will allow for better safety protections for victims with things like crisis accommodation easier arranged. Det Sgt Ziebell also mentioned that there would also be service respondent worker who deals with the offender if that person is in custody where they can enact programs like men’s behaviour change and child first programs to educate the offender.

Det Sgt Ziebell says he sees areal improvement in managing at-risk families and offenders.

"We pick up on alot of jobs that are often very historical, so historic family violence that has been going on for afew years, where we have avictim who wants to come and talk about it."

"A respondent involved in family violence, if it fits within our criteria that willdepend on how many incidents or the severity of family violence, that person will be assigned to adetective within thisoffice, and we haveamanagementplan where we manage that person for aperiod of time," during this time, police will educate the offender on respectful behaviour and also advise them on the consequences if they should perpetrate again.

Further developments are underway as the Latrobe Valley will see aspecialised family violence magistrate’s court.The aim of aspecialist court is to: Provide easy access to the court, promote the safety of peopleaffected by violence,increase the accountability of peoplewho haveusedviolence against familymembers (encouraging them to change their behaviour), and lastly, to increase the protection of children exposed to family violence.

Improvement: Detective Sergeant Paul Ziebell has overseenthe reform of thepolice response to familyviolence.

Photograph: Zaida Glibanovic

MajorPurvisRoadcar crash

By ZAIDAGLIBANOVIC

EMERGENCY Services were called out to Purvis Road in Tanjil South on Tuesday, May 2at4:30 in theafternoon aftera two-carcollisionalong the stretchofroad.

A59-year-old woman was taken to hospital with life-threateninginjuries; her conditionstill remains unclear. Witnesses report seeing the medical helicopter land in Newborough, yet there is no certaintythatthe injured womanwas airlifted to hospital.

Investigators have been told by witnesses on the scene that the second vehicle’s driver fled on foot and is yet to be located.

Police are urging the driverofthe second vehicle to come forward.

Anyonewho witnessed the incident, has dash cam footage or information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit aconfidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Facebook users commentedonthe Latrobe Valley Incidents, Crime Activity &Media Info page that

“theroad has always been adisaster that we don’t even have to wait to happen.”

This comes following afatal crash late last year along the same road.

On December 19, 2022 at around 7pm ablue HoldenCommodore sedan lostcontrol and struck some trees on Purvis Road, between Anderson Road and Lake View Place.

The 26-year-old Wyndham Vale man sitting passenger side in the vehicle was airlifted to hospital with life-threateninginjuries where he later died. Thedriver, a34-year-old Yallourn North woman, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

On Facebook local's reportofmanyincidents on Purvis Road, with another incident occurring earlierthe previous year on Monday,January 3, 2022 according to an ABC emergency notice.

LocalYallourn North resident Anthony Wasiukiewicz has seen first-handhow dangerous Purvis Road can be.

"It is verytroubling to hear of another serious accident on our local roads.

“It should be of no surprise to anyone that local

roads are in poor shape," Mr Wasiukiewicz said.

"I find it concerning that over the last 30 years, little hasbeen done to improve the safety of regional roads -such as road widening, reduce blind spots, unsafe bends and intersections, and regular adequate maintenance."

The Department of Transportand planning Victoria revealed that Purvis road is in fact under thegovernance of the Latrobe City Council. The Express approached the council for comment.

"Latrobe City Council is saddened to hear about thecollisiononPurvis Road from Yallourn North to Tanjil South on Tuesday."

"Last year as part of an annual review of road related injuriesconducted in partnershipwith the Department of Transportand Planning, Purvis Road and four other roads in the municipality were identified for further investigation and safety treatments."

"This also built on ongoing community advocacy for speed reductions and safety improvements on Purvis Road.Anindependent road safety audit was conducted which informed an application submitted in October 2022 to the 2023-2024 Federal Government Black spot road safety grant program. Council eagerly awaits an announcement on thatgrant program.Ifthe grant is unsuccessful Council will consider what alternative funding may be available."

Member for Morwell Martin Cameron and The Nationals have made regional roads amajor priority.

“I have and will continue to advocate for the Valley to receive its fairshare of funding for critical road infrastructure and repairs, and Iexpect to see line items in the upcoming Budget for repairs on notoriously dangerousroads acrossthe region,” he said.

“Last year therewere six lives lost on Latrobe Valley roads which is six lives too many.”

The member for Morwell is encouraging residents across theValleytosharetheirobservations about the behaviour of road users in the region and what can be donetoimprove safety by making submissions to aparliamentary inquiry thatis already underway.Public submissions are open until19thMay and the committee plans to hold public hearings later this year and will report to Parliament in March 2024.

Information: Moe Police arestillinvestigating the collision thatoccurred on Purvis Road,Tanjil

Formoreinformation,visit new.parliament.vic. gov.au/roadsafetybehaviours

Workways backs voice

WORKWAYS Australia, anot-for-profit employment and environmental services provider, has declared its support for the establishment of a First Nations voice in the Constitution.

Chairofthe Workways Australia board of management, Russell Needham, said this was an opportunity for Australians to make apowerful statement.

"As an organisation, we have made acommitment to take practical actionsthat progress reconciliation through the implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan," he said.

"We see the proposedchangetothe Constitution to support an Indigenous Voice to Parliament as core to amorereconciled nation,soitwould be incongruent for an organisation that has a reconciliation plan not to support the ‘Voice’.

"This is an importantopportunity for all Australians to demonstrate that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should have asay on matters that impact their communities."

Workways provides employment supportand environmental restoration services across Eastern Australia, with offices in Victoria, ACT, New South Wales and Queensland.

Fourper cent of its workforce are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, and the organisation works closely with Indigenous communities across regions includingCairns, Logan, Coffs Harbour, and East Gippsland.

In Logan, an area with ahigh Indigenous population, Workways employs acasual workforce of elders to support both staff and participants.

"Given the nature of our work, we see first hand the impacts of disadvantage on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia," Workways Australia chief executive, Kieren Kearney, said.

"While the Voice to Parliament won’t solve these issues overnight, it is auseful step towards addressing inequality in our community." Workways has emphasised that it does not seek to influence the referendum vote of its staff, but instead sees its role as providing access to education so that staff can make an informed choice.

"We support achangethat allowsour First Nations peoples to finally be acknowledged in theConstitution, and empowered to create a more positive future that addresses these social inequities," Mr Needham said.

Support: Workways Australia will backthe FirstNationsvoice in the Constitution Photograph Workways Australia

PROUDLYBROUGHT TO YOUBYTHESE PARTICIPATINGLOCAL BUSINESSES

Crossword Puzzle No.8533

with Muzza

ONE POINTERS

1. Too many of what spoil the broth?

2. If Iwas in the town of Alexandra, what state would Ibein?

3. Eddie Vedder was the lead singer of what band?

4. In the phonetic alphabet, what is the name for the letter ‘T’?

TWO POINTERS

5. What is the name of the prestigious Australian

Target Time No.0157

Howtoplay...

Sudoku No.0157

Howtoplay.

13. What character did Michael J. Fox play in ‘Back To The Future’?

14. Who was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?

FIVE POINTER

15. Guess the celebrity.One pointfor each correct answer

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or morecan youlist? The centreletter must be included and each letter may be used only once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words

A L N P D E N A H

Fill the grid so that everyrow and every 3x3 square contains the digits 1to9 Solution next Wednesday.

Morwell raised Meg now publishedauthor

By ZAIDAGLIBANOVIC

MORWELL-RAISED Meg Vertigan has just released her first fiction novel ‘The Strong Dress’, acoming-of-age story that delves into an uncomfortable analysis of power and gender structures, institutional misogyny and the trope of the mad woman in literature.

Ms Vertigan’s book is influencedbya real-life story set in 1977;the book follows 17-year-old Kate from Sydney’s North Shore—the spirited teenager from suburban Beecroft who dreams of becoming Cleo magazine’s editor.

Kate’s wild nature leads her parents to seek psychiatric help fromexperimental Doctor Jack Grafton,who is not all he seems. Withstrange treatments and deep sleep therapy, the book travelsthrough difficult scenes of medical misconduct.

Fellow author Keri Glastonbury said it was “like Puberty Blues for the mirror side of the harbour”.

Ms Vertigan is passionate about exploring the mad woman trope in literature.

“I’m really interested in the representation of mad women in writing and film, so that was abig part of it,’” she said.

The author said the main themes were to question gender and society and explore that “line of professionalism” wheredoctorswere entrusted with much powerwithoutquestion in atime of scientific overconfidence.

Ms Vertigan takes inspiration from Daphne du Maurier and contemporary authors Tim Wilton and Christos Tsiolkas.

The Sydney MorningHerald praised Vertigan for her excellence at differentiating narrative voice.

The book has received positive reviews on good reads with afive-star rating one week into its release.

Ms Vertigan saidshe used her own teenage experiences to give life to her characters.

“It’smadeup, but it’s heavily borrowed from my teenage years where you’d sneak off somewhere …(Sorry Mum)and stole the alcohol out of the parent’s cupboard,” she said.

The published author hopestorelease more works based on her own upbringing in Morwell.

Published: Morwell’sMeg Vertigan with her firstnovel ‘The Strong Dress’. Photograph Zaida Glibanovic

“You know how people say to write what you know…when Ilook back to my childhood, actually, it is pretty interesting because Iwas born in Yallourn,” she said.

“Seeing these houses, cut in half on the back of atruck… people’s kitchens, you’d always want to look into the house and the kitchen would always be wallpapered and it would be that 70s vibe.

“Swimming in the Hazelwood pondage is something Ithink is very strange…even grosser as a teenager, we used to skinny dip in there.”

Now aliterature lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Ms Vertigan returns to Morwell every semester break to seeasmuch of her parents as possible.

Copies of Vertigan’s ‘The Strong Dress’ are available at QBD books and online at most major book retailers.

State recognition for GPAC design

By ZAIDAGLIBANOVIC

TRARALGON'S Gippsland Performingarts centre, or GPAC, has made the regional prize shortlist in the 2023 Victorian Architecture Awards.

The awards program celebratesthe top architectural outcomesacross thestate,spanningcategories of public architecture, sustainable architecture, interior architecture and more.

This year's shortlist includes some standout projects in Gippsland and its surrounds, including Gippsland Performing Arts Centre -'alandmark 750-seat centre informed by the deep, sometimes unheralded affinityfor the performing arts that exist in regional Australian life.'

Shortlisted in the regionalprize category, Architect's Jackson Architectureand Katsieris Origami: ArchitectsinAssociation worked together to createawelcominggathering space for the community.

In late 2017, JacksonArchitecture and Katsieris OrigamiArchitectures, in association won adesign competitionand was appointed the principal consultant for the Latrobe Creative Precinct.

The pair's vision was to connect the past, present and future by drawing on the Valley's rich timber history for construction.

"Inpartnershipwith local industry, creates an exemplary precinct of iconic timber construction. It showcases anew era of engineered timber capability, imagination, production andconstruction in the Latrobe Valley and Traralgon," Jackson Architecture posted on its website.

The VictorianArchitecture Awards enables public and peer recognition of the innovative work of the institute’s members, and promotes architects and architecture across Victoria and Australia.

Regional Prize Jury Chair, Justin Noxon, said this year’s regional architecture category showcased a wide variety of commendable projects from around Victoria.

“Acknowledging their regional communities and contexts, these projects demonstrate outstanding architectural solutions, each deliveringhighly consideredand well-executed responses to their unique circumstance. With an enormous diversity in scale, typology and setting, the shortlisted projects share acommon commitment to architectural excellence in regional Victoria,” Noxon said.

The buildingdesign of Gippsland Performing Arts Centre providesawelcoming and safe community gathering space for the sharing of local culture and

creativity. The venue's open plan design and glass structure actively seek to break down barriers to engagement and enjoyment of the performingarts.

The design connects the natural landscapes and patrons with asharedworkspace that overlooks thecreative precinct.

The Gippsland Performing Arts Centre is the centrepiece of the Latrobe Creative Precinct on Kay Street, Traralgon. The precinct cost amounted to $38.5 million, with $10 million each from the state and federal governments and $18.5 million from Latrobe City Council.

The design of the Performing Arts Centre combines aperformance facility with the attributes of aCountry Hall. In recognition of the region’s rich history of timber manufacturing, the design uses local timber from Australia Sustainable Hardwoods in Heyfield. The entry hall expresses this with tree-like, mass-timber columns supporting the roof, mimicking that of aforest. The design also promotes community engagement by modifying existing buildings and the outdoor space to create anew public realm.

The project creates adynamic and exciting precinct through its unique architectural design, establishing Traralgon as the significant cultural hub in the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland region.

Speaking to themasterminds behind the project

Sarah Jackson, director of Jackson Architecture and Paul Katsieris, the founder of Katsieris Origami, the pair felt rewarded by the recognition.

Mr Katsierissaid, "It's agreat feeling (tobe shortlisted) because it brings recognition to an area of Victoria,mainly the Latrobe Valley that is not often recognised, so it’s areallynice feeling."

Ms Jackson and Mr Katsieris have known each other since university, so the pair enjoyed working on this project together.

Ms Jacskon explained that she "might've called Paul(Katsieris)and said, do you want to do it together," and Mr Katsieris said that he "jumped in with both feet" at the offer.

Thearchitectsexplained the challenges of workingthrough atight budget and design constraints that made prioritisation key in decision-making.

"We had to prioritise key elements our main priority wastoget the performance box to be a world-class theatre to which the local schools and local theatre clubs andaspiring thespiansfeel like they wereinaworld-classspace,"MsJackson said.

Mayor of Latrobe City Council Kellie O'Callaghan congratulated the firms on their work,and said

GPAChad, in ashort space of time,become a landmark feature in Traralgon.

"It is acommunity-informed design,one wherewe had to give alot of consideration to what was the history of the precinct and what it had been used for, but also what the communities’ expectations were," she said.

"The use of Gippsland timber was areal priority for us when we designed and builtthe facility, it’s pretty hard for anyone to miss those beautiful tree-like columns thatsupport the structureatthe front of the building, and it’s also abit of atalking point for the community to reflect on local industry and what it means when we create these significant pieces of community infrastructure.

"We are really proud to be able to see the community has enjoyed it so much but also to be able to see that recognition from an architecture perspective; we certainly think it’s abeautiful building, but we'rebiased, but it’s great to see that there’s apotential for recognition of this beautiful communityinspired piece of architecture that sits in the CBD of Traralgon."

Latrobe City Council loves the building so much

that they’ve moved their monthly council meeting to GPAC for the rest of the year.

Council voting on the decision on Monday,May 1 cited the inadequacy of the Morwell headquarters room, as more locals attendthe monthlymeetings.

Forest: Thetimber columns in thefoyer,built by AustralianSustainable Hardwoods, Heyfield, act as _an odetothe local timber industry.

Photographs John Gollings

Council reinforces support for all of community

From Page 1

CR Harriman’s argument wascentred on the definition of trans misogyny and its use in the motion, describing the decision of peak sporting bodies not allowing for trans athletes to compete in sport as atrans misogynistic one, which would then leave agreyarea for council in their role with leasing sporting facilities.

Cr Ferguson did not speak about recent accusations regarding her Twitter feed at council, but did comment on the debate concerned with support for the LGBTIQA+ community.

“When Icast my vote on behalf of 77,000 plus people in Latrobe City, and it didn’t sit right with me without reading all the documentation that was mentioned in the NOM (notice of motion), that’s why Ichose to abstain,” said Cr Ferguson.

The council'sChief Executive Officer, Steve Piasente, clarified in the meeting that the supporting motion is areassurance to the trans and gender-diverse community and will not change how the council delivers services.

Caitlin Grigsby, president of the Gippsland Pride Initiative, wasone of the six public speakers at the latest council meeting; she spoke to the Express after the motion was approved.

With adeep breath, Ms Grigsby said: “There’s a relief, and at the end of the day, arealistic relief that allweasked forwas just an assurance. There wasn’t amiracle cure provided tonight, and you’d think we were debating whether to go to warornot, but it is awin and significant and wonderful and something very much needed for our community."

Noting the gallery of about 40 onlookers that was quite animated in their oppositiontothe council supportingthis specificmotion, Ms Grigsbysaid that people don’t always have to agree.

“Gippsland Pride’s opinion is that alot of anger and aggression is generallyfromignoranceand not often malicious, so often you’ll hear people clap because there’s an interesting or funny commentary amidst the 'yuckiness', but there were people in the room that was scared and confused and don’t understand, and that’sokay… but the peoplethat

needed to hearthis hada good result tonight,” she said.

The GippslandPride initiative,alongside the local community, wanted to provide adatareport that was academically verified, which is afirst for regional communities. The council willuse Gippsland Pride’s Rainbow Brick Road reportto groundtheir officer’s research.

“The Rainbow Brick Road Report was asurvey undertaken in 2022 because the censusdoes not currently capture or providefor LGBTIQA identities, so whatwefound wasthe power of our stories was very temporary and limitedand fatiguing,” Ms Grigsby said.

Regardingprotests at aMonash City Council meeting overadrag queen event, Ms Grigsby said those fears of violence andabuseremain in this region.

“Those fears are here that’s why we are here tonight. We don’t all have to agree on everything; the things happening in the US are leeching into ourcommunities and even here tonight," she said.

“Thereisareal fear, of course,there is, but also, there’s agreater determination that our kids and our community and our adults have connection and opportunity just as much as anybody else.”

Despite the opposition, council approvedthe motion in amove that mirrors other municipality councils across the state to put in writinga council’s support for their entire community.

While The Gippsland Pride Initiative takes the council’s support as awin, Ms Grigsby will continue to work to better the outcomes and opportunities of the LGBTIQA+ community.

“This doesn’t magically educate overnight what it does it says fromaconservative space, froma council space in Gippsland to simply affirm that you are welcome here and you are provided opportunity here …isthe next step because acceptance is what we are lookingfor not miracles so council and their statement are important, its momentum and it’s in the right direction,” she said.

World-class: TheGPACtheatre design is trulystunning.

Annual report tabled

FEDERATION University Australia’s Annual Report for 2022 wastabled in Victoria’s State Parliament last week.

The impacts of the pandemic, volatility in global economic markets, amore restrictive approach to international student visas and highinflation, resulted in amajor shift in the university’s financial position from 2021 to 2022.

As expected, the university recorded anet operating deficit of $41.2 million in 2022, with an unfavourableswing of $70 million in the valuation of the university’s investment holdings.

The universityisalsoforecasting anet operating deficit for 2023 and 2024.

While international student income was 61 per cent higher than targets for 2022, it was still 22 per centdown in comparison to 2019, coupled with partner providerincome down 73 per cent on 2019 levels.

The underlying deficit relates to the three-year reduction in student numbers, particularly internationalstudents,which was foreshadowed as the pandemic impacted additional years.

FederationUniversity Vice-Chancellor and President,Professor Duncan Bentleysaid Federation had anticipated the results, and is implementingacomprehensivelong-termplan to return to surplus.

"Whilethe annual report looks back on our 2022 results, Federation is focussed on the futuredelivering astrongand sustainable university that transforms lives and enhances communities,” he said.

“We anticipated the impacts of the pandemic and are well advanced on rolling out acomprehensive plan that will return us to surplus within the next four yearsand provide asolid foundation for future growth.

“As Australia’s first co-operative university, we will be in astrong position to grow our university to support the regions we serve with the pipeline of skilled workers they need to succeed.”

Central to this plan is acommitment to become Australia’s first co-operative university where university staff and students workcollaboratively with local employerstodesign, develop,and deliver courses and programs.

Federation’s firstfourco-oppilot degrees -the Bachelor of Information Technology, Bachelor of Information Technology (Professional Practice), Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Visual Arts, have gone through the co-op transformation process and has been launched in 2023.

The2022 FederationUniversity Australia2022 Annual Report can be downloaded online.

AlanandGina, SouthGippslandEggs

Higher wages wanted for aged care sector

BY STEFAN BRADLEY

ROYAL Freemasons has welcomed the federal government’scommitmenttofund higher wages for aged care workers, but wants to wait for the details in the 2023-24 Budget before commenting on whether they will give their workers a15per cent pay rise.

The aged careprovider's chief executive John Fogarty said it would be “premature” for Royal Freemason's to comment on the proposed pay rise for nurses and care workers beforethe federal budget, which will be handed down by the government today.

“We await the final announcement so we can best understand how the government is planning to structure and implement these pay increases,” Mr Fogarty said.

“We welcome and applaud the commitment from government to support increased pay for our valued workforce, who continue to providehigh quality care to our ageing community, and we hope that better pay will attract more people to the struggling aged care sector as awhole.”

Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, confirmed the15per centpay increase last week, at acost of $11.3billion.

“Fair wages play amajor role in attracting and retaining workerstoprovide around theclock care for some of Australia’s most vulnerablepeople,” she said.

Registered nurses, enrollednurses, assistants in nursing, personal care workers, head chefs and cooks, recreational activitiesofficers (lifestyle workers) and home care workers will see an increaseto theirawardwages. UnitedWorkers Union Aged Care Director, Carolyn Smith said the government had lived up to itspromise to fund the 15 per cent pay rise, which would benefit hard-working aged care workers nationally.

“Fortoo long,understaffed agedcare workers have been on the front line providing care to some of Australia’smost vulnerable citizens, without proper recognition and on horrendously low pay,” Ms Smith said.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation(ANMF) said they wereconcernedthat

Coal-to-hydrogren project could create new operations

By PHILIP HOPKINS

THE Latrobe Valley coal-to-hydrogen project could be acatalyst for aclean energy hub in the region, according to the company chief, Jeremy Stone.

Mr Stone,the non-executivedirector, of the developer J-POWER, said hydrogen was the focus of the project, but other projects could spin off it.

"Someone who can take the hydrogen can make the nitrogen to make clean ammonia, add carbon dioxide (CO2)tothat to make urea,which is a fertiliser,ortake thehydrogen and add CO2 to makecleanmethanolorclean jet fuel," he told the Gippsland Times afterattending aVictorian Hydrogen Cluster Network Forum in Melbourne.

"Hydrogen and CO2 make those two, so there's a range of other clean energy vectors based around hydrogen.The Gippsland opportunity is more than just hydrogen."

Japan's Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC), which uses Latrobe Valley brown coal to produce clean hydrogen, is ajoint venture between J-POWER,amajor Japanese energy company,and Sumitomo Corporation. The coal is gasified, with CO2 to be sequestered in empty oil and gas reserves in BassStrait. J-Power refers to the project as 'clean hydrogen extracted from Latrobe Valley coal with carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS)'.

Mr StonesaidHESCwouldnot necessarily store all theCO2, leaving some available for other industries.

"Wecould use whatwecan -it'scalledcapture utilisation and storage -and store what is not utilised," he said.

"The other thing: long-term, we have avision to use mixed biomass with the coal. The biomass provides lower carbon intensity and also provides carbon-neutralCO2. The CO2 from biomass is deemed carbon neutral -the tree hassuckedin CO2 as it grows -sowhenitgets released in the gasification process it's carbon neutral in the cycle. Therefore it can be addedtomakethe jet fuelor methanol or urea fertiliser," he said.

Mr Stone said the company envisaged using tree plantations and plantation wastes, not nativeforest.

"With taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and

injecting it underground -the trees have taken in CO2 -this makes the CO2 carbon negative, "hesaid.

"Our plan would be to use waste from the plantations as well as plantationtimberwhichpotentially couldprovide another opportunity in Gippsland for purpose-built plantations."

Mr Stone agreed that this was aclassic example of acluster,where hydrogen would requireand stimulate supporting industries.

"The hydrogen project will need many things that will provide jobs, income, and export incomeisa big part of the project," he said.

Mr Stone said Victoria could make domesticuse of the hydrogen, particularlyinfreight and transport.

"The demand for power is initially less in Australia compared withJapan, whichhas achallenge as it imports 90 per cent of its energy. They have a particular challenge they need to resolve," he said.

"In Australia, hydrogen could also back-up power supply for peaking plants ratherthan usegas or diesel, and long-term storage -use the hydrogen when you need it, when things don't work."

TheHESCproject in March gave the go ahead to proceed to its commercial stage through $2.5billion from Japan's Green Fund. The move follows the successful testing of the coal-to-hydrogen technology last year at apilot plant located next to Loy Yang Apower station.

The long-term aim is to send liquefied hydrogen via apipeline to the Port of Hastings where it will be shipped to Japan.

The joint venture willinitially produce about 40,000 tonnes of clean hydrogen -30,000 tonnes for the Japanese market and 10,000 tonnes for the Australian market. All going well, the commercial plantisexpected to be in production by the late 2020s.

The CO2CRC (Co-operative Research Centre), operating since 2003 and based in East Melbourne, is adamant that CCUS is aproven technology. It says storing CO2 undergroundhas been done since the ‘70s and natural gas has beenstoredworldwide for 100 years.

someproviders would not pass on thepay increase

“While we’repleased that the government has delivered on its promise to increase aged care wages, our big concernisthat many nursing home operators won’t pass on the money intended for workers,” ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said.

“Wehave good reason to be concernedabout this becausethis is what has happened for the last 30 years when consecutive governments have given privateaged care operators almost $2.5billion, specifically to boost wages. There’s been along history of lost wages and workers have been consistently let down.”

The two Gippsland aged carefacilities run by Royal Freemasons in Saleand Moe have both been embroiled in controversy over recent years related to staffing and standards. Theorganisation said it hadworked to improve this.

“Whilst Royal Freemasons is still experiencing some staffing issues across our regionalhomes, we have developed strong, clinical leadership teams, in particular at Moe and Sale which is resulting in significantimprovements in our compliance

ratings,” Mr Forgarty said.

“In January this year, our home in Sale was assessed by the Aged Care Quality& Safety Commission and was found to be fullycompliant.”

Late last year, the provider said it would sell its aged care homes. This news came after anew funding model for residential aged care came into effect, which Royal Freemasons said it could not operate within.

“In October last year, Royal Freemasons announced the sale of some of our aged care and retirement living communities, further announcing in February that, pending approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board, ownership of two retirement living communities will transferto Aveo around mid 2023,” Mr Forgarty said.

“Discussions also progress with anumber of possible buyers in relation to some of our other facilities, however it is still too early to comment further on these. Royal Freemasons has also committed to retaining our Home Care division, and are exploring strategies and opportunities for growth of our in home services.”

Atribute to industryworkers

Big wigs: FederalMemberfor Gippsland Darren Chester, ExxonMobilAustralia Group of Companies Dylan Pugh,Bream Aplatformsupervisor Steven McDonald and ShadowMinister forTrade KevinHogan on atour of theBass Strait platform. Photograph supplied THE federal ShadowMinister for Trade,Kevin Hogan, and local MP Darren Chester have paid tributetoGippsland’s energy industry workers during avisit to Bass Strait and the Longford gas plant.

The pairmet the chairofExxonMobil Australia Group of Companies, Dylan Pugh,and toured the Bream Aplatform where they met local workers.

“The story of energy production in Gippsland is extraordinary with infrastructure costing billions of dollars to develop, produce and process the crude oil and gas, whichisused to powerindustry, fuel vehicles, heat homes and manufacture products in Australiaand overseas,” said Mr Chester, the Member for Gippsland.

“There are now 23 offshore platforms and installations in Bass Strait,which feed anetwork of 600 kilometres of underwater pipelines and keep the oil and gas flowing, 24 hours aday

“It’s acomplex logistical and engineering task to provide us with the creature comforts we enjoy in our homes and keep industry moving along the eastcoastofAustralia.Weshould all be thankful to the workers and their families who provide the energy we need in our lives.”

Mr Hogan saidhewas excited to visit Gippsland

and get aclose up look at the offshore oil and gas sector. “Providing reliableand affordable energy for ourhomes andindustryiscritical to sustaining our Australian way of life and providingnew jobopportunities,”MrHogan said.

“Gas in particular is an important part of the transition to more renewable forms of energy as it can be readily despatched to overcome some of the problems with intermittency from wind and solar energy production.

“Ourtradecompetitiveness relies on an affordable energy supply and the Esso operations in Bass Strait are avital component.”

Mr Chester said he was also interested to learn more about large-scale carbon capture and storageprojects in Bass Strait. “Over the past50years, the highly experienced crews havedeveloped adetailedunderstanding of the geological formations in Bass Strait,” Mr Chester said.

“The same formations which trapped the oil and gas for millions of years, have great potential to be used for carbon capture and storage initiativesthat could helpreduce emissions as industry adapts to the new regulatory and legislative environments we are working in.”

Three men charged after hitting Bairnsdale police car

EAST Gippsland Criminal Investigation Unit detectives have charged three males after an allegedly stolen vehicle rammed police in East Bairnsdale on May 1.

It’s alleged the stolen Nissan Patrol reversed into apolice vehicle in Royal Court about 5.30am. No one was injured during the incident.

A17-year-oldBlack Hill boy has beencharged with theft of motor vehicle, attempted theft of motor vehicle and commit indictable offence whilst on bail. He has been remanded to appear at aChildren’s Court at alater date.

A27-year-old Morwell man has been charged with theft of amotor vehicle, attempted theft of motorvehicle,handle stolen goods, possess

Crisp to retire

EMERGENCY ManagementCommissioner

proceeds of crime, possesscontrolled weaponand drive whilst disqualified. He has been remanded to appear before the Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court on May 2.

A19-year-old Wendouree man has been charged with aggravated intentionalexposure of police officer to riskbydriving, damageto emergency service vehicle by reckless driving, recklessconduct endangering seriousinjury, driveinamanner dangerous, assault police, theft of motor vehicle, attempted theft of motor vehicle, state false name when requested. He has been remanded to appear before the Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court on May 2.

Andrew Crisp AM APM has advised the state government that he intends to retire at the conclusion of his five-year term, effective August 42023

Mr Crispstarted as Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner in 2018, and throughouthis tenure has providedexceptional leadership and acalm, familiar face for Victorians during some of the most significant emergencies the state has faced, including the 2019-20 bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic response, the June 2021 storm event and the October 2022 flood event.

Duringhis timeasCommissioner, Mr Crisp has been instrumental in leadingthe establishment of apermanent 24/7 workforce for the State Control Centreaswell as the establishmentofEmergency Recovery Victoria, and ongoing work to reform theoperating model and legislative framework for managing emergencies.

Prior to his appointment, Mr Crisp served a distinguished 40-year career with Victoria Police, where he held several senior leadership roles before completing his time at Victoria Police as Deputy Commissioner, Regional Operations.

Mr Crisp will take planned leave in May before returning in June to complete his tenure.

Ahead of retiring in August, Mr Crisp will continue engagingwithcommunitiesashealways has, particularlythose impacted by recent emergencies, to thank the incredible first responders who have worked tirelessly to keep their communities safe.

Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes thanked Mr Crisp for his service to the state.

“Whilethis state has experiencedsomeofthe most turbulent times, Commissioner Crisp has been acalm, commanding and reassuring presence for Victorians,” she said.

“He hasprovided exceptional leadership, and has delivered significant reform across the sector during his tenure.”

“I would like to sincerely thank Commissioner Crisp for his commitment and dedication to the

role and Iwish him and his family all the best for the future.”

The state government will undertake a recruitment process for the role of Emergency Management Commissioner, and an announcement will be made in due course.

Newmobile phoneand seatbelt camerasinaction

NEW mobile phone and seatbeltdetection cameras are now operating across the state’s road network.

The state government hasinvested $33.7 million as part of the Victorian Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030tointroduce the new cameras, which areestimated to prevent 95 crashes that result in injury or death per year.

Minister for Police, Anthony Carbines, announced that the new AI-enabled cameras have officially been turned on to help catch people using their mobile phone and not wearing their seatbelts while driving.

“Usingmobile phones behind the wheelputs lives at risk and can result in tragedy,” he said.

“We’re deterring this type of risky behaviour on our roads with new phone and seatbelt detection technology.”

Initially,two mobile phone and seatbeltdetection camera trailer systems will roll out, with plans to deploy additional trailers from mid-2023 onwards Once activated, the cameras will be deployed to more than 200 locations in rural and metropolitan areas throughout Victoria.

Athree-month grace period will applyfrom the technology’s activation, before drivers face infringement and demerit penalties with advisory letters sent.

To support the rollout of the mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras, the Transport Accident

Commission (TAC) has launched anew public education campaign to remind motorists that the cameras are operating.

Therollout of thecameras coincides with new driver distraction road rules, which came into effect across the state on Friday, March 31, bringing Victoria in line with the Australian Road Rules. Thenew rules will extend current mobile phone laws to cover modern technologies like in-built vehicle systems,mounted devices, wearabledevices (suchassmartwatches)and portabledevices (such as tablets).

The new cameras will enforce portable device and seatbelt offences, while Victoria Police can issue fines roadside for illegal use of devices and seatbelt offences under the new rules.

Motorists caught driving distracted will receive penalties of four demerit points and a$555 fine. The state government has also invested an additional $49.4 million for the installation of 35 new fixed digital road safety cameras aimed at loweringcrashes, trauma,and death on ourroads

The first of these camerasare now in force, with two new cameras in operationinAvondale Heights and St Kilda.

For more information on the new road rules, visit vicroads.vic.gov.au/drivingdistractions

Farewell: EmergencyManagement

CommissionerAndrew Crisp will retirein August. Photograph supplied

Embrace life in retirement at The Range

The Range Retirement Village is aretirement living community in Moe, boasting highquality residential villas set inside agated community

The Range offers elegant new and refurbished two and three-bedroom independent living villas, set in attractive and well-manicured surrounds.

Each villa features an open-plan living area, well-appointed kitchen, private courtyardgarden and single or double garage.

Features available for the residents to share at The Clubhouse include indoor pool, billiard room, cinema, dining area, craft room,library with internet access, outdoor barbeque and entertaining area.

Plan your social life with your new community using all the facilities of The Range; and make use of their regular bus trips to get around the local area.

Live-in manager Leigh Brown tells us that The Range has welcomed many new residents recently,asnew and refurbished villas have been eagerly snapped-up by retirees keen to join the community

Whether it be agameofindoor bowls, billiards or aswim in the pool to keep you active or morning tea or amovie to relax, theClubhouse has them buzzing.

Marilyn beams when talking about the Clubhouse and the opportunities it brings for the residents and the Village.

Marilyn downsized from alarge houseon acreage five years ago, and loves the lifestyle

at the Village –she swims each morning and participates in The Range’sregular social events when at home; but also chooses to lockupher villa and travel outside Victoria anumberoftimes ayear

She does not miss the responsibility of alarge houseand garden!

Teddownsized and actively chose retirement village life for its social benefits, security and being around like-minded people.

While Tedenjoys the social-side of Village life, he hastens to add that he sometimes visits the Clubhouse to sit quietly and read abook!

Tedrecommends that those in asimilar situation

The Range Retirement Village is aretirement living community in Moe, boasting alive-in Manager and high-quality residential villas set inside agated community.

The Range offers elegant new and refurbished two and three-bedroom independent living villas, set in attractive and well-manicured surrounds. Each villa features an open-plan living area, wellappointed kitchen, private courtyardgarden and single or double garage

Plan your social life with your new community.

Youwill have the flexibility and freedom to embrace life with asocialcalendar that includes, billiards, indoor bowls, craft, movie nights, trivia, bingo, cards and many moresocial activities and make use of our community bus to get around our local area.

Now is your time to down size and embrace life at The Range

consider making the move to Village life earlier, lamenting that his late-wife, “would have been in her happiest place and we just never even considered it”.

For sales and inspections phone Leigh on 1800 531 956 or check them out at www.therangereitrementvillage.com.au

Lifestyle Choices

Thinking about downsizing?

Have you ever looked around the house and felt abit overwhelmed by the clutter surrounding you?

Do you dream of living aminimalistic lifestyle?

It can be challenging at first to get used to the idea of owning less and living in amorecompact space, butonce you get started, the results can be really rewarding.

Preparing for downsizing is likely to involve some formofdeclutter

While most people welcome the concept, the thought of having to deal with all your belongings collected over the years can be daunting.

Here’satip: Break it down into different areas you would like to focus on eachweekand aim to get that specific space done, then move on to the next one.

Trylisting each room down on apiece of paper, then prioritise them by marking from easiest to hardest.

Get started with the easiest one first then move on from there.

Getting rid of things that you’ve had for so long isn’teasy,especially items that bring back memories of your family or loved ones.

But remember,these areobjects, not actual

Encore living

Are you considering amove to aretirement community?

EncoreLiving design and build communities to accommodate the needs of retirees.

Gippsland is abeautiful placetolive and play!!

EncoreLiving villages at Trafalgar and Paynesville areperfectly situated to take advantage of the best of regional lifestyle.

Both villages offer achoice of either two- or three-bedroom villas, designe and built to encourage independent living, while enhancing lifestyle, secur and freedom.

“Werecognise everyone’scircumstances aredifferent and with this in m we have developed arange of contra options so you can personalise your retirement lifestyle.” Manager of Enco Living Trafalgar,Debra Bearysays.

“Rosa and Iare committed to helpin people understand the legal, financia and service aspects of living in avilla and answering any queries regarding retirement living.”

With construction at Trafalgar moving into Stage 5ofthe development and the much anticipated Community Centreunderway,it’sagreat time to take afresh look at the retirement living options an EncoreLiving village offers.

Starting with the upcoming works on the Community Centreand display villas at Encore Living’sPaynesville village is an exciting first step for those who have expressed interest in either moving to or continuing their own “seachange” lifestyle.

“Community connectivity is an important aspect of village life.

We encourage our residents to develop asense of belonging, both within the village and as partofthe wider community.” Debra said.

For moreinformation visitencoreliving.com. au or contact Debra or Rosa on 1800 ENCORE (180 appointment.

00362 673) for an

memories.

Memories areinyourheart andthey will stay with you forever

It takes abit of courage to throw away things that you no longer need to simplify your life.

However,itdoesn’tmeangetting rid of everything; keep the important things that you would like to sharewithyourgrandchildren one day

When it comes to retirement, it may become clear that your current home is not really agood fit for the future.

And with extra time on your hands, this really is a good time to plan for your next home.

Downsizing from your large family home can lead to an affordable and easy lifestyle.

Youcan spend less time looking after your house and moretime doing the things you love.

It’salso worth consideration how well your new home will accommodate your needs as you age.

For example, do you want steps or stairs and is it conveniently located close to public transportand facilities?

Startbyhaving awish list of what you would like to have in your futurespace.

Work on this list with your family and agree on what you like.

Lifestyle Choices

Anagedcarehome (sometimes known as anursing home or residential aged care facility) is for older people who can no longer live at home and need ongoing help with everyday tasks or health care.

Leaving your own home and entering an aged carehome isn’taneasydecision.

But it doesn’thave to be adaunting experience. An aged carehome can give you thecareand services you need to maintain your quality of life.

The government funds arange of aged care homes across Australia so that they can provide careand supportservices to those who need it.

Each aged carehomeisdifferent, so it’s important to choose the right one for you. Youwillwanttoconnect with ahome that suits your preferences and will meet your careneedsboth now and into the future.

Once you decide that an aged carehomeis for you, create ashortlist and it’sagoodidea to visit them all. This can give you asense of what it would be like to live in each one and compare firsthand, the facilities and accommodation, see what types of careservices and activities they offer and meet other residents, and staff.

Things to consider LOCATION

•Isitclose to family,doctors, town and transport?

ACCOMMODATION AND COST

•Doyou need to sharearoom, is it within your budget?

YOUR CULTURAL OR DIVERSE NEEDS?

•Dothey have diet options, activities and easy access facilities

AVAILABILITY

•Isthereawaiting list?

QUALITY

•Considerfurnishings, staffqualifications, excursions, food

If you have found morethan one aged carehome youlike, it’sbesttoapply to them all.

That way you have the best chance of securing a spot.

If you don’tget your first choice, you may get another

Finding an aged carehome Your care your way

Have youreached out for supportand foundit’snot there?

Areyou unsureofyour options? Confused by the complexityofresidential care?

Still waiting on ahome carepackage?

Don’tstay at home feeling isolated and alone, we areheretoassist you now Our friendly,warmand highly qualified team at Traralgon Aged Care, know It’s about understanding your personal careneeds and wishes supporting your emotional wellbeing and socialisation.

Please give us acalltodiscuss how we can assist you, extended respite careisavailable.

•24hour permanent nursing staff- Registered nurses and no agency

•Experienced in infection control process

•Permanent and palliative carealso available

•Affordable care, we will work with you to assist financially

Caring with aheart

Everyone living at Traralgon Aged Care feel secureknowing that they arevalued and cared for by those looking after them.

If it’squality specialised care, alifestyle which enhances socialisation, stimulation and wellbeing you want, then bring your family to meet ours.

•Permanent and respite careavailable

•Specialised palliative careisavailable

•Day Program available

•Affordable care, we will work with you to assist financially

•Family owned and highly qualified team who arefriendly and compassionate Contact Traralgon Aged Care 5176 0759 or our Admissions

Candle business an instant hit

By ZOE ASKEW

HANDCRAFTEDona16-acrepropertyin

Callignee comes the aromatic bliss of The Gay Farmer Candles.

Sheep farmer Timothy Bye fell in love with candle making after learning the craft from his niece in Western Australia last year.

In less than 12 months, Timothy has founded a successful business, The Gay Farmer Candles; his candles fast becoming asought-after homeware with market, event, and online sales skyrocketing.

“In aboutAugust last year, Idid acandle for afriend who is atriathlete, Molly Irvine from Traralgon, she went to worlds, world championships, and she had to pay her way,soIdid acandle for her to help raise money for it,” he said.

“Then it just turned into this gigantic business that Iamnow just trying to handle.”

The Gay Farmer Candles,100 percentsoy candles in reusableglassware individually handcrafted and packed by Timothy, are for the lovers of alit candle, with an array of incredible scents from Comfort Linen and Relaxation, base notes of musk, white cedar, vetiver and soothing Tonka, and top notes of lemon, white ginger and bergamot to Morning

Latte and Almond Milk Caramel.

“I’m aone-man band,” Timothy said.

“Everything is done by me, and it’s aprocess.

“Some days you wake up, and you’re like, ‘I really don’t want to do this today’, but you have to because if Idon’t do it, no one else is going to do it.

“There are no sick days, there is no nothing, it’s just get up and do it, but Ilove it.”

From melting the wax on his stovetop, stirring frequently,adding in selectedfragrance oils for The Gay Farmers Candles’ popular Monkey Farts, this includes base notes of vanilla, mid-notes of maple and top notes of butter and sugar cane, then hand pouring the melted mixture into glass jars andleaving to set, Timothy can produce about 24 candles an hour.

“It’s quite aprocess; once they’ve set, then you’ve got to label and box,” Timothy said.

“My best is about 50 aday;from start to finish, it takes about 10 hours.”

Timothy’s establishment of The Gay Farmer Candles has introduced him to awhole newworld of travelling local businesses, the sheep farmer turned candle maker revealingheloves events like East Gippsland Field Days.

“I love coming to all these events, it is so much fun, and you meet some really cool people,” he said.

“I’vegot alot of market friends;it’sreally cool that we’re like areal community that kind of gets around.

“Weall talk aboutwhichmarketoreventweare going to and where we should go,there’s alittle group of us, and we’re all swapping which events have been really good for us.”

While unexpected, Timothy warmlyreceived becoming part of anew welcoming, and supportive community.

“I started at Warragul Arts Market and met some really cool people there, and through that, I’ve met a lot of othersand did different events,” Timothy said.

“So it is abig perk, getting to know other marketers, not onlybeinga part of the communitybut you

Handcrafted: The Gay Farmer Candles are atreat forany candle lover offering an array of tantalising scents.

can find out what is working at the time; I’ve noticed some of the markets are slowing down, just with financial stuff at the moment it’s slowing down, but the big events, like the two, three-day events are doing really well so Ihave swapped my strategy from doing local markets to the bigger events like East Gippsland Field Days.

“There are some big one-off events like Idid Coongulla their Paddy Market, which was amazing, and Iwent to Foster for their Easter Market, and Farm World (at Lardner Park), that was massive.”

Through The Gay Farmer Candles, Timothy is actively supporting the Black Dog Institute.

Originating in 1985 as the ‘Mood Disorders Unit’ at Prince Henry Hospital, Sydney, the Black Dog Institute was founded in 2002 and has since been at the forefront of mental health research.

Today the Black Dog Instituteaddresses new challenges and opportunities in mental health, includingsuicide prevention, digital innovation, lived experience, youth and workplace mental health.

“Black Dog Institute did alot of work down in Gippsland with Warragul FootballClublosing a lot of players to suicide, same with Traralgon, they came down and did alot of work with the clubs,” Timothy said.

“So when Istarted this, Iwas like, alright, I’ve got to get to the point where Ican do acandle to donate.”

The Gay Farmer Candles collaborated with the BlackDog Institute to develop aone-of-a-kind candle, with $10 fromeach sale donated to the non-profit facility.

“They created it; they pickedthe scent, they picked the glassware, everything,” Timothy said.

“I was emailing with their marketing team, and I asked ‘what do you want’; Isent the samples up, and they absolutelylovedit, so it wentinto production.

“At the moment, it’s $10, but Iwant to get the business to apoint where that is afull $45 to Black Dog Institute, so that’s the next goal.

“They (Black Dog Institute) are incredible, and they do it off very little donations at the moment.”

The GayFarmer Candles is abusiness that reflectsits founderinall aspects, from thelove of artand candles to supporting and promoting mental health and mental health research to the vibrant, eye-catchinglogowhich screams,“I’m here, I’m gay, so deal with it”.

“Stags are leaders, and they’re always the one in the pack that’s always in front,” Timothy said.

“The Gay Farmer started as aYouTube channel, and Iwanted adeer head, Ilove deer heads, Ilove antlers; it’s just athing.

“Plus all the meaning behind it as well.”

Nothing could capture Timothyand his business more than the rainbow watercolour stag head.

“So many people arelike, ‘thankyou for being your authentic self’, but there is no point having a business where Iampretending to be something else,” he said.

“Being at and going to rural events shows younger country people they can be their authentic selves too; if Ican express myself, why can’t they.”

Follow The Gay Farmer Candles on socials for updatesand appearances at upcoming events.

Loud and proud: FounderofThe GayFarmer Candles TimothyBye Photograph Zoe Askew

Photograph

Ageisnobarrier to staying active

ENID Bowen sits on achair,lifting weights with her arms and legs, rolling aballinall directions with her feet and squeezing arubberringbetween her hands.

She laughsand chats as she goes throughthe fitness routine in her weekly group chair exercise class at HealthLinks Gippsland, looking nowhere near her age …94years in June.

Enid, who played tennis and did aqua aerobics until she was 83, was referred to the free Healthy Ageing program for Latrobe Valley residents aged 65 years and overbecause her feet were playing up andshe has found it difficulttoget around.

Commissioned by Gippsland PHN, the program is one of anumberthat supports senior Australians to live at home for as long as possible withthe help of early intervention activities and models of care for chronic disease management.

These activities and models of care, such as those at HealthLinks Gippsland, are designed to promote healthy ageing and reduce pressure on local health services.

And for Edith, the program has come at the right time.

“I’ve really seen abig improvement,” she said.

“I have found the problem with my feet really frustrating because Ihave always kept active,

Research into online dating

RESEARCHERS at Federation University have joined forces with the Latrobe Health Assembly (LHA) to deliver the Latrobe Health Relationships Online (HeRO) Project.

The aim of the Latrobe HeRO project is to explore the experience of attitudes towards, and perceptions of "healthy" and "unhealthy" online behaviours in intimaterelationships in young people living in Latrobe Valley.

The data gathered will be analysed by the researchteam, led by Federation’s Dr Evita March, and will be used to develop educational tools that can be deliveredby arange of stakeholders, with the goal of promoting healthy and safe online relationship behaviours and experiences.

"Technology facilitated intimatepartner violence disproportionately impacts adolescents and emerging adults, especially those with lower levels of digital literacy," Dr March said.

"Thereisacriticalneed for evidence-based interventions to support these vulnerable groups, especially in communities that markedlyexperiencesystematic intimate partner abuse

"This project will help develop educational toolsthat willboost positive interventions for young people in our region."

Adolescents (aged 15 to 17 years) and young adults (18 to 25 years) living in Latrobe Valley areinvited to participate in this project. Participation will include completing an online questionnaire and attending aonehour group discussion.

Participants will receive a$50 gift voucher for completing the questionnaireand attending the group discussion.

Interested partiescan sign up for participation at tinyurl.com/latrobeheroproject

despite my ailments. Iwant to be independent as long as Ican.”

Almost 12 months ago, Doug Murray, 79, experienced an unexpected medical issue which left him struggling to walk. With the help of walking aids, he has been attending the Healthy Ageing chair exercise class for six weeks and after areassessment, will continue for another six weeks.

Aformerjudocompetitor, his goalistoget to the Australian Judo Championships in Queensland in June. “I’m determined to make it,” Doug said.

Gippsland PHN acting chief executive, Angela Jacob, said healthy ageinghelped prevent chronic disease, improve mental health, decrease risk of falls and improve cognitive function, which is why it is anational primary carepriority area

Shesaidthe Gippsland PHN HealthNeeds Assessment assisted with identifying priority areas for services and programs for olderpeople in the region.

“It is estimated that 23.6 per cent of the Gippsland population are aged 65 yearsorolder,compared to 15.8 per cent in Victoria,” Mrs Jacob said.

“By 2030, 28.1 per cent of the Gippsland population is expected to be aged 65 years or older.

“Theseearly intervention services are essentialin supportingthis cohort to lookaftertheir health but also reduce the pressure on local health services.”

HealthLinks Gippsland program coordinator,

Kathy Lummis, saidpeople could be referred to the free program run at the Traralgon clinic by their health practitioner or self-refer.

There are two streamsavailable.After an initial assessment, people might have individual treatmentwithanosteopath or physiotherapist, typicallyfor people restricted by pain limiting movement. Thesecond stream is for people who don’tneed 'hands-on treatment, insteadbenefitting fromexercises to improve balance, strength and coordination.

“We design our sessions to target chronic disease management, to minimise deterioration and keep peopleasactive andfunctional as possible,” Kathy said.

“People can come to us with arange of problems includingosteoarthritis, neck pain, Parkinson’s Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and more.

“It is important to recognise when we need support and reach out earlier. It means better outcomes as it’s easier to fix little problems than abig one. There are lots of great treatment strategies that can be implemented in the early stages of disease management.”

Find out moreabout theearly intervention initiatives, including the Healthy Ageing program, at gphn.org.au/what-we-do/programs/ programs-aged-care/early-intervention-services/

Improved response times

ON average, paramedics are responding more than one minute faster to the most seriously ill people, after record demand for ambulances eased between January and March.

Ambulance Victoria ActingExecutive Director Clinical Operations, Michael Georgiou, said ambulance performance improved thanks to reduced demand and fewer staff furlougheddue to COVID-19.

“January to March saw ambulances called to 92,413 Code 1cases, which provided some welcome relief to our hard-working paramedics who faced rising demandduringthe pandemic,” Mr Georgiou said.

“That’s 7825 or 7.8 per cent fewer ‘lightsand sirens’ cases compared to the previous quarterwhichwas the busiest in our historywith more than 100,000 cases.

“We thank the community for helping us relieve

pressure on our paramedics, first responders and the health system by saving Triple Zero (000) for emergencies.”

From January to March, paramedics and first responders across Victoria responded to 65.2 per cent of Code 1cases within the state-wide average target of 15 minutes-upfrom 60.2 per cent in the previous three months.

As aresult, the state-wide average response time to Code1 emergencies was15minutes and 20 seconds -animprovement of one minute and 24 seconds.

Performance against the 15-minute target improved in 67 of Victoria’s 79 local government areas (LGAs), with some of thelargestimprovements in rural Victoria and Melbourne’s outer suburbs.

Mr Georgiou said along with reduced demand, adrop in staff furloughed due to COVID-19 at

Ambulance Victoria, and across the entire health system, made areal difference.

“This helped speed up the handover of patients at hospitalsand allowed to us get back on the road quickertoattendmorelife-threating emergencies,” Mr Georgiou said.

Between Januaryand March, an average of nearly 54 Ambulance Victoria staff were furloughed everyday due to COVID-19. As awave of COVID-19 eased, the number of staff furlougheddecreased from apeak of 112 on January 52023toalow of 29 on February 21 2023.

“However, now is not the time to be complacent. We know demand is already rising again and will continue to do so as we head towards winter,” Mr Georgiou said.

“That’s why Iencourage all Victorians to take care of themselves and keep regular check-ups with your GP or specialist and get your COVID-19 booster and annualflu shot. For more minor ailments, visit your local Priority Primary Care Centre.”

Mr Georgiou said while ambulances are always provided to patients when required, from January to March, 37,825 people who did not need an emergency ambulance were instead connected by paramedicsand nurses in thesecondary triage team to more appropriate care.

“That results in 500 or more cases every day being safely matched to services thatbetter suit their needswhile also avoiding emergency dispatch,” Mr Georgiou said.

Mr Georgiou said Ambulance Victoria continued to work closely with stakeholders across the entire health system to ensure patients received the most appropriate response for their needs, and improved ambulance availability across the state.

“We’ve recruited more than 1300 paramedics over the pasttwo years, tripled the size of our secondary triage team, and have referred almost 32,000 cases to the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) since October 2021 to help avoid unnecessary trips to our hospitals,” he said.

Fitness: Osteopath, Laura Foat,works with Enid Bowen, 94,onsome gentleexercises

Photograph supplied

Future unknown for church

By ZAIDAGLIBANOVIC

LATROBE City Council has allocated $86,000 from the forecasted budget surplus forthe future of the 140-year-old Methodist church in Traralgon.

At the last council meeting on Monday, May 1, councillors voted on an expression of interest regarding the church and its future location and use.

In November 2021, council decided to demolish the building, which is located on state government property, to make room for Traralgon train station enhancements. However, the plan was met with community opposition,and LatrobeCity pursuedother options for the former church.

Urge for amendments

NATIONALSMember for Morwell, Martin Cameron, has urged the state government to push through amendments to the Building Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 as amatter of priority.

Mr Cameron spoke in favourofaReasoned Amendment to the Building Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 in Parliament, and said reforms were necessary to strengthen the building permit process and reshape the regulatory landscape in Victoria with akey focusonconsumer protection.

He said the move to strengthen the role of the StateBuilding Surveyor (SBS) by enshrining it in legislation, would mean greater protections for homeowners, particularly in the Latrobe Valley where constructionisbooming but housing is still scarce

“In towns like Churchill, Yallourn North, Glengarry, Tyers, Morwell, Moe and Traralgon -and indeed right acrossthe Valley -there are brand-new subdivisions with ahigh volume of houses being built,” Mr Cameron said. “But unfortunately, there is achronic shortage of surveyorsinthe area and they are veryhard

to come by, which means corners are being cut, people are waiting longer to get into their homes and the housing crisis is being exacerbated.

“When Iwas aplumber, we would book an inspection and wait for the inspector to arrive and checkour drains and make surethe work was up to standard, but due to ashortage of inspectors they often didn’t show up.

“Because of that, the undergroundworks that went under slabs were not checked by an inspector; they were just relying on the plumbertocertify their own drainage works.”

Mr Cameron said it was vital the amendments to the BuildingLegislation Amendment Bill2023 be pushedthrough to ensurethe best outcomes for homeowners across the Valley.

“We need safeguards for homeowners, particularly when the cost-of-living means people are already struggling to afford housing,” he said.

“People need to be assuredwhenthey’re building ahouse that the systemwill supportthe construction of safe, compliant and durable homes that will stand the test of time.”

Latrobe City had received aheritage assessment by DavidHelms into the 1879 churchbuilding thathad been the Visitor Information Centre at the Traralgon train station. Mr Helms’ findings revealed that the building holds local historicand representative significance to Latrobe City and should be conserved.

As the building is only one of five pre-1880 timber churches left in Gippsland, council has votedtoengage in further community consultation and allowfor public submissions.

Jenny Hammet, alocal, addressed council at the meeting, and wished that council consulted with thoseinthe community further regarding the future of the old Methodist church.

“If it has to be physically removed and if then it should be physically within Traralgon andideally close to the historical centre of the town,” sheadded.

Helen Vaughn addressed the council in an emotional plea forcouncillors to dismiss the notion of demolition.

“I was alarmed at the thought that the council is considering demolishing the old church, it is one of the very few physical manifestations of this history in this town”.

Visibly upset, Ms Vaughn said, “It concerns me tonight that almost 18 months after the heritage report has been done, possible demolition is still on the table.”

Ms Vaughn urged council to reconsider demolition as an option at all as “there is so little of Traralgon’s history left”.

remains uncertain.

File photograph

“This town has along history, we just don’t see much of it anymore because alot of it has been torn down or it was burnt down, so let’s make every effort to keep this church,” she added.

The $86,000 allocated by council, however, is just enough to cover the demolition costs of the building, according to the council’s officer reports, while refurbishing in its current location would cost $340,000, and relocation would cost $775,000.

Trevor Graham of Traralgon &District Historical Society, alsourged council to retain the building and its location.

Mr Graham presented aproposition for the council to turn the old church into amuseum that would showcase eithertransport relevant to the building next to the train station or a faith museum, given its history as achurch.

“The museumwouldlook veryfamiliar to what was in the building as the information centre,” he said.

Mr Graham expressed his dissatisfaction that councildid not consider the building’s historical value more.

“It’s disappointingthat the heritage value of the building identified by thereport was ignoredordismissed andnot considered at all,” he said.

Councilhave yet to decideonthe futureofthe historic building and the future still remains unclear.

Demand: Member forMorwell Martin Cameron wantsthe state government to prioritise thepush foramendmentstothe Building LegislationAmendment Bill Photograph supplied

Limbo: Thefutureofthe old methodist church in Traralgon

Vale Maffra great Jack Dwyer OAM

Stephen DWYER

LONG time Newry andMaffra identity John 'Jack' Dwyer OAM died on April 27, 2023 at Sale Hospital aged 95.

Jack was born on February 12, 1928, the second sonofBill and Alice Dwyer of 'Innisfail', Newry. Jack went to Maffra High Schooland was married in 1959 to Frances Roche from Yarragon. They were married for 64 years and had eight children, 25 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

After primary school at Newry, he rode his bike to Maffra High School and then Sale High School where he matriculated. In the year of matriculation, his father had aserious injury, losing three fingers on his hands. At the end of that year Jack leftschool, as didhis younger brother Leo,and together with their father they ran the family farm. They would continue to work together until Bill’s death in 1959.

Of his father Jack said, "He was the smartest man Ieverknew."

They continued their partnership withoutside help; together they were progressiveand inventive. Theydeveloped the firstmultipit herringbone milking plant; at the timeofits building,itwas the fastest milking plant in Gippsland and the only one of its type in Australia.

For the time-consuming task of carting hay, they bought an experimental prototype bale stacker from Mildura and reconfigured it. The machine would stack 96 bales at atime, and becamethe prototype for New Holland, who produced the only hands-free bale stacker until the arrival of round bales.

They milkedupto230 cows off the Innisfail Property, as well as fattening beef cattle. Jack often topped the market at Heyfield and would always getadvicebeforeeach sale fromhis old friend Norman Chester, who he said was "the greatest man he ever met."

Jack was involved in the Newry community. He was afoundation chairman of the Newry Tennis Club as well as the NewryGolfClub, and he joined MaffraYoung Farmers, whereherose to State Counsellor. On compulsory age of retirement, anew young men’s organisation was sweeping

through Australia called Apex. He would become theCharter PresidentofMaffra Apex, and later District Governor. After14years of serviceinApex, he was awarded life membership.

In his early years, Jack was quite athletic, until he fell on astake -the scar on his leg would stay with him all his life. He had abeautiful raking dropkick, which he perfected playing kick-to-kick withhis worker Mike Loveaftermilking eachnight.

While raising his family, his community commitment continued with involvement in the MacalisterRiver Improvement Trust;his work would result in one of the most innovative works on restoring the river environment. The Trust would eventually become the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority. At the same time, he was on the board of the MaffraHospital and became itschairman.

When oldest daughter Ann was ready for school, he saw the need for anew Catholic School at Maffra; he became the head of the building program and the financeteam that funded it. St Mary's Primary School opened in 1969. At the opening, there was room on the stage for the priests, councillors, and politicians, but not for Jack. He continued on and was headofthe finance of the MaffraCatholic Church for decades.

ANewry man, he took his family to mass each week at Newry’s St. Ita’s Church, and was the one-man maintenance team for many years. In his later years, he retired to Maffra, but still came out to the farm each day to spray thistles and do odd job and, of course, to talk to his dogs.

It is said, “We stand on the shoulders of giants”. In Maffra, that giant was Jack Dwyer, OAM -husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, devotedfamilyman and all-round fun guy.

Vale: ThelateJackDwyer OAM. Photograph supplied

The Range Retirement Village is aretirement living community in Moe, boasting alive-in Manager and high-quality residential villas set inside agated community.

The Range offers elegant new and refurbished two and three-bedroom independent living villas, set in attractive and well-manicured surrounds. Each villa features an open-plan living area,wellappointed kitchen, private courtyardgarden and single or double garage.

Plan your social life with your new community.

Youwill have the flexibility and freedom to embrace life with asocialcalendar that includes, billiards, indoor bowls, craft, movie nights, trivia, bingo,cards and many moresocial activities and make use of our community bus to getaroundour local area

Now is your time to down size and embrace life at The Range

HOROSCOPES

by Joanne Madeline Moore

May8 -May 14,2023

Aries This week the astrological focus is on finances, business and/or work, as the planets provide the extra power and passion needed to boost your professional profile or fast-track your finances But don’t get lost in a fantasy world Keep it real, Rams! With retrograde Mercury and impulsive Uranus stirring up your money zone, you ’ re keen to splash some cash around But make sure your bank balance is in a healthy state before you start spending up big

Libra This week Venus and Mars activate your career zone, so charm, confidence and plenty of chutzpah will take you far along the road to professional success But remember that Mercury is in retrograde mode (until May 15) So, double-check all messages and appointment times – and read the fine print in all contracts thoroughly Saturday’s Venus/Saturn trine is super for business plans, long-term relationships and socialising with work colleagues

Next yearkinder enrolment open

WITH kindergarten enrolments now opening for 2024, the state government is encouraging young families to enrol their children and give them the best start in life.

Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep, Ingrid Stitt recently launched the 2024 kindergarten enrolment campaign by encouraging parents to talk to theirlocal kindergarten service about enrolment processes and timelines.

At kindergarten, children are given the opportunity to use theirimagination and practice important skills, such as problem-solving, through play-based learning.

They also learn key skills for life, including creative thinking, social andemotional skills,and early literacy and language skills -preparing them for formal school education.

Taurus

The Sun and Uranus link up in your sign So, it’s time to tap into your innate Taurean power and become the strong smart and sexy Earth Goddess (or god) you were born to be Draw inspiration from feisty movie icon Katharine Hepburn (who was born on May 12 1907): “You can’t just be talented: you have to be terribly smart and energetic and focused Don’t just show up Transform the work, yourself and everybody around you Be needed Be interesting ”

Scorpio Your partnership zone is under stress as the Sun connects with unpredictable Uranus, and Mercury continues retrograding So, when it comes to relationships (of the romantic and platonic variety) expect the unexpected! Avoid being a stubborn Scorpio Instead, loosen up, go with the chaotic flow, and keep your negative thoughts to yourself As Joni Mitchell (a fellow Scorpio) observes: “There are things to confess that enrich the world, and things that need not be said ”

In Victoria, freekinder is availablefor three and four-year-olds at participating services, including sessional kindergartens and long day-care centres.

Ninety-seven per cent of kindergarten providers are currently participating in the state government’s free kinder initiative, saving families up to $2500 in fees per child and giving parents and carers -particularly women -greater flexibility to return to work if they choose.

With free kinder, children enrolled in threeyear-old kindergarten receive between five and 15 hours of funded learning each week, and those in four-year-old kindergarten receive 15 hours per week.

Highly skilled teachers and educatorsguide learning and development, helpingchildren to become confident, curious and creative while developing concentrationand independence, forming positive relationships and making friends.

To ensure akindergarten meets their needs, families are encouraged to organise atimetovisit so they can see the service, its staff and the children in attendance.

Families should also look for aKinder Tick, so they can be confident their child is attending a funded kindergarten program.

Expect a rather disruptive week a Gs Mercury (your patron planet) is still in retrograde mode and the Sun hooks up with unpredictable Uranus Make sure your restless mood doesn’t lead to reckless behaviour and a loose tongue Think twice before you spread secrets and salacious gossip Passing on unverified hearsay could lead to unexpected consequences A tablespoon of tact a dollop of discretion and a pinch of patience will get you through

Gemini

Sagittarius Mercury continues reverg sing through your daily routine zone So, a communication problem, a work matter, a health issue or a local community project could cause some sleepless nights Fear not! The planets are pushing you to dig deep, accept extra responsibilities and take on challenges with plenty of Sagittarian aplomb A domestic situation also needs to be handled in a sensitive and sensible way, as you do your best to sort things out

Research shows that play-based learning is a powerful way to support achild’s development, with two years of quality kindergarten having greater impactonchildren who start at three years of age rather than four.

The benefits are even greater for children experiencing vulnerability, or who need extra support.

Families with childrenborn between January and April can choose the year in which they start three-year-old kindergarten. These children can start in the same year they turn three or in the year they turn four.

If unsure, speak to your local service about the best time for your child to start kindergarten.

Parents can find kindergarten services near them by visiting vic.gov.au/kinder or reaching their local council.

Cancer Venus and Mars encourage you to put more energy into pursuing your dreams No side-stepping, Crabs! It’s time to set ambitious goals – and then pursue them with plenty of creativity and drive But Uranus and retrograde Mercury could increase tension in a relationship within your peer group Your intuition is switched on big time, as you tune into those around you and uncover some important information But don’t let a smoothtalker lead you astray

Leo This week life is exciting and complicated; partnerships are unpredictable; the rules are constantly changing; and work issues will keep you on your toes Maybe it’s time to simplify your life, cull some of your commitments or give a fairweather friend the flick? Look for unconventional and innovative solutions that suit YOU Be inspired by Hollywood icon (and birthday great) Katharine Hepburn: If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun ”

Virgo Mercury is your ruling planet, and it’s cugrrently retrograde until May 15 On Friday it connects with Saturn, amplifying your perfectionist streak Which could lead to unwanted stress when you have to deal with mixed messages and confusing communication – and you also discover that perfection is hard to find! So, your motto for the moment is from Spanish painter (and birthday great) Salvador Dali: Have no fear of perfection you ll never reach it ”

Capricorn

Welcoming you on open day

When it comes to a child, teenap ger, lover or friend you ’ re on a mission to correct their mistakes and change their behaviour But you ll get a lot further if you criticise less and encourage a lot more And the greatest realisation this week is that you really can’t change anyone They can only transform themselves As birthday great Katharine Hepburn wisely observed: “You learn in life that the only person you can really correct and change is yourself ”

Aquarius You’ll feel restless this week andqthe danger is you ll go overboard and throw the baby out with the bathwater Uranus imbues you with a sense of urgency, but self-discipline and gradual modifications are what’s required at the moment It’s also important to strive to get the balance right between your personal and professional lives Be inspired by birthday great actress Cate Blanchett: “I live my life parallel with my work, and they are both equally important ”

Pisces Creative and innovative communication is the secret to a successful week But resist the urge to launch half-baked projects and jump to hasty conclusions Listen closely to what others are telling you otherwise you’ll misunderstand their motives And be careful what you post online as a controversial comment could lead to unexpected consequences On Saturday Saturn (in your sign) makes a magical link with Venus, which could precipitate a karmic connection

CopyrightJoanne Madeline Moore 2023

Thisadvertisingspace couldbe s

This week my stars are telling me that I’m going to purchase a fantastic bargain YOUBEAUTY!

To advertise your bargains, products or services in this column or forinformation, simply phoneLesleyHogan on 5135 4414 today.

GP1656849

Come

EVER wanted to take apeek inside St Paul's Anglican Grammar School? This is exactly what you can do this Saturday(May13),withthe school opening its doors to welcome the community for open day.

Explore the kinder,primaryschool or secondary school and discover how the Traralgon campus is growing to include VCE starting from 2026.

Chat with happy students about St Paul's and learn first-hand from them about the additional co-curricular opportunities available.

Speak with caring and expert teachers about how

your child can pursue their potential at St Paul's withtheir personalised learning focus. Youcan also chat with the leadership team and discover how fulfilling acareeratStPaul's can be.

St Paul's welcomes the community to visit the school between 10am and 2pm at 46 Cross's Road, Traralgon.

Registrations are essential via the website at stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

For more information, call Paula Walland on 56226114,oremail pwalland@stpaulsags.vic. edu.au

TheGuide

PICK OF THE WEEK

EUROVISION

SONG CONTEST

SBS, Friday, 5am (encore Saturday, 7 30pm) and streaming, SBS On Demand

With Perth’s fearless, riff-laden, synth-metal band Voyager representing Australia in Eurovisions second semifinal, this is the chance for Aussie viewers to get their votes in Voyager will perform their track Promiseon the Eurovision stage – where dreams are made and anything is possible The energetic five-piece are competing alongside 15 other artists including fellow Aussie Andrew Lambrou wholl be singing for Cyprus SBSs exclusive coverage will once again be in the capable hands of Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey who will bring witty banter and insights as they guide Australia through the glitz, glamour, and madness direct from Liverpool UK

Wednesday, May10

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG)

6.30 SBS WorldNews.

7.30 Alone Australia. (Ml)Participants struggle with emotional isolation.

8.35 Zelenskyy: Citizens At War. Charts the life of Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskyy,beginning withthe invasion in 2022.

9.30 Rogue Heroes. (Final, Malv) Stirling attends acocktail party.

10.35 SBS WorldNews Late.

11.05 Furia. (MA15+av)

11.55 Unit One. (Mlv,R)

4.15 Mastermind Australia. (R) 4.45 Bamay (R) 5.00 NHK World EnglishNews Morning.

5.30 ANC PhilippinesThe World Tonight

Trip of alifetime: Perth’s Voyagerare representing Australia at theEurovisionSong Contest in Liverpool.

SELENA +CHEF

SBS Food, Saturday, 8.30pm

This series seessinger OnlyMurders intheBuildingstar andentrepreneur SelenaGomez (pictured)invite topchefs intoher kitchentoteach her their secrets –fromrefining cooking techniques to embracing the inevitablemessand dealing with stress;it’sadelightful insight intoGomez’scharmingpersonality. Season threekicks off tonight with adoubleepisode. Firstup, Kwame Onwuachi introduces Gomez to traditionalNigerian fare,before, Ayesha Curryteaches Gomez how to makethe ultimateparty spread of hothoney chicken sandwiches.

THE MESSENGER

ABCTV, Sunday, 8.20pm

Preparetobetransfixed by talented rising star William McKenna (pictured, NowhereBoys), whosesoulful doe-eyed performance propels this excellent new eight-part drama. Based on the bestselling novelby Aussie writer Markus Zusak, who also oversaw themaking of this quirky andupliftingseries,ittells the story of homebody and taxi driverEd, who spends mostofhis humdrum existence with hisdog.One day, he receives amysterious noteon aplaying card, setting himonthe unlikely path of asuburban hero

MMIT uesday, 7 30pm

ping snow-covered vistas epic peaks and the majesty of nature ching insight into greed and betrayal w high-octane action-adventure celebrates its spectacular location ew Zealand’s South Island while also ping into the human competitive spirit d thirst for cash Fourteen strangers ut to win $1 million in a cut-throat hat sees them scale great heights, nd emotional depths to claim the arrated by Jai Courtney (pictured)

5.30 7.30.(R)

6.00 SevenNews.

7.00 Home And Away (PGa)Cash gets perspectiveonEden’s decision.

7.30 The1%Club. (PGls) Hosted by JimJefferies

8.35 Accused. (Masv) When drag performer falls for acloseted guy,their whirlwind affair leads to devastating consequences.

10.35 TheLatest: SevenNews.

11.05 Crime Investigation Australia: MostInfamous: TheKilling Fields Of Truro. (MA15+av,R)

12.20 Absentia. (MA15+asv, R)

12.30[VIC]HomeShopping

1.20 TheGoldbergs (PG, R)

2.00 Home Shopping.(R) 4.00 NBC Today.

5.00 SevenEarly News. 5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 NineNews

7.00 ACurrent Affair

7.30 Travel Guides. (PG)

8.30 Footy Classified. (M)Footy experts tackle the AFL’sbig issues.

9.30 MOVIE: Olympus HasFallen. (2013,MA15+lv,R)A former agent must savethe WhiteHouse. Gerard Butler

11.55 Nine News Late. 12.20 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.10 Postcards. (PG, R) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 2.30 Global Shop.(R)

3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Believer’sVoice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 A

11

6.00 TheDrum.

7.00 ABCNews.

7.30 Budget 2023: Opposition Reply Peter Dutton delivers his budget response.

8.00 7.30 PresentedbySarah Ferguson.

8.30 Grand Designs New Zealand. TomWebster meets Josefine Watterson, who is building apassive-style house forher youngfamily

9.15 Griff’s GreatKiwi Road Trip: MakeYourself At Home (R) Part 1of3

10.05 ArtWorks. (R) Hosted by Namila Benson.

10.35 ABC LateNews.

10.50 TheBusiness (R)

11.05 TheExhibitionists. (Mns, R)

12.05 Q+A. (R)

1.10 Parliament Question Time. 2.10 Rage (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.30 Antiques Roadshow.(R)

4.30 The Drum. (R) 5.30 7.30.(R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia.

(PG) Presented by Marc Fennell.

6.30 SBS WorldNews.

7.35 TheMurdochs: Empire Of Influence: Hack Job (M) James Murdoch rises to the top of his family’sempire, overseeingall of News International in Europe.

8.30 Miniseries: Safe Home. (Mal) Part 1of4.Awoman makes aterrible mistakeinher newjob at afamily violence legal service

10.25 SBS WorldNews Late.

10.55 Catch And Release. (MA15+l) Filippa getssidelined in the investigation.

11.45 Black Sands. (Malnv, R)

2.50 Unsaid.

3.00 Going PlacesWith ErnieDingo (R)

5.00 Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final.

6.00 SevenNews.

7.00 Home And Away (PGa)Rose plays catand mousetoavoid Mali.

8.30 TheFront Bar (M) Hosts Mick Molloy, Sam Pang andAndy Maher takealighter look at all things AFL

9.30 Britain’s GotTalent. (PG) Auditions continueasweird, wacky andwonderful acts compete in front of celebrityjudges.

10.55 TheLatest: SevenNews.

11.25 FantasyIsland. (Ma) Three friendsreturn to ’80s Miami.

12.25 Black-ish. (PGa) Pops, Dre and Junior go on atrip

12.30[VIC]HomeShopping.

12.55 World’sMostSecret Homes: Mystical Sanctuaries. (PG, R)

2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 NBCToday 5.00 SevenEarly News. 5.30 Sunrise

Friday, May12

6.00 TheDrum Analysisofthe day’snews.

7.00 ABCNews. Alook at the top stories of the day

7.30 Gardening Australia. Millie Ross visits seed farmers.

8.30 Traces. (Ma) There is another deadly explosion. Sarahand McKinven’sgrowing attachment has fraught consequences.

9.20 Mayfair Witches (Mals) Wracked with grief over Ellie’s death, Rowanisout of control, unfit to perform surgeries

10.05 Interview With TheVampire. (Mhlnv) Louisrecounts his transformation.

10.50 Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe. (Mls, R)

11.20 ABC Late News.

11.35 TheSplit. (PG,R)

12.35 Smother (Mlv,R)

1.30 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv)

6.00 Mastermind Australia.

(PG) Presented by Marc Fennell.

6.30 SBS WorldNews

7.30 Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final. (R) Coverage of the first semi-final from the67th annual Eurovision Song Contest fromLiverpool, England.

10.00 TheArtist’sView:Queen.

(PG, R) TakesalookatQueen.

10.30 SBS WorldNews Late.

11.00 Darkness: Those Who Kill

(Mav) Louise is in mourning.

11.55 Reunions. (Ma, R) Jeremy’s mother arrives without warning.

3.40 Mastermind Australia. (R)

4.40 Bamay. (R)

5.00 NHKWorld English News Morning.

5.30 ANC PhilippinesThe World Tonight.

6.00 SevenNews.

7.00 Football AFL.Round 9. Richmondv Geelong.

10.30 AFL Post-Game Show. Post-match coverage of the match.

11.00 Armchair Experts. (M) Apanel discussesall things AFL

12.00 World’sMostSecretHomes: Inconspicuous Escapes. (PG,R) Explores unique, secluded homes.

1.00 Travel Oz. (PG, R) Follows researchers studying coral growth. [VIC]HomeShopping.

1.30 Harry’s Practice (R) Informationabout petcare.

2.00 Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 Million Dollar Minute (R)Hosted by Grant Denyer

5.00 NBCToday.

6.00 Nine News.

7.00 ACurrent Affair

7.30 RugbyLeague. NRL.Round 11. Melbourne Storm vBrisbane Broncos.

9.45 ThursdayNight Knock Off Post-match NRLnews and analysis of the Melbourne Storm versus Brisbane Broncos clash.

10.30 Nine News Late. Alook at the latest news andevents.

11.00 A+EAfter Dark. (Mm, R) Four menare brought into hospital.

12.00 NewAmsterdam. (Mam)

1.00 Building Ideas. (Final, PG)

1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

2.30 Global Shop. (R)

3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 Believer’sVoice Of Victory. (PGa)

4.30

7.30

House Australia. (Final, PGad) Alovingdeaf couple try to break through a cavoodle’s separation anxiety

8.30

SVU. (Ma, R) After a young woman who wasadopted as ababy learns about her birth parents, she turns to Benson for help prosecuting arelated cold case. Carisi and Rollins weigh the risks of taking their relationship public.

9.30 To Be Advised.

10.30 Law&Order:SVU (Mav,R) Benson investigates apopular radio host.

11.30 TheProject (R)A look at theday’snews and events.

12.30 TheLate ShowWith Stephen Colbert (PG) Late-night talk show

1.30 Home Shopping. (R)

4.30 CBSMornings.

6.00 Nine News.

7.00 ACurrentAffair

7.30 Escape To TheChateau. Dick and Angel create aconservatory-style room.

8.30 MOVIE: Mother’s Day (2016,Ml, R)

The Mother’s Day holiday takes on a special meaning for agroup of seemingly unconnected people. JenniferAniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson.

10.50 MOVIE: TheFirstWives Club. (1996,PGal, R) Three spurned women plot revenge. GoldieHawn.

12.40 Tipping Point. (PG, R)

1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 Postcards (PG, R)

4.30 Global Shop (R)

5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 5.30

Skippy TheBushKangaroo. (R)

6.30 TheProject. Alook at the day’snews andevents

7.30 Bondi Rescue. (PGal) Glick’s jetski does something unexpected.

8.30 Ambulance Australia. (Mal, R) On Australia Day, Sam andTammy attend to aman passed out in the middle of the road in his car

9.30 TerritoryCops. (PGalv,R) Takesa behind-the-scenes look at the Northern TerritoryPolice.

10.30 Ambulance Australia. (Madlv,R)Follows NSW Ambulance’s Sydney operations.

11.30 TheProject (R)

12.30 TheLate ShowWith Stephen Colbert. (PG)

1.30 Home Shopping. (R)

Morwell Football-Netball Club will be painted pink this Saturday, as the Tigers help raise money for breast cancer care and research.

Morwell A Grade captain Courtney Garth and senior football skipper Aidan Quigley are calling on the community to give generously.

FULL

INSIDE ON PAGE 33

GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

GOALS: Morwell: ABraendler 4BMcDonald 2AQuigley 2BBailey BMacfarlane TGrayB

Mcauliffe. Maffra: DBedggood 3TThatcher 2J Butcher BMonk. BEST: Morwell: SWalsh B

Bailey BMcauliffeABraendler BMacfarlane.Maffra:BBrunt JButcher ECarr NPollardKJones KRenooy

GOALS: Wonthaggi: CMcInnes 4T DaveyR Sparkes JStaley JBlair HTiziani THarley.Drouin:

JMarshall2CKingi 2S Harvey2DClebney RTaylorHBirks SAmoroso BEST: Wonthaggi:

RSparkes BMabilia CMcInnes JGilmour JBlair.Drouin: AQuirk BStephens AMcMillan S

GOALS: Leongatha: JGinnane 4J Hume 3JGarnham 3T Brill 3COlden AHeppell KDrew

CStone LBowman JBurns.Bairnsdale: RTatnell NBulmer. BEST: Leongatha: LBowman T Marriott BWillis TBrill JHarry CStone.Bairnsdale: LAustin RStewart DO’Connor KVickery

BVickery

GOALS: Traralgon: JHamilton3BEddy 2KRuyters

Gippsland League

Morwelll gets welcome away win on the board

FOOTBALL GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

BY LIAM DURKIN

IT’S better down where it’s wetter.

Long sleeves and chest marks were aprominent feature in Round5ofthe Gippsland League.

Rain ruined most affairs from the viewofthe spectator, as persistent drizzle and chilly winds well and truly signalled the incoming winter. YOU’VE had agood run Maffra.

The Eagles now look to be well and truly in afull rebuild stage, after another defeatleft them without awin from five starts.

The Tigers had suffered an unexpected loss to Warragulthe week before,and came to Maffra under severe pressure in what was virtuallyanelimination final for them.

The Eagles, having played more senior teams in Wonthaggi and Traralgon in previous weeks, were presented with an opponent not too dissimilarin terms of profile, but as the match woreon, it becameclear just who wasfurther ahead in the football cycle.

Maffra kickedjust one point in thethirdterm, this coming after conceding six goals in the second quarter following atight opening term.

and coach Boyd Bailey were also prominent.

Thecoach said he waspleased with how his side responded after an indifferent couple of weeks; the Warragul loss coming aweek afterbeingtouched-up big time by Traralgon.

“Washappywiththe boys performance, they played well,” he said.

“We were able to finish off our work this week and take our opportunities.

“We have had areally good couple of weeks on the track and theboys got the reward from the effortthey have been puttingin.”

ForMaffra, experience led the way in the form of Ben Brunt, John Butcher, Ed Carr, Nathan Pollard,Kieran Jonesand Kade Renooy

ELSEWHERE,the real coronation took place in Leongatha.

The Parrots extended their unbeaten run to 33, and will surely be crowned kings of Gippsland footballifthey take their record past Maffra’s 45.

Leongatha inflicted maximum damage on Bairnsale, winning 19.18 (132) to 2.5 (17).

Wonthaggi: NAnderson5 ABusanaKMcCarthyO Dawson JWilliams RCornell J

Moe: SCurtis2 LDurkin JMakepeace JChessells LRees SMorrow.Sale: BDessent

2ACampbell JSimic BJones BEST: Moe: LRees JMorrow MHeywood AWilson SCurtisW Hester.Sale: BJones ZRussell CLaverty OWaugh MBenson CHudson

GOALS: Maffra: JOldham 6ACunningham 3BCarubia 2BJohnson BHarrington WBrunt J

Davis CJohnson. Morwell: KElphick 2DMakepeace BEST: Maffra: JOldham JDavis CSmart

WPleming BMckenzie WBrunt. Morwell: WClareKElphick ALovison CBaileyBBriggs Z

Carlson

LEONGATHA 3.2 6.5 10.6 11.7 (73)

BAIRNSDALE

GOALS: Leongatha: FMateria 3DBerryman RKemp HLindsay LWrightJLamers M

Borschman SForrester DHume. Bairnsdale: OClarke PBills BEST: Leongatha: KBrown R

Kemp DHume LWright SForrester MBorschman. Bairnsdale: JDoreLLakay OClarke C

Crofts ETaylorRRobinson

TRARALGON

WARRAGUL

GOALS: Traralgon: CScandrett 5TTangi2GRuach 2CBrown WBrent CBooth FWatts R

Rutter.Warragul: TMurfet2 MCahill BEST: Traralgon: HFox WBrent CScandrett JFraser Hanley RRutter OHaberl. Warragul: TMurfetJ DeLaHaye HCant MCahill LFrench

GOALS: Leongatha: JGarnham 3T McRae2 ZLamers CQuaifeBFortM Donohue.Bairnsdale:

2A Watt BEST: Leongatha: JClark NSkewes MDonohue BGrabham AndrewsT

JFixter. Bairnsdale: MEastL Dunkley JPhillips AWattL Cloak SO’Kelly

Maffra: SSmith 4JDimarco 3HBurgiel 2W Ross.Morwell:Rtha

Their most recent defeat however came in perhaps more disappointing circumstances, dropping agame at home to Morwell by 45 points, 13.11 (89) to 7.2 (44).

Heading intothe match, most pundits predicted aclose result, as both teams desperately needed points to help kick-start their campaign.

The visitorsmeanwhile went on their merryway, scoring twice as many goals after the main break than their opponents.

Adam Braendlerkicked four majors for the winners, in what was agreat effortconsidering the choppy conditions.

Sam Walsh wasbest on ground, while Brandon Bailey, Brandon Mcauliffe, Burkeley Macfarlane

Maroons dispatch Warragul with ease

FOOTBALL GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

BY LIAM SMITH*

TRARALGON gotthe points over Warragul in afairly tame outing at Terry Hunter Oval.

The Maroons won 10.17 (77) to 2.17 (29).

The start of the game saw both teamsrevved up and on the ball. However, inaccurate kicking led to multiple turnoversand missed shots on goal.

Traralgon looked like agood team with their numbersat the ball and their ability to find targets easily which helped in their win.

nals Member for Morwell meron@parliament.vic.gov.au

Ge Street, MorwellVIC 3840 614Morwell VIC3840 :0351339088

Warragul appeared out of sorts after ahorrific injury to their most important player in Jed Lamb, whichled to their downfall.

Lamb could be donefor the season after he landed awkwardly and his left knee buckled at a right angle upon touchingthe ground.

The Maroons played good footy in the last quarter, kicking four goals in arow to blow the score out.

Josh Hamilton kicked three majors in abest on ground display. Others to play well in the win were Tom Schneider, Tom Hamilton, Conor Little, Luis D’Angelo and Tye Hourigan.

Seam Masterson battled hard for Warragul, alongwithPatrick Mulqueen, BradHefford, Cooper Alger, Jake Hughes and James Davidson.

The Maroons now face Moe in what will be match of the round in Round 6.

Both teams head in with just the one loss between them.

*Liam Smith is aYear11 student doing work experience at the Express. He was also a boundary umpire at this game.

When asked if he feltany extra pressure with this game beinga mini-final,Baileysaidthis didn’t enter the team’s frame of mind.

“We back our system and what we are trying to do,” he said.

“Can’t get involved in outside noise, what the boys have been doing on the track hasbeen really good, just afew KPI’s (key performance indicators) we weren’t hitting.

“Really positive group to be around.”

At the moment, there could only be oneteam that can beat Leongatha-Leongatha themselves.

Wonthaggi got over the line against adetermined Drouin, 10.11 (71) to 10.2 (62).

While the visiting Hawks are still yet to win agame, another close loss means they are very much adangerside.

FOOTBALL GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

BY LIAM DURKIN

"HE need not even kick, the drought is over."

Those are the words of Sandy Roberts moments after Collingwood had won the 1990 AFL Grand Final, ending a32-year premiership drought.

Similar sentiments were felt by Moe supporters at Sale Oval on Saturday, as the Lions finally won at avenue that hadeluded them for 21 years.

The number 21 was circledonthe whiteboard before the team ran out, as was the number 142.

While the number 21 was self explanatory, 142 represented the margin the Lions had been defeated by the last time they played in Sale.

As they walked into the visitor’s rooms, victorious after agrinding 6.8 (44) to 5.6 (36) win, they had successfully lifted weights off both shoulders. One for the drought, and the other for exorcising multiple demons from that dark day last year.

Speaking of dark, it was literally dark for most of the game on Saturday, so much so the red ball became hard to see from the side lines.

The lights were turned on at the start of the last quarter, as constantdrizzle and amud bath middle made it tough going for players.

Moe kicked three goals in the opening term, before Sale responded with two of their own afterthe first break. Scores were virtually level at halftime,with the Lions ahead by one goal.

Spectators got to see abit more action in the secondhalf,although not fromacts involving general play.

Moe forward Harry Pepper nabbed Sale midfielder Hayden Potts holding the ball, which was immediately followed by the same decision greeting Moe veteran Tom Long, who was caught by Sale playing-coach Jack Johnstone.

Long then completed an unwanted trifecta by giving awaya100 metre penalty resultinginagoal, as well as ayellow card after losing his temper.

In aday of firsts, it was Long's first yellow card in more than 200 senior games.

Fortunately for Moe, the weather meantthey weren't too hamperedbeing aman down, and they were able to reply through some good work from Harri Sim and James Blaser setting up Luke Mulqueen to kick acrucial goal from aset shot at the scoreboard end.

The Magpiesfoundareply, albeit 10 minutes later, when Jarrod Freeman found himself unattendedinside 50 and unselfishly kickeditover the top to Jack McLaren whokicked the easiestofgoals. McLaren would end with two majors, and was

generally accepted as the best playeronthe ground from both teams.

With three quarter time approaching and just one point separating the sides, Sim was able to create something out of nothing, kicking agoal out of congestion at the 29 minute mark to see Moe ahead at the final change of ends.

Sensing the team was only halfanhour away from history, Lionscoach Declan Keilty left his troops with parting words to the effect of "21 years, here is our opportunity".

Sale started brightly in the last, with star midfielder Shannen Lange bursting through a stoppage two minutes in, only for the kick to go out on the full.

Understandably, conditions by now had become so treacherous it was almost impossible to handle the ball cleanly. After the lights came on at the 12 minute mark, the game resembled rugby, with repeat stoppages until the final siren blew.

Moe forward Matt Barrand had aset shot early in the last, but was unable to convert despite his partner watchingoninthe stands with her fingers crossed.

Asoccer kick by Chris Prowse ashort time later took the Lions' lead to an even goal, before Pepper nabbed McLaren napping inside forward 50 to be

rewarded with aset shot from about 40 metres out. Another behind followed, but given the context of the game, they were all handy points, as the ball remained at Moe's end of the ground.

Some irony followed not long after, as Tyson Biffin laid the best tackle of his career, only for it to be deemed apush in the back after he lined Freeman up from long range.

Further contests followed, before Moe veteran James Blaser was able to throw the ball onto his left boot. The ball seemed to travel in slow motion towardsthe goals at the club room end. It bounced once, and looked achancetoskid through, only for thegoalpost to get in the way.

That behind got the lead to eight points, which provedtobeenough.With the clock ticking toward 30 minutes, Sim smartly took time out of the game by holding things up after takinga mark inside 50.

Sim was in the best for the winners,aswas Scott van Dyk,Grady Cocksedge, Blaser, Keilty and Pepper.

JoiningMcLaren in the best players for Sale was Nathan Whitford, Jayden Allison, Daine McGuiness, Adam Wallace and Jonty McGuiness. Not sure what all the fuss was about, the Moe reserves haveagood record at Sale (six winsin the last eight games).

Sale Oval curse has finally lifted Awin more than 20 years in the making

FOOTBALL GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

BY LIAM DURKIN

SATURDAY,May 62023issure to live long in the memory of all Moe Football-Netball Club supporters.

That is now the day the Lions broke a21-year runoflosses at Sale Oval.

It was awin 21 years in the making, as Moe finally drove home from Sale with the four points.

Moe's last win at Sale came in 2002, atimewhen

Jason Shields was the Lion’s senior coach.

How ironic, and equally fitting it was that Shields was still there on Saturday in acoaching capacity-this time, as coach of Moe's youngest brigade, the under 16s.

He, among many, will no doubt be hoping any graduating players from the 16s into the seniors in years to come do not have to suffer asimilar drought travelling to Sale.

In terms of 'survivors' from that 2002 Sale win, Moe games record holder Peter Ainsworth is still playing, albeit up the road at Newborough.

Shields, Ainsworth, and many others will surely be happy to now pass the baton onto the team led by current coach Declan Keilty.

Moe's last win at Sale came in Round 10 2002.

Here is how it was reported in the Express at the time:

Monday, June 17 2002 by Christiana

Colantuono

IN alow scoringaffair, Moe recorded another win over Sale, but is wasn't all smooth sailing for the Lions.

It was atough, hard, physical game in average conditions.

Overnight rain meant the ground still had wet, waterlogged patches making conditions alittle difficult.

This was acrucial game for Moe, after the disappointment of the Maffra game last week.

The Lions expected atough game as Sale at home is always going to step up anotch, especially after its last couple of wins.

In aclose contest all day, Moe's backline held up limiting Sale to 1.1(7) in the first quarterwhile theLions kicked 2.3 (15).

Sale got the upper hand in the second quarter keepingMoe scoreless and addingontwo goals itself to lead by five points at half-time. Adam Brander in defence for Sale was akey player.

Moe came out after half-time determined to regain the advantageand didso, puttingan18point margin between the two sides at threequarter time

The character and fitness of the Lions came to the fore in the last quarter. The Moe team structure was workingwelland had the confidencetofinish off the game on apositive note, claiming victory in the endby33points.

It was agood result for both the team and Brad Cook, who celebrated his50th game

Adam Kennedy, occupying centre halfback for most of the day, was Moe's best contributor, who was there, ready for action when it counted.

Brett Jennings and DavidBenbow werealso good, as well as Matt Forys and Chris Smogavec who kicked two goals apiece.

Moe 2.3 2.3 6.8 11.10 (76)

Sale 1.1 3.2 4.2 6.7 (43)

Moe -Goals: MattWyke 2, Matt Forys 2, Chris Smogavec 2, Lincoln Weymouth 2, Brett Membrey Gary Blandford, Leigh Hale.

Best: Adam Kennedy,Brett Jennings, David Benbow Brett Membrey,Matt Forys, Chris Smogavec.

The hoodoo

Trawling: With onlineresults not coming in until the late2000s,wehad to literallygoback throughthe archivestofind information on the last time Moe beat Sale at Sale Oval.

Photograph Liam Durkin

LLewis JMabilia WJenkins LdeBoerARhodes BAndrew BOOLARRA3.3

FOSTER0.2

GOALS: Boolarra: LSmith 4PHaines JBrierley TTobin JPotts.Foster:JAlbrecht 3JRathjen 2

WRoffey BEST: Boolarra: LSmith BMcCormack KTowtP Haines THolley TBeamish.Foster:

MHouse LHulseB Tillack JAlbrecht ESmith JRathjen

GOALS: Fish Creek:JLivingstone 2CMcPhee 2B Stefani 2OSchnoor LHowardJ Harry.

Thorpdale: RHarrington 2T Pickering BMassaro BEST: Fish Creek:BBellL HowardBBusuttil

PHolian JSegar BCooper.Thorpdale:BHotchkin MChapman DBrennan JSinclair-Stanley

DMorgan-Graham WAllan

YINNAR

GOALS: Meeniyan Dumbalk Utd: JDunn 3JLeeden BArnup.Yinnar: AMckay JMillsJShea.

BEST: Meeniyan Dumbalk Utd: BArnup JLeeden NTuckett JDunn ATreaseNMathieson. Yinnar:GOlver JChessum JShea WRowleyT Hoghton NLinton

Fish Creek/Tarwin: AMcWilliams 2CKrause KKay-Darts RKay-Darts BBell R

Duursma JLewis WRoffey BEST: Fish Creek/Tarwin: TVuillermin W

Mid Gippsland Football League League

FOOTBALL

MID GIPPSLAND

BY ROB POPPLESTONE

IT was expected thatRound3 of the Mid Gippsland FootballNetball League season might start to give us an indication of which teams mightand might not be around the mark at the businessend of theyear, but the fact is it seems that things have just got awhole lot harder to confidently pick awinner from week to week.

 BOOLARRAV FOSTER

BOTH of these two teams came off contrasting fortunes from the round prior, with Foster having securedasurprising win over Tarwin, while Boolarra were disappointing losers to fellow Demons, Meeniyan Dumbalk United.

Everyexpectation was that we would be in for aclose hard fought contest, especiallywith the Demons back on their home deck.

It was all of that and more, as Foster 8.14 (62) defeated Boolarra 9.5 (59).

“We keep puttingourselves in interesting positions -again, dominated periods of the game on the weekend but couldn’t put scoreboard pressure on,” Foster senior coach Sam Davies said.

“Seven behinds in arow in the second quarter in ten minutes meant Boolarra stayed in the game.

“Tony [Giardina]isa very goodoperator, they played to their strengths and made us work until the final siren. We’ll bank the four points happily and move on.”

It was the second time in as many weeks that the Tigers had secured victory by less than a goal, both times by athreepoint margin.

The winwelcomed by Foster, theloss alearning curve for the Demons.

“It was agood game from two determinedteams, unfortunately our thirdquarter let us down,” Boolarra senior coach Giardina said.

“Now we head to Tarwin for another big game against another top side.”

 FISH CREEK V THORPDALE

TRAVELLING to Fish Creek, Thorpdale, even with the many injuries they had, were giving themselves achanceoftheirfirst win of 2023.

Thatconfidence built on the back of some respectable performances in the first fortnight of theseason.

However for the third time in three weeks,the Blues fell agonisinglyshort, losingtothe Kangaroos, 6.8 (44) to 9.11 (65).

“It was an arm wrestle all day, Thorpdale are astrong side who are well coached. Afew strong efforts from our mids and forwards helped us get over the line,” Fish Creek senior coach Jarrod Walker said.

The Kangaroos are proving to be asolid outfit, with very few passengers, and will prove to to be atough outfit to beat against any opposition on theirhome ground.

“We putinagoodeffort for the firstthreequarters to match it with Fish Creek on theirhome deck. We got beaten in and around the stoppage contests in the lastquarter which ultimately cost us the game,” Thorpdale senior coach Jason Winderlich said.

The Blues,unquestionably are deserving of areward for their efforts over the firstthree weeks of 2023, and you sense that reward will be coming sooner rather than later, however round four offersthe task of facing Mirboo North on their home deck.

 NEWBOROUGH V MIRBOO NORTH

TWO of the unbeaten sides of the competition, were given areal opportunity of showcasing their respective styles on the weekend, as the Tigersventured to the home of the Bulldogs, for one of the toughest away gamesthat any sideislikelytofacein2023

On offerwas theRon Skinner Cup, in honour of Craig’s father who had coachedsuccessfully at both the Tigers and Bulldogs himself.

Newborough might not have had everythinggotheir own way early, but the deeper into thegamethey went, the more control they had, and they soon had their own grip on it, Newborough 13.14 (92) defeated Mirboo North 8.10 (58).

The pre-season prediction that Newboroughmight just be the side to beat in 2023 is quickly coming to fruition as coach Craig Skinner builds astrongoutfit of experience, youth and home grown talent.

“Our firstgame atNewborough, and Mirboo North started like the home side withthree early goals in slippery conditions,” Newborough seniorcoach Craig Skinner said.

“Peter Ainsworth kept us in the game, rebounding from half back. Aten minute patch in thethird quarter was what separated the sides on the day.

“Wins are premium in this competition and I’m happy to have our first one on the top dog’s day and keep the Ron Skinner Cup in the Cabinet.”

You get the feeling, the Bulldogs will be keen to keep the cup in the cabinet for as long as

they can.

“Conditions didn’t really impactapretty good gameof footballtoday. Both defences held up really well with the football rebounding at apretty fast pace game of footy,” Mirboo Northsenior coach Peter Mongta said.

“Newborough had abig third quarter, their midfield got some easy centre clearances and put our defenceunder huge pressure and that meant it washard to get momentum back our way.”

The Tigersnow host the winless Thorpdale on their home deck,but like any game this year, they can ill affordto believe that just turning up will guarantee them the points.

 STONY CREEK VHILL END

IT is always atesting time for acoach, especiallysoearly in the season, when injuries have alreadystartedtosignificantly impact your starting line up, and that’s exactly what was staring Hill End senior coach MikeSanto in the face as his side ventured to the home of the Lions.

Both teamswere searching for their first win, only one side securing the premiership points.

That side was Stony Creek, 11.12 (78) to Hill End’s 6.6 (42),

the victory aconfidence building one for the Lions.

“It was pleasing to see our boys playsomegood team footy, we had afew blokes play their first game and they really played their role well,” Stony Creek seniorcoach Chris Verboon said.

The Lions,rewarded their home groundsupport for some early season patience and played the sort of football that will secure more and more wins as the season rolls along.

“Stony Creekplayed well on their home track, they played a really tight defensive game and forced us into errors,” Santosaid.

“I washappy withour boys’ efforts, but skill errors are costing us badly at the moment, we now look forward to Newborough at home next week.”

It’s another tough task for Hill End, who havehad someclose clashes with their local rivals in recent years, and although the Bulldogs might appear to be too tough atask, rest assuredHill End will be in for the fight.

 TOORAV MORWELL EAST BUOYED by their first up win of the year over Hill End just seven days prior, Toora welcomed the unbeaten Morwell East side to theirhome ground with the very

MID GIPPSLAND

Mid Gippsland review continued

real belief thatstringing two wins together was areal possibility. The reality however turned out to be acompletelydifferent story for the home side as Morwell East 17.8 (110) were comfortable winnersover

Toora 5.4 (34).

“I thought we executed our game plan the best we have so far this season. We controlled the game from the start to finish. Toora moved the ball well, so we had to make sure we limited our turnovers as they were looking to make us pay,” Morwell East senior coach Paul Henry said.

“Backline held strong, mids applied constant pressure and the forwards had their kicking boots on.”

The Hawks have quicklyraised the eyebrowsofmanyinthe competition after flying very much under the radar in the lead up to the season’s start.

“Tough day againstaMorwell East side who were very slick on the weekend. Their ball movement allowedaccess to the opensidewhich made thedefenders job tough,”Toora senior coach Jack Weston said.

“Wehad patches of time where we looked ok, but not for long enough. A solid three weeks where we learned alot, but very much looking forward to the bye next weekend.”

Abreak for the Magpies might be justthe tonic, as they prepare for aclash against Stony Creek in a fortnight.

 YINNAR VMDU

THIS clashwas always going to be one of the more intriguing of round three, with the reigning premiers at home, but beingconfronted by aside that had shown improvement on the season prior, but were still somewhat of an unknown force in 2023.

With both sides having chances to win, Yinnar tooktheirs, getting over the line by less than akick, 7.9 (51) to MDU’s 6.11 (47).

“It was close right to the end, hard conditions,but the boys just cracked in and our effort was good, andMeeniyan really moved the ball well,” Yinnar senior coach Daniel Taylor said.

“We’ve lost sevenplayers from the premiership and we have three or four injuries as well, so it’s awhole new side from last year, but the young kids, the thirds coming in and it has been really good.”

As good as the win was for the victors, the loss was heart breaking for MDU.

“We fought hard in scrappy conditionsbut we couldn’t convert when we had our chances, they got numbers back and got backdeep, so we couldn’t goal from forty out with awet ball,” MDU senior coach Nathan Allen said.

Make no mistake, the new looking MDU side are destined to cause manyteams in the MGFNL some headaches as the season unfolds.

Anew structureisbeinglearnt, the ball movement is there, and improvement is guaranteed.

Tarwin -BYE

Neighboursset to meet

FOOTBALL MID GIPPSLAND

BY ROB POPPLESTONE

AS we learn moreabout the 2023 Mid Gippsland Football-Netball Legaue sides, we can also anticipate with alittle more confidence the possible likely outcome, or can we?

It has become very obvious, and very quickly that we may be better to expect the unexpected such is the closeness of many matches on aweekly basis.

 FOSTER VYINNAR

THIS week’s clash between these two teams is a perfect example of what has become commonplace in the13-team competition, that is exciting new rivalries have beenformed, raising the stakes in each and every game.

“Now Foster down at Foster, we have agood rivalry with them, we’ve played them three times since the league has been merged, and Idon’t think any game has been won by more than eight or 10 points so we’re keen to get down there and have acrack at it,” Yinnar senior coach Daniel Taylor said.

Two brave wins by the Tigers in as many weeks, will have the home side ready for as fierce acontest as they can probably expect.

“Yinnar is alwaysa battle, we respect them highly.” Foster senior coach Sam Davies said.

As good as the likes of Matt Clark, Todd Bastion, JonSegatand Tim Wigney have been, theywill also be calling on plenty of support fromteammates to getthe job done.

 HILLEND VNEWBOROUGH

IF ever there was the story of David and Goliath for the MGFNLseason 2023, then this matchissurely it.

It should be noted that Hill End have quite recently beenwhere Newborough now sit,the Rovers, through injury and player exits for opportunities at an even stronger level now finds itself still searching for its first win of the year,against aside yet to taste defeat.

“I was happy with our boys’ efforts last week but our skill errors are costing us badly at the moment, we now look forward to Newborough at home next week,” Hill End senior coach Mike Santo said.

You get the feeling everything would have to fall into place for Hill End to threaten Newborough, but coach of the Bulldogs, Craig Skinner has been around too long to know that his boys will need to be on their game to keep the Rovers at arm’s length.

“We are away again and up to Hill End and looking forward to seeing what surprises Coach Santo has for us on Saturday,” Newborough seniorcoach Craig Skinner said.

It would surely take amagic trick for the home side to claimpremiership points, but Santo prides himself on producing the unexpectedand he and his team have their opportunity to do justthat this week.

 MDU VFISH CREEK

ACLOSE loss caneither inspire ateam to greater heights or cast doubt when pressure is applied once more.

MDUsuffered defeatbyless than akick against reigning premiers Yinnar just seven days ago, and as aresultfind themselves in amust win position this week.

“It’s another big game this week, we have our past players, so its ahugeday for us and hopefully we can get across the line -the competition is close and you can’t fall too far behind and it becomes amust win now for us as we sit with one and two,” MDU senior coach Nathan Allen said.

The Kangaroos appear to be agood honest outfit that can match it with most in the competition, and this week promises to be no different as the plan appears to be to attack at all costs.

“Looking forward to playing Meeniyan. We are starting to build abit of arivalry with them and they always match up well on us. it will definitely be abit of ashootout and agood game to watch,” Fish Creek senior coach Jarrod Walker said. Allen is stilllearning about manyofhis clubs opposition, including this week’s opponent Fish Creek.

“I don’t knowtoo much aboutthem but that’s sort of achallenge, well it’sachallengebut it’s also apositive as we just go about our way and we test ourselves and hopefully we are good enough,” he said. There are certain games in aseason that appear to be afork in the road to aclub’s fortunes, this clash certainly looks like one of those.

 MIRBOO NORTH VTHORPDALE

JUST when Thorpdale might be looking for some sort of areprieveafter three commendableand close losses,the Blues find themselves having to travel to the home of Mirboo North, to face aTigers team on the rebound from their loss to Newborough.

“Facing Mirboo at home will be one of the biggest challengesfor the year,”Thorpdaleseniorcoach Jason Winderlich said.

Thereisnoquestion that MirbooNorth have bounced back into 2023 with anew-found confidence and enthusiasm, but despite their respective places on the ladder, Thorpdale will be no walk in the park.

“Last week our defence was under huge pressure against Newborough and that meant it was hard to get momentumbackour way. Thisweek we have Thorpdale at home,” Mirboo Northseniorcoach Peter Mongta said.

“We will recover and look forward to another good game of footy against the Blues.”

The Tigerswillbedeservingfavourites, but like the three clubs that have previously faced Thorpdale, will find that the pathway to success will be atesting one.

 MORWELL EAST VSTONY CREEK

THEdream continues for Morwell East, the Hawks managing to have slipped under the guard of many, if not most, in the MGFNL competition.

CoachPaul Henry has had his young team finding away to win in all three of its matches to date, and withthe whispers about some more experienced players preparing to return to the nest, thingsmight only get better.

“I thoughtlastweekweexecuted our game plan

the best we have so far thisseason. We controlledthe game from the start to finish,” Morwell East senior coach Paul Henry said.

“Thisweek we welcome Stony Creek to the East which will be another big game.”

Like Morwell East, Stony Creek has also shown some really pleasing recent form.

“Last week it was pleasing to see our boys play some good footy, but Morwell East the ladder leaders will be atough matchup for us this week,” Stony Creek senior coach Chris Verboon said.

The intangibles of confidence and momentum can sometimesbehard to grasp, but once aclub has them, they can also be hard to stop.

Both of these two teams come into this match as last round winners, but only one will carry that title going forward.



TARWIN VBOOLARRA

THE best medicine, they say, after aloss is the opportunity to win as quickly as possible.

Tarwin have had afortnight to brew on their close three-point loss to Foster,whilst the Demons just seven days to consider the exact same thing -athree point loss to Foster!

That statistic might have us believe that Tarwin and Boolarra should be fighting out perhaps the closest clash of Round 4.

“After our closeloss to Foster we now prepare to take on Boolarra after our week off with abye and our boyswill be fresh and ready to go,” Tarwinsenior coach Troy Hemming said.

“We need to get back on the winners list, so I’m expectinga good performance fromusand also abig challengefromBoolarra.”

Boolarra too, will be super keen to return to the winners list after acouple of excruciating close losses. “Last week it was agood game between two determined sides, but our third quarter let us down, but now we head to Tarwin for another big game against another top side,” Boolarra senior coach Tony Giardina said.

So early in the season it might be hard to foresee just how important games like these are, but there is no question that the result will have asignificant impact on opportunities later in the year.

TOORA has the bye

Options: Newborough’s Jack Robinson looksfor atarget.

Photograph supplied

When it’s time to downsize and enjoynature

NORTH GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

GOALS: TTU: TMustoe 2H Willaton 2B WhiteMJacobsen DWilliams CMichie BKelleher

NFox.Heyfield:T Marchesi TGraham TBirss KHole BEST: TTU: KDuncan THourigan

MJacobsen LWillaton RCochrane BKelleher.Heyfield: LHeasley JConway RMcMillan B

MVan Der ZwartBEscreet

Woodside: MO’Sullivan 6DFarmer5RFoat 2J Williams LStockdale CWhiteoak

JFythe TKingC Witchell MStockdale.SaleCity: MEvans 2W Sutton HKaandorp BBrett J

Safstrom JWalton BEST: Woodside: MO’Sullivan MStockdaleJ Williams LStockdale TMann

JKennedy.SaleCity: HKaandorp BMacgregor-Davies KMcCullochM Walker MEvans T Carstairs

GOALS: YYN: DMacdonald 8KHughes 2KJennings 2RReid2B Julin BBrown. Glengarry:

JBurgess TPoulton SHealy THarrisMHarris BEST: YYN: CMacInnes DMacdonaldR Reid D

Shellcot DBentley RByrne.Glengarry: SHealy CMitchellLJewellBHuttonJBurgess MRyan

GOALS: Yarram: JSwift4DGarnham 2AScott 2W Brunton MClavarino KGriffiths BMotton.

North Gippsland Football &Netball League NorthGippsland

TTU boast 5-0 0 record, YYN back in business

FOOTBALL NORTH GIPPSLAND

BY TOM HAYES

FOR the first time in three weeks, there wasn’tamargin that hit three figures in the North Gippsland FootballNetball League.

Only four fixtures went ahead in Round 5, as three teams had the week off due to the bye.

TRARALGON TyersUnited remain on top of the ladder, thanks to a47-point win over Heyfield at Gordon Street Reserve.

TTU were out of the blocks quickly, kicking four firstquarter goals to one, taking a 22-point lead at the first change.

The visitors were held to just one goal in the second and third quarters, while Heyfield found their feet, kicking four goals straight in the middle quarters.

McFarland in the winners circle. For the luckless visitors, Kyle Stamers, Ben Coffey,Cody Brown, Mathew Leicester,Siaosi Lay Blakeand RiverO’Brien were in the best.

Yarram now sit within awin fromthe top three,two wins from TTU on top of the ladder.

SALE CITY was no match for theWildcats, when they visited Woodside Recreation Reserve.

Woodside consistently piled the goals onto the scoreboard, doing so while keeping their opponents out of the match.

Asix-goal to one first term set the twoteams apart, as that soon turned intoa55-point lead at halftime.

Afive-goal quarter keep the bufferintact, despite SaleCity kicking three for themselves.

Yarram:J Babb3 JMcDonald 2RSykes JCarrison. Cowwarr: JGoodwin 2S Wernham

LBourke DVeale JLansdown BEdebohls BEST: Yarram: LJones JBabb RSykes CPotrich J McDonaldSHarvey. Cowwarr: LLow DVeale DWebsdale TPauletAMasut THIRDS YARRAM 7.6

GOALS: Yarram: JApiata 7T Chisholm 4D Thompson 2W Brunton 2CEarles 2LRoberts 2L

Earles 2J Manders2 CIreland 2LRendell NOlsen CFarley LHunter DCoulthard. Cowwarr:L Brady RWhite BEST: Yarram: JApiata JManders LEarles THallL Hunter.Cowwarr:BEenjes R WhiteCCox MJay DHowardLBrady HEYFIELD 3.5 8.7 12.16 13.18 (96)

GOALS: Heyfield: MStevens 6L Dwyer 2B Manson HFraser OPearson TRose CDwyer.TTU:

RDenovan AHood JNeave BWatson

Heyfield: MStevens BManson OPearson

GOALS: Glengarry: NWasalski4HCarman3RNguoth

HARRIET SHING MP

WORKING HARD FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

The seesawing affair could’ve gone either wayleading into the final term,the margin was dragged back to just nine points Afive-goal final quarter from the Bombers was enough to restore an unreachable lead, as they kept the Roos scoreless in the final term to walkaway 47-point winners, 10.17 (77) to 5.0 (30).

Kade Duncan, TrentHourigan, Michael Jacobsen, Liam Willaton, Ricky Cochrane and Brad Kelleher stood out for the winning side, while Tyler Mustoe and Hayden Willaton kicked two majors each.

For Heyfield, Liam Heasley, James Conway, Robert McMillan, Brayden Woodland, Max Van Der Zwart and Bailey Escreet were within the best. YARRAM scored back-to-back wins when they welcomed Cowwarr to Yarram Recreation Reserve.

The Demons wereundoubtedly superior in the first half, kicking 6.4 (40) to 3.7 (25).

The third termswitched things up, as Cowwarr was able to get agriponthe game, coming within akick of the Demons by three-quarter-time, kicking four goals to two.

But Yarram was simply too good in the end, kicking 4.4 (28) to nothing in the last term to complete the 34-point win, 12.14 (86) to 7.10 (52).

Griffin Underwood was best on ground, complimented by Matt Clavarino, Kelly Griffiths, Daniel O’Keefe, Liam Bentley and Jake

The Wildcats finishedwith conviction, surpassingtriple figures and never looking back, completing an 81-point demolition of the Bulldogs, 20.11 (131) to 7.8 (50).

Woodside appear to be one of the stronger sides thisseason, in terms of being abletoput teams away. If thistrendcontinues,there is every chancethat we see Woodside go deepinto the finals picture.

Michael O’Sullivan and Daniel Farmer had aday out once again, kicking six and five goals respectively.

Farmer leads the league in goals this season so far, with 25 from five games.

O’Sullivan was best on ground. MichaelStockdale,Jai Williams, Lee Stockdale, ThomasMann and Joshua Kennedy were also stand-outs for the Wildcats.

As for Sale City,Harry Kaandorp, Brayden MacgregorDavies,KadenMcCulloch, MatthewWalker, Mitchell Evans and Troy Carstairs were their best players on the day.

YALLOURN Yallourn North’s record is positive for the first time this season,after a74-point win over Glengarry on their home deck.

The game wasall but over with one change to go, after the Jets wentfrom 24 points ahead at quarter time, to 43 points up at the half, to 66 points up at the final change.

Things were getting away from Glengarry, ateam who has shown resilience all season so far.

The final term was the bestfor the home side, scoring 3.1 (19),

doubling theirscore (and some).

Buttheystill managed to lose the quarter, as the Jets kicked 4.3 (27) to establish a74-point marginonce the final siren rang to signal a16.14 (110) to 5.6 (36)

YYN victory.

Dean Macdonald was prolific in front of the big sticks,kicking eightgoals, taking his tally to 24 forthe season, one behind Woodside’s Farmer.

Macdonald wasamong the best for YYN, alongsideCampbell MacInnes,Rohan Reid, Darcy Shellcot, Dylan Bentley and Riley Byrne.

For the home side, Seth Healy, Callum Mitchell, Lachlan Jewell, Beau Hutton, Jack Burgess and Michael Ryan stoodout.

Aftertheir 0-2 start,YYN have now begun to look more like a

reigning premier, with back-toback-to-back wins.

All of asudden they are back withinthe finals picture, but did they really leave the picture?

The Jets’ matchagainst Churchill this weekend is looming as compuslive viewing between two teams in most pundit’s premiership calculations. The Cougars will be fresh coming off abye, but will need to overcome Yallourn Yallourn North on theirhome deck, avenue that has colloquially become known as ‘theColosseum in recentyears by some North Gippsland FNL followers.

CHURCHILL join ed Gormandaleand Rosedale as teams that had the bye.

NORTH GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

Welcome to Education Week 2023

WELCOME to Education Week 2023, our annual celebration of education, and achance to showoff our brilliant government schools across Victoria. Education Week is between 14 Mayand 20 May.

This year’s theme is ‘ActiveLearners: Move,Make, Motivate’

It’safantastic theme that highlights some of the amazing ways students can learnthrough physical activity, hands-on learning and student voice

Being activeisn’t just about getting outdoorsand looking afterour physical health –it’sabout keeping our minds aliveand activewith imagination.

At our schools that could mean getting involved and learning newskills through art, science,technology,student leadership,and even by being connected to your community.

As Minister forEducation forVictoria, Iwant to makesurethat everystudent feels strong and confident so theycan be an activelearner

I’m reallyproud of the work that’shappening to supportstudents including reformstodisabilityinclusion, mental health supportand vocational education in schools

As partofthis,Iwant to thank our teachers, principals,education supportstaff and everyone in the local communitywho together makeour schools agreat place to learn.

Ihope all Victorian government school students get involved in some of the great excursions,incursions and online events hosted by leading culture, sportand education organisations

From virtual storytimes to footyand coding workshops,there’s something on offerfor all year levels,and some professional learning forteacherstoo

To find moreabout the free events and activities that your school can participate in visit www.vic.gov.au/education-week.

Hh tl bt Ed ti Wk thi Ih h However youchoose tocelebrate Education this year, I hope you have a fantastic week!

The Honourable

Natalie Hutchins MP

Growing together as adaptable, confident, successful learners and citizens

TRARALGON College is adual campus college which provides amodern, inclusiveeducational environment forthe youngpeople of Traralgon and seeks to cater forall students from Traralgon and surroundingareas

OurShakespeareStreet Campus (years7 to 8) focuses on developing students coreskills across the curriculum to enablestudents to then succeed in later yearsofschooling,while at the Grey Street Campus (years9to12) students specialise in areas of interest and preparefor lifeafter school.

Our college values underpin theway we work together with staff, studentsand communityto fulfil our college purpose of growingtogether as adaptable,confident successful learnersand citizens

The college reaches outtothe local and global communities throughtechnology,partnerships and curriculum innovation.

Students attendingourYear 7and 8Shakespeare Street Campus,willtransition from primaryschool intoa highlysupportiveenvironment focussed on providing personal, social andacademic supports to promotetheir engagement and wellbeing

Building peer connections and connectednessto schoolisapriorityfor our studentsastheymove from primary to secondaryschool. Opportunities areprovided forour studentsand teacherstoget to knoweachother to buildpositive and supportiverelationships in the classroom and

createasense of belonging forstudents as they adapt to their newschool environment.

InYear 7and 8our students engage in learning across arange of key areas including English, Mathematics,The Arts,Languages other than English, Technology,Humanities and Science Students entering TraralgonCollege atYear 7have the option of applying forthe Like Minds Program. Our Like Minds extension enrichment programcaters forstudents whoexhibit outstanding aptitude and talent in thecorelearning areas

Our Grey Street Campus has recentlyundertaken amassiveregeneration programaccessing in excessof23milliondollarsfromthe Victorian StateGovernment thathas been invested in new buildings and facilitiesincluding anew VCECentre, Middle School Classrooms,STEM Centre and new Administration Centre,Library, ICTHub and soon to be completedlandscaping and recreational spaces.

The Grey Street Campus further develops our students learning journeythrough adiverse and inclusivemiddle school programthatprovides students with options to choose from 52 electives from the Science,Health andPhysical Education Humanities,Artsand Technology LearningDomains

This broadchoiceprovides forhighlevels of student agencyand ensures thatstudentscan connect to their chosen Senior School pathway

Our Senior School Programissupportiveofstudents withhighacademicaspirations,our students continue to achieve outcomes in highernumbers within thetop 10 per cent of the stateinVCE studies

Traralgon College has fullyimplemented the Statewide SeniorSchool Reformsand has developed arigorous and purposeful VCEVocational Major withonsiteVET offerings and accessto external providersfor diverse Vocational Education Training courses forhighdemand skills and trades

Students at Traralgon College have awide rangeof opportunitiestoparticipate beyond the classroom including extensivestudent leadership programs,a

full rangeofinterschool sports, collegeproduction, artexpo,Wakkikiriprogram, bands,music events, CollegeProduction, DebutanteBall anda wide range of excursions andcamps

Thesebuild on classroom learning to enrich students and develop theircapabilities as fullyaspossible All students fromYear 7-12 aresupportedby careersand pathwaysstaff to support them to select appropriatecourseoptions and develop plans for furtherstudy andemployment.

At Traralgon Collegewewelcome parent/carer feedbackand we inviteall prospectiveparents/carers to contact us foraschool tour

Traralgon and District Government PrimarySchools

QUALITY government education is an option for everyfamilyinTraralgon and surrounding areas

The Traralgon area of schools includes four primary schools within thetown, including Grey Street, KosciuszkoStreet, LiddiardRoad and Stockdale Road.

Glengarry, Gormandale and District, Traralgon South, Toongabbie and Tyerscompleteour cluster

One specialist P-12 school, Latrobe Special Developmental School, caters forstudents with moderatetosevereintellectual and associated disabilities

These schoolsoffer qualityteaching and learning, strong professional leadership and have an ongoing focus and commitment to excellenceand equityfor all.

Traralgon and district government schools provide a positive climate forlearning fortheir students

Student learning andengagement is enhanced through the rangeofspecialist programs offered suchasdigital technologies,visual art, performing arts,physical education, music,kitchen gardensand languages other than English.

Our cluster of government primaryschool principals

work collaborativelyincommunities of practice and arecommitted to constantly improving student outcomes

The EducationState Framework forImproving Student Outcomesunderpins the focus of all Government Schools andplaces learning and wellbeing at the centre of school improvement,with the goal of building strong relationships that enable all students to become happy, healthyand resilient.

7:00pm -8:00pm Phone 5174 2055

Gormandale&District Primary Tuesday 16th May 9:00am -10:00am Phone 5197 7444

KosciuszkoStreet Primary

Thursday 18th May 9:30am-10:30am

5:30pm -6:30pm Phone 51742512

Traralgon South Primary

Wednesday 17th May

12:00pm -1:00pm Phone 5195 5244

Stockdale Road Primary

Monday 15th May 9:30am-10:30am

6:00pm -7:00pm Phone 5174 1607

Glengarry Primary Thursday 18th May 9:30am -10:30am

5:00pm -6:00pm Phone 5192 4292

Tyers Primary Thursday 18th May 11:30 -12:30 6:00 -7:00pm Phone 5191 8260

Toongabbie Primary Please contactthe school aboutenrolments Phone 5192 4384

CELEBRATING EDUCTION WEEK 2023

Pathways to Success at Kurnai College

KURNAI College strives to educate ourstudentsto becomevalued contributorsin aworld ofconstant changeand transformation.

The school’sdynamic educational programs have at their core,afirmphilosophythatpersonal growth is essential to enable each student to notonly participateand contribute in the community, butto makea significant difference

Students areoffered abroad rangeofchoices in both academic pursuits and extra-curricular activitieswhile maintaining aclear focus on the coreskills of literacy numeracyand technology

This approach has been shown to have apositive impact on student achievement.

Through varied educational programs,studentsare exposed to an extraordinaryrange of opportunities wheretheyare encouraged to find their ownpathway to success

This personaljourney helps builda strong senseof self,ultimatelycreating lifelong learners.

The schoolknows thata productiveand positive partnership between students,staff andparents is criticaltoachieve outcomes that meet the needs of students and supporttheiractiveparticipation in the local communityand beyond.

To this end, Kurnai College workscloselywith familiesand the widercommunityinLatrobeCityto place ahigh priorityonstudent wellbeing.

Kurnai College offers awide rangeofprograms to meet the varied needs of bothindividualsand groups of students

These programs,implemented by an experienced studentwelfareteam, encourage and support students in their personal growth and development to look to the futurewithasense of optimism.

With acombined understanding and commitment to purpose,the schoolmoves confidentlyforward, striving to provide the best possible opportunitiesfor all membersofthe learningcommunity.

Kurnai College stronglyencouragesmembersof the communitytofurther explorewhateducational opportunitiesare on offerfor your child.

FOR2024

Supporting Learning Growth in ourschool communities

TheMoe,Newborough and surrounding towns’government primary schools work in partnership to deliver high impact teaching to supportthe learning growth of all their students.The ruralprimary schools of Narracan, Rawson,Tanjil South and WillowGrove offer smaller class sizes, an extensiverich curriculum and astrong supportivecommunityfor their students and families. Alternatively,AlbertSt, Elizabeth St,Newborough, Newborough East, South St andYallourn North range in sizeand specialised programs

Everyschool in this network and the rural schools arecommitted to strengthening the literacyand numeracyskills of each student through intervention and extension programs as required.Every school provides aChild Safeenvironment focusing on student engagement and wellbeing. Transition programs arealso afeatureofeach school as they have astrong connection with their feeder kindersand secondaryschool,toensure each child commences their primaryand secondaryschool with all the necessary information to support continued learning growth. Theschoolsalso work

in partnership with higher education providers, including Federation University and TAFE Gippsland,aswell as other organisations such as Rotary, Latrobe CommunityHealthand Emergency Services to provide adiverse curriculum. Further information regarding the individualised programs of these primary schools can be found on their websites

Moe District Government PrimarySchools

AlbertStreet Primary

Narracan PrimarySchool is in apicturesque,rural setting.

We provide anurturing and challenging learning environment, celebrating students’academic,social and emotional learning growth.

Our students aredeveloping as self-motivated and thoughtful learners, meeting challenges with asense of wonder andenthusiasm.

Our schoolbus travels dailythrough Moe

We provide acomprehensivecurriculum,with enrichment programs including Auslan, Science,Art, Music and Physical Education.

Our Student RepresentativeCouncilprovides students with avoice about their learning and school-wide events

Thisfocus is vitalfor theiracademicgrowth and is equallyimportant fortheir social and emotional wellbeing

With support of the Wellbeing Team, the staffare able to assist students in all aspects of their schooling life Having fun at school is just as important as academic growth.

Our mainfocus is to have happy students who love learning

RawsonPrimarySchool

AlbertStreetPrimarySchool offers acaring supportive, and inclusivelearningenvironment for all students,valuing Partnership,Respect, Optimism and Pride.Visual Arts,DigitalTechnology, Library, Sustainability andKurnai Language and Culture arespecialist programs offeredinaddition to P-6 classroom programs

The playgrounds,yarning circle,communitygarden and outdoor kitchenare surrounded by high security fencing ensuring students playand explore in asafe environment.

An experiencedwellbeing team partners withfamilies focussing on the learning,social and emotional needs of their children to help them achieve success

We welcome families and volunteerstoparticipate and supportour community.

Elizabeth Street Primary

We invitefamiliestovisit our wonderful school.

Please phone our office on 5634 8215, to book a time to meet with our ActingPrincipal, JennaElliott.

NewboroughEast Primary School

Rawson PrimarySchool is located in thefoothills of the BawBaw Ranges,wherefarmland meets the forest.

With modern classrooms,smallclasssizes,and extensive playgrounds

Our school values areRespect, Responsible, Teamwork, and Learner;making it the idyllic setting foryour child to learnthe skills theywill need in their future, while enjoying the natural wondersofthe surrounding environment.

Our small sizeprovides apersonalised and adaptive learning approach, complementedbya rangeof facilities that keep our students activeand engaged. But don’t take our word forit– ask ourstudents, who adoreour school and all that it offers We areproud to be adelightfulhidden gem in the heartofGippsland.

WillowGrove Primary school

Elizabeth Street PrimarySchoolisawell-resourced, communityminded educationalsetting, locatedin Moe

Elizabeth Street Primaryschoolmaintainssmall class sizes,especiallyinthe early yearsofschooling

It is staffedwithexperienced teachingstaff whoare passionateabout each child’sacademicgrowth and wellbeing

These small class sizes,maximise the attention each child receives on adailybasis

Each class also has Education Supportstaff available to meet the academic and social needs of the children.

We arealsoheavilyfocussed on the wellbeing of each child as well as their academicexcellence

The school alsooffersadditionalsupportwith a schoolWellbeing Officer,School Chaplainand SchoolNurse

Elizabeth Street PrimarySchoolisaschool contributions /fee free school forall enrolments

Forfurther information or to have atour of the school, pleasecontact the school principal, IanFrost, on 5127 2607

Narracan Primary School

Under the watchfuleye of the school mascot, Respectful Roo, Newborough EastPrimarySchool offers all students asafe, inclusiveand engaging educational program.

With arecentlyrefurbishedlibrary and gymnasium, upgraded basketball/netball courts andawide range of outdoor activities,weprovide an engaging environmentfor learning and play

Our strong curriculum focussesonnumeracyand reading,the inclusionofspecialist subjects Art, PE, dramaand STEM (Science,Technology,Engineering and Maths –including Robotics), as well as a range of handsonlearningexperiences allows Newborough East PrimarySchooltotruly cater for all students.

NEPS prides itself on strong communityconnections and is proud to offeraninnovativeprofessionals in schoolsprogram which includes an onsiteSchool Nurse,Occupational Therapist and Mental Health SocialWorker.

If youwould liketomakea time fora tour,please phone the school on 5126 1399

NewboroughPrimary

SouthStreet Primary School

WillowGrove PrimarySchool is situated in theheart of the WillowGrove community, in close proximityto thebeautiful views of Blue RockDam.

With ourSchoolValues of Respect,Resilience, Teamworkand Community, we endeavour to provide acommunityminded approach to education within a smallschool setting

We aimtoprovide ahigh-qualityeducation with astrongacademic focus and operatespecialist classes inArt,Japanese andPhysicalEducation

We have astrong wellbeing focus,using the School Wide PositiveBehavioursSupportprogram to build a foundation that encompassesthe whole child Willow Groveoffersanextensivetransition from Kindergarten to Prep and also from Grade6 toYear 7. We welcomeall newstudentsand their families in a friendlyand inclusivemanner.

YallournNorth PrimarySchool

As afinalist in the 2022Victorian Education Excellence Awards in theOutstandingPrimary Principal category,Brendan Dawsonbringsa wealth of knowledge to work collaborativelywith the communityofMoe to improvethe educational and wellbeing outcomes forall students

South Street PrimarySchool is awelcoming and inclusiveschool thatfocuses on building and maintaining relationships,setting high expectations and has agenuine desiretoworkwith students and parentstoachieveacademicexcellence

We inviteall localfamiliestoour upcoming Information Toursduring our EducationWeek celebrations

To book,pleasephone 5127 1512

Tanjil SouthPrimarySchool

At Newborough PrimarySchoolour goal is for our students to be motivatedlearnerswho value themselvesand their community.

We help them develop the knowledge and skills to become successful and thriveinall of their life endeavours.

We understand that all learners aredifferent and requiredifferent supportand instruction to achieve their goals

All staffatthe school,not onlythe teachers, focus on what each student is currentlydoing and howwecan supportthem to get to the next step in theirlearning

Yallourn North PrimarySchoolis locateda short ten-minutedrive from Moe/Newborough

We area fantastic ruralschool that hasfirst class facilities

EveryFridayour Junior School Councilraise money via whole school fundraisers tosupportprojects that areimportant to the student body.

Friday is alsoour wheels daywhenwetakethe students across to the SkateParkand BMXtrack, providing theyhavethe necessary safetyequipment. We areheavilyfocussedonbuildingthe critical life skills of literacy, numeracyand social/emotional learning.

Our teachersare supportedbylearning assistantsas well as our tutoring programwhich targets students from grade 2to6

We aim to assist students at risk as well as students who need to be academicallychallenged. The specialist programs consist of Art, Library,PE and Auslan

All students aresupported by aschool counsellor who theycan turntowhenthingsare biggerthan they can fixthemselves.

Nestled on theedgeofthe picturesque Tanjil Valley, Tanjil SouthPrimarySchool offers morethan justa short10minutedrive from Moe

Why should students be taught to pursue their potential?

WHATexactlyis“pursuing potential”?

At St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School,webelieve that eachchildhas unique qualities that should be celebratedand nurtured; finding those unique qualitiesand engagingchildren with theirlearning is whereour qualified teachersstepin.

Your children’s potential could be in anything –they could be academic or hands-on,craftyordramatic, soulful or sporty,confident or shy, artistic or musical. At St Paul’s,wehavethese areas andmorecovered. Our experienced and compassionateteacherswork together with your child,constantlyguidingand encouraging them to pursue their potential.

With an extensivechoice of co-curricular activities startinginprimaryschool across areas including sport, performing arts,visual art, service and leadership,your child can trydifferent things and begin to find their calling

Embarking on newpursuitscan inspire interests that last alifetime, and stepping beyond one’s comfort zone to trysomething newcan sparkanewfound confidence

The Endeavour PrograminYears5 and 6atStPaul’s aims to inspireand ignite students’ love forlearning

In small groups,students extend and challenge themselvesina fun and excitingway,somuch so that theydon’t even realise theyare developingtheir critical and creativethinking skills! This is an elective-basedprogram whereelective options aregenerated by students and staffand culminates with an expo celebration at theend of the semester

The goodnewsisthat your child’selectivechoices don’t end there.

FromYear 7, students personalise theirlearning journeyeachyear throughout secondaryschool with avarietyofelectives in Food, Performing arts,Visual Arts,Woodworking (7-8), Robotics (8), Forensic Science (9-10) and Mechatronic Engineering(9-10). Service activitiesare another waytodevelop character,contributing back to the community.

Each year Grade 6studentsparticipateinRelay forLifeand MealsOnWheels,whereas secondary students can join Team Timor whichmeetsona regularbasis to fundraise foreducationfacilities in East Timor

Not onlydostudents have the chance to keep busy foragood cause, butit’salso agreat opportunityfor them to catch up with friends

Currently taking enrolmentsfor 2025 with limited placesfor 2024, St Paul’s welcomesyou to attend our Open DayonSaturday13May between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm to discovermoreabout your child pursuing their potential Register online at stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Outstanding growth leading to excellence

LOWANNA College is abrightand vibrant school, with high aspirations forthe college andour students

We arefortunatetohavesome outstanding facilities, situated in alarge and attractivesetting adjacent to bushland andthe Moe-YallournRail Trail in the township of Newborough.

Our college has undergone significantimprovement and achievedoutstanding growth in thepast four years.

We have seenexciting outcomes in our literacy, numeracyand VCEresults,and we continue to build our practiceseachand everyday

Our leaders,teachers and supportstaff learnwith and alongside ourstudents through significant investment in classroom coaching, reflection and ongoingprofessional development.

Our students areatthe heartofour college,with strong structures forstudent voiceand agency.

Our college has an electedstudentleader in every form group,a strong Student Representative Council, and passionateschool captains who sitonour schoolboard

We believeour ongoing success is dependent on working alongside ourstudents; allowing their input to help driveour cultureand learningenvironment

Our college has asignificant drivefor improvement, ensuring our students have opportunities and educational outcomes in line with the very best across Gippsland.

The college hasthree keyareas of focus: Building excellence in teaching and learning,buildinga climatewherestudents arecurious and empowered, and growingaschool-wide cultureoflearning, feedbackand support.

We believe literacyisthe bedrockofasolid education, and we supportour students through awhole-school literacyapproach,including an independent reading pr vocabularyinstruction acr

We have experiencedincrediblesuccess withour Literacyand Numeracy Enrichment programs, introduced at the startof2020.

students withlearninggaps,aiming to bridge those gaps as quicklyaspossible fromYear 7. Our Wellbeing Team areanincredible resource in our school.

We have invested significantlyinthis area since 2019,with anew Wellbeing Leader, Mr.Paul Fry, a Mental Health specialist, Dr.Michael Naughton,and ateam of studentcounsellors, aschoolnurse and a fantastic school chaplain.

Our team work across the college to buildwellbeing awareness andhelpour students thrive to be the best theycan be at school and in life.

Our specialist programs areahighlight of ourschool. Our Lowanna SportsAcademycontinues to go from strengthtostrength, as we supportstudentsfrom right across Gippsland to pursue their passion. Led by Mr.Allan Chandler,the Academyhas strong connections with AFL Gippsland, BasketballAustralia and Gippsland Soccer

Our state-of-the-artMusic programshowcases ensembles,productions andprivate tuition Ourcollege offers twolanguages,Italian and Indonesian,with international tourstosupport the student experience

We would liketotakethe opportunitytothank our staffand students fortheir passion, commitment and beliefinour cultureofhighexpectations,aswehave grownour college over the past four years.

Principal Adam Hogan with Lowanna College students

Chairo Traralgon

PREP students at Chairo Christian School’s campusinTraralgon have experienced awellprepared andsmooth transition from kindergarten this year and areenjoying being at school

The transition programstartsearly each year with schoolstudents buildingrelationships with the kindergartenchildren andassisting with some programs

The Prep teachersalso spend time in the Kinder, especiallyduring the finaltermofthe year

As partofthe programinChairoKinder,the children come over to theschool libraryduringthe course of the year forstory time and book-borrowing,and theyalso participate in arangeofwhole-campus activities

This proves each year to be an excellent wayto familiarise thekindergarten children with school so that whenthe newyear comes thereisexcitement, confidence andsmiles all round.

Students alsojoin the schoolat other year levels and it’salwaysexciting to have somenew students of variousagescommencing each year

ChairoTraralgon is located at 2–10Lansdowne Road and provides education from aChristian worldviewperspective forboysand girlsfrom Kindergarten toYear 8.

Older studentshavethe opportunitytocomplete their secondaryeducationatChairo’sDrouin Campus

To find outmoreabout what ChairoTraralgon has to offer, visit the school website, follow the campus on

New sports program at Trafalgar Primary

TRAFALGAR Primaryisexcited to be extending their sports programtogivetheirstudents more options to participateinphysical activity.

Physical Education teacher RickWhitesaid,“It isn’t just about physical activity it is alsoanimportant waytoencourage pro-social behaviourssuch as team work,supporting others, good sportsmanship and leadership,creating healthyhabits forthe future.”

Theyare also looking forwardtotaking partin the pilot programtointroduce an interschool competition in NFL later this year “Wewant to combine participationwithexcellence and regularly give recognition and awards to those students whoexcel as well as encouraging those who trysomething new,”MrWhite explained. So what do the students think of the newsports program?

Facebook or contact TonyaorJoy on 5173 0500or at traralgon@chairo.vic.edu.au.

Youcan also book afamilytour via the website, either forthe next Discover ChairoDay or on a convenientschoolday

Besides the usual very physical, athletic and swimming programs Trafalgar Primaryisoffering newsports optionssuch as Lawn Bowls, Gymnastics,Thai Kwando,Golf and Cycling

But not all the excitement takesplacewithin the schoolgrounds

Interschoolcompetitions have beenheldinTennis, Lawn Bowls and AFL X(non-contact footy).

“The majorityofstudents areexcited and the feedback from parentshas been very positive. We wanted to givestudents who don’t generallylike sportmoreoptions and to encourage students who struggletocome to school areason to turnup. It is making adifference and morestudentsare happytocome to school because theyhave something to look forwardtoo,” said Mr White.

Morwell Central and Morwell Park PrimarySchools

IN Morwell thereare twostate-of-theart government primaryschools

These newlydeveloped schools have been designed in responsetothe latest research, which examines the beststudent learningenvironments. The modernbuildingssupport21st Century classroom spaces which aredesignedtoencourage interaction betweenstudents and teachers in a dynamic,safeenvironment

Visual Arts,Performing Arts,Music and Gymnasium spaces ensurestudentsatboth schools have rich learning opportunities. Morwell Park and Morwell Centralare affiliated with ‘Our Place’who proudlysupportMorwell families. Both Morwell Park and Morwell CentralPrimary School valueand celebratethe uniquenessofeach studentand take pride in developing positiveand nurturing relationships

Churchill Primary School

Our learning environments promoteteaching approacheswhereeach child receives targeted teaching based on wheretheyare in their learning journey.

With expertteaching practices,wedevelop learners, who areindependent and empowered to reachtheir full potential.

We provide acurriculum that allows forcollaboration, flexibilityand individuality, whilst alsoensuring the wellbeing needs of all ourstudents aremet. An informationsession will be held at Morwell Central PrimaryonMonday22nd Mayat5:30pm.

School toursare available at Morwell Park Primary on Wednesday24th Mayat10am, 2pm and5.30pm and at Morwell CentralPrimaryonMonday 22nd Mayat10:00am, 11:30am and2:00pm.

Enrolments open forbothour great Morwell government primaryschools on Monday10th July 2023

If youwould likeany further information please contact Morwell Park Primaryoffice staff on 5134 1793 and Morwell CentralPrimaryoffice staff on 51 36 5568 forfurther support

CHURCHILL Primaryschool prides itself on providing our students with the best education opportunities by using evidenced based practices across all areas of thecurriculum

Over recent yearsthe school has invested heavily in buildingteachers’ knowledge to implement instructional practices based on the science of learning

This investmenthas paid offfor our studentswho have consistently achievedhighacademic results in literacyand numeracy.

The school’sNAPLAN results arewell above the Victorian average and Churchill PrimarySchool outperforms likeschools acrossthe state, having the highest results in grade 3literacy. Along with strong academic data,students report a high sense of school connectedness andinclusion.

Over recent yearsthe school has embedded a cultureofhigh expectations whichhas improved student engagement.

The schooluses theBerryStreet Education Model, based on positive psychology to enhance students’ wellbeing

The schoolprovidesrich experiences forthe

studentsthroughavarietyoflearning opportunities in manycurriculum areas

The students participateinChinese,VisualArtsand Physical Education as Specialist Subjects Along with our Physical Education program students competeinvarioussportsincluding athletics,basketball, netball, football and hockey

The school is expanding its information technology programtoincluderoboticsand coding

As partofour performing arts program, senior students participateannually in Wakakirri, anational StoryDance Festival and lastyear wasawarded a certificateofExcellence

Churchill PrimarySchool has awell-funded excursions and camps program.

Grade 3-6 students attend urban and outdoor adventurecampsannually.

Each term thewhole school attends excursions linked to the content the children have been learning about

These cross-age excursionsare ahighlight for students andteachersand over the last fewyears have included, all threeVictorian Zoos,Melbourne Aquarium, The Lumeand Inverloch Beach.

Morwell Central PrimarySchool

Morwell Park PrimarySchool

Fevolution drops by Rosedale

FOOTBALL

By LIAM DURKIN

ROSEDALEwelcomed arguablyits biggest sporting name since PatrobasonFridaynight.

Former Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola made the trip to Rosedale Football-Netball Club to regale attendeeswith stories from his colourful, and at timescontroversial playing career.

While primarily alight hearted talk aboutthe life and times of ahigh profile AFL player, Fevola also spoke about his mental health battles, as well as his time spent in rehab and efforts to curb his gambling addiction.

Such topics were rather fitting given Rosedale FNC's mental health advocacy in recent years.

The Blues hosted amental healthround in 2021, and after Fevola's speech, he was presented with aRosedaleFNC trainingshirt by senior football captain RileyAtlee and AGrade netballer Meg Gordyn, both of whom work in the disability sector.

Goodtimingbyway of aRosedalebye in theNorth Gippsland Football-Netball League meant agood number of patrons were able to attend the talk.

Fevola spoke openly about anumberoffamous and infamous incidents during his time at Carlton and the BrisbaneLions, which spannedmore than 200 games and saw him kick more than 600 goals in the 2000's.

The two-time Coleman Medallist laidbare details about hisdeparture from the Blues following drunken antics at the 2009 Brownlow Medal, as well as his friendship with the late Shane Warne.

Acouple of humorous anecdotes included Warne being given an exemption to smoke on the set of

reality television series I'm ACelebrity,aswell as offering Hawthorn defender Trent Croad $10,000 to kick the ball to him as Croad was kicking out and Fevola was on 99 goals.

Somewhat fittingly, Carlton was playingthe Brisbane Lions at the time of the talk, prompting the guest speakertoquip they were playingfor the 'Brendan Fevola Cup'.

When asked who the best player he had played with was, Fevola ratedChris Judd at the top of the list.

Interestingly, Fevola explained Judd went to the circus to train with performers practising on trampolines to help improve his leap.

As for opponents, the key forwardsaid Collingwood'sSimon Prestigiacomo and St Kilda's Max Hudghton were the two that made him earn his goals the most.

The Rosedaletrip came aday after Fevola appeared on popular football program The Front Bar

Fevola has some connections to Gippsland, playing one-off games forTraralgon and Lindenow post-AFL.

He is also good mates withTrafalgar jockey Jason Maskiell, who he picked up on the way through and brought to Rosedale.

With the Rosedale Blues struggling abit in the early stages of the North Gippsland season, calls of "seeyou at trainingTuesday Fev" camefrom the front.

"I don't train" came aquick reply from the 42-year-old.

Fevola wouldn't be the first AFL player to suit up for the Blues.

Hawthorn premiership player MaxBailey and St Kilda's Andrew McQualterplayedinRosedale's 2015 senior premiership.

Departing the podium, Fevola couldn't help but smile wryly when it was revealed he was staying in TraralgononFridaynight and the following comment came from the crowd.

"See you at Ryan's."

North Gippsland returns to standardfivefixture

FOOTBALL

NORTH GIPPSLAND

BY TOM HAYES

FIVE games will be back in actionfor Round 6 of the North Gippsland Football-Netball League, after only four were played last week.

We should be in for atreat this weekend, with agood number of teams going up against their equals.

THE most exciting of them all is surely Yallourn Yallourn North versus Churchill at George Bats Reserve.

The Cougars are undefeated this season, but they could meet their match against aresurging YYN outfit.

Expect fireworks as both teams still have plenty to prove in 2023.

In attack, both teamshold firepower. Will anyone at Churchill be able to stop YYN’sDeanMacdonald, and how will YYN stop the twin towers of Chris Wangman and Ben Kearns?

We will soonfind outifany of thesequestions can be answered.

Last season, the Cougarsgot the better of the Jets in their first meeting by 13 points, but YYN got the chocolates at home in the reverse fixture by 41 points.

There is one thing we know for sure, there will no quit from either team in this one.

COWWARR andRosedale will do battle at Cowwarr Recreational Reserve.

Either side will look for their second win of the season.

This game is poised as an important one, as the winner willbeabletohold onto the tailofthe finals positions.

Cowwarr, who finished second last in 2022,have clearly looked abetter outfit, while Rosedale still have plenty to prove this season.

JustlikeYYN versus Churchill, thereisa lot on the line here, and no side is going to bow down easy.

GORMANDALE host Heyfield.

The young Tigersare searching for their first win of the season, and are sure to learn afew things as the season progresses, and awin is definitely not completely off the cards.

Heyfieldhave proved to be strong in past weeks, staying in games againststrongcompetition, avoiding ahammering when it was apossibility.

Gormy will have to be at their absolute best, as any winning team would need to be, to have a chance at their first four points.

However, aHeyfieldwin would separate the Kangaroos from the bottom of the ladder.

SALE CITY are anotherteamtoimpress this year, but they will be tested when they host Yarram at Stephenson Park.

The Demons recorded back-to-back wins in Rounds 4and 5, and will be searching for their

third consecutive win when they play this weekend.

Up until last week, Sale City sat inside the top five, but the expected top five has now been realised in the flesh.

If they want achance at upsetting the norm, they must make another upset of their own this weekend.

Yarram will go in as favourites and deservedly so, they should get the job done and begin to seal their finals spot.

FINALLY, Traralgon Tyers United host Glengarry, in what is the easiest game to tip this week, barring no upsets.

TTUare the only team to sit 5-0, comfortably on thetop of the league, boasting ahugepercentage of 278.47.

Glengarry,oppositely, are yet to win agame and sit 0-4 to start the season, and it doesn’t get any easier for them this week.

Glengarryhas conceded more than 100 points in twogames against current top five teams this season, while only just scoring acombined 104 points in those two games (68 and 36).

Ithinkit’sfair to say that TTU are expected to get the job done, and incredibly, move to 6-0, setting up apotential top of the table clash against Churchill the following week.

TwoBlues: TheRosedale Blueswelcomed one of the most famous Bluesofall in Brendan Fevola on Fridaynight. Fevola waspresented with apersonalised RosedaleFootball-Netball Club shirtbysenior captain Riley Atleeand A Grade netballer Meg Gordyn.

Swan song at Gormandale

FOOTBALL NORTH GIPPSLAND

BY TOM HAYES

COLLINGWOOD legend andBrownlow

Medallist DaneSwanissure to draw acrowd to Gormandale this weekend, when he pulls on the boots for the Tigers.

All eyes will be on The Boneyard,asHeyfield maketheirway over for the contest in the North Gippsland Football-Netball League. Funnily enough, for Heyfield will be Swan's ex-premiership teammate LeighBrown, who would be expectedtoline-up as playing coach. So maybe justalittleextraisnow on the line with this added AFL narrative to the game. Post-match,there will be asportsman's night, involving Swan and Ricky Nixon. There is sure to be afew laughs on the night, with achance to win some memorabilia. Ticketscan be purchased from the Gormandale Football-Netball Club Facebook page at tinyurl.com/237nu4j4

The two collaborated on acomedic video, telling Gormandaleplayers, staff and fans what to expect on the night.

The video can be foundonGormandale FNC's Facebook page.

Swanplayed258 games for Collingwood after being drafted with pick 58 in the 2001 AFL draft.

He averaged 26.9disposals agamethroughout this career, kicking 211 goals.

Swan won the 2011 Brownlow Medal, securing 34 votes, arecord at the time. Retiring as aCollingwood legend in 2016 followingafoot injury, Swan was athree-time Magpies Best and Fairest and five-time All Australian, highlighting his many honours.

Fevolution: Brendan Fevola addresses the room at Rosedale-Football Netball Club.

Photographs: Fiona Nicholson

Gulls just get over theTraralgon line

NETBALL GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

BY ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC

POURING rain and freezing temperatures couldn’t stop the scorching netball action at the Traralgon Showgrounds last Saturday, as Traralgonand Warragul took the court in Round5ofthe Gippsland League season.

There was alot in this one as the Gulls were searching for their first win after adraw against Morwell last week, and the youthful Traralgon hoped to add to their four points.

In the first quarter, the Maroons jumped the Gulls early; having scored off the first centre pass of the game, they appliedpressure and forced a turnover in the Gull’sattacking end, which allowed Traralgon to get on top. Traralgon captain and goal

keeperBronwyn Tebbpickedoff afew loosepasses into the Gull’s ring, while Montanna Styles in the centre role had her hands on everything, getting the Maroons three goals up early in the first.

Traralgon’s earlypressure went unnoticedat the quarter time scoreboard as Warragul’s Sienna Green fed brilliantly into goal shooter Kate Emerson, and Warragul’s tight defence made goals hard to come by, scores were level at six-all.

In the second term, Traralgon came out firing again, with ahugeintercept from Tebb to get the Maroons started; however, as the rain began to increase, midcourters found it hard to keep possession, with the ball slipping out of both teams’ hands.

Traralgon could not get through the brick wall of adefensive line-up that was Warragul -with playing-coach Renee Cook directing the play in

the goal keeper and ex-GWS Academy star wing defence Selene Chadrawy having her hands over the ball.

The Gull’s defensive pressureforced an early held-ball call that shifted momentum of thequarter, and the Gulls then went goal-for-goalgoinginto thehalftime break with aone-point lead 14 to 13.

By the third quarter, Tebb pushed forward into goal shooter while under 17 player, Emily Scholtes came onto the court as her replacement.

Tebbshot accurately, making eight shots. She matched the Warragul defenders in height but entries into the ring remained contested.

Breaking free, Warragul could transition down the court in the third term with ease as the Traralgon mid-court couldn't stop that drive to theringwhen they were previously forcing the mid's to feed long.

The Gulls ran away with some easy goals, and by the three quarter time, it was21to25inWarragul's favour.

In the huddle, Traralgon’s playing-coach Kate French turned to the girls and asked them to dig deep.

“Four down, it’s going to be hard, but it’s not actually over,” she said.

“One quarter to change this outcome; Iwant intensity, intensity, intensity.”

And sure enough, intensity is what they brought in the last quarter.

The Maroonsfired up from French's speech, scored off the first centre and then forced an early turnover to go 23-25; the Traralgon bench went wild.

From there, it would take only one more turnover forthe Traralgonsidetoget even,but the fairy tale

Moe breaks away from Sale to win on the road

NETBALL GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

BY ZOE ASKEW

NETBALLERS across the region braved cold weather at the weekend as teams entered Round 5ofthe Gippsland League.

Sale hosted Moe at the nest with persistent drizzle making for slippery conditions, achallenge for bothsides,who draw strength from their speed on the court.

Moewas first to score. Barely 10 seconds from the opening centre pass,the Lions showcaseda beautiful fluidly moving down court and feeding into theshooting ring.

Sale was fast to match the Lions, equalising the score with agoal from Magpies goal attack Dee Dee Lambert.

The Lions jumped out to an early lead with great feeds into the shooting ring from goal attack Abbey Gregorovich and accurate shooting from Ramayer Gourley,who looked effortless when winning the ball.

Adetermined Sale team fought hard, and with the

Magpies centre,EmmaAllman, aworkhorse in the midcourt displaying high energy and outstanding agility paired with precision shooting and aggressive attackfrom Lambert, the home side evened the score.

The Lions regained the lead withafantastic turnover by Emma Sculley, followed by aswift transition into their attacking third.

Another excellent turnover by Moe goalkeeper Olivia Barnett (playingagainsther old side) followed by asuperb partnership withcentre Charlize Bird sent the ball to goal attackGeorgia Moody, and the Lions extended their advantage.

Sale goalkeeper Rachel Ronaldson made a tremendous turnover in the dying minutes, but it wasn't enough to catch Moe, the Lions leading the Magpies 19 to 14 at the end of the first quarter.

Sale's SiennaWyndshot four from fourwhile Lambert scored 10 from 11.

Moody scored 10 from 10, with Gourley scoring nine from 10.

Moe was first to score when teams returned to the court for the second quarter, aturnover by Moody in the opening minutes giving the Lions the upper hand early.

Sale displayed great on-court collaboration with Allman and wing attack Tori Dessent, while Moe wing defender Macy Gardiner exerted significant pressure.

Gourley was unstoppable in the second quarter, the Lions' goal shooter showcasing outstanding vision, good positioning and highly accurate shooting.

Moe's defence was tenacious, with Barnett winning several turnovers in the second quarter.

The Lions led the Magpies 37 to 23 at the break.

Moe ran away withthe game in the thirdquarter.

The Lions led the Magpies 49 to 32 as teams headed into the fourth and final quarter.

Moodywon aturnover forMoe in the opening minutes of thefourth quarter, withthe Lions persistentinshowcasing abeautiful fluidity up and down the court marriedwith soliddefence, winning considerable defensive turnovers.

Despite fantastic accuracy from Lambert, scoring six of Sale's eight goals in the final quarter, it was no match against adominant Moe side.

The Lions ended up winning 63 to 41.

Emma Allman, Dee Dee Lambert and Rachel Ronaldson were Sale's best.

Charlize Bird, Ramayer Gourley and Georgia Moody were best on for Moe.

In other games, Drouin defeated Wonthaggi 46 to 42, Maffra was no match for Morwell, the Tigers defeated the Eagles 57 to 24, and Leongatha continued their hot form, defeating Bairnsdale 55 to 30.

justwasn’tmeanttobe, as the Gullsdid well to hold their centre passes. Traralgon's intensity won that last quarter, outscoring the Gulls by two, but theWarragul side’s defensive hustle throughout theirmatch allowed them to hold on in the end, winning 31 to 29.

Both teams had to play ashorter, slower game in the wet, making for atightdefensive contest and very sore bodies.

You could tell how much it meant to the Gull's side as the players, coaches, and supporters flocked to the court with tears and cheers in what was their first win of the season.

Warragul’s Cook, Emerson and Green were recognised as instrumental in the win, while best on for Traralgon was skipper Tebb, defender Ashlyn Pavey and centre Styles.

Coach French remained incredibly proud of her young AGrade side

“Wehave to focus on the positives that came out of the game,they’re aquality side,and we kept them to 31 goals; we are abrand new side, there are only two former AGraders,” she said.

“To finish the game off strong and not drop our heads and give up is really important, and so we’ll be focusing on that next time we play them.”

When asked about the decision to swing Tebb to goals, French said:

“I recognised that they have four quality defenders, so they were playing really tough on us, so having Bron’s (Tebb) maturity, strength and height in the goaling end …Ithought putting her in and bringing our junior in could’ve changed the momentum for the game.”

Despite the tough loss, the young Maroons side will take away many lessons from the match and prepare to face off against Moe this week.

Bulldogs in huge upset

NETBALL

MID GIPPSLAND/NORTH GIPPSLAND

BY ZOE ASKEW

THERE was an upsetinthe Mid Gippsland Football-Netball League, with Newborough defeating MirbooNorth and ladder leaders Morwell East drawing with sixth-place side Toora.

Round3action washotly contested across four quarters. The Tigers could not hold off the Bulldogs' advances, with Newborough triumphing over Mirboo North 64 to 60.

While MorwellEastand Toora both won their first two matches, on paper, the Hawks were the favourite heading in.

The scoreboard read 31-31 at the 60 minute mark,and with nothing separatingthe two, points were split evenly.

Yinnar defeated MDU 53 to 29, Stony Creek

was toogoodfor Hill End,takingout a39to22 win, while Boolarra thumped Foster 77 to 27. WOODSIDE continued to stamp their dominance in the North Gippsland Football-Netball League, proving too good for visiting side Sale City, winning the Round 5clash 48 to 35. It seems Glengarry got their mojoback last weekend -perhaps it was the pink socks the Magpies wore, with the club hosting PLAY4BCNA Pink Sports Day at the weekend -stealing abig winover Yallourn-Yallourn North, 66 to 24.

Eva Tatchell was best on court for Glengarry. Yarramwas unabletostoptheir losingstreak, going down to visiting opponents Cowwarr 50 to 46.

Traralgon Tyers Unitedwas no match for hostsHeyfield, the Kangaroos defeating the Bombers 41 to 22.

Churchill, Rosedale and Gormandale had the bye.

Defence: BronwynTebblooks to passthe ball forTraralgon.

Photo: ZaidaGlibanovic

Grab: Moe’s Olivia Barnett, playing against her old side,intercepts the ballinSale’s attacking third. Photographs Zoe Askew

Skill: Moe’s CharlizeBirdpasses to teammate GeorgiaMoodyinthe mid court.

Zoe’s netball scoreboard

GIPPSLAND LEAGUE

Round 5

AGRADE: Warragul 31 dTraralgon 29, Drouin

46 dWonthaggi 42, Morwell 57 dMaffra24, Leongatha 55 dBairnsdale 30, Moe 63 dSale 41

BGRADE: Traralgon 45 dWarragul 21, Drouin

56 dWonthaggi 49, Morwell 47 dMaffra43, Moe

48 dSale 29, Leongatha bye,Bairnsdale bye

CGRADE: raralgon 37 dWarragul 32, Drouin 50 dWonthaggi26, Maffra26dMorwell 20, Moe 24 dSale 20, Leongatha 35 dBairnsdale 21

17 AND UNDER: Traralgon 57 dWarragul 16

Wonthaggi 54 dDrouin 28, Maffra29dMorwell

20, Sale 47 dMoe 6, Leongatha 40 dBairnsdale

23.

15 AND UNDER: Traralgon 64 dWarragul 8, Wonthaggi 44 dDrouin 25, Maffra30dMorwell

21, Sale 40 dMoe 21, Leongatha 37 dBairnsdale

30.

13 AND UNDER: Traralgon 52 dWarragul 2,

Drouin 22 dWonthaggi 13,Maffra37dMorwell 8, Sale 47 dMoe 30, Leongatha 30 dBairnsdale 18

NORTH GIPPSLAND

Round 5

AGRADE: Heyfield 41 dTTU 22, Cowwarr

50 dYarram 46, Woodside 48 dSale City35, Glengarry66d YYN 24, Churchill bye,Rosedale

bye,Gormandale bye

BGRADE: Heyfield 47 d TTU 37,Cowwarr 60

dYarram 40, Woodside 46 dSale City32, YYN

39 dGlengarry37, Churchill bye,Rosedale bye

Gormandale bye

CGRADE: TTU 34 dHeyfield 27,Cowwarr 22

dYarram 21, Sale City 32 dWoodside 23, YYN

42 dGlengarry28, Churchill bye,Rosedale bye,

Gormandale bye

DGRADE: TTU 45 dHeyfield 19,Cowwarr 43 d

Yarram 16,Sale City38d Woodside 25, Glengarry

45 dYYN 25, Churchill bye,Rosedale bye

Gormandale bye

17 AND UNDER: Heyfield 24 dTTU 15,Yarram

24 dCowwarr 19,Sale City23d Woodside 15, Glengarry49d YYN 9, Churchill bye,Rosedale bye,Gormandale bye

15 AND UNDER: Cowwarr 28 dYarram 12

Sale City 49 dWoodside 23,Glengarry 43 dYYN

5, TTU 52 dHeyfield 9, Churchill bye,Rosedale bye,Gormandale bye

MID GIPPSLAND

Morwell turns pink

Round 3

AGRADE: Yinnar 53 dMDU 29, Newborough

64 dMirboo North 60, Stony Creek 39 dHillEnd

22, Toora 31 drew Morwell East 31, Boolarra 77 d Foster 27, Fish Creek bye, Tarwin bye.

BGRADE: Yinnar 49 dMDU 33, Mirboo North

47 dNewborough 32, Fish Creek 88 dThorpdale

5, Stony Creek 52 dHillEnd 38, Boolarra 53 d Foster 24, Toora 41 dMorwell East 31, Tarwin bye.

CGRADE: MDU 35 dYinnar 25, Newborough

36

FOOTBALL/NETBALL

MORWELL players willhave even more incentive to kick and shoot goals now.

The Tigers are holding aPink Sports Day fundraiser this weekend, in support of Breast Cancer Network Australia.

This is the sixth time Morwell FNC has hosted this event, and each year the club has raised more than the last.

Last year's total came in at just under $10,000, and the club are hoping to top that mark again. Morwelltakes on Leongathathis weekend in the Gippsland League.

Patrons coming to Morwell Recreation Reserve will see the following fundraisers:

 Cake stall;

 Barbecue;

 Pink ribbon merchandise sales;

 Mothers Day raffle, and;

 Cash for goals on the senior football field and AGrade netballcourt.

Senior football and netball sides will be wearing pink stripsand dresses for the event,aswellasall sides wearing pink socks and bibs in the netball. Morwell FNCwishes to thank the communityfor their generous donations to the event. For more information, or to make adonation, visit pinksportsday.bcna.org.au/my-fundraising/1087/ mfncpink-sports-day

Gippy League introduces all star coaches

FOOTBALL/NETBALL

By DANIEL HEATHCOTE

EXCITMENT builds up towards the inaugural Virtue Homes All Stars event, and the Alinta EnergyGippsland League hasfinalised coaches for the competing teams.

Theline-up of coaches is testamenttothe buy-in for the event, with senior football coaches,AGrade netball coaches and representative coaches all putting their hand up to be part of the day.

The showcase senior football match for the best under 25 aged talent in the league will be headed by two current senior coaches and 2022 team of the year members Jed Lamb and Boyd Bailey.

Lamb will take the reins of Team Red which will featureplayers from Warragul, Drouin, Leongatha, Wonthaggi and Moe, while currentMorwell senior coach Bailey willleadTeamNavy, which will feature players from Morwell, Traralgon, Maffra, Sale and Bairnsdale.

There has been agreat buy-in from the players so far, with both teams nearing completion from the initial invited players. It’s ahugecoup for the

event to secure current senior coachestolead these teamsand especially to have these two candidates be top players among the league also adds to the benefits for the players of each team.

The junior match will be amajor drawcard of the day as it will feature the best players outside Gippsland Power under 18s listed playersthat are playing in either the 16s or 18s Gippsland League junior competitions.

Over the past few years, the league has been blessed to have anumberoffuture AFL draftees running around in the fourths/U16scompetition and we hope that afew of the players participating in the Virtue Homes All Star game in 2023 will be on AFL clubs’ radars in the future.

The importantcoachingroles are being taken on by two highly credentialed namesamong the league in former Melbourne Demon Declan Keilty andMaffralegend Adrian Burgiel.

Bothcoaches havebeen part of various junior coaching programs in the region and come with experience of being AFL listed players.

Burgiel is the current reigning fourths premiershipcoach in the GippslandLeague, takingMaffra to the title in 2022.

Keilty will coach Team Red and Burgiel will lead Team Navy for the event.

The top playersfromthis match will be invited to participate in theAlintaEnergy Gippsland League

Under 18 representativesideatthe Gippsland

Junior Interleague carnival which will be taking placeinlateJune in Morwell where the league will compete against the other leagues based in Gippsland for the junior title.

The netball gameswill alsofeature anumber of well-credentialedcoachesfrom around the Gippsland League.

The open match will feature 16 of the most talented senior aged players from across the league, and these teams will be formed by an All Star draft where our two coaches will selected players for their teams from the entire league.

Team Red will be led by VNL star and 2016 Drouin premiership coach Stacie Gardiner, while TeamNavywill feature the reigningAGrade premiershipcoach from2019and 2022Rach Paterson from Morwell.

The juniorteams will be led by the league’s threerepresentative coaches for Association Championshipswith VNL and Sale AGrade coach

Jo Ballinger leading Team Navy in the 17s, Kate Sperling leading Team Red in the 15s and Sophie Membrey leading Team Navy in the 13s.

Their opposing coaches are Drouin AGrade star andco-coach Ruby Pratt in the 17s, Bairnsdale A Grade coachBrooke Soulsby in the 15s and current Moe AGradestarand coach Ramayer Gourley in the 13s.

The junior netball games will feature the League’s AssociationChampionshipsquads and also a numberoftalentedplayers in each age group from each region.

The stars from these three games will go on to representthe league at future tournaments and the2023 Association Championships.

The 2023 Virtue Homes All Stars is on Saturday, May 20 at TraralgonRecreation Reserve with games starting at 11am.

Adultentrywill be $5 and under 18s will be free.

Be sure to mark it on the calendar and get along to watch some of the most talented players in Gippsland showcasing their skills.

Daniel Heathcote is general manager of the Gippsland League.

Prettyinpink: Morwell Football-NetballClubsenior leadersCourtneyGarth and AidanQuigleyinthe Tigers’ uniforms in supportofthe Breast Cancer NetworkAustralia.

Photograph supplied

Around the junior footy grounds

FOOTBALL

CGJFL &TDJFL

BY TOM HAYES

CGJFL UNDER 14.5s

NEWBOROUGH12.13 (85) convincingly defeatedHill End 4.1 (25) to stay undefeated in 2023,asdid Moe when they edged out Morwell by eight points, 6.5 (41) to 4.9 (33). Newborough and Moe occupy the top of the ladder, Tarwin could join them next week.

Mirboo North madelight work of MDU/ CornerInletwitha second quarter mercy rule, 10.4 (64) to 0.4 (4).

Tarwin had the bye.

UNDER 12s

MDU 6.10 (46) defeated Yallourn North 2.2 (14), Tarwin 8.4 (52) defeated Eagles Navy 2.2 (14), Corner Inlet kept Mirboo North goalless 9.7 (61) to 0.1 (1), Moe defeated Eagles Royal 6.3 (39) to 1.0 (6) and Newborough kept Hill End scoreless defeatingthem 11.13 (79) to nothing.

UNDER 10s

MDU 9.2 (56) def Yallourn North2.1 (13), Eagles Navy 5.9 (39) def Tarwin 1.3 (9), MirbooNorth 9.7 (61) def Corner Inlet 0.0 (0), Moe 5.4 (34) def Eagles Royal 0.2 (2), Newborough 4.6 (30) def Hill End 0.0 (0)

TDJFL UNDER 15s

THERE werethree differed results in the Under 15sofTraralgon District, all margins of different proportions.

TEDAS hammeredWest End by 75 points, 11.17 (83) to 1.2 (8), to remain as one of two teams still undefeated.

Combined Saints defeated Police Boys by 37 points after establishing an early lead, 9.18 (72) to 5.5 (35).

Yinnar got over the line in aclose game against South Side by just two points, 8.11 (59) to 8.9 (57), to stay undefeated after two games.

Pax Hill had the bye.

UNDER 13s

FOUR of the five gamesendedvia mercy rule in the Under 13s.

TEDAS mercy ruledRosedale in the second quarter to claim their third consecutive win.

Police Boys ended their encounter with CombinedSaints in the third term via mercy rule.

SouthSide reached their mercy rule against Yinnar in the thirdterm, to claimtheir third win of the season.

WestEnd went 10 goals up against Glengarry in the second quarter.

Churchill got up in aclose encounter with Pax Hill, after trailing for the first half, 4.8 (32) to 2.3 (15).

UNDER 11s

TEDAS mercy ruled Rosedale 10.6 (66) to 1.0 (6), Pax Hill controlled Churchill8.5 (53) to 0.1 (1), Combined Saints 4.5 (29) defeated Police Boys 2.3 (15), South Side reached a10 goal margin in the final term against Yinnar 10.12 (72) to 2.0 (12), and Glengarry made light work of West End 10.0 (60) to 0.0 (0).

UNDER 9s

TEDAS9.9 (63) def Rosedale 5.4 (34), Churchill 9.4 (58) def Pax Hill 2.1 (13), Combined Saints 4.5 (29) def Police Boys 2.2 (14), South Side 3.5 (23) def Yinnar 2.2 (14), Glengarry 6.11 (47 def West End 2.2 (14).

Next week is Sit Down Round, which encourages coaches, officials and spectators to stay seated and keep quiet during play, in an attempt to stop umpire abuse.

This is being trialled at junior level, after asuccessful trial seen in Adelaide last year.

Gippsland involved in Draft

FOOTBALL

By LIAM DURKIN

GIPPSLAND clubs Nilma Darnum and Buchan will each have aformer AFL great make aone-off guest appearance for them later in the season.

The two clubs were successful in makinga submission to brewing company Carlton United, in getting a‘Carlton Draft’ selection.

Nilma Darnum and Buchan were part of six deserving clubs recently selected from apool of more than 300 hopefuls, and will secure aboost for theirlocal communities when the star draftee laces up their boots. Headlined by DraftCommissioner Jonathan Brown, each club selected their AFL great on aspecial FOX Footy broadcast last week aheadofthe one-off games to be heldincoming weeks.

Highlights and match day analysis will be integrated intoFox Footy programming following each of the six games.

The first selectioninThe Carlton Draftsaw Ellinbank District Football-Netball League club Nilma Darnum select 2003 Brownlow Medal winner Nathan Buckley. The former Collingwood captain and coach will don the red sash for the first time in his career instead of his usual black and white stripes.

Next, Fremantle games record holder and 2015 All-Australian David Mundy headed to Carngham Linton Football-Netball Club in the Central Highlands FL.

Four-time premiership Hawk JordanLewis will swap the brown and gold for the blue and white when he heads to Buchan, which competes in the Omeo District FNL.

Recently retired2012premiership player and former Sydney Swans captain Josh Kennedy is bound for the GoldenRiversFNL after being selected with the fourth pick by Murrabit.

Adelaide and Melbourne 200-gamer Bernie Vince was the fifth name to be called out, andisheading to the Maryborough CastlemaineDistrict FNL to play for Maryborough Rovers Football Netball Club.

Vince has some connection to Gippsland, having played for Moe in 2019.

Port Adelaide premiership player and outspoken media personality, Kane Cornes will pull on the Port Adelaide colours once again for the Moyston Willaura FNL (Mininera District FNL).

“I grew pretty used to wearing the black and white guernsey during my AFL playing days, so to change that to ablack and red one will be an adjustment, but one Iamexcited for to give back to the footy club,”Buckleysaidupon being selected by Nilma Darnum.

“There is abit of pressureafter being selected with the first pick and it was ashock when my name was read out, so hopefully Ican get afew touchesand help give the local community a much-needed boost.”

Nilma Darnum hassome connection to Collingwood, as Mal Michael played for the Bombers in their (famous or infamous depending on how you view it) 2009 premiership.

Michael was part of anumberofhigh profile recruits that came to Nilma Darnum that season, alongwith Sale contingentKane Martin, Chris Aurisch and David Ivey.

While the Bombers went on to win their first flag in 50 years that season, it was embroiled in debate,asmany questionedthe merits of the club essentially buying apremiership with ateam of hired guns.

Youngsters impress for Power

TOM HAYES

WE are just over amonth into the Talent League season, so it’s time to checkuponGippsland Power and see how they’re tracking.

Theboys haveplayed three gamesand hold a record of 1-2, sitting 12th on the ladder,quite the significant difference to last season’s minor premiership.

In Round 1the Power defeated Murray Bushrangers by 37 points, ateam currently 1-3.

This win wasfollowed up by back-to-back defeats to Dandenong Stingrays by 27 points and Bendigo Pioneers by 17 points.

Heyfield’s Asher Eastham, who turns 17 later this week, has impressed with six goals from his three games, including one game in the best against Bendigo.

While off duty, Eastham hascontinued to perform at club level for Heyfield, playing three games, kickingthreegoals and earning onegame in thebest.

No matterwhere he goes this season he will be in good hands,asHeyfield are coachedby Collingwood premiership player Leigh Brown.

Vice-captain from Traralgon Cooper Brown has featured in all three games this season and has ledfromthe half back line, while his Traralgon

Suns almost upset, Saints keep ticking

FOOTBALL

AFL EXPORTS BY

TOM HAYES

IT was ever so close to a100 per cent win rate in Round 8for the locals, as St Kilda gotover the line and Gold Coast almost caused one of the upsets of the year.

Moe duo Sam Flanders and Bailey Humphreywere on display for the Gold Coast Suns, as they almost upset premiership favourites Melbourne at Heritage Bank Stadium.

Morwell’s Ben Ainsworth was omitted due to aknock and was unable to pass afitness test.

Every time the Demons thought they would run away with it, the Sunsdragged the margin back.

So much so, the two sides went into the final term with the scores tied at 11.6 (72) apiece.

The Demons could have won this game by afew goals if they wereaccurate, the visitors kicked 2.6 (18) in the final term.

Gold Coastwere down by agoal within the last minute, when Darcy Macpherson took a mark inside 50.

He hung the kick out to the right and was only able to bring the margin back to five points. From there, the Demons held on to win, 13.12 (90) to 13.7 (85).

Humphrey improved, having 15 disposals and five tackles, while Flanders was getting back into the swing of things with 13 touches and seven marks.

Hopefully Ainsworth can pass afitness test during the week and line up with his fellow Gippy boys when the Suns take on West Coast this Friday.

Morwell’s Changkuoth Jiathwas rested for Hawthorn’s game against Fremantle.

The Dockers got their season back on track with amassive69-point win over the Hawks.

teammate Harper Fox has also been atough matchup as akey defender.

The boy’s next three games will be telling, all of different difficulty; 14thplaced WesternJets,third placed Calder Cannons and eighth placed Rebels.

As for the girls, they have struggled to get results swinging their way, but it was made clear at the start of the season thatwins were never the main goal.

Individual development was the key for the girls in 2023,and we have seen some girlstakethe next step already onto VFL lists.

TheMolesworth twins, Alisha and Elise, from Moe/Newborough, signed for Box Hill at the start of the season.

For the Power, Alisha has featured three times, while Elise eased her way back from injury playing just two so far.

Elise was rewarded with amention in the best for Power in her return game, something that is sure to boost her morale.

From ateam standpoint, the girls sit 15th on the ladder, with a0-3 record.

It’s along season, and part of their goal has already beenachievedwith some girls moving onto bigger stages, so it will be hoped that more girls can take the next step in their careers as the season progresses.

The hefty margin dropped Hawthorn’s percentage belowthe Eagles, restoringtheir position on the bottom of the ladder.

Traralgon’s Tim Membrey lined up for St Kilda as they took on the spirited Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium.

In an unusual start to the game, only one major was kicked in the first quarter, followed by two in thesecond quarter -all going to the Saints.

They turned an eightpoint lead into just 20 points, whilekeeping North Melbourne goalless for the entire half.

The goal umpireswere given more work to do in the second half, fortunately, as the Saints put on 3.6 (24) to 3.0 (18) to hold a 26-point lead into the final term.

In typical St Kilda fashion, as defensive as they were, they managed to keep the scores on their terms, outscoring North Melbourne again to completethe 30-point win, 8.16 (64) to 4.10 (34).

Perhaps if more goals sailed through the big sticks, there would have been potential for amore exciting battle.

Membrey waskept quiet, with onebehind, nine disposals and three marks -while his directopponent Ben McKay(from Warragul) had 10 marks and 15 disposals.

Guns forhire: Nathan Buckleychecks out his newcolours.The Brownlow Medallistwill playa one-offgame forNilma Darnum later in the season. Buckleyispictured with Josh Kennedy,Jonathan Brownand David Mundy.

Photograph supplied

FOOTBALL GIPPSLAND POWER BY

Entertaining weekend

FOOTBALL WOMENS

BY ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC

FEMALEFootball Gippsland had some big games of footy on the weekend, as Round 2ofthe 2023 season was played Sunday, May 7.

The Moe/Newborough Allies drove the hour and thirty minutes to LindenowSouth Recreation Reserve to take on the Swampies.

The Allies again got off to ahot start as Taylor Dow kicked their first goal, but Lindenow South werenot far behind, kickingone majortokeep scores tight in the opening term; the Allies were up 1.1 (7) to the Swampies 1.0 (6).

In the second term,the Allies,undercoach Lynette (Louie) Patten did well to keep making

scoring opportunities, but failed to convert at goal, missing three crucial shots while the Swampies too struggled to find the goals, only kicking the single point for the quarter.

Things changed in the third as the Swampies found their feet and booted one goal and two points, while Moe/Neworough could not manage ascore for the rest of the game. Lindenow South put the foot down in the last quarter with another two majorsand asingle to bring them home witha 19 point win.

Final scores were Lindenow South 4.4 (28) to Moe Newborough Allies 1.3 (9).

Among the Swampies best were Jamieson Elliott, ShannonGotthold, Teleigha Saunders,Brodi Harris, Abbey Wyatt, and Connie Barry.

The Allies best on’s went to Izabella Rosato,

Lois Rodger, Rachael Francis, Jaira Donelly, Lisa Whiteside and Kaylah Thorburn.

In the othergameBoisdale-Briagolongthumped Drouin 17.11 (113) to 0.2 (2). The Bombers look like theteam to beat this footy season.

IN the Youth Girls competition,Traralgon continued to dominate, keeping Drouin to donuts in a60-point victory.

Moe beat Morwell in aclose match 3.3 (21) to 2.4 (16), while Newborough 0.4 (4) went down to Boisdale-Briagolong 3.7 (25).

In other results Korumburra beatDalystonby35, Bunyip ran over Phillip Island 8.4 (52) to 4.3 (27) and Sale City smashed Churchill 9.6 (60) to naught. WarragulIndustirals had the win over Woodside 58 to 9, while results for Bairnsdale vs Nar Nar Goon were not known at time of going to press.

Umpires raking in the milestones

Pendlebury backs ‘Love The Game’

COLLINGWOODgames record holderand Gippsland’s own, Scott Pendlebury (from Sale) has been announced as an ambassadorfor Love the Game.

Love the Game aims to encourage people to ‘love the game and not the odds’.

Pendlebury said he was disturbed that saturation advertisingwas making kids think gambling on sport is part of the game.

“You turn on the TV and you’re immediately hit with sports betting ads that just don’tseem to stop,’ he said.

“I don’t want my kids, or any kids, to think it’s normaltobet on sport. They should be free to just get out on the field, try their best and have fun.”

MayisLovethe Game month, during which the Norm Smith Medallistand six-time AllAustralian is calling on all footy fans, including in his old stomping ground of Wellington, to take up achallenge.

“Showing kids that sport and betting don’t have to go together starts with parents and carers, teachers, coaches and role models, like footy players,” he said.

“TheLove the Gamechallenge is ideal because it separates sport from gambling throughactivities like findingways to talk about sport withoutmentioning the odds, watching amatch without checking your phone, or deleting betting apps.”

In Victoria, young menaged between 18 and 24 now makeupthe largestgroup of sports bettors, while participation is rising among young women. They are the firstgeneration to grow up constantly surroundedbybetting ads, and Pendlebury is eager to ensure that future generations areaware of the risks.

“We’ve got alot of young blokes at the club, so the older guys have aresponsibility to help give them the tools they need, on and off the footy field,tomakegood decisions about issues that will affect their future,” Pendlebury said.

All 10 VictorianAFL clubs have committedto the Love the Game program,along with league bodies like AFL Gippsland, whoseregional manager, Cameron McPhan, is pleased to stand united with other clubs in protecting young people from the promotion of sports betting.

“The ads make gambling seem like afun activity to do with mates, which doesn’t reflect the reality of gambling harm or the stigma experienced by those affected,” McPhan said.

“That’s why, as aLovethe Game partner since 2019, we prioritise equipping our young peoplewiththe knowledge and skills they need to makeinformed,criticaldecisionsabout gambling.

“It’s great to haveScott on board. Having alocal of his calibre supportthe program sends aterrific message to kids that the most important thing aboutsport is to love the game, not the odds.”

Bloods start EDFL season promisingly

TRAFALGAR took its record to 4-1 in the Ellinbank DistrictFootball-Netball League at the weekend.

The Bloods accounted forNyora,winning 12.4 (76) to 7.6 (48).

The home side led by 10 points at halftime, before extending the margin to 21 at three quarter time.

Matt Swenson led the way for the winners, booting seven goals.

Others to play well were Hardy Kenny, Jace Butler, Mitch Virtue, Jayden Thomas and Grady McMahon.

Trafalgar is third on the ladder, behind Ellinbank and the undefeated Buln Buln.

FOOTBALL UMPIRING

MORE milestones havebeen reached at the Latrobe Valley Umpires Association.

Bryan Sultan reached 500 games recently.

Alifemember of the LVUA, Sultan brought up the milestone at the Yinnar versus Newborough match on Saturday, May 22.

Sultanhas formed quite alegacy at the LVUAin his time, notching up 15 Grand Final appointments including seniorGrand Finals in alldisciplines (Mid Gippsland Football-Netball League goals 2011, 2022, boundary 1993, 1999 and Gippsland League field 2006, 2008).

His resume off the field is quiteimpressive too, awardeddedicated service in 2002 and life membership in 2001. He has been LVUA president (2011), secretary (2005-10), vice president (200204),assistantsecretary (1998, 1995), boundary coach(1996), juniorvice president(1996) and was also on the social committee in 1996, 1997 and 2001.

Fellow life memberStephen Scholz also recently brought up his 400th match.

In his 20th year of service to the panel, Scholz notchedupgamenumber400 lastweekend in the Mid Gippsland match between Newborough and Mirboo North.

On field,Scholzhas been appointed to 21 Grand Finals with the highest beingthe Gippsland

League Reserves (goal) back in the 2012 season.

Off field, he has served 10 years on the social committee(including runningfootytipping and Tattslotto competitions) and spent three years on the general committee.

Youngster Blake Gittos could have afew more milestones in him yet.

At just 21 years of age, Gittos already has 300 games under his belt.

Now in his 11th year, Gittos joined the panel in 2013 and was awarded the LVUA Golden Whistle in 2017.

Gittos has 10 Grand Final appointments to his name with the highest being the Gippsland League seniorsboundary and Mid Gippsland reserves field in 2019 and 2022.

On the junior panel, there was also arecent milestone, with Ashlee Bosch reaching 50 games.

One of four Bosch’sonthe panel, Ashleeis continuing astrong legacy.

THE Latrobe ValleyUmpires are celebrating70 years of umpiring country football on June 24/25.

The panel has along and proud history of contributingtofootballinthe communityand would love to seeasmany member both retired and current as possible to help celebrate this outstanding achievement.

Information and bookings can be done by getting in touchwith BarryLawrence on jblaw@speedweb com.au or phoning0431081 116 or by emailing the LVUA umpires panel at lvumpires@gmail.com or on 0413 076 555.

Morethan700 Victorian sportingclubs are signed up to the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s Love the Game program.

For more information about the Love the Game Challenge, visit lovethegame.vic.gov. au/challenge.

Anyone negatively affected by their own or someone else’s gambling can access free and confidential advice, support and referrals by calling the 24/7 Gambler’s Help line on 1800 858 858.

ASTORYappearing in last Wednesday’sissue stated Leongatha playerJosh Hopkinshad retired.

This was incorrect, and an error on the part of author, Liam Durkin.

The author takes full responsibility and apologises for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused.

Jobwell done: Latrobe Valleyumpirestoast Stephen Scholz(in red) on theoccasion of his400th game Photograph supplied

Around the grounds

Options: Traragon goal attack Sophie Lecchino in actionduring thematch againstWarragul last weekend

Photograph Gippsland League

Outnumbered: Moeveteran TomLong findshimself in amathematicallychallenging situation at Sale Oval.

Welcome: Ben Maslen returnedtothe Moe senior line-up at the weekend.

Assessing: Heyfield’sKohen Anderson looks to move theball forwardinthe Thirds.

Get aphotoofus: Traralgon supportersJake Furlan and Charlie Poultonenjoyedthe night game in Round 3.

Go Zo: TheExpress’own ZoeAskew is also captain of Sale United. Photograph Liam Durkin

Good game: Traralgon and Morwell playersshakehands aftertheirmatch in Round3

Great man: ProminentTraralgon football supporter‘Rooster’ can usually be found cheering on hisbelovedMaroons. Photograph Liam Durkin

That’s howit’sdonebaby: Moeplayers celebrateafter alategoal seals victory in the lunchtime league against Sale

Clearing: BlakeCouling kicks out of defensive 50 forMorwell againstTraralgon in Round3

Photograph Zoe Askew

Photograph Zoe Askew

Photograph Liam Durkin

Photograph Liam Durkin

Photograph Liam Durkin

Photograph NicoleDenovan

Photograph Zoe Askew

May 13

6.00 Rage. (PG) 7.00 WeekendBreakfast.

9.00 Rage.(PG) 12.00 ABC News At Noon.

12.30 Traces.(Ma, R) 1.15 Miniseries: Capital. (Ml, R) 2.05 The Durrells. (PG, R) 3.10 Grand Designs.(PG,R) 4.00 Landline. (R) 4.30

Scottish Vets Down Under.(PG, R) 5.25 How Deadly World. (PG, R)

5.55 Great Barrier Reef:The Next Generation. (PG, R)

6.50 Bluey. (R) Bluey doesnot likebeing bossedaround.

7.00 ABCNews Alook at the top stories of theday

7.30 Sister Boniface Mysteries. (Premiere, PGa) After awoman’sbody is discovered at alocal festival, Sister Boniface, alocal nun, investigates thecrime.

8.15 Miniseries:The North Water (Malsv) Part 1of5.A disgraced ex-army doctorjoins a whaling vessel as aship’s surgeon.

9.20 Ragdoll. (Premiere, MA15+av)

Arecently reinstated detective investigates ashocking crime involvingthe murderofsix people.

10.05 Miniseries: Ridley Road. (Mv,R)Part 4of4

11.00 Fires. (Ml, R) Tash and Mott escort some locals.

11.55 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv)

6.00 WorldWatch. 7.00 Cycling. Giro d’Italia. Stage 7. Highlights. 8.00 WorldWatch. 10.00

Britain’s Great Outdoors. (R) 11.00 TheWorld

From Above.(R) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00

Gymnastics. FIG Rhythmic World Cup Series.

Round 3. 4.00 Cycling. UCI World Tour

Eschborn-Frankfurt. Highlights 4.30 Cycling.

Giro

6.30 SBS World News.

7.30 Eurovision Song Contest

Semi-Final. (R) Coverage of the second semi-final from the 67th annual Eurovision Song Contest from Liverpool, England, featuring performances from artists from16countries. Commentary by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey.

10.00 WhitneyHouston &Bobbi Kristina. (Madlv,R)Celebrates the lives of singer Whitney Houston and her daughterBobbi Kristina

11.30 Nine PerfectStrangers. (Mlv,R)Lured by promisesofhealing and transformation, nine people spend time at asecluded retreat

3.00 Going PlacesWith Ernie Dingo (PG, R) Ernie Dingo explores Bruny Island.

5.00 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final. (PG) From Liverpool, England.

SEVEN (7,6)

Sunday, May14

6.30 Compass: TheGangster Pastor

7.00 ABCNews. Alook at the top stories of theday

7.30 GrandDesigns: Derbyshire.

Hosted by Kevin McCloud

8.20 TheMessenger (Premiere, Mal)

Ascruffytaxi driver becomesan accidental hero when he receives amysterious message.

9.10 MOVIE: Misbehaviour (2020, Ml, R) Agroup of women hatchesaplantodisrupt the1970MissWorld competition being held in London.Keira Knightley,Greg Kinnear

10.55 InterviewWith The Vampire. (Mhlnv,R)

11.40 Mayfair Witches. (Mals, R)

12.25 MotherFatherSon. (Mav, R)

1.25 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv)

3.10 The Heights. (PG, R) 5.00 Insiders. (R)

6.30 SBS World News.

7.30 Eurovision Song ContestGrand Final. (PG, R) Coverage of the grand final fromthe 67th annual Eurovision Song Contest from Liverpool, England.

11.30 MOVIE: Marley. (2012, Mad,R)

Chartsthe life of BobMarley

Bob Marley,Ziggy Marley

2.00 TheBuildings That Fought

Hitler: We Shall NeverSurrender. (PG, R) Presented by RobBell

3.40 TheSource: The Tinderbox. (Mal, R)

4.35 Bamay: Murrumbidgee River –Wiradjuri Country. (R)

5.00 NHK World English News Morning.

5.15 France 24 Feature.

5.30 Al JazeeraNews

6.00 SevenNews.

7.00 Football AFL.Round 9. Brisbane Lions vEssendon. From TheGabba, Brisbane.

10.30 AFL Post-Game Show. Awrap-up of the game,including panel discussion and interviews, with access to players, coaches and staff

11.00 To Be Advised

12.05 World’sMostSecret Homes: Ultimate Hideaways. (PG, R) Explores secluded homesand their natural surroundings and reveals what makes them unique.

1.00[VIC]HomeShopping.

1.05 Travel Oz. (PG, R) Greg Grainger discovers the excitement of awinter magicfestival in the Blue Mountains.

2.00 Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 GetArty. (R) Ashowcase of artprojects.

5.00 House Of Wellness (PG, R) Alook at locations that highlight living well.

7TWO (72, 62)

6.00 Nine News Saturday

7.00 ACurrentAffair

7.30 MOVIE: HarryPotter And The GobletOfFire. (2005,Mahv,R)Harry’s life is in danger when he is tricked into competing in the Triwizard Tournament. Daniel Radcliffe, EmmaWatson

10.35 MOVIE: TheChronicles Of Riddick. (2004,Mlv,R)Anescaped criminal battlesa murderous sect. Vin Diesel,Colm Feore.

12.45 TheFirst48: OldWounds. (Mav, R) Alookatthe 2015 deathofCristal Gutierrez.

1.35 Surfing Australia TV (R)

2.00 TheIncredible Journey Presents. (PGa)

2.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

4.30 GlobalShop (R)

5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

5.30 Helping Hands. (PG, R)

9GEM (92,81)

Happen To AVet.(1976) 2.00 Motor Racing. SpeedSeries.

5.00 MOVIE: The Indian Fighter.(1955,PG) 7.00 Rugby Union. Super Rugby Pacific. Round 12. NSW Waratahs vMelbourne Rebels. 9.30 Super Rugby Pacific Post-Match. 9.45 MOVIE: Valkyrie.(2008, M) 12.05am Late Programs.

6am Children’s Programs.

2pm MOVIE: Pokémon The Movie: Genesect And The LegendAwakened.

6.00 Bondi Rescue. (PGal, R) Chase and Will race to the north of Bondi after reports aman has fallen off thecliff.

6.30 TheDog House. (PGa) Acouple of Jack Russell cross pugsand apooch called LittleLittleRex are matched with potential companions.

7.30 MOVIE: Raiders Of TheLost Ark. (1981, Mv,R)Inthe 1930s, an Americanarchaeologist andexplorer races againsttimetobeat the Nazis to apriceless artefact, the magical box containing fragmentsofthe stones on which God wrote his laws. Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, JohnRhys-Davies.

9.55 To Be Advised

11.00 Fire Country. (PGav,R)Aninternal investigator suspects Jakeofbeing the serial arsonist who has been setting recent fires.

12.00 Home Shopping. (R)

5.00 Hour Of Power. Religious program.

6.00 NBCToday [VIC]HomeShopping.

7.00 WeekendSunrise. 10.00 TheMorning Show:Weekend. (PG) 12.00

6.00 SevenNews.

7.00 Farmer WantsAWife (PG) Hosted by SamanthaArmytage.

8.45 7NEWSSpotlight. An exclusive,special investigation.

9.45 TheLatest: SevenNews.

10.15 Born To Kill? Gerald And Charlene Gallego (MA15+av) Alook at Gerald and Charlene Gallego

11.15 Quantum Leap (Mav)Ben leaps into the bodyofaflight attendant.

12.15 TheRookie. (Mav,R)

12.30[VIC]HomeShopping.

1.15 LastChance Learners (PG, R)

2.00 Home Shopping (R)

3.30 Million DollarMinute. (R)

4.00 NBCToday.

5.00 SevenEarly News.

5.30 Sunrise

6.00 NineNewsSunday

7.00 TheSummit. (Premiere, PGl) Presented by Jai Courtney

9.00 60 Minutes. Current affairs program, investigating, analysingand uncovering theissuesaffecting all Australians

10.00 Nine News Late. Alook at thelatestnewsand events.

10.30 Australian Crime Stories: TheQueen Of Con (Ma, R)

11.25 TheFirst48: Deadly Secrets And True Lies. (Mal)

12.15 Law&Order:Organized Crime (Mv,R)

1.05 TheGarden Gurus (R)

1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 Believer’sVoice Of Victory.(PGa) 4.30 Take Two. (R) 5.00 News Early Edition.

5.30 Today

6.30 TheSundayProject. Panellists dissect, digest and reconstitute the daily news, events and hottest topics.

7.30 MasterChef Australia. (PGa) Contestants fighttostay in therunning in thefirst elimination challengeofthe season.

9.00 NCIS: Hawai’i (Mv) After the mysterious deathofanastronaut in ahighly sensitiveMars simulation, the NCIS team must send its cyber intelligence specialist Ernie Malik into the habitat to investigate alone.

10.00 FBI (Mv,R)The murder of aTSA agent leads the team to hunt downa killer involved in drug smuggling.

11.00 TheSundayProject. (R) Alook at the day’snews.

12.00 Home Shopping. (R)

4.30 CBS Mornings.

Monday, May 15

10.00 Landline.(R) 11.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon.

1.00 Marcella. (Mal, R)

2.35 TheCookAnd TheChef (R)

3.00 Escape From TheCity. (R)

4.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

5.00 Back Roads (PG, R)

5.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

6.00 TheDrum.

7.00 ABCNews.

7.30 7.30 Presented by SarahFerguson.

8.00 Australian Story. Presented by Leigh Sales.

8.30 Four Corners. Investigative journalism program exposing scandals, triggering inquiries, firing debate and confronting taboos.

9.15 Media Watch. (PG) Paul Barry takesa look at the latest issues affecting media consumers.

9.35 Q+A. Public affairs program.

10.35 India Now. (R)

11.10 ABCLate News.

11.25 TheBusiness. (R)

11.40 TheSplit. (PG,R)

12.40 Father Brown. (Ma, R) 1.25 Miniseries: Ridley Road.(Mv,R) 2.25 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv)

3.30 AntiquesRoadshow.(R)

4.30 The Drum. (R) 5.30 7.30.(R)

6.00 WorldWatch. 7.00 Cycling. Giro d’Italia. Stage 9. Highlights. 8.00 WorldWatch.

Tuesday, May16

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG) Presented by Marc Fennell.

6.30 SBS WorldNews.

7.35 Secrets Of TheTowerOfLondon. (PG)Work continues on the Superbloom.

8.30 Rise Of TheNazis: The Downfall. (M)Part2of3.Asthe end nears, Hitler goes into hiding from theRed Army in the Führerbunker

9.30 Reframed:Marilyn Monroe: Contender (Mans) Part 1of4.Takes alook at the life and legacy of Marilyn Monroe

10.20 SBS WorldNews Late.

10.50 Reyka. (MA15+av) Soda finds himself on the run.

11.50 Miss S. (Mav,R)

3.35 Mastermind Australia. (R)

4.35 Bamay.(R) 5.00 NHKWorld English News Morning. 5.30 ANC PhilippinesThe World Tonight.

6.00 SevenNews.

7.00 Home AndAway. (PG)

7.30 BlowUp. (Premiere, PG) Twoteams of fivehave12 hours to create afuturistic or fantasy-themed balloon world.

9.00 9-1-1 (Madv)Bobby is determinedto prove his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor wasmurdered and bring his killer to justice.

10.00 9-1-1: Lone Star (Mav) Carlos searchesfor amissing friend.

11.00 TheLatest: SevenNews.

11.30 10 Years Younger In 10 Days (PGa, R) The experts help amum of one.

12.30 TheRookie. (Mav, R) [VIC]HomeShopping.

1.30 Kochie’sBusinessBuilders. (R)

2.00 Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 NBCToday

5.00 SevenEarly News.

5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 Nine News.

7.00 ACurrent Affair

7.30 TheSummit. (Ml) Presented by JaiCourtney

9.00 RPA. (PGm) Auniversity student presents suffering apotentiallylife threatening collapse of his lung.

10.00 NineNews Late. Alook at the latest news andevents.

10.30 Footy Classified (M)

11.30 TheEqualizer (MA15+v, R)

12.20 UntoldCrime Stories: The Disappearance Of Shannon Matthews. (MA15+a)

1.10 Hello SA (PG) 1.30 TV Shop: HomeShopping. (R)

6.30 TheProject. Alook at the day’snews and events

7.30 MasterChef Australia. (PGal) Amateur cooks compete.

8.40 Have YouBeen Paying Attention? (Return, Malns) Celebrity panellists competeto see who can remember the most about events of theweek.

9.40 JustFor Laughs Australia. (MA15+ls) Stand-up comedy performances from UrzilaCarlson, Jay Pharoahand AuntyDonna

10.10 Ghosts. (Final, Ms) Awoman claims to be the heir to the manor

10.40 FBI: MostWanted. (Mv,R)

11.30 TheProject (R)

12.30 TheLate ShowWith Stephen Colbert. (PG)

1.30 Home Shopping. (R)

6am Sheep And Wolves. Continued. (2016,PG) 6.35 All Roads Lead To Rome. (2015) 8.15 Monsieur Verdoux. (1947, PG) 10.30 The Hole In TheGround. (2019,M) 12.10pm The Woman InBlack. (2012, M) 1.55 Roxanne. (1987) 3.55 ModernTimes.(1936 PG, No dialogue) 5.30 English Vinglish. (2012, PG,

9GO! (93, 82)

6am Morning Programs. Noon Border Security 1.30 RidesDown Under: Workshop Wars 2.30 Motor Racing. Night Thunder Series final.Highlights 3.30 Boating. Australian V8 Superboats Championship.Round 7. Final. Replay 4.30 Full CustomGarage. 5.30 American Restoration. 6.00 American Pickers. 7.00 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Storage Wars 8.30 MOVIE: Pearl Harbor.(2001,M) 12.10am Late Programs.

10.45 TheBusiness. (R)

11.00 Four Corners. (R)

11.50 Media Watch. (PG, R) 12.05

MotherFatherSon. (Mav,R) 1.05 Shakespeare

And Hathaway.(PG, R) 1.50 The Pacific: In The Wake Of Captain CookWith Sam Neill. (PG, R) 2.35 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.30 Antiques

Roadshow.(R) 4.30 The Drum. (R) 5.30

7.30.(R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG)

6.30 SBS WorldNews

7.30 Who Do YouThink You Are? Derryn Hinch. (PG) Derryn Hinch exploreshis roots.

8.30 Insight. Kumi Taguchi takes alookatwhether too much empathy canbeabad thing

9.30 Dateline. Award-winning documentaryseries.

10.00 SBSWorld NewsLate

10.30 Living Black. (R)

11.10 Manayek. (MA15+av)

12.00 Hope. (MA15+av) 1.10 Tell Me Who I

Am. (MA15+av, R) 4.25 Mastermind Australia. (R)

4.55 Destination Flavour Scandinavia Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC PhilippinesThe World Tonight.

6.00 SevenNews.

7.00 Home And Away (PGa)

7.30 BlowUp. (PG) Hosted by Stephen Curryand Becky Lucas.

8.35 TheRookie. (Return, Mav)John comes face-to-face with serial killer Rosalind once again who is not done with him.

9.35 TheRookie: Feds (Premiere, Mv)Simone Clark begins her career as an FBI agent.

10.35 TheLatest: SevenNews.

11.05 Crime Investigation Australia: MostInfamous: TheDonald Mackay Disappearance. (Madv,R)

12.25 S.W.A.T. (Mav,R)

HomeShopping.

(Mv,R) 2.30

6.00 Nine News.

7.00 ACurrentAffair

7.30 TheSummit. (Ml)

Presented by Jai Courtney

8.45 MOVIE: TheRescue. (2021, Mal) Achronicle of the rescue of 12 boys and their coach from deep inside aflooded caveinThailand. Bancha Duriyapunt, ApakornYoukongkaew,Anan Surawan.

10.55 Nine News Late. Alook at the latest news and events.

11.25 Chicago Med. (MA15+am) Maggie deals with her own trauma.

12.15 CourtCam (Mlv)

12.40 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

Of Victory. (PGa)

6.30 TheProject Alook at the day’snews andevents

7.30 MasterChef Australia. (PGal) Former MasterChefwinner and dessert queen Emelia Jackson returns to share her secrets.

8.40 TheCheap Seats (Mal) Presenters Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald takealook at the weekthat was.

9.40 NCIS TheNCISteamworks to solvethe murder of asenator’s daughter whohas alargeonline following 10.40 To Be Advised.

11.30 TheProject. (R)A look at theday’s news and events.

12.30 TheLate ShowWith StephenColbert (PG)

1.30 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

Crazy hair day at Morwell Central

STUDENTS and staff at Morwell CentralPrimary School were keen participants in its recent ‘Crazy Hair Day’. The day began with aparade in the school’s gym, to show off all the crazy hair styles thatwereboth creativeand eye-catching.

Therewas an abundanceof teased hair,colourfuldecorations and quirky wigstobe seen. Some even had atheme, such as ‘items of food’, ‘scary creatures’ or ‘fantasy’.

Convenient:

Student teachers to go rural

THE state government is backingrural and regional communities, withaninnovative program to bring hundreds of student teachers into government primary and secondary schools across the state.

Minister for Education, NatalieHutchins, recently launchedthe Teach Rural pilotprogram, which will support up to 200 student teachers -orpreservice teachers (PSTs) -toundertake placements at government schools acrossrural andregional Victoria in 2023 and 2024.

TheVictorian Budget 2022/23 provided $2.6 million for the Department of Educationtopartner with Country Education Partnership, which will deliver the Teach Rural pilot program.

The Teach Rural program involves coordinating and supportinggroups of participatingpre-service teachers to undertake placements in clusters of rural and regional schools, including in East Gippsland, Wimmera, Mallee and North-East Victoria.

Placements will benefitschools in St Arnaud, Bairnsdale, Wangaratta, Tallangatta, the Otways and Swan Hill.

The first placements for the Teach Rural program have started, with groups of teaching students

fromthe University of Melbournecommencing four-week placements at schools in Tallangatta and Wangaratta.

Teach Rural has been designed to remove barriers PSTs can face in doing their placements at rural and regional schools, whilesupporting ruralschools through better access to pre-service teachers.

The initiative providesparticipantswith asuite of supports to facilitate the placements and welcome them intothe local school and community, addressing barriers that can include relocation, costs of accommodation and isolation during placement period.

Supportfor Teach Rural participants includes subsidised placement accommodation, agroup welcome event, awelcome meal with the host school principal or mentor, welcome packs with community information, aclusterpeer network andsupportfor mentor teachers to induct their PSTs into the schools.

Student teachers interestedinparticipating in the Teach Rural program should visit cep.org.au/ teach-rural.

Crazy Hair Day was heaps of fun and agreat way to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation,tohelp further cancer research.

STEMActivity at St Michael’s

ON Friday,April28, the Grade 3and 4studentsat St Michael’sPrimary School Traralgon participated in aSTEM(science,technology, engineering, maths) activity called 'The Bin Challenge'.

Students were required to work in teams to create aretrieval aide to recover valuable items that had accidentally fallen into abin.

Students weregiven arange of materials to choose from including straws, icy pole sticks, wool, tape and magnets to assist them with the successful retrieval of the items.

Teamwork was akey factor within this task as the students worked together and displayed the schoolwide expectations of resilience, respect, safety, honesty and learning.

The students enjoyed the activity and are looking forward to the next STEM challenge

Teamwork: St Michael’sstudentsworking together Photographs supplied

Trio: Braxton, Levi and Kasey enjoying ‘Crazy Hair Day’ at Morwell CentralPrimary School. Photographs supplied

Mohawk: Zico is very bright and colourful.

Tangled: Phoebe withher octopushairstyle

Creative: Kelsee lookslike she has Coke pouring out of a bottle on her head

Violetwith a donut and coffeetogo.

Community projects backed

By ZAIDAGLIBANOVIC

LOCAL community groups can rejoice as the Foundation for Regional &Rural Renewal (FRRR) has funded several regional projects.

The successful Latrobe Valley groups were the Morwell Historical Society, Next Gen Theatrical and the Budgeree Hall Reserve Committee, who will share $24,000 in funding.

The federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, said the Foundationfor Region & RuralRenewal had awardedgrantstoseven Gippsland groups through the Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Program.

“Grants of up to $10,000 were awarded to groups to help with local priority projects, disaster recovery and alsorecovery fromthe COVID-19 pandemic,”

Mr Chester said

Morwell Historical Society received $10,000 to upgrade the dated kitchenand make it suitable for the volunteers.

Grants like those go along way for community groups, the president of the Morwell Historical Society, Allan McFarlane, said.

"This [The Morwell Historical Society] building was built in 1927, so it’s nearly 100 years old, and the kitchen wasreallyarchaic, so that'sbeen a wonderfulgrant that we've received; it has allowed us to have akitchen that's at least presentable."

Thelocal historical group has been in debt since buying the historic 12 Hazelwood Road building in 2015. Still seeking around $60,000 to payoff their loan, every dollar counts.

Mr McFarlane explained the difficulty of managing an ageing society that always needs funding and volunteers.

"Every opportunity, I'm sort of calling out to the community if there’s anyone out there who would like to support us."

Explaining that the upgradescould provetobring more revenue for the society, Mr McFarlane said the building was getting in better condition in a great location, and now with afunctional kitchen, it couldbeused as afunction or meeting room.

In appreciation forthe funding they have received, Mr McFarlane wished to thankboth state and federal governments, but also the local supporting sponsors and the Latrobe City Council Anothercommunity group, Next Gen Theatrical, received $10,000 to develop and provide awellbeing support program to help disadvantaged

communities in the region and help with performance venue hire costs.

The Budgeree Hall Reserve committee will use its $4500grant to buy ashipping container to safely store equipment.

Mr Chester said Gippsland received $74,560 in grants throughout the electorate.

“These projects will make areal difference to each community and ensure facilities are suitable for all users and volunteers.”

“The FRRR receives funding from arange of sources, including thefederal government, to directly support our regional and rural communities,” Mr Chester said.

“It is fantastic to see so many local projects

Data finds $1.3b spend

BUSINESSES in regional Australiasaw a cracking Easter longweekend, with $1.3 billion spentatsmall and medium sized businessesacross the country,new NAB data shows.

Australia’s largest business bank revealed spending was up two per cent on Easter 2022 andmore than 150per cent on pre-pandemic levels.

By state, South Australia saw the largest growth in regional spend, up 194 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, followed by West Australia (up 191 per cent), Queensland (up 159 per cent), NSW (up105 percent) and Victoria (up 95 per cent).

NAB Executive for Small Business,Ana Marinkovic, said the four-day weekend was awelcomed boost for the regions, with every dollar spentcontributing towards firing up local economies.

“From Hervey Bay to the Margaret River, it’s great to see our regions remainapopular destination with the return of international travellers and more Aussies choosing to holiday in their own backyard," Ms Marinkovic said.

Car rentals saw the largest jump in spend compared to pre-pandemic levels, jumping 91 per cent, followed by restaurants (up 66 percent), barsand pubs (up 58 per cent) and accommodation (up 46 per cent).

receiving support and improving facilities for the community now and into the future.”

Gippsland groups receiving funding include the Cowwarr Recreation Reserve committee of management, Golden and Paradise Beach Ratepayers and Residents Association, East Gippsland Festivals and Raymond Island Community Association.

The Foundation for Regional &Rural Renewalis anot-for-profit organisation that aims to connect everyday purposesand funding from government, businessand philanthropy with the genuine local needsofrural people andplaces. TheFRRR both create and seeksgrants to fundprojects.Since its start in 2000,they havedelivered $155million to nearly 13,000 projects

“People are being more thoughtful about where and how they spend their hard-earned cash, andfor some that meanschoosing a domestic holiday over an overseas trip -great for home grown businesses as the pandemic has shown we love to buy local where we can," Ms Marinkovic said.

“We recently asked Australians how their travel plans have changed, 28 per cent of respondents told us they were looking to travel within Australia, with another 21 per cent saying they plan to travel within their own state or territory.”

Grateful: President of The Morwell HistoricalSocietyappreciates the$10,000 in funding from the Foundation forRegional &Rural Renewal.

Photograph ZaidaGlibanovic

Blood donations:nostoppinginsight

RECENTLY,I gavemy140thdonation of full blood at the Traralgon Red Cross Centre.

Istarted donating when Iwas 19years-old, and amember of the Yinnar Young Farmers Club. We went as agroup to give after having members of the Blood Bank speak at one of our YF meetings.

I’ve given off and on since then. Stopping for fouryears whenhavingmykids, but generally attending each other year.

Now 68-years-old, Ihope to continue for as long as they will accept me, as it is such aworthwhile contribution to society and one I’m very proud to have achieved. Ialwaysask peopletoconsider donating if they can.

Lynette Rawson

Traralgon

God Save the King

ON Saturday, we celebrated and viewed our new Sovereign; King Charles III and Queen Camilla being ceremonially crowned at Westminster.

Everybody who is anybody was invited to participate in this event, including our worthy Premier, our laudable PM, ouresteemed Governor General, variousassortednotables, and similar teams from all the other states: the Commonwealth countries, and indeed most of the free world. We all may enjoy the glamour, the glory, the history, the pomp, the parades, the pageantry, the inclusion, the stability, the relevance from our own homes.

Some luckystatessuch as Western Australia may even be granted apublicholiday.

We fortunate Australians have the best of both worlds, as aConstitutional Monarchy, we enjoy all thiswhile maintaining our independence; King Charles III has only three rights: “the right to be consulted, the righttoencourage andthe right to warn”. Otherwise we make our own decisions. EvenMalcolmTurnbull said(Australian 16.7.01)

“We already have aperfectly good,functioning democracy we have elements of Westminster, elements of Washington. It’s auniquelyAustralian system and it works well.” Well said, so why change it?

Well maybe we might quibble about a‘perfectly good functioning democracy’, there are elements that need improvement, but let’s leave all that for the moment,enjoy the coronation day,congratulate ourselves on our heritage and then prepare for the looming problems of the future.

The Americans intend to spend untoldbillions on their forthcoming presidential election, although mostseem unhappy with the probable candidates. It seems it mustget downtowho spendsthe most money, and makes the right promises to the major holders of power i.e. the media and big business. God will be needed to look after the lesser folk. Iamglad that our new King is anointedwithout such cost, either in money or commitments or lives. And he has certainlydemonstrated acommitment both to the people and the environment.

Elizabeth Jeffery Traralgon

The cruci-fiction of truth and reality

BY way of reply to John Duck's condescending letter ('Words of advice', LV Express, 3/5/23) in which he outlines seven points of grievance, Iwill address point seven only for now as it is the most important. Iwill "fully" address his other six points in meticulous detail in my upcoming book/expose.

Mr Duck contends in point seven that "the author urgently requires ood dose of reality."

Alba-sleezy, who are in urgent need of agood dose of realityostensibly by constantly and hypocritically ignoring the red elephant in the room which is, of course, China.

To illustrate,think how most legal systems view sellers of asbestos or heroin, or the growing reaction to the sale of tobacco. In these cases, we are no longer prepared to buy the argument that harm is acase of "buyer beware". Instead, we ascribe responsibilityfor trade in aharmful substance substantially (in the case of heroin or asbestos) or significantly (in the case of cigarette producers) to theirpredatorytraders. Leaving the responsibility for mitigation to others involves an abrogation of responsibility to the market and to the consumer.

If you are not convinced by this view -think of the heroin dealer's defence: 'I do no harm, yer Honour. Ionly sell the stuff. They're the ones that inject it' Tightening the lenstoasharper focus, Labor's coal export policy with China undermines and overwhelms any benefitsfrom its domestic climate policy efforts.

The UN Framework ConventiononClimate Change to which Australia is asignatory requires nations account for greenhouse emissions produced only within their borders. As aresult, exporters of fossil fuels remain unaccountable for their roles in the co-production of emissions releasedata 'distance.'

How convenient for the beneficiaries -countries suchasAustralia, the RussianFederation, and Saudi Arabia!

To be sure, while Australia's domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions represent some 1.5 per cent of the global total, its global carbon footprint -the totalamountofcarbon it pushes into the global economy is much, much bigger.

It is important in this context to note that Australia is the world's largest coal exporter (trafficker would be amore accurate word) and China, our major trading partner mainly of coal, emits more greenhouse gases than the combined developed world at 27 per cent per year. Thus, when Australia's current domestic carbon dioxide emissions and its exported CO2 emissionsare combined, Australia ranks as the sixthlargest emitter of CO2 in the world -after China, the USA, the Russian Federation, India and Indonesia. It is responsible directly and indirectly for over 1.5 billion tonnes of C02 per year -more than Germany's emissions (population82million) and the UK's emissions (population 62 million) combined.

If plannedand projected increases in Australian gas and coal exports are realised, our carbon footprintwill more than double again over the coming decade.

By 2030, Australia would be directly and "indirectly" responsible for over two billion tonnes of exported GHG emissions per year.

In conclusion then,instead of Mr Duck attacking me via parroting government propagandaabout renewable energy, he would do himself agood turn by admitting his errorand stop defying gravity and thereby reality.

Joseph Lis Morwell

Respect please

HAVING just arrived home after shopping at our local Woolworths supermarket, where Iwitnessed astaff member being abused by acustomer, Iwas shocked into action to write aletter.

Iwas waiting at the counter to query my receipt when awoman came up to the cigarette counter to put through item she wished to purchase. until called er to be

served, with that, the customer threw the item on the counter and said “I’ll go somewhere else”. Her prerogative to walk away and shop elsewhere but she was the loser on all counts.

Since whenhavepeople become so rude? Why does an ‘adult’ behave in such away.

WhenI phone my localmedical clinic to make an appointment, the recording while Iwait to have the call answered says "please be respectful to our staff, we are here to help you”. We shouldn’t need reminding to be respectful. As adults, it should be automatic to be kind and respectful of others.

Sure, Iknow alot of people have tough lives, but God forbid we in Australia be involved in awar like Ukraine, would we behave worse than animals or would we help each other?

I’d like to think positive, that we would actually help each other, but the signs are there that we would not. Then where would we be? We live in one of the best countries in the world. We should be counting our blessings andfeeling grateful every day for what we do have.

To the staff member at Woolworths and anyone else whohas had to put up with such behaviour from rude customers, Iapologise on their behalf.

Liz Sibson Newborough

Budget must address health

EVENwith the state’s finances on life support, regional communities rightly expect the Andrews Labor government to prioritise investment into our healthcare services. Healthcare is aright, not aprivilege. It’s never too much to demand adequate services and infrastructure in ourcommunities, and the regions have been neglected for far too long. This is acrisisthat touches every inch of Victoria If the Premier needsdirections to get beyond Melbourne’s tram tracks, he can look to Goulburn Valley Health in Shepparton, Bairnsdale Hospital in Gippsland, SwanHill Hospital alongthe Murray River, and Hamilton Hospitalinthe Wimmera -all of which need urgentfunding to begin or complete redevelopments. Or, in the state’s north-west, the Mildura Base Public Hospital Masterplan has been locked in avault and kept secret by Mr Andrews for more than ayear, stalling urgent investment in the region’s main healthcare service. Smallerinvestments are just as important to our quality of life.

Benallaneeds funding for four dialysis chairs, Euroa Health is in urgent needofongoing funding, Lifeline Gippsland needs additional funding to meet

Milestone: Traralgon’s Lynette Rawson recently gave her140th blood donation. Photograph supplied

increased demand, and aged care services -such as in Bright or Numurkah-needurgent investment to support our senior citizens. Cruel cuts to communityhealth serviceshavealready been announced by the Andrews Labor government, and importantinfrastructure projects arebeing delayed to prop up asinking budget that has maxedout the public’s credit card.

This budget will be ashocker, but regional healthcareservicesmust be prioritised,especially after yearsofongoing neglect.

Peter Walsh Leader of TheNationals

Get offgas

CONTINUING to warm our homes with gas, a propositionexcitedly supported by TimBalwin, chief executive of GB Energy, would contribute to householdgas beingresponsiblefor about one-third of the state’s total emissions in adozen years.

Arecent report published by Environment Victoria states that if the current rate of gas consumption continues, then gas burned in Victorian homes and small businesses would be responsible for between 29 per centand 37 per cent of the states emissions by 2035, threatening to blow out climate targets.

Householdsare already struggling with high gas prices, and suggestions that we should, quite literally, dig ourselves deeper, serves only to benefit gas companies.

The alternative? Efficient electric appliances such as reverse cycle air conditioners, which can be powered by renewable energy and provide big savings on energy bills.

The best thing we can do for our health,our planet and household budgets is to get off gas and electrify our homes as soon as possible.

Hayley Sestokas

Sale No show

WHY is it that we have an elected member of Parliament with an officeinCommercial Road Morwell, with employees, staff, who are rarely in theoffice,which advertisesopening hours 9am5pmMonday to Friday?

Ihave had alot of visits to this office and made phone calls leaving my contact number, all to no avail.

Not once havethese calls seen answers. This member waselected to represent,and help the people of this area, but sadly this is not happening. Not good enough member.

Stan Walton Morwell

Lack

of integrity

WHEN the Star of the South, promoted by the PM (Prime Minister) and his energy and environment ministers promising their thousands of jobs and millions of megawatts in amarinepark under International Agreement it is aconcern.

The federal governmentsignedInternational Agreements to maintain and protect the Corner Inlet/Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Parks. It’s alsoestimated50per centofoverwintering migratory shorebirds in Victoria occurinthe Corner Inlet/Nooramunga Region.

Internationally, this area is acknowledged to be of such ecology and environmentimportance to warrant the signatory agreement to protect the migratory water birds flyways from Artic to theBass StraitBreedingand WinteringRegion via the east coast of Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania.

These three flyways intersect at the corner Inlet/Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Parks. Several species of local birds migrate through the Furnough Islands (Flinders Island) from Tasmania and Gippsland is acknowledged to havemore than 200 species of birds.

The agreements are as follows, listed below:

1. East Asian Australia Flyway (EAAF)an International agreement and;

2. The Ramsar, International Agreement Countries such as China, RepublicofKorea, Japan and Malaysia are some of the countries having signedAgreements with Australia, who also have wed sites of the (EAAF). No doubt they would be delighted to know they are also being misledbythe PM and his government.The Greens also have alot to answer for in sacrificing this area forcommercial and political appeasement. All past PM’sand Australian governments have had the integrity to maintain these agreements.

The maps of NooramungaMarineand Coastal Park Boundaries supplied by Parks Victoria indicatesthe Star of the South,a600 square kilometre wind farm would be insidethe park.

Parks Victoria marine scientists also acknowledge theCorner Inlet/Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Parks Ocean Ecology is beginning to recover, and this region is the only location of the broad leaf kelp.Turning it into aconstruction zone would certainly not assist and further recovery.

The federal governmentDepartment of Environment and Energy website 'Celebrating Australia’s MigratoryWaterbirdsand their Habitats' acknowledges the importance of this area to the survival of the migratory Waterbirds. Many of these species are on the endangered list and due to constructionssuch as a600 square km wall of wind turbines in their fly way would certainly add more.

Annually,thousands of whales migrate from the SouthernOcean to 'navigate the Gippsland and East coast of Australia', to winter and breed in

Queensland waters. They would also be confronted by the great wall of wind turbines.

Bryan Kesby Traralgon

Mental health help

AFEW years ago Iwrote an article about my mental health struggles and how the many wonderful staff at Latrobe Mental Health Services (LMHS) in Washington Street, Traralgon, supported me. They stepped in and literally saved my life.

Today, seven years on, Iamdoing wonderfully. I recently retiredfromworksix months ago and I’m enjoying nothaving aschedule. So much time for leisure and quality time with my friendsand family.

But some aren't as lucky as Iam.

Mental health is stillunderrated. Mental health is still stigmatised. Mental health needs more transparency. Mental health needs more funds, more education, and so many more nurses and doctors in that field.

Iamonmeds for crippling anxiety and will be for along time. One of the side effects is weight gain and yes, Ihave been body shamed.

But, thanks to LMHS for giving me the tools and confidence to say it is not okay, Ican now now speak instead of feeling rejected. Speak for myself and for all the others who are battling anxiety and depression every day.

LMHS, Ihave nothing but praise for them, maybe many don't. They laid the foundations for me,helped me buildaround it, as hardasitcan be andevenwhenyou felt so out of your depth, they never made me feel Iwas out of theirs.

Again LMHS, thank you!

Jennifer Makowski Traralgon

If you or someone you know is suffering, phone BeyondBlueon1300224 636, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Have your say

THE Latrobe Valley Express welcomes letters to the editor.

Preference will be given to brief, concise letters which address local issues.

The editor Liam Durkin, reserves the right to edit letters for reasonsofspace and clarity, and may refuse to publish any letter without explanation.

The Express does not publish letters from anonymous contributors.

Letters must include aphone number, email address and the author's hometown for purposes of substantiating authenticity. Readers are entitled to one right of reply to aletter directed at them.

The views expressed in letters to the editor are those of thewriters, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Latrobe Valley Express management or staff.

Email letterstonews@lvexpress.com.au and include 'letter to the editor' in the subject line.

Deadline for letters is Thursday 3pm.

Carbon capture conflictcontinues

COMMENT

BY BRONYALIPSKI

TRADE Minister and state treasurer, Tim Pallas, has recently beeninJapan negotiating adeal to convert browncoal from the Latrobe Valley into so-called ‘cleanhydrogen’ whichrelies on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.

However, it seems he forgottosend the memo to his state government colleagues, with Lily D’Ambrosio, Victoria’s climate action and energy minister,questioning the financial underpinnings of the deal -namely that the money currently put on the table by the Japanese proponent won’t cover the costs involved in the unproven carbon capture and storage facility.

“100per cent of that risk …sits with Victorians,” she lamented.

The $2.35billion funding from Japan Suiso Energy, acquired through the Japanese government’sGreen Innovation Fund,was intended to mark the start of the “commercial demonstration phase”ofthe HydrogenEnergy SupplyChain (HESC) project, which last year delivered asingle tonne of liquid hydrogen to Japan through the Port of Hastings.

The new phase of the HESC plan quickly brought tensions within the Andrews government to the fore -along with Lily D’Ambrosio refusing to support any new fossil fuel projects.Premier Dan Andrews has referred to the CCS technology behind it as ‘unproven’.

Minister D’Ambrosio and Premier Andrews are right. The proposalhas serious environmental implications not just for residents of the Latrobe Valley where the coal-to-hydrogen facility would be built, and Hastings where the hydrogen would be exported, but it would also significantly undermine Victoria’s ambitious emissions reduction

and renewable energy targets that it has in place.

Risks for the Latrobe ValleyCoal-generated hydrogen obviouslyrequires coal.The source for this project is proposedtocome fromLatrobe Valley, where the monumental task of rehabilitatingthree brown coal mines remains the focus for the next fewyears.

For this project to becomeareality,itwould require either extending the life of AGL’sLoy Yang mine -the only mine with an expansion approval that could sustain asupply of coal in the medium term -oranew coal mine will need to be dug.

The implications for Hastings and Western Port if this project advances are also disturbing.

Local groups are already raising concerns about yet another commercial export terminal proposal for Western Port, which is also the preferred location for importing renewable energy infrastructure. And that isn’t to mention the long pipelines required to pipe coal-generated hydrogen to Westernport and to the offshore CCS site in adecommissioned gas pocket in Bass Strait.

Make no mistake: what we are being sold here is afossil fuel industry grift, and Victorians need to know what Pallas’ reasoning is. Carbon capture andstorage -banking on an unproven technology.

Carbon capture and storage is toutedasamiracle solution that can prolong the life of fossil fuel projects or justify new ones by reducing emissions -but allthe evidence we have shows that CCS will never be azero-emissions solution.

It involves capturing,transporting and storing greenhouse gas emissions(in this case from acommercialcoal-to-hydrogenmanufacturingfacility) by injecting the captured greenhouse gases back into the ground, requiring massive new infrastructure and pipelines.

Previous projects such as Chevron’s Gorgon gas

plant in Western Australia thathaveattempted to utilise CCS technology have been an epic -and very expensive -failure.

Even when carbon can actually be captured from afossil-fuel facility, and transported safely to the CCS site offshore, keeping the carbon in place so it doesn’t escape again, is virtually impossible.

In Australia, the coal and gas industry is jumping on the theory of CCS as ajustification to keep its pollutingprojects going past their use-by dates, but CCS is likely to be six times more expensive than energy produced by renewable energy backed by storage -sowhy would we be pursuing it?

But what about ‘clean hydrogen'?

For the past few years, ‘clean hydrogen’has been seized on by the fossil fuel industry that knows its days are numbered as alastditch effort to keep drilling and expand existing mining infrastructure. According to arecent ANU study headed by Dr Fiona Beck, turning fossil fuels into hydrogen is always going to be dirtier than using renewable energy.

Dr Beckand her colleagues did acomparative study of the amount of carbon released using the same method as is being proposed for the Latrobe Valley, and concluded that creating hydrogenfrom brown coal would release 40 kilograms of CO2 for each unit of energy produced -way too much to be considered low-carbon or meet Victoria’s current emissions targets.

No wonderMinister D’Ambrosio is now speaking out against this proposal. If it goes ahead (which now seems unlikely) it would pose serious risks to Victoria’s environment while undermining the stategovernment’s own emissions reductiongoals. Bronya Lipski, who grew up in the Latrobe Valley, is currently the Policy and Advocacy Manager for Environment Victoria

Children's choir

GIPPSLAND Children’s Choir (GCC)is anew venture in Latrobe Valley.

Thisyearencompasses the spirit of learning through introducing children to achoir experience.

GCC is an opportunity forour artistic and musical children to learn skills around building confidence and resilience while working in ateam environment.

Children are taught skills around vocal technique, projection, tone and balance, all while having afun and positive experience in their learning.

The children at GCC have been rehearsing in two venues, Traralgon and Moe,and come togetherfor massed rehearsalsand performances, building community connectionsbetween children and working towards performances at arange of local events

This term, you will see GCC at the Positive Ageing Concert with Latrobe Orchestra, the Morwell Schools Showcase, as well as aperformance at Mid Valley.

This choir is alocal children’s choir for our local community and we take pride in performingatcommunity events for the local community.

Thisterm, GCC is alsoholding a junior uke program in Moe,looking at introducing children to the ukulele through positive learning experiences and afun atmosphere.

These sessionsare held over three weeks on May 9, 16 and 23.

GCC is always welcoming new members, and no experience is necessary.

This choir is directed by professional andexperienced music teachers Rebekah Warner and Caroline Crawford. Both teachers are local and well respected musicians in primary and secondary schools in the area, as well as anumberofcommunity music groups.

Moerehearsals are held at the Moe Town Hall on Tuesday afternoons from 5pm to 6pm. Traralgon rehearsals are each Thursday from4.15pm to 5.15pm at TheVRI,QueensParade Traralgon.

Please email gippslandchildrenschoir@gmail.com for further information.

Moe ArtSociety

MOE Art Society is open for members every Thursday and on Fridays except the fourth Friday of each month.

The hoursare any time from9am until 3.30 pm.

The society has been fortunate enough to havegained some new members, and the decision was made to have the two days when the facility was available to use so members have achoiceofdays and hours. Some will use the two days and others choose which day and time. Recently, the group enjoyed ademonstration by Dianne Goulding regarding her work on Icons. The method is very time-consuming andwhencompleted very beautiful. Abig thanks to Dianne for giving us her time with such an interesting talk.

Lastmonth’s challenge depicting movement was well represented from the members. Lovely work and lots of different definitions of movement.

This month’s challengeisAutumn. There is alot of differentconcepts of Autumn so we are looking forward to seeing the results.

During May, the work of Alex Rojas

CommunityCorner with Liam

and Sue Adrichem can be viewed at the Moe Library. There are some beautiful displays by other artists throughout the library for the public to view.

For any enquiries regarding the society, phone our secretary Peter McLaren on 0417 568 279 or the president on 0407 271 686.

Visitors andnew members are welcome.

Men’s shed supporting CFA

APROJECTfunded by the Responsible Wood organisation enabled the volunteers of the Traralgon Men’s Shed to construct furniture items and then donate these to CFA Brigades across Gippsland.

Members of the men’s shed made eight bench seats and eight picnictables, with the cost of materials covered by agrant from Responsible Wood.

The Resposible Wood organisation are committed to protectionand promoting Australia’s unique environments with standards thatensure aforestindustry that is environmentally,socially, culturally and commercially sustainable.

ResponsibleWood was delighted to be able to support the project, believing the idea of one community organisation assisting another, as acompelling and

great idea.

Traralgon Men's Shed secretary and treasurer, Lyn Matthews, said “the bench seats and picnic tables will be a long lasting benefit to the CFA volunteers across Gippsland, and members will continue to make items for CFA as funding becomes available."

This project was awin-win project, in which men’s shed members provided their time and abilities in the shed to make furniture items and then donate them to the CFA brigades.

Traralgon Men’s Shed members value the CFA volunteers whodonate their time assisting the community,and have not forgotten the CFA volunteers dedication and commitment to the fires of 2019/2020.

The Traralgon Men’sShed offers individuals aplace to engage in hands on activities and to interact with others, andbydoing so, develop asense of meaningand value around the process of completing projects in the shed.

Men and womenare welcome to be members of our Shed.

Throughshared experiences in the shed, members make friends, build anetworkofemotional supportand develop asense of belonging.

The health andwellbeing aspect of the ‘Men’s Shed’ is perhaps its greatest benefit.

Traralgon Men’s Shed is located at 5 Howitt Street, Traralgon and is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8am to 3pm.

Pieces of Paradise

ON Friday, May 26 from 7.30pm, the speaker at the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists' Club (LVFNC)meeting in the Moe Library, George St, Moe (in person or via Zoom) is Tania Ireton. Her topic is 'PiecesofParadiseAustralia’s Northwest Islands' covering trips to Ashmore Reef, the Lascepedes and to Cocos and Christmas Islands. Sheisanexcellent presenter and will share her extensive knowledge and photographs from this area.Taniais one of the leadingAustralianbirders. Her current total of sighted species in Australia and its’ territories, is 858 birds.

Visitors are most welcome.The presentation willbefollowed by our LVFNC's monthly meeting. There is an excursion the next day to the Gurdies and Corinella. For more information, phone our secretary on 0410 237 292. Pleasevisit our website at lvfieldnats. org to register if you wish to use Zoom.

Aviculture(Birds)

GIPPSLANDBranch of Avicultural SocietyInc. and Gippsland Cage Bird Society Inc.

Our clubs are about keeping and appreciating birds and we meet every third Sunday of the month at different member’s homes.

Our clubs are extremely friendly and welcome new members. The most important thing is that you can keep one bird or many, it does not matter.

We are holding our annual bird expo on Sunday, May 28 at our new venue of Drouin Bellbird Park Indoor Centre (270 Settlement Road, Drouin).

Thetrade area for all your bird needs will be open from 10am, and the bird expo/sales start at 11am.

Please come and join us. It is the

opportunity to talk to the breeders and learn more about the keeping and the welfare of birds.

For more information,please phone president David on 0428 518 646.

Maryvale Probus

MEMBERS from the Maryvale Probus Clubvisited Yinnartoview the Gippsland Sculpture Exhibition.

Located in various street positions and the Arc gallery, members were fascinated by the various sculptures on display. They then enjoyed asocial lunch at the Yinnar Hotel.

Probus club members can engage in various activities, social and friendship gatherings, which include breakfasts and lunches,visitstointeresting venues, and amonthly general meeting.

Guest speakers are invitedtomost monthly meetings, and give members an insight into relative issues of retirees, and/orinterestingtopics of everyday life.

If you wishtoascertain if Probus is asuitable extension of your retired or semi-retired life, please come along to amonthly meeting held at 10am on the third Thursday of each month in the ANZAC room at the Morwell RSL. You will be most welcome.

Bushwalking club

OUR beautiful autumn days are getting alittle colder, but that can make for perfect walking weather!

April had alot of fun activities taking place at the Strzelecki Walking Club, including walks in the Powelltown and Mt Worth areas,and from Korumburra to Loch on the rail trail just to name afew.

The month of May also has many excellent pursuits on offer to members and visitors alike. There will be several walks in theWalhallaregion and awalk to the summit of Mt Nichol.

We will be having agroup walk around Lindner Creak which is in the Morwell National Park. There truly is something for everyone with kayaking

Durkin

Soar: Male Great FrigateBirdonChristmas Island. Photograph Tania Ireton

Get involved: TheGippsland Children’s Choir is up and running

Photograph supplied

and cyclingdays listed on the itinerary also.

Our next club night will be tonight (May10) in the Trafalgar ScoutHall beginningat7.30pm. Our guest speaker is WendyCartledgewho is avery experienced and knowledgeable local bush walker. Shewill discuss several extended day walks that are available in our district. Visitors are welcome to attend.

Safety has been afocus of the Strzelecki Bushwalking Club in 2023.

The committeehas arranged aoneday leader’s training, amap reading day, and there will be an up comingfirst aid training day. This extralearning has beenundertaken by peoplewishing to upskill themselves in leading small groups.

The aimofthis is to empower our group leaders to deliver an enjoyable, safe, and well organised activity to all members.

The month of April sawthe Strzelecki Bushwalking Club welcome three new and keen walkers to our group. Our club is extremely welcoming to people who wouldlike to come and have ago, so if you are interested, please do not hesitatetoseek further information by visiting our website at sbwc.org.au, or our Facebook page or by emailing publicity@sbwc.org.au

Traralgon Bridge Club

RESULTS for May 1, 2and 4.

Monday -1st DonTyleeand Helen McAdam 67.50 per cent; 2nd Marion Taylor and Kevin Taylor (65.00)

Tuesday -N/S 1st Greg Nicholson and Kaye Douglas (66.30); 2nd Alan Johnston and John Sutton (63.56 E/W). 1st John French and Deborah Anglim (59.16); 2nd Carol Cheyne and Fred Kaminski (56.11).

Thursday- N/S 1st Don Tylee and Helen McAdam (62.14); 2nd Fred Kaminski and Heather Henley (56.43 E/W). 1st Ken Tierney and Anna Field (69.17); 2nd Marion and Kevin Taylor

(68.75).

The club held avery successful interclub challenge with South Gippsland recently. Everyone enjoyed the scrumptious afternoon tea provided by the members.

The was 52 happy bridge players.

Old Gippstown fundraiser

OLD Gippstown is fundraising for the CancerCouncilVictoria witha Biggest MorningTea event on Friday, June 30 at 10am.

Tickets for this amazing charity are $28 whichincludes your morningtea food, tea and coffee.

Tickets are availablethrough Eventbriteattinyurl.com/ycksvxhw or getintouch with the park for further info.

It’s aDog’s Day event is on again at Old Gippstown on May 28.

Bring your fur baby along for agreat day withstalls, avet onsite, coffee vans and activities. Stall holders still welcome to attend.

Phone Old Gippstown on 5127 3082 for more information.

TRAMPS ride

ON Sunday, April 23 agroup of 18 riders met at the Moe Botanical Gardens for aTRAMPS(Traralgonand Morwell Pedallers Inc.) ride to Morwell.

The ride began along the Moe-Yallourn Rail Trail, with its beautifulavenue of trees all along the way, interesting oldbridges, an awesome view of Lake Narracan, and many people out walking; some with their dogs, all made it apleasant start to the day.

The well-constructed track beside Waterhole Creek into Morwell is always apleasure to ride.

Arriving at the new barbecue shelter at Kernot Hall for lunch, we were able to have birthday celebrations for two of our members. Our return route along the quietroadssouth of the highway took us to arelaxing finish in acoffee house in Moe.

TRAMPS rode from Traralgon to Stratfordonthe Gippsland Plains Rail Trail last weekend.

TRAMPS welcomes new riders. For more information visit our website at tramps.org.au or our go to our Facebook page.

Club contacts are Paul (0459 823 422) or Vance (0403 662 288).

Morwell Historical Society

THE Morwell Historical Society invites you to visit our rooms on our open days in May (Wednesday, May 17 or Sunday, May 28) from 11am to 2pm. By popular demand we still have our Morwell North School displays up, plus alot more. We also have our member’s gathering on Wednesday, May 17 at 2pm whichis an informal gathering where members and visitorscan mingle, share stories and enjoy afternoon tea. We hope to see you there. For any enquiries please phone 0409 436 019.

Get together

CARERS from former Latrobe City Carers group are trying to keep in contactwithasmanycarers as possible. Someofusare gettingtogether for lunch on Friday, May 19 at Chinese restaurant, George Street, Morwell, from 12 noon.

If you are interested in keeping in touch and would like to joinusfor lunch, please phoneElizabeth on 0414 962 615 or 5135 3440 or Sandra on 0411 475 666. This is open to all carers who were in

the former group and we would like for us all to keep in touch withone another

If your circumstances have changed you are still welcome to attend.

Moe Cancer Council

THE Moe and District Cancer Council Volunteer Group willhost Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea on Thursday, May 18 at the Moe RSL from 10am till12 noon.

Entry will be $10 per person. Come along and enjoy acuppa anda chat with friends, and enjoy aselection of our delicious sandwiches, slices, cakes and scones. We will also have atrading table and raffle.

Our next meeting will be on Monday, May22atthe MoeRSL from 1.30pm. New members welcome.

Chess results

MATT Bolding was undefeated, following on from the much appreciated help given to new player Quinton Morgan. Also in fine form was Peter Bakker, losing only one game.

Ian Hamilton waspunished for the errors.

Trevor Morgan gained plenty from the support of Cliff Thornton,who then completed the round in some tight games against others. Some insightfulobservations were provided by Lisa Morgan.

For more detailsonlocal chess, call Cliff Thornton on 0413 330 458 or Ian Hamilton on 5134 1971.

Traralgon Cancer Council

FOLLOWING on from being announced as the highest fundraisersinVictoria lastyear,the Traralgon Group of the Cancer Council are having their biggest morning tea on Friday, May 16 at the Traralgon Tennis Centre (Franklin St Traralgon).

It will commence at 10am till 12pm with the cost of $10 for entry. There will be heaps of delicious food, raffles, trading table, and the ever popular $100 note game.

Come along and enjoy the fun, great home cooking,while you are supporting agreat causeraising money to find a cure for cancer.

Bring your friends as well -itwill be agreat morning!

Ben Cruachan Club walks

BEN Cruachan Walking Club provides adiverse range of walks for those who enjoy the great outdoors.

On Sunday, April 30, the Briagolong State Forest was the setting for avery pleasant eight kilometre circuit. Leaving from the Blue Pools carpark along the Freestone Creek, walkers enjoyed fine weather.

The area was agold mining area from the mid 1860’sthrough to the early 1900’s. An old mine shaft wasseen along the track which was fenced off and boarded up for obvious reasons. The walkalong the creek was initially rocky underfoot, with asmall climb up to the lookoutoverlooking the Blue Pool below. From there it became gently undulating and easy underfoot. This part of the track forms the beginning of Track 96 (60km one way)which originally serviced the needs of miners during the 1800’s and early1900’s, linking Briagolongand Gladstone Creek to the goldfieldsatLees Creek andGranite Creek.

At McKinnon Point, walkers left Track 96 and stopped for morning tea on the banks of the lovely Freestone Creek.

With the high cliffs as abackdropthis made for avery pleasant stop. After refreshments, walkers then made their way alongthe Peregrine WalkingTrack, which is awell-constructed and nicely maintained track winding up, through magnificent SunshineWattle in full bloom, to Peregrine Lookout.

After lunch, walkers made their way back to the BluePool alongthe Freestone CreekTrack through dry open forest made up of predominantly Red Box, Stringybark and Ironbark. Anicely placed plank across the creek belowthe Blue Pool allowedfor another dry foot creek crossing. Afterwards, walkers regrouped at Briagolong for afinalchatover aquick coffee before thetrip home.

Youcan be apartof Community Corner

IF you are acommunity group and have any news itemsyou need publicised, feel free to email us at news@ lvexpress.com.au

You can address the correspondence to Editor, Liam Durkin.

Please write 'Community Corner' in the subject line and nothing else.

Deadline is Friday 9am to appear in the following Wednesday issue.

Great outdoors: Strzelecki Bushwalkersatthe Sale Wetlands led by Joanne Leviston (middleback) Photograph supplied

Great work: Traralgon Men’s Shed helped builda number of items forlocal CFA. Photograph supplied

Well played: Local bridge action in Traralgon. Photograph supplied

GIPPSLAND Steel Centre has been in operation since 1999,providing customersacross the region with the largest rangeofsteel,roofing and accessories

With 40 yearsofvaluable industry experience,their staffare able to tailor their services to meet the needs of customers.

Count on them to always be prompt, reliable,customer oriented, and to always provide superior products

Being family-owned, Gippsland Steel areproud of their abilityto offerpersonalised services to their customers, and will makesureto provide youwith an option to suit your needs

Whether you’dliketopickupyour products or have them deliveredto your site, they will gladlyaccommodateyou.

Gippsland Steel Centre is proud to be home to the largest steel product inventoryinGippsland.

Come to them fortop-quality materials and reliable delivery services

Whether yourequireasmall

ARE YOU

INTO

MOODLE

Phone:

In

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Mail: Latrobe Valley Express, “Attention Classifieds’’ 21 George Street, Morwell 3840

Newsagents:

Most Newsagents act as our agents and will accept your advertisements up until the same deadlines as above

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When placing your advertisement over the phone or via email you charge it to your Mastercard or Visa

Door Installer

MOE South, 193 Service Road, Saturday, 8.30am start. Lego, electronics, ladies clothes, baby clothes, campervan and more.

Old Port Poultry Farm

3Gum Trees

BUDGET BLINDS Lenny

MORWELL, 34 Avondale Rd, Sat. 9-3. Mother's Day Sale! Free hot dogs and coffee, property sold, everything MUST GO! Plants, garden pots, antq. furniture (bedrm), dining table and chairs, bookcase, crockery, household goods, books, craft, large wheelchair (very comfy), tools, fishing gear, art work and lots lots more.

MOVING SALE

MORWELL, 3Beatrice Crt, Sat. and Sun. 8am start. All tools incl. lawnmower, workshop shelving and ladder, dining setting, lounge suite (as new), recliners, small chests of drawers, occasional tables and coffee table, antiques, books, lamps, crystal and crockery etc. No reasonable offers refused.

ONE MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE!!

With an audience of over 76,000 you’re guaranteed to reachMORE locals than Facebook ADVERTISEYOUR GARAGE SALE IN THE EXPRESS TO REACH MORE LOCALS 5135 4455

The land affected by the application is located at: 11 Saskia Way, Morwell

The application is for apermit for: Removal of restrictive covenant contained in

The

Moe Self Storage

various

Contact Strzelecki Realty

5127 1333.

Responsibility PLEASE CHECK YOUR AD

Any person who may be affected by the granting of a permit may object or make other submissions to the Responsible Authority.

objection must: (*) be sent to the Responsible Authority in writing; (*) include the reasons for the objection; (*) state how the objector would be affected.

The Responsible Authority will not decide the application before: 25 May 2023

If you object, the Responsible Authority will tell you of its decision.

PROPOSAL 5G UPGRADE TO EXISTING MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION

Address: Monopole -110 Trovatello Place, Tyers 3844 ()

Reference: M0126 Tyers Lookout

1. The proposed works include the addition of new 4G &5Gequipment and associated works including the replacement of 4existing panel antennas (less than 2.8m in long); the replacement of 14 existing remote radio units (RRUs) with 8 new RRUs; and ancillary equipment including but not limited to GPS antenna, mast head amplifiers, deplixers, combiners, antenna mounts, cable trays, fibre and electrical cabling necessary for the operation or proper functioning of the low-impact facility.

2. Optus regards the proposed installation as a Low-impact Facility under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 based on the description above.

Personals

NEWSPRINT REEL ENDS

Price: $11 GST incl.

Available at the Latrobe Valley Express Office 21 George Street Morwell

Enquiries: 5135 4444

EUROPEAN handsome man, 65 yrs young, looking for friendship, possibly relationship. Non smoker/ gambler or drinker. Enjoys dancing, music and fishing, to travel around Australia in amotorhome, prefer Asian lady up to 55 yrs old. 0421 825 387.

For Sale •

to ADVERTISERS and RESPONDENTS Voicemail introductions advertisements and voice messages may only be submitted by persons 18 years and older. When making contact with people for the first time, it is advisable to meet in apublic place and let amember of your family or atrusted friend know where you will be.

We would advise readers and advertisers to exercise caution and giving out personal details. This will be respected by genuine respondents.

3. The proposed infrastructure will comply with the ACMA EME regulatory arrangements. An EME Report and further information can be obtained at www.rfnsa.com.au/3844003.

4. In accordance with Section 7ofC564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, we invite you to provide feedback about the proposal. Further information and/or comments should be directed to: Reinier Hanekom (Plan Consult Town Planning), 0754306632, Suit 6-10, 28 Eenie Creek Road, Noosaville, 4566 or info@planconsult.com.au by 5pm on 26/5/23.

ELECTRICIAN

Please check your ad on the firstday and bring any errorsto the attention of the Classifieds Department immediately The LatrobeValley Express makes everyefforttoavoid errors. We regret that we cannot be responsible forany errors beyond the first day if you fail to bring it to our attention. No allowances canbemade for errors not materiallyaffecting the effectiveness of the ad. Position cannot will not be guaranteed.

All claims foradjustment of credit must be made within seven days afterbilling date. We reservethe right to revise or restrictany ad we deem objectionable and to change the classification when necessaryto conform to the policyof this newspaper In the event an adisomitted from publication, we assumeno liabilityfor suchomission.

GARDENING DONE, pruning, planting, weeding, small jobs through to large jobs, shed clean ups, rubbish removal, etc. Reasonable rates, pens. disc. Under NDIS the cost of services may be covered by your Care Provider. Reliable and efficient. Police check. Fully insured. 18 yrs exp. Chauncy The Gardener. ABN 17268203656. Call Richard 0401 345 345.

Gas Appliances

IAN'S PROPERTY SERVICES

ABN: 33646809284

● General Carpentry

● Painting

● Flat pack installation

● Tiling

● Landscaping and Decking

● And so much more Phone 0438 090 701

HELLO BABY IN THE EXPRESS

The Latrobe Valley Express welcomes photos of your newest arrival

Parents are welcome to email a copy of your newborn photos for publication to our editorial staff - news@lvexpress com au with the subject line ‘baby photo

Please include the following details:

Baby’s first and middle name/s Baby’s surname

D O B

Mum s maiden name Mum and Dad’s names

ARE

YOU WANTING TO BUY?

Firewood, Hay, a Car, Caravan or Boat, Furniture??

Or are you just looking for a new career??

Reach MORE than just Facebook friends -REACH THE WHOLE LATROBE VALLEY

5135 4455

TOONGABBIE MECHANICS INSTITUTE COMMITTEE INC.

Notice is given of a PUBLIC MEETING

to be held at the Toongabbie Mechanics Institute Meeting Room on Wednesday 14th June 2023 commencing at 7.30pm

The purpose of the meeting is to nominate no less than three (3) or more than nine (9) persons as the Committee of Management for the Toongabbie Mechanics Institute Committee for a term of three years. The current committee's term will expire on 14th June 2023. All positions will be declared open and nominations will be accepted prior to or on the night. Nominations from women, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, young people and people from culturally diverse backgrounds areencouraged.

Further information, nomination forms and nominee declaration forms may be obtained by contacting your local Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action office or at the meeting. For further enquiries please contact the Secretary, Mark Woods on 5192 4509.

Factory Maintenance

SCHOOL BUS DRIVER

Aposition exists for acasual School Bus Driver based from our Trafalgar depot working split shifts at AM and PM school times.

Need aPlumber?

Plastering Plasterin

ADVERTISERS

PLEASE NOTE:

Much hardship and difficulty is caused to job seekers by misleading advertising placed in the employment columns. Our Situations Vacant columns are reserved for advertisements which carry aspecific and genuine offer of employment. Ads for `Business Opportunities' and `Training Courses' and `Employment Services' should be submitted under those headings. Placing misleading ads is an offence against the Trades

PLUMBING

General plumbing, repairs/ maintenance, drainage and sewerage, roofing and guttering. Blocked drain, sewer and storm water and 4000 PSI drain hydro cleaning. Small jobs welcome.

Business Opportunities •

Looking for a lifestyle change?

Wanting to be your own boss?

Jim's Mowing is looking for aFranchisee in the Latrobe Valley area.

CONTACT 131 546

For ano-obligation free Info Kit

Situations Vacant

LETTERBOX DISTRIBUTORS WANTED

DO YOU NEED EXTRA $$$$?

MRA Distributors are seeking individuals and families, community groups, sporting groups and schools to participate in the distribution of Telephone Directories.

This is agreat opportunity to earn those extra $$$$ to help with household expenses or to fundraise. ABN essential. Contact Kerri 0429 214 229 or info@mrad.com.au and leave your name, contact number and area/s of interest

•

Lecturer in Clinical Skills EducationMonash Rural Health Churchill

Job No.: 645291

Location: Monash Rural Health Churchill

Employment Type: Part-time, fraction (0.2 -0.6)

Duration: Continuing appointment(s)

Remuneration: Pro-rata of $107,311 -$127,432 pa

Level B(plus 17% employer superannuation)

● Design, implement and innovate clinical and procedural skills

● Drive your own learning at one of the world's top 80 universities

● Be surrounded by extraordinary ideas - and the people who discover them

The Opportunity Monash Rural Health Churchill is seeking to appoint Lecturers in Clinical Skills and Medical Education to work as part of a team developing and maintaining the Graduate entry MD Year A clinical skills teaching program.

Successful candidates will contribute to program administration, the preparation of teaching materials and their delivery, and assessment, as well as the use of simulation in clinical skills education. The role in assessment involves the writing of questions for written examinations and the preparation of practical examinations held during the year.

We are looking for individuals with medical qualifications (i.e. MBBS or MD) recognised in Australia and have significant clinical experience and hold current medical registration with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Applicants must have aFellowship or are working towards one, from arecognised Australian College (i.e. RACGP, FACP, etc).

These roles are part-time; however, flexible working arrangements may be negotiated. We are seeking candidates for multiple part-time positions available (up to a0.6 fraction).

Enquiries

Dr Sean Atkinson, +61 39902 7106

Closing Date Thursday 18 May 2023, 11:55pm AEDT

For further information, Position Description and to apply, please visit: www.monash.edu/jobs

Search Job No.: 645291

Applicants must hold or be willing to obtain:

● Acurrent Drivers Accreditation Certificate

● Heavy vehicle license (MR)

● AWorking with Children Check Apply to: Warragul Bus Lines 23 Burke St, Warragul or phone 5623 5377 or email admin@warragulbuslines.com.au

ELECTRICAL DRAFTSPERSON

Pro Draft Pty Ltd is awell-established engineering drafting company based in Latrobe Valley, Victoria.

We are seeking to recruit an experienced Electrical Draftsperson to help service our clients within the Latrobe Valley power and manufacturing industries.

The successful applicant will be required to work as an enthusiastic member of an on-site engineering team and be responsible for the creation of electrical drawings to client standards and timeframes.

Applicants must have asuitable engineering / drafting qualification or trade background and a thorough knowledge of Microstation CAD software.

Expressions of interest, together with acurrent CV outlining academic qualifications and relevant experience should be forwarded to: reception@prodraft.com.au by 5pm, 19 May 2023

HUMAN RESOURCES and OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

McInnes Earthmoving is acivil construction company, with operations across Victoria in road, rail, water infrastructure and forestry. We are seeking ahighly motivated, reliable, and responsible individual who can add value to our company. The position is located in the Heyfield office, and hours of work are 7.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Duties will include:

● Dealing with correspondence, emails, phone calls, portals and day-to-day administrative support

● Organising meetings, training and appointments

● Booking and arranging travel, transport and accommodation

● Assist with seeking, completing, submitting and organising quotes/tenders

● General office administration, purchasing, documentation and form creation, note taking, registers and meeting minutes

● Providing clear concise information to avariety of stakeholders including employees, corporate clients, councils, training agencies, and government agencies

Your Experience:

● Previous experience in asimilar position

● Proactive attitude and initiative

● Exceptional organisational, communication and writing skills

● High level of attention to detail

● Good time management and planning skills

● Ability to work accurately and efficiently within required timeframes

● High-level knowledge of Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Outlook, and Excel

Operations Manager

DJN Electrical

DJN is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to oversee the daily operations of our Industrial Electrical contracting business. The ideal candidate will be responsible for managing all aspects of the business, including project management, customer service, and team supervision. This role requires acombination of technical knowledge, leadership skills, and business acumen.

● Electrical trade or engineering qualification.

● Experience in industrial electrical contracting, with at least 3years in aleadership role.

● Competent technical knowledge of electrical systems.

● Project management skills.

● Leadership and team management skills.

● Customer service and communication skills.

● Analytical and problem-solving skills.

● Experience with simPRO job management software is an advantage. Please email cover letter &resume to: JENNI@DJN.com.au

www.gippslandports.vic.gov.au/employment.php

● Demonstrated ability to work in ateam environment, but also self-managing

● Current Victorian driver's licence

Please send resume to: office@mcinnesearthmoving.com.au

Situations Vacant • Situations Vacant • Tenders •

Classifieds

If you love the outdoors and working in ateam environment then this could be the job for you.

We are aSpecialist Wholesale Native Plant Propagation Nursery located in Heyfield. We are currently seeking an enthusiastic self motivated person to join our team. Experience is preferred but not essential.

The position will be on acasual basis with the opportunity for apermanent role for the right candidate.

You must have apositive attitude and good work ethic.

We are also offering an opportunity for an apprenticeship for ayoung energetic person who would like to begin their career in Horticulture.

Duties will include but not limited to:

● Propagation

● Grading of stock

● Potting

● General nursery work

If you think this might be the opportunity for you please email your resume to: sales@wildtechnursery.com.au or call 03 51482 635

Support Worker

We have several exciting opportunities for Support Workers to support people with Autism and other complex disabilities at our Active Choice Services in Newborough and Accommodation Services in Traralgon. We have avariety of hours available across our sites. If you have experience, or a desire to start your career and get qualified while working, we want to hear from you!

You will possess the ability to work as part of ateam and maintain positive relationships with clients and their families, colleagues and management.

School Leaver Employment Support (SLES) Coordinator

Fulham Correctional Centre -Sale

Tenders for the supply of food/produce for the Fulham Correctional Centre for the period 1st July 2023 to 30th June 2024 are being sought.

Separate tenders are called for the following categories:

● Bread Products (Fresh Bread &Bread Rolls)

● Dairy Products (excluding Milk/Cream)

● Milk and Cream

● Eggs

● Fruit and Vegetables

● Wholesale Dry &Frozen Goods (includes Frozen Seafood)

● Fresh Meat

● Halal Meat

● Smallgoods

● Poultry

Successful bidders should be able to demonstrate capacity to meet the demands of supply for a900+ bed facility, price stability for the fixed term, delivery and service.

Tender documents will be supplied on request.

For further details contact Kim Andrew Food Services Manager on 5142 3808 or email fulhamfoodservices@geogroup.com.au

Situations Vacant •

Advertise your EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYAD with us to MAKE THE MOST of your media coverage

FORD TERRITORY 2012 TS, silver 7seats 146,000K's diesel, ZIG263 TBar, Local car $16,500. RWC. Ph 0406 659 920 1983 PORSCHE, Ex rally car, roll cage new set road tyres, extra wheels and tyres. $10,000 ono. Ph: 0419 385 128. Cars •

HOLDEN ASTRA

2001 model, auto, mech. sound, reg. until August, 225,000kms, QYS-731, $550. Ph 0419 655 858.

MOTORING

SPECIAL Minimum 6lines$56 without aphoto or $70withacolour photo

•

4455 or email classifieds@lvexpress.com.au

us today on 5135

LatrobeCityCouncilhasexcitingopportunitiesforenthusiasticand forward-thinkingindividualswithapassionforprovidingexcellent servicestoourcommunity

• CoordinatorBuildingServices - Coor torBuilding Services -Permanent Full Time

• Fitness InstructorInstructor -Casual

• Duty Manager-LeisureManager -Leisure- Casual

• Customer ServiceOfficer /Lifeguard-Casual

• LearntoSwimInstructorLearntoSwimInstructor- Casual

• Hospitality &EventsOfficer&EventsOfficer- Casual

• CleanerClea Casual

• Preschooland Childcare –MultiplePositions - Childcare– Multiple PositionsCasual

Forfurtherinformationincludinghow toapply,positiondescriptionsand applicationclosingdates,pleasevisitour websitewww.latrobe.vic.gov.au/careers

Pleasenotesuccessfulapplicantswillbe requiredtoapplyforandsatisfactorilyobtain

aNationalPoliceCheckandWorkingwith

ChildrenCheck

The role focuses on supporting clients to build employment readiness including customer service, time management, money handling, independent travel, effective communication, and learning how to take instruction at work.

You will deliver our SLES program to help clients to prepare, look for, gain, and maintain employment. You will provide meaningful, individualised capacity building activities so that our customers can achieve their own employment goals.

Keepingyou in touch withthe employmentmarket

Classifieds

It’s

easy,

Forklift Driver, HR Driver and Van Driver positions (Casual/Relief)

VFS Morwell

Victorian Freight Specialists (VFS) is aprivately owned company that has been in operation for over 20 years.

With 6depots based in Dandenong, Truganina, Geelong, Morwell, Echuca and Wodonga and over 200 employees, VFS strives to achieve the best for its staff and customers.

Due to recent expansion of its company fleet and depot, VFS is currently seeking aperson or persons to fill casual positions.

We require an experienced Forklift, HR and Van driver. Or can you do all?

The main responsibility of the forklift role is to unload/load trucks ready for travel. There will be some sorting of freight involved as well. The forklift position may at times be anight time role. Times to be confirmed with the successful candidate. HR driver and Van driver delivering of freight in our Gippsland Region.

To be successful in this position you must have:

● Hold acurrent forklift licence

● Proven attendance and reliability

● Knowledge of Gippsland (preferred)

● Experience in loading semi and b-doubles trucks

● Acan do attitude

Would you liketodeliver the Latrobe Valley Express newspaper to individual homes on Tuesday and/orWednesdayafternoons in Traralgon, Morwell and Newborough.

Please apply to:

The CirculationManager0456 000 541

Total of 4consecutive editions in the Latrobe Valley Express and 8editions of the GippslandTimes paper THEY DO SELL!

DRIVE YOUR DOLLAR FURTHER Cars and Caravans areindemand

5135 4455

Update

5135 4455

GP1 632593

EXPRESS Page 50 —The Latrobe Valley Express, Wednesday, 10 May, 2023

NOVA VITA van, 2009, semi off road, 18'6, a/c, diesel, HTR rev/camera, q/bed, oven, m/wave, 3-way fridge, 23" TV/CD, BBQ, water filter, heaps more, loads of storage. 1owner, $36,000. M0412843 302.

Selling avan?

Don't waste time waiting for buyers, or on endless consignment plans, sell it today we'll pay cash now.

Affordable Caravans 0418 336 238, 5623 4782.

Car Parts & Accessories •

BULLBARS

4WD •

Nissan Navara

1991, manual, v.g.c. r.w.c. vin 21A0433493. $8,000,

o.n.o. Ph 0475 690 520

IWOULD personally like to thank the Ambos and medical staff (including doctors) at LRH for bringing me back from the brink in March.

-Mark MRB.

Deaths •

BAINBRIDGE, Peter Barry. 28/6/1940 -4/5/2023. Aged 82 years

Passed away peacefully at Margery Cole.

Dearly loved husband of Patricia. Thank you for 62 wonderful and caring years of marriage.

Loving father and fatherin-law to Grant, Gabrielle (dec.) and Dale and Leonie.

Much loved grandfather of Brooke, Trent, Adam and Madeline, Ben and Kane.

Sincere thanks to all at Margery Cole for the care of Peter over the last 7 months. You were all so kind to us both over this time. Thank you Rest in Peace Peter You were awonderful man

FAZIOLI (nee Nibaldi)

Lucia. Born in Frosolone Italy 4February 1924. Passed away at Latrobe Regional Hospital, Traralgon 29 April 2023, with her loving family by her side.

Helpmate and devoted wife to Michele (dec.).

Cherished mother and respected mother-in-law of Corry and Don, Francy and John, Maria, Ann and Chris. Caring Nonna to 13 grandchildren and their partners. Big Nonna to 23 great grandchildren. You tried so hard to stay with us, but God took you in His loving care. Life goes on but the gates of memory never close.

LEVISTON, Colin Morris. 18/10/1934 -30/4/2023.

Late of Morwell and Inverloch.

Loved and loving husband of Shirley for 65 and ahalf years. Much loved dad to Ross, Leonie and Bruce. Loving pa of five, great-pa of five.

Private Cremation

MORGAN, Arthur Leonard (Len).

17/4/1922 -2/5/2023. Aged 101 years

Passed away peacefully at Margery Cole Aged Care.

Loving husband of Mavis (dec.). Much loved father and father-in-law of John and Jan, Evelyn and Graeme. Adored Pa to all his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. Though his smiles are gone forever and his hands we cannot touch, We shall never lose the memories of one we loved so much.

At rest in Gods Garden Reunited with his wife Mavis and Grandson Kade.

ROBINSON, William (Billy). Passed away suddenly on the 5th of May 2023. Much loved son of Victor and Dorris (both dec.).

Dearly loved husband of Carol. Special father to Sara, Chris, Dean, Kylie, David, Sara, Jane and Jeff. Special Granddad to Ashlynn and Jess. He will be so very missed. Forever in our hearts he will stay loved and remembered every day

SCHALKEN, Cornelia.

Passed away on Thursday, 4May 2023. Loved and loving wife of Marius (dec.). Much loved mother of Connie, Chris, Margie, Joanne (dec.) and Robert. Greatly missed by all her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Rest In Peace

STRATTON, Barbara.

BURNEY. The Funeral Service for Ms Leonie Burney will be held at Latrobe Valley Funeral Services Chapel, 437A Princes Dve Morwell MONDAY (15 May 2023), commencing at 11am. The Funeral will leave at the conclusion of the Service for the Yallourn Cemetery.

MOE-MORWELL-TRARALGON MORWELL 5134 4937

Place your tribute on latrobevalleyfunerals.com.au

LEWIS. AService to celebrate the life of Kevin Lewis will be held at the Nielsen Funeral Chapel, Korumburra Rd, Warragul on FRIDAY (12 May 2023) at 10.30am.

The Funeral will also be livestreamed. To view Kevin's Service please visit: www.nielsenfunerals.com.au

SCHALKEN. Requiem Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Mrs Cornelia Schalken will be held at St Michael's Catholic Church, Church Street, Traralgon, FRIDAY, (12 May 2023), commencing at 11am. Following the Mass, the Funeral will leave for the Traralgon Cemetery.

MOE-MORWELL-TRARALGON TRARALGON 5174 2258

Place your tribute on latrobevalleyfunerals.com.au

WARMAN.

The Funeral Service for Mrs Gloria Janet Warman will be held at Latrobe Valley Funeral Services Chapel, 6Ollerton Avenue Moe on FRIDAY (12 May 2023) commencing at 1pm.

The Funeral will leave at the conclusion of the Service for the Erica Cemetery.

BOULTON, Peter Thomas (Wolf). Doug, Mary and family, his partner Dianne thank all who attended the funeral of Peter. The many visits, cards, flowers, food and phone calls at this confronting time is much appreciated. Thanks to Father Peter Bickley for the wonderful Prayer Service. Please accept this as our personal thanks.

NISSAN Patrol GU 1999, 2.8 turbo, recon. injector pump, new glow plugs, 12 mths reg., b/bar, snorkel, CB, dash and reverse cameras, PNA-966 $9500 o.n.o. 0427 740 727.

EXPRESS

Personals

BAINBRIDGE, Peter. Farewell Peter B. Acharming, honest friend with great integrity. Happy memories of Hampton High School. Our thoughts are with Pat and family. David Packham and Helen. Peter Thompson and Annie. R.I.P.

BOYES (nee Randall), Pamela "Pam".

Passed away peacefully at Latrobe Regional Hospital on Friday, 5May 2023. Beloved wife of Douglas (dec.).

Loved and loving mother of Kathleen and Skeeter, Douglas (dec.) and Irene, Linda and Norm, Ian and Leanne, Ruby and Ian and John and Janine.

Loved nanna to her 15 grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren and 4great, great grandchildren.

Aloving mother, so good and kind, Loved by those she left behind, Silent thoughts bring many atear, For amother we miss and loved so dear. For service details please visit: latrobevalley funerals.com.au

"Ours is just asimple prayer, God bless and keep you safe. In our hearts you rest with love, And in God's care you rest above".

OSBORN (née McGillivray), Noreen Agnes. 3/11/1938 -3/5/2023. Passed away Wednesday, 3rd May 2023 at LRH Traralgon. Aged 84 years Loved wife of Fred (dec.). Mother of Lyn, Carol (dec.), Peter (dec.), Ian and Rick. Mother-in-law of Chris, Vicki, and Leonie. Loving grandmother of 9 and great grandmother of 18.

Forever in our Hearts

Passed away peacefully at St Hillary's, Morwell on Sunday, 7May 2023. Loved and loving wife of Tom (dec.). Loved mother of Karen and David, Susan (dec.), Julie and Michael, Kim and Bill. Much loved nan and great nan to all her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Forever In Our Hearts Private Funeral

MOE-MORWELL-TRARALGON

LEVISTON, Colin. 30/4/2023.

Loved brother-in-law of Joyce and Don. Uncle to Karen, Rudy and Raymond (dec.) and families

LEWIS, Kevin Ian.

Passed away peacefully at Andrews House with family by his side on 5May 2023.

Aged 77 years

Loved husband of Liz and father of Nicole and Kelly.

Father-in-law to Geoff.

Devoted Pa of Molly, Lucy, Tess, Meg and Tom. Heartfelt thanks to the dedicated staff at Andrews House for the caring way they looked after both Kevin and family. It was atough fight to the end.

The most amazing Mum, Nan, and Granny. We are so grateful that we had you in our lives and for as long as we did. You will always hold a special place in our hearts. Together again with Pop.

Lyn and Chris, Rachael, Luke and Bella, Corey, Sarah, Allie and Leiam, Simone and Archie.

Mum, You have left agreat big hole in our hearts that can never be filled. You were our matriarch. Till we meet again. Love you.

Ian, Vicki, Jason, Michael, Dave, Emma and your 9 beautiful great grandkids XX.

MORWELL 5134 4937

Place your tribute on latrobevalleyfunerals.com.au

STYLES, Amanda Kim.

In loving memory

Passed away on 1May 2023.

Dearly beloved daughter of Kevin Styles and Lynette Gibbons. Dearest sister of Michael (dec.),Benjamin and Mary-Ellen. Loving mother of Tamica, Isaac, Nicholas, Mykayla and Tahlia and devoted nanny of Isabella, Amelia (dec.) and Leon, Laethea and Amarlia. Forever in our hearts

At the conclusion of the Service the cortege will leave for the Trafalgar Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in memory of Kevin may be made to either Parkinson's Victoria or Andrews House. Envelopes will be available at the Chapel.

MOE-MORWELL-TRARALGON MOE 5126 1111

Place your tribute on latrobevalleyfunerals.com.au

In Memoriam

AUSTEN, Terry. 10/5/2021.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

McKENZIE. AMemorial Service for the late Owen and Marg McKenzie to be held at the Churchill Football Club from 2pm, come join us to celebrate their life. Please text 0423 383 094 for details or if attending.

Time may hide the sadness, Smiles may hide the tears, The loss is ours, the grief we hide, No-one can see the ache inside. Two years have passed, and we still think of you, our memories will last forever. Vilma and your loving family.

Birthday Memoriam •

H Hoonnoouur r yoouur r loovveed d onnees s annd d s shhaarre e thheeiir r s sttoorry y

ABBY WARNER

Congratulations Abbs. Ya now got the key to the door, don't lose it!! Love and big hugs, Mim 'n Gog.

COSIC

DAN 85 9/5/2023

GRETA 80 10/5/2023

BURNEY, Leonie Ada. Passed away peacefully at Latrobe Regional Hospital Traralgon on 4May 2023, surrounded by her loving family.

Aged 65 years Much loved and adored by her sons and their partners and her grandchildren.

BURNEY, Leonie. 4/5/2023.

Loved niece of Don and Joyce. Cousin of Karen, Rudy and families and Raymond (dec.).

BURNEY, Leonie. 4/5/2023.

Loved niece of Eddy and Laura. Cousin to Peter (dec.), Paul, Jeff, Donald and Neville.

EVANS, Robert Frederick. 31/5/1953 -18/4/2023.

Remember the good times

MACKAY, Janet Elizabeth. Passed away peacefully 28/4/2023.

Aged 85 years

Loved mum of Peter and Ken. Mother-in-law of Linda. Loved Grandma of James.

Always in our hearts

MARTIN (Hartrick) Margaret Anne. 27/3/1940 -27/4/2023.

Passed away peacefully at Abbey Gardens, Warragul.

Daughter of the late Bill and Edna Hartrick. Wife of Frank Martin (dec.). Mother of John, Heather, Judith and Neil, mother-in-law of James (dec.) and Kathy. Grandmother of Candice and Michael, Kelly, Georgia and Chris, and Lucy.

Dearly Loved and Sadly Missed

Acheeky smile, aheart of gold, One of the best this world could hold. Aloving nature, true and kind, What beautiful memories you leave behind. Thank you for being such awonderful, loving mother, mother-in-law, nana, and gran. You will be greatly missed.

Forever in our hearts Love Rick and Leonie XX.

My nana had ears that always listened, Arms that hug and held tight, Love that was never ending and a. Heart that's made of gold. Our memories will never fade Forever and always in my heart. Meg XXX.

Nana, your life was full of loving deeds, Forever thoughtful of our special needs, Today and tomorrow, my whole life through, Iwill always cherish you.

WARMAN (Gordon), Gloria Janet. Passed away peacefully at Narracan Gardens Aged Care Moe on 5May 2023. Aged 77 years Dearly loved and loving wife of Bob (dec.). Much loved mother and mother-in-law of April and Jeff, Wayne and Lisa. Adored Nanny Glors to Eva, Peta, and Nanna to Alicia and Ryan.

MORGAN. Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral Service of the late Mr Arthur Leonard Morgan to be held at Latrobe Valley Funeral Services Chapel, 437A Princes Drive, Morwell on THURSDAY (11 May 2023) commencing at 11am. Followed by aBurial Service at the Gippsland Memorial Park, Traralgon Cemetery. This service will be livestreamed. Please visit our web site for details: www.latrobevalley funerals.com.au

MOE-MORWELL-TRARALGON TRARALGON 5174 2258 Place your tribute on latrobevalleyfunerals.com.au

SALVATORE

Nicola 9th May. Ida 14th May. Mum and Dad, you would have both celebrated your birthday. We miss you dearly and wish you both areunited birthday together in Heaven. Love always your children Serge, Rosanna and Tony and our families.

SEEAR, Lyle John. 12/5/1928 -4/7/2021. 93 years

Whenyou lose someone close to you, it can be hardto put your thoughts and feelings into words

Apersonal message in the Latrobe Valley Express can say so much

Happy Birthday Lyle

Wishing youall theverybest

We hope your day is as special as you both are.

Lots of love, Marie Marko, Dani

Amra and all your many family and friends XX

Loved son of Fred and Frances Evans. Twin brother of Frank. Brother of Pam (dec.), Lesley (dec.), Wayne, Denise and Julie.

Your troubled times are over R.I.P. Robert Private Cremation

"Stuffed if IKnow, IThink I'm in the Wrong Place"

-John Williamson.

In accordance with Margaret's wishes aPrivate Cremation has been held.

Nielsen Funerals 5623 2771

Abby, Dec, Olive, and Polly XXX.

Gran, Agentle nature, Aheart of gold, these are the memories we will hold. We love and miss you so very much, your lipstickstained smooches, your tight squeezy cuddles and those choccy biscuits you always stocked We know it's not goodbye, it's simply see ya later.

Luke, Jayde,Billie, Jamison, and Luna XXX.

WARMAN, Gloria. The President, Life Members, Committee and members of the Rawson Cricket Club are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our esteemed life member, Glorz. Gloria was a tireless volunteer and supporter of her club over many years and will be greatly missed. Sincere condolences to April and Wayne, and families.

Funerals

BAINBRIDGE. The Funeral Service and Committal for Cremation for Mr Peter Barry Bainbridge will be held at, Latrobe Valley Funeral Services Chapel, 260 Princes Highway, Traralgon THURSDAY (11 May 2023) commencing at 1pm.

MOE-MORWELL-TRARALGON TRARALGON 5174 2258

Place your tribute on latrobevalleyfunerals.com.au

OSBORN (nee McGillivray). The Funeral Service for Mrs Noreen Agnes Osborn will be held at St Mark's Anglican Church, Albert Street Rosedale at 1pm on THURSDAY (11 May 2023), followed by burial at the Rosedale Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rosedale Senior Citizens. BARRY &ANNETTE LETT 67 MACARTHUR STREET SALE 5143 1232 MEMBER AFDA www.lettsfunerals.com.au

ROBINSON. The Funeral for Mr William (Billy) Robinson will be held at the Rose Chapel, Gippsland Memorial Park Traralgon on FRIDAY (12 May 2023), commencing at 1pm. Please no flowers by request. 0413

You will always be part of me and live in my heart forever. Istill feel your presence beside me every day. Your loving wife Vaifoa (Vi).

Happy 95th Birthday in Heaven Dad

You are still missed today more than ever. LoveJohn, Rodney and Rachel.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Grandpa Pa can you hear us?

We will sing extra loud so that you can hear us in Heaven. We hope that you and Aidan are dancing the Rumba. Love your grandsons, Ethan and Rhys.

Bereavement

Thanks •

BOND, Maurice.

On behalf of the Bond families, following the recent passing of Maurice Bond, we would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the following people; Dr Ian Webb (Morwell Health Centre), LRH Traralgon (Bass Ward), LV Funeral Services, Beryl Steven's, Morwell Bowling Club, Dianne and Don Harle.

Forfriendly advice on howto place yourmessage contact

The Classified Department 5135 4455

Mirboo North Parkrun major success

PARKRUN

PARTICIPATING in Parkrun, coffee at Jimmy Jambsand then awander through the farmers market make for agreat Saturday morning in Mirboo North recently.

Julia led aconfident and friendly crew of volunteers to ensure that all 26 Parkrunners completed the out and back course. Therewas fivefirst timers to the Mirboo North course and six people recorded apersonalbest. All visitors werefromVictoria Also, two dogscompleted the courseand three pramsreachedthe turnaround point and were pushed back to the finish line valiantly.

Megan completedher firstParkrun andIssac, Rebecca and Freya are on their way to having a Parkrun Saturday morning routine. There was a few long timers too withJacqui (354 Parkruns), Maria (289) and Tony (320). Impressive!

Fastest time was Robert who ran 20.50.

The volunteer team making it all happen were Julia, Darcy, Tony, Jacqui, Chris and Lynne. There was asuper friendly spirit at the event. Thanks to everyone who came along.

Get set: Parkrunnersbegin to tackle the Mirboo North course. Photograph supplied

St Paul’sbrightening theplaying field

SCHOOL SPORTS

MANY brightand colourful characters could be seenrunning, highand longjumping, and enjoying the many track, fieldand novelty events during the St Paul's Anglican Grammar SchoolSecondary School House Athletics Carnival.

Year 12 students embraced their creativity and tookcompetingindress-ups in their stride to bring apositive and fun vibe to the event, while inspiring the younger students to do their very best.

Many of the competitions were close, with Paterson House emerging as the overall house champion with 1219 points.

Chisholm Housefinishedsecondoverall with 1114 points, and in third place was Gilmore House with 1078 points.

The house athletics carnival is ajoyful and competitive combined-campus event for St Paul's students that provides them with friendly house rivalry, creates an interest in physical activity for studenthealth and wellbeing, and provides the opportunity to make new friends in houses from both campuses.

Champions: Paterson House Captains, Quinn Carmichael and Tahlia Pursell, with the overall St Paul’s School Athletics Carnival Championship Shield. Photograph supplied

SCOREBOARD

GOLF

CHURCHILL &MONASH

Monthly Medal Saturday29th APRIL

2023

AGrade Winner: D.Byers158671

BGrade Winner: M.Allen 20 84 64 Medal

CGrade Winner: B.Kilday 26 88 72

Scratch: D.Byers83

D.T.L: 1. A.Auld 66, 2. R.Sands 72, 3.

R.Davidson 72, 4. G.Spowart 73, 5. R.Abel 73, 6. W.Sutton73, 7. M.Brereton 74,8

J.Sanders75, C/B,9.G.Corponi 75,

N.T.P: 3rdG.Barnes,Pro-Pin:12th R.Vesty,

14th P.Jordan

Target Hole: I.Fortune

Putts: M.Brereton 27 C/B

Birdies: B.Jenkins 12th

Monthly Medal Tuesday2nd May2023

Medal Winner: S.Turner 26 76 Nett

Scratch: S.Turner 98

D.T.L: M.McQuillen 35 76 Nett, M.Ryan 23 78 Nett

Putts: S.Turner 32, B.Barrow 32

N.T.P: 3rdM.Ryan, 5th M.McQuillen, 12th

M.Ryan, 14th S.Caldwell

MIRBOONORTH

Thursday4th May, Stableford.

Daywinner: GRenwick. (12) 36pts,

DTL: TTomada 35, PWoodall, DTaylor34.

NTP: 4th TBradshaw, 16th GRenwick.

Birdies: 4th GRenwick, 6th PWoodall, R

Thompson, 16th GRenwick.

Saturday6th May, Stroke.

Daywinner: RClack. (19) 72 nett

Goannas selected for national tours

CRICKET

IN keepingwith aproud historyofhaving at least one Gippsland Goannas player selected in (almost every) Australian cricket squad since 2013, the local contingent againtake pride in announcing that this year, there has been three veteran players selected. Ray Smith, from Churchill, leaves for the UK in the Australian Over 60s team in late June, and Ian Southall (Mirboo North) and Kevin Lanigan (Maffra) in the Australian Over 70steam also tour the UK in July/ August.

Practice for all Over 50, 60 and 70 Goannas will commence tonight(Wednesday)atthe Bundalaguah indoor nets in order to give these cricketers as muchpracticeaspossible before theydepart.

DTL: DTaylor, DEvans,Tim Traill 76 NTP: 1st PDraper,4th MPayne,6th R Matthews,13th ALiebe,16th MPayne

Birdies: 4th MPayne,13th ALiebe

MOE

Sunday, 30 April 2023 OPEN 9Hole

Stableford

Grade AWinners: Williams,John Joseph

(14) 20

Sunday, 30 April 2023 OPEN Medley

Stableford

Grade AWinners: Dennis,Glenn (11) 35

Grade BWinners: Agius-Walker,Finn

(12) 37

Grade CWinners: Boorer,Greg(20) 44

Place Getters: Felmingham, Ryan 35

Wilk,Ryan33

Boorer,Kade 32

Thursday, 04 May2023 OPEN Medley

Stableford

Grade AWinners: Hiriaki, Whitney(4) 40

Grade BWinners: Tyler, Mudita (13) 37

Grade CWinners: VanBaalen, Simon

(20) 35 C/B

Place Getters: Andrijczak, Paul 36 C/B

White, Rodney36

Wilson,Graeme 35 C/B

Brien, Graeme 35 C/B

Thomson, Bruce 35 C/B

Coombe,David 35

Brien, Kevin 35

Wilson,Robert34C/B

Geisler, Graham 34 C/B

Ayton, Kevin 34 C/B

Dyke,Ramon 34 C/B

White, Darren 34

Borg, Kathy33C/B Papettas, Maurice33C/B De Virgilio,Anthony33C/B

Great Score: Ramon Dyke (Birdie) @8

WhitneyHiriaki (Birdie) @14

KathyBorg(Birdie) @8

MickWright (Birdie) @8

Lockie White(Birdie) @8

Darren White(Birdie) @8

TimFord(Birdie) @8

DanChapple (Birdie) @14

MarkFife(Birdie) @8

Nearest to Pin: 4th -Steve Cunningham

8th -Tim Ford

14th -Kevin Ayton

TRAFALGAR

Today’sCompetition: 3/5/23: Stroke.

Thegame wasshortened due to poor weather

Winner: Sue Rogers: (26) with Net 38

Runner Up: JanGriffin: (36) with 40 c/b

Down the Line: Sue Klemkewith40, Di Moody with 41 and Donna Mellon with 42

Gobblers: Sue Klemkeonthe 1st and Di Moody on the 4th

Tuesday02/05/2023 StablefordSocial

Game at Morwell Golf Club

Players: 37 with 4Women, 33 Men

Women’s Winner: BevKeily(36 c/B) NTP:

BevKeilyPutting: JanGriffin

Mens Winner: GeoffPickburn(29)

Runner Up: RayWilliams (31 c/b)

DTL: GeoffCoulter (31) NormMether (32)

RichardGould (33) Harold McNair (33)

Bob Baldry(33) Glenn Doolan (34) Max

Taylor (34)

Par3 Event: RichardGould, Geoff

Pickburn, RayWilliams,Max Taylor &Bob

Baldry NTP: RayWilliams Bradmans: Gavin

Patchett Putting: RayWilliams (22)

Friday,May 5th 2023, Open Men’s&

Ladies Stableford

AGrade Winner: RayWilliams 41 pts

BGrade Winner: RichardVesty38pts C/B

DTL’s: Brad Royal38, BarryWatkins 37 Kevin Stribley36, Tony Bickley35, Vinco

Anticevic 35, Finn Agius-Walker 34, Mark

Scammell 34, PeterHobson 34, Bill

Estrada34

Birdies: 5th: SteveClark, RobertMadigan, Russell Cook 13th:Brook Lavery,Tony

Bickley15th: Greg Boorer

Eagle: 7th: Tony Bickley

Saturday, May6th 2023,Monthly Medal

Stroke

Medal &A Grade Winner: Lockie Cornish

68 nett

BGrade Winner: MickPoxon 72 nett

ScratchWinner: Chad McKie 75 gross

DTL’s: Toby Fruend 69, George Petkovic

70, PeterHeathcote71, MarkHiriart71, Tony O’Reilly 71, Chad McKie 72, Stewart

Cluning 72, Greg Donohue 72

NTP’s: 2nd: TimCross 5th: Toby Fruend

11th: Chad McKie 13th:MarkHiriart15th: Les Ellis Hole in One: 5th: Toby Fruend

Eagle: 3rd: MarkAndo

Birdies: 11th:Peter Moss 13th:Chad McKie

TRARALGON

TuesdayStableford02/05/2023 Field: 113

Grades:

A: Karl Garlick40pts

B: PeterKearns 38 pts (Churchill & Monash)

C: AnthonyRichardson 43 pts

NTP 5th: PeterKearns NTP 8th: Raymond Smith

NTP 10th: Noel Ransome NTP 15th: Jeffrey Landels

RunDowns: 1. Darrell Fricker39pts,2 James Coffey 39 pts,3.Phillip Denhouting 38 pts,4.Rod Gilham 37 pts,5.Terry Slavin 37 pts,6.Martin Murphy36pts,7 Aaron Hobson 36 pts,8.Paul Robertson 36 pts,9.Simon Saunders35pts,10. Neil Donoghue 35 pts

Monthly Medal, Stroke06/05/2023 Field: 107

Best Gross

A: RichardAlexander 72 (Best Gross)

Grades:

A: Mitchell Jones 69

B: Camron Price 68

C: Wade Radford68

D: Darren Jennings70

NTP 5th: Paolo Calabrese

NTP 8th: BrettRobinson (Churchill &

Traralgon complete clean sweep

BASEBALL LVBA

BY NICOLE WHITE

LAST weekend saw Traralgon take aclean sweep in all three senior grades in the LatrobeValley Baseball Association.

The Red Sox defeated Sale 12-6 in AGrade

The game wastiedatsix withthe RedSox batting in thetop of the seventh when Josh Graham singled on a3-1 count scoring two runs.

Traralgon racked up 10 hits through Graham, Ziersch, Spiteri and Hornstra racking up multiple hits.Wrigglesworth led Sale’s hittingwith three hits in four at bats

The Rangers’ BGrade faced atough blow when they went down to theRed Sox23-5.

Rohan Hector started the game for Sale, allowing fourhitsand 12 runsoverone and 2/3 innings striking out three.

Brett Sharp lead Traralgon with four hits in four at bats

CGrade sawthe Rangers lose the leadlatein the game to face a16-7. The Red Sox scored seven runs in the sixthinning though Lee Donahue, Abby Jeff, Bentley,CraigMcMahon, Sharp and Andrew McConville Senior each driving in runs during innings.

MOE Newborough was victorious over Churchill.

The AGrade game saw a16-6win go the way of the Dodgers. Moe scored five runs in the fifth inning. Nathan Simpson was on the hill for Moe for seveninnings, allowingonlyseven hits and six runs while striking out five.

The Braves collected seven hits for the day. Jacob Dickinson and Matt Prior collected multiple.

MORWELL Cougars’ BGrade was on fire with a10-5 win over Churchill.

The match wastense when theBraves scored four runs in the fifth inning.

Brad Jones started the game on the hill for Churchill, allowing 10 hitsand 10 runs over almost five innings with one strike out.

Tristan White led Morwell with most stolen bases. Michael Aubrey drove in four RBI’s to help seal victory.

Morwell Cougars’ CGrade bested Churchill in a high scoring 16-9 game.

Kenny Dron led things off on the hillfor Morwell, allowing nine hitsonnine runs andstriking out four times.

Ben McCormickstarted on the hill for Churchill, allowing one hit and five runs while striking out one batter in the first inning.

Talfryn Glass, Tristan White, Matt Moffat and Rob Amott all racked up multiple hits for the Cougars.

Joel Gilbert and Ross Cooen managed multiple hits for Churchill.

Contest: Ty Schoevers slides intothirdtomake the steal withBrett Wilson making the tagout.

Shipssignoff latestcricket season with presentation

CRICKET

LVDCL

BY LIAM DURKIN

TRAFALGAR Cricket Club heldits senior presentation day recently.

Members, officials, sponsors and supporters gathered at Moe Racing Club to formally see out the 2022/23 season.

In his address, club president Daniel Heathcote thanked all for their efforts on and off the field. Withthe clubknown as the Ships,there was many hands on deck that helped keep it sailing.

Trafalgar again fielded three senior sides, along with three junior teams,and an entry-level program for youngsters starting out in cricket.

Pleasingly from aclub perspective, most key off field roles were taken up by current players across various age groups.

Trafalgarwas recognised as the bestadministered club in the Latrobe Valley District Cricket League, an award it has now won in three of the last seven seasons. On field, there was anumberofnotable performances.

Highlightsand lowlights almost collided for the A Grade team, who made the semi-final after alikely club record of going 92 days without aloss.

Unfortunately, the team missed making its third Grand Final in four years, losing anerve-killing semi by one wicket.

Does that not just sum up cricket: You lose one gameafter Christmas and it’s by one wicket in a final.

After being arguably the best team during the home and away, Trafalgar players were forced to learnalesson the hard way.

It is understood players shared messages in a group chatalong the lines of ‘how are we not playing today?’ when the Grand Final rolled around. While disappointed with an opportunity missed, there was stillreasontocelebrate achievements in other areas.

Rhys Holdsworth completed one of the most

dominant season’s on record, scoring 720runsat an average of 65.45.

His efforts saw him win not only the Trafalgar Cricket Club champion player (George Browne Memorial),AGrade bestand fairest (Richard Errington Medal) and batting aggregate (Alan Rankin Memorial), but also the LVDCL best and fairest.

Holdsworth now has three league medals to his name (2013/14, 2019/20, 2022/23).

The lefthander greatly assisted the person responsible for handwriting scorecards to gift as mementos to anyone making acentury, by scoring just the one ton, to go with three 90’s.

His 154 against Willow Grove came in at number nineonthe club’shighest individualscores in A Grade. He would have cruised past his own record of 228 had it not been for the need to declare.

JacksonNoonan took thefirst grade bowling aggregate after collecting 25 scalps.

Noonan has finally seen somereward for his efforts in the last two seasons, with back-to-back

bowlingaggregate awards.Itisnoexaggeration to say the seamer has aminimumof10playand misses everyspell.

Up-and-comer James Pace had agood season, and won the BGrade best and fairest, as well as the bowling aggregate and average.

Fellow junior Zak Larkin wonthe CGrade bowling aggregateand average, as well as the league CGrade bowling aggregate. At just 14-years-of-age, ‘Larko’ would have to be one of the youngest to ever win a senior league aggregate award.

BrentClaridge won his third consecutive CGrade best and fairest, and was avery deserved recipient of the best club person award,namedafter club legend Ray Burgess, Ray’s son Christianpresented the award on his behalf. Christian himself won an award -the B Grade batting average after afew cheeky not outs bumped his average up to 54.

Brent’s son Billy won the BGrade batting aggregate,and was one of four players to take a five wicket haul.

The wayward legacy of LIVgolf

GOLF COMMENT

BY IAN WHITEHEAD

LIV Golf is acurious mix of superstars, fading champions, wannabees, journeymenand the odd flake.

For each tournament,$20 million is set aside for individual prizemoney and $5 millionisprovided for the teams event.

In the recent Adelaide tournament, last placed SihwanKim, withaworldranking of 235,collected acool $122,500. Kim was 33 shots shy of winner, Talor Gooch; himself hardly ahousehold name. Unlike a72-hole professional tournament LIV plays just 54 (get it? LIV;Roman numerals for 54).The 48-players are split into 12 teamsof four.Afocus group of fourth grade boys could have suggested the names: Stingers, Crushers, Fireballs, Rippers.

LIV events in the US receive little TV traction. Now seen on the CW Network,more viewers tune into World’s Funniest Animals. Typically, aCBS PGA tour event will attract 10 times the LIV viewership. So, what aturn-around for the rebel tour.

LIV Golf self- nominated the Adelaide tournament an incredible success. Their catch-cry,‘Golf

But Louder’ connected with its aspiration at the party hole, whenrowdy, boisterous galleries witnessed Chase Koepka (world ranking 1365) holing out on the 12th hole. Hundreds of plastic beer cups showered onto the tee. Whatever slant you wish to take about being Australian was beamed into lounge rooms across the world. However light years away from the minds of the beer cup hurlers, adarker tale is being played out.

LIV Golf chief executive, Greg Norman,is the pariahofthe US PGA, ex-tour players and mainstream sports media since luring 13 golf major winners onto the rival tour. Funded by the bottomless money pit of the Saudi Arabia Public InvestmentFund, players were signed on at tens of millions each.

Original signee Phil Mickelson received $200 million and Cam Smith areported $140 million. Street smart Dustin Johnson rejected overtures until $125 millionwas putonthe table, 46-yearold journeyman, Pat Perez signed on for $10 million and has since collected another $8 million; twenty times his average annual earnings. Troublingly, the source of funds, originate from the Saudi regimeresponsible for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The brotherhood of sports journalists worldwide are not happy. Families affected by 9/11 wrote scathing letters to Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson has shoulderedUSantipathy for LIV

Phil is ashadow of hisformer self.The once cheesy grin now exists below dark sunglasses.Atthe Augusta MastersChampions Dinner he shunned the limelight and congratulated Masters winner John Rahm, only in thecolonnade shadowsofthe clubhouse, far away from prying photographers.

Not all players are similarlytortured.Harold Varner broke ranks from the dubious ‘growing the game’ script, declaring yes, he joined for the money. All players did he says, even if they will not declare so publicly. Fading champions,Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, BubbaWatson, Martin Kaymer and Henrik Stenson, hold undreamed of late career bank accounts. Chip on the shoulder championssuch as PatrickReed,KevinNa, BrooksKoepka and Sergio Garciawillcarenot one whit what the US PGAorthe US publicthink.

The sleeper issue for Australian fans is the legacy of CameronSmith, one of the few LIV golfers with arising star. Six times major winner, Nick Faldo saysNorman has ‘trashed’ his legacy If Smith resides exclusively within the LIV bubble for adecade, his world rankingwillplummet and there will be no legacy.

But why has the Australian golf public embraced LIV golf?

Quite simply, local golf has been starved of top line international players. The Australian Masters

Joining Billy among this cohortwas Shane Lanham, Cooper Burgess and Aydan Connolly. Connolly took the reigns as AGrade captain and senior coach this season. At just 20, the Ships hope to have aleader for the foreseeable future.

JUNIOR presentation was held as aseparate function at the Trafalgar Cricket Club clubrooms. The Ships had a successful season, winning the Under 14 premiership, and making the Under 16 Grand Final.

Most players were kept busyplaying juniors and seniors across the one weekend, as well as representative games on Sundays.

The juniors received good support from senior players, who acted as coaches, scorers and managers during the season.

Ahighlightfor participants in theBlasters program came just before Christmas, when Trafalgar was chosen to take part in amatch day experience with the Melbourne Stars.

Amazingly, there was even acrowd catch by a Trafalgar supporter filmed on Kayo.

The club was again able to build some good networks with neighbouring clubs in helping to get kids playing cricket. When the schedule allowed, Trafalgar players played afew games for Drouin in the Warragul DistrictCricket Association, and vice-versa

Junior players were once again acredittothemselves, recruiting mates from school to come and play.

Coaches ZackBrown(under 16s), KevinHennessy (under 14s) and Billy Pace (under 12s) did agreat job overseeing things.

Junior awardwinners were: JamesPace (16s best and fairest and batting), Keegan Friedlander (16s batting), Jordan Chapman (16s bowling), Louis Hennessy (16s bowling), Liam Smith (16s bowling award), Angus Kirkham (16s bowling award), Zak Larkin (16s coaches award/14s bowling), Dylan van der Stoep (14s batting), OliverWhite (14s most consistent), Brodie Gauci (14s most improved) and Will Mills (14s player of the finals).

Tarnished: Traralgon Golf Club’sIan Whitehead says LIV Golf has hurt thesportin Australia. Photograph supplied

no longer exists, and the Australian Open, once regarded as the fifth major, is but ashadow of its former self. Moneytalks as the US PGA eye Asia as the new cash cow.

The US PGA has treated Australian golf with contempt. Australians provide the largest contingent of overseas players to the US tour. Has LIV forced the PGA to look at golf across the Pacific? Would the serious golf fan trade ahandful of LIV exhibition matchesinAustralia, for justone PGA event per year in Melbourne’s sand belt? This fan would.

Photograph supplied

Crew: Someofthe best five-fas youare ever going to see.Shane Lanham, Aydan Connolly, BillyClaridge and Cooper Burgess displaytheir Trafalgar CricketClub awards PhotosLiamDurkin

Young and old: James Pace wonthe BGrade best and fairest,along with ahost of other awards,while SteveAsmussen wonthe CGrade batting aggregatefor Trafalgar CricketClub

All-abilities tennis at Pax Hill

TENNIS

NINETEEN of the Latrobe Valley All-abilities

Grouptook to the courts at the Pax Hill Tennis Club during Term 1.

The children ranged from ages six to 19 and participated in avariety of games and activities that were well run and catered to avariety of abilities, as siblings were encouraged to join in as well.

Theparticipants learnt some tennis skills while having fun, meeting new friends and learningother skills, such as taking turns, respectingothers and using equipment safely.

The older players learnt to serve and can now sustain arally, while the younger players learnt basic strokes through fun games.

Some parentswere surprised at how much their child could do with the right style of coaching. Some arekeen to continue with somemore tennis lessons.

“Pax Hill Tennis Clubwas really able to embrace the philosophy behind all-abilitysportsand the belief that every child can participate at any level”, aspokesperson said.

The coaches and helpers at Pax Hill were fantastic and organisers are looking forward to next year.

Latrobe Valley All-Abilities Group would like to acknowledge the Tennis Victoria ACE funding that enabled this program to go ahead this year.

Pickleball quickly gaining popularity

PICKLEBALL By TOM HAYES

THE popular game of Pickleball has hit the courts of Traralgon, thanks to theTraralgon Tennis Association.

During Term2,the Traralgon Tennis Association has hosted Pickleball come-and-try’s on Saturday afternoons

Traralgon Tennis AssociationmanagerSusie Grumley believes the sport has potential for growth in the region.

“Last week we had17players come …that’s enough to fill four Pickleball courts,” she said.

“I think it’s something that is gaining traction everywhere it is.”

Last week wouldhavebeen thesecondscheduled week, but rain kept things at bay.

Therewill be seven moreweeksofthe

Grants getting more women into the game

SPORT

THE state governmentisbacking sporting clubs across Victoria to get more women and girls in the game, celebrating their huge contribution to Victorian sport.

Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence, recently announced that 104 community sporting organisations have been awarded grants through the Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program.

Grant recipients will share in more than $500,000for events and initiatives that aim to increase participation and enhance gender equality in sport.

Avariety of activities and initiatives have been funded, from the Soccer Mums program offering weekly social, non-competitive soccer to their culturally and linguistically diverse community, to amonthly women-focusedcoaching development program to build confidence, technical skills and leadershipfor women volleyball coaches in Victoria.

Broadmeadows Basketball Association will deliverthe ‘No Hoopla’ program, an initiative to providebasketballfor women. It aims to engage 400 women in one of Victoria’s most socially disadvantaged and culturally diverse areas in three free, weekly and flexible basketball programs for all ages and abilities.

come-and-try,for the next eightweekends, excluding the King’s Birthday weekend.

Entry to play is now just $5, with everything provided, all that is needed is for Pickleball-goers to wear sneakers.

“I think it’s been received really well,” Grumley said.

“It’s good to see younger people get involved.

“You can come down,the games can move quickly,you can stay andplaythree or four games.”

Grumley still hopes the popularity will grow, allowing the Traralgon Tennis Association to run acompetition in Term 4.

“Hopefully we can do thatwithacombination of juniors and adults,” she said.

If the game continues to grow, there is every chance thatthe Traralgon Tennis Association could add aseries of Pickleball courts on the premises.

Since the program’sinception in 2018, the CommunityActivationGrants hasinvested more than $2.4 millionincommunity sports organisations across Victoria.

The grants are partofthe state government’s $18.8 million investmentinthe Office for Women in Sport and Recreation -the first of its kind in Australia -and the Change Our Game initiative,which is dedicated to levelling the playing field in sport.

Established in 2017, the office delivers nation-leading policy, advocacy,research, and education in pursuitofgender equality, including the Fair Access Policy Roadmap, Balance TheBoard initiative, Change Our Game Women in Sports Broadcasting program, Research Grants Program, and Professional Development Scholarships.

For more information, visit changeourgame. vic.gov.au.

Traralgon basketballers state champions

BASKETBALL

TRARALGON under 12 boys basketballers came away as state champions recently, taking out the Junior Country Championship Division One Title. Previously winning 43 gamesstraightthroughout the squad season, which commenced back in October with their first tournamentthrough to the Traralgon Tournament in March, these boys continued this success on Day 1ofthe championships winning all three games against Surfcoast, Bellarine andPakenham, entitling them to gain aspot in Division 1.

Day 2was alittle different, with the boys coming up against Bendigo in the morning. Bendigo took an early six-point leadand unfortunately Traralgon could not take the lead from them, finishing the game still six points behind.

The boys regrouped for their next game against Melton to run out convincing winners.

Finals day on Day 3put the boys up against the strong Southern Peninsula team in the quarter final and despite allowing Southern Peninsula to take an early lead, the Traralgon boys held their nerve and their resilience to stick to the task. The T-Birds unsettled their opponents and kept their prime performers in check during the second half to outscore them 32-17 to secure an 11-point win,

allowingthem to progress to the semi final against Pakenham.

Havingalready hada win against Pakenham on Day 1, even though the boys trailed by nine points at one stage in that game, this was never on their mind, and the boys approached the semi final fresh and ready to go from the start, taking the lead earlyand nevergivingitupuntil theend to run out six-point winners, and onto the title game.

Geelong was their opponent in the title game, a team Traralgon had never come across over the squad season.

Geelong took an early lead and lead at half time 23-20.

Traralgon regrouped at halftime and never gave up and took the lead halfway through the second half to run out six-point winners.

HugoMacPherson led thescoring in the title game with 16 points, and Goy Deng scored 12, but all players contributedthroughout the weekend.

The boys werecoached by Dwayne Tibballs and Karen Joyce,who worked hard to prepare the Traralgon boys to the title.

Winning the title gives the boys an invitation to the National Junior Classic in June at Dandenong, where they will play against Melbourne Metropolitan associations as well as teams from SouthAustralia and New South Wales.

Traralgon Under 12 boys representatives were Noah Edgar, Lincoln Sutton, ReedPaterson, Hugo MacPherson,ThomasDenyer, Jai Heily, Ryder Hornstra, Goy Deng, Parker Watts and Riley Dawson.

Headcoach was Dwayne Tibballs, assistant coach Karen Joyce and team manager Natalie MacPherson.

Traralgonwere also represented by agirls team at the weekend and they also achieved success by going down in the title game to Warrnambool by four points.

Winning their three games comfortably on day one againstSouthernPeninsula, Geelongand Portland to give them aspot in Division One. Day two saw them come up against Melton, Bellarineand Pakenham, and winning all three gameswith Melton the only team to givethem atight contest.The three wins allowed them to finish first.

Finishing first afterday two,put the girls up against Geelong who they defeated comfortable on day one, and in this Quarter Final they never looked in trouble and came out winners 40-17 and progressing to the Semi Final.

Melton was their opposition in the Semi Final, and after having atight battle with them on day one, it was once again atight battle with Traralgon

leading at half time 20-19, Traralgonsettledmore in the second half and ran out winners by seven to advance to the Title Game.

Warrnambool were the girls’ opponents in the Title Game and had previously played them twice during the squad season and it was one win each, so this gamealsowas going to be tough. Warrnambool got ajump on Traralgon with an early 10-2 lead, but Traralgon were never going to give up, and trailed by six at the break. The second half saw the Traralgon girls get somemomentum, but unfortunately fell short by four points.

Jess Murphy was head coach of the girls’ team and assisted by Carmen Weaver,bothhavegot the best out of these athletes.

Traralgon Under 12 Girls were represented by Kelsey Reed, Chloe Brady, Emily Sawyer, Sibella Macpherson,Kaley Culbert, Lahna Murphy, Tahnee Judilla, Ruby Coles, Portia Weaver and Jada Weaver. HeadCoach JessMurphy, Assistant CoachCarmen Weaver and TeamManager Karyn Reed.

Traralgon were alsorepresented at the Championships by two referees, Sarah Toms and Vadyn. Culbert who both were awarded Semi Finals.

Everyone: Pickleball is attracting playersofall ages in Traralgon. Photographs supplied

Inclusive: Participants at the PaxHillTennis Cluball-abilities day. Photograph supplied

T-Birds soar: Traralgon Under 12swon thejuniorcountry championships in Division 1. Photographs supplied

Represent: Traralgon boyand girl basketballerstook to the championship courts

Family: Playersreceivedgreat supportfromparentsand friends.

Get your Fight Night tickets

BOXING

By TOM HAYES

LET’S get ready to rumble!

There is just under three weeks to go until 44 Magnum Promotions’ Fight Night at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium in Traralgon gets underway.

Professional and amateur boxing and kickboxing will be on show Saturday, May 27, which will see around 20 fights throughout the night. Some will continue their boxing or kickboxing journey, whileothers will be juststartingtheirs on the night.

AnumberofLatrobe Valley locals will be on display throughout the night, including Ang Witcher, Billy Whitmore, Peter Perona, Chris Ewert, John Marray and Gabriel Winkle. In the main event of the evening, Sale’s Jhon Cortejos will go to battleagainst Luke ‘Mad Dog’ Martin fromQueensland, in thefeatherweight division for six three-minute rounds.

Cortejos has a3-1 record, including one knockout, while Martin holds a 1-7 record, winning via knockout in June, 2021.

Doorsopen at theGRISSat4pm, withthe first bout beginning at 5pm.

The night will be hosted by Steven Baldacchino from 44 Magnum Promotions. Tickets are currently available from THE44GYM in Traralgon, or online at tinyurl. com/a4jkjekh

Fightnightdetailsand ticketingmore information can be found on their Instagram @44magnumpromotions

Home grown hockey star

HOCKEY By TOM HAYES

RECENTLY, the Under 15 Australian Hockey Championships wereheld in Darwin,and the Latrobe Valley had their own representative out on the pitch.

Playing at the Latrobe Valley Hockey Association, Hazelwood North’s Leandra McLauchlanwas selected to playfor Victoria at the Championships from April 15 to 21, after her try-out was successful.

“I did two or three try-outs,” Leandra said.

“It was pretty exciting, I’ve always wanted to do it.”

Leandra andher mum made the trip to the Northern Territory so she could take part in the championships.

Fifteen-year-old Leandra has played hockey for nearly 10 yearsnow,getting into the sport because her dad played locally, and she has been able to grow her craft as she gets older.

“I was six when Istarted,itwas becausemy dad played it already, so Itried it because Iwas there,” Leandra said.

At the championships, Leandra and Victoria weredrawninto Pool A, with five games scheduled to play.

They exited the pool with three wins (2-0 over South Australia, 3-2 over Western Australia Black and 5-1 overNew South WalesBlues), a 1-1 draw with Northern Territory and a7-1 loss to Queensland Maroon.

Their record allowed them to enter the finals bracket, beginning with asemi-final against Queensland Gold.

Victoriadrewfirstblood, taking the lead just before halftime, but QueenslandGoldmanaged

alateequaliser in the finalperiod to send the game to ashootout.

After five shots each in the shootout, the scores were tiedat2-2, but in the sudden death shots, Victoria prevailed to progress to the Gold Medal match.

In the final,Leandra and Victoria would face the onlyteamthatwas able to defeatthem, Queensland Maroon.

Unfortunately, Queensland Maroon were stronger onceagain, defeating Victoria 3-0 to claim gold.

But, silver was awarded to the Victorian team, and there is nothing wrong with silver, as Leandra was more than happy with the outcome.

“I don’t know what Iexpected, but we were pretty happy with the outcome,” she said.

“I feel like Iimproveda lot,mycoaches also said Iimproved alot.”

Her improvement was justified, as Leandra was awarded with the most improved award for the Victorian team.

Leandra has high hopes for hockey, and hopes to continue to grow her craft to ahigher level.

“Next yearIwant to go playatahigher level, like Premier League or Premier League Reserves,” she said.

“And Iobviously want to try out for state next year as well.

“I justwant to focusonthe next few years,prove myself, and see where it can take me from there.”

Leandra is currently in the process of transferring to Casey Hockey Club, the nextstepinher growing hockey career.

She and her family would like to thank Latrobe City Council for its support in the form of grants, allowing Leandra to try out for the team.

Another successful Creek run for the Traralgon Harriers team

ATHLETICS

HARRIERS

BY GARYFOX

LAST weeks (May 4) Harriers Thursday night run was afive kilometre course alongTraralgon Creek, starting at the ASIC car park. We had a great turnout with atotal of 80 runners in great running conditions.

Terrific running by Ian Cornthwaite and Miles Verschuur had them first home in an impressive

time of 18.25, closely followed by Glenn Graham (18.49).

Excellentrunning by Kylie Murray saw her as thefirst lady home with atimeof20.44, followed Susan Poole (22.27) and Liz Kenney (22.52) Harrier president Phill Mayer welcomed new clubmember Cassidy McKenzie and returning past members Sally Eenjes and Dale Murphy who were among the evening’s total of 80 finishers.

On Sunday, the Harriers will have ateam of 27 runners competing in the Athletics Victoria winter cross-country competition, aka the XCR Series

Help build the Commonwealth Games for 2026

COMMONWEALTH GAMES

at the Albert Park event. This year’s team is the biggest for years and is enjoying great success.

The 56th Traralgon Marathon &Running Festival is less than amonth away.

On Sunday, June 4itstartsand finishes at De Grandi’sWinery (formally TraralgonWinery) with an out-and-back coursealong theGippsland Plains Rail Trail.

Entriesare stillopen, but numbers are strictly limitedineach event. The Traralgon Marathon is steeped in history as the oldest continuous running marathon in Australia.

Cost for non-members is $90 (full marathon), $70 (half) and $50 (10km), including lunch and a medal,with special commemorative t-shirts for the first 50 entries in each event.

Seethe Harriers website, traralgonharriers.au for more information.

Full Results for Thursday Night.

Ian Cornthwaite18.25,Miles Verschuur 18.25, Glenn Graham 18.49, DempseyPodmore19.01, Owen Notting 19.35, Darrel Cross 19.45, Dale Murphy 20.19, Andrew Greenhill20.23, Zack Beasley20.27,Kylie Murray 20.44, Trent Kooyman 20.48, Shane Gavin 21.07,Chris VanUnen21.39, Andrew Panayiotou 21.43, John Richards 22.00, Nelson Archibald 22.00, Pete Sanders22.00, Geoff Francis 22.08, Susan Poole22.27,Liz Kenney 22.52, ChesneyPodmore23.00, Andrew Broberg 23.08, RonVerschuur 23.08, DavidBarr23.20, Seth Bomers23.24, MariekaReilly23.36, Errol Poole 23.42, Angus Reid 23.47,Amanda Reid 23.49, GaryFox 24.16, Adrian Sutcliffe 24.20, Drew Hade 24.41, Tobiasz Grzmil 24.45, Kate Mayer 25.07,Phill Mayer25.07,MarkFairbairn25.25, Chris Francis 25.26, Giuseppe Marino 25.30, Maree Graham 25.46, Dave Mann 26.10, Alfie Warner 26.21, Gabby Brown26.22, NickTalerico

26.23, Cassidy McKenzie 26.25, Yani Cornthwaite

26.27,Collette Hofmann 26.43, Felicity Beasley

26.43, Kathleen Kent 26.45, Kylie Warner 26.50, LucyMagaldi 26.55, AnthonyMagaldi 26.55, Claire Macumber 27.19, SallyEenjes 27.32, DesleyTulloch 27.37,Catherine Leonard28.43, Adam VanBaalen 28.44, Paul Smith 28.54, WallyLappin 29.00, Kylee Earl29.30,Ella Warner 29.55, Michelle Sawyer 30.18, StaceyPodmore31.38, Callie Cook 32.49, Ann Bomers35.16, Ian Heafield 35.19, Mandy Ellis 36.36, RobEmbleton 36.54, Danelle Wright 37.26, Maltilda Lappin 37.46, Alicia Turner 38.07, BarryHiggins 40.15, Belinda Heafield 43.57,John Reisinger 44.02, Jodi Hammett45.00, KathyQuinn 49.55, Michelle Colwell 49.55, Alysha Duncan NTR, Andrew Legge NTR, Johnny Roscoe NTR, Nick Hodson NTR.

THE state government has openeda Registration of Interestprocess inviting Employment Suppliers and Group Training Organisations (GTOs) to assist contractors in finding people to help buildthe Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games villages and venues. Victoria 2026will be held across four regional hubs including Gippsland, Ballarat, Bendigoand Geelong,creatingopportunities for concreters, bricklayers, electricians, carpenters, steel workers, plasterers, roof plumbers, plumbers, painters and landscapers.

Employment Suppliers and GTOs will need to be based in regional areas and have great networks within their local communities, with the ability to reach into abroad range of organisations.

Builders will need to employ workers from adiverse range of backgrounds to meetstate government policy requirements whichsupport amore gender inclusive construction industry, while providing opportunities for Victorians withdisabilities, disadvantaged Victorians, and Victorian Aboriginal people. Minister for Games Legacy and Member for Eastern Victoria, HarrietShing said regional communities would be at the forefront of Victoria 2026.

“As we showcase the best of rural and regionalVictoria, we will also be creating inclusive employment opportunities, driving economic growth and delivering record housingand communityinfrastructure,” shesaid.

GTOs willcoordinate with training institutions to train and prepare future workers for the requirements of the Victoria 2026 projects, and will be responsible for contracting the trainees and apprentices to the builders for these projects.

The GTO must be willing to commit to the employment of trainees and apprentices for the entireduration of theirqualification, and it is anticipated that many trainees will find permanentemployment during their traineeship.

Once the listofEmployment Suppliers has been established,peoplewithin the regions will then be able to register with ApprenticeshipsVictoria and the listed Employment Suppliersifthey wish to be consideredfor roles on Victoria 2026 projects.

Builders who havebeencontractedto deliver the Victoria 2026 venues and villages will havethe option to use this list to connect with future workers to help deliver on social policy outcomes.

It is estimated the Commonwealth Games will contribute more than $3 billion to Victoria’seconomy, creating more than 7500 jobs before, during and after the Games.

Leader: HarriersAVFemale captain Callie Cook.

Photograph: DanClancy

Team: HarriersAVmale co-captain Greg Semmler and daughter Louisacompletethe Rokeby FunRun Photograph supplied

Up from here: Hazelwood North’s Leandra McLauchlansports her silvermedal from the Under 15 AustralianHockey Championships Photograph: TomHayes

Opponents too good for Gippy United

SOCCER GIPPSLAND UNITED

BY NERELLE FOSTER

Under 14s

THE first away game of the season for the Under 14s found Gippsland playing against Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve.

It was afast-paced start in wintery conditions, with both teams mounting astrong defence until Patrick Frayne managed to break through and score agoal for Gippsland at the 10 minute mark. The score was equalled 10 minutes later despite the bestefforts of the defence who had managed to repel several Oakleigh attempts on goal.

The first half was aclose and intense contest, with both teams having several opportunities to score.

Bill Prior was astandout on the left wing. However, superb displays of defensive playonboth sides held the score to aone-all draw at halftime.

An early goal in the second half gave Oakleigh the lead, which they were able to capitalise on to bring the score to 3-1.

Ciaran Toomeyhad achancetoreduce the deficit with agoal in the second half, but much to the dismay of the boys, it was ruled off side.

The home team continued to dominate the game, taking the three points with a4-1 win.

Under 13s

THE curse of aslowstart would come back to haunt the under 13 Gippsland United Football Club boys as they took on earlyleague leaders, Glen Eira, at home in front of agood crowd considering the inclement weather.

GlenEiragot offtoa flyer, scoringinthe first minute and then again in the 16th minute.

United started to rallywith some strong work down back by Halkett-Dobson and also in the midfield by Herman’s as he started to link up with the forwards,creatinganimpact duringthe match.

Despite all the hard work, United conceded an own goal on the brink of half time, going3-0 down

The secondhalf saw abig step up in intensity by the Gippsland lads as they controlled play and started to give it back to their physical opponents. Diston-McCann againhit the back of the net for asecondhalfbrace. Ending the match with 5-2 deficit.

Under 12s

GIPPSLAND faced the toughest assignment in the competition, playing away to apowerful Dandenong City outfit.

As they knew they would be,Gippsland was tested early, with the Dandenong midfield makingrepeated forward entries and creating scoring opportunities.

Lewis Manzo, Liam Arbon and Oliver Lee stuck together as abackthree to hold out many attacks, with Romeo Vitale excelling again in goal.

Sid Box,Dino Grbic,Blake Breheny and Isaac

Sharp started to connect well through the middle of the pitch, creating play and holding possession with confidence.

Hudson Riess played acrucial role, scoring his first goal of the season from agreat string of passes. Ryan Ogg had great impact in defence in thesecond half, as did Quinn Asmussen in goal, while Harry Lee and Lucas O'Dowdran hard through the middle and attack, as the team started to really match it with the benchmark side.

This was by far the most positive and controlled game of the season so far from Gippsland, filling the team with belief for their matches ahead and pleasing coach Manzo.

Player of the matchwas HudsonRiess in the 11-1 defeat.

In other games, the under 18shad the bye, while the 15s game against Port Melbourne was cancelled due to the condition of the pitch.

Hunger andresilience on display in the LVSL

SOCCER LVSL

BY LAURIE WILLIAMS

 NYUSC VTYERS (5-0)

NEWBOROUGH/YALLOURN did anumberon ahapless Tyers, winning 5-0 in Round 7ofthe Latrobe Valley Soccer League.

The Combine found it hard to settle down, but ShanePavich received aloose ball to give them first blood at 26 minutes.

Tyers kept Newborough/Yallourn at bay for a while, but eventually broke down under pressure as two goals came within two minutes to change the complex of the match.

RyanMcCluskeygoaled at 35 minutes and Shane Pavich (37) did the damage before halftime.

After the break Newborough/Yallourn added further goals with apenalty at 56 and finally at 70 minutes the match was sealed at 5-0.

 SALE VOLYMPIANS (6-2)

SALE ensured Olympians would be chasing their first points afterbeating the Blues 6-2 Sale broke through early at six minutes, and

doubled the lead at 17 minutes.

Afterhalftime, Sale wentinto attacking mode andscored twice within 10 minutes to carry the score to an impressive 4-0.

Olympians, although down, were not out, and pulled agoal back at 62 which Sale responded to with agoal only four minutes later.

Olympians again scoredbut Sale answered to run out winners 6-2 in ahighly entertaining match.

 CHURCHILL VMONASH (0-1)

AFIRST half penalty by Monash was the difference between themselves and Churchill, as Monash made hard work of their good win.

The Wolves played all over the Rams in the early part, but wasted opportunitiestoscore. Churchill’s custodian had to maketwo fingertip saves, flicking the ball over the net.

Monash howeverbroke the deadlock after receiving apenalty which was neatly converted. Monash almost doubled up when aheader went wide and acorner kick was cleared off the line.

The Wolves led 1-0 at the break but couldn’t add any moreasboth keepers were brilliant in their saves, diving left, right, up and down during thegame.

Churchill almost tied the match with minutes to go, the ball clipping the side bar. Monash's win was their second scalp this season.

ROUND 8PREVIEW

HIGHLIGHT match of the round will be Pegasus at home to Falcons, agame between two of the heavyweight teams in the competition. Ironically,both are comingoff abye so the week’s rest will play abig part in the result of the match.

Falcon’sonlyblemishsofar has been alossto Moe (4-1) while Pegasus are yet to be takendown.

Falcons have scored moregoals (22) but have leaked nine, while Pegasushas scored 19 but only six against, and both have aplus-13 difference.

Top goal scorers for Falcons are Stefen Sbaglia with seven, although six goals in the opening round are yet to be credited to his tally, and Nonda Lazaris has five. Pegasus have Germaine Otieno with eight and Kuku Mahmoud with five.

 OLYMPIANS VFORTUNA FORTUNA have the bigchance to recover from

Moe Unitedtakesdowntop side

SOCCER

LVSL

BY JOHN CARDONA

MOE United played at home under lights for the second week in arow on Saturday night.

Alarge crowdcame to Olympic Park to see the Latrobe Valley Soccer League match of the roundbetween the Red Devils and leagueleaders Fortuna, who wentinto the Round 7match undefeated.

As predicted, it was aphysical and high quality game between two of the top sides in the competition.

Moe ended up winning3-0 after dominating early, scoring their first goal after 13 minutes.

The Red Devils scored from adefence splitting longfree kick that was perfectly judgedbyConnor O’Hanlon, who slotted the ball past the Fortuna keeper.

Moe Racing Club

meeting

HORSE RACING

MOE Racing Club will hold its Publicans Daymeeting next Monday (May 15).

Packages are available in the Hillside Pavilion for $115 per person.

Hillside Pavilion package includes general admission entry, race book, finger food, beer wine and soft drink, as well as as fantastic viewing of the straight Tickets are available on the club's website via https://moe.tickets.countryracing. com.au/

Gates open at midday

Fortuna’s defence and midfieldwere solid and limited Moe’sforward thrusts, but lacked penetrationupfrontand never threatened the Red Devil's goal.

Late in the first half, apinpoint pass from Riley Winkelman foundOscar Sceney unmarked. Sceney then racedclear but failed to beat the Fortuna keeper in aone-on-one. The rebound landed back to Sceney, by he disappointedly sprayed his second attempt.

Sixtyminutes intothe match,Sceney was again involved when he picked up aloose ball which he sent out wide where Campbell Dastey then raced through and his inch-perfect pass found O’Hanlon, who slotted the ball home from close range.

Fortuna fought hardtoget back intothe contest, but their forward movements posted very little threat to Peter Albanese in Moe United’s goal.

Seventy-five minutes into the match, the Red Devils sealed the vitally important three points when aChad Sheeley free kick found Sceney.

Sceney swivelled around and hammered his first time shot home past the visiting Fortuna keeper. Fortunaproduced acouple of late chances coming from aBrodie Glover shot, then soon after afree kick was saved by Albanese. The rebound fell to Lachie Frendo but his shot sailed high over the target.

Best for Moe was Sceney, O’Hanlon,Luke Bathgate and Tanner Pyle, while for Fortuna, Oliver Spiteri and Daniel Cooper played well.

IN the reserves, Moe United also won against a previously undefeated Fortuna 5-2. Scorers for Moe were Harley Robinson with three, Ben Schembri and Jake Heusmann.

The Red Devils won second division 2-1. Fortuna was convincing winners in the senior women’s match, winning 11-1 over ayoung Moe side. Tyler Armistead got on the scoresheet for the Red Devil’s MOE United are away this weekend, taking on Tyers United.

Goalsgalore in women’sLVSL

SOCCER LVSL WOMEN

BY ZOE ASKEW

FORTUNA 60 Soccer Club senior women sealed an 11-1 win over Moe United Soccer Club in the Latrobe Valley SoccerLeague'sopening Round 7match

Fortuna led Moe 6-1 at the break, netting four goals in the second half to claim asolid win over the RedDevils at Olympic Park on Saturday afternoon.

Sophie Jarvis netted adouble hat-trick plus one Her seven goals in Round 7earnt her the title of the league's leading goal scorer.

Emily Brabazon scored theremaining three goals for Fortuna. TheRound7hat-trick tying her as the league's equal second-leading goal scorer with Falcons Savannah Lapenta and Sale United's Anouk Meereboer with atotal of 16.

Jarvis leads by two goals, having scored 18 goals. NewboroughYallournUnited redeemed

themselvesatthe weekend,followingaRound 6loss, defeating Tyers Lightning 5-1 at Burrage Reserve.

Olivia Brown nettedabrace, with Angela Knersch,Kelly-Lee Solesand Gabrielle FisherWolfe each finding the back of the net.

Emily Shaw scored for Tyers.

Morwell Pegasus hosted East Gippsland United on Sundaymorning, thehome side scoring the opening goal in the 10th minute.

East Gippsland's SallyHoffman scoredthe equaliser in the 36th minute.

With agoalless second half, nothing separated the two sides at the 90 minute mark. Morwell Pegasus and East Gippsland United split the Round 7points.

Falcons claimed three points, defeating Traralgon City 5-1 at LatrobeCity Sports Stadium,while Monash and Churchill split the points following ascoreless game.

Sale United had the bye.

their loss to Moe. Playing understrength, the Lions were outmuscled by astrongerMoe side, but this time round should have many players returning so that points to adifficult time for the Olympians.

 MONASH VNEWBROUGH/YALLOURN

THENewboroughderby features Monash playing their fourth 'home' match in arow up against their neighbours, in amatch that usually provides very keen opposition.

Newborough/Yallourn will go in as favourites, but Monash will be buoyed by their win over Churchill  TYERS VMOE

TYERSare home to giant killers Moe.

Although Tyersaren’tinthe ‘giant’mode,Moe should be able to rattle up afew goals against the minnows.

Moe are playing at their top and should be able to add another scalp to their already impressive haul.

DEADLINES