Mail - Mountain Views Star Mail - 18th January 2022 by Star News Group

Mountain Views

Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

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Hospitals stretched from shortages

How locals can stop illegal wildlife trading

CFA concerned over spate of hay bale fires

YAVA Gallery opens Youth exhibit

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A Star News Group Publication

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Staffing disaster Aiden Jakobs was among the first group of children to receive a Covid-19 vaccination at Yarra Valley Clinic. Picture: RENEE WOOD

Demand for vaccines Five to 11 year olds are now being immunised against Covid-19 after the roll out began on Monday 10 January. Local vaccination clinics are now administering children Pfizer doses, while also seeing high demand for booster shots. The community’s being asked to be patient with clinics as they navigate a

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surge in appointments. Yarra Valley Clinic Practice Manager Leonie Redshaw said “Please just be patient, our reception staff are doing their very, very best with what the government regulations and stipulations have been on us and we can only do so much,” she said. Read more on page 5

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A surge of rising Covid-19 cases, isolations, a lack of Rapid Antigen Tests and long PCR result wait times are creating a staffing disaster in the Yarra Ranges. Many businesses have been left struggling with no staff in the midst of the Omicron wave, with shortages being felt across several sectors. The hospitality sector was already struggling to find workers last year and this is yet another blow upon blow for the industry. Gladysdale Bakehouse in Yarra Junction has closed over the past few weeks due to staff needing to isolate. Owner Jason Rush said once was due to customers testing positive and the other due to a staff member contracting the virus. Mr Rush said this is all happening during the region’s busiest times of the year. “At the moment we’re not running our full breakfast menu all week because I just can’t keep up with it,” Mr Rush said. “We’ve got Blue Lotus up the road which just opened and the tourism side of that is huge for us, so we’ve just got to continue making adjustments.” Some businesses have already imposed reduced hours or closures, due to a lack of staff and rising case concerns. Red Relish Cafe in Yarra Junction has an-

nounced it will remain closed until the end of January to protect staff, with the reward not worth the risk. Ms Cordina said two of her staff members are immune-compromised and won’t be opening until January 28. “We were getting more and more cases in town and I just really weighed it up, and I thought it’s getting to the stage where it’s not worth opening while it’s school holidays and there’s so many people about,” Ms Cordina said. The cafe’s proximity to the Yarra Junction testing centre also posed an infection risk for staff and customers. “We were having people come in for food and coffee who were waiting to be tested. “If you’ve got symptoms, and you’re in line to get tested - why are you coming in?” Healesville Hotel also closed Cellars Coffee for a week to prioritise the hotel’s operation due to staffing shortages. “It’s pretty much a day by day proposition at the moment with staff having to isolate because of waiting for tests, and then one of the biggest problems is you can’t access rapid antigen tests,” Healesville Hotel Director Michael Kennedy said. Mr Kennedy said this Covid-19 surge is posing different issues than in previous years. Continued page 3

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IN BRIEF Students receive university offers

Message reignited

The graduating class of 2021 received their first round of offers from universities throughout Victoria on 14 January. The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre released the offers to potential university students at 2pm. “January offers are released today,” VTAC wrote on Facebook. “Offers will be emailed progressively and in random order until 2pm, at which point they will become available in your VTAC account under the Course Offers tab.” Another four rounds of offers will be completed by VTAC on 1,8, 14 and 18 February. Many graduating students received early university offers, a practice that became more prevalent in 2020 after the beginning on the Covid-19 pandemic.

By Parker McKenzie Yarra Ranges Council has asked the community to get on board with their Be Kind campaign, as businesses in the area struggle with staff-shortages and supply issues. Mayor Jim Child said council wants the community to be kind to themselves, each other and to businesses facing challenges caused by the pandemic. “We want people to really realize the stress that businesses are dealing with and the community going through a lot,” he said. “When you go into a business, whether it be hospitality, service, business, or whatever it might be, be aware of the stress and pressure going on there as well.” Yarra Ranges Council launched the Be Kind to business campaign in 2020 after lockdowns in Melbourne put immense strain on traders throughout the region. Mayor Child said he hopes members of the community can put themselves in others shoes and think about others going forward. “There’s so much movement in the community, going out shopping or going out and enjoying hospitality,” Mayor Child said. “Venues providing those services are in demand, but they have a lot of constraints as far as providing service back to the community.” The campaign highlights that while businesses may be open, “it’s not quite business as usual” for those facing staff shortages as they do their best to keep customers, staff and their

Public transport delays

Yarra Ranges are encouraging community members to Be Kind to businesses throughout the region. Picture: YARRA RANGES COUNCIL families safe, while keeping their business open to the public. Mayor Child said council wants people to treat other community members with kindness.

“We just want people to look after themselves, their families and look after the people that are around them, whether they are in the community or in the business sector.” he said.

Omicron wave hits hospitality sector From page 1 “This is a completely different scenario with the ‘let it rip’, in terms of the isolation and the disruption of business now, and there doesn’t appear to be any talk of any support for either employees or businesses.” Cafes and restaurants are also seeing hostility from customers due to enforcing the guidelines. “It only takes one person a day to have a crack at you for following some guidelines to totally ruin your whole day,” Mr Rush said. Mr Rush said the Bakehouse is strict with mask wearing and vaccination requirements to keep the doors open, serve the community and keep locals employed. “We’ve potentially lost some customers because we’re quite strict on our Covid policy, but maybe being strict on our Covid policy as well has allowed us to stay open for all this time. “I have an obligation to keep 15 of my staff safe, I have an obligation to keep my family safe and my staff’s family safe and we won’t budge on that.” Red Relish Cafe owner Sue Cordina is also noticing more customers getting angry at staff. “Just be kind to people, we’re all doing it

Red Relish Cafe is remaining closed until the end of January due to rising local cases. 264754 Picture: ROB CAREW hard - nobody wants to say you can’t come in, nobody wants to say that. We’re all backed into a corner, doing what we have to do to survive, so we don’t get fined so we don’t get shut down. It’s a daily battle right now for all of us,” she said. People entering ‘self-imposed’ lockdowns is another factor the hospitality sector is watching closely.

“I’m sure a lot of people are going to be looking at their trading hours after this week, because I think this week’s going to tell us whether or not the self imposed lockdown is a real thing or not,” Mr Kennedy said. The Healesville Hotel is already starting to see a wave of cancellations come through for the rest of the month. “All our accommodation has just been decimated as well, lots of bookings for January, they’re cancelling left right and centre. “We work all year to have January if you like, it’s all hands on deck but this year it’s a complete and utter shadow of itself.” While businesses are currently taking it day by day, waiting for the spike to end, it’s hard to see what the future will hold for the industry. Many businesses have closed permanently due to the pandemic, but the shakeup of the industry has only just begun. “I think there really has to be a whole new world of outdoor dining, and I think that councils and government really have to look at small business and say, how can we help you?” Ms Cordinia said. “We will get through it, we will return to normality, just how long that takes - who knows?” Mr Kennedy said.

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Major delays on public transport may begin appearing with some services being cancelled due to staff shortages. With a large number of staff isolating, some services may be disrupted over the next few weeks as the Department of Transport (DoT) work to balance timetable requirements with staff availability. “The Department of Transport continues to work closely with public transport operators to minimise the impact on passengers and to ensure the health and welfare of our staff and passengers,” a spokesperson said. Passengers are advised to allow extra travel time and to check the departures schedule regularly or at least an hour before their expected travel time. A CovidSafe plan is still being enacted by the DoT to ensure the safety of passengers and appropriate hygiene practices are being followed. All passengers, eight years and over must wear a fitted face mask when travelling on public transport. Public transport information and network status is available at ptv.vic.gov.au or the PTV mobile app.

Waived renewal rego fees Yarra Ranges Council has waived food and health registration renewal fees for nearly 1,500 businesses across the Yarra Ranges for 2022, as part of a temporary Covid relief measure. Additionally, Council has waived new applications for footpath trading to support businesses operating in a COVIDSafe environment temporarily, until September 2022. This is in recognition that many of our businesses in the hospitality and health industries have been severely impacted by another difficult year of pandemic restrictions. “Our businesses have been through so much, and we hope that taking renewal fees off the table for another year helps make a small difference,” Cr Jim Child said. Council’s COVID Recovery Fund will be used to subsidise these fees for the second year running. Businesses that have been notified that they are eligible to have their registration fees waived for 2022 still need to apply to renew their registration. Proprietors can get in contact with the Safer Communities Customer Management team if they have any queries by calling 1300 368 333 or emailing.

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Service disruptions By Mikayla van Loon

Healesville Community Link services are still open while Upwey and Yarra Junction have closed due to staff shortages. 248848 PICTURE: STEWART CHAMBERS

Yarra Ranges residents have been informed of potential longer wait times for home support services as Council is currently experiencing a reduced availability of staff due to Covid-19 cases and staff isolation. Director of Corporate Services Andrew Hilson said council has created work team ‘bubbles’ to limit the potential spread of the virus to staff and community members but this is causing some limitations in services. “The impacts of the pandemic are also affecting other council services, with reduced staffing availability resulting in longer wait times for some home support services for older adults in the community. We’re still working in this space and communicating with clients to update them as this changes,” Mr Hilson said. “To reduce potential service disruptions and to reduce the spread of the virus, the majority of our staff have been instructed to work from home. All public services are still available, though some services are being delivered remotely to keep staff and the community safe.” Mr Hilson said some clients have cancelled some in home services to avoid unnecessary contact with people and to ensure their own safety. “We’ll continue to support our community, and in particular the more vulnerable members, with our services, including meals, transport, social support groups and home support in a Covid-safe manner and we will update the community as our services continue to be impacted by the pandemic.”

Comm Link closed Yarra Ranges Council has closed Community Links at Yarra Junction until the end of January due to staff shortages. Council said in a statement it is experiencing a shortage of staff due to an increase in Covid-19 cases and testing and isloation requirements. “As a result, our Community Links at Upwey and Yarra Junction will be closed from 5pm, Tuesday 11 January until the end of January.

Our community links at Lilydale, Healesville and Monbulk will remain open,” it read. The service provides support and advice for council payments, maintenance requests, mobile phone recycling, sharps disposals and disabled parking permits. Local residents are encouraged to also contact the council via 1300 368 33 however, there may be a delay in answering calls and action requests.

g n i t TAs

“Please bear with us as we work through this situation – and thanks in advance for your patience.” “A continued surge of COVID cases in the state may lead to further impacts on Council services. While we are doing everything we can to minimise this risk, please be assured we will keep you updated on any changes via our Facebook page and website.”

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Appointments open By Renee Wood Yarra Valley Clinic has begun administering Covid-19 vaccinations to children aged five to 11 on Tuesday 11 January following the roll out beginning on Monday 10 January. Practice manager Leonie Redshaw said the clinic secured a supply of 100 doses of the children’s Pfizer dose when it was announced. Going forward the clinic has booked out Monday and Friday afternoons for children Pfizer vaccinations. “We’re still doing first and second vaccinations, then boosters and now children, so we’ve separated them from the adult vaccination clinics,” Ms Redshaw said. The clinic started receiving inquiries when the date for the roll out was set last month. “We weren’t sure of the supply getting here on the date that the government said we could start, so rather than booking people in we took their names and contacted them once we knew we had the supply.” Five year old Aiden Jakobs was one of the first children to receive an immunisation at the clinic. Aiden’s mum Dannielle said she was grateful he could now receive the vaccine after going through cancer treatment last year. “Aiden only finished chemo a month and a half ago, so his immune system’s still quite low, and his oncologist said this would help a lot,” Ms Jakobs said. “He actually said he wanted to get it done, I gave him the option.” Ms Jakobs is also pleased Aiden could receive the jab before beginning his first year of school.

Local GPs are seeing a large increase in demand for booster shot appointments. Picture: UNSPLASH

Booster demand spikes By Renee Wood

Aiden Jakobs was among the first group of children to receive a Covid-19 vaccination at the Yarra Valley Clinic. Picture: RENEE WOOD “I was glad that was a possibility because I think if kids are vaccinated, they’ll be able to go and not start his school homeschooling. “Hopefully he can get the next one done as soon as possible as well and then a third because of his immune system.”

Ms Redshaw said many parents are making bookings for children before they head back to school for extra protection against the virus. “We still have availability from the 24th of January,” Ms Redshaw said.

Lilydale Primary to host pop up vax clinic By Mikayla van Loon Yarra Valley families will be able to visit Lilydale Primary School for a pop up vaccination clinic for children aged five to 11. The clinic is one of 30 pop ups across 18 local government areas and will be open to all, not just those who attend the school, in the coming weeks following the vaccination roll out beginning on Monday 10 January. The health advice will allow children aged five to 11 to receive a reduced dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The Victorian Government also announced funding and grants packages to enable pharmacists and GPs to establish additional minivaccination clinics at schools in areas that need more uptake. Four million dollars will be made available in the Primary Care Vaccinations in Schools program where applicants will nominate the local government areas and number of schools and students they can help vaccinate. Successful applicants will be matched with schools in priority areas and will receive grants of up to $6500 to cover staffing, travel and equipment costs. An additional $5,000 clinic establishment

Lilydale Primary School will be a pop up vaccination clinic for children aged five to 11 in coming weeks. 264268 Picture: ROB CAREW fee per school is also available, plus additional loadings for specialist schools or small, rural or regional schools. “With 30 vaccination centres at schools, more than 35 vaccination centres in the community, plus grants for GPs and pharmacies to deliver more vaccines – we are doing all we can to get jabs into arms young and old,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

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“Vaccination is the best thing you do to keep your children and family safe – get the kids vaccinated and your third dose at the same time.” While these pop ups get set up, Premier Andrews encouraged parents to book in their children at a state-run centre or with a local GP.

Healesville medical centres are being inundated with people in need of receiving a Covid-19 booster shot. Yarra Valley Clinic Practice Manager Leonie Redshaw said the vaccination booster appointments are booked out until the end of February. “We’re trying desperately to make extra days available but it comes down to the ordering process and making sure we have the vaccines in stock,” Ms Redshaw said. A stark contrast to the end of the year where the practice found it needing to throw away stock because of the storing process with Pfizer and no appointments requested. “We had been ordering the same amount and it was being used very, very quickly and then all of a sudden it just dropped off once Victoria got to 90 per cent double vaccinated, we didn’t have that need and so we did have to discard some vaccines.” There is also now concern Pfizer booster supplies will be changed after the medical centre received a notice from distribution companies that supply may be affected. Healesville Medical Centre is also seeing a very high demand for boosters, even more so now that the third jab is mandated for certain sectors. Health care providers are again urging the community to have patience as they continue to do their best to serve the community. “Please just be patient, our reception staff are doing their very, very best with what the government regulations and stipulations have been on us and we can only do so much. “We have to make sure we have supply and we also have to make sure that we are available to provide medical care for the patients that require it. The other health issues haven’t gone away.”

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Pushed to breaking point By Parker McKenzie

Eastern Health - who run the Angliss Hospital - are currently facing high demand in the Emergency Departments. Mr Symondson said to help hospitals, community health centres and aged care providers maximise their workforce in February and beyond, the VHA wants the Commonwealth and Victorian government to prioritise supply of rapid antigen tests to healthcare and aged care facilities, with a clear timeframe on how many tests will be delivered and when they will arrive. He also asks for the Victorian government to not only extend the commitment to pay surge allowances to frontline healthcare workers beyond the current end date of 10 February, but also expand the category of people who qualify for this payment to include all healthcare workers in patient facing roles. “Healthcare workers are exhausted and need to be recognised for the extraordinary work they are doing during this public health crisis.” “Many healthcare workers in community health centres are working in the High Risk Accommodation Response program which focuses on keeping high risk populations safe, and the Covid-19 Positive Pathways Program which cares for people at higher risk of serious illness. GPs are already reporting they’re overwhelmed. Victoria’s unique community health centre system is backing them up.” Currently, healthcare professionals directly supporting face-to-face care are entitled to monetary payments known as surge payments, which were introduced in October 2021. Patient facing roles aren’t the only ones affected, as the support systems of the healthcare system face challenges created by the growing case numbers. The Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), the organisation responsible for emergency calls and dispatching ambulances, is currently experiencing an unprecedented number of calls.

Currently they are receiving on average 3000 calls a day, compared with just 2400 calls for the entire month in August last year. “Our triple zero operators care deeply about the service they provide and the community they serve; any delays are unacceptable and we understand callers facing delays could be incredibly distressed,” an ESTA spokesperson said. “More than one-in-five calls to triple zero for an ambulance do not need an emergency ambulance response, and we ask the community to please save triple zero for emergencies and to use Nurse on Call where appropriate.” The increase in calls was attributed by ETSA to several factors, including an increase in Covid-19 related cases needing an ambulance, the cumulative impact of people delaying medical assistance since the start of the pandemic, an increase in calls related to non-emergency situations and an increase in mental health related emergencies. Following an additional $27.5 million in funding in the Victorian 2021/22 budget, ETSA is recruiting 43 new full-time employees for call-taking, dispatch and mental health support roles. While some of these roles have been filled, others will take weeks or months before they are operational. ETSA has implemented a number of other measures to handle the huge increase in the volume of emergency calls including offering overtime shifts to workers, recalling employees seconded into other projects and using additional incentive payments to attract already trained potential staff, former employees and those on parental leave to return to work at ETSA. The Victorian State Government an-

Picture: ON FILE

nounced on 12 January a drive to train up to 1000 new vaccinators, drawing from a pool of first-year health students, retired nurses and people with experience working in health or community service. “Millions of Victorians will soon be eligible for their third dose, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure the community can access a vaccine as quickly and as safely as possible.” Mr Merlino said. The government said this will free up health professionals to return to their normal duties and ensure Victorians can receive their third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Mr Symondson said when the National Cabinet meets on Thursday 12 January, these issues must be prioritised. “Our members are telling us about significant shortages that are hampering their ability to keep up with demand. This is likely to get worse in coming weeks,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many ambulances, hospital beds and aged care rooms we physically have in Victoria. Without staff, they won’t function, “Omicron is going to test Victoria’s health system like no other event in recent history. Now is the time to invest in our health and aged care workers. We need to recognise the extraordinary work they are doing to help us all through this public health crisis.” Mr Symondson also called for the Victorian and Commonwealth governments to priortise supply of Rapid Antigen Tests for healthcare workers within the state. On Monday 17 January three million tests, a portion of an order of 44 million made by the Victorian government, arrived to be distributed in critical work forces, including healthcare.

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The rapid rise of omicron cases across the state has put immense pressure on ambulance, hospital and triple-zero services, and it’s only expected to get worse. On 12 January acting Health Minister James Merlino said over 6600 hospital staff are currently isolating because of Covid-19 infection or are close contacts. Among these thousands of isolating healthcare professionals are staff from Eastern Health, who runs the Anglis, Healesville, Maroondah and Box Hill hospitals, which all provide care to Yarra Ranges and Knox residents. An Eastern Health spokesperson said the extreme demand in their emergency departments is the result of several different factors. “These include many staff having to furlough for Covid related reasons and an increase in demand for Covid-specific activity,” the spokesperson said. “Both of these factors put additional strain on the health service for both Covid and nonCovid care.” Mr Merlino said a “code brown” response – where all leave for hospital workers would be cancelled – is currently under consideration. This followed Ambulance Victoria activating a red escalation response in the metropolitan area, which includes Yarra Ranges, Knox City and Cardinia Council, and asked nonurgent emergencies to contact nurses on Call. As of 11 January, 422 Ambulance Victoria employees were isolating and unable to work. From 11.20pm on 10 January, some emergency calls for ambulances and paramedics were delayed because of the demand for emergency services. The code red escalation response ended at 3.35am 11 January. “The global Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a significant and unprecedented impact on health systems including Ambulance Victoria and hospital emergency departments,” an Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said. “Ambulance Victoria has a detailed Emergency Response Plan and escalation procedures to effectively manage a surge in workload and demand.” This was the second time in a week a code red escalation response was declared by Ambulance Victoria. The government agency expects ambulances and hospitals will be even busier over the coming weeks with increasing Covid case numbers in the community. CEO of the Victorian Healthcare Association Tom Symondson said the Victorian and Commonwealth governments must urgently act to secure the health workforce in coming weeks and months. “The rapid rise of Covid-19 infections is causing a dire shortage of healthcare workers for testing, vaccination and other healthcare. It is also exacerbating a critical shortage of staff to care for people in supported accommodation and aged care,” he said. “More than 6000 Victorian healthcare workers are currently unavailable to work due to Covid. This is about five per cent of Victoria’s health workforce and coincides with a peak period for annual leave.”

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Iso exempt By Mikayla van Loon Workers in several industries will now be exempt from home isolation requirements if identified as a close contact in order to ensure critical workplaces can continue operating. Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Thursday 13 January after discussions at a National Cabinet meeting the day prior that emergency services, education, critical utilities, custodial facilities, transport and freight services will join the food sector in being exempt from household contacts. “If they are playing a critical role, they will be exempt from having to do home iso, they will need to take a RAT test for five days and if that is negative they can proceed in doing that critical work,” Premier Andrews said. Health Minister Martin Foley announced earlier in the week the removal of home quarantine requirements for hospitality and healthcare workers who were living with a close contact. Premier Andrews said this was a sensible and easy step to take to ensure staff shortages were minimised in all sectors but will only apply to the most essential workers in each of the industries. “They’re important additions to ensure that whether it is waste or power, gas, all the way through to law enforcement, our prisons, all of those sectors, they need to continue regardless of the fact that we are in a global pandemic and we have this variant of concern,” he said. “Exempting those [critical] workers is a common sense way we can keep those services, those important parts of our economy and important parts of our society as close to normal as possible.” Yarra Valley residents who work in these categories will only be exempt to attend work

Coles stores have imposed temporary limits on meat products due to supply chain issues, but Woolworths remains limit-free for now. Pictures: GABRIELLA PAYNE

Shelves stripped bare By Gabriella Payne Supermarkets throughout Melbourne’s south east, like the rest of Australia, are unfortunately feeling the effects of Covid once again - but this time, it’s not panic buying that’s causing the issue. The Omicron wave is causing issues in the national supply chain and creating staffing issues, which have both led to empty shelves in a range of stores. Some supermarkets have also reinstated customer limits on certain items, as was seen earlier in the pandemic. In an email to customers on Thursday 6 January, Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci explained the current situation and urged shoppers not to panic, as there are still plenty of food products and supplies left to go around. “When you’re shopping with us at the moment, you might unfortunately have noticed gaps on shelf, or substitutions in your online order,” Mr Banducci wrote. “Unlike the surge buying of early 2020 (who could forget the toilet paper), this is because of the number of people in our supply chain in isolation – from suppliers to truck drivers and distribution centre team members – which in turn is causing material delays to store deliveries. “To give you a sense of the magnitude of the challenge, we are experiencing Coviddriven absences of 20 per cent plus in our distribution centres and 10 per cent plus in our stores,” he explained. While Mr Banducci said that states like NSW were feeling the effects the most, he noted that this was a nationwide issue and it was “not yet clear how soon the system will come back into balance”. A Coles spokesperson echoed Mr Banducci’s sentiments, and said they were experiencing the same issues due to the Omicron wave. “Recent increases in Covid case numbers in the community have required more

Supermarket shelves across the country are looking a little emptier due to the impacts of the Covid-19 Omicron wave. people to isolate, which has impacted the availability of labour throughout the food supply chain,” the spokesperson said. “At a time when inventory levels were already reduced in the post-Christmas period, our distribution centres are receiving fewer inbound deliveries and we have fewer team members available to process and dispatch stock to our stores. “Meanwhile demand is elevated as customers choose to eat more meals at home to reduce their exposure to the rest of the community.” Coles supermarkets have now imposed temporary purchase limits across the country (except WA) on selected meat products, in order to manage the demand for these grocery items but Woolworths stores continue to remain limit-free for now. Both supermarket giants thanked customers for their understanding during these challenging times. “We thank our customers for their patience as we work with our suppliers and transport partners to increase deliveries and return a full range of products to our stores over coming weeks,” the Coles spokesperson said. “We ask that they continue to treat our team with kindness and respect, and to purchase only what they need.”

but will not be able to attend any other facility. Workers must also follow the below rules to ensure they do not spread the virus at work: The worker must undertake a daily Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for five days and return a negative result prior to attending work each day They must wear a face mask at all times, with exceptions in the case of eating or drinking, or safety reasons, and a P2/N95 respirator is preferred The worker cannot enter shared break areas and the employer must try and facilitate solo break time. The employer must also take reasonable steps to deploy the worker in areas where transmission risk is lower If at any time the worker develops symptoms or tests positive on a RAT, the exemption no longer applies – they are a case, must isolate for seven days, and must notify others including their employer

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Premier Andrews also noted he had been in talks with major supermarket chains about distribution and other challenges they are having in getting food on the shelves. The identified challenge has been a lack of truck drivers and transport to move stock from all over the country and state to fill shelves. “We continue to work with them and the unions to do whatever we can to ease that pressure.” The new exemptions come into effect at 11:59pm on Tuesday 18 January. More information will be published on the website www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/isolationexemptions when they come into effect.

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Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

MAIL 7

NEWS

Meeting the Air Wing By Renee Wood Families at Healesville’s Queen’s Park on Sunday 9 January were surprised to see the Victoria Police Air Wing helicopter fly over and land in the open area. The Air Wing was conducting routine patrols in the Healesville Area and the team were delighted to be greeted by locals on their arrival. Due to the community interest, flight officers turned the routine operation into an impromptu static display and information session, allowing the public to ask questions

about their role in the force and the sky and inspect the chopper. Victoria Police Air Wing Tactical Flight Officer Mark Weekley was there on the day. “It was great to meet the locals and talk about the work we do,” he said. “We thank the community for their interest and continued support.”

Healesville children enjoyed the opportunity to see inside the Victoria Police Air Wing Helicopter. 264684 Picture: ANDREW BLAIR

Councils collaborate on energy, water saving kits Knox City, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges Council have worked in partnership to develop an energy and water saver kit to help the local community improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. The kit consists of a thermal imaging camera, power meter, stopwatch, thermometer, Energy Freedom home book, CSIRO home energy saving handbook and an instruction guide. “We worked in partnership with Maroondah and Yarra Ranges Council to develop these kits for our community,” Knox City Council said. “These kits are designed to improve energy efficiency around the home, and help

households reduce emissions to tackle climate change.” The kits come with a step by step guide to check for water leaks, inefficient fixtures, high energy use items, costly energy consumption behaviors and building design flaws. “Knox households account for 18% of total greenhouse emissions in our community,” Knox City Council said. “As part of our Climate Response Plan 2021-2031, we are providing a range of programs to help our community to lower emissions and reach net zero by 2040.” There are currently three kits available for loan through Eastern Regional Libraries, who

have branches in Belgrave, Ferntree Gully and Monbulk. “Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges councils have partnered to develop and deliver this Energy and Water Saver Kit for loan through the local library system, managed by the Your Library Group,” the instruction guide reads. “The library loan system enables members to freely borrow the toolkits, ensuring they are equitable and accessible to those in the local area.” The energy and water saving kit aims to help the community understand where they are using power, measure usage and identify how they might increase usage efficiency.

The energy and water saver kit helps identify leaks and wasteful usage. Picture: HARRY GROUT/UNSPLASHED

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NEWS

A shingleback skink seized during Operation Sheffield.

Pictures: DEWLP/DOUG GIMESY

A blue tongue lizard seized during Operation Sheffield.

Exposing the cruel trade By Renee Wood The illegal capturing and trafficking of Australia’s native wildlife is a great concern for Victorian authorities, with thousands of animals taken yearly for the lucrative trade on home soil and overseas. In 2019, a tourist Jeng Chiang was convicted of smuggling reptiles from Melbourne, sending six consignments through Australia Post with 40 eastern water dragons, 19 eastern blue-tongue lizards, and one black-headed monitor inside. Chiang pleaded guilty to 67 charges and served a six month prison sentence before being deported to Taiwan. This followed a 15 month investigation, Operation Sheffield, which exposed Chiang as the link in the illegal chain, picking up the poached animals to send off to Hong Kong. Operation Sheffield was a collaboration between DELWP, Australian Border Force, the Department of Environment and Energy, Australia Post and RSPCA Victoria and uncovered 36 consignments picked up through the airport gateway carrying over 150 reptiles. DELWP Chief Conservation Regulator Kate Gavens said sadly this illegal trade continues daily, which expected to increase in 2022 as the country opens up again. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg, there’s regular cases where we’re picking up wildlife through those facilities or through inspections of premises where we’re finding the equipment and the means to be able to traffic wildlife internationally,” Kate Gavens said. “We’ve seen a slowdown the last couple of years through the pandemic, but we certainly expect to see that trade pick up again in 2022.” Poachers target animals across the country and Ms Gavens said the Yarra Ranges area is a

target for the criminal activity. “We certainly know that some of the illegal wildlife activity that we pick up, including through Operation Sheffield, that some of those animals will have been sourced from areas like the Yarra Ranges and surrounding forests.” Illegal poaching is a huge issue for native wildlife, causing the disruption of local biodiversity and habitat destruction. DELWP has found turned over rocks and broken hollows as signs of poaching behaviour, which also permanently destroys habitat for other animals as well. The animals then go through a horrific ordeal in attempts to smuggle them out of the country, suffering severely through the capture and containment. “The animals that we’ve intercepted through the Australia Post network and the Australian Border Force are often bound with sticky tape, wrapped up in socks, hidden in rice cookers. “This is a cruel trade and that’s why it is so important that we continue to focus on detecting and shutting down illegal trafficking of wildlife.” The main driver behind the trafficking is high prices, seeing a wide range of animals sell for thousands of dollars on the black market and in the international pet trade. “Shinglebacks can fetch up to $10,000 on the international market, where there might only attract $200 in Australia. But the other animal that is becoming an increasing target is our bird species, the red tail black cockatoo for example can get an asking price of up to $100,000.” Crime Stoppers Victoria spokesperson Georgia Gallo said the charges and persecution for the illegal activity is significant.

“The fines are in the 10s of 1000s of dollars for possessing illegal animals, so that can be a maximum of 10 years jail or fine up to $210,000,” Georgia Gallo said. The community’s support is of great value to the operations in identifying, investigating and convicting illegal poaching and smuggling. Crime Stoppers has seen a 59 per cent increase in the past year of reports being made related to wildlife related concerns. “It’s a really cruel business and the public are aware of the animal cruelty that’s involved in the trade. “It’s also unusually because of Covid, people are so familiar with their areas where they walk every day that as soon as they see something that might be a little suspicious they’re going to report it because they want to keep each other safe.” Yarra Ranges residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity in local forests, parks and reserves. People with nets, buckets and egg cartons can be a sign of a wildlife traffickers at work, which can be confidentially reported to Crime Stoppers. Traps left or changes in areas such as habitat being disturbed, rocks moved, hollows destroyed are also concerns, with reports made sent through to DEWLP investigators. “It means that we’ve got a sense of where traffickers might be operating and we can then target those areas,” Ms Gavens said. Those looking into purchase natives as pets in Victoria can also report suspicious local sellers, as strict licenses are needed to operate in the field. “Make sure you’re buying from a licensed dealer or breeder, ask questions of the seller

about the reptile’s history, request to look at the animal’s documentation, make sure the animal looks healthy, and check for obvious signs like ticks and lethargy in the animal.” Crime Stoppers has noticed online sales are becoming attractive through Gumtree and Facebook marketplaces. “Covid has really decreased face to face transactions and in illegal wildlife trade, like most criminals, they are going to find and evolve their ways of doing crime, so we’ve definitely seen more of an increase in social media and online buy and sell websites,” Ms Gallo said. Last year a campaign was released called ‘Break the Chain’, profiling native and exotic pests while encouraging the community to report any information or suspicions. Red-tailed black cockatoos and shingleback skinks were highlighted for being targeted by poachers, while African pygmy hedgehogs and red-eared slider turtles were exposed as animals being brought into Australia - posing a threat to biodiversity. “Exotic pest animal are sometimes brought into Victoria by people that have it as a pet overseas, and once they come in they might realise that it’s actually illegal in Victoria and unfortunately dump it into the wild, which is an illegal offence.” The public is encouraged to report any information relating to illegal wildlife trade to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. “The illegal wildlife trade is such a cruel business. These animals are tortured, some will die during transportation and at the end of the day, the people that are involved they’re all making money from it. “There’s no care for the animals that are involved, the offenders have one thing in common and that’s unfortunately to make money.”

Landcare accomplishments and plans for the new year Northern Yarra Landcare is looking forward to a prosperous new year following two years of lockdowns. “We hope 2022 will be a year we can build on accomplishments and ground work we put in last year despite restrictions then,” John Birse, Northern Yarra Landcare President, said. A major accomplishment was winning the Australian Government Partnerships for Landcare Award where Northern Yarra Landcare Network (NYLN) partnered with VicRoads to achieve the treatment of 190 sites of invasive weeds along 14km of the Melba Highway. This partnership was the result of many hours of property owner consultation as well as coordinating with agencies like Melbourne Water and contractors by the Landcare facilitator Rob Fallon. He was able to focus weed control at the most optimum times and avoid damage to adjacent properties like vineyards. The program has now been extended along Chum Creek Road. Weed treatment has to be ongoing and systematic but can result in the restoration mailcommunity.com.au

Members of Dixon’s Creek Landcare with an invasive weed area on the Melba Highway near a vineyard. Picture: SUPPLIED of native habitat along roads. Northern Yarra Landcare group is now a candidate for a National Landcare award.

During last year a number of landowners were approached as to their interest in blackberry control on their properties and over the summer, these blackberry infestations will be treated. A very large project is at Woodnook in Dixons Creek where a large area of blackberries will be treated using both goats and conventional sprays. Quite a few property owners use the NYLN spray rig to control their weeds. As part of the weed control program, revegetation is important and it’s hope to properties along Steels and Dixon’s Creeks will see the replanting of habitat along those creeks. Melbourne Water has an excellent Streamside Front Management Program to assist landowners who want to control weeds and revegetate their property adjacent to creeks. If you would like information about weed control on your property and how to go about it contact Rob Fallon Northern Yarra Landcare Network Facilitator, northernyarralandcare@gmail.com. In Chum Creek, the Landcare group plans

to re-engage community groups with bird walks and using the pamphlet they produced on local birds. The group plans to continue our planting program, remove weeds in areas along Chum Creek and continue our deer control program. This year will be one of restoration and repair as floods left many weed infestations and the storms resulted in major trees loss. This year NYLN hopes to also restart its workshops, with one already planned on Dung Beetles to reduce animal manure for Steels Creek. Another popular frog workshop is planned in the Yarra Glen Billabongs area, with plans to hold both of these events in February. For more information about these events contact Andrew Guthrie from Steel’s Creek, Andrew.w.guthrie@outlook.com ‘We really hope that this year we will be able to engage with the community. We welcome new members and people interested in better managing our environment’ said Evelyn Feller from Chum Creek Landcare. Contact Rob Fallon northernyarralandcare@ gmail.com Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

MAIL 9

NEWS

Caution for hay bale fires Victorian farmers have enjoyed strong seasonal growth of pastures and crops, but CFA has warned them to exercise caution when cutting, baling and storing hay. The seasonal outlook for summer, released in late November by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC), showed most of Victoria received average to above average rainfall during winter and spring, but it was followed by a mostly dry December. CFA volunteer firefighters responded to dozens of haystack fires across the state last year and District 13 Assistant Chief Fire Officer David Renkin said there have already been local incidents in recent weeks as grass has dried out in the area. Firefighters were called to respond to a grassfire in Macintyre Lane, Yering, as recently as yesterday after a hay bale spontaneously combusted. Responding to the call about 4.30pm, volunteer firefighters from Gruyere, Lilydale,

Local CFA crews responded to calls of self combusting hay bales in Yering over the weekend. Picture: GRUYERE FIRE BRIGADE Coldstream, Yarra Glen, Chirnside Park and Wonga Park were able to quickly bring the fire under control and establish control lines around 20 large hay bales and a burnt area of about two hectares. “The crews did a mighty job of stopping the spread of the fire into nearby uncut grass pad-

docks,” Assistant Chief Fire Officer David Renkin said. “There is definitely a risk of spontaneous ignition in the area, usually caused by people baling hay too soon before it has dried properly.” “Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen more baling take place as grass dries out, but the in-

termittent rain is causing moisture.” Spontaneous combustion can occur when hay has either not properly dried before baling, or has been exposed to rain or damp conditions, meaning moisture content in the bales is higher than the recommended levels. “This can happen to any hay bales, regardless of size, and it is something farmers can help prevent,” ACFO Renkin said. “After baling, make sure you check the heat and smell of the bales before stacking them into hay sheds or large external stacks, and leave any suspect bales separate from the rest.” “By doing so, you’re not just protecting yourself from the financial impact of losing valuable fodder, you’ll also be helping your local brigade and community as haystack fires often occupy crucial firefighting resources during the season when CFA volunteer firefighters are required to monitor haystack fires for several days to make sure smouldering fires don’t spread.”

Insurance Council of Aus hosts virtual storm consults The Insurance Council of Australia has announced it will host virtual one-on-one consultations with Yarra Ranges policyholders affected by the June 2021 storms. Insurance Council of Australia chief executive officer Andrew Hall said the decision to offer individual virtual consultations was based on the health and safety of all participants. “Virtual face-to-face policyholder meetings are not practice and ICA representatives and insurers would prefer to meet in person

with policyholders at community events,” he said. “However, the current Covid environment has necessitated this move to meet the needs of those policyholders who need assistance with their insurance claim sooner rather than later.” The 30 minute virtual video or phone consultation can be booked with ICA representatives or insurers and will take place on Thursday 20 January from 9am until 8pm. Insurers have received more than 32,000

claims in the aftermath of the severe weather event that resulted in an insurance catastrophe being declared on 13 June 2021, with losses estimated at $281 million. More than 90 per cent of claims were the result of household storm and water damage.

The June weather event caused huge damage throughout the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Don’t travel to high risk areas on Extreme Fire Danger Rating days. If you plan to travel through Victoria, during fire season, it’s important to check the Fire Danger Rating every day. If the rating is Extreme or above, avoid travelling to high risk areas, including to cities and towns.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Youth exhibit on display By Renee Wood YAVA Gallery has opened a new exhibition, highlighting the artistic talents of local primary and secondary students. More than 70 artworks are on display for the show that opened Thursday 13 January for the Youth Art Exhibition (YAE) project. 16 year old Inica Smit was the brainchild of YAE after volunteering with her mum Wilani van Wyk-Smit at the gallery early last year. Miss Smit said she wanted to create something that would bring younger people and families into the gallery. “My mum always took me to galleries, so I got that experience but some kids that like art don’t have parents that are involved really,” Miss Smit said. The project also aimed to inspire local youth and encourage their artistic nature by setting the challenge. “You might not have experience like everyone else we exhibit, professionals who do it for a living, but your art still counts - it’s still something you can work on and be a part of.” Yarra Valley Arts CEO Kate Baker mentored Miss Smit through the process last year. “Inica had the idea for a competition for young people - that they should all be seen and have free expression and then that will bring in parents and grandparents, to make the gallery really accessible,” Ms Baker said. Canson Art Supplies were also brought on board to sponsor the event, providing the schools with paper for students. “The kids had to do it at school because we didn’t want to have kids going home to their parents and having some sort of unfair advantage.” Miss Smit also created further guidelines to

Inica Smit, Founder of the exhibition at the children’s Art table. 264649 make fair and equal standards for all. “It had to be done at school, with school supplies, in the class where you were with other students doing it, and it had to be on the Canson A3 piece of paper,” Miss Smit said. Alongside the youth artwork, the exhibition will also have other interactive elements to entice more creativity from attendees; including a drawing station, interactive mural, postcards for a mini exhibit and digital drawing sessions. Healesville, Upper Yarra and Worawa high schools were involved as well as Badger Creek,

St Brigid’s, Gruyere and Yarra Glen primary schools. Three of the best primary and secondary students’ work have been chosen for awards, and an event will be held to congratulate the winners on Saturday 5 February. “Our focus was to let them know that they don’t have to be doing art for 15 years to be in an exhibit, we want to encourage them to continue doing it so maybe in 15 years’ time they’re still exhibiting and still going to gallery.”

Pictures: ROB CAREW

Inica Smit with the winner of the “Founders Award”, a work by Isla Blossom from Badger Creek Primary School.

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Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

MAIL 11

OPINION

Importance of listening A review of ‘Boy’ by Phil Cummings and Shane Devries It’s often said that reading improves children’s emotional intelligence and increases empathy. It helps kids better understand others, especially those who have different life stories. Reading also helps us better connect with other perspectives and human experiences. It helps improve children’s capacity – and that of adults – to appreciate what others are thinking and feeling. Empathy starts early, and it starts by listening as a genuine attempt to make contact, to reach out across real and imagined barriers that separate “us” from “them”. Without listening, we cannot begin to comprehend. This is an important lesson from Boy, winner of the 2017 Children’s Peace Literature Award, an Australian literary prize awarded biennially by the Australian Psychological Society. The award encourages the dissemination of information related to “peaceful means of resolving conflict and promoting peace at the global, local and interpersonal level”. Published by Scholastic Press, Boy is written by Phil Cummings and beautifully illus-

PASSION FOR PROSE WITH CHRISTINE SUN trated by Shane Devries, It tells the story of a boy who is deaf. Boy lives in silence: “He spoke with dancing hands and he drew pictures for people in the sand.” Boy’s parents understand him perfectly, but those in his village think him “strange” Worse, near the village is a forest that has been burnt out by a dragon’s fiery breath. Angered by the loss of the forest, the King has fought many battles against the dragon. “Boy couldn’t hear the battle cries, but he had seen the fear in his mother’s eyes and felt it in his father’s hands when he held him close.”

The war goes on and on – until one day Boy unknowingly steps right into the middle of it. Here’s the turning point as he writes in the sand: “WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING?” The finger-pointing begins, as expected. However, this is the first time the King and his numerous knights as well as the dragon get to stop what they’ve been doing and to truly listen toeach other’s point of view. And that changes everything.

CARTOON

The book has perhaps the cutest dragon in the world, with perhaps the most adorable excuse for having descended upon the King’s domain. It’s also full of special sound effects that will surely delight both children and adults throughout the reading, from “ROAAAR!” and “CHAAARGE!” to plenty of “CLING CLANG CLONG”. More importantly, the book is gentle and subtle about so many things. As observed by Romi Sharp from Reading Time, children’s book news and reviews from The Children’s Book Council of Australia: “[Boy] connects with those around him using a variety of tools, including sign language, drawings, the written word, and a sense of emotion. It is these perceptive qualities that make him the perfect candidate for facilitating awareness, acceptance and community inclusion.” In 2021, Boy was chosen by the International Board of Books for Young People as one of the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities – a well deserved honour. The book is highly recommended for children aged four and above.

First shows for the year Kemp’s curtain call Theatre is back! The Basin Theatre is finally presenting Photograph 51 Anna Ziegler’s Photograph 51 takes us back to 1950s London where the discovery of DNA double helix structure would unlock the ‘secret of life’. And Rosalind Franklin’s contribution would be overlooked for decades. This delicate play puts her back in the picture and shares a light on the challenges she faced as a woman in a maledominated world and the price she paid. Season: 24 February – 6 March. Which has a 2pm matinee. The 1812 Theatre is presenting Dracula, the Bloody Truth. Travelling across Europe, from the dark and sinister Transylvanian mountains to the charming seaside town of Whitby, Professor Van Helsing and his three amateur actors stage a life-changing theatrical production of Dracula – hoping to establish once and for all, the bloody truth. The result is a delightfully silly, fast paced and faithful(ish) adaptation by John Nicholson of Bram Stoker’s novel. Performed by four actors playing 40 characters. Season: 14 February – 19 March.

Don’t Look Up - dark comedy on warped reality Don’t Look Up Starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep Rated M Don’t Look Up is a clever, well-paced sci-fi dark comedy that holds a warped mirror on science and politics in our real world. Astronomers Randall Mindy (Leonardo Dicaprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discover a gigantic comet on a collision course with Earth, but face a losing battle in their efforts to deflect the comet. Don’t Look Up’s depiction of modern America is exaggerated and often funny but still feels disturbingly real. 12 MAIL

Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

The film is very well-structured, quickly establishing a dire threat, then presenting possible solutions and serious obstacles. Director

Adam McKay thus does a brilliant job of building hope to counter the despair, then yanking it away. Government apathy, social media-choked culture and the saccharine media downplaying the crisis for ratings all visibly weigh upon the main characters. Randall is bewitched by the innovation and glamour of the industrial machine, driving away his friends as the comet draws closer. Meryl Streep acts delightfully offtype as the vain, greedy President Orlean, who is the closest this film has to a villain. Don’t Look Up shows admirable support for expert opinion and the scientific method. The wilful ignorance and political spin Randall

and Kate struggle against feel all too familiar, reflecting the fraught discourse over climate change and the Covid pandemic. The film has some abrupt editing and a strange reliance on freeze-frames and stock footage. The technology satire is less focused than the media and political satire, and the climax has a fanciful twist that clashes with the relatively grounded tone. Despite some bizarre editing and some underdeveloped aspects in its satire, Don’t Look Up is a tense, well-directed and socially-relevant dark comedy, and is available for streaming on Netflix. - Seth Lukas Hynes mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Local rubbish warriors By Renee Wood The community is being encouraged to join a local litter group to help clean up the Yarra Ranges. No Reason 4 Rubbish first started in 2020, with founder Cindy DeLuca wanting to start a movement that ‘everyone can do’. The group has since grown on social media to include more than 400 members and there’s still room for more to join. “Our commitment to our community is a long term investment. Myself, co-founder Kylie Shorter, committee members Michelle Zwagerman and Kath Holton have been invaluable in helping this group stay honest and grow,” Ms DeLuca said. Ms DeLuca is hoping residents living in other areas throughout the Yarra Ranges will sign on to the Facebook group and become rubbish warriors. “One member found about 800 bottles that have just been stashed in a bushed areas off one of the roads in Healesville, New Grove Road, so someone has been just a serial tosser.” Roadsides, parks, reserves and local streets are areas group members look to pick up trash and Ms De Luca believes the amount of litter is only growing as the region becomes popular with more visitors. “There’s coffee cups, there’s beer cans - you name it - cigarette packets, slurpees. “Healesville railway station, a tourist destination, there’s a lot of rubbish around there, there’s a lot of rubbish in the Queen’s Park area, and people pick up in that area all the time. “Walking from Maroondah highway the Healesville entrance out towards the Yarra River and that area, we would come back and have eight to nine garbage bags and that’s just one clean up.” Bendigo Bank has also sponsored the group, allowing NR4R to purchase logoed hi-

NR4R group members and Bendigo Bank Board members came together for a clean up day in Healesville. vis, grabbers, gloves and other safety items. Yarra Ranges Council has also supported the movement, providing insurance and rubbish pick ups. A clean up event was held on Saturday 15 January in Healesville to do a sweep of the area and to connect members. There’s plans for more clean up events to be held in the future throughout the LGA as more residents come on board in the region. Ms DeLuca said everyday walks are also a great opportunity for everyone to pick up rubbish in they’re own ‘patch’ on nature strips, streets and parks, which will go along way in assisting the group and the environment. “It’s a good feeling once you clean up, you drive or walk back through it and think it looks so good now.”

Pictures: SUPPLIED

Several bags of rubbish were picked up at the clean up event in Healesville.

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MAIL 13

NEWS

COMMUNITY DIARY WHAT’S ON AROUND THE VALLEY

Community Garage Sale Badger Creek Hall at 358 Badger Creek Road, Badger Creek is hosting a community garage sale and book stalls event on Saturday 22 January. Everyone’s invited to attend to grab a bargain and those interested in hosting a stall can contact Kathy on Ph 5962 3639.

Women’s cricket day Toilets at Queens Park in Healesville will be upgraded.

Yarra Junction Cricket Club is hosting a day for women and girls to come and try out playing cricket. Those interested in learning the game are invited to come meet the club and get a feel for the game and what’s involved. The event will be held at the Yarra Junction Recreation Reserve on Sunday 23 January starting at 10am.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

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Toilet upgrades Upgrade works will begin on Wednesday 19 January on the public toilets in Queens Park, Healesville, after significant vandalism damage caused their closure late last year. Vandals set fire to the toilets in October, 2021, causing significant damage to the toilet block. The works will address the fire damage, while installing new lighting inside and outside of the toilet block, an access control system to lock the toilets overnight and replacement of materials and fittings with stainless steel to reduce vandalism. Ryrie Ward Councillor, Fiona McAllister, said the damage to the toilet block had been extensive, and had disappointed many over

vandalism, while improving the materials all over the toilet block, and I look forward to seeing the finished results at the start of March.” It’s expected the upgrade works will take six weeks. During the upgrade period, temporary toilets will be available to the community, open from 7am-9.30pm. The temporary toilets will be cleaned daily on weekdays and twice daily over weekends and public holidays. Security patrols have been organised to discourage vandalism. Community members who have noticed vandalism are encouraged to contact Crimestoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000.

Warburton RSL AGM The Warburton RSL Sub-Branch annual general meeting will be held on 21 February 2022 at 10.30am. All members and friends are welcome. The meeting will take place at the club rooms at 3325 Warburton Hwy, Warburton. Covid restrictions will apply. Nomination forms for the committee are now available. We also welcome friends and supporters who would like to join the RSL and take part in our community programmes. The clubrooms are open on Monday mornings.

Warburton Water World car park works

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the school holidays. “Queens Park is one of the most visited areas in Healesville, with a large playspace, open grass areas for picnics, tennis courts and our outdoor pool nearby,” Cr McAllister said. “It’s incredibly disappointing that people have caused such significant damage to the public toilets there, leaving others without an easily accessible toilet in one of the busiest periods of the year. “The carelessness of others can have significant impacts on the community, and I’m sorry to our community for the difficulties this has caused. “The upgrade works will help prevent future

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Yarra Ranges Council has announced works will soon recommence shortly at the Warburton Water World for the new car park, drainage, footpath and turning lanes. Council said works will begin on when the construction industry returns from the Christmas shutdown period on 17 January. Unfortunately, the construction at the site on Woods Point Road has been delayed due to a mix of weather and pandemic-related factors. The storm event in June delayed works and caused flooding and ground damage issues at the site, making the ground conditions unsafe enough to return to. Discoveries of previously undetected drainage pipework, telecom cables and NBN infrastructure at the site also delayed construction until issues related to them were resolved. Covid-19 restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne during periods of last year also caused delays due to construction industry shutdown,

Coldstream Post Office Cnr Killara Road and Maroondah Highway Coldstream Supermarket Cnr Killara Road and Maroondah Highway Coldstream Roadrunners Roadhouse Cafe 629 Maroondah Highway Healesville Real Estate Yarra Valley 299 Maroondah Highway Healesville BP Ultimate 66 Maroondah Highway Healesville McKenzie's Tourist Services 13 Old Lilydale Road Healesville Newsagent 195 Maroondah Highway Healesville IGA Supermarket 199 Maroondah Highway Healesville SW Hollis Butcher 209 Maroondah Highway Healesville Sanctuary House Resort Motel 326 Badger Creek Road Healesville Shell Service Station Cnr Harker Street and Maroondah Highway Healesville Coles Supermarket 251 Maroondah Highway Healesville Caltex 370 Maroondah Highway Healesville First National/Mark Gunther 189 Maroondah Highway Healesville Beechworth Bakery 316 Maroondah Highway Launching Place Charlie's Milk Bar 2 Centella Place Launching Place General Store 2200 Warburton Highway Launching Place Caltex Log Cabin Service Station 2000 Warburton Highway Lilydale Shell Service Station 469 Maroondah Highway Lilydale United Petrol Service Station 473 Maroondah Highway

Warburton Water Park is a summer favourite.

221781

along with supply and resource shortages stemming from the pandemic. The updated timeline for completion of this project is now late March-early April. While works are being completed, alternate car parking for Warburton Water World is

Lilydale 7-Eleven Lilydale Cnr Maroondah Highway 7 Cave Hill Road Lilydale Lilydale Village News Agents Lilydale Village Lilydale Coles Supermarket Lilydale Village Lilydale Lilydale Village Lilydale Village Lilydale Lilydale Aged Care 475 Swansea Road Lilydale BP Service Station 87 Warburton Highway Lilydale Eastern Laundries 2/4 Williams Street East Millgrove Newsagency Shop 5/ 3043 Warburton Highway Millgrove Millgrove Licensed Grocers 3039 Warburton Highway Millgrove Millgrove Village Bakery 4/3039 Warburton Highway Seville Woolworths Seville 568 Warburton Highway Seville Woolworths Caltex Service Station 568 Warburton Highway Seville Post Office 634-638 Warburton Highway Wandin North Fast Fuel Wandin 389-391 Warburton Highway Wandin North IGA X-Press Wandin North Plus Liquor 388 Warburton Highway Wandin North Landmark Harcourts Wandin Real Estate 1/362 Warburton Highway Wandin North Wandin Newsagency Shop 18/2 Union Road Warburton IGA Supermarket 3465 Warburton Highway Warburton K G Thomas Ply Ltd Insurance 1/3395 Warburton Highway Warburton The Valley Bakery Warburton 3415 Warburton Highway

in place at the Redwood Community Centre, 3505 Warburton Highway, Warburton. Council apologies for any inconvenience that these delays may have caused to community members, and will do everything it can to complete this project safely as quickly as possible.

Warburton Shell Service Station 3458 Warburton Highway Warburton Professionals Andrew McMath Real Estate 3371 Warburton Highway Warburton Bell Real Estate 3407 Warburton Highway Wesburn Local Fuel 2835 Warburton Highway Woori Yallock Foodworks Woori Yellock 1/1585 Warburton Highway Woori Yallock Newsagency & Tattslotto Shop 4/ 1585 Warburton Highway Woori Yallock Hillcrest Little Store Great Food 1745 Warburton Highway Woori Yallock Shell Service Station Foodies 1700 Warburton Highway Woori Yallock Australia Post LPO Shop 11 / 1585 Warburton Highway, The Centre Yarra Glen Ritchies IGA Shop 1/38 Bell Street Yarra Glen Caltex Petrol Station 66 Bell Street Yarra Glen Newsagent 32 Bell Street Yarra Glen United Garage 6 Bell Street Yarra Junction Woolworths Supermarket 82-84 Warburton Highway Yarra Junction Bottle O 2440 Warburton Highway Yarra Junction Bell Real Estate 2457 Warburton Highway Yarra Junction Newsagency 2454 Warburton Highway Yarra Junction Professionals Andrew McMath Real Estate 2460 Warburton Highway Yarra Junction Yarra Junction Community Link 2442-2444 Warburton Highway Yarra Junction Gladysdale Bakehouse 2568 Warburton Hwy Yellingbo Central Store 1942 Healesville-Kooweerup Road

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PUZZLES SUDOKU

No. 064

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal rows and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

easy

7 6 8 3 1 2 6 2 5 2 3 4 6

2 7 8 1 8 9 1 4 5 3 9 5 2 8 6 7

4 8 5

medium

7 4 3 1 3 6 4 7 9 3 5 2 4 8 8 4 6 1 3 2 5 8 9 4 9 2 4 8 5 4 7 6

QUICK CROSSWORD 4 5 6 7 8 14

ACROSS Swiss currency (5) Clergyman (9) Breastbone (7) Made of fine clay (7) African country (7) News (7) Made dapper (7,2) Not bad (4) Admirers (4) Things that hinder (9) Jogging (7) Bravery (7) Hobby (7) Puts more bullets in (7) Mental disorder (9) Give way; surrender (5)

1 4 9 10 11 12 13 15 17 19 22 25 26 27 28 29

15 16 18 20 21 23 24

No. 064

Appear sporadically (4,3,2) Not edited (5) Healed (5) Keepsake (7) Most pleasant (6) Messages sent on holiday (9) Bit by bit (9) Appraised (8) Reprieve (7) Unauthorised disclosure (7) Support (4,2) From Dublin (5) Estimate (5)

DOWN Place protected by natural features (8) Vindicator (7) Binding agreements (9)

1 2 3

DECODER

No. 064

hard

8 9 5

10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

7 2

G O

3 LETTERS AGO AND BOA CIA ERR EWE FOG GAG GEE GIN GOP ITS LAY LEV LIE NOD OAR ODE OIL OLD OWL ROD RUE SAD

E A Z R K I MC J B F V D 7

9-LETTER WORD Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

Today’s Aim: 9 words: Good 13 words: Very good 18 words: Excellent

A I

4 LETTERS AWES BEAN COAT ERAS GEAR HAUL LYRE OKED PEAT POST SAGE SAKI TAGS TIDY 5 LETTERS ABOUT

ACTOR ADAPT AGILE ALOOF ANGER APRIL ARENA ARISE AWAIT BASES CEASE DRAMA DREAD EASED EERIE ENDER ENDOW ENEMA GLOAT GRADE GRASS

No. 064

HOOFS LEAST LOCAL MANIA MEALY MERGE MYTHS NAEVE ODDLY OUNCE OUTDO PIANO PRESS PSALM ROUGH SAFES SATAN SAUTE SCALE SEDAN SEMEN

SENDS SHAFT STARS STUCK TOOTH ULTRA WEEPS

7 LETTERS INSPECT MAGENTA OATMEAL RAPTURE ROLLING SEASICK

6 LETTERS ORGASM SLOGAN THROAT TREATS

8 LETTERS CARDIGAN EMPHATIC FIREARMS SEMESTER

acid, acing, ADVANCING, again, aida, angina, avian, avid, caning, canna, caving, dancing, diva, divan, gain, naiad, vain, viand

7 3 5 9 8 1 6 4 2

8 5 7 1 2 9 6 3 4

2 1 4 6 8 3 5 9 7

6 3 9 4 5 7 2 1 8

9 6 3 2 4 1 8 7 5

7 4 8 9 3 5 1 2 6

1 2 5 7 6 8 9 4 3

5 9 6 3 7 2 4 8 1

4 7 2 8 1 6 3 5 9

3 8 1 5 9 4 7 6 2

6 9 2 3 5 4 7 8 1

8 1 4 6 2 7 3 9 5

1 4 8 2 3 6 5 7 9

9 5 6 4 7 8 2 1 3

3 2 7 1 9 5 8 6 4

2 6 9 7 1 3 4 5 8

5 7 1 8 4 2 9 3 6

4 8 3 5 6 9 1 2 7

2 7 4 3 8 5 9 6 1

1 3 9 7 2 6 8 5 4

8 5 6 4 9 1 2 7 3

3 2 1 8 6 4 7 9 5

5 6 8 9 1 7 3 4 2

4 9 7 5 3 2 6 1 8

6 8 3 1 5 9 4 2 7

9 4 5 2 7 8 1 3 6

7 1 2 6 4 3 5 8 9

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

hard

medium

easy

4 5 7 1 3

S Q T HN Y L UWP X GO

6 7 8 4

WORDFIT

21-01-22

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SPORT

CovidSafe plan for cricket By Mikayla van Loon As a sport relatively unaffected by Covid-19 in previous years, those at the Ringwood and District Cricket Association (RDCA) are moving into the second half of the season with caution. RDCA president Michael Finn said the association is taking its advice from Sports Recreation Victoria and Cricket Victoria and will continue to move forward with the season based on those governing bodies’ approval. “We made it quite clear to the clubs at the start of the season, we would always defer to state government guidelines because there is not a unique set of rules for a cricket association, we form part of the broader community,” Mr Finn said. In order to continue playing cricket as usual, clubs within the association have had to reinstate their CovidSafe plans for both training and playing, particularly around usage of the clubrooms. Mr Finn said it will be up to individual clubs to ensure the guidelines set out by Cricket Victoria are followed but most clubs have been quick to respond to the rules and regulations around playing community sport. “The response from the clubs has been nothing short of magnificent. Our clubs last year, all of them did an unbelievable job in understanding they had a very large responsibility both to themselves, their members, to the cricketing community but also to their local community,” he said. “So for them coming back to this conversation now, it’s not a new thing to any of our clubs and they have been nothing short of magnificent in their ability to re-adopt [their CovidSafe plans].” To make things easier, Mr Finn said in a

The Ringwood and District Cricket Association will continue with the second half of the cricket season under CovidSafe practices. usual season, clubs that need to forfeit matches close to the time of playing may incur a fine or penalty but because of the nature of the omicron variant, RDCA have scrapped fines for teams that don’t have enough players due to illness or isolation. “We’ve removed a significant amount of either the penalties or the barriers relating to specific timelines or deadlines that things need to be done by and we’ve been as flexible as we can be,” Mr Finn said. RDCA is already aware of some clubs that won’t be able to field teams due to players being in isolation but Mr Finn said there are clubs on both ends of the spectrum. “Some clubs have got less than half a dozen players out and there are other clubs that have

30 to 40 people out of their playing group. “As people come in and out of isolation, for the next eight weeks of the home and away season, before we get into finals, we already know it’s going to be a moving target and clubs are going to be hit in a variety of different weeks, with a variety of different numbers. “We’ve removed all those barriers just so the clubs, with whoever they’ve got, can actually get a team on the park and play cricket.” Although safety of players and spectators is first and foremost the responsibility of the RDCA, Mr Finn said because clubs have been so responsive to the protocols, allowing clubs to play cricket is the second most important role of the association. “Community sport, whether cricket, bas-

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ketball, baseball or whatever, playing sport, in our view and in my personal view, it’s absolutely vital to get people out and active. “It’s vital for the stimulation of people’s mental health. It’s vital for people to get around their friends or their colleagues or their mates, so they can actually have the interaction because we’ve spent two years in lockdown.” As a summer sport, Mr Finn said cricket was very lucky to have been able to play a full season last year and what looks to be another full season this year should things remain the same. The RDCA committee will continue to monitor changes to the rules and work alongside governing bodies to ensure the season can continue safely.

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Scores mixed bag The Warburton Bowls Club commenced the new year with a mixed bag of results with two wins, a forfeit and a loss. Unfortunately, player unavailability led to the six-a-side forfeiting to Cockatoo in the Semi Final. The Weekend Warburton 1 side played Bundoora RSL 2 at home and recorded a confidence boosting victory, 90 shots to 59. Rink scores were as follows: A. Donohue 25/ 14; S. Lord 28/ 14; P. Caneva 22/ 16 and J. Van Der Zweep 15/ 15. They play top side Yarra Glen 1 away this weekend. The Warburton 2 team played Ferntree Gully 3 at home and after a promising start, went down by only four shots, 77 to 81. Rink scores were M. Reynolds 23/ 23; P. Summers 18/ 16; G. Wynd 22/ 20 and S. Freestone 14/ 22. They start the second half of the season this weekend with a home game against the top side Mooroolbark 3. The Mid Week Warburton 1 side played Mooroolbark 2 at home this week determined to get back on the winning list. A wonderful effort from Steve Lord’s rink guided the team to an overall victory, 70 shots to 56. Rink scores were S. Lord 31/ 14; R. McKail 16/ 19 and G. Walsh 23/ 23. They play Mon-

Warburton Bowls were back in action for the year. bulk 1 away this week to conclude the first half of the season. The Wednesday Night Barefoot Bowls Triples Competition will commence on Wednesday 2 February 2022. There are still vacancies for six more teams. This is always an enjoyable opportunity for beginners and the less experienced bowlers. Contact Tash Caneva 0428420661 for further details. The Pink Triples Tournament, sponsored by Professionals Real Estate, will be held on Sun-

Picture: ON FILE day 6 February 2022. Women and Men of all abilities may participate in this most worthy cause with all proceeds going towards Breast Cancer Research. A BBQ Sausage Sizzle, Raffles and Prizes during the day. $10 per player Entry Fee. Contact Rayna Zunneberg 0419472450 for further details. New Players, including beginners and experienced, are always welcome to join our small but progressive club. Social Bowls continues to be played every Monday from 12pm.

Healesville looking to reach fourth spot Callen’s column Ian Callen Healesville 1st XI’s final aspirations took a severe dent at Queens Park Oval on Saturday. Winning the toss Healesville elected to bat first against the second placed Yarra Junction, unfortunately the home side failed to capitalise and we’re bowled out for 95 in just 33.4 overs. It would be an understatement to say that it was a disappointing display of batting. Only Brandan D’Amore’s 33 and Liam Daly 16 showed any resistance against a persistent Junction bowling attack. The positive for the Home side with out spearhead Nicholas Lowe, managed to put some pressure on Junction by taking six wickets. For the club and their supporters, it has not been easy over recent years given the Covid circumstances: just to get teams on the pitch has been an amazing achievement. With six games remaining Healesville are 12 points from fourth position and for the only club in a township of approximately 8,000 (double if you consider Badger and Chum Creek) it’s many supporters are hoping that given the tremendous potential within the club their season can be turn around. And they can do this by halving the 12 point difference with a good way win over fourth placed Ainslie Park next Saturday. In the U16 John Springett Shield Healesville were bowled out for 83 (J. Handasyde 31 not out) against Sth Croydon 4/109. In two other local derby’s, Healesville

Healesville’s finals aspirations took a severe dent at Queens Park Oval on Saturday. Picture: SUPPLIED U/14/5’s in their top of the table clash, finished 8/87 against Yarra Glen 8/109 whilst Healesville U12/1’s; 2/140 defeated Yarra Glen 8/109 to move into second position on the ladder behind Mt. Evelyn. At Hoddles Creek Community Reserve Healesville U12/2’s finished 4/35 off 8 overs. In other games: 2nd Xl Healesville 10/104 Lost to Hoddles Creek 5/204

· Sam Russell 32 · Michael Davern 22 3rd Xl · Healesville 5/160 Defeated Norwood 10/39 · Moss Fawdry 50 not out · Darcy English 37 not out · Aman Singh 3/6 including a hat trick · Callum Dennis 2/12 · Bailey Rutley 2/7 4th Xl bye

Morale boosting win for Yarra Junction The second half of the bowls season for the Yarra Junction Bowls club has commenced. The concern over the increasing Covid numbers and how this would affect ongoing competition plans was never far away, however with great care and good planning the club has had a busy week with two pennant games completed, Friday nights Barefoot Bowls for the community resumed and club singles championships are underway. The first midweek game was played away at Lilydale and although an away game win looked possible early in the day with all rink scores being very close, Lilydale gradually pulled away and were the eventual winners by 63 to 48 overall. mailcommunity.com.au

The second half of the season has commenced for Yarra Junction bowls. Picture: ON FILE The weekend home game against Yarra Glen was played in good spirit with ends chopping and changing regularly with some great shots played by all. The morale boosting win

went the Eagles way with 101: 56 being the final score. Fine weather ensured a successful recommencing of Barefoot Bowls on Friday nights at the club. The first turnout of the year saw many first time bowlers having a great night out and those who had been before came back for more. Barefoot Bowls is on every Friday evening from 6.30pm over summer. It’s a local family event that can be enjoyed by everybody. New members with or without bowling experience are always welcome to join us for social bowls on Thursdays afternoons anytime from 1pm through to 7pm. Visit the Yarra Junction Bowling Club facebook page or website for more details.

Weekly golf By Ron Hottes Wednesday 12 January: Stableford Ahhh, it’s good to be back, confronting the ‘ebb and flow’ that the golfing gods have prepared for each of us. One of our more consistent members found his game was ‘flowing’ beautifully on this day. Clint-Toohey amassed 38 solid points to take home the A-Grade voucher. The BGrade prize went to Laurie-Doyle, as his game ‘flowed even more smoothly, with 39 points. Club Manager Murch was the R/up with 36 points. Balls extended to 35 only. (Thankfully your loyal scribe scored one.) NTP winners were Captain-Nursey, ( both the 3rd and the 5th, good shooting, Bagel) John-Haynes, (9th) and to guest HarryZepnick, (15th). TWILIGHT: As I’ve been away recently, I have not reported on the last two of our very popular Twilight rounds, but I can report that Danny-Fox, last week, won the night with a very impressive 21 points, although this win relied on a C’back! Pat-O’Regan also totted-up 21 points, and could consider himself unlucky not to take home the big prize! Balls went to 19 only. NTP’s were won by Dad-Spencely, (3rd), Mr. Consistent Toohey, (6th) and to DannyFox, 9th---probably why you won on a C’back, Danny!) Saturday 15 January: Stableford With more comfortable weather to play under, there was always going to be better scores recorded. The best of the best on this day was the ageless Allan-Hubbard - I’m under strict instructions NOT to reveal his age, but the facts are he celebrated his birthday last week, and at the same time smashed the age/score barrier by 4 strokes. Allan’s 41 points was, of course, the best on the day, allowing him to take home the AGrade voucher. (No wonder I’ve dubbed him Old Man River.) Well done, Mr. Hubbard; Val’s not the only one who’s proud of your golfing exploits! Andy-Lockey was the B-Grade winner with a none-too-shabby 40 points. The day’s R/ up was Shane-Campbell, also with 40 points, (but is an A-Grader) Balls were won from 36 up. NTP winners were your loyal scribe, (3rd), Clint-Toohey, (5th AND 15th), Danny-Fox, (9th) and Michael-Pinkster, (12th).

Down by one shot By Ian Milgate Mid week Pennant bowls started back last week with some good results to start the second half of the season. Team 1 played Eltham at Eltham and went down by 1 shot on the last end 60 - 61. Steve Graham, Gayanne Hutt, Robert Ayres and Steve Bollard was our only winning rink 29 -24. Team 2 played at home against Donvale and had a very convincing win 83 38. Congratulations to Rob Broardhurst, Anne Holland, Len Stewart and Leoni Fitzpatrick who picked up 8 shots on the last end. A medal will be coming your way shortly. Saturday’s Pennant team played Ringwood at Ringwood on a very slow green and we struggled on all rinks to get up near the kitty as the results show finishing 58 - 97. Adrian Beales, Robyn Turville, Bob Brown, James Beales 13 -19. Steve Graham, Chris Boland, Rob Ayres, Ian Milgate 10 - 27. Alan Phillips, Colin Lowe, Gayanne Hutt, Effie Laban 19 - 29. Mark Ward, Mark Hoffman, Brad Chandler, Chris Hawting 16 -22. Let’s get back in the winning circle next week. Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

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