Mail - Lilydale Star Mail - 15th February 2022 by Star News Group

Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

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Kinley gets rezoning approval, ready to start building

Kilsyth Coles closes after 50 years

Sculpture exhibition draws big names to YAVA

Black Saturday, etched in the memory of the Yarra Valley

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Rotary’s generosity

Lilydale Rotary members Bill and Madalyn Parlet and Stefanie Kruger donated 50 self care packs to Lilydale EACH team members Mandi Roberts Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS and Toni Williams to thank them for their work throughout the pandemic. 267830

The Rotary Club of Lilydale has visited a number of hospitals and Covid clinics over the last few weeks, delivering self care packs to the medical staff. Hand sewn bags of different colours and patterns contain items like shampoo, soap, toothpaste and other personal items that have been recycled and saved from landfill. Most recently, members of the club visited the Lilydale Covid-19 testing clinic run by EACH to give staff the bags. Grateful for the gesture, Covid services officer Toni Williams and Lilydale clinic site lead Mandi Roberts accepted the bags on behalf of their dedicated staff and said those who have worked throughout the pandemic don’t expect thanks or appreciation but it was lovely to be recognised. To read more, turn to page 8

Within our grasp By Mikayla van Loon The land at 150 Cambridge Road is one step closer to being formally purchased by Yarra Ranges Council, leaving the community overjoyed and relieved by its decision. The meeting held on Tuesday 8 February aimed to decide whether council funding from the Walling Ward reserve and from the sale of some land in the area could be used to purchase the State government owned property. With a unanimous decision, the councillors agreed to the offer from the government to purchase the old school site for $6.44 million, a

50 per cent reduction on the value of the land. The approved recommendation also alluded to the need to consult the community before accepting the offer formally, to ensure the funding arrangement doesn’t receive any objection. Key advocates and campaigners John Phillips and Shelley Large both said it was a relief to be one stage closer to putting up ‘sold’ signs. “I do feel a sense of relief, absolutely. I mean, it’s progress to me and it’s five metres to go, I just can’t wait for the last five to be done so to speak and to get that final ‘sold’,” Mr Phillips said.

“I was very hopeful but to get a unanimous decision was just amazing. From speaking to Councillor Cox, it looked very promising but you never know until the night what’s going to happen. So I’m very, very pleased with the result,” Ms Large said. While Mr Phillips was relieved with the outcome of the meeting, he said the final decision had not yet been made with opportunities for people to still object. “There’s a slight chance it might go the other way if they get too much outcry against the plan to purchase and the possibility is

there,” he said. For the community, however, the reassurance of a unanimous decision from the councillors has given them the confidence that the land will remain as open space. “The Facebook page and my emails and phone have been going insane this morning (9 February),” Ms Large said. “There were over 7000 signatures on a petition. We’re not going to get that many objections to the council purchasing it, so it’s just a formality in my books.” Continued page 3

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IN BRIEF

Kinley gets approval By Mikayla van Loon Kinley has received the necessary rezoning approval to begin building the next stages of the development. The five year battle saw the planning minister Richard Wynne confirm the rezoning of the former Lilydale Quarry site to become a Comprehensive Development Zone (CDZ1) in late January. Intrapac Property’s chief operating officer Maxwell Shifman said as developers, the company took a calculated risk in purchasing the site and the decision came as quite a relief. “The rezoning is the precursor to actually being able to deliver the vast majority of the projects,” he said. “We’ve been able to develop a small portion of the site, which was rezoned under a prior process some years ago but we weren’t able to continue with the vast majority until we hit this milestone.” About halfway through filling the quarry, Mr Shifman said it would have been an expensive effort to then not get approval from the State government. Having released, sold and built one section of the housing development, Mr Shifman said the rezoning means the Kinley Estate can move forward in opening up more housing lots and begin building the infrastructure required to cope with the population density.

The Kinley development has been rezoned, allowing the building of 3000 more homes, parkland and services to begin. The artist impression shows the aerial view of the joining of suburbs. Picture: SUPPLIED “Up until now, we’ve had a lot of conceptual ideas that we’ve really been focusing on. “So an open space network with a variety of different uses and spaces, a potential future train station, a neighbourhood centre and significant infrastructures that can be delivered as part of the site but none of that can actually be delivered without the zoning.” Mr Shifman said although the rezoning doesn’t guarantee a train station will be approved by the State government over the next decade, it does contribute to getting there. “It is incredibly unusual to have a site of this scale, with a train line running through the very middle of it on the Metro line, it would be a real lost opportunity, if we and the local council and government couldn’t really

make use of that. “We’re really trying to embrace those 20 minute neighbourhood principles. We think it’s incredibly important that people can access the things that they need on a daily basis without having to drive way up the road and having great access to public transport infrastructure is a key element of that.” The next phase of the development will be to start applying for permits and more clearly outlining the specific inclusions in each of the four sections. “So that’ll include a variety of different housing opportunities, different dwelling types, future open spaces, everything from small local pocket parks right through to a multi oval, district level, active open space area, wetlands, there is really quite a lot to offer,” Mr Shifman said. Part of that now, Mr Shifman said, is being able to really celebrate the heritage of the site by focusing on the connection to David Mitchell and Dame Nellie Melba, as well as recognising Aboriginal culture. “Lilydale itself has a really long history and is actually one of the first satellite suburbs, if you like, of Melbourne, and so we think it’s really important that we keep celebrating that. “The quarry itself was not the reason that Lilydale exists, but it was one of the reasons Lilydale grew into the township that it ultimately became.”

150 Cambridge Rd closer to being ours From page 1 Cr Len Lox said at the meeting that the petition put together by Mr Phillips and the community was one of the largest the council has received. “To my memory that’s the biggest petition we’ve had for many, many years and normally, as most councillors would realise, they get 50 or 100 signatures on a petition and they reckon that’s a big petition, over 7000 is just out of this world,” he said. Cr Cox commented on the medium density housing that has not only begun appearing in Kilsyth but also Mooroolbark, Chirnside Park and Lilydale, highlighting the need for open space more than ever. “What that has resulted in is there just isn’t the available recreational space for people living in that area that there used to be. “Consequently, Elizabeth Bridge Reserve has become extremely busy and getting busier all the time because of this need for public open space.” The former Pembroke High school site is 3.6 hectares and is attached to Elizabeth Bridge Reserve, a space that is frequently used by the community for walks, picnics and as passive open space. “When you look at the public open space in Kilsyth, it’s way down on what it should be and I’m talking about passive public open

Fatal collision in Christmas Hills Greensborough Highway Patrol are investigating after a motorcycle collided with a car in Christmas Hills on Sunday afternoon. The motorcycle rider was travelling west on Eltham-Yarra Glen Road when he veered on to the wrong side of the road, hitting a car about 2.30pm on 13 February. The male rider, who is yet to be formally identified, sadly died at the scene. The driver of the car, who received minor injuries, stopped and is helping police with their enquiries. The exact circumstances surrounding the crash are yet to be determined and investigations are ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the crash or with dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via www.crimestoppersvic.com. au

Kidsafe driveway safety Kidsafe in collaboration with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) has launched a new campaign to keep children safe in their own driveways, with incidents occurring more than once a week. Supervise - always supervise children in and around the driveway. Hold their hand or hold them close to keep them safe. Separate - separate play areas from driveways and garages where possible. This can include fitting high handles to garage doors, installing fences to separate the house and garden from the driveway, and installing selfclosing doors and gates. See - all vehicles have a large blind spot behind them, some extending back as far as 15 metres. Reversing sensors and cameras can assist with reducing blind spots, however, they should never be relied upon to keep kids safe. It’s a good idea for drivers to get into the habit of walking around their vehicle before getting into it when leaving an area where a young child is present.

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space, not the sporting stuff,” Cr Cox said. “It’s not very often the council gets a chance to do something, which is obviously what the public want. “We’ve got a chance to actually do something tonight, which will be remembered for years to come in this community and we’ll be creating something which will be enjoyed for generations to come.” Supported by Councillor Tim Heenan

Two men have been arrested after a series of aggravated burglaries in the south east, including one in Croydon. Detectives from the Southern Metro Regional Crime Team said two 18-year-old Cranbourne men and an unknown offender attended an address in Scurry Drive, Croydon about 10.15am on Friday 11 February. The men entered the address through an open garage door before stealing a white Mazda CX9 and a blue Mazda 3 sedan Both Mazda’s and a stolen black Audi Q5 wagon were spotted by uniform Police driving erratically south along Canterbury Road and Eastlink towards the South Eastern suburbs. The Police Air Wing were called and assisted officers on the ground. Police successfully intercepted the pair on the Calder Freeway near the Taylors Lakes exit. An 18-year-old Cranbourne man and 18-year-old Cranbourne North man were arrested and are currently assisting police with their inquiries. The blue Mazda 3 sedan (ZDP868) remains outstanding and police are urging anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.come. au

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Yarra Ranges Council has voted to approve the funding breakdown for the purchase of the land at 150 Cambridge Road should there not be any objections from the final community consultation. 264615 Picture: ROB CAREW

who said the decision the council made was not about the days and weeks to come but rather the years. “If we didn’t do this, it would be an injustice to those people around that area that can’t get out with their families to take a walk or with their fur babies or have a picnic or just be together in these beautiful surroundings between Cambridge Road and and Durham road,” he said. Ms Large said the pandemic showed the community how much a reserve of its kind is needed in Kilsyth. “Our community loves the reserve and it was and still is for many residents their chance to get out, a walk in a natural, peaceful setting close to home,” she said. Councillors Sophie Todorov, Fiona McAllister, Richard Higgins and David Eastham each spoke of their own challenges with the motion to purchase the site at the beginning because of the financial burden but said the overwhelming need expressed from the community outweighed the cost. Mr Phillips, Ms Large and the councillors each thanked the community for their passion, engagement and willingness to ask for what they needed in Kilsyth. “I’m really, really proud of my community and the effort that we’ve put into this to get the result that we have, it’s a real plus for people power,” Ms Large said.

Croydon aggravated burglaries

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Coles Kilsyth closes doors By Mikayla van Loon The Coles supermarket in Kilsyth closed on Sunday 13 February after being open for nearly 50 years. Plans were in motion to replace the supermarket in October last year, after it was publicly advertised that a Dan Murphy’s would be moving into the premises. In August 2020, the 2,183sqm property was sold to an investor for $4.25 million and plans were submitted to Yarra Ranges Council to use the land for the sale of packaged liquor. A Coles spokesperson said the supermarket chain was always evaluating the store network in order to deliver the best service and experience for its customers and part of that process was to close the Kilsyth store permanently. “We are working closely with our team members during this transition period, including offering redeployment opportunities at other stores in our network,” the spokesperson said. “Customers of our Kilsyth store will find the same great value and quality they expect from Coles at our nearby stores just down the road at Mooroolbark, Croydon and Croydon North.” The Kilsyth Community Action Group (KCAG) discussed the matter at its most recent meeting on Thursday 10 February and said the Coles was an anchor in the Kilsyth community that will be missed by many. “As the longest standing of the supermarkets in the precinct, Coles tended to be the anchor that brought people into the area,” KCAG said. “Shoppers have enjoyed the choice offered by having three major supermarkets in close proximity – Coles, Aldi, and Woolworths – so it was a very convenient arrangement for many.” Although not concerned about the clientele a Dan Murphy’s might bring and pleased about

The Coles in Kilysth closed on Sunday 13 February. the investment in Kilsyth as a town, KCAG did raise concerns about the increased traffic. “KCAG is concerned about the impact of the high turnover of ‘fly in, fly out’ Dan Murphy’s customers on traffic and parking arrangements.” The KCAG committee are worried the already dangerous entry into the shopping precinct from Mount Dandenong Road will worsen. While sure the Dan Murphy’s will bring cus-

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

tomers, KCAG said it was “difficult to estimate the impact on numbers” of people lingering to shop at the other stores, which have already seen a decline. Having been trying for quite some time to revive the shopping complex in Kilsyth to make it the heart of the town, KCAG is hopeful that with a Dan Murphy’s will come improvements to the other shop fronts. “Presently, the Coles strip of shops is in need of repair – some parts of the awning are

unstable, especially in wet weather, the footpath is uneven, the toilets between Coles and the Pharmacy leave a lot to be desired, and the general appearance is rundown. “It is a longstanding goal of KCAG to make the whole shopping complex, along with the marvellous Kilsyth Recreation Reserve behind the Coles shops, and Kilsyth Memorial Hall, into an area that attracts residents to visit for their shopping, meeting for a chat and coffee, and generally catching up – a true community centre for Kilsyth.”

Researching the Yarra River’s ‘poor’ water quality By Renee Wood A research project may be the key in changing the EPA’s summer water quality forecast along the Yarra River from ‘poor’. During the summer, the EPA forecasts water quality for four sites along the Yarra River to deliver health risk alerts for swimmers. However, since new standards came into affect in 2018 the forecasts at Launching Place and Healesville default to being deemed ‘poor’ due to consistent levels of E. coli and recommends swimmers know the risks before taking a dip. EPA water program co-ordinator Darren Cottam said the background E. coli levels, which are a health risk indicator, are already close to a low standard and force the EPA’s model to issue poor forecasts. “The water quality levels haven’t really changed that much over time, but we have these new standards which are more protective of public health and they can be hard to meet, so that’s why we’ve had to issue poor forecasts,” Mr Cottam said. The EPA and Melbourne Water are now analysing data which has been collected each summer since 2017 to inform what the reading means in the two spots. The project plans to investigate water pollution and how to reduce faecal matter from entering the waterway. “Is it animals, if so what type of animal or is it human? Is it some other cause? Because that helps with managing that risk. “In the future, that’ll hopefully allow us to either have localised local standards, or at least try to manage some of the pollution. Researchers will also be looking into whether local standards can be created, due to the national standards being based off overseas studies. “What we want to do is see if we can develop more local standards based on our local study. So what’s the risks of swimming or what’s the health risk based on the local fecal pollution - so rather than just always defaulting.” The study first began in 2017 and a report mailcommunity.com.au

The EPA and Melbourne Water are conducting a research project on water quality in the Yarra River. is expected to be released later in the year. “We’ve finished the monitoring side of it, now we’re looking at the data and then, there’ll be reporting and reviewing of programs following that. “It will guide us in terms of planning for

what do we need to do to manage pollution, because we will actually know what the pollution is and potentially explore whether we can have local standards or not.” Despite the poor readings, Mr Cottam said people can still swim in the areas but should

Picture: ON FILE

take precautions, which includes to try not to swallow water, cover cuts and scratches and shower after swimming. For more information visit epa.vic.gov. au/for-community/summer-water-quality/ yarra-watch Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

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Voices of Casey speak up By Parker McKenzie Voices of Casey held a community forum with talks from environmentalist, public scientist and 2007 Australian of the Year Tim Flannery and former Indi MP Cathy McGowan as they continue their search for a candidate to run for the seat of Casey in the next federal election. Voices for Casey spokesperson Fionn Bowd, who led the forum attended by over 80 people, with the theme of whether individuals can have an impact on larger issues like climate change, said Ms McGowan and Mr Flannery had optimism and hope for the future, but it isn’t a passive kind of hope. “It’s not the kind of hope that you hear some people express along the lines that surely things will get better, surely politicians will start to listen, surely women will start to have more equality, surely we’ll start to get some action on climate change,” Ms Bowd said. “There is the kind that asks you to take action, asks you to ask yourself what more you can do and what can be done together.” Mr Flannery said he had hope for climate action after witnessing the speed of Australia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. we stopped flights from China within weeks of the news breaking and we actually beat the WHO to declare a global pandemic by 12 days,” Mr Flannery said. “We were being very proactive and I just thought if this government can do this for a global crisis, we can do it for climate and it turns out that there are so many lessons from dealing with the pandemic that are directly applicable to climate, “As we got closer to COP26 in Glasgow, and I attended that meeting so I can talk a little bit about it, where Australia just performed so dismally it was if we’d learned nothing from the pandemic.” Ms McGowan said if you have a vision you

Voices of Casey forum with Tim Flannery and Cathy McGowan. can bring people together. “We’ve forgotten the power of groups coming together, finding a shared vision, having discussed what the values are, and the behaviour that we’re going to work to doing that very obviously, and then setting about doing something in a really deliberate way,” she said. “We got all the diverse people together.

We had a strategy, we had a vision, we had a strategy, we had an action plan, we had a time frame and then we got ahead and did it, and it worked.” Ms McGowan said 22 Voices groups have put forward candidates for the federal election around Australia. “It’s doesn’t work when your ego gets in the way and when you think it’s about

Picture: SUPPLIED you,” she said. “You have to get out of your own way.” Applications closed to be the Voices of Casey independent candidate on 7 February, with an in-person launch on 20 February where the candidate will be named. The Casey electorate includes Lilydale, Mt Evelyn, Mooroolbark, Montrose and Chirnside Park.

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Monkami CEO a champion By Mikayla van Loon Before the Covid-19 pandemic really took hold in Australia, Jillian Christie was already ahead, seeking protective equipment and putting what became CovidSafe measures in place. As the CEO of Monkami, a disability support organisation based in Croydon, Ms Christie knew, should Covid reach those living in their care, it could be disastrous. Ms Christie has now been recognised for her proactive efforts, that started as early as December 2019, as the recipient of the Champion Award in the Victorian CovidSafe Business Awards run by the Victorian Chamber and the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. “We watched what was happening in Wuhan very closely in the December. So by the January, we were also watching what was happening in Taiwan. We then realised that it would likely be a respiratory pandemic,” she said. Having a nursing background, Ms Christie said mitigating the risk factors for their residents was most important. “In order to protect our people, we knew we’d have to elevate the clinical skills of our staff who are not clinically trained. So we started training our staff on elevated infection prevention control measures.” Seeing the growth of infections in Europe early in 2020, Ms Christie said she had some idea that there would be a serious supply shortage of PPE and so she secured thousands of garments and 60,000 masks for her staff at that time. Taking a calculated risk, Ms Christie closed one of Monkami’s sites to use as a treatment centre for anyone who contracted Covid-19. “Understanding that while you might be able to isolate in your home, it’s very difficult

for our guys to be able to isolate the room because of a range of disabilities. “So that our people in our other residential sites, if they contracted Covid, they would still receive support like human beings in a house and we would isolate them in a house, not a bedroom.” Protecting people in Monkami’s care couldn’t have happened without protecting staff at home as well, so Ms Christie took every step to ensure her staff had hand sanitiser and masks throughout the lockdowns. An important part of that holistic approach was caring for her staff’s mental health and wellbeing because all she asked was they “bring [their] best self to work.” Since those initial measures were put in place, Ms Christie has continued to implement changes as the pandemic has developed - including getting all staff and residents vaccinated as soon as they could. “I think this forward planning has protected the organisation and it hasn’t just been one strategy. It’s been a perfect storm of strategies that have been executed very timely, that have worked very well.” Although the award Ms Christie received was for her individual contribution to Covid safety, she said had it not been for her staff’s trust, none of it would have run so smoothly or efficiently. “We really have probably been doing 16, 17, 18 hour days for two years, we haven’t had a break and it’s been constantly trying to keep the psychological well being of our entire team to get them to come into work,” she said. “When this award came out, I just felt really proud. I’m really proud that everyone has trusted the decisions and has executed them without question. “And the different elements of kindness that I’ve seen people show one another throughout this I just feel really, really proud.”

Monkami CEO Jillian Christie and general manager Karina Hogan were instrumental in protecting their residents from Covid-19. Picture: SUPPLIED

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School students across Victoria made their return to school following summer holidays, while 2021’s preps got their first taste of primary school life. Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy conducted a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony for Badger Creek Primary School students and staff. See page 7 for more back to school excitment.

Back to school!

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School students across Victoria made their return to school following summer holidays, while 2021’s preps got their first taste of primary school life. Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy

Centre in the lead up to Christmas. Many locals far and wide were able to keep up their Christmas tradition in getting a family photo with ‘The Real Santa’ who they had grown to love. The unlikely tandem tallied upwards of $30,000 from their family Christmas photos and then selected four charities to each receive

$8400 to help make the lives of children better. The four recipients of the funds included: Backpacks 4 Vic Kids, A Better Life For Foster Kids, HeartKids and Chum Creek’s Good Life Farm. The organisations shared how the funds had already been put to good use. Backpacks 4 Vic Kids CEO and founder Sally Beard told Star Mail the donation came as a “delightful surprise”.

“We’re very, very grateful on behalf of the children, whose lives that it will impact,” she said. “We have absolutely put that money to good use.” Ms Beard shared that the $8400 donation from Branded is aiding 112 children in need with care packs filled with toiletries, spare changes of clothes, a toy and more. Continued page 2 12477022-SN06-21

It’s February, but Santa Claus’ gifts keep on coming for several charity organisations who benefited from a partnership between Saint Nick and Seville’s Branded Burger Bar. The burger bar came to the rescue when they partnered with Santa, who had seen his role replaced at Chirnside Park Shopping

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Rotary gives gift of care By Mikayla van Loon The Rotary Club of Lilydale has been busy working away over the last few weeks to pack and deliver appreciation gifts to medical and Covid staff as they continue to wear PPE in the heat. Having delivered 95 self care packs to Maroondah, Box Hill and the Angliss hospitals already, Rotary member Madalyn Parlet said 50 were delivered to staff at EACH in Lilydale on Thursday 10 February. “It doesn’t cover the staff by any means but it’s up to the more senior staff to perhaps identify those people who perhaps need a little extra care and attention because they’re struggling under the pressure of the shifts, the workload and just the discomfort of being in hot, sticky conditions all the time,” she said. EACH’s Covid services officer Toni Williams said the packs were going to start to be handed out on Thursday and then slowly throughout the week as shifts changed. Still going after two years, Ms Williams said her staff at the Lilydale Covid clinic didn’t think they would still be testing people this far down the track and said to receive appreciation of

Each of the packs includes a hand sewn bag from CWA Wandin and personal care items like shampoo, toothpaste and soap. 267830 any kind is lovely. “It’s just a very generous gift. We do what we do, we don’t expect these sorts of things but it’s lovely and it makes the staff feel really valued and we’re doing a great thing for the community. So it’s a very generous offer,” she said.

Knowing people personally and seeing the conditions nursing staff have to be in while testing people day in and day out, Ms Parlet said the appreciation packs said it seemed like a good fit. “We were well aware of how difficult it is for staff who are working in PPE for such long hours and particularly when they’re working long shifts,” she said. “So we’ve given our appreciation packs to try and help the staff just know that the community cares and a little something that will help them to be able to refresh themselves when they have a shower.” The individually wrapped packs include shampoos, soap and other personal care items so medical staff can shower and feel clean either at work or when they get home. With the help of CWA Wandin, the colourfully designed bags were all made from recycled fabrics. “CWA helped us by sewing the bags. So today (10 February) we dropped off 50 bags for staff here in this service and CWA sewed those for us in less than a week,” Ms Parlet said. As part of the environmental group with

the Rotary club, Ms Parlet said it is their aim to recycle goods and reduce the items going to landfill where they can. “We’ve been able to do that by reusing material that we’ve made the bags out of so that the staff can wash their uniforms, their scrubs, in a laundry bag and keep it separate from their other things.” Having been able to locate a business in Bayswater called Pinchapoo where personal care items that are close to being out of date are brought by suppliers, the Rotary club was able to collect a range of items. “So rather than have them go to landfill, or be dumped down the drain and all that sort of thing, they’re recycled onto places where they’re not sold but they can be given over very quickly and used quickly,” Ms Parlet said. Grateful for the gesture and sure her staff would enjoy receiving such a gift, Ms Williams thanked the Rotary club not just for this donation but for the work they do in the community. “Rotary are the silent heroes. We’re the Covid heroes but the silent heroes are volunteers out there that do amazing things for the community as well.”

Siggy’s 50 years at supermarket comes to end By Mikayla van Loon For nearly 50 years, Siggy McEvoy worked for the Coles supermarket chain but with the closure of the Kilsyth store, she decided it was time to retire. First starting as a casual at the Mountain Gate store when she was just 16 years of age, Ms McEvoy moved up the ranks to work full time before jumping across to the Kilsyth store five years later. “I just enjoyed it, so I just stayed with them,” she said. Ms McEvoy said in those early days it was a lot more fun and herself and her colleagues, although they were more like friends, would close the store while listening to records playing over the sound system. “We used to actually sell records and record players and we used to play records over the PA system. “There were half a dozen of us in the apparel, sort of general merchandise department and we used to play tunnel ball at the end of the day when we’d finished doing all our work. So we had fun like that.” But perhaps the best memory to come from her time working at the supermarket was the day she met her husband Terry. Over time things became more businesslike as technology advanced and things became computerised. “All the ordering was done manually. All the pricing was done manually. So it was more time consuming than probably what it is now,” Ms McEvoy said. Working at Kilsyth, being a smaller store, close to retirement and aged care homes, Ms McEvoy said she came to know many of those who shopped at the store regularly. “Some of those people came in every day, it was a daily part of their going out and about and you see them over the years,” she said. “They always wanted you to be their friend and so you made friends with people you really didn’t know.” For many of the residents that have shopped at the Kilsyth store for many years, Ms McEvoy said, she thinks they will struggle now it has closed. “Even last week there was actually one elderly customer and she said ‘I’m going to be really sad when the store closes’ because she goes, ‘I can do my shopping blindfolded I’ve been in here so often’.” The Kilsyth store was open for something like 49 years, a pillar of the small community and an easy shopping location for those who found the larger supermarkets overwhelming. “There was a gentleman the other week that said to me he moved to Mooroolbark but he won’t shop there because it’s too big and busy and he’d rather come to Kilsyth because 8 MAIL

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Siggy McEvoy worked at the Coles supermarket for over 40 years and locked the doors for the last time on Sunday 13 February. Pictures: SUPPLIED he just finds it more relaxing and an easier place to shop.” Ms McEvoy was given the opportunity to move to a different store in the local area but instead she decided to retire. “I was really looking forward to finishing the last three years and clocking up 50 years there but then when they were closing, I thought it’s not going to be the same. I’m not going to be with all my close work colleagues and so I just thought ‘this is it, go out on the high’,” she said. Some of Ms McEvoy’s closest friends have come from her time working at the supermarket and she said those friendships were essential throughout the pandemic. “You work eight to nine hours a day with people and with Covid, you relied on each other to keep each other safe and working on.” In the days leading up to the closure on Sunday 13 February, Ms McEvoy said there were a few tears from everyone, both happy and sad. Although not the end to her 47 years she was hoping for, Ms McEvoy said was looking forward to spending more time with her four grandchildren.

Past and present staff gather at the supermarket to mark the closure of the doors for the final time. mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Savaad Felich has always wanted to create a sculpture of the iconic skipping girl, an image that references his childhood.

Pictures: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

Sculpture exhibition is on By Mikayla van Loon Sculpture is a uniquely personal form of artwork, exploring textures and structure, curvature and angles in an exploration of meaning and self connection. The newest exhibition opening at the YAVA Gallery and Arts Hub features a range of artists who have delved into the world around them and have extracted moments, inspiration and insights to create their sculptures. Extending beyond the boundaries of the Yarra Ranges, artists have travelled far and wide to be a part of the INterior Small Sculptures Exhibition, a collaboration with Yering Station’s annual sculpture exhibition. In celebration of the 20 year anniversary of Yering’s most notable exhibition, YAVA has launched what it hopes to be an inaugural display of sculpture work in partnership with the winery. Gallery director Dakini Maddock said it was very exciting to have local artists displaying their works but also a rather large number of famous sculptors as well. “I feel quite humbled and privileged to have some of these works on display. I know a lot of the artists have had a lot of challenges because of Covid, so it’s lovely to have them all here and it feels very special,” she said. Some of the artists include kinetic sculptor Alex Sanson who has had spectacular light displays at a number of festivals in Melbourne, as well as bronze sculptor Stephen Glassborow. Former children’s book author and artist David Miller said as someone who has been involved in YAVA since its inception, it was exciting to host an exhibition that has attracted those from outside the local area. “Every exhibition is totally different. This one’s very exciting because it’s bringing in work from beyond the Yarra Valley whereas normally, the workers here are our local artists in which there are many and very varied,” he said. “But this being in conjunction with the Yermailcommunity.com.au

David Miller’s ‘Phoenix’ is a paper sculpture of the fire bird rising from the flames. ing Sculpture [Exhibition] is bringing new artists to us of a very, very high level of work, not to say that our own artists aren’t but we don’t have a lot of sculptors and it’s just wonderful to see this range of work.” Mr Miller’s paper sculpture called ‘Phoenix’ depicts the bird of fire in hues of yellow and orange, rising through the flames.

“It is a bird that rises from the ashes, so it’s about rebirth and rising from burnt things and I just loved the idea of that rebirthing,” he said. The use of paper for Mr Miller comes from seeing his father sculpt heavy objects, so he decided to go in the opposite direction by creating something weightless. Inspiration for many artists comes in all

forms and for Savaad Felich, his artwork ‘Skipping Girl’ draws on his childhood growing up in Richmond and seeing the iconic girl skipping above his head. “When I was a young boy of 10 I used to go to the Richmond Primary School so I had to cross that road every day beneath the skipping so it’s always been etched in my memory and I’ve always wanted to do a piece,” he said. “It was possibly one of my first encounters with sculpture so it’s always remained with me and I like the image of a carefree young person enjoying themselves.” For Denise Keele-bedford her marble sculpture of tea canisters has been inspired by her time spent in China and the idea of joining in conversation over a cup of tea. “It was interesting to me looking at our western concept of the tea ceremony and how women in particular gather and solve the problems of the world and the problems of family and have great conversations all around a cup of tea,” she said. Working for the first time with marble, Ms Keele-bedford’s artwork explores the intricacies and characteristics of marble as a material and is just a small section of a much larger installation she has been working on. While the YAVA exhibition allows small scale sculptures to be put on display, it has also attracted people like Hugh McLachlan from Tasmania who has brought with him a two and a half metre sculpture for Yering and smaller version for the gallery. “So it’s marine grade stainless steel and the idea is that sort of bathing woman. It’s just like an intriguing form of a woman in just a very relaxed mode in this bathing sense,” he said. “What you can do with metal is transform it from a solid to virtually make it look like it’s flowing.” As an unusual exhibition for YAVA and for a gallery space of its size, INterior is not to be missed. The display will run from 10 February until 6 March. Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Music festival set to rock By Callum Ludwig Rock The Valley, a new blues, rock, psych, soul, and roots music festival, is set to sound off next month in Yarra Glen hosted by music label Jamalama Music. Ash King, who founded Jamalama Music with his wife Ashlee King (yes, they share the same name!) said it will hopefully provide an opportunity for artists and the community to reconnect and be brought back together. “It feels as though we’ve been starved of the opportunity to engage with live audiences,” he said. “As a performer it is one thing to create the art and it’s another thing to be able to share it.” Ash King has spent his life living in and around the Yarra Ranges, having grown up and gone to school in Healesville and also having lived in Ferntree Gully and Mount Evelyn before moving back to Healesville. The importance of local music is not lost on King, having met his wife at a small community gig in Mooroolbark. “We found out the council we’re running gigs so we went to Mooroolbark Community Centre who at the time had a thing on Friday nights called Lounge Lizards,” he said. “A friend of mine in the band brought a whole heap of his friends from Mooroolbark along and my would-be wife was one of them.” The roster of artists is headlined by Gold Coast native, Melbourne-formed band The Delta Riggs, and other acts including Kings’s very own band Smoke Stack Rhino, Whoopie Cat, The Ugly Kings, Steph Strings, and Sunfruits among many more. King said the roster of varying genres will complement each other well. “We’ve chosen acts who are different in their musical style, but the energy and the feel come back to everyone dancing and having good times,” he said. Dan Swoo from Whoopie Cat, a fivepiece heavy blues band who grew up in the Yarra Ranges and started out performing in Mooroolbark and Healesville, said it’s very exciting to have the opportunity to perform live again. “As far as a musician goes, it’s pretty much the peak,” he said “I love having music recorded, but it’s live shows that mean everything.” Whoopie Cat had a European tour lined up in August 2020 which was cancelled due to the

Ash King (Programmer and Frontperson of Smoke Stack Rhino) and Dan Smoo (Lead singer and Guitarist of Whoopie Cat) jump for joy with anticipation of the upcoming concert. Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic early in the year. Swoo said festival-goers can look forward to hearing the band’s upcoming album as part of their performance in the festival. “Our second album and the third release from us should be out hopefully in the next couple of months. We’re just in the mixing and mastering stage at the moment,” he said “A lot of the new stuff will be on the setlist. There’ll be a lot of new music as well as all the old music.” All ticket sales will count towards a donation to numerous children’s charities through the website Humanitix, and attendees have the option of an additional donation to Support Act, a charitable organisation delivering crisis relief services to artists, artist managers, crew, and music workers in hardship, particularly due to Covid-19. Ash King said he admires the work Support Act does for artists struggling in ways ranging from financial to mental concerns. “A lot of artists are part of a vulnerable group in terms of mental health in the community,” he said.

Dan Smoo (Lead singer and Guitarist of Whoopie Cat), Ash King (Programmer and frontperson of Smoke Stack Rhino) and partner Ashlee (Event Manager) are pumped for the upcoming concert.

Follow Alice down the rabbit hole and enjoy the opera By Renee Wood Australian Contemporary Opera Company is arriving in the Yarra Valley at Alowyn Gardens, bringing with it an Australian premier of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ on Sunday 27 February. The production was first commissioned by London’s Opera Holland Park and was performed for five years to sell-out crowds in London. The show features many characters from the popular fantasy although, ACOCo’s Artistic Director Linda Thompson said the story line has been brought into modern times. “It starts off in a modern day setting and then falls into the familiar story where all the characters from the book appear,” Ms Thompson said. “It’s just slightly modernised in the sense that a few little surprises are in there, which really appeal to a modern audience.” The characters of Alice, the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit also help to connect an audience who may be first time attendees to an opera performance. “It has the recognisable story and the characters, which I think is really appealing to people who have never been to an opera before, so at least there is something before they get there that they can relate to.” Audience members will enjoy watching a talented cast with performers coming from 10 MAIL

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across the world. Alice is doctoral student, Melissa Davis, who is now living in Victoria but was born in the US and other characters are also played by very established international singers. “Christopher Tonkin has been singing in Germany and is now back here and he’s the white rabbit. Heather Fletcher who sings the Mad Hatter is also another American living in Victoria.” “Many of the other younger singers have either studied or performed nationally and internationally as well. So it’s a really a dynamic and very well-travelled cast.” Adults and children alike will enjoy the contemporary opera, as it’s written in English and appeals to a broad range of audiences stepping away from a formal opera into a relaxed picnic environment. “It is influenced by jazz, music theatre, light opera and it uses electronic sound effects, and that’s quite different in a sense from what people more traditionally think of as opera.” The production was written to be performed outdoors and attendees are invited to bring picnic chairs and baskets to Alowyn Gardens for the show. “It’s absolutely perfect for these times. We needed to find something that would encourage people to come and feel safe and feel good, and also to be amazed by what con-

Familiar characters will help transport the audience to a familiar tale with some modernised twists. temporary opera can be.” The gardens will also be open for the show, allowing guests to wander through to enhance the experience. It’s modeled on overseas summer opera festivals which draw people in to an offering beyond the opera performance and into a whole new world. “As soon as you walk through the gates, you’re in another world. I think that people like to explore and it’s a really important part of the experience to be able to wander around and take some time to relax.” Tickets are available https://events.humanitix.com/alices-adventures-in-wonderland-yarra-valley

Join Alice at Alowyn Gardens for Australian Contemporary Opera Co (ACOCo) Australian premiere of Opera Holland Park smashhit production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Pictures: SUPPLIED mailcommunity.com.au

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THE LOWDOWN Q&A

with Star Mail’s cadet journalist Callum Ludwig

Tell us a fun fact about yourself! Won four most determined awards throughout junior footy. A bit over it by this point. What are you most passionate about? Sport, whether playing myself or supporting a team. Why did you want to become a journalist? I love to write, and it gives me an opportunity to go out and see what is happening in the community and find out about people. It isn’t always sat at a desk all day as well, I get to go out and experience things. What do you love about journalism? I enjoy meeting and listening to people from all walks of life, and I like to research and explore the news that interests me. What would your last meal be? Probably a really good burger or medium rare eye fillet steak. What was your most memorable moment? Winning an u13s footy grand final. What was your favourite subject in school? English, particularly English Language in Years 11 and 12. What event past or present would you like to witness? 1989 Hawthorn v Geelong AFL grand final. Which six dinner guests, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner? Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Davor Suker, Ivan Perisic, my late grandfather and my nan for a big Croatian meal. What are you currently listening to/watching or reading? Season two of the Witcher, and a book called Upheaval by Andrew Dodd. How would you describe your fashion sense? Modest, without being rubbish Have you had a pet that has made an impact on your life? All of my pets have.

Q and A with Star Mail’s cadet journalist Callum Ludwig. If you had to compete on MasterChef, what dish would you cook? Made a good tofu curry with my younger siblings once, don’t have much else to offer yet! Where is your dream holiday destination? Munich during Oktoberfest. What were you like as a kid? Humourously trying to be insightful and not very resilient. Always tried my best though.

THREE … podcasts to make you think differently

The Imperfects A podcast by The Resilience Project founder Hugh van Cuylenberg, his brother Josh van Cuylenberg and comedian Ryan Shelton, explores the need to be vulnerable and how being imperfect is possibly the best solution to the worries of the world. It’s a changing of the mindset on social media, resilience and being human.

Conspiracy Theories If you’ve ever been curious about Marilyn Monroe’s death or the disappearance of MH370, this podcast presents the known facts of major events, making you question everything you’ve ever been told about how it happened.

Ted Talks They may be a popular one but with so many topics and experts explaining things sometimes in very short presentations, they can be a daily dose of learning.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

What is your favourite colour and why? Red. It is on the flag of every country my family hails from and have a red pair of shoes that I have worn for too long. Do you consider yourself an extrovert or an introvert? Introverted unless with close friends or family or with them around, where I tend to be more outgoing.

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OPINION

Local link to an icon Looking

See Death on the Nile

back Helen Mann

Yarra Glen & District Living & Learning Centre History Group Many people are familiar with the story of Tom Kruse, the Birdsville mailman. But did you know there is a local link to this story of the intrepid men of the outback and the battered old Leyland Badger Tom drove relentlessly over the sand dunes? Before Tom took over the business in 1948, Harry Ding had operated the mail contract between Marree and Birdsville from 1936. Tom, aged 21, was one of his drivers. During the late 1930s, Harry began looking for a truck that could tackle the sand dunes often up to 50 feet high. Lois Litchfield explains in her book ‘Maree and the Tracks Beyond in Black and White’, Harry eventually “...located three 1924 model XB Thornycroft timber trucks near Healesville. They had five-speed gearboxes, a two-speed auxiliary box behind, and drove through two heavy bogie rear axle assemblies with worm drive. These units, according to Harry Ding, had driving parts, and a rear suspension that has no equal, even now, though it was near impossible to fit reliable brakes to the four-wheel drives.

Death on the Nile Starring Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot and Tom Bateman Rated M

‘The Mailman of the Outback’. In the Birdsville track country, they did not need brakes, and the ones on the front of the Leylands and Diamond T diesels were good enough. It was quite a job getting the parts he needed from Healesville to the Ding garage at Yunta, South Australia and then adapting these parts to the smaller trucks, but once in they had no further trouble. The tires were about four feet high, giving them good clearance and the lower gearing would allow one wheel revolution per minute.” Tom Kruse said that “…it made a hell of

Picture: SUPPLIED a difference to the Leyland Badger with the Thorneycroft jazz in behind it, it was twice as strong as what the Leyland was before…in heavy sand, she’d just keep going.” The truck was abandoned on Pandie Pandie station in 1957 but relocated in 1986. It was restored in the 1990s and is now in the Birdwood Motor Museum northeast of Adelaide. Though there were a number of trucks used on the run the Leyland Badger was Kruse’s favourite and he considered it the best truck available at the time for the difficult journey.

Guide to self-publishing with Ingram Spark The Eastern Regional Libraries (ERL) is partnering with IngramSpark to offer its members the opportunity to turn their novel, poetry, memoir or family history into a beautiful print book and/or ebook. Having worked with IngramSpark since 2017, this reviewer can offer some tips on how to use the platform to publish, promote and distribute your book(s). IngramSpark, operated by printer and distributor Lightning Source, is the print-on-demand (POD) unit of U.S.based Ingram Content Group. The company is headquartered in Tennessee and has operations in the U.K., France and Australia. POD means copies of a book are only printed when an order is made, allowing prints of single or small quantities. This eliminates the costs in producing, warehousing and transporting large numbers of books. To self-publish with IngramSpark, you need an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) from Thorpe-Bowker. The 13-digit number contains essential information used in sales tracking, retail inventory systems, library catalogs, online bookstores, etc. Each specific format of your book requires a unique ISBN, including print (hardback or softbound) and electronic (ePUB, PDF or MOBI). For books translated from another

PASSION FOR PROSE WITH CHRISTINE SUN language to English or vice versa, each edition also needs a separate ISBN. To publish a print book, you need two files in PDF format. The first is the Interior. It should contain the internal pages of your book, including the title, imprint, table of contents, and completed and edited content, accompanied by page numbers. The other file should contain the front and back covers and the spine. IngramSpark has a cover template generator. Based on your book’s ISBN, trim size, interior colour and paper, binding type, laminate type and page count, you can download a template and an automatically generated barcode for your cover design. Meanwhile, to publish an ebook, you need two files as well. The Interior file, in ePUB for-

mat, contains the internal pages of your book, but without page numbers. The Cover file, in JPEG format, only requires the front cover. Note: Ideally, your cover should be professionally designed in order to efficiently and effectively present your book. Despite what people say, EVERYBODY judges a book by its cover. IngramSpark has considerably streamlined its publishing process in recent years,. Once the files are ready, you only need to provide the “metadata”, which conveys information about your book to customers, bookstores, libraries, wholesalers and retailers. Such “metadata” includes the book’s title, language, full description, contributor(s), imprint, subjects (BISAC codes) and types (region and theme), and audience, The most fun part is setting the book’s list price in six different markets – U.S., U.K., Europe, Canada, Australia, and Global Connect (which covers all other territories). This allows your book to reach its greatest sales potential by garnering as many markets as possible. It’s a great opportunity to take control of your writing and publishing career. You can even purchase copies of your book at a discount price (i.e. the printing cost) to share with families and friends. More details about the offer are available from ERL’s website.

Death on the Nile is a compelling, sumptuous adaptation of Agatha Christie’s iconic novel. Famous detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) must solve a murder on an Egyptian cruise. The plot takes a while to get going, but the slow pacing is richly-textured and deeply absorbing. The film thoroughly establishes its characters and develops their grudges against the victim, providing fertile ground for Poirot’s deduction and our suspicions once the murder occurs. The plot features subtle clues and some clever misdirects, and adds a personal dimension to the mystery, which was largely absent in Murder on the Orient Express, Branagh’s 2017 first Poirot film. Branagh is still fun as Poirot, playing him as a strange but kind man with sharp instincts. Something of a soft reboot of Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile offers a more nuanced insight into Poirot’s personality. The World War I opening establishes the trauma and loss in Poirot’s past, which explains his obsessive, reserved nature, but Poirot slowly opens himself to personal connection again through his friendship with Bouc (Tom Bateman) and his endearingly awkward chemistry with jazz singer Salome (Sophie Okonedo). The cinematography is stunning, and the first act in particular has an opulent, sexy aura. The cast is uniformly excellent, and the stand-out actor is Emma Mackey, who delivers a steely, layered performance as Jacqueline, a bitter former friend of the victim. The only notable issues are Poirot’s lost love feeling somewhat underdeveloped alongside his battlefield trauma, and since most of the suspects have a relatively small share of screen-time, when a second murder occurs it’s not immediately clear who the victim is. Death on the Nile is a dazzling character-driven mystery led by a talented star and director, and is playing in most Victorian cinemas. - Seth Lukas Hynes

Theatre reminders for shows Kemp’s curtain call Lilydale Athenaeum Presents: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder After his mother’s funeral, middle-class Englishman Monty Navarro learns an incredible secret, he is the son of the daughter of the grandson of the nephew of the second Earl of Highhurst, making him an aristocrat. If he can just find a way to prevent the eight earls preceding him from inheriting the earldom first… An Edwardian-style operatic farce, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Musical. Season: 17 February to 6 March. Reminder: mailcommunity.com.au

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 lifechanging theatrical production of Dracula, hoping to establish once and for all, the bloody truth. The result is a delightful Cully silly, fastpaced, and relatively faithful adaptation by John Nicholson of Bram Stoker’s novel. This play is performed by four actors playing 40 characters. Season: 24 February to 19 March. The Basin Theatre Group is presenting Photograph 51 which takes us back to the 1950s London, where the discovery of the 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 into the picture and shines a light on the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated field and the price she paid. Season: 24 February to 6 March Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

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NEWS

The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires surprised everyone, leaving a trail of destruction and years of heartbreak. 27139 Pictures: ARCHIVED PHOTOGRAPHS BY EMILY LANE

A child’s swing set at a Kinglake property escaped remarkably unscathed, while the rest of the property burned in the fires. 27139

Etched in our memories By Mikayla van Loon The memory of Black Saturday still remains etched in the minds of those who lived through it and fought to save people from the destruction. Last week, CFA crews all across the Yarra Ranges commemorated the thirteenth anniversary of the events that changed the region. Lilydale CFA captain Warren Davis was on duty during the fires, stationed in Chum Creek, Healesville and Coldstream trying to prevent the fire from heading into the township of Lilydale. “I started off at Chum Creek and then we did fire asset protection with the houses in Chum Creek. We then moved down to Healesville and then from Healesville we ended up in Coldstream along Leonard Road. “That was on the first night and then on the second night, we had crews all over the Yarra Valley still participating in asset protection and blacking out any risks that occurred the next day.” Driving through Yarra Glen just last week, Mr Davis said he could still picture the burnt out paddocks and grassland between Yering and Yarra Glen. “Those paddocks as you’re going into Yarra Glen on your left and right hand side, it came right out into that area there and burned the bridges out along the Yarra Glen railway line between Yarra Glen, Tarrawarra and Healesville.” At the time, CFA crews were on high alert having been notified the night before 7 February that fire danger was imminent. “What I remember on the day is the conditions of the day in the morning. You could feel that it was a hot northerly wind. You could feel it in the air that it was going to be a bad day, given the humidity and the temperatures,” Mr Davis said. “In the early afternoon, the first fires started merging and then spot fires started dropping around the Yarra Valley. “It’s believed that some of those spot fires had come across from Kilmore. Once it got to Strath Creek, it virtually turned around and went straight up towards Kinglake and then went through Kinglake township, where it was catastrophic.” Mr Davis said the majority of the Lilydale crew were not only out in those initial days trying to prevent the fire from spreading but they would rest for eight hours and then head out again to black out small fires. Because the fire tankers and pumpers were all out at sites across the Yarra Valley, Mr Davis said there was only one vehicle left at the station to protect Lilydale and put out grass fires. Tragically, 173 people died during the Black Saturday bushfires, something Mr Davis said CFA crews were not made aware of until days later. “I was talking to a member of the police mailcommunity.com.au

A Kinglake property destroyed by fire. 27139 force, who’s also a member of the CFA and in conversation he told me about the loss of life up in the Kinglake and surrounding areas. “When he told me about the amount of loss of life, I was totally blown over.” Mr Davis said the direction of the fire and the way it moved challenged everything anyone had ever been told about where fire would come from, bringing with it the total element of surprise. “2009 caught everybody by surprise because a lot of people had become complacent. A lot of people had moved out into the Yarra Valley thinking that they’re in an area which wasn’t very fire prone,” he said. “But nature rewrote the book on firefighting back then and weather conditions, especially around Kinglake because a lot of the old time firefighters never ever thought that a fire would come in from the south. “They were always predicted to come from the north or the northwest. But this fire raged up the mountain from the south, which caught everyone by surprise.” People fled houses with nothing but the clothes on their back to refuges like the ones in Lilydale and Kinglake, where donations would soon overwhelm volunteers. “They’d already abandoned their houses and they all went to the fire station for help and for guidance. “The public donated clothes and food and the amount of food that was donated to Lilydale fire station, we ended up having to tell people ‘please don’t bring the food here because we’ve got more than what we can handle’.” And while the community spirit always shines through after life changing natural disasters, Mr Davis said the emotion among the community and with the CFA is still raw. “We all reflect on what we saw and what we witnessed and it’s a pretty sombre time. We often talk about it.

Cars were left completely burnt out by the heat of the fire. 27139

A burnt out property at Kinglake with the plasma TV still attached to the wall. 27139

A house just north of Yarra Glen was left completely destroyed after fire wiped it out in 2009. Picture: NATIONAL MUSEUM AUSTRALIA “It was pretty traumatic for the members as well to witness what fellow people in the Yarra Valley were going through and it really hit home with a lot of our members.” On Monday 7 February 2022, Lilydale CFA

alongside Mount Evelyn, Coldstream, Montrose, Chirnside Park, Mooroolbark and countless others remembered 13 years since Black Saturday changed the landscape of the Yarra Valley. Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

MAIL 15

NEWS

The Collective’s treasurer Fabian Fillip-Gautier happily accepted the cheque from Bendigo Bank’s Mick Spruhan, surrounded by volunteers Rosalind Mackay, Maggie Meyer, Dinah Hornung and Sharyne Veal, on Wednesday 9 February. Pictures: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

Gift ensures they deliver By Mikayla van Loon The Philanthropic Collective, has just received its first formal donation from the Dandenong Ranges Bendigo Bank to help volunteers keep feeding families in need. Although the bank has supported the Yarra Ranges charity through its annual fundraiser Halloween on the Green for five years, the Free Food Program will now receive quarterly donations from the community bank, the first one being made in January. The Collective’s treasurer Fabian FillipGautier said funding like the $2500 is essential to the running of the charity. “Even though we’re not paying rent here, we’re not spending any money on wages or infrastructure because it’s been provided, we have fridges and it’s going to cover electricity for a few months. So for us, it’s pretty essential,” he said. “We do need financial support and it’s very hard to access financial support for smaller charities. It’s time consuming, and we all volunteer, so we all donate our time to every aspect of the charity. So having that support from the bank is just absolutely a game changer for us.” Dandenong Ranges Community Bank Group senior business development manager Mick Spruhan said that is the role of a community bank, to support local organisations. “It’s part of being part of the community. The community bank branches try to be very much involved in the community wherever they can possibly be,” he said. The charity will receive another $2500 in April and Mr Spruhan said that way the vol-

unteers and the bank know exactly when the money will come in. “If we have it all done at the same time, then it gives everybody a bit of surety about going forward as opposed to us being a bit ad hoc about things. We want to make a difference.” The Free Food Program started just over six years ago and Mr Fillip-Gautier said the growth in the need for food has been so great they have had to purchase new equipment and commercial sized fridges. “We started with a free food program in one school and then it spread and then it spread out of the schools to families that were struggling,” he said. Now the charity feeds up to 500 people a week, across 120 families in the Yarra Ranges and even so far down to Ringwood. The food is all donated from supermarkets, bakeries and other businesses to put together food boxes of both fresh and non-perishable food for families, the eldery and the sick. During the Covid-19 lockdowns, Mr FillipGautier said many elderly people in the local community were seeking social connection as much as they were needing food, so the Free Food Program helped deliver both of those things. “We approached them and we made contact because they were not looking for help, they were just surviving and we managed to create these bridges within our community as well,” he said. “It’s getting nourished in your belly but also in your spirit and feeling that you belong. For a lot of people the help makes them feel cared for.”

12527815-CG51-21

CHIRNSIDE PARK Meadowgate Milk Bar 3 Meadowgate Drive CHIRNSIDE PARK Coles Supermarket 239-241 Maroondah Highway CHIRNSIDE PARK Woolworths Supermarket 239-241 Maroondah Highway CHIRNSIDE PARK 7 - Eleven 242 Maroondah Highway CROYDON NORTH Croydon Hills Milk Bar 158 Nangathan Way CROYDON NORTH Eastfield Milk Bar 11 The Mall KILSYTH Woolworths Supermarket Churinga SC, Russo Place KILSYTH Coles Supermarket 520-526 Mt Dandenong Road KILSYTH Kilsyth Laundrette87 Colchester Road KILSYTH Woolworths Supermarket Canterbury Road Kilsyth KILSYTH TSG Tobacco Churinga Shopping Centre Mt Dandenong Road LILYDALE Lilydale Marketplace SC 33-45 Hutchinson Street LILYDALE Lilydale Village SC 51-59 Anderson Street LILYDALE Coles Supermarket Lilydale Village Castella Street & Maroondah Highway LILYDALE Lilydale Community Centre 7 Hardy Street LILYDALE Eastern Laundries. 2/4 Williams Street East LILYDALE Lilydale Lakeside Conference and Events Centre 1 Jarlo Drive LILYDALE United Petrol Service Station 473 Maroondah Highway LILYDALE Caltex Lilydale 346 Main Street LILYDALE Caltex Woolworths 31 Hutchinson Street LILYDALE BP Service Station 87 Warburton Highway LILYDALE Shell Service Station 469 Maroondah Highway LILYDALE 7 - Eleven Lilydale Cnr Maroondah Highway & Cave Hill Road LILYDALE Coles Express 469 Maroondah Highway LILYDALE Hutch & Co Cafe 251 Main Street LILYDALE Round Bird Can’t Fly 170 Main Street LILYDALE The Lilydale General 110 Beresford Road LILYDALE Yarra Valley Smokery 96 Main Street LILYDALE Bee Seen Cafe 178 Main Street LILYDALE Blue Turtle Cafe 222 Main Street LILYDALE Gracious Grace Castella Street LILYDALE Melba Coffee House 33-45 Hutchinson Street LILYDALE Lilydale Munchies 7/75 Cave Hill Road LILYDALE The Mustard Tree Cafe 3/28 John Street LILYDALE Freda’s Cafe 2 Clarke Street LILYDALE Ray White Real Estate 164 Main Street LILYDALE Stockdale & Leggo Real Estate 281 Main Street LILYDALE Professionals Real Estate 111-113 Main Street LILYDALE Grubs Up 1 Industrial Park Drive LILYDALE Olinda Creek Hotel Maroondah Hwy LILYDALE Crown Hotel Maroondah Hwy LILYDALE Yarra Ranges Council 61 - 65 Anderson Street MONTROSE Montrose Authorised Newsagency 912 Mt Dandenong Road MONTROSE Bell Real Estate 896 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road MONTROSE IGA Supermarket 916 Mt Dandenong Road MOUNT EVELYN Fast Fuel 1 Hereford Road MOUNT EVELYN IGA Supermarket 38- 40 York Road MOUNT EVELYN Post Office 12 Station Street MOUNT EVELYN Authorised Newsagency 1A Wray Crescent MOUNT EVELYN Red Robin Milk Bar 35 Hereford Road MOUNT EVELYN Library 50 Wray Cresent MOUNT EVELYN Milkbar 28 Birmingham Road MOUNT EVELYN York on Lilydale 138 York Road MOOROOLBARK Coles Supermarket 15 Brice Avenue MOOROOLBARK Corner Milk Bar 38 Bellara Dive MOOROOLBARK Fang & Yaoxin Mini Mart 108 Hayrick Lane MOOROOLBARK BP Mooroolbark 103 Cardigan Road MOOROOLBARK Coles Express 2 Cambridge Road MOOROOLBARK Mooroolbark Coin Laundrette28 Manchester Road MOOROOLBARK Professionals Real Estate Brice Avenue MOOROOLBARK L J Hooker Brice Avenue MOOROOLBARK Fletchers Real Estate 1/14 Manchester Road MOOROOLBARK 7-Eleven Manchester Road

The Philanthropic Collective volunteers donate their time on Mondays and Wednesdays to put together food boxes for a number of families and individuals with left over produce going to schools. 16 MAIL

Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

mailcommunity.com.au

PUZZLES SUDOKU

No. 068

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 9 2 1

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

8 9

9 2 4 8 4

ACROSS

DOWN

Hides (5) Relying on or exploiting others (9) 1970s band, — Lake and Palmer (7) Of, or relating to, Tibet (7) Custom (9) Fad (5) Duped (3) Estimates of similarities (11) Artistic representation of a person (11) Idiot boxes (3) Mindless (5) Designers of goods and structures (9) Runner (7) Cleaning scoop (7) An office-worker (9) Waterlily (5)

1 4 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 19 20 22 25 26 27 28

No. 068

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 14 15 17 18 21

23 24

Saccharine (5) Native of Iceland (9) Seaweed wrapped rice (5) Brand of microprocessor (7) Domed building (7) Contribute (9) Popular aquarium fish (5) Agreement (9) Pleasure (9) Relate in some way (9) Immediately (2,3,4) Inactivity (7) Blasphemous (7) Member of Central American ancient people (5) Of the nose (5) Ships (5)

DECODER

No. 068

5 2 3

3 8 7 1 9

1 7 2

QUICK CROSSWORD

7 5 1 6 3

1 3

6 hard

8 3 3 6 5 3

10 11 12 13

D W 16

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: 10 words: Good 15 words: Very good

5 4 7 9 3 2 6 1 8

3 9 8 4 5 2 6 7 1

5 6 4 9 1 7 2 8 3

3 LETTERS ACE AGE AGO AIL APT ASK ASS ATE AWE AYE BRA CHI DEN ERR GAL HEN IDS LSD MRS NIT OKS RED REV SAC TNT USE 4 LETTERS AURA DRUG DYES GASP IONS ISLE MADE MANY MESS MINE PARS PASS RANK ROBS SEES

USES WARP ZACS 5 LETTERS ABORT ABOVE ALIAS ANGST APTER ARENA ATLAS AUDIO AWARE BROIL DIGIT DRIER EERIE ENEMA ERASE ERECT

No. 068

EVERY GAITS GASES HAIRY INANE INTER LATER LEACH LEVEL MIMIC OGLES PARTY PASSE PETER RECAP ROGUE SADLY SALLY SEATS SEDAN SENDS

SHAMS STONE STOVE TENTH TENTS TRAMP ZINCS 6 LETTERS SHRINE TREBLE 7 LETTERS ASSORTS DESPAIR

REREADS SHRINKS STORAGE VERSION 8 LETTERS DEDICATE MURMURED SEVEREST TWANGING 10 LETTERS EVAPORATES TRANSPIRES

ahem, ephemera, EPHEMERAL, hale, hamper, hare, harem, harm, harp, heal, healer, heap, hear, heel, heeler, helm, help, helper, hemp, here, rhea

1 2 7 6 8 3 9 5 4

7 4 3 5 2 1 8 9 6

6 8 1 3 7 9 4 2 5

2 5 9 8 6 4 3 1 7

4 3 2 7 9 5 1 6 8

8 1 5 2 3 6 7 4 9

9 7 6 1 4 8 5 3 2

2 8 9 6 5 1 3 4 7

6 1 3 8 7 4 9 5 2

4 7 1 5 8 3 2 6 9

8 5 6 2 4 9 1 7 3

9 3 2 1 6 7 5 8 4

1 6 4 3 2 8 7 9 5

3 9 8 7 1 5 4 2 6

7 2 5 4 9 6 8 3 1

7 2 8 5 6 1 9 3 4

6 1 5 9 3 4 7 2 8

9 3 4 2 7 8 5 6 1

8 6 9 3 1 5 4 7 2

3 4 7 6 2 9 1 8 5

1 5 2 4 8 7 3 9 6

2 9 1 7 5 6 8 4 3

5 7 3 8 4 2 6 1 9

4 8 6 1 9 3 2 5 7

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

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

21 words: Excellent

hard

medium

easy

MGHQ L P Y F T C N K J

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

U R E A V X S I B Z ODW

WORDFIT

18-02-22

William Matthews Funerals FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED

24 HOUR SERVICE ALL AREAS

9739 6868 45 Cave Hill Rd, Lilydale www.williammatthewsfunerals.com.au mailcommunity.com.au

12410397-ACM06-19

Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

MAIL 17

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Looking for a reliable applicant who wants a secure future. Must be suitably fit and healthy. Must have a full manual licence. A police check is mandatory. Successful applicant will work in a team environment and enjoy excellent earnings. Immediate start. Lilydale area. Resumes to: frontlinetermite@bigpond.com

DETAILS ABOUT THE APPLICATION The land affected by the application is located at:

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You may view the digital application online at the below website. Simply search by the application number then click on “Documents”. http://yarraranges.vic.gov.au/track or The digital application can also be viewed at any one of the Community Link ofﬁces Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm. An objection must: • The application number and site address. • The name, address and email of the objector/submitter. • The reasons for the objection and how the objector would be affected.

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Leak detection & repair Valleys replaced Pensioner discount

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For further information on the application, or to make an appointment, please contact the Planning Ofﬁcer, Thushari Wollbrandt by email: mail@yarraranges.vic.gov.au

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12499475-CG25-21

12438941-CG04-20

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Call

We are seeking applications from volunteers for our Yarra Ranges Facility in Warburton. AdventCare is a ‘not for proﬁt’ organisation offering aged care that embraces Christian values.

DIN TREE SERVICE WA•N TREES PRUNED, LOPPED, FELLED

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12423634-SN31-19

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SPORT

Ace is right on the mark Yering District Archers were proud to see Stanley Glenister, aged eight years old, become the proud winner of the Lilydale Village ‘Most Valued Player’ award. Stanley has been a member of Yering District Archers for about two years, a family orientated sport that he enjoys participating in with his grandfather Bill Mackieson, along with receiving friendly, ongoing support and coaching from his peers. “Congratulations to Stanley who started as a ‘Come N Try’ and now is a valued member of Yering District Archers,” Bill Mackieson said. As the winner, he was presented with a Rebel Sport voucher worth $2000 for the club and $100 voucher for his personal use. It was a most impressive win not only because of his age but because of the talent and clubs he was up against in Lilydale. Yering District Archers were most fortunate to receive a grant of $5000 for an equipment update from the Federal MP Tony Smith. This was presented to the club by Mr Aaron Violi, the endorsed candidate to replace Tony Smith, in the electorate of Casey.

Stanley has only been doing archery for two years. “We are most grateful to Tony Smith and Aaron Violi for their support to our community,” Mr Mackieson said. The archery club welcomes all ages to their ‘Come N Try’ sessions each Saturday morning from 10am to 11am. Bookings can be made through yda.tidyhq.com, go to events and register. The cost of these sessions is only $15 which includes all equipment and coaching.

Stanley Glenister, eight years old, was awarded the MVP by the Lilydale Village.

Pictures: SUPPLIED

New Cat will always have young Pup’s bark Good effort from Wright at Games By Callum Ludwig

Wandin Football Club’s new star export Flynn Kroeger has made the switch from The Kennel to The Cattery after being taken at pick 48 by the Geelong Cats in the 2021 NAB AFL draft. Kroeger couldn’t believe his eyes on draft night when his name was read out and displayed on the TV while he watched on from home. “I didn’t actually recognise my name. I saw it come up and my whole body just went blank, I didn’t really think it was true,” he said. “Then all my mates started jumping on me and I actually started crying because my dreams had come true.” Kroeger’s draft night was almost a nervy, longer wait. Geelong had their selection of Marcus Windhager matched by St Kilda at pick 47, before using their next selection to pick Flynny, as he’s known by his friends. Kroeger started his football career at Wandin and remained there all the way from U’9s until 2021, growing up just down the highway on Linwood Road in Seville. Kroeger said his fondest memories of the Wandin footy club will always be the tight-knit feel of the club and the town, which he feels is reflected in his new home in Geelong. “It’s the community life and how much you enjoyed playing with all your mates all the time,” he said. “Geelong is my sort of club, it still has a relaxed country vibe.” He said he will miss kicking long bombs on the small Wandin ground compared to those at the elite level. “I can’t even make the kick from the 50 metre line, unlike the Wandin ground where I could kick the length from the centre square!” Kroeger said. Arriving in Geelong, Kroeger felt immediately welcomed and comfortable adjusting to his new home, a sentiment he said was shared by the other Geelong draftees too. “The boys made us feel welcome straight away. After the first week, I didn’t really feel like the newbie anymore,” he said. “That was a very big thing the Cats did and all the first-year boys feel like the same.” He will wear number 25 for the Cats. Kroeger said getting phone calls from the senior players at the club was pretty surreal, and even left him a bit speechless. “The first phone call was Joel Selwood and the next one was Paddy Dangerfield,” he said. “It didn’t really sink in. Even though I was trying to talk to them, I don’t think I was communicating very well!” It could be considered quite fitting the duo mailcommunity.com.au

Flynn Kroeger is in preseason training with his new club, the Geelong Cats. got in touch with Kroeger, who was brought in to bolster Geelong’s midfield stocks as a part of the next generation of powerful midfielders to learn from senior Cats like Selwood and Dangerfield as well as Mitch Duncan and Cameron Guthrie. Unfortunately, Kroeger is battling injury at the moment, delaying his preseason, but he said what he has experienced so far has been intense. He also praised the physio team who are working hard on his recovery. “It’s pretty brutal. Covid as well hasn’t really helped preseason, but it’s definitely harder than you’d expect it to be,” he said. “It helps we have the best physios down there, I can’t complain about them.” After an interrupted last couple of seasons due to Covid and injury, Kroeger is mainly looking forward to getting out there this season. “Definitely hoping to get more than just four games in this year,” he said. “It seems like I haven’t played footy in forever. I’m just missing actually playing the game.” Geelong’s profile on Kroeger describes him as an explosive midfielder and half back, with a strong overhead mark and neat disposal. Kroeger plans to absorb as much information as he can from being around the club and in the AFL system.

Casey Wright, who hails from Don Valley, unfortunately, failed to get past the qualification stage of the women’s cross country skiing sprint at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Wright finished in 65th position in qualifying, with only the top 30 given the opportunity to progress to the next stage. The only other Australian competitor in this sprint was Jessica Yeaton, who finished 52nd and so also did not qualify. Wright made her Olympic debut at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, where she finished 63rd in the same event and 81st in the women’s 10km. She is set to compete in the 10km classic at 6pm Thursday 10 February. She was born in Alaska and has spent time between the United States and Australia, attending Mount Lilydale Mercy College as a teenager, where she is recognised with a display detailing her achievements on the school grounds.

A young Flynn Kroeger in his early days at Wandin Football Club. Pictures: FLYNN KROEGER “There are so many more calls to get used to in the midfield, where they want me,” he said. “It’s all to learn and adapt. That’s how you get through and start playing AFL games regularly.” Hopefully, one day we will see Cats fans across the Yarra Valley donning Kroeger’s number 25.

Casey Wright competing in the sprint at the Swiss Championships, Sparenmoos Switzerland. Picture: MANUEL LUSTI Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

MAIL 19

MURPHY’S MITRE

HUGE

RENOVATION

SALE

As we prepare for a major refurbishment, we are clearing out stock to make room for exciting new ranges. Come into store & check out the great deals on offer. CNR MAIN AND SILVAN ROADS, MONBULK

PH: 9756 6306 MON- FRIDAY 7AM-5PM | SAT 8AM- 4PM | SUN 9AM-3PM 12533847-JW07-22

20 MAIL

Tuesday, 15 February, 2022

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