Mail - Upper Yarra Star Mail - 4th April 2023

Upper Yarra

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

Mail

Update on removal of Warburton Mountain Grey Gum

Amendment to Warburton Mountain Bike Destination

106-year-old medal returns to Yarra Glen RSL

Targa Classica brings classic cars to the Valley

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A Star News Group Publication

Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808

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Kids nail it at woodwork The Badger Creek Men’s Shed is finishing up another successful term of woodworking with a group of students from Badger Creek Primary School.

The inter-generational workshop gave joy to both parties with kids and adults alike enjoying the experience.

Amelia said her favourite project was the bee hotel.

“I wish I could get another term,” she said.

The Men’s Shed create projects the kids will enjoy.

Turn to page 12 for more From Left: Kids from Badger Creek Primary Ameila, Eden, Will, Izvor and Jono loved their workshop at the Men’s Shed.

Picture: TANYA STEELE

Roads progress A date has been confirmed for the start of works on Old Warburton Road ahead of the landslip repairs on the Warburton Highway.

Works will commence on Monday 3 April 2023 and are expected to be completed by Monday 24 April 2023.

Crews will be working Monday to Friday be-

tween 7am and 5pm, subject to weather conditions.

The Old Warburton works will include: Road surface repairs, installing guideposts, reflective raised markers, temporary barriers, and line markings, inspecting trees and removing any dangerous branches and installing

temporary lighting to assist motorists at night.

During the eventual landslip repairs, the Department of Transport and Planning (DOTP) has confirmed property access will be maintained for residents living within the closed section of the highway, but they will be unable to pass the landslip site between

Computer Colour Matching

approximately 3263 Warburton Highway and Mayer Bridge.

The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) will also hold a community information session on April 3 from 7.00pm to 9.00pm in the Mecca Theatre at the Arts Centre Warburton.

Continued page 3

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IN BRIEF

A community information session has been organised by the Department of Transport and Planning regarding the Warburton Highway landslip.

Picture: ON FILE

Roadwork progress From page 1 The DOTP team will outline the plans to repair the landslip on Warburton Highway and answer community questions about the works.

Yarra Ranges Council and emergency ser-

vices will be in attendance.

Attendees are asked to confirm their attendance via the ‘Warburton Highway landslip recovery information session’ event on the Eventbrite website or app.

If you are unable to access Eventbrite, please confirm your interest in attending via email to DOTroadprojects@roads.vic.gov. au with the subject line ‘Warburton Highway landslip repairs information session’

Mining operator fined as man loses toe A mining company has been convicted and fined $30,000 after a worker was forced to have a toe amputated after being injured by an unguarded machine at a gold mine in Woods Point.

Morning Star Gold NL was sentenced in the Mansfield Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday after pleading guilty to a single charge of failing to provide or maintain a plant that was safe and without risks to health.

The company was also ordered to pay $4,098 in costs.

In November 2020, an experienced worker was using a pneumatically powered machine known as a double drum scraper to stockpile rubble that had been blasted from a heading within the mine.

The task involved operating levers connected to wire ropes that dragged a scraper bucket back and forth along the ground.

As the worker momentarily paused operating the scraper to explain a safety risk to a trainee, a loose strand of wire rope tightened around his foot, ripping off the steel cap of his gumboot and taking part of his big toe with it.

The court heard it was reasonably practi-

A mining company has been convicted and fined after a worker had to have a toe amputated.

Picture: UNSPLASH cable for Morning Star Gold to have installed guarding to prevent access to the scraper’s wire rope and drum.

WorkSafe Director of Health and Safety Dr Narelle Beer said the failure to make a relatively inexpensive safety fix to older equipment had left the worker with a lifechanging injury.

“The risks of entanglement or entrapment should be well known to all employ-

ers using machines in their workplace,” she said.

“There is no excuse for failing to properly identify hazards associated with moving and rotating machinery and regularly assess the adequacy of available control measures.”

To reduce the risk of mining plant entanglement or entrapment, operators should: Perform a risk assessment, which includes consulting with employees, to identify all potential hazards and assess the adequacy of available control measures on moving and rotating plants.

Ensure adequate guarding is installed on moving and rotating plants that pose a risk to employee health and safety.

Review the adequacy of plant guarding and, if necessary, revise the need for the use of such plants.

Ensure pre-task inspections of the plant include checking for adequate guarding where applicable.

Ensure employees are provided with information, training and instruction about how to identify hazards associated with moving and rotating plants, and how to safely operate the plant.

Fire Danger Period ends April 11 Yarra Ranges residents will all be able to burn off once again from 1am on Tuesday 11 April as the fire danger period will be lifted for these areas.

Regardless of this, residents are asked to be mindful of the conditions as a small burn-off can still get out of control.

You can refer to the CFA brochure ‘Are you burning off safely?’ to ensure your burn remains safe and legal. Take care and make sure you have water available at all times and never leave your burn-off unattended.

Local CFAs can also provide advice on how to safely burn off and how to best prepare yourself and your property for the next fire season.

Before lighting a burn-off, residents are always urged to notify their neighbours and register their burn either online via firepermits. vic.gov.au or by calling the Burn-Off Notification Line on 1800 668 511.

Always check and adhere to your council’s local laws and regulations before burning off.

Truck rollover as driver avoids animal Local CFA crews had an early morning on Wednesday 29 March, heading out to a truck rollover in Gilderoy.

Little Yarra, Yarra Junction and Wesburn/ Millgrove CFA headed out to the incident with support from Victoria Police.

Fortunately, the driver, who had swerved to avoid an animal on the road, was not injured.

Even the Little Yarra crew had a wombat run out on them on the way out to the call, but luckily nobody, person or animal, was harmed.

RACV encourages motorists to scan the roadside and roads when driving outside urban animals, especially when they see watch for wildlife signs. Water run-off from the roads often encourages animals to graze there.

Many native animals are active at dusk, dawn and through the night so motorists are urged to drive carefully and slowly during these times or avoid them altogether when possible.

Hoddles Creek crash Hoddles Creek CFA was called to a single vehicle car accident earlier this week on Gembrook Launching Place Road Hoddles Creek, near Hansens Creek Road.

Although the car made significant impacts to the embankment and road, as seen by the marks on the asphalt, the young driver fortunately and thankfully, although shaken, was unhurt and didn’t require an ambulance, although the car was not so lucky.

Warrant out for man known to frequent Yarra Junction Simon Szitovszky is wanted by Victoria Police for theft, possessing cannabis, driving a vehicle whilst exceeding the prescribed concentration of drugs, and driving at a dangerous speed.

Six warrants have been issued for his arrest.

Mr Szitovszky is known to frequent the Yarra Junction area.

Anyone who has information can report it anonymously on 1800 333 000 or on the CrimeStoppers Victoria wesbite.

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Tree dispute branches out

By Callum Ludwig With a number of Warburton residents taking significant measures to protect the large Mountain Grey Gum, Yarra Ranges Council has released more information regarding their decision to remove it.

Yarra Ranges Council is urging residents who are parked under the tree or taking refuge in it to remove themselves from the tree and away from the security fencing due to the significant risk of the tree falling.

Residents have been frustrated by the lack of communication and engagement regarding the decision, with Yarra Ranges Council acknowledging in a statement that “this work has not been managed well, and for this we are sorry,” it reads.

‘We appreciate the community has not had time to process this news nor understand more about the tree’s condition.”

Discussions with community members who contacted Yarra Ranges Council regarding the decision have been organised and a protest was submitted a the Tuesday 28 March Council meeting.

Warburton resident Ravenna Keller spoke at the meeting on behalf of lead petitioner Teresa Springall and said they are shocked at the suddenness and finality of the move to remove one of the few old-growth trees left in Warburton without community engagement.

“Anybody can observe masses of birds utilising it, some nesting in it and my son has found large tree frogs in it at different times but it is unknown the extent of the habitat protection that it provides for wildlife,” she said.

“We ask for time, we ask for further reports.

I have spoken to an arborist from the Royal Botanic Gardens who says that there are a lot of options available which deserve to be explored first, and the Council’s own tree policy says all available alternatives will be explored to retain trees and avoid and minimise un-

The Mountain Grey Gum continues to be a point of contention for the Warburton community.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS necessary tree removal.”

Council’s statement has also clarified that an initial report was undertaken in November 2022, and then went and sought a second opinion, which brought about the January 2023 report where a sonic tomograph was taken to further examine the structural decay of the tree. A sonic tomograph uses sound waves and a number of sensors placed around the trunk to map the decay within the tree in a diagram.

The tomograph showed that the decay within the tree had increased to the point where pruning experts said retaining the tree was no longer a safe option, despite initial hopes.

Since initial decay was first found in a 2016 arborist report, Council tried to preserve and extend its life with regular arborist reports, dynamic cabling, bracing and pruning. More recently, alternatives to removing the whole tree

were considered, which included reducing the tree to bring the canopy’s height down while retaining some of the branches and leaves, but that was unfeasible due to the large crack in the base of the tree.

Lopping the tree down to a manageable height was also considered, but that posed a further risk of quick regrowth which is unstable and also results in instability and risk of falling branches.

Council’s plans remain to undertake urgent make-safe pruning works to remove part of the tree so that more options available can be considered while the risk is reduced.

Before Council chops down trees like the Mountain Grey Gum, a zoologist is called to attend to the tree and check for any nests or signs of wildlife, with any animals found safely removed in a dark, warm bag and released into the wild at night.

The tree has a significant and important place in the hearts of the community but does not have formal indigenous or cultural heritage, and is not on the list of heritage trees in the Yarra Ranges.

If removal goes ahead, the wood from the tree would be protected as much as possible, with the hope it can be made available to the community for use in art, furniture and other creative projects with Treasuring Our Trees already showing an interest in taking on the repurposing the tree for the local community.

Any seeds found from the tree would also be collected for replanting in the area as well as other options considered regarding honouring the importance of this tree at the site.

There is no mention of plans within the Warburton Urban Design Framework, drafted in 2020, which indicate that the removal of the tree was planned to make space for more car parks. The tree features prominently in a photo of Ottrey’s Car Park within the full draft framework.

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Four-year partnership grants program approved

By Mikayla van Loon A number of Yarra Ranges organisations have been successful in receiving Yarra Ranges Council’s partnership grants, helping support programs and outreach over four years.

Having received 27 applications for the Connected and Healthy Communities grants, as well as 25 for the Creative Communities grants for the 2023-2027 period, it saw 22 and 18 respectively approved for consecutive yearly payments of varying amounts.

An independent panel made the recommendations, tallying $558,000 for year one and a total of $2.2 million over the four years, an annual increase of $59,500 to better address the needs of the organisations.

“This year we’ve done something that in my memory on council we probably haven’t done before, that the panel had recommended some groups got less than they perhaps

needed,” Councillor Fiona McAllister said.

“We’ve increased the funding pool by an additional $60,000 to make sure those groups who need it most are supported.”

Cr McAllister said having looked through the applications, it became clear the grants would be supporting a diverse cross-section of community groups and not-for-profits.

“I feel our partnership grants and the work we do with so many organisations across the municipality has never been more critical than it is now,” she said. “We’re talking substantial amounts of money. We’re talking of commitments of over half a million dollars each year to support an incredible range of groups who deliver such incredible benefits for everyone in our community.”

Across the two streams, grants recipients included Eastern Community Legal Centre, Yarra Valley ECOSS, Mooroolbark Umbrella

Group, CIS Yarra Ranges, Outer East Foodshare, Anchor, Holy Fools, Mount Evelyn Township Group, 3MDR, Caladenia Dementia Care, Yarra Valley Singers, The MISFIT Project and Celebrate Mooroolbark.

“Not only is it supporting creative activities, but supporting relief services, legal support, support for the homeless, social connection, township groups, incubation of small businesses, environmental groups, and the list goes on and on,” Cr McAllister said. “Every corner of our municipality in every walk of life is represented in these incredible groups that really punch above their weight. Small amounts of money that we can give, and they’re not tiny but they are small in the scheme of things, delivers such incredible benefit and some respite to the number of volunteers that really bring these groups to life.”

Councillor Andrew Fullagar said this

was probably the council’s “premier grant scheme” helping to keep some of the larger partners funded to ensure essential work and events can be carried out. “$560,000 per annum sounds like a lot of money but when you divide that over 40 partners, it’s an average of $14,000 per year,” he said. “It is a substantial amount of money but when you consider the leverage that we gain, the enormous goodwill and energy, the volunteer commitment providing services and running events the council would never put on otherwise year after year, it’s an absolute bargain.”

The motion to approve the grant funding, the annual increase and a one off supplementary $20,000 grant to the Dandenong Ranges Music Council was approved unanimously on 28 March.

Bike plan gets kick-along

By Callum Ludwig Yarra Ranges Council has taken a step to streamline the delivery of the Warburton Mountain Bike Destination (WMBD) at the Tuesday 28 March Council meeting.

Council have requested a Planning Scheme Amendment to allow them to submit a fully incorporated document for approval to the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny and apply a Specific Controls Overlay to the land approved for the project.

This means that Council can include all of the processes that need approval, such as development plans, the construction environmental management plan, the operations as environmental management plan and the offset management plan in one document, speeding up the process while maintaining strict controls to ensure it is aligned with the Environment Effects Statement (EES) outcome.

Yarra Ranges Council Mayor and O’Shanassy Ward Councillor Jim Child said every facet of the project has been thoroughly assessed.

“Normally with a planning scheme amendment, we’d appoint a planning panel to then advise the minister. But what we’re dealing with at the moment, we’ve already done that process and we’ve done it stronger than any other planning scheme amendment I’ve ever seen,” he said.

“There were 2700 submissions to the EES process and 2400 of those submissions were in favour of this project. We have had such a strong involvement of the community, especially in the exhibition stage of the Planning Scheme Amendment.”

The former Minister for Planning Lizzie Blandthorn, who approved the WMBD bar the proposed Trails 1, 45, 46 and 47 and asked for an amended environmental management regime, also generally supported the Planning Scheme Amendment in her response.

Council will write to the Minister for Planning to request a Planning Scheme Amendment.

Lyster Ward Councillor Johanna Skelton spoke to the motion and said as the submission process has already been very hefty, going to the community again would be not meaningful.

“That’s not the kind of consultation that we want, we’ve already received the message. But I did just want to mention that there a still a lot of plans not yet completed, we’ve heard about the emergency management plan that’s been finalised yet or the vegetation management plans,” she said.

“That’s a concern for many people, so it’s important that we acknowledge that this planning amendment is not the last that the community will see of this process. These amendments take some time to do, so I don’t think

it’s right that we hold up the community anymore.”

The Planning Scheme Amendment does mean that third parties such as residents or community groups will not receive notice or have the opportunity to make a submission to an independent planning panel as would occur otherwise, but the documentation involved was all exhibited in the EES process and is publicly available.

Vice President of the Warburton Advancement League David Pratt spoke to the item on behalf of the group and said they are in support of the recommendation.

“The Advancement League has been a supporter of all forms of tourism in Warbur-

Picture: ON FILE ton for all of its 68-year history and it’s been a supporter of this mountain bike destination project since it was first proposed years ago,” he said.

“Our approach to all things that we do in the Advancement League is not just with advocacy, but with a boots-on-the-ground approach to support the residents of Warburton and surrounding communities,” “We see the project as one that has the ability to generate more midweek tourism which can help balance our visitor numbers across more days rather than just weekends and provide jobs for people for who weekend work is simply not an option.”

The motion was carried unanimously.

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Accessing bonus easier

By Mikayla van Loon Accessing the power saving bonus initiative from the State government has never been more simple with Lilydale based Community Information and Support (CIS) Yarra Ranges offering easy assistance.

CIS Victoria executive officer Kate Wheller said ensuring vulnerable communities receive the support they need is essential to the services the organisation provides.

“Our day to day services are supporting people who are financially and personally in hardship. So it’s really important that within the scope of the work we do, we can offer this kind of support,” she said.

“Energy bills have long been a driver of financial hardship in the communities we work with, so the power saving bonus offers a real incentive for people to have a look at their energy bills to figure out if they’re on the best contracts, move providers if they need to while getting that cash incentive to do so.”

With 31 partner agencies across the sector delivering the $250 power saving bonus, Kate said within the first day 350 people had signed up for the bonus and she expects hundreds of people have since.

Not only does Kate and the team at the CIS Yarra Ranges office in Lilydale hope the bonus can offer some quick relief for people, it can also show them what other supports CIS can provide.

“It’s a really important opportunity for us to have a conversation with someone about their bills, but also more broadly, what’s happening in their life, to look at ways we can support them with other aspects of their daily living as well, so it’s delivering a really practical support,” Kate said.

Volunteers will often start conversations around other offerings like the utility relief

The CIS Yarra Ranges team Jade Harris, chief executive Kate Wheller, Sarah Miller and Zoe Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS encourage people to access the power saving bonus. 325749 grants from the State government but then also more broadly around income support.

“There are already existing supports provided by the State government which are there to support people with utility hardship and not everyone is aware of utility relief grants or concessions and how often they can apply for those kinds of things,” Kate said.

“It’s really important that those elements are part of the conversation but then it’s that

broader assessment of what is the person’s situation? Are they renting? Are they in sustainable housing? What income do they receive?

Have they got dependent children and/or health issues?

“So looking at their lives more broadly and looking at ways we can provide holistic support to them.”

Coming into winter, Kate said often it’s a case of people deciding whether to “eat or

heat” because as awful as it sounds, many “can’t afford to do both”.

Accessing the power saving bonus, acting branch coordinator Zoe said, is as easy as booking an appointment or walking into the office with a copy of a most recent energy bill.

“People come in and they bring in their electricity bill. Generally we use that to start a broader conversation,” she said.

“But for the actual power saving bonus we photocopy it and Sarah or Jade will put their details through to the government and then they get it either by cheque or in their bank account. So it’s a really simple process for both the clients and ourselves.”

Zoe said the service CIS Yarra Ranges is offering also reduces the “digital divide”.

“People who don’t have access to technology or might not have the digital literacy to apply for it themselves online, we’re also addressing that barrier.”

With the cost of living crisis ongoing, Kate said demand for services has increased beyond what they ever expected and it only appears to be getting worse.

“We’ve seen significant increases in the number of people accessing our services between 50 to 80 per cent increase, which is huge,” Kate said.

“The cost of daily living is really hurting people and we are seeing more clients now who haven’t accessed our services before who are experiencing mortgage stress.”

To seek support from CIS Yarra Ranges, contact the office on 03 9735 1311 or visit Wednesday, Thursday or Friday between 10am and 3pm at 214 Main Street Lilydale.

The team will also be holding a community event on 26 April from 10am until 12pm where people can bring their power bills and enjoy some refreshments.

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Precious medal donated

By Tanya Steele

RSL President Stephen Shortis receives the framed medal from the Maddox family. away from tiny towns” she said.

Yarra Glen RSL President Stephen Shortis accepted the framed medal with pride and thanks from the branch, also sharing some of the soldier’s history.

“He was with a sixth infantry battalion and he served in Gallipoli and France, he wasn’t there on the first day of delivery and so he wasn’t amongst the carnage that happened

Historical delights of area

By Tanya Steele Healesville historian Bryn Jones hosted an informative session on the famous Healesville Guest Houses on 27 March at the Healesville Library.

Bryn is the author of ‘Free from City Cares - the story of Healesville’s Guest Houses’ and the president of the Healesville and District Historical Society.

The talk covered the extensive history of the guest houses, known throughout the Victorian region as popular accommodation, particularly in the early 1900’s.

“It was the 1920’s that saw a great surge in what were initially known as boarding houses, superseded eventually by the more upmarket guest houses,” he said.

“The guesthouse age in Healesville began in earnest after the period of the Great War and the Spanish flu when the Western world began to let its hair down.”

The event was very well attended, with 70 people there on the day and Bryn was pleased with how it went.

Healesville was a popular destination in Melbourne that people visited from all over, particularly during the holidays.

Bryn talked about one year in particular in 1928 where around 10,000 people came to Healesville for Easter, staying in the many guest houses in the area.

“Some camped, of course, but they came by train and were dressed quite elegantly,” he said.

Some of the guest houses were grand establishments, with tennis courts, swimming pools and they would host big dances and fancy dress balls.

One accommodation was located on Mt Toolebewong and offered guests sensational views but burnt down in 1939.

Previous owners and people who had worked in them also attended the event and were invited to share their experiences at the end of the talk.

“There’ll be people here who know more about the houses than me and I’ll be glad to mailcommunity.com.au

Picture: TANYA STEELE

that particular day,” he said.

“But I would suggest that knowing what went on, to come along and take over for reinforcement would take a fair amount of courage from anyone after they knew what had happened.”

“When he returned after a couple of years of service, he was deaf in both ears and was a good citizen of Christmas Hills and also a

member of the rifle club.”

The Maddox family hopes the medal will help the RSL continue with its role in honouring and remembering those who fought for their country and help future generations understand their history.

“We want to put it back into the community,” Philip said.

ALL - NEW

OUTLANDER

Bryn had extensive research and history to present.

Picture: TANYA STEELE see you,” said Bryn.

Gary, who worked as a kitchen hand come chef at one of the houses in the ‘60s, remembers being intimidated on his first day.

He went on to work at the RACV club, but recalled his work at the house and the weddings and dances that were held there.

Gary said the guesthouse used to source fresh produce from local farmers, which were just across the road.

“The farm opposite used to get farmhands to wheel over the meat and we’d prepare it,” he said.

Bob and Betty from Bendigo were prior owners of The Healesville Gables from 1987 to 2003.

During their ownership the couple held around 550 wedding receptions at the accommodation.

The guesthouse required some renovation while the couple ran it, with Bob recalling he just about rebuilt the whole place.

“The time spent there was absolutely lovely,” he said.

Betty enjoyed the weddings during her time running the Healesville Gables so much that when she moved to Bendigo, she went on to become a wedding celebrant.

Bryn’s discussion reflected detailed research into Healesville’s history and he highlighted how it has always been a popular destination, with tourists and residents alike.

“We love Healesville and what it has to offer and that’s why we live here,” he said.

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The Yarra Glen RSL had a medal from a WW1 soldier passed along for safekeeping from his family on Friday 31 March.

Judith, Peter and Philip Maddox (nee Clark, Wilson) are the great niece and nephews of soldier Private George Saltau and decided to formally donate the family heirloom.

The family wanted to pass along the medal to the area where Private Saltau spent time living and the soldier has documented history in Yarra Glen and Christmas Hills.

“We want to give back and we want it to be for future generations in the district, we’ve had it in the family for 106 years, since 1978,” Philip said.

“He played football and cricket in Yarra Glen,’’ he said.

Private Saltau was presented with the gold medal from the Christmas Hills Welcome Home League (CHWHL) amid evergreens, dancing and supper at a social and concert in his honour at the Mechanic’s Hall in June 1917.

He was born in Warrnambool and died in Footscray in 1949.

His family are unsure how he ended up living in Footscray as he made Yarra Glen his home for a number of years until 1920.

“We’re not really sure, it’s a bit of a mystery,” Judith said.

The medal is in a frame featuring Private Saltau’s portrait, the medal and some history as the family knows it.

Private Saltau was the first soldier to return home in the Christmas hills area in June 1917.

Geraldine Sanderson, Christmas Hills Mechanic’s Institute secretary attended the event and shared what she knew about the soldier’s history.

“He’s named on the WW1 honour roll at Mechanic’s Hall and he returned, that’s the miracle, with all those young men that went

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Firies add layer of ability

By Callum Ludwig Upper Yarra CFAs made their way to Upper Yarra Secondary College over the weekend to participate in an important training exercise.

Scoresby CFA brought up their specialist Hose Layer truck for brigades to familiarise themselves with, a truck which has already been utilised at major fires this year such as at Big Watermelon Wholesale in Wantirna South and the Temple fire at Springvale South.

2nd Lieutenant and Training Officer at Yarra Junction Fire Brigade Steve Spoor organised the exercise alongside 3rd Lieutenant Adam Pelling and said it was about testing the brigade’s pre-action plans set in place for large infrastructure.

“The high school is one of our biggest assets so that’s why we did it there, so what we did was simulate that the water had failed inside the school grounds and to compensate for that we had Scoresby’s Hose Layer up,” he said.

“For instance, if there was a fire and the school has an internal ring main that failed, then we can call the hose layer up to lay some hose from a different spot, whether it be the dam that’s across the road or down at the river.”

During the exercise, brigades were acting as if they had to conduct an internal search and rescue for students during a fire at the school, and ran twin lines of 100mm hose down to the oval with ground monitors set up and ready.

Mr Spoor said it is fantastic to have brigades across the region with different specialist skills or equipment.

“Having those resources is such an asset, whether it comes from a brigade in the Yarra Valley group, Knox Group or Maroondah group and be it Scoresby’s Hose Layer or somewhere like Montrose with their gas flare-off equipment,” he said.

“It’s just great knowing that we can turn out

Brigade members ready to train together.

CFA volunteers practice a search and rescue.

Pictures: ROCHELLE POULTON

to a job and if it turns south or if we need that specialist brigade, it’s just a matter of jumping onto the radio and asking for it.”

Mooroolbark Fire Brigade also turned out

with their extra large pumper for brigades to be familiar with.

As well as Yarra Junction Fire Brigade, Wandin Fire Brigade, Hillcrest Fire Brigade, Seville

The Hose Layer truck in use.

Rural Fire Brigade, Gruyere Fire Brigade, Yellingbo Rural Fire Brigade, Little Yarra CFA, Hoddles Creek CFA, Wesburn / Millgrove CFA and Warburton CFA were all in attendance.

Workshop helps keep Ranges businesses cyber-secure

By Callum Ludwig Major companies in Australia have been targeted by cybersecurity attacks in recent times but it is just as important for local businesses to be reasonably secure with their data.

Yarra Ranges Enterprise Centres (YREC) is hosting a free cybersecurity workshop facilitated by Business Victoria on Wednesday 5 April to help answer the questions of local business owners on how they can safeguard their businesses.

Executive Officer at YREC Alison Fitzgerald said cybersecurity is a term that gets thrown around a lot but that not a lot of people really know the scope of it.

“I’m keen to do it myself and understand it better because it includes threats, password authorization and authentication, internet network and WiFi security and even personal

Attendees at the ‘Winning Government Grants and Tenders’ workshop at YREC. Picture: SUPPLIED devices,” she said.

“The beauty of these workshops is that they point you in the right direction, so they

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is doing computer generated design work, either of them loses that and there goes the core of their business,” she said.

“The facilitators will work the room, get to know the attendees and then they work out where the areas of interest are, from there the whole workshop then is designed around the questions and issues people have.”

The cyber security workshop is one of many different initiatives from Business Victoria to help educate local businesses, with YREC committed to hosting them where possible. Previously, YREC hosted a workshop on Winning Government Grants and Tenders and is also set to host one on Cash Flow in May. For more information and to book a place for this workshop or others, visit the Yarra Ranges Enterprise Centres Ltd Facebook page.

give you a workbook after the event and give you some really good contacts, websites and other resources to explore, as we have businesses of different stages of growth and with different needs.”

A general explanation of what cybersecurity is will begin the session, which will also likely discuss the range of cybersecurity threats and the importance of data protection, how to better secure passwords, data, personal devices and your internet network and how to plan measures in case of a cybersecurity breach.

Ms Fitzgerald said she has a couple of tenants at YREC whose business would be devastated if they were hit by a breach.

“One business creates veterinary software, finding out what the veterinary surgeon needs and then adapting the software and selling it to them, another young guy

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MAIL 9

NEWS

Enjoy the Good Friday races at Healesville.

Picture: ON FILE

Sprinting to a new record?

Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) is hoping to beat last year’s record-breaking fundraiser for the Good Friday Appeal at its second annual Good Friday racing events this year. $126,101 was raised for the Royal Children’s Hospital in 2022 by GRV’s 13 clubs, including the Healesville Greyhound Racing Association, and the industry’s participants.

“The Healesville Greyhound Racing Asso-

ciation has led the way with supporting the Good Friday Appeal for many years and fundraises for the appeal all year round, including over $13,000 from it’s recent The Emerald meeting on March 12,” a GRV spokesperson said.

“The privilege of being able to race on such a special day for so many people is not lost on GRV and the clubs that race, with an acute

understanding that the main focus of this day is to include and embrace people from local communities at our race tracks as well as raising money for the sick kids and their families that have unfortunately needed to utilise the cutting-edge facilities and the expertise of world-leading medical professionals.”

Good Friday racing in 2023 starts at Healesville from about 1pm and there will be a range

of entertainment including a live performance from Rosie Conforto, Kelly Sports kids activities, a limited Albert the Greyhound storybook giveaways and raffles and prizes to win.

Gates are open from 12.30pm to 4pm with a gold coin donation entry.

Other events will also be held in Traralgon and Geelong as well as the Ballarat Cup.

Yarra Valley Smaller Wineries doing it for the kids

By Tanya Steele The Yarra Valley Smaller Wineries Association made a donation to the Make-a-Wish Foundation on Thursday 30 March at the Tokar Estate Winery.

Representatives from the association came together to officially present Makea-Wish with the funds they raised at two of their events last year.

Dan Tokar of Tokar Estate was excited and proud to present the money to the Make-aWish foundation for the first time.

“We want to give back to the community as much as possible and show that when we make a pledge we honour it,” Mr Tokar said.

The winemakers have donated to many other community groups in the past but have decided to go with Make-A-Wish this year.

Mr Tokar has a family of his own and has come to appreciate a bigger perspective because of it.

“We decided we want to sort of take a little bit of a unique step across and try something different,” he said.

A Make-a-Wish spokesperson said it was terrific to see the locals come together in support of critically ill kids.

“We are very fortunate to have been part of the Australian community for over 37 years and are always grateful to those who support our important work,” the spokesperson said.

“Every donation raised helps make more wishes possible for the critically ill kids of Australia.”

Yarra Valley Smaller Wineries is a group of nearly 20 small wineries spread throughout the Yarra Valley and banded together some years ago.

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

Murray Lyons ( Whispering Hills Vineyard ), Dan Tokar (Tokar Estate), Ruthie Lazaro (Make a Wish), Justin Hill and Peter Cownley (Bendigo Bank).

Murray Lyons, a winemaker from Whispering Hills said their events have always had a theme around community donations.

The Make-A-Wish spokesperson said the donations go towards the organisation’s mission to fulfil the wishes of every eligible child.

“Right now over 900 kids are on their wish journey and travel and experience wishes are among the most popular,” they said. ` mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Truly vintage experience

By Callum Ludwig The car collectors community in the Yarra Ranges is strong, and now collectors from near and far gathered in the region to celebrate their shared passion for all things cars.

The Healesville RACV was the start and finish point of the first day of the Targa Classica, a driving event inspired by the world-famous Championship 5 Italian ‘Grandi Eventi’.

Event organiser James Lawson said the four-day event features a whole range of different cars and their owners from across Australia and New Zealand.

“We’ve got vintage Bugattis, Porsches, Alfa, Romeos and Ferraris to a whole bunch of Australian classics in Sandmans, Toranas and Ford Escorts as well,” he said.

“It’s an event about bringing people together to celebrate the wonderful Victorian roads that we have on offer, and we really like to connect to the communities along the way.”

Monday 27 March was the opening day of the event, with drivers travelling from Healesville across to Warburton and up to Marysville before returning. Tuesday’s route is a long trip out to Mt Hotham, Wednesday from Mt Hotham to Mitchelton Wines in Nagamabie and the finale on Thursday winding up at the MCG in time for the Australian Grand Prix.

Mr Lawson said the event is a competition but is more about precision driving than speed.

“There are over 70 competition stages throughout the event and they range from time trials to more average speed sections.

There’s any number in a day, the cars will come in, they’ll stop, and it’s all about precision,” he said.

“For example, you’ve got 150 metres of road and we’ve got a road book and it directs the competitors that say they have to have to do

Vintage vehicles were in the Valley for the Targa Classica.

Driver Rob Marsh and co-driver brother Sam both counting down the last seconds before the finish line of the timed Dammans Rd section in Warburton.

Pictures: JAMES MCEWAN that in 12 seconds flat. So it’s plus or minus from 12 seconds, it’s about being the closest within 0.1 of a second, and then you lose

points based on how far out you are from that exact time.”

The 100-car fleet in this year’s event com-

The four-day event began at the RACV in Healesville. prises over $100 million in value, with cars dating all the way from modern supercars to 1924 vintage vehicles.

The Yarra Ranges Film Society pays tribute to Ukraine

By Tanya Steele The Ukrainian Film Festival hosted by the Healesville Mini Film Festival and Yarra Ranges Film Society (YRFS) was a great success, with each of the films rated highly by the audience.

Keith Wade, the festival organiser said he was pleased with how well the day went and was glad the audiences appreciated the Ukrainian cinema experience.

“The three films we screened for the day were very well received,” he said.

“It was certainly one of the best Healesville Mini Film Festivals since its inception in 2015 and the staff of The Memo bent over backwards to help keep the program going on the day.”

Association of Ukrainians Victoria (AUV) board chair Tatiana Zachariak gave a powerful and passionate talk about the situation in

Festival organiser, Keith Wade, Tatiana Zachariak and husband Roman and Yarra Ranges Film Society president Vivienne Bond.

Picture: SUPPLIED Ukraine today before the festival began.

“Russia’s been attacking Ukraine for 400 years, it’s history, culture, everything and

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now it’s children as well,” she said.

Ms Zachariak has Ukrainian heritage and her partner is also Ukrainian.

AUV represents the Ukrainian Australian community in Victoria and there are over 60,000 people of Ukrainian descent in the country , the majority of which live in Victoria.

The films screened at the festival were Home Games, Mr Jones and Olga.

The second film, Mr Jones, scored a record high approval of any film shown in the nine years the festival has run.

The film was set in the 1930s and tells the story of Gareth Jones, a journalist who travels to the Soviet Union to uncover the truth about Holodomor or the artificial famine in Ukraine where millions died.

Ms Zachariak spoke about the famine in her opening speech.

“My grandmother, and my mother’s sister

had two brothers, her grandparents, they all died in the artificial famine in 1933,” she said.

“People know about the Holocaust but there are few people in Australia who know about the artificial famine when Russia was sending wheat overseas.”

The two afternoon films were separated by an extended afternoon tea, local bakers made Ukrainian style cakes that were enjoyed by the patrons.

The proceeds of the festival will be donated to the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria and Ms Zachariak is grateful for the support and exposure but worries about the years to come.

“We’re talking about the potentially catastrophic situation in Ukraine where 14 million people have fled, and that is almost a third of the population of Ukraine,” she said.

“Any opportunity that we could get to speak we’re very grateful for.”

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12527817-BL51-21

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 11

NEWS

No one escaped Ms Williams.

Colour and joy as far as the eye can see.

Colour, chaos .... and fun

By Tanya Steele Healesville Primary School was awash with colour for their annual Colour fun run on Thursday 30 March.

The event raised funds towards the school’s new playground and saw the oval transformed into a colourful obstacle course.

Principal Tracey Robertson-Smith was impressed the students were so enthusiastic as it began raining just as the event started.

“It’s just been the best day given the conditions, I think it’s been amazing and there was no way we were going to cancel it because of the weather,” Ms Robertson said.

The kids charged through a kaleidoscope of rainy chaos which was the brainstorm and group effort from parents and families, who set up the course for the kids.

Ms Robertson-Smith was pleased it went off without a hitch and said it was largely due to help from the school community.

“The parents and community helpers (PATCH) have been wonderful and lots of other parents have helped as well, they’re all just amazing,” she said.

The students put in a lot of effort to fundraise for their school and ended up raising over $15,000 for the event.

The primary school students raced through the obstacle course full of tunnels, sparklers, streamers and objects to climb on, in and through.

Teachers had a wonderful time dousing the kids in every colour of the rainbow, but didn’t escape from return treatment.

Marlene Williams, the grade five/six teacher ended up mostly orange on the day, but made sure that everyone got a little colour on them.

A well earned icy pole after the fun run.

“I think we managed to get every single kid if they looked a bit white and if the parents or teachers looked a bit white, they were targeted and we sorted them out,” Ms Williams said.

Some onlookers wisely kept to elevated

Pictures: TANYA STEELE ground while the oval surged with activity.

Ms Williams thoroughly enjoyed herself and appreciated how well everyone connected for the event.

“I think it’s such a fun thing to do, it was

absolutely fantastic and all the kids were good sports,” she said.

“It was a real community involvement and community is one of our school values, everybody had fun and worked with each other.”

‘Plane’ sailing as Badger Creek kids nail woodworking

By Tanya Steele The Badger Creek Men’s Shed is finishing up another successful term of woodworking with a group of students from Badger Creek Primary School, something that has inspired them immensely.

Amelia really enjoyed the experience and said her favourite project was the bee hotel.

“We made tissue boxes, little bee houses and an aeroplane, I liked sticking in the little bamboo bits and I wish I could get another term,” she said.

The group had great fun speculating about how the bees would buzz in and out of the hotel for a little rest when they needed it.

Amelia would like to maybe do some woodworking with her Grandpa down the track.

“He likes doing woodwork as well,” she said.

Jono has liked walking across from his primary school over to the Men’s Shed every week to participate in the class.

“I liked the aeroplane, because I reckon it was the hardest one to make,” he said.

Roy Bennet, who has been one of the Men’s Shed members volunteering with the students, said it was a good project because they had to think a little bit more.

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

“I’ve always been interested in youth and learning and the kids are a credit to Badger Creek School,” he said.

He has enjoyed experimenting with different projects for the primary school aged set and learning how to work with different kids.

The woodworking program has been running for 18 months and picked up again after Covid lockdowns.

Kara Chater, parent and volunteer, said the children who have attended woodworking have benefited greatly from the experience.

“Just to have the Men’s Shed open up to hold the space for the kids to transition back into the classroom and give them a sense of motivation to learn a skill has been incredibly powerful,” she said.

“The self esteem and motivation that is coming out of this woodworking is amazing and we’re incredibly lucky to have this in our community.”

The Men’s Shed try to create projects the kids will be interested in and always make sure they look ahead on the calendar.

“We’re already thinking about Easter and we like to think about Mother’s Day,” said Roy. The final project for the last week of term project promises to be bunny related with a space for goodies of the chocolate variety.

Jono holding his projects.

Picture: TANYA STEELE mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

‘Amazing’ trail a success

By Callum Ludwig The Millgrove Residents Action Group (MRAG) has celebrated great success this month with the completion of Stage One of the Millgrove River Road Community Walking Track.

It’s been a long time coming, first proposed in May 2015 and initial funding efforts were rejected. MRAG President Maureen Halit said they were immensely disappointed when they were first rejected in the Pick My Project Program in 2018 after putting in a huge effort.

“We tried again however and were successful in getting a $192,781 grant to commence this trial and of course because of Covid and red tape it was held back but we now have an amazing walking trail,” she said.

“We really wanted to do it as a community and already it’s been a fantastic asset and very well utilised by school children, cyclists, young families and the elderly.”

The project initially received 155 votes when it was unsuccessful in securing funding from Pick My Project but was included in the grants for projects from the Department of Treasury and Finance’s 2018-19 Community Support Fund and the delivery was supported

by Yarra Ranges Council.

Ms Halit said the group has such an immense sense of pride around the project.

“People tell us all the time we do a fantastic job and we’re really proud but we’ve got more to do yet. We’ve just got a grant for picnic tables and signage, and we’ve got to do some more to the car park,” she said.

“Hopefully, in years to come, we’ll be able to

Residents are pleased with the new River Road Community Walking Track in Millgrove.

Pictures: PHIL POMAROFF

The track weaves through the trees on River Road.

extend it the full length of River Road. The river is a very important part of our community and a great asset to us so we need to maintain it,

extension to Dee Road Bridge to provide a safe crossing that makes a loop with the existing Dee Road Walking Track.

Tree blasting to be trialled in McMahons Creek

By Callum Ludwig Given the extreme bushfire risk throughout the Yarra Ranges and particularly in the Upper Yarra, bushfire management plans are crucial.

However, a number of McMahons Creek residents were perplexed when they received a letter in the mail from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) to undertake hazardous tree removal by blasting.

Yarra District Manager of Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) Nigel Brennan said crews were removing hazardous trees in the state forest 5km east of McMahons Creek in preparation for an upcoming planned burn.

“As the safety of the community, our firefighters and staff is always our top priority and felling hazardous trees is one of the most dangerous activities our crews manage, we are assessing different ways to reduce risk when

conducting this important work,” he said.

“While dangerous trees are usually managed using chainsaws or heavy machinery we are working with a specialist contractor to trial the use of targeted explosives.”

Blasting is an alternative method of hazardous tree removal using explosives, with the intention of making conditions safer for workers and reducing their risk of injury when removing trees for bushfire management purposes.

If the trial is successful, DEECA and FFMVic will continue to consider using blasting as a removal option for trees considered too dangerous for removal with chainsaws or heavy machinery.

Works in McMahons Creek were conducted over Thursday 30 March and Friday 31 March involving 20 trees assessed as hazardous in an area closed to public access, but residents were warned they may hear the blast.

Blasting is being trialled in the state forest near McMahons Creek.

Picture: FOREST FIRE MANAGEMENT VICTORIA mailcommunity.com.au

work on it and keep it healthy along with the community.”Further plans for the track also include an observation viewing deck and an

Celebrating rare possum

By Callum Ludwig The mere existence of the Leadbeater’s Possum is a miracle, given it was thought to have been extinct for 50 years. The annual Leadbeater’s Possum Rediscovery Picnic and Forest Amble was held on Sunday 2 April, commemorating the remarkable rediscovery of the species by Eric Wilkinson in 1961.

Mr Wilkinson was in attendance as always to share his story and said the hair stood up on the back of his neck when he realised what he was looking at that fateful day.

“I had been doing nocturnal mammal surveys since December 1959 and was only 22 years old when I saw the Leadbeater’s Possum at Cumberland Valley, east of Marysville, on April 3 1961,” he said.

“I saw a second one 8 km away at Tommy’s Bend on the way to Marysville the same night. The next step was to obtain photographic evidence, which I was able to do at Tommy’s Bend on the following Saturday night. The photos were 35mm transparencies and I had to wait for over a week before I received the slides from Sydney.”

At the time, Mr Wilkinson was the Assistant to the Curator of Fossils at the National Museum of Victoria and the director Charles Brazenor was considered the expert on the Leadbeater’s Possum. Mr Wilkinson said Mr Brazenor had been conducting research and fieldwork over the previous 30 years regarding the Leadbeater’s Possum and was sceptical regarding the find.

“However he did send me and John Coventry, the Assistant in the Mammal Department, to Marysville, and John collected a specimen that confirmed that I had found the supposedly extinct possum. I had the first live captive specimen under observation from May to August 1961,” he said.

“I have maintained an interest in the possum over the years since 1961, and especially so after joining the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum in 2004 and have been attending the Cambarville Picnic Days since the first one held in April 2013.” Concerned about the impact of current logging practices and bushfires on pushing the species back towards extinction, Mr Wilkinson has nearly completed a book on the possum’s history, his discovery and the aftermath in the hopes it will be a worthwhile contribution to preserving Victoria’s faunal emblem.

President of Friends of the Leadbeater’s Possum Steve Meacher said the event and the group in general hope to spread aware-

Eric Wilkinson speaking to the group alongside Healesville resident Graham George, who participated in surveys with Mr Wilkinson in the 1960s. Picture: SUPPLIED ness so that more people are keen to see the Leadbeater’s Possum and its habitat protected.

“A lot of the public in Victoria don’t even know that the Leadbeater’s Possum is the state’s faunal emblem, which it has been since 1971. It’s very significant locally, living only in the Mountain Ash Forest and Central Highlands in the Yarra Ranges as well as a special genetically separate population of only 20 at Yellingbo,” he said.

“This animal exists only in the forest of the Central Highlands from Toolangi almost up to Eildon and then down to the Baw Baws.”

Forest ecologist Dr Chris Taylor also led a forest walk and talk, answering questions on forest ecology and the impact and role of fire. Mr Meacher said the Leadbeater’s Possum is totally reliant on the forest that exists about 50 to 100 years after a major disturbance, which naturally would have been after a fire.

“The population benefited from the 1939 fires that left a lot of big old dead trees which develop hollows in which they could nest, but it’s that regenerating forest between about 50 to 100 years old that is also very attractive to the logging industry,” he said.

“That’s why there’s always been this head-on collision between the needs of the possums and the desires of the industry.

Fortunately, most timber in Victoria now is coming from plantation timber, both hard and soft wood and there doesn’t need to be a continuation of native forest logging,” “Hopefully the next big announcement in the Leadbeater’s Possum’s history will be an end to native forest logging that will help to preserve the habitat, what little there is left of it, for the Leadbeater’s Possum and many other species.”

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 13

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Deep, vivid dreamscapes

By Tanya Steele The new exhibit Deep in the trees by Claire Bremner has launched at YAVA in Healesville and invites people to look closer and be with nature.

It opened on Thursday March 30 and Ms Bremner was happy to be able to hold the exhibit in a physical space.

“The majority of the time I show my work online or I’m on my website or social media and I don’t do a lot of physical shows,” she said.

People can get a better sense of scale and different feel when looking at art in real life.

“This is a really good opportunity to actually have things on the wall in a space and meeting the people is really nice, I look forward to exhibitions for that reason,” said Ms Bremner.

The main theme of Ms Bremner’s work is nature and she wanted to capture the feeling people get when they go for walks and notice things in their surroundings.

“Everything is drawn directly from the environment as far as inspiration goes,” she said.

“My work in general is always inspired by nature and I really, really enjoy landscapes and this particular series is focused a lot on more on the trees in the landscape.”

Ms Bremner’s work is colourful and vibrant, with broad brushstrokes and movement that encourages the viewer’s eye into depths of the painting.

“I don’t use realistic types of colours, I create them as I go to create a vibrant and semi imaginary dream landscape,” she said.

She hopes people will stop to take in the details and colours in her work and notice different aspects in the series.

“Look closer and get drawn into it, have a look at the different colours, the shapes and notice the details that are imaginary or real,” she said.

Her works are combined images painted from scenery all around her home and might remind people of different parts of the hills.

She encourages people to soak in the nature around them when they are out in the world.

“Just look out there and appreciate what is

Claire Bremner just before her exhibition opening on 30 March.

Pictures: TANYA STEELE

around you and just pay attention to your surroundings and just look at it because it’s beautiful,” she said.

Ms Bremner’s studio is located in Warburton and she has been a full time artist since 2014, prior to that she did photography and other creative forms.

For future work, Ms Bremner plans to keep changing up her style and she often moves between abstract and detailed work.

“I will keep pushing it, it’s this wave of exploring, trying new things and looking for new approaches,” she said.

The exhibit will run from 30 March to 30 April 2023 at YAVA, Healesville.

The exhibition has a natural landscape theme and plays with bold colours.

Aunty Bear and Zaza set to fire kids’ imaginations

By Tanya Steele Bec Matthews and Sarah Ward from Fat Fruit are bringing The Rainbow Tree to The Memo in Healesville on 22 April for an original musical storytelling show with wild imagination.

The show was developed by the duo through Midsumma Festival and Artplay and from its inception the couple wanted it to be made by children for children.

“We applied to create a show that was with and for Rainbow families and we wanted to write songs with the notion of the rainbow tree holding it all together,” Sarah said.

“We wanted to write a show with the words and ideas of children inside it, so this is children talking to children.”

The six month Melbourne lockdown caused some hiccups in the development process and resulted in the stories of The Rainbow Tree being collected through Zoom meetings.

The children used creativity and imagined new worlds while they wrote the songs for the show.

“It ended up being quite a healing way to connect with young people, but also for them to have an opportunity to create during lockdown was really important for their mental health,” Sarah said.

“Lockdown put a stopper in the idea of us all getting together to write it, so instead each of the seven participants wrote one song.”

The children also put forward words and definitions in the writing, which helped shape the final product.

“They participated in talking about what the rainbow tree is, which is dispersed throughout the show,” said Sarah.

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The cast of “The Rainbow Tree” “They also helped us come up with terminology that other rainbow families can use to describe their experience, for example, a

Picture: SUPPLIED dipling, which is a sibling with the same donor.”

On stage the Super Queer Aunties, Aunty

Bear and Zaza, performed by Bec and Sarah are there for the kids.

“We take being an Aunty very, very seriously and we’re here for them whenever they need us,” Sarah said.

The show is inclusive and children are invited to engage with it however they need to, sitting or standing.

Sarah encourages the children to talk to the artists while they are performing as it is all part of the fun.

“We will answer you if you talk to us,” she said.

It features projected visual images created by Jolyon James of the Arena Theatre Company with voice overs and drawings from the children who contributed to the show.

The show has something for all and Sarah it is also a lot of fun.

“It’s forty five minutes of silliness, there’s a fart machine, live music, singing and rock and roll dancing,” she said.

The show will be Auslan interpreted by Kirri Dangerfield to ensure it is accessible to all children.

Fat Fruit hopes to expand their show onto television eventually to grow their audience base, and Sarah said it is important for the public to have exposure to it.

“We want to get onto television, so that we instantly have an audience of people who can trust in the work that we deliver, and can come and see it and have their lives enriched,” she said.

The show is recommended to children between the ages of two and seven and will be at The Memo on Saturday 22 April for two shows at 11am and 3pm. mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

With Easter eggs in mind..

By Tanya Steele The Mind Drawing Children’s Stories exhibition will be holding a workshop over the school holidays on Wednesday 12 April from 1.30 to 2pm at The Memo. Jenni Ivins, the artist and writer behind the exhibition, is excited to run the session, where kids and adults alike can hunt for her signature four leafed clover and more.

“As I gather and prepare the materials for this, I keep smiling as I envisage the participants’ wonder and laughter,” she said.

The workshop has been designed to strengthen relationships with fun in mind.

Jenni will bring exhibition books, cards and prints, with lots of activities for the participants and she encourages people to come earlier and explore the exhibition before the workshop begins.

“I can’t wait to guide the kids through the various parts and to see the outcomes as we explore how effectively we communicate,” she said.

One of the unique outcomes in Jenni’s work is the chance for discussion to emerge around what people see and how they see it, she has noticed over the years it is never what she expects.

“Sometimes it’s remarkable that we understand each other at all,” she said.

Jenni’s mind drawings contain marks that can be seen or interpreted in more than one way, depending on which part you are looking at, sometimes even the angle makes a difference too. The workshop’s activities have been created to get participants thinking about how people communicate, about making art and finding stories. The Mind Drawing Children’s Exhibition has been running for the last month at The Memo and front of house staff have heard positive feedback from patrons.

Bookings can be made via The Memo, Healesville.

Jenni’s work can reveal hidden objects.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Need local staff?

Then give us the job...

Star Mail

Need local staff?

Then give us the job... we will advertise it in our employment section and attract local staff

12544966-DL15-22

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 15

NEWS

Call for mentor drivers Yarra Ranges Council is seeking mentor drivers to provide assistance to young learner drivers as part of the TAC L2P Program.

The free program has supported over 330 learners with their L2P hours and helped over 160 young drivers gain their licence.

Now in its 12th year, the L2P Program – Funded by the TAC, managed by the Department of Transport and Planning across the state, and delivered locally by Yarra Ranges Council – matches learner drivers aged 16 to 21 with a fully-licensed volunteer driver and practice vehicle to help them gain the 120 hours behind the wheel needed to apply for a probationary licence.

Graham Hutchins, a mentor with the L2P program for over five years said the benefits of the program go far beyond just learning to drive.

“Working with young people is a real buzz and the biggest buzz of all is helping them to get their license, but it’ also seeing them develop their driving skills and setting them up for being a good and safe driver,” he said.

“For many young people, getting their driver’s license is a rite of passage - it represents a new level of independence and freedom, but learning to drive can also be a daunting and intimidating process, so we’re able to provide them with the guidance and support they need to navigate the learning process and gain the skills and confidence they need to become safe, responsible drivers.”

Johnny, an L2P learner driver, is aiming to get his licence soon after being supported by volunteer driver mentor Graham Hutchins.

“I’ve been working alongside Graham and putting into practice what he teaches me to do, and I’ve now got 61 hours and 40 minutes, which I’m really proud of,” Johnny said.

“For me, I wouldn’t have been able to get these hours without the program and it’s helped me to be able to know what to do and

L2P learner driver Georgina, Mayor Jim Child, driver mentor Graham Hutchins, and L2P learner driver Johnny are calling for more mentors to get involved in the program.

Picture: YARRA RANGES COUNCIL what not to do on the road and made me more confident.”

The L2P program is open to young people in the Yarra Ranges area who have a learner’s permit but do not have access to a car or a licensed driver to supervise them.

Mayor Jim Child said it’s a win/win situa-

tion for our community and encouraged people to apply to become a mentor.

“The L2P Programs is an excellent program with incredibly kind and supportive staff and volunteers, and it provides a unique opportunity for young people to interact with positive adult role models, gain confidence, and move

towards social independence,” Mayor Child said.

“We are always looking for both volunteer mentors and learners to take on the program.”

For more information about the L2P program, or to inquire about becoming a mentor, visit: www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/L2P

First small business expo hits heights at the Skyhigh Over 40 small businesses participated in Yarra Ranges Council’s first Small Business Expo held at Skyhigh on Wednesday 29 March.

This was the first year the event had been held by the council with the event focusing on facilitating networking opportunities for local small business operators, as well as showcasing local products and services to the community.

“This event was really exciting and great to meet new people and businesses and see the community in one room. There was no competition, it was all collaboration,” Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Jim Child said.

Businesses sold a variety of items such as candles, clothing and accessories, and other small businesses held workshops to promote their services and provide and offer advice and support about starting a small business.

Kapi Art Space Managing director, Heather Bradbury said it was a great event and opened the door to connecting with other business.

“We have a business not far from SkyHigh so it’s really great to have an event like this where we can connect with people across the hills and swap our business information and what we offer.”

Because we offer trauma support through painting classes and workshops, I’ve made some connections with other businesses and people today where we can cross pollinate and better help people in the local area.”

A range of products were on display for people to test and try.

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Yarra Ranges Council hosted its first small business expo on Wednesday 29 March.

Councillor Johanna Skelton (right) was loving talking with people.

Pictures: YARRA RANGES COUNCIL

Networking and connection was the aim of the expo.

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MEDICALLY SPEAKING

Yarra Junction Optical has just the thing to help with tradie strain, pop in store to get advice.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Stop the old tradie strain Are you a tradie, perhaps an electrician or mechanic, where you are constantly straining your neck to look up at things above and below you while working? Australis has developed a new lens technology that will help alleviate the strain!

Introducing Australis Tradie Personalised progressive lenses with a

unique and innovative design incorporating two zones for near vision.

The design of Australis Tradie lenses is unique - in addition to a standard progressive lens, it offers an extra segment for near vision at the top to assist those trades where the wearer needs to focus on near objects not only at the bottom but through the upper part

of the lens too.

Wearers will experience precise and comfortable near vision through the upper and lower areas of the lens, improved postural benefits by avoiding unnecessary head movements plus comfortable and precise focus at all working distances.

Australis Tradie lenses are Australian made

and are only available at independent optometrists. Give us a call on 5967 2065 to find out more information or book an appointment online www.yarrajunctionoptical.com.au Stop the strain with $50 off Australis Tradie lenses from Yarra Junction Optical.

Simply mention this ad in store to receive your discount.

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Skin checks, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Mental Health

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 17

NEWS

Letter to the Editor

The Healesville U3A Laughter group.

Pictures: CAROL TAYLOR

Giggle medicine on a day of laughter

By Carol Taylor Late on Friday mornings, during term time, laughter can be heard coming from the Rotunda in Queen’s Park, Healesville: it’s the halfhour weekly gathering of the U3A Laughter Group.

Leader of the group Val James said laughter is the world’s best medicine.

“The idea is to have fun. We play a few imaginary games, play a few mind games, create peculiar words, and perhaps act out an animal or bird – the others have to guess what we are supposed to be,“ she said.

When Val thought about forming a group, she did her homework first by attending a laughter group in Edinburgh Gardens, Fitzroy.

Val said that she watched how the group operated and brought the idea to U3A Healesville.

“Over time I changed some of the games and procedures, and added a few of my own ideas,“ she said.

“Some of the activities are just for fun, for example imitating a kookaburra, for others, we have to think a bit more deeply.“ Games can include creating a poem, where each person has to add a new line that rhymes or creating an alphabetical list of objects to take to a party.

Dear Editor It was a pleasure to read your story “Homegrown food fair highlights the value of the garden” (28 March) and to see the local community promoting gardening, land care and sustainability.

Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has a free service for everyone who grows their own vegetables at home, GardenSafe.

GardenSafe is a soil screening service that evaluates garden soil and provides a report on soil condition and whether there are any contaminants present.

Send in three soil samples ,the cost to you is the postage and EPA scientists will assess them for trace elements, and soil quality indicators including composition, nutrients and organic carbon.

The GardenSafe team will send out a personalised report with the screening results from your garden, and advice as to what to do next.

The findings will give you a guide to the quality of your soil and how to get the best out of your garden, and the scientific data will help EPA to build an understanding of the state of soil in residential gardens across Victoria.

You can find details on GardenSafe on the EPA website. The program is open to any residential gardener in Victoria.

Professor Mark Patrick Taylor, EPA Chief Environmental Scientist

Side-splitting stuff!

Another game is to think of a famous person, provide a few clues, while the others guess who the person is.

Val said she also has hundreds of jokes to keep people laughing.

“Favourites are often the Irishman, Scots-

man and Englishman jokes,“ she said.

It’s all about having fun – and it must be working as most of the people taking part have been part of the group since it formed about 15 years ago.

Laughter is definitely a great medicine.

EPA scientists Maryam Moslehi and Kara Fry, with soil testing gear and samples.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Easter Saturday Service at Powelltown Union Church 8 April at 10am including morning tea Easter Sunday Service at Millgrove Baptist 8 April at 10am including morning tea River Valley Church, Millgrove will be holding a Good Friday service at 6pm and an Easter Sunday service at 10am in the Millwarra Community Building.

There will be a Good Friday night vigil from 6pm to 12am in the Wesburn/Millgrove CFA car park.

There will be a firedrum, seating, a coffee machine and basic food provided.

Attendees are welcome to find a timeslot to lead a prayer or bring word or testimony.

The Woori Yallock Presbyterian Church is holding Good Friday Service at 10am and and Resurrection Sunday service at 10am.

Pallotti College- Wesburn: Holy Thursday - 8.00 pm Good Friday - 3.00 pm Holy Saturday - 8.30 pm Easter Sunday - 11.30 am Wesburn Baptist Church will have an Easter Sunday service at 10.30am.

The Upper Yarra Anglican Parish will be

celebrating at St. Mary’s in Warburton at 9am Good Friday and 10am Easter Sunday.

The Warburton Presbyterian Chruch will be holding a Good Friday service at 9.30am and an Easter Sunday at their regular 10am time.

Grace Communion Mooroolbark who are also involved in the LinC community of churches is meeting in the Mooroolbark Community Centre for a Maundy Thursday service 7.30pm April 6 and an Easter Sunday service 10.30am April 9.

FOHH observation day coming up Do you wonder what plants, animals or fungi you’re seeing or hearing in your garden, or when walking in the bush? Join in to learn new skills or share your knowledge with like-minded people in a Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater-hosted citizen science event in the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area. FOHH will record the species that attendees observe, but you don’t need to be able to identify species in order to participate. All eyes and ears contribute – everyone is welcome! Upcoming dates: Wednesday 12/04/23 (bird and frog survey) and Wednesday 19/04/23 (flora and fungi survey). More details and how to register here: www.helmetedhoneyeater.org.au/getinvolved/come-to-an-event-2/

COMMUNITY DIARY

COMMUNITY DIARY WHAT’S ON AROUND THE VALLEY Services for Easter in the region.

Picture: ON FILE

Easter Services in the Yarra Ranges St Paul’s Anglican Church in Yarra Glen Good Friday 11am, 7 April Easter Sunday 11am, 9 April Healesville Yarra Glen Uniting Church Palm Sunday: 2 April 9 am at Yarra Glen Uniting Church, 11 am at Healesville Uniting Church Maundy Thursday: 6 April, 7 pm at Yarra Glen Uniting Church

· · · ·

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· Good Friday: 7 April 10 am at Healesville Uniting Church · Easter Sunday: 9 April 11 am at Healesville

Uniting Church Liberty Family Church Good Friday 10am Easter Sunday,10am Services can be watched online on their Facebook page Millgrove Baptist Church Good Friday Service including Communion 7 April at 9:30am

· · · ·

· · · ·

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OPINION

The disservice of invasive species The invasive species, plants and animals, are doing a real disservice to our wonderful forests and compromising our ecosystems.

There are some 1000 invasive weeds on public land competing with Indigenous species. They are competing for sunlight, they are competing for space and they are competing for nutrients.

Following the recent rains, blackberries have run rampant, taking hold on many roadsides, native forests, parks and gardens.

Our rivers and creeks from Little Yarra River to Steels Creek and everywhere in between, must be protected from the infestation by noxious weeds which are creating a haven for foxes and rabbits.

I have seen neglected blackberry bushes three and four metres high, thick, and deep in some areas, creating corridors and stretching for acres. While landholders conduct regular

The state of

affairs Cindy McLeish MP Member for Eildon spraying, not enough is being done by government agencies to tackle the issue, and this needs to change.

Holly is also causing considerable grief, particularly around the walking trails of Maroondah Reservoir Park, which I walked recently.

After a concerned local raised the issue with me, I inspected the holly growth at Maroondah

Reservoir Park and can attest to the damage it is causing around the walking trails.

It is spreading rapidly, invading bushland and preventing native flora from taking hold.

In some places, trees are over two metres high with thick roots. At this size, the tree roots are too strong to pull out by hand so must be cut and poisoned to properly remove the weed. It is no easy task.

In a bid to prevent the spread of these introduced weeds, I called on the Minister in Parliament to take action.

Several years ago, Parks Victoria staff worked to tackle this issue and made very good in roads.

Parks Victoria again need support to undertake spraying and removal works to eradicate these stubborn weeds before they become too difficult and we lose our unique native flora.

CARTOON

Lots on offer Kemp’s curtain call 1812 Theatre The 1812 Theatre holds a variety of short season events throughout the year. Refer to the website for event details and dates, www.1812theatre.com.au Spoken Word Intimate evenings featuring works by local poets and actors.

Live Music Sessions.

The Sounds of Silence - Buster Keaton in The Cameraman. Live band accompanying silent classics to recreate the silent movie experience from the 1920s.

Board Shorts 29023 - Short Play Festival - A program of short plays featuring works from talented local playwrights.

Short Shorts presented by Centrestage Youth Theatre. Short plays featuring the talents of young writers and directors.

Eltham Little Theatre Responsible Serving of Alcohol Training This course is being offered to current ELT volunteer members for free, on the condition that they commit top Front of House duties throughout the year.

Past members (not new) may also renew their membership and enrol with the above condition. The training is open to the public at a cost of $60.

The course runs for four hours.

Venue: Eltham Performing Arts Centre 1693 Main Rd, Research Bookings: www.elthamlittletheatre. com.au CPP Theatre presents Sense and Sensibility A play by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen.

A season of the much-loved Jane Austen classic Sense and Sensibility! Tickets now on sale! This whimsical and amusing play rollicks about the English countryside following the fortunes and misfortunes of the Dashwood sisters, as they navigate their way through life and love, accompanied by a colourful cast of characters. In this production by Kate Hamill (Pride and Prejudice, Vanity Fair, Little Women), Jane Austen’s classic novel gets a theatrical re-imagining of hysterical proportions. It’s Sense and Sensibility as you know it, but with an energy and pace not previously seen.

Opening Night: Friday 14 April 8pm Season: April 14 – April 22.

Bookings: 0450 803 856 between 1pm and 3pm.

Venue: Performing Arts Centre, Boronia K – 12 Collège Albert (park at Rangeview Rs) Boronia.

· · · ·

· · · ·

· · · ·

Writers Fesitval will be earlier, smaller but still punchy The 2023 Melbourne Writers Festival will take place on May 4-7.

Some of the best Australian and international storytellers will join local readers in a wide range of presentations and workshops centred around the theme I’ve Been Away for a While.

We have all been away for a while from oncefamiliar relationships, routines and realities.

Festival organisers are still feeling and responding to the economic impact of the past few years, and have to cope with venue availabilities across Melbourne. Hence this year’s program is more condensed – but “it still packs a punch”.

Two of the most exciting events are presented by beloved musician Paul Kelly, who will sing and recite poems that have delighted and inspired his life, and by celebrated actor Sam Neill, who will launch his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?

Other acclaimed Australian authors include Stan Grant, who will explore Australia’s path to mailcommunity.com.au

PASSION FOR PROSE WITH CHRISTINE SUN become a republic, and Ellen van Neerven, who, via her new book Personal Score, will discuss sport, culture and identity.

Meanwhile, at the boldly-named event Frontier Fictions, Paul Daley, Fiona McFarlane and Tony Birch will share their approaches to writing Australia’s colonial past.

Memoirs and biographies are forever popular, with appearances by Australian authors Andre Dao, Nam Le, Heather Mitchell, Bri-

gitta Olubas, Heather Rose, Grace Tame, Amy Thunig and Maria Tumarkin to be expected – just to name a few. They will be joined by British author Bernardine Evaristo, the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize with her novel Girl, Woman, Other. Evaristo will present her fierce memoir Manifesto: On Never Giving Up. Other international visitors include American literary and cultural expert Sarah Churchwell, bestselling American author Lev Grossman and Irish author Claire Keegan, and American food writer and chef Alison Roman.

Particularly noteworthy is Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka, whose novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida won the 2022 Booker Prize.

For those readers in the suburbs, Pip Williams will present her new novel The Bookbinder of Jericho at Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, while Richard Fidler will discuss his latest historical non-fiction The Book of roads and Kingdoms at Vision Australia Li-

brary in Kooyong.

Then there is Jane Harper’s endearing protagonist Aaron Falk, who will be farewelled in Exiles at Bunjil Place Theatre in Narre Warren.

Finally, as praised by Liane Moriarty and Annabel Crabb, two debut Australian novels worth exploring are Tracey Lien’s All That’s Left Unsaid and Nina Wan’s The Albatross. At the event Labours of Love, the authors will share their insight into themes such as family, love, duty and identity.

Also, with Scarlett O’Hara and Annie the orphan in mind, this reviewer is intrigued by the event Like There’s No Tomorrow, where two American authors, Emma Straub and Gabrielle Zevin, will be discussing their novels This Time Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, respectively.

While tomorrow is another day, always a day away, the Festival’s 20 per cent early bird discount will end at 11:59pm, Thursday 6 April. Better book your tickets today!

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 19

ADULT • Up to 8mm long • Reddish-brown body • Distinctive yellow markings • Narrow ‘waist’ between the thorax (the middle section of the body, between the head and the abdomen, with the legs and wings) and the abdomen • Transparent wings • Female has an obvious ‘ovipositer’ ‘sting’

EGGS • Usually not visible

LARVAE • 3 stages or ‘instars’ • Up to 10mm • White body • Difficult to distinguish from other fruit fly larvae

PUPAE • Brown shell • Usually in the ground (not seen)

LOOK OUT FOR • Puncture wounds • Rotting near wounds • Larvae in fruit

12595562-AV13-23

• Adult flies

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 21

PUZZLES SUDOKU

No. 127

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

3

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10 11 12 14 15 19 20 24 25 27 28 29 30

7 8 13 16 17 18 21 22 23 26

Diaries (8) Old stringed instrument (4) Corridor (10) Anglo-saxon king, – the Great (6) Miscreant, malefactor (8) Inverted (8) Cheating on a spouse (9) From the menu (1,2,5) Convey from here to there (8) Travelling bag (8) Type of finch (6) Hose (6) Outer parts of loaves (6) Bitter quarrel (4)

Person who looks after children (6) Warnings (6)

1

6 medium

7

Surgical instrument (7) Tableland (7) Reference book of Roget (9) Mock assault (5) Dining (6) Table of days (8) Clear river bed (6) Dispense, allot (4) Skulk (4) Association (6) Ponder (8) Long-distance racehorse (6) Latin (5) Users (9) Manors (7) Garments (7)

DOWN

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No. 127

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No. 127

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1

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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”.

C

Today’s Aim: 6 words: Good 9 words: Very good 13 words: Excellent

A

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4 LETTERS BEES BOOS DILL DOES ERAS FORT KISS LASS PANS PAWS RODE SACK TAGS TRAP 5 LETTERS ADORE

No. 127

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ALIBI ALLOT ARENA AROMA BASIC BASIL BONED BUFFS CYSTS DEATH DOILY DRESS EASEL EERIE ENDER ENEMA ERASE ERODE FLEES GRIPS HOSES

IGLOO KNIFE LLAMA LOINS OVERS PASTE PETAL PIANO PLANE RARER RATES RESET RUMPS SEEDS SLEWS SPATS STEEP STEER STRIP TAMED TENET

ally, call, clan, clay, cynical, CYNICALLY, inlay, lacy, laic, lain, lilac, lily, nail

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7 LETTERS POISONS RENEWAL REPLETE REREADS RESPOND TENDONS

6 LETTERS ADEPTS ADULTS CASINO STRINE

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QUICK CROSSWORD

07-04-23

This week’s crossword proudly sponsored by

The Heritage Family

HERITAGE & HERITAGE FUNERALS Lilydale 9739 7799 Healesville 5962 1600 HERITAGE PIONEERS CHAPEL 1414 Healesville/Koo Wee Rup Road, Woori Yallock 5964 6500 Head Office: 733 Boronia Road, Wantirna 9800 3000 info@ heritagefunerals.com.au www.heritagefunerals.com.au 1157336-CB40-14

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PERFECT COUNTRY LIFESTYLE IDEALLY located only a stones throw from Healesville’s football oval, swimming pool and Queens Park, you will discover this country style home, nestled on almost 1 acre of beautifully manicured gardens stretching all the way back to Graceburn Creek.

Built over 2 levels, this home offers something for everyone. Walking into the home, there is definitely a country feel from the dado panelling and the central staircase which leads upstairs to the huge private parents retreat, showcasing an ensuite, generous walk in robe and private balcony.

For the budding chef in the family there is a great size well-appointed kitchen with plenty of cupboards, quality appliances and built in pantry. Accommodating the rest of the family are the two bedrooms downstairs which have built in robes and a bright family bathroom, complete with a clawfoot bath.

Ensuring you year-round comfort, there are multiple split systems & ceiling fans around the home plus gas ducted heating and a

cosy wood heater for the cooler times.

Stepping outside you will find a huge, undercover entertaining area to accommodate the largest of family gatherings or just to sit and enjoy the view down through the garden to the beautiful manicured lawns abutting Graceburn Creek.

There is a great wood shed down the back of the property, however there is a fantastic shed & workshop at the back of the home with a generous double carport attached to the shed. There is even an additional space that is ideal for the teenagers to have their friends over and chill out, or just storage.

Completing this great package are solar panels to help with the electricity bills and the water tank to keep the fenced vegie garden well-watered. If this home sounds like the lifestyle you have been searching for, then arrange your private inspection today.

Viewings are strictly by appointment.

Please call to book your viewing. There will No Open Homes for this property. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 25 Farnham Road, HEALESVILLE Description: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 6 garage Price: $1,080,000 - $1,180,000 Inspect: Private appointment only Contact: Gary Lucas 0448 623 030, MARK GUNTHER FIRST NATIONAL REAL ESTATE

SUBURBAN, COUNTRY & LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES ACROSS THE REGION mailcommunity.com.au

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 23

PROPERTY NEWS

RANGES REAL ESTATE AGENCY REAPS GENERAL EXCELLENCE AND MARKETING AWARDS RANGES First National Real Estate was recognised for outstanding achievement at the national network’s General Excellence and Marketing Awards, held at Grand Hyatt Melbourne on 18 March 2023.

The awards recognise the achievements of First National’s Victorian and Tasmanian agents throughout 2022, with winners now competing for national General Excellence and Marketing Awards, which will be announced at the network’s annual convention in Hobart this May. First National, principal, Mick Dolphin, says it was his team’s honour to receive 2023 General Excellence and Marketing Awards.

‘My team’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence have not gone unnoticed. I commend them on their exceptional performance, particularly given the unprecedented challenges we have all faced in recent times. Their success reflects not only their individual talent and expertise but also their resilience and adaptability.

They’ve shown what is possible when we push ourselves to be our best,’ Mick Dolphin said.

At the awards presentation, Ranges First National received the following Award: #9 First National Office in Victoria Key staff members were also recognised for their individual performances: Mick Dolphin received the Diamond Sales award & #5 Sales Agent for the 2022 year.

Jan Brewster received the Gold Sales award.

Grant Skipsey received the Gold Sales award

· · · · ·

Carson received the platinum award · Amy & Elite (top 15 in Victoria) for her work in rentals.

Mick Dolphin said the First National General Excellence and Marketing Awards are an important event as they as they encourage

First National’s agents to aspire to an ongoing process of performance improvement that benefits customers. ●

WIRE INDUSTRIES

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Available heights: 1250mm, 1100mm & 950mm HEAVY DUTY 4MM GALVANISED WIRE 24 MAIL

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

For your local distributor please contact

1300 360 082

Fax: 9308 5822 Email: sales@emuwire.com.au | www.emuwire.com.au mailcommunity.com.au

HOME FOCUS

“BELMORE PARK” - EQUESTRIAN PROPERTY A TRANQUIL boutique 7.61 acre equestrian property packed with features including a 3 bedroom country style renovated farmhouse with large undercover alfresco area, 60 x 20m all-weather flood lit arena with a Browns Arena Mix surface, 16m round yard, 10 paddocks with interconnecting gates, reticulated water, purpose built loose boxes and equine mesh fencing with electric standoff, 4 brand new stables with cross ties, 3 day yards, hay shed, feed room, separate tie up area, extensive agistor facilities, huge 18x15m machinery/workshop and a host of other amenities including direct rear access to a lovely quiet hacking trail.

This beautifully presented lifestyle property affords the upmost privacy behind a magnificent full length hedge with separate keypad gated entrances for both the residence and the equestrian/workshop facilities with CCTV spanning across the entire property.

“Belmore Park” has been carefully designed over the years and represents a perfect opportunity to continue operating a profitable full care agistment business and/ or tradie workshop operations from home.

The charming 3 bedroom 1970’s recently modernised home sits in its own private garden allotment with views over the Kinglake Ranges and features a wonderfully appointed spacious modern kitchen with windows opening to a large undercover timber floored alfresco. The kitchen includes a 900mm Westinghouse oven with built in airfryer, dishwasher, Caesarstone benchtops and walk-in pantry.

The living areas feature practical hybrid

wood flooring and built in wood heater, Weatherwall heating and cooling A/C, gas ducted heating as well as evaporative cooling. The spacious modern bathroom is complimented by a powder room off the laundry. Garden views abound from every room, including the 3 bedrooms with built-

in robes and quality carpets and window furnishings including full block out screens.

Services include mains water, power, mains gas, and a second metered water supply from the adjoining Melbourne Water O’Shannassy Aqueduct.

“Belmore Park” really does represent the

perfect equestrian/business/lifestyle package and is rarely found within such a quiet Yarra Valley location on a sealed road, conveniently located just minutes to schools, shops and transport, and only 15 minutes to Lilydale train station and 50 minutes to Melbourne CBD. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 45 Lewis Road, WANDIN NORTH Description: 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 4 garage Price: FOR SALE BY EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Inspect: By appointment Contact: Gerard Kennan 0413 139 231, RT EDGAR YARRA VALLEY

45 Lewis Road, Wandin North A tranquil boutique 7.61 acre equestrian property packed with features including a 3 bedroom country style renovated farmhouse with large undercover alfresco area, 60 x 20m all-weather flood lit arena with a Browns Arena Mix surface, 16m round yard, 10 paddocks with interconnecting gates, reticulated water, purpose built loose boxes and equine mesh fencing with electric standoff, 4 brand new stables with cross ties, 3 day yards, hay shed, feed room, separate tie up area, extensive agistor facilities, huge 18x15m machinery/workshop and a host of other amenities including direct rear access to a lovely quiet hacking trail.

The charming 3 bedroom 1970’s recently modernised home sits in its own private garden allotment with views over the Kinglake Ranges and features a wonderfully appointed spacious modern kitchen with windows opening to a large undercover timber floored alfresco. The kitchen includes a 900mm Westinghouse oven with built in airfryer, dishwasher, Caesarstone benchtops and walk-in pantry.

“Belmore Park” really does represent the perfect equestrian/business/ lifestyle package and is rarely found within such a quiet Yarra Valley location on a sealed road, conveniently located just minutes to schools, shops and transport, and only 15 minutes to Lilydale train station and 50 minutes to Melbourne CBD. Call Gerard Kennan 0413 139 231

Outstanding Service | Exceptional Results | Your Local Real Estate Experts “THE OAKS” 830-832 MAROONDAH HIGHWAY, COLDSTREAM 10.5 ACRES, 4.25 HECTARES (APPROX.) GOLDEN MILE LOCATION The ultimate lifestyle opportunity in this Blue Chip Yarra Valley location. Prized position directly opposite Domaine Chandon winery and set amidst other prestigious wineries such as Oakridge, Yeringberg, Levantine Hill, Rochford, Warramunda, Huberts, Coombe, etc.

“The Oaks” offers a rare opportunity to build your new dream home and create a park like garden and rock pool (STCA) with magnificent views overlooking the Yarra Valley vineyards.

Ideally suited for leisurely lifestyle activities, enjoy the tranquillity and stunning vistas of Australia’s premier and fast-growing wine region.

Gently rising with a desirable northern orientation, the land is cleared to pasture and offers a 100-metre-long driveway lined with beautiful mature oak trees leading to the existing home site which is further enhanced by a lovely pond/water feature.

Situated only 10 minutes to Lilydale Station, 10 minutes to Healesville and approx. 1 hour to Melbourne.

Services include mains power and mains water.

Call Gerard Kennan 0413 139 231

Shop 11, 343-347 Main Street Lilydale, VIC 3140 mailcommunity.com.au

12596897-RR14-23

This rare opportunity within the Golden Mile of the Yarra Valley allows the successful purchaser to capitalise on the multiple attractions of a World Class Tourist Destination.

9727 5300 Tuesday, 4 April, 2023 | MAIL 25

HOME FOCUS

QUALITY FAMILY LIVING ON OVER HALF AN ACRE OWNED, loved and beautifully maintained by the one family for over 50 years, this unique property showcases the true essence of quality family living. Sitting proudly on 2767m2, the surrounding established gardens and rolling lawns compliment this home, showing the high standard of care it has received over the years, both inside and out.

Behind the solid brick façade, you will discover spacious living over two levels, with a slate tiled entry foyer leading to a large ground floor billiards / rumpus room giving a wonderful space in which to entertain. This level also features a home office/bedroom, bathroom and a spacious laundry.

Upstairs, a meticulously detailed kitchen, featuring Meile appliances and handmade tiles, has been built with functionality in mind yet also boasts a classic design to suit the most discerning family chef.

The relaxed meals and family area is filled with natural light and looks out to the stunning pool and lush green gardens. The deck over the carport, accessible from the kitchen, is the perfect place to enjoy lovely views of the hills beyond.

For more formal occasions, a large lounge/dining room leads to another, even larger alfresco deck and BBQ patio.

Three bedrooms (inc. master with ensuite) plus home office/fourth bedroom provide plenty of space which, along with three sizeable bathrooms, create a floorplan to envy. The copious storage areas throughout the home will also delight.

Hydronic heating, a gas log fire and solid wood Jetmaster heater will keep you warm through the cooler months while in the warmer weather, simply open the beautiful French doors to let the cool hills breeze filter through. There is also air conditioning in the kitchen/family area for those warmer days.

Outside, the solar heated pool creates a fun filled environment in the summer with its built in spa that can be enjoyed year round.

A sealed driveway leads to a large lockable garage with workshop & internal access plus a double carport and plenty of extra parking, making this property ideal for those looking for space for trailers, boats etc. With a colourful garden full of established trees and pretty pathways, there is plenty to love about this unique property.

Adjoining land of 2311m2 is also available for purchase. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 21 Maskells Hill Road, SELBY Description: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 garage Price: $1,220,000 - $1,350,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Sharyn Chandler 0439 882 442 and Glenn Chandler 0418 410 689, CHANDLER & CO REAL ESTATE 26 MAIL

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

mailcommunity.com.au

HOME FOCUS

A SUPER PACKAGE - MILLGROVE DELIGHT ARE you looking for a great value home that you can move right into and be proud to call your own?

Look no further than this Millgrove gem offering Yarra Valley living along with privacy and a great community feel.

Well presented light and bright, this 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home is fully fenced and offers views from the rear of Mt Little Joe as well as a good size completely useable block that is fully fenced.

Complete with ceiling fans throughout, gas ducted heating and split systems you have all climates covered and nothing to do except move in and enjoy your new lifestyle.

Extras include big upright stainless steel cooker, gorgeous character sleigh bath and a short walk to Yarra River, transport, Pre School and School. Call now and don’t miss out on this fabulous package. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 108 Wonga Road, MILLGROVE Description: 3 bedrooms, 1 study room, Price: $550,000 - $595,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Leah Bannerman 0448 924 266, 5967 1277, BELL REAL ESTATE - YARRA JUNCTION

5962 3030

Mark Gunther W NE ICE PR

markgunther.com.au 189 Maroondah Highway, Healesville W NE ICE PR

Healesville 1/105 Donnellys Weir Road

5 A 4 B 12 C

Healesville 2/105 Donnellys Weir Road

This lifestyle property on approx 32 acres is perfect for the extended family or extra accommodation & potential income stream. The main homestead has 2 bedrooms plus an adjoining entertaining area & teenager’s retreat as well as multiple outbuildings with a fully self-contained studio, a 2nd family cottage, dairy, machinery sheds & cattle yards.

FOR SALE

With approx. 25 acres of prime land available with some breathtaking views across the surrounding mountains & the sprawling Healesville township.

Offering great infrastructure by way of some substantial shedding, complete with mezzanine floor, power, plus 3 phase power is also available, there is lots of potential.

$1,650,000 Inspect

By Appointment or OFI Agent Gary Lucas 0407 595 113

R T DE AC N U TR N CO

mailcommunity.com.au

$1,100,000 Inspect

By Appointment Agent Gary Lucas 0407 595 113

R FO LE SA

Healesville Lot 3/105 Donnellys Weir Rd UNDER CONTRACT! Prime piece of land of approx. 12.5 acres of native bushland and clear flat land located across the road from Donnellys Creek.

THINKING OF SELLING? Contact Gary Lucas for an up to date valuation today & have your property SOLD this Autumn!

FOR SALE

UNDER CONTRACT Agent Gary Lucas 0407 595 113

Narbethong 556 Marysville Road

6A 3B 4C

This architecturally designed home on 1 acre (approx), features a large open plan living & dining area, modern kitchen & generous master with ensuite. The 5 bedrooms have views across the gardens upstairs, plus a 3rd stylish family bathroom & guest bedroom downstairs. Outside there is a covered entertaining area, plus a double carport.

FOR SALE $795,000 - $870,000 Inspect

By Appointment or OFI Agent Gary Lucas 0407 595 113

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 27

HOME FOCUS

12.5 ACRES (APPROX) WITH VIEWS A PRIME real estate parcel is on offer here, in a fabulous location directly opposite the iconic Warburton Trail, awaiting your dream home to be unearthed. The acreage has power already connected, water tanks and some infrastructure that will have you temporarily sheltered while you embark on the build.

With open fields and jaw dropping mountain views of the Warburton Ranges, there are several beautiful options for you to site your new home (stca) and start realising your dream.

Previously occupied as a wholesale nursery, there are some sheds, watering systems, stunning well established fruit trees, and feature a light mix of ornamental and native trees for privacy and appeal.

With approximately a 3 minute drive, or a 20 minute walk to the hub of the Yarra Junction township, this property provides a rural lifestyle with all of the conveniences nearby. Yarra Junction has primary and high schools, Woolworths, doctors, dentists, sporting clubs and the list goes on pretty much all you need for your everyday requirements.

Call anytime for a private inspection of this special property. No pedestrian access available. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 60 Railway Road, YARRA JUNCTION Price: $900,000 - $990,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Samantha Price 0438 795 190 and Tony Fanfulla 0419 870 513, BELL REAL ESTATE - YARRA JUNCTION, 5967 1277 28 MAIL

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

mailcommunity.com.au

P 5966 2530

P 5967 1277

3407 Warburton Highway, Warburton

15 Victoria Street, Yarra Junction

$740,000 - $810,000

2457 Warburton Highway, Yarra Junction

225 Big Pats Creek Rd, Big Pats Creek

$950,000 - $1,045,000

Family living with space and convenience

Welcome to Paradise

Positioned in a leafy and colorful location this very neat home could be just the one to change your lifestyle and to enjoy the lush surrounds and picturesque outlook. The home is superbly presented inside and out and offers 3 bedrooms all with built in robes and an ensuite and walk in robe in the main bedroom, spacious lounge/living areas with a family size meals area with space for the growing family. Covered entertaining area ideally positioned to sit back relax and enjoy the ever changing Yarra Valley scenery. The whole family will love the outdoors with over 2600sqm to explore and enjoy with lush lawns, established gardens, trees and shrubs there is loads of space for everyone. Large carport and ample car accommodation plus a good size garden shed/workshop, an excellent property and situated just a short stroll to local schools, shops and transport.

Set on 1 & 1/2 acres in the most picturesque setting is this beautifully renovated home. Surrounded by majestic trees and with a spring fed permanent creek running through. The recent renovation means everything in the home is brand new and never used. This includes new carpets in the four large bedrooms and all new fixtures in the two well equipped bathrooms. There’s two large living areas, one on each level, both with beautiful new hardwood flooring. The brand new kitchen is well appointed with stainless steel appliances including large 5 burner stove, rangehood and dishwasher.

Filtered mountain views can be enjoyed from the full length deck upstairs with access from the master bedroom and living area. Extras include air conditioning in both living areas, slow combustion wood heater with transfer kit and probably the only property I’ve seen with its own mine!

David Carroll M 0419 539 320 Inspection: Sat 11 -11.30am

3

19 Whitegum Drive, East Warburton

A

2

B 2 C

$540,000 - $590,000

Tony Fanfulla M 0417 870 513 Inspection: Sat 1 -1.30pm

Samantha Price M 0438 795 190

4

A

2

17 Sussex Street, Warburton

B 4 C

$675,000

The Fisherman’s Cottage

Botanical hideaway right near the O’Shannassy!

Set on a fantastic allotment of approx. 1/2 acre, is this neat as a pin 2 bedroom “move in ready” cottage that just needs you and your furniture! The modern kitchen offers plenty of cupboards and bench space, a light and bright bathroom is fresh as a daisy, and with split system heating and cooling, new carpets, and paint, you really don’t need to do anything more. A modern palette is the back drop for this country retreat where you can enjoy the mountain views on your rear deck, spread out on the land, invite your friends to come and pitch a tent, grab the fishing rods and walk down to the nearby Yarra river! A horseshoe driveway gives you great vehicle access, you have a carport and plenty of space to park extra cars, trailers etc. This is a perfect starter or a great weekender for a lucky new owner to enjoy.

Where privacy is offered, fresh air is enjoyed and a lovely comfortable home is nestled into beautiful gardens on over 1200m2, this home offers a prized package. From the timber kitchen with stone bench tops, to the delicious snuggly carpet that you just want to lie down on, the large wrap around deck to sit on take in the views, to the beautiful gardens and hidden workshop, there is so much to love and enjoy. Offering 3 or 4 bedrooms or extra living rooms, spacious bathroom, open plan living, meals kitchen, split system heating and cooling, carport and plenty of off street parking. If you are a hiker, bike rider and nature lover, then this home is position perfect with a 1 minute walk to an entrance to the O’Shannassy Aqueduct trail, where you can wander to your hearts content, and you are only minutes’ drive to the centre of town for a coffee and a stroll around the shops.

Leah Bannerman M 0448 924 266 Inspection: Sat 2.00 - 2.30pm

Samantha Price M 0438 795 190

2

A

1

B 1 C

Tony Fanfulla M 0419 870 513 Inspection: Sat 12 -12.30pm

Samantha Price M 0438 795 190

3

A

1

B 1 C

bellrealestate.com.au mailcommunity.com.au

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 29

HOME FOCUS

“BUNDALEER” - A PRIVATE PARADISE THIS stunning 57-acre (approx.) property situated at the foot of Mt Sugarloaf offers a unique opportunity to own a beautiful dwelling nestled amongst predominantly native bushland and forest. This Hedger Construction built home features a rustic charm with its exterior adorned with MacQuarie Stone and completed in December 2009.

The interior boasts a spacious open plan living area with soaring ceilings, including lounge, dining, and kitchen, perfect for entertaining guests. The lounge includes a freestanding log wood fireplace and a split system reverse cycle to keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. The kitchen is well-appointed with a large kitchen island, modern appliances, and a walk-in pantry. Leading from this great family and entertaining space, through double sliding doors, is a super-sized family room which also has a study nook tucked away. From the lounge or dining area, step out onto the paved veranda or courtyard and take in the serene bushland surrounds.

The home includes three spacious bedrooms; the master bedroom features a double BIR and an ensuite. The second and third bedrooms offer BIR’s and share a bathroom. The laundry offers additional bench space for craft or office work, and there is ample storage space with a double cupboard in the central hallway. This dwelling is double glazed throughout, features solar hot water and solar panels, and has over 64,000 litres of water storage.

The property has a double garage, plus single garage with a high clearance carport for 2 vehicles, and a garden tool shed. The garden area surrounding the house is fully fenced, and there is also a dam on the property. Take a 10 - 15 minute walk to the top boundary and enjoy the spectacular views.

Contact us today to arrange a viewing and seize the chance to own your dream property. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 661 South Cathedral Lane, BUXTON Description: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 5 garage Price: $1,180,000 - $1,220,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Jane Nunn 0432 375 940, email: jane@integrityrealestate.com.au, INTEGRITY REAL ESTATE 30 MAIL

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

mailcommunity.com.au

NO ONE KNOWS THE AREA BETTER With over 75 years combined experience, Integrity's agents have the most thorough knowledge of your local market.

Combine this with an established network of three offices across the Yarra Valley, Kinglake Ranges and surrounds, the exposure Integrity offers will maximise your sale result.

Contact our team for a free appraisal today | (03) 5962 5753

661 South Cathedral Lane, Buxton

$1,180,000-$1,220,000

FOR SALE 2

3

5

$495,000-$535,000

26 Wallaby Way, Badger Creek

1

790m2

5 Fern Street, Kinglake

$640,000-$670,000

3

1

3

56.6 Acres

$840,000-$870,000

4

2

8

2

3

1

563m2

155 Wallaby Way, Pheasant Creek

$1,000,000-$1,100,000

FOR SALE

FOR SALE 652m2

$650,000-$675,000

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

1 Welch Street, Yea

26 Dorothy Street, Healesville

1/2 Acre

4

2

10

5 Acres

Shop 201C Maroondah Highway, Healesville info@integrityrealestate.com.au integrityrealestate.com.au

5962 5753 12597949-MS14-23

mailcommunity.com.au

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 31

HOME FOCUS

FANTASTIC FAMILY HOME THIS Fabulous 5-bedroom rendered brick residence is the perfect family home and has a charming Mediterranean flavor inside and out. Superbly located on a corner block of a quiet, leafy, and highly soughtafter street between Upwey town center and Glenfern Valley Bushland Reserve, the house is within walking distance to Birdsland Reserve/Lysterfield, 1000-steps, local primary schools, and Upwey High School, trains to the city and the shops, gym/ wellbeing center, restaurants and cafes of the town. Located on a bus route, the house also has a strong, friendly, and supportive community in the immediate neighborhood.

This characterful house has been creatively extended over the years to contain multiple interior and exterior living areas. There are superb versatile outdoor entertaining areas on all sides of the residence, including a spacious sheltered outdoor decking area with built-in gas heating and offering a splendid swimming pool nestling among established tropical vegetation.

The light-filled home has a large modern kitchen equipped with a Smeg double oven and an extensive living/dining area with a beautiful open fire to ensure you can be cozy during those cold winter nights.

The master bedroom with a modernized ensuite bathroom has its own balcony with views over Lysterfield, and a second large bathroom features Italian stucco plastered walls and a built-in steam shower to relax after a stressfull day or for your wellbeing.

All the bedrooms have picturesque garden outlooks and built-in robes. A laundry room, sunroom, and extra toilet are welcome additions and there are many storage cupboards and space throughout the house.

The house is on split levels providing privacy to family members and guests when required and features a downstairs rumpus with fitted surround sound stereo cinema projection equipment, a large office or reading space, and a gym – providing a great get-away area for the parents or kids alike.

There is a mix of ducted and gas heating in all the rooms of the home and it also contains a splendid storage room adjoining a large garage with a roller door. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 5 Griffiths Road, UPWEY Description: 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage Price: $1,190,000 - $1,290,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Brad Conder 0422 639 115, CHANDLER & CO REAL ESTATE 32 MAIL

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

mailcommunity.com.au

Real Estate you can trust!

We ’ r e h e r e t o h e l p FOR SALE

18 Maskells Hill Road, SELBY

$1,050,000 - $1,150,000

YOUR CHARACTER HOME WITH SHEDDING GALORE!

4A2B7C

FOR SALE

$780,000 - $820,000

68 Morris Road, UPWEY LEVEL BLOCK, LOVELY HOME, LIFESTYLE LOCATION

3A1B4C

With an abundance of character throughout, this spacious, charming four bedroom, Hills home is elegant, timeless and exactly what you have been searching for. Perfectly presented both inside and out and offering a versatile floorplan that is suitable for any family’s needs, this property has it all.

This rare 987sqm (approx.) level allotment is ideally situated for a family-friendly lifestyle.

Home to a beautifully presented residence within walking distance of Dandenong Ranges Childcare Centre, Upwey South Primary School, Upwey High School, Upwey Station, pristine parklands, and thriving local cafés and shopping, this is an exclusive offering in an exceptional locale.

Sharyn Chandler

Brad Conder

M 0439 882 442 | E sharyn@chandlerandco.com.au

M 0422 639 115 | E brad@chandlerandco.com.au

FOR LEASE

142 Main Street, MONBULK

$55,000 per annum plus GST

PRIME POSITION – MAXIMUM CORNER EXPOSURE – BRAND NEW Perfectly positioned in the heart of Monbulk’s thriving shopping village, this brand new commercial property offers an outstanding opportunity to a wide range of possible uses (STCA) (already approved for a food and beverage premises). There is plenty of natural light that shines through from the floor to ceiling windows and gleaming, easy to maintain polished concrete floors that run throughout, providing a modern space with maximum exposure for your business. At the very top of the Main Street with excellent road visibility, parking and foot traffic this is prime corner frontage for your signage/ marketing space.

Glenn Chandler M 0418 410 689 | E glenn@chandlerandco.com.au

9754 6888 1689 Burwood Highway, Belgrave VIC 3160 www.chandlerandco.com.au of fice@chandlerandco.com.au mailcommunity.com.au

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 33

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Jake Harris 0402 913 197 Email: info@harrisandcopainting.com.au www.harrisandcopainting.com.au

54 Tamworth Road (Lot 11 LP41828 Ca), Kilsyth

The application is for a permit to:

Vary a restrictive covenant A543054

The applicant for the permit is:

Millar Merrigan

The application reference number is:

YR-2022/844

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 include: • 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.

Objections can be submitted online at http://yarraranges.vic.gov. au/track. Simply search by the application number then click on “Make a Submission”.

If you object, the Responsible Authority will advise you of the decision.

The Responsible Authority will not decide on the application before:

17 April 2023

Objections can be made (and received) up until the decision date.

INTERIOR/EXTERIOR • DOMESTIC/COMMERCIAL DULUX ACCREDITED PAINTER

Boxes and packaging material for sale Local, country and metro All Household Maintenance Available

The land affected by the application is located at:

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

CLASSIFIEDS EARLY DEADLINES EASTER Classified deadlines for Tuesday, 11th April issue of the Mountain Views Star Mail as follows:

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• Blinds and Awnings of all types • Security Doors and Screens • Competitive Rates and Free Measure and Quote

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SPORT

Game, set, match to HTC

By Tanya Steele

The round robin went ahead without a hitch, despite the weather.

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TERMINATION Fire Danger Period A reminder that the Fire Danger Period is scheduled to cease.

The Fire Danger Period will terminate at 0100 hours on the dates shown.

Municipality Date of Termination Knox City Council 11/04/2023 Manningham City Council 11/04/2023 Maroondah City Council 11/04/2023 Yarra Ranges Council 11/04/2023

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ADVERTISERS PLEASE NOTE Anyone advertising a puppy, dog, kitten or cat in Victoria for sale or re-homing will need a source number from the Pet Exchange Register and a microchip identification number.

It is now an offence to advertise unless the source number and microchip identification number is included in the advertisement or notice.

For further information, call 136 186 or visit animalwelfare.vic.gov.au

Positions Vacant

DRIVERS WANTED Pizza delivery and shop assistant. Must have own car.

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with us.

ADKINS, (nee Milner) Sylvia Joan 16.02.1934 – 23.03.2023 A Graveside service for Sylvia Adkins was held on Thursday (March 30 2023) in the Upper Yarra Public Cemetery, Wesburn.

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The Healesville Tennis club hosted the 15th annual ladies doubles round robin on Monday 27 March. President Leni Harrison thought the weather might put people off, but the event still had a good turn out with around 20 players attending.

“We have people from all over the Yarra Valley and it’s worked well today,” she said.

Players hit the courts with enthusiasm and a few laughs, facing off in pairs for the round robin event. Even with the occasional showers they managed to get the competition mostly played before the rain got particularly heavy.

The comp is in its 15th year and has attendees from all over the Yarra Valley, from ages 30 to 70 plus. The competition partners everyone with everyone, playing through until a winner emergers.

“There’s all different standards of play and because you play with every other player, it evens out, so it’s a good day,” Ms Harrison said.

The club followed the competition with a chicken and champagne lunch, raffle and an awards ceremony for the winners. The Jean Sholl trophy was awarded to Nicki Seys and Norma George from Yarra Glen won the day with a total of 33 games. It was her first time at the Ladies Round Robin event and she was delighted to win.

“I didn’t keep track, I was just enjoying myself,” she said.

She loved the day and has commended the organisation of the Healesville Tennis Club.

“We had about eight ladies come from the Yarra Glen club and the lunch was really lovely,” she said.

Ms Harrison hopes the event will run far into the future.

“I hope we have many more to come,” she said.

The Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 1995 makes it unlawful for an advertiser to show any intention to discriminate on the basis of sex, pregnancy, race, age, marital status, political or religious belief or physical features, disability, lawful sexual activity/sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status or on the basis of being associated with a person with one of the above characteristics, unless covered by an exception under the Act. As Network Classifieds could be legally liable if an unlawful advertisement is printed, Network Classifieds will not accept advertisements that appear to break the law. For more information about discrimination in advertising, contact your legal advisers or the Equal Opportunity Commission.

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SPORT

‘Pods’ happy to be a lifer

By Callum Ludwig The newest batch of inductees as life members of AFL Outer East were announced ahead of the season’s start, featuring stars and stalwarts of clubs across the league.

Powelltown’s Peter ‘Pods’ Podolinsky may have had his career cut short by a debilitating hamstring injury, and might not have masterminded a premiership win as a coach, but a rare recognition of his excellent efforts as former president of the club was enough for him to be a part of this year’s cohort.

Friend and fellow former Powelltown footballer John Hajder made the submission to recognise Mr Podolinsky and said Pete has been phenomenal for the club.

“Back when Pete was 19, the trainer Pat Dunne convinced him to join the committee, so he was involved very early on but went away to start a family, though he kept in touch with the football club and watched the odd game,” he said.

“When the club went into recession, Peter wanted to come back so he jumped back on the committee with his wife Judy and helped get the club back out, and we didn’t play for one year but Peter supported people like myself while I was president for two years before being president for eight years himself.

Mr Podolinsky was already Powelltown’s

league delegate at the age of 18 and club secretary before he was 19/20 years old. He’s now been involved with the club for over 50 years.

Mr Hajder said all the guys at Powellltown love Pete.

“There’s a job there that needs to be done, Pete just goes and does it. Jeff Mooney at the moment is the President there and even says he couldn’t do it without Pete,” he said.

“Pete and I pushed for the new clubrooms for twelve years, and we got those over the line and they are being built now, which will be tremendous for the club.”

Mr Podolinsky’s playing career started in the U12s at Powelltown when he was only eight, going on to rack up 162 junior games, winning the best and forest and holding the captaincy in the u17s. He went on to win a Seniors best and fairest in 1975 and played 110 games before retiring.

Peter Podolinsky received Life Membership at AFL Outer East for his contribution to the Powelltown Football Netball Club.

Picture: BETHANY HUTCHISON - BH PHOTOGRAPHY

Flooding once again hit the front oval on the way into the main ground on Thursday 30 March.

Arron from Azbuild Carpentry preparing new flooring for the netball changerooms. 326374

326374

Clubroom closure after floods continues to haunt club

By Callum Ludwig The proud Yarra Glen Football Netball Club is facing an uncertain start to the season, with the October 2022 floods continuing to haunt the club.

The carpet and floorboards of the clubrooms were drastically damaged when the floods hit, and it looks unlikely the rooms will be available until at least halfway through the season, if at all.

Assistant Coach and Committee Member Lee Lawrence said it is not helping the club’s drive to recruit players.

“At the minute we’ve got nowhere to get changed and that’s alright for now, but come the middle of winter when it’s freezing cold and we’ve got both boys and girls, footballers and netballers, they will want to be in there,” he said “It’s just not very inviting at all and is making it hard for the club to be an attractive place to play, we really need some portables in or just for the players to have somewhere.”

Before the floods hit the clubrooms in October, the club also took a big hit when they had to forfeit their hosting rights for the 2022 finals in the Division One competition as the Yarra River burst its banks and flooded the ground.

Mr Lawrence between players not returning after Covid, the cost of living forcing players to choose to work on matchdays and the lack of clubrooms, it’s been a few factors that have created a recipe for disaster.

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

Yarra Glen’s changerooms being fitted out after the flood damage. 326374 tice matches and we’ve got another one this week that looks like we’re going to have to pull out of again. After Easter, Round One starts and we don’t know what we will do,” he said.

“We obviously need as much support as we can get, this club has been around for a long time and it’s a great place with great

people, the town is a thriving town so the last thing we want to see is the Yarra Glen Football Netball Club fold.”

The Yarra Glen Football Netball Club is 135 years old this year, having formed in 1888.

Tests are continuously being conducted to check whether the clubrooms are dried out and the flooring and carpet can be replaced,

Pictures: STEWART CHAMBER but the process is slow due to the water table the club is situated on.

Anyone who is interested in pulling on the River Pigs jersey in season 2023 to help ensure the club can participate can get in touch at yarraglenfnc@gmail.com, 0431 680 990 or come to training on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. mailcommunity.com.au

SPORT

Twilight delight on course

By Ron Hottes Well, loyal readers, it finally arrived, the culmination of the 2022-23 Twilight season, with the holding of the famous Shootout on a cold and damp afternoon. The top ten qualifiers, namely Danny Fox, Paul Osbourne, Clinton Toohey, James Stewart, Darryl Ward, Rob Hendy, Jeff Gill, Simon Spenceley, Ashley Hall and Seth Spenceley, stood on the 1st tee; some were clearly nervous, others portrayed a calm serenity or perhaps that was an acceptance of their fate.

Whatever the reason, all ten hit off on the 1st tee with hopes of still being involved 2 hours later at the famous 9th tee. I have no intention, dear readers of giving you a hole-by-hole description of the elimination order, but we should highlight the intense drama of the last three holes. And so, it transpired that standing on the 7th tee were the last 4 survivors. They were Danny Fox, Clint Toohey, Simon Spenceley and Paul Osbourne. After all four hit off, it was clear that Paul had the toughest 2nd shot to the green, over some trees. Although he hit a solid shot, he caught some foliage meaning he needed to play another approach shot which finished just short of the green. His chip shot left him with a tough putt to claim a 5 for 1, meaning he was the only one in the group who didn’t score. This left the remaining 3 to tackle the tricky Par 5 8th. All hit long drives, but Clinton’s was wayward, leaving him no choice but to take the scenic route down the 7th and this, for those who have tried it, know the many risks involved! Although ‘Toosa’ got close to the green in regulation, he could only manage a 6 for 1, whilst the other two boys had regulation pars, Danny with 2 points and Simon with a very good 5 for 3.

And, so, standing on the 9th tee were the last two survivors. Simon hit first on this seemingly easy Par 3, and finished on the flat green but a long way from the pin. Danny’s tee shot also hit the intended target, but less than 2 metres away. Simon’s first putt finished a metre and a half short and Danny hit his first putt well to finish right next to the pin. He then tapped in to complete a compact par. With over 40 spectators watching intently, we saw Simon miss his one-and-a-half metre putt, leaving Danny as the sole survivor. Congratulations to both Danny and Simon for getting to the ultimate peak, and thank you to all who took the journey with us to support their favourite participant!

Warburton Golf Club may now consider a Winter Twillight after the success of the Shootout.

The Club, and especially the Match Committee wish to thank Vicki, Kevin, Ineke, Henk, Trisha, Mick and particularly Manager Kevin for their help in running this fun and iconic event. There is talk that a Winter Twilight will be on the cards. We can only hope.

Saturday 1 April, Stroke and Monthly-Medal: With weather conditions improved, although still cold and damp, there were no April Fools

out on the course. ( Plenty of golfers posted foolish scores, but that happens every gameday even more so on Medal days) But there were also a few who made fools of the course, too. The best of this small select group was Luke Patrick, who recorded a superb Nett 64.

Luke also scored the Medal and the A-Grade voucher. A great day for you, Luke. The AGrade runner-up was Shane Campbell, with a solid Nett 67. The B-Grade top prize went to

Picture: ON FILE Jack Sheehan, also matching Luke’s great Nett 64. Peter Bell posted a Nett 69 to take home the runner-up voucher. Well done, Belly. Balls closed off at 72. NTP winners were Tex Van Der Kooi (3rd), Danny Fox (5th), Dave Scott, (9th), John Hall (12th) and Barry Maltman (15th).

No comp on Wednesday 29 March due to inclement weather.

Horse Talk

By Anita Prowse Fantastic weather for Upper Yarra Pony Club’s Riders Without Horses Rally on Sunday, members learning how to correctly lunge a horse and also practicing steering – on each other. With a visit from the Easter Bunny to finish off.

The Northern Metropolitan Zone of PCV are holding their annual Horse Trials, formerly held at Yeringberg now over at Little Wandin and will be held on the 15 and 16 April, with Pony Club and EV sections. Great one to watch and entries are available at Event Secretary.

Hoogies have Worm count test drop-offs 14 to 17 April for anyone needing fecal counts done. Good time of year to utilise this service.

Monash Pony Club have their PC and Open Dressage and CT Day on 10 April.

Wandin Park RCA have HRCAV Showjumping on April 23 with entries closing 17 April.

Dandenong Ranges Horse and Pony Club have a PC and Open Dressage Jackpot on 23 April, entries close 18 April.

Macclesfield ARC has a HRCAV Dressage Jackpot on 6 May with entries closing 29 April.

Shirley Heights have round 2 of their midweek Autumn Dressage Competition Training on 19th April, with the third instalment on the 10 May. UYPC have Dressage Jackpot 27th and 28May for Open and Pony Club riders, so plenty to keep everyone busy. mailcommunity.com.au

Riders enjoyed fantastic weather for the Riders Without Horses Rally.

Picture: ON FILE Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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