Mail - Upper Yarra Star Mail - 16th April 2024

Crank it up!

By Callum Ludwig

Crank Up came back as strong as ever in 2024.

Upper Yarra Historical Society President Lee Pannett said it was once again a great display of heritage and vintage machinery and trades.

“We had popular draught horses getting pets from young and old while also displaying the true meaning of horsepower, power sledding and running the horseworks which powered the water pump, as well as old trades on display and market stalls that made for a great day out,” he said.

On Sunday Crank Up became the home for the heritage sport of Woodchop with some of Australia’s finest and up-and-coming axemen who gave us an amazing show of skill, strength and the determination required to compete in his heritage sport.”

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health service from February 2016.

In late May 2013, the PII arrangements Ms Lloyd held through the Health and Community Services Union lapsed. Her work at the

community health service from 2016 was covered by her employer, but her private practice work was not and hadn’t been since it lapsed in 2013.

After a visit to her insurance broker revealed to her on 20 June 2017 that she didn’t have the appropriate coverage for her private practise, Ms Lloyd verbally reported her indiscretion and ceased private practise, which she consolidated in writing on 28 June 2017. The NMBA did not open an investigation until 5 October that year and did not refer the matter

to VCAT until 11 May 2022.

With Ms Lloyd expressing remorse and having faced the significant impact of the damage to her career during the seven years of uncertainty during the investigation, VCAT found Ms Lloyd had faced ‘significant unfairness’ and that her conduct while her misconduct was ‘not intentional’, it was still serious and a reprimand was the appropriate punishment, especially given Ms Lloyd is no longer registered nor intends to re-register as a nurse.

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Winding up for the wood chop.

Picture: TOM LINDSAY

Our rental desert

By Callum Ludwig

New data has identified the outer-eastern areas of Melbourne as a desert for rental availability, with local government areas (LGAs) such as the Yarra Ranges, Knox and Maroondah struggling with a dearth of available properties.

PropTrack, a property market data intelligence company which was acquired by the REA group (which operates realestate.com.au) in 2018, has revealed that the outer-east region of Melbourne, which includes the Whitehorse, Knox, Yarra Ranges, Maroondah and Manningham LGAs, has a staggering low rental vacancy rate of just 0.48 per cent in March 2024.

PropTrack Economist Anne Flaherty said Melbourne’s outer east has been the city’s best performing region over the past 12 months, with more buyers and renters looking to move into the area.

“The outer east tied for the lowest vacancy rate in the country over March, with just 0.48 per cent of the region’s rental properties sitting vacant,” she said.

“Demand isn’t just being driven by renters, with the outer east seeing the strongest growth in the median home price of any region in Melbourne over the past 12 months.”

Despite the already low percentage of vacant rentals, the outereast region still saw a downward trend in the number of available rentals with quarterly and yearly decreases of 0.17 and 0.26 per cent respectively.

MsFlahertysaiddrivingtheoutperformance of the outer east is the fact that the region ticks many of the key boxes for buyers and renters.

“These include excellent road and public transport infrastructure, easy access to employment hubs, schools, and hospitality and retail amenity,” she said.

“Add to this the lifestyle appeal of the region which provides plenty of green space and access to areas such as the Dandenong Ranges and theYarraValley.”

According to current listings on realestate.com. au, rentals are available in spatterings in key urban townships and drop off a cliff after entering even slightly more rural areas:

Ferntree Gully and Boronia in the suburban foothills of the Dandenong Ranges have some availability with 27 and 24 properties currently available between them, though the area remains highly competitive as Ray White Ferntree Gully head of property management Jenny Bolch told the Star Mail in July 2023, with an average of 11 applicants per property and a turnover of 163 properties from over 1700 applications in a quarter alone last year.

In theYarra Ranges, Mooroolbark stands out as the most prevalent place for rentals with 28 while Kilsyth is the only other suburb in the double digits with 10. Other larger suburbs like Lilydale (seven) and Chirnside Park (five), while in nearby Maroondah Croydon and Croydon North still only combine for 22 available properties. Ringwood, despite hosting more apartment-style accommodation, also only has 34 properties on offer.

Stepping into the townships on the fringes of suburbia tells a damning tale for rental home hunters as availability tanks:

In the first step outside of larger suburbs, Montrose (zero), Mt Evelyn (one), Wandin North (zero), Coldstream (zero), The Basin (three) and Upwey (three) don’t offer much promise.

In the hills, Monbulk (two), Olinda (two), Belgrave (one) and Emerald (two) options are limited, as it is in the Upper Yarra with Seville (zero), Woori Yallock (one), Launching Place (zero), Yarra Junction (zero), Wesburn (zero), Millgrove (one) and Warby (one) all pretty barren.

Finding a home in the Valley won’t be much easier as Healesville (four) andYarra Glen (zero) also look bleak.

Director of Community Engagement at Tenants Victoria Farah Farouque said too many Victorian renters looking for safe, secure and affordable housing are facing excruciating challenges amid this elongated renting crisis.

“What we’ve seen is that, amid record low vacancy rates, no area of Melbourne is immune from the crisis and that extends to the urban fringe where traditionally people had headed to find more affordable rental housing,” she said.

“It’s really tough out there for singles, families and retirees on low and, increasingly, middle incomes who have to compete in the private rental market,”

“Part of the solution has to be to build more social housing, that is homes owned by not-forprofits or government, and can be leased out at more affordable rates.”

2021 Census data indicated there were 36,705 rented properties in the Outer East, which assuming the same number of properties were still rentals now means only 176 rental homes are currently vacant.

The data comes out at a time when Melburnian social media star and law graduate Jordan van den Berg has begun taking submissions of homes that have been vacant for over two years, and linking them to those facing homelessness and severe housing stress to legally squat in. Mr van den Berg has grown a following of over 184,000 on TikTok and over 50,000 on Instagram, largely advocating for greater rights for renters, improved quality and safety of ‘Shit Rentals’ and highlighting instances of poor conduct from real estate agencies.

The move has been divisive as Mr van den Berg was questioned by panellists on The Project on Monday 8 April, who asked whether it was a ‘sensible’ solution and if the response to the crisis should be focused on policy instead.

When asked if he thought encouraging people to squat in private properties was the right way to fix the issue byThe Project co-host Sarah Harris, Mr van den Berg said ‘let me answer your question by asking you a question.’

“Do you think it’s right we have thousands of vacant, abandoned homes while we have people living on the street,” he said.

According to an ‘Administrative data snapshot of housing’ released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics at the end of August 2023, the experimental data showed the percentage of ‘active houses’ that showed signs of recent use:

In the Outer East, the Yarra Ranges LGA had 446 (0.8 per cent) inactive houses, Maroondah had 314 (0.7 per cent) and Knox 291 (0.5 per cent).

Seville Splash Park vandalised

The Seville Splash Park was temporarily closed on Tuesday and Wednesday last week due to a vandalism attack.

The damage was done to some of the ‘soft fall’ flooring at the splash park, which was ripped up.

Yarra Ranges Council crews mended the damage during the closure and the facility was reopened on Friday 12 April.

Young Badger Creek man caught driving carelessly

Mooroolbark Police were patrolling Cave Hill Road in Lilydale when they witnessed a Black Holden Commodore allegedly intentionally slide the back end of the car out, while going around the roundabout at Beresford Road, all in front of the marked police car.

The 18-year-old Badger Creek man has only had his licence for three months and will now have a date with the Magistrate for improper use of a motor vehicle and careless driving.

The vehicle was also impounded for 30 days at a cost of $1017.

School zones return

Drivers on the road in the mornings and afternoons are urged to take care as school zone speed limits are in place again this week as Term 2 of 2024 commenced Monday 15 April.

Drivers are reminded to be patient around school zones as speed limits return and there is an expected increase in road, pedestrian and bicycle traffic at drop-off and pick-up times.

Some school speed zones are permanent, while others operate from 8am to 9.30am, and from 2.30pm to 4pm on weekdays, with reduced speeds of 40km/h or 60km/h in school zones until the end of the school term.

Mercedes Benz recall

Mercedes Benz has recalled 7429 GLE and GLS vehicles with a year range of 2019 to 2022 due to a defect that could cause a vehicle fire.

Due to a manufacturing issue, the threaded nut securing the 48 Volt wiring harness under the driver seat may become loose. If this occurs, it could result in higher than normal electrical resistance within the harness which could lead to a vehicle fire.

Owners of affected vehicles can contact their most convenient Mercedes-Benz dealership to have the work carried out as soon as possible, free of charge.

Calma Koala recall

The Calma Koala Calming Sensory Toy which has been available online directly and through sites like Amazon as well as a range of independent retailers throughout the country has been recalled due to a choking risk.

The product was available for sale between 17 June 2023 and 27 March 2024 and does not comply with the mandatory standard for toys for children up to and including 36 months of age.

The product is a silicone koala sensory and teething toy, which is grey with black eyes and nose and a light grey colour on the ears. The eyes and nose may detach from the toy creating small parts.

Consumers should stop using the affected product immediately and place it out of reach of children.

The Outer East of Melbourne currently has the equal-lowest rental vacancy rate in the country.

Picture: ON FILE

Warburton nurse rebuked

By Callum Ludwig

VCAThasreprimandedaWarburtonnursewho did not maintain their professional indemnity insurance (PII) arrangements and unwittingly failed to declare that fact to the appropriate regulator, the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), between 2013 and 2017.

PII must be in place for all enrolled nurses, registered nurses and midwives, as without arrangements, patients can be at risk of not having any legal recourse to claim against a practising nurse or midwife.

VCAT members N Campbell, P Barry and M Bylhouwer presided over the case and only issued a reprimand as punishment for Belinda Lloyd as she is no longer registered nor intending to re-register as a nurse.

Ms Lloyd had been qualified and registered as a nurse since 1987 and had been a credentialed mental health nurse since 2010. In 2012, Ms Lloyd started a private practice as a mental health nurse in Warburton, established and managed a community health and wellness centre in Warburton from 2013 to 2015 and was the only point of access for mental health nursing services through the Commonwealth Government Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) program in the Warburton area while also working two days a week at a community health service from February 2016.

In late May 2013, the PII arrangements Ms Lloyd held through the Health and Community Services Union lapsed. Her work at the community health service from 2016 was covered by her employer, but her private practice work was not and hadn’t been since it lapsed in 2013.

NMBA Chair Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey AM said it is important that all nurses have the appropriate insurance measures in place.

“Appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements are mandatory and keep practitioners and the public safe if an issue arises,” she said.

“Being able to call yourself a nurse in Australia means something. When your name appears on the register of practitioners, the public should feel safe that you meet all the necessary registration requirements and are competent to practise.,”

“These requirements include a declaration

nurses must make each year when renewing their registration that they meet the Boards professional indemnity insurance requirements.”

It wasn’t until May 2014 that Ms Lloyd requested a quote for professional indemnity insurance with her insurance broker which indicated that her currently held public liability insurance did not cover PII, with the VCAT decision detailing she found the advice she received was ‘vague’ and the policy regarding PII ‘unambiguous’.

Ms Lloyd declared on yearly registration renewals each year in May between 2013 and 2017 that she practiced in accordance with the PII arrangements registration standards, thus ‘providing false and/or misleading information to the regulator’.

On 20 June 2017, Ms Lloyd visited her insurance broker regarding a potential PII claim, where she realised she did not have the appropriate coverage.

On the same, Ms Lloyd herself verbally reported to the NMBA that she had failed to hold PII arrangements for just over four years and

ceased private practise, which she consolidated in writing on 28 June 2017. The NMBA did not open an investigation until 5 October that year and did not refer the matter to VCAT until 11 May 2022.

Ms Lloyd said she thinks it was just unfortunate that at the time that she mistrusted the advice she was given.

“I have since spoken with the brokers and realised that my mistrust and unclarity, was no fault of theirs, the insurance company’s (not the brokers’) documentation and wording of the certificate of currency was the primary source of the confusion and mistrust,” she said.

“All in all, I made a mistake in my professional governance and it’s had long and brutal consequences, thankfully almost solely for myself alone. I wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone. I’ve paid a high price for my mistake in the context of giving much to my community and the profession.”

In filing the Statement of Agreed Facts, Findings and Determinations (SAFFD) in April 2023, the NMBA initially proposed that Ms

Lloyd should have also had her registration suspended for six weeks as part of her punishment.

In supplementary submissions afterwards, also proposed conditions that would require Ms Lloyd to provide the NMBA with a copy of her certificate of currency for professional indemnity insurance each year, provide the NMBA with the name of her insurance and acknowledgment that the NMBA may contact the insurer for verification.

This was a ‘departure’ from the agreed determination, which the NMBA argued was for the ‘protection of the public’ though VCAT felt as though the need for the departure and conditions was not satisfactorily explained.

The NMBA believed Ms Lloyd was still registered during the hearing, though Ms Lloyd indicated she had let her registration lapse. The hearing was stood down for the NMBA to make enquiries and upon confirmation and recommencing, the only determination the NMBA sought that was left available was to reprimand Ms Lloyd.

In the determination, the VCAT members took into account the significant delay in the investigation, the nature and seriousness of Ms Lloyd’s conduct, general and specific deterrents for those in the profession, protection of the public and Ms Lloyd’s character, remorse and guilty plea.

The determination declares that the delay has visited very significant unfairness on Ms Lloyd, particularly in relation to the damage to her career.

“In response to questioning from the Tribunal, the Board was unable to give any explanation for this exceptionally long period in what was a somewhat straightforward, although serious, case where a practitioner self-reported and largely accepted the proven conduct occurred, the characterisation of the conduct and the determination that should be made,” it reads.

“On her (Ms Lloyd’s) evidence, which we accept, the delay has led her to leave the profession, most likely permanently. While the investigation has been ongoing, Ms Lloyd has been unable to obtain professional indemnity insurance to practice on her own account,”

“Ms Lloyd has shown genuine and clear insight and remorse. The Tribunal accepts that the conduct was not intentional.”

Notable rise in pet registration costs for ratepayers

By Tanya Steele

Fees for pet ownership have been raised significantly since the last financial year and Yarra Ranges residents recently questioned the council over the changes.

Pet registration fees were part of question time at the most recent Yarra Ranges council meeting on 9 April.

Yarra Valley resident Ms Belinda Bernadini said domestic animal registration fees have increased from $40.50 last year to $50 this financial year.

“Even with the sum payable to the Treasurer, these fees seem excessive,” she said.

Ms Bernadini said at her question time that based on current dog and cat registrations, Yarra Ranges receives over $1.5 million in private pet registration fees.

Timothy Lefel of Launching Place had previously asked the council how many dogs specifically are registered in the wards of the council and where the registration fees go in the council meeting on March 26.

Leanne Hurst, Director of Communities said at the March meeting that Yarra Ranges Council has 23,379 dogs registered across the municipality.

“Local councils are required to pay the Treasurer $4.39 for every cat and dog registration and $20 for every domestic animal business registration collected in each financial year (as at 1 July 2023),” she said.

Ms Bernadini asked how the council justifies a 23 per cent increase in these fees in one financial year and how is this providing good governance for the benefit and well-being of the community.

“Frankly, a 23 per cent increase is nothing more than legislative theft,” she said.

Chief executive officer Tammi Rose said in response to Ms Bernadini that pet registration is a legal requirement under the Domestic Animals Act 1994.

“The pet registration fees serve as a crucial source of funding for the council’s animal management services, ensuring the safety and well-being of pets and the community,” she said.

Cardinia Shire council charges $52 for

both cats and dogs to register, while Knox council require for $58 for dogs and $52 for cats - all three councils have varying rates for desexed and other types of animals in a number of categories.

“By paying registration fees, pet owners not only comply with the legal requirements but also actively support initiatives aimed at marketing responsible pet ownership, including reuniting lost animals with their owners, managing dangerous breeds and addressing animal related concerns within the community.”

Ms Rose said that as part of the council’s commitment to maintaining these essential services, pet registration fees are subject to annual review to ensure that the council is able to meet the growing demands and costs associated with maintaining animal management services and our contracted pound services.

“The reviews involve an annual assessment of inflation indexation and fee benchmarking with comparable councils,” she said.

“The fees were adjusted as part of a council benchmarking exercise during the 2023 fee review process, and the fee structures were aligned to affect the average of the benchmarked councils.”

Ms Rose said she would also note that pensioner concession is applied and there’s no cost to register approved assistance dogs and guide dogs.

Residents in the Yarra Ranges LGA recently had their pet registrations due by Monday 10 April.

Warburton nurse Belinda Lloyd faced uncertainty for almost seven years after self-reporting to the NMBA. Picture: ON FILE

Pet registration fee increases have raised questions from the public at the most recent Yarra Ranges Council meeting.

Picture: UNSPLASH

Permit row behind switch

By Dongyun Kwon

It was on 15 March when Wandin Park Estate co-owner William Anker first received a phone call from a representative from the Yarra Ranges Council (YRC).

“They realised, after they discussed the event, that we didn’t have a permit to run the Adventure Dog on our property,” he said.

“They said they would get back to us regarding that, but we didn’t hear anything.”

Mr Anker eventually received another email from the council around 10.10pm on 22 March that Wandin Park Estate could not run the event.

“Under our understanding, we thought we had a permit because we had gone through with this person to tie up in planning back in 2020 and we had been granted our existing use rights permit in 2021 because we’ve been running events at Wandin Park for over 40 years,” he said.

“Apparently, we didn’t have a permit to run this event even though we had been running this event since 2018.”

Mr Anker claimed that the YRC took off the advertisement about Adventure Dog 2024 from its website after 22 April.

“We’re quite devastated. We don’t see why the event had to be cancelled from our property,” he said.

“It’s not a moneymaker for us, it’s just a great thing to help back in the community. The Adventure Dog made $100,000 last year, which was a great result.

“To be honest, it’s not a huge effect to us, but it is definitely a detrimental effect to the main organiser [Animal Aid] because they

had less than two weeks and it was too late for them to get the event off the ground.”

YRC planning and sustainable futures director Kath McClusky said council officers have spoken to the owners and their representatives of Wandin Park Estate several times during 2023 and 2024 in relation to holding events at the property.

“During those conversations, Council clarified what type of events could occur without the need to follow a planning permit process and what could not,” she said.

“Following several conversations with of-

ficers, where planning processes were not followed by the land owners, Council officers had no choice but to inform Wandin Park Estate that they did not have planning permission for the Animal Aid event.

“Council has an obligation to ensure that significant public events are run safely, to ensure that risks to members of the public are managed and minimised, and to protect amenity for community members. It also ensures that local residents are informed about the event that has been applied for and make submissions.

“This is why events on private land may require permits to operate – these permits assess traffic management and emergency management, as well as how the proposed event sites will manage the number of attendees safely.”

Despite the permit issue, Animal Aid successfully wrapped up Adventure Dog 2024 with over 840 participants and raised $95,000.

Animal Aid event manager Elle Ammann said the last-minute venue change caused difficulties in creating a new course, site and communicating with the participants, volunteers, vendors, local community and stakeholders.

“The last-minute venue change created a huge logistical challenge. We were shocked,” she said.

“The funds we raise from Adventure Dog are vital to Animal Aid’s daily operations and welfare mission. The impacts of cancelling Adventure Dog would have had very real impacts on the animals we care for.

“Cancelling Adventure Dog 2024 just wasn’t an option. Our community loves this event. Participants were coming from ACT, SA, and Queensland. These people had booked their accommodation and made their travel plans months in advance. We needed to make Adventure Dog happen no matter what.”

Ms McClusky said YRC highly values its relationship with Animal Aid and supports their work in animal welfare.

“We understand the significance of this event for their fundraising activities, and are disappointed by the circumstances,” she said.

“As soon as Council became aware that the planning permit process was not an option, an alternative location to host the Adventure Dog event was found and we are glad this important event was able to run.

“We are committed to working with Animal Aid and assisting them through the permit process for future events.”

Adventure Dog was originally held at Wandin Park Estate in Gruyere. Picture: ON FILE

Future of our state forests

By Dongyun Kwon

The Eminent Panel for Community Engagement from Depart of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) is engaging with local communities in the Central Highlands on the future use of state forest areas following the end of native timber harvesting.

The Panel is chaired by former CEO of the LatrobeValley Authority, Karen Cain, and is set up specifically to talk with people and organisations to understand values and priorities for forests.

It is committed to genuine partnership with Traditional Owners and hearing from a wide range of voices from communities, stakeholders and peak bodies interested in these forests.

These conversations will inform the Panel’s recommendations to the Victorian Government on future use and management of state forests in the Central Highlands.

Eminent Panel chair Karen Cain said the Panel is appreciative of the interest and knowledge shared by the community.

“Over 100 people attended community drop-in sessions held in Healesville, Warburton and Yarra Junction, where participants came to talk to the Panel about what they value in the Central Highlands forests, including recreation activities they enjoy,” she said.

“Get involved by completing the online feedback form, or dropping a pin on the map to share locations that are important to you.”

Representatives of a number of trail horse riders groups had a meeting with the Eminent Panel in the Multipurpose Room at Healesville Community Link on Monday 8 April to discuss sustainability and the long-term development for Central Highlands state forests.

Yarra Valley Trail Horse Riders president Lewis Storer said the trail horse riders groups met the Eminent Panel and the meeting went well with professional representatives.

“The Panel talked about locking the state forests into one big national park and restricting access for recreation including camping, trail horse riding, bushwalking and mountain bike riding,” he said.

“We’ve got about 100,000 people in Victoria that use horse riding as a means of recreation and we talked to them to help shape the future management of the Central Highlands state forests by sharing our forest experiences that are important to us.

“We want to see the forests healthy and sustainable for our future generations but not being locked out of our state forests.”

Mr Storer said the trail horse riders are not

intending to destroy the forests.

“We are actually the eyes and ears of a lot of things in the bush where we can report on things that are damaged and vandalised and what we might consider [to prevent] fire dangers,” he said.

“We’ve spent millions of dollars in the community spreading the money around in some of the small villages and towns with weekend riding campings.”

Other than the meeting with the trail horse riders groups, the Eminent Panel held five more drop-in sessions in Healesville, Warburton, Yarra Junction and Gembrook.

Cr Child said he was pleased to see the Eminent Panel coming out to communicate with the community.

“The Panel was well represented and courteous. They listened to what people were saying and they were very receptive to the people’s comments,” he said.

“The pace of work that the government is doing now is really good to gauge how the community uses the state forests at present, that’s why I’m encouraging people to be involved in this process.”

Be

Yarra Ranges Councillor Jim Child attended the drop-in session in Yarra Junction on Wednesday night.

L-R: Beth Seamer (DEECA), Melissa Wood (VEAC chair) and Karen Cain.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Crush death

By Shamsiya Hussainpoor

Matthews, 70, was found dead while working on a vehicle at his step-son’s house inYellingbo three years ago.

A state coroner handed down recommendations in early March calling for better education to prevent further deaths of this kind.

At around 9am on 5 July 2021,The Patch resident attended his step-son Peter and daughter-in-law Jennifer Sanders house to work on a vehicle Mr Sanders owned.

At around 11am, Ms Sanders spoke to Mr Matthews who was working underneath the vehicle, he told her he was OK and was his ‘normal, happy self,’ Ms Sanders then left to go shopping.

Later that day at around 3pm, Ms Sanders returned and checked on Mr Matthews.

He did not respond when she yelled his name, so she grabbed his leg, when he did not respond, she ran to her neighbours who were standing at the fence and called emergency services.

Emergency services arrived at the scene shortly after, but sadly Mr Matthews was unable to be revived.

During the investigation, police observed a rope tied from the front bull bar of the vehicle to the nearby carport post.

The investigators reported that a jack appeared to have been set up at the pinch points on the right side of the vehicle, the carport was also on a rocky and sloped section of the ground, and the jack was leaning slightly to the right on an uneven section of gravel, causing the front of the vehicle to dip downwards.

Forensic Pathologist Dr Brian David Beer from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) conducted an external examination on the body of Mr Matthews on 6 July 2021.

He reviewed the Victoria Police Report of Death and post mortem CT scan and provided a written report of his findings dated 27 July 2021.

The enquiries initially determined that the jack had become unstable on the rocky and sloped terrain and slid, causing the front of the vehicle to shift.

Dr Beer provided an opinion that the medical cause of death was mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or a physical force stops you from breathing, in this case Mr Matthews died from being crushed under a car.

His medical history showed Mr Matthew had a coronary artery disease for which he had a coronary artery bypass graft in 2017, glaucoma and obstructive sleep apnoea.

He reported depression in 2018 for which he was prescribed sertraline to good effect; he was a very fit and healthy otherwise.

His death was reported to the Coroner as it fell within the definition of a reportable death in the Coroners Act 2008 (the Act).

Reportable deaths include deaths that are unexpected, unnatural or violent or result from accident or injury.

The role of a coroner is to independently investigate reportable deaths to establish, if possible, identity, medical cause of death, and surrounding circumstances.

The purpose of a coronial investigation is to establish the facts, not to cast blame or determine criminal or civil liability.

Under the Act, coroners have the power in helping to prevent deaths and promoting public health and safety and the administration of justice through the making of comments or recommendations in appropriate cases about any matter connected to the death under investigation.

An officer was assigned by Victoria Police to carry the investigation for the death of Mr Matthews on behalf of the Coroner.

Coroner Audrey Jamieson said the findings drew on the totality of the coronial investigation into the death of Mr Matthews including evidence contained in the coronial brief.

“Whilst I have reviewed all the material, I will only refer to that which is directly relevant to my findings or necessary for narrative clarity, in the coronial jurisdiction, facts must be established on the balance of probabilities,” Ms Jamieson said in the final report.

“The Coroner’s Investigator conducted inquiries on my behalf, including taking statements from witnesses – such as family, the forensic pathologist, treating clinicians and investigating officers – and submitted a coronial brief of evidence.”

With a view to identifying pertinent prevention opportunities, Ms Jamieson asked the Coroners Prevention Unit (CPU) to provide her with data on occurring deaths in similar circumstances.

The CPU identified 25 deaths in Victoria between 1 January 2010 and 12 October 2021, where the deceased was working under a vehicle and the mechanism used to raise the vehicle failed, causing them to be crushed.

Data revealed all deceased were male, with their ages ranging from 18 to 75.

Victorian coroners have made a number of comments and recommendations aimed at reducing preventable deaths resulting from athome vehicle maintenance.

Her Honour made a few recommendations to prevent injuries and deaths in similar circumstances.

“I recommend that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to consider renewing its national ‘Safe Summer’ campaign with a view to including DIY motor vehicle repairs and maintenance, and review its strategies for disseminating information involved in the campaign,” Ms Jamieson said.

“I also recommend that WorkSafe Victoria once again considered collaborating with the ACCC in its campaigns to promote safety precautions for DIY vehicle maintenance.

“Whilst Maurice was a retired diesel mechanic and therefore had the appropriate technical knowledge to repair a vehicle, the fact remains that doing so at home is an inherently dangerous activity that carries the risk of death, and these preventable deaths continue to occur.”

Mr Matthews was married to Heather for 26 years.

His family described him as a much-loved father, stepfather to his wife’s children, and grandfather.

He loved travelling, dining with family and helping those around him.

His friends and family were his life and he would lend a hand to anyone; he was always approachable and willing to assist.

Police slam motorists for failing the ‘basics’

New Victoria Police analysis shows thousands of motorists throughout the state are failing to heed the very basics of driving.

More than 24,000 infringements were issued in a single year for some of the simplest of road rules and the force is urging people to focus on the foundations of good driving, warning even minor mistakes or inattention can have catastrophic consequences.

Acting Senior Sergeant of the State Highway Patrol – Solo Unit said as the saying goes: ‘Little things add up’.

“And nothing could be truer when it comes to your behaviour on the road, a moment’s inattention is all it takes to cause a crash and the ramifications can last a lifetime,“ he said

“We really want people to think about the basics of good driving and riding – paying attention, following the rules and expecting the unexpected.“

Such single acts of non-compliance typically account for more than half of road deaths each year.

The analysis - covering the latest financial year - shows almost 8000 infringements were issued for motorists failing to obey traffic lights alone.

This includes running red lights, ignoring amber lights and disobeying traffic lane signals. A further 3000 drivers failed to obey stop signs. Behaviour at intersections was of particular concern. There were 2000 infringements for failing to give way at intersections and 1300 for ignoring give way signs. Roundabouts appeared a mystery to many who entered them from the wrong lane, ignored traffic arrows and didn’t give way when they were supposed to.

Around 2200 drivers were caught tailgat-

FUTURE FOREST EXPERIENCES IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

Help shape the future management of the Central Highlands state forests, share your experiences and knowledge with the Panel. Contribute your thoughts on how we maintain healthy forests for future generations.

What is important to you about the Central Highlands forest area?

ing and 1700 didn’t have their headlights and taillights on at night.

Victoria Police hopes releasing the figures will prompt road users to think about their behaviour and how it affects the safety of others – especially people walking, riding bikes and on motorcycles.

Exact statistics for infringements from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 included:

· Fail to obey traffic lights - includes running red lights, ignoring amber lights and ignoring traffic lane signals: 7984

· Fail to wear seatbelt or not wearing one properly: 4284

· Fail to obey stop sign: 2935

· Fail to drive sufficient distance behind vehicle: 2177

· Fail to give way at intersection: 2023

The Eminent Panel for Community Engagement, working in partnership with Traditional Owners, has been established to provide advice and recommendations to the Victorian Government on the Central Highlands state forests. You can help shape the future management of the Central Highlands state forests at Engage Victoria until 29 April 2024 or drop in to meet the panel and share your ideas at the following:

Monday 22 April – 6.00-8.00pm - Wandong Public Hall, Rail Street, Wandong

Tuesday 23 April from 5.30 – 8.00pm - Marysville Community Centre, 31 Falls Road, Marysville

Maurice Wayne

A state coroner handed down recommendations on a far too common preventable death after a man was crushed by a vehicle in 2021.

Picture: ON FILE

Nod for leisure strategy

By Callum Ludwig

Yarra Ranges councillors have endorsed the next step for the region’s aquatic and leisure facilities at the Tuesday 9 April Council meeting.

Community consultation outcomes were considered and factored into the Aquatics and Leisure Strategy which was adopted and will help inform actions regarding local amenities up to 2033.

The discussion of the item began with a speaker from the gallery named Kathy stepping forward and asking Council what they planned to do with the land left over from the closing of the Kilsyth Centenary Pool.

“Many people are very disappointed because it leaves us without a good facility but what is the plan for the Hawthory Road land, is it going to be redeveloped there with a new leisure facility and a new pool,” she said.

“Will it be sold for residential development, if so, will the proceeds of that sale go towards building a new facility,”

“You’re saying it’s going to be 10 years before we can even get a new pool and you’ve got all these outdoor pools, which are supposedly dated, so that means thatYarra Ranges is going to be without a lot of leisure facilities or pools.”

Councillors approved a draft of the strategy for community consultation at the Tuesday 24 October Council meeting, which included the initial decision to close the Kilsyth Centenary Pool due to structural damage to ‘The Dome’ and the increased costs of running the facility. Council estimated it would have cost at leats $2 million for the pool to have been reopened, Director of Built Environment and Infrastructure Hjalmar Phillipp was called upon to help respond to Kathy’s questions and said Council resolved in October what the plan is for the site.

“I’ll read out from the Council minutes, so following decommissioning, maintain the site as open space, in line with current public park and recreation land use, pending community consultation regarding its future use,” he said.

“Effectively, it will be decommissioned, maintain its open space, and nothing will happen until the community is engaged in what might happen next and that intent and objective is included in the draft aquatic strategy on page 17, which refers to exactly that point that we will create a plan first and talk to the community before any action on that site.”

An alternative motion was put forward by Streeton Ward Councillor Andrew Fullagar for the site to be retained as a public park and recreational land in the 24 October 2023 meeting.

Chandler Ward Councillor David Eastham spoke to the item and said 70 per cent of the respondents during community consultation rated the objectives of the strategy a four or five, with five being absolutely in favour, and to him that says Council got a lot right.

“This strategy was very data driven, though when I say data driven, I think that there was a really good balance between community feedback, community insights, balanced really well with the data that was provided to help drive some of those key elements within the strategy,” he said.

“I know that some of the members of facilities such as the Olinda Pool, and we know the history there, I know that they met with officers to discuss, you know, their presence within the strategy and what it meant for them as a facility, as obviously, theirs is unique, how that’s volunteer-run but an absolute success story there,”

“There’s significant investment to keep aquatic facilities up and running and to establish new ones, which we can’t do on our own so I look forward to those conversations progressing with state and federal partners to see what incredible facilities we can upgrade or deliver.”

All other aquatic and facilities will be retained and maintained, while others are slated for upgrades if all goes to plan:

The Monbulk Aquatic Centre will receive an additional program pool, an upgrade to leisure water, an extension of the gym and a new program room

The Yarra Centre will receive a new entry and cafe, an extension of the pool hall to incorporate a new warm water pool, spa and accessible change facilities, redevelopment and ex-

pansion of the gym and program rooms and the development of an external fitness zone

The Healesville Outdoor Pool will receive upgrades to improve the condition and life of the 50M pool shell, heating of the pool, an upgrade to the changerooms and potentially a small interactive water play feature.

Lyster Ward Councillor Johanna Skelton seconded the motion and said it’s a big plan with a big impact, but nevertheless leaves enough room in there for changes to happen.

“Obviously they are going to need to happen because we have lost the Kilsyth pool and we really have a big strong need, in particular in the urban area, for a great facility,” she said.

“We’ve got 10 aquatic facilities, including the free water play, for 160 something thousand people, which is a lot of facilities for one council to have and our visitation, I saw that the top-visited centre is the Yarra Centre with 153,000 per year,”

“I had a quick look up of some of the other big councils like Knox and Monash and they have, the number I saw though it may be bigger now, was 800,000 to a million visits per year at one of their facilities.”

Yarra Ranges Council holds a long-term view to investigate the possibility of an Integrated Aquatic and Leisure Centre in Lilydale to replace the Kilsyth Centenary Pool in the Urban area of the region.

Walling Ward Councillor Len Cox OAM, who has been a vocal opponent of the decision to close the Kilsyth Centenary Pool, said he still believes the consideration should be to open or rebuild the pool in Kilsyth.

“It’s been said that we put a flash new pool in Lilydale, but there’s a couple of problems with that; we don’t have the money and we all know we won’t get it from the federal and state government because they won’t fund the sort of money that you need for a heated pool, we need anything from $80 million and upwards to do it properly,” he said.

“Not only don’t we have the money for it, but we don’t have the land for it, we’ve been looking around for that for a little while and there’s nothing suitable in Lilydale.”

Despite his reservations, Cr Cox and all the other councillors voted in favour and the motion was passed unanimously.

The dismantled dome of the Kilsyth Centenary Pool is not set for a rebuild under the newly adopted Aquatic and Leisure Strategy. Picture: ON FILE

Waste collection ‘flawed’

By Tanya Steele

Six months after a major overhaul in October 2023, the waste collection frequency for general rubbish was in the spotlight at the most recent Yarra Ranges Council meeting on 9 April.

Yarra Ranges Council received an in-depth submission from a Kilsyth resident who described the council’s evidence to support the new waste management policy as ‘deeply flawed’.

Sebastian Quezada presented a thorough presentation to the council against the recently introduced fortnightly general waste collection and in favour of returning to weekly collection schedules.

“This presentation refers to fortnightly collection only and not to FOGO bins,” he said.

Mr Quezada said that overflowing bins and their smell are a problem of volume, not of mass.

“Cutting general rubbish collection into fortnightly therefore inevitably leads to quickly overflowing bins amongst other problems,” he said.

“Taking out food waste from the rubbish bin takes out a lot of mass but very little volume,” he said.

“In Maroondah, they found that about 10 per cent of the volume of the rubbish bin is occupied by food only and in Hobson’s Bay they found that only two to six per cent of their FOGO bins are occupied by food in their latest research.”

Through a presentation of personal research, Mr Quezada said that the overflowing waste problem is present in all the municipalities that have cut their general waste collection frequency.

“ So people are not happy about this – most importantly because of the smell created by garbage that is sitting there for two weeks,”

he said.

Apart from the smell and overflowing issues, Mr Quezada said that the council’s claims of residents supporting the fortnightly collection were only a ‘small fragment of the Yarra Ranges populace’.

Mr Quezada also said that council claims of how temperature and extended periods between collections do not pose a problem could easily be challenged logically and scientifically.

“These issues can be addressed at length in another future presentation and I would be happy to help the council with this matter as well,” he said.

Mental health matters were part of Mr Quezada’s submission and he said it was an issue that he holds ‘close to his heart’.

“The link between smells and mental health is scientifically well established so by extension the current policy carries the risk of unintended mental health issues for the community.”

Mr Quezada said that when it comes to legislation and costs, there is no obligation or requirement under state government policy to reduce collection frequency and that the council has confirmed this in writing.

“...what is destined for landfill is still going to landfill regardless of whether it is sitting there a week or two weeks,” he said.

Mayor Melba Ward Councillor Sophie Todorov thanked Mr Quezada for his ‘brilliant presentation and submission’ and commended him on his timing before handing the floor over to the other councillors.

Deputy Mayor Chandler Ward Councillor David Eastham said he would like to know the review process that is in place with any indicative dates or timing.

“I commend you for talking about mental health openly and incorporating it into the presentation,” he said.

MayorTodorov said thank you to Mr Queza-

da for his submission.

“It is rather timely as we come to our six month review as well, so very helpful to hear what you presented to us,” she said.

Director of Planning and Sustainable Futures Kath McClusky said the team are now working through reviewing all the data – which looks at diversion rates around the landfill.

“We hope to have something back in front of the council – probably late June, early July,” she said.

Enquiring about the technology on the collection vehicles O’Shannassy Ward Councillor Jim Child said he would like to ask for an additional audit process from the trucks.

“To get that audit material and pick up whether there are overflowing bins and also check what’s going into the bins,” he said.

Ms McClusky said they would collect the extra data, Lyster Ward Councillor Jowhanna Skelton said she would like to know about the next steps and how the response to the submitter process will happen.

Ms McClusky said in that terms of the review there will be a series of recommendations that will come out that will then be presented to the council.

“We will work closely with our comms team around getting that message out,” she said.

Mr Quezada said during his submission that there was no complete evidence to change the schedule from general waste bins to fortnightly and that many of the costs could be offset in several ways.

“If anything, the evidence supports maintaining our weekly collections – the current policy has a high risk of creating many more problems while solving none,” he said.

“There are no benefits from this policy, only detrimental outcomes …so I urge the council to bring back our weekly collection.”

Sealing set to begin on three Warburton roads

By Callum Ludwig

The number of roads set to be sealed through the slashed Roads for Community funding continues to dwindle, but three Warburton streets were approved for improvement at the Tuesday 9 April Yarra Ranges Council meeting.

Alpine Street, Cecil Street and Glenbrook Road in Warburton were one of the seven groups of roads where road sealing will still be carried out and construction is now set to proceed.

O’Shannassy Ward Councillor Jim Child said the report is thorough and to get this outcome on these three roads for that amount of money, just over a million dollars, is an amazing investment.

“It’s a much-needed project in Warburton and I reflect back to the last Council meeting when we had the Warburton Urban Design

Framework in front of us, and we looked at drainage issues and the like and when you look at what this project will achieve on those

particular roads, Alpine Street, Cecil Street and Glenbrook Road, it will be just amazing,” he said.

“Having them sealed and the drainage issues addressed is ultimately a magnificent outcome, not only for the residents but also for the environment.”

The three roads set for sealing adjoin Station Road, which runs alongside the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail and accesses the Warburton Highway at the shopping strip or at the entrance to the township via Scotchmans Creek Road.

Cr Child also took the opportunity to lament the Federal Government’s decision to cut the Roads for Community funding down from $150 million to S47.7 million.

“The only thing I can say now is to have that decision turned on its heel on a political outcome I believe is just disgraceful,” he said.

“To put it into my father’s words, may he

rest in peace, ‘To give a thing and take a thing is a devil’s play thing’.”

The cost of the project is estimated to come out to $1,007,090.70.

Lyster Ward Councillor Johanna Skelton seconded the motion and said both Labor and Liberal committed to the Roads for Community project at that time as electoral promises.

“It doubly stung when that was withdrawn but nevertheless, what a wonderful legacy of projects that we have been able to deliver and for this cluster of roads inWarburton and as you say for all roads that lead to the river, it’s doubly important that we get those roads right for the environment as well as the residents,” she said.

“It’s also good to see that no trees needed to be removed so double thumbs up for this one and I look forward to the next six coming through.”

Glenbrook Road

The changes have been rolled out as part of Victoria’s standardised four-stream household waste and recycling system. Picture: ON FILE

Bugler hits 50 years of note

By Dongyun Kwon

Anzac Day commemoration in Healesville keeps going this year on Thursday 25 April with a bugle and trumpet performance by John Stanhope OAM.

This year marks his 50th year of service on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day for the Healesville RSL.

Mr Stanhope said he has played bugle and trumpet on both services since 1974 after the president of the Healesville RSL suggested to him although he doesn’t have any military background.

“I was 26 back then,” he said.

“I practise two or three weeks before and then come in and play it on the day.

“The reason why I do it is because it’s great to do something for returned men and women to make their Anzac Day and Remembrance Day more memorable.”

Back in the days when the bugler first started his performance, only a few people took part in the two special commemorative services.

As the years have gone on, the two special days become bigger and more important with broad age groups getting involved.

“It’s important to get the younger generations involved in to keep Anzac Day and Remembrance Day,” Mr Stanhope said.

After his long time service to the community, Mr Stanhope received an Order of Australia Medal in 2021.

“I was able to go to Government House and received a medal from the governor,” the 76-year-old bugler said.

“It was really good.”

Mr Stanhope first started learning the trumpet at school when he was eight.

“My parents expected me to play back then,” he said.

“I was more interested in music than sports.

“My wife’s a musician too, she’s a clarinet player.”

Healesville RSL president Colette Shaw said the Healesville RSL remains indebted to Mr Stanhope for his ongoing support of the Healesville RSL and its commemorative occasions.

“The Last Post and Reveille are significant to all commemorative services,” she said.

“The Last Post signifies the end of the day’s activities, whereas the Reveille is the signal to rise in the morning. The playing of the bugle is synonymous with these two military calls.

“The Healesville RSL has been especially fortunate over the past 50 years to have John Stanhope OAM perform The Last Post and Reveille in person, providing a more moving and fitting tribute, than any recording could ever hope to achieve.”

Toolangi Forest Tour is back

By Dongyun Kwon

Toolangi Forest Tour is back after it was cancelled in November last year.

The tour is to show people what needs to be done to restore the Central Highlands forests after logging as a part of a fundraiser for Healesville and Upper Yarra Greens.

Forestry educator Steve Meacher has been a guide for the tour for about 10 years.

Mr Meacher said the tour would start with an orientation and morning tea at Toolangi Castella Community House.

“Then we will move into the forests and see some places that have been logged in the past but we also will visit places that have not been logged so that people can see the potential of the forest once it’s allowed to recover,” he said.

The forestry educator was a candidate for

the Greens in the federal elections three times in 2007, 2010 and 2013.

The major part of his campaign was the health of the local forests and it led him to guide the tour.

One of the event organisers Bob Rich said they had to cancel the tour last year because many events were held on the same weekend.

“The event last year was scheduled for one week after Steve had run an identical tour for Friends of the Earth Melbourne and there were several Greens events on the same weekend,” he said.

“So, we didn’t get enough takers to make it worthwhile and had to cancel.”

The tour this year will be held on Saturday 4 May, anyone interested can have the registration link by contacting Bob Rich, bob@ bobswriting.com

John Stanhope OAM with his trumpet. Picture: DONGYUN KWON

Mr Stanhope performed The Last Post on the bugle on Remembrance Day in 2015. Picture: JESSE GRAHAM

Mr Stanhope with his bugle. Picture: DONGYUN KWON

After his long time service to the community, Mr Stanhope received an Order of Australia Medal in 2021. Picture: ON FILE

Calling all Nashos, those who were called up for National Service between 1951 and 1972 to march in Melbourne at the annual Anzac Day march to the Shrine of Remembrance.

The National Servicemen’s Association of Australia meet at Flinders Street West (Southside) the opposite side to Young and Jackson Hotel.

Form up is at 8.30am, with step off between 9.20am and 9.30am

Any person who served in the above years is most welcome.

Any inquiries call Peter Kemp on 0427 859 549 or Neil Graham on 0419 193 030.

to be an honour

Anzac Day has always held a special place in my heart as my Great Uncle served inWW1 and my father and other family members were deployed inWW2.

Therefore, it is a great honour that I was offered the extraordinary and unexpected opportunity, as part of a Parliamentary delegation to Türkiye, to participate in several services including the dawn service at Gallipoli this year.

Anzac Day is a day to pay our respect to the men and women who served, fought and ultimately gave their life to allow us to live safely in our country today.

There were many young men from my electorate who went to war serving at Gallipoli and throughout Europe and Northern Africa.

Remembering at this time most of the towns in the area were very small and many young men left and enlisted to serve with their families and friends.

Some didn’t come home which left gaping holes in their families and these communities.

Often forgotten are the 2,139 nurses from across Australia who served overseas.

I am very proud to be representing my electorate and my family at Gallipoli this year where I will get the opportunity to lay a wreath and visit the grave sites of fallen soldiers who served from my area.

I know this will be an immensely moving and emotional experience as my Great Uncle fought inWW1 and went onto serve at theWestern Front and was killed in action at Pozieres at age 24.

My father served at Borneo and New Britain in WW2 and I will wear his service medals with great pride.

Anzac Day is deeply significant to all Victorians to remember those who came before us and fought to protect the life and freedoms we enjoy today.

This will be a special time to reflect on the sacrifices made by so many Australians, those who served here and abroad and those who waited at home, and indeed continue to do so today.

Cindy McLeish with her father’s Anzac medals. Picture: SUPPLIED

THE LITERALLY BREATHTAKING BIT

Hit the open road and into the loving embrace of Mother Nature. Hike, climb, crawl (or drive, we won’t judge) your way to the top. The view will take your breath away in more ways than one.

Get lost in breathtaking places like Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park.

Stones founder dead at 68

By Dongyun Kwon

The founder of Stones of the Yarra Valley, Steve Frazer, died on Monday 25 March, at the age of 68.

His family, employees and the wider community are saddened by the unexpected death.

Steve’s eldest son David said his dad passed away from a heart attack.

“It was completely unexpected,” he said.

“It was a real sudden awful shock for everyone, he hadn’t had any health issues whatsoever and so that’s why the impact of his loss is felt so dramatically.

“He built an extraordinary business and his legacy will be felt for many many years.”

Steve and his wife Vonnie started the business in 2006 with a vision to create a wedding venue in Coldstream.

“The initial idea was a wedding chapel, there wasn’t a chapel in the Yarra Valley and nondenominational space anywhere that couples could get married, there were certain churches, but they weren’t for people who were not religious and wanted to have a lovely ceremony,” the son said.

“The idea started from that and then over the course of discussions, the team decided that not just build a chapel on the site but build a reception space as well somewhere can hold a function for up to 200 people.

“They went on and restored the old red brick stables at Stones and created a dining experience. Then, they went on to build the Meletos Cafe and the Farmhouse Hotel and it continued to grow opening No.7 Healesville which is a one-hatted restaurant.”

David said his dad was unstoppable.

“He kept building things and one of his great strengths was that he would just continue to come up with ideas,” he said.

“There were a lot of ideas that had become unrealised but what he did and achieved over the course of his 68 years is quite extraordinary.”

Steve loved the Yarra Valley during his lifetime.

His son said his family grew up in Yarra Valley as a family after they came out from Melbourne in the early 90s.

“We supported the fundraising activity after the Black Saturday bushfires, nursed the business through the pandemic and tried to support employees.

“Yarra Valley is very special to Steve, Vonnie and my family. My brother still lives in Healesville.”

The business owner spent about 20 years in sports management and events before he opened his own business.

He started off his career as a tour manager and then went on to start to work in sports, managing international golfers and tennis players.

“He was heavily involved in basketball

for quite a while and then went on to produce some very significant sporting events,” David said.

“He ran a motorsport team called Advantage Racing with a race car driver Peter Brock.

“He left that industry in 2001.”

The son remembered his dad as his “rock” who was a source of enormous strength for him and his siblings.

“He was enormously supportive of my career. I’m a festival promoter and he was

incredibly proud of his three boys and what we’ve achieved,” the son said.

“He had a wonderful sense of humour and he was incredibly driven, a genuinely kind man and someone who cared deeply about the world around him.

“He’s left us in a wonderful position and we just want to support mum and each other and staff out there and get through this really challenging time.”

Rostron rides to U17’s first place at state titles

By Callum Ludwig

Upper Yarra enduro racer Ryder Rostron has claimed victory in a Victorian event, blowing the competition out of the water.

Ryder rode in the U17 division of the Victorian Gravity Enduro State Champions and took out top spot by over 35 seconds.

Ryder said it felt pretty good to win and to know all his training had been paying off.

“There was one stage that was really pebbly, which was the most challenging stage as that takes the most fitness, which I was happy about because that’s the stage that I did the best on because I’ve been doing a lot of work on my fitness,” he said.

“There was another stage that was a lot more technical and harder to ride, which I also did good on that one, which I was happy to see, as I’ve not been doing as much of the harder riding while I’ve been putting more effort into the fitness, and it’s still showing that I’m doing good on the hard stuff as well.”

In 2023, Ryder finished 1st overall in the U15 in the Victorian Gravity Enduro Tour by the time it wrapped up at the end of May last year.

Ryder said his training consists of riding whenever he can and doing as much fitness work as he can.

“I’ve been going to the gym and just going out on my gravel bike and doing that as many days as I can put down with the amount of daylight that I have,” he said.

“During the race I felt really good, I was really enjoying all the tracks which also helps

and had a bit of a role in how good I ride but throughout the whole day I could tell that I was riding really good.”

Ryder completed the five-stage race with a time of 17 minutes and 78 milliseconds, with the second-best U17 time clocking in at 17 minutes, 36 seconds and 32 milliseconds.

Ryder said his next goal is racing the National Championships event in Western Australia later in the year.

“Pretty much all of my training from now until then is just going to be focused on that, I’ve competed at Nationals twice in the past two years and I’ve come fourth each time so I’m hoping to be able to get that one bit better and get on the podium,” he said.

“I’m not really sure what to expect of the tracks over there because it’s probably going to be a lot different than over here, but I’m just going to do as much fitness training as I can and just get as many hours on the bike as I can until then.”

The 2024 AusCycling MTB Enduro National Championships will be held in Perth between 17 and 20 October this year.

Ryder said he’d encourage anyone interest in riding to give it a go.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not going to be winning races or anything like that, just get out there and give it a shot,” he said.

Ryder Rostron competing in the Cannonball Downhill Festival in February.

Steve Frazer. Picture: SUPPLIED

Journey to Kennedy film

By Callum Ludwig

From being a young film buff in Yarra Junction to learning from some of the best in Los Angeles, Kieren Devisser’s short time in the film industry has already been filled with excitement.

He’s hoping to bring an enthralling new angle to a famed Australian tale as the executive producer of‘Kennedy’, a telling of the story of Sergeant Michael Kennedy, who was killed in a gunfight with Ned Kelly and his gang at Stringybark Creek, and his wife Bridget Kennedy.

Mr Devisser said he was the youngest of five boys when growing up in the Yarra Valley.

“I obviously spent quite a lot of time in the bush, so I think that naturally made me a little bit of an airhead, and I found myself wandering through the bush quite often when I was younger, and just creating stories in my mind and acting it out,” he said.

“I remember being interested in film right from the age of six or seven and if there was a movie that I loved, very much to the annoyance of my brothers, I would watch it about a hundred times over and I would study the film head to toe,”

“It was something that I was always interested in, but it just never seemed feasible to me when I was younger.”

According to the National Portrait Gallery, Sgt Kennedy and Constables Michael Scanlan, Thomas Lonigan and Thomas McIntyre were dispatched to the Wombat Ranges near Mansfield in search of the Kelly Gang (Ned Kelly, his brother Dan and friends Steve Hart and Joe Byrne) and camped at Stringybark creek on 25 October 1878.

Unbeknownst to them, the Kelly gang found their campsite and when Kennedy and Scanlan went out to search the next day, the outlaws ambushed the remaining police officers. Lonigan was shot dead first, McIntyre escaped and ran to Mansfield while Scanlan and Kennedy were killed on their return. According to Monument Australia, Sgt Kennedy was at one point in a shootout with the four bushrangers after Lonigan and Scanlan were shot dead until he was wounded, fell to the ground and was murdered while defenceless by Ned Kelly.

Mr Devisser said he had been interested in the Ned Kelly story since he was nine years old.

“Our family used to go up to Beechworth and northeast Victoria most years and I remember when I was nine, I ended up going to Stringybark Creek with my dad,” he said.

“I remember shaking hands with Ian Jones, who was one of the leading researchers on the Kelly story and I was reading his book at the time and since then I wanted to do something in the entertainment industry and potentially produce a film myself on Ned Kelly that would do justice to the police,”

“When I got given this opportunity, I just thought it was fantastic, Darren Hawkins and Lauren Hamilton Neill, who are the writers of this film, have written it with absolute accuracy, they are fantastic at what they’ve done, they’ve spent years researching it and I had full faith in these guys.”

Hawkins is the director of the film and has won awards in indie and horror film awards and festivals for his horror films ‘The Lonely Road’ and ‘Occultum Mala’. Lauren Hamilton Neill is an actress who co-wrote the film and will play the role of Bridget Kennedy.

Mr Devisser said what few people may know was that the first-ever feature film back in 1906 was about the Kelly gang and was a global phenomenon at the time.

“Since then there have been nine films based on Ned Kelly, eleven if you include the satire versions and these films have attracted the likes of Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and Russell Crowe,” he said.

“Kennedy is the first film of its kind that

dives into the policemen in the Kelly story and while it’s not seeking to vilify Ned Kelly in any way, it’s designed to shed light on a forgotten story that deserves the attention of the Australian public,”

“I think the people of the Yarra Valley are some of the most beautiful and honest people in the country so I think audiences in theYarra Valley will respect a truer side of the Ned Kelly story and learn a little bit more about the tapestry of what happened that’s not centralized around Ned Kelly and the mythology around him.”

Mr Devisser only found his way into the film industry in 2020, jumping into his childhood passions amidst the Covid lockdowns with a 12-month advanced acting course.

Mr Devisser from there he wrote a 1930s period drama television show based on NewYork gangsters that took him to Los Angeles where he resided throughout 2022.

“Despite its promising trajectory, due to issues in the industry, including the screen-

writer strikes, it never left pre-production but learning the hands-on approach on how to produce a TV show like that, how to write, meeting some pretty high-up people in the entertainment industry over in Los Angeles and seeing how it’s all put together was invaluable,” he said.

“The last four years for people in the entertainment industry have been incredibly tough and I have found that a lot of people in the industry have been discouraged by that, but for anyone interested, they just need to keep pursuing it,”

“The next 10 years within the Australian industry are very promising and exciting, we’ve got major US productions coming over to Australia, Netflix and major streaming services are putting huge budgets down on Australian productions as well, so there’s plenty of work that will be coming to the Australian industry in the next decade so just keep networking with people and trying to get your foot in the door would be my advice.”

Nat Bartsch Trio’s riverside performance proves a hit

By Callum Ludwig

Over 150 attendees flocked down to the banks of the Yarra River in Warburton for a free classical music performance from the Nat Bartsch Trio on Sunday 14 April from 2pm to 3pm.

Melbourne pianist/composer Nat Bartsch presented her ARIA-nominated ABC Classic album Hope, accompanied by Lucy Warren (violin) and Anna Pokorny (cello).

“I don’t know how I’m ever going to top this – it might be the best performance of my life,” Ms Bartsch said.

“Even if I had performed to no one it would have been hard to beat, but the fact that I can share this with you all makes it so special.”

A mix of interested locals and visiting tourists made up the crowd, including lots of families who made the most of the sunny weather and enjoyed the river and the music. One visitor said they had intended on taking her mother to Healesville for the day but had taken a wrong turn and ended up in Warburton and were walking on the other side of the

river when the performance began and felt like it was fate that brought them there so stayed and enjoyed the show.

Hope is an album for piano, strings and electronics built around Nat’s distinctive blend of gentle melodic improvisation, jazz

harmony and cinematic neoclassical composition. The suite was composed in 2020, first with the smell of bushfire smoke in her home from the Black Summer fires, and later during Melbourne’s long covid lockdowns. Hence the title is an abbreviation of hopefulness and hopelessness, and music exploring the space between. The intention is for the listener to immerse themselves in the music, reflecting and acknowledging all we have endured in the past few years, but ultimately, by the final piece, be looking to the future with a sense of hope.

The album reached #1 on the iTunes Classical Australia charts and #3 on the ARIA classical charts. A jazz/post-rock reinterpretation, Hope Renewed, was released in March of this year.

Alex Pinte ofWildlive mixed the sound for the performance on his 100 per cent renewable energy-powered PA system, controlled on an iPad.

The event was presented in partnership between the Melbourne Recital Centre and Yarra Ranges Council.

KeirenDevisser(centre)withAustralianbusinessandentrepreneurialtycoonsJanineAllisandAaronSansoni.

Picture:SUPPLIED

NatBartschperformingontheriverbank.

Picture:SUZANNEPHOENIX

IN THE SPOTLIGHT New art exhibition on show

By Dongyun Kwon

Community members are encouraged to visit YAVA Gallery and Arts Hub Healesville to appreciate its latest exhibition Immersion: On Country.

Two artists, Marina Strocchi and Beth Williams, contributed their artworks to the exhibition.

Strocchi has lived in the Yarra Valley since April 2021 and said her artworks are a response to what she has seen around the Valley.

“I’m responding to a mixture of the agricultural impacts on the landscape and how the natural bush environment is nestled in around,” she said.

“I also like patterns of nature, the market gardens, the vineyards, the fences and the little bits and pieces that punctate areas of the landscape.”

The acrylic painter uses Belgium linen with the nature or environment theme for her artwork.

She said nature is a therapeutic good place to be.

“Nature’s a little bit overlooked in the city, so we are lucky that in this environment, we’re closer to different forms of nature whether it’s agriculture nature or bush nature,” she said.

“If art doesn’t give something from nature or humanity, I feel like it’s missing something.

“Somehow, anthropomorphise something that makes it relatable to humans, that’s what I do, in a way animate the landscape.”

The Valley in Mist is one of Strocchi’s main art pieces in the exhibition which includes the patterns of nature.

The artist said she likes Australian lights that are pretty bright compared to the northern hemisphere.

“I like the work with the bright so I convey the light by bleaching,” she said.

“I like to have organic lines, irregularities and pretty subdued colour.

“In the morning, in the Valley, it’s misty, so you get vagueness about stuff and when you look at the landscape, it’s softer.”

Another artist Williams mainly works on acrylic and canvas.

The artist said nature is a place where she can feel calm and grounded.

FibrePower!

“I can’t survive without that, so, in my work, I tried to find the feeling of the energy and the power that I have when I’m in nature,” she said.

Williams’ art pieces are based on the response to a moment in time when the light has been in a specific way in real places.

Most of them include the sunset, sunrise light and the colour of the sky.

“I’ve been a human taxi and taking people everywhere,” Williams said.

“I took pictures when I found beautiful places and worked from the photographs.”

Height of Sky and Dance of Grass are the two main paintings that the artist drew in Coldstream.

“These both were painted in the same location and this is an amazing farm where you can see the lines of the rows of the farm coming forward,” Williams said.

“It’s funny because the old silo, the colonial structures and pine trees were crumbling but people were still farming.

“It’s a really amazing spot, so much happening there.”

She started work from the photographs since Covid happened.

“I’d prefer to be in the place and experience the place while I am painting but I am often forced to work from photographs,” the artist said.

“I didn’t start doing that until lockdown. During the lockdown, I was forced to find a different way of working.

“In fact, it’s been good because I’ve learnt to use oil and you can’t transport wet oil paintings very easily because it makes such a mess.”

Strocchi said she hopes that her works show the visitors the landscape in a different way.

“I hope they can see this area that I’ve been immersed in through my work in it but in another way, take them to a different level bringing them other insights and food for thought about landscape in this area,” she said.

Williams said she hopes the visitors feel the sense of peace, calm or intensity that she felt when she was deciding to paint that work.

“I feel like sometimes people aren’t really in nature as much as other people and they can really be drawn to experience it in a different way, maybe in a more sacred way,” she said.

MarinaStrocchi(left)andBethWilliams.

Picture:DONGYUNKWON

‘Cranking up’ in the wet

By Callum Ludwig

The Upper Yarra Historical Society’s annual Crank Up event was once again a success over the weekend of 6 and 7 April, despite battling some less than ideal weather.

The Crank Up event has run in Yarra Junction for over 40 years, including displays of vintage machinery (both moving and stationery), live blacksmithing, old-fashioned heritage trades and skills as well as live music and activities.

Upper Yarra Historical Society President Lee Pannett said the only thing that put a damper on the weekend was the wet weather.

“Saturday saw a thousand people through the gate even with a little drizzle in the afternoon but Sunday was very wet,” he said.

“Luckily the crowds would not be held back and we had close to a thousand people through the gate as well on Sunday.”

The vintage car show on Saturday was well put together by ‘Mr Excited’ with over 60 cars on display and the ever-popular wood chop competition was well-attended on Sunday despite the downpour on the competitors. Rain didn’t deter the

Creative Storytelling to aid people relate their tales

By Dongyun Kwon

Your Library in Healesville will launch a weekly learning workshop for all ages soon.

Creative Storytelling aims to teach people how to craft their own five to seven minute story using art supplies to make it fun and easy.

Professional storyteller Cora Zon and cartoonist Danny Zemp will host the session.

Ms Zon said the new workshop is building on the zine making workshops that she held at the Healesville Library last year.

“It’s gonna be fun and exciting and help people tell their personal stories and write their memoirs,” she said.

“It’ll help people in public speaking and give them confidence as well.”

Mr Zemp said the session will bring people’s life story.

“It’s about helping in mental health to write down what is important in their life in a safe and noncontrolling environment,” he said.

“Sometimes, it’s important that people can tell their story to let go of what bothers them. They need to write it down, draw it or put colour to it, which either way works in order to get that story on paper.

“What we try to do is give them feedback on what is good and what can be improved.”

The opening session will be held from 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Healesville Library on Saturday 20 April.

Afterwards, it’s going to be on everyThursday from 4pm to 6pm.

Anyone, wishing to book, can make a book through Your Library website at events. yourlibrary.com.au/event?id=51201

wood chop.

A varied vintage car show was organised by Mr Excited.

Back to yesteryear.

Down the railway line. Attendees braved the dreary weather. Strike while it’s hot. Off the beaten track.

Machinery of old. Pictures: TOM LINDSAY

Don’t forget to come and say hey to the hay.

A blacksmith hard at work.

Healthcare not accessible

All Australians deserve access to a strong, reliable, and affordable healthcare system that is close to home.

But here in the Yarra Ranges, with an electorate that spans over 2,500 square kilometres, we don’t have a single emergency department within our community.

For residents in remote parts of our electorate - whether it be Reefton,Warburton, Healesville, Powelltown or the towns in between, it can be over an hour’s drive to Maroondah Hospital or the Angliss in their time of need.

That’s why I believe it is time we had a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic here in the Yarra Ranges – a clinic that residents or family members can walk into and be bulk-billed for urgent care.

Writer’s Fest

By Christine Yunn-Yu Sun

The 2024 Melbourne Writers Festival will take place at venues across Melbourne from 8-12 May.

The event features a diverse range of conversations, talks, workshops and panels under the theme of “Ghosts” –“from ghostly characters, ghosts in the machine and ghostwriters to those enduring stories that continue to haunt us,” as described by Readings, the official bookseller.

To start with, two Pulitzer Prize-winning authors will speak about their new books.

Michael Cunningham’s Day, “a pandemic novel that never says ‘pandemic’”, follows one family on the same day (5 April) across three years (2019, 2020 and 2021).

Meanwhile, Viet Thanh Nguyen’s “highly original, blistering, and unconventional” memoir A Man of Two Faces combines personal history with the larger stories of refugeehood and colonisation.

Two authors from the 2023 Booker Prize will also talk about their books. The first is Booker-winning Paul Lynch, whose Prophet Song, a dystopian novel imagining the Republic of Ireland slipping into totalitarianism, was Ireland’s bestselling book in 2023. Meanwhile, Paul Murray’s Booker-shortlisted novel The Bee Sting features a well-to-do Irish family in financial, emotional and existential trouble.

Three past winners of Australia’s own Miles Franklin Literary Award will present their latest masterpieces, starting with Alexis Wright’s Praiseworthy, “an abundant odyssey that contains a formidable vision of Australia’s future”.

Meanwhile, Melissa Lucashenko will discuss Edenglassie, an“epic, heartrending and wryly humorous work”.

Finally, Shankari Chandran will shed light on Safe Haven, “a richly rendered portrait of displacement, refuge and the lengths people will go to for safety and love”.

And Grace Yee, winner of the 2024 Victorian Prize for Literature, will discuss her verse novel Chinese Fish, about “migration, patriarchy and racism”.

Furthermore, Debra Dank, whose 2022 book We Come With This Place won an unprecedented four prizes at the 2023 New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, will appear at the panel “The Sands of Time”. Also present will be Robyn Davison, whose new memoir Unfinished Woman tells the legacy of her mother that inspires her bestselling 1980 bookTracks. Assuming you are feeling overwhelmed by the many dazzling prize-winners, let’s shift our focus to other inspiring books and ideas. A highlight is Australia’s own world-leading artificial intelligence expert Toby Walsh, who will examine the possibilities and perils of emerging AI technologies, from ChatGPT to facial recognition and selfdriving cars.

In the last Parliamentary sitting week, I called on the Federal Government to establish an Urgent Care Clinic in our community.

A clinic that is open early and closes late every day of the year, providing urgent care in

a GP setting so you don’t have to travel the distance or experience the lengthy delays of the emergency department.

The reality is that it is getting harder and harder to find a GP appointment. Across the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, we now have just seven fully bulk-billed clinics, with none in some of our largest towns including Lilydale, Healesville and Belgrave.

I recently met with Dr Dan’s Medical Clinic in Monbulk, Yarra Ranges Medical Centre in Wandin North, Belgrave Medical Clinic and representatives from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) who each expressed concerns over falling bulk billing rates and rising costs impacting GPs.

When residents can’t access or afford to

visit their GP, there is a flow on effect to our emergency departments and wider healthcare system.

Disappointingly, of the eight Urgent Care Clinics in Victoria, seven are in Labor or Greens held seats.

What’s worse? Many of these clinics are within a few minutes drive from functioning emergency rooms.

It’s time Labor listened to the residents of the Yarra Ranges and funded a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic that is close to home.

I will continue calling on the government to improve bulk billing and invest in the healthcare our community deserves. You can add your voice to my fight by signing my petition at AaronVioli.com.au/UrgentCare

Character growth makes wartime drama

Civil War

Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny

MA15+

4.25/5

The fourth film from writer-director Alex Garland, Civil War is a riveting, superbly-crafted character drama set against the backdrop of war.

In a near-future America split by civil war, a group of photojournalists make their way to Washington D.C. to witness the end of the conflict.

Kirsten Dunst is phenomenal as Lee, a legendary photojournalist; Lee is stern and professional, numbed by the traumatic events she has witnessed, but compassionate deep down.

highlighted with strategic silence for the terror to sink in. These battles are also often punctuated with evocative photo snaps; these shots add a further layer to the tension, showing these bursts of brutality both as a safe blackand-white archive and the stressful unfolding event itself.

Some viewers may be disappointed with the minimal world-building.

Beyond Nick Offerman as a dictatorial President, we gain little insight on why the US fractured into warring groups (and many have commented on the absurdity of Texas and California being on the same side).

Rounded out by Stephen McKinley Henderson as their wise mentor Sammy, the cast is fleshed-out and compelling, with that one perfect shot as the focal point of their development.

Harsh, visceral and unheroic, the battle sequences feature concussive sound design

As her group, which includes wisecracking colleague Joel (Wagner Moura), press further through war-torn America, the horrors they experience weigh even on these desensitised veterans, while their tagalong Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), who begins as an overwhelmed kid, hardens and grows instincts as a war photographer.

Some may find this shallow, but Civil War is more concerned with everyday people surviving and documenting the chaos than its ideological source (though one scene is a little too blatant with this apolitical ethos).

A stark, supremely suspenseful character drama driven by war, Civil War is playing in most Victorian cinemas.

- Seth Lukas Hynes

PUZZLES QUICK CROSSWORD

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.

DECODER WORDFIT

9-LETTER WORD

PROPERTY

HISTORIC CHARM MEETS MODERN CONVENIENCE

HISTORIC CHARM MEETS MODERN CONVENIENCE

STEP back in time to circa 1919 with this enchanting double-fronted Federation Bungalow residence nestled on Old Fernshaw Road in Healesville. Let this captivating property steal your heart, as I know it will.

Brimming with character and boasting stunning north facing rear views, this heritage-listed property offers a rare opportunity to own a piece of history while enjoying the comforts of contemporary living. Built with meticulous attention to detail, this attic-storey residence showcases typical Federation Bungalow features such as a high pitched, single hipped roof, and a full-length verandah adorned with a frieze/fretwork.

The varied textures, stuccoed front wall combination, and intricate door detailing exude timeless elegance and display original architectural splendour. From lead light glazing to high ceilings and an open fireplace, the interior exudes warmth and charm. Double glazing in select windows, including the stairway, frames breathtaking views of Mt St Leonard to the north.

Lovingly maintained with impeccable upkeep over the years has seamlessly

integrated heritage charm with modern convenience. Plantation shutters, gas ducted heating, and reverse cycle split systems ensure year-round comfort, while a northfacing sunroom and covered rear verandah provide idyllic spaces for relaxation and entertainment.

This home offers 2 bathrooms, a country kitchen and a versatile living space to include attic offers a fabulous retreat, perfect for an extra bedroom, study, or workfrom-home area, allowing for flexible living arrangements to suit your needs.

Step outside to discover a landscaped and enchanting old fashioned gardens boasting a rich tapestry of flora. From deciduous colour trees to a variety fruit trees including citrus along with apricot, fig, quince, feijoa and bosc pear plus more, the ever-changing landscape offers a feast for the senses year-round.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to own a piece of Healesville’s history while enjoying the best of modern living just a short walk from the township and all it’s amazing amenities. ●

BRICK HOME ON A BIG BLOCK AND HUGE FAMILY LIVING SPACE

YOU will be surprised by the size of this home and the family room that is separate to the lounge room offering great space for the growing family. 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas plus a large outdoor entertaining barbecue area all situated on a huge block approx. 1183 sq.m in size.

Nestled in a lovely neighbourhood, where you are close to the local bakery for a coffee or a walk along the Yarra river trail, this home represents excellent value for money and an opportunity to renovate and improve. The brick home is solid just needing some updating to add your own homely touch.

Boasting a spacious layout catering to various needs, two living areas including a family room at one end of the house complete with an open fire, convenience is key with internal garage access and a quiet no through road.

Situated on the high side of the road with windows to frame the picturesque mountain scenery, ensuring every glance is met with inspiring views.

Bring your TLC and creativity to transform this home into a gorgeous Warburton gem. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS

DISCOVER A QUIRKY MID-CENTURY FUSION

STEP into a world of character and charm with this unique mid-century fusion home, boasting a delightful 90’s twist. Nestled in the heart of Healesville, this weatherboard gem with timber lined ceilings in the living area, is a testament to timeless design. With its brick feature wall, high ceilings, and open plan living, this property offers a truly captivating atmosphere.

As you enter, you’ll be greeted by the warm and inviting ambiance of the open living space, bathed in natural light. The kitchen is practical and includes gas cooking and a dishwasher. Unwind in the family bathroom, complete with a spa bath for indulgent relaxation, or take advantage of the convenience of the smaller bathroom off the main bedroom.

Experience year-round comfort with the natural gas ducted heating and reverse cycle split systems, ensuring that you stay cosy during the winter months and cool during the summer. This home embraces both style and functionality, providing a comfortable haven for you and your loved ones.

Creative possibilities await as this property presents an added bonus-a bungalow/studio/work space waiting for your personal touch. With a little love and repair, you can transform this space into a creative sanctuary, an inspiring home office, or a cosy retreat for guests. The carport with a roller door provides secure parking, and the covered entertainment/verandah at the front offers the perfect spot to relax and watch life go by.

Embrace the Ideal Location as it is situated within walking distance to town, you’ll have easy access to charming cafes, vibrant wine bars, and beautiful parks. Everything you need is right at your doorstep, making this property a perfect choice for both weekend getaways and permanent living. Immerse yourself in the vibrant community of Healesville and enjoy the convenience of city amenities in a serene and picturesque setting.

Set on a well-planned and landscaped block of approximately 667sqm, this property offers the perfect blend of indoor and outdoor living. Relax in the tranquil garden oasis, host gatherings with friends and family, or simply enjoy the serenity of your own private sanctuary.

Don’t miss this opportunity to own a piece of Healesville’s unique charm and create a home that reflects your individuality. Contact us today to arrange a private tour and discover the endless possibilities that await you in this captivating property. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS

MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE WITH INTEGRITY

THE ULTIMATE FAMILY ENTERTAINER

NESTLED just a stone’s throw away from the vibrant town of Cockatoo, this 4-bedroom residence offers a cozy retreat perfect for families seeking a peaceful lifestyle.

Step inside and explore a warm and inviting timber kitchen, fully equipped with modern appliances including a dishwasher, gas cooktop, and electric oven—perfect for crafting delicious meals and cherished moments with your loved ones. Additionally, this kitchen boasts a convenient servery window that opens up, providing seamless access to the top deck, where you can enjoy the outdoors while preparing meals.

The master suite beckons with its walkin robe, ensuite, and a private balcony, offering a tranquil haven for relaxation. Meanwhile, three additional bedrooms, each with built-in robes, provide ample space for children or guests. Need a quiet spot to focus or work from home? The study offers the perfect solution.

Stay cozy all year round with gas ducted heating throughout the home plus a free standing wood heater perfect for those chilly hills nights. Keep cool in summer with a split system cooling and heating unit.

Downstairs, indulge in the massive rumpus/entertaining area complete with a bar, providing the ultimate setting for memorable moments and celebrations. Bifold doors seamlessly connect the indoor and outdoor spaces, enhancing the sense of space and flow.

Outside, the spacious outdoor entertaining area features an open fireplace, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for gatherings with family and friends.

This residence offers a peaceful lifestyle while still being within easy reach of local amenities and attractions.

Don’t miss the chance to make this delightful property your family’s new home. ●

20 ACRES WITH VIEWS, FARMHOUSE AND HORSE FACILITIES

WELCOME to your own slice of paradise, nestled on a picturesque 20-acre property, offering breathtaking views that will leave you in awe. This is much more than just a home; it’s a lifestyle upgrade for the discerning buyer seeking tranquility and space. Embrace the beauty of nature with sprawling pastures, majestic gums and serene landscapes; float in a picturesque spring fed dam nestled in the light bushland, where the wildlife freely roam and enjoy their own peaceful life as well.

The charming 3 bedroom farmhouse showcases a newly renovated kitchen, bathroom and laundry, that perfectly blends contemporary style with rustic charm. And you will experience the delight of rural living with a spacious verandah and large undercover decked entertaining area, ideal for hosting gatherings or simply unwinding amidst the tranquility of nature.

Calling all horse lovers! This property boasts a 50 x 20 arena and round yard providing ample space for training and riding. Additionally, there are multiple paddocks for grazing and the spring fed dam ensures a constant water supply. Your equine companions can also be pampered with a hot wash and a rest in the stables ensuring their comfort and wellbeing.

Get your hands dirty in the workshop and shed, perfect for housing all the tools and farm equipment, and you can get a glimpse into the property’s history with the original Circa 1915 barn, providing endless possibilities for restoration or repurposing.

Whether you’re seeking a peaceful retreat, a hobby farm, or a haven for your beloved horses, this property is set to tick all the boxes. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own your own piece of paradise where you can let your dreams unfold in this idyllic countryside setting. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS

CHARACTER LIVING IN PARK ROAD, WARBURTON

THIS charming weatherboard home is an ideal choice for weekend getaways or downsizing.

Boasting 2 bedrooms plus a study / 3rd bedroom, it offers flexibility to suit your lifestyle. The open plan kitchen features ample natural light, a spacious gas oven, a cozy wood fire, and ceiling fans throughout for year round comfort.

The main bedroom offers generous storage, while the updated bathroom includes a vanity, shower and toilet.

The character home comes with the comfort of recent renovations including new roof, weatherboards replaced just to name a few of the major improvements.

Outside, the highlight is the deck with cafe blinds and breathtaking mountain views, perfect for relaxation.

With a fully fenced, low maintenance yard and convenient access to the main street, waterpark, Yarra river walk, and all the delights of Warburton, this home offers both comfort and convenience. ●

6BellbirdAvenue,LaunchingPlace

FamilyLivingwithViewsandSpace

$680,000-$720,000

Nestledina popularandsoughtafterlocationthismuchlovedfamilyhomehasloadstooffer, situatedon ahugeblockofapprox.1780sqm.Thehomeoffers 3bedroomsincluding asemiensuiteinthemainbedroomandfreshmainbathroom,goodsizekitchenwithplentyofbenchand cupboardspace.A separatemeals/diningareaoffersextraroomplusthefamily/loungeareaisthe idealspottoadmirethecolourfulscenery,unwindandenjoythepicturesqueYarraValleyviews fromtherearverandah.Anexpansiverearyardwithplentyofspacetospreadoutandexplore, greataccessforcars,boats,trailersandcaravanswithconvenientseparateaccesstotherearand sideyard.A doublelockupgarageandestablishedgardenscompletethisidealfamilyhomeina desirablesemirurallocationandjusta shortstrolltolocalschools,shopsandtransport.

DavidCarroll M 0419539320

50WongaRoad,Millgrove

HappyHomeSweetHome!

$595,000-$650,000

Thisinvitinghomecertainlycaptivatesyoufromthemomentyouenter.Spaceiskeyherewithhigh cathedralceilings,splitlevellivingflowingouttoestablishedgardensandpathswhereentertaining willbe adelightwith aBalinesestylehuttuckedawayprivately,youwillfeel amillionmilesaway fromthehustleandbustle.Thisbrickhomeoffers 3bedrooms, 2bathrooms,themasterwithupdated ensuiteandgardenviews,a wonderfulspacetowakeupin.Stunningrenovatedkitchen,modern neutralcolours,greatbenchandcupboardspace.Mainsgasductedheating& splitsystemwill coveryourheatingandcoolingneedsforyearroundcomfort.Newblinds,floorboardsit’sallready foryoutomoveinandenjoy,additionsbeing alargegarage,carport,plentyofparkingandallof thisjust ashortstrolltotheYarrariver,publictransportandlocalshops.

RebeccaDoolan M 0401832068

Inspection: Sat11:00-11:30am

66ShirleyCrescent,WooriYallock

$640,000-$690,000

IdealLocationforFamilyFriendlyLivinginthisGorgeousHome!

Experiencethejoyofcomfortandstyleinthisimmaculateresidence,wherelovelyviewsarejust thebeginning.Threespaciouscarpetedbedroomscomplementedbya stunningmainbathroom featuringanindulgentoversizedshowerand achicfreestandingbath.Revelinthefreshallureof floorboardsthroughoutthelivingzone,leadingyouto acontemporarykitchenadornedwithsleek gascookingfacilitiesandamplebenchandcupboardspace.Theadjacentmealsareaseamlessly openstoyourexpansivedeckandcoveredentertainingarea.Embracetheoutdoorsinthe generouslysizedfullylandscapedbackyard,providingamplespaceforchildrenandpetstoplay freely.Nestledina primelocation,thisistheidealfamilyabode,justminutesawayfromlocalschools, shops,andtransportoptions.Don’tmissyourchancetocallthisgorgeouspropertyhome.

7MartyrRoad,Warburton$770,000-$830,000

AGrandHomein aSuperbLocation

Anopportunityisnowavailableforpurchaserstoenjoythisgorgeousaccommodationopportunityor tohave adelightfulplacetocallhomewithspaceforalltheextendedfamily.Stepinsidethiswarm invitinghome,theloungewithpicturewindowswith amesmerisingview.Thekitchenislovelywith quirkyoriginalfeatures,a centrepieceofthehomeoverlookingthelargesunroomandformaldining, aperfectplacetogatherfor afamilymeal.Thegroundflooralsohostsa bedroom,bathroom,and separatetoilet,whileupstairsrevealstwoadditionalbedrooms, amainbathroom,anda double roomwithanensuite,offeringabundantlivingspace.Anadditionalstudiohasa further3 bedsif requiredseparatetothemainresidence.2 largegarages,ampleundercoverentertainingareaand wellestablishedgardensthatreallycomplimentthisenchantinghome.

RebeccaDoolan M 0401832068

EXCEPTIONAL LIVING WITH BAY VIEWS

BUILT with quality and craftsmanship as a main priority, this beautifully kept and well-maintained property boasts a versatile floorplan, allowing for a variety of living or work purposes.

Bursting with natural light and with stunning views that take in the nearby green valleys and reach out to Port Phillip Bay and also the You Yangs, this home offers three oversized bedrooms, the master with spacious walk-in robe and full ensuite plus a home office (or 4th bedroom) with built in desks.

Open plan and with plenty of space, the main lounge room flows easily into the dining area and modern kitchen that boasts extended butler’s pantry, large island work bench, stainless steel appliances and stone benchtops. Perfect for a Friday night movie, the second living area acts as an ideal theatre / media room with its in-built speakers, allowing for extended living for any size family.

Meticulously detailed, the home also comes complete with ducted vacuum, natural gas plumbed BBQ, double glazed windows, solar hot water alarm system and motorized blinds to the main bedroom.

Heating and cooling is well taken care of with gas ducted heating throughout as well as ducted air conditioning and a wood fire for those wintery months.

Outside, if you can take your eyes of the incredible view, you will also discover excellent parking, caravan carport, 2 x 11,000 ltr water tanks, established, landscaped gardens and a rear balcony where you can sit for hours and take in your new surrounds.

Downstairs, an oversized double garage is linked to a huge workshop area that could potentially become another bedroom, living room or work space. Extended storage throughout this area invites a range of possibilities for the new owner to adapt and expand this already generous floorplan to their needs.

Within an easy walk to public transport and only a short drive from Belgrave, Emerald and Monbulk townships, this exceptional property will impress on every level. ●

Highlyconvenient &centrallylocatedbeingjust ashortstrollawayfromBelgraveTownship, thisdelightfulbright &lighthill residencepresentsanexcellentopportunityforfirsthome buyers,downsizerorinvestorsseekingtoexpandtheirpropertyportfolio.Readytomovein &startenjoyingyournewlife.

BradConder M 0422639115| E brad@chandlerandco.com.au

Locatedin aquiet,convenientandsought-afterarea,closetolocalshopsandwithgreat accesstoboth WellingtonRoadandalsoBurwoodHwy,thistwobedroomhomehasbeen pricedperfectlyforfirsthomebuyers,downsizersandinvestorswhoarelookingforan opportunitytosecureahomeatanentrylevelprice.

SharynChandler M 0439882442| E sharyn@chandlerandco.com.au

Locatedina tranquilyetconvenientlypositionedareaofrapidlyevolvingBeaconsfield,this spaciousfamilyentertainerisbeautifullypresentedandeffortlesslystylish.Readytomove intoandguaranteedtoimpress,20HammerwoodGreenis astandoutpropertysuitablefor bothhomebuyersandinvestors.It’s arealgem!

DanielSteen M 0434979142| E daniel@chandlerandco.com.au

Hereinliesa half-acrefamilyhavenwithgorgeousgreenoutlooks,immaculateinterior, enticingoutdoorentertainingareas,andtandemcarportforconvenience.Situateda shortstrollfromSassafrasCreek,BaynesPark,MonbulkAquaticCentre,andMainRoad’s shoppingandcafes,awonderfullifestyleawaitshereforoneluckyfamily.

BradConder M 0422639115| E brad@chandlerandco.com.au

By Anita Prowse

A3 Classes Yolanda Slykerman DF Sanity Macclesfield Adult Riding Club Inc

· 1.2 Kathryn Bavaro Bloomfield Vivante Bunyip Equestrian Club Inc

· 2.2 Cleo BillingsYondella First Assassin Amaroo Equestrian YV Inc

· 3.2 Cleo BillingsYondella First Assassin Amaroo Equestrian YV Inc

· 4.2 Debra Niewand Hughie Maroondah Adult Riding Club Inc.

· 5.2Megan Morris Clayton Alaska Working Equitation Yarra Valley Inc

· UYARC Dressage winners

· A.2 Mandy Edwards San Sassy Yarra Glen Adult Riding Club Inc

· A.3 Walter Berger Feldale Griffin Monbulk Clematis Adult Riding Club Inc

· 1.3 Dianne Wilkinson Riverbend Wahine Te Nui Upper Yarra Adult Riding Club Inc

· 2.3 Georgia Thompson Freedoms precious gem Upper Yarra Adult Riding Club Inc

· 3.3 Georgia Thompson Jasper Upper Yarra Adult Riding Club Inc

· 4.3 Barbara Jeffs Khancoban Park Crescent Moon Dingley Riders Club Inc

· 5.3 Samantha Gribbin Jinchalla Twiggy Pakenham Upper Riding Club Inc Combined Training winners

· L2 SharleneWilson St George Denzildon The Valley Performance Club Inc

· L3 Georgia Thompson Jasper Upper Yarra Adult Riding Club Inc

· L4 Lauren Kanicky Binka Park Mushka Yea and District Riding Club

· L5 Arty Brennan Gyp Kangaroo Ground Adult Riding Club

There

· Northern Metro Zone Horse Trials winners

· Gd 1 PC Amy Slocombe Willunga Just Because (OTT) Balnarring Pony Club

· Gd 2 PC Jett Lord Memphis Yarrambat Pony Club

· Gd 3 PC Michelle Woodcroft Bobby B-Dazzled (OTT) Riddells Creek Pony Club

· Gd 4 PC Kimberley Cochrane Golden Goal (OTT) Seville Pony Club

· Gd 5 Frankie Murphy Miss Zingara Langwarrin Pony Club

· Lawlor Sheild won by Langwarrin Pony Club

Congratulations to the hundreds of competitors, committees, sponsors and volunteers…..well done and Happy Riding.

Twilight shootout as it happened

By Ron Hottes

V.V.V’s:

No results this week, due to inclement weather.

Wednesday 10 April, Stableford:

Young tyro, Josh Hin, took out the honours this day with an impressive 39 points. The daily runner-up was Michael Hibbert, who recorded his best result for a while, accumulating 38 points. Balls reached 35 only. The NTPs went home with Mario DeVincentis (3rd), Your Loyal Scribe (5th, hooray), Ray ‘Happy’ Gilmore, (9th) and Tim Jones (12th).

The Ladies of B and C-Grade have now started their Club Championship journey, consisting of three rounds also, as they played stroke off the red tees. In B-Grade, Deb Hamment posted a Nett 74 to be leading. C-Grade saw a tight battle, with Merilyn McDonald leading the way, but only three shots clear of Georgie Houniet after one round.

Twilight Shootout report:

As reported last week, dear readers, Peter Fox is the Shootout King, scoring a birdie on the 9th, and last hole, to deprive Sam Dennis of his first win in this iconic event. Well done to both men and to the other 8 finalists, who fell by the wayside as each hole passed. With good weather to play golf ensuing, all 10 finalists hit off the first with great hopes and adrenalin pumping through their bodies. By the fifth hole, it was evident why nearly 40 members came along to watch this unique event, originally proposed by, and for many years run entirely by John Hall. Much appreciation, John. Because this event, every year, throws up

unusual scenarios, this year was no different. Two points to confirm that last claim. After four holes, the top qualifier, plus the third and fourth, had all been eliminated. Secondly, the runner-up, Sam, hit his teeshot out-of-bounds on the fourth hole, then with his provisional ball, scored a bogie 5 on the hole to miraculously survive and eventually play off on the final hole. Believe me, folks, there were other ‘discrepancies’ toolike one of our finalists had to win through until the 7th hole, by surviving four ‘playoffs’ on the way. Anyway, in the end, a good time was had by all. Plus, the event ran as smoothly as it ever has, due to the vital help received from Rob, Hatty, Lincoln, numerous spotters and most importantly, the very able assistant, Kevin, who did all the paperwork on the day, without any fuss. And, most importantly, to the members who provided the atmosphere that makes this event the iconic one that it is, thank you.We all look forward to the next season, scheduled to start in the first week of October.

April 13th: Results unavailable at the time of the deadline. Final Club-Championship results in next week’s edition!

were great results for riders from around the Valley. Picture: SUPPLIED

SPORT

Promising start to season

By Brendan Donovan

In perfect conditions, Woori Yallock travelled to Officer for a packed day of sport with the reintroduction of women’s footy and six teams of netball at the club which was great to see.

The Women’s Footy came away with a strong win, defeating Officer by 34 points, 1.4, 10 to 5.14, 44 in their first-ever game.

The best players for the Tigers were Michelle Brown, Casey Wright, Emily Spicer, Rachael Lee, Sky Wilson and Jessica Lee with goals coming from Wright 2 and Lorraine Davis-Robinson, Spicer and Wilson each with one. The re-established netball teams battled hard all day but weren’t able to find a win:

· A Grade: Officer 44 defeated Woori 40, Woori’s best were Danika Corless and Chelsea Smith. Corless scored 21, Tarsha Collette 19 and Smith 3.

· B Grade: Officer 72 defeated Woori 50, Woori’s best were Jordan Kennedy, Holly Dunlop and Jaymee Tough. Tough scored 26, Tarsha Collette 22 and Kennedy 2.

· C Grade: Officer 58 defeated Woori 19, Woori’s best were Grace Sibley, Emmerson Alford and Jessica Ford. Ford scored 16, Kasie

Pitts 2 and Maddison Sands 1.

· D Grade: Officer 41 defeated Woori 12, Woori’s best were Megan Britton, Alexandra Mcinnes and Georgia Sands. Rebecca Jackson scored 6, Connie Mercuri 4 and Sands 2.

· 17 and Under: Officer 62 defeated Woori 8, Woori’s best were Georgia Sands, Ella Wood and Charlotte Comport. Sands scored 5 , Ella McCallum 2 and Comport 1.

Over in the footy, the Woori Yallock U18s 13.15, 93 started the day with a comfortable win against Seville 3.5, 23 with Mason O’Neill awarded best on ground and joined by Gabriel Conboy, Max Rees, James Brown, Ronan Taylor and Jack Freedman. Goalkickers were Rees 4, Xavier Conboy, Taylor and O’Neill with 2 and Mathew Cotton, Hamish Murphy and Freedman with one apiece.

The Reserves had a tough start to the year meeting the reigning premiers from Division One last year in Officer, though there were lots of positives to come from the game and it was step forward in their journey in 2024.

Final score was 17.13, 115 to 5.5, 35, with the Tiger’s best being Hamish Gemmill, Jude Hay, Chris Lower, Thomas Rogers, Luke Cottier and Pierce Jenkin. Goalkickers were Rogers with 3 and Jack Collette and Tom Kear with one each.

Close match for Yarra Glen

By David Ball

Yarra Glen senior football started the season with a home game against Belgrave, but played at Yea due to the Yarra Glen clubrooms being under repair following the January flood event.

Belgrave started strongly, winning centre clearances and finding leading forwards.

They had kicked 5 goals before Yarra Glen scored a great goal through Nick McKenzie. Caleb Surplice was superb in defence and pinch hitting in the ruck, but there were few winners for the River Pigs.

At quarter time Belgrave had amassed 7.4 to Yarra Glen’s 1.0.

Yarra Glen improved in the second quarter, with Harmit Singh setting up a number of forward moves from defence.

A great snap goal from Oscar Grenfell provided a spark for the River Pigs, only to have Belgrave lift again.

They were running in waves and provided their forwards with plenty of opportunities.

Kyle Nunn was proving hard to stop, eventually finishing with 9 goals.

At half time Belgrave had extended their lead, withYarra Glen trailing 3.1 to 15.6.

The third quarter saw Yarra Glen tighten up in defence and their onballers starting winning more of the ball.

With Belgrave setting up well in defence, many of theYarra Glen entries were intercepted as Belgrave added 4 goals to Yarra Glen’s 1 for the quarter.

In the last quarter Yarra Glen showed some fight, adding 4 goals to Belgrave’s 6.

With a number of new and younger players it took a bit of time for the team to connect but in the end Belgrave were far too good with final scoresYarra Glen 8.5 to Belgrave 25.12. Best players: Caleb Surplice, Tom Sullivan, Harmit Singh, Nick McKenzie and Oscar Grenfell. Goalkickers: Josh Hawkins 2, Nick McKenzie 2, Nate Capuano, Oscar Grenfell, Caleb Surplice, SamWood.

TheYarra Glen Reserves had a full squad and hopes were high for a competitive hit out to start the season.

The Belgrave boys started full of energy whilstYarra Glen were slow to get going.

Ash Bryans worked hard in the middle but each forward entry was quickly rebounded.

In the first quarter Belgrave piled on 7 goals to Yarra Glen’s 2 points. The River Pigs were all working hard but came up against a group that ran hard and shared the ball well.

The second quarter saw a much improved effort, the River Pigs were able to restrict Belgrave to 3 goals and get more of the ball across the ground. In the second half Belgrave added 13 goals while Yarra Glen were unable to add to their score.

While the effort was admirable, Yarra Glen’s

For the seniors, it was a game of tough footy, with both teams counter-punching throughout the first quarter, Officer were making the most of their chances while Woori squandered forward entries after the midfield got on top.

In the second quarter, Woori started going more direct and the big forwards started stamping themselves on the game. A 6-goal quarter opened up a lead that Officer couldn’t quite get to for the rest of the game.

The second half would have been a tough watch for supporters as both teams bounced between the arcs though in the end, it was a solid win for the Tigers.

Taylor Gibson kicked 8 and claimed beston-ground honours while Ben Monkhorst played a pivotal role in the team’s win in his 150th senior game for the club.

Others in the bets players were Zach Monkhorst, Angus Smith, Harvey Smith and Blake Muir, while Jake Calvert, Joshua Neal, Kynan French, Muir, B Monkhorst and Z Monkhorst all joined Gibson on the goalkickers list with a goal each.

Woori Yallock are back home next week against an old rival in Upwey-Tecoma who are sure to bring their best footy.

skills dropped off as they tired. In the end Yarra Glen were well beaten, final scores Yarra Glen 0.3 to Belgrave 23.19

Best Players: Ash Bryans, Ethan Murdock, Taylor Bryans, Dylan Jarvis, Ryan Strong and William Duff.

For Yarra Glen netball, A Grade’s season got off to an ideal start with the team pulling off an easy victory over Belgrave atYea.

The girls had easy control over the whole court, they were methodical in their attack, with seasoned campaigner Alana McGurgan controlling the tempo all game. Meanwhile in defence, returning to netball was Katelyn Vanderkolk who looked like she’d never left; repelling everything the opposition threw at her!

Playing her first game for the club Megan Galletti was fierce in defence, proved by the fact that she spent a fair bit of time flat on the surface of the court rather than on her feet!

An excellent hit out to start the season with a 47-36 win!

B Grade’s fighting effort saw them go down 33-46, a score line that doesn’t really reflect the game.

Kayla Collins played an inspired first half in WA, a new position for her.

The third quarter was where the game slipped away, but the girls responded with determination in the last to not let the game blow out.

Tiah Large was especially impressive with her defensive efforts and control across the court. A valuable game with many positives to take away!

C Grade got off to slow start against Belgrave, but the second QTR saw the girls tighten up in defence creating multiple opportunities for back to back goals, which saw us come back from a 5 goal deficit to be even at half time.

The third saw lots of momentum shifts in a tight and physical contest from both sides, with just one goal separating the two coming into the fourth.

The girls held their composure in an impressive whole team effort to come away with a 4 goal win.

Honourable mentions to Ashley Shanks for her efforts in attack and to Natasha Bennet for her defensive performance in GK.

D Grade started well to be 3 goals up at quarter time, Kim Christian was shooting well to finish off the good work across the court.

As Belgrave lifted in the second quarter the Yarra girls struggled with the extra pressure to be 2 goals down at half time. Closing the gap to 1 goal by three quarter time, good work from Maddie Oultram and Annie Dietrich helped Yarra Glen take control to secure a hard fought 2 goal victory, 20 to 18.

Next week is a bye for Yarra Glen before travelling to Yarra Junction for Round 3 on 27 April.

Burras back for 2024 with clash against Seville

By Alex Woods

The 2024 Season has made a quick appearance and it is now time for action, Warburton-Millgrove made the short journey over to Seville for Round 1.

It was an exciting time, as the club showed off its new Women’s football team.

Reserves kicked off their first game of the year in a tough battle against Seville. The Burras rolled out with a slightly different team compared to the last couple of seasons. Some new young faces, Nate Lucas has stepped up from Wesburn Juniors. Jack Broek, Cooper Shalevski, Brent Clinch, Lewis Moran and Brett Winzer all made a return. The Burras were only down. By 11 points at half time, but unfortunately, the 3rd quarter went towards Seville’s with them securing 4 goals to the Burras’ 1 to have a 30-point lead heading into the last term. They powered through but the game was Seville’s, as they won the game 9.11-65 to our 3.6-24. Damien Egan kicked 2 goals and Ash Taylor with 1. Brent Clinch, Ash Taylor, Caelan Flynn, Brett Winzer Jamie Nelson and Jackson Jones were all named top performers of the match.

Next up was A and B Grade Netball. A Grade started with another new face, Jessie Hare. They started strong and it was an even match. It was set to be tough by both sides and our A Grade girls put up a strong fight, having a half-time lead of 6 goals. They continued the momentum into the last term and both teams had a ripping quarter with Seville securing 11 goals and Burras putting up 11. The win was ours by the time the siren sounded, securing a 6 goals win. Bianca Daniels didn’t miss a beat putting up 38 goals, and KarlyWappett with 11. Bianca was also the top performer of the game, along with Ashlyn Elliott and Indiana Pinnock. B Grade finished off the netball for the round, with another fresh side for the Season. Monique Lee and Zoe Timoney are new additions into the side, with Teagan Adams and Ruby Kelly also coming up from C Grade. Seville got the early jump having a half time score of 31 to 10. They continued on and got strong as the game went on but it was a Seville game and their strength maxed the Burras’ this round. The final score was 56 to 24, Alex Woods shot 9 goals, Jordy Butcher with 8 goals and Emily Hay with 7. The Seniors finished off the round, as they welcomed Hudson Semple into the

side making his Senior debut after a strong preseason.They also welcomed back Lachie Hewitt wearing his father’s 19 jumper and also making his senior footy debut. New recruit Jake Byrush took the field for his first Burra game, and the side welcomed back Jack Lee and Aiden Westlake coming back from injuries. A strong start for the Burras, with Liam Westlake securing the first goal and then Bailey Humphrey securing 2 not long after and a 2 goal lead at the first break. The second quarter came around and Seville matched the Burras goals, kicking 3.2 to 1 in that term. Only down by 3 points heading into the second half, the Burras continued on with the fight and had a mega third quarter, a few behinds were able to then be turned into goals with Tom Barr kicking one, as well as Bailey Humphrey, Trent Elliott and Lachlan Hewitt. The Burras went into the last quarter with a 43-61 lead, but still needed to fight right until the end. Both teams scored 2 goals each, but with Burras having a solid third quarter, they were able to hang onto the win and claim a 8.8-56 to 11.8-73 victory.

Well done to all teams with Round 1 efforts. Home game this weekend against Alexandra.

Warburton-Millgrove started off strong against Seville. Picture: SUPPLIED

Woori Yallock opened their account for season 2024 with a win over Officer.

Pictures: GARY SISSONS

Pressure hits hard

By Leesa Riley Donvale FC 2 - Healesville firsts 1

An early chance for Healesville’s Daniel Tadesse was well saved by the Donvale goal keeper and that was about as good as it got for the away side in the first half.

Second to most balls and a lack of possession saw Donvale take control of the game and scored after 30 minutes to take a deserved 1 - 0 half time lead.

A lift in intensity and a small tactical tweak at half time and Healesville looked like a different team.

Now the home side were under pressure but scored a second goal against the run of play to make it 2-0 with 20 minutes to play.

Not to be deterred Healesville pushed even harder and scored with 15 minutes left. Daniel Tadesse scored a rebound from a Brian Winrow shot.

Healesville pushed for the equaliser but the bounce of the ball wouldn’t fall their way. Good efforts by Johnny Caloutas, Joe Sobolewski and Cameron Donaldson and a couple of goal mouth scrambles couldn’t quite find the back of the net which, after a great second half performance, Healesville would have thoroughly deserved.

Melbourne Deaf FC 4 - Healesville seconds 4

An hour long away trip and two goals down inside the first 10 minutes and one would think it was going to be a very long day at the office for Healesville.

However a change of mindset and a some much harder running from Healesville and they started to get a grip on the game.

In the 25th minute Oshane Darrant got Healesville’s first and 5 minutes later they were level through a Tom Eaton goal.

That wasn’t the end of the first half goals as 15 year old Asha Shannon hit a thunderbolt left foot shot to take Healesville into the break with a 3-2 time lead.

The Home side equalised to make it 3-3 shortly after half time but not to be outdone by his son, Ben Shannon put Healesville back in front with 10 minutes to go.

In a roller coaster of a game the home side scored in the 85th minute and that’s the way

the game finished. An enthralling 4-4 draw. Healesville should be very proud of their efforts against a much younger side which saw them get their first point of the season.

Dynamo 3 - Healeville Reds Womens 1

The Healesville RedsWomensTeam headed off on a long journey across the city to face a very competitive Dynamo this week.

With a small but fired up team of ten passionate players the women took to the pitch.

In the very early minutes Mia struck the ball beautifully and found the back of the net giv-

ing the team a boost of momentum to run out the ninety minutes without any players on the bench.

It was a long and tough game, only the teams second for the Club, but what an effort they put in.

Dynamo scored 3 goals in the first half but the Reds were able to hold them off with no scores in the second half with a thumping defence line, skilful mid fielders, tireless wings and impressive fancy feet upfront demonstrating the potential this team have for the future. Well done Reds.

Healesville juniors shaping up for season

By Dongyun Kwon

Junior teams of Healesville Soccer Club are gearing up for the new season, starting on Saturday 20 April.

The club has increased five more junior teams to 16 teams with over 180 players for the new season.

Healesville Soccer Club vice president Leesa Riley said the club is very happy to return the teenage year teams.

“We’ve got three U15 teams and we’ve also got two U13 teams,” she said.

“So, we’ve been able to retain a lot of our talents from the younger years into these teenage year groups and that’ll really benefit the club not only because they stay around but also they’ll fit into our senior teams.

“Two of the new teams are female teams. That was a combination of the league creating more junior age groups for girls and a lot more interest in girls from the Matilda’s phenomenon.”

The junior teams had a remarkable season last year.

U14 Girls wrapped up the season with runners up and U14 Boys won the premiership in B division.

Five players were selected in the Top 5 Best and Fairest in the league in their respective age groups with Will Watson and Ava Holman both taking out the League Best and Fairest Award for the U14 Boys and U14 Girls respectively.

Four players were picked up to compete in the CCFA Nationals on the Sunshine Coast.

Will Watson was selected for the U15 Boys team and Ava Holman, Melita Campbell and Ruby Mann in the U17 Girls team coached by Sarah and Maddie.

Ms Riley also accompanied them as a team manager.

Ms Riley said all the remarkable results that

the club achieved last season were thanks to the support from the volunteers and is looking forward to more achievements in the new season with the support.

“We are so excited about the growth of the club,” she said.

“We have had a lot more interest from players and thankfully a lot of support from our community to volunteer both for the committee and in roles that will support our players including coaches and team manager.

“We have grown our committee from eight members to 13 and fulfilled important roles including an appointed child safety officer and marketing and sponsorship lead.

“Through our strategic planning process, we have a vision and plan for the future and have set up a more sustainable structure to enable growth and success.”

Some changes to the rules and regulations have been made for the new season.

U15 Girls will play on a full-size pitch and have offside rules.

Round

By Anne-Marie Ebbels Football and netball are back.

The Healesville seniors, reserves, A and B Grade netball all had byes, but the U18s and Womens football and C Grade netball all in action on Saturday.

The U18s controlled the game from start to finish, by the end of the first quarter the U18s were 12 points in front of Upwey-Tecoma at the first break and had extended the lead to 22 points by half time.

Upwey-Tecoma hit back in the third quarter, but Healesville maintained a 26 point lead into the final break. A dominant final quarter saw Healesville keep Upwey-Tecoma goalless to come out big winners by 66 points.

The women started slowly in the twilight game at Olinda with Olinda-Ferny Creek jumping out to one 11-point lead at quarter time.

The Healesville team hit back in the second quarter with seven scoring shots to one and keeping Olinda-Ferny Creek goalless to go into the half time break one point down.

Poor kicking in front of goal by the Healesville kept Olinda-Ferny Creek in the game with Olinda-Ferny Creek leading by 3 points at the final break. Healesville controlled possession in the final quarter to run out winners by 18 points.

In the only netball game for the week, C Grade had a tough game against the strong defensive game played by Yarra Junction.

The first quarter Healesville stuck withYarra Junction, but the full court defensive game took its toll on the Healesville trying to get the ball into the goal circle to create scoring opportunities.

Healesville defence stood up well under pressure, but the number of scoring shots generated by Yarra Junction meant they were fighting a losing battle.

Yarra Junction were winners by 19 goals.

Healesville are still looking for a few netball players for the season, so if interested come down on Thursday night at 6pm to Don Road Complex.

This week Mens football and A and B Grade netball are at Powelltown, and U18s are playing at Mt Evelyn, Womens football are playing at home on Friday night against Upwey-Tecoma.

The first club home game is on 25 April for Anzac Day.

There will be free entry to the venue on the day with football starting at 9am and netball from 11am.

Football

· U18s Healesville 98 defeated Upwey Tecoma 32 Best: T Barclay, L Warner, L Senti, R Cameron, T Neumann, M Holland

U13 Girls, which is a new division, will have offside rules and be in a competitive structure including the Best and Fairest Award and a ladder.

U11 Boys will also have offside rules too.

“It’s preparing them for getting into the older age group,” Ms Riley said.

The vice president said the club’s vision is always for the players to have fun with their friends while building their skills.

“We want to build their skills so that they can enjoy competitions,” she said.

“We also want to support the players that are interested in taking their soccer to the next level, provide the coaches support to help them facilitate skill building and also continue to provide a soccer academy as an additional option for players to participate in.

“We are so proud of the community that we have created and want to continue to foster a good atmosphere on training nights and competition days at Don Road and would love anyone from the community to come to cheer the teams on.”

· Womens Healesville 38 defeated Olinda Ferny Creek 20 Best: C Wilsmore, M Schelfhout, P Pavic, A Bryan, D Carrucan, M Cameron Netball

· C Grade Healesville 6 defeated byYarra Junction 25 Best: E Cameron, S Aloi

ThreeU14teamslastyear.

Picture:SUPPLIED

HealesvilleSeniorWomenwonoverKnox(5-0).

Picture:SUPPLIED

Adam Bunn .............................................................23

Greg Spence...........................................................25

Michael Robinson...................................................28

Aaron Violi MP ........................................................30

Cal Ludwig ..............................................................24

Ron Munday ...........................................................28

Sam Failla ...............................................................31

Micah Calheiros......................................................30