Mail - Lilydale Star Mail - 28th May 2024

It’s that time of the year with Biggest Morning Teas popping up everywhere to support the Cancer Council’s research and programs.

Japara Community Hub in Kilsyth and Mooroolbark Library continued their tradition of hosting a morning tea, bringing together community members to share in conversation and some sweet treats.

With nearly 25,000 Biggest Morning Tea events happening across the country this year, it shows sheer the impact cancer has in people’s lives, with one in two Australians diagnosed in their life time.

The dollars and cents raised at the morning teas make every difference to improving treatments and preventative measures each day.

To read more, turn to page 12

Plea to fund SES

By Mikayla van Loon

Decades of underfunding for Victoria’s State Emergency Service has come to a head with a volunteer-led campaign urging for a revised but sustainable funding model.

The Fund VICSES campaign saw a group from Lilydale’s unit take part in the campaign launch on Monday 20 May with an awareness convoy flooding the Bolte Bridge.

Lilydale SES unit controller Shaun Caulfield said this was something that had been “brewing for decades” across “successive govern-

ments” on both sides of the political spectrum.

“Relative to the number of resources and the risks and the amount of jobs we do, SES has been drastically underfunded pretty much since its inception in 1975,” he said.

SES units were originally funded by local government, with one unit per municipality, bar the case of theYarra Ranges, which has the three units plus additional support from Emerald SES.

Mr Caulfield said 10 years ago the funding model changed to an in-kind arrangement where local governments would give an an-

nual amount which would be matched by the State Government.

“We’re talking $5,000. At one point, that did eventually go up to just over $10,000 before that scheme was wound up.

“So if your local government gave you $10,000, you got $10,000 from the State Government and all the other money we needed was by fundraising. Some units had the power and petrol and water bills and all of those things paid for by the local government, and others did not.”

At Lilydale, Mr Caulfield said at the time,

the unit was receiving around $27,000 per year but had to self-fund all of the bills including the “$4,000 a year for insurance on our vehicles [and] all our fuel bills”.

“We’re in the same boat now. We get our annual unit subsidy and then we have to buy everything other than PPE.

“So we pay for our insurance bill, obviously it’s up, our fuel bill is up and the more jobs we do, the more fuel we use. So that all compounds.”

Continued page 3

Trish Fernley, Vera Baddeley and Sandy McDonald (Mooroolbark CWA) with Emma Jahn (Team Leader Mooroolbark library) for the Biggest Morning Tea event. 409164

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

NEWS Buses to replace trains

Buses will replace trains on the Lilydale Line and Dublin Road will close to traffic, as crews work to remove two level crossings in Ringwood East and Croydon. Replacement buses will operate between Ringwood and Lilydale from 8.30pm Friday 24 May until early-July.

Further changes will be in place during a week in late-June, with buses replacing trains between Blackburn, Belgrave and Lilydale from 8.30pm Tuesday 18 June to 11.30pm Friday 21 June and between Box Hill, Belgrave and Lilydale from 11.30pm Friday 21 June to the last service on Sunday 23 June.

Ringwood East Station will close from 8.30pm Friday 24 May until the new station opens in early-July. Passengers should allow

extra time when travelling and check the PTV website or mobile app for changes to their service. Dublin Road will close to all traffic between Patterson Street and Railway Avenue from 7pm Friday 24 May until mid-June.

Motorists should allow up to 10 minutes extra for the detour via Mount Dandenong Road, the Maroondah Highway, Bedford Road, Canterbury Road and Bayswater Road.

While the road is closed, pedestrian access will be available at the crossing west of Dublin Road, and a free and accessible shuttle bus will operate via Eastfield Road between 7am and 7pm daily.

During this time, crews will work around the clock to lower the rail line into a 650m long

trench under Dublin Road, demolish the old Ringwood East Station and build the new station, and complete construction of the new elevated rail bridge and road connections in Croydon. When these works are complete in July, the Lilydale Line will become the first Melbourne rail line to be level crossing free, a year ahead of schedule.

Passengers are encouraged to visit ptv.vic. gov.au/disruptions for more information and to plan their journey.

Real-time traffic conditions are available at traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au. The latest public transport information and network status is available at ptv.vic.gov.au or in the PTV mobile app.

By Corey Everitt

A Federal Government inquiry has recommended a slate of protective measures to curb the impacts from increasing closures of bank branches in regional areas, recognising access to cash as an ‘essential service’.

The Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport laid down the report of the inquiry into bank closures in regional Australia.

The inquiry was prompted by the increasing withdrawal of banks from regional towns as they move to prioritise online banking over in-person branches.

The investigation covered the reasons for the sweep of closures to their impacts, hearing extreme cases where communities are as far as 500 kilometres from their nearest branch.

Tax cuts for every taxpayer

The recommendations proposed to bring more oversight to bank closures by instituting mandatory ‘Banking Code of Conduct’ where banks would have to conduct ‘meaningful consultation’, submit a report on the ‘potential impacts’ of the closure and to fund ‘transitional arrangements’ and ‘ongoing support services’.

A regulator is recommended to give powers to enforce this conduct and authorise or defer closure requests. It would also have a number of penalties at its disposal if a bank is found in breach.

The report also recommends investigating the feasibility of establishing a public bank with emphasis on looking into ‘stand-alone banks’ that use the network of Australia Post.

Recommended further was the ’Regional Community Banking Branch Program’ that provides funds to assist communities in establishing their own bank branches. It’s suggested that such funds be drawn from the banks by supplementing the Major Banks Levy.

Bank@Post, the service which allows withdrawals and deposits at selected post offices, would be beefed up by requiring all banks to integrate their service and expand its capabilities through measures such as the increase of deposit limits.

The inquiry recommended the Federal Government adopt a policy recognising access to cash and financial services as an ‘essential service’ that should be ensured with ‘reasonable access’.

The report detailed how 2100 bank branches had closed between the years 2017 and 2023, it described the impact of closures can be ‘devastating and farreaching’.

Many towns in theYarra Ranges, such as Lilydale, Mooroolbark and Chirnside Park have had local bank branches close overtime leaving less options for people to bank in store.

Most recently, this has included NAB and ANZ, with Bank of Melbourne retreating for Chirnside Park early last year.

Buses will replace trains between Ringwood and Lilydale Stations from 8.30pm Friday 24 May until early-July. 279750

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

NEWS IN BRIEF

Fund SES demand

From page 1

The key component to the Fund VICSES campaign is changing the structure of the current levies that bring in funds for the State Government to distribute to its services.

Currently, ratepayers pay a fire service levy as part of their rates each year, which then provides the government with a budget to support both the Country Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria.

“Victoria is the only state that does not have either a combined emergency services levy that also funds SES as well as fire services, or a separate levy for the fire services and another levy that also covers the SES. So there is no sustainable funding model for SES inVictoria,” Mr Caulfield said.

Not wanting to take“slice off their pie” from the CFA or FRV, Mr Caulfield said if the government introduced an emergency services levy it would increase a ratepayers yearly fee by an average of $30.

But the difference would be extraordinary for an essential service like the SES to ensure buildings and vehicles could be upgraded or maintained.

“There is no amount of money in the budget for SES to build new buildings or to buy new vehicles that are recurring every year.

“So whilst SES is able to buy new vehicles, or build new buildings, it is because the government has said here is the money to build

that [particular] building.”

Mr Caulfield said as an example, Lilydale SES will take delivery of a new vehicle later this year but in order to get it, the unit had to apply for a grant and share half the cost.

“The new vehicle that is about to be delivered to us is partly grant funded, which is not guaranteed. So we have to put in the application that is judged on merit, versus everybody else that’s looking for grant money, and be deemed worthy of getting the funds.

“But we’re still looking at around $120,000 of community money that we need to find to pay for what is called our share of that vehicle and that happens by us doing fundraising.

“So rather than being out on the tools and holding chainsaws and holding rescue equipment and doing those roles, we’re out actively doing fundraising.”

While Lilydale’s unit, by all comparison, is fairly well off because of the populated and supportive community it resides in, Mr Caulfield said some units in more rural parts of the state don’t even have facilities with toilets because “they just don’t have the fundraising capacity”.

“That makes it very hard to recruit and retain volunteers in the community when the facilities are just not up to standard.”

On a broader level, Mr Caulfield said as a “more even gender balance amongst our memberships” occurs even newer buildings,

like Lilydale’s, don’t provide designated change rooms for male, female and unisex.

As a majority volunteer organisation, with only 200 paid staff, and although Mr Caulfield said there wasn’t a push for more paid positions, a government review from the last financial year found that volunteers saved the government around half a billion dollars in employee costs.

“What we want is a budget that allows us to have the equipment and facilities to deliver the service. There’s certainly no push for us to be paid for what we do.

“We’re proud to volunteer and wear it as a badge of honour, but it doesn’t make us any less proficient in what we do.”

Mr Caulfield said SES units across the state don’t need a quick fix and would be expecting this to roll over to the next budget or state election.

“We’re actively petitioning MPs at the moment of all parties and independents, to let them know where we’re at. Ultimately, we’re not we’re not expecting a handout. We’re looking at something that would give us a level of funding security.”

Despite usually asking the community to support their SES via fundraising, Mr Caulfield said instead the unit asks that people pick up the phone or send an email to their MP calling for a sustainable funding future.

To find out more, go to fundvicses.org

Thieving trio

A trio of thieves have targeted a Croydon jewellery shop, stealing tens of thousands worth of items. Maroondah Crime Investigation Unit detectives are appealing for public assistance following the burglary on Sunday 19 May.

Investigators have been told three people broke into the store on McAdam Square about 1.50am. Once inside the store they disabled security cameras before stealing $30,000 worth of jewellery.

CCTV footage shows the figures wearing hooded jumpers, with two wearing a light colour and one a dark colour, and carrying crowbars, as well as a bag of some kind. The thieves then left the store.

Investigators have released CCTV and images of three people who may be able to assist with the investigation along with images of some of the items stolen. Anyone information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto www.crimestoppers.com.au

Day drinking concern

One in five drink drivers fined in Victoria was caught during daylight hours.

New Victoria Police analysis also reveals half of detections were on a weekday. Figures show about 1200 of the near 4900 drivers caught drink driving in the last financial year were nabbed between 6am and 6pm.

More than 400 were caught between 6am and noon alone. Victoria Police has been scheduling special daytime and early-morning operations to keep drink drivers on their toes and remind all drivers police are out testing for alcohol anywhere, any time.

The night, 6pm to midnight, remains the most prolific time for drink drivers on the road with 1900 detected followed by midnight to 6am when almost 1800 were caught.

Saturday accounts have the most detections of any day with 1200 ahead of Sunday, Friday and Thursday. About 400 drink drivers were caught on a Monday and 350 on a Tuesday. Most drink drivers fined – more than 40 per cent - recorded a blood alcohol content between 0.07 and 0.10.

Anyone caught drink driving faces heavy fines and a loss of licence. First-time drink drivers alone face a $577 fine and being disqualified from driving for three months even for low-level readings.

Croydon Police Station closed

Please be advised the Croydon Police Station will be closed from Monday 27 May and will reopen on Saturday 1 June due to renovations. Police will still be answering phones and can be contacted on 9724 0100. If you need police in an emergency contact 000. If you need to report a non urgent matter, please contact the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.

The first person was carrying a crowbar.

Picture: VICTORIA POLICE

Lilydale SES volunteers have joined the campaign to call for a more sustainable funding model to keep the service functioning at a high level.

Picture: ON FILE

Are you gambling more than once a week?

Research shows if you are gambling more than once a week, you are more likely to develop an issue.

NEWS More volunteers needed

By Tanya Steele

National Volunteer Week from 20 to 26 May celebrates the seemingly tireless volunteering community throughout the Yarra Ranges, but the growing need for volunteers is outpacing the people giving their time.

From SES, CFA, to local op shops and care associations, volunteers are everywhere, however, there is a need for more flexible volunteering opportunities as increased cost of living and more demand for services challenges the industry.

Volunteering Australia chief executive officer Mark Pearce said this year’s National Volunteer Week theme, Something for Everyone, highlights the abundance of new opportunities for people to participate and contribute towards change, despite the challenges.

“There is a diverse array of opportunities for people in Australia to volunteer within their community alongside something they’re already passionate about. Problems in community are best addressed in community, and volunteers are a big part of that,” he said.

Coldstream CFA captain Sean Bethell has volunteered since he was 16 and has no plans to slow down.

“Helping others and also the camaraderie between the other members which have been really good friendships, amongst the members that you’re working with,” he said.

“Overall, it’s the enjoyment of the training going to the different call outs and learning new skills.”

Emerald SES unit controller Ben Owen has volunteered in his community in many roles from the SES to sports coaching and said that helping someone in their time of need has kept him coming back.

“We come along, put our gear on and their day is better for it,” he said.

“We do what we can do to help.”

The Emerald-Monbulk Wildlife Shelter has a full roster of volunteers who tend to the wildlife that is rescued in the Kallista area and beyond, founder Carol Seagar said she would be lost without them.

“If I didn’t have volunteers, this place would really shut down,” she said.

Ms Seegar also relies heavily on donations from local businesses like Bendigo Bank, Monbulk Woolworths and private donations via a go fund to keep her shelter operational.

“It only started small, and without all that, it’s just so costly to run,” she said.

The volunteers juggle the busy roster of wildlife care with an online chat group that keeps the shelter running.

“I don’t have enough time to tend the animals and run everything all at once, I would be lost without my volunteers,” Ms Seegar said.

Volunteer Australia has said via a recent media release that there is a growing demand for volunteers nationally, yet a quarter of young people in Australia don’t volunteer for financial reasons and over half of the volunteers have incurred costs while volunteering.

ABS Data supports this, for the three local government areas across the Dandenong demonstrated a significant drop in formal volunteering - that is volunteering for an organisation, between the census for 2016 and 2021.

Yarra Ranges, Cardinia and Knox Local government areas all had significant drops in numbers (between 15 and 30 per cent) of volunteers and organisations are facing a challenge ahead to provide their usual service.

Formal volunteering, where people volunteer through organisations, has gradually declined over the past 10 years but is still highest among people aged 40-54 years.

Informal volunteering, where people volunteer directly in the community, is significantly more common among people aged 25-39 years, and rates of online – or remote –volunteering has continued to grow in recent years.

The latest data also reveals the proportion of people in Australia engaging in online volunteering has increased by 21 percentage points, highlighting the adaptability of volunteers in embracing new modes of engagement.

“People in Australia are already volunteering for a wide variety of organisations, from sport and recreation (25 per cent) to environment (seven per cent) and animal welfare (five per cent),” Mr Pearce said.

Mr Owen said people are more time-poor than they have been in their have in the past.

“People’s lives post Covid have changed, we’ve got to adapt,” he said.

“We (the SES) spend a huge component of our time trying to raise money so we can provide this service,” he said.

“CFA has been working very hard to deliver online courses,” Mr Bethell said.

Sally Dusting-Laird and Mandy Limb from Volunteer for Knox assist community groups to get the volunteers they need - the duo provide almost a matchmaking service to the volunteering community - finding roles that suit everybody.

“We help people to find a position that is going to suit them and give them confidence,” Ms Dusting-Laird said.

“We like to try and be innovative and think of new ways to engage volunteers,” she said.

Mr Owen said that the SES can provide something for everyone

“Don’t be scared to volunteer - we’ve got roles for everybody,” he said

“The skills you learn here you can keep for life.”

Ms Dusting-Laird said that volunteering is a big asset both the person volunteering and the service they are providing to.

“Getting them to feel like they are contributing and being part of the community has such a great impact on their mental health,” she said.

Organisations are progressively creating more online opportunities and offering flexibility within organisations to keep numbers up and in a recent media release Volunteer Australia said Volunteering improves wellbeing and supports social cohesion.

“For this reason, the rate of volunteering is a powerful indicator of the wellbeing of communities and the nation.” the post read.

“A thriving and effective volunteering ecosystem can give individuals and communities across Australia the opportunity to contribute to the common good.”

WHAT’S ON AT THE YORK WHAT’S ON AT THE YORK

Sue has been a volunteer for two years and loves it.

Voices eye elections

By Callum Ludwig

Buoyed by potential funding from Climate 200 and confirmed funding from Huddle, theVoices 4 Casey group is continuing its journey towards the 2025 Federal election.

Community members came together at the Micawber Tavern in Belgrave on Thursday 23 May for their ‘Launch the Bird’ event to ‘give flight’ to their election campaign.

Voices 4 Casey President Dr Ani Wierenga said both the financial and community support for the group is really exciting.

“I think what stands out is a pattern of grassroots support and interest in people getting together and talking about what matters for ordinary people in communities and elevating those issues into being part of the conversation,” she said.

group are also awaiting the draft decision from the Australian Electoral Commission’sVictorian Federal Redistribution, especially as the Australian Labor Party has proposed the seat of Casey be the one that is abolished as redistributed to other electorates.

Voices 4 Casey did make a submission as part of the process that should Casey be retained, it be renamed ‘Barak’ after William Barak, a sentiment shared by a number of other local submitters. DrWierenga said regardless of what happens, the listening process is going to be relevant no matter what form the electoral boundaries take.

“We’re in that interesting space where east of Melbourne, electoral boundaries may change and so we’re holding decisions until the point where we hear the AEC and what it’s doing,” she said.

“It’s not just about who sits in Canberra but it’s also about how do we represent local issues in every level of government, how do we represent the concerns of everyday people and amplify those voices and how do we have better dialogue with our representatives at every level.”

The Launch the Bird event marked the start of the group’s ‘Kitchen Table Conversations’ strategy, where they will aim to send surveys or postcards to as many houses across the electorate as they can.

Dr Wierenga said it’s part of their listening process which is beginning to form an energetic buzz.

“It’s about drawing people together for conversations about what they appreciate about living here and what matters to them, we find that in these conversations, people particularly resonate towards particular issues and our hope would be to form working groups around those issues,” she said.

“We’re early in our listening process at the moment but what we know is that the issues are different for the different towns across Casey, we’ve got the hills, we’ve got suburbs, we’ve got the agricultural areas and we’ve got the areas out into the bush so there’s a whole lot of diversity there,”

“We’re hoping to do some nuanced listening and to be able to bring some of the different sets of issues to work on for these groups, and we know that in there we need to be keeping our local media abreast of what we’re discovering so we’re thinking through the process of how we check on the pulse in different areas and dig more deeply into that.”

While the Voices 4 Casey has started, the

“Tonight(attheLaunchtheBirdevent),we’re gathering key connections and volunteers, we will be meeting more people and we expect to be able to more visibly come in front of people with events that they can be involved in and from there we hope to meet people who’d like to get to know more about theVoices movement.” Voices 4 Casey already has a number of events and appearances coming up:

Kitchen Table Conversations at the Monbulk and Belgrave libraries will be held on Wednesday 29 May and Monday 3 June respectively, both from 7pm to 9pm.

ThegroupwillhaveaHealesvilleMarketStall on Sunday 2 June, at the Belgrave Big Dreams Market on Sunday 9 June and at the Upwey Market on Sunday 23 June. Another Launch the Bird event is in the works and set to be held in Healesville. Dr Wierenga said 35 attendees came to the first edition of Launch the Bird.

“On the night, Voices 4 Casey received more than 16 new offers to volunteer in our 2024 Listening Campaign,” she said.

“One of the most delightful things was seeing people embrace the ways they can contribute to the 2024 Listening Campaign. from hosting, inviting, helping to lead in kitchen table conversations and sharing the survey across the community.”

Through funding from Huddle, Voices 4 Casey has also been able to bring on a Community Engagement Coordinator for their campaign.

Casey residents are also welcomed to share their thoughts with the group via their online survey at: research.net/r/V4C15.

Voices 4 Casey President Dr Ani Wierenga shares the plan for the 2024 Listening Campaign and invites listeners to think about their part in the plan.

NEWS Council election insights

By Callum Ludwig

Another informative opportunity for aspiring Council candidates is coming up at the end of the month.

Former Baw Baw Shire councillor and mayor Ruth McGowan will be delivering a workshop to help prospective councillors better understand the role of a councillor and help them to prepare the campaign ahead of this year’s elections in October.

Ms McGowan said the session will be a really practical look at what it takes to run for council.

“I’m hoping that people that are even a little bit curious might come along and learn a bit more about what the role is and its challenges, but also what the great things about being a councillor are,” she said.

“It will be positive, but I won’t sugarcoat it, but it’s an opportunity to learn what you do as a councillor, looking at what a day in the life of a councillor looks like and then I’ll talk a bit about what it takes to plan a campaign.”

Since 2012, Ms McGowan has acted as advisor and consultant to council’ while also writing her book, Get Elected, which is a ‘step-bystep campaign guide to winning public office’ targeted at women and encouraging them to get into politics.

Ms McGowan said time and time again, she hears councillors that get elected say ‘I wish I knew more about the role before I stood for office’.

“It does take a fair bit of time to be a great councillor and a good, effective councillor needa to put time into the role,” she said.

“That’s usually around two days a week, it can be more, it can be less, but it does have an impact on your paid work, your caring responsibilities and maybe your volunteer activities,”

“Sometimes people have to consider if they want to actually be a councillor and what’s go-

ing to be the impact on their life.”

Ms McGowan is also partnered with organisations such as Women for Election and the University of Melbourne’s Pathways to Politics program, of which she has also completed herself.

Ms McGowan said it’s really important that councillors reflect the diversity of the community they seek to represent.

“Across Victorian councils we know that they’re top-heavy and skewed towards older men, whereas we need more women to stand, we need more young people, we need people from culturally diverse backgrounds and First Nations people, they’re very much underrepresented on local councils across the state,” she said.

“I’d encourage someone who’s thinking ‘Do I belong there?’ to come along, because your voice needs to be heard and it certainly would be useful and beneficial for the community to have diverse voices around the council chamber that reflect the lived experiences people across the Yarra Ranges.”

The session will be held on Thursday 30 May from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at theYarra Ranges Council Civic Centre at 15 Anderson Street, Lilydale.

It is free for Yarra Ranges residents but registrations are essential.

Ms McGowan said being a councillor isn’t a magic, special job and people who are already leading in their communities are who she’d encourage to come along.

“They might be the president of the school council or the secretary of the kinder or a lieutenant on their local fire brigade, they’re already serving the community as community leaders and I would say many of the skills that people have can be translated to being a councillor,” she said.

“Maybe they’d like to try a different type of leadership as an elected representative and anyone can do it with the right skills, the right training and the right attitude if they’re there for the community,”

“It’s such a wonderful opportunity to serve your community in a way that you just don’t have elsewhere.”

To register for the session, visit: yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Experience/Events/Curiousabout-standing-for-Council-Workshop.

Picture:ONFILE

Grant to restore memorial

By Callum Ludwig

The Seville War Memorial is set to be restored with the support of a recent grant from the State Government.

$28,890.20 has been announced through the Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour Grant Program to help create and reinstall the two panels that were damaged.

Chair of the Seville War Memorial Committee Anthony McAleer OAM said they are excited and relieved by the grant announcement.

“It’s been a huge burden that we felt over the community that certainly has now been solved so we’re very grateful to the State government for supplying the funds to enable it to

happen,” he said.

“We’ve certainly we’ve had contingency plans in place for quite a while, but we’re certainly hoping to have it up and ready before Remembrance Day in November.”

The company that created the original glass panels will be back on board to recreate them, with the original designs and specifications having been retained.

President of the Seville Township Group Graeme Black said it would have been very difficult for the repairs to be funded any other way.

“It’s a very big project for a small town and that’s where we need state government to sometimes come in and help out, so we are very grateful,” he said.

FibrePower!

The grant programs can be used to restore war memorial, honour rolls or avenues of honour to their original condition or amend them to ‘better reflect veteran service’, such as adding additional names.

Mr McAleer said the only issues that still remains is the security in the area.

“It’s been a big issue for us, and we do realise that we need security cameras here, so the first thing we did was go to the (Yarra Ranges) Council who directyed us to the Yarra Ranges Safety Camera Network who were given funding here,” he said.

“We really want to have a serious discussion with them because we don’t want to put the memorial glass panels up without that added security there,”

“We definitely believe that we need the security cameras here and certainly if they had been here put in previously there’s a good chance that it may have deterred somebody from attacking the memorial.”

On 31 January 2019, $440,000 in funding from the Department of Home Affairs was allocated towards the Yarra Ranges Safety Camera Network following an election promise from former Casey MP Tony Smith set to bring a network of CCTV cameras to Seville,Warburton, Montrose, Monbulk and Millgrove.

Mr Smith also promised cameras for Lilydale, Yarra Glen, Woori Yallock, Monbulk, Mount Evelyn and Mooroolbark at the 2016, which went on to be delivered.

L-R: Graeme Black and Anthony McAleer. 409166

Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERSTwo panels of the Seville War Memorial were damaged beyond repair by vandals in 2023.

NEWS Baker and community man

By Mikayla van Loon

Allan’s Cakes and Bakery in Kilsyth has been a well known institution in the community as both a supplier of cakes and as a meeting place for over three decades.

Murray Allan, the man behind the name, celebrated his 70th birthday on Friday 24 May, and along with it, 55 years as a baker.

“When I started at 15, I thought I’d be retired at 40,” he said jokingly.

But the love and passion for the industry, for his skill and for his community has kept him going well beyond.

“I don’t like not working and not coming to work. I enjoy it. It keeps me healthy, keeps me fit,” he said.

Despite cutting back his days and hours in the bakery, Murray said the thought of retiring completely isn’t a pleasant one but with his trusted children taking care of the baking and business, it’s easy to take a step back.

At the age of 15, in a small province in New Zealand, Murray left school with the plan of becoming a carpenter.

“My cousin had worked at a local bakery and said they had an apprenticeship going. I had just done our school exams and I didn’t need to wait for the results, I just took the apprenticeship,” he said.

“It was quite a big wholesale bakery in the whole province and that was it. I loved it from day one. It’s a very satisfying trade.”

By the time he was 18 and a half, Murray had finished his apprenticeship completing the required 10,000 hours of training, working 60 hours a week.

“Back then there was no weekend bread, no hot bread bakeries. On a Thursday we started at four in the morning and we’d go through the night and finish at four or six the next morning, working 24 to 26 hours straight.”

Murray and his wife Daphne were married

young and by the time they were 23-years-old, they had welcomed their first son Shane and were making the big move to Australia.

“We came to Australia for three years and we’re still here,” Murray said.

First living at the Pine Hill Caravan Park in Lilydale, Murray said the family never strayed too far, always choosing the eastern suburbs to call home.

With a dream of always setting up his own bakery, that goal was achieved in 1981 with his first shop front at the Burnt Bridge Shops in Croydon.

“My parents were very poor and I wasn’t going to be poor, I decided that when I was very young. I was going to work hard and work long hours, whatever it took to get my own business and have my own house but at the end of the

day that’s not the be-all and end-all.”

Allan’s Cakes and Bakery started in a different location, then was split in two before being combined into the Kilsyth shop it is now.

For a while there, Murray said he owned a bakery in Doncaster as well, which would see his wife often ferrying items back and forth.

Over the decades, Murray said he’s seen trends come and go but the evolution ingredients used in cakes has been one of the biggest shifts of all.

“One of the overriding trends has been the richness of the products people use. Once upon a time, cakes were fairly basic and they didn’t have the creams and the icings, they were basically butter, sugar, eggs and flour.

“Nowadays, there’s so much cream and custard and sugar and chocolate.”

Pastry sales, although they went through a lull a few years ago, Murray said “are really booming today”.

But one thing that stays constant is the support of his three children, Shane, Jason and Kirsten, despite his every effort to steer them onto different paths.

“My eldest son went to university and I didn’t want any of them to come into the bakery. I wanted them all to do something else. I thought there were better ways to make a living but Shane was helping me from the age of 13,” he said.

“They’ve all had other jobs but they come back because they enjoy it.”

While it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, with Murray having to make many sacrifices to keep the business afloat, now he is able to give back to the community that supported him by sponsoring local sports clubs making bread and pies for them to sell each week.

And with a new generation of grandchildren, as well as a great grandchild on the way, Murray is proud to see them taking on his passion for the bakery.

Be part of a vibrant Community and enjoy the Facilities

Murray Allan has been baking since he was 15-years-old, a passion that has only grown.

Pictures: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

Murray’s children, Shane, Kirsten and Jason have taken on many aspects of the baking business.

Legal support milestone

By Mikayla van Loon

Over five decades Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC) has been a steadfast presence for those seeking legal support.

Celebrating 50 years of service to the east on Friday 17 May, it was a show of the collaborations, partnerships and dedication of staff to ensure legal help was not a luxury.

Following the growing community legal service movement of the 1970s, the Nunawading Legal Service, as it was first known, began in 1974 with Erskine Rodan at the helm.

“It was a handful of volunteers for the first couple of years and then they employed their first staff person in 1976,” ECLC chief executive officer Michael Smith said.

“It is just amazing to see the huge amount of support the Legal Centre has provided right across eastern communities for 50 years and how it’s grown and developed.

“The notion of supporting the whole person, not just their legal problem was there right from the start, but we’re able to do that now much more than we were in the early days.”

Mr Smith said community law, “it’s not a thing we can do alone” and so without the support from local government, health partners and other agencies, ECLC would not have been born.

“For many, many years, the Legal Centre was very much based in the inner east around Blackburn and Nunawading, the Whitehorse area,” he said.

“So some of the big steps would have been in about 2005 when we opened up our office in Boronia to service the outer east and that really gave us a stronger presence to support communities right across Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges.”

It wasn’t until the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, something Mr Smith said he remembers “vividly”, that a need for legal help further into the Valley became apparent.

“We were straightaway up there in theYarra Valley really supporting those communities right through the Yarra Glen and Dixons Creek and Healesville and all those communities were so affected by those Black Saturday fires,” he said.

“It just showed me how the community can come together and how we can leverage support from volunteers and partners and connections to really respond quickly.

“The beauty of the Community Legal Centre is it has that flexibility and adaptability to respond to meet those needs as they arise. Eventually, that led to the establishment of our Yarra Ranges Centre which opened in Healesville 10 years ago.”

That decade also brought with it a focus on a multidisciplinary approach, to not just have front-facing lawyers but advocates, social workers, financial counsellors and educators to provide a more holistic service.

Mr Smith said in his early days as a lawyer “there was a sense that the community legal centres were a small add on to the legal sector”, that only small problems could be tended to or people who couldn’t afford a lawyer would

seek support from a community centre.

That has since changed, and Mr Smith said it has quite evidently gone the other way.

“We are seen as an absolutely vital part of the legal support system right across the east. There are clients with really complex needs who come to us because they have nowhere else they could possibly go.

“So we continue to work in partnership with private lawyers and the broader legal assistance sector but we are seen as highly professional, highly skilled and experts in particu-

lar fields, particularly around family violence, particularly around elder abuse, particularly around some prevention work.”

Throughout five decades, Mr Smith said ECLC has “helped more than 85,000 individual clients” with the domino effect of those helped reaching a much higher number.

With over 300 people who attended the birthday celebration, Mr Smith said it just showed how important all the partnerships, networks, support and engagement has been throughout the eastern suburbs.

Mr Smith said, however, there would always be more opportunities to connect and have an impact, which will be the focus of the years ahead.

“We’d like to be doing more in schools. We’d like to be doing more to address family violence prevention, early intervention and response.

“We’dliketotakesomeofourgreatprograms that work in one part of the east and spread into other parts of the East. So there’s always more to do to meet those needs in our community.”

Christine and Erskine Rodan with ECLC chief executive officer Michael Smith.

Pictures: SUPPLIED

Family violence prevention advocate Rosie Batty attended the event (centre).

Larrakia musician and storyteller Ash Dargan.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC was a keynote speaker at the birthday celebrations.

ECLC chief executive officer Michael Smith with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC.

The room was filled with over 300 people from support agencies, staff, volunteers, retired staff and community members.

ECLC founder Erskine Rodan, with ECLC’s Patron Justice Jennifer Coate.

OPERATION CARE PACK DRIVE Collaboration reaches out

Lilydale Village, owned by ISPT, will partner with Holy Fools to help vulnerable community members via their community initiative, Operation Care Pack.

Operation Care Pack aims to provide individual personal care packs to 100 local people experiencing financial hardship or homelessness in theYarra Ranges.

Operation Care Pack runs from Monday 27 May until Sunday 16 June 2024, and Lilydale Village is encouraging the local community to donate individually wrapped new personal hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, tissues, hand sanitiser, toothbrushes and other personal hygiene supplies in the collection box located outside Coles. Donations of new socks and beanies are also welcome as these provide warmth during winter.

Lilydale Village centre manager Mark Ensor commented on the importance of helping our vulnerable community members, “Recognising that personal hygiene items are not a luxury but a basic need, we are committed to ensuring the members of our community have access to them through our collaborative effort with Holy Fools.”

All donated products will be evenly divided into personal care packs, which will be distributed to community members who visit Holy Fool’s shower facility in July.

“Since 2009, Holy Fools has been dedicated to serving theYarra Ranges community.

Our vision is a Yarra Ranges where everyone feels at home, and our mission is to eradicate homelessness in the area by 2030, hand in hand with our community and partners.

We tirelessly provide homeless people support, advocacy, care, and resources,” Holy

with like-minded organisations like Lilydale

we can make the Yarra Ranges a place where everyone has a home.”

Fools chief executive officer Neal Taylor said. “We can realise our vision by collaborating with our community and partners. Working

Village,

Holy Fools chief executive officer Neal Taylor with Lauren Pascale and Esther Liu from Lilydale Village. 408415 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Coffee and cakes to help

By Mikayla van Loon

In the spirit of celebration, community and cancer research, a group gathered at Japara’s Kilsyth Community Hub for a Biggest Morning Tea on Tuesday 21 May.

The Cancer Council fundraising event, always held in May, sees organisations, businesses, individuals and community groups come together for the single cause of helping fund research projects and support programs for people experiencing cancer treatment.

Japara was just one of close to 25,000 registered morning tea hosts across the country.

For community engagement coordinator Christie Humble and her mum Leanne, who experienced her own battle with breast cancer after a diagnosis in 2016, the morning tea means a whole lot more than just cakes and coffee.

“My mum wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Cancer Council’s research,” Christie said.

“Every Christmas, every graduation, every child’s birthday, everything there is. There are people around those tables year in, year out because of what the Cancer Council does. So the Biggest Morning Tea is just one day but what they’re doing makes it possible every day.”

Leanne started treatment a mere 17 days after her diagnosis, something she said was “really hard” but she was lucky to have the support of her family and the Cancer Council’s programs.

Although being bedridden for much of her treatment, Leanne said she was able to attend beauty sessions, known as feel good days, as well as getting a wig fitted when she lost her hair, small things that made her feel better.

But post the cancer treatment phase, Leanne then fell into a depression, something that was just as hard to overcome.

“It was only afterwards that I had to work through all the things I’d suppressed but now, years later, we’re in a good place,” she said.

Having been cancer free for a number of years now, Leanne still undergoes preventative treatment and has regular appointments with her oncologist and surgeon to ensure the cancer remains at bay.

Christie said every dollar that is donated to the Cancer Council helps ensure awareness around things like melanoma and getting moles checked is a common thread of thought in society.

“For all the research they do, there’s so much more to be done. We are so lucky that so many cancer treatments are available and so many preventative measures, and there are still so many areas of research where people don’t get these outcomes,” she said.

“One third of all cancers are preventable

and cancer prevention is one of the most effective ways to create a cancer free future. The Biggest Morning Tea helps spread that message,” Japara board chair Mark Doubleday said.

The event has grown every year since the 2022 morning tea and this year with the inclusion of both the Yarra Valley Singers and Japara’s occasional care little people, it was no different.

“Over 80 big and little people registered for the Japara Biggest Morning Tea,” Mark said.

“It’s simple, get together, share morning tea with friends, community and colleagues, make a donation and help further cancer research and support for those affected by cancer.

“Cancer affects all people and [the occasional care attendees’] involvement is part of learning about this and also joining in with everyone.”

Christie too said it was a wonderful addition to have the young members of the community join, in hopes they engage with events and fundraising efforts as they grow older.

“It was so lovely having early years here. We love that we have a community where children are becoming a part of such a valuable day and they’re having that exposure.

“Hopefully, that will continue and this awareness of today will grow. Hopefully, it sows the seeds of wanting to be part of a community, wanting to be a part of days like this and that we’ll see future generations being more community minded.”

Scones, jam and coins support for the Cancer Council

Mooroolbark Library’s Biggest Morning Tea held on Thursday 23 May was an incredible show of community coming together to support a cause.

Raising funds for the Cancer Council, Mooroolbark’s Country Women’s Association (CWA) contributed 144 homemade scones, as well as offering their time to serve tea and coffee to the attendees.

Community Bank Mooroolbark generously donated $200 for additional catering, which included sweets, sandwiches and fruit from Bakehouse Boss, Manna Lane, and Golden Pastry Bread Shop to create an irresistible spread of sweet treats.

With raffle door prizes donated by Manna Lane, Embark Tax Services, Blooms on Brice, Mooroolbark Historical Society and Mooroolbark GymbaROO, lots of people went home winners.

Library staff were sure it was one of the largest attendances for a Biggest MorningTea in recent years.

“Quite a few people mentioned to us that they had either never visited Mooroolbark Library, or hadn’t visited in a long time, so it was lovely that the morning tea could bring them back to a place they used to frequent, or introduce them to a new part of their com-

munity,” Library team leader Emma Jahn said.

“We also saw many strangers sitting down next to each other and making connections over a cuppa - we heard lots of ‘nice to meet you!’ as people were leaving! It was such a beautiful event and truly a community effort.

I’m very grateful for everyone who helped us put on this event, and who came to donate to the Cancer Council.”

An early estimated figure of donations, from the raffle, book sale and morning tea, Emma said was around $800.

Mooroolbark Library team leader Emma Jahn, Trish Fernley, Mooroolbark CWA members Vera Baddeley and Sandy McDonald with Community Bank Mooroolbark Branch Manager Ash Wijey at the Biggest Morning Tea. 409164

Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

Marion Stibey and Trish Markie supporting the cause. 409164

Conversations, laughter and stories were shared between friends and acquaintances. Pictures: MIKAYLA VAN LOON A spread of sweet and savoury treats were laid out for morning tea.

Conductor Belinda led the choir in song. It was a joyous meeting of people.

SHORTEST LUNCH 2024

Taste the Valley festival

Your favourite winter wine festival is back on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June to bring you all handcrafted wine, delicious bites and live music over two days!

Get a taste of the hidden gems of the Yarra Valley with a weekend full of wine tasting, music, food and stunning scenery across nine participating family-run wineries, including Billanook Estate, Boat O’Craigo, Kellybrook, Seville Hill, Steels Gate, Sutherland Estate, Tokar Estate, Whispering Hills and Yering Farm Wines.

It’s the perfect way to escape winter hibernation with your whole family, best friends, and even your fur babies (with most venues being dog-friendly)!

A decadent and diverse selection of meals will be available at each participating winery, with menu offerings ranging from cheese boards to classic Italian fare and Americanstyle barbecue. Kids and those with special dietary requirements won’t miss out either, with most wineries catering for both.

There will be glasses and bottles of wine to purchase and enjoy at the wineries on the weekend. Not to mention, there will also be exclusive Shortest Lunch cellar-door specials for you to bring home with you!

Tickets start at $35 for a day pass and $50 for a weekend pass – which includes all tastings at participating wineries and a souvenir glass to keep. There is also a VIP ticket available again this year for $110, which includes a weekend pass, meal voucher, glass of wine and bottle of wine per person.

A percentage of proceeds from this year’s Shortest Lunch event will go to local community groups, with the event having raised over $100,000 shared amongst local schools and organisations like Make A Wish since inception.

Get your tickets at shortestlunch.com.au. Taste the Valley at a

Shortest Lunch event.

Picture: SUPPLIED

NEWS Student snappers on a roll

Billanook College in Mooroolbark has impressed with three students named as finalists in Sustainability Victoria’s 2024 ‘Sustainability ThroughYour Own Lens’ photography competition.

The three outstanding entries from Billanook College have been nominated in the secondary schools’ category.

Year 12 student Gideon Classon’s ‘Sunlit Mosaic’ captures the alignment of solar panels, highlighting the readily available clean energy that should be utilised.

Emily Griffiths, a Year 10 student, captured vines adapting to their harsh environment around a pole in a piece labelled ‘Persevering to reach new heights’. This showcases nature’s resilience to man-made structures.

Finally, Year 11 student Darcy Thomson’s ‘Hidden Eye’ focuses on a dandelion, highlighting environmental adaptation and the significance of plants in our ecosystem.

As a ResourceSmart school, students at Billanook College are eager to engage in environmental projects and initiatives to improve sustainability and biodiversity on campus. Through the photography competition, students creatively share stories about sustainability and the environment, highlighting its connection to their school and the broader community.

Nine students from six schools are vying for the win in the ‘Sustainability Through Your Own Lens’ photography competition facilitated by the ResourceSmart Schools Program. This is one of several awards up for grabs at the 2024 ResourceSmart Schools Awards.

Sustainability Victoria Regions and Community Action director Katie Pahlow said the ‘Sustainability Through Your Own Lens’ pho-

tography competition offers an insight into students’ perspective on our environment.

“This competition celebrates the creative expression of students exploring the role that sustainability plays in both the built and natural environment. It’s fascinating to see sustainability ‘through the lens’ of students and un-

derstand what it means to them.”

This year, Sustainability Victoria is marking 15 years of the ResourceSmart Schools Awards with the theme, ‘Legendary Legacies – what will you leave behind?’.

Since 2008, ResourceSmart Schools has reached over 1,600 Victorian schools. Par-

ticipants have planted over five million trees, avoided 74,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases, and saved over $60 million through energy, waste, and water strategies.

This year’s award winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony held at the MCG in Melbourne on 4 June.

Stepping out on Mother’s Day with a greater purpose

By Ava Cashmore

The Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic is a community event that attracts thousands of Australians annually to celebrate mothers day with a greater purpose. The walk/run event takes place across several locations in Australia to celebrate and remember those who have been affected by breast and ovarian cancer, and raise money for research into a cure.

At the Lillydale Lake location, Rebekah Oleskowski and her three sisters, mother and father attended with high spirits and purpose. The Oleskowski family has been deeply affected by the disease, and have been loyal attendees of the mother’s day classic for the last 18 years.

“My granny had breast cancer at the age of 40 with no history, so in support of breast cancer research, she and my mum and aunty started doing the Mother’s Day Classic. We started this family tradition three years before we lost my granny at age 62,” said Rebekah.

“Without the money raised for research in the past, we may have not had the extra 22 years with granny since her diagnosis in 1985.”

Tragedy struck again In 2021 when Rebekah’s mother was diagnosed with a “sneaky” type of breast cancer. Thankfully, she is still here today.

“Without the new technology, my mum would not have had the great outcome she has had. It’s so very important to get behind this cause, as although my mum had family history she didn’t have the BRCA gene. The treatments today found my mum’s cancer before it had a chance to spread.”

Rebekah is one of four girls who has a greater chance of cancer showing up at any time in her lifetime.

“My sisters and I feel it’s our duty to bring awareness to the support for the families. The Mothers Day Classic is an amazing opportunity to connect with your community and celebrate all the lives that have been saved and taken from us too early and help bring a stop to it!”.

For more information, please visit mothersdayclassic.com.au/event/mothers-dayclassic-melbourne/home

Two girls crossing the finish line at the Melbourne event.

The Oleskowski family.

Pictures: SUPPLIED

Mother’s Day Classic in Melbourne.

Two ladies running for breast cancer at the Melbourne event.

Gideon Classon’s Sunlit Mosaic.

Pictures: SUPPLIEDDarcy Thomson’s Hidden Eye.

Determined Elsie at 104

By Mikayla van Loon

Derbyshire, England, May 1920 an independent little girl was born, the third child to be welcomed into what would become a family of eight right in the depths of the post-war period.

Over a century later, that little girl remains true at heart and as independent as ever in mind and soul.

Elsie Mallard celebrated her 104th birthday on 16 May, albeit not as planned after having a fall just days before but she was determined to be well enough to share the evening with her family.

The now Mercy Place Montrose resident cherishes her sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren and great grandchildren, who visit as often as they can.

That connection to family has always been prevalent in Elsie’s life ever since she was a child and even more so as a teen, when, like her older brothers and sisters, she had to work to help support the family.

Her father, a coal miner, was involved in the 1926 strike but picked up work here and there for a few years.

“For a little while during the strike my dad was working on what they call outcrops gathering coal off the surface,” she said.

“In those days, I think we had more confidence in kids because it was about a mile and a half from home, and my sister and I used to take him his lunch.”

But a few years later, Elsie had to leave school to help support her family.

“When I was 11, dad came out of work, the coal mines closed down. That’s when we decided to move to Lancashire, Yorkshire to try and get work but dad didn’t get any work for six years,” Elsie said.

“My sister got work, my brother too and then I got to 14 and it was essential that I worked but I had to give my pay packet up.”

Elsie, just aged 14, worked long hours at a nearby cotton factory, something she could only describe as “hard work”.

“I worked there from quarter to seven in the morning to six o’clock at night, a Saturday morning included, 54 and three quarter hours a week.”

Elsie worked there for six years, which led into the beginning of World War II - she was 19-years-old when the war broke out.

At the age of 20, Elsie decided she wanted to be a full time officer in the Salvation Army.

In 1940, Elsie moved to London to study at the William Booth Memorial Training College.

“I slept in my bed in my bedroom once.

We only had nine months training. We used to have to carry our mattress down into the basement as soon as the alarm went off and it went off every night,” she said.

“That’s what it was like for nine months, we slept in the basement.”

The bombardment of London was ferocious but Elsie’s worst memory of The Blitz was the weekend of her 21st birthday.

“My 21st birthday weekend was my last weekend with the college, I was leaving the college to go to work for the Army.

“It was the most horrendous bombing we had, it was shocking on the Saturday night. I was 21 on the Friday, this was on the Saturday, I can’t describe it.

“We got up on Sunday morning and London was just ablaze. And the college I was in, all around it there were buildings down, some still burning. It was horrendous.”

On the Sunday, Elsie said, the sergeant she was with was able to collect an old unused pram, cups and an urn to fill with boiling water.

“We walked all around, going to the bomb sites giving the men drinks, because it was only men who were fighting the fires.”

Commissioned as a lieutenant for the Salvation Army, Elsie was sent to Morpeth in north east England, where she said “it was so quiet, I slept in my own bed”.

“We wouldn’t know there was a war going on if it wasn’t for the planes going over all the time.”

Elsie spent the rest of the war posted up north, with an appointment in Birmingham, where she would live the longest out of her time in the UK - a total of 15 years.

It was in Birmingham that Elsie met the love of her life, Joe, and in giving up her officership in the Army she was able to marry him in 1947.

Welcoming three boys into the world, Elsie and Joe decided to move to Australia in 1960, “to give our three boys a better chance in life”.

They called the same Mooroolbark house home from 1964 until Elsie moved into Mercy Place, seeing the suburb change around them over the many decades.

With three grandchildren, two granddaughters who live locally and a grandson who lives in Utah, Elsie has nine great grandchildren and finds joy in spending time with her loved ones.

And for the first time in five years, since moving to America, her grandson and his four children will be visiting in June, something Elsie can’t wait to happen.

Elsie, despite being 104, still has a fire about her, with a mind as sharp as anything and a desire to remain helpful and independent.

Elsie Mallard, 104, celebrated her birthday, although not as planned, on Thursday 16 May.

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

Church built in a day

Almost from its foundation Badger Creek near Healesville developed a strong sense of ‘community’.

Although there had been some scattered farms earlier, the gradual development of the area on 2400 acres revoked from Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve, began in 1894 as the result of the Victorian Government’s Settlement of Lands Act, an attempt by government to combat the severe depression of the 1890s.

From the beginning the community, including Coranderrk residents, shared a capacity for self help. Nowhere was this more evident than the construction of a church in 1913 and the erection of the Progress Association Hall in 1924.

The remarkable story of the Church was recorded in the ‘Healesville and Yarra Glen Guardian’ on 14 November 1913.

Fallout: Outback

4/5

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is another enthralling action epic from iconic Australian director George Miller, but isn’t quite as good as the previous Mad Max film.

In this prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young woman in post-apocalyptic Australia, seeks vengeance against Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), the gang leader who killed her mother.

Like Fury Road, Furiosa is a heady mix of kinetic, creative action sequences, starkly beautiful cinematography, nihilism, fragile hope and pitch-black humour. Taylor-Joy is a fierce lead of few words as Furiosa, proving a worthy successor (or predecessor) to Charlize Theron from Fury Road.

Furiosa forms a close bond with Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), a fellow road warrior, and it’s gratifying to see an intense relationship between male and female characters in which romance is implied, not emphasised. Hemsworth is clearly having a blast playing the bombastic psychopath Dementus, and his brief moments of warmth and anxiety render his sadism all the more shocking (also, Dementus’s bright pink cape may be a tribute to the 1994 Australian classic Priscilla, Queen of the Desert).

The fiery road battles aren’t as special the second time round, but are still gripping, brutal rides that turn the trucks and convoys into surprisingly large spaces for attack and evasion. Unfortunately, while Fury Road is extremely tightly-paced, Furiosa is somewhat erratic and meandering.

The plot compresses too much of Furiosa’s growth as a road warrior, which feels oddly detached from the rushed war between Dementus and Immortan Joe (the antagonist of Fury Road), and the green oasis Furiosa came from fades into the background.

A riveting Aussie post-apocalyptic epic that falls short of Fury Road but is still savagely satisfying, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is playing in mostVictorian cinemas.

Looking back

Bryn Jones

Healesville and District Historical Society president

A part of that account is reprinted here.

For 14 days Mr W Hurstone earnestly canvassed the district seeking to obtain volunteers for the work (of building the church). He ‘buttonholed’ every man he came across in street or shop.. “I want you to give a day on Saturday the 8th to help build a church in Badger

CARTOON

Creek” - and let it be said to their credit not a man refused; in fact, they eagerly accepted the invitation.

Builders, carpenters, plumbers, painters, farmers and labourers - indeed anyone willing and able to help - worked hard, skilfully and with great goodwill. Remarkably, the building was erected, painted and finished (except for some ‘inside work’) as darkness settled down.

Sadly, on Sunday 14 February 1926 during the bushfires raging in the district, the building was burned to the ground in 15 minutes, 13 years after it was built. Nothing was saved.

Before the fires of 1926 the Badger Creek community recognised the need also for a ‘community hall’.

This was built and opened in February 1925. In February 2025, the Badger Creek community is planning centenary celebrations.

Stories as magical weapons

A review of A Hunger of Thorns by Lili Wilkinson LiliWilkinson is one of Australia’s finest authors of books for children and young adults.

Her novel A Hunger of Thorns – winner of the 2024 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Writing for Young Adults – is a captivating tale about missing girls who don’t need handsome princes to rescue them.

The story is dedicated to “every good girl who has a wild girl inside”. It begins by quoting Irish-Indian poet Nikita Gill: “They won’t tell you fairytales of how girls can be dangerous and still win. They will only tell you stories where girls are sweet and kind and reject all sin. I guess to them, it’s a terrifying thought, a red riding hood who knew exactly what she was doing when she invited the wild in.”

It’sworthkeepingthisquoteinmindbecause A Hunger ofThorns is set in a world where magic is deemed dangerous and illegal, and those who defy the law are sent to detention camps where their magical life force is drained to make commercial products, synthetic and disposable potions, spells, charms and illusions that make life convenient and beautiful.

And this is a world where all girls are endlessly lectured about what is expected and appropriate, where they are made civilised and demure, unwrinkled and unstained, their voices disciplined, destined to become good wives and productive consumers.

As the first-person protagonist Maude confesses: “I cry out for every girl who was told to comb her hair and wash the mud from her face. To keep herself contained. To be ashamed of her voice, her hair, her flesh. To be quiet and good and nice. Girls are not nice. Girls are wild and fierce and powerful, and I will not let anyone take that away. Not ever again.”

Maude is determined to find her childhood friend Odette, who appears to have been lost in an abandoned electrical power plant.

PASSION FOR PROSE

WITH CHRISTINE SUN

Herethemagicislushandprimitive,thriving and throbbing in exuberant trees, maliciously spying roses, carnivorous plants and mycorrhizal bacteria that connect it all together.

There are also magical girls and a terrifying monster.

To counter all this, the only weapon Maude has is her stories, for she is a gifted storyteller.

In her words: “To me, telling a story felt exactly like doing magic – reaching for invisible threads and weaving them together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.”

She soon realises her stories are so good that her characters come to life.

Like all good stories, A Hunger of Thorns is complex and full of unexpected plot twists as Maude discovers her true powers.

One particular focus is the importance of family and friendship, where strong yet lessthan-perfect female characters go to great lengths to rescue each other.

Another memorable feature is the nature itself, which, like magic, cannot be contained. Like roses always growing out of their pots, nature ultimately strikes back.

Stories are pure magic, and this one is exquisite and compelling.

Highly recommended.

The Odd Couple at The Comedy

The Badin theatre.

Jimmie the Beatle

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Beatles tour of Australia in 1964 with the world premiere production of Jimmie the Beatle written and directed by Tim Byron.

Jimmie Nichol is best known for sitting-in for Ringo Starr in the Beatles (when Ringo became ill with tonsillitis and was hospitalised on June 2, 1964) for eight concerts of the Beatles 1964 world tour during the height of Beatlemania.

The Beatles, especially George Harrison wanted to postpone the tour, but then the manager Brian Epstein after a frantic phone call decided to use drummer Jimmie Nicol to temporarily replace Starr.

Jimmie drummed with the Beatles in Denmark, Netherland, Hong Kong and Australia.

This elevated him from relative obscurity to worldwide fame and then back again in the space of a fortnight.

Season: June 13 – 23.

Comedy at The Basin

Your night will be guided by the hilarious engagement of the MC Kelsey De Almeida as he introduces the three comedians, Nick Schuller, David Rose, Ivan Aristeguieta, for a night of laughs to warm you to the core.

Season: Saturday June 29 at 8pm.

The 1812 Theatre

Radium Girls

Presented by Centrestage Youth Theatre.

In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity and aluminous watches the latest rage, until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious affliction.

Season: July 2 – 13.

The Comedy Theatre

The Odd Couple By Neil Simon. A story of two divorced men who flat together.

One is an extreme fusspot while his roommate is a complete slob.

Starring Shane Jacobson as Oscar the slob and Todd McKenney as Felix the fussy one.

A great production.

Shane Jacobson and Todd McKenney were terrific in their roles and some of their scenes were a picture.

Upstairs were two English girls, played by Lucy Durack as Cecily and Penny McNamee as Gwendolyn. Oscar introduces them to Felix except he got the names mixed up.

The two girls added to the high standard of the evening and gave first class performances.

The show opened with Osar’s friends playing poker.

This scene also added to the standard of the production and each player caught the feel of his character.

Shane Jacobson and Todd McKenney were perfectly cast for their roles and this is a show not to be missed.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth Rated MA15+

LUXURY MULTIGENERATION LIVING REDEFINED

LUXURY MULTIGENERATION LIVING REDEFINED

WELCOME to luxury multigeneration living at its finest! Nestled in an exclusive neighbourhood, this high-end home offers an impressive 100 squares of lavish living space. Step through the grand entrance and be greeted by the elegance of a large foyer, complete with a built-in fish tank, setting the tone for the opulence within.

The master bedroom is a sanctuary in itself, boasting a spacious walk-in robe, a private balcony with breathtaking views, and a stunning ensuite featuring a double vanity stone benchtop and a makeup station. Four additional bedrooms, each with built-in robes, ensure ample accommodation for family and guests, complemented by four luxurious bathrooms throughout the home.

The heart of the home lies in the gourmet kitchen, appointed with stone benchtops, an expansive island bench, appliances include a dishwasher, electric oven, and gas cooktop, all complemented by a butler’s pantry for added convenience.

Entertainment options abound, with a dedicated cinema room, and multiple living spaces perfect for relaxation or hosting guests.

The main living area features a stylish bar, ideal for entertaining friends and family. Stay comfortable year-round with gas ducted heating, a free-standing wood heater, zoned evaporative cooling, and a split-system heating and cooling unit.

Downstairs, discover a versatile space that offers a storage area, a home gym complete with a powder room and kitchenette, perfect for fitness enthusiasts or hobbyists.

Step outside into an entertainer’s paradise, where a large undercover decked area awaits, complete with a built-in barbecue, bar fridge, and pizza oven, overlooking a paved area and a luxurious inground pool.

Additionally, this property boasts a dual accommodation, ideal for multi-generational living or guest accommodation, featuring two bedrooms with built-in robes, a modern kitchen with stone benchtops, and a bathroom with laundry facilities, a splitsystem heating and cooling allows year round comfort.

For sports enthusiasts, a half basketball court provides endless entertainment, a cellar with two 5000-liter water tanks ensures sustainability and convenience.

Parking is a breeze with a dual access driveway, a grand carport, and a three-car garage under the roofline, alongside side access leading to a large four-car shed with a workshop and attached water tanks.

This property represents the epitome of multigeneration living and offers the ultimate set-up for multi-generational families, providing privacy, comfort, and endless entertainment options.

Don’t miss your chance to experience the height of sophistication in this exquisite estate. ●

HOME FOCUS

YOUR SPACIOUS FAMILY HAVEN AWAITS

NESTLED on a spacious 1015m2 allotment in the heart of Emerald, stands this lovingly cared for family home, cherished by its residents for its warmth and comfort.

Thoughtfully designed to accommodate the forever changing needs of a growing family, this home boasts an array of inviting spaces, including three distinct living areas. Downstairs, a versatile rumpus room, complete with a convenient bar, offers the perfect venue for lively gatherings with loved ones, complemented by direct access to the expansive yard.

Ascend to the upper level to discover a generous living room, adorned with a captivating view, enhanced by both gas ducted heating and air conditioning for yearround comfort. Step through the adjoining door to embrace outdoor living on the balcony, ideal for indulging in alfresco dining experiences.

At the heart of the home lies the impressive gourmet kitchen, fully renovated to exude elegance and functionality, featuring lavish marble benchtops and a striking waterfall bench. Abundant cabinetry, top-of-the-line appliances including a dishwasher, and a spacious meals area complete this culinary haven.

There are four well-appointed bedrooms, with the master suite transformed into a lavish retreat boasting a fully renovated walk-in ensuite and walk-in robe. The remaining bedrooms offer ample space, with two featuring built-in robes and the fourth equipped with a built-in desk and cupboards. The updated family bathroom, boasting a sleek frameless shower, bath and huge vanity serves the needs of the household with style and convenience.

Outdoors, the fully fenced yard provides a secure playground for both children and pets, is an inviting space for relaxation and unwinding.

For automotive enthusiasts or tradespeople, the property offers ample storage solutions, including a double carport and double garage, all accessible via the paved driveway.

Situated within walking distance of shops, Primary School, arts society, kindergarten, and picturesque walking trails, this property epitomizes convenient living in an idyllic locale, catering to every facet of modern family life. ●

LUXURY AND STYLE MEETS COUNTRY LIFESTYLE ON FIVE ACRES

POSITIONED in one of Emerald’s most highly sought-after locations; this outstanding architecturally designed home has been constructed with the utmost attention to detail.

Appealing to those who appreciate quality and style, every detail has been carefully considered; striking timber features, hardwood floors, huge windows, square set ceilings, and quality fixtures and fittings throughout all add to the grandeur of the home.

Entertainers will relish in the impressive living zones; the first spacious lounge boasts a central suspended fire place that creates a cozy ambiance to sit back and relax around on cooler evenings whilst you take in the breathtaking garden landscape.

In the heart of the home, discover the open plan living space that is ideal for entertaining and will impress your guests.

The impressive kitchen has been carefully designed to suit the chef of the family; the island bench with waterfall stone benchtop has an extendable stainless steel countertop ideal for food preparation, as well as a bounty of additional storage space.

Other noteworthy features include floor to ceiling cabinetry and quality appliances including an Ilve oven, Miele microwave and steam oven, integrated Miele Dishwasher and an integrated Liebherr fridge.

The dining area opens completely to the decked entertaining area to create a seamless indoor/outdoor living set up. An adjoining sunken lounge offers a more relaxed living space with direct access to the decked patio.

The master suite is something to behold, featuring a fully fitted walk in wardrobe and modern ensuite bathroom complete with floating vanity, floor to ceiling tiling and rain shower head, this is a true parents retreat.

The secondary bedrooms both with fully fitted built in wardrobes are separately zoned. The huge family bathroom offers a tranquil place to relax in the freestanding bath whilst you enjoy the leafy outlook; floor to ceiling tiling, rain shower head and floating vanity add to the feel. If you require a work from home set up, the fully fitted home office with built in desk and cabinetry will surely tick all the boxes or could easily be reconfigured as bedroom four if required.

The laundry offers an abundance of storage, waterfall stone benchtop, built in laundry baskets and walk-in broom cupboard. For year-round comfort there is zoned ducted heating and cooling. There is a double garage with remote access and workshop with internal access also under roofline.

Outside the embellishments continue, a contemporary Japanese inspired bath house with restful garden views offers versatility to suit your needs, whether you continue the vision and create a soothing bath house or create an art studio or yoga studio, the possibilities are endless. For the green thumb there is a variety of fruit trees scattered on the property along with raised vegetable gardens and a handy garden shed. The balance of the property has been completely landscaped to create a private oasis, with beautiful established plantings, magnificent shade trees and vibrant florals.

Striking granite features throughout add to the opulence.

Located just a stones throw from the thriving Emerald township; schools, cafes, sporting grounds, public transport, walking trails and parkland are all at your fingertips.

All this and we have only just scratched the surface, this is a property that needs to be seen to be believed. Inspect with absolute confidence. ●

SIMPLY GORGEOUS, JUST MOVE IN

THIS home is a delightful blend of contemporary comfort and timeless charm.

The weatherboard exterior adds character, while the modern interior with polished floorboards creates a fresh atmosphere.

The three bedrooms offer ample space, especially the main bedroom with its walk-in robe and ensuite, perfect for relaxation. The large windows allowing scenic garden views are a wonderful touch.

The main bathroom’s luxurious familysized bath sounds like a delightful retreat, and the open-plan layout of the lounge, dining, and kitchen areas ensures a seamless flow, with the kitchen offering

a picturesque view of the backyard. The inclusion of mains gas ducted heating and fans ensures comfort throughout the year, catering to both cold winters and warmer months.

Outside, the outdoor entertaining area is a bonus, providing a great space for gatherings or simply enjoying the outdoors.

The established gardens and fully fenced yard add to the appeal, offering privacy and a sense of tranquility.

Overall, this home seems like a fantastic opportunity for anyone seeking a blend of modern living and classic charm. ●

Experiencesecurefamilylivingwithanabundanceofspace You´llbeimpressedbythisdelightfulfamilyhomefullofcharacterandcharm.Offeringanopen kitchen,diningandfamilyarea, 3bedroomsincludingmasterwithensuiteandspaciouswalk-in robe,and adoublecarportatthefrontallowseasyundercoverparking.Bothbathroomsboasta delightfulfeaturewindowwhereonecantakeinthelushgreeneryinabsoluteprivacy!Thissecure fencedpropertyissurroundedbyestablishedgardens,a largegrassy,flatyardallsafelybehinda charmingfrontpicketfencewithremotecontrolgates.Inadditiontothecarports, alockupgarage andtoolshedattherear.ThepavedcourtyardwithbuiltinBBQmakesanidealsettingforanysocial gathering.Additionalfeaturesincludegasductedheating, 3splitsystems,ceilingfans, acrackling woodfireintheloungeand ahugeblockofapprox.1114sq.m Agreatplacetocallhome. 2748WarburtonHighway,Wesburn

JalaThompson M 0400063055

CharmingFamilyHomeclosetotown

Boastinggreatspace,convenienceandeasycarelivingforthegrowingfamily,ina quietand picturesquelocationclosetoallfacilities.Offering 4bedroomsallwithbuiltinrobesandwith3 separatebathroomsincludinganensuiteandwalkinrobeinthemainbedroom.A flexiblefloorplan withfamilyspaceinmindandconvenientlyspreadover 2levels,multiplelivingareaswithseparate lounge/livingandfamilyroomsofferthegrowingorextendedfamilyamplespacetospread out.Beautifulkitchenloadsofbenchandcupboardspacewithqualityappliancesandfittings throughout,outsideofferslowmaintenanceestablishedgardensanda lockupgarage.A superb familyhomeconvenientlysituatedjusta shortstrolltoYarraJunctionsbusyshoppingprecinct,local schools,transportandtheYarraCentre.

DavidCarroll M 0419539320 Inspection: Sat9.30-10.00am

EnchantingHomeon ½acrewithMountainViews

Thistwostorycharacterhomeboaststhreebedroomsandtwobathrooms,offering adelightful retreatamidststunningmountainvistas.Nestledon ageneroushalfacreblock,it’sideallysituated. Thegroundlevelhoststwobedroomsalongside amainbathroom,gracedwithhighceilingsand decorativecornices.Theupdatedkitchenis aculinaryhaven,boastinga stylishbreakfastbar,ample benchspace,and adelightfulwindowoverlookingthelushgarden.Stepoutsideontothegorgeous deckarea,perfectforalfrescodiningwhilesoakinginthepicturesquesurroundings.Downstairs, aspaciousrumpusareaawaits,andmainbedroomcompletewithanensuiteandbuiltinrobe. Outside,themeticulouslylandscapedgardensburstwithcolour,adornedwithcharmingshadetrees scatteredthroughouttheproperty,creatinga sereneoasistocallhome.

6ParkRoad,Warburton$580,000-$630,000

CharacterlivinginParkroad,thelocationtobe! Thischarmingweatherboardhomeisanidealchoiceforweekendgetawaysordownsizing. Boasting 2bedroomsplusa study/ 3rdbedroom,itoffersflexibilitytosuityourlifestyle.Theopen plankitchenfeaturesamplenaturallight,a spaciousgasoven, acozywoodfire,andceilingfans throughoutforyearroundcomfort.Themainbedroomoffersgenerousstorage,whiletheupdated bathroomincludes avanity,showerandtoilet.Thecharacterhomecomeswiththecomfortof recentrenovationsincludingnewroof,weatherboardsreplacedjusttoname afewofthemajor improvements.Outside,thehighlightisthedeckwithcafeblindsandbreathtakingmountainviews. With afullyfenced,lowmaintenanceyardandconvenientaccesstothemainstreet,waterpark, Yarrariverwalk,andallthedelightsofWarburton,thishomeoffersbothcomfortandconvenience.

RebeccaDoolan M 0401832068

ENTERTAINING DREAM HOME ON 1/4 ACRE

COMBINE the timeless character of a cottage façade with on-trend modern renovations. Here we have a delightful home, situated on a spacious quarter acre (1,144 sqm), minutes to Healesville’s popular main street, and walking distance to the RACV Country Club. This property quite literally offers the white picket fence dream: a secure front yard and driveway access, fully fenced backyard with shed / man cave and covered decking, and a great floor plan.

The home offers 3 bedrooms (with 2 builtin robes), 1 renovated bathroom with bath and shower, and a superb flow-through living design. The home is heated and cooled by ducted heating and 2 split systems. It is the perfect home for a couple or young family –as you can see, the third bedroom makes an

ideal study or home office.

Outside the property is entertaining plus: let your furry friends run in the backyard, have mates over for a beer and a game of pool in the cold of winter, entertain friends and family on the decking in the summer. There is so much joy to come out of living at 15 Hazford Street.

The concrete-based shed is a particular favourite, a multi-functional space with a work station in the corner and massive mancave (or “dame’s den”) potential – complete with built-in bar and pot belly wood heater.

This is an awesome soft landing for any young buyer looking to enter the Healesville market before it booms. Get in while you can.

Text 15HAZFORD to 0448 820 022 for more information. ●

Integrity Real Estate is a family-owned real estate agency servicing the Yarra Valley, Kinglake Ranges and surrounds. Our team draws on over 70 years real estate experience to provide premium property services, with unmatched personal service that only a family company can provide.

MAGNIFICENT HOMESTEAD ON APPROXIMATELY 120 ACRES

SITUATED in the Yea Highlands on approx. 120 acres is this amazing property.

The main feature is a 32 square homestead plus verandahs, meticulously built by the owner.

It consists of 3 bedrooms plus study, featuring 10 ft ceilings, full ensuite and walk in robe to the main bedroom, hydronic heating, and double-glazed windows just to name a few.

A separate 2nd dwelling is a 3-bedroom cottage which would be perfect for friends or relatives to stay, or you could run it as an Airbnb.

The land is mostly cleared, good pastureland supported by 3 dams of which 2 are spring fed. There are excellent stock yards and electric fencing of course.

Shedding and car accommodation consists of a massive 350m2 shed with power, hay shed, a double garage and carport.

The property also has an endless supply of fresh bore water for household use and gardens all year round. Tank storage amounts to 180,000 litres.

To appreciate this incredible property and the attention to detail it has, you need to inspect it. Seeing is believing. ●

CLASS AND CHARACTER: A HIDDEN GEM

APPEALING to the most discerning buyer, it is rare to find a home of this calibre that has so much appeal both inside and outside; surely the complete package. The class and character of Sandstone and a quality first and last internal fit. The piece of mind of steel frame construction on concrete slab and the delight of a fully landscape lot of almost an acre.

This oasis is cosetted by two much larger properties of 40 and 50 acres and looks out over another pastured neighbouring property of approximately 20 acres to mountain vistas beyond. All this creating an easy care rural lifestyle with all the benefits of much larger acreage yet allowing you to keep you weekends and regular holidays away.

A contemporary home of approx 311 sqm (33.4 sq) of internal living plus 2 spacious double garages under roofline built in 2008 by JG King sits on a block size of

3662m2 ( .9 acre).

An executive home, walk in ready with a practical and flexible floorplan, as well as garaging for six cars, or other car/ workshop/studio options. The undercover verandahs encompass most of the home, and are perfect for sitting with a glass in hand, enjoying the tranquility of the beautiful mountain, paddocks and garden vistas.

A brief drive through picturesque countryside leads you to Healesville’s central shopping strip, which features award winning cafes, restaurants, major shopping brands and boutique retail. Of course, the rest of the Yarra Valley is on your doorstep, with Melbourne Central and the airport just over an hour’s drive away.

From the moment you come into the wide and elegant entrance hall, you will be enamoured with the sense of elegance, space and style. ●

Address: 92 Hodges Road, CHUM CREEK Description: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 6 garage Price: On application Inspect: By appointment Contact: Ian Vine 0488 179 767, HEALESVILLE REAL ESTATE, HEALESVILLE

SOUL FULL LIVING WITH GREAT VIEWS

A joyful, wonderfully unique home located in the desirable Newgrove Road, with outstanding views... what more do you need?!

Feel uplifted the moment you wander down the driveway, with its lovely garden and Gaudi inspired sculptures.The homes layout follows the curve of the land, nestling into the site, and taking advantage of the slope.

The kitchen, with a lovely bay window projecting you into the garden, has good storage and quality appliances, with the dining area adjacent.

A third bedroom, currently doubling duty as a study leads you into the amazing space used as an artist's studio /gallery.

With beautiful light, vaulted ceiling, and amazing views you can see how inspiring it would be to work there.

A separate entrance means its also a perfect home office, however a wonderful master suite could also easily be instigated, with access to the Jack and Jill bathroom shared with the second bedroom, and a dressing room created in the third bedroom. An energising space to wake up in every morning and take in the views.

On the lower split level floor, there are two established bedrooms with built-in robes, one with green garden views, the other enjoying the mountain views.

The lounge room is comfortable with access on to the deck which runs the length of the home. Another surprise awaits, and again, it is all about the light, and sitting in the outstanding views. A beautiful north

HOME ESSENTIALS

Address: 47 Newgrove Road, HEALESVILLE

facing room with huge windows draws the view into the space and watch the world of Healesville below, or gaze across at the deep blue mountains. A room, that once entered, will would be hard to leave.

Designed to maximise light, the eaves clearly offer protection from the high summer sun, but allow northern winter light to flood in. A perfect place to sit at any time of the day, watching the birdlife chatter and to perhaps be inspired yourself to be creative - it's that type of home.

Outside, the surrounds are as fun as the inside, with extensive sculptures, mosaic tiling, organic walling wandering around the garden, with inviting spots to stop and relax. A pizza oven lends itself to evenings at home with friends, or long lazy lunches. A generous workshop sits beneath the home, and side access is good on both sides.

An oversized double carport sits close to the home and offers shelter to the home in summer. Panoramic vistas abound a home for all seasons, beautifully maintained, individual, with a floor plan that offers flexibility under the roofline. ●

Description: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage

Price: On application Inspect: By appointment

Contact: Ian Vine 0488 179 767, HEALESVILLE REAL ESTATE, HEALESVILLE

A fabulous family home, offering two living spaces, six bedrooms, master with ensuite, lots of outdoor space and entertaining.

Located on the cusp of Badger Creek, it’s a quick two minute drive to Badger Creek Primary School, or a 10 minute wander, while buses regularly traverse Don Road, also a short walk away.

With so many bedrooms on offer, it allows for a flexible approach to how you

Address: 1 Rosanna Court, BADGER CREEK

use the space. A spare room for guests or a study for the kids and a home for mum and dad: Working from home made easy. Or perhaps it allows for multi generational living. The choice is yours.

Perfectly located to take advantage of all the Yarra Valley has to offer, as well as the requirements of everyday life.

Neatly presented and ready to go, please call to arrange an inspection. ●

Description: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage

Price: On application Inspect: By appointment

Contact: Ian Vine 0488 179 767, HEALESVILLE REAL ESTATE, HEALTHVILLE

HOME FOCUS

GEMBROOK CHARM AND CONVENIENCE

DISCOVER the best of Gembrook with this architecturally designed home, perfectly blending space, style, and comfort.

Nestled on just under a third of an acre, this property offers elevated views overlooking the iconic Gembrook Puffing Billy Station and sits right in the heart of the township. With 4 large bedrooms and 3 generous living areas, there’s plenty of room for everyone. The open-plan kitchen and dining area is ideal for family gatherings.

The home is bright and light with high ceilings and is immaculately presented. There are spotted gum floors throughout the living areas, new carpet in the bedrooms & the home has been freshly painted throughout. New ceiling fans, ducted gas heating, and evaporative cooling ensure year-round comfort.

The beautiful spotted gum continues with the polished feature waterfall benchtop in the kitchen. The stylish kitchen also has an abundance of soft-close drawers, a stainless steel dishwasher and a brand new freestanding dual fuel stove.

Step outside to a wrap-around deck that provides peaceful views of the established gardens. The master bedroom opens through french doors onto the northfacing rear deck and includes a large walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite with a double shower. The further three spacious bedrooms all enjoy delightful garden views. Two of the bedrooms have built-in wardrobes and one has a ceiling fan.

The high-end and environmentally focused finishes continue with the slim line LED light switches, Cat 5 ethernet cabling to all bedrooms & the lounge room, use of water tanks to flush toilets, and a 5 star energy rating.

External features include the fully fenced backyard, fire pit area, established gardens, vegetable plots, fruit trees, and ornamental trees. There is a delightful stone wall made from local materials, hedges of rosemary and bay, and a cute white picket fence. Enjoy the fantastic display of colour from the Japanese maples, Scarlet Oak, Silver Birch, Gingko, Magnolias and many more. The gravel driveway is lined with ballerina apples, and the edible garden design offers a variety of producing fruit trees and berries, including cherry, blood orange, pink grapefruit, pomegranate, lemon, mandarin, blueberries, mulberries, serviceberry and chilean guava.

Located conveniently just a short stroll from the local primary school, kindergarten/ childcare, IGA, and multiple restaurants and cafes.

This property has it all so don’t miss out - call to arrange a private inspection today. Please note: All property details shown are correct at time of publishing. Some properties may have been sold in the preceding 24 hours and we recommend that you confirm open for inspection times with the listing agent direct or the listing office. ●

4BedroomHome,ClosetoCockatoowithGreatAmericanBarn!

Beautifullymaintained 4bedroom,2 bathroomhome.Thehomehasductedheating &ispositioned tothefrontofthisflatparklikefullyfencedblockwithclearedlawnsamongstestablishedtrees. Featuring:leadlightfeaturefrontdoor,splitlevelliving, 2bedroomswithBIR,Mastersuitewithensuite, WIR& ceilingfan,familybathroomwith adualvanity,shower &bath, &a 4thbedroom/studywith ceilingfan.Thereis agranddiningroomthatisopenplanwiththekitchen &hasviewsouttothe expansivedeck.Thereis asecondlargeloungeroomwith acosywoodfire &splitsystemAC.The deckisgorgeous&floodedwithsunlight.TotherearoftheblockisaninsulatedAmericanbarn, with 1bayrollerdoor,a pedestriandoor,concretefloor,power,lights&amezzanine.Thereisalsoa handytapnexttothebarn,assortedfruittrees,a shedwithpower, &6 solarpanelswiththehome.

Feelsubmersedinnaturewhilstbeing 5minsfromBelgrave! Thissplitlevelhomeonapprox.1 acrehasstonelinedstepsthatleadtothefrontwraparound verandah &leadlightfrontdoor.Totherightisa loungeroomwithbuiltinfireplace, &a staircase leadinguptothebedrooms.Totheleftofthefrontdooristhekitchenwith900mmFalconoven, &a freestandingwoodfire.Thereis aentertainingdeckequippedwitha builtinBBQ,&ahomeoffice nearthedeckwhichiscompletewith asplitsystemAC.Upstairsisa masterbedroomwithWIR& ensuite.Thencontinuealongthehallwaytodiscoveranother3 bedrooms,allofwhichhaveceiling fans,splitsystemACs, &BIRs.Thereisa familybathroomwithshower,bath& toilet.Furtherfeatures includedoubleglazedwindows,ductedheatingthroughout &evaporativecoolingdownstairs,3 bayshed,4.5kwofsolarpanels,&a7 kwbatterysetup.

SunfilledFamilyHomeonapprox.2/3ofanAcre! Thishomeoffers 4bedrooms, 2livingareas,anopenplankitchen &diningarea, astudy &a doublecarport!Thehomesprawlsoversplitlevelliving& offersgasductedheatingthroughout.The loungeroomhasitsownentry &thereare2 bedrooms&astudytotherearofthehome.Thekitchen isfloodedwithlight &hasplentyofroomfora diningtable.Thereisanotherbedroom &thefamily bathroomadjoiningthekitchen/diningarea.Continuedownstairstothestunningloungeroomwith woodfireheater,plentyofstorage,& viewsouttothegreenery.Themasterbedroomflowsfromthe loungeroom &hasfloortoceilingglasswindows,WIR, &anensuite.Thelounge &masterbedroom haveaccesstothedeckwhichhasviewstoWrightsforest.Thispropertyislocatedjustover5mins drivetotheheartofEmeraldtownship.

Architecturallydesignedwithhighceilings, 4largebedrooms&3livingareas &anopenplan kitchen/diningspace.Therearespottedgumfloorsthroughoutthelivingareas,newcarpetinthe bedrooms& itisfreshlypaintedthroughout.Thereisductedgasheating,& evaporativecooling. Thekitchenhassoft-closedrawers,SSdishwasher&anewfreestandingdualfuelstove.Themaster bedroomopensthroughFrenchdoorsontothenorth-facingdeck &includesa WIR& ensuitewitha doubleshower.Thefurther3 spaciousbedroomsallenjoygardenviews.ThereareslimlineLEDlight switches,Cat 5ethernetcablingtoallbedrooms& theloungeroom,& useofwatertankstoflush toilets.Thewrap-arounddeckprovidesviewsoftheestablishedgardens &thefullyfencedbackyard. Thereisa firepitarea,vegetableplots,fruit &ornamentaltrees. 2BelvedereCourt,Gembrook $890,000 -$970,000

BethanySullivan M 0438844968

AaronDay M 0407365994

IS THIS THE BEST UNIT YOU HAVE SEEN SO FAR?

SET in an absolutely fantastic location, only a short stroll to The Gully shopping village and train station, this spacious, two bedroom unit could possibly be the best unit you have seen so far.

With generous parking space that includes a single garage, carport and easy access visitor parking (not on title), the property offers much more than most. An oversized lounge room with split system heating/ cooling also accommodates a dining area, plus there is room for a breakfast table or home office set up off the well-designed kitchen. Both bedrooms are of great size, the main room offering wall to wall wardrobe, the second room with built in desk.

Well maintained both inside and out, the home has a warm and inviting feel from the moment you step inside and is certainly bigger than meets the eye.

Outside, an undercover decking is the ideal spot to enjoy dinners with family and friends and there is just enough garden to provide great privacy and also an enjoyable pastime for any green thumb. Offering an opportunity you simply cannot miss, this is a must see for everyone who is looking for a spacious unit, close to everything. ●

SharynChandler

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.

ACROSS

1 Uncovered (7)

5 Tools used to hold a wood or metal workpiece (1,6)

9 Amply (11)

10 Angry crowd (3)

11 Votary (6)

12 Comfort (7)

14 Directs (4)

15 Uneducated (10)

17 Rival (10)

19 Book ID (1,1,1,1)

20 Induct (7)

22 Resolve (6)

25 Pester (3)

26 Offender (11)

28 Raffle (7)

29 Forest workers (7) DOWN

1 See (4)

2 Alias, pen-name (9)

3 Lecher (5)

4 Submissive (11)

5 Hair product (3)

6 Launch a tirade at (3,4)

7 Latin American dance (5)

8 Section title (10)

12 Aficionado (11)

13 Partial (10)

16 Christmas plant (9)

18 Instance (7)

21 Spectacle (5)

23 Capital of Italy’s Piedmont region (5)

24 Advantages (4)

27 Narrow beam (3)

No. 187

No. 187

Rounding out the season

By John Thomson

This week was the last week of the Autumn Croquet competition. It has been a mixed year for the Lilydale Croquet Club teams, with players moving up in division and new players coming into the teams and getting valuable experience, which all bodes well for the future.

In Division 1 level play this week Lilydale hosted Mornington Croquet Club.

The Lilydale team this week consisted of John Thomson, Craig McCracken and Murray Howlett.

John Thomson and Craig McCracken teamed up to play in the doubles. John and Craig started well and had won the first four hoops before Mornington were able to score. John and Craig teamed well together and did not let their opponents get a look in and went on to have a convincing win 7 hoops to Mornington 1 hoop.

In the first of the singles games Murray Howlett was playing. Murray started slowly with his opponent winning the first two hoops, then Murray started to work his way back into the game. After twelve hoops had been played the score was six hoops each, with the thirteenth hoop to be played to decide the winner. This hoop was a battle with both players playing a defensive game until Murray put himself in a position to run the hoop and win the game, 7 hoops to Mornington 6 hoops.

In the next singles John Thomson was playing. In this game John seemed to be playing catch-up all of the time as his opponent would get a couple of hoops ahead and he would catch-up again. After twelve hoops had been played it was six hoops a piece, so the thirteenth hoop had to be played to again find a winner. Both players set-up well and after a bit of defensive play John was able to get a ball in front of the hoop only to have his opponent complete a nice jump to win the game. Mornington 7 hoops Lilydale 6 hoops.

At the break it was Lilydale 2 games 20 hoops to Mornington 1 game 14 hoops.

After the break Craig McCracken was playing. Craig started well but his Mornington opponent worked his way back into the game and slowly got on top and went on to win, Mornington 7 hoops to Lilydale 5 hoops.

With both teams now having won two games it was now down to the last game to decide the winner for the day.

Murray Howlett was playing in this game. This game ebbed and flowed between the two players until Murray was able to establish a

break and was able to go on and win the game, 7 hoops to Mornington 5 hoops.

The score at the end of the day was Lilydale 3 games 32 hoops to Mornington 2 games 26 hoops.

This win put Lilydale into second position for the season. This is a great result especially as it was Craig McCracken and John Thomson’s first season at this level. Well done to the Division 1 team. The Lilydale Division 2 team travelled down the freeway to Mornington.

The Lilydale team was Alan Jones, Kerri McCracken and Mick Crawley.

In the doubles Alan Jones and Kerri McCracken teamed up. Alan and Kerri got off to a good start and controlled the game for most of the time and went on to have a comfortable win 7 hoops to Mornington 2 hoops.

Alan Jones played in the first of the singles. Alan has been playing well in recent times and this game was no exception with Alan controlling the game 7 hoops to Mornington 3 hoops.

Mick Crawley played in the next singles. This game was a closer affair than the first two, with both players playing well. Mick was able to establish a break late in the game and went on to win 7 hoops to Mornington 5 hoops.

At the lunch break the scores were Lilydale 3 games 21 hoops to Mornington 0 games 10 hoops.

In the first singles after lunch Kerri Mc-

Cracken was playing. This game was tight all the way through with both players not giving an inch, this was certainly the best opportunity for Mornington to win a game. After twelve hoops the score was six hoops each so it was off to the thirteenth hoop to decide a winner.

After some very defensive play Kerri took a chance and was able to run the hoop to deny Mornington of a win. Lilydale 7 hoops Mornington 6 hoops.

Mick Crawley played in the last singles game. This season Mick has come on in leaps and bounds and is playing some really good croquet. Mick got on top early in this game and held his lead through the game to win 7 hoops to Mornington 2 hoops.

Final scores for the day, Lilydale 5 games 35 hoops to Mornington 0 games 18 hoops, an excellent victory by the team.

Lilydale Division 2 side finished the year in third position. The team was largely inexperienced in playing competition so to finish third was a great result. The experience gained from this season will hold them in good stead for the future. On Thursday the Lilydale handicap team travelled to Monash Croquet Club.

The Lilydale team this week consisted of Craig McCracken, Mick Crawley and Kerri McCracken. Mick Crawley played in the first singles and started strongly. Mick has been in good form of late and he carried his good form into

this game. Mick controlled the game all the way, and in the end had a comfortable win 7 hoops to Monash 3 hoops.

In the first of the doubles the husband and wife combo of Kerri and Craig McCracken teamed up. This game was a close game with both teams not able to get a clear break until late in the game Lilydale was able to get a couple of hoops ahead and win the game 7 hoops to Monash 5 hoops.

In the next singles Craig McCracken was playing. Because of the handicap system Craig was starting one hoop behind while the Monash player had a two hoop start. This was going to take a big effort from Craig. The Monash player was playing well while Craig was battling away manfully, unfortunately the handicap system worked against Craig and Monash won 7 hoops to Lilydale 4 hoops.

In the next doubles Mick Crawley and Kerri McCracken teamed up. Both teams were evenly matched so neither team had an advantage. Monash started strongly and were up by a couple of hoops before Lilydale got going. It was an even battle from then on but Monash still had that two hoop advantage and went on to win 7 hoopstoLilydale5hoops.Atthelunchbreakthe scores were Monash 2 games 22 hoops, Lilydale 2 games 23 hoops. It was obvious that the final result was going to be close. Kerri McCracken played in the first singles after lunch. Kerri was starting with a one hoop advantage. Whatever the Monash player had for lunch certainly had the right effect as he got off to a flying start and never let Kerri settle into the game. Monash 7 hoops to Lilydale 3 hoops. The last game of the day was another doubles match, this time Mick Crawley and Craig McCracken teamed up. Craig and Mick were starting one hoop behind and Monash held a one hoop advantage.

Craig and Mick combined well and even though they had to make up two hoops they were able to do this and then go on to win 7 hoops to Monash 5 hoops.

With both teams winning one of the last two games the final result was going to come down to the hoop count.

Final scores, Monash 3 games 34 hoops to Lilydale 3 games 33 hoops. Only one hoop separated both teams on the day.

The Lilydale handicap team finished the year in fourth position. As in the Division 2 team there were a number of inexperienced players in this team so the fourth placed result was well earnt, and again I am sure valuable experience has been gained for the future.

See you all again for the Spring season.

Night of nights for Yarra Ranges Athletics at Chirnside

By Jamie Strudley

Yarra Ranges Athletics celebrated the 202324 season with a fun filled awards evening at Chirnside Park Country Club. Great to see members, family and friends in their finery to acknowledge the amazing achievements from the previous season of cross country and track and field.

Harry Norman took home the Outstanding Achievement award for his resounding Open Men’s 5000m State Title while Jane Pointon and Dannie McKinnon were recognised for their contributions over the past 12 months, jointly sharing the Club Person of the Year award.

Award winners from the night were:

· Dual Reg Athlete of theYear - Zoe Clarke

· New Member of the Year - Carolyn Rosenbrock

· Coach / Official / Administrator of the YearJamie Strudley

· Most Improved Athlete of the Year - Max Savill-Bentley

· XCR Athlete of theYear- Brigette Rice

· Sprint / Hurdle Athlete of the Year- Ashleigh Rooke

· Distance / Walks Athlete of the Year- Harry Norman

· Throws Athlete of theYear- Ash Almond

· Junior Female Athlete of the Year - Brigette Rice & Ashleigh Rooke

· Junior Male Athlete of theYear - Bradley Mc-

Meeken

· Female Athlete of the Year - Carolyn Rosenbrock

· Male Athlete of theYear - Ash Almond

· Club Person of the Year (Perpetual Trophy)Jane Pointon & Dannie McKinnon

· Outstanding Achievement Award (Perpetual Trophy) - Harry Norman Saturday morning cross country continued with round 6 at a frosty Margaret Lewis

Reserve. Always a testing course making any course PB’s hard to get but the choccie frog well earned.

Next week YRA return to Elizabeth Bridge, Kilsyth for another crack at a PB and chocolate rewards.

Results from round 5 at Lillydale lake are: 500m

· River Farmilo 2.53; Kylan Milne 2.58; Harry Wales 3.22; Sophie Ashton 3.23; Tarlee Lewis 3.25; Silas Dawson 3.3; Harper Bailey 3.39; Maisie McLeod 3.41; Rowan Coffey 3.49; Rebecca Forsyth 4.35 1000m

· Ivy Ingle 5.32; Angus Clarke 5.54; Elliott Dawson 6.05; Noah Hewatt 6.25; Jasper Dean 6.35; Taylor Cox 7.47; Willliam Hastewell 8.42

1500m

· Riley Yorke 6.09; Lucas Pauly 6.26; Milly Hall 6.44; Brock Peel 6.59; Etta Thomas 7.12; Willow Neal 7.2; Zahra Lehmann 7.22; Imogen McMillan 7.34; Tillie Sommers 7.35; Harper Neal 7.35; Iola MacKay 7.42; Kirrah Lehmann 7.45; Sadie Hewatt 7.58; Delia Coffey 8.08; Georgia Cooke 8.12; Indi Budin 8.29; Winter Anderson-Bonsor 8.49; Tahlia Dawson 9.04; Cody Buckland 9.33; Byron Stark 10.20; Micah Friend 10.54

2000m

· Samuel Thomas 8.11; Theodore Lewis 9.01; Xander Sommers 9.11; Holly Yorke 9.37; Dominic Nealon 9.56Tess Hewatt 10.18;

Haisma 10.2727; Arizona Peel 10.49; Noah Eldridge 10.51; Eliana Aveling 11.02; Zuri Dawson 11.19; Hugh Richardson 12.16; Jake Buckland 12.52; Eamon MacKay 13.12; Maddie Forsyth 14.04; Eva Kinghorn 14.54 3000m

· Archie Budin 12.38; Blake Saloyedoff 13.21; Zac McMillan 13.35; Lily Clarke 14.02; Brienna Coffey 14.14; Mason James 14.38; Tori Kincaid 14.48; Bryan Ackerly 15.05; Mackenzie Graham 15.25; Elizabeth Coffey 15.36; Elise Hall 16.43; Bradley McMeeken 17.48; Amelia Eldridge 17.58

The seniors team is back in action next Sunday with round 3 of the XCR season. A fast 10km road race finishing inside Lakeside Stadium at Albert Park. TheU14, U16 and U18 athletes compete over 3km, guaranteed to be a lightning fast 3k too!

Crosscountrytrainingforallclubmembers is at Morrison reserve on Tuesday evenings from 5.30pm and Thursdays from 5.30pm at the Victoria Road Primary School gym. Yarra Ranges Athletics welcomes and encourages all athletes of any age or ability.

Go to www.lavic.com.au or www.athsvic. org.au or email info@yarrarangesathletics. org.au for information about events and registration. Cross Country is here!

For information on training, how to join or trial, photos, results and updated news, visit the website at yarrarangesathletics.org. au or check us out on Facebook. Run, Jump, Throw…too easy!

Lilydale Croquet Club players Alan Jones and Craig McCracken had a successful finish to the 2024 autumn season. 337352 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Isla

Sprint Athlete of the Year and Junior Female of the Year Ash Rooke. Picture: SUPPLIED

SPORT Barkers men tough it out

By Peter Stephenson

A sunny Jack Thomas Reserve welcomed Barkers (fifth) on the traditionally tricky trip to Berwick (fourth), with the visitors keen to build some momentum following their 5-1 win over Doncaster. By contrast, after a flying start, Berwick had slumped to three consecutive defeats, but were buoyed by the signing of Jalil Nabizadah from Greater Dandenong. Barkers made two changes, with Ray Markley and Maxim Solovyev coming in for Ryan Smith and Jerome Valadon.

Barkers took time to switch on. On eight minutes, City’s Adam Hester hit a corner from the right to the far post, where Philip Hawkins had a shot blocked. Then a ball in from the left saw a glancing header from Nabizadah go just wide of the far post.

Barkers’ first threat came on 13 minutes, when Christian Porcaro crossed from the left to the far side of the box, where Markley turned and shot at keeper Kile Kennedy. Then Barkers pumped up a high ball for Geordie Scott, whose shot on the run went wide.

Just before the half hour, a Barkers handball allowed Berwick a free kick in the attacking half. It floated to the far post, Mark Naumowicz couldn’t hold on, and Ahren Angulo cleared desperately in front of an open goal. This only delayed the pain, however. On 31 minutes, a Berwick attack was headed clear, but fell to Nabizadah. Given space to shoot, the man with the sweetest strike in the league sent a beauty into the top left-hand corner of the net to give City a 1-0 lead.

Just before the break, City’s lead was almost doubled. Thay attacked from the left, and C.Porcaro lost sight of the ball in the sun’s glare, allowing Simon Mur a sight of goal, but he shot past the far post. Half-time: Berwick 1-0 Barkers – in a game of few chances, Berwick were deservedly ahead.

The first 15 minutes of the second half saw

Berwick maintain their grip on the game without adding to the score. Six minutes in, JohnPaul Cooper lost out in a tackle and Hester hit a long crossfield ball to the left wing, leading to a shot which hit the bar. Then Barkers almost hit Berwick on the break when Ross Clark fed Scott, who hit an angled shot which was beaten away by Kennedy.

On the hour, Berwick had three chances in two minutes as they pummelled Barkers. A long ball down the left wing led to a shot and a good low stop by Naumowicz. Then another left wing run, a cut inside and a shot deflected past the far post. Finally a corner on the right which Barkers cleared, but it fell to Emre Ozyurek, who hit a piledriver of a shot narrowly over.

Barkerettes banish the blues in strong away win

By Peter Stephenson

Barkerettes (second) travelled to Alphington Park Oval hoping to improve their Jekyll-andHyde home-and-away form (won last eight at home, lost last four away). Hosts Alphington sat eighth on the ladder, but had taken points off Monash last week, so were not to be underestimated.

The hosts caused a scare after two minutes when Barkers’ Alexis Sketchley cleared off the line, then Amy D’Ortenzio hit a shot straight at home keeper Natalie Stewart. On seven minutes, D’Ortenzio had two shots blocked as Barkers began brightly in the lunchtime sun.

Then on 10 minutes, Kelly Butera and D’Ortenzio had further shots blocked before Emily Stokes stuck the ball into the top corner for 1-0. Less than a minute later, sheer persistence and pressure from Alizah Jones saw her double Barkers’ tally to 2-0.

Alphington had another dangerous chance on 17 minutes, but this time it was Hannah Lee who cleared from a forward who seemed certain to score. Seven minutes before the break, Anita Caro Salve had a free kick on the left wing. She lined it up with a few sidesteps a la Johnny Wilkinson before floating the ball beyond the far post.

Before the break, the hosts lobbed a shot

over, then had a dangerous attack thwarted by Sketchley. Half-time – Alphington 0-2 Mooroolbark, with Barkers well in control.

Five minutes into the second half, Alphington’s Elizabeth Motton hit a dangerous free kick, but Ashleigh Fraraccio held well. Then the hosts’ Sophie Uwland was released by a through ball and scored a lovely goal, but the flag was up for offside.

Barkers now peppered the hosts’ goal.

D’Ortenzio had a shot saved, then a Caro Salve free kick was headed wide by Butera. Then Jones hit the ball over from close range. Finally, an absolutely sublime passing move led to a ball in from the right which Jones flicked over Stewart into the corner of the net – it was either a fluke or a stroke of genius. Less than a minute later, D’Ortenzio won a crunching tackle and her shot was saved, but Jones mopped up the crumbs for her first Barkerette hat-trick and 4-0.

The final action was surreal. As Barkers converged on the Alphington goal, a defender simply caught the ball –penalty to Barkers. Butera dispatched the kick, and the final score was Alphington 0-5 Mooroolbark, a win just as comprehensive as the scoreline indicates. Barkers will stay second assuming Collingwood have beaten Lilydale, and next week host Malvern at Esther Park.

However, Barkers survived all this, and then Clark weaved his magic, beating three or four players, and squeezing the ball to Scott. He struck his shot against a Berwick hand – penalty to Barkers. The Barkers captain blasted the spot kick into the corner of the net for the equaliser, setting up the usual tense finish at Jack Thomas between these sides.

Two minutes later, a low Berwick shot fizzed past the post, but then Cooper hit a lovely cross from the left to the far post. Liam Seaye soared, and headed over Kennedy, and the ball dropped for Scott, who scored a near post tapin to give Barkers the lead.

Barkers spent the last 15 minutes defending

against a Berwick siege. Hester hit a ripper free kick just beyond the post, and another forward volleyed over. With six minutes left, Barkers almost made the game safe when a long clearance fell for Scott, who ran on to the ball and shot at Kennedy. Full-time: Berwick 1-2 Barkers.

This was the first time this season that Barkers had beaten a higher-placed opponent. It was hard-earned, as they were under the pump for long periods against a side with some quality players. It should be noted, however, that Barkers at no stage looked down and out, and still have key players to return from injury. This could still turn out to be a very interesting season.

Teams fight to the finish but opponents too strong

By Joanna Campe

Round 5 results for Lilydale Tennis Club in the Eastern Region Tennis Competition.

Junior Open Singles Doubles 1 Lilydale v Burnt Bridge

After round 4 Lilydale was sitting outside the top 4 without a win yet for the season.

Lilydale was represented by Ari Marappan, Alex Paladino and Adam Paladino.

Lilydale played away this week against Burnt Bridge. The two teams were well matched and the games were all tightly contested. Both teams won 3 sets each, with Burnt Bridge taking the points on the day – winning 26 games to Lilydale 24.

Result: 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-1

Junior Open Singles Doubles 8 Lilydale v Mt Evelyn

After round 4 Lilydale was sitting just outside the top 4 on the ladder.

Lilydale was represented by Brodie Manger, Haady Aziz and Ivy Pieper.

Lilydale played at home this week against Mt Evelyn. The first 4 sets were evenly matched with both sides winning 2 sets each. Mt Evelyn took the last 2 sets to win the day overall 4 sets to 2 – winning 30 games to Lilydale 18.

Result: 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 0-6, 3-6

Open Rubbers 11 Lilydale v Yarra Glen

After round 4 Lilydale was sitting outside the top 4 without a win yet for the season.

Lilydale Blue was represented by Noah Burow and Adam Johnson.

Lilydale played away this week against top 4 team Yarra Glen. Lilydale played well butYarra Glen proved too strong on the day taking 5 sets to 0 – winning 32 games to Lilydale 14.

Result: 7-6, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1, 7-6

Open Rubbers 20 v Nunawading Blue

After round 4 Lilydale was sitting just out-

Picture: SUPPLIED

side the top 4 on the ladder.

Lilydale was represented by Tim Bassett and Rishabh Chowdhury.

Lilydale played at home this week against second placed team Nunawading Blue. Lilydale played well but Nunawading were too strong taking 5 sets to 0 – winning 30 games to Lilydale 9.

Result: 2-6, 2-6, 1-6, 3-6, 1-6

Lilydale Tennis club welcomes all players of any age and ability. For information on how to join Lilydale Tennis Club please visit play.tennis.com.au/lilydaletennisclub. For all coaching enquiries (Juniors and Adults) please contact Andrew at Pro Touch Tennis Academy ptta.com.au/contact

Ari Marappan, Alex Paladino and Adam Paladino played a tightly contested match against Burnt Bridge.

The Barkerette’s couldn’t be stopped in finding the goal against Alphington. Picture: ON FILE

The Barkers celebrated their win against Berwick.

Picture: SUPPLIED