A local Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) sub branch is calling for current or former servicemen and servicewomen, and their family members to be part of them.
The local sub branch holds a barbecue party on the last Friday of each month from 12pm at the Yarra Glen Memorial Hall and is going to host a special opening day on Saturday 8 March to introduce the RSL to people.
The Yarra Glen RSL committee would like to host more social events if they succeed in recruiting more members.
Yarra Glen RSL secretary and treasurer Edward Bartosh said the purpose of the RSL is to remember and assist those who have served or their dependants who need help financially and emotionally.
“We host a Remembrance Day Service and Anzac Day Service. We invite local school children to come on Anzac Day and tell us what it means to their family and them,” he said.
“We also assist with other RSLs in the Yarra Valley to remember the Vietnam vets who were not treated very well when they came home.”
Turn to page 20 for more
Roo cull division
By Callum Ludwig
Kangaroo harvesting in the Yarra Ranges divided the opinions of councillors during the Tuesday 11 February Yarra Ranges Council meeting.
During a councillor motion brought by Walling Ward Councillor Len Cox, Cr Cox and Woori Yallock resident Peter Preuss put forward a plea for Yarra Ranges Council to formally request to be removed from the Gippsland Harvest Zone under the Kangaroo Harvesting Program (KHP).
Mr Preuss said 10 other councils in what used to be the Central shooting zone have asked for and been given an exemption and he’s calling on Yarra Ranges Council to do the same.
“The reality is, if you pass the motion, the minister will probably say ‘ No, you’re too late, you should have done it last year’, you’re now in the Gippsland shooting zone and there’s a quota of 120,000, and the shooters that get tags for that region can start shooting them from here all the way through to Mallacoota,” he said.
“You’re not going to be able to control that, and it’s happening all over the place already, but if he says yes, what’s happens is our farmers, and there’s only a few of them that might want to shoot, they can still do it under the old system and at least our kangaroos will be safe.”
Commercial kangaroo harvesting was reintroduced in Victoria in 2019 through the KHP, which sets a limit on the number of kangaroos which can be killed by harvesters.
Cr Cox, having joined Mr Preuss for a ‘Walk and Talk’ he held at the Yarra Valley Living Centre in late 2024, asked Mr Preuss a couple of questions about the wellbeing of the kangaroos at the centre and the reports of kangaroo populations increasing.
Multiple councillors spoke to the motion, some in favour and others intent on seeking more information before making a decision.
Turn to page 7 for more
L-R: Yarra Glen RSL secretary and treasurer Edward Bartosh, vice president George Miller and president Michael Watkins. (Stewart Chambers: 459391)
Bulk-billing in short supply
By Callum Ludwig
Health directory Cleanbill released the third annual Blue Report in 2025, scoping out the availability of bulk billing for an adult without concessions in communities across the country.
It is a mixed bag for the federal electorates of the Outer East, with the changes in bulk billing clinics over the last three years varied between Casey, Aston and Deakin.
Since the end of 2022, Cleanbill has called each GP clinic they could across Australia to gather pricing and availability information for bulk billing across the country, checking in with the 6925 clinics yearly to account for any changes. Only 64 clinics nationally either didn’t provide their pricing and availability information or didn’t answer Cleanbill’s multiple attempts to contact their clinic or the report.
Aston’s previously strong availability of bulk-billing has nosedived, having sat at 36 per cent of 25 available clinics in 2022-23 and 32.4 per cent of 37 available clinics in 202324, it has now tanked to a concerning 11.1 per cent of 36 available clinics in 2024-25. The average out-of-pocket cost for a consultation has only risen by $2.28 to $36 during this time.
The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) President Dr Michael Wright said all Australians need affordable access to a GP who knows them and with a federal election fast approaching, we should be seeing bold commitments from all political parties to achieve this.
“With proper investment in Medicare we can increase bulk billing, and reduce out-ofpocket costs for people who aren’t being bulk billed, both of these things are crucial,” he said.
“We know funding works, government data and the RACGP’s Health of the Nation report have shown the tripling of incentives has helped GPs bulk bill more children and concession card holders, particularly in rural and remote areas where the incentives are highest,”
“But most Australians aren’t eligible for higher incentives and they’re missing out. A recent report in Nine newspapers found those aged 16 to 64 are paying more out of pocket, and it’s putting many people in a tough spot.”
The electorate of Casey has been one of the biggest improvers in the country in availability, albeit having risen from a low base of 11.8 per cent of the 34 available clinics in 2022-23 to 15 per cent of 40 available clinics in 202425. This is however a reduction from 18.4 per cent of 38 available clinics in 2023-24, while the average out-of-pocket cost for a consultation has risen by $6.53 to $41.81 in the last three years.
Deakin’s availability remains largely unchanged, slightly down to 13.9 per cent of the 36 available clinics currently from 14.3 per cent of only 28 clinics in 2022-23. It dipped in between those years to 12.5 per cent of 32 available clinics in 2024-25 before rebounding and the average out-of-pocket cost for a consultation has risen by only $2.46 to $39.33 in the last three years.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler was asked for comment on the report in January and said a ring around of general practices by this private company is no substitute for core Medicare data though Medicare data shows that there aren’t as many bulk billed visits as they would like.
“I’ve been very clear we need to do more, and what we have done has made a meaningful difference, but it is still tough for general practices, and importantly, it’s tough for patients to find affordable access to a GP when they need it,” he said. “The general increases to the Medicare rebate have started to take some of the financial pressure off GPs, not only allowing them to bulk bill, importantly, age pensioners, concession card holders and children under the age of 16, but also to take some of the pressure off out-of-pocket costs for other Australians,”
“Obviously that group of other Australians are a big focus of ours, they were a big focus of our cheaper medicines policies, those Australians who don’t qualify for concession cards.”
The Australian government tripled the incentive for GPs to bulk bill children under 16, pensioners and other concession cardholders from 1 November 2023 and nationally 77.5 per cent of all GP visits were bulk billed in December 2024, an increase of 1.9 percentage points on October 2023 before the incentive took effect. However, the Cleanbill report found the percentage of practices bulk billing new adult patients without concession cards has fallen to 20.7 per cent nationwide.
Australian Medical Association President Dr Danielle McMullen said GPs are facing rising costs pressures to keep their practices going, pay staff, cover rapidly rising rent and insurance, and deliver first-class care to their patients following the release of the Cleanbill report. “We for many years saw a Medicare freeze, and so that rebate the patients get back for general practice care really has not kept pace with the cost of providing that medical care,” she said on ABC Radio. Dr McMullen also told media the report did not provide a full picture if bulk billing rates in Australia,
saying it measured only how many practices fully bulk bill every single patient that comes through the doctor’s door for every single service. “The federal government made a significant downpayment of around $6 billion for primary care in the 2023 budget, which has slowed the decline of bulk billing rates,” she said. “We welcomed this investment and we continue to advocate for further reform and investment to ensure the system continues to support improved access and affordability for patients.”
Cleanbill considered bulk-billing clinics to be:
Clinics with at least one doctor who is taking on new patients and is bulk billing, even if the clinic has other doctors who do not bulk bill.
Clinics that are bulk billing during regular, weekday business hours, but which do not bulk bill outside of these hours
Clinics that bulk bill without charging a one-off, yearly, or monthly fee to access bulk billing.
Ambos still not hitting 15 minute response
By Chelsea Szabo
Ambulance Victoria’s quarterly data shows response times to Code 1 callouts in the Yarra Ranges have increased to an average of 17 minutes and 41 seconds, an increase of 27 seconds from last quarter.
The quarterly statistics also show Code 2 callouts have increased by 1 minute and 44 seconds.
Healesville did not come close to achieving a Code 1 response time of 15 minutes for 90 per cent of callouts, part of Ambulance Victoria’s response time targets implemented between 2016 and 2017.
“October to December is commonly one of our busiest times, and last year was no exception as our crews were called to 99,799 Code 1 emergencies,” Ambulance Victoria executive director of regional operations Danielle North said.
“This was also the third quarter in a row
close to or above 100,000 cases.”
While the total number of Ambulance Victoria Code 1 callouts grew by 128 calls last quarter, the number of Yarra Ranges residents calling Triple Zero for Code 1 emergencies decreased.
Surrounding areas like Knox saw a 13-second increase in their Code 1 response times, Cardinia saw a one-second increase and Maroondah’s decreased by one.
On Tuesday 11 February, Victoria’s health minister Mary-Anne Thomas announced a set of 10 standards whose aim is to “improve whole-of-hospital flow so that patients arriving via ambulance can be consistently transferred to the care of a hospital in a timely manner”.
The Standards detail efforts to focus on efficient ambulance distribution, prioritise alternate care pathways that don’t require ambulances, and strengthen processes required to clear patients at hospitals so ambulances can respond to new calls faster.
Specifically, once the care for a patient has been transferred to the hospital, it should take no more than 40 minutes for the ambulance to leave the hospital under Standard 1.
The Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care for Victorians will start their implementation this month, to be rolled out into all Victorian public hospital emergency departments.
More new paramedics are also being recruited to help cope with demand.
“Since last November, we have welcomed 84 new graduate paramedics to our ranks and a further 15 new recruits will start soon including qualified paramedics from New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and New Zealand,” metropolitan regional director Michael Georgiou said.
“We know there is more work to do. AV continues to work with hospitals to promptly transfer patients and ensure all Victorians receive the right care at the right time.”
Cleanbill’s annual Blue Report has been released, revealing the rates of bulk-billing availability across the country. (File)
Scams target locals
By Dongyun Kwon
Star Mail delved into scam cases happening locally to raise awareness of the risk of scams as well as inform the best way to solve the issue this week.
This comes as the Parliament of Australia passed the Scams Prevention Framework Bill on 13 February.
While the Star Mail crew were busy finishing up everything for the newspaper that was going to be printed the next day, an email was sent to Star Mail’s editor’s email inbox at around 11am on Monday 10 February.
In the email, Healesville resident Alan Honeycombe was asking for help.
“Would you be open to a brief email conversation?” it reads.
“I would have preferred calling, but I’m currently managing shingles, and, unfortunately, my phone screen went black after a fall.”
The Star Mail contacted Mr Honeycombe and noticed it wasn’t him who had sent the email.
His email account was hacked and the hacker sent the email to all the people in his contact list.
Mr Honeycombe said he knew about it when he got a phone call from his sisters.
“They asked me if the email, that they believed they got from me, was true,” he said.
“If you replied to this person on the other end, which was not me, that person would direct you to go and buy 10 $50 Apple vouchers at the shop that could be delivered to this person.
“That person also said my niece had breast cancer and needed money for treatment. None of them were true.”
As soon as he noticed his email account was used for scam, he sent everybody in his email address book a second message, saying that this was a scam and not to take any notice of it.
He also reported it to Telstra and called a technician to solve the issue.
Mr Honeycombe said he was not sure about what caused it but he thought it might have been caused by a suspicious email he received a couple of days before it happened.
“The email was purportedly from BigPond, asking me to put some information in to get the BigPond account sorted out,” he said.
“When I looked into it, it was not from BigPond at all, somebody else was trying to get access to my details.”
Fortunately, Mr Honeycombe said nobody took up the offer from the scammer as far as he knew of.
“I’ve had about 15 phone calls from people, checking if it was me or not,” he said.
“As far as I know, nobody’s gone down the track of losing any money.
“Be very wary of organisations or people that are pretending to be organisations that aren’t. If you look at the email address that they’ve come from, there’s usually some indication that it’s not really Telstra, bank or whatever because there’s something wrong with the email address.”
Mr Honeycombe said many scammers work
on fear like ‘if you don’t do this within 24 hours, this will happen’.
“Older people, who are not familiar with the internet, will think ‘I better do that, or something terrible will happen.’,” he said.
“That’s when the trouble starts, so fear is a common ingredient but wasn’t in my case.”
Another Healesville resident, who asked for their name not to be used, went through a similar scam experience last December.
An email was sent to Star Mail’s editor email inbox on 23 December.
“I apologise for bothering you. Can I communicate with you by email for a little period of time?” it reads.
“I have terrible throat pain, so I can’t even make calls.”
The Healesville resident said the email was sent to everyone in her email address list including a person from Western Australia.
“They all replied in some way. Several people warned me straight away to get my password changed,” they said.
“There was another group of people who were worried about me, saying ‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that you are ill, I hope you’ll be all right.’, but nobody fell into that trap; (The scammer asked them to buy a gift card and send it to them).
“The other group turned out to be very sensitive and believing the scam, sending me texts like ‘We’re always here to help you.’.”
This scam victim had been scammed before this, through which they lost $5000.
The Healesville resident said it was due to their ignorance of the scam.
“When this call came in, they said they were from Telstra and they’d noticed a fault in my email,” they said.
“It went on and on for about half an hour and I was blasted with requests. I was a little bit suspicious, but not enough to hang up.
“The man (the scammer) failed a bit, and a woman jumped in and pressured me to comply with what they were asking.
“I started to provide my details, and when I finally supplied the last bit of information, I could hear their relief and see $5000 went out from my bank account.”
IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service, which is a not-for-profit charity that was formed to address a critical support gap for individuals confronting identity and cyber security concerns.
IDCARE national manager outreach and engagement Kathy Sundstrom said emails contain a treasure trove of information from personal contacts, to emails containing valuable information and more.
“Criminals target email accounts because of this, and it is why it is so important people protect their email accounts with multi-factor or two-factor authentication,” she said.
“Microsoft has estimated that having multi-factor authentication enabled on an account like an email stops over 99 per cent of account compromise attempts, yet so many people
don’t have it enabled on their personal emails and social media accounts.
“It is easy to set up. We have fact sheets on how to do this in our learning centre on our website at idcare.org”
Ms Sundstrom shared the best ways for scam victims to take when they notice the scam.
“Your first step is also to ensure your financial accounts are secure and contact your bank,” she said.
“With access to your email, a criminal may have enough information to impersonate you so it’s important you don’t ignore it.
“You can also use your email provider’s recovery service and change your password and then set up two-factor authentication. Check your other accounts for indicators of compromise too, particularly your social media accounts.”
The recently passed Scams Prevention Framework Bill aims to enhance protections across the economy by setting out consistent and enforceable obligations for businesses in key sectors where scammers operate.
This new legislation empowers the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to investigate potential breaches and take enforcement action where entities do not take reasonable steps to fulfil their obligations under these principles.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said the financial crime type, scams, present an unacceptable threat to the Australian community and have had a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of Australians.
“This bill is a critical step in the fight against scams - creating overarching principles that all members of designated sectors must comply with,” she said.
“We know scammers will exploit weak links in the system – so these principles are key to a consistent approach.”
Businesses that do not meet their obligations under the Framework can face fines of up to $50 million.
Banks, certain digital platforms, including social media, and telecommunications providers will be the first sectors required to comply with the legislation.
Police seeking witnesses for unsafe road manner on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road on 9 February
Police are seeking witnesses regarding a White Kia Stinger that was reported tailgating and overtaking in an unsafe manner on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road between Yellingbo and Healesville on 9 February between 12pm and 12.30pm.
Persons who can help with the investigation are asked to contact the Warburton Police Station on 5966 2006 or email warburton.uni@police.vic. gov.au
Lost watch found on walking trail in Warburton
A Tissot men’s watch was located on a walking trail in Warburton on Tuesday 11 February 2025 and handed into the Warburton Police Station. If you have lost this watch, please contact the Warburton Police Station on 5966 2006 or email WARBURTON.UNI@police.vic.gov.au
The owner will need to describe the unique markings and features on the rear of the watch before its return.
Range of portable pools sold at big online retailers recalled
Decor Innovations has issued a recall of a number of products in its ’Charlie’s Pet Pool’ range as they do not comply with the mandatory standard for portable swimming pools.
The products do not have the required warning signs and messages, increasing the risk of drowning and death if a child enters the pool unsupervised.
The products were available for sale nationally and online between 31 October 2019 and 6 January 2025, through online websites including Bunnings, Temple & Webster, Myer Marketplace, Woolworths Everyday Market, Amazon, Mydeal, Kogan.
The products were sold in a range of colours and sizes:
Party Watermelon (80cm, 120cm, 160cm)
Party Beach Ball (80cm, 120cm, 160cm)
Party Summer Blue (80cm, 120cm, 160cm)
Party Pride (80cm, 120cm, 160cm) Pawtton Print (80cm, 120cm, 160cm)
Consumers should stop using the products immediately and contact the place of purchase to arrange for the return of the product and a full refund.
Contact Decor Innovations if you have sold or gifted the product to another person. Decor Innovations Pty Ltd email: Customerservice@decorinnovations. com.au call: 02 9738 1118
Chery Motor Tiggo 4 recall
Over 1900 Chery Motor’s 2024 Tiggo 4 have been recalled due to a software issue.
The vehicle may not have the Autonomous Emergency Brake (AEB) sound alarm activated. Failure of the AEB sound alarm could increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users. Vehicles are not compliant with Australian Design Rule 98/01 – Advanced Emergency Braking for Passenger Vehicles and Light Goods Vehicles.
The AFP is targeting romance scammers. (File)
Homelessness risk grows
By Dongyun Kwon
It has been a “traumatic” two years for a Healesville resident.
Megan Kennewell, 52 years old, is in fear of being homeless in a few months.
Ms Kennewell and her kids had lived in a house owned by Uniting from 2015 to 2024.
While living in the house, she requested to fix issues that the house had; broken tiles, a leaking roof, mould and asbestos, falling-down back fence, and etc.
“I had asked them for many years to fix issues that got worse over time such as a massive hole in the roof that leaked water everywhere,” the 52 year old said.
“They came out a few times, checked things out and said they fixed them which they never ever did.”
In March 2024, Ms Kennewell’s daughter died of a severe asthma attack in the house at the age of 18.
Before the sorrow of losing her daughter went away, Ms Kennewell had to face another blow when she asked Uniting to repair the problems in the house one more time.
“(Uniting) sent two managing directors out with two of their other staff. They had a look around everything and then decided it was unlivable,” she said.
“They got me out of there pretty much straight away, put me in a B and B for two weeks, in a local pub for two nights, at a caravan park for another two weeks, in another local pub for two nights before they put me in (Maroondah Retirement Village).”
While she was staying in different temporary accommodations, she visited the Uniting’s Blackburn office with her friend where she was offered three options.
One of them was taking a lease for 12 months at Maroondah Retirement Village in
Healesville.
“When they offered it to me, I asked them how long it would be for, and the lady said ‘indefinitely’,” Ms Kennewell said.
“Now, they rang me in and sent me a notice for 90 days to vacate because they were not going to renew my lease.
“It’s because I don’t meet the age criteria. It wasn’t mentioned to me at all when they put me in here, they’ve decided to use that now as an excuse.”
The age criteria for living in the retirement village is a minimum of 55.
The 52 year old said it’s hard to find a new house for her with the housing crisis going on.
“I want somewhere permanent. I don’t want to keep moving around. I just want to be stable,” Ms Kennewell said.
“I’ve had a very traumatic year already; losing my daughter, getting pulled out of my house and put here.
“I don’t have a licence at the moment. I’ll get my licence in about a month. I’m hoping to save and get a car, so I’ve got a car to go in at least if I have to.”
A Uniting spokesperson said Uniting supports vulnerable people to secure longer-term housing and understands it is stressful when someone has to move.
“We have been supporting Megan since 2015, offering multiple housing options,” they said.
“The current rental arrangement was always a temporary 12-month solution to allow Megan time to find more suitable accommodation.
“We will continue to assist her but need to take into account her current household circumstances and her eligibility to access housing through the Victorian Housing Register.”
Melba Highway landslip repair works
We’re completing critical landslip repairs on the Melba Highway in Dixons Creek, between Healesville-Kinglake Road and north of Hunts Lane.
Melba Highway will be closed to traffic and detours will be in place from 17 February to late March.
Labour
Day long weekend
Melba Highway will open in both directions for the Labour Day long weekend from Friday 7 March until Tuesday 11 March with reduced speed limits.
Please support local businesses which remain open during works and are accessible by travelling via Yarra Glen.
Maroondah Retirement Village on 9 Don Road, Healesville. (Stewart Chambers: 459226)
Short-stay levy hits vulnerable
By Callum Ludwig
Reporting from the Herald Sun has revealed that domestic violence victims are being inadvertently hit with the Victorian Government’s short-stay levy as they use short-stay accommodation, such as Airbnb, to escape their violent circumstances.
But leading university researchers state that this only identifies a bigger problem across the whole housing sector.
“It’s symptomatic of a much deeper set of challenges that we’re facing across the broader housing system… the majority of short-term accommodation offered on platforms such as Airbnb or Vrbo is residential housing that has transitioned out of the residential housing sector, such as the private rental market for example, into this quasi-tourism accommodation sector,” Dr Adam Crowe, Research Fellow at Curtin University’s Centre of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), said.
The Herald Sun cited an anonymous shortstay operator who couldn’t waive the levy for a victim of abuse and who showed documents and records indicating a domestic violence service was using their accommodation to house women feeling domestic abuse, as well as ‘sector sources’ who confirmed this was widespread as traditional hotels and motels and dedicated crisis accommodation remain in short supply.
In response, a Victorian Government spokesperson said people fleeing domestic violence have suffered enough and they will always support them.
“We set out exemptions so that this levy does not apply to temporary crisis accommodation providers and any organisation that is being subject to the levy and shouldn’t be, needs to contact the State Revenue Office for assistance,” they said.
“This policy is unlocking more homes for real rentals and more funding for social housing. This is an important step towards making more properties available for long-term rental – and giving Victorian families more opportunities to find a home.”
The Victorian Government also pointed to $150 million which has been provided to improve and expand refuge and crisis accommodation, including undertaking the refuge redevelopment program.
The refuge redevelopment program has been ongoing for almost a decade with the aim of replacing 17 communal refuges across the state with core and cluster models that allow for independent living combined with comprehensive support services. It also supported the construction of three new Aboriginal refuges and two additional core and cluster refuges in areas of high demand and took the state’s total to 35 refuges which can service nearly 200 families at any given time.
Eildon MP and Shadow Minister for Family Violence Cindy McLeish said these services are doing their best to help the growing number of domestic violence victims, and they can’t afford to be paying an extra tax.
“The victims fleeing by themselves often have very little and need all the help they can get getting back on their feet,” she said.
“Victims of family violence are certainly not having a holiday, they are looking to find somewhere safe,”
“Accommodation is a key factor in women’s decision to flee family violence. They should not have to choose between a family violence crisis and homelessness crisis.”
Ms McLeish cited the 17 October 2024 Legislative Council discussion of the Short-Stay Levy Bill where Liberal Member for the Northern Metropolitan Region Evan Mulholland raised the potential to include tax exemptions for people who utilise short-stays for medical treatment (where short-stays are seen as more accommodating for people with disabilities) or due to perceived mental or physical health threats to their safety or wellbeing, such as domestic violence incidents.
In the discussion, Attorney General Jaclyn Symes said that the proposed amendments were ‘not able to be implemented in a workable way because anyone could claim that they meet one of the exemption criteria and it would be therefore impossible to verify that.’
Regardless of the levy, the question remains as to why victims and domestic violence support services have to turn to short-stay accommodation to house victims fleeing their circumstances.
Dr Crowe said short-term stay or short-term accommodation is certainly not an appropriate housing option for people fleeing domestic violence as it’s expensive, time-limited and doesn’t offer the required level of security of tenure for victims.
“The social housing wait list has ballooned where some eligible households are waiting up to 10 years for a placement, and this means they’re seeking housing across the private rental market, and they’re also competing with people who 10
years ago would have already moved into home ownership but are also seeking housing in the private rental market,”
“More important to this case study, it means that people are living much longer in crisis and transitional housing which is supposed to be the first port of call for people experiencing homelessness or people on the edge of experiencing homelessness, or in this case fleeing unsafe homes through domestic violence.”
According to data from AirDNA, an analytics platform that tracks performance and market data from short-term rental sites like Airbnb and was cited by Dr Crowe, today there are currently more than 23,000 active short-term rental listings in Melbourne alone.
“It’s essential to not only ensure that we have dedicated crisis and transitional accommodation, but we really need to increase the proportion of social and affordable housing across the country, but specifically in those high-cost urban areas,” Dr Crowe said.
“One of the key barriers to that, one of many, is that state governments now play a much smaller role in the direct provision of housing, state governments unlike 30 or 40 years ago are not the builder and the tenancy manager of the majority of our social housing, instead, it’s fallen on the non-profit community housing sector,”
“However, for the non-profit community housing sector to deliver the social and affordable housing that we urgently need, they have to compete on the private market for land and construction costs.”
According to AirDNA, the majority of the
short-stay listings are full house listings and are two, (23 per cent), three (36 per cent) and four-bedroom (19 per cent) houses.
Dr Kate Seymour from Flinders University is an expert on gendered violence and said because of how short the supply of accommodation is in general across Australia, particularly the lack of rentals and social housing, when a domestic violence victim gets into crisis accommodation, she can’t be moved on until there’s somewhere else for her to go.
“Shelters and domestic and family violence services work on the basis that people come into the shelter and have a maximum time in which they can stay, whether that’s a month, two months, three months, and then they move on so you can get somebody else in,” she said.
“It turns all that on its head when there’s nowhere to go to move people on, it just creates a big bottleneck that slows everything down and also then increases reliance on things like motels and short-stay accommodation as the alternative to shelters, which means that there are more costs associated with funding it,”
“It’s going to be a further drain on the very limited resources that Jask and family violence services have, they’re already working on very limited funding and are having to make really hard decisions about who to help and how to help, given that they just don’t have enough housing or funding,”
“We’re still left with a huge problem in Australia around the lack of services with crisis accommodation for the women escaping domestic and family violence, levy or no levy.”
Short-stay accommodation, such as Airbnbs, are being relied upon to shelter victims of domestic violence. (Shutterstock)
Rescue times blowing out
By Callum Ludwig
Animal rescue groups and the chief animal rescue authority in Victoria are at odds, with delays blowing out and leaving injured animals without quick and adequate care.
Wildlife Victoria has operated as a non-profit charity since 1989 and is the first port of call for its 24/7 wildlife emergency response service to incidents of sick, injured, or orphaned native animals.
However, according to a report by the ABC on Monday 10 February, animal rescue groups and carers are angry with Wildlife Victoria’s responses blowing out to more than a day after receiving reports of injured animals.
Raewyn Jeganathan operates the Waratah Wildlife Shelter in Big Pats Creek and has volunteered for Wildlife Victoria for a number of years and said the current situation is infuriating.
“Over the past six to 12 months I’m hearing from a lot more people that they have tried to contact Wildlife Victoria and have been on hold for an hour or more and these people have often called me directly, but I’m just one person and two volunteers, and if I can’t help, I would generally direct them to Wildlife Victoria because they have a much broader reach than I do,” she said.
“I know it’s difficult when they’re getting a large number of calls in but people’s goodwill only stretches so far and because it’s a really difficult and drawn-out procedure for them to report this animal, I’m sure there are a certain number of people that put it in the ‘Too Hard’ basket and walk away.
“And the reason the workforce isn’t there, I believe, is more around stupid little interpersonal politics than actual, genuine issues that would require someone to be stood down.”
12 Wildlife Victoria volunteers have been
‘let go’ due to breaches of Wildlife Victoria’s code of conduct.
Ms Jeganathan said they need to recognise that people who volunteer with wildlife are generally quite passionate people who do it because they love and care about the animals.
“There are going to be times when people disagree and they should be able to voice their opinion without fear of being stood down or let go,” she said.
“Ultimately it impacts the animals because they’ve got ‘x’ amount of rescuers and experienced carers being stood down and there just isn’t a workforce there to attend to the number of calls that they’re getting,”
“And because they have this whole policy thing of not liking to refer things on and all that, they won’t call other rescue groups, for example, if there’s something up in the Yarra Valley, they don’t like to call up a Yarra Valley wildlife shelter and refer it to them and you end up with cases sitting on the board for hours if not days without getting any attention.”
The pathway to becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or shelter is through the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) before the shelter can then register with Wildlife Victoria. According to the ‘Help for Injured Wildlife’ tool on the DEECA website, the nearest registered rehabilitator to the Yarra Ranges is based in Kinglake.
Wildlife Victoria CEO Lisa Palma said as a volunteer wildlife rescuer and carer herself, she understands the distress wildlife rescuers experience every day responding to sick, injured, and orphaned native wildlife.
“In the face of significant increase in demand for our services and despite operating as a charity in a chronically underfunded sector, we are working incredibly hard every
single day of the year to ensure the best outcomes for our native wildlife and would like to assure the public that every call for help is appropriately responded to,” she said.
“Wildlife Victoria receives less than seven per cent of its annual operating costs from the
state government and is reliant on the support of the public to continue to operate.
“Without systemic change and an uplift in funding across the entire sector, Victoria’s native wildlife will continue to bear the brunt of the escalating impacts of climate change, habitat destruction, and urbanisation, and those volunteering and working to help them will be placed under increasing pressures.”
According to the Wildlife Victoria website, in the 2024 calendar year, Wildlife Victoria received 160,063 calls to their Emergency Response Service, including 3145 rescues in the Yarra Ranges, the third most of any LGA in the state. The organisation also had 134 foster carers, 161 shelters, 1093 rescuers and 1072 transporters volunteering for them.
With potential solutions such as professionalising wildlife rescue and an internal review of Wildlife Victoria being suggested, Ms Jeganathan said she can’t imagine the service being professionalised in her lifetime.
“There would be so many things to organise and it’s so fractured at the moment, there are so many little groups and independent shelters and to try and unite them all is going to be very difficult,” she said.
“I think Wildlife Victoria needs a real overhaul and review on how they’re operating, who they’re involving and why they’re standing people down and if they’re actually valid reasons or if they’re just interpersonal drama.
“Wildlife Victoria has the potential to be the key to wildlife care and at least be the organisation that facilitates communication between the wildlife carers but at the moment it’s just not doing that, but I don’t know what the solution is and I’m realistic enough to know that there is no magic solution and that no organisation is going to be perfect.”
The wellbeing of injured wildlife is a concern, with rescuers pointing to delays in Wildlife Victoria’s responses. (File)
Kangaroos the hot topic
By Callum Ludwig
Kangaroos were the topic of a lengthy discussion during the Tuesday 11 February Yarra Ranges Council meeting.
During a councillor motion brought by Walling Ward Councillor Len Cox, Cr Cox and Woori Yallock resident Peter Preuss put forward a plea for Yarra Ranges Council to formally request to be removed from the Gippsland Harvest Zone under the Kangaroo Harvesting Program (KHP).
Mr Preuss said 10 other councils in what used to be the Central shooting zone have asked for and been given an exemption and he’s calling on Yarra Ranges Council to do the same.
“The reality is, if you pass the motion, the minister will probably say ‘ No, you’re too late, you should have done it last year’, you’re now in the Gippsland shooting zone and there’s a quota of 120,000, and the shooters that get tags for that region can start shooting them from here all the way through to Mallacoota,” he said.
“You’re not going to be able to control that, and it’s happening all over the place already, but if he says yes, what’s happens is our farmers, and there’s only a few of them that might want to shoot, they can still do it under the old system and at least our kangaroos will be safe.”
Commercial kangaroo harvesting was reintroduced in Victoria in 2019 through the KHP, which sets a limit on the number of kangaroos which can be killed by harvesters.
Cr Cox, having joined Mr Preuss for a ‘Walk and Talk’ he held at the Yarra Valley Living Centre in late 2024, asked Mr Preuss a couple of questions about the wellbeing of the kangaroos at the centre and the reports of kangaroo populations increasing.
Mr Preuss said those kangaroos aren’t doing well and he fears for them after not being able to find one of the over 200 kangaroos for over 20 minutes on Australia Day.
“Finally when we found one she was as skittish as anything but in an indirect way, she led us to the rest of the mob that was left and they were so frightened that they just took off, you (CR Cox) know how calm they were just standing there, but they had been shot at,” he said.
“I’m afraid I might not do any more of those ‘Walk and Talks’ because I think the kangaroo shooters can read too, it was advertised and they knew where they were so I feel really bad about opening that up,”
“Counting kangaroos is just really quite difficult, you can go to that property on a rainy day like you were and see 250 of them and extrapolate that across all the paddocks…the real telling thing is the number of carcasses coming in has gone down, in 2023 the shortfall was 57 percent so in other words they only got 43 per cent of the kangaroos that they were allowed to kill so it doesn’t make sense.”
TheKHPquotafor2025hasbeensetat106,750 kangaroos throughout Victoria (combined eastern and western grey kangaroos), including 11,900 eastern grey kangaroos in the Gippsland harvest zone which includes the Yarra Ranges.
Cr Cox said the Yarra Ranges is an obvious one for shooters to concentrate on because they take the bodies to Coldstream and so it’s easy, it’s quick and it’s convenient for them to shoot here.
“The trouble with the shooting too, not only is
it killing kangaroos is that a lot of them get shot but don’t get killed so you’ve got this awful issue where you’ve got kangaroos laying and dying on the land, eventually they die, but they die in agony,” he said.
“You’ve also got the problem too with joeys, because mum gets shot and the joey is left, and a lot of the shooters solve that problem, they just club the joeys to death which is killing a lot more than what some of the figures we’ve got would tell you,”
“We’ve got a prosperous tourist industry in Yarra Ranges, and a lot of people coming from overseas, and a lot of those people, I would suggest a large percentage of them, want to see some of our wildlife, the obvious wildlife for them to see during the day is a kangaroo, and they need to be able to see those kangaroos but the way things are going, they won’t be able to see them if this shooting continues long-term.”
Councillors Tim Heenan and Fiona McAllister both spoke in support of the motion.
“I’ve always been sceptical about figures that come out of a particular department that obviously has an interest in another way and I’ve been appalled to read substantially on how the kangaroos are killed, and the appalling way that they’re left to die,” Cr Heenan said.
“It feels this isn’t an intellectual or analytical decision, even if we look at the facts and the data, it doesn’t stack up, it doesn’t make sense and we can delay and ask for more data and it’s still not going to stack up, but it’s not an intellectual or an analytical decision, it’s a moral one,” Cr McAllister said.
Councillors Jeff Marriott, Richard Higgins, Mitch Mazzarella, Peter McIlwain spoke against the motion, with a view to deferring any decision.
“I’m still wondering whether we need to get some more information, just purely from due diligence, I’m not saying this is from a point of view of saying we’re saying yes or no, but I just want to make sure that we’ve got everything lined up,” Cr Marriott said.
“We’ve asked twice, sent questions off to the State Government to find out some more detail so we can make an informed decision, I appreciate that their heart is very strong and I appreciate that very strongly in myself, however, I ask for the details,” Cr Higgins said.
“The evidence that’s been presented through the state government is serious peer-reviewed research and I want to make it clear that process is the science by which we make important decisions about how to protect our environment,” Cr McIlwain said.
“I want to hear exactly why the Minister thinks that we should be in this harvest site, once we have that information, then I am comfortable in making a decision on this matter, until that time, I don’t believe that we’ve done the due diligence in hearing from the Minister,” Cr Mazzarella said. Cr Gareth Ward did not speak to the motion and Cr Jim Child was excused from the chamber due to a conflict of interest.
The Council took a break to check with the governance team whether a procedural motion to defer the decision could be introduced and it was allowed.
When the new motion went to vote, Cr McIlwain, Cr Mazzarella, Cr Marriott and Cr Higgins voted in favour of the deferral motion, with Cr Cox, Cr Heenan, Cr McAllister and Cr Ward voting against.
The split vote took it to a casting vote, to be made by the acting chair for the item (in the absence of Cr Child) Cr Higgins, who voted in favour of the motion, deferring it to the 8 April 2025 Council meeting. This marks the second occasion Yarra Ranges Council has heard the issue in a Council meeting, following a first submission by Mr Preuss in July 2023 and a subsequent councillor forum in October 2023, though now there are four new councillors in the chamber.
Kangaroo harvesting was the subject of a lengthy debate in the Tuesday 11 February Yarra Ranges Council meeting. (Dave Hunt/AAP)
Patient had right to say no: VCAT
By Callum Ludwig
VCAT has made a decision in favour of a patient subjected to compulsory electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), with Senior Member G. Nihill not satisfied that the patient RVL (anonymised name) lacked the capacity to give consent to the treatment at the time of the hearing.
The Mental Health Tribunal (MHT), made an order on 23 December 2024 granting an application for 12 treatments of ECT to be performed on RVL up until 11 May 2025. A consultant psychiatrist from Eastern Health, which was also a respondent, attended the hearing.
RVL did not want to have ECT and requested VCAT review the case, and the hearing was also attended by two of her treating psychiatrists Dr N, the consultant psychiatrist and Dr M, a registrar in the inpatient unit at the hospital, as well as Ms D, RVL’s community drug and alcohol counsellor.
Under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act (MWHA), the MHT can authorise an application to conduct ECT treatment if the patient does not have the capacity to give informed consent and there is no less restrictive way for the patient to be treated. If the patient can understand, remember, weigh up whether to provide consent and communicate that via any means, they have the capacity to give informed consent.
The Supreme Court case of PBU & NJE v Mental Health Tribunal was referenced in the case by Nihill and RVL’s legal representative Mr Ibaceta, where Justice Bell found that ‘the test of incapacity is a functional one’.
“It should not focus on the outcome of the decision, that is, not on what is best for the patient in the minds of others,” the decision reads.
Ibaceta argued that RVL should be presumed to have the capacity to give consent, and did not have to demonstrate her capacity to give or decline consent but had regardless and ‘consistently understood the explanations about the procedure given to her by the treating team.’
“Her reasons for not wanting the ECT were not based in delusional thinking, or to the extent that delusional thoughts may have been involved these did not overwhelm the decision-making process,” the decision reads.
RVL gave evidence at the hearing and said she believed had been put in the hospital for her own safety, as part of ‘some kind of witness protection program’ because of her neighbour’s illegal activity. RVL said the treatment team had diagnosed her as having schizoaffective disorder, but she did not believe this. When asked, RVL said during ECT ‘she was placed under an anaesthetic with a muscle relaxant, and that an electric impulse was applied to her brain’ with the intention of easing her mental illness symptoms.
RVL said ‘she felt tired and muddled, and her muscles ached’ after the four rounds of ECT treatment she received by the time of the hearing on 6 January and that her current concerns about ECT were that she would ‘lose her short-term memory’ and ‘the spark in her personality.’ Previously, she had concerned at home ‘someone had been
breaking into her house and drugging her body’
The treating team identified that RVL had a history of depression and anxiety which had been compounded by alcohol use, including a first episode psychosis event in 2021 where RVL was admitted to hospital distressed and frightened. RVl underwent inpatient treatment and was discharged on a community treatment order with medication. She later stopped taking the medication and disengaged with mental health services after the treatment order was later revoked.
In November 2024, RVL’s psychologist noted severe symptoms of illness, with RVL having smoked ice with a housemate and became fearful the former housemate had been tracking her and hacking into her technology, with her fears worsening to the point that RVL attempted to travel overseas due to extreme fears for her safety, despite having no ticket or passport.
Following RVL’s ECT on 2 January, Dr N said RVL’s delusional thoughts were less intrusive, she was following management plans, she was sleeping better and was less anxious.
“This was an improvement from the earlier period before the ECT treatments, when RVL was highly agitated, unable to sleep, distressed and afraid,” the decision reads.
“Dr N said that she regularly conducted assessments as to RVL’s capacity to consent to ECT and had done so as recently as 2 January 2025,”
“She remained certain that while RVL was able to understand the information about ECT that was given to her, and remember it, she was unable to use or weigh that information because her delusions interfered to a significant extent with her capacity to make an informed decision.”
Dr N noted after ECT treatment for RVL on 2 January that RVL ‘feels more relaxed and less anxious’ as well as ‘safe’ in the ward and ‘had good
night sleeps for the last week.’ According to Dr N, RVL ‘still believed that there is a lab at the back of her house, people were intruding her house at 4am to drug her and these people can come after her post discharge if they have not been arrested by police’.
RVL declined to accept the benefits of ECT for her mental illness and the treatment team believed there was no less restrictive alternative and that pharmacological treatment had failed with only limited improvement ‘in RVL’s paranoia, anxiety and auditory hallucinations’ on different, trialled antipsychotic medications.
Nihill had two criterion for the decision: ‘Did RVL lack decision making capacity with respect to giving or declining to give consent to ECT?’ and ‘Is there a less restrictive way for RVL to be treated?’
In the decision, Nihill set about clarifying the application was not about if RVl had a mental illness and needed treatment, not about if ECT could benefit RVL and not about if the doctors, nurses and others on RVL’s treating team were ‘drawing on their considerable expertise and experience, and working with careful attention and compassion’ to treat RVL. If it was, based on the evidence Nihill said to all of the above their ‘answer would likely have been yes.’
“I could only make an order authorising the ECT if I was satisfied to the expected standard, taking into account the impact on RVL’s human rights of imposition of the proposed treatment without consent, and applying the law set out in detail in the MHWA and the case of PBU & NJE, that RVL did not have capacity to give informed consent to ECT and that there was no less restrictive way for her to be treated,” the decision reads.
“I was not satisfied about at least one of these two criteria, and so could not make an order authorising the ECT.”
Stormwater community panel secured
By Chelsea Szabo
The Stormwater Community Reference Panel (SCRP) was formed without opposition at the Yarra Ranges Council meeting on Tuesday, with all applicants securing a seat on the body.
The SCRP is part of Action 26 in the council’s Stormwater Management Plan 2024-2034, a landmark policy announced in 2024 alongside $16 million of funding in the latest budget for drainage infrastructure.
The newly formed SCRP is intended to provide a platform for community voices to help shape council decisions regarding stormwater management in the area.
“I’ve got every faith in these community members to make sure that we are held accountable for what we need to do in upgrading aging infrastructure to make sure we can face those challenges with flooding,” councillor Tim Heenan, who seconded the council’s motion, said on Tuesday.
“The effects of flooding have been far and wide for far too long.”
The selected members represent eight of the nine wards in the Yarra Ranges Shire, with Walling being the only ward not represented.
Councillor Mitch Mazzarella also noted on Tuesday that a diverse number of community members are represented on the panel.
“It’s great to see that we’ve got representatives from all backgrounds and all manner of different experiences including many people with professional experience in the sector,” he said.
Meetings will be held three times per year and panel members will be appointed for a twoyear term with the opportunity to reapply for another.
VCAT has ruled in favour of a patient forced to undergo electroconvulsive therapy. (Unsplash)
A panel has been approved and appointed by Yarra Ranges Council to consult on the stormwater and drainage needs of the shire. (File: 295256)
Corrugation complaints
By Callum Ludwig
The ripples of the Roads for Community funding being ripped away continue to be felt in the Yarra Ranges, with another resident dismayed at the condition of their unsealed road.
Seville resident Peter Jones is unhappy with the state of Victoria Road in Seville, an important road which a large number of vehicles use regularly.
Mr Jones said he thinks the traffic is the main cause of the road’s deterioration.
“We were getting cars doing 80 or 90 kilometres an hour down here and that’s ridiculous for an unsealed road, and if cars are going to do 80 kilometres an hour, the road needs to be sealed, I think that’s half the issue and why we get the corrugations and the poor quality of the road,” he said.
“The dust gets so bad here and I even rang the Council and said ‘Can you just put some dust suppressant down’ because the amount of dust that we get into our properties is ridiculous, we can’t open the windows on hot days,”
“The road needs to be graded deeper, I was told by another excavation business that the road should be ripped up with rippers and then graded to get rid of all the corrugations but all they (Yarra Ranges Council) do is put the blade down, grade it and get rid of the corrugations but they pop back up in no time.”
Part of Victoria Road (between Station Road and Walker Road) was sealed in 2023 as one of the road sealing projects that survived the slash to Roads for Community funding, however a large section between Burgi Hill Road and Station Road remains unsealed.
A Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson said Victoria Road in Seville is graded six times per year, which is the highest number of grades that any road receives on their network.
“The road was partially sealed from Walker Street to Station Street using the Federal Govern-
ment’s Roads for Community funding, as that section of road is more residential,” they said.
“If residents wish to have further sections of road sealed, they can submit a petition for Council to enter a special charge scheme, whereby residents agree to contribute to the sealing costs for the road,”
“While grading of unsealed roads helps maintain the condition of the road as best as possible, there are a number of reasons why road corrugations can occur.”
Residents of Walker Road, Seville, which connects to Victoria Road, also recently tabled a petition at the Tuesday 28 January Council meeting calling for their road to be prioritised for sealing, with their road also prone to large corrugations.
The council spokesperson said driving on an unsealed road is very different to driving on a sealed road, with speed being the main contributor to loss of material on an unsealed road.
“Unfortunately, road corrugations are unavoidable on unsealed roads, so we ask that motorists adjust their driving accordingly when on an unsealed road and drive to the conditions of that road,” they said.
“Other factors that can contribute to road corrugations include weather conditions and traffic volume.”
The continued concerns regarding local roads come as Casey MP Aaron Violi raised the issue again in Parliament.
Mr Violi said there is no doubt that one of the biggest issues, if not the biggest issue, that’s raised with him when it comes to underinvestment in the community is roads.
“The Albanese Labor government, when in opposition, committed to the program; there is a press release from the Prime Minister himself talking about how important this program was to improve safety in my community,” he said.
“Yet in 2022 he cut that funding, and that cut impacted over 450 local roads that were due to be sealed,”
“Again, as I have for two and a half years, I call on the Albanese Government to honour their word, to honour their commitment that they made to provide funding to our community so that we can continue sealing local roads.”
A better retirement lifestyle from $590k
Be part of a vibrant Community and enjoy the Facilities
Corrugations on Walker Road, looking to Seville. (Stewart Chambers: 456512)
State regulations for cats
By Callum Ludwig
The Victorian Government’s 10-year Cat Management Strategy was launched at the end of January, marking the first time a statewide approach to monitoring our feline friends.
There are more than 227,000 registered cats in Victoria, not accounting for a significant number of unregistered, unowned or feral cats in Victoria, all of which pose a significant threat to native wildlife.
Animal Aid CEO Mark Menze said a coordinated strategy is crucial for improving outcomes for cats, owners, shelters, and wildlife.
“Animal Aid sees the impact of unplanned litters, abandoned cats, and increasing numbers of semi-owned cats, a statewide approach will encourage responsible pet ownership, support animal shelters, and protect native wildlife,” he said.
“With the rising cost of living, many people are struggling to afford vet care, desexing, and microchipping, a strategy that provides funding and practical solutions will help create longterm, sustainable change,”
Mr Menze and Animal Aid have welcomed a number of initiatives in the Cat Management Strategy which will make a difference, including:
Desexing, microchipping, and registration for households who need assistance
Support for semi-owned cat desexing to reduce stray populations
Shortening shelter hold times to rehome cats faster
Encouraging cat containment and providing subsidies for enclosures
Mr Menze said the biggest challenge is changing attitudes around cat ownership.
“Many still allow their cats to roam freely, which contributes to overpopulation, injuries, and predation on wildlife,” he said.
“The main issues include; high numbers of unplanned litters, semi-owned and stray cats
not receiving proper care, overcrowded shelters leading to longer stays for cats and the need for stronger community awareness about the benefits of cat containment,”
“Responsible ownership means planning ahead; desex cats early to prevent accidental litters, microchip and register them to ensure they can be returned if lost, keep them indoors or in a secure outdoor enclosure for their safety and to protect wildlife, stay on top of vet care, vaccinations, and parasite prevention and adopt from shelters rather than buying from breeders.”
According to the Victorian Government’s 2023 Pet Census, there are an estimated 914,00 pet cats in Victoria despite only 227,000 being registered across the state’s 79 Councils. While 95 per cent of registered cats are desexed, the status of the estimated 680,000 remaining cats is unknown, highlighting the importance of registration and management efforts.
Mr Menze said Animal Aid is committed to supporting cat owners and reducing the number of homeless cats.
“This strategy is an opportunity to bring lasting change, but success will depend on collaboration between government, councils, and the community,” he said.
“We encourage cat owners to be proactive in their pet care and support these initiatives to improve outcomes for everyone.”
To read the cat management strategy, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals.
Victoria’s Cat Management Strategy has arrived. (File)
Zonzo’s huge step
By Dongyun Kwon
After a renowned cellar door and restaurant left Healesville, a local winery purchased the property to fill the gap and keep the Yarra Valley’s fame as Australia’s top wine region.
Yarra Glen-based winery, restaurant and wedding venue Zonzo bought the Innocent Bystander’s hospitality venue at 334 Maroondah Highway, Healesville to start a new journey.
Zonzo Estate director Rod Micallef said he was pleased to have acquired the building because the space would work perfectly for Zonzo.
“We purchased it because we were looking to have a home for our Zoncello (Limoncello Spritz) brand,” he said.
“It is very playful and fun, and we want to establish a venue that shows how that product is playful and fun.
“We have a lot of other new spritz products as well like Bellina and Cicchio.”
Zonzo is planning to renovate the property like a spritz bar including an Italian restaurant and a retail space.
At this stage, it’s not confirmed when Zonzo will unveil the new venue but the director hopes it to be “as soon as possible”.
Despite also serving Italian food, the same
as the restaurant in Yarra Glen, the new Zonzo venue will showcase a unique menu, diversifying the experience.
Mr Micallef said he hoped to make the venue vibrant and attractive to locals as well.
“I don’t have a desire to open a franchise restaurant. It will still be Italian but the menu will be different,” he said.
“It’ll be something new and exciting for everyone to visit.
“We are in the process of trying to get permits to extend the outdoor area in the back. Hopefully, we can offer some more seats out there.”
Zoncello Limoncello Spritz has become one of Australia’s top-selling wine products within two years after it was launched.
It is the world first pre-mixed limoncello spritz.
The director said he was beyond excited to expand his business and his team.
“For me personally, it’s a beautiful thing to have the position that we can extend our restaurant offering,” Mr Micallef said.
“It’s nice that we’re committing to opening another venue in the local area in the Yarra Valley.
“Creating a new brand like Zoncello and opening its own venue is exciting for us.”
Council takes out snap send solve award
By Dongyun Kwon
Yarra Ranges Council claimed victory in the Inclusive Excellence Award at the Snap Send Solve’s 2024 Solver of the Year Awards.
The award is presented to the council and organisation that has solved the most accessibility-related reports, such as damaged footpaths and overgrown vegetation.
Snap Send Solve is a free app which allows users to identify and report issues to the relevant responsible authority.
Snap Send Solve chief executive officer Danny Gorog said he came up with the idea for the app in 2010 after visiting a playground with his son when he couldn’t find an easy way to contact the right people for the broken swing.
“Since then, we’ve done lots of versions of the app. One of the big learnings was that we realised it wasn’t just local councils who are responsible for the stuff in our community shared spaces,” he said.
“So, we’ve added all of the different solvers
(organisations) into the network, and then we’ve slowly iterated over time.”
“It’s a really important tool because it democratises issue reporting. It makes it easy and quick.”
In 2024, over 1.5 million community issues were reported in Australia, alongside 139,676 in New Zealand via Snap Send Solve, and nearly 90 per cent of the issues were resolved.
Here’s how to report issues through Snap Send Solve:
1. Download the Snap Send Solve app on either Google Play or App Store
2. Sign up with an email address
3. Log into the app and click the camera icon on the toolbar at the bottom.
4. Take a photo of the issue, confirm the location and select the incident type
5. Type descriptions of the issue and press send
Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson said the council receives approximately 210,000 customer service enquiries and requests each year, with about 3 per cent being reported via the third party
Snap Send Solve is a free app which allows users to identify and report issues to the relevant responsible authority. (Unsplash)
Snap Send Solve app.
“A key part of the council’s commitment to our community is responding to any issues or enquiries as promptly as possible to ensure safe and accessible facilities and assets for our community,” they said.
Outdoor pool’s opening hours
By Dongyun Kwon
With the school term back, the operating hours of Healesville Outdoor Pool have been updated.
Star Mail enquired Belgravia Leisure about its opening hours and the relevant policies to prevent confusion from this update.
From 3 February to 30 March, the pool opens between 3pm and 6pm on weekdays, and between 1pm and 6pm on weekends.
On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, it also opens in the morning from 6.30am to 9am.
The pool only opens on days when the Coldstream temperature is predicted to be 23 degrees or higher.
This temperature is checked at 5pm the night prior.
Belgravia Leisure community engagement coordinator Kelly Parker said the open hours were set up based on participation rates of previous seasons and in alignment with Belgravia Leisure’s agreement with Yarra Ranges Council.
“We set the hours of all outdoor pools based on a shoulder season either side of the peak season over the Christmas and school holiday period,” she said.
“The pool may extend its hours if the temperature at Coldstream reaches 30°C or higher at 5pm, and there are at least 10 people currently within the facility.
“This ensures that we can accommodate increased demand on hot days while maintaining a safe and enjoyable experience for all our patrons.”
There is also a storm’s policy that sometimes affects the pool’s opening hours to ensure the safety of all pool-goers by following best practices for storm and lightning safety.
In the event of a storm and lightning, the following steps will be taken:
1. Staff will count 30 seconds from the sighting of lightning until thunder is heard (this is known as the ‘flash to bang’ method).
2. If thunder is heard within this 30-second window, the pool will be closed for 30 minutes.
3. The pool will reopen after 30 minutes if no further lightning or thunder occurs during that time frame.
Healesville Outdoor Pool is a vibrant community hub that offers a wide variety of events, services and programs throughout the year, catering to the needs of people of all ages and backgrounds.
The pool hosts a range of exciting events, including weekly inflatable days, where families and kids can enjoy hours of fun on the water, and live music events which create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
It also celebrates special occasions like Grandparents Day, offering families the chance to make memories together.
The End of Season Party brings the community together for one last celebration, and the popular Doggy Day allows dog owners to bring their pets in for a fun and unique swimming experience.
Additionally, the Healesville Outdoor Pool has hosted many popular community events such as Christmas Festival, New Year’s Eve Party, Music Nights, Opening Season Party, Heart Foundation Walks, Summer Celebrations Event, Healesville Connect Picnic and Freedom Church Community Event.
Ms Parker said the wide range of events and services ensures there’s always something to enjoy, from festive celebrations to health walks and everything in between.
“The pool also plays an essential role in supporting local schools with Learn to Swim Programs, offering children valuable water safety skills and swimming techniques. The pool hosts Fun Days and Swim Carnivals, where students can participate in friendly competitions and celebrate their swimming achievements,” she said.
“These programs are crucial in promoting physical activity and water safety within the community.
“Beyond school programs, Healesville Outdoor Pool offers something for everyone in the community. Whether its local families enjoying a day out, seniors participating in special events like Grandparents Day or students benefiting from the Student Discount Entry Program, the pool fosters inclusivity and active engagement.”
Zonzo purchased the Innocent Bystander’s hospitality venue at 334 Maroondah Highway, Healesville. (Stewart Chambers: 457993)
Zoncello was awarded the Product Innovation of the Year at the 2024 Endeavour Group’s Supplier of the Year Awards. (Supplied)
Thousands for schools
By Dongyun Kwon
On 5 February, children minister Lizzie Blandthorn announced the recipients of the 2024-25 Building Blocks Inclusion Grants program which delivers critical funding for upgrades and equipment to help Victorian children reach their full potential.
Building Blocks Inclusion Grants program is designed for projects that help children engage in activities, build skills, and ensure early learning is inclusive for all abilities.
Yarra Glen Pre School and Haig Avenue Preschool have been named on the list.
Yarra Glen Pre School will receive $8950.
Yarra Glen Pre School operations officer Emma Giosserano said everyone involved with Yarra Glen Pre School from the staff to the committee of management was overjoyed to receive this grant.
“Being a not-for-profit community kindergarten, we rely heavily on department funding and community donations,” she said.
“To have funds specifically allocated to us to be used to improve the space for our children is incredible.
“It will make an enormous difference to the children currently enrolled in our programs but also future families coming through.”
The preschool is going to purchase resources and equipment to support children’s access, engagement, and participation in positive learning spaces with the grant.
“Items such as a window play cube, sensory nook, flexible seating options, climbing boards and crash mats are just a few of the items on our wishlist,” Ms Giosserano said.
“We are hoping to provide a safe and inclusive outdoor environment where every child will be able to challenge their physical abilities, improve gross motor skills and encourage their sense of agency.”
Haig Avenue Preschool in Healesville will receive $2086.
The grant will help the kindergarten purchase
small items for its playground.
Minister Blandthorn said every child deserves to actively participate at kindergarten, no matter their ability.
“These grants will make sure kinders have the inclusive facilities and equipment they need to support all children to grow, learn and play,” she said.
“We’re supporting the diverse needs of Victoria’s children by making hundreds of kindergartens safer, more engaging and inclusive, so all children can grow and thrive from the best start in life.”
Sunday 23 February 2025 9.00am to 4.00pm
Yarra Glen Pre School and Haig Avenue Preschool have been named on the 2024-25 Building Blocks Inclusion Grants program recipient list. (File)
OPEN DAYS A bug-tastic adventure
Warburton Primary School is abuzz with excitement as our high-ability Years 5 and 6 students prepare to take part in a fascinating online incursion on 6 March: Insectivores 101.
This educational event, proudly presented by Ecolink as part of the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series, promises to open young minds to the incredible world of insects—and their surprising potential as the superfood of the future.
Leading the session is Shasta Henry, an entomologist and PhD candidate from the University of Tasmania. With her wealth of knowledge and contagious enthusiasm for the insect kingdom, Shasta will guide students through an engaging 40-minute presentation, culminating in an interactive Q&A session where curious minds can ask their most pressing bug-related questions.
The theme of the incursion is both timely and thought-provoking: Did you know that insects are the superfood of the future? As the global population grows and environmental sustainability becomes increasingly important, scientists are exploring new food sources, and insects have emerged as a nutritious and eco-friendly option. High in protein, vitamins, and minerals, edible insects like crickets and mealworms could play a key role in future diets around the world.
Through this unique learning experience, our students will discover the ecological significance of insects, their role in global food systems, and why entomologists like Shasta Henry are so passionate about these tiny creatures. More importantly, Insectivores 101 aims to spark curiosity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of how scientific innovation can help solve realworld challenges.
Warburton Primary is thrilled to offer this exciting opportunity to our high-ability learners. Events like these not only enrich classroom learning but also inspire students to think beyond traditional boundaries. Who knows? Perhaps one
A Christ-centred community: Learning from the past, Challenging the present, Creating the future.
of our own young participants will be inspired to become the next generation of insect scientists or sustainable food innovators.
So, parents, get ready for some interesting dinner-table conversations about cricket protein and mealworm snacks! And students, prepare to be amazed by the incredible, often misunderstood, world of insects. Insectivores 101 is set to be an un-bee-lievable adventure!
Will Warburton Primary School students discover that bugs are the superfood of the future? (Supplied)
OPEN DAYS
A fabulous start to year
What
With our ‘Getting to Know You’ Parent/Teacher meetings coming up, we look forward to another year of learning, fun and friendship and working as a team. In fact, Wesburn Primary School recognises the importance of the partnership between schools and parents to support student learning, engagement and wellbeing. We share a commitment to, and a responsibility for ensuring inclusive, safe and orderly environments for children and young people. Our school aims to provide students with the best possible opportunities to become lifelong learners with the con-
Out of School Hours Care
fidence and skills to meet future challenges. We want students to gain high levels of literacy and numeracy and high level thinking skills, effective communication skills, and confidence in the use of information and communication technologies. We strive to develop resilient, motivated and empowered students who have a strong connectedness to the school.
We are excited to invite the community to our Open Night so that you can see the many programs and opportunities students have to achieve these goals. Stroll around the grounds to enjoy the beautiful, natural environment and our kitchen gardens. Have a peek at the Outside School Hours Care facilities, chat to our teachers and support staff. Join in the fun activities!
It’s been a fabulous start to the year at Wesburn Primary School. (Supplied)
OPEN DAYS
All welcome to St Joseph’s
St Joseph’s Primary School is a beautiful Primary School situated on 17 acres of bushland. St Joseph’s has multiple indoor and outdoor facilities and learning spaces including two Basketball courts, an Oval, a Stick area, an Indoor Basketball Court and Performance centre, a Science and Art Building, a wonderful Library and fantastic spacious classrooms. St Joseph’s Primary School fosters the values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience with a strong focus on developing the learner as a whole. St Joseph’s embeds a Wellbe-
ing Curriculum and an explicit teaching of Phonics, Literacy and Numeracy, including a Daily Fitness Program. St Joseph’s is a Welcoming Community, fostering strong Parent Partnerships and Inclusivity.
We welcome all families to come for a school tour or even come along to our Open Day on Monday 31 March.
To find out more information contact St Joseph’s at 5967 1183 or visit the school’s website sjyarrajunction.catholic.edu.au/.
Small
Find the right place for your child at St Joseph’s Primary School. (Supplied)
OPEN DAYS
Discover a great beginning
At Mount Lilydale Mercy College (MLMC), we understand that selecting a school for your child is an important decision. We warmly invite families to visit the College on our Open Day, Sunday 16 March, and discover how we can be the difference for your child. You will have the opportunity to see first-hand all that the College has to offer them through hands-on activities, displays and tours of our amazing grounds and facilities. Staff and students will be available to answer your questions, allowing you to discover how your child can thrive at MLMC.
Principal Mr Philip Morison said he believes it is our task to develop the innate talents in every child who enters the College to ensure they leave us with the resilience and confidence to fulfil their potential.
“We want MLMC graduates to live their best lives and be the difference in the lives of those around them,” he said
From its beginnings, MLMC has embodied a distinct Mercy spirit which deepens respect for each individual. This spirit lies at the heart of the College’s Catholic identity and an education at MLMC will see your child immersed in a culture that highlights our Mercy Values of compassion, justice, respect, courage, service, and hospitality. We believe these good Christian values will help guide them as they navigate an increasingly complex world.
Commencingsecondaryschoolcanbeadaunting prospect and we make every effort to welcome new students through key events in the lead-up to starting at the College, ensuring they feel comfortable, prepared and welcomed. Public events such as Open Day and our annual College Musical give your child an opportunity to experience the breadth of choice that will open up them when they move into secondary education at MLMC.
Once enrolled, students have the opportunity to participate in the Flying Solo program and Orientation Day prior to commencement, followed by
Year 7 Camp and the Stepping Forward program in the first weeks of Year 7. Each program is designed to initiate and build upon connections with peers and teachers and makes the primary to secondary school transition less intimidating. Our Year 10 Peer Support students play a vital
role in ensuring a smooth and positive transition for our Year 7 students as they settle into College life. By attending transition programs and then Year 7 classes weekly, Peer Support Leaders provide guidance, reassurance, and a friendly face to help younger students navigate new routines,
academic expectations, and social connections. This structured support fosters a strong sense of belonging and well-being within the College community.
We look forward to welcoming your family to our Mount Lilydale Mercy College community.
All smiles for the first day of Year 7 at MLMC.
Year 7 Camp is always a hit.
Families are invited to the MLMC Open Day on Sunday 16 March.
The Flying Solo program helps new students to bed into secondary school life at MLMC.
The Peer Support program is another way MLMC helps Year 7 students settle into secondary school.
Celebrating our servicemen
By Dongyun Kwon
While Australians were celebrating Valentine’s Day with their loved ones, Mount Evelyn RSL paused to honour the contribution of young Australian men called up for national service.
The local RSL sub-branch hosted a National Servicemen’s Day Service at 10am on Friday February 14, at the Mt Evelyn Memorial Gardens.
Mount Evelyn RSL committee member Chris Thiele said it was a commemorative event to remember those who were called up for national service.
“We honoured those people with a short service and a floral tribute,” he said.
The national service scheme was introduced four times between 1911 and 1972.
The Universal Service Scheme, Australia’s first national service scheme, began in January 1911, which involved boys from the age of 12 through to men in their mid-20s and ran throughout World War I.
The young boys were trained at school while the older boys were trained at various times throughout the year.
Some 636,000 men were called up to serve in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) during the first four years of this scheme.
No men were conscripted into the First Australian Imperial Force for service overseas.
Amid widespread debate, Australians voted against two referendums to introduce conscription during the war, and this first scheme was suspended in 1929.
In 1940, the national service scheme was revived shortly after World War II began.
Under this second scheme, unmarried Australian men who turned 21 in the year ending 30 June were called up for three months of military training in the CMF.
By mid-1942, some 290,000 men were enlisted in the CMF.
At first, any conscripts, who were called up, only served in Australia but it was changed in
1943 as the federal government passed a bill to use Australian conscripts in the war in the South West Pacific Zone.
The second scheme was closed down in 1946.
In the national service scheme between 1951 and 1959, all males aged 18 were required to register for national service and to undertake various training obligations in the navy, army or air force.
Once training was completed, national servicemen were required to remain in the reserve for five years.
Those called up under the third scheme did not see active service.
The last one ran from 1964 to 1972.
In this scheme, men aged 20 were selected by a birthday ballot for the army.
A year before the ballot, teenagers could choose to do their national service by enlisting in the CMF.
Some 35,000 chose this option.
If balloted out, they could resign from the CMF immediately.
From 8 December 1965, people who enlisted in the CMF had to complete six years of service. The service period was reduced to five years in 1971.
Between 30 June 1965 and 7 December 1972, over 63,000 men were called up for a period of full-time service and integrated into regular army units.
The initial service period of two years was reduced to 18 months in 1971.
Mr Thiele was one of the men who took national service for 18 months between 1971 and 1972.
“What they did was they pulled you apart, reassembled you and moulded you into the type of person they needed you to be in the armed forces,” he said.
“You came out of it a different person in some respects.
“To go back into assimilation into private life and business again was a whole new experience and wasn’t easy.”
Healesville Sanctuary honours women in science
By Dongyun Kwon
Healesville Sanctuary welcomed five girls who came to visit to learn about opportunities for women at the zoo.
This year marked the 10th anniversary of International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February.
To celebrate this special day, the local zoo invited five members of the Zoos Victoria Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) to give behind-thescenes experiences at Healesville Sanctuary. Chloe, Gracelyn, Meabh, Ruby and Zoe were chosen based on their strong interest in conservation and their curiosity about the role of a zookeeper.
Zoos Victoria education innovation leader Cheryl Laks said the students worked alongside specialist keepers at Healesville Sanctuary, assisting with animal feeding, habitat maintenance, and observing animal procedures and gaining a first-hand understanding of how science is applied in everyday operations, throughout the day.
“The experience not only allowed them to explore potential career pathways but also strengthened their ability to represent young voices in conservation through their work with the YAC,” she said.
“The selected students bring a diverse range of experiences and passions to the committee, from leading school conservation initiatives and ad-
vocating for environmental change, to inspiring their peers to take action for wildlife.
“Their participation in this initiative reflects Zoos Victoria’s commitment to youth engagement and education, ensuring the next generation is actively involved in shaping the future of conservation.”
Five mentors volunteered their time to introduce their jobs and how each role is integrated into the science; amphibian keeper Meg Lane, helmeted honeyeater keeper Monique Winterhoff, bird keeper Sarah Carter, veterinarian Dr Chloe Steventon and platypus specialist Dr Jessica Thomas.
Dr Thomas said science is a big part of almost everything they do.
“In the Life Sciences department, there’s some more typical roles like the veterinary department where it is all about diagnosis and treatment, which has a very strong science background,” she said.
“All our threatened species programs have a very strong research component, ranging from genetics and mate selection through to dietary analysis and even breeding outcomes. The display rounds do data collection so that we can learn, grow and improve how we care for many species.
“There is so much we don’t know about basic biology, and we have a wonderful opportunity here to study some of their behaviours and ad-
and Youth Advisory Committee
International
vance science in a way that we can’t from studying wild animals.”
Zoos Victoria is inviting students in year 9 and 10 with leadership potential to apply for its Youth
Conservation Leaders Program.
Students will develop leadership skills through a real-life conservation initiative for the Leadbeater’s Possum; participate in field science, including overnight stays and night-spotting in protected areas around the Healesville area; gain valuable experience in wildlife conservation, communication and project management; work with Zoos Victoria mentors to lead a community project with real impact.
Dr Thomas encourages young girls or women wanting a science-based career to follow their dreams.
She said it could be such a rewarding career.
“One of the reasons I was very passionate about (International Day of Women and Girls in Science) is because it’s all about women, supporting other women. Not competing with them, but lifting each other up, and really being that supportive base for each other,” Dr Thomas said.
“What I like most about today is that for those of us that have been through it and now have our careers established, it’s a way that we can support the next generation coming through, and hopefully, provide some opportunities that we would have loved to have had when we were their age.”
Youth Conservation Leaders Program 2025 applications close on Tuesday 11 March. Find out more and apply here at zoo.org.au/ melbourne/whats-on/events/youth-conservation-leaders
Mt Evelyn RSL’s National Servicemen’s Day Service, L-R: secretary Iain Townsley, president Mattew Crymble and committee member Chris Thiele. (Dongyun Kwon: 459624)
Floral tribute by Mr Thiele. (Dongyun Kwon: 459624)
The Mt Evelyn RSL hosted a National Servicemen’s Day Service at 10am on Friday February 14, at the Mt Evelyn Memorial Gardens. (Dongyun Kwon: 459624)
Healesville Sanctuary specialists
members celebrating
Day of Women and Girls in Science, L-R: helmeted honeyeater keeper Monique Winterhoff, Chloe, bird keeper Sarah Carter, Ruby, Gracelyn, veterinarian Dr Chloe Steventon, Zoe, amphibian keeper Meg Lane, platypus specialist Dr Jessica Thomas, Méabh, keeper Angelica Aguilar. (Zoos Victoria)
100th birthday celebration
By Dongyun Kwon
While it was drizzling, the sky was generous enough to show the sun on and off on Saturday 15 February.
It was not the best present from the sky but it was good enough to throw the historical birthday party for Badger Creek Hall.
The Centenary Event was full of people from kids to adults, local community groups, and First Nations and non-First Nations people to celebrate this special day.
The attendees enjoyed sausage sizzles, toasties, and coffee as well as music performed by local singing groups.
Badger Creek and District Men’s Shed opened its shed for people who were interested in being a member.
Badger Creek Old School Building and Badger Creek Primary School New Building were open for tour as well.
The birthday party went on until 9pm with Family Bush Dance led by
Valley-based
sic specialist Woody Clark.
Yarra
mu-
L-R: Badger Creek Hall Centenary Event co-ordinators; Adam Cole, Jacob Newton, Kevin Mason, Kathleen Riley, Kathy Cameron with Yarra Ranges councillor Fiona McAllister. (Dongyun Kwon: 459846)
Dancing to the beat of Kofi Kunkpe Music’s African drumming performance. (459846)
Teddy enjoying playing with mud. (459846)
Macy making mud pies. (459846)
One of the MCs Bruce Argyle. (459846)
Badger Creek and District Men’s Shed committee member Jack Lester. (459846)
Yarra Valley-based band Going North. (459846)
Badger Creek and District Men’s Shed running sausage sizzles. (459846)
Badger Creek Old School Building. (459846)
Bush Buddies Playgroup making mud pies. (459846)
L-R: Healesville Environment Watch Inc secretary Karen Garth, member John Weiss, and Mount Toolebewong and District Landcare president Graeme George. (459846)
Healesville Spinners and Weavers Group. (459846)
Badger Creek and District Men’s Shed opening day. (459846)
RSL calling for members
By Dongyun Kwon
A local Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) sub branch is calling for current or former servicemen and servicewomen, and their family members to be part of them.
The Yarra Glen RSL was originally formed on 19 January 1919 and was re-chartered in the Victorian Branch of the RSSAIL as a sub-branch on 19 April 1945.
Yarra Glen RSL secretary and treasurer Edward Bartosh said the purpose of the RSL is to remember and assist those who have served or their dependants who need help financially and emotionally.
“We host a Remembrance Day Service and Anzac Day Service. We invite local school children to come on Anzac Day and tell us what it means to their family and them,” he said.
“We also assist with other RSLs in the Yarra Valley to remember the Vietnam vets who were not treated very well when they came home.
“We are very small here but we are connected through larger RSLs such as Healesville and the state branch down in Melbourne.”
The local sub branch holds a barbecue party on the last Friday of each month from 12pm at the Yarra Glen Memorial Hall and is going to host a special opening day on Saturday 8 March to introduce the RSL to people.
The Yarra Glen RSL committee would like to host more social events if they succeed in recruiting more members.
There are two different types of memberships for the RSL; service membership and affiliate membership.
Service membership is available to anyone who is or was a member of the Australian Defence Force with at least one day’s service (fulltime equivalent), or anyone who is or was a member of an Allied Armed Force with at least six months of service.
Affiliate membership is available to anyone who has a close family member who is or was eligible for service membership, and is also available to anyone who works or has worked, with at least six months of service, in the emergency services.
Mr Bartosh is a service member who joined the RSL as an Allied Armed Force serviceman in 2005.
“I served in the American army for 22 years and decided to move to Australia,” he said.
“A friend told me the RSL was a club for veterans to join. I saw a lot of guys who looked like my father at that time. They were World War II vets who served in the Pacific.”
President Michael Watkins has joined the RSL as a service member as well.
“I’m ex (British) Royal Air Force. I was in the air force from 1964 until 1985, came to Australia in 2005 and joined the RSL as a service member shortly afterwards,” the president said.
Unlike two former soldiers, vice president George Miller has become an RSL affiliate member to honour his father.
Mr Miller said his father was a World War II veteran.
“He was in Kokoda, Borneo and New Guinea, and served overseas in Egypt and Syria,” he said.
“He was in the 7th Division, 2/4th regiment, which was an artillery unit, and he served for six years.”
For more information about the membership or the opening day event, contact Mr Bartosh via phone on 0438 508 235 or email rsl@yarraglen. com
New display of vintage tools at Mont De Lancey
By Callum Ludwig
The Mont De Lancey Historic Homestead is now home to a new display of vintage tools, courtesy of Charlie Chamberlain.
Mr Chamberlain is a retired builder and former president and life member of Eastern Woodturners and had accumulated the extensive collection before deciding to donate it.
Mr Chamberlain said he started the collection about 35 years ago or maybe a bit longer.
“(It started) with a few things that belonged to my wife’s great-grandfather, and then I’ve collected ever since; carpentry tools, plumbing tools, other bits and pieces, and some kitchen oil, so there’s a bit of everything, but a lot of building tools,” he said.
“When I was teaching in the TAFE system I did used to have students coming and looking at them where I had them displayed in the other house but the last few years there’s not been a room to spread them out so my main thing was to keep the collection together and that’s what Mont De Lamcey wanted to do.”
The tools are on display at the entry to the Eastern Woodturners, which has been based at Mont De Lancey for 16 years as of this year.
Mr Chamberlain said he would still be around the woodturners club and Mont De Lancey.
“All the school tours, which I just did one this morning, they all like to go through that room to go into the main room, so that’s going to be open for self-guided tours in Mont De Lancey,” he said.
“If they pay to have a tour, they can go into that area and have a look, they are secured beyond a wire cage, but they’re allowed to go in there themselves and have a look around at them all… it shows a lot of the younger ones what the tools that we actually used in building were and some of them are tools I started with when I was 15.”
“I’ll still be part of the woodturning club up there and I’ve just finished doing some work on the cubby house down the bottom there that needs redoing and Gavin McIntyre and I are going to redo the school house.”
L-R: Yarra Glen RSL vice president George Miller, president Michael Watkins, and secretary and treasurer Edward Bartosh. (Stewart Chambers: 459391)
Charlie Chamberlain is a retired building and life member of the Eastern Woodturners. (Garry Byrne)
The collection can found at the entrance to the Eastern Woodturners club. (Garry Byrne)
Charlie Chamberlain has donated his tools to Mont De Lancey. (Garry Byrne)
Garden club’s new event
By Callum Ludwig
The Upper Yarra Valley Garden Club (UYVGC) is hosting an exciting new event for growers across the Yarra Ranges.
The Seville Public Hall will host the first ‘Grow Show’ on Sunday 16 March between 10.30am and 5pm.
Grow Show Manager Shirley Lahtinen said they decided to do the show to try and unify some of the gardening groups in the Yarra Valley.
“All of which are doing wonderful small-size promotions and collecting people who are interested in horticulture, but we don’t have any way we connect with each other in the one place at the one time,” she said.
“I’ve already been round to the Healesville people and the Wandin people, we’re actually connecting with people, Covid cut any links that we might have had so we’re really starting again from there and there’s lots of groups like Community Gardens and ECOSS up at Wesburn,”
“We have quite different requirements in terms of rainfall and soils and the like, but we still share this common interest in growing things, and that’s really what we’re out to do, and people like to show off what they grow so it’s an old fashioned flower and produce show.”
The event is open to all ages and for the community to contribute:
A children’s section for kids to enter their planting projects will be available
Groups and small businesses are encouraged
to enter a trestle table to put on display as part of the show, anyone interested in doing so is encouraged to ring Mavis at 0412 855 805
Anyone from the community can enter flowers, fruit, vegetables and pots by bringing them to the Seville Public Hall between 3pm and 5pm on Saturday 15 March or 8am to 9.30am on Sunday 16 March.
Ms Lahtinen said it’s about displaying what the community can do.
“It’s a really old-fashioned concept I know but still quite popular in Gippsland areas and the like, and as a horticultural judge, it’s great to see lots of people just bringing in what they can do and they’re quite proud of their community,” she said.
“The aim is to grow and show and you take it along to make the show, not to win the first prize, and that’s what old-fashioned shows used to be about,”
“It’s important because much of what we do supports small businesses just by word of mouth… the Royal Horticultural Society in the city used to have a list of people who come out and speak always with their box of products and that just doesn’t exist now.”
Morning and afternoon tea will be available at the event and entry is only $5 for adults, or free for anyone who contributes to the show.
Anyone interested in getting involved in the event or finding out more can do so at upperyarravalleygardenclub.com/.
Flashback to the past at the Draught Horse festival
By Callum Ludwig
The annual Draught Horse and Yesteryear Festival at the Mont De Lancey Historic Homestead is returning for 2025.
This year’s event will be held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March from 10am to 4pm, featuring the fleet of large draught horses at work as well as displays and exhibitions of old-school machinery and skills.
Event Coordinator Lewis Carlton said obviously, the draught horses are the main attraction.
“There’ll be a number of them working in the field and they’ll be in a position so people can have a pat if they wish, all the horses are good and they don’t bite,” he said.
“The sheep shearing is back again for the first time in a few years, we’ll have a man doing shearing of the sheep pretty much every hour on the half hour during the day,”
“Of course, we always hope it’s going to be a success, all we can do is hope for the best, we’ve had the numbers over the years go up and down, last year’s event was a little quiet on a Saturday, but substantially improved on Sunday.”
There will be displays of vintage machinery, a group of men exhibiting older-style hand tools, groups of ladies in the museum showcasing needlework, tatting and lace-making, a display of handmade ceramics, quilts made by
(File)
the Quilts for Orphans group, the market ‘in full swing’ with food vendors and a display of vintage vehicles, motorcycles and vintage Caterpillar bulldozers as the brand celebrates its 100th anniversary.
For the kids, there will be a jumping castle,
activities and potentially donkey rides (yet to be confirmed).
Mr Carlton said the festival is a glimpse of how things were done in years gone by.
“Generally speaking life is a lot easier now than it used to be, whether it’s on the farm or
Counts
&
in the suburbs because these days you can flick a switch and light your room or turn on a machine,” he said.
“Whereas in days gone by you had to maneuver heavy machinery around or to power equipment, you also had to replenish your kerosene lanterns on a regular basis so if you wanted light at night time because you didn’t have that wonderful thing called electricity,”
“People back in what we’ll call the old days, weren’t stupid, just the technology was a lot different to nowadays so this gives people an idea of the amount of manpower that was required to perform the tasks of the time.”
General admission is $15 and kids under 15 can enter for free. To book, visit montdelancey. org.au/event/draught-horse-festival-2025/?.
Head to Mont De Lancey Historic Homestead for the 2025 Draught Horse and Yesteryear Festival.
Powerful draught horses will be on display.
Display your planting prowess in the Upper Yarra Valley Garden Club’s Grow Show. (File)
10 years, $100,000 raised
By Callum Ludwig
Just over 10 years ago, Norm Orr decided he wanted to see more donated from Warburton to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.
A decade on, the Eastern 80 charity bike ride celebrated its 10th anniversary on Saturday 15 February, having raised $100,000 for the Good Friday appeal since its inception.
Not only did the Eastern 80 hit the $100,000 mark, but the 2025 edition has raised over $15,000 alone.
Riders arrived for check-in at 6.30am and set off at 7.30am, starting as usual from the Warburton COG Cafe & Bike Shop at 42 Station Road, Warburton.
Some Eastern 80 events throughout the years have had ambassadors, consisting of local families who have had children who have been helped or were currently being helped by the Royal Children’s Hospital as well as those who have grown up years after receiving important care from the hospital.
Participants had the option of a nine-kilometre walk, 50km ride or 80km ride and the classic Hawaiian-themed Eastern 80 shirts made a return, available for purchase for $35 of which $10 went to the Good Friday Appeal.
The fun didn’t stop at the finish line however, with the Alpine Hotel in Warburton hosting riders for more activities after the race.
There was live music, games and face painting for the kids, lunch, a silent auction, a raffle and a five-hour Happy Hour from 12pm to 5pm for the riders, walkers and event supporters.
Casey MP Aaron Violi said it was an honour to open the 10th Eastern 80 Charity Bike Ride.
“Congratulations to Norm and the team who announced at the starting line that they have raised over $100,000 for the Good Friday Appeal,” he said.
Neeson good for the biz
By Tanya Steele
It doesn’t matter who you are but you may have smiled to learn that international superstar Liam Neeson has landed in Victoria again.
Bringing skills acquired over a long career Neeson said he is honoured to be back in Victoria working on his latest film The Mongoose.
“With one of the best crews, again, that I have ever worked with in over 100 movies,” he said.
As production begins on The Mongoose, Neeson’s third film in the state in four years local Dandenong Ranges creative Isabel chatted with the Star Mail about the welcome news as press across the state covered the action megastar’s movements.
Isabel said that regular work in her industry is a good thing.
“It’s nice to know that productions from overseas are coming in, it’s good to have them spend here, ” she said.
This current project is expected to provide more than 1,300 jobs and generate more than $55 million in economic value for the state.
Liam Neeson’s previous Victorian-based productions Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky (2023) and Blacklight (2020) have given steady work to the Victorian community.
Isabel worked on Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky (2023), as a costumier and sewing machinist and she also worked across many other film and television series in both Victoria and Queensland, bringing her own very particular set of skills to set.
“There have definitely been patches where there’s no work, especially when there was the writers’ strike in LA,” Isabel said.
Costumier creatives like Isabel can sometimes step into other avenues like the theatre for work but she said some film roles don’t have transferable skills.
Victorians won’t have to look far to perhaps catch a glimpse of the production which will shoot all over the state in Bacchus Marsh, Castlemaine and Bangholme as well as the Melbourne CBD, North Melbourne, Kensington and Moorabbin.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks visited the Bacchus Marsh Aerodrome on 12 February to meet the Taken and Schindler’s List star and production team on the action-thriller set.
Mr Brooks said they’re thrilled to welcome Liam Neeson and the team back to Victoria to make yet another action-packed movie that will
create hundreds of local jobs, engage local businesses and generate millions for our economy.
“The Mongoose is the first of a strong pipeline of local and international productions that will fuel our screen industry in 2025,” he said.
“We’re excited to see Victoria on the global stage once again, and we thank the local communities across Victoria who are hosting this major production in their hometowns.”
The Mongoose stars Liam Neeson as Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a war hero wrongfully accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
With nothing left to lose, he leads the police on an unforgettable televised cross-country car chase, aided by members of his former Special Forces Army battalion, while a captivated public cheers him on.
The Mongoose was attracted to Victoria by the government through VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Rebate and the film also received support from the Federal Government’s location offset.
VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitche said since the inception of Victoria’s Screen Industry Strategy in 2021 they have seen exceptional economic growth, creative success and cultural value delivered to Victoria.
The screen strategy has so far created 44,000 jobs and generated $1.9 billion in direct economic expenditure in Victoria.
Isabel said she loves and admires the work of her colleagues, especially art finishers.
“We make the costume and they will take them and break them down so they look worn or make it look as if a person’s lived in it, rather than it’s been off the shelf,” she said.
“They add finishes to it if there’s stunts or blood.”
Isabel said she has previously gotten quite a lot of work from the television series La Brea which was filmed in Victoria in 2021 and 2022, finishing in Queensland in 2023.
The project put more than $60 million into the Victorian economy at the time, creating jobs for 290 local cast and crew members, and work for around 295 local businesses.
“They came back to Victoria for another season, which was great,” she said.
Film sets can vary depending on their budget and Isabel said there are both positives and negatives with both.
“Sometimes smaller budgets, it can be good because you get to do more - there are fewer peo-
ple, and you have to,” she said.
“With bigger budgets, that can obviously be a little less stress.”
With film sets popping up all over the state the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley have seen their share of the action in the last few years with series such as The Clearing and High Country filmed across locations in Olinda.
Early last year, the Upwey community got very curious when a closed set was filmed in their suburb, later revealed to be the horror film Together starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco.
Isabel said local Aussie production is just as important to the industry as overseas production, with television shows like Neighbours based in Nunawading providing stability and vital experience to Victorians.
“It’s in the same place and it’s somewhat regular – people can have families,” she said.
“Neighbours is so welcoming and run so efficiently, it’s also a good training ground.”
The Mongoose is being directed by seasoned stunt professional Mark Vanselow and the film features an impressive international cast, including Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames, and Michael Chiklis.
It also boasts a strong local cast, featuring Ryan Morgan, Maurice Meredith, Toby Truslove, Aisha
Anton, Brett Tucker, Hamish Michael, Geoff Morell, and Louisa Mignone. Isabel said a number of her colleagues are working on the current film although due to other work commitments, she is not on the set of The Mongoose.
“I know a lot of people who are working on it and they are people who worked on the last one,” she said.
The production base will be located at the Melbourne Screen Hub in Footscray and will also create around 450 jobs for Victorian screen workers and engage 150 local businesses –including aerial cinematography by globally renowned Melbourne drone specialists XM2.
Set to put more than $19 million into the economy, with an estimated $2 million being spent in regional Victorian communities, the project reunites Neeson with Code Entertainment, producers of both Ice Road and Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky and was written by Thompson Evans (Reckoning).
Isabel said she would like to see more period films come to the state in the future.
“I would love to work on a film that was period-themed because as a maker it can be more fun,” she said.
Aidara, Zac Taylor, Yesse Spence, Mario Sayana, Geoff Paine, Elias
Liam Neeson is back in town for his him The Mongoose. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP).
The Orr family are gearing up for the 2025 Eastern 80. (Supplied)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
A Toast to Melba launched
By Mikayla van Loon
The culmination of two years worth of work to bring a contemporary view of famed opera singer Dame Nellie Melba to the Yarra Ranges finally launched with a Toast to Melba.
The exhibition at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum in Lilydale brings together many firsts for both telling the true story of Melba as a woman before her time and in collaboration to make it possible.
Described as the Taylor Swift or Kylie Minogue of her era, Yarra Ranges Regional Museum director Megan Sheehy and curator Maddie Reece said this fresh perspective of the singer, mother and revered woman was designed to cater to an entirely new audience.
“What we are trying to do with the exhibition, is to find the elements of her story that are of interest and relevance today particularly for young women who might look to different pop stars and social media influencers, and to really position her as the first person to do that, not just in Australia, but in the world, and to help people understand that she really was the Taylor Swift of her era,” Ms Sheehy said.
“She was that first celebrity. Celebrity and the concept of fame is coined off of Melba, not just people like Melba, but Melba herself,” Ms Reece said.
Engaging young people on the Yarra Ranges Council youth advisory committee, Ms Sheehy said it was their input that helped guide and shape the exhibition.
In introducing the exhibition at the launch on Saturday 15 February, Ms Sheehy said by delving into the contemporary aspects of Melba, she was certainly ahead of her time.
“We spoke to everyone we could and dug into the new ways of seeing Melba. What we discovered, you’ll see in the gallery, we learned that the global superstar loved Lilydale and the Yarra Valley more than any other place in the world,” she said.
“We learned about her being a strong business woman. She basically invented branding, personal branding, before that existed. She was a modernist and a really forward thinking woman, which is exciting to us, and who was a supporter of women’s rights and also really helped support other creative women.”
Hardened by the experiences of life before becoming a superstar across the world, the singer, born in 1861, separated from her husband just a year after marriage and became a single mother, raising a child overseas.
But despite all of this, she never lost her spark and so a ‘Toast to Melba’ also delves into her per-
sonality, the one she kept hidden from stage for just her family and friends.
“She was a hilarious, wise, fun loving, practical joker who was acutely aware of the role of play in life,” Ms Sheehy said.
It was this element that inspired Melba’s Vintage Playroom, inviting people of all ages to live by the singer’s most known quote, “let’s have fun”.
“She encouraged her students and everyone to indulge in a bit of nonsense to offset the harsher realities of life,” Ms Reece said.
Replicating a 1920s photograph of Coombe’s nursery, the playroom has costumes, puzzles, drawing and a play mat to engage yet another age group in Melba.
Aside from telling parts of the Melba story perhaps not known, the exhibition also shows items never seen on display before, including Melba’s son George’s racing silks in the traditional British suffrage colours of green, mauve and white.
Other items come directly from Melba’s chosen home of Coombe in Coldstream, like the handpainted lanterns that were uncovered in a trunk.
That link to the Yarra Valley, one that the region has always claimed Melba as one of their own, quickly shifted, “discovering that it’s completely the opposite. Melba loved this place more than any other in the world”.
“The true love that she feels for the Yarra Valley just comes through in everything she’s written, in the letters to her father, to people back home, to the newspaper interviews she’s done on it,” Ms Reece said.
The collection was sourced from the Museum’s archives, Arts Centre Melbourne and Coombe Yarra Valley, a collaboration first to ensure Melba’s legacy and influence carries through to the next generation.
“When we were planning the exhibition and curating it, our target audiences weren’t the people
who love Melba, they will come regardless. It’s the millennials, the Gen Z’s. If they can leave knowing a little more about who Dame Nellie Melba was, we’ve done our job,” Ms Reece said.
From the chic streets of Paris and London to the tranquil beauty of the Yarra Valley, A Toast to Melba reveals intimate glimpses of Melba’s life. Marvel at the creativity in her painting, enjoy the humorous tale of her son’s racing silks in British suffrage colours and celebrate the innovator who made history as the first internationally renowned performer to broadcast live on radio in 1920.
There will also be talks, tours, special events and more for individuals and groups throughout the exhibition which runs until 29 June.
Full details can be found here as programs are announced: yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Experience/ Events/A-Toast-to-Melba
Freedom and discovery flows through Jamie Saxe
By Mikayla van Loon
Experimenting with paints, colour and texture has led Olinda-based artist Jamie Saxe on a discovery of being in a flow state.
It was that act of complete mental concentration, and the natural environment, which inspired a collection of artworks now on display at the Round Bird Art Space in Lilydale.
Saxe’s exhibition combines a series of works finished in the last 12 months, alongside some older pieces.
His exhibition, rightfully named Flow, explores aerial landscapes, clouds, nebulae and the movement of water through the abstract.
“I’m trying to work on that idea of flowing movement. That’s the main thing that I’m trying to achieve through this and it’s replicating a lot of the patterns we see in nature,” he said.
For 15 years, Saxe’s artistic style was rooted in using alternative methods, where he would avoid touching the canvas.
“That was very much because as soon as I did, it started to look contrived, and what I’ve been trying to do is replicate all of those patterns that you might see in clouds or nebula or sand and soil,” he said.
“Then in about May I thought this is a really limiting rule so I decided to break the rule, which has allowed me to start to experiment with applying different techniques.”
This came about in the form of natural resources like soil and turmeric, as well as manufactured products like gauze, to bring various
textures and colour to the works.
“I had a lot of trouble getting earthy colours for a while, and started using a lot of dirt from the Yarra Ranges,” Saxe said.
From asking his partner to pick any coordinates, one which turned out to be a huge glacier in the Himalayas, to just entering his studio and “looking at a canvas and going, ‘what do I do today?’” Saxe’s approach differs each time.
“Two turned into landscapes, which I’ve never really done before, but I’ve just come back from Tasmania and I went down to the Three
Capes and some of the photos I’ve taken look like the painting.
“So I think I’m going to play around with things that allude to being a landscape, but aren’t really a landscape.”
Although always having a creative streak and studying art and literature, Saxe’s venture into painting was more personal and has developed over time.
“In about 2010 I just started doing something called Jackson Pollock Therapy, because he was a huge influence and just started dripping.
“But then I realised this doesn’t look like me, it looks like Jackson Pollock. So I just started to endeavour to work out how to get that spontaneous, kinetic movement, but do it in my own way.” That’s when he discovered leaf blowers and pouring paint as ways of creating water-like movement.
Finding himself uninspired during the pandemic, Saxe said in the last 12 months he has regained his desire to paint and exhibit his work for the first time in six years, not only at Round Bird but also at the upcoming Open Studios weekend in March.
“Hopefully this will give the impetus to keep going,” he said.
Enjoying the freedom of working with new materials and using art as a therapeutic outlet, Saxe said this was what art meant to him.
“The thing that I love about this, I mean, writing music is fun when you’re looking for the happy accident, but to me, doing this is the most immediate sense of being in the now.
“Even if I set about trying to do something and it ends up not being that, because you just go with your gut and it takes you somewhere. You want to have a painting and have people relate to it, but just therapeutically, being in the now, is what I get out of it.”
Round Bird Art Space can be found at 174 Main Street Lilydale, above the cafe. Flow is on display until 12 March.
An artist talk is being held on Sunday 2 March, 1-2pm. Bookings for this event via website, roundbird.com.au/artspace
Jamie Saxe next to his artwork Opal Void. (Stewart Chambers: 458879)
A Toast to Melba launched on Saturday 15 February. (Supplied)
Special items like her costumes have been put on display.
Yarra Ranges Regional Museum director Megan Sheehy and curator Maddie Reece opened the event.
Stronger bail laws needed
Victoria is in a crime crisis.
Youth crime in late 2024 had risen to the highest level since 2009 with 23,810 incidents – up a staggering 16.9 per cent year on year.
Last year, Victorian youths breached bail 2770 times – the equivalent of once every three hours!
Every day, more serious crimes are being committed by young offenders while on bail, making people feel unsafe.
The Allan Labor Government made a grave error when it weakened bail laws.
It let down Victorians’ safety and left our community exposed.
By weakening bail laws in Victoria in 2024, Labor made it harder for courts to revoke bail for repeat serious offenders, creating the perverse effect of allowing offenders who repeatedly commit certain serious offences to repeatedly be granted bail without facing a tougher test.
From my From my desk
Bridget Vallence Evelyn MP
Now we see a continuous cycle of catch-release-catch-release for serious offences, with some offenders having been granted bail an astonishing 50 or more times!
With crime spiralling in Victoria and offenders on bail wielding machetes in shopping precincts, committing aggravated burglaries in people’s homes, or joy riding in stolen cars for social media
‘likes’, Labor finally conceded there was a problem. Their solution? A review!
This simply doesn’t pass the pub test.
Victoria does not need another review, a quasi review or sham review.
The community and police have had enough. Unequivocally, Victoria’s bail laws should be strengthened without delay.
It’s why in Parliament last week, the Victorian Liberal Opposition introduced a bill to amend the Bail Act to do exactly that – we wanted to work constructively with the government to immediately toughen bail laws. In fact, it’s the second time in six months we’ve introduced this bill seeking to reenact what Labor had repealed, including offences of contravening bail conditions and of committing indictable offences whilst on bail.
Bail is a privilege, not a right, and those who
abuse that privilege by breaching their conditions should be held accountable.
The law should reflect that very basic principle. Serious offenders caught re-offending on bail should not be able to simply get bail again.
An indictable offence committed whilst on bail should be an offence itself, and more importantly should lead to a tougher test for that person to obtain bail again.
Sadly, for Labor it is politics over people and Premier Allan and her Labor Government voted down our commonsense proposal to strengthen bail laws.
Instead of grasping the opportunity to constructively improve community safety and reduce people suffering harm from crime, Labor failed its duty of care to Victorians.
Into the Storm is the first of Irish author Cecelia Ahern’s books that this reviewer has read.
It offers a quick showcase of the author’s capability to shape her female characters by building conflicts into them.
A woman’s midlife crisis PASSION FOR PROSE
The story’s main character, Enya, is dreading the approach of her 47th birthday because it is the age at which her mother died.
Already fearing for her mortality, she is also emotionally vulnerable due to a suffocating marriage and what she feels is an increasingly remote relationship with her teenage son.
Right on this juncture, Enya, a medical doctor, becomes involved in a shocking event on a remote mountain road.
She saves the life of the victim of an apparent hit-and-run – a teenager who very much reminds her of her own son – but the incident leaves her deeply shaken.
As the story develops, we delve into Enya’s mind and slowly gain an understanding as to why she feels she has to flee her old life.
And it takes some convincing – why this rational, professional woman chooses to leave her family behind and move to a rural practice in the mountains.
Specifically – why she desperately tries to find some peace that will put an end to her anxiety, confusion and increasing paranoia, but only ends up making a bigger mess in the process.
Enya often seems clumsy and self-contradictory, and her attempts to confront life’s many inconveniences are not always successful.
Her numerous troubles are mainly her own doing, piling one lie on top of another in her efforts to avoid the truths and their consequences – until the whole castle in the sky collapses.
In other words, she is just an ordinary human being.
WITH CHRISTINE SUN
Which is an indicator of the author’s considerable skills in laying bare the complex nature of seemingly simple concepts such as love and responsibility.
We cannot help but like Enya, so much so that when we finally learn the reason why she is fleeing, hiding and lying along the way, it no longer matters.
What matters instead is the PROCESS in which she learns to be true to herself, including and especially all her flaws, mistakes and insecurities.
Enya’s relationship with her mother and sister is perhaps the most endearing part of the story.
Also eye-catching is the character Margaret, whose life is similarly burdened by her love and responsibility for her family.
An equally brilliant character is Enya’s mother, whose transformation from Brigid to Brighid is both informative and inspiring.
Ultimately, Into the Storm is about women’s self-empowerment and mutual support, about facing the consequences of their own decisions, and accepting the fact that they are far from perfect.
There is no vanity in this story.
Instead, it shows us it is never too late to admit our weaknesses, faults and failures.
Staging a variety of shows
Princess theatre
Melbourne
Jesus Christ – Super Star
Is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series oof events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas.
Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes I Don’t Know How to Love Him, Germane and Superstar.
A global phenomenon that has wowed audiences for decades, Jesus Christ Superstar’s iconic 1970s rock score was originally released as a concept album and opened on Broadway in 1971.
Season: 16 March – 22 June 22. Burrinja Theatre
The Waifs – Regional tour 2025.
Following the success of their recent Australiawide, sold-out 55 “Up All Night” 25th Anniversary album tour, The Waifs continue to forge a proudly independent path with no signs of slowing down.
The band are thrilled to add additional; regional shows on their 2025 touring plans.
The original independent avant-garde folk heroes turned multiplatinum-selling, multiple ARIA Award-winning international touring outfit have released eight LP’s.
From bustling cities to regional and coastal towns, The Waifs continue to share their folkinfused, feel-good sounds with adoring, multigeneration audiences thanks to their enchanting live shows and affable natures.
Season: Tuesday 18 March at 7.30pm at Burrinja Theatre.
Old Man Luedecke – Festival of Folk
Old Man Luedecke is one of Canada’s best loved and most intriguing toot’s singer-songwriters. Known for his masterful banjo playing, he was born and raised in Toronto and now lives rurally on the south shore of Nova Scotia.
With a storyteller’s heart, his narrative0driven songs are playful, coy and soul-warming, his music appeals to anyone looking for new growth from old roots.
Season: Thursday 13 March at 8pm in the Lyre Room.
The 1812 Theatre
Spider’s Web by Agatha Christie Clarissa, the second wife of Henry HailshamBrown is adept at spinning tales of adventure for their bored diplomatic circle.
When murder takes place in her drawing room, she finds live drama much harder to cope, especially as she suspects the murderer might be her young step-daughter Pippa.
Worse still, the victim is the woman who broke up Henry’s first marriage.
Clarissa’s fast-talking places her in some hairraising situations as she comes to learn that the facts are much more terrifying than fiction.
Season: 20 February – 15 March.
Captain America excites Kemp’s curtain call
Captain America: Brave New World Starring Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez and Harrison Ford Rated M 3.75/5
Captain America: Brave New World is an exciting character-driven superhero action film with many conflicting elements that don’t quite fit together.
With the world at the brink of war, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), the new Captain America, investigates a conspiracy surrounding President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford).
Mackie handily fills the shoes left by Chris Evans, conveying the Captain’s commanding yet humble persona while making the role his own.
Danny Ramirez is plucky and endearing as Sam’s sidekick Joaquin Torres, and Shira Haas is a stolid badass despite her tiny size as US official Ruth Bat-Seraph.
The later action scenes are CGI-heavy but still suspenseful (despite some iffy effects here and there), showcasing Sam’s aerodynamic fighting style, and the hand-to-hand combat has better framing and longer shots than in most MCU movies.
Ford takes over as Ross from the late William Hurt; essentially playing his own worst enemy, Ford is enthralling as a man whose anger, hawkish nature and damning secrets overtake him in an ever-worsening situation.
Brave New World is held aloft by its strong performances and thrilling action, but the disparate three acts feel like different movies (with Giancarlo Esposito as Sidewinder, an extraneous minor antagonist added in reshoots).
I found the treaty between the US and Japan over an alien metal to be an abstract, impersonal framing device for the narrative, though you may feel differently.
Tim Blake Nelson is a disposable villain as the Leader, and the plot largely brushes past its most tragic aspect: Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumby), a supersoldier veteran who was imprisoned and experimented on by the government for decades.
A highly entertaining but not very cohesive debut for the new Captain America, Captain America: Brave New World is playing in most Victorian cinemas.
13 ACRE PROPERTY WITH STUNNING RURAL CHARM
NESTLED in picturesque Macclesfield this 13-acre lifestyle property combines peaceful rural comfort with modern functionality, every element of this property is crafted to perfection.
Passing through the double electric entry gates and heading down the tuscan gravel driveway gives you your first glimpse of the distant mountain views and this outstanding property.
Step inside the front entry and into the formal lounge, where a wood-fire heater and a reverse cycle air-conditioner provide year-round comfort. Adjacent to the lounge is a tranquil office\study nook with charming garden views, continuing down the hallway to three good-sized bedrooms all with with built-in robes, a large luxurious bathroom featuring a claw-foot bath, double vanity and oversized shower all completed with a seperate toilet and ample storage.
At the heart of the home lies an exquisite open plan kitchen\dining area with beautiful sandstone flooring, a 900mm gas\electric Belling oven, a charming double farmhouse sink, reverse cycle air-con., integrated dishwasher and a spacious walk-in scullery making this kitchen both practical and beautiful. all complimented by a second lounge room with a second wood heater and more exquisite garden views.
Leaving the kitchen area behind and past a modern laundry that includes a Robinhood Ironing cabinet, plenty of storage and a seperate toilet, we arrive at the master suite which Includes a walk-in wardrobe\dressing room, and a seperate ensuite.
All this is complimented with full wrap around verandahs and an expansive undercover entertaining space complete with a built-in BBQ\Range-Hood, hot & cold running water, ceiling fans, bar fridge and pulldown blinds, perfect for hosting gatherings in style.
Outdoor Features That Elevate:
• A double carport that leads to the wraparound verandah,
• A double carport with direct access to a versatile home office or craft space, with a split system for comfort year round
Seven fully fenced paddocks with water supply, electric fencing and shelters, ideal for livestock or equestrian pursuits
• Manicured gardens, a thriving orchard, a productive veggie patch, and a charming chicken coop
A well-equipped machinery shed with a tack room, feed shed, (10.5m x 9m)
• An enclosed workshop with a concrete floor for all your practical needs (7.4m x 5.8m)
• 2 timber lined stables and yards
• A 20m x 40m grassed arena
A fire-pit area with sweeping views, perfect for starlit evenings
A dam with a pump servicing the house yard watering tank and paddock water troughs.
Sustainability and Convenience:
• A 6kW solar system, providing energy efficiency and reducing utility costs
The house is wired for a generator, ensuring reliable backup power and peace of mind
3 rainwater tanks with a total of 100,000 litres for the residence
• Instantaneous gas hot water systems to both bathrooms
This exceptional property is a harmonious blend of luxury, practicality, and sustainability, close to the local pony club, primary school and secondary college school bus pick up, Whether you’re seeking a serene family haven or a countryside escape, this rural sanctuary offers an unmatched lifestyle opportunity.
This property has it all so don’t miss outcall 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.
HOME ESSENTIALS
HOME FOCUS
EXCEPTIONAL COMFORT AND OUTLOOK
ENJOY birds’ eye views to the city and easy access to Upwey township from this beautiful family home with double carport on a brilliant 1,638sqm (approx.) block. Formulated for an enticing indoor-outdoor lifestyle with immense interior comfort framed by a welcoming wrap-around verandah and generous garden with lawn areas, this home epitomes the Dandenong Ranges lifestyle.
The entry level of this spacious home features 2 light-filled living and dining zones including the formal lounge with relaxing open wood fire and floor to ceiling windows. The open concept kitchen overlooking the family room is adorned with a casual breakfast bar, quality cabinetry, gas cooktop, and stainless steel dishwasher. For convenience, this level is also equipped with a full bathroom with soaking tub, generous laundry with WC, and abundant storage throughout.
Upstairs, 3 splendid bedrooms await. The main bedroom is a highlight with desirable dormer windows, a spacious walk-in robe, and a generous ensuite with tub and rainfall shower.
Nestled in the bowl of a peaceful court near schools, transport, parkland, and shopping, this property is the perfect find for any growing family. Inspection will make a lasting impression, so plan your viewing today. 1,638sqm (approx.) property elevated outlooks, with Amazing views to the City and level lawn area
Beautiful residence with 2 large, light-filled living areas
• Open plan kitchen with quality appliances and casual breakfast bar
• Upper level main bedroom with walk-in robe and rainfall shower ensuite
• Split system heating/cooling units and gas ducted heating for comfort plus a convenient double carport.
BRAND NEW TOWNHOUSE IN THE HEART OF TOWN - YOUR PERFECT HOME AWAITS
ONLY 2 years young and still under builders’ warranty, this beautiful modern townhouse is perfect for those looking for a low maintenance lifestyle right in the heart of town.
Step into luxury with beautiful presentation and the knowledge that all you need to do is move in and enjoy the wonderful lifestyle on offer. Offering contemporary living at its finest, this property boasts soaring high ceilings, 2 separate living areas and modern furnishings that exude both elegance and comfort. Walk to everything you need with ease or enjoy time surrounded by nature at Emerald Lake Park or Pepi’s land and revel in the fact that all the hard work has been done here so you as the lucky purchaser can reap the rewards.
Perfect for downsizers craving easy low maintenance living, first home buyers looking for a stylish yet affordable entry into the property market or investors who value a fantastic location.
Don’t miss out on this exceptional opportunity to live in one of the most soughtafter areas. Contact us today to arrange a viewing and make this stunning townhouse yours.
FAMILY SPACE IN A FANTASTIC LOCATION
OFFERING space and comfort inside and out this neat family home is the ideal spot for the growing family to live and enjoy.
Offering 3 bedrooms all with built in robes, plus a spacious family/lounge area with ample space for everyone.
The open plan kitchen is well appointed and has plenty of bench and cupboard space.
The whole family will love the outside with over 1650sqm of land to enjoy - there is plenty of space for the kids and pets to spread out.
Established gardens and numerous fruit trees and a large lock up garage complete this superb property. A well maintained and well looked after property in a great location, just a short walk to the bus stop and the Yarra River.
A stylish sanctuary set to a backdrop of breathtaking views, “Baringa“ is a home you can be proud of. With eye-catching details inside and out, this inviting residence situated on a sizeable 1,839sqm (approx.) block offers the Dandenong Ranges lifestyle with all city conveniences close by.
The interior of this impressive split-level dwelling features vaulted ceilings, timber floors, and expanses of glass that capture the premium outlooks. The open concept kitchen has been updated to perfection to include a convenient island with seating, tiled splashback, impressive appliances, and updated double glazed windows and doors to the large deck. The neighbouring lounge has the added bonus of a wood fire for cooler evenings in the Hills.
On the upper level, the modern laundry that steps out to the front verandah is accompanied by generous bedrooms. The family bedrooms with built-in robes share a beautifully tiled bathroom with tub and WC. The main bedroom features a walk-in robe and private ensuite. With the additional inclusion of gas ducted heating and split system heating/ cooling, seasonal comfort is assured.
Peacefully positioned with welcoming neighbours and lovely community just a short walk from Upwey village, Upwey South Primary, Upwey Primary, Upwey High School and Upwey train station this property is the perfect place to call home. Plan your viewing today.
• Near half-acre (approx.) allotment with exquisite views
Contemporary open concept kitchen with island seating Lounge with vaulted ceilings, expansive windows, and a wood fire
• Upper level bedrooms including main bedroom with walk-in robe and fresh ensuite
• Stylish laundry with abundant storage plus outdoor entertaining areas at the front and rear of the residence.
Restyled Main Bathroom and fresh stylish ensuite.
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 Linen fibre (4)
3 Huge statues (10)
10 Holiday spots (7)
11 1970s band, – Lake & Palmer (7)
12 Bluetooth (8)
13 Horse’s call (5)
14 Chinese currency (4)
15 Medications given to a patient (10)
18 Synthetic (10)
20 – and cons (4)
21 Plant secretion (5)
23 Manacles or fetters (8)
26 New (7)
27 Dismiss (7)
28 County town of Dorset (10)
29 Black mineral (4)
DOWN
1 Stronghold (4)
2 Attacker (9)
4 Related to childbirth (9)
5 Auguries (5)
6 Breastbone (7)
7 Japanese dish (5)
8 Combination into a whole (9)
9 Conifer, e.g. (4)
14 Not seasonal (4-5)
16 Mountain danger (9)
17 From Oslo, e.g. (9)
19 From Helsinki, e.g. (7)
22 Lecher (5)
23 Teams (5)
24 Smooch (4)
25 French for prize (4)
Yarra Valley puts on a show
By David Waters
Battle recommenced on the open Eastern Golf Course. After negotiating the partial closure of Victoria Road, the combatants all arrived ready for the 7.30am start. A pleasing site and perhaps unexpected was the manicured, green fairways. Well, they were appreciated, unexpected when surrounding hills and paddocks were dry and brown.
A briefing on local rules set the tone and players were sent to the four points of the compass. Some had to trek up a few hills, others just had a long march to the hit off zones. Overseers in hot air balloons sailed colourfully and majestically by as we began smiting the little white defenceless balls.
Pelicans in the pond by the tenth tee were happy to watch. Not one offered or needed to retrieve balls. Lucky for them and golfers. The kangaroos that inhabit the area did not intrude at all. There were no recorded snake sightings to upset concentration. Whew!!
As the day wore on, matches were sorting out who played consistently or erratically. Some players held the lead all day. Erratic players changed the lead with every hole and went the distance.
Tentative putting, the bane of all golfers is the undoing of many good rounds and two shots in bunkers helps no one either.
The biggest winner for the day was Darryl Maher, (Heritage team manager) beating his Gar-
diners Run opponent 9 up with 7 to play. Only six squared matches were recorded. Joe Sykes (Box Hill team manager) slam dunked his pitch to win the last hole and the match. His amazed opponent had only a gimme to halve, but Joe didn’t want that.
Golf is a tough game for old guys but not rough. Tell that to Barry Lacy. He slipped in a bunker on 17, and hurting his elbow and arm was forced to retire and concede. Get well quickly Barry, Box Hill needs you.
Everyone finished by 12.30pm and settled in for a terrific lunch and some rehydration. Sated and slaked, attention spans lengthened, it was time for thanks and presentation of results. All proceeded
Changing conditions challenge Warburton golfers
By Ron Hottes
The V.V.V’s:
A small field contested for the prizes this day and the player who contested the most efficiently was Vicki Hottes with a fine 18 points. Sally-Anne Clarke was the runner-up to Vicki, by posting 16 points. And, yes, dear readers, there was an NTP won. Patricia Eldridge scored with a lovely tee shot on the 3rd hole (Trish then proceeded to take 3 putts to record a 4 for 3 on her scorecard, 3 for 4 would have been more impressive, Sister Patricia).
Dear readers, please note last week Your Loyal Scribe was listed as the runner-up on that day. Due to a Golf link procedural error, it was actually Ian Garside who took those honours with a well-compiled Nett 67. Apologies to both Ian and readers for the unnecessary mistake.
Wednesday 12 February, Stableford: It was fairly hot on this day, loyal readers, but the winning scores clearly matched those hot con-
ditions. Henk DeGraaf was really hot, ‘burning off’ the rest of the field, by posting 40 well-constructed points/ This gave Henk the B-Grade voucher on the day. The B-Grade runner-up was Andrew McMath, who is in a rare vein of form, and he posted a great 38 point score. In A-Grade, Andy Lockey returned a fine 39 point result, to continue his fine form. David Hatt grabbed the runner-up prize by posting a score of 35 points. In both Grades, balls reached down to 34. NTP winners on this day were Ron Wilson (3rd), Cam Jolly a welcome visitor from the Drouin G.C. (5th), Peter Bell (9th), Ian Garside (12th) and David Mackey (15th).
Twilight: Under threatening skies, with plenty of wind to factor in, Ashley Hall came in with a superb 22 points (Take note J.H, this was your son’s result, not the emerging grandson). The runner-up was the hot Hatty, with 21 points. Good shooting David. Balls reached down to 19 only. The three NTPs on offer went to Paul ‘Ossie’ Osbourne (3rd), Pennant Captain Luke Patrick (5th) and Hatty (9th).
Saturday 15 February, Stroke and 1st round of the 2025 Club Championships: With the most pleasant weather conditions on offer for the whole week thus far, Seth Spenceley took advantage of that to win the A-Grade prize, recording a fine Nett 63. The runner-up here was Angus Smith recording a Nett 66. In B-Grade, the
‘hot’ Angus Hall posted an impressive Nett 65, ousting Simon Spenceley, with his very good Nett 66. In both those Grades, the rundown ended at 73. Because it is Club-Championships, there was a C-Grade, and Scott-Atkinson, with his Nett 70, took out the honours here. Henk DeGraaf was the C-Grade runner-up with a Nett 73 returned. In the Ladies’ Championships, Meredith Nursey returned a fine Nett 73 in A-Grade. B-Grade was a little more impressive, as Georgie Houniet fired a superb Nett 66 to create a healthy lead over Deb. The C-Grade women is showing a closer battle, as Merilyn Macdonald returned a solid Nett 77, closely followed by Ineke DeGraaf’s Nett 82. Finally, and very pleasing to report, amongst the numerous Juniors, Manny Humphris shot a Nett 81 to have the field covered at this stage. More details, including Gross leaders, will be detailed in next week’s column. The list of NTP winners on the day were as follows: Roger Mataele (3rd), Brayden Millar (5th), Simon Van Dam (9th), Peter Fox (12th) and Liam Kay (15th).
Warburton Golf Club results. (File)
More than $1200 raised
By Garry Lewis
Two wins from three Pennant games highlighted this week of bowls for the Warburton Bowls Club with both Weekend Pennant teams holding on to their positions on the ladder and remaining in their respective Divisions for next season.
The Weekend Warburton 1 side held onto to finish the season sixth place on the ladder, despite going down to Mitcham 2 away on their grass green, 75 shots to 80. Mitcham led overall for most of the game, but the Burras gave themselves a chance towards the finish to snatch victory. The home side steadied to hold on in the last few ends in a game played in great spirit from both sides. Rink scores were as follows: S. Lord 27/ 11, C. Neale 15/ 25, P. McConachy 16/ 26 and T. Appleton 17/ 18.
Warburton 2 finished the season in fifth place on the ladder after a tight contest against Mooroolbark 5 at home. Trailing at the break with only one rink up, the home side fought back determinedly. With a few ends to go, overall scores were level. The Burras finished strongly to record a great victory, 84 shots to 72, with three rinks up. Rink scores were as follows: M. Stoessiger 20/ 16, P. Summers 12/ 30, R. McKail 21/ 14 and S. LeeTet 31/ 12.
Warburton’s Midweek team hosted Croydon 2 on Tuesday and came away with a solid win, 68 shots to 42, to ensure they finish second on the ladder. Despite Croydon missing players due to a funeral, they bowled very competitively, and the standard was very high. Rink scores were as follows: G. Walsh 15/ 15, C. Boland 33/ 10 and R. McKail 20/ 17. They play top side Heathmont 2 away this week in the last game before the finals.
The Wednesday Night Barefoot Bowls Jack Attack Competition continued with a Double Header for Rounds 12 and 13. Games of 8 ends each resulted in several close and exciting contests throughout the warm evening. There are now two rounds to go before the Finals’ Evening. Mick Griffin from the ‘Gunners’ Team won the prize for the first bowler to touch the jack.
The Annual Pink Ribbon Two Bowl Triples Tournament Day was held on Sunday. Despite the early cool and damp conditions, all 16 teams eagerly participated in the Barefoot Bowls Competition over three games of 10 ends and helped raise over $1200 for Breast Cancer Research. Special thanks to Chris Lord from Professionals Yarra Valley Real Estate for his enthusiastic organisation of the day and sponsorship of the event. Thanks, also, to all the businesses, including a Club Member, Michelle Foord, who donated the
Raffle Prizes. The winning team was Jason, Melanie and Oliver Rush. The club looks forward to continuing this wonderful event next year.
The Club’s Greenlow Vote Counting Night was held on Saturday night at the clubrooms. Chris Neale won his fourth Pennant Player of the Season Award after winning the Warburton 1 Most Valuable Player with 93 votes. He was closely followed by Terry Heyward and Rhys Doughty-Cowell both on 91 votes and Steve Freestone on 90 votes. Peter Summers won his fourth Warburton 2 Most Valuable Player with 83 votes. Matt Van Meurs was runner-up with 76 votes closely followed by Max Reynolds and Darren Nisbet both on 75 votes.
Intra Club Competitions have continued resulting in several exciting contests. Congratulations to the father/ son combination of Steven and Chris Lord for winning their fourth Club Pairs’ Championship by one shot over a gallant Steve Freestone and Greg Walsh in a very high-standard contest.
Congratulations to Aimee Dostie for winning the President’s Handicap with Rhys Doughty-Cowell Runner-Up and Steve Freestone for winning the 100 Up Competition with David Fahy Runner-Up.
The Men’s and Ladies’ Singles Championships will be decided on Friday 28 February.
Both Healesville sides in finals
By Ian Milgate
Tuesday’s1stsidewereplayingRingwoodathomeand to ensure the third place before the finals, Healesville needed to win.
Fitzy’s rink and Robert Ayres rink, skippered by Rob for the first time, did really well.
Robyn’s rink were holding their opponents back, andatthebreak,Healesvillewas23shotsahead45/22.
After the break, Fitzy and Rob’s rink kept powering ahead until Ringwood lost the fight and Healesville finished up winning by 48 shots 93/45.
Great effort everyone.
Ian Milgate, Hilda Gurney, Rita Featherstone, Robyn Turville 18/28
Gerda Otto, Bob Brown, Col Jarvis, John Fitzpatrick 37/12
Barry Parker, Glenda Graham, Mick Featherstone, Rob Ayres 38/5
The 2nd side were playing away against Lilydale
who was on top of the ladder, and Healesville was holding onto fourth place, so it was going to be a tough game.
Healesville played on their fast synthetic green which was hard to adjust too.
To Healesville’s credit, the team kept persisting, but in the end the opponents were too strong for Healesville.
Lilydale won by 30 shots 43/73. A good effort against the top side.
Jude Wallace, Anne Knibbs, Bernard Godde, Russell Smith 15/28
John Allen, MikeAdams, John McMillan, Len Cosson 14/19
Jill Cookney, Jodie Ward, Mark Cookney, Judy Veermann 14/26
Saturday’s 1st side played away at Mooroolbark, and to cement Healesville’s position in third spot with finals next week, Healesville needed to win, or at least get three rinks up.
Home and away season now complete for Yarra Glen
By Rodney Bates
In a fantastic set of results, Yarra Glen will have all three weekend pennant teams represented in next weekends Section Final series.
Yarra Glen Division 1 team needed a win to ensure a finals spot, playing Mooroolbark on our home green.
With Croydon only four points behind in fifth, the pressure was on all rinks going into the game.
Mooroolbark kept the rink scores very close all day, with Yarra Glen getting over the line 82-70 (16 points).
C. Carswell 25/17; S. Manifold 16/17; Beau Simmons 17/14; J. Sproat 24/22.
The side finished in fourth position and will play a first semi-final next Saturday away at Bundoora.
Division 4 Side 2 were playing Heathmont away, having already secured a top 2 finish. A win would guarantee a home final, so still a lot to play for.
While Heathmont took a small lead early, Yarra Glen adapted to the green better, and by the break had a solid lead.
The team then put down the accelerator to come away with a three rink 16 point win 95-54.
S. Smith 26/9; M. Ramage 25/13; R. Thurkle 13/24; A. Thurkle 31/8.
Yarra Glen will play Heatherdale in a second semi final at home next week.
Side 3 were sitting in fourth spot, ahead
of fifth by eight points, so a win would mean playing finals.
The weather intervened after a few ends and interruptions, eventually meaning the game was] abandoned to share the points with Lilydale 9-9.
With other results falling our way, Side 3 will play a home semi-final against Mitcham Midweek Division 2 is a very close competition. Yarra Glen, whilst 5 th before this weeks game, were still in danger of relegation if they lost the last two games.
Mooroolbark at home were similarly trying to avoid relegation, so an important game for both teams. Mooroolbark jumped out to an early lead, but Yarra managed to peg this back to an even contest at the break. Some good bowls from Yarra then enabled us to get into the lead late, and in the end a solid win 67/52 (14 points).
P. Leonard 15/21; P. Tirant 23/17; M. Creighton 29/14.
The team is now safe from relegation, but must win against local rivals Healesville this coming Tuesday to play finals.
Yarra Glen’s second side, playing away at Bayswater had a win for the second week in a row, albeit in a very close contest 63-60 (13 Points).
L. Baker 17/17; T. Dickson 30/17; D. McMenaman 16/26.
All rinks started off well and by the half time break, Healesville was eight shots up 48/40.
After the break, it became a sea sawing match with lots of rain delays, which was making it hard to keep the pressure up.
It came down to the last bowl on the last end of John Fitzpatrick’s rink and unfortunately, Healesville came up one shot short allowing Mooroolbark to win by one shot 78/79.
Adrian Beales rink was a stand out, but all four rinks fought hard all day.
Healesville finished third on the ladder, which gives the team a home final, so bring it on.
Ian Milgate, Col Jarvis, Robert Ayres, Mark Ward 15/17
Barry Parker, Bob Brown, Effie Laban, John Fitzpatrick 16/17
John Howard, Chris Hawting, Rita Featherstone, Steve Bulled 17/24
Gerda Otto, Mick Featherstone, Robyn Turville,
Adrian Beales 30/21
Saturday’s 2nd side played at home against Donvale who were sitting on top of the ladder. A win today would put Healesville into the finals which would be a remarkable effort.
Healesville needed to win to hold third position or theteamwouldfinishupfourthwithoutahomegame in the finals.
As usual, the team was a player down which made it hard to get a win over the top side, but the rain gods set in after the half time break, causing the cancellation of the match giving each side eight points each, so the 2nd side will be playing in finals next week. Let’s hope Healesville Saturday 2nd side has a full team.
JimViggers, Jodie Ward, Ken Gallacher, Judy Veermann 0/0 Judy Wallace, Sarah Gallacher, Bernard Godde, Anne Knibbs, 0/0 John Allen, Mike Adams, Russell Smith 0/0
Winners are grinners!
By Elly Byrne
It’s been another great week at the Yarra Junction Bowling Club as the season winds down slowly.
The six-week barefoot bowls sessions have come to an end after massive community support. Over 400 community members have taken part, 36 plus volunteers have given their time and energy to running the event and feedback has again been very positive for the club and its future planning. Community bowls is great fun and will be back, there is no doubt. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed over the last few weeks again proving that bowls is a sport anyone can enjoy.
The business end of the competitive season is now the main focus for the club. The midweek round was a bye for the Eagles last Tuesday. With one round to go the Eagles currently sit in third position so a final spot is assured. This week’s game against Mooroolbark could possibly alter that position to second if the Eagles perform well but nothing is taken for granted and a third spot would ensure a home game playoff in the final series which could be advantageous.
The weekend team has had a great year securing a runaway top spot for the final series. The first final game will be a home game against Mooroolbark 6 starting at 1pm Saturday 22 February at YJBC. As a small club most of the members will be involved in playing. Come support us and enjoy a day of great competition at your local club.
The Annual Presidents Day challenge open
L to R: Pink Ribbon Day organiser Chris Lord with the winning team of Jason Rush, Melanie Rush and Oliver Rush. (Garry Lewis)
Great win for Lusatia Park
By Garry Nicholls
It was the second day of the Lusatia Park 1st XI’s game against Lilydale and looking to chase down the target of a very reachable 230 at less than three runs per over. The chase didn’t start well, losing Dean Worlley early with a hasty blow to the head and retiring hurt. With regular rain interruptions not helping and batters unable to get into a rhythm at tea and with less than 30 overs bowled, Lusatia Park were 3/60. With still 50 overs left and the target very reachable thanks to a 4th wicket partnership of 42 and then a 5th wicket partnership of 65 thanks to a very steady 76 from Matt Robinson, the target was still very reachable with 20 overs to go needing 58 to win with 5 wickets in hand. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan and Lusatia Park lost their last 5 wickets for only 25 runs.
The 2nd XI returned to Wantirna South looking to push for an outright result after their mammoth score of 5/345 and having the home side in trouble at 3/20 overnight. They picked up their 4th wicket with the score on 35. Unfortunately, any hope of an outright was lost when their 5th wicket put on a partnership of 197 with A.Webb scoring a brilliant 115 until he went out with the score at 5/232. After that, things fell apart for the home side thanks to Lusatia Park’s bowlers sticking to the task taking their last 5 wickets for only 24 runs finishing all out for 256, their last wicket to fall J.Riley who stuck around and made 88. Best of Lusatia Park’s bowlers were Adam Dunn 3/39 and Stu Parker 3/31.
The 3rd XI played Mt Evelyn away with the home side batting first and Lusatia Park’s bowlers got off to a great start snapping up their first 2 wickets for only 1 run. With tight bowling and wickets at regular intervals, the home side finished all out for 123 in only 29.5 overs. Great bowling from Matt Francis taking 4/20. Having lost their first wicket at 46 and second at 80, Lusatia Park
All four Wandin sides in the finals hunt
By David Marshall
As the season nears its crucial final stretch, our teams put on some outstanding performances this week, with thrilling finishes, disciplined bowling, and vital wins that set Wandin up for a strong push into finals. Here’s how the action unfolded: 1st XI: Dominant Bowling Display Secures Home Final
After last week’s late-order fightback gave Wandin something to defend, the Dogs knew they had to bring their A-game to day two. What followed was one of the most disciplined bowling and fielding efforts Wandin have produced this season.
Wonga Park resumed at 21 and started solidly until Dan Trembath (2/28) struck with the first wicket at 40, then followed up in his next over. When Cal Gordon claimed his first wicket for the club, the pressure mounted on Wonga. Jarrod Dobson (2/19) then tightened the screws, breaking through the middle order to leave them reeling at 6/85.
With Wandin’s fielding sharp all day, Taylan Hall (1/12) and Dave Marshall (1/2) chipped in before Cal Gordon returned to clean up the tail, finishing with an outstanding 4/25 from 17 overs. A superb all-round team effort secured the win and, crucially, sealed 2nd place and a home semi-final. With one game left, their focus now shifts to maintaining momentum heading into finals.
Women’s 1st XI: Tense Last-Over Win Secures Top Spot
A top-of-the-table clash against Kilsyth was always going to be a tough battle, and this one did not disappoint. A win would guarantee Wandin first place for finals, regardless of next week’s result.
Winning the toss and bowling first, Wandin’s attack was relentless. Tilly Pearce’s continued improvement paid off as she tore through the top order, taking 3/16 and leaving Kilsyth struggling at 3/18. Charlotte Edwards struck soon after, and when Lisa Vanderzee (1/10) claimed a crucial wicket, Kilsyth was in deep trouble at 5/38. They fought back, but Charlotte (2/29) and Olivia Edwards (2/13) ensured Wandin restricted them to a modest 104.
Wandin’s chase started well, with Charlotte and Gayle Burgi providing a solid foundation. Unfortunately, Gayle had to retire hurt on 17, bringing Bee Cuddon to the crease. The runs started flowing until Bee fell at 1/66. Olivia joined her sister Charlotte, and Wandin looked in control. Charlotte lost her wicket after scoring a crucial 41 to have Wandin at 2/80, just 26 runs from victory.
But in classic Kilsyth fashion, they refused to
go down without a fight. A sudden middle-order collapse saw Wandin slump to 9/99, needing just 6 runs to avoid a heartbreaking loss. With tension at an all-time high, Gayle bravely returned to the crease with a runner. First ball—pulled for a boundary off a no-ball giving Wandin 5 runs to tie the scores. Next ball—single. Game over.
A thrilling, nerve-wracking win and an incredible team performance.
2nd XI: Tough Loss, But Finals Spot Locked In Resuming at 8/145, Wandin needed the lower order to push the total higher. Unfortunately, they could only add 18 runs before being bowled out for 166. With multiple players making starts but none going on to a big score, it was always going to be tough to defend. Wandin’s bowlers made Boronia work for their win, with Julian Polido (1/25) and
Hamish Lamont (1/25) taking a couple of wickets. But Boronia eventually chased down the total comfortably. Despite the loss, finals are locked in for the 2nd XI. A strong finish next week will set them up for a deep run once back at full strength.
3rd XI: Must-Win Victory Keeps Finals Dream Alive
Still mathematically in the finals race, every game is do-or-die. Facing Yarra Glen at home, Wandin chose to bat first and set a strong platform. Tom Chrisfield (52*) and Gordo Gosland (53*) got Wandin off to a flying start, with Peter Vaughan (31) continuing the momentum. When they lost the first wicket at 155, Wandin were in a commanding position. Contributions from Miles Rayer (32) and Archie Brown (14*) saw the side post a competitive 225.
Trent Richards (1/22) struck early, but it was Blake Chrisfield (6/25) who stole the show, tearing through Yarra Glen’s lineup with a stunning 6-wicket haul, leaving them in tatters at 7/50. A late partnership threatened to make things interesting, but in his first game for the club, ‘Burnsy’ stepped up, taking a wicket with his very first ball and judging by the video footage much to the surprise and enjoyment of his teammates. Pete Vaughan (2/1) then wrapped up the innings in style. Another must-win game looms against 2ndplaced Powelltown.
Club Wrap-Up With finals around the corner, Wandin’s teams are showing grit, determination, and the ability to win the big moments. Congratulations to all players for their efforts this week.
Wandin Cricket Club results. (File)
Yarra Glen’s top effort
By Travis Gloury
Yarra Glen vs Healesville
Yarra Glen 4/105
Healesville 4/115
Yarra Glen won the toss and elected to bowl. Healesville openers got off to a good start, Oliver Lilley (1/11 off 2 overs) was rewarded with some excellent bowling taking the first wicket, Healesville 1/20.
Poppy Mcleish (1/11 off 2 overs) was the next wicket taker knocking down the stumps, Healesville 2/34.
Yarra Glen would continue to offer the batters opportunity to take risk with reward.
Xander Neilsen (1/7 off 2 overs) would rattle some timber, Healesville 3/102. Josh Holland (1/17 off 3 overs) would be the final bowler rewarded again knocking over the stumps, Healesville finishing on 4/115.
Yarra Glen requiring five an over on a slow outfield saw the openers of Flynn Bain (21n.o) and Harvey Williamson (9) set the pace early, Wyatt Hill (11n.o) and Xander Neilsen (4) would continue to chip away.
Ben “Big Show” Holland (4) batted with enthusiasm on his birthday! Nixon Murphy (2) and Oliver Lilley (2) worked hard to lift the run rate but were both run out.
Heath Burke (9) reignited the run rate but lost his wicket also run out. Poppy Mcleish (1) was great in supporting the hitters. Retired batters returning to the crease but unfortunately the creeping run rate got us in the end. Another fantastic run chase which didn’t go our way, that’s cricket!
Under 14’s
Yarra Glen/Kilsyth 6/126
Yarra Junction 8/125
Yarra Glen/Kilsyth’s under 14’s claimed a one run victory over top placed Yarra Junction in an eventful and exciting game.
Lucas Burke 27
Lawson Appleton 26
Ronak Mehra 24
A wicket each to Hayden Monds, Tait Harper, Isaac Coppins, Lawson Appleton and Gabriel Donley
Under 16’s
Yarra Glen 9/255
Mt. Evelyn all out 238
Yarra Glen Under 16’ss began the day hoping for the best, resuming at 8/117 with Mt. Evelyn seemingly in the box seat at 3/103 of the split innings match.
Under 14 boys Riley Galea and Tobi Pauli resumed the innings with only the retired Charlie Watts available to bat.
Charlie returned to the crease on 57 not out after the early loss of Tobi Pauli and began cautiously.
Riley and Charlie established a partnership with Riley playing the anchor role and Charlie making the most of any scoring opportunity.
The pair batted for the remaining 20+ overs left in the innings with every run helping to put much needed distance between Yarra Glen and the opposition with Mt. Evelyn still having the last 25 overs of the game to chase down the required total with seven wickets remaining.
Charlie hit his straps and sent balls to all parts of the ground including four lost balls to produce an astonishing 151 not out off 120 balls with seven sixes and 13 fours.
Simply an amazing innings, with Riley Galea playing the perfect innings at the other end to be 24 n.o. to finish 9/255 CC
Yarra Glen’s bowling effort began with stand in Captain Sam Holland leading the troops with only 10 available players in the absence of Sam Gloury under going plastic surgery on a fractured thumb for an injury sustained on Friday.
Mt. Evelyn came out with an aggressive approach to chase down the required 152 needed off 25 overs with seven wickets in hand.
In a gallant effort by both sides with two key Mt. Evelyn batsman returning to the crease with both batsman scoring over 80 in a 90 + run partnership, Kade smith hung onto a catch to claim an unlikely 18 run victory with Sam O`Callaghan taking 3/36 off six overs, Sam Donnelly 2/16 off 5 overs and Sam Holland 2/20 off 4.5 overs the multiple wicket takers with the victory keeping our under 16’s well placed for finals.
Well done on a great effort to our under 16’s! 1st XI
East Ringwood all out 169
Yarra Glen 9/150 all out
At the start of the day we required 169 to win, with 16 taken off the required total last week at 0/16 over night against the ladder leaders.
With the unavailability of Liam Senti for the second week and Sam Gloury sustaining a fractured thumb on Friday, requiring plastic surgery on Saturday morning we were reduced to nine fit players to chase down the total.
Tim Lilley was judged LBW in the second over of the day at 1/18.
Phil Cowan whacked three boundaries only to be caught in the deep two overs later for 14 at 2/32.
Ash Waters dug in for 16 before being caught behind at 3/54 in the 23rd over of the day on the slow outfield between rain delays.
Travis Gloury joined Tony Biddiscombe be-
Hamer leads way in 1st XI win
U12-3 Healesville 2/119 defeated Coldstream 105
Angus Morcombe 3/8, Alex Simmons 2/15 & 23*, Jackson Lehman 1/7, Joshua Braden 1/5, Mika Kerst 26*, Ryder Hudson 26*
U12-7 Healesville 4/115 defeated Yarra Glen 5/105
The Under 12s notched their 9th win of the season against Yarra Glen, to move into 2nd place with one round to go.
Sent in to bat, the Under 12s made a controlled 4/115 with Will Ferguson (18 n.o), Otis Rowland (15 n.o.), and Angus Holmes (13 n.o) starring with the bat.
Yarra Glen started strongly, not losing a wicket until 45. Healesville managed to keep the run rate down however, and regular wickets after this saw Yarra Glen just falling short at 5/105. Exceptional bowling by Arlo Turner (1/7 off 3 overs), supported by Rory Jackson Ward (1/12 off 3), with three run outs (Otis Rowland - 2, Fletcher Brook - 1) making up the other wickets.
U14-3 Healesville 179 defeated Montrose 139 - day 2 of 2 day game
Raff Morcombe 35, Aeden Senti 32, Max Ferris 22* &1/3, Endo Gotch 18, Harry Thomas 12, Summer Caldicott 2/6, Ryder Hudson 2/17, Mika Kerst 1/2, James Howden 1/5, Harrison Duff 1/21
U14-7 Healesville 6/126 defeated North Ringwood 9/108
Taylor Caldicott 23* & 1/10, Tully Ellis 15 & 1/6, Samuel Hyndman 13, Alex Simmons 15, Ben Hunter 1/5, Angus Morcombe 1/8, Joseph Clark 1/3, Thomas Quaggin 1/14
U16-4 Healesville 9/242 v Hoddles Creek 5/137 - match drawn due to weather - day 2 of 2 day split innings game
After a slow start to the season, the Healesville U16’s has come home with a string of good results.
This week saw them half way through a twoday game against Hoddles creek resuming at 2/90.
Continuing on from last week’s innings was Denzel Parsons on 6(12 balls) and Sam Drummond on 12(24 balls), eliminated the deficit in
the first five overs, they then set about putting on a large target.
Both retiring at 50 Balls.
The remaining batters came and went, adding a few quick runs here and there, Cooper Duff the standout with 31 off 36 balls.
Leaving the Healesville team 6/195 with the retirees returning to the crease, Tyler Braden 44 off 58 balls, Sam Drummond 32 from 54 balls, Sam Keath 35 not out from 53 balls and Denzel Parsons 69 runs not out from 59 balls getting the team to a very respectable 9 for 242 off our 50 overs.
As the drizzle started to fall, Hoddles creek resumed their innings at 5/122, some tight but unlucky bowling by Healesville kept them to 5/137 off 37.3 overs before the rain got the better of us all and the game was abandoned.
Wicket takers, Cooper Bell 2/14 (5 overs), Sam Keath 1/8 (8 overs), Wyatt Coleman 1/18(2 overs) and Sam Drummond 1/10(4 overs).
Sharing the points both teams now sit first and second on the ladder heading into the last game of the season.
1st XI Healesville 6/173 defeated Templeton 171 - day 2 of 2 day game
Chasing 171 for victory Healesville lost 2 early wickets under dark skies.
Max Minney (49) and Ash Hamer (87*) batted brilliantly putting on a 109 run partnership before Max was run with a direct hit.
A mini collapse of three further wickets was worrying but Ash Hamer guided the team home.
2nd XI Healesville 4/175 defeated Lilydale 171 - day 2 of 2 day game
After setting ourselves a great platform in week one against Lilydale the 2XI started day two at 1/75 after Mark Powell (42) retired unable to make this week.
Hoping to beat the forecast rain and needing 97 runs for victory, Healesville lost an early wicket but determined not to let more fall Denzel Parsens (49) and Riley Cameron (61) put on a magnificent display of batting, both playing shots at will rocketed the score up 3/156 before Riley was bowled by a gem of a ball.
fore another frustrating rain delay had players off the ground for an extended period.
Play returned at 4pm after an early tea break with the loss of time reducing the amount of overs to an estimated 37 remaining in the day to make the required 110 runs.
With the outfield slower again after the rain the pair took the score to 3/98 before Travis (21) was caught at square leg attempting to lift one over the leg side.
After another rain delay, we were soon 8/109 with the loss of Brad Willmore, Tony Biddiscombe (31), Jordan Bain and Tom Davey which brought together our number nine batsman Matt Donnelly and Sam Gloury Yarra Glen’s final batsman batting with a fractured thumb.
Sam swung the willow and added a further 10 runs in quick time and before long the pair had settled into a rhythm and for the next 19 overs chipped away at the deficit with play allowed to be extended until 7pm. With 20 available minutes and an approximate four overs to be bowled with 19 runs remaining, Matt Donnelly (19) was caught at mid off looking to chase down the runs in an unlikely victory against the top side.
Whilst Yarra Glen didn’t get the end result the team would have liked, there was plenty to be proud about the way our resilient 1st XI handled the adversities of the game and no more prouder of our under 16 captain Sam Gloury who arrived from hospital after surgery on his fractured thumb to bat for 19 overs and almost get the team over the line with 17 not out.
2nd IX
St.Andrews 6th XI 9/364
Yarra Glen all out 170
Hunter Grenfell 4/78
3rd XI
Yarra Glen all out 128
Wandin 3rd XI 7/225
Wicket takers
Sam Donnelly 2 wickets
Gary Demby 2 wickets
Run makers
Sam Holland 50
Mafoe Laloulu 21
Terry Brown 17
Richard Gurney 14
Horse Talk
By Anita Prowse
Couple overs later losing the wicket of Denzel and shortly after Ethan Nikcevich (2), Healesville was still in a commanding position at 5/164 only needing eight runs to win, young guns Adam Keath (2*) and Aeden Senti (8*) were together at the crease.
After a brief rain delay it didn’t take long for Aeden to play a couple of lovely shots to get us over the line for an early result passing the score five down after 21 overs faced on the day.
This win puts Healesville into fourth on the ladder and into finals contention.
With the ladder as close as it is we have a big, final game of the home and away season next round against Wantirna south at home where a win will secure our spot in the finals.
3rd XI Healesville 7/222 defeated by North Ringwood 5/321 - day 2 of 2 day split innings game
The threes this week played the top of the ladder North Ringwood team with a 76 run deficit to make up. Harry Baxter took the ball and bowled six great overs (1-28).
Ryder Hudson took his first wicket in the 3s thanks to sharp stumping from Ben Mackey. North Ringwood finished their innings 5 for 321. Max Ferris and Zach Coleman resumed their innings needing a massive 209 runs to win.
With run making very stop start all day the bloods eventually went down finishing 7 for 222
4th XI Healesville 7/173 defeated Warranwood 3/131
Healesville 4th XI hosted Warranwood at Healesville sporting complex, Warranwood took a couple of early wickets in the wet and cold conditions, Healesville’s batting line up worked hard after the shakey start posting a total of 7/173 (Z Fawdry 49, B Reid 28).
With the runs on the board Healesville set about defending their total, bowling and feilding very well, wickets were hard to come by but so were the runs, Warrenwood batted out their overs posting a total of 3/131 giving Healesville the victory by 42 runs (Z Fawdry 1/9, C Bell 1/17, S Fawdry 1/18)
5th XI Healesville drew with East Ringwoodmatch abandoned due to rain.
After weeks of sunshine, the heavens opened for Seville Pony Club’s annual Horse Trials at Shirley Heights on the weekend. Great job to organizers for running such a huge event. Some of the placings were:
Grade 1 PC winner – Isobel Morse on Diamond Diva from Yarrambat Pony Club
Grade 2 PC winner – Ivy Schey on Medara Park Domier from Lilydale and Mooroolbark Pony Club
Grade 3 PC winner – Safari Murphy on Chico from Langwarrin Pony Club
Grade 4 PC winner – Isabelle Beard on Ashlan Park Taylor Made from Yarrambat Pony Club
Grade 5 PC winner – Open 110 winner –Sam Jeffree on Wimbaine Conjuror
Open Grade 1 winner – Amy Frozzetto on Dusty Hero
Open Grade 2 winner – Kyle Kroeger on Two To Tango
Open Grade 3 dev 1 winner – Claudia Crossing on Mayfield Winteroun
Open Grade 3 dev 2 winner – Keyarra-Lee Smith on Yoicks Elenor
Open Grade 4 dev 1 winner – Sharlene Wilson on St George Denzildon
Open Grade 4 dev 2 winner – Marnie Barrett on Danyiera Park Sapphire Great job everyone.
In other news, the Upper Yarra Pony Club are after some Equestrian coaches (any discipline) to participate in an Equine Coaching Psychology workshop with a view to monitor your own case studies with your students to develop further insight and education into managing riders in times of stress and anxiety. Course is designed and written by Dr Fraser Carson and will be delivered by Anita Prowse at the Upper Yarra Pony Club rooms at Wesburn Park and is free to attend. Please contact Anita on 0409 953 345 for further details, the club may run more than one of these at future date.
Charlie Watts (151 n.o) and Riley Galea (24n.o) after their match winning partnership in the under 16 clash with Mt. Evelyn. (Supplied)
Q. Is QFF really in Victoria?
A. Yes, QFF used to be an exotic insect to Victoria, and the State government’s biosecurity team used to perform eradication. Some may remember the vehicle checks at the State borders?? Unfortunately, QFF has fought it’s way into Victoria too frequently, and spread too far to be able to eradicate. In 2013 the State declared the QFF pest no longer an exotic insect. QFF control is now the responsibility of all land owners and managers. The Yarra Valley is working hard to keep QFF free.
Queensland Fruit Fly questions & answers
Q. Do QFF infest vegetables?
A. Common home grown veggies such as tomato, capsicum and chilli are technically classed as fruit! They have seeds on the inside! The soft flesh is made of the fibre and sugars, which when rotted, is what the QFF larvae eat. Other produce commonly referred to as vegetables, but are technically fruit, include cucumber, zucchini, squash, eggplant. All of these need to be protected from QFF to avoid damage and prevent the spread.
Q. Do QFF infest citrus?
A. Yes, QFF lay their eggs in many types of citrus. Often, it is citrus fruit that the overwintering QFF first infest in the Spring! This leads to QFF populations building up in home gardens through out the fruit growing season. Sweeter citrus with thinner skins are preferred by QFF, e.g. Meyer lemons, Ruby grapefruit, Sweet Oranges. Because citrus fruit stay on the evergreen tree for
Queensland Fruit Fly netting solutions
Netting fruit trees is a big commitment for any fruit grower. It’s expensive, annoying and complicated. However, it is chemical free, reusable and it is adjustable to the fruit trees or plants requiring protection each season. The additional benefit is that it can protect the fruit from other insect pests, birds and possums!
Netting is the best defence against Queensland Fruit Fly because even with all of the cleaning up of fallen fruit, trapping, baiting programs and other controls, some pregnant female QFF can still lay eggs in fruit. Netting is the last line of defence!
Netting should be put over the fruit tree or garden when the fruit is small, green and immature. Wait until the flowering and pollination is completely finished.
Use a structure like a metal frame, or star pickets with plastic pipe arches, to hold the netting away from the fruit. This stops the QFF reaching the fruit through the netting holes, and the larger structure allows for better air flow around the tree, minimising the fungal disease risk under netting.
Netting comes in any length, at 3m, 6m, or 10m roll widths, or pre sewn into box shapes of various sizes e.g. 3m x 3m x 3m to cover a tree or tomato patch. Netting bags can protect a small cluster of fruit. Use netting that is 2mm or smaller in hole size. Ask your local nursery to help find a net solution.
Summer prune stone fruit branches. This helps manage tree vigour, and promotes increased fruit production. Keep all fruit production at a height that you can prune pick and protect!
