Slowdown on
By Tanya Steele
The pine tree removal planned for Koolunga Native Reserve was the subject of urgent business at a recent Knox City Council meeting and one local councillor dove in heart first for her community, trying to find a solution for all.
Now excluding trees behind residences on Daffodil Road and Sassafras Court, work will start to remove 14 pine trees from Koolunga Native Reserve in Ferntree Gully this month.
A slowed-down approach has been taken to the pine tree removal project planned for the area
after concerns were raised by community, and Chandler Ward Councillor Paige Kennett brought the issue into the spotlight at the latest meeting.
Carried unanimously, Cr Kennett brought the urgent notice of motion to alter the amount of trees removed along with other changes at the recent council meeting on Monday 10 February.
Cr Kennett said at the meeting that Koolunga is a big, complex, sensitive issue and she appreciates this.
“I’ve done my own research, independent of previous council decisions because as your representative, I want to satisfy myself that we can
Brush strokes, flowing thoughts
By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
Olinda-based artist Jamie Saxe is exhibiting his latest works at Round Bird Art Space in Lilydale, in an exhibition called ‘Flow’.
The collection features a mix of recent and older pieces, exploring aerial landscapes, clouds, nebulae, and the movement of water through abstract art.
Mr Saxe, who has spent the last 15 years experimenting with alternative methods said he’s trying to work on the idea of flowing movement - it’s his main focus at the moment.
His new approach involves using natural materials like soil and turmeric, as well as manufactured products such as gauze, to bring texture and colour to his work.
“The thing I love about this is that it offers the most immediate sense of being in the present moment,” he said.
The exhibition runs until March 12 at Round Bird Art Space, Lilydale.
make a good decision of consideration,” she said.
According to Cr Kennett’s social media, a letterbox drop was completed across 2,500 homes around Koolunga on Thursday 6 February, to let residents know of upcoming pine removal works due to start on Monday 17 February, in accordance with the Knox City Council amended Future Directions Plan from June 2023.
Following this Cr Kennett met with around 30 concerned community members at Koolunga on Monday 10 February before the regular scheduled council meeting after hearing feeding from residents late last week.
“I understand that people were not happy about this last-minute decision to meet, this was my decision and my action,” said Cr Kennett at the council meeting.
Cr Kennett spoke with Star Mail after the meeting on Thursday 13 February and said the original staged removal for the pines was decided on due to several criteria.
“Rather than one by one, which was what was written in the directions plan,” she said.
Read more on page 5
Jamie Saxe next to his artwork Opal Void. (Stewart Chambers: 458879)
Bulk-billing rate reduces
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 2023-24, 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-of-pocket 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 2024-25. 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 oneoff, yearly, or monthly fee to access bulk billing.
Ambulances miss response targets in Yarra Ranges
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, Cardin-
ia 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)
The latest Ambulance Victoria response times are in. (Stewart Chambers: 303384)
Rare antenna strike knocks out 3MDR
Community radio station 3MDR, had to act quickly after a lightning strike hit its antenna causing momentary interruption to the airwaves.
3MDR’s head technician David Miller said in the 40 years of operating, lightning has never struck the antenna “so it’s not something that we had ever planned for”.
While the bolt of electric current didn’t impact the antenna itself, the “specialised piece of equipment” known as radio frequency amplifier was a casualty of the strike.
“We went off air, and we thought the FM signal went off air, as opposed to the stream, because it’s both. I figured it was because the generator hadn’t started because there was a power cut at the same time up in Kallista,” Mr Miller said.
“So I went up to see if the generator was faulty but the generator was fine…but our main amplifier, the output transistors of it had been blown up, which is always a lightning strike.
“That’s the only way you can do that to one of the machines.
“The fact there’d been a storm through and caused the power to go off up there, clearly also had a lightning strike to the antenna.”
When broadcasting, 3MDR sends its signal from
Upwey to Kallista, which is then turned into the FM signal to be sent across the airwaves. The amplifier amplifies that signal to ensure it can be heard everywhere.
As a short term fix, Mr Miller said an FM exciter was employed to keep the radio station going but just with a weaker transmitted signal until the amplifier could be repaired.
Because of the specialised nature of the equipment, Mr Miller said “there’s only a limited number of places you can take it to get it repaired”.
Luckily a local business in Ringwood was able to slot in the repair and get it back to the station in a fairly quick turnaround.
Looking ahead, however, the community broadcaster will be aiming to fund a new amplifier, which can total a few thousand dollars, to ensure there’s always a back up plan.
“The amplifier, now that it’s been repaired, we’re looking at maybe retiring that amplifier, because it’s fairly old anyway, it’s about 15 years old and getting towards the end of its life,”Mr Miller said.
“So we’re thinking that we might try and raise some funds to get a new, replacement one, and then we will keep that one as a spare just in case it ever happens again.”
was a once in 40 years occurrence but something they are now preparing for.
Lightning sparks more than 200 fires
By Mikayla Van Loon
Fires, sparked by lightning, have in recent weeks been popping up across the Yarra Ranges and around the state, from severe to minor.
Early on Sunday 9 February, CFA brigades responded to a lightning fire in Mount Evelyn, requiring the swift response of local firefighters to keep the blaze contained.
The 1.40am call out to the grass and scrub fire required the manoeuvring of fire trucks down a narrow road, with firies from Wandin and Montrose there to assist.
Comments from the local community said the fire started roughly 10 minutes after the strike hit, with most nearby waking to the sound of the crack.
“As beautiful as lightning is, it’s certainly scary too,” one person said.
Firefighters in Cockatoo also responded to a similar scenario, as a storm rolled across the Hills.
“Our Brigade responded to a lightning strike which hollowed out a decent sized gum, requiring a swift response and a good deal of teamwork and hard work to bring it under control, all while dealing with heavy rain, high winds, periods of darkness and lightning, and slippery ground,” the brigade posted to social media.
A CFA spokesperson confirmed that just this year, over 200 fires caused by lightning have occurred in Victoria.
“From 1 January 2025 to 11 February 2025 there have been 235 fire incidents occur throughout the state where the ignition factor was light-
ning including the fires that have occurred in the Grampians National Park and Little Desert in the states West,” they said.
This includes 71 incidents in the North East Region, which covers the Yarra Ranges, and 67 incidents in the South East Region.
Recently, a fire in the Yarra Ranges National Park was also suspected to have been ignited from lightning.
It required upwards of 60 firefighters and three waterbombing aircraft to contain the blaze.
A multi-brigade response was also required at the end of January in Macclesfield when lightning struck in bushland, quickly spreading among the grass.
“When the lightning struck it didn’t take much to start a fire and spread to the surrounding bushland,” Macclesfield CFA captain Sharon Merritt said.
The CFA spokesperson said a network of members are situated throughout Victoria to monitor dry lightning, caused when thunderstorms carry little to no rain.
“To help manage dry lightning strikes, CFA and FFMVic have members in a network of fire spotting towers across the state and activate reconnaissance flights following lightning storms during the fire season,” they said.
“Fire management is a joint responsibility and we ask the community to remain alert and in tune with warnings if there is a dry lightning storm in their area.”
Factory fire in Bayswater
Firefighters worked through the night to battle a significant factory fire in Jersey Road, Bayswater, which began in the early hours of 14 February.
Around 24 crews from CFA and FRV were called to the scene just after midnight, finding the building ablaze.
“CFA and FRV crews were called to the scene at 12.38am and found the 20 by 50 metre factory well alight,” said a CFA press release.
The factory, believed to house recycling materials, sent large amounts of smoke into the area, prompting the CFA to issue a series of warnings.
People located in the area bordered by the Dandenong Creek, Dorset Road and Malvern Street and Scoresby Road in Bayswater were advised to take shelter indoors, close all exterior doors and windows, close vents and ensure heating and cooling systems are turned off.
On social media Bayswater CFA thanked crews and service personnel who worked alongside them into the night.
“Upon arriving Fire fighters were faced with a large and complex fire,” their post read.
“Bayswater BA has filled in excess of 60 cylinders both FRV and CFA. Crews will remain on scene for most of the morning.”
The post said that supporting Bayswater were CFA brigades from Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Upper Ferntree Gully, Lilydale, Montrose, Narre Warren, Scoresby, South Warrandyte, Upwey,Yellingbo and units from Fire Rescue Victoria.
Supporting on scene were Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, South East Water, EPA and SES Knox and Knox City Council.
A media spokesperson from Ambulance Victoria said they responded to the reports of a fire related incident in Bayswater just before 1am.
“No emergency treatment or transport was provided,” they said.
By 2:25am, the fire was brought under control, with safety declared at 9:52am. Crews remained on-site, and an investigation into the cause is under way.
Fire hydrant damage drops water
Residents in parts of Tecoma had their morning disrupted by a drop to their water supply after a fire hydrant was damaged along Sandells Road. Water supply was interrupted for some residents in Tecoma along Sandells Road around 9am on Thursday 13 February.
Services were onsite quite quickly dealing with the issue and South East Water General Manager Service Delivery Tim Lloyd said once alerted, South East Water had crews onsite to respond immediately to stop the water flow without shutting down mains water.
“South East Water was alerted to a fire hydrant being damaged in the Tecoma area on 13 February 2025,” he said.
Locals reported via social media that they experienced pressure losses but had water back by around 10.45am.
At the site where the hydrant was damaged a pedestrian passerby said water was travelling down the gutters at a great knot, and gushing out under the car.
“The hydrant was replaced, and the work is now complete,” said Mr Lloyd.
A lightning fire required a coordinated response from three brigades to contain the blaze in Mount Evelyn. (Mt Evelyn CFA)
A lightning strike, which hit 3MDR’s antenna,
(Unsplash)
Cockatoo community garden group seeks new home
By Tanya Steele
A community gardens cohort has appealed to its wider community in Cockatoo to help them relocate their cherished gardening space.
The Hills Community Gardens group is calling for assistance in finding a new location after storage space issues in an open letter to the community and Cardinia Shire Council dated Monday 10 February.
The garden is located in the Alma Treloar Reserve in Cockatoo and organising member Dwight said the group is looking for a new location.
“Over the last year, we’ve been back and forth with the Cardinia Council,” he said.
Dwight said the Council initially approached the group to to vacate the area where they store their equipment at the Cockatoo Community Childcare and kindergarten building.
They now remain in limbo after being unable to find a suitable spot to house it, the location had been ideal for the group because it was close to the area where they worked in the gardens.
Dwight said in the area in Cockatoo finding accessible options to re-home their equipment
has been limited.
“It’s not the flattest place,” he said. “You don’t want to be lugging equipment around.”
The group were officially asked to remove equipment in late December 2024 and are currently storing it at a member’s house in a trailer.
“We have to get it driven up for our Dig in events and the member has lost access to their trailer,” Dwight said.
In their letter the group said that adding to the challenge, the Council has expressed interest in reclaiming portions of the land at Alma Treloar Reserve that is currently occupied by the gardens.
“Without access to sufficient storage and with the looming possibility of reduced space, the gardens’ operations are at risk of becoming unfeasible,“ the letter read.
Cardinia Shire Council’s General Manager Community and Planning Services Deb Tyson said council is committed to ensuring that community gardens on council land are safe and accessible for members of the community, and that they don’t pose any safety or fire risks.
“Council has held discussions with the Hills Community Gardens to address a number of
concerns regarding maintenance of the community gardens and storage, to address such risks,“ she said. “Council is supportive of the community gardens retaining the current garden spaces at Alma Treloar Reserve if regular and appropriate maintenance is undertaken.”
Hoping to stay in Cockatoo, the group have been brainstorming options and with around 15 members and wish to continue their fortnightly gardening, put on education sessions for the community and expand memberships.
“With a new location and fresh start, we can build back and be more active in the community,“ said Dwight. “We can grow some food and hold workshops,“ he said.
Ms Tyson said Cardinia Shire Council recognises that community gardens offer many benefits to the community, including social and environmental benefits.
“Community gardens provide opportunities for social connection, contribute to environmental sustainability and can have a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing,“ she said.
“There are a number of community gardens across Cardinia Shire that are supported by
Council, including the Hills Community Gardens at Alma Treloar Reserve in Cockatoo.“
In the letter the group said the Hills Community Gardens is calling on the broader community for assistance in finding a new location.
“Ideally, this new space would be on private land with the landholder—whether an individual, business, or community organisation—willing to auspice the Gardens,“ the letter read.
“This partnership would allow the Gardens to continue their mission of supporting local sustainability, community engagement, and environmental education. With a stable new home, the Gardens can continue to thrive as a vital resource for the Cockatoo community and beyond.“
Dwight said that the Gardens group did have a larger cohort before Covid and this situation doesn’t make it any easier. “We’re hopeful of a solution,“ he said.
If you or someone you know is interested in supporting the Gardens by offering land or other resources, please reach out to the Hills Community Gardens via email hillscommunitygardenscockatoo@gmail.com or reach out to them on their socials.
Fernlea set to be hub house
By Tanya Steele
With its new location yet to be announced, 11 February saw confirmation of Fernlea Community Care as the new community hub house provider for Emerald and its community. -
The group has secured the tender for the State Government’s Neighbourhood House Coordination Program (NHCP) in Emerald, following an open tender process conducted by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH).
The contract will span the next two years and Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Jack Kowarzik said the announcement was great news for the community.
“Cardinia Shire Council has been working closely with DFFH to transition to a new neighbourhood house service in Emerald, and we’re delighted that a new service provider has been selected to deliver neighbourhood house services to the community of Emerald and surrounding areas,” he said.
Fernlea learned of the DFFH call for tender applications during the community consultation by Cardinia Council in August last year and Fernlea CEO Sarah Cole said when the tender application opened up, the team at Fernlea felt that they were already providing many of the community services required.
“Our team are skilled in the right areas to make the community house a thriving hub of activity,” she said.
“We have been noticing for some time that more and more Emerald residents have been coming to our Shop of Opportunities to seek assistance,” she said.
“We had added extra initiatives and they were well received by the public.”
Moving forward Ms Cole said that their first priority as a community house is to create a space
that is inviting and inclusive.
“Our philosophy is kindness and we see the importance of connection in the Emerald and surrounding region, especially as we face climate changes, economic hardship and food shortages,” she said.
The group plans to implement programs to cater for all abilities, young people, and vulnerable women.
“We will be in conversation with other community groups to see how we can support them,” MS Cole said.
Ms Cole said Fernlea plans to have an advisory panel from the community that will inform their program.
“We want to be a place where groups can work
together and support each other,” she said.
“A place where we encourage other groups in their pursuits, while also providing as many services as we can from the community consultation that was carried out.”
Ms Cole said Fernlea will not at this point be providing before and after-school care.
“Emerald Primary School has implemented this and we are here to support other initiatives rather than do what is already being done,” she said,
“If this service is needed in the future, we will reassess this. Playgroups and intergenerational play will be part of our ongoing program.”
Ranges Ward Councillor David Nickell said he would like to thank the committee and staff from
the former community house service provider for their contribution.
“I would like to acknowledge the many years of hard work and dedication of the committee members and staff from the former community house in Emerald, and wish them the best for their future endeavours,” Cr Nickell said.
Ms Cole said the building that housed Emerald Community House has been a core part of her personal history as one of the few original community houses in Victoria.
“I vaguely remember its beginnings when my mother sought support and companionship there at the time,” she said.
“The original purpose of the house was to be a community space, embracing all people, and creating a network of people who could connect and feel supported – we want Emerald to have that again.”
Mayor Kowarzik said council supports neighbourhood houses funded by the State Government’s NHCP in line with our Neighbourhood House Policy, so we look forward to supporting Fernlea Community Care to deliver the neighbourhood house program in Emerald.
“We remain committed to working with DFFH and the new service provider to ensure a smooth transition to the new service,“he said.
The location of the new service will be announced once details have been finalised.
Ms Cole said Fernlea will be working from the Hills Hub throughout March so community members can drop in and let us know what they would like to see at the community house.
“Community meetings will also be held during March and details will be posted on our Facebook pages,” she said.
“Fernlea is very excited to be able to provide this and very honoured to be trusted with such an important community service.“
Fernlea will be working from the Hills Hub throughout March so community members can drop in and let the group know what they would like to see at the community house. (Online)
Pines cause council divide
By Tanya Steele
The pine tree removal planned for Koolunga Native Reserve was the subject of urgent business at a recent Knox City Council meeting.
Now excluding trees behind residences on Daffodil Road and Sassafras Court, work will start to remove 14 pine trees from Koolunga Native Reserve in Ferntree Gully this month.
A slowed-down approach has been taken to the pine tree removal project planned for the area after concerns were raised by community, and Chandler Ward Councillor Paige Kennett brought the issue into the spotlight at the latest meeting.
Carried unanimously, Cr Kennett brought the urgent notice of motion to alter the amount of trees removed along with other changes at the recent council meeting on Monday 10 February.
Cr Kennett said at the meeting that Koolunga is a big, complex, sensitive issue and she appreciates this.
“I’ve done my own research, independent of previous council decisions because as your representative, I want to satisfy myself that we can make a good decision of consideration,” she said.
According to Cr Kennett’s social media, a letterbox drop was completed across 2,500 homes around Koolunga on Thursday 6 February, to let residents know of upcoming pine removal works due to start on Monday 17 February, in accordance with the Knox City Council amended Future Directions Plan from June 2023.
Following this Cr Kennett met with around 30 concerned community members at Koolunga on Monday 10 February before the regular scheduled council meeting after hearing feeding from residents late last week.
“I understand that people were not happy about this last-minute decision to meet, this was my decision and my action,” said Cr Kennett at the council meeting.
“Work continues and will continue to improve our communication and our engagement practices,” she said. “This motion will not please everyone. I am aware of this, but the divisiveness of the groups and residents has made this an absolutely impossible position.”
Cr Kennett spoke with Star Mail after the meeting on Thursday 13 February and said the original staged removal for the pines was decided on due to several criteria. “Rather than one by one, which was what was written in the directions plan,” she said.
The staged removal approach aimed to avoid issues with revegetating in and around the pine trees, costs of single removal and the natural end of life of the pines.
“You can’t remediate the soil around other pine trees until others have been removed because they make the soil very acidic,” she said. “It’s more cost-efficient for the council to remove them in batches. It’s balancing finance with the environment.”
Pine trees are considered an environmental weed and Koolunga Native Reserve itself is covered by an environmental overlay.
The six-hectare park in Ferntree Gully was originally part of the Chandler Boronia and Daffodil Farm, which operated from 1898 to 1971. Acquired by Knox City Council in the early 1960s, it opened to the public in 1967 and the reserve is valued for exercise, community connection, and its natural environment.
Koolunga includes conservation areas that protect restored ecosystems and nationally significant flora, as well as regionally important habitats. The reserve also features a waterway flowing into a creek, two kilometres of walking tracks, and a large open space for dog walking and recreation.
At the meeting, Collier Ward Cr Chris Duncan said although it may not be the popular decision,
the evidence suggests that these trees need to be removed.
“It will actually cost us considerably more to defer this and to cut down the trees one by one. So although it’s not a popular decision, I think the motion that is in front of us is the lesser of two evils, so to speak,” he said.
Baird Ward Cr Peter Lockwood commended Cr Kennett and said what ‘ticker’ she showed to meet with the community, research and bring the notice to the meeting. “You did remarkably well,” he said.
Dinsdale Ward Cr Robert Williams said Cr Kennett has shown very best practice in her role as a councillor.
“I think what we see in the chambers today is someone that’s got a genuine heart and a spirit for our community, and that should be commended,” he said. “I believe strongly that the community has been heard.”
Mayor and Scott Ward Cr Lisa Cooper said she was happy to support the motion.
“I think this offers a offers a really good opportunity for that check-in point, to see that the revegetation is working and up to meets the expectations of our community and our council,” she said.
On the Knox City Council website, the updated news page states work will start to remove 14 pine trees from Koolunga Native Reserve in Ferntree Gully this month and staged removal of further pine trees has been put on hold until the affected area is rehabilitated, and new native plants have had a chance to become well-established.
“A decision will be made by 2028 on any further pine tree removal and the staging and timing of these works,” it reads.
The new team at Knox Council dealt with an urgent order of business on 10 February. Picture: (Knox City Council).
Dinsdale Ward Cr Robert Williams said at the meeting he believes strongly that the community has been heard. (On File: 278875_01).
Kangaroo harvest stance is deferred
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.”
The KHP quota for 2025 has been set at 106,750 kangaroos throughout Victoria (combined eastern and western grey kangaroos), including 11,900 eastern grey kangaroos in the Gippsland harvest zone which includes the Yar-
ra 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.
Stormwater decisions pending
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 two-year term with the opportunity to reapply for another.
Kangaroo harvesting was the subject of a lengthy debate in the Tuesday 11 February Yarra Ranges Council meeting. (Dave Hunt/AAP)
A panel has been approved and appointed by Yarra Ranges Council to consult on the stormwater and drainage needs of the shire. (File: 295256)
Wildlife Victoria under fire
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.”
Twelve 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.
My Aged Care and Care Finder information sessions
Book now to learn about My Aged Care and how Care Finder can help eligible seniors access services like cleaning, shopping, and personal care!
Session 1:
If you or someone you know needs support to stay safe and independent, these sessions will help get you started. The sessions are free, include refreshments, and offer an opportunity to speak directly to an expert. Bookings are required for catering purposes.
How to book
To book, please contact our Ageing Well team:
Phone: 1300 787 624
Email: mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au
Delivered in partnership with COTA Victoria Wintringham, Monash
Thursday 27 March, 11am–2pm
Cardinia Civic Centre, 20 Siding Avenue, Officer
Session 2: Wednesday 28 May, 1–3.30pm
Koo Wee Rup
Senior Citizens Centre, 1A Icke Rd, Koo Wee Rup
Sessions are flexible –Choose to attend one, both or part of a session.
“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.
“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.”
Dementia and carer’s information sessions
Caring for someone living with dementia, a chronic condition, or a diagnosed disease?
Join our free carer’s sessions to learn about Alfred Health Carers’ Carer Gateway, carer support and services, Forget Me Not - dementia friendly café social groups, and Carers Social Support Groups.
To Book
Complete the online form at www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/ carersessions2025 or call Outlook Community Centre on 5940 4728
Tuesday 4 March
Any carers can attend and apply to register with Carer Gateway.
11am – 12.30pm: ‘Understanding dementia –you’re not alone!’ For carers of someone living with dementia.
1pm - 2pm: ‘An introduction to the Carer Gateway and registration process’, For carers of someone living with dementia, a chronic health condition or diagnosed disease.
Sessions held at Outlook Community Centre, 24 Toomuc Valley Rd, Pakenham, with refreshments provided.
The wellbeing of injured wildlife is a concern, with rescuers pointing to delays in Wildlife Victoria’s responses. (File)
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Email scammers on prowl
By Dongyun Kwon
To prevent putting more Australians at risk of scams, the Parliament of Australia passed the Scams Prevention Framework Bill on 13 February.
The Star Mail delved into the scam cases that happened locally to raise awareness of the risk of scams as well as inform the best way to solve the issue this week.
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 found 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.
Sweet new beginnings
“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 en-
gagement 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.
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. (File)
Can-do Jess wins award
An Emerald Village Pharmacy employee has been recognised for her dedication to supporting and engaging with customers, receiving an award from Independent Pharmacies Australia (IPA).
Jessica Brown was awarded the Consumer Engagement Award at the 2025 Retail Excellence Awards, hosted at Pullman On the Park in Melbourne, on Monday 10 February.
She was one of six to be recognised on the night, which congratulated the most exceptional individuals within the IPA network, based on factors such as individual performance, innovation, and ongoing commitment to patient health.
Key selection criteria for those who took home first place included: connecting with consumers in an impactful and creative way, leveraging the power of loyalty programs to generate optimum performance, providing outstanding customer service, making a difference to pharmacy, com-
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munity and team culture and being identified as a Rising Star early in their career.
IPA Managing Director Steven Kastrinakis said the 2025 Retail Excellence Awards were a testament to IPA’s determination to continue to recognise those within the network who not only generate results, but make a concerted effort to connect with and make a difference to their community and pharmacy teams.
“We are delighted to recognise and congratulate the exceptional hard work and dedication of all six winners to deliver quality healthcare outcomes at our first Retail Excellence Conference with 120 member delegates and 60 sponsor delegates,“ he said.
“Each of their exemplary contributions to their pharmacies, communities and teams illustrate incredible problem solving and a can-do attitude.”
Grant aids Coonara program
Coonara Community House will be looking to foster social connections and teach valuable skills to their community kitchen volunteers in 2025, thanks to support from South East Water.
The community house received a 2024 South East Water Community Grant to support its community lunches. The grant will assist the group serving about 60 meals to vulnerable members of the community each week.
“With so many people in our community struggling due to cost-of-living pressure, this generous grant from South East Water is a welcome boost,” Coonara Community House Manager Sandra Romero said.
“Our program not only serves meals to those in need but also builds a stronger sense of community and belonging for those who attend.”
Established in August 1976 Coonara Community House seeks to foster a safe, supportive, and friendly environment which inspires personal confidence and empowerment for individuals.
Based in Upper Ferntree Gully, it provides support for people who are vulnerable, socially isolated or experiencing financial difficulty by encouraging personal confidence and community participation.
South East Water’s Community Grants program funds local projects that enhance water security and knowledge, protect the environment, support vulnerable community members and help people be more active and connected.
“We’re delighted to support Coonara Community House in providing such a vital program for the local community,” South East Water General Manager Community and Stakeholder Karen Lau said.
“Coonara Community House exemplifies the impactful work that our Community Grants program is designed to empower.”
The 2025 South East Water Community Grants program opens on 17 February. For more information visit southeastwater.com. au/grants
Australia’s iconic comedy tour returns for its 27th year, featuring: Sam Taunton Alex Ward Con Coutis Robyn Reynolds Janty Blair
Grab your tickets today, they won’t last.
Classic Penguins
Garry Starr Wed 14 May 7.30pm
A literary adventure through the world’s most iconic novels. Performed naked (but with flippers). 18+ yrs
Women Painting Women Exhibition - Sat 1 Feb - Sun 9 Mar
Women Painting Women is a landmark group exhibition that showcases the exceptional talent of women realist portrait artists.
On the Wing - Jesse Yvette Journoud-Ryan Exhibition - Sat 8 Feb - Sun 23 Mar
Step into a world of intricate wall sculptures and freestanding pieces that celebrate the vibrant birdlife of the Dandenong Ranges.
Proudly sponsored by Bendigo Bank Upwey and District
Coonara Community House’s program has been supported by South East Water. (Supplied)
Independent Pharmacies of Australia’s Consumer Engagement Award winner was Jessica Brown of Emerald Village Pharmacy. (Supplied)
Schools relocate for safety
By Tanya Steele
Students from Ferny Creek Primary School paid a visit to Wattle View Primary with safety foremost in mind but the opportunity also provided a chance for students and staff to connect and collaborate.
Schools followed department policy on Thursday 13 February, relocating for optimal safety on the blustery fire risk day.
On social media, the school thanked Wattle View PS for the visit.
“Thank you to the lovely staff and students at Wattleview PS for having us at their school today,”
it read.
“We had 27 of our students hang out there today and many staff members utilised the opportunity to network and share ideas with fellow educators. Well done everyone!”
A Total Fire Ban (TFB) was declared for the North Central, South West and Central regions across Victoria that day, the hot and windy conditions were forecast to see temperatures reach the mid to high 30s statewide before a gusty cooler south-westerly wind change later in the day.
Ferny Creek Primary School is ranked as a level two in the bushfire at-risk register (BARR),
On grand adventure again
By Tanya Steele
Love in the rolling hills abounded for a couple of patrons from Lifeview Emerald who were surprised with a rickshaw ride through town last week.
A surprise rickshaw ride for couple Dot and Doug brought back wonderful memories as the duo were ridden through Emerald on Wednesday 5 February. The couple were ridden through town on the rikshaw and into Emerald Station Reserve and then met by family members for a surprise special picnic lunch.
The ride triggered fond memories of their time in England, riding a self-converted motorised tandem bike through the countryside.
The couple reflected on their original memories and Doug said the tandem got a bit heavy (later on) with the two of us on it, so I got a small motor, 25cc, which I stuck on the back wheel.
“That took us around for a long time,” he said. “The tandem bike suited me perfectly,” said Dot. “Especially after Doug added the motor,” she said. “When we got really moving, I
could put my feet up on the crossbar.”
“Doug found one day that I was sitting there with my legs up and he was doing all the work! And I thought that was very good.”
Lifeview Emerald Glades’ Social Support Coordinator Marc Zywaczewski organised the outing through a program known as Lifeview Magic Moments. The program specialises in bucket list experiences for residents throughout the year. “I just thought it would be a great idea to reminisce and experience that feeling again,” Mr Zywaczewski said. “I wanted them to enjoy the picnic and have their loved ones with them, and I thought, ‘What better way to finish off the moment?” he said.
Doug and Dot’s beaming smiles as they began the journey home were impossible to miss and Mr Zywaczewski said Emerald’s community spirit helped bring the idea to life, with a post on a local social media page rallying support for the idea and execution of the outing.
“It’s such a great feeling up here – it’s like a country town, and everyone just chips in and helps out,” he said.
which meant on Thursday they were required to relocate for the day.
According to the Department of Education website schools on the department’s BARR who are deemed by assessment to be at the greatest risk of category four, must close on all days forecasted by the Bureau of Meteorology to be Catastrophic FDR in their fire weather district.
In Victoria, all schools and early childhood services in Victoria are reviewed using a fire risk methodology developed by the CSIRO.
The method breaks down risk using a number of bushfire and fire risk tools along with the site’s
terrain, fuel and vegetation type.
Schools and early childhood services listed on the BARR are rated according to their level of bushfire risk, as either Category 0, 1, 2 or 3, with Category 0 having the highest bushfire risk profile.
The fire risk categories are reviewed and confirmed annually and is available on the state government website.
As summer continues after a welcome cool change in the last few days, residents should keep up to date with announcements from emergency services.
Dot and Doug reminisced about their tandem bike days. (Supplied).
OPEN DAYS Excellence in early learning
Forover100years,BelgraveSouthPrimarySchool
has been at the heart of the local community, providing excellence in teaching and learning within a stunning natural setting. With well-equipped facilities, innovative learning spaces, and strong community connections, we offer a rich and engaging educational experience that fosters curiosity, creativity, and success.
We are proud to provide state-of-the-art technology and dedicated learning spaces such as our Science and Inquiry Learning Centre and Maker Space, where students develop critical and creative thinking skills. Our commitment to high achievement is reflected in the outstanding results our students consistently attain.
A Supportive and Inclusive Learning Environment
Belgrave South Primary School values the partnership between home and school, working closely with parents and the broader community to create a nurturing, inclusive, and inspiring learning environment. Our strong connections with local preschools support a smooth transition to primary school, ensuring children feel confident and ready to begin their learning journey. We understand that starting school is a significant milestone, and we are committed to making the experience positive and rewarding. Our Foundation Transition Program begins in late July for enrolled students, helping them become familiar with our school through specialist learning activities and play-based sessions. With dedicated teachers guiding their journey, children develop confidence, a strong sense of belonging, and the skills needed to thrive.
A Well-Rounded Education with Extensive Opportunities
At Belgrave South Primary School, students have access to a broad and engaging curriculum, including:
• Literacy and Numeracy
• Science and Digital Technology/Multimedia
• Creative Arts and Performing Arts
• Physical Education
• Japanese and AUSLAN
• Environmental Education and Sustainability
• Hospitality andHorticulture
• Student Leadership and Community Engagement
We also offer before and after-school care, holiday care, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities to support busy families and provide enriching experiences for all students.
Experience Learning in Action
We warmly invite prospective families to attend one of our school tours, where you can see firsthand the dynamic and engaging learning en-
vironment that makes Belgrave South Primary School a leader in education. Come and meet our passionate teaching team, explore our programs, and discover how we nurture confident, capable, and compassionate learners. Join us and become part of a school community that values excellence, innovation, and lifelong learning. We look forward to welcoming you!
All smiles at Belgrave South Primary School.
The Preps at Belgrave South Primary School have bedded in seamlessly. (Supplied)
OPEN DAYS Get taste of Steiner approach
Prospective parents have a unique opportunity to experience a taste of Steiner Education at an upcoming workshop at the school’s primary campus.
On Saturday 22 March from 9.30am-1.30am, the school’s annual ‘Taste of Steiner’ is on at the Primary Campus in Emerald where parents can experience sample classes and sessions such as literacy, numeracy and a choice of specialist subjects to get an insight into what children experience in a Steiner classroom.
Bookings open on the school website this week and interested people are encouraged to book early as places fill fast.
Dandenong Ranges Steiner School follows the Australian Steiner Curriculum Framework, a curriculum that is responsive to the developmental phases of childhood, that nurtures the imagination and is also accountable to the broader community through compliance with the standards set for education in Victoria and Australia. Students are encouraged to strive for excellence, to be respectful and caring of others, and to find their place in the world to become motivated, balanced and responsible citizens.
The school offers Playgroup, Kindergarten and Prep at its Early Childhood Campus in Menzies Creek and Class One to Six at the Primary Campus in Emerald. Tours are also held once a month and can be booked on the school’s website: drss.vic.edu.au
DANDENONG RANGES STEINER SCHOOL
Academic Purposeful Artistic
Taste of Steiner Curriculum
Upcoming workshop for adults Sat 22nd March 9.30am - 1.30pm
Bookings essential and will be opening up via our website from 20th February
Sessions will include
Numeracy, Literacy, Morning Circle and a variety of other subjects TBA
This is an opportunity for adults to find out more about Steiner Education by experiencing the classroom as the children do.
Please note: This event is suitable for adults only and is not for children.
www.drss.vic.edu.au 8790 4797
Primary: 11c Dulfys Rd Narre Warren East
Early Childhood: 51 School Rd Menzies Creek
See what a Steiner education can offer your child. (Supplied)
The annual ‘Taste of Stiner’ event at Dandenong Ranges Steiner School is coming up. (Supplied)
Megastar Neeson is back and that’s 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 busi-
nesses 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
worked on a few special
more period
for
in Victoria would be a plus. (Picture: Museums Victoria. Photographer: Jon Augier. Designer: Nicholas Wakerley. Makers: Laura Stewart and Isabel.)
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 people, 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 Aidara, Zac Taylor, Yesse Spence, Mario Sayana, Geoff Paine, Elias 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.
Freedom and discovery
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
Liam Neeson is back in town for The Mongoose. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Isabel has
gowns
Neighbours and said seeing
pieces filmed
Saxe experiments with colour and texture, reflecting the natural landscape. (458879
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!
Lots on and lots to love
It’s probably a little too late to say ‘Happy New Year!’ – so I’ll say welcome to 2025 and it’s great to be back for another year contributing in this great local publication.
I hope everyone had a good Christmas break and that you’re all successfully getting back into the swing of things.
It’s good to see parents locally and across the state are taking advantage of the School Saving Bonus which provides $400 to each kid at a government school.
For families of eligible students at a non-government school, the $400 will be provided directly to each school – to be managed in consultation with the student’s family.
I know this is a little bit of extra help to pay for things like text books, uniforms, camps and a range of other school activities.
North East Link
Cranes (lots) in the sky and boots (heaps) on the ground!
The North East Link is seriously under way with major works on the Eastern Freeway really heating up!
When complete in 2028 no more driving past the zoo to get across to the West and you’ll save up to 11 minutes on the Eastern into Melbourne.
The state of
Jackson Taylor
Bayswater MP
There’s heaps of benefits and lots to love about our state’s biggest ever roads project.
Boronia Rotary
Every year Rotary Club of Boroniain conjunction with the Boronia RSL run an Anzac Day Student Service, down at the Tim Neville Arboretum, in Ferntree Gully.
And every year it gets bigger and bigger.
Last year, there was over 600 grade 5 and 6 students in attendance from right across Knox.
So, I’m really proud that the State Government is delivering a grant of over $3000 to help run the event this year.
My thanks to both Rotary and Boronia RSL on their ongoing commitment to seeing this important event a success and I’m very much looking
forward to being at the 2025 event. Backing local education
At Bayswater Primary, there’ll be a brand-new deck connecting classrooms to a new outdoor learning space!
Excited to share the news the State Government are providing funding to deliver this new space.
A very cool addition to the new building we delivered a little while back.
The new toilets are now complete at Wantirna South Primary!
Always love popping into Wantirna South Primary and catching up with principal Kerri Emonson and even more so to see the great outcome with new toilets delivered!
We have also seen a new kinder on Iris Crescent in Boronia open as well.
The new Goodstart centre (not for profit) was provided a grant by the State Government to deliver new state of the art facilities for our youngest locals.
In Other News
• New playgrounds at Kent Park Primary open and oval soon to be complete
• Sporting club grants delivered for Boronia
Hawks, Knox City Tennis, Bayswater Strikers, Bayswater Park Cricket, The Basin Cricket, Knox Boronia Cricket and Boronia Calisthenics
• Grant provided to 2nd /3rd Bayswater Scouts to replace their indoor flooring Shout-out
The Ferntree Gully Cemetery Tour is a must the stories and history of our part of the world are intriguing and captivating all while touring a beautiful cemetery.
I took the tour recently myself.
The tour started at 7:.30pm from The Hut Gallery and then we walked over to the cemetery where we were taken through the stories associated with 22 gravesites.
To see upcoming tours, be sure to follow the Ferntree Gully Cemetery History and Mystery Tours Facebook page for tours in 2025.
All of the funds go to supporting them to continue to preserve and promote Knox’s rich history.
And a big shout-out to everyone who has returned a container at the Bayswater Depot site where there has now been over 10 million returned, that’s $1 million back in pockets just from one return site!
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.
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.
WITH CHRISTINE SUN
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.
There is no vanity in this story.
Instead, it shows us it is never too late to admit our weaknesses, faults and failures.
Not very cohesive but OK
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.
- Seth Lukas Hynes
Reflecting
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.
The original Australian production opened in Sydney in May 1972, followed by seasons at the Palais Theatre, Melbourne and other cities, playing for more than 700 performances.
The original London production ran for over eight years.
By the time it closed after 3358 performances, it had become the longest-running musical in West end history at the time.
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 slowingdown. Thebandarethrilledtoaddadditional; 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 folk-infused, feel-good sounds with adoring, multi-generation 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. With a storyteller’s heart, his narrative-driven songs are playful, coy and soulwarming. Season: Thursday 13 March at 8pm in the Lyre Room.
Youth crime sign of times
By Maria Millers
There seems to be a growing unease in the community as the media constantly reports car thefts, home invasions and high-speed chases, sometimes involving children as young as 10.
The statistics appear unnerving as the most frightening reports are of knife or machete wielding youths invading homes and terrorising innocent people.
But statistics must be treated with caution and analysed beyond the attention grabbing headlines. In Victoria they reveal a complex relationship between actual crime rates, public perception, and selective media coverage of the most violent crimes.
Many news reports overstate the extent of youth crime because they do not consider or communicate the extent of repeat offending.
And they prioritise violent crimes over non violent, even though the latter are overwhelmingly higher. This selective reporting may lead to a heightened sense of fear and insecurity among the public and calls for tougher laws and longer prison sentences.
However that is not to ignore why many of our predominantly male youths are turning to crime.
Youth crime has always spiked during times of rapid technological and social change. Dickens’s Oliver Twist reflected the reality of poor young homeless children in 19th century London.
Lyrics from Oliver (excerpt):
You’ve got to pick a pocket or two, boys, You’ve got to pick a pocket or two.
Why should we break our backs
Stupidly paying tax?
Better get some untaxed income—
Better pick a pocket or two!
This song is sung by Fagin, who teaches his gang of young pickpockets how to survive through theft. While it has an upbeat tone, the lyrics expose the harsh reality of street children being groomed into crime.
Similarly, though not specifically about youth,
WOORILLA WORDS
T S Eliot’s The Hollow Men captures a generation feeling lost and empty, much like disaffected young people today: This poem speaks to the feeling of being marginalised, which is often felt by youth in the criminal justice system.
“We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!”
Today we are living through similar times and seeing the breakdown of traditional family and community structures, as well as housing insecurity, economic pressures and the uncertainties of our times. Additionally, untreated mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and conduct disorders, are major risk factors for criminal behaviour among youth.
Often belonging to a gang is a response to abuse, neglect and an absence of parental guidance. Add to that the power that social media has over young people as it glorifies risky and illegal behaviour.
We live in a society where manners are regarded as quaint relics with no place or purpose in our frenetic lives. here’s an acceptance of coarse behaviour and a disregard for the feelings of others. Today we tend to overlook youth behaving in a way that would not have been tolerated in the past. Manners were always seen as part of socialisation: how we learnt the behaviours, norms, and values of our society and how to show respect for
others. Manners easily and rapidly mature into morals. As philosopher Edmund Burke wrote:
Manners are of more importance than laws. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarise or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe.
What he’s saying is that manners play a crucial role in shaping and upholding the law.
Manners reflect the attitudes and behaviour of individuals in their interactions with others and while laws provide a formal framework, manners contribute to creating a moral and ethical foundation upon which the law relies.
Manners are a sensitive awareness for the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.
When young people do not learn or are not taught manners they may struggle to understand boundaries, respect for others, and the consequences of their actions, which could increase the likelihood of antisocial or criminal behaviour.
And values are no longer being passed on to our children but left to their peers and social media. Family dynamics, including domestic violence, neglect, and poor parenting, contribute significantly to youth crime.
It is hard to not be judgmental and ask why a young child of 10 or 12 can be out at night armed with a knife, carjacking or similar, without parents being aware. This of course assumes a situation where a parent is present and not working a night shift or under the influence of substance abuse.
Teachers cannot be expected to take on any more extra curricular activities so the only viable answer is to introduce teaching manners to the curriculum, beginning in primary schools.
Perhaps starting off with the basic concepts of how to say, Thank You to someone. Nor can we let governments off the hook. Over the years we have seen significant reductions in public spending on services such as education, housing, and youth support programs.
Yet youth are our greatest asset and should not
be allowed to become a statistic of short sighted neglect, especially when money it seems is always available for sports stadiums and propping up major sporting events.
No boy is born with fists so hardened, no girl with eyes that burn with fear, the world has shaped them, carved their story, a script of anger, sharp and clear.
Who will reach before they falter?
Who will light a different way?
Or will we count them, cold statistics, numbers lost to yesterday?
Anonymous
Without early intervention, these issues often escalate, leading to involvement in the criminal justice system.
While a lack of manners alone is unlikely to be a direct cause of rising crime rates, it is often seen as part of a larger pattern of social disengagement. Many psychologists argue that fostering better socialisation, emotional regulation, and respect for others can play a role in reducing criminal behaviour and improving social cohesion, particularly among the youth.
And evidence suggests that addressing the root causes of youth crime through rehabilitation, education, and preventative programs offers a more effective long-term solution than punitive measures like longer sentences and incarceration.
Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken speaks to the choices we make and how they shape our paths.
Excerpt: The Road Not Taken
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;”
A better retirement lifestyle from $590k
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)
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
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.
SPACIOUS FAMILY RETREAT
SET on a generous ¼-acre block in a peaceful yet convenient location, this beautifully presented three-bedroom weatherboard home offers the perfect blend of modern comfort and country charm. Just a short walk from the town centre and local school, it provides an idyllic lifestyle for families, first-home buyers, or those seeking a relaxed retreat.
Step inside to discover a bright and airy open plan living, dining, and kitchen area, enhanced by new floating floors and large windows that fill the space with natural light. The modern kitchen is a standout, featuring sleek stone benchtops, a 900mm SMEG gas cooktop and electric oven, a stainless-steel dishwasher, a fridge recess, and plenty of storage. Gas ducted heating and a split-system air conditioner ensure comfort all year round. Down the hallway, three well-sized, carpeted bedrooms all feature built-in robes, offering a peaceful sanctuary for the whole family. The updated central bathroom is stylish and functional, complemented by a separate toilet and a spacious laundry with ample storage. Outside, the expansive undercover deck complete with cafe blinds creates the perfect setting for entertaining or simply unwinding while overlooking the private, fully fenced backyard. Ideal for kids and pets, the outdoor space is both secure and spacious. A double tandem shed with a concrete floor and power provides excellent storage or workshop potential.
Combining charm, convenience, and contemporary updates, this delightful home is ready to move in and enjoy. Don’t miss your chance to secure a fantastic lifestyle in the heart of Cockatoo.
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.
ImmaculateFamilyRetreatwithEndlessSpaceandViews!
Setona 1895sqmblockinMenziesCreek,isthis4BR,3-bathroomhome.A wraparound,verandah welcomesyou,Inside,stepintotheloungewithanopenfire.Thereisalso afurthersunlitfamilyroom with awoodheater,whilstthehomeiscomplementedbyGDH &electricreversecycleheating& refrigerativecooling.Thekitchen/diningareafeaturinganILVE1000mmfreestandingoven,ample benchspace &a picturesquebaywindow.TheMasterSuiteoffersdoubleBIR& ensuite,while2 additionalbedroomsalsoincludeBIR, afamilybathroomwithspabath, &separatetoilet. Agames/ loungeroomwith akitchenette.A 3rdbathroom &upa fewstairsa 4thbedroom/5thlivingspace. Thisflowsontoanencloseddeckwhere aswimspaawaits.Outside,theprivate,fullyfencedgrounds withafirepitarea,gardenshed,a pizzaoven,& doublelockupgarage.
13FordRoadEmerald$900,000-$990,000
SpaciousFamilyHomewithModernComforts &OutdoorAppeal. This4BR,2-bathroomhome,situatedona 3,319sqmblockinEmerald,offersa perfectblend ofpracticality,& family-friendlyfeatures. Ahorseshoedrivewaywelcomesyou,leadingtoan undercoververandah.Stepthroughthefrontdoorintothelight-filledloungeroomwithtiledflooring, splitsystem& cleverlyrecessedstudynook.Adjacenttotheloungeisthemastersuite,featuringa WIR& privateensuite,with asecondbedroomalsowith aWIR.Downthehallway,you’llfindtwo additionalbedrooms,eachwithBIR& servicedby acentralbathroom.Theheartofthehomeisthe open-plankitchen/diningareawitha largeislandbench,generousbenchspace,cornerpantry, integratedoven&gascooktop.Fromhereenjoydirectaccesstothefullyfencedbackyard,perfect forchildren& pets.Thepropertyalsoincludes adoublegarage& plentyofoff-streetparking.
AaronDay M 0407365994 BrennanMileto M 0422996451
aworldofgrandeurwiththisspectacularmasterpiece,setona 3060sqmestate,withthe optiontosubdivide(STCA).Enterthroughelectricgates,tolandscapedgardens,adornedwith lighting.Theentryway,featuring11ftceilingswelcomesyouintoanarchitecturaltriumphofluxury. Theheartofthehomeistheopen-plankitchen,showcasing aCaesarstoneislandbench, &butler’s pantry.Theformallivingarea,featuringplushcarpeting, agasfireplace& dazzlingchandelier. Astudy &theatreroomalsoonthislevel.Ascendthecarpetedstaircase,where9ftceilings& expansivespacesevoke asenseofelegance.Themasterretreat,withhis-&-hersWIR,ensuitewitha spa, &outdoorterrace.Threeadditionalbedrooms,withWIR’s& ensuites,while arumpusroomwith balconyaccesscompletesthislevel.Outsideisfullyfenced,a doublegarage,& securitysystem.
KarenPeele M 0419340950
1AcreinCockatoo. Setona 1-acreparcel,this4-bedroom,2-bathroomweatherboardhomeoffers ablendof character,comfort& functionality.Thecirculardrivewayleadsto adoublecarport &undercover entry,welcomingyouintothehome.Stepinsidetoanopen-plandining/kitchenarea,featuringtall ceilings,slateflooring,gascooktop,integratedoven &spaciouspantry.Adjacenttothekitchen, theloungeinvitesyoutorelaxbythewoodfireheater,thoughthehomedoesofferGDHthroughout &largedoorsopenouttotheundercoverdeck.ThemastersuitewithBIR& ensuite,whilethree additionalbedroomsalsofeatureBIR. Acentralbathroomwithslateflooring&aseparatetoilet. Outside, alargeundercoverdeckthatoverlooksthebackyard.Additionsinclude agardenshed, largestorageshed,3,000litrewatertank&asecondcarportrunningalongthesideofthehome.
CONTEMPORARY HOME WITH GREAT OUTLOOK
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.
SPORT
Monbulk clinches fourth
By Jack Rollings
Saturday pennant, the final round of home and away bowls. The weather matched the significance of the round. It was the classic four seasons in one day – low temperatures, wild gusty winds, sudden and brief torrential rain, hail, sun, rainbows, the lot. Experienced bowlers were shaking their heads in disbelief as their bowls tracked on unbelievable curves.
There was no such thing as a home ground advantage – the home grounds were at the mercy of the weather. Monbulk 1 travelled to Ferntree Gully with a slim chance of cracking it into the top four, relying on a strong win away against the second placed side, and also relying on the bottom placed side Upwey/Tecoma beating fourth placed Heathmont. Both scenarios required minor miracles. In the pre-game huddle, the Monbulk players were told to simply enjoy their game and support each other.
Jim Bras’ team trailed in the front two thirds and was 4 shots down going into the sixteenth end. That was when they picked up a big 4 shotter to equal. From there, in the run home, Monbulk dominated, winning most of the ends with strong multiples and setting a comfortable margin. Monbulk won the rink 21 shots to 14.
Tony French’s team had a day out. They led all day, dropped only eight ends, mainly singles, and picked up some multiples along the way. Luck seemed to favour Monbulk, adding to the frustration of their opponents. And Tony supported his team with some spectacular saving conversions. Monbulk won the rink 26 shots to 10.
Eric Markham’s team led for the front two thirds and had a 4-shot lead after the thirteenth end. In the run home, Ferntree Gully stepped up a gear. They took the lead, for the first time in the day, after the eighteenth end, and hung on with some multiples. Eric’s team went down 17 shots to 25, although by that time, the composite scoreboard was already heavily in Monbulk’s favour.
Brian Smith’s rink was almost a mirror image
Trades & Services
of Eric’s. Monbulk trailed until the fifteenth end, as much as 9 shots down. Then, in the run home, they dictated play, only conceding two singles and picking up mainly doubles. It was a strong finish and ensured the extra points for the rink win 22 shots to 17.
Overall Monbulk won the round 86 shots to 66, with three rinks up – that was one minor miracle. And then the phone call came, that Heathmont had been defeated by Upwey/Tecoma by a single shot, with two rinks up – that was the second minor miracle.
Those amazing results have pushed Monbulk into fourth spot with a finals berth next weekend, edging out powerhouse club Heathmont. Monbulk will be playing Lilydale at Lilydale. Miracles can happen.
Monbulk 2, out of the top four, played at home against Dandenong Club who were safely in the top four. The top four had resilient safety margins already posted so this was a match played for glory, not position.
Norma Clerke’s team had a close battle in the front half with lead changes and equal scores. Then Dandenong put the pressure on in the run home. Monbulk dropped three 3-shot clangers in a row to give Dandenong a safe margin. Monbulk lost the rink 17 shots to 24.
Peter Lee’s team struggled against a strong Dandenong lineup. Monbulk won singles, while Dandenong won multiples. As much as the Monbulk bowlers were trying their hardest, Dandenong had the answers. In the final six ends Dandenong increased their lead by 11 shots. Monbulk lost the
rink 10 shots to 27.
Case Broekhof’s team was the MVP for Monbulk. They faced a tough challenge midway but kept their cool and dominated the game, winning fourteen ends with several impressive multiples.
Monbulk clinched the rink with a commanding score of 28 shots to 13. Mike Harris’ team faced a tough match all day. They managed to secure six ends but conceded significant scores early on. During the final stretch, they tightened their defence and minimised losses, but the result was already determined. Monbulk fell short, losing the rink 9 shots to 33.
Overall Monbulk lost the round 64 shots to 97 with only one rink up. That leaves Monbulk in sixth place with six wins and eight losses, no finals berth, but importantly, avoiding relegation for next season.
Craig Ward playing in successful team. (Supplied)
Valley on show as roos, snakes stay away
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 Gardiners 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 smoothly including advertising the Star News.
The day was another success for the Eastern Suburbs +55 Senior Pennant players and all were on the way home by 1.30pm to beat school traffic.
Here are the results.
Gold Group:
• Gardiners Run 5 def Heritage 3, Eastern 5 ½ def Box Hill 2 ½ Churchill/Waverley 5 ½ def Yering Meadows 2 ½.
Green Group:
• Eastern 6 def Box Hill 2, Yering Meadows 4 ½ def Churchill/Waverley 3 ½ ,Heritage 4 ½ def Gardiners Run 3 ½ .
Until next week keep smiling and look out for golf jokes.
Feeling very much at home
By Jamie Strudley
A wet and windy day one of Eastern Region Track and Field Championships, this year held at Morrison Reserve, Mt Evelyn, home of Yarra Ranges Athletics
Yarra Ranges Athletics athletes revelled in the carnival atmosphere to showcase our awesome venue to athletes from throughout the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Running, Jumping and Throwing (and Walking) never looked so good.
Day one saw an exceptional number of PB’s, despite the ordinary conditions, with Yarra Ranges athletes winning 13 Gold, 9 Silver and 7 Bronze, with our girls claiming 19 out of our 29 medals. Not really sure if the weather gods were much kinder for us on Sunday, but amazing to once again hear about PB’s across a range of events in tricky conditions. Another 12 Gold, 11 Silver and 12 Bronze to make YRA’s two-day haul 25 gold, 20 Silver and 19 bronze.
Big thanks again to the parent volunteers - not sure if it was more or less stressful cooking the perfect snag versus chiefing, officiating at discus, firing a starter’s gun or quickly doing the dollar maths at the canteen - but all roles were essential to our success!
Extra shout out to the two Comp Directors Michael Clarke and Dannie McKinnon - can’t remember a region’s carnival that has run so close to schedule, especially considering the conditions. The last two weeks for Michael Clarke doing the logistics surely was a second full time job at the same pay rate as the rest of us this weekend - so many thanks to you both. Also not sure if Jane, Uli and Al slept at the track or at home - but the barbecue, canteen and equipment wouldn’t have succeeded without you.
Finally, to Ali, Laura and Lis for assisting Cam with the Team Managing along other Age Leaders - Thank You! See you next Saturday back at Yarra! Results from EMR Track and Field Championships
Female 17
• Discus: Stephanie van Bemmel 24.74m (3rd); Keira Taylor 19.02m (4th);
• Javelin: Keira Taylor 21.22m (1st);
• Long Jump: Keira Taylor 3.45m (1st);
• Triple Jump: Stephanie van Bemmel 9.93m (1st); Female 15
• 100m: Emily Fiedler 14.45 (2nd); Brookley Horsburgh 14.64 (4th); Naomi Mugamu 15.08 (5th); Hana Parker 15.49 (6th);
• 200m: Emily Fiedler 28.22 (1st); Brookley Horsburgh 29.95 (5th); Naomi Mugamu 30.33 (6th); Hana Parker 32.48 (8th);
• 400m: Emily Fiedler 61.05 (2nd);
• 800m: Brookley Horsburgh 2:42.56 (5th); Tori Kincaid 2:45.76 (7th);
• 1500m: Tori Kincaid 5:49.57 (5th);
• 90m Hurdles: Brookley Horsburgh 16.60 (3rd);
• Discus: Tori Kincaid 18.63m (3rd);
• Javelin: Tori Kincaid 14.09m (4th);
• Long Jump: Brookley Horsburgh 4.25m (3rd);
• Triple Jump: Naomi Mugamu 8.99m (2nd); Female 14
• 100m: Lily Congreve 14.83 (8th);
• 200m: Harper Grice 31.45 (7th); Sarina Hathaway 33.80 (11th)
• 400m: Violet Elston 78.80 (5th)
• 800m: Lily Clarke 2:43.88 (3rd); Mackenzie Graham 2:46.55 (4th);
• 1500m: Brienna Coffey 5:08.41 (2nd); Lily Clarke 5:31.06 (3rd);
• 1500m Walk: Brienna Coffey 8:36.10 (1st); Sarina Hathaway 14:59.07 (2nd);
• High Jump: Mackenzie Graham 1.38m (2nd);
• Javelin: Shania Tove 25.91m (2nd); Sarina Hathaway 17.57m (6th);
• Long Jump: Mackenzie Graham 4.09m (4th);
• Shot Put: Shania Tove 6.88m (7th);
• Triple Jump: Mackenzie Graham 9.04m (5th)
Female 13
• 100m: Blair Whitmore 14.64 (8th); Arizona Peel 15.31 (16th);
• 200m: Blair Whitmore 30.62 (11th)
• 400m: Lexi Aders 70.27 (5th); Pippa Congreve 77.23 (10th);
• 800m: Lexi Aders 2:43.55 (8th); Pippa Congreve 2:53.06 (9th);
• 1500m: Holly Yorke 6:02.46 (8th);
• 200m Hurdles: Holly Yorke 35.30 (9th); Pippa Congreve 35.46 (10th);
• 1500m Walk: Holly Yorke 8:57.69 (2nd);
• High Jump: Emily Pincott 1.48m (1st); Lanni Aborowa 1.44m (3rd); Arizona Peel 1.36m (4th);
• Long Jump: Blair Whitmore 3.73m (8th)
• Triple Jump: Emily Pincott 8.78m (4th);
Female 12
• 100m: Maisie Coffey 14.71 (2nd);
• 200m: Maisie Coffey 30.51 (3rd);
• 800m: Caitlyn McKerlie 2:52.79 (9th);
• 80m Hurdles: Maisie Coffey 15.83 (6th);
• Long Jump: Maisie Coffey 3.63m (6th); Female 11
• 100m: Etta Thoma 15.82 (8th); Ava Alderson 16.05 (11th); Victoria James 16.77 (15th); Molly Chapman 16.78 (17th);
• 200m: Etta Thoma 33.28 (7th); Ava Alderson 34.36 (11th);
• 400m:
• 800m: Milly Hall 3:07.06 (9th); Ava Alderson 3:08.09 (10th); Molly Chapman 3:19.86 (14th)
• 1500m: Victoria James 6:08.25 (7th)
• 80m Hurdles: Molly Chapman 19.53 (6th)
• Discus: Amelia Sketchley 15.09m (2nd);
• High Jump: Ava Alderson 1.20m (5th); Molly Chapman NM;
• Long Jump: Milly Hall 3.40m (6th); Etta Thoma 3.39m (7th);
• Shot Put: Molly Chapman 5.99m (2nd); Victoria James 5.92m (3rd); Amelia Sketchley 5.85m (4th);
• Triple Jump: Etta Thoma 7.70m (5th); Milly Hall 7.69m (6th)
Female 10
• 70m: Imogen McMillan 12.45 (19th);
• 100m: Zahra Lehmann 17.14 (13th); Harper Neal 17.38 (17th);
• 200m: Willow Neal 36.88 (16th);
• 400m: Delia Coffey 78.36 (5th); Zahra Lehmann 86.68 (13th);
• 800m: Delia Coffey 2:58.36 (4th); Willow Neal 3:11.90 (11th);
• 60m Hurdles: Zahra Lehmann 13.28 (7th); Willow Neal 13.47 (8th); Harper Neal 13.93 (11th); Jordan Kay 14.12 (15th);
• 1100m Walk: Tillie Sommers 7:03.15 (2nd);
• High Jump: Harper Neal 1.07m (3rd); Jordan Kay 0.90m (9th);
• Long Jump: Zahra Lehmann 3.51m (3rd); Willow Neal 3.48m (4th); Harper Neal 3.14m (9th); Imogen McMillan 3.00m (11th);
• Shot Put: Zahra Lehmann 5.00m (5th); Imogen McMillan 4.44m (8th); Female 09
• 70m: Ruby Hubbard 12.80 (6th); Maia Andrews 13.62 (9th);
• 100m: Ivy Ingle 16.70 (1st); Charlotte Thomson 17.42 (3rd); Holly Rayner 18.30 (12th);
• 200m: Ruby Hubbard 39.11 (11th); Holly Rayner 39.93 (16th); Maia Andrews 42.58 (17th);
• 400m: Ivy Ingle 78.70 (2nd);
• 800m: Ivy Ingle 3:05.11 (3rd); Maia Andrews 3:30.48 (11th);
• 60m Hurdles: Charlotte Thomson 13.04 (5th);
• 700m Walk: Maia Andrews 4:48.69 (4th);
• Discus: Charlotte Thomson 7.85m (12th);
• High Jump: Ivy Ingle 1.04m (1st); Charlotte Thomson 0.95m (4th); Maia Andrews 0.85m (10th); Holly Rayner 0.80m (15th);
• Long Jump: Charlotte Thomson 3.22m (3rd); Ivy Ingle 3.16m (5th); Holly Rayner 2.84m (11th);
• Shot Put: Ruby Hubbard 3.72m (9th); Male 17
• 400m: James Crome-Smith 87.22 (3rd);
• 800m: James Crome-Smith 2:08.27 (1st);
• 1500m: James Crome-Smith 6:15.29 (1st);
• Discus: Wilbur Davidson-Tuck 25.68m (1st);
• Javelin: Wilbur Davidson-Tuck 24.46m (1st);
• Shot Put: Wilbur Davidson-Tuck 8.82m (2nd); Male 14
• Discus: Tobyn Harris 13.52m (2nd);
• Long Jump: Tobyn Harris 3.32m (5th);
• Shot Put: Tobyn Harris 5.78m (3rd);
• Triple Jump: Tobyn Harris 7.16m (4th);
Male 13
• 100m: Ilikimi Tove 15.10 (12th);
• 400m: Samuel Ansaldi 65.30 (7th); Ilikimi Tove 71.25 (10th);
• 800m: Samuel Ansaldi 2:29.34 (4th); Ilikimi Tove 2:45.29 (8th);
• 1500m: Samuel Ansaldi 4:57.32 (6th);
• High Jump: Samuel Ansaldi 1.43m (2nd);
• Javelin: Ilikimi Tove 25.12m (2nd);
• Long Jump: Samuel Ansaldi 4.24m (3rd);
• Shot Put: Jonty Friend 6.55m (8th); Male 12
• 100m: Kristian Sultana 14.66 (4th); Koby Stephens 14.96 (9th); Theodore Lewis 16.58 (20th); Reeve Pardon 17.15 (21st)
• 200m: Koby Stephens 30.22 (6th); Kristian Sultana 31.12 (9th); Samuel Hubbard 33.15 (13th); Theodore Lewis 33.78 (14th); Max Menzies 34.96 (16th); Reeve Pardon 35.44 (17th);
• 400m: Koby Stephens 66.83 (3rd)
• 800m: Theodore Lewis 2:54.91 (12th); Max Menzies 3:17.13 (17th);
• 80m Hurdles: Kristian Sultana 14.55 (4th); Harlem Willis 16.92 (11th);
• 1500m Walk: Xander Sommers 8:40.81 (1st)
• High Jump: Harlem Willis 1.25m (7th); Reeve Pardon NM;
• Long Jump: Koby Stephens 4.26m (5th); Kristian Sultana 4.15m (8th); Harlem Willis 3.99m (9th); Samuel Hubbard 3.82m (14th);
• Shot Put: Reeve Pardon 10.01m (3rd); Kristian Sultana 7.69m (8th);
• Triple Jump: Harlem Willis 8.44m (11th); Male 11
• 100m: Jesse Pettet 16.39 (15th); Blake Davies 19.98 (19th);
• 200m: Logan Thomas 34.61 (12th);
• 800m: Logan Thomas 2:44.00 (6th); Flynn Mullens 2:56.57 (9th);
•
(1st);
• 200m: Matilda Bugden 53.55 (1st);
• 400m: Matilda Bugden 2:08.89 (1st);
• 800m: Matilda Bugden 5:03.21 (1st);
• Long Jump: Matilda Bugden 1.77m (1st);
• Male P11
• 100m: Henry Rademaker 21.40 (1st);
• 400m: Micah Friend 1:51.28 (1st);
• 800m: Micah Friend 4:23.15 (1st); • Javelin: Micah Friend 9.36m (1st);
• Long Jump: Henry Rademaker 2.27m (1st); Micah Friend 1.93m (2nd);
• Shot Put: Henry Rademaker 5.31m (1st); Micah Friend 4.26m (2nd);
Normal Saturday morning competition returns this Saturday with events starting from 8.30am
Training for our little athletes 5-12yo takes place on Tuesdays from 4-5pm with event specific training (where possible) for those competing at Region championships. All registered and trial members are welcome. Please check our website for more training session details.
Yarra Ranges Athletics welcomes and encourages all athletes of any age or ability. New members and anyone interested in trialling are always welcome.
Go to www.lavic.com.au or www.athsvic.org. au or email info@yarrarangesathletics.org.au for information about membership, events and registration.
For information on training, how to join or trial, photos, results and updated news, visit the website at yarrarangesathletics.org.au or check us out on Facebook. Run, Jump, Throw…too easy!
David Hayes from Yering Meadows showing how to just miss the green. (Supplied)
Athletes Bree, Lily and Tori competing in the 1500 metre. (Supplied)
Celebration sets the tone
Whilst the past players at the Mt Evelyn Cricket Club celebrated the 40th Anniversary of their A Grade premiership, the present day Mounters celebrated some vital wins in their quest to feature in finals action.
The Community Bank - Mt Evelyn 1st XI scored a season defining win against arch rivals, and fellow finals aspirant, Seville in a hard fought contest at Gary Martin Oval. Entering day two of the clash, things were evenly poised as Mt Evelyn left a few runs on the table being dismissed for 259, before Caleb Hrabe made a mess of the Burras’ top order to have them teetering at 3/36 at stumps. With several stars still to bat, the visitors knew that if they could get themselves into the contest on day two, anything was possible.
Bailey Humphrey and Caleb Frankovic would navigate their way through the first dozen overs, and add some 30 runs, to give the Burras the steady start they strives for. Hrabe would make it four from four as he would dislodge the determined, and dangerous, Humphrey, but the visitors would continue unperturbed as Jon Williams would join Frankovic at the wicket. Another ten overs and 30 runs would pass, and with the score closing in on three figures, and plenty of batting still to come, the game had hit ‘go time’ for both teams. It would be the home team who would break it open.
Frankovic’s stout defence would be broken when he was inexplicably run out by the quick thinking Dan Giblin, whilst the Mounters were appealing for an LBW, and the game swung rapidly towards the home team. Bohdie Jones would remove Williams and his explosive uncle Kane Jones in successive overs, and the Burras were decimated, falling to 7/104. The visitors’ tail would show valiant resistance to string the game out, but the middle order collapse proved fatal. Seville managed to limit the final damage, but would still fall well short of the chase, falling for 181.
The Professionals Outer East 2nd XI missed a golden opportunity to consolidate themselves in the top four as they were outlasted by a determined Seville outfit. After posting a competitive total of 9/241, the Mounters would’ve entered day two full of confidence that their recent form with the ball would see them chalk up another victory.
Young gun Billie Laird would snag an early wicket with the score on 8, but a century partnership between Leigh Atkins (63) and Elkin Croydon (41) would deliver the momentum that the Burras required against a bowling attack struggling to deal with the tricky conditions. Kynan Yates would come on and capture wickets in consecutive overs to give the fielding team a much needed boost, and with the support of veteran Luke Jones, the pair would put in a marathon stint with the ball to keep the visitors in the contest. An unbeaten 64 run 8th wicket stand between Jarrod Carroll (62*) and Macca Hardy (26*) would finally break the Mounters as Seville would chase down Mt Evelyn’s total with four overs remaining. Jones (4/67) and Yates (2/80) would be the pick of the bowlers.
The loss has left the 2nd XI in a precarious position going into the final round, as a loss to Bayswater Park, could spell the end of a finals position.
The Rhead Group 3rd XI’s season has been hanging by a thread after slipping up against some beatable opponents. It has left the team the task of winning the last two games to give themselves any chance of going beyond the final round. After day one of this split innings contest, both Mt Evelyn and Warrandyte would be relatively comfortable with their respective positions, as Mt Evelyn held a slight advantage at 1/164 just ahead of Warrandyte’s 2/139. The Mounters would continue their innings first, and would go about amassing a total too great for the Bloods to chase.
Dickie Hearn and Alex Brisbane-Flynn continued their century stand and both cashed in. Brisbane-Flynn would plunder 74 runs, before getting too adventurous when he was stumped within sight of a century upon his return to cricket. Hearn wouldn’t be denied his maiden century as his marathon 199-ball innings would take him to a match winning score of 133. Great reward for a great contributor to the club. With captain Graeme Foster adding a quick fire 58, the Mt Evelyn innings would be closed with the score on an imposing 7/375. Warrandyte would make a fair fist of the chase, but would struggle to maintain the run rate once Tom Ellis (137) and Banjo Smyth (79) were dismissed. Eventually, the Mounters would bowl the visitors out for 281, claiming an important 94 run victory. The win
now has the 3rd XI within sight of a finals birth, with a win against Heathwood in the final round a must.
The Hop Hen Brewing 4th XI have finally clinched their position in the finals after outlasting a determined South Croydon outfit on ‘The Postage Stamp’ at Mt Evelyn. The game would prove to be an unusually low scoring affair as the batsmen would struggle to assert dominance. Mt Evelyn would win the toss and send South Croydon in to bat with some doubt on how long the weather would hold out. The Mounters bowlers would do well to contain their opponents, and would bowl them out for 175, a more than attainable target on the small surrounds. All the bowlers would contribute with Mark Shepherd (3/23), Jake Rigg (2/23), Angus Van Hoogstraten (2/30) and Mike Leonard (2/34) sharing the wickets. What should’ve been a relatively easy chase proved to be a real struggle as the Bulldog bowlers would heap the pressure on the Mounters
limiting the boundaries and taking regular wickets. Captain Chris Doyle (51 not out), and young stars Jake Rigg (31) and Mason Jones (23) would contribute vital runs to the cause early, but it was left to cult hero Robert ‘Robdog’ Wilson to notch up the winning runs, in driving rain, on his way to an unbeaten 20. The win now locks in a finals birth for the 4th XI.
The Mt Evelyn 5th XI entered Round 15 with a point to prove after to succumbing to Kilsyth for their second loss of the season last week. Their clash against Seville couldn’t have filled them with great confidence as father/daughter duo Matt (4/6) and Kaylen Tilney (1/15) cut a swathe through the Mt Evelyn top order to have them decimated at 6/56. The Mounters have built their success this season through contributions throughout their team, so it was no surprise that the visitors dug in their heals courtesy of steadying knocks from Ezra Joyce and Paul Flavel who notched up unbeaten half centuries, whilst the
rest of the batting order would push the score to a competitive 7/187.
The Burras would show great resistance with the bat, but they would never challenge Mt Evelyn total, and their innings would be closed at 4/127 after their allotted overs. Andy Cummins would carry his bat in an innings of 48, whilst Mark Kuhne would be the pick of the Mt Evelyn bowlers taking 2/24.
The Flowtec 6th XI, would field five new players in their lineup for their clash against Lusatia Park, and they found the task to great to overcome the Tigers. Batting first, the Mounters could only manage 123, being bowled out in the 30th over. Braidyn Doyle would show his fight scoring his best score of 35 not out, whilst Chase Missen (23) and Brett Hartman (21) would add some beef to the low total. Mt Evelyn’s total would prove to be light on, as despite some tidy bowling, the Tigers would reach the target with relative ease, losing just two wickets along the way.
Past players celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the 1984-85 A Grade premiership. (Supplied)
The 1st XI celebrated a season defining victory against Seville.
