Star Weekly - Melton Moorabool - 19th July 2022 by Star Weekly

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Euro passion wins prize

(Damjan Janevski) 287818_02

A Melton community radio DJ was given special recognition of his many years of service reporting from the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Duane Zigliotto, a weekly radio presenter on 979 FM radio station, received a recognition of service award from the European Broadcasting Union for his 20 years of radio journalism at the famous competition. Mr Zigliotto has a passion for all things Eurovision and has run his weekly radio show called Eurozone for the last 30 years. He said one of the things he loved most about the event was that one could always “expect the unexpected.” ■

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Time to get back on track By Olivia Condous An independent transport organisation has called for the Victorian government to rethink priority rail projects in favour of a new railway connecting the western suburbs, including Melton, with the rest of Melbourne. The Rail Futures Institute (RFI) said the government’s Suburban Rail Loop project was not the best option for investment and proposed a new option that would have “substantially wider benefits”. The organisation put forward the Melbourne East-West Rail, which would combine with the current Melbourne Metro

project and draws upon the government’s Western Rail Plan, which was first announced in 2018 but has not progressed since. The proposed rail would provide access points from Melton and Wyndham Vale, through the city and then to the northern suburbs of Mernda and Wollert, via Fitzroy. The outer western suburbs would also benefit from five new train stations between Deer Park, Wyndham Vale and Werribee, in order to meet the needs of growing residential developments. “East-West Rail aims to redress the disparity in public transport supply between Melbourne’s burgeoning outer west and its

eastern and southern suburbs,” RFI said. “Outer west residents face the challenges of limited local employment, inadequate health and educational facilities and the inevitability of lengthy, unreliable commutes on heavily congested roads. “East-West Rail will overcome these poor public transport connections by providing a new, high capacity east- west cross-city rail corridor, giving long overdue metropolitan style train services to Melton and the WerribeeWyndham Vale area.” Melton mayor Goran Kesic said council welcomed the recommendation to fast track

rail connection to the area. “More than 70 per cent of our workforce travels outside of the municipality daily, this is projected to increase significantly with the number of commuters set to rise to 110,000 by 2051,” Cr Kesic said. “We need investment now.” A government spokesperson said it was currently delivering the biggest ever pipeline of infrastructure projects, with upgrades to roads and rails in Melbourne’s west. “The government’s current solutions provide the benefits that this plan purports to achieve and it is happening right now.”

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19 July 2022

Mayor’s message Cr Goran Kesic

STAY INFORMED Quickly and easily connect with us online: melton.vic.gov.au facebook.com/cityofmelton Instagram @cityofmeltonofficial

We had a terrific turnout for our NAIDOC Week events this month. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about and recognise our First Nations cultures and histories and celebrate the oldest, continuous living culture on earth.

Melton City Libraries drop overdue fines We want our libraries to be welcoming and accessible for everyone, which is

why we’re pleased to join the worldwide movement of public libraries that have abolished overdue fines for good. It’s important that our residents have access to vital materials and

library services, so all outstanding fines have also been waived. To find out about our library services, visit melton.vic.gov.au/libraries

Tell us your road stories

We are collecting stories of how residents and visitors experience the City of Melton’s road network. Your experiences will be used to support

our Fix Our Roads campaign, calling on the State and Federal governments to invest in our main roads to reduce congestion and increase safety.

We no longer charge overdue fines at Melton City Libraries!

You can help by telling us your road stories at fixourroads.com.au/yourstory

Elements of Hannah Watts Exhibition Melton historical icon Hannah “Grannie” Watts is featured in two free community exhibitions this month. Christian Hansen’s exhibition, ‘Elements of Hannah Watts’, opens on 21 July with a Q&A with the artist and explores the many sides of Hannah Watts using mixed mediums. Also, our current Community Collections exhibition, ‘Hannah “Grannie” Watts: mother, midwife, and matriarch’, will also be available to view at the Melton Library & Learning Hub until August. To find out more, visit melton.vic. gov.au/heritagefestival and melton.vic.gov.au/exhibitions

Watts Ward with Cr Lara Carli There’s lots going on in Watts Ward at the moment, and Council has been consulting with the community on a number of different major projects, including plans to duplicate Hume Drive between Gourlay Road and Calder Park Drive by increasing the existing two lanes to four lanes, and adding a new road median. This much-needed project will improve the flow of traffic along Hume Drive and enhance the safety of road users. It includes works to widen and realign the road, constructing shared paths and footpath links, installing new public lighting, and finishing things off with new landscaping. We’re also revitalising Banchory Green Reserve, Hillside, to provide more accessible play experiences for a broader range of ages, including improved turf kick-about spaces, increase shaded areas, plus seating and improved pedestrian pathways. This project is set to commence

in coming months, so keep an eye on Council’s website at melton.vic.gov.au/majorprojects for updates and progress reports. Finally, do you know someone who makes a valuable contribution to our local community, and dedicates time to make life better for others? Why not nominate them for a Community Achievement Award? Community Achievement Awards categories include Citizen of the Year, Gender Equity Leader of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Disability Access and Inclusion Leader of the Year, and Intercultural Engagement Leader of the Year. Nominate today at melton.vic.gov. au/CommunityAchievementAwards Feel free to contact me about Watts Ward or Council related issues on 0409 951 020 or email at: lara.carli@melton.vic.gov.au or visit my Facebook page at: facebook.com/Cr.LaraCarli

Last week I had the privilege of opening the new female friendly change rooms at Ian Cowie Recreation Reserve in Rockbank. It’s our objective to have all-inclusive facilities across the City of Melton and I look forward to seeing participation rates of women and girls in sport continue to grow and thrive. We’ve recently entered into four separate contracts for the upkeep of local roads, sportsgrounds, parks and trees. It makes sense to hire specialists in each field, and we’re delighted to partner with DM Roads, Green Options, GreenLife Group and Citywide to deliver improvements across our roads, parks, trees and sportgrounds. Speaking of facilities, we’ve submitted funding applications totalling $6.5 million to the State Government’s Growing Suburbs Fund to help fund key community projects such as Aintree Community Centre, Plumpton Community Centre and Neighbourhood House, Weir Views Community Centre, a Parks Development project, Melton Town Centre Kids Zone, and improvements to the Melton Animal Pound. We have a great track record for funding across the previous rounds, successfully obtaining $41.8 million to support the delivery of other community projects. We hope this round is no different and look forward to working with the State Government to continue to deliver much-needed infrastructure for our fast-growing community. Please feel free to contact me on 0437 241 436 or goran.kesic@melton.vic.gov.au regarding any Council issues.

Your Councillors – Visit melton.vic.gov.au/councillors to find your ward Councillors and their contact details

Mayor Cr Goran Kesic

Deputy Mayor Cr Lara Carli

Cr Steve Abboushi

Cr Moira Deeming

A vibrant, safe and liveable City accessible to all 2 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

Cr Kathy Majdlik

Cr Sophie Ramsey

Cr Julie Shannon

Cr Bob Turner

Cr Ashleigh Vandenberg

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Protest against towers By Olivia Condous Residents who oppose the prospect of new transmission lines across Moorabool made their voices heard at a protest rally last week. The Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance held a convoy rally to Ballarat on July 15 as part of its Stop AusNet’s Towers campaign. The rally is in protest of the Western Renewables Link, previously known as the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project, proposes to construct a 190kilometre overhead high-voltage transmission line throughout western Victoria, with approximately 60km in Moorabool. The contractor for the project is AusNet

Services and construction is currently due to commence in mid-2024. Protestors travelled from Ballarat airport to the centre of the town, riding in cars, trucks, tractors and even horses. Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance chair Emma Muir said the aim of the rally was to bring the community together to talk about the issues they were facing. “We’re trying to raise awareness of the impacts,” Ms Muir said. Actor Stephen Curry, who has been an advocate against the towers, led the rally. Ms Muir said she hoped the rally would attract enough attention so that more people would start speaking up and asking questions. “I hope that for the people who aren’t aware

about it, it might trigger a question for them and encourage them to understand what’s going on,” she said. “Hopefully they will start asking questions of their politicians, being an election year we definitely want to hold our politicians accountable for these projects.” Advocates who are against the towers are fighting for the transmission lines to be underground, not to scrap the project completely. “We’re pro-renewable, we understand what’s happening in the world,” Ms Muir said. The organisation also recently reached a tally of 5000 individually addressed and signed complaint letters from community members. Details: https://www.facebook.com/ MCHPoweralliance/

A story of resilience on school stage Caroline Springs students are gearing up to perform in an exciting musical production that centres on bravery, resilience and overcoming adversity. Southern Cross Grammar will present ‘Matilda the Musical’, a show filled with song, dance and joy based on the classic Roald Dahl book. The story follows the main character of Matilda, a young genius who navigates the troubles of painful family ties and a tyrannical school principal, spreading kindness as she goes. Toly Sawenko, who is the director of the school production, said the students had been working hard to rehearse and prepare for the show over the last six months. “I’m truly grateful and in awe of these young people who have taken the wings given to them and soared so high,” Mr Sawenko said. Year five student Dhanvi was cast in the title role and said she was excited to perform in the school’s new Centauri Centre auditorium. “Playing Matilda fills me with confidence, especially when I think about her and her intelligence,” Dhanvi said. The cast also includes Kristine as Miss Honey, Prapti as Mrs Phelps, Aarushh as Michael Wormwood, Helana as Mrs Wormwood, Thomas as Mr Wormwood, and Angelica as the villainous Miss Agatha Trunchbull. The school musical’s producer Maddison Attard said students had also worked hard to make costumes, build props and design sets. “The cast, creative teams, and staff’s passion and ambition to make ‘Matilda the Musical’ a success has been a massive highlight,” Ms Attard said. The production will run for four shows at the Centauri Centre from August 4-6. Details: https://www.scg.vic.edu.au/matildathe-musical/ Olivia Condous

NEWS

Residents asked to share issues Melton residents who hold concerns about hooning behaviour in the municipality are invited to attend a Hooning Community Reference Group in Brimbank. Established by the state government, the group aims to identify new ideas to help reduce hooning behaviour. The session will allow community members from a range of other municipalities, including Wyndham, Brimbank, Hobsons Bay and Hume to discuss their worries with experts in road safety. The panel of government, enforcement and research bodies, hope to develop short, medium and long-term solutions to address reckless driving in local communities and help to improve safety. A spokesperson for the department of transport said Victoria has some of the toughest anti-hoon legislation in the country. “Reckless driving can have devastating consequences for communities. In addition to some of the strongest anti-hooning driving laws in the country, Victoria is looking for ways to further reduce hoon behaviour to improve safety for everyone on our roads,“ a transport department spokesperson said. “As part of the panel’s work we’re looking forward to hearing directly from local communities to better understand their concerns and identify possible ways to improve road safety.” Currently, motorists caught travelling 45 km/h or more over the speed limit can have their licence suspended immediately. Drivers committing hoon related behaviours can also have their vehicle impounded, and if convicted by court, can be required to undergo a mandatory behaviour change program which aims to address underlying motivations that can contribute to reckless driving. Community meetings will be held in four locations across Melbourne, and people are able to attend both in person or online. Those living in the western region can attend the session at Brimbank council on July 20, from 6-8pm. Details: https://transport.vic.gov. au/getting-around/roads/safer-roadsin-our-hands

Dhanvi will play Matilda and Kristine will play Miss Honey in ‘Matilda the Musical’. (Supplied)

Acclaimed award-winning entertainer Tom Burlinson stars in a brand-new show -‘Swing That Music’, accompanied by his Great Big Band at The Athenaeum Theatre, Collins Street Melbourne on the 12 August for the first time in Melbourne. And your local Star has FIVE double passes to the show to giveaway to our readers! Many favourite swing classics have been selected for ‘Swing That Music’ including On a Clear Day, Teach Me Tonight, You Are the Sunshine of my Life, Pennies from Heaven, Mr Bojangles, On the Street Where You Live, And I Love Her, A Lot of Livin’ to Do and of course, Swing That Music. These songs, featured in Swing That Music, include Academy Award winners, Broadway classics, Jazz standards and modern Pop treasures. Tom’s Great Big Band will include some of the finest musicians in the country, providing all the power, excitement and atmosphere of this time-honoured musical style.

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Expect the unexpected By Olivia Condous There’s no denying Melton community radio DJ Duane Zigliotto is passionate about the annual Eurovision Song Contest. The 979 FM radio presenter has run a weekly radio show called Eurozone for the last 30 years, and has broadcast from the famous competition for 20 years. His decades of reporting from the contest was recently recognised with a service award from the European Broadcasting Union. Mr Zigliotto said one of the things he loved most about the event was that one could always “expect the unexpected.”.

‘‘

I do it for the love, for the community stations

’’

- Duane Zigliotto “It’s a crazy event … it’s a huge audience in Europe,” he said. He recalled many fond memories of interviewing Eurovision artists, such as English singer Cliff Richard, as well as a two-time winner of the competition Johnny Logan. “Johnny Logan, he won it twice for Ireland … but he was born in Frankston, so I say to my friends from the BBC that [Australia] has won it twice because he was born in Frankston,” Mr Zigliotto said. Mr Zigliotto, who is better known by The Captain DdZ when he’s on the airwaves, broadcasts his Eurozone show each Monday afternoon on 3RIM radio from 4pm. The show is the only radio programme in Australia that covers the Eurovision song contest. So far, he’s presented 1560 shows and interviewed more than 3000 artists. “When I went in 2000 for the first time, I spoke to some of the Europeans and when I

Duane Zigliotto was recognised for 20 years of reporting on Eurovision. (Damjan Janevski) 287818_04

said, ‘I’m from Australia,’ they said, ‘Oh, you’re from Austria?’,” he said. “They never thought of Australia coming when I started, but now it’s more common.” He’s had an illustrious 50-year-long career in community radio and isn’t paid for his coverage

of Eurovision, but is happy to do it out of love for the contest. “I do it for the love, for the community stations … [the recognition] is much appreciated.”

Nominate the Melton Citizen of the Year Nominations for The City of Melton Community Achievement Awards are now open, including the award for the Citizen of the Year. The awards are a way for Melton council to recognise residents whose contributions make the municipality a good place to live. Awards recognise the work of volunteers or individuals who exceed the normal requirements of their paid work and show community leadership. The Community Achievement Awards program is designed to inspire individual and community pride, as well as strengthen community life in Melton. The categories available for nomination are Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year (under 25 years old), Access and Inclusion Leader of the Year, Gender Equity Leader of the Year and Intercultural Engagement Leader of the Year. To be eligible, nominees must be residents of the City of Melton and must not be nominated by an immediate family member or member of their household. The previous Melton Citizen of the Year was Murray Lewis, who is the co-founder of the Caroline Springs RSL Sub-Branch as an active member of RSL for more than 40 years. Applications for this year’s awards are open from now until July 31. Details: https://www.melton.vic. gov.au/Services/Grants-Awards-andTraining/Community-AchievementAwards?

Celebrate the revitalisation of the Melton Town Centre for your chance to win!

Community art competition The theme 'My Melton, My Community' encourages you to explore the Melton township's people, places and community for your inspiration. Enter for your chance to win a share in over $1400 worth of prizes! Entries close Friday 19 August 2022.

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4 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

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Businesses feeling the ‘crunch’ By Olivia Condous Melton businesses are feeling the pinch as rising energy prices leave owners concerned about the future. According to a new survey from the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 96 per cent of companies said they were concerned about the rising cost of electricity and 79 per cent were uncertain about forecasting costs for their business over the next year. Victoria’s Pizza and Beyond owner Max Nosair said he had recently transferred to a

different energy company to see if the business could save money. “We can’t do anything [else], when you’re open from 12 o’clock until 10 o’clock and you can’t do anything,” he said. H’s Place Hairstudio owner Bahjat Hajjar the increase in energy prices, as well as supply issues, meant profits were a lot lower. “We’re not making that much profit, because everything is expensive, so we’re waiting to see if everything settles down, so we can know what we can do,” Mr Hajjar said. “At the moment everything is up and down,

up and down. Nothing is certain.” Melton council acting engagement and advocacy manager Elissa Haley said the business community was “feeling the crunch” at the moment. “During a time when many still struggle with worker shortages, absences and supply chain constraints, all of which affect their revenue, being faced with rising energy prices creates a perfect storm,” Ms Haley said. “The City of Melton is a member of the Western Alliance for Greenhouse Action. We’re currently working together with seven other councils to help businesses save energy and cut

costs, including switching to renewable energy. “We encourage businesses to reach out to us if they would like to find out what they can do to protect themselves against future price increases.” Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said businesses needed commitment around certainty of price in the short term. “Then we need to seize the opportunity in sectors like renewables, waste recovery, carbon technologies and transport … doing this will help make Victoria the best place to live, work and operate a business.”

Support for community The Victorian government is supporting multicultural community groups with further funding designed to support people after the pandemic. Four groups in the Melton municipality received grants from the latest round of the Priority Response to Multicultural Communities, a state government initiative that began in 2020. The groups were a part of 70 multicultural community organisations to receive a share of $3.45 million in funding. The grants will support community organisations to provide emergency food relief, easier access to mental health and wellbeing services and activities to reduce social isolation. Christian church group Sureway International Christian Ministries was one of the groups to receive a grant of more than $26,000. The Melton-based group work to support multicultural communities in the area by providing food parcels and counselling for

families and youth. Sureway senior pastor William Osagiede said the organisation had been struggling to acquire food for donations recently and the grant would “massively” help. The organisation work to support a variety of multicultural groups within the Melton community, such as people of African, Samoan, Fijian, Maltese, Italian and Sudanese descent. “Now we have this grant, we’ll be able to feed more families,” Dr Osagiede said. “We’ll be able to get more fruit and vegetables, dairy and dry goods.” The other Melton-based groups to recieve funding in the latest round of grants were the Fijian Community Association, Celebrate Diversity Inc and St Mary’s Syro-Malabar Parish Melbourne West Auspice. Olivia Condous

Dr William Osagiede of Sureway International Christian Church helping to pack a care package. (Damjan Janevski) .288499_02

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Calling Melton artists Melton council is inviting local artists to enter a community art competition, with more than $1400 in prizes up for grabs. Entrants can create an artwork on the theme of ‘My Melton, My Community’, in any 2D format. Those who don’t have access to art supplies can come to the Melton Central Community Centre and book a space to work on their piece. Entries close on Friday August 19. For more details, check the council website.

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Commonwealth Bank employees Andrew Bottrell, Ally Clough, Catherine Galea, Stephanie Latu and Marg Milani are taking part in celebrations for this year’s National Pyjama Day. (Damjan Janevski). 288364_04

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Bacchus Marsh bankers will be having a cosy PJ day this month to raise funds for children in need. The Pyjama Foundation is running the annual national Pyjama Day on July 22, with Bacchus Marsh Commonwealth Bank employees supporting the cause by wearing pyjamas to work. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of the struggles that children in foster care face and gather funds to support the Pyjama Foundation’s Love of Learning Program, which assists vulnerable children with their literacy and numeracy skills. The program provides foster children with volunteer mentors called Pyjama Angels, who help with learning, life skills and confidence. Commonwealth Bank central Victoria relieving branch manager Marg Milani became

We’re building big in Sunbury and there will be transport disruptions As part of Victoria’s Big Build, we’re upgrading the Sunbury Line, removing the Gap Road level crossing and upgrading Sunbury Road. Train disruptions: Buses replace trains in both directions Sunbury Line

8.55pm to last train each night, 25 to 27 July 9pm to last train each night, 8 to 10 August 8.30pm to last train each night, 29 to 30 August

North Melbourne to Sunshine

From 8pm 13 August to 23 August

Sunshine to Sunbury

8.30pm to last train, 31 August

North Melbourne to Sunbury

Road disruptions: Closed road and lanes Gap Rd/Station St, Sunbury

Until October

Between Horne St and Evans St

Sunbury Rd, Sunbury

At times, in July

Between Powlett St and Bulla Diggers Rest Rd

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passionate about getting the organisation involved when she became aware of the increase in the number of children going into foster care within her community. “It’s about creating that community awareness around something that people don’t like to talk about,” Ms Milani said. She originally worked in Queensland, promoting the event to Commonwealth Bank branches and other local businesses and is determined to encourage Victorian businesses to get on board too. “It’s all about just having a fun day and raising awareness of a massive need that unfortunately is growing in our community,” Ms Milani said. “If a group of people can wear pyjamas to work to raise money, why wouldn’t you do that? It’s such a fun day.”

Moorabool council’s community grants program is open for incorporated non-profit community groups from now. Council is holding free workshops to assist with preparing to submit grant applications. Attendance is free, the workshops will be held on July 27 and August 2. Details: info@ moorabool.vic.gov.au.

Help for job seekers Moorabool residents looking for work can seek assistance through Jobs Victoria visiting the Lerderderg Library. A Jobs Victoria advocate will be at the library every Thursday from 10am to 2pm. Residents can receive help with job searching, personalised support, careers counselling and more. Details: Rose Benkovic, 0447 092 760. FOR BREAKING NEWS, VISIT Web: starweekly.com.au Melton & Moorabool Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly

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$5.8m Melton road fix delayed By Olivia Condous Melton residents are “beyond frustrated” by the council’s stalling of upgrades for a “dangerous” residential road. Troups Road South is an unsealed road in Mount Cottrell on the border of the Melton and Wyndham municipalities. Troups Road South resident Michelle Spiteri said there had been weekly accidents on the road due to the poor surface. “The actual surface integrity of the road is very dangerous, dusty in the summer and

potholed in the winter,” she said. “Troups Road South, it’s a third world road.” The road is one of multiple in a network that is in urgent need of upgrades, as development in the area means many trucks use the poorly constructed roads. Residents have been lobbying to have the road sealed for years and Melton council committed to beginning construction on the $5.8 million project at the beginning of this year, even preparing the construction site, but has now stalled the project by months. “It was about to start, we were so excited, we

were over the moon and then it was pulled,” Ms Spiteri said. “They took the toilet block away, the surveillance cameras went … and it was like literally, my stomach had been pulled out with it.” The Melton council website for the road upgrade states that due to “circumstances out of our control”, additional design works were required prior to construction starting. “From having a filled road completed by the end of this year, we’re now looking at the intersections just starting, which means that

we potentially could have another year or more of this road,” Ms Spiteri said. Council engineering service acting manager Kerry Walton said construction was now due to begin in late 2022. “Council is upgrading Troups Road South to improve safety and cater for increased traffic. “Until construction commences, council is grading the road every four weeks and inspecting it weekly to ensure we stay on top of any extra grading work that may need to be done.”

Helping flood recovery A Bacchus Marsh resident lent a helping hand to those doing it tough in New South Wales after the most recent severe floods. The Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) sent a task force of 16 volunteers interstate to Gosford for five days from July 7, to support local NSW SES crews with the flood and storm response. The crew included several volunteers from western Victoria, including David Lambrick from the Bacchus Marsh SES unit. Mr Lambrick, who has spent 35 years volunteering for VIC SES, said going to help out in NSW was the “obvious” option. He said he’s kept volunteering for so many years simply because he enjoys helping others. “I just decided to do something to give back to the community,” Mr Lambrick said. He witnessed many frustrated flood affected residents who were still struggling with recovery efforts from the previous flooding event earlier this year.

“For some of them, this is the third time this year and they’re at their wits end, “But they were very resilient.” Mr Lambrick started volunteering around the time of the Ash Wednesday bushfires and he has never looked back. He said one of his favourite parts of the work was sharing his skills with other volunteers. “Volunteers come from all walks of life, we had IT people, nurses, truck drivers,” Mr Lambrick said. He encouraged those who were considering volunteering for SES to try it out. “Go and try it, there’s no point just thinking about it, go and volunteer,” he said.

Dave Lambrick went to NSW to help volunteer with SES in the floods. (Damjan Janevski) 289264

Community Information Webinars Melbourne Regional Landfill in Ravenhall Cleanaway wishes to update the local community about its application for approval to steepen the contours of landfill batters at its Melbourne Regional Landfill in Ravenhall. The purpose of our application is to steepen the perimeter side batters of landfill cells from a 1 in 5 slope to 1 in 3 slope. This will enable us to maximise the airspace within each landfill cell, without any visual impact and no change to the peak height of the landfill. We place great emphasis on keeping our community informed about our operations and we invite you to join us at one of our Community Information Webinars to find out more: Webinar 1: Tuesday 9 August 2022 - 7pm to 8pm Webinar 2: Wednesday 10 August 2022 - 11am to noon To register for a webinar, or to find out more information please visit our website https://www.cleanaway.com.au/melbourne-regional-landfill-mrl/ or contact our Stakeholder and Community Engagement Manager, Olga Ghiri on 0478 316 237 or email olga.ghiri@cleanaway.com.au. 12558831-NG29-22

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Housing market remains stable By Olivia Condous The value of Australia’s dwellings has steadily decreased over the last couple of months due to inflation and cost of living pressures, but value in the Melton and Bacchus Marsh region has still increased, according to the latest data. CoreLogic’s national Home Value Index (HVI) recorded a second consecutive month of value declines overall in Australia for June, down 0.6 per cent, to be 0.2 per cent lower over the June quarter. The city of Melbourne recorded a 1.1 per

cent drop per month overall as well as regional Victoria overall had 0.1 decrease per month. Despite the overall value drops, the Melton and Bacchus Marsh region was in the top 10 areas across greater Melbourne to record the highest annual growth in value of dwellings. The region recorded an 8.3 per cent increase over the 12 month period to June this year, with a median dwelling value of $650,172. The western region of Melbourne overall had a small 0.3 per cent decline in value over June. Melton Ryder Real Estate managing director

Kirsteen Ryder said she hadn’t noticed a price decrease on properties at this stage, but there had been some changes. “Buyer inquiries are lower, real estate inquiries are lower than normal, but that could be due to the school holidays,” she said. Ms Ryder said the most noticeable change was that buyers were waiting longer to express interest in new properties on the market, waiting two to three weeks rather than one to two days. She said she wished she had a “crystal ball” to see what the future would hold for local real

estate, but for now things were fairly stable. “At this stage we’re still seeing a lot of buyer enquiry and no price changes.” CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said the country’s housing market experiencing a sharp reduction coincided with the cash rate hike and surging inflation. “Considering inflation is likely to remain stubbornly high for some time, and interest rates are expected to rise substantially in response, it’s likely the rate of decline in housing values will continue to gather steam and become more widespread.”

Creative vision on show Unique perspectives of the west are on show as part of the RedWest Creatives Co-Op’s first art show after re-emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘HOME West’ art show is running until Thursday, July 28 at 5 Sargood Street in Altona. RedWest Creatives Co-Op president Paul Zahra said the show features works across a number of mediums from about 40 local artists, including sculpture, painting and digital illustrations. “This will be our first non COVID-impacted show and we are really looking to reconnect the community once again,” he said. “We will definitely have a creative melting pot of nature, culture and all round diversity on full display. “’HOME West’ exclusively features RedWest members showcasing a vast array of artworks from the talented western suburbs of Melbourne.”

Lan’s ‘Gateway to the West’ will be featured at the exhibition. (Supplied)

The exhibition will be open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, from 11am until 3pm on Saturdays and from 9am until 5pm on Sundays. The RedWest Creatives Co-op is a creative co-operative operating in Melbourne’s west whose mission is to strengthen the arts sector. RedWest works to secure a variety of opportunities such as pop-up exhibitions and performances, events for artists, and by providing services to local artists for its members. Services include the auspice of grants, public liability insurance, advocacy and support in working with the local council and providing access to networks and promotional opportunities. Details: www.redwest.org. Matthew Sims

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Pricing under the pump By Benjamin Millar

By Benjamin Millar Melton’s petrol prices are coming under greater scrutiny with a local MP vowing to help take action to bring prices in line with neighbouring areas. Melton MP Steve McGhie said the area’s families are being unfairly hit with higher prices than people in neighbouring suburbs, often paying more than 20 cents per litre extra at the pump and spending at least $10 more every time they fill up.

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8 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

Pricing under the pump Melton’s petrol prices are coming under greater scrutiny with a local MP vowing to help take action to bring prices in line with neighbouring areas. Melton MP Steve McGhie said the area’s families are being unfairly hit with higher prices than people in neighbouring suburbs, often paying more than 20 cents per litre extra at the pump and spending at least $10 more every time they fill up. “I have had many constituents raise concerns regarding the prices of petrol in Melton being noticeably higher than in other areas,” Mr McGhie said. “I am deeply concerned that families in Melton are paying more than they should be.”

‘‘

strongly encourage residents to complain to the ACCC

’’

- Steve McGhie

Mr McGhie said he has taken the issue up with the Consumer Affairs Minister Melissa Horne and will be contacting federal Gorton MP Brendan O’Connor to discuss this issue soon, as fuel prices are regulated by the federal government. “In the interim I strongly encourage residents to complain to the ACCC [Australian Competition and Consumer Commission]” he said. The ACCC’s latest petrol monitoring report showed that average petrol prices rose in the 2020 September quarter after a record low earlier in the year. Although the ACCC does not set fuel prices, it does monitor retail fuel prices on a daily basis. A spokesperson said it has the power to investigate where it sees issues of concern. “Where we find sufficient evidence we will take action to protect consumers against misleading and anti-competitive conduct by fuel retailers.” Mr McGhie’s promise to take action was widely welcomed on social media, where some residents said they had seen price differences of up to 50 cents per litre between Melton and Watergardens.

Fuel prices at Melton petrol stations last week. (Damjan Janevski) 226880_01

Melton’s Andre Peters said the lack of independent competition makes it easier for the major fuel companies to keep prices inflated well above those in neighbouring suburbs. “Sadly there is no competition in Melton as there are no independents,” he said. “Generally we pay at least 20 cents a litre more at times in Melton.” A BP spokesman said petrol prices at the pump can be impacted by a number of different factors.

He said while there are currently about 1400 BP branded sites across Australia, about three quarters are owned by independent business partners who set their own retail pricing. “When it comes to retail fuel pricing, our aim is to be competitive and attract customers to our sites,” he said. “Generally speaking, the price at the pump is impacted by a number of different factors. In particular, international product prices and competition between service stations in a local

area. There are also other factors including exchange rates, taxes and local operating costs.” On Monday, unleaded 91 pump prices at Melton’s BP, Coles Express and 7/11 Mobil were all at 155.9 cents per litre, according to price comparison website Petrol Spy, with Woolworths Caltex at 168.9. Meanwhile Bacchus Marsh BP, Coles Express and 7/11 Mobil prices were 129.9 cents per litre – 26 cents less per litre – and independent outlets were just 119.9 cents per litre. 628174

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Cancer survivor inspires By Olivia Condous A Bacchus Marsh woman is encouraging others to be vigilant when it comes to signs of breast cancer, after going through her own challenging but inspiring experience. Renee Jones was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the beginning of 2020 at just 33 years old. She was also 12 weeks pregnant at the time. She found a lump on her breast and immediately went to her doctor to get a referral for an ultrasound, but waited a few months to get it checked out. “Being 33, I thought I was too young and it would be nothing… but I noticed the lump had gotten bigger so I had it checked,” Ms Jones said. While she thought perhaps the breast irregularity was related to her pregnancy, a biopsy scan revealed the lump was cancerous. “I’ll never forget the drive my hubby and I made from Bacchus Marsh to Ballarat to see the breast surgeon… we had no idea what to do,” she said. Thankfully, specialist doctors assured her that her pregnancy could go ahead. Ms Jones had chemotherapy treatment for four months of her pregnancy, giving birth to her son Jagger four days after she finished her last treatment. She then had to continue with oral chemotherapy for the first year of her son’s life, while also looking after her two-year-old daughter Eden. “That was probably one of the toughest times, having to go through treatment, deal with all the side effects, and look after a baby and a toddler at the same time.” Ms Jones said she was lucky to have a strong support network of her mother and husband, but as she was diagnosed and gave birth during

Renee with her husband and children, Eden and Jagger.

the COVID-19 pandemic, she struggled with feeling isolated from other family and friends. She also received support from Mummy’s Wish charity and Breast Cancer Network Australia, who helped her to learn more about the disease and helped her to find other support networks. Ms Jones said her biggest piece of advice

(Supplied)

was to get checked if anything was out of the ordinary, including younger women. “Go straight to the GP to get it checked, never just pass it off as nothing.” If you or someone you know has been affected by breast cancer you can call Breast Cancer Network Australia’s Helpline on 1800 500 258.

NEWS

Story prize not just for words The Melton council annual short story competition is back, with more than $3000 worth of prizes to be won. Aspiring writers of all ages who live, work or study in the Melton municipality are eligible to enter. The competition provides budding wordsmiths with the opportunity to have their work reviewed by popular authors. There are three different age categories for children and an adult category, where the first prize winner will be awarded $750, with money prizes to be won in all categories. Short story entries can be given in any format including text, illustration, video, verse, voice or a combination of any of multiple formats. Written entries can be no more than 3000 words for adults or 1500 words for juniors and young adults. For other story formats, entrants should aim for something that takes no more than five minutes to experience. The competition will be judged by successful authors Favel Parrett, Nicole Hayes and Katherine Kovacic. Prizes will also be awarded for the ‘Best First-Time Entry’ as well as ‘Highly Commended’ entries in each category. Entries are currently open until August 15, with finalists to be notified by September 30. Details: https://www.melton.vic. gov.au/Out-n-About/Libraries-andl e a r n i n g / L i b r a r i e s /S h o r t- S t o r y Competition? - Olivia Condous

Homes

now

selling

Tuesday, 19 July, 2022 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY 9

NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Volunteers plant hectares of trees for koalas Volunteers have planted 3600 trees in Balliang to help protect threatened koalas, birds and flying foxes, with another 4400 to be planted in coming weeks. The Koala Clancy Foundation is an independent charity that advocates for the protection of koalas. The group’s president Janine Duffy said the 8000 tree project is so big, it can be seen from the Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Road. “The Grey Box woodlands of Balliang were once important to animals like koalas, Grey-headed Flying-foxes, Black Falcons and Barking Owls,” Ms Duffy said. “Many of the animals that lived in or used the Grey Box forests are now endangered, so we are putting some of that ecosystem back. “The project is restoring a huge 10 hectare area.” The site was once part of a eucalypt forest, but was cleared for farmland in the early 1900s. Each plant is specifically chosen to help target the needs of 16 threatened species, including birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. Ms Duffy said the trees could be used by animals within “two to four years”. The project was funded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Greater Geelong council, through their environment sustainability grant program. Ms Duffy also encourages people to attend the next planting on Sunday, July 24, which she hopes will be the session that completes the project. Details: koalaclancyfoundation.org.au/ events/ Main: A female koala at the You Yangs. Top right: Volunteers, including Eliza Anderson (top) and Deakin University student Grace Flaherty, have worked at numerous sites across Geelong to help provide additional trees for Koalas. Far right: Koala Clancy president Janine Duffy, Tourism Australia’s Bede Fennell. (Pictures: Koala Clancy Foundation)

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BEHIND THE NEWS

‘‘

He’s had so many operations throughout his whole lifetime … he never cried, always took everything as it is - Ikram Ahmed

’’

Ikram Ahmed said it was very hard to see and her brother Hussein struggle with “normal stuff”.

(Damjan Janevski) 288768_04

Donating a second chance at life Despite Australia being a world leader for successful transplant outcomes, the Royal Children’s Hospital says there are more children on the waiting list for transplants than there are organs available. Fatima Halloum speaks to the sister of an organ recipient about the life-changing procedure.

ooming down slides at playgrounds and splashing in the shallows of a public pool are some of the simple joys of childhood. At only six-years-old, Hussein Ahmed knew he couldn’t do what other kids could. His older sister Ikram says her brother was desperate to live a normal life. “He tended to attract a lot of attention, and he didn’t like that at all. He didn’t like people kind of treating him differently or just singling him out,” she says. There are some illnesses that are easier to hide, but when Hussein was diagnosed with nephronophthisis in 2013 and his kidneys began declining, doctors attached a nasogastric tube to the young boy. “Essentially, it’s a tube through his nose which goes all the way to his stomach, and he had nutrients that he took at night that helped him grow, because he wasn’t growing,” Ikram says. Sleepless nights and constant trips to the hospital became a normal day in the Truganina family’s household. Ikram says her brother’s kidney function levels began to rapidly decrease, and he was put on dialysis for about two years. “He was always aware of his condition, he would take everything as it goes,” she says. “He’s had so many operations throughout his whole lifetime … he never cried, always took everything as it is. “He’s a very firm believer that God does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear.” When Hussein was about eight years old, his condition further worsened, and he was placed on a waiting list for a new kidney Four years later, Ikram was startled awake by

her mother’s screams in the living room. “I wanted to see what was going on and I just saw a massive smile on her face, but like, tears quickly coming down from her eyes,” she says. “It was like, ‘is it possible?’ and then we found out that obviously she got the call.” Not only was Ahmed finally going to receive a kidney, he was scheduled for surgery that same day. “We were just crying out of pure excitement and happiness,” she says. That day was the first time Hussein cried too, Ikram says. “We don’t know who the organ donor is, but we’re just obviously really grateful … always keeping them in our dua (prayers),” she says. Hussein’s experience inspired Ikram to study nursing and register as an organ donor. “I’d love to help people as much as they’ve helped my family, and sort of repay that favour,” she says. “Your registration as an organ donor can have a major effect on a person’s life.” DonateLife state medical director Rohit D’Costa is renewing calls for people to consider signing up too. “We’ve seen about a 25 per cent decrease in donation and transplantation over the past two years due to the impacts of COVID-19,” Dr D’Costa says. “This is why it’s never been more important to encourage more people in the community to register as organ and tissue donors and to have the conversation with family.” Dr D’Costa says there are about 1750 Australians currently on the organ transplant list, an additional 13,000 people on dialysis who could benefit from a kidney transplant,

and others who require an eye, or tissue to improve their quality of life. “We know many religions and cultural groups support organ and tissue donation and we need organ and tissue donors from all these communities and cultures,” Dr D’Costa says. “Blood and tissue types need to match for a transplant to be successful, and while ethnicity is never a consideration in either donor or recipient selection, having more diversity in organ donors can help with finding a match. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, your medical history, your lifestyle, what country you’re from, or how healthy you are – you can still register as an organ and tissue donor. Even if you’ve had COVID or the flu, you can register.” Hussein is now 15-years-old, and Ikram is in her last year of studying nursing. She says the selfless act of a donor means her younger brother gets to experience life. “Prior to his organ transplant, he did not like going out … because he wasn’t always able to absorb or digest food properly, he would always throw up,” she says.

Top: Ikram, 10, Hassan, 6, Huda, 8, and Hussein, 4, in late 2010. Above: Hussein and Ikram a year after receiving the transplant. (Pictures: Supplied) Tuesday, 19 July, 2022 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY 11

COMMENT STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

New do-it-yourself cancer check By Christopher Carter, chief executive, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network For once, we have some good news. The pandemic hasn’t just put people at risk because of COVID-19. It has upped the danger for a wide range of other diseases. This is mainly because – and understandably enough – lots and lots of people over the past couple of years have opted to delay regular screenings for things such as cholesterol, diabetes, and various cancers. One of these screenable conditions is cervical cancer, which is caused by a virus called human papilloma virus, or HPV. It is strongly recommended that every woman and person with a cervix under the age of 75 has an HPV screening every five years. For many people, however, the test itself, while very safe, can feel a bit unpleasant. For a whole range of reasons – physical, emotional and cultural – lots of people chose to avoid it, even before the pandemic provided an additional excuse to put it off. As a result, the level of HPV testing at the moment is less than 50 per cent. That’s very concerning. If detected early, cervical cancer can in most cases be successfully treated and cured. The situation becomes more challenging the later the cancer is discovered – and more than 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases in Australia are in people who have either never been tested, or who stopped testing. This is where the good news comes in. The Australian government has recently changed the regulations for its National Cervical Cancers Screen Program, allowing people for the first time to conduct their own test rather than having a doctor do it. It’s called self-collection and it can be done with a swab. The test still needs to be done at a doctor’s surgery or other health care setting, but there is no need for the doctor or nurse to observe. Indeed, they have to provide you with a

The federal government has changed its National Cervical Cancers Screen Program, allowing people to conduct their HPV test.

private area – behind a screen, for instance, or in a bathroom – for you to do it in. Of course, if you’re not quite sure how to do the self-test your health professional will happily explain it all to you – and is there to provide help if you ask for it. Once the swab is complete the doctor or nurse will take possession of it, check it is correctly labelled and send it off to the lab.

If HPV is detected, you’ll be notified and treatment can begin. Some people, of course, might prefer to stick with the ‘old’ screening method, and that’s perfectly fine. There is evidence, however, that lots of people if offered the self-collection method will be more than twice as likely to get tested. There is also pretty good evidence that

(iStock)

the self-collection option improves overall screening participation rates, especially in under-screened populations such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, culturally and linguistically diverse women, and gender and sexually diverse people. And that’s all good news – and a great reason to finally book that test you’ve been putting off.

A giant scan for world’s largest bird – the ostrich At five times bigger than a human’s, an ostrich’s eye is perfectly adapted to monitor for predator species over long distances. So, when one of Werribee Open Range Zoo’s female ostrich developed a mysterious eye infection, some big machinery was required. The ostrich was transported to the University of Melbourne’s U-Vet Werribee Animal Hospital, where she received a specialist CT scan capable of producing a three-dimensional image of the large eye – one of the first in Australia for an ostrich under anaesthetic. Affectionately referred to as Blinkie, the five-year-old giant bird was born with a congenital issue that caused a deformity of the lower left eyelid. Werribee Open Range Zoo veterinarian Brett Gardner said an animal’s eyelids play an essential role in protecting the delicate eyes and tissue around them. “Eyelids have the important function to protect the cornea from irritants and help to keep the eye from drying out,” Dr Gardner said. “Without being able to close her eye fully, there was a greater risk of infection from a foreign body, such as dirt or grass seeds. “After our initial assessments, we were confident an infection was hiding within the skull, behind the eye, and the only way to be sure was to create a three-dimensional image of her head. “CT Scans are a type of X-ray that allow us to see a three-dimensional image of the body, including bone, organs and tissue. In a two-dimensional X-ray, large sections of bone, like a skull, make it difficult to see 12 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

inflammation or damage to the tissue behind. “What we discovered through this process was an abscess hiding deep behind her eye, just outside the sinuses.” Thanks to a course of antibiotics, the abscess reduced in size and drained naturally without the need for invasive surgeries.” Blinkie has now returned to her flock that resides on the zoo’s Savannah. Zookeepers are continuing to monitor her eye health and provide a topical ointment to prevent reinfection. Werribee Open Range Zoo would also like to acknowledge the specialist veterinary ophthalmologists at Melbourne Eye Vet for their assessment, expertise, and investigation into the eye condition of the ostrich. The ostrich is the world’s largest bird, standing as tall as 2.7 metres. While they cannot physically fly, they use their wings like rudders to balance, steer and change direction. They are also the world’s fastest flightless bird and can cover as much as five metres in a single stride. Zoos Victoria members and Werribee Open Range Zoo visitors are reminded that all tickets must be pre-booked online at zoo.org. au.

Blinky the ostrich post surgery. (Werribee Open Range Zoo)

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NEWS

FROM THE ARCHIVES Star Weekly looks back through the pages of our predecessors

40 years ago

30 years ago

20 years ago

10 years ago

July 20, 1982

July 15, 1992

July 15, 2002

July 17, 2012

A $5 million sports foundation for the western suburbs has been launched in Footscray.

All seats in the Shire of Bacchus Marsh will be contested at this year’s council elections, with long serving councillor, Del Legatt, the only woman candidate.

Inspectors from the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) searched a Rockbank quarry last Friday following reports asbestos was being illegally dumped.

Running in circles: Harness racing is in the blood.

NEW

and sports balls that float

12555813-DL26-22

Tuesday, 19 July, 2022 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY 13

COMMENT STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Police urge caution around scam

12544962-AV15-22

Everyone is vulnerable to scams and often these crimes go unreported, as people feel guilty or silly for having fallen victim. Scammers are getting smarter, using technology to deceive and trick. A scam is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or business, usually with the goal of financial or other gain. Every year, scams cost the community hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition to the loss of money, victims of scams also report of the emotional and psychological harm this type of crime has on them and their families. Scams try to exploit human weaknesses, such as greed, dishonesty, vanity, and also virtues like honesty and compassion. It is so important to be vigilant when receiving emails, text messages or phone calls. If you are not certain of where the message or call is originating from, please use caution and do not reply to the message, click on a link or verbally provide personal details. Police are currently seeing a range of scams that are financially destroying people in our community. Many of these scams are designed to trick and mislead people and are purposely created to replicate current events. For example, there is currently a scam alert for a COVID-19 test kit. If you get a message offering a free COVID-19 test kit, don’t open the link. These scam text messages are impersonating the Australian government, Medicare and myGov. Learn more: https://www.servicesaustralia. gov.au/text-message-scam-for-free-covid-19test-kit.

14 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

(iStock)

By Leading Senior Constable Joanne Mutsaerts, Melton neighbourhood policing co-coordinator

Another example is scams pertaining to be from the Australian Taxation Office and with the end of the financial year just passed these will become more common. Please do not click on any link or provide any details. The best way to protect yourself from falling victim to a scam is through awareness and education. It is important to understand that scams come in all shapes and sizes, with dating and romance scams still one of the most prolific scam areas. Other examples relate to home repairs, online shopping, investments and businesses or

charities impersonating legitimate businesses, just to name a few. There are some basic tips and suggestions to help protect yourself or a vulnerable family member: • Understand that scams do exist and be vigilant at all times; • Always know who you are dealing with, even if you need to call them back; • Do not click on links or answer text messages that you do not know where they have come from; • Always be suspicious of any request for personal details or money and never meet

these requests or demands; • Be careful with online shopping and try to use reputable sites and secure payment methods; and • Be wary when you are asked to make a payment in an unusual manner, such as gift cards. For further information and support please visit the Victoria Police website or SCAMwatch is a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). SCAMwatch provides information to consumers and small businesses about how to recognise, avoid and report scams.

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COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY CALENDAR WANT YOUR EVENT LISTED? Community Calendar is made available free of charge to not-for-profit organisations to keep the public informed of special events and activities. Send item details to Star Weekly Community Calendar, Corner Thomsons Road and Keilor Park Drive, Keilor Park, 3042, or email to westeditorial@starweekly.com.au by 9am Wednesday the week prior to publication

Melton Men’s Group Melton Men’s Group meet every Thursday from 5pm-8pm at The Gap on Graham, 5 Graham Street, Melton. Focusing on senior men’s mental and physical wellbeing. The group invites new members to come for a cuppa and a chat, listen to guest speakers and participate in our activities including; carpet bowls, pool or table tennis. ■ https://meltonmensgroup.home.blog/

Melton Over 50s Social Group A friendly group of people aged over 50, who enjoy each other’s company while attending events and outings such as dinners, shows, dancing, cinemas and more. If you live in the Melton area and would like to meet new friends, in a welcoming group environment, this is for you. ■ Marlene, 0498 329 290

Bacchus Marsh Market Bacchus Marsh rejoice! There will be a monthly market at the gorgeous location of Maddingley Park. On the second Saturday of every month there will be a lovely variety of stallholders and food trucks. Bring a picnic blanket and invite your friends and family for a lovely market day out.

Craigieburn local Kris Terzievski has become the first boxer in 100 years to hold Australian and the Australasian titles simultaneously. (Damjan Janevski) 289118_01

Take weight off naturally Struggling to lose weight? Struggling to get motivated? Want to try and do it in a friendly and less stressful atmosphere? Come and join TOWN (Take Weight Off Naturally) every Tuesday at 6pm at the Darlingsford Barn, Darlingsford Boulevard, Melton. ■ Catherine, 0416 612 517, or Bob, 0411 824 739

Parkinson’s support group The Melton Parkinson’s Support Group meets on the second Thursday of the month 10.30am–12.30pm at Kurunjang Community Centre, 33-35 Mowbray Crescent, Kurunjang. New members and carers welcome. ■ Helen, 0409 186 576

Eynesbury Market A community market next to the iconic Eynesbury Homestead. The market is on the fourth Sunday of the month. It features a great range of food trucks, artisans, makers and more.

Digital spreadsheet course Learn the essentials of Microsoft Excel in Melton South Community Centre’s eight-week beginners course, designed for people not familiar with the program. Create your own spreadsheets and discover how to make your life easier. Cost: $30/$20 concession. ■ 9747 8576

Boomerang Bags Bacchus Marsh makes reusable shopping bags from rescued fabric. They’re looking for people to cut, sew, iron and market our bags. Meets on the first Sunday each month at the Darley Neighbourhood House 2-4pm. Find the Facebook group for more details.

The Melton Bridge Club has recommenced weekly social Bridge sessions at the Melton Library on Fridays from 10am-noon. Come along to play an exciting, social card game and have loads of fun. Bridge offers the suspense of poker, the cerebral qualities of chess and the excitement of athletic sports, all in a relaxed and social setting. If you like playing cards this is for you. ■ Rosemary, 0407 894 817 Join the Melton Friendship Group for singles 55 and older. Meet fortnightly for coffee and chat nights and organised affordable outings and events. ■ 0406 493 734

Melton Valley Ladies Probus Club

Learn how to be a Youtuber classes are starting at the Melton South Community Centre on July 28. ■ 9747 8576

The Melton Valley Ladies Probus Club meets at 10am on the second Tuesday of each month at the Melton Country Club. The group is open to everyone, new and old members, to get together and discover the social aspects of the group. ■ Ann, 0425 705 150

Sewing classes

Melton South Knit & Natter

Beginners Sewing courses return to Melton South Community Centre in term three, available on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons. Learn all the basics of machine sewing in this eight-week pre-accredited course and make your own fabric creations. Cost: $30/$20 concession. ■ 9747 8576

All are welcome to join this social crafting group, running at the Melton South Community Centre each Monday from 10am-noon. Bring along any knitting or crochet projects and work on them while sharing tips, learning skills and catching up over a cuppa. ■ 9747 8576

Asian cooking classes

Rose Carers Of Maddingley Park

Melton South Community Centre is offering Thai and Vietnamese cooking classes for anyone wanting to make some new friends and create a variety of delicious Asian dishes. Cost: $65/$60 concession. ■ 9747 8576

The Rose Carers meet Wednesdays from 10am-noon at Maddingley Park, corner of Grant and Taverner streets, Bacchus Marsh, to maintain two beautiful rose gardens. New volunteers are always welcome – with or without experience.

Youtube learning

Tabcorp Park in Melton.

Greenhall, 0418 171 119, or 0400 052 857

■ meltonrotary@gmail.com

Zonta club meets

Hula hooplah workshop

Zonta is an international organisation bringing women together to support other women. The Zonta Club of Melton meets on the first Monday of each month at Melton Country Club, Reserve Road, Melton. ■ Suzanne, 0417 512 420

Get your sparkles on and join a free Hula Hooplah workshop in Sunbury on Saturday, July 23, 10.30am to 11.30am. It’s an all ages event, and sparkly outfits are encouraged! Register at the link below. ■ https://bit.ly/3z5qTKS

U3A Melton

Hume solar rollout info

U3A Melton offers among its activities a Book Group, Australian History and a gentle exercise class for those 55 and over who are retired or semi-retired who wish to stay mentally and physically active. ■ 0419 563 016

Head along to the Hume Global Learning Centre in Sunbury on Thursday, July 21, 6.15pm to 7.45pm, to learn more about getting solar installed at your home and how to take advantage of Victorian government rebates. The session is free, but you must register. ■ https://bit.ly/3RxtELT

Melton Bridge Club

Melton Friendship Group. Boomerang Bags Bacchus Marsh

■ Elaine

Melton Combined Probus Club The Melton Probus Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at the Melton Dart Club, 63a Reserve Road, from 9.45am. ■ 9746 0271

Melton Cycling Club Melton Cycling club meets for regular Sunday rides. There are three different riding groups to cater for different abilities starting at 7.30am. The rides finish at Lazy Moe’s for a cuppa. ■ 0403 057 003

French and Italian for over 50s Over 50, retired, or semi-retired and wanting to learn a language? U3A Melton offers French and Italian classes for beginners and those with more advanced skills. ■ www.u3amelton.com or 0419 563 016

Community singing group If you love to sing, come join the Melton Singers. The group rehearses regularly and also performs at aged care facilities. The group is very relaxed and sings songs mainly from the 60’s and 70’s. It meets Tuesdays at 10am. ■ Val, 0418 667 150

Rotary Club of Melton The Rotary Club of Melton invites new guests to join its meetings, held on the first and third Tuesday of every month, 6pm at

Planting at Hanging Rock Do you want to improve biodiversity and water quality at Hanging Rock? To celebrate platypus month, Macedon Ranges council is hosting a community-planting day to care for one the region’s riparian areas. Council’s conservation and reserves officer will discuss the importance of local habitat and how restoration works in the region can be beneficial to local wildlife. It’s free and happening on August 1, 10am-noon. ■ https://bit.ly/3ACfZxn

Sanatorium Eco Trail Walk Enjoy a magical walk along the Sanatorium Eco Trail in Macedon Regional Park, guided by Parks Victoria volunteers. The three-kilometre trail will take you through forest and past the lake, with a chance to learn about plants, animals and the history of the park. The next walk is 9.30am, July 27 and it’s free. Bookings essential. ■ https://bit.ly/3PbB2KS

Plant produce swap and drop Bring plants, seedlings, cuttings, herbs, veggies or fruit from your garden, or a recipe, to swap with other produce-loving green thumbs at Sunbury Library on August 6, 10am-noon. To swap means to bring one from home and take one home, and all levels of experience are welcome. ■ https://bit.ly/3Al9TRT Tuesday, 19 July, 2022 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY 15

PUZZLES

4 3

No. 090

4 2

6 5 2 1 8

8 5 3 7

DECODER

hard

1 3 2 7

8 2 3 9

10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

O F 18

ADORE ALONE ANGST ARIAS ARISE ASSES BASIC BLURT BRACE CANOE CHIRP COMBS ENEMA ENTER FREAK GRAVE IRONS ISSUE LACED LARVA LIARS

5 4 1 8 2 9 6 3 7

5 7 9 1 8 2 3 6 4

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2 6 1 5 4 3 8 7 9

7 2 5 8 6 4 1 9 3

Today’s Aim: 11 words: Good 17 words: Very good

I N

4 LETTERS DESK EARN EBBS EGOS NEON NETS PAPA PERT SAWS SETS SICS SKEW SKIP VETO

No. 090 Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down. NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

E R T

What unit is used to measure paper weight?

Swamp is a long-running comic strip by which Australian artist?

What does NaNoWriMo stand for?

And in what year was it first launched?

Adam Driver (pictured) plays Charlie Barber in which 2019 film? Drow, Tiefling and Dragonkin are fantasy races from which role-playing game? 'A Future for All of Us' is the slogan for which Australian political party?

O Z E N

E A R S N M A P R A Z E

Y U C

1 5 7 4 2 8 9 3 6

8 3 2 9 5 6 7 4 1

4 9 6 7 3 1 5 2 8

8 2 7 6 1 3 9 5 4

3 9 6 5 4 7 2 1 8

6 3 2 7 8 4 1 9 5

7 5 4 1 9 6 8 2 3

1 8 9 2 3 5 7 4 6

4 6 8 9 5 2 3 7 1

9 7 5 3 6 1 4 8 2

2 1 3 4 7 8 5 6 9

4 7 6 5 8 9 1 2 3

9 1 2 6 4 3 7 8 5

2 3 4 9 5 1 8 6 7

1 6 8 7 2 4 5 3 9

7 9 5 3 6 8 4 1 2

6 2 7 8 3 5 9 4 1

3 5 1 4 9 6 2 7 8

8 4 9 2 1 7 3 5 6

16 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

QUICK QUIZ

6 8 3 2 1 9 4 5 7

SUEDE TASTE TOMES TORSO TRAIT WAVED WOOED

7 LETTERS ANTENNA CONDONE EMPEROR INGESTS MANSION TOOTING

6 LETTERS CAREER FEASTS METRES PLANET

8 LETTERS ALIENING CAROUSED CORRODES TANGOING

22-07-22

MANIA MOLAR NAIVE OFTEN OGRES PANEL PASTA REEDS RELAX RESET RINDS SAILS SECTS SEEPS SENDS SEXES SMEAR SMELT SNORE STAGE STAVE

crier, cringe, cueing, curie, curing, erring, grin, incur, inure, nice, nicer, RECURRING, reign, rein, rice, ricer, ring, ringer, ruin, ruing, runic, uric, urine

9 1 4 3 7 5 6 8 2

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No. 090

/ $ 5 9 $

5 LETTERS ABIDE

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

9-LETTER WORD

23 words: Excellent

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

medium

3 LETTERS ACE ACT AIR ALE ASS BAN EAT END EVE IFS INK KIN LIE NEE ODE PRO ROE SHE TAR TIT TOP VIE WED WOE

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9 1 4

hard

5x5

B R Y QD AMC J V T O F

8 6 7

4 3

8 4 2 3

3 8

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WORDFIT

The Dow Jones measures the stock performance of how many US companies: 30, 50 or 100?

Bats (2017) and Like Nirvana (2020) are albums by which Australian pop group?

10 Arminius, Thusnelda and Varus are characters in which 2020 German TV series?

ANSWERS: 1. GSM (grams per square metre) 2. Gary Clark 3. National Novel Writing Month 4. 1999 5. Marriage Story 6. Dungeons & Dragons 7. The Australian Greens 8. 30 9. Cub Sport 10. Barbarians

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Punches (5) Star symbols used in text (9) Free from faults (7) Tsar’s wife (7) Harvesting (7) Repositories of valuable artifacts (7) Stuff associated with the US (9) Require (4) Egyptian goddess (4) Exaggerated statements (9) Island in the North Atlantic (7) Tastefully fine (7) Absurd (7) US state (7) Provider of information (9) Canadian R&B singersongwriter, — Furtado (5)

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No. 090

$ 5 , $ 6

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.

QUICK CROSSWORD

/ , $ 5 6

No. 090

3 $ 6 7 $

SUDOKU

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JAf £ fn¹Ǥ

Illustrations light up library

(Supplied)

An exhibition by one celebrated childre of Australia’s most n’s lighting up Melton book authors is library. Never be late for a a striking series of Parade includes book illustrations by award-winning author and illustra tor Shaun Tan (inset). Featuring a collect ion of illustrations from Tan’s best-kn own including The Arrival picture books , The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, Rules Singing Bones, Cicada of Summer, The and Tales from the Inner City, the showcase celebra tes Tan’s unique approa ch As well as being an to storytelling. acclaimed writer and internationally illustrator, Tan has branched out into theatre design and concept art for ﬁlms Horton Hears a Who and Pixar’s WALL-E . He directed the Academ y Award-winning short based on his winning ﬁlm The Lost Thing, picture book of the same name. Never be late for a Parade is showing at Melton Library and Learning Hub until March 7.

Nursing boss ba nned

Benjamin Millar

By Benjamin Millar

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The Victorian Civil and Administrativ The director of nursing e The allegations at Djerriwarrh Health Tribunal last week returned a Service during a included inadequ ruling disqualified Ms cluster of perinat ate formal reviews Meek from applyin that education and training al deaths registra at Bacchus Marsh of overall clinica l practic for nursing and g for midwifery tion for a period of Hospital has been perinatal deaths as e and staff and that 10 years. banned from working as they occurred. The ruling been aware of deficien Ms Meek should have a nurse or midwif Ms Meek ceased workin e for a of former follows last year’s disqualification decade. cies in midwifery skills. g at DjHS in 2015 maternity “She failed and surrendered The Nursing and her Little for a 10-year services manager Mary the deficien to take adequate steps to ensure Midwif and midwife in 2016. registration as a nurse cies period ery were identified and Board of during for her failures Austra lia sought a remedied,” the same period. 10-year ban for Julia the tribunal found. Djerriwarrh Health Meek in the wake of reports Services chief executi A 2015 review by identify ing “catastr Presiding VCAT membe professor Euan Wallac ve ophic” identified failings behind a r Wendy Boddison Belinda Scott said while she was e and series of “avoidable” “catastrophic and unable to comment deaths systemic and other adverse unprecedented Hallymembers Pamela Barry and Bernad patient outcomes ette Djerriwarrh on individual practitioners, also found Ms Meek at DjHS obstetric governance failings” with the from 2013 to 2015. has implemented failed to ensure shift by shift presenc services at DjHS during e of a midwife compet the change” across the health service “profound External reviews identifi the period. Ms Meek, 63, faced in foetal surveil ent since 2015. ed that the perinatal “It has robust clinica allegations in the tribuna lance monitoring mortality rate was that she had failed l govern l in birthin ance significantly higher the process g suite. systematic trainin to take adequate the state average and than deliver effectiv g, continued profess es, The tribuna much higher than e systems and process steps to ional be expected for a low would in her role es at DjHS for ensurin l found there was no clear criteria development and strong leaders as director of nursing risk unit. hip that ensures Djerriwarrh g only maternity , which she had the cases suitable held since 2005. is a safe, level of the capacit y of DjHS were accepte to fully-functioning health service secure and There was also found to be inadeq d. of Bacchus Marsh, Melton for the people and Caroline uate Springs,” she said.

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SPORTS QUIZ 1. Which F1 driver slammed spectators for reportedly cheering after his crash at a qualifying session?

4. NBA player Damian Lillard signed a two-year contract extension worth $177 million AUD with which team?

2. Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in how many sets at the Wimbledon final?

13. Former Queensland Firebirds netballer Romelda Aiken-George is from which country? 14. What was the late American sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner’s nickname?

5. Which AFL teams have never won a premiership? 6. Elena Rybakina became the first player from which country to win a Grand Slam title at Wimbledon?

3. Which Socceroo footballer made the winning save during the penalty shootout against Peru, qualifying them to the World Cup?

15. Portuguese soccer star Nani has recently signed with which A-League club?

7. In which city has the Tour de France race finished each year since 1975?

16. Which nation did the Australian Test cricket team recently lose by an innings to?

8. Which decorated AFL player recently signed a deal to join the 7AFL commentating team?

18. The upcoming Rugby League World Cup will be held in which country? 19. How many players are there on the ice for a team in an ice hockey match?

10. Which West Ham United footballer pleaded guilty for animal cruelty in May this year?

20. A badminton shuttlecock is made out of the feathers from which animal?

11. Where was Game 3 in the 2022 State of Origin series held?

21. Which two-time winner of the British Open had his invitation to its 150th anniversary celebrations revoked?

12. David Noble was recently sacked as coach of which AFL team?

27. Which US state is home to major league teams named the Bengals, Browns, Reds, Guardians, Cavaliers, and Blue Jackets?

22. Which men's national rugby union team enjoyed its first ever Test win over New Zealand with a 23-12 victory?

17. John Rillie was recently hired as coach of which NBL team?

9. US president Joe Biden awarded which gymnast the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

Florence Griffith-Joyner

Novak Djokovic

23. Which Hockey One (Australia's premier domestic field hockey league) club is located in Adelaide? 24. How many wickets did Sri Lankan spinner Prabath Jayasuriya take in his Test cricket debut? 25. Which two European countries hosted the 2022 Women's FIH Hockey World Cup? 26. Patrick Bines last played for which AFL club?

28. Retired Australian freestyle skier Britt Cox won a 2017 World Championships gold medal in which event? 29. Wayne Rooney played 48 Major League Soccer games for which US club? 30. What height is Senegalborn professional basketballer Tacko Fall listed at?

2207

1. Lewis Hamilton 2. Four 3. Andrew Redmayne 4.The Portland Trail Blazers 5.The Fremantle Dockers, the Gold Coast Suns and the GWS Giants 6. Kazakhstan 7. Paris 8. Patrick Dangerfield 9. Simone Biles 10. Kurt Zouma 11. Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 12. North Melbourne 13. Jamaica 14. Flo-Jo 15. Melbourne Victory 16. Sri Lanka 17. Perth Wildcats 18. England 19. Six 20. Goose 21. Greg Norman 22. Ireland 23. Adelaide Fire 24. 12 25. Spain, and Netherlands 26. West Coast Eagles 27. Ohio 28. Women's moguls 29. D.C. United 30. 229cm, or 7'6" V

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Tuesday, 19 July, 2022 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY 19

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Hybrid Peugeot lifts the bar

By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring The Peugeot 300 Hybrid car looks amazing and confirms the French know a thing or two about style. The detail in the complex front design with its dark chrome grille is exceptional and integrates striking LED lighting unlike anything else you might have seen, especially at night. Inside, quilted Nappa leather seats with their contrast stitching look top shelf, but we found them a little small and uncomfortable. One of the hallmarks of the brand is its tiny steering wheels and high-mounted instrument cluster, designed to replace the need for a head-up display. The 3008 plug-in hybrid is a well-equipped car. You get partial leather and twin zone climate air with rear seat air vents, Lime Wood dash and door trim, blue ambient cabin lighting, heated front seats, a power-adjust driver’s seat with massage plus keyless entry and push-button start. The instrument panel is digital and fully customisable, a 360-degree camera, parking sensors front and rear, semi-autonomous parking assist (90 degree and parallel), adaptive cruise control with stop and go, automatic high beam, speed sign recognition and recommendation and hands-free tailgate. The plug-in hybrid comes with a mode two charging cable, supplied with the vehicle at time of delivery. (Note the bag for the cable is an $87 accessory).

Infotainment Infotainment consists of a 10.0-inch touchscreen, with Bluetooth, voice recognition, built-in satellite navigation, DAB+ radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. Until recently it also came with a premium 10-speaker, 515-watt Focal sound system, but due to supply problems this is temporarily unavailable. There’s three 12V sockets (dashboard, rear cabin and load area), with a single USB Type A socket for the front and another two for the back seat. 20 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

AT A GLANCE MODEL RANGE 3008 Allure: $47,240 3008 GT Petrol: $50,390 3008 GT Diesel: $53,540 3008 GT Sport: $59,840 3008 GT Sport Plug-In Hybrid AWD: $79,990 SPECIFICATIONS Peugeot 3008 GT Sport Plug-In Hybrid AWD, medium-sized five-door SUV

3008 plug-in hybrid . . . this is not about saving money.

(Pictures: Supplied)

Engines / transmissions

Driving

The plug-in hybrid features a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine, two electric motors and a 13.2kWh battery. The petrol engine is good for 147kW of power at 6000 rpm and 300Nm of torque at 3000 rpm. The electric motor that drives the front wheels delivers 81kW at 2500 and 320Nm from 500-2500 rpm, while the motor for the rear axle adds another 83kW at 14,000 rpm and 166Nm from 0-4760 rpm. Together the system pumps out a combined output of 222kW and 520Nm. Drive is to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission which has a wet, multi-plate clutch to manage input from the three different power sources.

Fuel consumption, which is supposedly what it is all about, is a claimed 1.6L/100km from a 43-litre tank, and it produces 36.4 g/km of CO2. Charging from zero per cent to full capacity takes about five and a half hours using a 2.3kW Mode 2 cable and offers 60km (WLTP) of emissions free, pure electric drive. That’s enough we’re told to take care of the daily commute, that is if you live within 30km of work. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a charger, it’s 60km each way. In our week with the car, we were using 6.8L/100km after 400km which is pretty good, even with little help from the battery. The batteries et al add about 415kg of weight to the car, which tips the scales at 1815kg. There are gear change paddles and four drive modes to go with the 222kW/520Nm and as you can imagine it gets mobile. Ride and handling is pretty good for a car that has not benefited from Australian tuning, but this has always been Peugeot’s forte. The small steering wheel takes some getting used to, and the gear change is a bit fiddly. Default drive mode is electric which means it uses up the battery first.

Safety Five-star safety includes six airbags and automatic emergency braking that detects pedestrians and cyclists in low light conditions, and operates between 5km/h and 140km/h. There’s also driver warning alert, active blind spot monitoring and lane keeping assistance with detection of roadsides. IsoFix child seat mounts are located on the outboard seats.

Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Peugeot dealer for drive-away prices.

The B transmission setting increases regenerative braking and ideally this is for use on long downhill runs. Otherwise, there is no regenerative adjustment. Hybrid mode switches between the electric and petrol engines depending on your driving style. Sport gives you both power sources at once, while AWD as its name suggests delivers four-wheel traction at low to medium speeds. The battery pack which sits under the boot and back seat reduces the amount of load space available, from 591 to 529 litres with the rear seat in place. The MyPeugeot app provides access to the owner’s handbook online, service and maintenance schedules, as well as fuel tank levels and odometer readings. You can even check where you parked or plan a trip, then send that information to the car navigation system.

Summing up The Peugeot 3008 GT Sport Plug-In Hybrid AWD certainly lifts the bar for the French car maker. But at $80K it’s a big ask and there’s plenty of competition around the same price.

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

SPORT

Panthers feel they belong within striking distance Melton South feels it has proved it belongs in the top two of the Ballarat Netball League. The Panthers have been among the top teams all season, along with North Ballarat and Darley. With the three sides playing each other in recent weeks, they’ve all got a closer look at how they stack up. The Panthers lost to North Ballarat, before beating Darley. Panthers coach Anna Edmonds said it had been a very good win against the Devils. “I guess every win is important now,” she said. “We’re in second place now and the win cements that and hopefully we’ll be there at the end of the season. “It shows we deserve to be up there.” Edmonds said the game against the Devils was a defensive game, with her side able to adjust to the changes made by the Devils.

She said while the Devils carry a bigger squad, they were still able to make the right changes to get on top. One of the standouts for the Panthers in the win, was Grace Valele. Known as a defender, she has been seen at the other end of the court in recent weeks. “Grace is transitioning out of defence after coming back from a knee injury,” Edmonds said. “She has felt more comfortable in the goaling circle. At training she would pick up a ball and shoot. “I thought why not give it a go and it has paid off. I’ve never seen her play goals before. She is open to playing both ends. We threw her back against North Ballarat and she still has it.” Having set high expectations for this season, Edmonds admits it could have gone either way after the last couple of years with COVID-19.

The side was aiming to play finals, with Edmonds previously saying she didn’t think the club’s A-grade side had ever done that before. The Panthers played bottom side Bacchus Marsh on Saturday, winning 44-28. Speaking before the match, Edmonds said they wouldn’t be taking it easy. “It’s a different challenge,” she said. “Soli [Ropati] and Mel [Oloamanu] will both be missing. We have some depth in the club that has the ability to come up and play. “We’re losing key players, but those we are bringing up, still have a job to do. Wins are important.” Meanwhile, Darley had a bye. Redan and East Point were the other winners on Saturday. This week the Panthers have a bye. Tara Murray

Grace Valele has switched ends of the court. (Shawn Smits)

MacPherson Park to host league finals

Caroline Springs George Cross is in the box seat for the championship. (Mark Avellino)

It’s one week at a time By Tara Murray Every game is a must win for Caroline Springs George Cross in the run home in the FV state league 1 north-west competition. The Georgies sit on top of the ladder with four rounds to go, with the four of the top five sides also having a catch up game to come as well. The Georgies sit five points clear of the Essendon Royals. Just seven points separate second through to fifth, showing how close the competition is. While the Georgies are in the box seat for the championship and promotion, coach Eric Vassiliadis said there was still a lot of hard work to go. “Looking at the ladder tells you there are so many important games,” he said. “We will just focus on what we can control. “We’ve put ourselves in a position where we’ve put our promotion hopes in our own hands.”

After a tough period about a month ago with a couple of losses to championship hopefuls, the Georgies have responded with good wins against Altona City and the Brimbank Stallions in recent weeks. The win over the Stallions, who beat them the first time round, puts them nine points ahead of the fifth placed Stallions and ensured the Georgies have a bit of breathing room on the other sides. “I have no problems with losses, it’s how you respond to losses,” he said. “Two very strong teams had beaten us in tight contests. “Every game is a big game at the moment. The season is in the balance, but I’m so proud of the boys and the whole club. “We’re not far from where we want to be.” Vassiliadis said the squad had thinned out for various reasons, but it provided opportunities for other players at the club. Against the Stallions, 18-year-old Jack Wardle got the start and scored twice in the win in positive signs for the future.

Vassiliadis said they would continue to focus on one week at a time. Of the teams still in championship contention, the Georiges play Strathmore and Banyule City in the run home. On Saturday, they faced Corio at home. They won 2-0. The Georgies scored early in the first half, before Jay Hart scored the sealer in the 88th minute. “They are the form team of the competition,” he said before the match. “They’ve won four of their last five games. “We need to make sure we get up in this one.” Vassiliadis said the club had ticked a lot of boxes in the last three years, but were keen to continue building. “We want to take the club from strength to strength.” In other matches, third-placed Sydenham Park had a 0-0 draw with Yarraville Glory, while the Stallions lost to second-placed Essendon Royals 2-1.

MacPherson Park in Melton will host Ballarat Football League finals for the first time this year. The league announced last week that the first of their three finals series would start on August 14, with the senior men’s football and the netball grand finals to be the season finale on September 17. Mars Stadium in Ballarat will host the BFL women’s grand final on September 3, before the junior football and netball finals held on September 10 and the senior grand finals the following week. Seven venues will be used for finals, including MacPherson Park. The Melton-based ground has had significant upgrades since the last BFL finals in 2019. A senior qualifying final will be held in week one of the finals series at MacPherson park, before a semi final the following week. Melton, which is based at Macpherson Park, is currently on top of the ladder in both the seniors and reserves football. The rest of the finals will be held at Ballarat grounds. Darley Park has traditionally been used as a finals venue, but upgrades are ongoing at that ground. All finals series will be held over four weeks. Across all the finals series there will be 189 games of finals. The league is expecting in excess of 50,000 fans attending the finals. Tara Murray

Melton in the 2018 Ballarat Football League grand final at Mars Stadium. (Shawn Smits)

Tuesday, 19 July, 2022 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY 21

SPORT STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

With eyes on finals Cobras time their run perfectly Bacchus Marsh has put itself in a good spot for a tilt at finals in the Ballarat Football League. The Cobras have won four out of their last five games to sit in seventh spot heading into the last month of the season. Just four points separates second-placed East Point and the Cobras, showing how close the season is. Cobras coach Tom German said every match was a mini final now. “We’ve been in some good form,” he said. “We’ve got a few guys back on the park. “We had a lot of illness and injury. We now have good numbers on the track and baring a couple of players we’re back at full strength. “With four games left we will hopefully put our best foot forward in the finals race.” The Cobras one loss in that period was against top side, Melton last week. German said they had played well in the first half, but were disappointing after that. He said they used what they had learned

from the loss, against Melton South on Saturday. The Cobras dominated the scoring shots, but it wasn’t until the last quarter they took control on the scoreboard, winning 8.19 (67)-5.5 (35). German said they always knew it was going to be a tough ask at Melton Recreation Reserve. “It was going to be a challenge at their home ground, they’re a good side there,” he said. “Without hitting the scoreboard in the first three quarters, we controlled the contest. “It was good in the last quarter to get some reward for effort.” Aaron Willitts kicked five goals for the Cobras in the win. Jack Williams, who had missed the previous round, was handy down back, while Nick Stuhldreier and Josh Huxtable were also good. German said like in many of their wins,

there had been a really good spread of contributors. The coach, who was also named in the best, said the return of Williams, had meant they had more flexibility, with how they use captain Jake Owen. Owen has played down back in recent weeks. “They work well in tandem,” he said. “We’ve got good balance in the forwards and backs. Jake was fantastic down there.” For the Panthers, Billy Lloyd and Dylan Jones were named the Panthers best. The Cobras this week face Sebastopol, which has the same amount of points as the Cobras. German said this week would be like a mini-final. Meanwhile, Melton lost its first game of the season, losing to North Ballarat and Darley beat the Sunbury Lions. - Tara Murray

Bacchus Marsh’s Joel Freeman.

(Joe Mastroianni).

Troisi signs on with Western United squad

Anthony Fawcus had his best game for the season.

(Luke Hemer)

Cubs at home in Bear pit By Tara Murray The next generation has been the key for Burnside Heights’ rise up the Essendon District Football League division 2 ladder. The Bears were an unknown heading into this season having lost their best player, goalkicker Josh Covelli. The Bears though have surprised many, by sitting third with a month left in the season. Bears president Justin Peagram said the side was travelling fairly well. “We’re third with a month to go, we’re happy about that,” he said. “We thought that we might not have a lot of depth, but that has grown throughout the year. “We had more kids make their debut on Saturday and a few the previous week. There’s good pressure on for spots over the next month and hopefully finals.” Peagram said they’d had about eight players make their debut, and in their side on Saturday against Jacana they had nine players 22 or under. He said at full strength there were about seven players in that age bracket in their best side. 22 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 19 July, 2022

Peagram said they were missing about five players from their best squad against Jacana. He said all would return in the coming weeks “Aidan Stott will have a few selection headaches,” he said. “Last season we had five season-ending injuries. We haven’t had this year and we’ve been able to improve with more guys coming on.” Against the Jaguars on Saturday it was tough conditions. Peagram said the wind or ‘gale’ meant it was hard kicking with it and hard kicking against it. The Bears won 27.24 (186)-6.9 (45). Theodore Sapountzis kicked seven goals in the win, while Habib Hosni kicked four goals and Anthony Fawcus kicked three goals. Fawcus was named best on ground. Peagram said Fawcus played his best game of the season and would have had close to 30 marks. He said the side had a number of different forward options which was pleasing. The Bears this week face Taylors Lakes. They will play them twice in the last four weeks of the season.

“We would like to win at least three of those four finals and that would put us in a good position. Third or fourth, just means what colour shorts you wear in the first final. “We just want to play football.” The Bears women’s side has two rounds remaining in its premier division season. They’ve had just one for the season. Peagram said the side didn’t have the depth of some of the other sides in that competition. “We’ve played some really good football for periods,” he said. “Our midfield and defence have been good, but we haven’t had much attack this year. “Depth has been the biggest issue with the gap between our top eight and the bottom eight big. “They keep giving it a crack.” Meanwhile Hillside’s finals hopes remain alive in the division 1 men’s competition. The Sharks beat Craigieburn 12.11 (83)-5.9 (39) on Saturday. The Sharks sit seventh, but our just one win outside the top four.

Reigning A-League men’s champions Western United have received a boost, with the club signing former Socceroo James Troisi. United announced the signing of the attacking midfielder on Sunday, with Troisi signing a one-year contract. Troisi’s playing career has spanned 15 years and seven countries and he has played more than 150 A-League games. He played 37 games for the Socceroos between 2008 and 2018, including the 2014 World Cup where he scored. He also scored the winning goal in extra time during the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final against South Korea Most recently he has been at the Western Sydney Wanderers. “I’m extremely happy be to a part of this championship winning club,” Troisi said. “I know a fair few people involved in Western United, to be around good, genuine people is something that’s extremely important to me. “The ambition and hunger for continued success is something that excites me and I’m here to bring my quality and experience to help continue the growth of something that already has a great foundation. “The professionalism from day one has been far superior to any other club that I’ve dealt with in Australian football, definitely a benchmark for all clubs. It’s something that everyone involved should be extremely proud of.” United coach John Aloisi says Troisi’s desire to win will help him fit in seamlessly. “I’ve followed his (James’) career closely, and he’s a very talented player,” Aloisi said. “The thing that excites me about James is that he still wants to win. He’s still motivated and he wants to be part of a successful team and successful club and he looks after himself really well. “James add to our group and fit in really well with our culture, we think he will help us improve again.” Troisi is the first new signing for United’s senior squad for next season. - Tara Murray

Supreme showdown for Cup champ in buildup Big early strides were taken towards a super spring of Victorian pacing, with Supreme Dominator landing the first blow as heavyweights battled at Cranbourne. Max Delight launched his Victoria Cup defence and Bondi Lockdown also re-emerged from a spell in Saturday night’s Decron Preux Chevalier Free For All, but it was trainer Joe Pace’s six-year-old who resumed his success at Cranbourne with a nigh on all-the-way win. The October 9 Victoria Cup and Victorian Inter Dominion, which kicks off on November 26, loom large and the Cranbourne Cup winner made a statement in the hands of reinsman James Herbertson. “It worked out well,” he told TrotsVision. “(We were) able to find the front without doing too much work. “Honestly, Joe (Pace) was a bit sceptical (on leading). He was wanting me to take a sit on

him and was worried he’d get beat leading, but at the end of the day many good horsemen have said that good horses should be able to lead and I believe he is a very good horse.” And in that mindset Herbertson resisted when a confident Aaron Dunn applied mid-race pressure on Bondi Lockdown to Supreme Dominator’s outside, holding him in even quarters and then bristling with a 27.3-second third quarter. Supreme Dominator then found a length at the turn and while Bondi Lockdown rallied impressively and Max Delight ran on well into second, Herbertson was always comfortable at the head of affairs. And, most notably, Herbertson said the best was certainly yet to come for Supreme Dominator. “He’s nowhere near 100 per cent like when he did win the Cranbourne Cup here, he’s

probably sitting around 85-90, there’s still quite a bit of improvement there and I’m sure you’ll see that, if it’s not in the next few weeks it will be towards the end of the year he’ll be at his best.” Good things are also clearly in the path of ownership groups Summit Bloodstock and Aaron Bain Racing, who were rewarded for their investments into pacing fillies and mares with a race-to-race double. First three-year-old filly Soho Historia continued her exceptional run for trainer Emma Stewart, adding the Janine Stewart Memorial Pace to her list of five successive victories that have extended a remarkable run of form in her new stable. The past two of those have come in the hands of Connor Clarke, who brought up his 99th career win with the victory. Aaron Bain Racing and Summit Bloodstock then followed up with a further win with favourite Kusanova in the Dani Lewis Memorial

Supreme Dominator. (Stuart McCormick)

Pace, with the leader pressed late but holding on for a 1.1-metre win. The win was the second of a double for trainer Allan McDonough who also scored in the first with Blitzern. Michael Howard

Sports shorts WRFL Caroline Springs is back on the winners list in the Western Region Football League division 1 competition. After losing their first game of the season, the Lakers led all day in the 14.22 (106)-14.22 (106) win. Ryan Allan kicked five goals in the win, while Courtenay Dempsey was named best on ground. Altona, Werribee Districts, Point Cook and Yarraville Seddon were the other winners.

Big V Melton Thoroughbreds got one of their best wins of the Big V men’s division 2 season on Saturday night. Hosting the Mildura Heat, the Thoroughbreds were in control throughout the 91-62 win. Every player scored for the Thoroughbreds, with Maluk Adut earning 17 points. The win was the Thoroughbreds’ fifth, moving them up a spot on the ladder. They face Gippsland United at Traralgon on Saturday night.

A-League

Melton celebrate one of Cameron Stewart’s goals. (Joe Mastroianni). 289903_07

Phoenix eyes top prize By Tara Murray Melton Phoenix knows it needs to continue doing the right things in the FV state league 5 west season in the final rounds of the season. The Phoenix sits on top of the table with four rounds to go, but Barwon and Balmoral still remain in the title race. With the uncertainty if one or two teams will get promoted, Phoenix coach Darren Traynor knows they can’t take things lightly as they aim for the title and promotion. “We want to keep playing our brand and playing our way,” he said. “We have a big squad, so if someone is injured, someone always comes in and we don’t have to change. “It seems to be working at the moment with where we are at the moment.” The Phoenix sit three points clear of Barwon, after they had a draw on the weekend. The Phoenix also have a better goal difference. Balmoral is another six points further back in the title race.

Traynor said in many other divisions, the title would have already been decided with a team having just two losses and one draw at this part of the season. He said one of their biggest keys was their defence. They’ve conceded just 11 goals for the season, putting them among the best in all the state league competitions. On Saturday, the Phoenix proved far too strong for West Point winning 4-0. Scores were 2-0 at half time. Cameron Stewart scored twice, while Jason Moody also found the back of the net. The other goal was an own goal. Traynor said while it was pleasing to get the win, but the way they did it was the most impressive thing. “It was a great performance as well which was pleasing,” he said. “It was 4-0 but it could have been a couple more. “The performance was positive. We started well and finished well.” The Phoenix this week face Balmoral. A win here to the Phoenix would end Balmoral’s title

hopes leaving it a two team race. They then face fifth placed Bendigo City, seventh placed Lara United and 10th placed Maribyrnong Greens in the run home. “We have to be switched on,” Traynor said. “We will not get anything from them if we’re not. “It’s an exciting challenge.” In state league 4 west, Westside Strikers are also focused on promotion and winning the title. The Strikers had a 2-0 win against Surf Coast, after leading 1-0 at half time. The Strikers sit one point ahead of the Keilor Wolves. Both teams have a game in hand, on Laverton which is a further point back. The Wolves game with fourth placed Gisborne didn’t go ahead on Saturday due to the ground conditions. Spring Hills is facing relegation from state league 4 west. On Saturday the Stallions lost 3-2 to the Truganina Hornets. The Stallions have just one win.

It was back to business for Western United as pre-season got under way last week. After a few weeks of celebrating the club’s first championship, the playing group returned to training last week. Star defender Josh Risdon said they were all excited to get back on the track. “It was a good little break,” he said. “Obviously it’s a bit different winning the grand final and celebrating for a while. I really enjoyed the break and got back home to see some family and spend some quality time with them.”

NAB League The Western Jets have one eye on the future in the NAB League Boys competition. The Jets have won just two games this season, as they have felt the flow on effects from COVID-19. Coach Robbie Chancellor said it had been tough at times this season. “We have been a bit thin on talent,” he said. “It’s the nature of the last two years that has hurt the region with the commitment to football and not being at school or playing football.” FOR MORE SPORT, VISIT Web: starweekly.com.au Melton & Moorabool Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly Tuesday, 19 July, 2022 MELTON & MOORABOOL STAR WEEKLY 23

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2017 TOYOTA COROLLA ASCENT SEDAN AUTO, REAR CAMERA, KEYLESS ENTRY, CRUISE CONTROL 100,311KMS

$23,990

Melton Toyota 143-147 High Street, Melton T: 03 8746 0300 LMCT 1976 meltontoyota.com.au +Drive Away prices include all government fees and charges

THERE’S MORE THAN DEALS AT 1)0832 83=38%