Star Weekly - Sunbury Macedon Ranges - 13th December 2022 by Star Weekly

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Jingle bells ring in joy It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Walter J Smith Reserve in Riddells Creek. Now in its fifth year, Christmas in Riddells Creek is back, with 100 metal framed trees decorated and sponsored by local families and businesses on display for charity. Desley Adams helps to organise the efforts, which is auspiced by the Riddells Creek Lions Club. “We’ve got two beautiful angels at the front gate, sponsored by a local developer and then we’ve got three wise men and a camel, which we’re happy for kids to sit on and have their photo taken,” Ms Adams said. “There’s beautiful, big garland over the gate and then you can walk into the park [where] there’s 100 Christmas trees.” Each year, organisers choose which charity to donate the funds from the sponsored trees to – this year they have chosen brain research. The trend was established by the Romsey Region Business and Tourism Association and now, the metal trees are now dotted throughout the region. “The thing I like too is it’s free … I’m happy about that,” Ms Adams said.

Desley Adams and her decorated tree. (Joe Mastroianni) 311237_03

Cr Dance cleared by VCAT Hume councillor Trevor Dance has been cleared of serious misconduct by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). Cr Dance applied to VCAT for a review of a Hume council-convened councillor conduct panel’s (CCP) decision to suspend him from council for three months after finding he had engaged in serious misconduct. The CCP found Cr Dance had breached council’s internal arbitration process by failing to attend two arbitration hearings in June, 2021, in relation to his allegation of misconduct against Cr Jack Medcraft. Cr Medcraft was cleared of the allegation. Cr Dance had cited his mental health for

refusing to attend the hearings, but the CCP concluded Cr Dance “did not attend the hearings because he chose not to attend in circumstances where no medical evidence to support his non-attendance was provided by him”. Cr Dance served two weeks of his suspension before VCAT granted him a stay. On Thursday, December 8, VCAT president Justice Michelle Quigley found Cr Dance’s claims about his mental health should have been considered more seriously. “On the material before me I do not accept the failure to comply was wilful and deliberate in the proper sense. It was not without any

reasonable excuse, ” Justice Quigley said. “He took active steps to participate in the hearings. “Concern for his mental health and psychological safety is a factor which I give significant weight to in forming my opinion of the circumstances in issue here.” In her findings, Justice Quigley noted Cr Dance had asked to attend the arbitration hearings by Zoom, but this was refused. Justice Quigley said when a person claims to have medical concerns, the CCP should ensure they can still take part in a “disciplinary process”. “Particular care ought to be taken when a claim of mental health and

psychological safety is raised,” she said. Justice Quigley also noted the CCP had criticised Cr Dance for his attendance at a social event about the same time as the arbitration hearing, which the panel said contradicted his claims about his mental health. She found that there was a “material difference” between attending a formal hearing where there are a handful of people, “one of whom is the source of a person’s anxiety”, and attendance at an event “where there is personal support”. ■

Continued: Page 6.

Congratulations Congratulations to Sacred Heart College’s senior students for their outstanding VCE and VCAL results. Their hard work, along with the support provided by their teachers and parents, will allow many doors to be opened for them in the world of future learning and careers.

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Rally against over development By Elsie Lange Riddells Creek residents are again rallying against a controversial plan for high density development in their town. The previous 2019 draft of the Amess Road precinct structure plan (PSP) proposed 1290 lots on a 131 hectare site – resident Simon Were said the latest draft of the plan, developed by Echelon Planning, “looks very similar and fails to address key concerns raised by the community”. “Nothing has fundamentally changed as far as the decrease in the number of lots. We’ve actually seen an increase in the number of lots and a decrease in the size of the lots,” he said.

He said the Max Hardy-led community consultation, responded to by Echelon Planning, did not adequately represent the views of residents. Last week, a collection of passionate locals, co-led by Mr Were, started a petition to ensure Macedon Ranges council understood their concerns about lot sizes, road use, infrastructure, services and community collaboration. “What we want is to see a good draft go before council, and we’re so far away at the moment,” he said. The petition, which has already garnered more than 500 signatures, asks that council make sure the plan rejects lots smaller than 800 square metres and sets a maximum of nine

lots per buildable hectare. “Residents are not against development, but our town’s rural identity is not for sale,” the petition said. “Work with us on the big issues like traffic movement, community services and a new vision for Riddells Creek as more than a dormitory suburb on a train line.” Macedon Ranges Residents Association secretary Christine Pruneau said the Macedon Ranges was “not Melbourne” and council needed to focus on that. “It’s critical that, with these huge developments, consulting and getting agreement from a community about the type and scale of development and how impacts are to be addressed is tied down long before any

development proposal is made.” Mr Were said the PSP would set a precedent in the Macedon Ranges and would significantly increase the region’s population. He said it was important to get it right. “[People need to be] near public transport, need to be near a doctor. I’m a resident and I can’t get into the doctor without three weeks’ notice. Riddells Creek is not set up for that,” he said. Echelon Planning was contacted for comment. The petition will be presented to council early next year. A hard copy of the petition is available to sign at Riddells Creek Neighbourhood House. Details: https://bit.ly/3FxW9p0.

Coaches to replace trains

(Joe Mastroianni) 311097_01

Sunbury Garden Club takes its leaf The Sunbury Garden Club members are hanging up their gloves and putting away their clippers after more than three decades on the job. President Cheryl Schembri said even though it had been a great 30 years, members were getting older and it was thyme to move on. “I have met lots of interesting and friendly people over the years and learnt a lot through Garden Club meetings,” she said. “Our members have been very supportive … it is a lot of work to organise and maintain a good club so no replacement was available.” From six members at their first meeting

in the late 1980s, the club grew to its present membership of 33. Each month a guest speaker would come and chat with the group, there would be two bus trips a year and they even had birthday parties on their big milestone anniversaries. “There were many and varied speakers over the years on all subjects from growing flowers, vegies, orchids and natives to gardens overseas and fungi,” Ms Schembri said. “I have organised over 80 bus trips, garden walks and car trips to lots of gardens around Victoria, places such as Castlemaine, Ballarat, Bendigo, Dandenong Ranges [and more].”

The club has been recognised through the years for its fantastic gardening, from maintaining the railway station to being tasked with creating stunning displays – including a special Olympic display in 2000. Ms Schembri said “thank you” to all those who had supported the club through the years. “Our Committee of Val Hansford, Heike Ramdhor, Lilian Zahra and Joy O’Connor have all done a fantastic job and this year we have tried to come up with some new ideas,” she said. Elsie Lange

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Sunbury Garden Club president Cheryl Schembri says its thyme to move on.

Commuters using the Sunbury and Bendigo lines have been told to expect delays as Victoria’s Big Build works steam ahead over the summer months. While works take place on the Bendigo and Echuca Line, coaches will replace trains from Southern Cross to Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill from Tuesday, February 21, to Sunday, March 5. Coaches will replace trains between Bendigo and Swan Hill from Wednesday, February 15, to Monday, February 20. The state government said works on the Bendigo line have been co-ordinated with the V/Line annual works program, to get the upgrades finished while minimising disruption to passengers. Buses will also replace Sunbury Line train between varying stations throughout February, and passengers were “encouraged to plan ahead”. The government advised Victorians to allow extra time and plan their journeys by checking the PTV or VicTraffic apps before travelling. Works will also take place on the West Gate Bridge and City Loop train line in the new year. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the regional passenger lines would make trips “quicker and easier” for passengers. Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said whether residents were travelling by rail or road, heading to Melbourne or just passing through, “over the next few months it’s essential you plan ahead to avoid delays”. Details: bigbuild.vic.gov.au.

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Cr Dance cleared by VCAT

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The Fiore Chamber group.

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Fiore Chamber concert delight audiences with polished performances of pristine polyphony,” Mount Macedon Uniting Church said. “Expect a captivating performance with rich expression and incredible detail, coupled with seemingly effortless teamwork that is a testimony to lifelong friendship.” The group will even be performing a piece written by McDonald, titled ‘There Is No Rose’. Complimentary refreshments will be served after the show. Tickets can be purchased at the link below or on the door. It’s $30 for adults, $20 concession and $10 for children under 18 years. Details: https://www.trybooking.com/ eventlist/fiorechamber.

“I note that Cr Dance’s demeanour before me both at the stay application and during the final hearing demonstrated patent distress and anxiety,” she said. Cr Dance said he was emotional when he learnt he had won the case. “In my view … this should never have gone this far … It’s been a waste of ratepayers’ money but under this act and in this country, everyone has a right to defend themselves,” Cr Dance said. Council chief executive Sheena Frost said the outcome highlighted the challenges of managing councillor conduct matters in Victoria. “I hope that the cost, time and energy required for us to work through this will encourage councillors to work together and seek to resolve disputes informally. The system we currently operate under is time consuming, costly and ineffective,” she said. Hume mayor Joseph Haweil said the council team had always been committed to serving its residents. “Working collaboratively as a councillor group will help ensure that the people of Hume city remain right at the centre of everything we do,” Cr Haweil said. Hume council said it had has 28 days to determine if it wished to take any further action and will not make further comment on the matter.

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Some of the state’s best young singers are headed to Mount Macedon Uniting Church this week. On Thursday, December 15, the new Fiore Chamber will sing their hearts out to audiences at 7.30pm, for a Chromatic Christmas. The church described the group as “dynamic, polished, sparkling and cheeky”, so attendees will be in for a delightful and vibrant choral repertoire. Singers include soprano Monika Harris, countertenor Alex Ritter, tenor Anish Nair and baritone Lachlan McDonald. “These performers know each other’s voices intimately through decades of combined experience singing with each other and strive to

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Restrictions indefinite on Calder Sections of the Calder Freeway will be restricted to just one lane indefinitely, causing ongoing frustration for road users traversing between Mount Macedon and Kyneton. The lane closures on both north and south-bound directions will slow traffic to 60km/h while works are under way to address the road surface damage caused by recent heavy rainfall. Department of Transport Loddon Mallee regional director Melanie Hotton said the department understood the importance of reopening the closed sections and was

working with contractors to “finalise delivery timelines for repair works”. “We will continue to keep the community informed about the status of these closures and thank them for their ongoing patience and understanding,” she said. “Periods of heavy rainfall like we are currently experiencing due to a third consecutive La Niña weather pattern can cause greater damage to our roads and make it harder for crews to undertake road repairs.” It is understood more than $3.2 million will be spent rebuilding seven sections of the

Calder Freeway. Motorists will face continued roadworks and associated closures with a further 18 resurfacing works projected for 42 kilometres of the Calder between now and June 2023. Responding to questions from Star Weekly on social media about the closure, residents vented their frustration. “It is ridiculous as the open lane also has pot holes forcing us into a dangerous single lane,” one resident said. “These holes are especially hard to see at night when traffic is banked up.”

Another said road works on the Calder Freeway were “appalling” and had taken “way too long”. Victorian Transport Association chief executive Peter Anderson told radio station 3AW he was worried attention was being placed “more on potholes than actual restructuring” of flood damaged regional roads. “There is work under way and the Calder is a prime example of that, but the real issue for us is where is the priority, how are they prioritised and what’s the actual time of the repair process,” he said.

Students snap up prize The kids at St Brigid’s Primary School in Gisborne are thrilled to have won Junior Landcare’s ‘What’s in your backyard?’ photo competition. To inspire children to explore their local environments and connect with nature, the competition asked them to take photos of the flora and fauna in their backyards. Then, they shared their snaps with Junior Landcare ambassador Costa Georgiadis, and explained why what they’d captured was important to them. St Brigid’s teacher Emma Barker said she was surprised by how “happy, calm, relaxed and joyous” the pupils felt in their interactions with nature. “They were really inspired by the sharing of their peers’ photos and accompanying writing,” she said. “Initially they thought it would be hard to write 50 words but the challenge was in fact trying to cut out words to keep it to, or under this limit and still convey the extent of

their connections.” One of the pupils, Matilda Wills, sent in a photograph of a succulent and said the plants were symbols of strength and tenacity “against the odds”. “For me this succulent inspires me to keep moving on with life and to never give up. It helps me believe that I can do things that I find challenging and encourages me to believe in myself,” she wrote. Costa said the competition was all about creating “little opportunities” and was blown away by every entry. “[It’s an] an invitation to let curiosity and inquiry roam free and connect to the idea that nature is not something you go to, but is something all around you,” he said. The school has receive a book hamper with titles to inspire environmental action, and will receive a visit from Costa in 2023. St Brigid’s pupils William, Conor and Stella snapping photos in the school garden.

Elsie Lange

(Joe Mastroianni) 311106_03

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Jodie swaps Lancefield for Lviv By Elsie Lange Lancefield paramedic Jodie Rogers has always strived to take her skills to the places where they’re needed most. So when she heard of an opportunity to work as a paramedic in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, she jumped at the opportunity. Having worked in the industry for 16 years, with Ambulance Victoria and then in the private sector which took her as far as Nauru and into the Papua New Guinean highlands, she’s ready for this new challenge. “My role when I go will be helping to distribute medical supplies from LVIV over near the polish border up to the front line,” she said. “I will also be assisting with transporting patients from Ukrainian hospitals over to Poland, and I will teach ‘stop the bleed’ and CPR to Ukrainian citizens. “There will be a language barrier, but the people I work with can speak English.” She’ll be travelling to work with an organisation called SMART Medical Aid, a Ukrainian-Dutch foundation made up of medical practitioners, volunteers and industry specialists with experience in emergency and disaster medicine. She said she was optimistic when asked if she expected to face any barriers in getting over there. “It’s important to me, to get over there,” she said. When a colleague showed her a photo of a former paramedic workmate and said ‘Look at this, Tony is over in Ukraine’, that Jodie knew she wanted to go too. “I’ll be volunteering three months of my life and in the process [of making that decision] I came up with the idea to try and raise funds to purchase another ambulance for the people of Ukraine,” she said.

Lancefield paramedic Jodie Rogers is heading to Ukraine. (Elsie Lange)

She started a GoFundMe page to raise the necessary funds for the ambulance – her target is $100,000 by the time she heads over next year. “What I’ve found is a lot of people want to help [with the war] but they don’t know how,” she said. “By starting the GoFundMe page, I thought they could help by donating $5, $10, $20, whatever they feel like donating. And then they

can feel like they’ve contributed as well.” Jodie said her family and friends think she’s “a little bit crazy”, but were 100 per cent behind her. “We will walk the townships, hand out flyers and ask local shops,” she said. Her message, leading up to Christmas, is for people to think about the children in Ukraine impacted by the invasion. “I’m just asking people to have a think

[about it] when they are doing their Christmas shopping,” she said. “To think about those families over there that don’t have much, that don’t have homes, that have had to flee and relocate, those that are in hospital that need to be transported to Poland to get medical assistance. “If you can and you’ve got a spare $5, help.” Details: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ ambos-for-ukraine

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Karen Robinson with her work. (Joe Mastroianni)

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8 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 13 December, 2022

After losing her son in a fatal car crash in 2009, Attwood resident Karen Robinson turned to painting and photography to express her emotions. Thirteen years later, Robinson is opening a solo exhibition at Town Hall Broadmeadows in honour of her son, Ben. Robinson said after her son was killed in a single vehicle car crash, she turned to creative writing, painting, and photography as a way to maintain her mental wellbeing. “When my son was killed I did a lot of paintings, and nine of those paintings are at TAC,” she said. “I found that painting was a solitary endeavour, and it didn’t get me out connecting with people.” It was this realisation that led Robinson to explore the medium of photography further. “Photography became a family endeavour, and helped rebuild the family after the tragedy,” she said. “I have been able to include my husband, daughter, and granddaughter on my photography adventures, and I’ve reengaged

with them by being out enjoying nature and taking photos.” Robinson’s exhibition will showcase a collection of limited edition archival prints featuring landscapes, seascapes, woodlands, autumn images, birds, and flowers. “I hope to inspire the viewer to experience and appreciate the natural wonders within the Melbourne Metropolitan region and throughout country Victoria,” she said. Robinson said she hopes the works serve as a reminder that we are caretakers and nurturers of the natural world, and we owe it to future generations to come to preserve it. All of Robinson’s prints will be available to purchase and proceeds will be donated in full to Amber Community, a not-for-profit organisation contributing to the safety and wellbeing of road users. Robinson’s exhibition, ‘Portraits of Nature’ opens on Tuesday, November 29 and runs until Sunday, February 5 at the Town Hall Broadmeadows Gallery. Millicent Spencer

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Look out for young pedestrians By Elsie Lange Macedon Ranges Highway Patrol is backing calls for motorists to be mindful of young pedestrians on the road this summer. Sergeant Lee Clayton reiterated warnings from children’s road safety campaigners, the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, for drivers to slow down, be vigilant and save lives. “We just want to encourage everybody that if they are going to be moving around our state, to be mindful of their behaviours on the road, to manage their fatigue, to manage their trips, to take this opportunity to actually have their

vehicle [looked at],” Sergeant Clayton said. He also said “all too often” drivers who were otherwise very careful on the road overlooked the importance of having a mechanic check their tyres and windscreens, and to check their caravans or trailers as well. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s deaths in Australia data, released in June this year, land transport crashes were the leading cause of death for children aged one to 14. The Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation said between 2012 to 2021,422 children under 15 had been involved in a crash, with 28 per cent

of the fatalities occurring when the child was a pedestrian. University of New South Wales’ Transport and Road Safety Research Centre emeritus professor Ann Williamson said research showed as a nation, Australia was not making “much impact” on reducing child road fatalities. “[Highlighted by] the number of fatal crashes involving children 0 to 14 years not having changed greatly over the last decade,” she said. She said there was “a hazardous combination of factors” which made the coming Christmas period the most unsafe on roads in recent years. “Complacency can kill and there is concern

that after years of reduced holiday travel on our roads, many will be less prepared, less aware and less cautious,” she said. “This, combined with the pattern of no significant reduction in child road fatalities over the last 10 years, could have tragic implications.” Sergeant Clayton said it was vital that drivers “[assumed] that all children are still children and are unpredictable”. “If drivers take that approach whenever they are traversing our roads … we will be able to make a positive impact towards the reduction in trauma and fatalities involving young people,” he said.

Macedon MP house leader

Max at his lemonade stand. (Supplied)

When neighbours give you lemons Gisborne mum Danielle Schiller was inundated with lemons after she posted in her local Facebook group that her son and daughter wanted to run a lemonade stand last weekend. “Max along with his little sister Moni will have a little lemonade stand out front of our place … they will keep half the proceeds and donate the rest to [Gisborne] food bank,” her post said. “If anyone would like to donate some more lemons please feel free to dump [them] on our doorstep before Sunday.

“If any lemons [are] left over they’ll be donated too.” Perhaps appealing to the sepia-coloured romance of their own youthful lemonade stands gone by, or because they knew it was for a great cause, teachers, neighbours and even strangers left their citrus on the family’s porch. “He made about $60 to give to the food bank,” Ms Schiller said, which was more than half of the $80 he made all together. “Lots of people turned up, especially my neighbours … people loved it,” Ms Schiller said.

Divided by the cost of a cup of the delicious beverage – $1 or a gold coin donation – that’s a lot of customers. To get the most out of the donated lemons, the family peeled the fruit before blending them and then straining them to remove the pulp. Then, they cooked down some sugar and water before adding it all into the mix – like classic lemonade. “It’s the first time we’ve done it … he loved it … he was the one peeling, I’d cut them and he’d peel,” Ms Schiller said.

Water storage near capacity Once a year, the water corporations come together to look at water use and demand, and then project potential impacts to Greater Melbourne’s water supplies for the coming year. Water storages are sitting at over 98 per cent, up nearly 10 per cent from last year, and are projected to remain high for the year ahead. Although water restrictions are not expected for Greater Melbourne over the next 12 months, permanent water savings rules will continue to apply in 2023. “Consistent with the shift to working from home, the Water Outlook also showed that Melbourne’s residential water use increased from last year’s estimate of 160 litres per person per day, to an average of 164 litres,” the outlook said. “A new target for residential customers of 150 litres per person per day has been set by the Victorian government.”

ENROLMENTS 12559489-SN46-22

Water storage levels in Melbourne are over 98 per cent full – representing a 26-year high. According to Melbourne’s Water Outlook 2023, an annual collaboration between Greater Western Water, Melbourne Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water, the levels are high due to a combination of high rainfall and inflows into catchments over the last three years. These factors were driven by a third straight La Nina year. Greater Western Water managing director Maree Lang said even with high storages, Melburnians needed to stay water wise and continue to use water responsibly. “We can’t take water storage levels for granted. The amount of water we have available can vary depending on a range of factors including customer water use, climate conditions and population growth,” she said.

Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas will become leader of the house in the Legislative Assembly and add the portfolios of health infrastructure and medical research to her responsibilities as she continues as health minister and lead minister for the Department of Health. Ms Thomas said she was grateful and proud to continue as health minister alongside her new duties. “As minister for health and minister for health infrastructure, I will always stand by our healthcare workers to continue to deliver on our healthcare commitments and infrastructure projects so we can keep doing what matters – taking care of Victorians,” she said. “I will also work to cement Victoria’s proud place as a global leader in cutting-edge health research as minister for medical research and grow the sector to support incredible breakthroughs in treatment and care. “These roles are all in addition to proudly representing the great people of Macedon, who will always be my top priority as I work hard to represent and serve all community members to the best of my ability.” Ms Thomas’ former ambulance services portfolio has been given to Mental Health and Treaty and First Peoples’ Minister Gabrielle Williams. A statement from Premier Daniel Andrews said Labor would continue to build and upgrade health services across the state with Ms Thomas in charge. “The minister will also deliver our significant election commitments in women’s health, ensuring it gets the funding and focus it deserves,” Mr Andrews said.

Now taking Year 10, Year 11 VCE VM & Year 12 VCAL Enrolments for 2023 WHERE: Peter Lalor Secondary College (35 Duncan Rd, Lalor) PHONE: 03 9464 0122 EMAIL: peter.lalor.sc@education.vic.gov.au

Tuesday, 13 December, 2022 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY 9

NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Hume tops state jobless figures The Hume council area has the highest unemployment rate in the state, despite a 2.9 per cent drop in the jobless rate since June 2021. Latest National Skills Commission data showed a drop in unemployment in the municipality from 11.6 per cent in June last year to 8.7 per cent in June 2022. Unemployment in some areas of Hume was much higher than in others, despite a drop across the board. In Broadmeadows, the jobless rate was 18.8 per cent in June this year compared to 22.6 per cent in June 2021.

In Campellfield – Coolaroo, unemployment fell from 23.9 per cent to 20 per cent, while Roxburgh Park – Somerton experienced a more than 4 per cent drop from 18.5 per cent to 14.3 per cent. Sunbury and Sunbury South both experienced a drop in their comparatively smaller jobless rates from June 2021 to June 2022 – from 6.4 per cent to 4 per cent and 7.2 per cent to 4.6 per cent respectively. Hume’s figures were more than double the statewide average of 4.3 per cent in June 2022.

Sunbury Business Association president Michael Osborne said he was happy to see the decline, which represented increasing consumer and employer confidence following years of lockdowns. “We haven’t got the threat of lockdowns over us, we can go about our business with a bit more assurance – we can make decisions for the longer term,” he said. “When you’re being threatened with lockdowns, you can’t plan for the future.” He also said the winding back of federal

government income support, including JobKeeper which ensured employees were paid while they were in lockdown, meant more people had to go back to work. Mr Osborne said the reason for the disparity between the unemployment rates in some areas of Hume compared to Sunbury was to do with the kinds of businesses in the town. “There is a different makeup of businesses here, there are much smaller or family=based businesses here,” he said.

Report reveals the impacts of COVID-19

Volunteers at Gisborne Foodbank after packing their Christmas hampers this year.

(Supplied)

Hampers galore for those in need For some, Christmas is a difficult time of year. Especially now with the cost of living so high, getting into the festive spirit can be far from easy. Again, the Gisborne Community Care Foodbank is doing what it can to make a difference – handing out Christmas hampers to those who need a hand with the special things many take for granted. Foodbank general manager Lynne Margaret said they’d prepared about 90 hampers for their clients and those who had flagged their interest. “They are very, very grateful. They were happy to receive that little bit of extra,” Ms Margaret said.

“It gives them those sorts of treats they’re not able to afford. We’ve had a couple of clients who have come in and they’ve been in tears.” According to Foodbank Australia, more than 540,000 households in Victoria went hungry in the last 12 months, “sometimes skipping meals or going whole days without eating”. The goodies inside the hampers are a symbol of community spirit and generosity – donations from local businesses and organisations of chocolates and plum puddings and pies and ham. Ms Margaret said they’d had “a heck of a lot of support”, and encouraged anyone in the Macedon Ranges who needed food support to

reach out. “We feed everybody who needs food, that’s our mantra,” she said. “If they need that support, they are doing the best thing for their family by reaching out.” She said even in the last few days, the foodbank had received a number of enquiries seeking help. “It’s starting to ramp up, due to pressure around Christmas time,” she said. “We do have some leftover produce from the hampers, so we’ve been giving a couple of those nice treats.”

A long-term study of 17,500 Australians has revealed the impact of the first year of the pandemic on households, including in Sunbury and the Macedon Ranges. Conducted by the Melbourne Institute, the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey is Australia’s only nationally representative longitudinal household study, and its latest report released on December 5 uses data up until 2020 to show COVID-19’s impact on Australians. The report showed inequality declined significantly in Australia, with the largest fall in the survey’s 20-year history, as people received income support and other supports to respond to the growing pandemic. “The results offered important insights into the levels and impact of assistance we provide to the most vulnerable members of our society,“ report leader author Roger Wilkins said. The report found 45 per cent of Australians said the pandemic made their lives worse. “Unemployed people, people with disability or mental health concerns, and people who are extroverted were the most likely to feel their lives were much worse because of the pandemic,“ UoM said. “Melbourne – under protracted lockdown restrictions at the time of the 2020 survey - correspondingly had the highest proportion of people reporting life under the pandemic was much worse—33.1 per cent, compared with 25.4 per cent of people in non-urban Victoria, and 16.9 per cent nationally,“ UoM said. The report said the onset of the pandemic led to the largest increase in job insecurity in 20 years, with 5.3 per cent of Victorian workers reporting they’d lost their job. Nearly one in 10 Australians were stood down without pay.

Elsie Lange

Macedon Ranges Council to ‘lead by example’ on equity In response to a new report finding Australian women have less labour force engagement, lower income and poorer health than men, Macedon Ranges council said it wanted to “lead by example”. The Monash University-led report, the Australian Women’s Health and Wellbeing Scorecard: Towards equity for women, found it will take 70 years to “reach full-time employment equality with men, and more than 200 years to reach income equity”. “Women’s labour force absence alone cost $72 billion in lost GDP annually, driving health inequities and deterioration, prompting calls for urgent action,“ Monash University said.

Macedon Ranges mayor Annette Death said Australia “still has much to do” towards improving gender equality, but highlighted the steps council was taking to address the issue. “Council is a large local employer, delivering almost 100 services to the community, and is well placed to promote gender equality,” councillor Death said. “Council has been proactive in this space through the endorsement of its Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-2025, which aims to address gender and intersectional equality and make Macedon Ranges council a workplace of choice. “We also need to lead by example … we

10 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 13 December, 2022

have four female councillors and three out of four directors in council’s executive leadership group are women. We aim to be a positive example to younger women who aspire towards leadership roles.” The Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI) will release the equity scorecard annually. MCHRI Women’s Economics and Value Based Care Unit lead associate professor Emily Callander, and MCHRI director professor Helena Teede, report authors, said the report confirmed that women were “failing to make progress in terms of health, well-being and equity”.

“Poor health is known to reduce income; and low income is known to increase risk of poor health creating a cycle of disadvantage for Australian women, with impact on women from diverse backgrounds even greater,” Professor Teede said. “Poor health, low income and absence from the labour force comes at enormous cost, presenting a key barrier to future prosperity. “Women disproportionately have lower income, and less engagement in the labour force, which drives poorer health, even in a high-income country like Australia.” Elsie Lange

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COMMUNITY

Joey James with residents Harold and and Dare.

Firsts Gisborne Scout Group Joeys with Gisborne Oaks aged care residents. (Pictures: Supplied)

Hark the herald joeys sing on high

Joey Hamish handing flowers to resident Joan.

Gisborne Oaks residents Faye, Angelina and Lorraine with Joeys Scarlet and Ruben.

The little singing voices of the 1sts Gisborne Scout Group Joeys brought delight and joy to the residents at Gisborne Oaks aged care home. Christmas carols and other beloved songs like the Grand Old Duke of York and a Shooting Star Is Not a Star rang through the halls. Assistant Joey Scout leader Rebecca Hunter said it was gorgeous to be back after a couple of years away due to COVID-19. “To be able to get in and sing again was an absolute joy, for the residents, for me, for the kids,” she said. “We had residents with tears in their eyes because they hadn’t seen the kids for two years, it’s something we’ve been doing for a number of years. “The children were beaming, I was beaming and the residents said how lovely it was to see the kids’ shining faces.”

Resident Harold with Joey Joe.

PUGS BOBBY AND DIESEL

SYLVIE THE SALUKI

MINI SCHNAUZERS HUGO AND LUNA

Santa Claus? More like Santa Paws It was the beginning of some very yappy howl-idays for the pups who made their way down to the Sunbury Animal Hospital to snap a picture with Santa. A furry good time was had by all, and for a great cause too – more than $1700 was raised for Edgar’s Mission Animal Sanctuary on the day. The event was last held in 2019, so it’s been a while since these delightful doggies have had the chance to hang out with the world’s most beloved gift giver. Right: The Sunbury Animal Hospital staff with Santa, who absolutely loved the day. (Pictures: Supplied/Sunbury Animal Hospital)

NELSON THE GOLDEN RETRIEVER Tuesday, 13 December, 2022 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY 11

BEHIND THE NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Shearing survives despite blows It’s considered one of the hardest, most physically demanding jobs in the world. Like many labour-intensive industries, there is a shortage of sheep shearers across the country – Elsie Lange takes a dive into its woolly underbelly.

n Tom Roberts’ iconic painting ‘Shearing the Rams’, finished in 1890, a man to the left of the frame hugs a male sheep to his chest, the enormous, heavy creature up to the height of his shoulder. And next to him, in the foreground, is a shearer bent over another ram, his back straightened and arm outstretched with the force of taking off the animal’s coat – a testament to the complete physicality of the task. Hailed as a great portrayal of pastoral life, this painting was and is considered a masterpiece of Australian impressionism. It’s also been described as perhaps too nostalgic, as only a year later, newly unionised shearers and squatters would take part in the 1891 Australian shearers strike. According to the Australian Workers’ Heritage Centre, this strike was a “watershed” in the history of working conditions in this country, and a catalyst in the growth of the Australian Labor Party. Now, 130 years later, the industry is still facing concerns over conditions, wages and most crucially, attracting young people into their workforce.

‘‘

New workers are coming in, but they are leaving at a faster rate than we can keep them in

’’

- Jason Letchford Four years ago, it wasn’t as hard for hobby farm owner Catherine Cruikshank to find a shearer to rid her Corriedale sheep of their woolly coats before summer. The New Gisborne resident said it had become “almost impossible”, and she was paying double compared to three years ago. “I was actually going to have my sheep transported to another paddock, but I was scared to have them on another property with the cold coming through … that’s when I reached out on social media [and] I finally secured a shearer to get it done,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s just a dying skill, there’s so much work out there. It’s a real employee’s market, and no one wants to do small packs either.” Bendigo-based shearer Shane Dunne described a day’s worth of shearing as like “playing four games of AFL in a row”. He used to work on larger flocks before deciding to concentrate on shearing alpacas and pet sheep on hobby farms, because getting paid as little as $3.80 to $4 a sheep didn’t seem worth it anymore. Mr Dunne has worked in shearing for two decades, and said to bring more people into the industry, wages will “have to double”. “Shearing is the hardest physical job on earth – if you’re not going to get paid much, why on earth are you going to do the hardest job in the world,” he said. He said the work was skilful but unfathomably tiring – “We are expected to drag a 100 kilogram sheep, shear it [while] the animal kicks you for the five minutes it takes to shear it. You get very good at getting your feet right”. Shearing Contractors Association of Australia secretary Jason Letchford said there were 2800 shearers in the country until 2016, with an extra 500 seasonal workers coming over from New Zealand to get the annual shearing done. Then the pandemic hit, and not only did those seasonal workers struggle to get into the country, other industries were also looking internally for labour. “Between 2006 and 2016 we lost 32 per cent of our workforce. That trend of losing 3.2 per cent through the year has been quite consistent,” Mr Letchford explained. “New workers are coming

Ballarat-based shearer Shane Dunne travels across the state to shear alpacas and pet sheep. (Supplied)

in, but they are leaving at a faster rate than we can keep them in.” He said until the drought broke in 2019, the Australian sheep flock numbers had fallen at about the same rate as the number of shearers. But when the rain came, flocks grew again – from about 65 million to about 74 million. “We haven’t been able to replace the shearers or skilled labour at the same rate as the flock has rebounded,” he said. Australian Workers Union (AWU) regional and pastoral organiser Ross Kenna said the award rate was too low, about “$3 less than we would like to see” and could be why retention was low. “Sheds are 150 years old, and [people] are expecting modern shearing to occur in turn of the century sheds,” Mr Kenna said. “The other big issue is we see a lot of contractors asking for industrial shearers to have their own Australian Business Number – they’ll pay the award but they won’t pay for superannuation and work cover. “We’re finding shearers who are turning 30 who have no superannuation at all.” Mr Letchford said the solution to the issue was multifaceted, and broader than pay – it included compensating for the difficulty of the labour with better “manmade conditions” – such as ventilation, accommodation and air conditioning. While he believed pay could be lucrative, it was the increase in the Australian sheep size which had become too difficult for workers. “They roughly have gone up 15 kilograms in size, the size of the Australian sheep has gone from being a manageable animal to shear that is almost unmanageable to shear… we need to understand that smaller animals can be more profitable,” he said. Kilmore shearing trainer, Tom Kelly, described shearing as a “tough industry”, but didn’t believe it was a dying one. “It’s piecework so you get paid for what you do,” he said. “And it’s not for everyone, but there’s a lot of people who love it and thrive on it. You have generations of shearing families, the ability to make money quick, the opportunity to travel, the challenge of it.” But Mr Dunne said it had been a terrible year for wet sheep – the ongoing rains and flooding preventing shearers from working. He wanted to see government farming grants flow on to industries like shearing. “There’s no such thing as a full-time shearer,” he said.

12 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 13 December, 2022

Top: Tom Roberts’ 1890 painting ’Shearing the Rams’. (National Gallery of Victoria) Above: Catherine Cruickshank’s woolly sheep before they were recently shorn.

(Supplied)

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

NEWS

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

35 years ago

30 years ago

25 years ago

20 years ago

December 15, 1987

December 15, 1992

December 16, 1997

December 17, 2002

Bulla Shire President, Cr Des Dumbrell was punched in the face in the council offices last Monday when a meeting between Bulla Council, Sunbury residents and Road Construction Authority representatives developed into a brawl.

The establishment of a higher education/ TAFE facility at Caloola could inject almost $6 million a year into the Sunbury and regional economy.

Elderly, disabled and isolated residents living in fire-prone areas will be encouraged to register their names with the Macedon Ranges council.

A family picnic at Hanging Rock turned to tragedy with the death of a 13-year-old Sunbury boy.

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Tuesday, 13 December, 2022 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY 13

COMMENT STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

How to ward off mozzie nasties By Christopher Carter, chief executive, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network

Safeguard yourself against mosquitoes this summer. (iStock)

days or weeks after being bitten. Another warning sign is a bite-lump that shows no signs of going away. Whatever the cause, if you or a family member start to feel ill, you should follow your usual action plan – depending on severity, ring Nurse-on-call on 1300 60 60 24, make an appointment with a GP, go to a Priority Primary Care Centre, a GP Respiratory Clinic (if breathing or lungs are affected), or

12544962-AV15-22

No one needs reminding that spring this year was a wet and wild affair, or that forecasts suggest the summer might also be a bit damp. And while it’s a Melbourne hobby to complain about the weather, the combination of rain and brief periods of sun means that we would do well to take precautions against an old but resurgent health risk. Warmth and water provide ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes, and populations of these flying nuisances are exploding. Mozzie bites are annoying at the best of times, but we need to be especially on guard now, because there’s a risk that a bite might end up as something more serious than an itchy little lump. There are almost 300 species of mosquito found in Australia, but only a few of them feast on humans. Those that do, however, sometimes carry germs that can infect us and occasionally cause severe illness. In Victoria we are spared two of the world’s most common mosquito-linked diseases – malaria and dengue fever – but there are some others that can potentially cause us harm. Mosquito-borne nasties that might be circulating around where you live are Ross River virus disease, Barmah Forest virus disease, Murray Valley encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis and Buruli ulcer. It’s important to note that here these diseases are rare and in most cases don’t produce any symptoms. In the small percentage that do result in illness, however, an even smaller percentage can develop very serious problems. The first symptoms of mosquito-borne illnesses are often fevers that don’t show for

14 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 13 December, 2022

call triple-0 and ask for an ambulance. All mosquito-borne diseases can be detected through testing, so even if you don’t remember being bitten, the medical professionals will figure it out. What you can do right now, though, is take some easy steps to reduce your chances of being bitten by the blighters. If you’ve got flyscreens on your doors and windows, make sure they are closed and patch up any holes.

Empty out any old containers. Mozzies don’t need much water to lay eggs in. Remember to refresh pet water bowls every day or two. Wear loose long sleeves outside, and use an effective insect repellent on exposed skin. There are many from which to choose. There is no foolproof way to escape a mozzie bite at this time of year, but these tips and tricks will help you have an itch-free summer.

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

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

Sunbury Christmas

The chats take place every Tuesday from 10.30-11.30am at Macedon Lounge, 40 Victoria Street, Macedon. ■ Carol, 0431 186 575

Sunbury Christmas in the Park is a free, family event with festive activities held in the Sunbury Village Green on Saturday, December 17, from 11am to 3pm. Note the event will be held at Sunbury Village Green located in Stawell Street (not in Rolling Meadows). ■ https://bit.ly/3FDqPoU

Sunbury badminton fun The Sunbury Badminton Club has a new extra playing time on Wednesdays, 10am-noon. All are welcome to attend at Clarke Oval Stadium, 49 Riddell Road, with equipment provided and coaching available. Playing for the first time is free. ■ sunburybc@gmail.com

Mural painting Just Another Agency is joining the Hume Youth Services Team to bring young residents, aged 12 to 18, an exciting art program this summer. Learn how to create a mural alongside an established artist on January 18, noon until 3pm at the Sunbury Youth Centre. Free and bookings required. ■ https://bit.ly/3B0xozb

Family History and Heritage Society If you’ve got a hankering to learn more about Sunbury and even your own family history, why not check out the Sunbury Family History and Heritage Society, meeting at 1.30pm on the third Thursday of each month at the Sunbury Senior Citizens Centre, 8 O’Shanassy Street, Sunbury. ■ https://bit.ly/3jvM6oJ

Christmas crafts Make your way to Romsey Library on Thursday, December 15, 7pm to 8.30pm. Make magical things for fun, and make connections in a friendly and inclusive setting. This event is for adults and refreshments are provided. Free. ■ https://bit.ly/3XNSMkF

Rotary club The Sunbury Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at the Sunbury Bowling Club from 7pm. ■ sunburyrotary@gmail.com

Sunbury Police Community Register Ladies probus

Volunteer for the Sunbury Police Community Register. Formed in 2010 as a result of the 2009 Black Friday bushfires in Victoria, the group’s mission is to make regular contact, and provide reassurance and wellbeing checks to elderly or vulnerable residents living in the Sunbury area, including those without friends or relatives. Volunteers head to the Sunbury Police Station to chat with clients. ■ 9744 8111

The Woodlands Ladies Probus Club of Sunbury meets on the fourth Monday of each month at the Sunbury Bowling Club at 9.45 am. The club is based on fun, friendship and fellowship and enjoys monthly outings, an annual trip away and a lot of fun meetings. ■ Leonie, 0401 764 182

Sunbury Ladies Probus Club

On the first and third Tuesday of the month breast cancer survivors are invited to head along to the Gisborne Golf Club at 10.30am to take part in a breast cancer support group. There they discuss experiences, find connections and improve mental health. ■ Lesley, 0484 691 226

The Sunbury Ladies Probus Club meets at 9.30am on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Sunbury Football Social Club rooms. The friendly group of women enjoy outings, film mornings, speakers and presenters, as well as special events like holidays and bus trips. New members are warmly welcomed. ■ Pat, 0433 789 754, or Sylvia, 0417 170 142

Village connect

Sunbury Combined Probus Club

A new service for older people and carers provided by Macedon Ranges council for residents over 55 years old to stay socially connected, chat with others in the community and enjoy some free coffee and cake. Happening on Tuesdays and Thursday at cafes across the municipality, there’s sure to be one near you. ■ https://bit.ly/3AMUrxm, or 5422 0262

The Sunbury Combined Probus Club meets every fourth Thursday of the month at the Sunbury Football Social Club at 10am. ■ Carmel, 0416 477 271

Breast cancer support group

Arts and games night Get creative at the Sunbury Youth Centre as part of an art and games night each Wednesday at the Sunbury Youth Centre, 3.30- 5.30pm. There’s a range of arts and crafts to try, and if art isn’t your thing, there’s a wide variety of games. The program is for people aged 12 to 18 years old and is free. It’s at 51-53 Evans Street, Sunbury.

Carer connect chat Are you caring for someone close to you? Go and connect with other carers in your local area, share a light lunch, have a chat at noon on the first Wednesday of the month. Head to Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health, 1 Caroline Chisholm Drive, Kyneton. ■ 9744 9267, or deb.mccallum@scchc.org.au

HarmoniX Vocal Company Get involved with an all-male, auditioned singing group happening on Thursday, 79.30pm in Sunbury. The group is inviting

Toastmasters

Joe Mastroianni caught up with Santa and his elf in Sunshine last week.

new members to join. The group also has a mixed choir, DynamiX Vocal Company, rehearsing Tuesday. 7-9.30pm. Both groups rehearse at Dulap Wilim Hub, 11 Leichardt Street, Sunbury. No auditions required, just bring your love of music. ■ harmonixvcinc@gmail.com

Chill Out Sunbury Are you between 12 and 18 years old and want to engage with other young people, participate in activities such as trivia, games, art, music, competitions, personal development and more? Chill Out Sunbury is for you. It’s free and happens every Wednesday, 3.30-5.30pm at the Sunbury Youth Centre, 51-53 Evans Street. ■ https://bit.ly/3lmVgVh

Craft and conversation If you’re a passionate crafter and want some company, why not head down to the Sunbury Library on Mondays at noon for the craft and conversation group. The program is free and open to people aged 15 years and older. ■ https://bit.ly/39BIu2O

Jacksons Creek Combined Probus Visit or become a new member of the Jackson’s Creek Combined Probus Club, gathering on the second Monday of each month at the Sunbury Football Club at 10am. Enjoy outings and meetings each month with a friendly group of men and women, and twice yearly trips away staying in cabins and caravans. ■ Doug, 5428 3317, or Teresa, 9746 3402

Sunbury Ladies Badminton Club Get involved with a welcoming, fun, social group of women who have spread the word of ladies badminton since 1999. Social games are on Mondays, 9.30am-noon, and team competitions are on Thursdays, 9.30am-12.30pm at Eric Boardman Stadium, Wilsons Lane. ■ sunburylbc@gmail.com

Come have a chat Delve into deeper topics and enjoy intriguing conversations by joining the Table 8 Discussion Group. The key theme for the coming months will be kindness.

Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Toastmasters helps its members develop their public speaking, communication and leadership skills. The group meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month, from 7.20-9.30pm, at the Sunbury Senior Citizens Hall. ■ vpm-4185@toastmastersclubs.org

Sunbury Seniors Sunbury Seniors meet on Mondays and Fridays at 8 O’Shanassy Street, Sunbury, from 10am-3pm. A variety of activities are offered – indoor bowls, cards, snooker, guest speakers, day excursions, subsidised lunches or just a cup of coffee and a chat. If you’re 55 or older and would like to make some new friends. ■ 0434 400 754

Probus Club Of Sunbury Join the Probus Club of Sunbury on the first Wednesday of the month at the Sunbury Football club at 9.30am. It’s a friendly men’s group open to all retired and semi-retired men. Enjoy morning tea and a guest speaker. Visitors and new members are welcome with a number of great events held each month. ■ Greg, 0417 593 035

Tuesday, 13 December, 2022 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY 15

PUZZLES

2 8 2 4 9 7 9 1 4 2 6 7 3 5 1 4 9 1 7 8 7 2 2 3 hard

9 3 4

10 11 12 13

D G 17

5 LETTERS ALIAS ALIBI ALIGN AMISS AORTA APRIL ARENA ASIDE AVERT AWARE BAGEL CARKS COVET DAMES EARNS EGGED EXERT GENTS GRANT ICIER INEPT

9-LETTER WORD 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”.

Today’s Aim: 17 words: Good 26 words: Very good

N A

4 LETTERS ELSE EYES LUGS REST RIPS SACS SEER SETS SLIM SLIP SODA SORE STAB WARM

INKED LARVA LASTS LEVEE LINGO MELTS MERES OMEGA PERIL PETAL PLANE PRONE PROPS RACES RECAP REELS RELIC RISEN SALVE SECTS SNAIL SONGS

SPEWS STAIR STARS TESTS TRAIT TRIAL TUNER

7 LETTERS DIOCESE GLEANED INKLING OVERTLY READIES SEEDIER

6 LETTERS ADAPTS EASELS PARADE TARTAR

8 LETTERS LINEAGES REVENGES TEENAGER TESTABLE

acne, cairn, cane, chain, chin, china, chine, churn, crane, curran, earn, enrich, hernia, HURRICANE, inch, incur, inure, nacre, near, nice, nicer, niche, rain, ranch, rancher, rani, RAUNCHIER, rein, reran, rerun, ruin, rune, runic, urchin, urine

16-12-22

Who wrote the 1958 novella on which the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s is based?

Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down.

How many limestone pillars currently make up the Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria?

Is limestone an igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic rock?

Who played James Bond in 1971’s Diamonds are Forever?

NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

In which US city is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located?

From which part of the UK is singer Dame Shirley Bassey (pictured)?

Which river connects the Great Lakes of North America to the Atlantic Ocean?

What was the full name of T.E. Lawrence, known famously as Lawrence of Arabia?

Which Islamic holiday is celebrated earlier in the year, Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha?

No. 111

4 8 3 5 2 1 6 9 7

9 3 8 6 1 7 4 5 2

4 6 1 2 5 3 9 7 8

2 7 5 9 4 8 1 3 6

8 5 6 1 2 9 7 4 3

O A S T A C E R S I D E

B L A

S E

7 9 3 8 6 4 5 2 1

1 4 2 3 7 5 6 8 9

3 8 4 7 9 1 2 6 5

9 5 7 8 1 4 3 6 2

D G Y

5 2 9 4 8 6 3 1 7

6 1 7 5 3 2 8 9 4

7 6 2 9 3 4 5 1 8

9 5 1 6 8 7 3 2 4

5 4 6 2 1 9 8 7 3

3 2 8 7 4 6 1 5 9

1 7 9 8 5 3 2 4 6

2 9 4 1 6 8 7 3 5

8 1 7 3 9 5 4 6 2

6 3 5 4 7 2 9 8 1

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16 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 13 December, 2022

QUICK QUIZ

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Year five pupils Ava and Clara with physical education teacher Kathryn McIntosh. (Damjan Janevski) O’Beirne, principal 298664_03 Krystine Hocking and Healthy Kids Advisor Christie

The pupils at Sunbury ’s Holy Trinity Catholic Primary are learning all about making meaningful changes to their food and drink choices , healthy habits for life. to help build Stephanie Alexander Foundation’s Healthy Kitchen Garden Kids Advisors have teamed up with state Vic Kids Eat Well moveme government’s nt to teach the philosophies of pleasurable food education. The Vic Kids Eat Well movement is a fresh opportunity for to the guidance of a schools to look health promoter like Hume’s Christie McIntosh to inspire children to make healthy create healthier environmchoices and be on board until 2024. ents – she will After the school signed up to Vic Kids Eat Well, Ms McIntos h participate in a health was invited to and physical education day expo, where children to make healthy she taught afternoon snacks like rice paper rolls. “Empowering children to choose their own vegetables and be hands on with preparing their food shows them what they are capable of,” she said.

Plan for airport ap proved

By Elsie Lange

The federal governm ent Melbourne Airport Master has approved the Plan, but was firm in saying it has yet to give approval to the development plan of a proposed third runway, citing residential noise concerns. Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King approved the master plan on Monday, November 14. “Today’s approval does not indicate an approval of the future Plan for the proposed Major Development third a separate process subject runway, which is to assessment on its own merits against the requirements of the [Airports Act 1996],” Ms King said.

“As expected, many communities surround members of the Melbourne Airport to continue to provide ing the airport have made representations and third runway to explore noise and health regarding their views the governm measures to minimis on impacts. Melbourne Airport’ e Airport chief executiv ent. s proposed north-so e Lorie Argus said uth third runway project Cr Haweil said the and the impacts it will proposed north-south the updated master plan outlined a long have on their homes runway would impact term and lives. less residents than the vision for Melbourne Airport. “In providing today’s previously proposed “Key to this is construc east-wes approva t runway. l, I have indicated my concerns “Council has not seen which will improve the tion of a third runway, regarding some plan the approved master efficiency of the airfield aspects of the proposa by at this stage,” he said. introducing parallel l operations, while also to the existing runways – including changes “Council will continue allowing the airport and noise sharing and to cater for increase to advocate for mitigation arrangem Melbourne Airport and d ents.” the federal government demand,” Ms Argus said. Ms King said managem to meaningfully listen “Alongside the 2022 and respond to both ent of residents’ concerns would be an developing a sustaina Master Plan we are important consideration ours and our community’s submissions bility strategy, with in during the assessment a of the development plan, future assessment of the Major Develop the commitment to net zero (Scope 1 and 2) by expected to be submitte ment 2025, work Plan for the third runway.” under way on Scope d in early 2023. 3 emission Hume mayor Joseph A statemen reductio s n and a commitm t from Melbourne Airport ent to circular said it supported the proposed Haweil said council welcomed the approva l of the master plan, and economy principles including on runway, but asked it now plans to submit major infrastructure.” its proposal to build the ADVERTISEMENT

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Pick up your FREE newspaper from these local outlets... • BULLA BP Service Station 84-86 Bulla Road • BULLA Jack McKenzie Community Centre 11 Green Street • CLARKEFIELD Coach and Horses Inn 50 Station Street • DIGGERS REST Foodworks 22 Glitter Road • DIGGERS REST Diggers Rest Post Office 76 Old Calder Highway • DIGGERS REST Houdinis Cafe e Cucina 52-56 Old Calder Highway • GISBORNE Gisborne Village Fresh Brantome Street • GISBORNE Morgan’s SUPA IGA Brantome Street • GISBORNE Macedon Ranges Shire Council 40 Robertson Street • GISBORNE Brad Teal Real Estate 40 Aitken Street • GISBORNE Kennedy Hunt Real Estate 33 Brantome Street • GISBORNE Gisborne Real Estate 38 Brantome Street • GISBORNE Raine & Horne Real Estate 42 Brantome Street • GISBORNE Gisborne Library 8 Hamilton Street • GISBORNE Foodworks 24 Hamilton Street • GISBORNE Macedon Ranges Health Service 76 Hamilton Street • GISBORNE RT Edgar Real Estate 25b Hamilton Street • GISBORNE Puma Service Station 23 Robertson Street • GISBORNE Caltex Service Station 4 Station Street • KEILOR PARK Star Weekly Office Unit 6/1-9 Thomson Road • KYNETON Kuppers Fuel Stop 199 Burton Avenue

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• SUNBURY The Local Sunbury Bottleshop Shop 2b/15-17 Dornoch Drive • SUNBURY Goonawarra General Store 23-25 Dornoch Drive • SUNBURY Sunbury Neighbourhood House 531 Elizabeth Drive • SUNBURY Brad Teal Real Estate 54 Evans Street • SUNBURY Barry Plant Sunbury 56 Evans Street • SUNBURY Reliance Real Estate 11/114-126 Evans Street • SUNBURY Muffin Break Shop 2/24 Evans Street • SUNBURY Sunbury Square Shopping Centre Shop 2-28 Evans Street • SUNBURY Terry White Chemist 83-85 Evans Street • SUNBURY Gap Road Medical Centre 46 Gap Road • SUNBURY United Fuel Sunbury 47 Gap Road • SUNBURY 7-Eleven Sunbury 128 Gap Road • SUNBURY Asia Finest Shop 4&5, 106-126 Gap Road • SUNBURY Puma Service Station Sunbury 96 Horne Street • SUNBURY Woolworths Supermarket 25-47 Horne Street • SUNBURY Big W 25-47 Horne Street • SUNBURY BP Service Station 53-55 Horne Street • SUNBURY Hume Council Offices - Sunbury 44 Macedon Street • SUNBURY Sunbury Community Health Centre Unit 12-28 Macedon Street • SUNBURY McKwen Drive Milk Bar Shop 1-3 McEwen Drive • SUNBURY Foodworks Bottlemart on Melba 16 Melba Avenue • SUNBURY Foodworks on Melba 16-18 Melba Avenue • SUNBURY Melba Cafe 22 Melba Avenue

• SUNBURY Mitchells Lane Milk Bar 192 Mitchells Lane • SUNBURY Just Planet 37 O’Shannesy Street • SUNBURY An Apple a Day Natural Health Store 49 O’Shannesy Street • SUNBURY Luckys Bakehouse 79 O’Shannesy Street • SUNBURY The Spotted Owl 93 O’Shannesy Street • SUNBURY Cafe Circe 109 O’Shannesy Street • SUNBURY IGA Supermarket 98-122 O’Shannesy Street • SUNBURY Killara Family Store 57 Phillip Drive • SUNBURY Strathearn Glen Corner Store 10 Strathearn Drive • SUNBURY Sacco & Saba Cafe 2/20-30 Sussex Street • SUNBURY Rosenthal Shopping Centre 90 Vineyard Road • TYLDEN Tylden Store 36 Trentham Road • WOODEND Joan Gladman Real Estate Suite 3, 39 Anslow Street • WOODEND Keatings Real Estate 83 Calder Highway • WOODEND Coles Supermarket 61 High Street • WOODEND II Cafe 66 High Street • WOODEND Andrews Cafe 77 High Street • WOODEND Fox in the Chamber 90 High Street • WOODEND Jellis Craig Real Estate 91 High Street • WOODEND Maison Maloa Licensed Cafe & Gifts 95 High Street • WOODEND Woodend Newsagency 101 High Street • WOODEND Paysanne Cafe 112 High Street • WOODEND Bourkies Bake House 115 High Street • WOODEND RT Edgar Real Estate 124 High Street • WOODEND Woodend Community Centre Cnr High Street & Forest Street

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COMMENT

Wombat waddles back to health An orphaned wild wombat joey with a life-threatening stomach condition is back waddling through grass again following treatment by Werribee Open Range Zoo veterinarians and a remarkable recovery with a wildlife carer. The female common wombat – affectionately named Fern – was found alone and weak by a member of the public near Beechworth in north-east Victoria and taken to a local wildlife carer in May. The joey, weighing a slight 1.77 kilograms, was promptly transported to Werribee Open Range Zoo for critical medical assessment. Upon arrival, Fern immediately underwent a series of tests including X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests, which revealed a problematic bacterial infection requiring life-saving medical treatment. Werribee Open Range Zoo veterinarian Dr Jen O’Dwyer said the sick marsupial had not been drinking milk – an important source of energy, calcium and protein to support growth during early life development – and had also developed severe diarrhoea. “We don’t like to see these kinds of issues in younger wombats, but they can occur because of stress, inappropriate diet and other factors,” Dr O’Dwyer said. “To commence her recovery, we provided antibiotics for the bacterial infection, and intravenous fluids and oral rehydration therapy to assist with dehydration.” As Fern’s health began to improve, her diet included specialised supplementary milk and

Wild orphaned wombat joey, Fern receiving treatment. Fern’s recovery is going “beautifully”. (Pictures: Werribee Open Range Zoo)

fresh grass, dirt, roots, and bark. “One of our vet nurses acted as a foster mum, providing Fern with daily milk feeds from a bottle,” Dr O’Dwyer said. “Fern was also taken outside regularly into a grassy rehabilitation enclosure to roam and forage with the nurse’s guidance.” Following Fern’s rehabilitation at the zoo, she has spent six months being nurtured by a wildlife carer from Reach Out Wildlife Australia (ROWA). This period included two return visits to the zoo to support Fern’s ongoing recovery.

“Fern is tracking beautifully at the moment and has moved to a pre-release enclosure with her wildlife carer, so we’re really optimistic for her future,” Dr O’Dwyer said. “Health permitting, she will be released back to where she was originally found once she is old enough to be able to fend for herself in the wild in the coming months.” Dr O’Dwyer said there are some simple actions the community can take if they encounter a wombat in distress in the wild. “There’s been a lot of rain throughout the past few weeks and wombats are a burrowing

species, so it’s possible members of the public may come across displaced adult and juvenile wombats,” Dr O’Dwyer said. “If you’re seeing wombats under the size of the football, I would be concerned if there’s no mum or burrow around. “Wildlife can become highly stressed with human approach, especially wombats, so it’s always important to keep your distance. Please contact Wildlife Victoria or your local wildlife carer who will be able to provide expert advice about the best course of action to take.”

YOUR NEW CAREER ... starts here PRINT AND ONLINE SALES EXECUTIVE

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Star Weekly seeks an enthusiastic sales executive to work across our print, digital, social and online platforms. Star Weekly is an independently owned company which prides itself on its long history of community experience but also its investment in the future. The successful applicant will need to possess good people skills to enable them to meet with local businesses to sell solutions through our advertising platforms to help promote their business. Applicants will need their own reliable vehicle for which we will provide an allowance. The position is salaried, plus we offer an open ended commission scheme. Send your application letter and resume to: Advertising Sales Manager, Mandy Clark salescareers@starnewsgroup.com.au

12570945-JC40-22

Tuesday, 13 December, 2022 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY 19

MOTOR STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

EV6 . . . they’ll see you coming.

(Pictures: Supplied)

A statement of what’s possible By Chris Riley Back in the ‘60s Gerry Anderson created the puppet phenomena Thunderbirds. The puppets or marionettes later grew into real life actors in shows like UFO and Space: 1999, complete with space-age clothing, architecture and futuristic cars that made a buzzing, turbine-like sound. I suspect many car designers have spent too much time watching sci-fi shows because most seem to think EVs should come in a futuristic package, with form taking precedence over functionality. Kia’s first dedicated, fully electric vehicle, EV6, is an example. It looks and feels more like a statement of what is possible rather than a real car, one ready to take on the demands of the weekly grind or occasional trip to the tip on Saturday with a back full of crap. EV6 may be Wheels’ Car of the Year and there are certainly many things to like about the car, but it’s not the most practical thing we’ve driven -- not by a long shot.

Engines / transmissions Air is the more range focused of the trio, with 168kW of power and 350Nm of torque and a range of 528km, while RWD GT-Line with the same powertrain is good for 504km. GT-Line with AWD adds a second electric motor and produces a combined output of 239kW and 605Nm, along with a range of 484km. All are powered by the same 77.4kWh battery pack, which is located under the floor and weighs 477kg, with a single speed reduction gear transmission. Moving through the grades, energy consumption ranges from 16.5 to 17.2 to 18.0 kWh/100km.

Safety Five-star safety starts with seven airbags, a rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines, plus Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with car, pedestrian, cyclist detection (and junction turn assist). There’s also Blind Spot (including rear cross traffic assist), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist (ISLA), Lane Follow Assist (LFA), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Driver Attention Warning

with lead vehicle departure alert (DAW+), Multi-Collision Braking (MCB) and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). EV6 provides three top tether and two ISOFIX child seat anchors.

AT A GLANCE

Driving

EV6 GT-Line AWD: $87,590

There are four selectable drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow which also change the look of the instruments. Adding some drama to the drive experience is Active Sound Design (ASD) with a choice of artificial engine sounds and custom setting. They’re unique electronica rather than engine noise emulations. With this much power and torque under foot and all that torque available in a flash, EV6 has plenty of get up and go, with 0-100km/h in the AWD taking a rapid 5.2 seconds. With a burst of speed, overtaking can be accomplished virtually at will, but it’s a weighty device and wants to run wide in corners. Steering is heavy and uncommunicative. EV6 has powerful braking too, perhaps too strong at times, or more specifically -irritatingly abrupt. It pulls up with a jerk and releases with a lurch, and can be difficult to control in close manoeuvring. One way to avoid this happening is one-pedal driving, using the regenerative brake system that is controlled by the steering wheel paddles normally devoted to gears. In this way, the car slows when you lift off the

SPECIFICATIONS

20 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 13 December, 2022

MODEL RANGE EV6 Air RWD: $72,590 EV6 GT-Line RWD: $79,590

Kia EV6 GT-Line electric SUV

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

accelerator -- to a complete stop if necessary. An electric parking brake is provided, but instead of being located close to hand in the centre console, it’s relegated to a position to the right and below the dash. More jerkiness follows. Try releasing the brake and moving off in reverse if you’re parked on a slope. A dab on the accelerator pedal is required and is liable to result in an intake of breath as the car shoots backwards. EV6’s space-age look is polarising. Some people love it, others hate it. Most annoying was the location of the charge port. In Niro it is sensibly located at the front, but in EV6 it is cleverly concealed near the driver side tail light. The location necessitates backing the car in to access power. Charging can take a looong time with a standard powerpoint, down to as little as 18

minutes for 80 per cent with a 350kW DC commercial charger. Even fully charged the system reported a distance to empty range of 412km -- some 70km less than claimed. Stranger still, after travelling a few kilometres to do some shopping, the range actually went up a few kilometres rather than down, even though the battery dropped to 97 per cent. At the end of the day, we were getting 17.0kWh/100km after about 400km of mixed driving. After all the EV6 hype, it’s a mixed bag and something of a let-down. Until now Kia’s ergonomics have been a shining example of simplicity. Who let the nerds out?

Summing up It’s a halo model for the brand, pure and simple. Cashed up nerds will want one. Lesser so, user-choosers, who will be drawn to the usual line-up of Euro suspects. Who then does that leave? It’s a fairly short, exclusive list at $90K by the time you put it on the road. Just over 500 EV6s have found homes in Australia this year. Over the same period, Kia has sold four times as many Stingers (and they reckon its days are numbered). No doubt, the arrival of the EV6 GT will give the figures a bit of a bump -- but after that, who knows?

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

SPORT

Sports shorts FIDA The Kyneton’s Football Integration Development Association team is on the look out for more players for 2023. FIDA is a football competition for players with an intellectual disability. Kyneton FIDA invite new or interested players to come and meet the coach and have a kick with the team. Details: Debby on 0403 343 705.

GDCA

The Sunbury Lions coaching panel.

(Supplied)

Lions lock in key recruit Tara Murray The Sunbury Lions have added another key piece to the puzzle with former Victorian Football League player Mitch Lewis committing to the club on a full-time basis. Lewis played five games for the Lions this year in between VFL commitments and has made the decision to play all his football at the Lions next year. Lions coach Travis Hodgson said the addition of Lewis was big for the club. “He was with Port Melbourne last year and due to injury and byes he was able to play a few games with us. “He’s a big bodied mid and played at the Casey Demons and Port Melbourne, he’s still

a lock VFL player so that’s really good for us. “He’s highly respected, an elite two-way runner and a strong body around the ball. He makes those around him better by bringing them into the game.” Hodgon said Lewis finished fifth in their best and fairest despite playing only five games and expected him to play a key role in their midfield next year. Lewis joins Cody Brand, Josiah Garisto and Rivva Karpany as joining the Lions for next season. Hodgson said they were still waiting on possibly a couple more recruits. Lewis is also part of the Lions coaching panel, joining as a playing assistant coach. Meanwhile, the Lions have finalised their

coaching panel for the senior men’s football teams for next season. Hodgson will lead the seniors for a fifth season. Lewis is one of two playing assistant coaches, along with Tyson Lever. Lever, is the seniors backline coach and will be captain of the senior side next year. Premiership winning reserves coach Nathan Webb will again coach that side and be the senior forward line coach. Webb will be joined by Leigh Brennan as a co-coach of the reserves. Jamie Bramble is the under-19s coach, while Matt Power will be head of development. Paul Sahlberg is the strength and conditioning and fitness coach.

It was a tough day for Lancefield in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association Jensen Shield. Chasing Rupertswood’s 372, the Tigers were bowled out for 121 in the 45th over. Ryan Millar played a lone hand with 51. Malmsbury, Bacchus Marsh all claimed wins, while Hanging Rock got an outright win against St Anthonys to move to the top of the table.

RDNL Romsey has welcomed back premiership goaler Chelsea Ross for next year’s Riddell District Netball League season. Ross, who played in Diggers Rest’s B-grade premiership this year, will coach the Redbacks B-grade team next year while also being a senior player.

FOR MORE SPORT, VISIT Web: starweekly.com.au Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly

SPORTS QUIZ 1. Former England cricketer Isa Guha currently commentates for which sports channel?

4. Which former fighter is suing UFC great Conor McGregor for unpaid proceeds?

2. Which country faced a major upset at the World Cup against Morrocco?

5. The Parramatta Eels rugby club offered which player 1 million dollars to resign with them?

3. Prior to Ash Barty’s Wimbledon win, who was the last Australian woman to win the tournament?

6. Which former gymnastics veteran had competed in every olympics from 1992–2000? 7. Australian tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis sported a $6 t-shirt from which brand at the 2021 Australian Open? 8. What is the nickname for the US women’s national soccer team? 9. Who is the coach for the Collingwood football club? 10. Kayo stadium was recently announced as the new venue for which sport?

13. Craig Goodwin captains which A-League Men’s club?

Ash Barty

14. Which African nation’s soccer team goes by the nickname The Black Stars? 15. NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield signed with which team after being released by the Carolina Panthers? 16. Before debuting in 1989, which NBA team considered the names Heat, Tropics, and Juice? 17. Which South American nation’s soccer team goes by the nickname The White And Sky Blues? 18. Featuring teams such as the Toronto Argonauts, Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks, is which professional sports league? 19. Which Polish golf professional won the 2022 Australian Open? 20. Which South African golf professional won the 2022 Women’s Australian Open?

11. Soccer is played with two teams of how many players on the field at the one time?

21. How many goals did Portugal score in their FIFA World Cup 2022 match against Switzerland?

12. Olivier Giroud is the alltime leading goalscorer for which national soccer team?

22. Eddie Jones was recently sacked as the coach of which nation’s Rugby Union team?

23. Which team was recently announced as North Melbourne’s opponent in the 2023 AFL Good Friday match? 24. Which two NBL teams will play a match on Christmas day against each other? 25. The WNBL’s Southside Flyers recently announced the signing of which AFLW star to their roster?

28. What position did Australian golfer Hannah Green finish in the recent Australian Open? 29. Australian basketballer Dyson Daniels plays for which NBA team? 30. Which Australian regional city will host the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships?

26. Which English rugby league club team will compete in the 2023 NRL Pre-Season competition? 27. The 1989 movie Major League revolves around which a real-life baseball team from which US city?

Olivier Giroud 1. Fox Cricket 2. Spain 3. Evonne Goolagong Cawley 4. Artem Lobov 5. Mitchell Moses 6. Oksana Chusovitina 7. Kmart 8. The Stars and Stripes 9. Craig McRae 10. NRL 11. 11 12. France 13. Adelaide United 14. Ghana 15. Los Angeles Rams 16. Orlando Magic 17. Argentina 18. Canadian Football League 19. Adrian Meronk 20. Ashleigh Buhai 21. Six 22. England 23. Carlton 24. Sydney Kings and Melbourne United 25. Monique Conti 26. St Helens 27. Cleveland 28. Third 29. New Orleans Pelicans 30. Bathurst

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Tuesday, 13 December, 2022 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY 21

SPORT STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Rogers gets his chance to perform in the BBL Former Gisborne cricketer Tom Rogers will get his chance to show what he can do in the BBL. Rogers, who is originally from Bacchus Marsh, was named as a replacement player for injured Stars skipper Glenn Maxwell on Sunday. Maxwell broke his leg in an off field incident, with no return date set. Having dominated Victorian Premier Cricket and played for Victoria’s second XI, it’s another chance for Rogers to impress at the top level. He played one game for the Stars last season as a replacement player when COVID-19 went through the team. Opening the batting, he made 32 off 25 balls. He wouldn’t get a second chance for the Stars last season, as he himself was then ruled out with COVID-19 while the side was short on players. Rogers said that he was thrilled to get another opportunity at this level and it’s great to be a part of the Stars again this season. Stars general manager Blair Crouch is rapt to see Rogers back in green. “It’s great to have Tom back at the Stars and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do if he gets an opportunity. “We’re looking forward to a great start to the tournament in Canberra and then a huge night at the MCG on December 16.” Rogers has been about the Stars squad

throughout the pre-season and in the winter. He played in the Stars team for the practice match on Saturday against the Melbourne Renegades. He opened the batting with Joe Clarke, who he opened with in his one BBL game last season. Rogers has also part of the Stars Academy squad the last couple of years. The program is tailored to assist player development, with the Stars playing a number of T20 matches in the Northern Territory in the off season. Rogers played his junior cricket at Darley, Gisborne and Melton. Speaking to Star Weekly earlier this year, he said it was unbelievable to make his Stars debut, a dream come true for him. “It’s unbelievable and not something I’d expected to happen at all,” he said in January. “It just happened pretty fast and I think that actually helped, because I didn’t have the time to have any negative thoughts.” Rogers said he enjoyed the challenge of mixing with the game’s best in the T20 format. “I’ve faced some reasonably quick guys… [but] there was definitely a bit of difference,” he said. Tara Murray Tom Rogers has been signed as an injury replacement player. (Melbourne Stars/Getty Images)

Kangaroos snare a win By Tara Murray The Sunbury Kangaroos broke through for their first win of the Gisborne and District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup season on Saturday. After showing some good signs in recent weeks, the Kangaroos were able to put it together against East Sunbury. The Kangaroos found themselves in a good position after day one of the match, having made 226 with Mace Green top scoring with 61. The Thunder got off to the worst start, losing a wicket without scoring but was able to steady to be 1-82. The wickets then started to fall at regular intervals, with the Thunder bowled out for 162 in the 69th over. Blake Watson top scored with 50. Jas King was the pick of the bowlers with five wickets, while Green chipped in with four. The win moves the Kangaroos off the bottom of the ladder and up into fifth spot. From fifth down to Woodend in 10th, each team has one win. Woodend total of 234 against Bacchus Marsh proved not to be enough, with the Bulls putting on a batting show. Resuming at 0-11, the Bulls lost both openers early before they were able to steady. Former skipper James Lidgett showed why he is one of the best bats in the competition, putting on an unbeaten 126. He helped guide his side to 8-296. Greg Matthews took three wickets for Woodend. The win is the Bulls second for the season. Gisborne and Sunbury United remain undefeated after good wins against Wallan and Rupertswood respectively. Having made 9-273 with plenty of different contributors, the Dragons then backed it up with the ball against Wallan. The Magpies were bowled out for 115 in the 62nd over. The Dragons shared the wickets around with Jarryd Vernon taking 3-22 off 24 overs, while Mick Allen, Max Torkington and Darcy Thomas taking two wickets each. Sunbury United continued its good form with the ball against Rupertswood. Rupo resumed at 2-4 in reply to United’s 239. Rupo got off to the worst possible start on

Jas King (Shawn Smits)

day two, losing a wicket without scoring and was soon 4-17. Rupo, which made 300 in the previous game, wasn’t able to repeat that, bowled out for 154. Andrew Pizaro top scored with 70. Rajitha Mendis took five wickets for United. United in its second innings was in trouble at 4-14, with Nathan Crotty taking three wickets. Romsey also continued its good form with victory against Diggers Rest. Having made 287 on day one on the back of

22 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 13 December, 2022

a century to skipper Ben Way, the Redbacks bowled the Burras out for 157. Mulkapuge Lakshan top scored with 40. Jamie Taylor took three wickets for the Redbacks. The Redbacks in their second innings, finished 1-101 in reply. In the Johnstone Shield, Kilmore beat Gisborne, Eynesbury was too good for Romsey, Bacchus Marsh beat Macedon, Riddell defeated Sunbury United and Aintree beat Kyneton.

Batting slump costs Sunbury Sunbury’s winning run ended at three in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association division 3 on Saturday. After getting their season back on track in the last two weeks with three wins, the Roar faced a tough test against Point Cook. After a delayed start to the match, which meant the game was reduced to 30 overs a side, Point Cook sent Sunbury in at Clarke Oval. The Roar lost an early wicket, before a slump in the middle had the team go from 1-45 to 4-58. The Roar’s middle order managed to push the score to 7-157 off their 30 overs. Paul Webber top scored with 44 not for the Roar. Point Cook came out attacking in its innings with Jason McGann on the receiving end of the damage. At 0-65, the Point Cook was in control. Three quick wickets gave the Roar a slight chance. There would be no joy after that, with Point Cook finishing 3-160, hitting the winning runs with two overs remaining. Brad Hunter took all three wickets for the Roar. The result moves Point Cook to the top of the table, while the Roar sit in seventh spot with three wins, three losses and a draw after seven rounds. Sunbury faces Werribee Centrals on Saturday in the last game before the Christmas break, with the aim to get ahead of the ledger ahead of the second half of the season and two-day cricket. Before then, Sunbury will also be in action on Wednesday night in the T20 competition. The Roar faces Melton South Royals, with both sides having already beaten Burnside Springs in the round robin stage. The winner of Wednesday’s game will finish on top of their pool group and progress through to the next round of the competition. Tara Murray

St Albans, Deer Park are officially EDFL clubs St Albans and Deer Park are officially Essendon District Football League clubs. The league announced on Friday that an AFL Victoria appeal hearing into the move of the two clubs had been concluded and dismissed. The hearing took place after the Western Region Football League, where the clubs had been playing, appealed the decision made by AFL Victoria at an earlier hearing rejecting the WRFL’s objection to the move. The EDFL in a statement confirmed that AFL Victoria had made a final decision on the move. “The Essendon District Football League is

delighted to welcome the Deer Park and St Albans Football Clubs as the League’s two newest clubs,” the league said in a statement. “AFL Victoria confirmed the outcome to the EDFL following a final appeal hearing with the WRFL earlier this week.” League chairman Bernie Shinners said both clubs would be welcome additions to the league. “Given the calibre of these clubs, our competition will be significantly strengthened and enriched and we look forward to embracing both as member clubs of the EDFL,” he said. The WRFL also released a statement saying

it had been made aware that its appeal had been unsuccessful “Although we are disappointed to be farewelling two-long standing WRFL clubs, we are looking forward to continuing the growth of football and netball across the western suburbs of Melbourne,” it said. Deer Park and St Albans play in the EDFL division 1 competition in 2023, with the division set to comprise 12 teams. Further details surrounding the admission of Deer Park and St Albans as well as the division 1 fixture will be finalised in the near future. On social media, Deer Park said they are

glad this process is now completed and they can get on with season 2023 and joining the EDFL as planned. St Albans president James Perkin took to the club’s social media to thank the people behind the scenes that had done a lot of hard work to get the club to this position “It has been a roller coaster of emotions from the highs of being accepted, the lows of the unknown, with the appeal of the WRFL, but finally, we gained acceptance into a league that our club sees a bright future in,” he said. “This is the start of a momentous change in our club’s history.” Tara Murray

Local young guns attend metro camp

Sunbury’s Sebastian Pretty. (Joe Mastroianni). 303534_02

Tough day for Sunbury By Tara Murray Club Sunbury fell short in the top of the table clash in the Bowls Victoria weekend pennant division 1, section 1. Having lost just one match for the season, Club Sunbury got the chance to test itself against the other standout side, Lilydale on Saturday. It was a tough day on the road, with Lilydale winning 91 (16)-76 (2). Marc Bullows’ rink was again the standout, winning 28-21. Ray Pretty’s rink lost 21-20, Mark Cowan’s rink lost 19-12 and Lee Wesley’s rink lost 20-16. Club Sunbury’s David Glennon said it was always going to be a tough match heading to Lilydale. “The two sides have swapped positions, now, Lilydale is now on top and Sunbury is second,” he said. “It’s always a hard game at Lilydale on their green and they had some really good skips.. It would have been nice to pick up another two points and split the rinks instead of 1-3.” Glennon said all of Bullows’ rink played well, while Sebastian Pretty, who changed

rinks this week, was a standout in his father’s rink. The loss has Club Sunbury with a 7-2 record at the halfway mark of the season. Club Sunbury has 114 points, six points behind Lilydale. Blackburn is in third spot with 96 points. Glennon said they were in a good position at this time of the year. “We’re at the half way stage and there’s daylight between us in second and third,” he said. “I’d say it’s a pass mark through the first half of the season. It all bodes well for the second half of the season, there’s a lot to look forward to.” Club Sunbury has another good test this week, facing Craigieburn in the final match before the Christmas break. Glennon said it would be a tough test, with the fourth placed Eagles undefeated at home on their synthetic green.” Elsewhere on Saturday, Club Sunbury’s second side made it back-to-back 18-0 wins beating Wallan. In the Central Highlands Bowls Division, there were plenty of thrillers in the top

division, with four points the biggest margin in the four games. Gisborne won only one rink, but was still able to claim the win against Kyneton Golf, 61 (12)-58 (4). Graham Quaife was the winning skip for Gisborne, winning 27-16. Lancefield did just enough to beat Braodford, 61 (14)-58 (2). Bev Holmes and Aaron Young were the winning skips for Lancefield. Ladder leaders Romsey suffered an upset loss to Kyneton. Kyneton getting the win, 65 (14)-62 (2). Anthony Mathison and Mark Smoljo were the winning skips for Kyneton, while Damien Ely was Romsey winning skip. Trentham beat Kilmore in the other match, 65 (14)-62 (2). Despite its loss, Romsey remains top of the ladder. It is 20 points clear of Lancefield with Gisborne a further 18 points back. In division 2, Macedon, Diggers Rest and Broadford 2 got wins, while Kyneton Golf 2 and Woodend had a tie. Trentham 2, Lancefield 2 and Macedon 2 were the winners in division 3.

Players from the Calder Cannons, Western Jets and Northern Knights were among those who took part in a training camp in preparation for the 2023 AFL under-18 national championships. The camp, which was held at the Hangar in Tullamarine featured a host of talented 16 and 17-year-old boys and girls who feature as part of the Victoria Metro regions that compete in the NAB League. The girls squad participated in the training camp across Friday and Saturday, while a camp for the boys squad was run on Saturday and Sunday. Six players in the 2023 NAB AFLW Academy have been named in the girls’ squad, including the Cannons’ Amy Gaylor and Jets’ duo Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner and Kiera Whiley. AFL Academy representatives including the Knights’ Nate Caddy have been named in the boys squad, along with the Calder Cannons’ Mahmoud Taha, who is a member of the Bachar Houli Academy. Cannons’ Jordan Croft, who is the son of former Western Bulldogs player Matthew Croft, who played 186 games for the Bulldogs, is in the squad. Jets’ Logan Morris, who plays with Werribee Districts, and Tamara Henry, who is from Darley, Knights’ William Green and Ava Jordan and the Cannons’ Kyla Forbes also took part in the camps. All players attending this weekend’s training hub were to be given an induction into high-performance and wellbeing programs The introductory camp will be followed by another training camp early in 2023, with the boys squad to reconvene in January and the girls squad to come together again in February. Additional players will be added to both squads in preparation for trial matches ahead of the national championships. Northern Knights girls coach Allana Dickie has been appointed coach of the Victoria Metro girls team, while Jason Davenport will continue as coach of the boys’ team.

Tuesday, 13 December, 2022 SUNBURY & MACEDON RANGES STAR WEEKLY 23

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