Star Weekly - Brimbank North West - 28th February 2023 by Star Weekly

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Curbside Carnies Circus Homework facilitator Anso Biguet .

The next generation of circus performers could be in Brimbank thanks to a Brimbank council community grant. The council awarded 136 grants in the 2022-23 program, including $10,000 to Curbside Carnies for its new Circus Homework program. Curbside Carnies is a mobile circus project created during the lockdowns in Victoria, which has since expanded to provide COVID-safe circus experiences. The homework program targets First Nations, Torres Strait Islander and refugee-background school-aged children in Brimbank, Attendees will have the opportunity to identify their favoured skills and build on their capabilities over consecutive weeks before a showcase at the end of each term. Carnies’ Sophie deLightful said there was great excitement in receiving the grand which was the first step in having a year long program. “Curbside Carnies first received a grant from Brimbank City Council in November 2021 and has been working steadily with them since,” she said.

(Supplied)

Pool phone ban looming By Tara Murray Mobile phones and other devices could be banned on the pool deck at the Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre as part of a safety review following a number of ‘serious events’. Brimbank councillor Maria Kerr raised a notice of motion at last week’s council meeting calling for a review of safety at the centre following recent incidents. The review is to focus on parental supervision of children within the pool area, water safety awareness and parental responsibilities and a possible ban on mobile phone use in the pool area.

A review of current car parking facilities will also be part of the review. The review comes after a number of incidents since the centre opened in September. It’s been believed the centre had to be evacuated at least three times last year following incidents where children weren’t supervised. Cr Kerr said there had been more members using the centre than expected and the staff had done an outstanding job. “With the unprecedented number of patrons, there have been a few instances that have caused me concern,” she said. “I have visited the centre with my own young children, along with feedback from the

community have noted, there are concerns with the level of parental, carer and guardian supervision of minors whilst in the pool. “The usage of mobile phones by guardians while they should be supervising minors, patrons eating while in the pool, the number of the patrons in the aquatic area during busy times, murky water.” She said other concerns raised included the amount of accessible car parks available, level of lighting in the car park and pedestrian crossings. Cr Kerr said she feared the incidents would continue to occur if something was not done. “I’m very concerned that these very serious

events and near drownings could turn into a fatal accident,” she said. “It is my duty as a councillor to bring this issue to council. I urge my fellow councillors to support this motion for a safety review, including supervision guidelines whilst minors are in the pool, parental, carer and guardian water safety awareness, the possibly the ban of all devices whilst in the aquatic space. “Along with the community I’m very concerned that it is only a matter of time before we are dealing with a more serious incident, the occurrences thus far already been traumatic to staff and witnesses.”

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Council will review January 26 By Tara Murray Brimbank council will review how it marks January 26. The council normally holds a citizenship ceremony, along with the naming of its citizens of the year on that date. With more people calling for Australia Day to be moved due to the pain the day causes many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, councillor Jae Papalia called for a report to be produced for Brimbank council on options and recommendations on how to acknowledge that

date going forward. Speaking at last week’s council meeting, Cr Papalia said the council has the ability to make a decision on what best represents the diverse community. “January 26 has long been positioned as a day of celebration and unity but for many Australians, this is a day that divides us,” she said. “Last year I had the privilege of hearing a first nations man telling his story in a way that profoundly affected me. “He explained the pain he feels each year on

January 26 and asked me to picture intruders coming into my home and killing my friends and family. He then asked me to have a think about how I would feel if those same people came over and had a barbecue, on the same day every year after these horrific events. “These words resonated deeply with me, because I had never thought what this annual celebration could feel like for first nations people.” Cr Papalia said she had been behind looking at change since she got on council, but only now changes to protocols had made it possible.

Previously, if a council stopped citizenship ceremonies on January 26, it was deemed a significant breach of the citizenship protocol and the council was stripped of its rights to hold any future citizenship ceremonies. As part of the review the council will undertake a community engagement process including with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities including Traditional Owner organisations to understand community sentiment about January 26.

A healthy partnership The work of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation will be enhanced as it partners with cohealth for the next three years. cohealth will be the presenting partner of the Sons of the West and Daughters of the West health and wellbeing programs, which are delivered across Melbourne west’s and Victoria by the foundation. The three-year partnership will result in cohealth playing an enhanced role in the programs via a team of health experts, providing resources for participants and strengthening pathways into cohealth’s local community health services. Bulldogs community and government relations general Kashif Bouns said the partnership is an exciting outcome for the community of the west. “Both the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation and cohealth have a long and proud history in Melbourne’s west and to have two of the state’s leading not-for-profit organisations

join forces is a great result for our community,” he said. “The mission of cohealth is very well aligned to ours and we will be using our collective expertise to provide increased support to those who need it the most. “This partnership will not only help us continue to deliver our flagship programs but will also assist in community capacity building that will deliver better health outcomes across the west. cohealth chief executive Nicole Bartholomeus said the partnership is a way to expand the impact both organisations have in the region. “Sharing our values of diversity and social inclusion, the Western Bulldogs are more than just a footy club, just like we are more than just a health service,” she said. “It feels like a natural progression for a sporting club and a community health service to be working together to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in the west.”

Bulldogs’ community foundation ambassadors Issy Grant and Tom Boyd, Bulldogs’ community and government relations general manager Kashif Bouns, cohealth chief executive Nicole Bartholomeusz and Western Bulldogs’ Buku Khamis. (Supplied)

McKay Gardens festival offers family fun on Sunday We’re building big near you and there will be transport disruptions As part of Victoria’s Big Build, we’re building the West Gate Tunnel. We’re also removing dangerous and congested level crossings. Road disruptions: Closed roads and bus stop Footscray Road, West Melbourne

Until early Apr

Citybound between Appleton Dock Road and Dock Link Road

Mt Derrimut/Station roads, Deer Park

3 to 8 Mar

Between Foleys Road and Wood Street

3 to 8 Mar

Between Station/Mt Derrimut and Fitzgerald roads Eastbound bus stop at Deer Park Station/Tilburn Road

Check before you travel at bigbuild.vic.gov.au Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne 4 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 28 February, 2023

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Tilburn Road, Deer Park 3 to 8 Mar

The McKay Gardens Community Festival is back this Sunday. After being cancelled early last year due to COVID-19 and then postponed later in the year due to weather, the festival is on and will have something for all ages. Friends of McKay Gardens’ Speroulla Christodoulou said they were excited to have the festival back up and running. “We are trying to focus on getting as many kids and families there,” she said. “The original idea of the festival was to introduce people to the gardens and let them know where it is and to use the gardens during the year. “We wanted to tell people about the history of the gardens and why they are there and then morphed into a festival with lots of kids events.” The theme this year is wizards, with a wizard to be among the star attractions on the day. Children are encouraged to dress up. The wizard will take the children through the gardens, with plenty of magical stories to be told. There will be face painting and storytelling, along with an arts and crafts corner and drawing competitions, and plenty of prizes. There is also a fitness corner, with local sporting clubs attending and being able to promote their clubs. There will be seven back-to-back performances on the day, all by local artists. Ms Christodoulou said the festival was put together by a group of locals passionate about the garden. The event runs from 12pm-5pm at the McKay Gardens in Sunshine. Details: https://www.facebook.com/ FriendsofMcKayGardens

McKay Gardens Community Festival is back this year. (Supplied)

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Braybrook Lotto win

Rachel, Matthew and Maeva Martin with Keith Miller’s old house. (Chris Avery, Urbaneye Photography)

Cricket history for sale By Tara Murray The childhood house for Australian cricket legend Keith Miller is on the market in Sunshine. Rachel Martin and her family are selling the house, with Ms Martin saying there was a tinge of sadness as they part ways with the house at 29 Benjamin Street. “We knew when we brought the house that it was a massive thing,” she said. “When we looked through the house there was a book about Keith in the house. He was born in the front room.

“We won it at a lively auction seven or eight years ago, and now we are moving to be closer to our family and friends.“ “It’s a classic Victorian Terrace house, there’s only five in Sunshine.” Miller lived in Sunshine in his young years before his family moved to Elsternwick. Miller played both cricket and football in Sunshine before moving, playing both sports at the highest level. Miller played 55 test matches for Australia, while also playing 50 matches for St Kilda in the old Victorian Football League. The house will be open for inspection every

Saturday throughout March, with Ms Martin hoping that the history might attract a few cricket fans to come have a look or even by the house. The book that was there when they purchased the house will be on show. She admits that they weren’t the biggest cricket fans, but understand the significance of the property. “There’s a lot of cricket fans in the area,” she said. “There’s an oval named after him at Parsons Reserve which is nearby. “We just hope the house gets the attention it deserves.”

A Braybrook woman was left in shock after realising she had won nearly $700,000 in a recent TattsLotto draw. The woman was one of eight division one winning entries in the TattsLotto draw on February 18, with each person winning division $685,236.47. The woman plans to use her prize to pay off her mortgage, buy a new car and replace her fridge. She purchased the ticket at Braybrook North Lotto, Braybrook. The woman said she had been playing with the same numbers for many years. “My heart is still pounding, my love,” the woman exclaimed when speaking with an official from The Lott. “I wasn’t 100 per cent certain last night, but this morning it’s been confirmed. I didn’t really have a good sleep. The brain is going nuts. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness gracious. I’m so excited. “This is going to take a chunk off the mortgage, maybe I’ll update the car and even get a new fridge.“ Braybrook North Lotto owner Su Vo said he was very happy his outlet had welcomed another division one winner. “This is the first individual division one win we’ve had since we relocated here four years ago,” he said. “Many people think we’re a lucky outlet and now we can prove it. This has created lots of buzz among our customers. “We’re so honoured this division one win was sold by our outlet and we wish our winner all the very best with their prize.”

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO BIN COLLECTION SCHEDULE IN SOME AREAS

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Due to high growth within the City of Melton, some households will experience changes to their bin collection schedule from Monday 6 March.

Back to school Twins Colby and Sebastian, and Rania and Dania, were among the excited pupils starting school at Furlong Park School for Deaf Children last week. The school reopened for 2021 on Thursday and there was plenty of fun for the two sets of twins and their school friends. Colby and Sebastian, 8, and Rania and Dania, 6, are two of three sets of twins at the school this year. The school has about 65 students. A third set of twins will start on February 11 and will be part of the school’s early years program. Principal Lee Bullock said it was possibly the first time the school had welcomed three sets of twins.

(Damjan Janevski) 226450_01

Back to school

Tara Murray

Twins Colby and Sebastian, and Rania and Dania, were among the excited pupils starting school at Furlong Park School for Deaf Children last week. set up after the West Footscray warehouse fire By Tara Murray “The urgency to clean it [industry] up has delayed for 12 months. “We’ve been waiting for so long to have which spewed toxic fumes across the western never been greater.” The school reopened for 2021 on Mr Rowley said during his time with confidence to be able to breath fresh air. suburbs for days in August 2018. Two western suburbs advocates are calling for She said the group, a non-political alliance government action after a waste management LeadWest, from 2010-18, one of the biggest Confidence that our creeks aren’t going to be Thursday and there was plenty of fire fun for concerns raised by local councils was the need polluted.” in Brooklyn last week. of community groups, organisations and There have been at least eight factory, waste management or tip fires across the west and Hume since October, while the Kealba landfill has had underground fires burning continuously for more than a year. Former LeadWest chief executive Craig Rowley and former state MLC member Colleen Hartland say enough is enough. “It’s a long-running issue,” Mr Rowley said. “It doesn’t matter which party has been in power at the time, they haven’t done enough clean-up of the west.

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for a cleaner, greener and more liveable western metropolitan area. “We were constantly talking about it with the other tiers of government, about the investment needed in the west to make it cleaner and greener. “It just seems that it is taking a long time to get there.” Mr Rowley said an Environment Protection Act, which changes how the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) regulates pollution, waste and contamination in Victoria, had been

He suggests forming a steering committee which would include the EPA, WorkSafe, MFB and council representatives to have a co-ordinated approach to industry clean-up. “I don’t think questions are being asked on Spring Street as often as they should.” He also proposed government funding to help bring old industrial estates up to the 21st century and the introduction of better air quality monitoring systems. Ms Hartland is a member of the Facebook group Anti-Toxic Waste Alliance, which was

individuals, wants action. “There’s been a spate of these fires,” she said. “There’s been three in the last 10 days. “The EPA and the state government don’t seem to be taking it seriously.” Ms Hartland said the group wanted more regulation on industrial sites, clear information about when the EPA is called in and when and for how long air quality equipment is set up. She has also called for the act to be introduced. ■ Fire probed: Page 3

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Fire sparks call to arms

Affected households should have received a letter in the mail outlining their new collection details and changeover week information.

If you haven’t received a letter and want to check if your household bin collection schedule is affected, visit melton.vic.gov.au/binchanges

Further information If you have any questions or require further information, please call 9791 9948.

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Rate waiver policy introduced By Tara Murray Brimbank residents could receive a waiver of rates and charges in exceptional circumstances under changes to the council’s financial hardship policy. The council voted at last week’s council meeting to change the existing policy which had been in place since February 2021, which didn’t allow for a waiver of the whole or part of any rates and charges raised annually. The policy has been amended to allow for the waiver of rates and charges in exceptional

circumstances to ensure it is consistent with the spirit of the local government act. Under the new policy, a waiver on grounds of financial hardship will usually only be appropriate if a person’s particular circumstances make the payment of interest and/or rates and charges in full unfair or unjust in some way. Their circumstances would need to distinguish their situation from that of the many other people who have to repay their debts. Interest or rates and charges may be waived

in those circumstances, while the council has the ability to have an annual budget waiver at budget time, where ratepayers with a concession card might receive a waiver. The change comes after a Victorian Ombudsman’s investigation into how local councils respond to ratepayers in financial hardship in 2021 concluded that a blanket refusal to consider applications on the grounds of financial hardship ‘cannot be justified’. ‘There are good grounds for arguing councils should waive rates rarely, but the parliament has given people the right to apply

and applications should be considered on their merit,” the report found. Councillor Victoria Borg said that many residents in Brimbank are in more financial stress than others. “It’s important that we continue to review and amend accordingly,” she said. “It’s sufficient to say COVID-19 and the detrimental effects are still very much with us. “Uncertainty in all aspects of life has never been… so pronounced. As a local government, it’s important to continue to find ways and means in supporting the community.”

Barro seeks licence review

Bruce Lancashire with Aren, Nour and Betty. (Supplied)

Many young hands make light work Sunshine Heights Primary School students, staff and families will be rolling up their sleeves for Clean Up Australia Day. The school is one of 22 sites already registered in Brimbank to take part in Clean Up Australia Day. The official Clean Up Australia Day is March 5, but groups can clean up on other days if it doesn’t suit. Brimbank mayor Bruce Lancashire said Clean Up Australia Day is a day where we

can all come together and take action towards making a difference to our environment. “This year, we are once again holding a number of clean-up activities across Brimbank,” he said. “If you or someone you know would like to get involved, visit either Council’s website events page or the Clean Up Australia Day website for more information.” Clean Up Australia chair Pip Kiernan said Clean Up Australia Day is especially important

in 2023 because our environment is facing pressure unlike ever before. “As all Australians know, over the past two years, we’ve seen severe bushfires, cyclones and floods, and increased pressures on our biodiversity and an ever-growing volume of waste which leaks into our natural and marine environment,” she said. Details: https://www.cleanupaustraliaday. org.au/

The Barro Group is seeking a review of the Environmental Protection Authority’s decision to revoke its licence at the Kealba landfill. The EPA announced in January it would be revoking the group’s licence for the Sunshine Landfills after multiple alleged breaches. The decision means Barro can no longer accept waste at the landfill. The EPA said the decision to cancel the licence followed assessment of information Barro Group provided in response to a show cause notice issued by EPA on October 28, 2022. Underground fires have been burning at the site for more than three years, with Barro missing several deadlines to have the fires out. The EPA sent residents an update last week. “The operators of the Sunshine Landfill, Barro Group, are seeking a review of EPA’s licence revocation decision at VCAT [Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal],” the update said. “An initial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday 14 March 2023 to determine next steps and future hearing dates. “Rest assured we will defend our decision at VCAT and make sure Barro Group focus on remediating the hotspots and ending the odour.” The update said the Barro Group had complied with EPA’s recent notice to investigate and provided a final report on hotspot drilling information. EPA is finalising its review of this report and expects to confirm next steps required of Barro Group in the coming weeks. An EPA information session to keep residents update to date was held on Thursday.

More youth mentors needed to provide early-intervention A youth mentoring program is looking for volunteers to give back to the Brimbank community. Raise Foundation runs a youth mentoring program providing vital early-intervention and evidence-based mentoring for vulnerable high school students from schools across the state, including Sunshine College. The foundation is in desperate need of new volunteers to sign up and become a mentor to meet the higher than ever demand for its services. Raise Foundation founder and chief executive Vicki Condon said that with the difficulties of the past several years, there had never been a more important time to think about volunteering. “We know many young people in Brimbank

are experiencing an increasing number of challenges that impact their wellbeing, yet many are unable to access a caring, independent and trusted adult to talk to – someone that shows up each week just for them,” she said. “With our industry leading training we can equip anyone from the community to become a youth mentor, so we’re asking anyone interested to consider signing up and helping address this urgent social need.” The Origin Energy Foundation has been supporting the Raise Foundation since 2021 with Origin Energy employees from across the country undertaking training to become youth mentors as part of the Foundation’s volunteering program. Origin Energy manager Jon started volunteering with Raise in 2021 and mentored a

6 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 28 February, 2023

13-year-old boy who struggled with confidence and trust in relationships. “The main impact I noticed was the confidence he gained in interacting with adults and even starting to see it as a positive and fun thing – all incredible steps for someone who sadly suffered great personal loss and trauma throughout his childhood,” he said. “It made me feel really good that I could help a young person in a formative part of their lives. “The biggest learning for me was, once I’d committed to it, how easy it was to make a positive contribution to a young person’s life. It’s so humbling and fulfilling and I’d encourage anyone considering becoming a mentor to have a go,” he said. Details: http://ow.ly/mAkR50MXBoH

Dan and Lachie are involved in the program. (Supplied)

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Man charged Police have charged a 24-year-old man after a restaurant and car were damaged in Sunshine on Tuesday. It is alleged a man used a metal pole to smash the front window of the business in Hampshire Road just after 4.30pm. He then allegedly jumped on a parked vehicle causing damage to the windscreen on Devonshire Road. A Coburg man has been charged and bailed with criminal damage offences and will appear in court next month.

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The Braybrook Sporting club’s Ebony Dunlop and president Anthony Dunlop. (Damjan Janevski) 320942_01

Excitment builds for gift

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There’s a record amount of entries for this year’s Braybrook Gift. Formerly known as the Maribyrnong Gift, this year’s event has a new name and new organisers. The Braybrook Sporting Club has taken over running the event at Pennell Reserve. Terry O’Donnell, who is helping organise the event, said they were excited for the racing, which has attracted some of the best runners in the country. “We know that there are 10 coming from Queensland, who are hoping to win it,” he said. “The last two Stawell Gift winners won the Maribyrnong Gift before winning Stawell, so

it has become a target for most runners these days.” This will be the 13th running of the gift. There’s equal prize money for the main men’s and women’s events, both run over 120 metres. O’Donnell said the new organisers had come board and really enhanced it, with every race now being sponsored. He said there would be plenty of activities for families on the day while the racing was happening. The Braybrook Gift is on May 5 at Pennell Reserve between 12pm-5pm.

The Environment Protection Authority conducted snap inspections in Tullamarine on Wednesday. EPA officers spoke to businesses to find out how they are ensuring waste liquids do not leave their premises and enter stormwater drains. EPA chief executive Lee Miezis said stormwater drains run into local waterways such as creeks and rivers via the stormwater system, so it’s important businesses know their responsibilities under Victoria’s environment protection laws. “Following recent storm and flood events state wide, it’s more important than ever that businesses are aware of how their actions can directly impact the environment and public health,“ he said.

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End near after a decade in limbo Last week the federal government announced a pathway to citizenship for thousands of asylum seekers. Liam McNally reports.

hen Nayran Tabiei heard the news, she sat in her St Kilda cafe and cried tears of joy. On February 13, Immigration Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Andrew Giles announced the federal government was delivering on Labor’s election promise to abolish Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEVs), and provide a pathway to permanency for refugees that have been held in a state of limbo for a decade.

‘‘

A lot of people really work hard to show people that we didn’t come here to take any money. I came here for a safer place

’’

- Nayran Tabiei For Ms Tabiei, getting the new Resolution of Status Visa means she may soon be reunited with her three sons for the first time in 12 years. In 2011 Ms Tabiei was forced to leave her home, her business and her life when war broke out in her home of Damascus, Syria. Ms Tabiei, her husband, and her four-year-old daughter ended up in Jakarta. She said as a last resort they boarded a smuggler’s boat to Australia. “The way we came here was not normal. We saw a lot of people killed on the way, being eaten from sharks, the boats were broken. None of the people know how many people die on the way because we don’t have evidence,” she said.

Nayran Tabiei at her cafe, Flavours of Syria. (Supplied)

After her journey, Ms Tabiei spent a year in detention on Christmas Island, before being settled in Braybrook on a bridging visa. Her

three sons ended up in Iran. In the years since, Ms Tabiei has been on a cycle of temporary visas that left the future

uncertain, and restricted her from certain freedoms, such as reuniting with her family. She was still determined to work, first as a volunteer cooking teacher, English teacher, and playgroup facilitator. Ms Tabiei has given speeches on human rights, and in 2021 was a recipient of the Victorian refugee award. Eventually she began a catering business, which was paused during COVID but has since been reborn as a successful cafe, Flavours of Syria, where she employs many newcomers to Australia. Ms Tabiei is passionate about her work, getting to present her culture and “putting a smile on the face of people when they eat the food”. “It’s so great to see people that love the food, love the environment, I’ve built a community here,” she said. “I feel I’m a mum, and I support my children, and I show them we can do things, even in war times … I tell them you are alive, you are breathing, you should do work. Keep going. “A lot of people really work hard to show people that we didn’t come here to take any money. I came here for a safer place.” Mr Giles said all people on TPVs and SHEVs have been found to be refugees, and are “owed Australia’s protection”. “TPV and SHEV holders work, pay taxes, start businesses, employ Australians and build lives in our communities – often in rural and regional areas. Without permanent visas however, they’ve been unable to get a loan to buy a house, build their businesses or pursue further education,” he said “It makes no sense, economically or socially, to keep them in limbo.”

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‘‘

I want to be able to travel freely, I want to really feel freedom for the first time in the past ten years. I want to feel free

’’

- Obaidullah Mehak

The plight of refugees has been divisive in Australia. Many support them being allowed to stay permanently, while others worry about border security. (Shutterstock)

allowed to stay Australia, but had become frustrated at being so restricted. He said he was living in overcrowded housing, became sick, depressed, and experienced racism that he was scared of reacting to, because he was afraid of the attention of the justice system. “That visa brought hell upon us,” he said.

“There are days that I wouldn’t go out because I was scared of being perceived as doing something wrong, my life was frozen, it was imprisonment. “The door was shut, and I was in absolute darkness.” For 10 years he was unable to pursue his goals, first being unable to work, then being

unable to afford the $70,000 international student tuition for further study, and unhirable his field of expertise because of his temporary visa. “Between 30 and 40, that’s where you either make it or you fail. I don’t have a house, I have nothing. I had much bigger dreams,” he said. Mr Mehak is still hopeful things can improve if he obtains a PoS visa. “I want to complete a higher education degree. I want to establish a business as well as work for a really good cause. I want to bring my family over, I want to live with my family after all these years,” he said. “I want to be able to travel freely, I want to really feel freedom for the first time in the past ten years. I want to feel free.” Asylum Seeker Resource Centre advocacy and campaigns director Jana Favero congratulated the federal government on the decision, but was now “eagerly awaiting” details on how the transition will be handled. “After 10 years of bravery and struggle, people seeking asylum and refugees have prevailed against an unjust system, they will now be able to rebuild their lives with the rights they were so long denied,” she said.

12544962-AV15-22

For others, like Obaidullah Mehak, the announcement was welcomed, but after a decade of uncertainty their faith in the system has diminished. “Today I feel like I can start living again and that this is the end of the torture of uncertainty,” he said. “But to be frankly honest, you don’t believe it until it happens, so unless I see permanent residency in my hands, it all looks like a dream because 10 years we have lived like this.” Mr Mehak, a lawyer and human rights activist, was forced to flee Afghanistan in 2013 after falling foul of the Taliban and powerful warlords. His work in his home country was extensive. He had advised the Afghanistan government on policy, electricity, telecommunications, and was instrumental in setting up a justice system to address the opium trade. Later, he moved into human rights, specifically advocating for the rights of women and children in Afghanistan. He said he had also “risked his life” to free two Australian soldiers who had been kidnapped. Less than a month before Mr Mehak was due to speak at a United Nations conference in Indonesia on behalf of the Afghan Civil Society in 2013, he was shot twice. Once in Indonesia he realised that if he returned to his home his death was “certain”. “I never wanted to leave Afghanistan, I was doing well, I had name, fame, and was passionate about the lives of so many,” he said. But with no other choice, he left without his family on a boat to Australia. After being held in detention in Darwin, Mr Mehak arrived in Melbourne’s north-west. Mr Mehak said he was “grateful” for being

SPECIAL REPORT

Tuesday, 28 February, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 9

SECTION STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

28 February 2023

STAY INFORMED

Mayor’s message Cr Lara Carli

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

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a particularly exciting event, with the Melton Specialist School opening its very own Mini Woolies. It’s a wonderful asset for the City of Melton and is a fantastic initiative that provides hands on learning where students can develop practical work skills like scanning, bagging groceries, handling money and customer service. Congratulations on a project that will make an important difference to some young people in Melton. On Friday, Council unveiled a new public artwork at The Avenue Park in Caroline Springs. Titled Second Nature, the sculpture plays on the theme of growth and will provide a place of shelter and play at the heart of the park. I’d like to thank all the people who contributed to this project at the community arts workshops - your drawings have been etched in the pathways leading to the sculptural landmark in the centre of the playground. This artwork represents what it is to grow together as a community and as a city and I look forward to seeing our residents young and old enjoy this piece of art. There are also a number of opportunities to have your say on various plans across the city, including a discussion paper on the revitalisation of the Melton Town Centre, and the CCTV cameras at Lake Caroline. I’d encourage you to visit conversations.melton.vic. gov.au and tell us what you think. Feel free to contact me about Watts Ward or Council related issues on 0409 951 020 or email at: lara.carli@melton.vic.gov.au or visit my Facebook page at: facebook.com/Cr.LaraCarli

Free! Join a free parent group

Free hospitality training

Parents of babies and toddlers, join us as at a free, in person or online, parent group.

Council is offering free hospitality package certificates to help you secure a job in the industry.

If you want to know if your child is reaching their milestones, wonder about your toddler’s behaviour, are looking for new play ideas, need help with fussy eating or are ready to toilet train, we can provide information and support.

You can choose from barista and basic café skills, responsible service of alcohol and food safety.

Led by our Parent Group Educators these face-to-face and online sessions provide lots of opportunity to hear from other parents and ask questions.

Places are limited. Find out more and enrol at meltonlearning.com.au/

There are a range of sessions to choose from including night, weekend and online sessions.

Book online: melton.vic.gov.au/ParentGroups

Funding bid for City of Melton’s future

Watts Ward with Cr Justine Farrugia I am delighted to present my first Ward Talk after being sworn in as Watts Ward Councillor late last month. As a local resident of nine years, I hope to bring a fresh, youthful perspective to Council and will strive to represent the many members in the community who, like myself, have young, growing families. I am passionate about advocating for better transport infrastructure to ease congestion on our major roads. This includes Taylors Road (Caroline Springs), and Hume Drive (Taylors Hill) – both important links for commuters within our City, The Taylors Road Corridor Upgrade Plan includes a suite of projects designed to improve road connectivity and safety, including signalisation of the intersection at Taylors and Gourlay Roads. Currently in the design phase, you can visit melton.vic.gov.au/

taylorsroadupgrade for more information about this important road infrastructure project. The duplication of Hume Drive, between Gourlay Road and Calder Park Drive, will increase the existing two lanes to four, greatly improving traffic flow along Hume Drive and enhancing safety for all road users. You can visit conversations.melton. vic.gov.au/humedrive for more information. I’m also keen to see more, fit-forpurpose play spaces for children that encourage sensory play; and am committed to advocating for more green spaces to cater for our City’s fast-growing population. I look forward to working with my fellow Councillors to deliver on this for our community. Feel free to contact me about Watts Ward or Council related issues on 0475 907 616 or email at justine.farrugia@melton.vic.gov.au

A new plan for our future, with more jobs, better infrastructure and investing in our young people’s education is at the centre of the Melton City Council’s bid for Federal Government funding. We’ve made a submission for the 2023-24 federal budget seeking funding for Council’s key priorities like building the Outer Metropolitan Rail and Road Ring, a new freight terminal, skills and training through TAFE and a university, electrifying and upgrading the rail network, and upgrading the Western Highway. Together, these projects would connect residents with more employment precincts, enhance the local economy, create local jobs, and increase employment opportunities. You can read the full budget submission at: melton.vic.gov.au/ federalbudget

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

Deputy Mayor Cr Julie Shannon

Cr Steve Abboushi

Cr Justine Farrugia

A vibrant, safe and liveable City accessible to all 10 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 28 February, 2023

Cr Goran Kesic

Cr Kathy Majdlik

Cr Sophie Ramsey

Cr Bob Turner

Cr Ashleigh Vandenberg 12587338-FC09-23

Mayor Cr Lara Carli

Property news

Top tips and tricks to stay ahead of interest rate hikes 5. Other options your bank may offer If you’re struggling to meet your mortgage repayments, it’s important to talk to your bank before you default. They will help you look over your budget, but may also offer you options such as switching to interest-only or part-payments, or, extending out your loan term. While these choices can offer instant relief in the form of lower repayments, borrowers should be aware of the longer-term sting in the tail that can come with these alternatives.

At its February meeting, the Reserve Bank inflicted more rate pain on Australian mortagage holders when it increased the official cash rate by another .25 per cent. The ANZ now expects the cash rate to peak at 4.10 per cent by May, up from its previously forecast peak of 3.85 per cent. The bank predicts three more standard rate hikes in March, April and May of this year, followed by at least one cut to the cash rate, but not until November 2024. Borrowers whose budgets are unlikely to hold up against this rate hike – or the forecasted future hikes – should take action now according to the experts at RateCity. 1. Refinance the mortgage – potential annual savings: $13,319 The average owner-occupier who has not renegotiated their loan since the rate hikes began is on an estimated rate of 6.11 per cent. However, RateCity.com.au expects at least 10 lenders will still offer rates under 4.75 per cent once this latest hike filters through. That’s a 1.36 percentage point difference, equivalent to over 5 standard RBA hikes. If a borrower with $500,000 owing at the start of the hikes refinanced to a rate of 4.75 per cent, they could save $13,319 over the next two years and significantly more over the longer term. 2. Focus on your food bill – potential annual savings: $5720 For most families, food is the second biggest expense behind the mortgage repayments or rent, which makes honing down on your food bill a strategy worth trying. Households can do this in a range of different ways from buying in bulk, to shopping at two or more supermarkets to

capitalise on specials, or simply switching to cheaper brands within your regular store. RateCity.com.au put this to the test on a typical supermarket shop for a family of four of around $240, excluding fruit and vegetables. Swapping 23 items for cheaper, but still comparable alternatives saved around $110 on the weekly grocery shop. 3. Drive down transport costs – potential annual savings: $908 Transport costs are the third biggest expense for many households, after the mortgage or rent and food. For a quick cash injection, selling a second car could potentially see you pocket tens thousands of dollars. However, if this isn’t an option, think about shopping smarter when it comes to loading up the tank. On average, Australians spend $96.93 filling up the car each week, according to the Australian Automobile Association. However, being mindful of where you fill up can potentially save you hundreds over the course of a year. RateCity tested this out by comparing the unleaded price per litre across hundreds

of petrol stations in each capital city. The price ranged by $0.16 from the average cost to the lowest cost outlet, and up to $0.33 per litre. For the average driver filling up their tank once per week, saving $0.16 per litre would save $454 per year at the pump, while a $0.33 per litre discount would equate to a $908 saving per year. 4. Increase your income – potential annual post-tax increase: $3843 Asking your boss for a pay rise will see your income go up without having to work longer hours. If you haven’t had a salary increase recently, now is the time to ask. According to the RBA, wages growth is forecast to rise to 4.25 per cent late this year. For a family of four, where one parent earns the average full-time wage and one parent works part time at half the rate, a wage increase of 4.25 per cent could translate into approximately $3843 in post-tax dollars. While this kind of increase isn’t within cooee of inflation, it will help partially offset the cost of rising rates.

6. Extending out your loan term If someone with a $500,000 debt and 25 years remaining on their loan term at the start of the hikes extended their loan term back out to 30 years today, their repayments would reduce by an estimated $265 a month. However, paying the loan off over a longer period of time could add an estimated $126,562 dollars in extra interest over the life of the loan. 7. Switching to interest-only repayments for 2 years Switching to interest-only payments instead of paying down your debt can drop your repayments dramatically, despite the fact the bank is likely to charge you a higher rate of interest for doing so. If someone with a $500,000 loan at the start of the hikes, switches their loan from principal and interest to interest-only repayments for the next two years, on a rate that is 0.56 percentage points higher than their current rate, they could shave $514 off their monthly repayments. However, it could see their total cost over the life of the loan jump by $22,279.

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Tuesday, 28 February, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 11

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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

Kindergarten information Will your child be three or four years old next year? Head to one of Brimbank council’s kindergarten information sessions to check whether your child is registered, update your details or to find out more. They are on March 1, 9.30am-noon at Keilor Library, March 2, 10am-noon at Sydenham Children’s Centre, March 6, 9.30am-noon at Deer Park Library and March 8, 9.30am-noon at Sunshine Library. ■ https://www.brimbank.vic.gov.au/events

Clean up Australia Day Clean up events will be held across Brimbank on March 5 to mark Clean up Australia Day. ■ https://www.cleanup.org.au/create

Live Well for Life Group This group is for people who have diabetes and heart disease or who are at risk of developing a chronic condition and would like to learn how to improve their health. The five sessions are free to attend and commence on Thursday, March 2, from 10am-noon, at IPC Health Deer Park campus, 106 Station Road, Deer Park. ■ 1300 472 432 or email living.well@ipchealth.com.au

Meredith Thomas exhibition BAY is a selection of themed works from Port Phillip Bay. The larger studio works consider colour, surface reflection and depth in a more leisurely fashion, and are richer and more textural. The exhibition is on show at the Brimbank Community and Civic Centre until Thursday, April 20. ■ artspaces@brimbank.vic.gov.au or 9249 4600

This week’s photographer’s choice picture is of Scotty So, who is part of an exhibition in Footscray. (Damjan Janevski) 320321_01

Deer Park Lions Club

The Gap on Graham

Deer Park Lions Club is looking for new members. It holds dinner meetings on the first Wednesday of every month at the Deer Park Senior Citizens Club, 119 Station Road, Deer Park. ■ Michael, 0417 307 572

The Gap provides a place for Melton youth to hang out, socialise, play games and learn new skills. The centre holds a night for girls aged 10 to 18 years at 5 Graham Street, Melton, on Wednesday evenings. There is also a drop-in night for anyone aged 12 to 25 years old. ■ Val, 0414 769 605

Sunshine Community Brass Sunshine Community Brass is looking for trumpet and percussion players to join its vibrant band of musicians. With more than 90 years of history, the band rehearses at 45 Furlong Road, North Sunshine, on Tuesdays from 7.30pm. ■ Andrew, 0419 444 620

St Albans senior citizens St Albans Senior Citizens group meet at the centre at the corner of Alfrieda and William streets, St Albans, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9am-1.30pm. Annual membership: $10. Cost: $1 entry on attendance day. ■ Roma, 0435 991 064

Learning to relax group IPC Health is running a free group in Deer Park to help people learn ways to effectively manage their stress and how to relax. The sessions are free to attend and will run every Tuesday from 1pm- 2pm until March 28, at IPC Health Deer Park campus, 106 Station Road, Deer Park. ■ 1300 472 432 or email living.well@ipchealth.com.au

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

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

affordable outings and events. ■ 0406 493 734

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

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

10am-noon at Maddingley Park, corner of Grant and Taverner streets, Bacchus Marsh, to maintain two beautiful rose gardens. New volunteers are always welcome – with or without experience. ■ Elaine Greenhall, 0418 171 119, or 0400 052 857

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

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

Parkinson’s support group

Zonta club meets

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

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

Melton Bridge Club

U3A Melton

The Melton Bridge Club has recommenced weekly social Bridge sessions at the Melton Library on Fridays from 10am-noon. Come along to play an exciting, social card game and have loads of fun. Bridge offers the suspense of poker, the cerebral qualities of chess and the excitement of athletic sports, all in a relaxed and social setting. If you like playing cards this is for you. ■ Rosemary, 0407 894 817

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

Melton Trauma Teddies

Melton Combined Probus Club

Bacchus Marsh Market

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

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

Melton Friendship Group. Join the Melton Friendship Group for singles 55 and older. Meet fortnightly for coffee and chat nights and organised

12 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 28 February, 2023

Rose Carers Of Maddingley Park The Rose Carers meet Wednesdays from

Rotary Club of Melton The Rotary Club of Melton invites new guests to join its meetings, held on the first and third Tuesday of every month, 6pm at Tabcorp Park in Melton. ■ meltonrotary@gmail.com Melton Trauma Teddies are seeking volunteers to assist with knitting, stuffing, or stitching teddy-bears that go to children in their time of need. ■ Jean, 0412 931 498

PUZZLES To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal rows and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

easy

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

3 2 7 9 8 9

QUICK CROSSWORD Travelling bag (8) Cloth (6) Adhesive (5) From Oslo, eg (9) Sleeveless jacket (6) Neptune’s fork (7) Self-government (8) Chinese ethnicity (6) Uncommon event or item (6) Waterfall (8) Perfume (7) Man’s name (6) Pathological self-admirer (9) Herd (5) Long, angry speech (6) Fierce storms (8)

20 21 24 27 28 29 30

Words of the same meaning (8) Common name for the US (7) Lift (5) Compile (9) Colloquial shortening of Protestant (4) Consensus (9) Making loud and confused noise (10) Song of praise (8) Drinking vessel (7) Animal track (5) Revise and correct (4) Finish (3,2) Headland (4)

ACROSS 1 5 10 11 12 13 14 15 18

No. 122

6 7 8 9 14 16 17 19 22 23 25 26

DOWN Ninth month (abb) (4) Examiner (9) Small inlet (5)

1 2 3

DECODER

No. 122

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

6 9

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: 16 words: Good 24 words: Very good

5 LETTERS ABLER ADAGE ADORE ATONE AVAIL AVERT BABES BEIGE BESET CACAO CACTI CANED COOEE CYCLE DELTA DENIM DONOR DOSES EAVES EDGES

E F

4 LETTERS ACHE DINE DIPS EVIL GEMS HISS IDOL POSE REST SALE SEES TACO WADE WIDE

EERIE ERODE HEART HOURS KILOS LOUSE MATTS OBESE OLIVE OPERA OVERT POLAR RACES RADAR RAMPS REACT REARS RESTS SARIS SASSY SLEET

7 LETTERS LEOTARD RENTING REPLICA RESTIVE VERSING VOLCANO

SLEWS STORM TEPEE TESTS TICKS TILDE TRILL WANTS WAVER 6 LETTERS COMBAT CONDOM REDONE SERENE

cede, cite, cited, civet, deceit, deceive, defect, DEFECTIVE, deft, device, dice, diet, dive, edict, edit, evict, evicted, fecit, feed, feet, fete, feted, fetid, five, iced, idee, teed, tide, tied, vice, vide, vied

8 LETTERS ARRESTED DERAILED ENTANGLE ETHEREAL

03-03-23

No. 122 Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down. NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

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

E D S

N N E R

A S P S T H I C O O N A

R E D

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

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

10 11 12 13

No. 122

5 $ 0 3 6

S W 18

O E

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

S I

S T

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

32 words: Excellent

hard

5x5

medium

3 LETTERS ARE ART ASH ATE BOO EGO EKE ERA EVE EYE GEE GYM HEN HOE ICY IVY KEN OPT ORE OVA RAN SIT TOW VIE

QM R L I X Y Z K P O U J

easy

N T D F HG C A B V E SW

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

WORDFIT

QUICK QUIZ

With regards to the university, what does RMIT stand for?

Which podcast won Podcast of the Year at the 2022 Australian Podcast Awards?

The Richter scale was developed by which US seismologist?

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer (pictured) star in which US TV comedy?

See What You Made Me Do is a 2020 non-fiction book written by which Australian journalist?

Do emperor penguins live in the Arctic or Antarctica?

President Joe Biden was born in which US state?

What type of fruit was the heaviest recorded fruit, at more than 1000kg?

The two Australian pigeon species that have an erect crest are the crested pigeon and what other species?

10 Which city has the highest population density in the world? ANSWERS: 1. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology 2. Charles F. Richter 3. Jess Hill 4. Pumpkin 5. Spinifex pigeon 6. The Last Outlaws 7. Broad City 8. Antarctica 9. Pennsylvania 10. Manila (The Philippines)

No. 122

5 $ & ( 6 : $ 9 ( 5 7 , & . 6 $ ' $ * ( $ 7 2 1 ( $ 9 $ , / ' 2 1 2 5 ' ( / 7 $ & < & / ( $ 5 ( ( . ( & $ & $ 2 7 2: : $ 1 7 6 + , 6 6 5 ( ' 2 1 ( 5 ( 1 7 , 1 * + 2 ( 3 2 6 ( , ' 2 / % $ % ( 6 6 $ / ( ( 7 + ( 5 ( $ / 2 3 7 5 ( 6 7 , 9 ( / ( 2 7 $ 5 ' $ 5 5 ( 6 7 ( ' ' , 1 ( * ( ( 5 $ 0 3 6 ( 9 , / 5 ( 6 7 ( < ( 5 ( 3 / , & $ $ & + ( 5 ( $ 5 6 & 2 1 ' 2 0 % 2 2 6 $ 5 , 6 * < 0 2 9 $ / 2 8 6 ( 2 / , 9 ( % ( 6 ( 7 ' ( 1 , 0 $ 9 ( 5 7 ( ( 5 , ( ( ' * ( 6 7 ( 6 7 6 5 ( 6 7 6

SUDOKU

Tuesday, 28 February, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 13

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Bill 0410 48 14 17

V Cabinet Makers

AA CABINETS Kitchens & Bathroom Renovations · Plumbing · Tiling · Electrical · Carpentry · Plastering · One stop shop - Kitchen, bathroom, laundries & renovation needs. · Complete service from start to finish, including kitchen 3D design. · Appliance packages available. · Bathroom tapware, accessories & tiles on display in our showroom. Showroom by appointment only Free Quotes & Mobile Ensuite Hire. terms & conditions apply Please note that we specialise in renovations - we do not do repairs or maintenance

8348 5441

SMALL SMALL CONCRETING CONCRETING JOBS JOBS "We do all the small jobs that the bigger companies don't have time for" Up to 60 square metres Shed floors, paths, driveways etc. Coloured, plain, slate and stencil. FREE MEASURE & QUOTE Workmanship guaranteed, with over 30 years experience

12418345-SN21-19

AK BRICKLAYING

section of Network Classifieds.

12360798-DJ33-17

฀ ฀

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Call Sam 0450 820 170 - 7 days

• Gutter Cleaning • Hedge Trimming • Lawn Mowing • Tree Cutting

• Garden Maintenance • Rubbish Removal • Green Waste Removal

0431 132 175 AMAZING GARDEN SERVICES Specialist in • Lawn mowing • Edging Pruning / Hedge Trimming • Regular Maintenance • Rubbish Removals • Tree Lopping • Gutter Cleaning

Call Joe 0498 375 094 - 7 days

NATHAN FENECH CONCRETING

• All types of timber work • Renovations • All general house repairs • Paint and Plaster repairs Over 35 years of experience Call Charles: 0419 316 198

General Classifieds

฀ ฀

12591232-RC09-23

V Carpenters

CARPENTER/ HANDYMAN

V Bricklayers

Contact Adam 0422 250 675

Plain • Colour • Stencil • Slate Pattern • Exposed Aggregate • Driveways • Pathways • Garage Floors • Factory Floors • Car Parks • Driveway Pressure Cleaning FREE QUOTES. Call Matthew: 0413 789 755

Phone Tony 0404 775 573

www.topedgekitchens.com.au

All Types of Bricklaying Restoration Work ฀Brick Fences ฀Repair Work

Specializing in: • Kitchens • Wardrobes • Vanities • Custom Built Storage Space For a free quote please contact Andy 0408 081 888 Showroom: 45 Knight Ave, Sunshine North Email: aacabinets@outlook.com.au

12586003-MS03-23

12420493-CG25-19

PTY LTD 12589153-MS06-23

Renovations at budget prices

Pergolas • Decks • Retaining Walls • Renovations • Landscaping

Andrew 0425 852 621 | Froggys.com.au | info@froggys.com.au

V CONCRETING GTSpecialising in all types of concreting.

V Guttering

Residential - Commercial - Industrial All • Footings • Slabs • Foundations • Concrete Paving • Concrete Restorations NO JOB TOO SMALL!

FREE QUOTES Mobile: 0478 129 330 | ABN. 43462185813

12479887-JW04-21

& Kitchens

12425486-CG35-19

Beautiful Bathrooms

CONTRACTING

Very diverse in all aspects of specialised property services

A1 Garden Maintenance & Rubbish Removals

12416265-CG17-19

Froggys

V Bathroom & Kitchens

12533274-HC09-22

V Builders & Building Services

section of Network Classiﬁeds.

0412 184 772

V Garden Services

12459914-SN36-20

Real Estate

Ph 0410 807 841

12589150-AI06-23

Ask about our discounted ongoing advertising rates and how choosing more newspapers gives your advertising more impact and saves you money...

Lou’s Colorbond Fencing

12402755-RA44-18

VISA/MASTERCARD/EFTPOS

Call for a FREE QUOTE 0431 477 232

12440392-SG06-20

We accept payment by:

12398667-SN37-18

(include your name, address and phone number)

12555984-NG26-22

All styles of Fencing and Gates • Colorbond • Picket • Wrought Iron and more

Online: networkclassiﬁeds.com.au (24/7) Phone: 1300 666 808 (Open 8.30-5pm Mon-Fri) Email: sales@networkclassiﬁeds.com.au

RJ GUTTERS ฀

฀

฀ ฀ ฀ ฀

★ New & Existing ★

Homes

฀

1232632-ACM26-16

฀

฀ ฀ FREE QUOTES

0421 421 640

with us and get better results

CALL 1300 666 808 14 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 28 February, 2023

12514849-JW40-21

ADVERTISE

Trades & Services

Employment ANTENNA MAN

Bill 0410 48 14 17

TREE SERVICE

SAME DAY SERVICE

Handyman

HIGHLY EXPERIENCED TECHNICIANS ANTENNA SERVICE ALL AREAS

darren

฀ ฀

฀ ฀ ฀ No job too small - Pensioner discounts

0409 888 228 12469374-CG46-20

Free quotes - Call Darren 0409 785 995

1239688-HM34-16

Semi-Retired Builder at Your Service ฀ ฀

฀ ฀

DBU-13652

Phone Bruce 0402 438 844

12567906-MS37-22

V Painters/Decorators

SAIDA’S PAINTING Top Quality Guaranteed EST. 2008

• Domestic • Commercial • Interior • Exterior • New Homes • Renovation • Plaster Repairs • Home Repairs Call for a Free Quote

0418 378 097

฀

• Bathroom, Kitchen, Toilet Renovation • Small Extension • Carpentry / Plastering • 20yrs. Plus Building Experience ** call Hill now for a free quote **

Tel 0427 963 906

฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ “Your Local Tree & Stump Removalist” ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ 0421 836 152

V Plumbing

Rainbow Club 12561969-JC32-22

section of Network Classifieds.

12553448-JC23-22

MIRMIC PLUMBING

Trees Pruned Reshaped Grubbed out. All Foliage/Rubbish Removed Fully Insured $10m Pensioner Discount

$110/ 30mins Open 7 days 48 Davies Avenue, Sunshine North 9364 0770 SWA6566B

V For Sale

V Massage Therapists

ROB'S SHEEP MANURE, 40 litre bags, $7.00 per bag, minimum delivery 15 bags, sms preferred, 0429 954 259 V Wanted

RELAXATION MASSAGE 7 days, 10am - 8pm. St Albans. Phone 0458 891 066 or 0438 842 866.

CASH FOR RECORDS LP records wanted big or small collections, no 78s or classical. Prompt and polite service Phone Ian: 0418 539 736

ADVERTISERS, in this section are qualified practitioners and offer nonsexual services.

V Tuition A TEACHER Available for tutoring. Mathematics, Science, Chemistry, Chinese and Japanese. Phone 0418 871 203

V Pets & Services ADVERTISERS PLEASE NOTE Anyone advertising a puppy, dog, kitten or cat in Victoria for sale or re-homing will need a source number from the Pet Exchange Register and a microchip identiﬁcation number. It is now an offence to advertise unless the source number and microchip identiﬁcation number is included in the advertisement or notice. For further information, call 136 186 or visit animalwelfare.vic.gov.au

ENROL

NOW!

EARLY LEARNING CENTRE 246 Sunshine Ave, Kealba, VIC, 3021 Phone: 9356 9466 www.cradlestocrayons.com.au

Lic 49728

V Reblocking/Underpinning MEMBER OF MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION

FREE SMOKE ALARM

PH: 9360 5357 Mobile: 0412 378 193 G6795050AA-dc29Apr 1132314-LB19-14

C1093409-JO39-13

V Roofing

LATIN ROOF RESTORATION

Fill your position online www.networkclassiﬁeds.com.au

DISCRIMINATION IN ADVERTISING IS UNLAWFUL The Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 1995 makes it unlawful for an advertiser to show any intention to discriminate on the basis of sex, pregnancy, race, age, marital status, political or religious belief or physical features, disability, lawful sexual activity/sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status or on the basis of being associated with a person with one of the above characteristics, unless covered by an exception under the Act. As Network Classifieds could be legally liable if an unlawful advertisement is printed, Network Classifieds will not accept advertisements that appear to break the law. For more information about discrimination in advertising, contact your legal advisers or the Equal Opportunity Commission.

Employment section of Network Classifieds.

Call our helpful classiﬁed team between 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri for FREE advice!

ALL SUBURBS ★ RAISING ★ LEVELLING ★ UNDERPINNING ★ RESTUMPING WITH CONCRETE OR REDGUM STUMPS ★ COUNCIL PERMIT ★ ALL WORK GUARANTEED

t 3FQBJST 3FTUPSBUJPO t $FNFOU 5FSSBDPUUB 5JMFT t )JHI 1SFTTVSF $MFBOJOH t 3FCFEEJOH 1PJOUJOH t "DSZMJD $PBU 4ZTUFN t $MFBO (VUUFST %PXOQJQFT t 'SFF RVPUF t ZFBS HVBSBOUFF

$BMM (FPSHF PS 4FC

Motoring V Motor Vehicles MAZDA 2012 BT50, tray, 2600x180, ladder racks, tow bar and nudge bar, steps, one with the lot, 2.2 turbo diesel, 6 speed, 6 months reg, RWC, will not fault, 265.000kms, $13,000 ono, IUZ 2TN, Phone 0425 775 955

Advertise in the

Call or visit us online!

networkclassifieds.com.au

section of Network Classifieds.

NEW STAFF?

Want to place an ad but not sure where to start?

NICK’S RE-BLOCKING SERVICE

Registered Building Practitioner

12586340-AI03-23

12530339-JW02-22

12543772-HC15-22

LOCAL DRAIN CLEARING

HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION & CARE PROGRAM Family owned and operated 3 & 4 year old kinder programs Nutritious meals served daily Warm and welcoming environment Low staff turnover

Motoring

NEED

V Childcare

• Blocked Drain & Emergency Plumber • Drains Reline

Reg No 8659

0428 568 004

Buy & Sell in the

V Positions Vacant

Lic 35031

0423 288 893

Contact Norm after 5pm for further details:

ANY TREES LOPPED

General Classifieds AMBER 22yo. Just arrived. New in town. Excellent service. Hot and sexy. Avail. now. 0478 675 520.

FREE Quotes

Admin and adhoc duties, full time position, computer knowledge is essential. Saturdays required.

C & D Schroeder 9337 3695 or 0415 816 882

section of Network Classifieds.

Trades & Services

Call Mick 0417 352 040

Duties include greasing, maintenance and adhoc. Weighbridge Operator

Free Quote 7 Day Service 45 yrs exp.

Real Estate

V Adult Services

• General Plumbing & Maintenance • Spouting & Roofing • Hot & Cold Water Services • Gas work

Excavator Operator Loader Operator and Labourer required.

Melton Tree & Stump Removals

ASAP.E TILING

0416 561 594 0403 610 782 www.saidaspaintingau.com

• Stumps Removed • Fully Insured OR • Woodchipping TRIMMED & Mulching • Pensioner Discounts

REMOVED

Certiﬁcate in Tree Climbing & Tree Felling

V Tiling

ALL JOBS ฀

DIGITAL ANTENNAS AMPLIFIERS TV OUTLETS

OPERATORS/ LABOURER /WEIGHBRIDGE OPERATOR

on presentation of this ad

12565959-HC35-22

฀ ฀

5% DISCOUNT

12423634-SN31-19

฀ ฀

12587929-FC05-23

฀

12590640-JW08-23

฀ ฀

& ARCHIE’S

12327446-LN42-16

20 years experience. All types of house repairs & renovations

V Positions Vacant

12340308-HM08-17

1231176-CG24-16

Handyman Service

V Tree Lopping/Surgery

Professionals section of Network Classiﬁeds.

V Wrecking

FREE CAR REMOVAL Pay up to $500 for most cars Dead or Alive

12321532-HM36-16

V Television/Video/Audio

12586475-SN03-23

V Handy Persons

LMCT 10268W

7 days a week service Call Gus for a free quotation on

0435 904 818

29 .00

Brimbank & North West Star Weekly

Melton & Moorabool Star Weekly

Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Star Weekly

Maribyrnong & Hobsons Bay Star Weekly

• All advertisements must be pre-paid. For $29.00 you get a 4 line, ONE ITEM ONLY advertisement, restricted to “For Sale” or “Motoring” items only for private advertisers, run initially for 13 weeks or until sold. Additional lines will be charged at $3 per line per publication. • After your advertisement has run for 13 weeks you must call us each fortnight to renew it for a further 2 week period AND reduce the price of your item by a minimum 5% for items in the “For Sale” section or 3% for items in the “Motoring” section. This process may continue until you have sold your item. If we do not hear from you we will assume you have sold your item and your advertisement will not appear. • The sale price must be included in the advertisement and the only alterations you may make are to the PRICE of your item. • Business advertisements, rental hire, pets & livestock and real estate are not included in the offer.

Wyndham Star Weekly

• The publisher reserves the right to decline any booking for the purpose of ongoing gain. Run my advert in:

Northern Star Weekly

2 papers - $7 extra 3 papers - $14 extra 4 papers - $21 extra 5 papers - $28 extra 6 papers - $35 extra

ADD A PHOTO FOR AN ADDITIONAL $8.00. 12588887-ET06-23

Tuesday, 28 February, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 15

SECTION STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

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Pick up your copy of Brimbank & North West Star Weekly from any of the locations below. Or, subscribe to our FREE digital edition and have it sent to your device every week!

Establish

ure Clinic (03 9741 0185 www.casa 8, 242 Caro , 192 Main Road East, and Sam Rob line Sprin ertson ccioeggfar & 491-495 gs Boulevard St Albans 9364 3677 King Stree ms.com.a t, West Melb , Caroline Springs. u 8361 9722 ourne, 9329 7077 3030 |

1246755

Also at: Suite

Australian Dental Association Prosthetists (Victoria)

12484435-SN1

2-21

Pick up your FREE newspaper from these local outlets... • ALBION Sadie Black Cafe 31 Perth Avenue • ALBION Sunshine City Club 24 Talmage Street • BRAYBROOK Coles Supermarket 67 Ashley Street • BRAYBROOK Central West Shopping Centre 65-67 Ashley Street • BRAYBROOK Braybrook Hotel 353 Ballarat Road • BRAYBROOK Braybrook Community Centre 107-139 Churchill Avenue • BRAYBROOK Braybrook News & Lotto 127 South Road • BURNSIDE Burnside Hub Shopping Centre 15-25 Westwood Drive • BURNSIDE Burnside News and Lotto 15 Westwood Drive • BURNSIDE HEIGHTS Milk Bar 102 Tenterfield Drive • CAIRNLEA Cairnlea Town Centre 100 Furlong Road • CAIRNLEA Harcourts Real Estate 1a/100 Furlong Road • CAROLINE SPRINGS Lakeside Hyundai 11/13 Eucumbene Drive • CAROLINE SPRINGS Caroline Springs Civic Centre/Library 193-201 Caroline Springs Boulevard • CAROLINE SPRINGS Professionals Caroline Springs RE Shop 16, 218-222 Caroline Springs Boulevard • CAROLINE SPRINGS Brad Teal Real Estate Shop 4, 242-244 Caroline Springs Boulevard • CAROLINE SPRINGS Ray White Real Estate Shop 8, 234 Caroline Springs Boulevard • CAROLINE SPRINGS CS Square Centre 29-35 Lake Street • DEER PARK Deer Park Club 780 Ballarat Road • DEER PARK Bells Real Estate 813a Ballarat Road • DEER PARK Biggin and Scott Real Estate 817a Ballarat Road • DEER PARK Comm Unity Plus - Community Neighbourhood Centre 822-824 Ballarat Road • DEER PARK Foodworks 803 Ballarat Road • DEER PARK Cellarbrations Liquor Store 809 Ballarat Road • DEER PARK Australia Post Office 827a Ballarat Road • DEER PARK Deer Park IGA 8 Hatchlands Drive

• DEER PARK Brimbank Shopping Centre Cnr Neale Road & Station Road • DEER PARK Derrimut Village Shopping Centre Foleys Road • DEER PARK Coles Supermarket Foleys Road (Derrimut Village Shopping Centre) • DEER PARK Deer Park Library 4 Neale Road • DEER PARK Burnham Real Estate 93 Station Road • DELAHEY Calder Real Estate 10/350 Taylors Road • DELAHEY IGA Delahey 260 Taylors Road (Delahey Village Shopping Centre) • DELAHEY Delahey Community Centre 80 Copperfield Drive • DERRIMUT Sunshine Golf Club 475 Mt Derrimut Road • DERRIMUT YPA Estate Agents Shop 9, 20 Mt Derrimut Road • FOOTSCRAY Frank Trimboli Real Estate 169 Barkly Street • FOOTSCRAY Wards Newsagency 100 Nicholson Street • HILLSIDE Foodworks Hillside 49-69 Wattle Valley Drive • HILLSIDE Parkwood Green Community Centre 88 Catherine Drive • HILLSIDE Hillside Neighbourhood House Recreation Reserve • KEILOR Brad Teal Woodards 684 Old Calder Highway • KEILOR Keilor Community Hub (Council Office ) 704b Old Calder Highway • KEILOR Keilor Newsagent 700 Old Calder Highway • KEILOR Keilor Retirement Village 868 Old Calder Highway Service Road • KEILOR DOWNS Centro Shopping Centre 80 Taylors Road • KEILOR PARK Star Weekly Office Unit 6/1-9 Thomson Road • KEILOR PARK Frank’s Supermarket 5 Fosters Road • KEILOR PARK Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse Shop 32, 40 Keilor Park Drive • KINGS PARK Westvale Community Centre 45 Kings Road • MELTON Melton Shire Offices 232 High Street • MELTON Harrison Hyundai 158-162 High Street • MELTON Melton Toyota 143-147 Main Street • ST ALBANS Homes Group Real Estate 63 Alfrieda Street

• ST ALBANS Westside Real Estate 1a Alfrieda Street • ST ALBANS St Albans Library 71a Alfrieda Street • ST ALBANS St Albans Senior Citizens Cnr Alfrieda St & Williams St • ST ALBANS IGA St Albans 18 East Esplanade • ST ALBANS Barry Plant Real Estate 1-7 Elaine Street • ST ALBANS Club Italia Sporting Club 128-152 Furlong Road • ST ALBANS ABC Real Estate 286 Main Road East • ST ALBANS St Albans Newsagency 304 Main Road East • ST ALBANS Raine and Horne 352 Main Road East • ST ALBANS YPA Estate Agents 67 Main Road West • ST ALBANS First National Real Estate 8/346 Main Road West • ST ALBANS Danny & Co Real Estate 352 Main Road West • ST ALBANS Brimbank Community Centre 358 Main Road West • ST ALBANS People In Real Estate 1 Princess St • ST ALBANS Stockdale and Leggo 9 Alfrieda Street • ST ALBANS Sweeney Real Estate 22 Alfrieda Street • ST ALBANS St Albans Sports Club 96a Gillespie Road • SUNSHINE Hocking Stuart 134 Durham Street • SUNSHINE Stockdale Leggo 273 Hampshire Road • SUNSHINE The Youth Junction 80b Harvester Road • SUNSHINE Thomson Real Estate 3/473 Ballarat Road • SUNSHINE Brotherhood of St Laurence Lvl 6, 12 Clarke Street • SUNSHINE Bells Real Estate 14 Devonshire Road • SUNSHINE Metro Real Estate 2/5 Devonshire Road • SUNSHINE Sunshine RSL 99 Dickson Street • SUNSHINE The Glengala Hotel 214 Glengala Road • SUNSHINE Barry Plant Real Estate 271 Hampshire Road

• SUNSHINE GL Lee Real Estate 275 Hampshire Road • SUNSHINE Douglas Kay Real Estate 280 Hampshire Road • SUNSHINE Sunshine Library 301 Hampshire Road • SUNSHINE Brimbank City Council 301 Hampshire Road • SUNSHINE Sunshine Plaza 324-328 Hampshire Road • SUNSHINE Sweeney Real Estate 4a/282 Hampshire Road • SUNSHINE EGF Solutions - Sunshine Plaza Shop T43, 324-328 Hampshire Road • SUNSHINE Sunshine Marketplace 80 Harvester Road • SUNSHINE Woolworths Supermarket 80 Harvester Road (Sunshine Marketplace) • SUNSHINE NORTH North Sunshine Post, News and Lotto 69 McIntyre Road • SUNSHINE NORTH Malaga Real Estate 3/23 Suffolk Road • SUNSHINE WEST Morgan’s Super IGA Supermarket 475 Fitzgerald Road • SUNSHINE WEST Bottler Sunshine West Drive in Liquor 79 Glengala Road • SUNSHINE WEST West Sunshine Community Centre 25 Kermeen Street • SUNSHINE WEST Coles Supermarket 136 The Avenue • SYDENHAM Natalie Hutchins MP Shop 11, 28a Hume Drive (Aqua Gardens Convenience Store) • SYDENHAM YPA Estate Agents Ground Floor, 15-17 Overton Lea Boulevard • SYDENHAM O’Brien Real Estate 17b Overton Overton Lea Boulevard • TAYLORS HILL Taylors Hill Land Sales Cnr Taylors & Gourlay Roads • TAYLORS HILL Watervale Shopping Centre 2-14 Calder Park Drive • TAYLORS LAKES Taylors Lakes Lotto Shop 8 3 Melton Highway • TAYLORS LAKES Watergardens Hotel 431 Kings Road • TAYLORS LAKES YPA Estate Agents Shop 5, 399 Melton Highway (Watergardens Shopping Centre) • TAYLORS LAKES Watergardens Shopping Centre 399 Melton Highway • TAYLORS LAKES Centrelink Watergardens 1/399 Melton Highway (Watergardens Town Centre)

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16 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 28 February, 2023

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MOTOR

New Seltos has a chunky shape that’s at the forefront of small SUV design. (PIctures: Supplied)

Kia Seltos is easy on the eye By Alistair Kennedy, Marque Motoring Seltos is the second smallest model in Kia’s SUV range, sitting above the compact Stonic and below the Sportage. It competes against vehicles such as the MG ZS, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30 and Mitsubishi ASX. Originally launched here in late 2019 Seltos received a major upgrade in November 2022 with exterior and interior changes, safety improvements, new tech features, plus extra power and a new transmission for the top-spec model. The changes do come at a price with increases of at least $2200 across the range, although they can probably be justified. As before Seltos is available in four grades: S, Sport, Sport+ and GT Line. All get the previous 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine that drives the front wheels, while Sport+ and GT-Line are also available with a tweaked version of the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine along with all-wheel drive.

Styling To our eyes Seltos is one of the best-looking vehicles in its class, with the chunky style that’s fashionable in current SUVs. There’s a large grille with mesh fill, an array of lights built to the side and stylish lower area that has a solid look thanks to the expansion at the corners. At the rear there’s a central light-bar across the top of the tail gate that expands the visual appearance of the Seltos. All models get alloy wheels, 16-inch with the Seltos S, 17-inch on the Sport and Sport+ and 18-inch under the GT-Line. Also standard are body-coloured folding side mirrors, roof rails and a rear spoiler. Only the GT-Line gets LED head and tail lights, the others have to make do with halogens. Other features specific to the GT-Line are a gloss black mech grille, satin silver beltline, powered tailgate and tilt and slide sunroof. There’s a good range of colours, with nine in total, including a couple of eye-catching two-tone finishes.

Engines / transmissions All four Seltos variants come with a four-cylinder 2.0-litre Atkinson cycle naturally-aspirated engine that’s carried over from the previous model. It produces 110 kW and 180 Nm at 4500 rpm coupled with a continuously variable transmission. Combined fuel consumption is listed at 6.9L/100km. So, no change there. The big improvement comes from the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol available with Sport+ and GT-Line where power increases 16 kW to 146 kW with an unchanged 265 Nm of torque. Claimed fuel consumption is 7.4L/100km. The previous dual-clutch automatic transmission mated to the 1.6 engine has been replaced by an eight-speed torque converter auto that supplies drive to all four wheels through an on-demand AWD system.

Safety Kia Seltos comes with an impressive list of advanced safety features including rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, blind spot collision avoidance, driver inattention alert, forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking, with impact-sensing automatic door unlocking. In addition, all models get downhill brake control, front and rear parking sensors and two Isofix child seat anchor points. Another very useful feature is Safe Exit Alert which warns if a vehicle is passing within a distance that could impact your doors.

Infotainment Entry-level Seltos S comes with an 8.0-inch LCD infotainment touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard and a 4.2-inch driver information screen behind the steering wheel. The set-up in the three other models is much more attractive and functional with a pair of 10.25-inch screens embedded within a single panel that dominates the centre of the dashboard.

The instrument panel can be configured to the driver’s taste to control or monitor numerous features. New to MY22 Seltos Sport, Sport+ and Gt-Line is Kia Connect, a smartphone-based system that offers a wide range of digital features including the ability to remotely lock and unlock doors, start the engine, activate and adjust air conditioning, set satellite navigation destinations and display vehicle diagnostic information. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard although, oddly enough, they are wireless in the Seltos S but wired in the three higher-spec’d models. Our contact at Kia Australia explains the absence of satnav in S allowed wireless charging to be fitted but prevented it in the others.

Driving Our test vehicle was the Seltos Sport+ with the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine and new eight-speed torque-convertor automatic. The first thing we noticed on take-off was how much smoother it was compared to the previous seven-speed dual-clutch system. The upgraded 146kW engine has plenty of punch with minimal turbo lag off the line. The steering feel is excellent and really does signal to the driver what is happening at the front of the car. Multiple changes of direction on a twisting country road are made with ease. It’s a neat little car to ride in and is generally as smooth and quiet as cars of this size around town. However, it creates quite a racket on some motorway concrete surfaces and isn’t overly happy on country roads that are in poor condition. As with all Kia models in Australia, the ride and handling characteristics of the car have been optimised to provide the experience Australian drivers have come to expect.

Summing up Kia has been steadily moving up the Australian sales ladder and now sits in a career-best third position. While it’s still relatively new, Seltos

AT A GLANCE MODEL RANGE S 2.0 FWD: $29,500 Sport 2.0 FWD: $32,700 Sport+ 2.0 FWD: $35,800 GT-Line 2.0 FWD: $41,500 Sport+ 1.6 AWD: $39,300 GT Line 1.6 AWD: $44,900 SPECIFICATIONS Kia Seltos GT-Line 1.6-litre turbo-petrol five-door wagon

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

already accounts for around 11 per cent of company sales. The recent refresher keeps it right up there with the best in a highly-competitive market segment.

Tuesday, 28 February, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 17

SPORT STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Pretty shows stunning form for Caroline Springs While most players fail to hit a 100 in the T20 format in their lives, Caroline Springs’ Caitlin Pretty hit three in the space of four weeks in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association women’s competition. Pretty has been a star for the Falcons since joining the club in their second season, playing a massive role in the side making back-to-back finals. This year she has taken her game to the next level. Heading into the grand final, Pretty had made 538 runs at an average of just under 90. Pretty made her first 100 in round nine, hitting 102 not out off 59. She backed it up two weeks later with 101 off 47 balls and then 100 off 60 balls the following round. She had also hit another three half centuries. Pretty is as shocked as anyone with her run

of form. “It’s been fun,” she said. “It was a bit of a fluke and then it happened again. It’s good to get out there and swing at it. “That’s me really, it’s good fun.” Pretty said nothing had changed in her preparation for each match. She said having a good side which was always improving had helped her be able to play her game. In the VTCA, Pretty is just one of two players from first XI sides to hit three centuries this season. She said she was shocked and honoured to have been able to achieve that. Pretty said she played a little bit of cricket growing up, with her dad a cricket man. She said she had learned a lot from him. “I gave it a miss the first year they had a side,” he said. “Alisha Fowler got me in and I haven’t looked back since then.”

Pretty said before the grand final, which was after deadline, they were better prepared to face Westmeadows in the final game of the year. “Last year we had a lot of fill-ins, this year we were really consistent,” she said. “We’ve had some younger players as well. We have come so far in the last 12 months, hopefully we can get the win.” A premiership would cap off a big 12 months for Pretty on the sporting field. Pretty captained Caroline Springs’ women’s team to its first Western Region Football League premiership. Pretty said it would be pretty cool to win both cricket and football grand finals in the same season. “I love them both equally,” she said. “It would be fantastic to win both cricket and football grand finals in the same year. Tara Murray

Mixed finish for Lions

Caitlin Pretty. (Supplied)

Australia Cup continues

By Tara Murray Taylors Lakes is hoping to finish the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association east-west season on a high. After a tough season which had resulted in just two wins heading into the second last round, the Lions are sitting second bottom. Lions coach Alex Deuchar said the season hadn’t been what they would have liked heading into the year. “The ones and twos won’t play finals, but the threes and fours are pretty well placed and hopefully have a bit of cricket left,” he said. “We would have hoped the other two grades would have gone a bit better. The twos started well but we’ve had persistent changes in the first XI and had to pull guys out for the second XI which is not ideal. “Injuries and unavailabilities, there have been a few more this year.” Deuchar said on paper they thought they had a really strong squad but they hadn’t been able to put their best team on the park. He said with players missing games had meant that they didn’t have the right balance of the side in several games. “The list we had at the start of the year has not played together for the whole season,” he said. “We’ve also gone back to red ball cricket which we haven’t played for quite some time.” Deuchar said they had been unlucky in a couple of games including against Werribee, which just snuck home. He said consistency was lacking at times. He said while their batting was still the main area of concern, it had improved on last season. “Our batting has improved significantly,” he said. “We’ve had some bigger scores and more contributions in games. “When the guys have been getting runs, not one else has gone with them to finish off the game.” Deuchar said while the results haven’t been what they wanted there had been some real positive personal growth. Dylan Payne played well in the second XI and after being promoted, has looked at home in the first XI. Ethan Brne has taken the opportunity to make the wicketkeeping role his own, while Austin Young has also put in some good performances. Aamir Raza leads the competition for wickets taken, having shone with the white ball. The Lions were hoping for a good batting performance on Saturday, after deadline, on the second day of their match against Williamstown. The Seagulls made 7-260 from their overs. Deuchar said the score was about par on the pitch. “They didn’t bat us out of the game,” he said.

With the rest of the state league teams entering the third round of the Victorian stage of the Australia Cup, things are starting to heat up. State league one and two teams join the winners from the previous two rounds in this round, which is scheduled for next weekend. Truganina Hornets will face Keilor Wolves in the next round, while Western Suburbs will head to Corio. Brimbank Stallions will play Heatherton United and Westgate, which earned promotion to state league 1, will play North Caulfield. Keilor Park will host Dandenong South, while Sydenham Park will play the Templestowe Wolves and Westvale will play Melbourne City. Hume United has been drawn to face the Doncaster Rovers, while Greenvale United is hoping to continue its run against North Melbourne Athletic. Epping City enters the competition with a match against Rosebud, while Whittlesea United will face Albion Rovers and Lalor United will play Monash City Village. La Trobe University and nearby Uni Hill Eagles will play each other, while Mill Park will host the Casey Comets. Whittlesea Ranges, which was relegated from the National Premier League competition, will play Endeavour United and Upfield will play Hoppers Crossing. Yarraville’s first match of the knockout competition is against Knox City, while Altona East Phoenix will play Brandon Park. Altona North will play Hampton East Brighton and Altona City will play Melbourne SRBIJA. Williamstown will face the Peninsula Strikers. Sunbury United will play the Springvale White Eagles and Melton Phoenix will play Mornington. Meanwhile, the first two rounds of the women’s Nike F.C Cup were also drawn. In round one, Barnstoneworth United will play Mentone, Greenvale United will travel to face the Templestowe Wolves and Sydenham Park will play Albert Park. Point Cook will play Melbourne SRBIJA, Westgate will host Gisborne and Yarraville will play each other. Upfield and Melton Phoenix are among the sides with byes in the first round. Aamir Raza (left) is the competition’s leading wicket taker. (Joe Mastroianni) 308995_08

“We need the top five or six to stand up on Saturday, that would be positive to see. “Hopefully we will have a couple of blokes

18 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 28 February, 2023

get in and do what their guys did last week.” The Lions then finish their season this Saturday with a one-dayer against Yarraville.

American Keane re-signs with Western United American star Hannah Keane isn’t going anywhere, with the star re-signing with Western United for next year’s A-League Women’s competition. The American attacker has been a star in her first season in the competition, hitting 10 goals in 13 matches and leading the golden boot race. Having acclimatised perfectly to her surroundings in the west, Keane said she is delighted to have signed on and is looking forward to continuing to strive for success. “I’m really pleased,” she said. “I’ve been really happy here, the club has been so welcoming. “It’s a great culture and I think I have a lot more invested in it being here from the beginning. “We can always do better and I just want to be involved in it, and I’m grateful the club wanted me too.” Keane added that her feeling of comfort at United has been significantly helped by the

fans and the relationship that she has built with the supporter base. Western United football general manager Mal Impiombato said that Keane’s on-field ability and her contribution to the team culture made her an essential player to re-sign. “We are delighted to be able to keep hold of Hannah Keane, the competition’s top goal scorer, for the next Liberty A-League season,” he said. “Away from just her quality on the pitch, Hannah has played a significant role in developing the culture of our inaugural women’s program and we look forward to her continual efforts in representing our club over the course of next season.” Keane joined United with a plethora of experience from the United States college system and throughout Europe, having played in the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Portuguese side Braga.

Speaking before the season started, Keane said she had always been looking for a second chance in Australia after her first stint with Melbourne City got cut short without playing a game. “I reached out to my old NPL [National Premier League] coach at Alamein from the last time I was here,” she told Star Weekly. “I asked if he knew any A-League coaches and whether he could give me some contact details so I could scope out interest. “He goes, ‘in five minutes Mark [Western United coach [Mark Torcaso] is going to call you’. He coached Calder United and he remembered me. “He gave me these spiel and it looked good and I thought I should give it a chance.” United was back in action on Sunday, after deadline, against the Newcastle Jets. Tara Murray

Hannah Keane has re-signed with Western United. (Joe Mastroianni) 309000_08

Sports shorts WRFL Glen Orden won’t field senior or reserves sides in the Western Region Football League division 2 competition this year. The league announced on Tuesday that the division two club had withdrawn both sides. “The club tried their hardest to enter a senior and reserves side for the upcoming season, but have now informed the league of their decision to go into recess for 2023,” a league statement said. “The WRFL will continue to support Glen Orden through this process and their recovery to re-join the competition next season.” More at www.starweekly.com. au.

Baseball Sunshine Eagles suffered a loss to the Geelong Baycats in Baseball Victoria Summer League division 1. Playing on Tuesday night, the Eagles lost 8-5, with Patariki Pouaka-Grego scoring a home run in the loss. The Eagles sit in 11th after 20 rounds. The side was set to be back in action on Sunday, after deadline, against Sandringham.

VNL Caroline Springs women’s side.

Falcons break through By Tara Murray It’s been several seasons in the making, but Caroline Springs women’s cricket side finally has a premiership. After making several grand finals including the Victorian Turf Cricket Association final last season, it was finally the Falcons turn. Facing Westmeadows for a second straight season in the grand final, the Falcons put out a strong performance with the bat and then backed it up with the ball to come away with a convincing win on Sunday. The Falcons made 5-141 off their 20 overs with Caitlin Pretty continuing her good form. Pretty finished 90 not out, including hitting a number of late sixes. The Warriors lost an early wicket and before losing 3-1 to crumble to 4-26. The Warriors never recovered and were restricted to 9-76. Pretty topped off her game with 3-12 off three overs, while Myyen Au and Hannah Herring took two wickets each. Falcons captain Alisha Fowler was thrilled

after the game. “It’s pretty amazing,” she said. “It’s been a lot of hard work and we’ve been through a few grand final losses. I’m really stoked for all the girls and it’s well deserved.” Fowler said the experience of playing Westmeadows in the past had worked in their favour and they were confident in their game plan. She said after hoping to make 120 midway through their innings, she thought 141 was plenty of runs and it proved to be. Then with the ball, early wickets were the key. “We knew we had to get their first four or five out pretty cheaply, which we did,” she said. “The bowling was really good today and the fielding was really good “Quick wickets definitely helps, to be 1-25 and then be 4-26 it’s definitely a bonus, the girls bowled phenomenally.” Not surprising Pretty was named player of the match for the performance. She would also be favourite to take out the season

awards, having made more than 600 runs for the season. Her season included three 100s and four 50s from 10 matches. Fowler was lost for words on how to describe Pretty’s performance this season. “I told her I love her today,” she said. “There’s nothing to say, she’s got such natural ability, everything she does. “It’s just ridiculous, I was hoping for 50 and she gave me 90, I’ll take that every day of the week. I’m so happy for her, well deserved season. For many of the girls it’s a second premiership in a matter of months, having helped Caroline Springs Football Club break through after past grand final heartache. While celebrations are the plans for the near future, the Falcons are already starting to think of beyond this season. “We’re looking to build, we would really like two sides,” Fowler said. “We’ll look to build on that throughout the off season.”

The Victorian Netball League is set to expand next year as part of changes to the competition. Netball Victoria announced the new structure on Tuesday ahead of the next five-year licensing period for the competition, between 2024-2028. Up to 12 licenses will be offered, up from the current 10, including up to three outside of metropolitan Melbourne. The new-look VNL will also reduce from three to two divisions, championship and 23 and under aligning with all other state league competitions in Australia.

WRFL Todd Lawrie is set to return to the Western Region Football League this season. A clearance has been put in for Lawrie to join Braybrook, having played with Talbot last year. Lawrie previously played for Tarneit and the Suns.

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