Star Weekly - Hobsons Bay Maribyrnong - 25th October 2023

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25 OctOber, 2023

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A loud day at school Bright nine-year-old Natalija Mladenovic led a fundraiser at Williamstown North Primary School to celebrate Loud Shirt Day. The event was organised via NextSense, a not-for-profit working with children who have hearing loss. Natalija has lived with total hearing loss since birth and has never heard natural sounds.

However she attends mainstream primary school, plays competitive basketball, is learning Japanese and just completed the annual Run Melbourne event.

On Friday, Natalija celebrated Loud Shirt Day - a national day of fundraising and awareness raising for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The day is all about wearing your wackiest shirt to celebrate, increasing community awareness about hearing loss, and raising critically important funds.

“Loud Shirt Day is my favourite celebration! It’s about celebrating kids just like me and I love it,” Natalija said.

So far the online fundraiser has raised more than $3,000.

Natalija Mladenovic with principal Richard Buckingham. (Luis Enrique Ascui)

Rescission ends division

By Jennifer Pittorino The controversial decision to include a trial bike path as part of the reconstruction of Summerhill Road has been rescinded.

The decision to include cycling infrastructure made at Maribyrnong council’s September meeting divided both councillors and the community, with mayor Sarah Carter submitting a rescission motion the following day.

At its meeting on Tuesday, October 17, councillors voted 4-3 to rescind the motion put forth by Cr Bernadette Thomas to include pop-up style infrastructure for cycling.

Mayor Sarah Carter argued the motion should be rescinded on the basis of no

community consultation, public transparency, strategic planning, sound financial management and service performance.

“These have not been adequately considered in the decision making, which is quite frankly reckless, bordering on negligent from a due process, financial and safety perspective,” she said.

Cr Carter said she was speaking up on behalf those in the community who did not want pop-up bike lanes along Summerhill Road.

“I stand by saying this is worst decision I have seen made in 15 years of local government, on account of the contempt with which our community has been treated. “...For me to take the extraordinary

measure to go out and need to letterbox residents after 15 years of local government, I think is testament to that, because at the very foundation residents deserve to have their voices heard, and they have not.”

Cr Carter said that in addition to the lack of community consultation, council had not budgeted for bike lanes nor factored in which utilities would be impacted.

Councillor Simon Crawford voted against the rescission motion with councillors Thomas and Jorge Jorquera, saying he does not want to be responsible for more deaths on Maribyrnong roads.

“There have already been three people killed on bikes that I’m aware of during my council term, that is three people too many,” he said.

“People have already been injured riding down this road, and I can guarantee there will be more injuries unless we do something.

“Do we really want to be responsible for this, how would you feel if the next death of a cyclists is on this road?

“I for one do not want to be responsible for any more deaths on our roads.”

Following the rescission, Cr Carter tabled a new motion to proceed with the reconstruction of Summerhill Road and resurfacing of Rosamond Road.

The new motion will explore opportunities for a north – south cycling corridor from Footscray to Maribyrnong in line with an integrated transport planning approach, through a community engagement process.

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2 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

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NEWS

Odds stacked against hotel bid

By Hannah Hammoud Two local councils have joined forces to call on the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) to reject a hotel’s application for extended trading hours in its gambling room.

At their respective council meetings on October 17, both Brimbank and Maribyrnong councils moved a notice of motion to make a submission to the VGCCC opposing the Braybrook Hotel’s application to extend the trading hours of its gambling room from 1am to 3am.

In 2022-23 Brimbank recorded the highest

losses to electronic gaming machines of any Victorian local government area, totalling $172.8 million.

Speaking at the Brimbank council meeting, Cr Virginia Tachos said the notice of motion was crucial in protecting the community from gambling harm.

“I’m very concerned about the devastating impacts that gambling has on our community and in particular the prevalence and accessibility of electronic gaming machines,” she said “... The Braybrook Hotel is also located within the city of Maribyrnong but lies just a metre away from the Brimbank border. This is deeply concerning for our community and the

Maribyrnong community so that’s why this is a joint resolution.”

Cr Tachos said an extension of the gambling room’s trading hours is likely to have a negative impact on the community, and will set a precedent for other venues in Victoria to also apply for an extension of trading hours.

“Other clubs close their doors and then the patrons will just move on to this [hotel] and continue the spiral of gambling,” she said.

Speaking at the Maribyrnong council meeting, Cr Cuc Lam said she supported council making a submission to the VGCCC to oppose the increased trading hours.

In 2021-22 Maribyrnong recorded more

than $50 million in losses to electronic gaming machines.

During the same year, in 2021-22 the VGCCC reported that players at the Braybrook Hotel lost more than $7 million though the hotel’s electronic gaming machines.

Cr Lam said gambling can cause significant harm.

“Maribyrnong council plays an important role in the socioeconomic impact that Victorian clubs and hotels with electronic gaming machines have on the community and local businesses,” she said.

The Braybrook Hotel was contacted for comment.

Rescission ends division ■ From page 1

Artist Casio Suzuki created the artwork to promote Halloween in Yarraville. (Damjan Janevski) 366328_01

Yarraville stays spooky for 14th year This is the 14th year of Halloween in Yarraville, with the event returning for another year of spooky spirit on Tuesday, October 31.

Event manager Carla Smith said since its origin, the event has grown in popularity.

“There are always a lot of children, which is really fun,” she said.

“It’s a great day where everyone gets some free entertainment, we’ve got a band, a magician and more.”

On Halloween afternoon the streets of Anderson and Ballarat streets will be closed to vehicles for trick or treating to begin from 4pm until 6pm.

Performances outside the Sun Theatre will

also begin at 4pm, including live music from Eddy Miller, a magic show from “Micky Trickstar”, princess on skates, and special screenings at the Sun Theatre.

“Halloween has increasingly grown in popularity not just here but all over the place,“ said Carla.

“I see it as a really cool day for kids to come dressed as their heroes and confront their nightmares by dressing up as their most fearful things, and becoming that is pretty empowering for them.

“It’s a really beautiful day for kids, I have to say they have a great time and they all look really good.”

Carla said she is expecting between 700-800 Halloween goers to attend the event, which is put on by the Yarraville Traders Association with the help of funding from council.

“The grants promote activity in the village to spark up business for different traders, parents will go trick or treating with their kids and maybe stumble upon a shop they have never seen before.

“This event is made possible by a huge group of amazing traders who participate, it wouldn’t be possible if they didn’t give out loads of free lollies to all the kids.”

Jennifer Pittorino

Cr Carter said the motion was a commitment to a north south cycling solution.

“I think it’s a priority strategy, but it would need to be consulted on thoroughly, the urgency is on getting Rosamond Road reconstructed.”

Cr Thomas said council had made it clear bike riders are second class citizens on the road.

“In regards to the the individual parts of the motion, proceeding with the reconstruction simply take us to a more unsafe road,” she said.

“We have people driving over the speed limit most of the time, now we’re going to reconstruct a road that allows people to speed even more.”

Cr Crawford added “This is a massive wasted opportunity, it not a utopian idea to ride on this road. I just hope no one gets killed before we actually get around to one day doing something to make it safe for people to ride on this road”.

The motion on Summerhill Road’s pop-up bike lanes has been rescinded.

(Damjan Janevski) 365730_12

Cash flows with new incentive for landholders to improve waterways Maribyrnong and Werribee residents can now apply for funding through Melbourne Water to improve waterways near their properties.

The Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways incentives program is aimed at improving the health of Melbourne’s waterways and enhancing life and liveability across Melbourne.

This program provides funding to eligible landowners who own or manage waterways on their property within the Port Phillip and Western Port Catchment areas.

Melbourne Water said the program recognises the crucial role that waterways play in the overall health and well-being of certain communities.

It aims to encourage landowners to undertake projects that contribute to the improvement and preservation of waterway health, while also enhancing the overall quality of life in the region.

Landholders who own or manage a waterway frontage on their property within the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment areas can apply for the funding.

This includes rivers, creeks, wetlands, or any other natural waterways in Maribyrnong, Werribee, Yarra, Lower Yarra, Westernport, Dandenong, and Mornington Peninsula.

The program is open to both residential and commercial landowners as well as schools and community groups who are committed to working towards the betterment of their local waterways and deliver multiple liveability benefits for the community.

Funding provided through the Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways program can be utilised for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to implementing waterway health improvement works, fencing, revegetation and weed management.

Area Lead, Sarah Gregor said, “This program presents an excellent opportunity for waterway owners and managers to make a positive impact on their local environment while contributing to the overall liveability of Melbourne.”

“By actively participating in the Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways incentives program, landowners can play a crucial role in the preservation and enhancement of the natural beauty and ecological balance of our waterways.

“Through working with local community groups to manage our waterways, we are better able to understand, and deliver, the environmental and social benefits of our waterways.

“We look forward to receiving applications from passionate individuals and organisations who share our vision for a sustainable and thriving Melbourne.”

Details: website

Melbourne Water has introduced a new program for landowners who manage waterways on their property. (Supplied)

Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 3

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STEAM centre is open Hobsons Bay council’s first Centre of Excellence opened to the community in Altona Meadows on Saturday, October 21.

The refurbished Altona Meadows Library is now a STEAM Centre of Excellence, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Council said the centre will provide the same library and council+ services residents have come to expect and enjoy.

Now, it will also serve as a hub designed to help residents be innovative and learn through collaborative projects and workshops.

It features technology pods and media podcast room, an interactive floor feature, two robots, an interactive sandpit, a newly landscaped outdoor area, brand new public computers with Adobe Suite access, an extensive Library of Things collection which includes new items across content creation, accessibility and STEAM technologies, a curated STEAM book collection, large meeting room with stadium seating and virtual presentation equipment, and a Makerspace purpose built for collaboration and creation.

Council said over coming years, the Civic Centre and each library across Hobsons Bay will become a Centre of Excellence with a dedicated theme, including video and board games; environment and sustainability; heritage, writing and publishing; art and music; and business, entrepreneurship and innovation.

The refurbishment was made possible due to a $500,000 contribution from the state government through the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program.

Hobsons Bay mayor Tony Briffa said the Altona Meadows Library is an exciting and innovative place for community members.

“For all ages to access an array of

The STEAM Centre of Excellence at Altona Meadows Library on Saturday, October 21. (Supplied)

information, resources, tools and fun about all things science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics,” she said.

“I am thrilled to see the popular Altona Meadows Library reopened following extensive renovations, and our first Centre of

Excellence in action.

“Libraries have always been important places in our community, and now with council+ services and the start of our Centres of Excellence strategy, they’re going to become even more valuable places for our residents.”

Have your say on tourism Residents, businesses and visitors are invited to help shape Hobsons Bay’s tourism strategy for the next five years.

Hobsons Bay council said tourism is a major contributor to the Hobsons Bay economy, generating more than $388 million annually and supporting more than 2,400 local jobs.

Council will soon be updating its tourism strategy, which shapes the local visitor economy.

It will guide how council supports existing businesses and how it can strengthen the tourism economy.

According to the council, a thriving tourist economy enriches the community, boosts the local economy, creates jobs and generates local business income.

Feedback from the community will help identify priorities for developing tourism assets and to understand how tourism impacts Hobsons Bay. Community consultation is open until Sunday, November 12.

Mayor Tony Briffa said council would like to hear from as many people as possible.

“We have a beautiful, diverse city that has so much to offer visitors, and this consultation is a great chance for people to have their say on what they think makes Hobsons Bay a great place to visit.

“The strategy that guided us over the past five years has delivered great results, including the Heritage Walking Tours and Capture Hobsons Bay Photography Tour, as well as continued promotion of the Experience Hobsons Bay brand.

Details: participate.hobsobsbay.vic.gov. au.

Runway group fights on

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The No 3rd Tulla Runway campaign has made its way to Maribyrnong, in a community forum.

The event was held on Tuesday, October 24, in conjunction with Climate Action Maribyrnong.

PR manager and lead campaigner Shannon Meilak said there were many reasons why the group was against building a third runway at Melbourne Airport in Tullamarine.

“There are four parameters which we are focussed on,” said Ms Meilak .

“One is the health impact to residents, two is the climate impact, three is the environmental impact and fourth is the financial impacts to residents.

“Those are the four parameters that we advocate for and why we stand against the runway.”

Ms Meilak said the group was a coalition of people who are all advocating for the same thing, endorsed by 15 organisations.

If a third runway was to be built, Ms Meilak said it would have negative and direct impacts physically, mentally, emotionally

Shannon Meilak. (Supplied) 4 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

and financially to hundreds of thousands of people living, learning and working around a third runway and under its flight paths.

“The increased greenhouse gas emissions and subsequent global warming enabled by a third runway will negatively and directly impact all Australians,” she said.

“A third runway will also contaminate the surrounding area with toxic chemicals and cause harm to people, our beautiful and unique wildlife, and destroy local flora, including protected woodland, that must be preserved for future generations.”

The coalition decided to host a community outreach forum in Maribyrnong to raise awareness.

“There has been a lack of transparency and communication to the community.

“Councils have not provided information to the public, at least, not sufficient information.

“So most residents are unaware that these things are going to happen., those negative impacts will happen in their area.”

Jennifer Pittorino

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30 level crossing voices named

By Jennifer Pittorino Hobsons Bay council has supported the appointment of 30 community members to the Level Crossing Removal Community Interest Groups (CIGs).

These CIGs will become community contacts and advocates for the best community outcomes arising from the forthcoming removal of the level crossings at Champion Road and Maddox Road, Newport, and Hudsons Road, Spotswood, among other roles.

In its meeting earlier in October, council voted to support 15 nominees to the Newport CIG and the 15 nominees to the

Spotswood CIG. These groups will provide an opportunity for members to share valuable community insights, inform council’s final position on the projects and help to keep the community informed of any key project developments.

Councillor Pamela Sutton Legaud said she was aware of the impacts that will occur if the road is closed.

“I can’t see how things are going to get better, unfortunately. So the lack of consultation is at the very least infuriating,” she said.

“It’s not so much that the road is being suggested to be closed, it is the fact that we’re being told it is going to be closed, so tough luck.

That’s what makes the community furious.

“So I’m glad we have the community interest groups being set up, and I’m very happy to be a part of them and listen more to what the community wants to have happen.”

Councillor Jonathon Marsden added council should encourage community groups to work together.

“I think there will always be a loud voice that comes from the grassroots organisations, as there has been with Champion Road , Hudson Road and Maddox Road,” he said.

“I think our role as council is to work in concert with that grassroots organisation and augment the will of the community in dealing directly with the designers and

the engineers.”

The 15 members for the Newport CIG are Deanna Trento, Matt Leaver, Brendan Dowling, Bronwyn Pyke, Lisa Stevens, Ilona Herreiner, Megan Pearce, Emma Harris, Julia Ius, Kerry Innes, Jenny Read, Liam Ingram, Lynne Joseph, Gill Gannon and Darany Maokhamphiou.

The 15 members for the Spotswood CIG are Caitlin Redmond, Rosa McKenna, Ivor Lawrance, Rex Allum , Paul Tyndale-Biscoe, Jane White, Robert Taylor, Alexandra Georgalas, Sharna Goulding, Madeline Gulizia, Cameron Tait, Virginia Wilkinson, Gwyn Moore, Stephanie Angelevska and Grace Guinto.

Dance the day away L2R Dance is bringing a dance battle back to Footscray with a prize on the line for two talented winners.

Block Party is being presented by L2R Dance, a not-for-profit organisation based in the west.

Youth arts coordinator David Prakash said L2R is dedicated to providing free dance programs, arts leadership opportunities and employment pathways for children and young people traditionally underrepresented or absent from mainstream arts and culture.

He said the Block Party “is a community gathering mixed in with a street jam facilitated by numerous performances”.

Chief executive Jacinda Richards said people of all ages are welcome to attend.

“The creative chaos and community connections that ooze from the L2R Block

Party are extraordinarily contagious,” she said.

“Bring the whole fam, this is one event where the kids can yell, scream, get up and most importantly get down.

“Oh, and pack your tissues, well I always do as the talent is beyond and the hype is real.”

The Block Party will be led by talented L2R artists and judged by esteemed artists, MaggZ, Demi Sorono and Trip. In addition to the dance battle, nine dance collectives and individuals spanning street dance forms and cultural backgrounds will perform throughout the afternoon.

David said dancers will be competing for epic glory and a $1,000 cash prize.

The Block Party will be held at the Footscray Community Arts on Saturday, October 28.

From left, Phil Pham, David Prakash, Monique Nightingale and Maya Hajizadeh.

(Murray Schoorman Peak Hour Images)

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Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 5

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Maribyrnong leaders honoured

By Jennifer Pittorino Maribyrnong’s first three-time female mayor has now become only the second mayor in Maribyrnong’s history to achieve Emeritus Status, the highest recognition for distinguished service in local government leadership.

Cr Sarah Carter received the Mayor Emeritus Award, presented to councillors who have served three or more full terms as mayor.

Cr Carter was joined by Councillor Cuc Lam, Councillor Michael Clarke and

chief executive Celia Haddock at the 2023 Municipal Association of Victoria Victorian Councillor Service Awards.

These awards celebrate the exceptional dedication and unwavering commitment by long serving councillors across the state, with an emphasis on years of service milestones.

Mayor Carter’s 15 years of continuous service was also recognised. First elected in 2008 this is her fourth consecutive term on council including mayoral terms in 2011, 2020, and 2023.

When elected as mayor last November, she also achieved the remarkable feat of being the

first third-term female mayor in 163 years of civic administration, not just in the history of Maribyrnong but also its predecessor, the City of Footscray.

Cr Clarke, who achieved Mayor Emeritus status in 2022, this year also received an award recognising his 15 years of service on council, which included consecutive terms from 2005 through to 2016 before being re-elected in 2020.

Current deputy mayor, Cr Lam, was also acknowledged for her 10 years as a local councillor. First elected in 2000 and then again in 2016, including a term as mayor in 2018, she was also re-elected in 2020.

Mayor Sarah Carter, Cr Cuc Lam, Cr Michael Clarke and chief executive Celia Haddock at the awards ceremony. (Supplied)

River stones tell a story Two Monash University students have created a campaign called, ‘Stones Tell A Story’ in an effort to protect the Maribyrnong River.

As part of an assignment , Molly Keogh and Katherine Demirgelis have created a Public Relations Campaign for the not-for-profit Maribyrnong River and Waterways Association Molly said the campaign is a community driven campaign, where locals of the area can paint stones to tell their stories of why the river is important to them.

“We were given a brief, brainstormed some ideas and presented our ideas to founder Nikki Kowalczyk ,” she said.

“The idea is to have locals bring their painted rock to a selected tree near the river which is supposed to evoke storytelling and show the impact of the community in the area.”

Katherine said the story just needs to convey

why the river is important to them.

“We think that that awareness is the biggest stepping stone towards collective lasting commitment to preserving the river,”she said.

“And so we’re really trying to make a statement by collecting as many rocks as possible.”

The girls have begun the process of contacting facilities in the Maribyrnong area by explaining their idea and asking for participation to start the movement, including aged care and schools.

At this stage the girls are unsure on whether the campaign is feasible for real use, but to help make it a reality locals can find QR codes around the park to participate.

“There are rocks at the tree right now for people to use, the QR codes can be found along Chifley Drive,” said Molly.

Jennifer Pittorino

Katherine Demergelis and Molly Keogh. (Damjan Janevski) 364757_01

A garden for the senses PFAS Independent Review

Yarraville West Primary School recently installed a sensory garden, which principal Karen Rush said the students have been loving.

“It was a 14 week project which began back in July. It was completed a few weeks ago and since then it has been really helpful,” she said.

“The space is targeted for children, to recalibrate and co-regulate with an adult when they have big emotions and they need somewhere quiet and calm.

“It is a space for them to take a moment and apply some of their calming strategies that they may have learned at school.

“This space is the quietest place in the school, it’s private, and it’s been really successful so far.”

Karen said there are many different elements to the space which are all designed to

Call for submissions Public submissions for the Australian Government’s Independent Review of land uses around key Defence bases impacted by per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination will open from 9am AEDT Monday 23 October 2023 until 9pm AEDT Sunday 3 December 2023.

The Review will focus on communities around RAAF Base Williamtown (NSW), Swartz Barracks (formerly known as the Army Aviation Centre Oakey) (QLD) and RAAF Base Tindal (NT). However, other communities affected by Defence’s historic use of PFAS are also able to make submissions.

In addition to calling for submissions, public hearings for the three sites will be held on the following dates. Times are in local time zones.

RAAF Base Williamtown Murrook Cultural Centre 2163 Nelson Bay Road, Williamtown NSW 2318 10am – 3pm, Thursday 9 November 2023

help children with the sensory overload that they might experience at school.

“One of the elements is a sand pit which is really helpful, because often when kids become upset they need sensory feedback in a different way,” she said.

“Some children may take off their shoes and get feedback through their feet, and the sandpit is a really delightful, soft, cool place.“ In addition to the sandpit, Karen said the garden incorporates different textures on the ground so kids can feel different surfaces.

“The garden also has a little tunnel, sometimes kids just want to be inside something and take five minutes.

“We also have different levels so kids can be on the ground, they can be standing, they could be sitting, everything’s very lovely.”

Swartz Barracks Oakey Community Centre 64 Campbell Street, Oakey QLD 4401 10am – 3pm, Thursday 16 November 2023 RAAF Base Tindal Katherine Town Council Civic Centre Lot 1865 Stuart Highway, Katherine NT 0850 11am – 4pm, Wednesday 22 November 2023 A virtual hearing will be conducted to provide an opportunity for other interested parties to make a submission:

www.pfasindependentreview.com.au Contact 1800 879 142 (9am – 5pm, Mon-Fri) pfas.submissions@defence.gov.au PO Box Q1084 Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230 12644472-SN43-23

Virtual session 10am – 3pm AEDT, Wednesday 29 November 2023

Scan the QR code or visit the website below to learn more about the Review, including how to make a submission. Scanning the code will also provide details to register to speak at a public hearing or attend as an observer.

6 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

Maya, Gabe, and Olive, all 7, enjoying the new sensory garden. (Jacob Pattison)359513_01

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Academy aces awards The Maribyrnong Sports Academy emerged victorious at the Victorian Tennis Awards, taking home awards for Coaching Excellence and Most Outstanding School.

Head of the tennis coaching team Marc Sophoulis was awarded for his coaching excellence, something he has been doing since he was 14.

“I started coaching through work experience and really enjoyed working with kids and helping others get better, now I have been with the Maribyrnong academy since it started,” he said.

“My favourite thing about coaching is the ability to impact so many lives and not just in tennis.

“Impacting people’s lives and helping them create the characters that they want to be in the future to create good citizens in our community is what I love.”

Mr Sophoulis teaches 43 student-athletes in the tennis program from years 7 – 12.

Other coaching staff include Benson Pisanelli, Nick Busuttil, Rani Goodland and Lucas Vuradin.

Sport director Mark McAllion said the Most Outstanding School award reflects the teaching efforts of the staff as well as the dedication of the students.

“The staff that work incredibly hard, but the kids are also very committed and dedicated.

“Mark has communicated to the kids really well that both of those awards are a reflection of the commitment that the kids put in.

“As well as the work that the staff does on the tennis court, as well as the strength and conditioning staff, the rehab staff, all of which help the kids get the most out of the programme and have the best experience that we can provide while they’re here.”

Unlike other sports, Mr McAllion said the

The financial year in review

Marc Sophoulis, head tennis coach at the Maribyrnong Sports Academy. (Damjan Janevski) 368015_01

a tennis program is based more on training rather than competing, meaning this award is special for everyone.

“Our model here is an individual development model, which means largely the aim of our program is to develop the individual student to their highest level.

“The kids are playing some competitions and tournaments for the school, but the sole

NEWS

focus is on individual development.

“So this award is a great recognition for what happens here early in the morning and late in the afternoon every day.”

The awards took place on Tuesday, October 17 at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, where the Maribyrnong community was celebrated and 15 awards were announced.

Hobsons Bay council’s 2022-23 Annual Report and Financial Statement has been released after being approved at the October council meeting.

The annual report outlines council’s achievements, activities, challenges, and financial performance over the past financial year.

As part of the $59 million capital works program for 2022-23, projects completed included redeveloping Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood, refurbishing WLJ Crofts Reserve in Altona North, completing the upgrade of JT Gray Reserve in Williamstown, a new community park at Blenheim Reserve, Newport, unveiling six upgraded parks in Laverton, and completing the upgrade of HD Graham Reserve, Altona Meadows.

Council said other highlights for 2022-23 included endorsing plans to apply for state government funding for the Epsom Street social housing project in Laverton, playing a leading role in advocating to the state government for pre-commitment laws to apply at all gaming venues across the state, and updating the Industrial Land Management strategy.

Hobsons Bay mayor Tony Briffa said it had been a busy 12 months.

“There are new buildings, parks and open spaces; better roads; funding for amazing community programs; and we have continued to deliver more than 100 crucial community services for our residents of all ages,” she said.

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Gathering at the Big Blue Table October marks Mental Health Month across Australia. Throughout the month, Australians are encouraged to gather around the table and talk about mental health. Hannah Hammoud discovers more about Beyond Blue’s ‘Big Blue Table’ initiative.

N

early half of the people living in Australia will face a mental health condition in their lifetime.

Across the nation, Beyond Blue is encouraging everyone to share a meal and start a conversation about mental health to support those impacted by anxiety, depression and suicide.

Big Blue Table fundraising events will take place throughout October – Mental Health Month – to help fight the stigma surrounding mental health, one meal at a time.

Beyond Blue lead clinical advisor Dr Grant Blashki said the best piece of advice he can give to people participating in the Big Blue Table, is to remember that you don’t need to have all the answers.

“Never underestimate the value of just listening,” he said.

“You don’t need any special qualification to do that. People just want the opportunity to share their concerns or share their stories. It’s tempting sometimes when people start talking about their own issues, to interrupt them and jump in with your own stories, but if you can just sit back a bit and just listen, that’s often very valuable.

“Remember, you don’t have to be a psychologist. That’s something that some people can find a little bit daunting. All it is, is a good conversation, an open chat, and an opportunity to link people with support - but you don’t need to have all the answers.

“One of the exciting things about the Big Blue Table is that human beings have for thousands of years sat around for a meal, and shared their feelings together. It’s one of the great ways to make people feel relaxed, and not rushed and it’s really part of our DNA to sit around together and talk about things.

Dr Blashki said there has been a big change in the national conversation surrounding mental health, especially amongst young Australians, a development he describes as ‘beautiful’.

“The conversation is much less loaded than it used to be. People are beginning to talk about mental health in the same way they might speak about their physical health, it has become very open,” he said.

Working as a GP, Dr Blashki said there has been a ‘cascade’ of challenging events that have happened in the past few years, from the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather events and the current cost of living pressures which have seen mental health front and centre for many Australians.

“Even though people are much more comfortable talking about mental health issues now, the reality is that many people don’t go and get help,” he said.

“About one third of people don’t go and get help, and there’s different reasons for that. Some people might think their issues aren’t serious enough, or that they should work it out themselves, and some people are also worried about the costs of mental health services. These sorts of barriers are still very much there.”

“Our message is for people to put up their hand early, get some help and like any sort of health condition, the earlier you get onto it the better.

“There is a lot going on in the world at the moment, and it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed with the avalanche of information out there.

People should feel reassured and important to remember that there’s a lot of good help out there. Whether it be through a GP, mental health professionals, Beyond Blue or other mental health organisations.”

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, where more than $570,000 was raised, Beyond Blue is encouraging people to gather around the Big Blue Table again in 2023.

Organising a lunch with co-workers, a group picnic in the park or inviting friends for dinner and creating a safe space where

Beyond Blue says hosting a meal with your guests can help create a safe space where everyone feels comfortable talking about mental health. (Supplied)

“One of the exciting things about the Big Blue Table is that human beings have for thousands of years sat around for a meal, and shared their feelings together.”

- Dr Grant Blashki people can express how they truly feel can be life changing.

Over in the west, the team at Barry Plant Werribee are looking to top their fundraising effort for this year’s Big Blue Table, after raising more than $12,000 in 2022.

One of the lead organisers, Martin Nardo said the occasion is a chance to get the community together and raise money for a ‘good cause’.

Mr Nardo said he first heard of the Big Blue Table on the radio, and wanted to do something for the local community.

“In the community alone we had seen a number of local residents fall into depression in the last two years with the added pressure of the pandemic. It was just an opportunity to spread awareness and give an opportunity to people who might have been struggling during that time,” he said.

Mr Nardo is encouraging locals to grab a ticket for this year’s event that will be hosted at the Sporting Globe in Werribee on Friday, October 27, offering live music, finger food, and best of all, a chance to chat and meet others in the community.

“We are hoping to beat last year’s fundraising amount, and everything goes directly to Beyond Blue. It’s a good cause for us all to get together and bring the community together,” he said.

Tickets to the event are $100. For those looking to attend, contact the team at Barry Plant Werribee.

Big Blue Table events can take place for any meal, including brunch or afternoon tea, and in any setting such as at home, the workplace or local sporting club.

People who register early will receive a free host kit, which includes a guide, table

8 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

Last year the Wyndham community came together to raise more than $12,000. (Supplied)

Beyond Blue is calling on Australians to bring their support to the table this Mental Health Month.

(Supplied)

decorations and conversation starters designed to get the discussion going. Hosts are also provided with tips and tricks, including budget friendly hacks, to create a tasty, cost

effective and stress-free event.

To find out more about the initiative and register to host your Big Blue Table event, visit bigbluetable.com.au.

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Alia Elhamed moved to Melbourne 20 years ago.

She completed training to find work in childcare but wasn’t able to get a job until she underwent further training with the SEE program through Learning for Employment.

Alia said looking for work was hard for her because of language barriers.

She had trouble understanding others which became especially difficult in interviews.

“My English was limited, when I would speak in interviews it was not very well but I am a hard worker so I knew I could get a job.”

Alia was referred to the SEE class in Laverton where she received support with English and employment readiness.

“All the teachers and staff were very helpful, they were very nice and I learned a lot,” she said.

Some of the things Alia said she learned included operating the internet, sending messages, how to apply for jobs and how to speak in interviews.

She also gained other digital skills including learning how to read and send emails and create documents in word.

“My spelling was very bad but now it is improving and I am more confident when I speak to people.”

Alia ended up getting a job at a childcare centre in Altona Meadows which she left for personal reasons.

Now Alia hopes that one day she will be able to study aged care.

“In that job you help people, I would like to help support older people because they need help too.”

Alia said she recommends the SEE program for anyone who would like to come to Australia and work.

“It is a good program and helped me very much , it will help others too.”

Jennifer Pittorino

Six people have been arrested and $1 million worth of e-cigarettes seized in raids over organised crime syndicates linked to the illicit tobacco trade in Victoria.

Authorities carried out search warrants at 34 tobacco shops across Melbourne on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

They seized more than 36,000 vapes, $400,000 worth of cigarettes, 30kg of tobacco, two kilograms of cannabis, cocaine and two expandable batons.

Searches were carried out in Footscray, West Footscray, Hoppers Crossing, Bacchus Marsh, Crossing, St Albans, Melton West, Melton South, Sunshine, Keilor Downs and Mernda.

Feedback wanted Maribyrnong council wants locals to share your stories, images, experiences and ideas for the future of the historic Yarraville Gardens Precinct.

Council said it is keen to hear what you love, the places that are special to you and your ideas for things they can enhance or improve.

Provide your feedback by midnight Sunday, November 19, to help inform the development of a Master Plan that will plot the future of the Gardens for generations to come.

FOR BREAKING NEWS, VISIT Web: starweekly.com.au Wyndham Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly Alia Elhamed. (Supplied)

K EIL OR CEME T ER Y

Gallery of the Saints Mausoleum NE W ADDI T ION · S TA GE 5

The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust is planning to build a new addition to the Gallery of the Saints Mausoleum.

We’re pleased to offer families the opportunity to register their interest, to purchase a crypt(s) in the new addition (stage 5) to the Gallery of the Saints Mausoleum.

The proposed addition is adjacent to the existing mausoleum.

To register your interest or find out more, please call 1300 022 298, or email enquiries@gmct.com.au or visit gmct.com.au/gallery-of-the-saints 12643002-JB43-23

Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 9

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Rainbow shines across the west The best of western Melbourne’s LGBTQIA+ community has been celebrated at the 2023 Western Rainbow Awards, including many winners from Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay. The awards were held at the Williamstown Town Hall, bringing together individuals and organisations that are making an impact in the LGBTQIA+ community across the western region.

Presented as part of the Hobsons Bay mayoral program, the awards aimed to acknowledge, celebrate and amplify the work being done by and for our LGBTQIA+ communities.

The winners were:

Advocacy (individual): April Huggins, producer and advocate (Pier Festival among others).

Health or support (organisation): Ferguson St Osteopathy, Williamstown.

Youth focus service (organisation): Crystal Queer, Brimbank Youth Services.

Community leadership (individual): Courtney Davies, Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College Altona.

Leading change (individual): Jacob Tiauli, Brimbank City Council - Crystal Queer.

Young person (individual): Spencer Morgan, Brimbank City Council - Crystal Queer.

Lifetime achievement (individual):

Anastasia Le, Matchworks Sunshine.

Advocacy (organisation): GenZine, Western Region.

Safe spaces and places (organisation): Littlefoot Bar, Barkly Street, Footscray.

Project or program (organisation): Teachers’ Breakfast, Brimbank and Maribyrnong Youth Services.

Lasting impact (organisation): Seddon Deadly Sins, Seddon.

Rainbow business (organisation): Pride of our Footscray, Footscray.

Mayor Tony Briffa said she is very proud to have these awards in Williamstown.

“The Western Rainbow Awards were a fabulous opportunity to celebrate our

amazing LGBTQIA+ community with people from councils across Melbourne’s west. We have so much to be proud of,” said Cr Briffa.

“Part of my mayoral program was to shine a light on the various parts of our community that don’t get the recognition they deserve.

As a western region we have an LGBTQIA+ community that does incredible work, and it deserves to be supported and celebrated.

“Congratulations to everyone who was nominated, and to all the winners, they all truly deserve it and I want to thank them for the contribution they make to our community.”

Help grow the economy

Celtic festival organisers Alistar McInnes and Melissa Ventre. (Damjan Janevski) 368323_05

Hear the Scottish sound of pipes The sound of the pipes will once again be heard in Williamstown, when the Melbourne Highland Games & Celtic Festival returns to Williamstown.

On Saturday, October 28, Seaworks will be transformed into a Scottish wonderland with a jam packed schedule and lineup of entertainment.

Melbourne Highland Games and Celtic festival sponsorship coordinator Melissa Ventre said she is expecting more than 3000 people to attend the event as it is hugely popular in the west.

“Some of the activities on the day include Scottish, Celtic and Morris dancers, folk

music, pipe bands, face painting, heavy games display, wee games for kids, ancient Roman re-enactors, clan tents, food vendors and many other displays,” she said.

“The main attraction will be our Scottish Highland dancers as well as some country dancers, Irish dancers, Welsh dancers, as well as Celtic fusion where we infuse both heritage’s together.

Melissa said the event was a huge success last year , which is why organisers wanted to bring it to the west.

“We had really good reviews last year on the event, so we’ve honed in on the local area.

“We wanted to try to get as many small

businesses within Williamstown to get involved. “As well as our Scottish and Celtic businesses of course, of which we actually have a lot of in the western suburbs.“ For those interested in attending, Melissa said it is a chance to enjoy the influence Scottish heritage has had on Australia.

“It is a huge celebration of all things Scottish Celtic at the wonderful Seaworks in Williamstown. There will be nonstop entertainment and lots of things for the kids to do.

“It will be a great experience and cultural event, a huge celebration of heritage and traditions.”

Community consultation is now open on the Economic Development Strategy that will help grow and transform the Hobsons Bay economy over the next five years.

Council said the strategy will guide its work to support the growth of the local economy over the coming years.

According to council, the impacts of the Covid pandemic on the local economy have been factored into the new strategy, which is built around three key pillars: • Grow: to build strong and resilient precincts by supporting local networks and community enterprise.

• Elevate: to enhance and promote our valued natural, built and cultural assets across the city and to leverage the strategic advantages they present to the Hobsons Bay economy.

• Transform: to support green businesses and the broader economy to transition to a new green future, which includes circular economy and zero carbon industries.

The draft strategy is available for community feedback until Sunday, November 12.

Mayor Tony Briffa said council is committed to making the city an attractive, green and enjoyable place to work, live and visit.

“We want to attract and support businesses and industries that will help us achieve that goal,” she said.

“This strategy sets out a clear vision that by 2030 we will have a network of resilient business precincts that make the most of the great assets we have in our city.”

Details: Participate.hobsonsbay.vic. gov.au.

Railway museum works getting underway The Newport Railway Museum is currently experiencing a revival following a change in management, which secretary John Hawthorne said is the latest in a series of positive changes that have occurred since the museum changed ownership in May 2020.

“The site is about to construct a 567-square-metre extension of its main roof canopy as part of a major site improvement,“ he said.

“The expanded cover roof will enable several historic trains to be protected from the weather, including an Art Deco buffet car once used on the famous Spirit of Progress express, and a steam locomotive that represented

a transformative change in the haulage of freight in Australia.“ Amidst the closure of the museum by the previous operator during the COVID pandemic, a group of volunteers formed their own not-for-profit organisation and offered to purchase the business.

They then negotiated with the site owner, VicTrack, to transfer the lease on the land and the historic locomotives and carriages in the museum collection, almost all of which are state-owned.

President Nick Hewitt said a lot of people thought they had rocks in their heads, taking it all on.

10 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

“We saw an opportunity to make some positive changes, to protect these important historic exhibits, and to make them available for the community to enjoy.”

Nick said that the many thousands of people who visit the museum each year also helped to make the project possible.

“Every dollar we make from ticket and merchandise sales gets ploughed back into conserving the museum collection and improving the site for our visitors,” he said.

Jennifer Pittorino President Nick Hewitt. (Damjan Janevski) 360326_03

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Furlong 2023 gets underway over Melboune Cup Operation Furlong 2023 is a state-wide Road Policing Operation over the Melbourne Cup long weekend period. It aims to increase driver awareness and journey planning, while reducing road trauma during this high risk time on our roads.

This 5 day Road Policing Enforcement Campaign will run from Friday 3 November to Tuesday 7 November.

Road Policing Advisor Sergeant Marty Wallace from Westgate Highway Patrol said the operation will be conducted throughout all operational Police Regions and Police Service Areas during the five days, using all available personnel from local road policing units, general duties and other regional resources.

The police operation will be targeting the main causes of lives lost and serious injuries in crashes which are impaired driving, speed, fatigue, distraction offences and seatbelt compliance Police will be out in force both to educate drivers and to enforce road rules, with a view to preventing lives lost and serious injuries.

We’re watching your speed. Are you?

Motorists are requested to stay within the speed limit, don’t drink alcohol or take drugs and drive, leave your mobile phone out of reach, wear your seatbelt and make sure you are well rested.

Fatigue is one of the biggest killers and is a major cause of the loss of life on Victorian roads.

Drivers are requested to plan their trip, be patient and ensure that you take at least a 15 minutes break at least every two hours and don’t drive if you are tired.

Drivers planning to travel during this period can expect to see an increase in vehicles travelling on our major freeways and highways throughout the state.

Road trauma isn’t just about the lives that

Acting Sergeant Samuel Dunn and Acting Senior Sergeant Kristy Briffa. (Damjan Janevski) 365954_01

are lost – it’s about the enormous impact on the community, from the family members, to the emergency services workers who have to deal with these tragedies on a daily basis, to the police who have to deliver the devastating news to loved ones.

All of the community has a responsibility and a role to play in reducing road trauma.

RoadSafe Westgate Community Road Safety Council Chairman Mr Jim Giddings said it has been demonstrated time after time that speed is a contributing factor in most road crashes.

Therefore stay within the speed limit and drive to suit the conditions you face.

Speeding affects both the risk of a crash

happening and the severity of injuries sustained when a crash does happen.

Mr Giddings said to make sure you’re not putting yourself or others at risk on the roads, put your phone away where you can’t be tempted to use it, for example in the glove box or in the boot to avoid being distracted.

He also said the work of his group along with initiatives like the Operation Furlong during the 2023 Melbourne Cup long weekend would hopefully reduce the number of serious road crashes on our roads.

He asked the community to report speeding drivers to Crime stoppers number 1800 333 000.

Holiday driving has its challenges and

drivers should drive in the hours they are normally awake, take regular breaks to reduce fatigue and allow extra space between vehicles.

Drivers need to adapt to the conditions of the road. The onus is always on the driver to suit the conditions they are facing, and that includes the quality of the road.

If you plan to have a drink then plan not to drive, taking a big risk like drink and driving is just not worth endangering your live or the lives of other road users. Before embarking on any driving trips drivers should check their tyres, windscreen washers, brakes and lights.

Remember, travel so that you arrive at your destination safely and enjoy your Melbourne Cup Holiday weekend.

DRIVING IS NOT A GAME! SPEED KILLS! Don’t make a Grave Mistake Speed is the largest single factor in fatal road crashes on our roads.

RoadSafe Westgate and your local council support reporting speeding drivers to Crime Stoppers.

REPORT SPEEDING DRIVERS

1800 333 000 RoadSafe Westgate Community Road Safety Council is a road safety advocacy group that implements road safety programs and is supported by the municipalities of Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham.

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Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 11

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Spotswood fundraising fete fun The Spotswood Primary Fete brought together the school community for an afternoon and night of entertainment and fun on Saturday October 21.

Principal Jackie Green said the day was a huge success.

“It was wonderful to be able to bring our community together after an absence of four years,” she said. “So many of our past and present students were here to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy lots of entertainment on the main stage including our choir and the amazing teachers’ dance.

“Students really enjoyed choosing a lucky jar, climbing a rock wall and dunking a teacher in the dunk tank.”

All proceeds raised from the fete will go towards stage 2 of the playground upgrade.

Stage 1 began 18 months ago.The school has spent all of 2022 and 2023 fundraising for stage 2, which will be installed in January 2024 over the school holidays.

“Having enjoyed stage 1 since our last fete, we can’t wait to add the new equipment to this popular area in our school,” Jackie said.

“We are so grateful to our families and the wider community for supporting our effort to raise money for our playground expansion.”

Many enjoyed dancing the day away.

Hundreds attended the Spotswood Primary School Fete on Saturday, October 21. (Supplied)

Attendees were spoiled for choice with goodies baked by the school community.

Entertainment included the teacher dance and choir performance.

For all of 2022 and 2023 the school has fund raised in an effort to make the playground upgrade possible.

Entertainment for the kids included rock climbing, lucky jar and teacher dunk tank.

12 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

This was the return of the school fete, for the first time in four years.

Students were delighted to enjoy a day out in the sun.

Many talents were on display for the twilight fete which started at 3:30pm-8pm.

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Magpies are swooping in

Some of Hobsons Bay’s best teachers with Rotary District Governor Ron Payne. (Supplied)

Excellence in education Rotary Altona City recognised seven of the region’s best teachers at the sixth annual Hobsons Bay Rotary Teacher Awards held on Tuesday, October 10.

Rotary district governor Ron Payne, an educator whose career spanned 47 years, presented the Rotary Vocational Service Awards to teachers nominated by their schools.

The awards comprised three Encouragement Awards for early career stage teachers, an Achievement Award for a more experienced teacher, and a Team Award where a team had collaborated effectively to address an important new development for a school.

Bayside College nominated senior leading teachers Analia Diego for Student Wellbeing, Belinda Chandler for Disability Inclusion, and Judy Douglas for Student Learning, all for

their work to introduce a Disability Inclusion program into the school.

The model the team is developing is a positive approach to support students with disabilities to learn alongside their peers in a supportive classroom environment.

Emmanuel College nominated Heather Barlow from St Paul’s Campus and Maily Pham from the Notre Dame Campus for each making exceptional starts to their teaching careers.

Williamstown High School nominated second-year teacher Tim Lilley for an encouragement award for reinventing the debating program at the senior campus where the teams have excelled in a highly competitive league.

ACRC president Danny Civitico said the

award ceremony was a delight.

“It was an absolute delight and privilege to hear of the hard work that our educators do to ensure our children get the best education they can,“ he said.

“This year in particular I was most impressed with the quality of nominations and the projects that the up and coming and established teachers were implementing to enrich the learning experience.

“I was particularly impressed and interested to hear about the diversity in schools programs being run to ensure that all children regardless of ability and mobility are catered for and receive a high level of education.

“I look forward to next years events where there will no doubt be more interest and some great initiatives.“

It is swooping season and Wildlife Victoria wants people to be prepared for potential attacks.

Native birds such as Magpies tend to swoop at this time of the year to defend their young for the six – eight weeks between when they hatch and when they leave the nest.

Wildlife Victoria said all Victorian native wildlife is protected by law, and it is illegal to harass or harm native birds and other wildlife without authorisation.

According to Wildlife Victoria, swooping birds can be a frightening experience but not all birds swoop to protect their eggs and young during the breeding season.

Locals should not be concerned simply because there are magpies or other common swooping birds in the area, which Wildlife Victoria said does not mean an attack.

According to Wildlife Victoria the top ten tips to protect yourself against swooping birds is to know your local swooping hotspots, avoid the area, move quickly, cover your head draw eyes at the back of your head, do not harass wildlife, do not destroy nests, don’t feed swooping birds, travel in a group, notify others, swooping birds.

Some got spots for the Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay area listed on the Wildlife Victoria’s online Victorian Swooping Bird Map, include along the Maribyrnong river and the Esplanade in Altona.

Runners keeping streets of Maribyrnong clean The Maribyrnong River Rubbish Club gathers once a month to keep the street of Maribyrnong clean.

Founder Neil Sgroi said he came up with the idea for the project after attending the South Melbourne beach patrol five and a half years ago.

“I thought it was a great idea, and I thought it was something that was really needed in the Maribyrnong area,” he said.

Brimbank local Neil said each event attracts between 30-40 volunteers who range from a variety of ages.

“We are very happy with that number, It would be difficult to manage if we had too many more people turning up.

“We have everyone from families with small children coming, through to retirees and everything in between.”

The event is co-run with organiser Sanda,

every month throughout the year, advertised through meetup and Facebook.

“We generally run on the second Saturday of each month and we normally start from the Footscray wharf area.

“We get together as a big group and have a chat about our aims for the day as we usually end up with half regulars, half new people.

“It is really about getting together and meeting like minded people in the community.”

Following the debrief , Neil said the group goes about collecting as much rubbish as they can along the riverbank area.

Neil said they average collecting 70 to 80 kilos of rubbish , although this March they hit their record of 201 kilos.

“It was horrifying because that was done in a 90 minute cleanup period.“

If one thing could come from getting the message out there, Neil hopes it would be to encourage people to make a small contribution which can end up making a big difference.

“I encourage people to take responsibility of their own local area, even if they’re not the cause of the litter.

“Every area could use some love and it’s very easy to incorporate collecting litter as part of your daily walk.“ - Jennifer Pittorino

Neil Sgroi, Rick Buck and Paul Handley, members of the rubbish runners. (Damjan Janevski) 361023_01

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MY PLACE Tony Mead is a signwriter and artist based in Spotswood. He tells Jennifer Pittorino about his connection to the west.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Tony Mead. I’m the owner of Industrial Art Sign Co based in Spotswood.

I’m a traditionally trained signwriter, which means I can create signs by hand with a brush and paint. Over the years I’ve expanded on the creation of lettering into painted murals, some 3D sculpture and digitally produced signage.

Tell us about your work in art/murals in the west.

I’ve been fortunate to be involved with The Art and Industry Festival and also working with Hobsons Bay Council on its Art in Public Places program and other site specific projects. These relationships have allowed me to produce a wide variety of creative work.

Some projects I’ve rolled out over the past few years are the Welcome to Spotswood water tank mural, the Soot, Steam Salt and Sand mural in Newport, the Sea Flowers floating stars on the bay and Cherry Lake, the Brooklyn community footpath mural, the large Rainbow Road painting at Altona Civic Centre and just completed Yarraville Community Garden container mural designed by the residents at David House.

What is your favourite thing about being an artist?

I see myself as a creative problem solver, I like being given a basic idea or brief and visualising the finished project and then working backwards to design how to make what I see in my mind.

What is your favourite thing about working in the west?

I like working with the other creative people I’ve met over the years working on these projects. There is such a strong creative community in the west making some great work. Creating work in the area where you live is very special, personally I like to see my work

Tony Mead is an artist based in Spotswood. (Jacob Pattison) 363886_03

still standing as the years go by and reminisce on the painting of them which is not always easy but very rewarding.

What’s your connection to Maribyrnong/ Hobsons Bay? My workshop in Spotswood has been my creative base for the past 20 years, and I’ve lived in Newport and currently Williamstown.

What do you like about where you live?

I love driving to work along the Strand in Williamstown in the mornings. I start early and have witnessed some outstanding sunrises with the city backdrop. The community

is important to me and involvement in Spotswood Traders and Westgate Referral Network have been a great way to interact with other local business people.

What, if anything, would you change about where you live?

I’d like to see more sympathetic building developments which include the past inner west industrial / manufacturing in their design or they keep elements of existing industrial heritage. Some employment of local artists and creatives in these developments would also be beneficial.

Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you.

Even though I’ve made many thousands of signs for businesses all over Melbourne, I’m yet to create one for my own workshop!

Is there anything else you would like to say?

I’ve always thought if you have developed skills through life it’s important to give back to the community that helped you attain them, so I generally put my hand up when it comes to doing creative projects that benefit my community.

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Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 15

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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

Computer classes for beginners Computer classes are run on a wide range of times and days, at both Altona North Community Centre, and Joan Kirner House in Williamstown.

■ Lynne, 9397 6168

Palliative volunteers needed Mercy Palliative Care is looking for volunteers to visit palliative care patients in their homes to offer social support.

■ 9313 5700 or MPCVolunteerCoordinators@mercy.com.au

Willin Wimmin choir Williamstown-based women’s community choir Willin Wimmin is currently welcoming new members. The group meets each Wednesday evening in school terms in the Church of Christ hall at the corner of John Street and Douglas Parade, Williamstown from 7.30pm-9.30pm. There are no auditions and you don’t need to be able to read music.

■ willin.wimmin@gmail.com

Altona North Combined Probus The Altona North Combined Probus Club meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Altona Sports Club. Includes a speaker, organised trips and outings, and a friendly atmosphere.

■ Lesley, 0414 481 442

This week’s photographer’s choice picture is of fungi expert, Ema Corro who is hosting a BacchChat event at the Lerderderg Library in Bacchus Marsh. (Damjan Janevski) 367040_01

every month.

■ www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Community/ Whats-On/Altona or cherrylakemarket@ gmail.com

Musicians welcome

Altona Day Voice Interest and Education of Women [VIEW] Club meets at 11am on the third Wednesday of the month at Altona RSL. ■ Janet, 9394 6522 or 0412 010 176

Do you play trumpet, flute or lower brass instruments? The Hobsons Bay City Band is seeking musicians to join its community band. Rehearsals are held Mondays from 7.30pm at the Newport Lakes Primary School, Elizabeth Street, Newport.

■ Roger Lewis, hbcityband@gmail.com, or www.hbcb.org.au

Diabetes support group

Point Gellibrand Rotary Club

The Westgate Diabetes Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at the Altona Bowling Club at 10am.

■ Elaine, 0415 030 996

Rotary Club of Point Gellibrand meets at Customs House Hotel, 161 Nelson Place, Williamstown, on the first and third Tuesday of the month from 6pm for a dinner meeting. The club has some great speakers and needs new, energetic, enthusiastic members who want to make a difference in their community.

■ www.rotarypointgellibrand.com.au, Pam, 0418 347 691, or rotarypointgellibrand@ gmail.com

Friendship group

AeroSpeakers Toastmasters Club Would you like to develop confidence in communicating, competence with language and clarity in writing?

AeroSpeakers Toastmasters Club would like to invite any and all residents to join them on the first and third Thursday of every month to help develop public speaking, communication and leadership skills. The group meets at the Laverton Community Hub, 95-105 Railway Avenue, Laverton from 7-9.30pm.

■ Vimi Gaoneadry, 0411 530 944

Musicians Wanted Do you play woodwind, brass or percussion and are looking for a welcoming place to play enjoyable and challenging music? The Westgate Concert Band is seeking new members. Rehearsals are held Saturdays during school terms, 9am to noon at Braybrook College.

■ westgateconcertband@gmail.com

will be well known local artist and conservationist Rob Mancini, and an afternoon tea will follow the meeting.

■ 9398 1346

Women Talk – Conversational English The Women Talk Group will be held on Mondays at 10am for women to learn and practice speaking English in the classroom and the local area and make new friends in an all-women class.

■ 9391 8504, email outlets@ outletsco-op.com.au

Laverton Community Education Centre Laverton Community Education Centre has started free AMEP classes in Williamstown Community Education Centre at the Joan Kirner House, onTuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am-3pm.

Participants can build English, digital and employability skills with the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP).

■ 9369 2726

Altona Repair Cafe The Altona Day View Club meets on the third Wednesday each Month at 11am, at the Altona RSL 31 Sargood StREET, Altona VIC. ■ Marion, 9394 6557

Is English your second language? Do you want to improve your English skills and meet new people? Practise English conversation in informal interactive group sessions. Light refreshments provided.

Mondays during school terms, from 1pm-3pm, at the Altona Library.

■ Joe Pellone, 0431 915 970, or joepellone@gmail.com, or Jill Mackenzie, 0439 994 705, or jill.mackenzie111@ gmail.com

Woodcarving Workshop The woodcarving workshop meets on Tuesdays at 9:30-noon at Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed, 280 Queens Street, Altona. All levels of ability in this ancient, international craft are welcome, women included, starter tools and timber available.

■ jah2802rot@gmail.com

West Footscray Rotary

Set between Millers Road and the stunning Cherry Lake in Altona, this market has something for everyone. The market hosts more than 60 stalls selling plants, bric-a-brac, handcrafts, hot jam donuts, tools, clothing and much more.

There is live music every month from the Cherry Lake Cultural Series, showcasing local musicians from across Hobsons Bay. From 9am- 1pm on the first Sunday of

Commonwealth Reserve comes alive on the third Sunday of the month for the Williamstown Craft Market. The market boasts more than 50 stalls showcasing everything from handmade craft, homegrown produce and food vendors.

There will also be live music. From 10am4pm.

■ www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Community/ Whats-On/Williamstown-Craft-Market

Free English conversation class

The Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre presents MonArt. Workshops for people of all abilities facilitated by community art specialist Amanda Neville, Mondays 10am-11.30am. Cost: $5 casual fee each week.

■ admin@ljac.com.au, or 9398 2511

Cherry Lake Market

Williamstown Craft Market

Altona Day View Club

Art workshops

The Rotary Club of West Footscray meets at the Medway Golf Club in Maidstone for lunch, fellowship and guest speakers each Wednesday from 12.30pm- 2pm.

■ Mike 0417 622 372

offers a regular Wednesday walking group that walks the local area, 10.15am-11am.

New members are welcome. This activity is free and includes morning tea.

■ 9397 6168

Drop in chess, cards and Scrabble If you love playing chess, cards or a game of Scrabble in an informal and fun setting, visit Braybrook Community Centre on Tuesdays, from noon to 2.30pm.

Alcoholics Anonymous – Williamstown Regular meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous are held at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Williamstown, Wednesday at 7pm and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Newport, Thursday 6.30pm and Saturday 8.30am.

All welcome including friends and family of people with drinking problems.

■ 1300 22 22 22, or www.aatimes.org.au

Wednesday walking group The Williamstown Community Centre

16 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

Free walking group A free walking group meets every Wednesday, during school terms, at 10.15am from Joan Kirner House, 14 Thompson Street, Williamstown.

■ Tahlia, 9397 6168

Free community morning tea A free community meeting tea occurs every Wednesday at 11am in Joan Kirner House foyer, 14 Thompson Street, Williamstown.

■ Tahlia, 9397 6168

The Altona Repair Cafe are looking for more repairers to help meet community demand for repairs at their monthly repair events! We are particularly looking for people with skills in repairing electricals and textiles! Repair cafes happen on the first Saturday of the month, 12pm to 3pm.

■ Danielle 0413 434 082

Social card games Interested in playing social card games?

Canasta, poker and/or others. Weekday mornings or afternoons at 43 Mason St, Newport.

■ 9391 8504, email outlets@ outletsco-op.com.au

Tax Help The Seabrook Community Centre is offering free tax return help with a tax help volunteer.

This program is for people who have earned less than $60,000 and are pay as you go employees This program runs until mid October.

Social Dancing U3A Altona Inc The 2023 AGM for U3A Altona Inc. will be held on Friday 28th July, at 1.00pm, at the Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre. We are inviting nominations for our 2023-2024 Committee of Management. Our guest speaker

Social dancing in Maribyrnong for all ages and experience levels on Thursday evenings beginning on September 14 at the Maribyrnong Community Centre from 7.30pm-10.30pm.

■ Janine on 0421 371 883

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

5 3 1 8 1 4 7 5 2

9

8 2 7

7 6

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

2 3

Clients (9) Land measure (imp) (4) Insect before butterfly (11) Circus (8) Strut (6) Cross-cultural internet joke (4) Disregarded (7) They’re found in laksa or pho (7) Small case for small articles (4) Heavenly body (6) Aligned (8) Diversion (11) River in Hades (4) Sounds made to indicate an incoming call (9)

14 19

24 25 27 28 29

DOWN Subterranean burial chamber (8) Medical term (8)

1 2

medium

8 9 7 1

7 8 3 5 7 6 6 1

4

No. 156

Flower (6) Apart (9) Slave (4) Arrest (6) Merited (6) Sea robbers (7) Action (9) Limb part (7) Male horse (8) Ways of speaking (8) Playing suit (6) Swampy (6) Type of nut (6) Mark left by a wound (4)

3 4 5 7 8 9 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 26

ACROSS 1 6 10 11 12 13

20

1

9

QUICK CROSSWORD

DECODER

No. 156

5 2 3 1 9 3 6 4 7

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1 5 4 hard

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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”.

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Today’s Aim: 21 words: Good 31 words: Very good

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CUTER DEEDS EDGER ELUDE ELVES ENTER FACED FIVER FROGS GENES HARED HOVEL IDEAL IMAGE MACHO MATED NAIVE NESTS NOTED ODDER OMEGA OUNCE

4 LETTERS ANEW DEEP EELS MUGS RIFE SLAY SLIP SNOB STEM TUGS 5 LETTERS AGILE ALIBI ALOUD APART BOSSY CARAT COMBS

PACTS REVUE RIVAL SEEDY SHOPS SHOTS

6 LETTERS CALLER HARROW KETTLE NOBLES PASSER TRUCES

SOLED SPENT STRAY STYLE THERE TIERS TIMED

7 LETTERS CAREFUL CONFINE ENTRIES OVEREAT PATTERN VERTIGO

8 LETTERS AMERICAN DEPORTED DESERVED HOMESPUN 10 LETTERS DISTRESSES PRETENSION

TRACE TRAIL TRIBE UNITS VERGE WOODS

27-10-23

No. 156 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

H O S

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QUICK QUIZ

1

Which team won the 2013 AFL Grand Final?

2

7

In 2023, which artist broke the record for most Grammys in history?

Which band released the albums The Getaway, Stadium Arcadium and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan?

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3

What is the capital of Greece?

What is the West African dish Fufu?

9

4

Who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the 2022 awards?

What is the chemical symbol for lead?

10 Which Australian TV singing contest returned in 2023?

C O W L

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5

L I T S U G H T N L A Y

F O I

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acme, calm, came, camel, camp, cape, caplet, celt, cilia, ciliate, cite, claim, clam, clamp, clap, cleat, climate, clime, clip, eclat, elicit, epic, ileac, iliac, impact, IMPLICATE, italic, lace, laic, lice, licit, mace, malice, mica, mice, pace, pact, pica, place, plaice, plicate, talc

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

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No. 156

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

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Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

F

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42 words: Excellent

hard

5x5

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medium

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3 LETTERS ADD ADO AGE AIL APT BOA CUE DUO EBB EGG EKE GOP HUE NEE NET PEG PER PRO TNT TWO WEB YES

14

easy

1

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

WORDFIT

Jennifer Coolidge (pictured) plays Tanya McQuoid in which 2023 series?

6

In which US state is Yosemite national park located?

ANSWERS: 1. Hawthorn Football Club 2. Beyoncé 3. Athens 4. Troy Kotsur 5. The White Lotus 6. California 7. Red Hot Chili Peppers 8. Mashed starchy root vegetables 9. Pb 10. Australian Idol

No. 156

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SUDOKU

Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 17

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NEWS

Tradition a first for little athletes Williamstown little athletes took time out from a busy track and field schedule at the weekend to connect with the Indigenous heritage of the local area by taking part in an ancient smoking ceremony.

Boon Wurrung descendant David Tournier presided over the ceremony on Saturday, October 21, delivering a Welcome to Country before approximately 300 members of the local athletics community.

Mr Tournier delivered a message about difference and commonality, saying that while we all come from different backgrounds and cultures, it’s what brings us together that matters.

A smoking ceremony is a tradition practised

by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to cleanse spirit, and encourage good health and wellbeing. The ceremonies are regarded as an important part of connecting people to Country, promoting goodwill, and providing time and space for reflection.

Williamstown Little Athletics Centre’s child safety and inclusion officer Rohan Chiu said the ceremony had been embraced by athletes and their families, which included descendants from the Boon Wurrung peoples.

“The Hobsons Bay area has a rich history dating back thousands of years to the Yalukit-willam people, which means ‘river camp’ or ‘river dwellers’,” he said.

“Taking part in this ceremony has provided the opportunity to stop and reflect on all that came before us, who we are now as a community, and what we hope to achieve both as individuals and collectively, over the coming season and beyond.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to David Tournier for hosting the ceremony at the track and providing an official Welcome to Country.”

The event was organised by the

Boon Wurrung descendant David Tournier presided over the ceremony. (Supplied)

David Tournier delivered a Welcome to Country and the smoking ceremony.

The event was organised by the Williamstown Little Athletics Centre, with members of the Williamstown Athletic Club and Hobsons Bay Runners in attendance.

Williamstown Little Athletics Centre, with members of the Williamstown Athletic Club and Hobsons Bay Runners also in attendance.

Williamstown is one of the fastest-growing little athletics centres across the state and more than 300 local athletes have signed up

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Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 19

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‘S’ puts on a Jolion show

By Derek Ogden, Marque Motoring The Chinese automobile maker GWM Haval has spiced up its popular small petrol sports utility vehicle segment with the addition of a Jolion S, as well as doubling up on the hybrid models to two.

With the Jolion Premium acting as the entry-level, at $28,490 drive-away, the ‘S’ variant ($36,990), slots in the six-model range between the Ultra and the two hybrids, the lesser with Lux trim and priced the same as the S. The Jolion Ultra Hybrid ($40,990) tops off the line-up.

The new Jolion S, on test here, stands alone from the rest of the model range with a pepped-up power plant, fresh multi-link rear suspension and various unique black exterior features for a sportier appearance.

Inside the cabin, only on the ‘S’, is a new layout of buttons directly under the centre dash infotainment screen, preventing their accidental operation.

Owners benefit from GWM’s seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty and economical capped price servicing costs for five years.

STYLING Setting the Jolion S apart from other models are black 18-inch wheels, black door mirror caps, black roof rails, black side garnish, and blacked-out lower front and rear bumpers.

Jolians in general, feature a multi-faceted pattern of daytime running lights bookending LED headlamps and fog lights. The grille adds to the shine with sparkling finish and horizontal accents to create a bold, if flashy, show.

The car’s profile is standard SUV lines with a coupe-like roof curve approaching the C-pillar. Except having more badges than a Scout jamboree, the rear is as plain as the front is glitzy.

INTERIOR The general occupant opinion was that heated front seats were some of the most comfortable in this class of car, while faux leather with contrast stitching and Haval logo was good enough to give the impression of the luxury of the real thing.

That as maybe, but the lack of angling the driver’s seat base for added comfort and the absence of lumbar support shaved off some of the shine.

The leather-clad steering misses out on reach adjustment. It’s angle only.

Thanks to a long wheelbase the bench-like back seat accommodates three across with generous legroom.

In addition are air vents, USB charge ports behind the centre console, rear map pockets, bottle holders in the doors, and a fold-down centre armrest with extra cup holders.

Headroom is compromised by the sloping roofline and sunroof, as is the rear view is restricted by the angled window.

Storage is taken care of by a central bin and a pair of cup holders in two sizes in the centre console, while door pockets can fit bottles.

Boot space checks in at 430 litres (enough to take a couple of big suitcases) and 1133 litres with the 60:40 second row stowed. There’s room only for an under-floor space-saver spare.

The Jolion S has pepped up the Haval SUV range.

INFOTAINMENT A 12.3-inch touchscreen crowns the central dashboard and a 7-inch digital display sits directly in front of the driver. Topping this off is a head-up windscreen display featuring digital speedo, speed limits and lane discipline diagram.

Connectivity consists of the 12.3-inch colour multimedia touchscreen linked to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Audio is handled by a six-speaker system, which misses out on a volume knob or toggle, other than on the steering wheel. The front passenger is left out, limited only to using the audio menu via the touchscreen.

The Jolion S continues the quirky driver focused camera constantly checking whether he or she is paying attention to matters at hand.

A camera fixed to the A-pillar serves up an audible ding and the admonishment ‘Hey, don’t stray!’ on the touchscreen on catching what it thinks is concentration wavering.

Chinese checkers? It’s all a bit naff to me.

ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS The Haval Jolion S is powered by an upgraded 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine hitched up to a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission driving through the front wheels.

This is enough to come up with a maximum 130 kW and 270 Nm, 20 kW and 50 Nm above the trio below it in the line-up.

20 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

SAFETY Standard safety features include seven airbags including front-centre, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection.

There’s lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with stop/go and safe exit warning. Unfortunately, some of the assistance is a tad too keen comfortably to help out.

Cameras create an all-round plan view of the vehicle, while Haval’s A-pillar-mounted spy camera keeps a check of the driver’s behaviour behind the wheel. All Jolians are rated five stars for safety on 2022 testing.

DRIVING Despite upgrades to the powerplant, the turbo turned out to be a little hesitant to connect, especially on inclines. This was even more pronounced in reverse gear, when power came in annoying bursts.

Once on the move, however, the Jolion S put on a boisterous (some would say harsh) performance, especially when wound up.

Ragged edges did appear in stop/start city motoring.

As stated by the maker, expect a combined urban/highway fuel consumption of around 7.5 litres per 100km, compared to the standard 1.5’s 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres. A 55-litre tank takes 91 RON unleaded petrol.

The Jolion S is the only model in the line-up

to be fitted with a multi-link independent rear suspension, in place of the standard torsion beam set-up, which the maker claims offers ‘enhanced ride and handling’.

The test car took to sweeping around fast bends with the tail fixed firmly to the road.

However, the suspension was susceptible to a bang or two from behind on bumpy roads.

The rotary gearshift is wayward in selecting (D)rive or (M)anual mode and spins without any transmission connection if not careful.

On the other hand, new push-button climate control switches on the centre dash have alleviated the previous faults with the touch controls, which were easy to catch accidentally while resting the palm when working the touch screen.

SUMMARY While the price of the Haval Jolion S is $3000 up on the past petrol flagship, the Ultra, there is more in the newbie’s performance and packaging to more than justify the financial jump.

RATINGS n Looks: 7/10 n Performance: 6/10 n Safety: 8/10 n Thirst: 7/10 n Practicality: 8/10 n Comfort: 7/10 n Tech: 8/10 n Value: 7/10

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SPORT

Western United’s dream start Western United kicked off its 2023-24 campaign in outstanding fashion, defeating Melbourne City 2-0.

Lachie Wales broke the game open with a neat finish in the 60th minute but Melbourne City debutant Tolgay Arslan equalised just two minutes later.

There were chances at both ends but United was awarded a penalty in the final five minutes of normal time, which Noah Botic duly dispatched to send the Green and Black faithful into raptures.

The win is United’s first in the opening round of the season since the Club’s first ever season, getting the season off to a dream start.

Coach John Aloisi named four debutants in his first starting XI of the season, with Tom Heward-Belle starting in goal and Daniel Penha, Angus Thurgate and Riku Danzaki lining up across the midfield.

Botic started up front with Wales alongside and Josh Risdon led the team out as club captain for the first time.

Post game Aloisi said he was extremely happy with Botic’s work, scoring the team’s second goal.

“The first year he (Botic) was here, he played an NPL (National Premier League) game and we had a penalty, and he didn’t take it,” Aloisi said.

“And I said to him, ‘Why didn’t you take that penalty?’, and he said ‘Someone else wanted it’.

I said, ‘You’re a striker, you want to score goals, be that player to score those important goals’.

“That’s how much he’s matured and grown.

He’s only 21 but he’s still matured in the sense that he believes he’s the one that can lead the line.

“We’ve got players that can help him with

Noah Botic (Western United)

that, but he showed good composure when he was fatigued right at the end of the game to win it.

“He didn’t have a lot of opportunities but he kept on believing that his moment would come. It did and he took it.”

Following a difficult spell, Botic joined United in 2021, but it took until the 2022-23 season for him to truly show the competition what he was all about, scoring six goals in 21 games after finally earning consistent opportunities in the senior side.

With Serbian striker Aleksandar Prijovic departing, he looks set to lead the charge up-front in United’s 2023-24 season.

United return to action next Saturday night, when they face Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney.

SPORTS QUIZ 1. Which GWS star called the AFL ‘inherently biased’ in regards to the ‘favoured treatment’ of Victorian clubs?

2. What was the reason the Constellation Cup Game 1 between the Diamonds and the New Zealand Silver Ferns was halted?

3. Of the 24 rounds in the 2023 AFL season, how many games resulted in a draw?

4. How old was Simone Biles when she won her first gold medal?

5. Name the Australian speed skater who won Olympic gold after after all his competors crashed?

13. What team does Mary Fowler play for in England’s Women’s Super League?

14. AFL player Tyler Brockman was recently traded to which team?

6. How many premierships has Collingwood won to date?

15. How many NBA teams has Ben Simmons played for in his career?

7. St Kilda veteran Jade Gresham has officially been traded to which club?

16. At which Olympics did athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos make their famous Black Power Salute?

8. Which tennis star announced she would be returning to play professionally in 2024 after her pregnancy?

9. Which tennis tournament will Rafael Nadal be making his Grand Slam return to?

10. Which AFL player has a viral cooking channel on TikTok? 11. Which nation did England lose to by 69 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup?

Ben Simmons

12. Which Australian boxer recently defeated Brian Mendoza in a title bout?

Rafael Nadal

17. Australian punter Arryn Siposs last played for which NFL team?

18. Which former cricketer recently received a payout from the BBC for an accident on the TV series Top Gear?

19. The NHL team Boston Bruins has which animal as its mascot?

20. Bonnie Toogood and Stephanie Cain are the co-captains of which AFL Women’s team?

21. Which former professional surfer was recently elevated to legend status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame?

22. Which former rugby union player was recently elevated to legend status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame?

23. Kai Jones most recently played for which NBA team?

24. Which Brisbane Bullet was recently given a five-match suspension after a game against the Cairns Taipans?

25. Which horse won the 2023 running of The Everest thoroughbred horse race?

27. And which retired NBA player was recently named Reebok’s vice president of basketball?

28. Australian cyclist Saya Sakakibara won the 2023 World Cup title in which variety of racing?

29. Michael Prior is coach of which AFLW club?

30. Which player scored in England’s recent 1-0 win over the Socceroos at Wembley Stadium?

26. Which retired NBA player was recently named Reebok’s president of basketball?

2710

1. Tom Green 2. Power outages 3. Two 4. 16 years old 5. Steven John Bradbury 6. 15 (VFL/AFL) 7. Essendon 8. Naomi Osaka 9. 2024 Australian Open 10. Christian Petracca 11. Afghanistan 12. Tim Tszyu 13. Manchester City 14. West Coast 15. Two (Philadelphia and Brooklyn) 16. 1968 Mexico City Olympics 17. Philadelphia Eagles 18. Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff 19. Bear 20. Essendon 21. Layne Beachley 22. Mark Ella 23. Charlotte Hornets 24. Aron Baynes 25. Think About It 26. Shaquille O’Neal 27. Allen Iverson 28. BMX 29. West Coast Eagles 30. Ollie Watkins Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 21

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Dragons’ season finally kicks off but with a loss North West Metro Cricket Association’s newest team is finally underway.

The Barkly St Dragons officially launched their Musgrove Shield season on Sunday, however, it wasn’t the start the Dragons dreamt of, losing to Tullamarine.

Last week the Dragons were set to kick off, but rain mid game, resulted in a no-contest.

Captain-coach of the Dragons Patrick Duggan said it was good to get underway.

“A few of us are big cricket fans and a few of the boys always wanted to play together, but we’ve all played at different levels of cricket,” Duggan said.

“It’s been in the works for a while, it was sort of one of those things that never makes it out of the group chat.

“Then it was the start of this year when cricket was finishing up for last season, I said to a few of the boys ‘if you want to do it, lets get it underway now’ and it sort of grew legs from there.

“We had some of the boys who had played junior cricket come and ended up having some boys come who haven’t played cricket before as well.

“It’s been good, everyone wanted to do something on their Sundays and do something together which is nice.”

On the weekend, the Dragons won the toss

Dragons starting XI

and elected to bat, unfortunately with not much success.

“We were in a bit of a shambles there for a

while,” Duggan said.

“It started raining and trying to bat and we ended up getting rolled for about 70 odd

which wasn’t ideal.

“There were a few ducks there as well, so it wasn’t great.”

Tom Gleeson and Duggan’s father, who was filling in for the side, top scored with 13 and 17 respectively, yet it was not enough, with the side finishing their innings on 68.

With the ball, Duggan said he is already seeing improvements in his side.

“The week before when we were bowling I think we dropped something like 13 catches,” he said.

“It’s been a bit of a slow start to the season.

“I think we’re all starting to get a bit antsy now, we might have to do something this week, a bit of fielding practice and maybe a bit of time in the nets.”

While it has been a shaky start for the Dragons, with some more time playing together and some handy players expected to come into the starting XI, Duggan remains bullish on what his side can do. “ I think the sides that have been beating us, I don’t think they’ve been that great, we’ve just been really bad,” he said.

“So I think if we can pull something together, I think we can probably play finals and hopefully string it together at the right time of the year.”

Briefs AFL Former Western Jet Zak Butters has capped a breakout year by winning the John Cahill Medal as Port Adelaide’s 2023 AFL best and fairest player.

The 23-year-old was remarkably consistent after a slow start, polling votes in all but two of the club’s 25 games. The John Cahill Medal win caps a strong season where Butters earned his first All-Australian blazer and won the AFL Coaches’ Association Champion Player of the Year award among other accolades after a move from the forward line into the midfield.

“I’ve put more into myself as I ever have this year,” Butters said in his acceptance speech. “If you keep showing up, you get what you deserve, so the more you put in the more you get out of it. I like to live like that as well.”

AFLW Keely Coyne was one of the many Dogs’ players missing on Saturday (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Dogs go down again The Western Bulldogs have suffered their heaviest defeat of the 2023 AFLW season to date, falling to the Sydney Swans by 57 points at Whitten Oval on Saturday.

The Dogs, completely decimated by injuries with only 20 listed players to choose from for the match, proved no match for the Swans.

An eight-goal first half from the visitors set up the victory, with the margin blowing out to 42 points at the main break.

The Bulldogs put in an improved effort in the second half after making some positional adjustments, but the damage was done.

Sydney’s total of 96 points was the most the Dogs have conceded in a game of AFLW, and the losing margin was the second heaviest in the club’s history.

A crowd of 2982 people watched the action at Whitten Oval, the highest home crowd of the Dogs’ season to date.

Sydney co-captain Chloe Molloy was a major factor in the outcome of the game, kicking three goals, taking 11 marks and collecting 28 disposals in a match-winning performance.

For the Bulldogs, skipper Ellie Blackburn notched 30 possessions for the second time in her career, to go game highs for clearances (eight) and tackles (eight).

Kirsty Lamb finished with a season-high tally of 24 disposals and she had six clearances, while Issy Pritchard had 18 touches and five clearances, while also spending time in the ruck.

One of the highlights for the Dogs on a disappointing day was a first AFLW goal for Issy Grant, who took a strong mark deep in attack early in the third term and converted, after being switched to attack for the second half.

Jorja Borg also impressed on her debut, finishing with a game-high 29 hitouts.

“It was a crazy feeling,” she said.

“I didn’t think it would happen like this but I’m so grateful and it was an awesome day.

“There was a lot more pressure out there than you’d think, it’s definitely a big step up and it’s something to adjust to.”

The Bulldogs have two more chances to secure their first win of the 2023 campaign,

22 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 25 October, 2023

starting with a trip to play West Coast over in the west next Saturday.

“We’ve got two weeks to go, everything that’s happened in the first eight weeks has happened, can’t change it, can’t affect it, can’t do anything about it so what we’ve got is two chances to get better,” coach Chris Grant said following the loss.

“I can see it in [the players] eyes, the way that they’re training, they still want to improve, they still want to get better so that’s what we’ll do.

“We may not get the benefits of it this year, but it’ll slingshot us into a long pre-season.

“Morale amongst this group is really, really good.”

While there were no more injuries to report from this match, the Dogs already have five players out for the rest of the season and another four under the test or indefinite bracket. Dom Carruthers is the only player with an expected arrival time listed by the club, of one to two weeks as she recovers from a concussion.

Western Bulldogs youngster Keely Coyne will miss the rest of the 2023 AFLW Season after rupturing her left anterior cruciate ligament in the round seven loss to Adelaide. Coyne sustained a knee injury in the opening minutes of play at Norwood Oval. She was removed from the game at quarter time with inconclusive symptoms, with scans over the weekend confirming the extent of her injury. “It’s obviously really unfortunate for Keely, who had found her spot in the team and was impacting well,” head coach Nathan Burke said. “She has undergone dramatic development over the past 12 months, working extremely hard to better herself for the team’s benefit.

“We will wrap our arms around Keely throughout her rehab journey, and look forward to seeing her back out there next season.” Coyne will meet with surgeons this week. The Dogs have been decimated by injuries to this point in the season with as few as 19 players available for selection for their round eight clash with Sydney.

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SPORT Bowlers perform well for Imperials despite loss The first complete round of the Victorian Turf Cricket Association has come to an end with the Williamstown Imperials losing to Point Cook.

After the first round was cancelled due to weather, round two consisted of a full fixture of two day match ups.

Last weekend the Imperials loss the toss and got sent in to bat, with Point Cook expecting that the pitch will become better for batting as the season goes on.

“The reason the captain decided to bowl was because it’s the first deck of the year, Fearon Reserve’s always a good batting deck, one of the best decks in the competition,” Point Cook coach Carmine Conte said.

“We’ve got a different side this year, we’re young and enthusiastic and it went well.

“It’s a fairly young side, a lot of home growns

in the side, so I’m very happy with the way we started.”

Conte said he was pleased with his bowlers performance, especially from a couple of players on debut for the club.

The debutants were Varinder pal Singh and Karandeep Singh. Varinder pal opened the bowling and took 2-27 off 13 overs. While Karandeep took 2-26 off 10 overs bowling off spin.

“They made 173 but there were a couple of decisions that didn’t go our way, they probably shouldn’t have made 100 but in saying that they got to 173 and our top order did the job,” he said. “[Varinda pal] opened our bowling and bowled really well, unlucky he could’ve got a lot more wickets. “[Karandeep] had a good start to the season

as well.”

Point Cook was able to dismiss both of the Imperials batsman early, however the Imperials’ skipper Andrew Hendry was able to come in and get his side’s innings back on track scoring 55 off 79 deliveries.

“That’s the way [Hendry] bats, he’s a good bat and he took his time and punished the bad balls, he definitely did his job,” Conte said.

This week Point Cook managed to score the required runs, and add a few extra to help them with their percentage.

“We hunted the runs down, three down and then the boys tried to have a bit of fun and lost a few wickets at the end,” Conte said.

Next week Williamstown will play East Keilor while Point Cook will play Pascoe Vale Hadfield, in two day games.

Andrew Hendry (Jacob Pattison)315347_02

Risdon to lead United

Keiwa Hieda scored her first A-League goal (Western United)

United is back on track Western United mounted another trademark comeback in the A-League Women to claim a priceless 2-1 win over rivals Melbourne Victory on Sunday.

Mark Torcaso made one change to his starting 11, and it was a big one, Matildas’ star Chloe Logarzo led the team out as captain in her first start for the Club.

Alyssa Dall’Oste continued in goal and joined Grace Maher in making her home debut, while Lucy Richards was named on the bench for the first time.

Looking to right some of the wrongs from last week, United started this game with a much higher tempo, looking to get forward early with Kahli Johnson getting a few looks at Jessika Nash on the left-hand side.

United’s early impetus ultimately amounted to nothing and Victory were able to get up the other end and take the lead in the 15th minute.

Western United continued to work to find a footing in the game and slowly began to show positive signs in possession, knocking the ball from side to side and getting into the final third.

Johnson won a corner that was flicked on by Hannah Keane before deflecting out for another corner, and that set piece nearly resulted in an own goal with Victory clearing

their lines in the nick of time.

United continued in that vein and dominated much of the back end of the first half, with the only thing missing being the equalising goal to show for it.

Immediately out of half time, United sought to continue its spell of dominance but couldn’t quite enjoy the say some success in possession.

Against the wind, it became increasingly difficult for United to work the ball up the pitch but there remained some nice passages of play to work the ball higher up the pitch.

The Green and Black began to edge further forward and after a couple of corners in quick succession, Torcaso’s team finally had its equaliser.

Adriana Taranto’s in-swinging delivery held up slightly in the wind and her sister was alive to it, with Melissa nipping in front of Williams and flicking the ball into the net despite Kayla Morrison’s best efforts on the goal line.

From there, Victory began to take the ascendancy and held more of the possession, making it difficult for United to get out of the defensive third.

But United wasn’t to be deterred, showing its customary grit and determination to wrestle the lead on the stroke of injury time.

After winning the corner from which it came,

substitute Hieda scored her first professional goal, steaming in to finish from virtually on the goal line after Williams had saved Keane’s effort up into the air.

“I thought we played quite well to be honest, I thought we kept possession of the ball,” coach Mark Torcaso said.

“We probably didn’t do it so well in the first 25 minutes or so but once we regained confidence in possession in that last 10 minutes of the first half we looked pretty solid.

“We brought that into the second half and then we were confident we could find a way to score.

“Just the way that we remained composed in possession in the way we built up was really satisfying.

“The conditions were pretty difficult for the girls.”

The women are on international break next week as Torcaso heads to coach the Philippines women’s national team.

“To get three points before the [international] break is so important for us and I’m so proud of the girls today and they deserved that win,” Torcaso said.

Following the break, United will play Melbourne City at City Vista at 4pm on Sunday November, 5.

Josh Risdon has been named as Western United’s second ever captain ahead of the men’s A-League season.

Alongside Risdon, fellow foundation players Steven Lustica and Tomoki Imai complete United’s leadership trident as vice-captains.

Having been the vice-captain for the past two seasons, Risdon wore the captain’s armband throughout the 2022 A-League finals series, including in a heroic grand final performance as United were crowned champions.

The club said Risdon’s character, resilience and determination on the pitch have been emblematic of the club’s values since day one, with the Socceroo having been the first Australian to sign for the club in 2019.

Western United general manager of football hailed the trio’s continued importance in setting standards for the team and the club as a whole.

“Josh, Tomoki and Steven are three ultimate professionals and their influence as foundation players has been fundamental to our growth as a club,” he said.

“After his outstanding work as vice-captain for two seasons, we are delighted to elevate Josh to the captaincy and we are equally pleased to have leaders like Tomoki and Steven to support him and drive our culture and expectations.”

Western United coach John Aloisi added his confidence that Risdon, Imai and Lustica would be able to drive the team to a successful season.

“Josh, Tomoki and Steven are all key voices in the dressing room and are a delight for me as a coach to have leading our group,” he said.

“Their influence and ability to get the best out of their peers will be crucial for us this season, and I am looking forward to watching their impact on the pitch each week.”

Josh Risdon

Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 23

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