Star Weekly - Wyndham - 7th February 2024 by Star Weekly

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7 FEBRUARY, 2024

Margherita Loviscotto has been visiting her son’s grave at Werribee Cemetery every week since 1985, but says the condition of the cemetery now is a disgrace. (Damjan Janevski) 386602_01

Cemetery is a ‘disgrace’ By Cade Lucas Visiting the graves of loved ones is usually an emotional experience, something Hoppers Crossing’s Margherita Loviscotto knows better than most. Since her son Gabriele’s death in 1985, Ms Loviscotto has visited his burial site at Werribee Cemetery on countless occasions, often attending two to three times a week. But after nearly 40 years, the 86 year old has had to scale back her cemetery visits, with a recent illness forcing her to go three weeks without tending to Gabriele’s grave, her longest absence since his passing. Her eventual return on Tuesday January 30 left Ms Loviscotto more emotional than ever. “Werribee Cemetery is a disgrace,” she said of the condition she found it in.

“The grass was my height, there was grass everywhere. The weeds were everywhere. “I felt like crying.” Ms Loviscotto is far from alone in being upset with the condition of the cemetery. A subsequent social media inquiry by the Star Weekly attracted a stream of angry responses from Wyndham residents, with the cemetery variously described as ‘a disgrace’, ‘disgraceful,’ ‘crap,’ ‘grim and very unkept,’ and ‘not good enough.’ Like Ms Loviscotto, many remarked on the amount of grass and weeds that have been allowed to grow on the cemetery grounds. Vegetation overgrowth has been an issue across many public green spaces throughout Wyndham following unseasonably heavy summer rains. Wyndham council recently advised that

it was struggling to deal with the amount of vegetation growth over the Christmas and New Year period and that mowing and lawn maintenance would take longer than usual. However, Werribee Cemetery is no longer the responsibility of Wyndham council, with The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT), that also operates cemeteries in Altona and Fawkner, taking over management in 2010. Margherita Loviscotto said she’d noticed a decline in the condition of the cemetery ever since. “Since the trustee took it over, the cemetery is neglected,” she said. “Before when the it was the council in charge, they cut the grass every two weeks and it was nice and clean.”

Chief operations and people officer at GMCT, Dimi Patsisas, said the cemetery was mowed only days before Ms Loviscotto’s January 30 visit. “We are committed to maintaining Werribee Cemetery with care and respect,” he said. “We deployed additional staff there last Thursday (25 January) for maintenance, as a result of grass and weeds growing faster due to the unusually wet summer.” While GMCT is responsible for public spaces at the cemetery, care and maintenance of individual grave sites is up to family members, with many using their own equipment to cut grass around them. Despite criticism, few complaints about the condition of Werribee Cemetery are believed to have been lodged with GMCT.

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Footpath leaves gardener fuming By Cade Lucas Normally residents appreciate councils doing maintenance works and amenity upgrades on their street. But when Wyndham Vale’s Braydon Keenan-Wale returned home from work last Monday afternoon, he found subcontractors employed by Wyndham council had destroyed rather than improved the area in front of his Flinders Crescent home. “I had a garden bed stretching from my mail box to the gutter that has been torn up,” said Mr Keenan-Wale of the damage left by workers on January 29. “The crushed rock I had in it has been disposed of and two granite boulders that I had

have been rolled onto what’s left of my grass about 10mm away from my water meter.” The subcontractors had begun laying a footpath in front of homes on Mr Keen-Wale’s side of the street where previously there hadn’t been one. Mr Keenan-Wale knew some work would be occurring after finding a notice in his letter box that morning. A phone call from his wife on the way home telling him to ‘stay calm’ indicated he’d likely be unimpressed with the outcome. He was still taken aback. “I thought it would be bad, but the footpath is a lot wider than I thought,” said Mr Keenan-Wale who is angry with the lack of consultation and forewarning of a new

footpath being put in and the careless attitude of the workers doing it. “Just how they just piled everything up in the front yard and the garden bed on my side of the boundary, they just sort of tore that up,“ he said. “They’ve cracked the driveway which they’ve said they will repair but we live on a blind corner and we rely on the driveway a lot.“ In response, Wyndham council said the Flinders Crescent works were originally planned for 2022, but were delayed by program changes and that residents were notified on multiple occasions before they began. “Residents in Flinders Crescent were advised in late November 2023 that footpath construction works would be going ahead,“

said a council spokeperson. “Residents were advised to contact council officers if they had any questions or concerns. Council did not receive any feedback or contact from residents in Flinders Crescent.” A Wyndham council spokesperson added that residents were again notified of the impending works on January 24, but Mr Keenan-Wale disputes this, saying the letter can only have arrived in his letter box on January 28 or 29. Wyndham council confirmed a driveway was damaged and would be repaired, but that otherwise the site was in satisfactory condition. The name of the company subcontracted to lay the footpath is unknown.

Speeding tops traffic offences

Artist Peter Waples-Crowe’s presentation Affirm is currently on display at Station Place in Werribee. (Damjan Janevski) 386619_04

Artwork flies into the underpass Like most train stations, the only artwork you normally see at Werribee Station is graffiti. But that’s changed recently with the opening of artist Peter Waples-Crowe’s presentation Affirm. Situated within the architecture of the station itself, specifically the window-based architrave and southern entrance to the underpass, Affirm features photography from Waples-Crowe’s archive as well as new images

and elements to create scenes described as “familiar to the Australian vernacular yet subjected to Peter’s unique subjective lens and collage-like methodologies.” Peter Waples Crowe’s practice is largely based on personal experiences as influenced by his adoption and reconnection with his Ngarigo heritage, and over 25 years experience as a community health worker within Aboriginal and LGBTQIA2+ health.

His work is considered a commentary on the world as a contested site for his multiple identities and often features depictions of dingoes, a totemic figure and an analogy of survival for queer outsiders. Affirm opened on Saturday January 27 and runs through to March 24. The exhibition is part of the Queer Photo in Wyndham, an extension of the Midsumma LGBTQI+ festival that is currently underway.

Wyndham recorded 73 traffic offences during Operation Amity held across the Australia Day long weekend. Speeding drivers made up the bulk of offences detected in Wyndham during the four-day operation, with 21 drivers caught travelling above the limit. Disqualified drivers and unregistered vehicles were the next most common offences with 10 each, while there nine drivers were caught using their mobile phones behind the wheel. Seven drunk driving offences and two drug driving offences were detected, while five were caught disobeying signs and 4 without seatbelts. There was only one unlicensed driver and no cycling offences. Overall, 5,206 traffic offences were recorded during the operation, of which 2,261 were for speeding, almost half of the total. Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir said speeding continued to be a problem during long weekend operations. “Most speed detections are for low to mid-range speeding, which suggests to us that many motorists think it’s acceptable to travel just a little bit over the speed limit,” he said. “What many motorists don’t seem to grasp is that speeding continues to be the leading cause of serious injury and fatal collisions – a quarter of last year’s fatal collisions were as a result of speed. Any form of excessive or inappropriate speed, whether it be 5km/h to 25km/h over the limit, significantly increases the likelihood of being involved in a collision.”

Help for parents, teachers in new guide on school refusers By Jennifer Pittorino Parents, carers and teachers in Melbourne’s west will now be better placed to pick up on early warning signs of school refusal, thanks to two new resources from youth mental health service Orygen. School refusal is defined as “school non-attendance that parents and carers are aware of”, and is associated with severe emotional distress at the prospect of attending school. Despite the limited data on exact school refusal rates, a 2023 parliamentary paper reports that the rate of school refusal rates grew 2 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 7 February, 2024

by 50 per cent between 2018 and 2021. Orygen workforce development and service implementation director Sian Lloyd was on the team that developed the toolkits and said the two resources are designed for clinicians and for schools. The resources are titled ‘A Guide for Supporting School Attendance for schools, and ‘A Collaborative Approach To Supporting Young People Experiencing School Refusal.’ “Even though we have written both frameworks for those particular audiences, they are really helpful for parents and carers of young people,” she said. Talking from personal experience, Ms

Lloyd approached her school coordinator with the framework when she noticed one of her teenagers beginning to display signs of school refusal. “I started noticing things like not wanting to go in the morning, tummy aches and those sorts of excuses,” she said. “So, I approached the school and said I have some concerns and here are some of the approaches we can take.” “It was quite easy to put those things in place and my child’s experience was that their attendance improved and we didn’t have an issue anymore, but we also nipped it in the bud really early.”

Orygen chief of research translation Rosemary Purcell said there are several reasons which could lead to school refusal including the start of the school year, new teachers, new classmates and schools. “Children can have high anxiety and can feel overwhelmed in a classroom environment,” said Ms Lloyd. The resources include a checklist of potential early warning signs including difficulty attending school after weekends and holidays, disrupted sleep cycles, tearfulness, clinginess and dawdling before school , feeling sick before school. Details: https://ow.ly/KUTe50QwAWf.

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New school year, new doors open By Cade Lucas Like the rest of Victoria, students in Wyndham returned to class on Wednesday, but for those attending six public schools, the day was extra significant. Bemin Secondary College and Warreen Primary School in Truganina, Brinbeal Secondary College and Wimba Primary School in Tarneit, Laa Yulta Primary School in Mambourin and Nganboo Borron School in Werribee, all opened their doors for the first time on January 31. With Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College, Werribee welcoming students a day earlier on Tuesday, January 30, a total of seven new public schools have opened in Wyndham. Bemin principal Joanne Camozzato was appointed to the role in April last year and said setting up a new school was a unique experience. “Everything that you see in established schools, like a sign even, you know like ‘don’t park here’, you have to put everything in place from square one, let alone all the curriculum, your school culture, your relationship with families, with the local community, everything has to be established.” She said it was gratifying to see all that hard work pay off. “It was really great to see the youngest students here with their families and the parents have been, I think, really surprised at all the facilities. Even the outdoor facilities are great for the kids.” Bemin is the first secondary school in Truganina and is spread across junior and

Bemin Secondary College principal Joanne Camozatto (centre) with assistant principals Elyshia Sheldon and Anthony Asta. (Cade Lucas) 386728_01

senior campuses a few kilometres apart. The junior campus on Everton Road currently has only year 7 students, with years 8 and 9 to be added over coming years, while the senior campus on Morris Road only has year 10 students, with year 11 and 12 classes to come. In nearby Tarneit, Wimba Primary School has opened to students just starting their education.

“It’s been amazing,” said inaugural principal Paul Schwartz. “This journey started in March last year for me and to see the planning go from a piece of dirt to now buildings where classrooms and students are learning in nine months has been pretty amazing.” Wimba Primary already has 200 enrolments and according to Mr Schwartz, almost all are from the surrounding area.

He said local parents have embraced the convenience of having a new school nearby. “All of our families live within the community, the New Haven estate or the Orchid Estate, so they’re pretty close by. They’re really stoked that they can walk to school and they can ride their bikes to school safely.”

New schools welcome students across Wyndham It wasn’t just the start of a new school year in Wyndham last week, in some cases it was the start of a whole new school. All up, seven Wyndham public schools opened their doors for the first time on January 30 and 31, Bemin Secondary College and Warreen Primary School in Truganina, Brinbeal Secondary College and Wimba Primary School in Tarneit, Laa Yulta Primary School in Mambourin, and Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College and Nganboo Borron School in Werribee. Private schools also made their debut, with Tarneit North’s St Teresa of Kolkata Catholic Primary School opening on Thursday, February 1. “The first day was so exciting,” said principal Robyn Kelly. “Everyone was waiting at the gate. We had a guard of honour with our beautiful staff, and all the kids were very excited to come in and experience their classrooms for the first time.” Ms Kelly said St Teresa’s had a mixture of experienced teachers and graduates, creating a supportive and enjoyable environment for staff and students. “We’re so lucky to have this beautiful building to come to each day, and most of the landscaping is done, so the children are able to go out at recess and enjoy the football oval, the basketball court, the handball court and the giant sandpit.”

Madelyn (11), Jaxon (11), Rylee (11), Lilian (13) and Mahir (12) on the first day at Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College on Tuesday January 30. (Jacob Pattison) 385118_04

Wimba Primary School’s inaugural principal Paul Schwartz in his office on opening day. (Cade Lucas) 386999_06

Student’s at Truganina’s Bemin Secondary College try to find which class they are in on the school’s first day on January 31. (Cade Lucas)

Lilian (13), Jaxon (11) and Rylee (11) are among the inaugural students at Werribee’s Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College. (Jacob Pattison) 385118_01

Graduate teacher Brodie Clancy with students in her prep class, on day one at St Teresa on February 1. (supplied) 386999_04

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Principal Robyn Kelly on the first day of school at the brand-new St Teresa of Kolkata in Tarneit North. (supplied) 386999_03

Bemin Secondary College teacher Nicola Cox instructs her 7C class on the first day at the Truganina school. (Cade Lucas) 386999_05

Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College students settle into their new surrounds. (Jacob

Students in class at Wimba Primary School in Tarneit on its opening day on January 31. (Cade

Pattison)385118_03

Lucas) 386999_02 Wednesday, 7 February, 2024 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 3

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Oliver seeks school bus reprieve By Cade Lucas It’s been a tough start to the school year for Mambourin teenager Oliver McMahon. After he and his mother were forced to suddenly move house during the summer holidays, the year 10 student at Hoppers Crossing’s Warringa Park Specialist School, now finds himself outside the school’s bus zone. With no other option available, Oliver, who suffers from developmental and learning disorders, has been forced to walk 5km return to the nearest bus stop in Manor Lakes. His mother, Jasmine Portelli said it’s a situation that has already caused Oliver distress. “He’s very anxiety ridden, he’s very sensitive,” she said of the affect the 40 minute

walks to and from the bus stop have had. “It’s been very difficult because it’s not something he ever had to do.” Previously the 15 year old only had to walk 200 meters up to the corner of his street to catch the bus to Warringa Park where he’s been a student for the past two years. Ms Portelli said it wasn’t just the extra distance of the walk that was problematic. “I’ve got an intervention order due to domestic violence and that’s listed on the kids as well, so he’s fearful that when he’s walking to and from the bus stop, something’s gonna happen.” Despite repeated appeals for assistance, Ms Portelli said Warringa Park had refused to help, arguing Mambourin was outside its school bus zone, a stance she suspects is designed to force Oliver to move to a new specialist school in Manor Lakes.

Warringa Park declined to comment when contacted by Star Weekly. It’s understood that discussions between Ms Portelli and the Education Department have been ongoing and that a solution providing Oliver with easier access to Warringa Park is close to being brokered. A statement from the department confirming this wasn’t received before deadline. Jasmine Portelli said Oliver had already changed schools seven times and that moving again, even to the much closer Manor Lakes Specialist College, wasn’t an option. “He wouldn’t want to go because he’s settled into this school,” she said. “He’s doing so well. He’s the SRC captain at the Cayleys Road campus at Warringa Park. If I pull him out he’s gonna have to redo everything again.”

Warringa Park Specialist School student Oliver McMahon (right) with his mother Jasmine Portelli. (Damjan Janevski) 386992_02

RSPCA seizes many animals

15-year-old Werribee dancer Mila Aziadou has been selected in the Australian team for the Dance World Cup in Prague later this year. (supplied) 387606_01

For Mila dance is a passion project A talented teenage dancer has started fundraising in an effort to showcase her skills on the world stage. Werribee 15 year old Mila Aziadou was recently selected to represent Australia at the Dance World Cup to be held in Prague in June. But despite her selection and undoubted talent, the price tag of travelling across the globe to compete on the world stage remains a huge stumbling block for Mila and her mother Tania De Petro. “It’s expensive,” said Ms De Petro “She cannot go by herself. I need to go with her and the cost is $12,000.”

A gofundme page has been set up to raise money for mother and daughter to get to Prague, with $1000 already donated. While Ms De Petro is hopeful of raising the $12,000 target by June, she said they were committed to going whether they reached it or not. “If I cannot raise this money I will ask the bank to maybe make a loan.” Sacrificing to fund her talented daughter’s hobby is something Ms De Petro is used to. “I’m a single mum so I spend all my money for the dance. Competition, costume, private workshops.” It’s a level of commitment matched by her

daughter who practices five to six days a week, from 5pm in the afternoon until 9.30pm in the evening. Ms De Petro said Mila’s passion comes from her father who was a professional dancer and developed early on in her native Italy. It’s a passion that has only grown in the seven years since emigrating to Australia and is one her mother is behind every step of the way. “I just support her to follow this dream.” she said. https://w w w.gof undme.com/f/mila-xteam-australia-at-the-dance-world-cup-2024 Cade Lucas

Nearly 50 animals were seized from a Wyndham property after a tip off from a member of the community. RSPCA Victoria’s inspectorate with the support of Wyndham council officers seized 48 cats and one dog from the property. On arrival they found many animals suffering from ringworm, cat flu and one dog was being underweight with a severe skin condition. Inspectorate south west region team leader Belinda Dent said this was a particularly sad case. “The situation with these animals was completely unacceptable,” she said. “When our Inspectors arrived at the property cats were running out of the roof through a missing tile and were spread out both within the property and extensively underneath it. “In addition to unsanitary living conditions, the owner has also been unable to provide the necessary veterinary care for the majority of these animals with many suffering from a variety of conditions. “Pet owners are required to ensure they provide a clean and sanitary environment and meet all the legal obligations that come with responsible pet ownership including providing necessary veterinary attention. “It’s also vitally important to consider the number of animals you can legally own and are able to provide adequate care for.” All the animals are now being checked by RSPCA Victoria’s veterinary team and receiving the care they need.

Paramedics clock speed up on Wyndham response times Paramedics responding to Code 1 cases in Wyndham are arriving more than two and a half minutes faster than a year ago according to the latest figures released by Ambulance Victoria. Ambulance Victoria’s performance results for October to December 2023, showed the average response time for Code 1 “lights and sirens” cases in Wyndham was 14.05 minutes, down from 16.36 minutes for the same period in 2022. The 2.31 minute improvement puts the average response time for Code 1 cases in Wyndham almost a minute below the 15 4 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 7 February, 2024

minute target time. Metropolitan regional director Michael Georgiou said the statewide average response time to Code 1 cases was also now under 15 minutes, the first time in two years this ahd been achieved. “While there is more work ahead of us, it is encouraging our response to Code 1 emergencies improved a full minute and 46 seconds across Victoria compared to a year ago,” Mr Georgiou said. “The Productivity Commission’s recent Report on Government Services shows Victoria has Australia’s most trusted

paramedics and leads the nation in cardiac arrest survival and pain management. Our dedicated paramedics and first responders are to be commended for the outstanding care they deliver to communities across the state.” The percentage of ambulances arriving in Wyndham within the 15 minute target time also improved, rising to 71.4 per cent, almost 12 per cent better than the previous year. The improvements are all the more impressive given they were achieved at a time of increased demand, with 3374 Code 1 call outs to the municipality, compared to 3352 for December 2022.

Response times for Code 2 cases, those considered acute but not requiring lights and sirens, improved as well, with Wyndham’s recording an average time of 36 minutes, compared to 47 minutes a year earlier. Overall, the last quarter of 2023 was Ambulance Victoria’s busiest on record, with 154,267 emergency cases, including 99,833 Code 1 cases – the second most on record. Wyndham accounted for 3.38 per cent of the state’s total ambulance workload, one of the top five local government areas in Victoria. Cade Lucas

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salute First Nations woman is Nazi fight escalates new head for WestCASA The Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault (WestCASA) has a new chief executive, an important appointment for reasons beyond just the position itself. Annette Vickery is the first Indigenous person to lead WestCASA or any other centre against sexual assault, the significance of which isn’t lost on her. “It’s elevating First Nations women’s voices, particularly in an area where First Nations women over represented,” Ms Vickery said. WestCASA is a community based not-for-profit sexual assault counselling service that both supports victim-survivors and runs education and training programs aimed at preventing it. The service operates right across the western suburbs, an area Ms Vickery knows well. “I’ve lived here for 22 years now, which, in western metropolitan terms makes me a blow-in still,” laughed the Sunshine resident who also spent three years in Melton while studying psychology and working as a reconciliation officer. She also spent 10 years as chairperson of the Western Aboriginal regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee. Beyond her knowledge of the western suburbs, Ms Vickery explained the legal, health and social justice expertise she brings to the role. “I’ve worked in Koori courts. I worked for Victoria Police as the Aboriginal advisory unit manager, and I was the deputy CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal legal service for six years. For two years, I was the CEO of Thirrili which is a suicide prevention organisation,”

The first person charged for performing a Nazi salute in Victoria will give notice to all of Australia’s attorneys-general to become involved as he fights the case. Jacob Hersant, 24, will make a constitutional argument as he fights one charge of intentionally performing the Nazi salute, his lawyer told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday. He is accused of making the gesture outside the County Court in October, about six days after Victorian laws banning it came into effect. Hersant, of Point Cook, faced the court on Friday by video link, with his new lawyer Sarah Gaunt explaining she could not be there in person. Ms Gaunt asked for an adjournment as she said Hersant had raised an issue in relation to a constitutional argument but did not go into detail on what that was. She said notice needed to be given to every state and territory attorney-general, and federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, about the argument, and time given to allow them to decide if they will respond. “That’s obviously going to take some time to do,” Ms Gaunt said. Magistrate David Starvaggi ordered Hersant and Ms Gaunt to both appear in person at his next appearance. “I’m directing that all parties physically attend court on that day, no exceptions,” the magistrate said. Hersant, who is on bail, will next face the court on February 29. Emily Woods, AAP

Annette Vickery is the new CEO of WestCASA. (Damjan Janevski) 386561_01

Given her own background, Ms Vickery is understandably keen to work with the Indigenous communities in the west, along with the region’s vast multicultural population. “The board has been really clear that they want to have confidence that we’re engaging with every community sector, and making sure everyone knows that the two kinds of service we provide,” she said. “We provide the reduction of trauma for people impacted by sexual violence. And

we do education and capability building in communities around around eliminating sexual violence.” Ms Vickery said a particular focus of WestCASA’s education programs would be around consent. “I’m very keen to get into high schools, sporting groups, any kind of young adult groupings, getting in there and talking about what affirmative consent is,” she said. Details: https://westcasa.org.au/

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Speeding, drug driving A 38-year-old man was allegedly caught driving more than double the speed limit in Laverton North on Friday night. Police officers were on patrol when they observed a Volkswagen Golf allegedly doing 139km/h in a 60km/h zone along Doherty Road, about 9.30pm on February 2. Officers pulled over the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, who then underwent a drug driving test and allegedly returned a positive result. The driver is expected to be charged on summons with a number of driving offences including speeding and drug driving. His vehicle was also impounded for a period of 30 days, at a cost of $995.

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Park to be all LIT up Wyndham Park in Werribee will again be transformed into a glowing wonderland in March with the return of LIT. A free light-based experience presented by Wyndham council, LIT will run for two weeks from March 8. Wyndham mayor Jennie Barrera said a new program of light installations will make this version of LIT the biggest and best yet. “This very popular event is back and will feature new artworks, extending into a larger area of the park that will ensure more people can experience the wonder of LIT,” she said. Last year’s event drew a record-breaking attendance of 61,722 and Cr Barrera said there was every chance that number would be exceeded, with a larger program catering for a broader range of visitors.

“We have also added additional dates along with a new Sensory Friendly Night on Tuesday March 12 that will provide an opportunity for visitors with sensory sensitivities and other needs to experience LIT in a more relaxed environment with reduced lighting and sound intensity.” Among the installations featuring at this year’s event are ChronoHarp – a giant harp-like structure that responds to touch with a glowing rainbow of colours; Ursula Lassos the Moon - a giant glowing moon that appears to hover just above the ground and Bloom – an inflatable installation filled with glowing gumnuts and flowers. For more information visit: www.wyndham. vic.gov.au/LIT

Hoppers Crossing collision Emergency services responded after a car crashed into a traffic pole in Hoppers Crossing on Friday, February 2. It’s believed that a silver Toyota Corolla lost control before colliding with the centre traffic pole at the intersection of Morris Road and Bellbridge Drive about 3.35pm. The driver and sole occupant, a 25-year-old Werribee man was taken to hospital with life-threateninginjuries. The pole sustained significant damage. The circumstances of the crash are yet to be determined.

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ChronoHarp by Amigo and Amigo is among the installations featuring at LIT in Wyndham Park this March. (supplied) from 386587_01

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Call to return containers Strings attached By Cade Lucas Having campaigned for many years to have a container deposit scheme established in Victoria, the Werribee River Association is now asking that some of the proceeds be donated back to them now the scheme is up and running. Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme, officially launched on November 1, with each eligible drink container deposited earning a 10 cent refund. In the first week alone, more than 10 million containers were deposited resulting in $1 million in refunds. Given the amount of money on offer, the Werribee River Association’s Lisa Field is appealing for some it to be sent back their way in order to keep them going. As a registered charity under scheme, anyone can download the CDS West app and use this to link their collections to the chosen charity, Werribee River Association. Alternatively, collectors can receive cash for collections and then make a donation via the Association’s website. “It could be five bucks a month,” she said of the type of donations the association is after. “It’s not a huge amount of money but the efforts we’ve put in over the years in terms of collecting litter, counting litter and advocating to government and we’re still ongoing doing our little work. I think if people want to make a contribution to the environment, this is an opportunity where they can do that, whether they do it with their workplace or their school, or just their house.” Ms Field said while she had noticed a reduction in drink containers in the three months since the scheme began, plenty of other waste remained. “I’m still seeing litter,” she said.

The Werribee River Association’s Lisa Field outside a CDS vending machine at Wyndham Civic Centre. (Damjan Janevski). 386733_01

“There will be less cans, bottles and other eligible containers on the streets, but that hasn’t solved all the other microplastics, coffee cups and cigarette butts etc.” Ms Field said combating this type of litter as well funding the association’s other programs and their operating costs, would be where the donation money is spent. “We use the money for our various programs

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which include litter programs, Landcare programs and educational programs. In that we have the cost some of the plants, tea and coffee for our volunteers, photocopying and printing and other costs related to our education programs. Volunteer equipment as well.” Details: https://mytomra.com.au/digital-payout /cds-vic-west-app.

The popular Tarneit Kite Festival returns for 2024 on Sunday. Held at Goddard Street Reserve from 3-8pm, the kite festival returns as Firefly Night Market will return again this year as part of the Tarneit Suburban Revitalisation Program jointly delivered by Wyndham council in and the state government. Wyndham mayor Jennie Barrera, said last year’s kite festival was a resounding success and is a tradition celebrated in many different cultures. “It will be celebrated with cultural performances, kite-making and live entertainment, food and drinks will be available to be purchased on the day,” she said. The Firefly Night Market will also return to Tarneit later this year, featuring more than 70 market stalls from local makers and artisans, a full stage program of cultural performances, light art installations and roving performers. “There’s been a growing following for the Firefly Night Market, 13,000 people attended in 2022 and 18,000 in 2023. We were pleased to be awarded the 2023 Australian event award, for the category of Australia’s Best Small Event for this marvellous community event.” Alongside the kite festival and night market will be a new initiative in Tarneit. Penrose Place, a pop-up marketplace, and bookable event space is also expected to attract crowds to the suburb when it opens later this year. The Tarneit Revitalisation Program champions projects that promote Tarneit, attract visitors and expand its business ecosystem. Details: https://www.wyndham.vic.gov. au/tarneit

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Grassroots youth support LGBTIQA+ youth in Melbourne’s western suburbs will soon have access to a new Queer Psychosocial Outreach Program (QPOP). Youth Projects received a $239,968 grant from the state government to expand support for LGBTIQA+ youth living in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Youth Projects is an independent, registered charity providing front line support to young people and individuals experiencing disadvantage, unemployment, homelessness, alcohol and other drug issues. The new QPOP initiative is aimed at providing essential support to LGBTIQA+ youth aged 12-24, specifically those with varying abilities such as autism, ADHD and psychosocial challenges. The charity has a number of sites throughout Melbourne including in Footscray, Hoppers Crossing, Melton, Point Cook, St Albans, Sunshine, Taylors Lakes and Werribee. The QPOP program, scheduled to commence in March 2024, aims to initially support 80 young people with plans to evaluate, scale and increase this support in coming years. Youth Outreach coordinator Maddy Bieleny said the program will provide tailored and individualised support to each young person. “Across all the regions that we work in, we see young people everyday who are looking for support, particularly with their mental health. At the moment about 60 per cent of the young people who access our youth outreach program identify as LGBTQIA+ and all of them have identified mental health concerns,” she said. “... We know that LGBTQIA+ youth have a variety of different challenges and barriers that they face, but regardless of how the young people present, we work collaboratively with them. They could be facing barriers like

Youth Projects staff Taulante Bytyci, Natalie Jaap and Maddy Bieleny at the Sunshine Hub. (Damjan Janevski) 386337_02

employment or education, mental health, family violence etcetera. “Our holistic outreach model means that we can meet young people where they’re at. We not only work alongside young people to support them to identify the goals they want to achieve, but we meet them in the community wherever they’re comfortable, whether that be the home, school, park or at a cafe, to provide that wrap-around holistic support to focus on the whole person within their whole context.” In 2023, Youth Projects canvassed 20 key mental health service providers across Melbourne and reported an average wait time of eight weeks – with some reporting up to a 12

week wait – to access youth-specialist mental health and early intervention services. Youth Projects chief executive Ben Vasiliou said in the face of the ongoing youth mental health crisis and prolonged waitlists for support services, Youth Projects is scaling up accessible and impactful programs at a grassroots level. “This grant will allow us to expand our reach, find young people who are not connected with the service system, intervene early, and address the specific needs of LGBTIQA+ youth in Melbourne’s west, creating a supportive and validating environment for young LGBTIQA+ folk,” Mr Vasoliou said.

“What we know is there is not sufficient support in community, or even for those in acute distress, to learn how to manage their mental health. We’re going to do just that, whilst also building self-esteem, confidence, independence and provider pathways to greater social and economic inclusion.” The QPOP program can be assessed in a number of ways, youth can drop-in to the Youth Projects Werribee Youth Hub and speak with the staff there. Alternatively the Youth Outreach team can be contacted directly on (03) 9304 9100 or a refferal form can be submitted through https://www.youthprojects. org.au/forms/find-support.

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MY PLACE Point Cook’s Monique Quach began her business, MQ Essentials - Pure Essential Oil & Crystal, during lockdown in 2020 when she was just 13 years old. The now 16-year-old was last year named “Young Business Person of the Year” at the 2023 Wyndham Business awards. She told Cade Lucas about what living in Wyndham means to her. What’s your connection to Wyndham? My connection to Wyndham is all my life experiences have been in Wyndham. I’ve lived here since birth, my family is here, all of my friends are here, my education is here, and my extracurricular activities have all been here. What do you like about where you live? I like that my friends are so close to where I live and there’s so much to do in Wyndham. I go running on the running trails, I go shopping or go to the movies with my friends. We go out for dinners, or to the beach, or the Werribee Mansion for picnics. I like that I’m never bored. What, if anything, would you change about where you live? If I could change anything about where I live it would mainly be infrastructure. For example, improving roads such as the backroads to Werribee or the single lane on Point Cook Road where traffic can be an absolute nightmare. Just keeping up with the changing of the times and the big population in Wyndham. Where is your favourite local place to spend time? My favourite local places to spend time are the Werribee South beach and Wyndham Harbour. I love tanning, building sandcastles and playing in the water. Plus beaches have so many benefits like vitamin D, the sand is a natural exfoliant and the sea water is good for your skin and healing scrapes and sores.

16 year old Monique Quach was named the “Young Business Person of the Year” at the 2023 Wyndham Business Awards. (Supplied) 2023387251_01

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Rhinos mud-dle through summer The rhinos at Werribee Open Range Zoo are beating the muggy heat this summer by wallowing in specially created mud baths on the Zoo’s savannah. The crush of five rhinos is making the most of Melbourne’s mix of rain and heat by rolling, splashing and sitting in the mud, which is fantastic for their skin as it acts as a natural sunscreen. Savannah keeper Debbie Jones said visitors touring through the 30-hectare savannah on the Zoo’s safari buses can observe the rhinos wallowing all together on hot-and-rainy days. “Rhinos are very playful so they love to splash around, but when they find a comfortable spot in the mud wallow they can stay for hours basking in the sun and cooling themselves off,” she said. “The mud also protects their skin from insects and stops it from drying out in the sun.” The rhinos can often be seen wallowing alongside each other as they spend important bonding time. “All of the rhinos wallow differently. Some of them are more playful than others and can get their whole body submerged in the mud, while others, like 17-year-old male Kifaru, are a little too big to roll all the way over,” Ms Jones said. “We’re very lucky at Werribee Open Range Zoo to have enough space for five wallows, so the rhinos can bond by spending time together in the mud as they would do in

Rhinos wallowing at Werribee Range Zoo. (Pictures: Supplied)

the wild.” There are fewer than 20,000 Southern White Rhinoceros remaining in the wild with populations under serious threat from illegal

poaching and habitat destruction. The species is classified as Near Threatened in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

The rhinos at Werribee Open Range Zoo form part of a regional breeding program to maintain an insurance population in the fight against extinction.

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College’s aim is confident, life-long learners Hoppers Crossing Secondary College is a dynamic school, where students are presented with boundless opportunities throughout their schooling journey. Staff place great emphasis on developing innovative and challenging educational programs for students of all abilities and are totally committed to continuing to improve the life and education of each student enrolled at Hoppers Crossing Secondary College. The goal is to see each student become a happy, self-confident, and knowledgeable lifelong learner who can demonstrate independence and a sense of career direction. Ultimately staff want to see each student growing as a worthy, contributing member of the community. The college develops students who are competing at the highest levels possible in the state across a range of areas. It offers a range of programs catering to students looking to excel academically and foster a growth mindset focused on continuous improvement. The college is proud to acknowledge its year 12 graduates, who consistently achieve study scores of 40-plus and ATAR scores more than 90, giving them access to a range of career pathways and tertiary education options. In addition to this, each year the college has a number of students who choose to access a university course while completing their year 12 studies. Outside the classroom, students are offered a range of opportunities including, but not limited to, performing arts where students have been nationally praised for their skill and professionalism. Winning countless awards at the Wakakirri Performing Arts event is testament to the dedication and talent of staff and students. Leadership qualities evident in Hoppers

The school wants to see each student grow as a worthy, contributing community member.

Crossing Secondary College students are cultivated with successful contributions to many events, from local youth forums and public speaking programs to interschool debating and State Youth Parliament events. The vibrant sporting program offers the chance for students to compete in a wide range of sports, with individuals and teams representing the college and achieving success at regional and state levels.

year. This wonderful news is recognition of the great work that has been achieved at the college over the past few years and staff are so pleased that our students will benefit from this injection of funding. To find out more about the college, families are invited to attend one of the open days or view the virtual open day tour on the college website.

In November 2020, the college received confirmation from Sarah Connolly, then Tarneit MP, that the school would be receiving $10 million in funding in the state budget to assist with the re-modernisation of the college. A school master plan has been developed and stage one of those works – a new competition-grade gymnasium with retractable seating for 300 as well as a retractable stage – this will be completed this

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‘‘

It’s something to be grateful for to see that it’s not going to die ... it’s very profound now in the community

’’

- Andrew Caihoang

Dragon and Lion Dancers at the St Albans Lunar New Year festival. (Supplied)

Celebrating Year of the Dragon February 10 is the first day of the 2024 Lunar New Year. Across the west Lunar New Year celebrations in Footscray, St Albans, Sunshine and Braybrook have grown into culture-spanning events that attract tens of thousands each year. Liam McNally spoke to some of the organisers behind these events to gain an understanding of their significance as we enter the Year of the Dragon.

hich Phuoc Tan remembers life as a boy in post-war Vietnam as hard, but during difficult times Tet festival, the Lunar New Year celebration, always brought people together. He remembers a joyous energy – running around with the neighbourhood kids through air filled with the noise of music and firecrackers and smells of delicious food, seeing what treats and gifts they could collect amid crowds and colourful performers. At just 11 years old, Thich was forced to flee Vietnam in a boat, a dangerous journey that saw him wanting for food and water and face three encounters with pirates while he was at sea for nine days. In 1981, the year he came to Australia as a refugee, Thich took his Seminary Precepts with The Most Venerable Thich Phuoc Hue in Sydney in 1981. Since 1997 The Venerable Thich Phuoc Tan has been the Abbot of the Quang Minh Temple in Braybrook. In his role he said he takes great pride in continuing and sharing his religion and traditional Vietnamese culture through events like Lunar New Year. “The role of my temple in our community is to preserve our faith, for sure, but I think more than half of our activity is cultural – to preserve what we have lost for the country,” he said. “I enjoy my role, but the responsibility is not small. “The temple role is very important to keep people together and also harmonise the community.” This Lunar New Year, on February 9, the Quang Minh Temple temple is expecting about 4,000 attendees. 12 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 7 February, 2024

Mayor Cr Cuc Lam (middle), Peter Nguyen, Kim huong Nguyen, Minh truong Vice President, Duc Dung, Thuy Kim Le, Ven Thich Phuoc Tan, Binh le. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 381923_01

The festivities will get underway at about 6pm, with Lion and Dragon dancing performances, food, and midnight fireworks. Thich said the entire community is invited to join. It’s exciting, when you blend the atmosphere with the drums and you see the dragon and the firecrackers,” he said. “We try to create what brings us joy and happiness when we think about home, back in Vietnam. We tried to create those for the next generation to come to enjoy. “We welcome all to come and join in the New Year celebration with us.” On February 10, we will enter the Year of the Dragon. Dragon is considered to be the most powerful animal in the Zodiac, and signifies strength. Year of the Dragon is considered a

good time for growth and boldly starting new things. The dragon and lion dances are some of the most iconic traditions of Lunar New Year events, and have existed for thousands of years. Andrew Caihoang began lion dancing through the Vietnamese Buddhist Youth Association at five years old, now with 22 years of experience he leads performances at events at the St Albans, Sunshine, Footscray, Quan Minhn Lunar New Year celebrations and many other events throughout the year. His team of up to 40 volunteers undertake demanding training and conditioning to prepare for the performances which will include a team in a lion costume, alongside a “Happy Buddha” or monk, dancing to drums, gongs and cymbals. “The music acts as a heartbeat of the lion,” he said. “Everyone in our team is very passionate about Lion Dance. So when we hear the drum… that’s what gets us fired up and motivated because we like to perform for the community. “There’s a lot of cultural symbolism. Lion Dance is believed to bring good luck, fortune and ward off evil spirits during its performances… and bring joy and happiness.” Andrew said that he’s proud to be able to continue the Lion Dance tradition for both people that immigrated to Australia, and the wider community. “A lot of people when they immigrated to Australia, they pretty much left everything they had behind, including some of their cultural traditions. I took a while for them to slowly adapt or bring those traditions over and for it to be accepted within Australia,” he said. “It’s something to be grateful for to see that it’s not going to die, it won’t go away at this point,

it’s very profound now in the community… It’s a vibrant cultural performance that people are willing to enjoy and watch. So that’s something that I think we should all be grateful for. “We’re all volunteers and to be able to continue doing what we’re passionate about without having the expectation or being rewarded is something that I feel quite proud of.” Along with Lunar New Year’s Eve at Quang Minh, Andrew’s team will perform at the Lunar New Year celebration in Footscray Park on February 17 and 18, organised by the Vietnamese Community in Australia Victorian Chapter (VCA-VIC). VCA-VIC president Duy Quang Nguyen has been helping to organise Lunar New Year events since he came to Australia in 1982. Duy said Vietnamese community has been organising Lunar New Year celebrations in Australia since 1975, they started small in backyards, but the first major one was at Footscray Park in 1982, which attracted more than 50,000 people, so he is excited to be bringing it back there. “Australia has become my country now, I have lived here for over 40 years – over two-thirds of my life, I love this country” he said. “For the first few years I missed Vietnam very much, it takes time. “We had to try to adapt with the new country and we tried to keep our culture and we try to pass it to our children… now Tet has become a part of the Australian multicultural [fabric].” “We are proud of what we contribute to the Vietnamese community and the Australian community as a whole… now we are Australian so anything we do is for Australia.”

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Libs ready for defamation trial By Callum Godde, AAP A high-profile lawyer has been dressed down in court as exiled Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming’s defamation battle with Opposition Leader John Pesutto heads for trial. In a procedural hearing neither attended on Friday, Justice Michael Wheelahan scheduled a 10-day trial for the case in the Federal Court from September 16. Mrs Deeming’s case consists of 67 alleged imputations made by Mr Pesutto in media releases, press conferences and radio interviews after she attended a rally in March that was gatecrashed by masked men who performed Nazi salutes. A 15-page dossier distributed by Mr Pesutto’s office to MPs and media as part of an initial push to expel her from the Victorian Liberal’s parliamentary ranks also forms part of Mrs Deeming’s evidence. Mr Pesutto has conceded two of the 67

alleged imputations were defamatory but will argue they are substantially true. Justice Wheelahan expressed concern about the state of Mrs Deeming’s case, taking her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC to task. “The first publication, the media release, in its first form comprises 18 lines,“ he said. “Eighteen lines and you’ve come up with 23 imputations.“ The alleged imputations vary from Mrs Deeming supporting white supremacists and neo-Nazis, Mrs Deeming holding abhorrent white supremacist and neo-Nazi views and Mrs Deeming being a neo-Nazi. “What’s the difference?“ Justice Wheelahan asked. “How many ways are there of saying the same thing.“ Mr Pesutto maintains he never accused the now-independent MP of being a Nazi or having Nazi sympathies. Ms Chrysanthou said the imputations all

conveyed different levels of seriousness. A narrowing of the meanings would ensure she was not “barking up the wrong tree“ at trial and save her client and the defence time and money, she argued. “Both parties appear to be well-armed, with respect,“ Justice Wheelahan shot back. Mr Pesutto’s lawyers will mostly rely on the honest opinion defence, which entitles speakers to express an opinion shown to be substantially true, as well as contextual truth and qualified privilege. His 57-page defence flags his team will try to limit damages if those arguments fail by suggesting he repeatedly and unequivocally publicly stated he does not believe Mrs Deeming “to be a neo-Nazi, a white supremacist, or anything of similar substance or effect“. Mrs Deeming’s repeated assertions that Mr Pesutto suggested she is a Nazi or a Nazi sympathiser have “likely to have caused

damage to her own reputation“, his lawyers claim. During Friday’s first hearing, Mr Pesutto’s barrister Matt Collins KC stepped through the events of the Let Women Speak rally, arguing it had been “hijacked“ by neo-Nazis with a “disgraceful“ banner. But even that description is disputed, with Ms Chrysanthou suggesting the neo-Nazis were there for a “completely different rally“. Dr Collins was initially attracted to the idea of a separate hearing to rule on the “extraordinary“ number of alleged imputations, but has since decided it would likely lead to more costs and delays. “There’s no knockout blow available to either party here,“ he said. Justice Wheelahan stopped short of ordering Ms Chrysanthou’s team to revise its case but will raise the issue when the matter returns to court on April 26.

Library on the move

Werribee Garden Club members celebrated their 50th anniversary on Monday February 5. (Damjan Janevski) 386022_01

Marking fifty years of flora and fun The Werribee Garden Club celebrated its golden jubilee with an anniversary lunch on Monday. More than 100 members of the club came together at the Italian Sports Club of Werribee to mark its founding in 1974. Club president Lesley Knights said the event couldn’t have gone any better. “It was a great day, really fantastic. Everyone enjoyed it,” she said. Wyndham mayor Jennie Barrera and her predecessor, councillor Susan McIntyre, were present for the celebrations, as were representatives from the Royal Horticultural

Society which the club is affiliated with. Even staff from Bunnings were there. “We do a lot trade with Bunnings,” explained Ms Knights. The highlight of the day though was a performance from someone not normally associated with gardening or plants at all. “We had an Elvis entertainer there, he was fabulous. He made the day,” said Ms Knights, adding that while the club’s others events don’t feature the King of Rock n’ Roll, they do involve a lot of fun. “We have bus trips out the various gardens and nurseries and places of interest to

gardners,” she said. “We have speakers that come in from Bunnings, from local nurseries and also further afield and people like Craig Castree who’s the local gardening guru in Wyndham.” With such an array of entertainment and activities on offer, it’s no surprise that the club remains as popular as ever, even while others are struggling. “Oh we have a waiting list,” said Ms Knights.. “I think it’s about 150.” As for another 50 years? “We are hoping yes.”

After more than six months in a temporary location, Hoppers Crossing Library is preparing to move back into its permanent home. One of many tenants affected by structural repair works at Pacific Werribee shopping centre, the library was forced to relocate to the space formerly occupied by Squires Loft restaurant in July last year. But with rectification works now complete, the library will return to its normal premises on level one of the shopping centre in March. The refurbished space while feature two new bookable rooms for study or meetings, upgraded lights, fresh carpet, a repaint and the installation of a hearing loop. In order to make the move, the Hoppers Crossing Library Loft will be closed to the public from Monday February 12. Residents are urged to use other libraries within Wyndham or the online library while the move takes place.

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COMMUNITY

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

Lunar Festival Point Cook will be transformed into a kaleidoscope of colours, costumes, tastes and sounds when it hosts the seventh annual Wyndham Multicultural Lunar Festival on Sunday, February 18. Held at Point Cook Town Centre from 11am through to 9pm, a crowd of 25,000 is expected to visit this year’s festival throughout the day. ■ pcculturalcommunity@gmail.com

Live Well for Life Live Well for Life is a free five-week program that provides support and information to Wyndham residents 18 and older, on a number of issues including how to make healthy behaviour changes, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, healthy eating, physical activity and sleep. The program will run at IPC Health, 117-129 Warringa Court, Hoppers Crossing in April and May. Registration is essential and participants must be able to attend all sessions. ■ livingwell@ipchealth.com.au or 1300 472 432

This week’s photographer’s choice picture is of Francis Acquah who was awarded an Australia Day honour for his work in medicine. (Damjan Janevski) 385509_01

Point Cook VIEW The Point Cook Day VIEW Club meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the Point Cook Library 1-21 Cheetham Street, Point Cook. New members welcome. ■ Catherine, 0407 726 852.

Watton Group A support group providing a social space for carers to get together in a safe and compassionate environment. Gives carers an opportunity to connect, share their experiences and offers emotional and practical support. The group meets at the Eco-Living Centre at 10am every fourth Tuesday of the month. ■ Patricia, 0434 487 360 or wattongroup131@gmail.com.

Wayaperri House, 106 Duncans Road, Werribee. ■ wyndham@withonevoice.org.au

Sunrise Social Groups The Friends of Presidents Park meets from 10am-noon on the first Thursday of the month, to undertake Landcare activities along the Werribee River through the park and surrounding areas. Bring your own gloves and water. Morning tea provided. Meeting at the carpark near the Shaws Road Bridge, Heaths Road, near the fenced dog park. ■ admin@werribeeriver.org.au

GenWest Sunrise Social Groups are currently seeking new members for their Melton, Brimbank and Wyndham programs. The free groups are organised by Genwest and provide a social space for women, gender diverse and nonbinary people, who have a disability, chronic health issues and/or mental health challenges. ■ https://genwest.org.au/what-we-do/ health-wellbeing-programs/

Seniors House of Fun

U3A Werribee

The Grange Community Centre invites seniors of Wyndham to its weekly Seniors House of Fun. This is a free program running every Friday 11am-12.30pm, at The Grange Community Centre, 260-280 Hogans Road, Hoppers Crossing. ■ Vanessa, 8742 8000 or enquires@ grangecommunity.org.au

The group is a not-for-profit community organisation for semi-retired and retired Wyndham residents. They hold a variety of classes-activities specifically designed for seniors, including, light physical and mental wellbeing sessions, arts, games and craft, and general classes such as current affairs, history and lunch groups. Most classes-activities are held at Wyndham community centres. ■ Rick, 0402 299 220.

Friends of Presidents Park All Abilities Netball All Abilities Netball for 10 to 25-year-olds is run by Wyndham Netball Association every Saturday morning during school terms from 10.30am on outside court 14 at Eagle Stadium, Ballan Road, Werribee. Intellectual, physical and social disabilities are catered for in a fun and supported group. Come and try your first session for free, with stadium entry $2. ■ Phil, 0437 078 739

Walking Netball Walking Netball is a low impact, no running, no jumping version for those that love the fun, friendship and activity of a weekly game of netball. Sessions are run every Thursday during school terms from 8pm at Eagle Stadium, Ballan Road, Werribee. Come and try your first session for free, with stadium entry $2. ■ Phil, 0437 078 739

Wyndham Rotary Wyndham Rotary welcomes people interested in helping people in need in the community. Interested in finding out more, come to the Italian Sports Club each Wednesday at 6.30pm for a meal, to share ideas and to work for a common cause. ■ Julie, 0406 196 630

With One Voice Wyndham Choir A Community choir open to all which has no auditions or experience necessary. The choir welcomes all ages, abilities, faiths, cultures and genders. They are directed by a very experienced and friendly professional conductor. Fun weekly rehearsals and amazing performance opportunities are provided. The first two visits are free; and then payment is by tax-deductible donation. Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings 7-8:30pm at

lunches, outings and theatre trips. ■ 0408 123 669

Seniors club The Werribee Senior Citizens Club meets at 80 Lonsdale Circuit, Hoppers Crossing. The group is open to all people 55-plus and it runs on Wednesdays, 10am-noon. Entry: $2, includes morning tea. ■ 0403 041 499

Diabetes Support Group The Werribee Diabetes support provides an opportunity to hear from experts on how to manage your diabetes, to share information on diabetes and to engage with other diabetics. Meetings are at the old council shire buildings at 10am every second Friday of the month. ■ Bob, 0409 252872.

Hoppers Crossing Ladies Probus The friendly and vibrant group meet at Hotel 520 on the second Wednesday of each month from 10am. They have a guest speaker each month as well as social

Lions Club Lions Club of Werribee meets at the RSL Club, 2a Synnot Street, Werribee on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 6.30pm. ■ Jorge, 0433 566 575

Bingo for all The Werribee RSL hosts Bingo every Monday between 12.30-2.30pm. ■ 9741 5525

Western Budgerigar Club The Western Suburbs Budgerigar Club meets at 7.30pm on the third Thursday of each month at Masonic Hall, 223 Watton Street, Werribee. Meet other members who are also passionate about breeding Budgerigars. ■ Don, 0414 975 862

Wyndham Ladies Probus Are you recently retired or semi-retired? Looking for fun, fellowship and to increase your social networks. The Ladies Probus Club of Wyndham meets on the first Wednesday of each month at Hotel520, Sayers Road, Tarneit, and normally has an outing or event on the third Wednesday of each month. ■ Rosa Sanderson, 0410 303 046

Wyn FM Wyn FM is Wyndham’s community radio station, broadcasting on 88.9 and online from its studios at the Victoria University campus in Werribee. It offers a wide range of programming including music, sport, news and lifestyle shows as well as broadcasts in languages other than English. New broadcasters, volunteers, members and sponsors are always welcome. ■ 9919 8089 wynfm.org.au

Charity Golf Day Hobsons Bay Community Fund will be holding their ninth Annual Charity Golf Day on Wednesday, March 20, hosted by Kooringal Golf Club. Sponsors, players and supporters are welcome to join the fun and support the Hobsons Bay community. ■ https://events.humanitix.com/hbcf2024

Free parent support Hobsons Bay council’s new support group, ’Tuning in to Teens’ is designed to help parents with a range of teenage topics. These include understanding your teen better, helping your teen to manage difficult emotions, helping to prevent behavioural issues in your teen and teach your teen how to deal with conflict more effectively. Tuning in to Teens is a free six-session parenting program designed for parents of teens. The first term will run on Tuesdays from 6.30-8.30pm, commencing February 13. The second term will run on Mondays from 6.30-8.30pm, commencing May 20. ■ 9932 4000 or youth@hobsonsbay.vic. gov.au. Wednesday, 7 February, 2024 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 15

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16 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 7 February, 2024

SPORTS QUIZ 1. The Matildas were part of the longest World Cup penalty shootout in history against which team in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup? 2. And which player kicked the winning goal? 3. Who, in 2024, became the youngest darts player to throw a televised nine-darter?

4. NBA player Joel Embiid became just the ninth ever person to do what on January 22nd, 2024?

12. Which Collingwood father/daughter player recently departed the club for Carlton?

5. In which year did the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks win their first and only NRL premiership?

13. Cody Rhodes is the son of a famous wrestler known by what nickname?

6. Which two cities are scheduled to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games?

14. Climate Pledge Arena is the home of which NHL team?

Yuna Kim

15. The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs last faced off in the Super Bowl in which year?

7. The fan club known as the Carota Boys support which ATP tennis player? 8. Which Wests Tigers player’s contract was recently terminated?

16. Which English cricket player recently took nine wickets in his debut Test match against India?

9. How many times has Yuna Kim won the World Figure Skating Championships?

17. New York has how many major league sports franchise teams?

10. In which Australian city is the sports venue 1573 Arena located? 11. The 2024 Australian Open men’s final marks the first time since what year that, out of Novak Joel Embiid Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, none have featured?

18. Australian darts player Simon Whitlock is known by what nickname? 19. Marcus Stoinis recently re-signed for the Melbourne Stars for how many years? 20. Which A-League team does Bruno Fornaroli play for?

21. Prior to their 2024 test win in Australia, when did the West Indies previous win a test in this country?

26. In the Women’s National One Day Cricket Competition, what is the name of the team based in Canberra?

22. What are the name of the two conferences that make up the NFL?

27. Jack Silvagni plays for which AFL team? 28. Luc Longley will be joined by Horace Grant and which other former Chicago Bulls champion for an upcoming tour named No Bull?

23. Two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is from which country? 24. Which country recently won the Netball Nations Cup? 25. Who did the Socceroos beat in their recent Asian Cup Round of 16 match?

29. The Winter X Games are traditionally held in what famous American skiing town? 30. What was the nickname of the now defunct NBL team based in Geelong?

0902

1. France 2. Cortnee Vine 3. Luke Littler 4. Score 70 points in a single NBA game 5. 2016 6. Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo 7. Jannik Sinner 8. David Nofoaluma 9. Twice (2009, 2013) 10. Melbourne 11. 2005 12. Tarni Brown 13. American Dream (Dusty Rhodes) 14. Seattle Kraken 15. 2020 16. Tom Hartley 17. 11 18. The Wizard 19. Three 20. Melbourne Victory 21. 1997 22. AFC and NFC 23. Belarus 24. Australia 25. Indonesia 26. ACT Meteors 27. Carlton 28. Scottie Pippen 29. Aspen, Colorado 30. Supercats

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

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

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SELF CONTAINED UNIT in Altona. 1 Bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, close to transport and beach. Suited for single person. Please call 0438 505 003.

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0435 904 818 Wednesday, 7 February, 2024 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 17

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

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

1 5

Perjurers (5) Release (9) Heckles (7) Lever setting off a gun (7) Territory ruled by an Islamic monarch (7) Student (7) Not moving (9) Pig meat (4) Book ID (1,1,1,1) Release (9) Even now (7) Wetter in terms of weather (7) Doubter (7) Island in the North Atlantic (7) Relating to (9) Follow in order (5)

12 13 15 17 19 22 25 26 27 28 29

Common name for the USA (7) Deliverance from harm (9) Reckless (9) Locations (5) Horse’s call (5) Bony; gaunt (7) Mistakes (6) Exaction (9) Prerogative (9) Resent someone’s pleasure or good fortune (8) Distribute (food) (5,2) Beasts (7) Revulsion (6) Pursuing (5) Type of agave (5)

ACROSS 1 4 9 10 11

No. 171

3 4 5 6 7 8 14 15 16 18 20 21 23 24

DOWN Women’s underwear and nightwear (8)

DECODER

No. 171

8 4 1 8

7 2

6 3

6 4 9 1

QUICK CROSSWORD

3 4

5 hard

9 8

8 3

3 1

1 4 2

Today’s Aim: 8 words: Good 12 words: Very good

No. 171

7 2 5 7 8 5 ( '

ADAGE AFOOT AGENT AGILE ALIBI ALTAR AMEND APPAL BEECH CRASS DEALT DRAMA DRILY EDGED EVENT FETED GENIE GLIDE HERBS IGLOO ISSUE LADLE

4 LETTERS AIDE BLOW CLAY DEED DEER EGGS EYED IDEA MATS PALE RUGS SLEW STUN USED 5 LETTERS ABOUT

LEGAL LILAC LODGE LORRY MAGIC MELON METAL MIRES MOTIF MUTED NIECE OCEAN ORDER PUFFS REINS RINSE ROMAN SALAD SCENE SCREW SPANS STOWS

STYLE TIERS TOPIC UPPER YABBY

DENSEST EDDYING FORMULA KEENING

6 LETTERS COSIER NEEDLE REGARD STERE

8 LETTERS CLEANEST FORETELL LIKEWISE TORTURED

7 LETTERS COATING COMMUNE

09-02-24

No. 171 Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down.

QUICK QUIZ

In which Californian city is the sitcom The Big Bang Theory set?

Who said the famous quote, ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’?

Which sea does the Rhine river drain into?

What is the hardest mineral on Earth?

The term microfibre refers to synthetic fibres of what size?

Pamela Isley is the real name of which enemy of Batman?

How many colours feature on the South African flag?

What character does Ellen Pompeo (pictured) play on Grey’s Anatomy?

Dried plums are commonly sold as what fruit?

NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

A S T

N D E D

A L A H R O S E E R S E

G A V

18 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 7 February, 2024

aria, aril, aura, aural, AURICULAR, carl, carr, curia, laic, lair, liar, lira, luau, racial, rail, rial, rural

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

3 LETTERS ACE ALE ARM BAN BET DOE EAR EAT EGG END ICE ION IRS LIE ODE POP RAW REV RIG ROE RUE TAB UFO USE

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

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

H S

L R

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”.

10 11 12 13

X F

17 words: Excellent

hard

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

medium

9-LETTER WORD

easy

5x5

9 6 2 1

B UVD EMK P J G T X F

9 2 8

4 2 7

O A C WS R Z N Q I H L Y

1 9 2

WORDFIT

10 What is somnambulism more commonly known as?

ANSWERS: 1. Pasadena. 2. The North Sea. 3. Less than one denier per filament. 4. Six (black, blue, green, red, white, yellow). 5. Meredith Grey. 6. Prunes. 7. Muhammad Ali. 8. Diamond. 9. Poison Ivy. 10. Sleepwalking.

No. 171

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

SUDOKU

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

MOTOR

Qashqai is all grown up

By Chris Riley Once known as Dualis, Nissan’s small SUV the Qashqai has grown in size and stature over the years. Sitting between the Juke and X-Trail in terms of size, the current, third generation Qashqai was launched in 2021. It’s 60kg lighter than before, stands taller, longer and wider, and has a longer wheelbase -- and of course costs more. That means more room for luggage, and more knee and leg room for rear seat passengers. What’s not to like?

Styling The latest, third generation Qashqai comes in four grades: ST, ST+, ST-L and Ti, priced from $33,890 to $47,390. They are all powered by the same turbocharged petrol engine, but will soon be joined by an e-Power hybrid model, priced from $51,590 -- $4200 more than the Ti. Premium paint adds $700, while five two-tone colour combinations options are also available. Our test vehicle was the ST-L priced from $42,190. Standard kit includes 19-inch wheels, combination cloth and artificial leather trim, two-zone climate control with rear air vents and an eight-way power-adjust driver’s seat with lumbar control. The front seats are also heated and so is the steering wheel, but alas there’s cooling for the seats. That goes for all grades (Hello, Aussies do not need heating). Other equipment includes push-button start, electronic park brake with auto hold, automatic lights and wipers, auto dimming mirror, auto folding door mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, auto-levelling adaptive LED headlights plus LED tail and daytime running lights. Qashqai is covered by a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty with roadside assistance for the same period. Service is due every 12 months or 15,000km.

Infotainment Infotainment consists of a large (for a vehicle this size) 12.3-inch touchscreen that supports Bluetooth, voice control, AM/FM and digital radio, satellite navigation, traffic sign recognition, wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay plus standard six-spear audio. There’s wireless charging and USB A+C ports

Qashqai has grown in size and stature. (Pictures: Supplied)

in the front and back (rear are charge only) and 12 volt outlets in the front and luggage area.

Engines / transmissions The last time I drove Qashqai it was powered by a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine. This time around our ST-L tester is powered by a 1.3 litre four cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that generates 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque, the latter from 1600-3750 rpm. Drive is to the front wheels through a CVT-style automatic.

Safety Five-star safety includes seven airbags (front, side and curtain airbags, plus a centre airbag in the front) and a surround view monitor with moving object detection for parking. Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction Assist and Backover) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS) are also standard.

Driving The transmission incorporates auto engine stop-start, with Standard, Sport and Eco drive modes plus steering wheel-mounted gear change paddles for accessing the seven steps or simulated gears. A stiffer chassis and more sophisticated multi-link rear suspension promises better ride and handling. Bonnet, doors and front guards are made of aluminium to save weight, while the tailgate is made from composites and saves 2.3kg. With a 55-litre tank, fuel consumption is a

claimed 6.1L/100km and premium 95 unleaded is recommended. The cabin feels more upmarket, is reasonably spacious and unexpectedly comfortable, and caters to our preference for cloth rather than sticky leather under our backside. There’s 15mm more headroom, 28mm more knee room in the rear than before which helps to elevate the experience, with USB A + C charge ports provided for front and rear passengers. The rear doors open almost 90 degrees, making it easier for parents to get kids in and out of car seats. Bottle holders in the front doors are large enough to accommodate larger drink bottles. The rear tailgate has grown a pointy ridge which in part explains the larger luggage capacity; 429 litres in this grade. ST-L misses out on a full-blown digital instrument cluster, but the analogue dials are large and easy to read, with a small digital info panel between them for detail. The touchscreen is easy to operate and you don’t need to go digging for the aircon controls, with real knobs at your fingertips. The overall effect is snug and avoids the lit-up look of a Christmas tree that some cars have and will appeal to easily intimidated mature buyers. Performance is perky, even a little livelier than we remember thanks to a bit more torque, but there’s an initial pause as the turbo spools up. It’s a little disconcerting, especially when you’re trying to punch through a hole in the traffic, but apart from that Qashqai gets along pretty well and doesn’t use very much fuel. In manual mode, in sixth or seventh gear, you can hit the accelerator and absolutely

nothing happens. It just sits there. The low profile transmission lever is a snack to use as are the gear shift paddles. For a CVT it’s surprisingly quiet and refined, avoiding the zoominess that plagued Nissan’s earlier efforts. Some people could find the ride a bit firm, but it depends largely on the roads you travel. Handling within the constraints of its target market is safe and predictable. We were getting 7.2L/100km after close to 400km of mixed driving.

Summing up Qashqai is a solid offering that doesn’t want for much, especially in ST-L form. Any shortcomings such as the turbo lag are not deal breakers, but can be irritating at times. There will be many buyers looking to this car as a cheaper option than the X-Trail which continues to grow in size and price. AT A GLANCE MODEL RANGE ST 1.3L CVT, $33,890 ST+ 1.3L CVT, $37,890 ST+ 2-Tone 1.3L CVT, $38,390 ST-L 1.3L, $42,190 ST-L 2-Tone 1.3L, $42,690 Ti 1.3L, $47,390 Ti 2-Tone 1.3L, $47,890 Ti e-POWER, $51,590

Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Nissan dealer for drive-away prices. Wednesday, 7 February, 2024 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 19

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Cats’ ‘disappointing’ run chase It was a disappointing second day for Hoppers Crossing in its red ball clash with Preston on Saturday in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west. After restricting Preston to just 212 from 56 overs before it was bowled out, the Cats weren’t able to chase the runs down this Saturday. Instead the Cats only managed 149 before they were dismissed in the 55th over. Captain-coach Simon Lambert was again the Cats’ best scorer with 54. Lambert said with every win important in the race to lock in a finals spot, it was a disappointing performance. “Pretty disappointed to be honest,” he said. “The pitch wasn’t the greatest, it was pretty slow, pretty low, but there weren’t any demons in it. “[A score of]210, I felt that that was probably under par and if we batted anywhere near our capabilities we would have been chasing that

score down fairly comfortably. “There were a lot of soft dismissals throughout the whole game really, not sure if it was the shift back to two-day cricket, but there were a lot of guys from both teams who gave up their wickets away in quite a soft manner, and not enough guys who wanted to just bat time.” The Cats now sit one point out of a top six spot, with local rivals Werribee sitting in sixth position. The two sides are set to play each other in the last round of the season which could determine finals. “It was really disappointing to say the least, given the state of the ladder and the opportunities we’ve had,” Lambert said. “Against Yarraville two rounds ago, chasing 160, chasing 200 in 100 overs on Saturday, to come out on the wrong side of both results it’s the difference between us being second and us

being out of finals. “It leaves us with work to do over the last four rounds, which are going to be tough against teams around us that are all fighting for the same end result. It’s going to go down to the wire if we want to be in that top six, we’re going to have to apply ourselves a lot better with the bat and ball. “If we can bring our best, we’ve seen what we can do. If we can bring that sort of form to the last month of the season we’ll be right there, but if we don’t, you end up on the wrong side of the result, that’s the nature of the competition. If you don’t turn up and bring your best, you get beat.” The Cats travel to Brunswick for a two day clash on Saturday. Werribee meanwhile beat Ivanhoe in a thriller. Defending 227, the Tigers bowled Ivanhoe out for 226. Harper Sercombe

Fawad Ahmed (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Sports shorts Basketball Wyndham’s Nyapath Machot has been named in the under-18 women’s country team for the upcoming national basketball championships. Machot was named in the 12 player squad that will compete in the tournament in Queensland in April.

Netball Wyndham’s Charlotte Morey continues to shine on the netball court. The Geelong Cougars star was last week named in the Victorian under-19 state team for the upcoming year. She has previously represented the state at under-17 level. Morey was also revealed as part of the Cougars championship side for the upcoming Victorian Netball League season.

VSDCA Werribee’s Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association T20 competition is over after being knocked out in the first week of finals by Brunswick. The Tigers batted first and struggled to get going, bowled out for 101 with one ball remaining. Fayzan Abdul Sathaar top scored with 39. Brunswick got the runs with nearly three overs remaining, finishing 6-103.

(Jacob Pattison) 350020_50

Mannagh enjoying AFL life By Tara Murray It’s been a whirlwind six months for Geelong recruit Shaun Mannagh. Having been overlooked in a number of drafts, Mannagh continued to show his wares for Werribee in the Victorian Football League. Strong performance after strong performance followed. A best on ground performance in a losing grand final last year, which included six goals, put him on the radar of AFL clubs if he wasn’t already. Early on night two of the draft, Geelong read Mannagh’s name out at pick 36, to see his dream become a reality. “Me and my wife moved down two weeks ago,” he said. “We are fully immersed in the community, it feels real now. “I got held back a bit before Christmas, it’s feeling a lot more real now and it’s been quite enjoyable to be honest.” Looking back on the last six months, Mannagh said there’s parts of him that can believe what happened and other parts that are still stunned. He said all the hard work he had put in over the years had paid off. He said there was a little bit of doubt that he would get his chance after missing out so many times. “It’s nice to be in the system,” he said. “I 20 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 7 February, 2024

have put a lot of hard work in to get here. “I’ve strived to be in the system for a long time. I’m excited for the experience and hopefully I’ll earn my first game and go from there. “I didn’t lose belief and I keep turning up and having good games and seasons at Werribee.” Mannagh spent four years at Werribee after joining the club ahead of the 2020 season, which was cancelled. He had spent three seasons with Richmond’s VFL list before that. Mannagh said he wouldn’t have achieved what he had, if it wasn’t for Werribee. “I wouldn’t be the person or player I am had I not been in Werribee, not just the coaches and the players, but the likes of Mark Penaluna, Mark Micallef pushed me in my career,” he said. “They kept persisting and preserving and I can’t get back there and cheer them on, I’m still good mates with them.” Werribee had a season to remember last year, winning 17 games in a row on the way to the grand final. While they fell short in the grand final, Mannagh said thy look back on the season proudly. “I had a conversation with one of the boys

the other day,” he said. “It might not happen again, winning 17 in a row. “You look back to the pre-season and some of the earlier games and the hard work. It was more about the journey than the end product. There were so many great moments and we became closer than ever. “It was a special team, very proud.” Mannagh said he was enjoying getting into pre-season with the Cats and adjusting to life as a full time footballer. He admits that it’s a step up from the VFL, but having played against many AFL players the last few years, he’s confident his ability will stack up. Mannagh’s next aim now is to make his senior debut. He doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration, with the Cats known for backing in mature age recruits. “Tom Atkins, Tom Stewart are a couple,” he said. “Tom Stewart will go down as one of the Cats greatest of all time. “I’m a little bit older, but I have the belief I can have a long career. I think I can make the step up. “I’m trying to play as early as I can. We have a couple of practice matches coming up, hopefully I can play them, or I’ll bide my time and make an impact when I get out there.”

VTCA Point Cook had a tough day out in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association women’s T20 competition on Sunday. Facing Melton, it was the Lions who batted first and made 7-136 from their overs. Point Cook never got close, restricted to 9-66 from its 20 overs. Renee Farrier top scored with 15.

A-League Western United’s women’s side good run of form has continued with a 2-1 win against Central Coast Mariners in the A-League. On a warm Saturday afternoon, Jaclyn Sawicki and Hannah Keane both scored to give United the win. Meanwhile, United’s men’s side had a 2-2 draw with Sydney FC on Saturday afternoon.

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Nadeem enjoying time in middle By Harper Sercombe Footscray may just be home to the best and brightest opening pair in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition. While the successes of rising star Dylan Brasher have been well publicised of late, with the star batsman having a breakout year which includes four hundreds and an average of 71.3, his 17-year-old opening partner Aiman Naddem has gone somewhat under the radar. Nadeem made his first XI debut in the Bulldogs’ round four clash with Essendon and has not looked back since. Nadeem has scored 355 runs in his 10 knocks and the pair has averaged an opening stand of 74.89. The teenager’s young career hit an early climax when Footscray played Greenvale in round 15, with Nadeem scoring 116. Half of a massive 220 run partnership with Brasher. A couple of weeks on from this feat, Nadeem said it was something that has been ticked off his bucket list. “I wasn’t looking for a big 100 but I was looking for more consistent runs and better opening stands with Brasher, to get the Dogs off to a good start,” he said. “But I think something just clicked. I wanted to bat more time and take more singles and I started enjoying it so I was like why not just do it until the end of the 50 overs. “It was amazing because not everyone played first XI cricket and not many get 100, so to do what people haven’t done is incredible.” Nadeem said he has been able to learn so much from his batsman at the other end, who recently played against Pakistan making an unbeaten 79 in a tour match. Brasher has a rookie contract with Victoria. “It’s been incredible watching him (Brasher) from the other end, currently he’s probably the best batsman in the state and I think he deserves higher chances at the Vic level,” he said. “It’s incredible to see how he bats from the other end, you can see stuff from outside but it’s so different when you bat with him.” This is Nadeem’s fourth season of calling Merv Hughes Oval home, but he said the jump up to the firsts this season has been a rewarding experience. “It’s been really fun, because the level is so challenging,” he said. “I’ve been enjoying the challenge. “It’s something that I look forward to, facing professional bowlers who play for Victoria or in

the BBL (Big Bash League).” Not only is Nadeem playing with the firsts on a Saturday but he also loves to help out with the under-18s on a Sunday. He has even put the pads on four times this season, where he gets to play alongside his younger brother, Aayan, who is a frequent member of the Dogs’ second XI and under-18 team too. “On Sunday I just help out my coach (Hanni Harb), it’s a way to give back to what my coach has done for me throughout my whole cricket career,” he said. “It’s so much fun playing with friends and Hanni too. It’s something I enjoy, it’s less serious (than first XI) but more fun. There’s a good balance between seriousness and fun on Saturday and Sunday. “It’s incredible because not many people have brothers who they can practise with. Because we’re only a year different it really helps training wise, not many people have the luxury to do that. “In the backyard it’s challenging because he’s

Aiman Nadeem. (Pictures: Jacob Pattison) 369536

really good as well so it makes it competitive and makes us want to get better.” In December, the brothers were both a part of the Under-19 National Championships, Aayan with Victoria Metro, while Aiman was overlooked and played with the Northern

Territory. Despite not playing for his desired team, Aiman said the experience was invaluable. “It was great fun to play with the Northern Territory boys even though I would have liked to play with Vic Metro but it was a good experience and I was just happy to be at the carnival,” he said. “I think when things don’t go your way at selection, for me it’s been a better thing, it makes me work harder and be hungrier to do better and prove them wrong.” This is just the beginning of what promises to be a long and fruitful career for Nadeem, and while he isn’t looking too far ahead just yet, there is something he said he would love to do. “I’d just love to get more games in the ones and do well for the ones,” he said. “Try to knock down Ringwood and Casey and get Footscray in the top eight so we can play finals.”

New coaches, new players, Jets starting afresh It’s the beginning of a new era for Point Cook in FV state league 3 north-west competition. Anthony Comegna has been appointed the side’s coach for this season and he will have a brand new squad to lead onto the field. Danial Casser has been named his assistant coach. Comegna, who was at Western Suburbs last season, said he was excited by the opportunity at the Jets. “I have previously coached against them in a practice game,” he said. “I knew about them and the history of the club. “The fact they have a lot of juniors and there’s lots of potential for the club to go up the ladder into state league 2, even state league one, that attracted me. “My friend had been at the club and told me great things and when the position came up, I thought why not apply.” Comegna has been busy behind the scenes since he joined the club, working with the committee to get everyone on the same page on the direction of where the club wants to go moving forward. He said they had put a three year plan in place in terms of on field results and where the club wants to be. With a new coaching group, it will also be a new playing group. Comegna said not one player from last year’s squad has returned, meaning he was starting completely from

afresh after the squad finished a spot out of the relegation zone last year. “The squad is getting there,” he said. “We will have one of the youngest squads. We want to give them a shot at a first team gig. “The club has worked out what we want to do. We want to stick at it and give young players the opportunity. “We want to promote younger kids into the senior team and set an example for the younger kids at the club who want to play there one day.” While the Australia Cup gets underway this weekend, Point Cook will have to wait around to get its competition underway with a bye first up. Comegna said they welcomed the bye to allow them more time to prepare themselves. He said they would still have a practice match against Maidstone. The Jets will face Ashburton in the next round of the cup, with the second round having also been drawn. Tara Murray

Danial Casser and Anthony Comegna (Supplied) Wednesday, 7 February, 2024 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 21

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Seeking consistency, Bees are on the improve Werribee City is keen to get off to a strong start in the Victorian Premier League 1 competition which kicks off this weekend. The Bees had an up and down 2023 season in the state’s second tier and coach Domenic Barba is hoping for a bit more consistency this year. Barba said he and the playing group can’t wait to get the season underway. “It has been a really strong pre-season,” he said. “We’ve recruited really well and hopefully the team will come together and get that real consistency. “Naturally it will take some time do that, for the group to come together. They’ve done enough in the pre-season to look like they will kick into action sooner rather than later.” Barba said the club had put some real

investment into resources for both on field and the coaching group. He said they had been lucky enough to attract some quality players to the club, to help strengthen their squad. “We’ve got some good talent and there’s an improvement on where we were in 2023,” he said. “We’ll look at that level and try and get better results. “We’ll have a very different squad. We were fortunate enough to attract some quality players and the club is heading in a different direction. “The club wants to get into the top tier.” Barba said youth would be at the core of what they do this season, having built a strong group based on some young players. He said if they could keep the group

together, they could lead the club for many years to come. “We have a really balanced team with a strong core of younger players,” he said. “We’ve got quality young players and we want to have success and be competitive. We want to see that development and achieve both. “You can see it in the way they’ve gone about it in pre-season. Some of the more experienced players could be fighting for their spots.” Barba, who is in his second season in charge, said the group would also benefit from some more consistency in use of their home ground. Last year they’re ground was out of action for a large part of the season, meaning they played a run of matches on the road in the back half of the season.

Cassar’s knockout award By Harper Sercombe Boxing devotee Jacob Cassar has etched another win to his record as he was awarded the Sunshine and Western Region Sports Club Don Deeble Sports Star Award. Cassar was named the winner for the 2023 award, after being selected from the 10 monthly nominees. He received $5000 for winning the award. Soccer star Alana Cortellino and basketball young-gun Jack Inella finished joint runners up and were awarded $2500 each. Amid nine other incredible athletes Cassar said it was incredible to win the award, which has only provided him with more motivation to work hard. “I couldn’t believe it, it was amazing, all these incredible athletes, it’s an honour,” he said. “It makes me feel good, but it makes me want to train harder, and definitely improve. “There are heaps of great athletes here and it was very eye opening for me to see how hard everyone trains. It goes to show the quality of athletes we have.” Cassar is taking the boxing world by storm, currently, the 17-year-old has an untarnished record with 28 wins coming from his 28 bouts. His last fight was representing Australia in the USA at the RIP City Fall Classic, where he brought back a belt for his country. As a featherweight he is ranked number one in Australia and the Commonwealth in his age group and 16th in the world. In 2022 Cassar was selected as the best male boxer of the tournament in the under-19 Australian Championships. Cassar was selected in the 2019-2023 Victorian Futures team by state coach Marcos Amado and was subsequently selected into the Australian Institute of Sport under-19s and emerging squad by the current Australian coach, Jamie Pittman. The Taylors Lakes resident is currently captain of the Victorian boxing team and spent time throughout last year at the Queensland Institute of Sport with the Australian team preparing for the 2024 Pacific Games as a qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Unfortunately for Cassar, he was overlooked for the Australian Olympic team due to his young age. Cassar said while he eventually wants to turn pro, his goal is firmly set on representing his country at the highest level first. “I’d love to go to the Commonwealth Games and Olympics, that’s my dream,” he said. “It would mean everything, that’s my dream, that’s the goal. “Definitely after that I would love to go pro and hopefully become world champion.” With boxing being a sport that is constantly requiring travel and much of it falls on the athlete’s dime, Cassar said the $5000 he received for the award will go a long way. “Travelling, training expenses, it’ll definitely help so much, I’m so grateful,” he said. 22 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 7 February, 2024

The Bees start their season on the Friday night against the North Geelong Warriors. Barba said it was like a derby for them, with the Warriors being one of their closest neighbours in terms of location. “It will be a tough one,” he said. “They have come down this season. “We want to start the season really well and put our best foot forward. We’ve got new players and new coaching staff including a former Australian goalkeeper which is pretty significant. “The club has done really well with the right investment in players and fairs. “It gives us a fair chance to do well during the season.” Tara Murray

Bees bowl to pennant victory Werribee had a convincing win over Melton 2 on Saturday in the Bowls Victorian weekend pennant, division 2, section 1 competition. The Bees had a strong win over Melton, 81 (14)- 75 (4), even though the sides split the rinks. Gavin Joyce’s rink won 27-13 as did Robert Smith’s 24-19. However, Nick Alderson’s rink went down 26-18, while Mick O’Neil’s rink lost 17-12. The Bees sit in third position, and are on equal wins as Deer Park 2 in second place. The Bees take on ladder leaders Bacchus Marsh for the penultimate round of the season on Saturday. Bacchus Marsh is the runaway leader, with a record of 10 wins and two losses from its 12 games. In division 3, section 1, Hoppers had its first win of the season defeating Altona 3. While the sides shared the rinks, Hoppers won 76 (14)- 74 (4). Richard Lewczuk’s rink won 20-13 and Victor Rivera’s rink narrowly won 19-18. Mark Coleman’s rink couldn’t get over the line losing 21-20, while Edward Szuszkiewicz’s rink had the bigger defeat of the day, losing 22-17. Palm Lake lost to local rivals Werribee 2. The Bees’ second team won three of the four rinks to take home a 77 (12)- 67 (6) win. Palm Lakes’ Neil Nicholas’ rink won 16-14, Desmond Tudor’s rink won 20-15 and Patricia (Trish) Thick’s rink got up 22-18, to claim points for Palm Lake. Werribee’s John Parker led his rink to a 30-9 win. Palm Lake remains in seventh spot.

Jacob Cassar.

“I struggle to get a fight in Victoria so I’m always travelling. I’m off next week to Canberra so it’ll help. “There’s another tournament later next month, king of the ring, so [the money] will definitely help then.” The Don Deeble Sports Star Award is

sponsored by the Yarraville Club Cricket Club, Strathmore Community Bank, the Deer Park Club, Ascot Vale Sports and Trophies and Star Weekly Newspapers. If you would like to nominate a monthly winner or attend a dinner, contact wrsportsclub@gmail.com or 0408 556 631.

Eddy Williamson (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Finals-ready Sharks escape danger Point Cook Centrals have come out on top in a thrilling two-day clash with Footscray Angliss in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association division 4. The Sharks were chasing down 154 on Saturday after bowling Footscray out in 72 overs the previous weekend The Sharks were nine down with 16 runs still remaining, and were able to chase it down thanks to a great innings by number eight batsman James Garnham who finished on 35 not out. Captain Brett Talbot said it was a very pleasing win, as the Sharks stay well in the hunt for finals, as they sit in fourth position. “Footscray were bowling pretty good lines and lengths and obviously being down to the bottom order it gets a bit tricky to navigate from that position,” he said. “There were a couple of dropped catches,

so we got a little bit lucky but it was nice to receive a little bit of luck in what’s been a pretty tough season. “He (Garnham) is a young kid that’s been performing exceptionally well in second grade for a couple of seasons now. “We know he’s a proven leader of the club in the future and it was a wonderful opportunity for him to step up and really announce himself as a first grade player, and it was really exciting to watch. He was very mature in his innings and sort of knew what he needed to do and executed the plan really well.” This week the Sharks face third placed Roxburgh Park away, in what is set to be a huge, season-defining clash. “We’re pretty keen to get stuck in and it’ll be a really good kickstart for our season, hopefully to sort of go there and try to achieve

a really positive result,” Talbot said. “We had Footscray Angliss who are an excellent team, and that sort of showed how close the comp is, the one wicket result could have gone either way. “I think that anywhere between sort of third and an eighth is really tight and on your day, you can win or lose. One and two sort of jumped away. On anyone’s best day, you can certainly challenge one or two as well, but it’d be a really good yardstick to see where we’re at. “It’s gonna be a super big challenge for us, you know, third, verse fourth at the moment. So we’re excited to be able to take that next step and next challenge for us.” Harper Sercombe Wade Kirkwood (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Azib and Abdul Javed (Supplied)

Javed hits big Zach Lisolajski. (Supplied)

Dream becomes reality By Harper Sercombe It’s been a fast moving 18 months for Western United’s Zach Lisolajski. In 2022, the young-gun was playing state league 1 soccer with Sydenham Park and last year he represented Australia as part of the Young Socceroos squad at the Marbella Week of Football in Spain. Now just last week he made his professional debut in United’s A-League Men’s clash against the Western Sydney Wanderers. “Thursday after training I found out I was travelling [to Tasmania] and once I found that out I was buzzing because I’d never had that type of experience before of travelling with an A-League squad,” he said. “Then it came to game day and I was just warming up on the side towards the end of the game and the boss [coach John Aloisi] told me to start getting warm and as soon as he told me that I got a bit nervous but I got a heap if energy go through me and I was buzzing to go on and make my senior debut. “I had no idea it was going to happen, it was

just out of the blue he just turned around and said Zach warm up.” Lisolajski. said it is something that he has dreamt of since he was a kid and his making his dream a reality has only increased his drive and motivation. “I remember when I use to go and watch A-League games with my parents and they use to say to me ‘you could be on that pitch one day’ and I’d say back ‘I wish I could be on that pitch’ and now I’ve made my senior debut that dream has come true now it’s just about pushing harder and go higher,” he said. “It’s just made me want to train even harder, and push even harder at training, push to get a lot more game time and push to get as far as I can.” Lisolajski only came on for the final 15 minutes, replacing fellow young-gun Kane Vidmar, but said it was an unforgettable experience. Western United academy mates of Lisolajski’s, Matthew Grimaldi and Jake Najdovski were introduced in the final 10 minutes as well, making it four of the 11

players that finished the game for United being from its academy. “Getting on the pitch knowing you’re playing with some of the top players in the league and just moving the ball around,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for all of us, they’re all good players, good technique, so it’s good to move around on the pitch with them, it’s good to play with the academy boys.” Lisolajski spent the 2022-23 season with the Newcastle Jets, learning the A-League system as part of the Jets academy. With a season in an A-League environment under his belt, Lisolajski has switched clubs in the off season, moving closer to home and joining Western United on a youth development agreement. He said the transition back to Melbourne’s west has been a great experience. “I’ve found it really easy to move in, it’s a good coaching staff, a good bunch of boys they get around you,” he said. “They’ve welcomed me very well which has helped a lot especially at training.”

Fourteen-year-old Azib Javed hit himself into the record books at Hoppers Crossing Cricket Club on Saturday and his father was at the crease with him for the special moment. Azib who was playing for the Cats third XI, hit his first century after resuming on 80. He finished on 100 not out. The Cats said on social media, that Azib is one of, if not the youngest centurions in the club’s history. He has been at the club since he was 11. Making the moment more special, Azib’s father Abdul Javed was at the other end of the pitch when his son made his 100. The pair put on a 79 partnership, both finishing not out in win against Strathmore. Azib said it marked the best day of his life and it was made more special for him when his dad was batting with him on the other end He also said scoring the Hundred also made him realise that his hard work and dedication paid off and that the hug he received from his father when he hit three figures meant a lot to him. The Cats declared once Azib got his 100 to try and get an outright win, but fell two wickets short of getting all 10 second innings wickets. Wednesday, 7 February, 2024 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 23

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