Star Weekly - Hobsons Bay Maribyrnong - 21st February 2024

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21 FEBRUARY, 2024

There for one another, side by side Footscray neighbours Wally Hopkins and Vern Roberts have lived next door to each other for an astonishing 74 years.

The pair have even altered their side fence to create a hole with a seat each side where they can have a cuppa and chat.

Incredibly, both Wally and Vern met as students at Footscray Primary School and will celebrate their 100th birthdays this year.

Between them the friends know nearly everything there is to know about the history and evolution of Footscray.

■ Read about their special friendship on page 8

Wally Hopkins and Vern Roberts.

(Damjan Janevski) 389437_04

Two guilty of misconduct

By Jennifer Pittorino Two Hobsons Bay councillors have been found guilty of misconduct after internal arbitration processes.

Documents tabled at a council meeting on Tuesday, February 13, revealed two separate internal arbitration processes have been carried out in recent months.

Both processes involved councillors Daria Kellander and Tony Briffa, with both alleging the other had committed misconduct.

The council is required to table the reports detailing the arbiter’s decision and statement of reasons.

The report revealed that on May 29, Cr Kellander sought a finding of misconduct against Cr Briffa relating to two allegations on March 19 and May 9.

The application alleged that Cr Briffa issued a press release as mayor which “falsely targeted Western Metropolitan MP Moira Deeming for being a signatory to a petition by labelling Mrs Deeming ‘anti trans’”.

Cr Kellander also accused Cr Briffa of intentionally misgendering Mrs Deeming by referring to her by the pronouns “they-their” rather than “she-her”.

Cr Kellander also accused Cr Briffa of issuing a tweet “targeting” Mrs Deeming.

The tweet allegedly labelled Mrs Deeming a leader of a “violent rally” and jointly as a “trans-queer hater, neo-Nazi”.

Arbiter Jo-Anne Mazzeo made a finding of misconduct against Cr Briffa in two of the three allegations.

Ms Mazzeo decided not to issue a sanction to Cr Briffa noting the tension between Cr Briffa and Cr Kellander.

“There is a clear tension between the applicant and the respondent which, in the view of the arbiter, appears to have contributed to the application being made in relation to this matter.”

Tension remained clear at the February 13

council meeting as Cr Kellander and Cr Briffa fell into heated debate.

Documents revealed the second misconduct application was lodged on July 4.

This time the applicant was Cr Briffa and the respondent was Cr Kellander.

The application alleged that Cr Kellander “portrayed the council negatively, brought discredit upon the council and misled the community”, in a number of personal social media posts. More than ten posts were listed in the application.

■ Continued: Page 3

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Call to rescind Palestine motion

By Jennifer Pittorino Local Palestinian residents are asking Hobsons Bay council to rescind a motion in response to a petition addressing the Middle East conflict.

In its meeting on February 13, councillors voted in favour of accepting the petition which called on council to raise a motion which calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

As part of the same item, councillor Tony Briffa tabled a notice of motion titled, ‘support for Hobsons Bay residents impacted by overseas conflict’.

Councillors Daria Kellander and Peter Hemphill abstained from voting on the motion with Cr Kellander saying the council must resolve to receive the petition and refer the matter for a future report which is the

normal protocol.

Members of local group Hobsons Bay 4 Palestine feel that council put forward the motion without consulting the Palestinian community enough.

“Our petition asked council to call for an immediate ceasefire and to stand for justice,” group member Sarah Baarini said.

“Councillors have failed to communicate with constituents and have failed to hear them out entirely.

“We pushed them to consult with the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, to make sure we can work together.

“I think it was very irresponsible of councillors to put forward a motion after hearing from members of the community once or twice.”

Ms Baarini thinks it would have been better

for council to display a draft motion at the time of the meeting.

She said the group has since sent an email to council asking them to rescind the motion and put forward one that addresses the concerns raised in the petition.

She said if they won’t do that, they want another motion put forward to address the petition.

Cr Kellander said the council executive needs to follow the governance protocol like all other petitions and write their response to it.

In a show of support for Cr Kellander’s speech at the council meeting, members of the gallery clapped and proceeded to heckle at other councillors. They said that the notice of motion does not address the petition.

Several members of the gallery left before Cr

Briffa spoke to the motion.

Cr Briffa spoke to her motion saying that the federal government is already calling for a ceasefire among other government bodies.

She said she has had discussions with various groups in preparation for putting the motion together and she is grateful to the Hobsons Bay community for their input.

A Hobsons Bay council spokesperson said the motion focuses on the wellbeing of all people in the community who are affected by different conflicts around the world, and condemns violence and human rights abuses everywhere.

“On January 17 council met with representatives of both Hobsons Bay 4 Palestine and the Islamic Council of Victoria, these are the groups that have made themselves known to council at this time.”

Feedback required

Bob Gilpin. (Damjan Janevski) 389406_01

An artistic journey across the bay John Anrep and Bob Gilpin are friends and artists who have combined their talents to bring a new exhibition to Altona.

The Louis Joel Arts & Community Centre will be home to ‘Journey Across the Bay’, a multimedia exhibition which Mr Anrep said is designed to showcase the best of Hobsons Bay. “Everyone is always bagging the western suburbs but we have found the beauty of it,” he said.

“When you have lived there, been born there and raised there you know there are some stunning parts of the western suburbs which you can’t get anywhere else in Melbourne and some parts of Australia.”

Both artists have drawn their collective knowledge about the ins and outs of Hobsons Bay to combine painting and photography.

After suffering a minor stroke, Mr Anrep said he began his process of recovery by falling back on art among other things.

“I have always done some sketching and drawing but after my stroke I got into using my oils and canvases,” he said.

At the same time, the world of Hobsons Bay seemed to shine a little brighter as Mr Anrep began walking his dog around the bay area.

“I discovered that there was a lot of beauty there that you don’t see when you’re a kid,” he said.

“I ended up having enough paintings to

compile into some kind of exhibition when I ran into Bob and we got to talking about his photographs,” he said.

“Bob took some photos of the Hobsons Bay area and I tried to match those scenes in my paintings.”

After returning from a trip to Iceland, Mr Gilpin is also learning to appreciate beauty and see things differently.

“I wanted to capture what I see along the bay. Altona and Hobsons Bay have some amazing jewels , especially in a sunrise and sunset.”

The exhibition will run From Friday, February 23, to March 7.

Jennifer Pittorino

The Maribyrnong community now has the chance to provide comment on Maribyrnong council’s revised draft Social Justice Framework.

The council has recently revised its draft framework by adding health inequality and climate change to its social justice commitments.

The council said it recognises the role it needs to play to create a healthy, safe and inclusive Maribyrnong, and the revised draft reinforces council’s commitment and investment in addressing inequalities across our community to achieve this.

The draft framework lists equity, inclusion and resilience as its three goals and is underpinned by six guiding principles.

Mayor Cuc Lam said once endorsed the framework will apply to all aspects of council business, to help ensure its processes and decisions do not contribute to further disadvantage or undermine aspirations for equity, diversity, inclusion and resilience.

“Council recognises barriers to inclusion and health inequalities existing in our community, leading to poorer outcomes for some groups based on identity and experiences,” she said.

“The revised framework seeks to ensure equity and fairness remains at the centre of our approach to social justice and human rights.”

The revised framework was developed following a legislative and policy review, desktop research and engagement with key stakeholders in 2022.

Feedback can be provided until February 23.

Details:yourcityyourvoice.com.au/ socialjustice

West Footscray firm fined by WorkSafe over dangerous goods handling West Point (Vic) Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on February 2, after pleading guilty to four charges under the Dangerous Goods Act and the Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations.

The company was fined $5,000 for failing to prevent access by unauthorised persons to areas where dangerous goods were stored and handled at the West Footscray premises.

The company was also fined $7,000 for failing to protect dangerous goods from impact with vehicles and provide measures to contain any leaks or spills.

The court also imposed an aggregate fine

of $35,000 for failing to update a manifest, failing to display ‘HAZCHEM’ placards at every workplace entrance, failing to notify WorkSafe as required when storing quantities of dangerous goods in excess of the prescribed amount, failing to display placards on packaged dangerous goods as required, and failing to ensure the premises had a compliant fire protection system.

The company was also ordered to pay $5,800 in costs.

In August 2022, WorkSafe inspectors observed Class 3 dangerous goods being stored outside of designated areas in various

2 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

locations around West Point’s two adjacent premises, at quantities well above those manifested.

Dangerous goods were being stored with inaccurate or missing placarding and a lack of bunding, while sections of fencing on the site had fallen down, posing a security risk.

After being notified by WorkSafe that 1.7 million litres of dangerous goods were being stored on the premises instead of the previously notified at 130,000 litres, Fire Rescue Victoria attended the site and further observed a lack of fire protection and safe firefighter access.

WorkSafe Executive director of health and safety Narelle Beer said there was no excuse for ignoring safety requirements when it came to storing and handling dangerous goods.

“The unsafe storage, the lack of safe access for firefighters, and the failure to notify authorities of a significant increase in the volume of dangerous goods stored on these premises created a recipe for disaster,“ she said.

“Had any dangerous goods ignited there was significant risk of a large fire with toxic fumes impacting workers, neighbouring residents and businesses, and emergency responders.“

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NEWS

Better West wants a bike path

By Jennifer Pittorino Better West members are one step closer to receiving separated and walking bike paths on Birmingham Street, but the work is not done yet.

In its council meeting on Tuesday, February 13, Hobsons Bay council addressed a joint letter from Better West Inc. The letter, which council received in September, requests that council work with the developer of the Spotswood Yards development to construct a separated bike path and separate footpath, within the current nature strip reserve on the southern side Birmingham Street.

In the meeting council noted that it has

collaborated with the developer of the Spotswood Yards property and amended the planning permits to receive a financial contribution towards the construction of public works on Birmingham Street. This is in lieu of the construction of a 2.5 metre shared path that was required in the planning permit.

Better West secretary Rowena Joske said she was glad council had worked with the developer to broker a financial contribution, but said she was not supportive of council’s plan to go ahead with the path known as the GreenLine.

“At this point the GreenLine plans are unrealistic and pursuing them will be expensive and will create unnecessary division amongst residents,” she said.

“Frankly, the GreenLine plans seem to sabotage the cycling network that was already planned though the Altona North, Precinct 15 development plan to connect that development to Spotswood.“ Ms Joske said the options for the GreenLine on Birmingham Street shows concept designs with bike and footpaths that are wider than needed, and don’t fit into the existing nature strip space.

“This design would require the road to be rebuilt, to make it narrower with one-way traffic or existing car parking removed,“ she said.

“They have come up with this elaborate, really expensive and unfeasible plan that their local residents are really really unsupportive of.

“Better West now asks council to develop a simple design to fit this Birmingham Street bike path and footpath within the existing nature strip reserve and ask that this path’s construction be funded in next year’s council budget.”

In response to the officers’ recommendations, councillor Jonathon Marsden said he looked forward to the path being built referring to the GreenLine plan.

“This is a good opportunity to have amended the permit conditions and to seek a contribution from the developer towards a more recent strategic plan known as GreenLine which lies within the Better Places, plans for Spotswood and South Kingsville,” he said.

Councillor apologises after findings ■ From page 1

Howard Stamp at Bar Thyme. (Damjan Janevski) 388138_02

Westside wanders into Maribyrnong Eat Drink Westside is on again to satisfy the western suburbs’ growing appetite for good food and wine.

Eat Drink Westside has become a regular feature of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, shining a spotlight on the west’s enviable gastronomic heritage and diverse food culture.

The 2024 program includes 19 events involving 46 venues in Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Brimbank, Melton, Wyndham and Moonee Valley.

The two core elements of the program are Westside Wanders and Special Events.

Westside Wanders are a special series of 12 movable feasts or ‘wanders’ across Melbourne’s west. Each wander takes

intimate groups of food lovers to three venues, with a MFWF host leading, on a mini tour, stopping for a bite, a drink or a snack at each spot.

The wanders are similar to a progressive dinner, with a short walk between spots, celebrating the eating and drinking culture of the neighbourhood. Well-known food-media personalities will host each event.

Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay will host four local wanders, one in Bar Thyme Footscray on March 20, another at Luxsmith Seddon on March 21, another at The Fifth Wine Bar in Newport on March 21, and finally at Hobson’s Bay Hotel Williamstown on March 17.

Bar Thyme owner Howard Stamp said the

event will start off with a few glasses of wine, some snacks, ceviche and maybe a light salad.

“It is a wandering grazing tour, so the group will start here, we will come in and tell them what we are doing and explain the menu before we talk them through the wandering events,” he said.

“We did it a few years ago and it’s always fun.

“It’s nice because we get fresh faces into the venue who maybe haven’t been here before , we always want people to come into our house and have a good time.”

Tickets are now on sale.

Details: https://www. melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event-series/ eat-drink-westside/

Arbiter Simon Heath determined that Cr Kellander breached clauses on two posts, finding misconduct against her.

In one post in June, Cr Briffa alleges that Cr Kellander displayed “abusive and disrespectful behaviour” towards the chief executive in a Facebook post on June 15, in which she had “publicly and falsely targeted the chief executive as a ‘liar’ in relation to the recording of council meetings.

Mr Heath determined that Cr Kellander failed to comply with the standards of conduct in the June post finding misconduct against her.

Mr Heath directed that Cr Kellander make a written apology to the Hobsons Bay council chief executive Aaron Van-Egmond on her Facebook page.

He also noted that it was unclear from the application what misconduct is alleged to have occurred on some of the other dates listed by Cr Briffa.

On February 14, Cr Kellander posted her apology letter to Facebook, addressed to Mr Van-Egmond.

The letter lists the allegations against Cr Kellander and details the June 15 post which insinuated the chief executive edited a council meeting recording.

“I note the mayor or chief executive may determine in their sole discretion not to upload all or part of any meeting recording or publish a recording,” the post read.

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Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 3

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Temple of mental health support

By Gerald Lynch cohealth and the Quang Minh Buddhist temple have partnered up to provide community mental health support to the local Vietnamese Buddhist community.

Aiming to reduce the stigma associated with accessing mental health services, Abbot Thich Phuoc Tan from the Braybrook temple approached cohealth for help.

“In our community, there is a lot of stigma around mental health, and a lack of information about what help is available,” he said.

“People often come to talk to me about their problems, but they don’t have the scientific

words to describe what is going on.

“I can help them with spiritual guidance, but I know they need a holistic approach that looks at their spiritual, mental and physical health. cohealth already operates the Brimbank mental health and wellbeing local in Sunshine, offering free mental health support without the need for appointments, GP referrals or a Medicare card.

The locals provide support and treatment for adults aged 26 and older experiencing mental illness or psychological distress in their community, including those with co-occurring substance use or addiction, removing barriers

that many Victorians face when they need treatment, without making them jump through hoops like a GP referral, meeting eligibility criteria or cost. cohealth will build the capacity of the temple to suit the mental health needs of its community and aim to increase the number of people at the temple who are using cohealth’s mental health service in Brimbank. cohealth’s director of community mental health and homelessness responses Angelika Broederlow said that making mental health services culturally-safe and accessible is vital.

“Our approach brings health services to where they are needed, rather than waiting for

people to navigate the system,” she said.

“We use the knowledge and expertise of bicultural workers to make sure that our services are culturally safe and relevant.

“This new mental health partnership will explore a range of initiatives to improve the mental health of the community connected to the temple, and is using codesign principles to ensure the community is involved every step of the way,” she said. cohealth got the partnership underway at the temple’s annual Tet festival (Lunar New Year festival) on February 9 and 10, with Vietnamese bicultural workers from cohealth in attendance.

‘Soft’ price growth

Parkando members, Peter and Carmel Wall, Mimi Morgan and Pam West. (Damjan Janevski) 386933_01

ParKanDo group an award finalist ParKanDo, a grassroots support group for people impacted by Parkinson’s disease, has been named a finalist in the state government’s 2023 Volunteering Awards.

The Hobsons Bay group is volunteer run by three members who have Parkinson’s as well as one carer.

Co-leader Pam West said the group is thrilled to have been named a finalist in the grassroots category.

“We are very excited and very pleased to bring recognition to our group,” she said.

“This will hopefully raise the profile of Parkinson’s in the community, the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.”

The state government said this award celebrates small community-led organisations that have provided important local services, led positive change, or supported social and community life.

With funding from Hobsons Bay council, ParKanDo spreads awareness about Parkinson’s and offers activities for the community including weekly Dance for Parkinson’s sessions, Painting with Parkinson’s sessions, strength classes and a guest speaker program.

“We hope this will let people know that we are there to support them and hope that this will bring that awareness to the community,” said Ms West.

As the group continues to grow and change, so does the number of members. Sitting at more than 100 members, Ms West said the group continues to get referrals from many sources.

“The big message we want to send out is that it can be very isolating and confronting, particularly when you’re newly diagnosed, but you’re not on your own.

“There’s a group out there that knows what it is like and welcomes all including family and loved ones who are impacted.”

One individual and one organisation will be named the Premier’s Volunteer Champions of the year on Tuesday, February 27.

Jennifer Pittorino

Dwelling prices in the west are increasing slower than anywhere else in Melbourne, according to the latest CoreLogic data.

Median dwelling prices in the West Melbourne SA4, which comprises Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay, Melton-Bacchus Marsh, Wyndham and Brimbank increased by 0.8 per cent in the last 12 months.

The Greater Melbourne median increase was 3.9 per cent with the outer east increasing most in the city at 6.9 per cent.

The national median increase was 8.7 per cent.

CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said west Melbourne’s median dwelling value of $664,519 is the second lowest median dwelling value across the SA4 sub-regions of Melbourne, after Melbourne-Inner, where the median is weighed down by a large proportion of units.

“The softest growth conditions over the past 12 months have been centred within the regions with lower dwelling values, a trend that has been evident broadly across Greater Melbourne over the past 12 month period, where lower quartile dwelling values have risen by a smaller amount relative to the upper quartile of the market,” he said.

“Across Melbourne, the quarter of the market with the lowest dwelling values were up 2.5 per cent over the year compared with a 4.4 per cent gain in values across the upper quartile.”

Ward restructure revealed for Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay The state government has confirmed the new ward structure for 39 councils across the state and Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay councils are one of 30 councils which will change to a single-member ward structure.

Last week the Electoral Representation Advisory Panel (ERAP) released its report into the structure review, under which Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay councils retain 7 councillors when moving to the single-member ward system.

Currently, Maribyrnong council is divided into three wards - Yarraville Ward covers the area around Footscray and is represented by three councillors, Stony Creek Ward covers Braybrook and is represented by one councillor.

River Ward is represented by two councillors and covers Maribyrnong and Maidstone.

Following the restructure, at the next local government elections at the end of the year

council will adopt a single-councillor ward structure – seven wards with one councillor per ward.

The recommended names for the seven wards in this electoral structure are Bluestone Ward, Braybrook Ward, Burndap Ward, River Ward, Saltwater Ward, Sheoak Ward, and Wattle Ward.

Maribyrnong council chief executive Celia Haddock said, “ At the Council meeting in November 2023, Council resolved on its preferred structure of seven single-councillor wards.

It is noted that the Minister for Local Government adopted model one, with Council’s preference being model two.”

Currently Hobsons Bay council is also divided into three wards- Strand Ward is represented by three councillors and covers Williamstown up to Spotswood.

Cherry Lake Ward begins with Altona North down south to Seaholme, represented

4 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

by two councillors.

Also represented by two councillors is the Wetlands Ward which covers Laverton and Altona Meadows.

Following the restructure, council will also adopt a single-councillor ward structure – seven wards with one councillor per ward.

The recommended names for the seven wards in this electoral structure are Altona Ward, Altona Meadows Ward, Altona North Ward, Laverton Ward, Spotswood Ward, Williamstown Ward and Williamstown North Ward.

Jennifer Pittorino

The new wards in Maribyrnong.

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Staying active

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CONTACT US

Briefs Water plan Maribyrnong council has drafted its first Integrated Water Management Plan, which identifies over 50 actions to improve water security in the municipality. Council invites Maribyrnong residents to come along and talk to council staff at one of the following events. The first event will be held on Thursday, February 22, 10.30am at the Braybrook Community Hub. The second event will be held on Saturday, March 2, 10.30am at the Footscray Library. Community comments, along with research and technical information, will be considered in the final plan. View the draft plan and provide comments by midnight March 11 at http:// yourcityyourvoice.com.au/water

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NEWS

By Councillor Anthony Tran Being active is an important way to look after your physical and mental wellbeing, and there are a number of initiatives within the City of Maribyrnong that encourage residents to take positive steps towards a more active lifestyle.

Maribyrnong council is proud of its long association with the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation.

Partnering with the Foundation to deliver programs like Daughters and Sons of the West provide very real benefits for our community.

We recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of Sons of the West (SOTW) at Whitten Oval, coinciding with the launch of their 10-week health program for men over 18 who live and work in the West.

Cr Anthony Tran. (Supplied) That’s ten years of positive impact and If you’re looking to get moving and improve health education for thousands of men in our your health and wellbeing, visit our website communities.

This free program provides participants for more information: www.maribyrnong.vic. with the tools, knowledge, confidence, and gov.au The next time you visit MAC, you’ll now access to experts to improve their overall health, both physically and mentally, in a find a new Library Book Locker conveniently located in the foyer. supportive environment.

Members can now collect or return library And it doesn’t stop there – SOTW is also about mateship and showing up to support resources at a time that suits them best while enjoying the facilities. each other.

Find out more by visiting the Library If you want to give the SOTW program a go, sessions will be held at RecWest Footscray on website: www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/library Finally, I’d like to thank all individuals, Tuesday evenings and Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre (MAC) on Thursday mornings, community groups and organisations that take the time to share their views starting March 5.

Another great resource is our Active and ambitions for our community with Maribyrnong guide, detailing the diverse Council.

If you would like to stay up-to-date on range of recreational opportunities throughout the year, such as Parks Week, Council’s projects and and be involved Get Active Expo, and the Winter Warrior in current conversations, head over to yourcityyourvoice.com.au series.

Lane changes New lane changes have been introduced as works continue on the West Gate Tunnel. Motorists travelling from the city to Geelong, Werribee and Laverton, will need to stay right and use the right lanes as they approach Grieve Parade to continue on the M1 towards the Princes Freeway. Motorists travelling from the city towards Ballarat, Deer Park and Caroline Springs will need to stay in the left lanes to take the exit to the M80 Ring Road (Greensborough-bound). There are also temporary ramp closures at Grieve Parade and Millers Road.

FOR BREAKING NEWS, VISIT Web: starweekly.com.au Maribyrnong & Hobsons Bay Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly

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‘Butchered’ tree anger

By Jennifer Pittorino Residents living on High Street, Newport, have been left in the dark over the sudden removal of the street’s trees.

It was a quiet December morning when residents witnesses the trees and greenery being removed.

Long time resident Tamsin Beale said residents were disappointed they not to have been informed of the decision prior to the removals carried out by VIVA Energy.

“Contractors came in and started chain sawing and mulching down all of the vegetation that was growing in garden beds along the street,” she said.

“We had spherical garden beds which had lots of vegetation and plants and trees in it which all got removed.

“We also have huge gum trees which they are saying are going to be taken next.”

Ms Beale said VIVA energy attribued the removals to pipe-works and safety reasons.

“They said the trees were pruned, but the way they butchered the trees was something else,” she said.

“This was the first we had heard about these works.

“The terminal manager wasn’t aware of the project, and neither was Hobsons Bay council.”

A VIVA Energy spokesperson said the company is now developing a revegetation program for the street.

“This will include planting more appropriate species of trees to provide a safe, long-term solution that sustains the amenity of the street,” they said.

Ms Beale said the growth of certain trees can take 10 years and the effects of having no trees is immediate.

“With the trees gone it removes the buffer

Residents of High Street Newport are angry they weren’t consulted over the removal of trees in their street. (Damjan Janevski) 389370_01

and screening, now we have light issues with light going into properties and homes,” she said.

“Noise is also more evident as we live next to a terminal. We have these random noises on and off throughout the day.

“So it has really caused a lot of emotional distress for residents.”

VIVA Energy said in the interim it was making adjustments to lighting.

“We are exploring other solutions to reduce lighting and noise impacts which could be

affecting local residents,” the spokesperson said.

“Regrettably, on this occasion, Viva Energy failed to notify High Street residents about the work and provide the opportunity for consultation on the work program.

“Viva Energy owns and operates a number of fuel pipelines to safely and reliably supply Victoria with the fuel it needs. In 2022, Viva Energy engaged a qualified arborist to survey and assess trees near its pipelines , these trees were recommended for removal.”

Wild west to hit Footscray Footscray will soon turn into the wild west with the opening of the newest entertaiment spot, Moon Dog Brewery.

Less than one year has passed since Maribyrnong council first knocked back a proposal to revamp the old Franco Cozzo building amid safety concerns.

Now that is all well and truly in the past, as owner Karl van Buuren prepares for the grand opening of his brewery next month.

“The build progress is coming along well, it’s a lot of work to do in a small time frame,” he said.

“But we’ve got the crew, we’ve got what we need and it’s going really well.”

And what better nod to setting up shop in the heart of the west, then to deck the venue out in a wild west theme.

“It just clicked. We are setting a pretty wild venue in Footscray and we thought it worked really well.“ Mr van Buuren said the 1088-square-metre Hopkins Road premises will be split into two levels.

Floor one will be designed ’Old Town style’, with saloon doors, a bucking bull, painted murals and cactus galore.

While floor two will be “darker and grungier”, complete with neon lights and a stage situated behind chicken wire.

With no official opening date yet confirmed, Mr van Buuren suggests people circle March on their calendars.

“We’re really looking forward to opening up in Footscray in the western suburbs.

“Come down, have a look. I think people will really get a kick out of it.”

Vegetation management in High Street In December 2023, Viva Energy arranged for a number of trees in High Street, Newport, to be trimmed or removed along the pipeline corridor. Removal and trimming of the trees was necessary to avoid the trees’ large root systems threatening the integrity of the critical high-pressure pipelines.

Dr Kate Leeming OAM. (Supplied)

Regrettably, on this occasion we failed to adequately consult with the local residents of High Street about the need for us to undertake this work.

Adventure talks in Yarraville

Viva Energy’s Newport Terminal, together with supporting pipeline infrastructure, is an important fuel storage and distribution point for Victoria and has been part of the local community for over 100 years. We sincerely apologise for the lack of consultation with the local community on this occasion.

With the support of Hobsons Bay City Council, a revegetation program has been developed that involves planting more appropriate trees to provide a safe, long-term solution that will restore the amenity of the street. We are committed to working with the community in respect of the revegetation program and its impact on the community.

12671666-AA08-24

6 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

Maribyrnong locals will have the chance to hear thrilling adventure stories first hand at an event hosted by the Australian Geographic Society. Dr Kate Leeming OAM is one of the adventurers who will be squeezing her thrilling adventures into a 35 minute seminar.

Dr Leeming is an ultra-endurance cyclist.

Since 1990 she has cycled more than two and a half times the world’s circumference, travelling across more than 40 countries.

Amazingly, she has managed to find time to attend the Yarraville event amidst training and preparing for the world’s first bike crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole.

“I began cycling as a way of seeing Europe in the early 90’s and that’s where I really discovered my passion,” she said.

Since her first major expedition in Russia, Ms Leeming has made efforts to support people in other countries.

“I was aiding children In Russia who were affected by the disaster, which adds more

value to the cause than to simply ride a bike,” she said.

Tickets for the event cost $25 and all of the proceeds will go to the Australian Geographic Society and its conservation and sustainability programs.

“We are helping Australian Geographic to hopefully raise some money and get a full house.“ Dr Leeming will also be joined by extreme sport-athletes Heather Swan and Glenn Singleman who are both wingsuit pilots and two-time recipients of the Australian Geographic Society’s Spirit of Adventure Award and Lifetime of Adventure awardees in 2023.

The event will be held on Wednesday, February 28, at the Sun Theatre.

D e t a i l s : h t t p s : //s u n t h e a t r e . c o m . a u / wp-cinema/movie/S24AUSGEOROADSHO/ AUSTRALIAN+GEOGRAPHIC+ROADSHOW/ Jennifer Pittorino

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

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The gift that won’t give this year

By Gerald Lynch Premier running race the Braybrook Gift has been cancelled for 2024 after a venue clash.

Over 500 applicants, including many from interstate, were warming up for Braybrook Gift, which was set to take place on Sunday, March 3, making it the second biggest race in the Victorian Athletic League (VAL) calendar.

The Braybrook Sporting Club hosted the Gift for the first time in 2023, and was looking ahead to a second successful run at Pennell Reserve.

The club said a verbal agreement was undertaken with St Andrews-Footscray Cricket back in August, whose season is still alive as finals approach.

A spokesperson from the Braybrook Sporting Club said the cricket club was “not willing to compromise on any given date moving forward as it clashed with anything and everything they could come up with, and they only brought up the clash of dates once we, out of good will, double checked with them at the beginning of January, as that is when applications open to enter for use of Pennell Reserve.”

Braybrook Sporting Club representatives felt that they had given St Andrew’s enough time to request an away game on certain dates to allow the Gift to go ahead.

The club has now had to reimburse more than $9000 worth of sponsorships for the day, as well as further losses on deposits paid for activities and attractions.

Terry O’Donnell from the VAL said it is extremely disappointing to see the race not run in 2024.

“We will be working with Braybrook Sporting Club to find a suitable date for next year, but this year it will not happen,” he said.

“The cricket club gave permission last

Braybrook Sporting Club members Kane Serzycki, Anthony Dunlop, James Butler and Charlie Fenech, unhappy with not being able to host the Braybrook Gift. (Damjan Janevski) 389379_02

August when the calendar was set, and it has only been in the last week that this was withdrawn.

“Many interstate athletes target this race as a lead up to the Stawell Gift, and have already booked flights and accommodation.”

He believes the cancellation of the event will cause the VAL a loss of $5000.

Maribyrnong council chief executive Celia Haddock said council had no say in the decision, as allocations for the reserve were

made far earlier.

“Summer allocations for sporting reserves are finalised by September prior to the commencement of summer, and in January 2024 Council was made aware of a request to hire Pennell Reserve by the Victorian Athletic League through the Braybrook Sporting Club as the host club,” she said.

“Unfortunately Pennell Reserve was previously allocated though the seasonal booking process and unavailable on the date

requested by the Victorian Athletic League.

“Council offered alternative dates for Pennell Reserve and also alternative venues for the requested date, however all parties declined these offers.

“Council has undertaken discussions with the cricket and football clubs, and the Victorian Athletic League to ensure the event continues again in Braybrook in 2025.”

St Andrews-Footscray Cricket Club was contacted for comment.

Young Achievers Foundation cadets Joanne, 18, and Yifan, 11, with foundation members and Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club representatives ahead its golf day fundraiser there on March 15.

(Damjan Janevski) 387962_01

Young achievers to a tee allowance and also cover costs like registration, administration fees and stuff like that,” explained Mr Vaimuthu of how YAF helps out its cadets.

“At the moment we have cadets from various sports. We have four from golf, we have baseball player a hockey player and also a racing car driver and a ballet dancer.”

In order to retain support, cadets’ performance and achievements are assessed every six months to ensure they’re continued development.

Socceroo and Melbourne City player Jimmy Jeggo and former golfer and now prominent golfing commentator Stacy Keating are among YAF’s most notable alumni.

The golf day is $150 per person and players can book individually or as a team.

The day will finish with dinner, entertainment, auctions and raffles.

For more information: yaf3030@gmail.com Cade Lucas

Calling volunteer mentor drivers Are you fully licensed, interested in driving and looking to volunteer? Why not become a learner driver mentor.

You’ll be matched with a local driver aged 16-21, and help them to become safe and confident drivers.

A full Victorian driver’s license and 1.5 hours a week is all that’s required. Learner vehicle is provided.

Visit maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/L2P for more information and to register, or call 9091 4700 12669876-AP08-24

An organisation established to give young achievers in the west a helping hand, is calling on golfers to do the same for them next month.

The Young Achievers Foundation (YAF) is holding their annual golf day fundraiser at Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club on Friday March 15.

YAF president Sam Vaimuthu said proceeds from the day would help the foundation help young people across Wyndham, Brimbank, Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay. “It’ll help high performance young people in west of Melbourne who are aspiring to be elite in their discipline, be it golf, sport or the arts,” said Mr Vaimuthu of what YAF has been doing since it was established to assist young golfers more than 30 years ago.

Since then YAF has broadened the range of sports and disciplines it takes ‘cadets’ from, only requiring that they be aged 12 to 24 and be of sufficient potential, but lacking the financial means needed to reach it.

“We sponsor them and give them an

Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 7

NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Childcare centre under threat

By Jennifer Pittorino More than 70 families who attend Saltwater Child Care Centre are at risk of having to find another place to send their children if the state government approves a plan for a multi-storey healthcare centre in Footscray.

As previously reported by Star Weekly the planning permit for the proposed use of the land at 5-11 Geelong Road, Footscray, was knocked back by Maribyrnong council in November.

Despite this refusal, the final decision lies with the state government given the large cost of the development proposed by Erica Heathcare Partners.

Now, centre director Nancy Casella is

pleading with the state government to stop the build and keep her 19 staff members in jobs.

“We need specialist services but this spot is not appropriate,” she said.

“Our tight-knit community with this unique long standing staff is just going to be destroyed.“ For more than 30 years, Saltwater has nurtured babies and children, an integral part of the community according to Ms Casella.

“We are small but well known to the community,” she said.

“We are concerned about what will happen to us, what will the development do to our centre.

“If construction was to go ahead there is no way we could possibly operate during

construction and post construction, so we have alot of safety corners.”

Ms Casella said the safety concerns include the addition of heavy traffic and privacy issues.

“It is going to be such a huge building, they will be able to look into the children’s playground area and overshadow the whole area taking away the natural light” she said.

“Where does that leave the privacy and the safety of our children that are in our care?”

“Not to mention the construction sounds and trembling, there is no way the children and babies will be able to sleep.”

The lack of community consultation is another thing troubling the Saltwater team.

“The communication was non-existent,”

she said.

“We received a letter in the mailbox notifying us of the proposal and giving us an unreasonable tie to provide objections and feedback.”

A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said the plans for the proposed private Footscray facility are still available online.

“No decision has been made and we welcome submissions from the community which will be considered as a part of the decision making process.”

A spokesperson for Erica Healthcare Partners said “We do not wish to comment as the matter is currently being considered via the planning process”.

Neighbours are good friends for a long life Not many people can say that they have lived next door to each other for 74 years, but Footscray residents Vern Roberts and Wally Hopkins can.

The pair first met at Footscray Primary School, parting ways as they got older only to reunite years later as next door neighbours.

“I moved into my house in Footscray in December 1949, with my wife and two children,” said Vern.

Recalling the day he reunited with Wally, Vern said he was over checking on the building progress of his new house.

“Wally came over and said he just bought the land next door and we were going to be neighbours,” he said.

Twelve months later Wally and his family of four moved in, creating life long family friendships.

According to Vern the secret to a long and successful friendship is just getting along.

“Our lives were very similar. I can’t remember us ever having a difference of opinion or any arguments,” he said.

“We are more than neighbours, we are good friends.”

Losing their wives within 12 months of each other, the pair naturally gravitated towards each other.

In order to make their afternoon chats easier, Vern said he called a carpenter in to modify their back fence.

“I used to talk to him over the fence but my daughter told me it was too dangerous to stand on the step, she thought I would fall over,” he said.

“We cut a hole in the fence so now we can sit there and talk to each other through the fence.”

When asked what his favourite memory was, Wally said he couldn’t pick just one.

He recalled the weddings of their children and their once loved careers, as well as the exciting things ahead.

“I will be turning 100 this year, we are starting to look at venues for the party,” he said.

“And I will tell you what Vern will definitely be invited.”

Vern will turn 100 on October 21 and Wally on May 15.

Wally Hopkins and Vern Roberts share a special bond. (Damjan Janevski) 389437_04

Cleaning contracts don’t wash in north-west schools

By Zoe Moffatt International students are now cleaning school classrooms in Melbourne’s north-west following the slashing of contract hours, according to the United Workers Union (UWU) property services co-ordinator Linda Revill.

The issue of new contracts offered to school clearners in the north-west was raised in Parliament by a western Melbourne politician on February 7.

It follows the change in school cleaning contracts to Serco and Tradeflex, which have slashed contract hours and stripped cleaners of up to 60 per cent of their wage.

United Workers Union (UWU) property services co-ordinator Linda Revill said Victorian school cleaners have been pushed into a disastrous situation by the change of contracts.

“Cleaners who have done the job for decades have been put on six months probation and are living in fear of the next negative comment from their supervisor,” she said.

“Even worse, UWU is aware of reports the new contractors have turned to sub-contractors, who are in reality international students being hired at cut-throat rates.

“It is embarrassing a Labor government with a proud history of reforms that have helped workers has let Victorian school

A protest the UWU staged outside the Deputy Premier’s office on December 21 (Supplied).

cleaners down so badly.

“Instead of ending the worst excesses of Kennett-era privatisations and directly employing Victorian school cleaners, Education Minister Ben Carroll has turned his back on working people.

“It’s time that the Victorian government made schools, kids, parents and these hard-working school cleaners their priority, and stop lining the pockets of predatory private sector multinationals.”

Western Metropolitan MP David Ettershank has spoken out against Victoria’s school cleaning contracts, calling for action on the

8 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

‘grossly unjust’ change to hours and wages.

In a Member’s Statement, Mr Ettershank said the government is supposedly committed to a fair and equitable education system.

“Victoria calls itself the Education State. A critical part of this is a strong, sustainable and supported workforce so that all schools can attract and retain the workforce they need,” he said.

“School cleaners are the unsung heroes of that workforce. They are poorly paid and only contracted for 42 weeks of the year, leaving them without pay over the school holidays.

“Their position will be further reduced

by the recent awarding of school cleaning contracts in the west to Serco cleaning services.”

Western suburbs school cleaner Mick Lynch is one worker who has been greatly affected by these changes, with his hours cut in half.

Mr Ettershank said the changes will put strain on other staff members at schools in the state.

“This is grossly unjust for the cleaners and will doubtless increase the strain on our teachers… exacerbating recruitment and retention problems,” he said.

Since starting the new year and new contract, Mr Lynch said the problem remains a health and safety issue. “[The cleaners] just have to make do with the hours [they’ve] got,” he said.

“The three hours isn’t feasible, it’s limited vacuuming twice a week, whipping down the tables three times a week.

“The bottom line is as a whole it’s a massive struggle, it’s a big hit to the pocket. The schools around the place are suffer[ing].”

A Department of Education spokesperson said the government has zero tolerance for any workplace laws and legislation breaches, including underpayment.

“Employment contract arrangements are a matter for cleaning service providers who must comply with workplace compliance obligations,“ they said.

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BEHIND THE NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Shaving off locks to save lives Community spirit has always run deep in the Macedon Ranges. And when twelve-year-old Kai set out on a personal journey to honour his late father, it soon enough transformed into a collective community mission as Hannah Hammoud reports.

L

ast December, on his final day of grade 6, Kai participated in the World’s Greatest Shave (WGS), to help raise money for cancer research.

The World’s Greatest Shave is the single biggest source of income for the Leukaemia Foundation, which uses the funds to provide vital support to blood cancer patients and their loved ones, as well as fund ground-breaking research, in the hopes of one day finding a cure.

Kai’s decision to take part in the event stemmed from a deeply personal experience after losing his father to brain cancer when Kai was just seven.

While the World’s Greatest Shave raises funds for people living specifically with blood cancer, determined to make a difference, Kai resolved to shave his head and raise money in an effort to prevent others from enduring a similar loss to the one he had to endure.

Despite the challenges of organising the fundraising effort, Kai’s dedication proved unwavering. With the support of his school and local community, he managed to raise an impressive $3,000.

“I heard about the World’s Greatest Shave after my dad passed. It was an easy decision for me to take part in it,” Kai said.

‘‘

I definitely want to shave my hair again. I feel excellent all round… I feel like it was one of the best decisions of my life - Kai

Left: Kai after the shave.

St Ambrose Parish Primary School in Woodend was a beacon of support for Kai’s cause.

’’

“The shave was held in the school courtyard and I had it all in braids. Then I chose some friends, and some of the big donors to chop parts of my hair. Then we had the shaver and everyone got to take a turn and shave a little bit of my hair.”

As the clippers buzzed and locks of hair fell, the local community rallied behind Kai’s cause.

Lavinia Zirnsak, Kai’s mother, highlighted the overwhelming support Kai received from various quarters of the community.

“Some of the kids made posters in class inviting people to come down to the shave and everybody also brought a gold coin donation – some people more than that. On the actual day we had $300 in just gold coin donations,” she said.

Ms Zirnsak said a couple of budding student entrepreneurs took it upon themselves to collect marigold seeds to sell at the local organic store.

“They actually raised about $157 just doing that, and they decided to donate it to Kai’s cause,” she said.

“The school and the wider community were extremely supportive and amazing. The school community was really good with liaising and promoting Kai’s cause in the newsletter. The Wildlife Op Shop was awesome, they had a box out there to take donations, as well as the Macedon Ranges Theatre where lots of people donated.

“We’re very lucky that we live in such a beautiful community where people are very generous and supportive.”

After growing his hair for three and a half years before eventually shaving it off - Kai said he is sure there is another hair transformation for him on the cards, vowing to again take part in the shave sometime in the future.

“The World’s Greatest Shave is an excellent cause. I definitely want to shave my hair again.

I feel excellent all round… I feel like it was one of the best decisions of my life,” he said.

“If you’re thinking about the World’s Greatest Shave, there is nothing better than the feeling of knowing that someone is going to be happy. With you chopping your hair

Above: Before the big chop, Kai had grown his locks for three and a half years.

Below: Annie Dunn said the support of her husband, Mathew, has been immeasurable throughout her journey.

(Pictures: Supplied)

off you’re almost immediately saving at least one person with cancer, because every single cent will go towards this wonderful cause. I hope that if you are thinking about doing the World’s Greatest Shave then you should do it.”

The World’s Greatest Shave is officially held during March, with this year’s campaign celebrating the everyday heroes in the community doing ‘bloody beautiful’ acts of shaving, cutting, colouring, or donating.

The Leukaemia Foundation reports that more than 140,000 Australians are currently living with blood cancer, with more Australians diagnosed with blood cancer now than ever before.

Moorabool local Annie Dunn is one of those 140,000 Australians living with blood cancer.

Annie works as a kindergarten teacher and has been living with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) for seven years. She said it was an emotional day when she was finally provided with some clarity after her diagnosis.

“I was sick for years before we found out I had cancer. There was a long journey trying to figure out what was going on, and probably eight months into that journey I got referred to a haematologist,” Annie recalled.

“I remember that meeting, we sat and he told me that I was sick and told me that I had CML... I just remember I cried. I cried for two reasons, one because he told me I had cancer, but not only that, I finally figured out what was wrong with me, and so it was also a bit

10 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

of a relief.”

Amidst her health struggles, Annie remained steadfast in her commitment to her career, at the time pursuing studies in early education.

“It was overwhelming,“ she admitted.

“I was so busy studying I didn’t have time to stop and think about it until I finished studying at the end of the year.“ Annie found some solace in her diagnosis, recognising the need to prioritise what truly matters in life.

“I don’t take crap from anyone anymore, and prioritise things in life and focus on what really matters. A lot of young adults focus on mundane, silly stuff. But this has made me realise I don’t have time for that,” she said.

Annie’s journey has been made easier with the support of the Leukaemia Foundation’s Blood Cancer Support Coordinators (BCSCs).

Donations made through initiatives like the World’s Greatest Shave, have helped ease the burden for Annie and her family during times of need.

“The World’s Greatest Shave is worthwhile, it’s worth being able to do that and contribute to a really awesome cause,” she said.

“I shaved my head before I lost my hair. I decided I wanted to be in control of that and it was great. I like having short hair, it’s an easy look to rock.

“Thank you to the people who donate and support the World’s Greatest Shave. It is a brave thing to shave your head.”

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FEATURING ... HEALTHY LIVING

Foot and knee pain help Most people suffer foot or knee pain at some point in their lives but it can be difficult to find effective treatment with long-term results.

Foot and knee pain expert and musculoskeletal podiatrist, Dr Paul Dowie explains.

“Many foot and knee conditions are misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated, often because only symptoms are treated and the cause and contributing factors of the pain or injury are not being addressed.”

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He provided the following insights into common foot and leg complaints and treatments: ■ Bad foot posture can continually pull your body out of alignment, placing undue stress on other joints and tissues throughout the body, contributing to pain, injury and arthritis.

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Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 11

NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

MY PLACE Cleo Pitt, a 73-year-old from Footscray, is taking major strides in her fitness goals, and encourages everyone to get walking. She spoke to Star Weekly about her amazing journey.

Tell us a bit about you and what you do?

I’m semi-retired from work, but not from life.

My personal goal is to continue to live longer and better. My interests include textiles, plant based cooking, health, and exercise.

Tell us about your walking The five million step challenge for 2023 came about when I joined an online group of people interested in improving their health.

Although I didn’t take it seriously at first, as the year progressed I realised my fitness was improving. I had more stamina, could walk faster, and do more steps.

In the first quarter of the year I didn’t reach 1.25 million steps. In fact, I was 70,005 steps short of the target. Neither did I fare better in the second quarter. Actually, I did worse with 88,486 steps short. In my third quarter I did slightly better, but I was still short by 67,602 steps.

There’s something about a goal being within shooting distance. So, despite it being October, I decided to show that this old girl still had some gas left in the tank. At that time, I calculated that I had to take 16,970 steps per day to succeed at the challenge. Despite my previous efforts, I could see that this goal was still achievable, and that’s when I seriously started to track my daily steps.

Tracking, as it turns out, is a key part of success.

Two weeks before the end of the year I had my average down to 11,059 steps per day. A completely achievable total. By New Years Eve 2023, I crossed the finish line with a total of 5,056,001 steps. The distance, I’ve been told, is the same as walking from Melbourne to Darwin.

Cleo Pitt walking by the Maribyrnong River. (Damjan Janevski) 383083_02

Walking is a great way to build fitness, meet other people and get to know your local community. Best of all—it’s free!

Maribyrnong River for just over a year. I love the community here. The people are friendly and there are great places to go for coffee.

What are your goals for the coming year?

My goals are to do five pushups, and be able to walk up 1000 stairs non-stop by the end of the year, and walk 10,000 steps every day of the year.

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

I would like to see less littering. I belong to the Maribyrnong River Rubbish Club. We meet once a month to pick up rubbish along the foreshore. I encourage everyone to join.

What’s your connection to Maribyrnong and what do you like about where you live?

I’ve been living in Footscray close to the

Where is your favourite local place to spend time?

My favourite place is by the river and through Newells Paddock and wetlands. The bird life around the wetland is large and lively, and I feel so lucky to see it every day.

Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you I once helped to organise a Guinness Book of Records attempt for the largest number of people dancing the Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. We achieved our goal—although we were beaten half a day later by another group in England.

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Te Experienced in selling all types of property, John has a thorough understanding of client’s needs and specialises in new developments and construction.

He is also involved in property development and construction and is able to provide valuable advice to clients in the same industry.

An expert in sales and fully licensed since 2002, John gives nothing less than 100%, whether it is a small one-bedroom flat in Sunshine or a three-storey office building in Footscray.

Cross cultural links are vital for business in such an ethnically diverse area. John believes the values he has from his Italian background are similar to those of many other cultures. From them he understands the need for confidentiality, respect and trust as the basis for business and friendships.

Results and experience aren’t only measured in dollars, but it’s hard to go past the $130million worth of property John has brought to the business since starting his career back in 1991.

With over fifty years in the real estate game, Terry Cooper’s level of knowledge and experience is almost unmatched in Melbourne. A lifelong “people person”, Terry has the gift of the gab and considers it an honour to meet and assist people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

As much as he loves a good chat, Terry is also an excellent listener, something he says is indispensable when it comes to looking after clients. “You can’t sell people’s property if you don’t listen,” says Terry, and his clients come to him knowing that he’s going to keep their needs and wants front of mind.

His local knowledge is another distinct advantage. Terry has worked in Footscray for his entire career, bar two years, so it’s safe to say he knows the area like the back of his hand. No matter how long he’s been doing it, Terry is always stri ving to do better in his work — to net a bigger sale, exceed customer service expectations and make the buying and selling experience a pleasure for all involved.

25 145-147 GEELONG ROAD FOOTSCRAY 9689 6011

TRIMSON.COM.AU Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 13

NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Smoke marks a new beginning New centre Edu-Play Early Learning Centre hosted a smoking ceremony on Thursday, February 15, to mark its opening.

Centre director Helen Morrison said it was a wonderful experience.

“We have really been starting to bring in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into our kindergarten,” she said.

“We contacted the group at Biik Bundjil who have early learning specific smoking ceremonies and training.”

Ms Morrison said Jaeden conducted the smoking ceremony to welcome the five new kids, parents and staff.

“The kids were mesmerised by it , we feel like it definitely brought us closer to the land on which we learn and play,” she said, “We promised to take care of the land and animals on which we are located.”

Leonie Hassan watering banksia.

Students, staff and parents at the ceremony.

Jaeden and Helen Morrison with Arthur Anson. (Supplied)

The centre opened its arms to a smoking ceremony.

Thalia and Jaeden.

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14 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

COMMUNITY

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

Cost is $60 per a 10 week term or $6 per session.

Holy Family Parish The Holy Family Parish in Maidstone is hosting an Alpha Night. Free meal and chance to chat. People from all backgrounds, faith, and walk of life are welcome. Every Wednesday from March 6, to May 22, at 6.45pm – 8.45pm, at Holy Family Parish Small Hall 15 Lyons Street Maidstone.

■ Angelo Ramnac0409 406 611 oraramnac@bigpond.com

Book sale Friends of Altona Library hold a monthly book sale on the first Tuesday, Friday and Saturday of each month at the rear of Altona Library 123 Queen Street Altona. access via Coles car park, from 10am-1pm.

■ https://libraries.hobsonsbay.

Altona Girl Guides Altona Girl Guides currently have vacancies for girls aged five-plus who would like to learn new skills, gain confidence,and expand their friendship circle while having fun.

■ hobsonsbay@guidesvic.org.au

Intro to Computers course For beginners and those looking to refresh skills. The computer lab is fully equipped for interactive and hands-on learning.

Accessing information, resources, file management, emails, Microsoft Office, AI and online safety. Term 1 course starting Tues 27 Feb, 9.30am-12pm.

Ph: 9391 8504, E: outlets@outletsco-op. com.au or visit us at 43 Mason St, Newport.

English lessons Want to learn English in a fun and relaxed setting Build your English, digital and employability skills with the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). Williamstown.

Laverton Community Education Centre now offers free AMEP classes to eligible clients at Joan Kirner House in Williamstown.

Classes are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am-3pm. Childcare is available for children who are under school age.

■ 93692726.

Women Talk: Everyday English language course For women of all ages and backgrounds with English as a second language. Practice speaking English in different situations, and make new friends! Fridays 10am-12pm.

■ 9391 8504, email outlets@outletsco-op. com.au or visit us at 43 Mason St, Newport.

Computers, crafts, conversation Farmers and Craft Market A community farmers and craft market is held at Beaton Reserve on the 3rd Saturday of each month. A gold coin is collected on entry.

■ Eileen 0412 910 496

This week’s photographer’s choice photograph is of Cathy James and her dog Heidi who was voted people’s choice dog of the year.

(Damjan Janevski) 388318_01

Whatever your learning interests and needs, Outlets Newport Community Education Centre has hands-on, face-to-face classes for you or a friend. Contact the centre today to find something for you!

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

Dementia Alliance Forum The Hobsons Bay Dementia Soaring Falcons Alliance is hosting its first free Dementia-Friendly Forum. Attendees can come to increase understanding and inclusion, learn about dementia, gain practical tips, speak to those with experience and build a plan to make things better. It will be held on Friday, March 15 from 10am to 12pm at the Civic Centre Altona, followed by a free morning tea.

■ 0432 161 777

Golf Day The Young Achievers Foundation Inc are hosting a golf day at the Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club on Friday 15 March, 2024.

You can book as an individual player and the Foundation will put you in a team of 4, or gather your friends to make your own 4-ball. The day will finish with dinner, entertainment, auctions and raffles. The cost is $150 per person and golf carts may be available for an additional $50 (2 golfers per cart).

■ Sam: 0438 423 425 or yaf3030@gmail. com

Kangatraining Kangatraining workouts include both cardiovascular endurance/flexibility and muscular capacity/strength training.

Babies are worn on mums during the class designed for mums to meet mums. Run weekly on Thursday’s until March 21, from 10-11am at the Maribyrnong Community Centre 9 Randall St Maribyrnong.

Cost: $10/ session; $6 concession ■ 90324305 or email: maricomm@ maribyrnong.vic.gov.au

Classic Car and Bike Show Lots of exciting things are happening at our 11th Annual Classic Car & Bike Show, scheduled to be held on February 25 Apex Park, Altona. There will be a great collection of Cars & Bikes there will also be a static display of various Vintage Service Vehicles. There will also be a great

Carers’ walk and talk selection of food & drinks, including a Sausage Sizzle and the Cheers ‘Cheesy Van’, Live Bands, Coffee & Ice Cream Truck.

■ Lou Artz, 0417 531 670

Charity Golf Day Hobsons Bay Community Fund will be holding their ninth Annual Charity Golf Day on Wednesday 20 March, 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 6.30pm-8.30pm, commencing 13 February. The second term will run on Mondays from 6.30pm-8.30pm, commencing 20 May, both terms online.

■ Register your interest for the sessions by calling Hobsons Bay Youth Services on 9932 4000 or email youth@hobsonsbay. vic.gov.au for more information.

Musicians welcome. Do you play any percussion, brass or woodwind instruments The Hobsons Bay City Band is seeking musicians to join their community band.

Please note that rehearsals are held under the directorship of Wayne Bowden OAM every Monday evening from 7.30pm at the Newport Bowls Club, 4 Market Street, Newport.

■ Contact Hannah Prouse on email hbcityband@gmail.com or check URL www. hbcb.org.au

A collaboration between the state government, Interchange Outer East and Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL), the Pathways for Carers program is launching a monthly walk in Footscray on the third Thursday of each month. The goal of each group is to provide carers with peer-based support, information, services and resources, opportunities to be active and connect with other carers, connect with nature and connect with their local community.

■ lauren.mcalpine@bsl.org.au or www. pathwaysforcarers.com.au

Open Water Challenge

Seeking stories

The biggest and most anticipated Williamstown Open Water Challenge, WOW 2024, is on March 3. There are a number of different swims from 1.2 kilometres up to 10 kilometres. The Williamstown Living Saving Club has been hosting the event for the past 31 years and it’s a favourite of the Great Ocean Swim Series in Victoria.

Award-winning local author Dr Dominique Hes is writing a book on Newport Lakes, tracing its history, its impact and its contribution. The book will outline the story of its development, highlighting the role of consensus, courage, vision and working with nature to create a beautiful ecological and social place. Weaving in theories of biophilia, regenerative development and placemaking with local stories, it aims to provide inspiration for other communities looking at what they can do in their neighbourhoods. Locals are asked to come forward with any stories, photos, memories to be included in the book.

■ NPLbook22@gmail.com

Hobsons Bay City Band,

Musicians welcome Hobsons Bay City Band is seeking musicians to join their community band.

Rehearsals are held under the directorship of Wayne Bowden every Monday evening from 7.30pm at the Newport Lakes Primary School, Elizabeth Street, Newport. Visitors and interested musicians of any age are most welcome.

■ Hannah Prouse, hbcityband@gmail.com or www.hbcb.org.au

Mouth Organ Band

Meditation for stress management

Yarraville Mouth Organ Band is looking for new members - players or beginners. Band practise is held on Friday evenings at 8pm in the band hall at 203 Williamstown Road, Yarraville. For great music in a friendly atmosphere feel free to call in one Friday evening.

■ Heather 9399 2190 or email ymob1933@yahoo.com.au

Meditate under the guidance of an experienced teacher through visualisation, breath and movement. A form of mindful planning combining the psychological process of visualising, preparing for the future, and assigning action steps. Held at the Braybrook Community Hub between 10-11am on Fridays. This class will also be live streamed for you to join from home.

Williamstown book sale Friends of Williamstown and Newport Libraries hold a book sale every second Saturday of each month 9.30am-12.30pm.

The book sale is held in the friends’ room.

Cash only sales.

■ libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 15

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SPORTS QUIZ 1. Which two teams will face-off in the first ever AFL Opening Round match?

4. In which sport would you watch the Pittsburgh Penguins play the Philadelphia Flyers?

2. Which country knocked Australia out of 2023 Asian Cup contention in the quarter-finals?

5. Which Super Rugby Pacific team recently entered voluntary administration with estimated debt over $10 million?

3. By capacity, what is the largest stadium in the world?

11. Which Australian basketball legend announced she will not play for the Opals at the 2024 Olympic Games?

12. What team has won the past two AFC Asian Cup soccer tournaments?

13. What sport does Australian Molly Picklum compete in?

6. Lewis Hamilton made a bombshell announcement that he was departing Mercedes and moving to which team?

14. Ex-supercars team owner Roland Dane said which team had a “toxic workplace”, resulting in Brodie Kostecki's request to leave?

7. In which year did Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson first retire from the WWE?

15. Which retired cricketer has agreed to coach America’s Major League Cricket franchise the Washington Freedom?

8. In which year were full body swimsuits banned from competition, due to providing an unfair advantage?

16. Which team has won the most A-League Men’s Championship titles?

17. Teams based in which New Zealand and Australian cities will join the A-League Men’s competition in 2024-25?

9. The film The Iron Claw tells the tragic true story of which wrestling family?

18. 1960 marked the only year Australia had a team qualify for what event at the Winter Olympic Games?

10. What American state are the Kansas City Chiefs based in?

Dwayne Johnson

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28. Which sport is the oldest at the Winter Olympics?

29. Who is current captain of the Fremantle Dockers?

30. VAR in soccer stands for what?

23. Which team are the reigning champions in the NHL?

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19. The Brisbane Bandits and Adelaide Giants are teams in what Australian sporting league?

1. Sydney and Melbourne 2. South Korea 3. India’s Narendra Modi Stadium 4. Ice hockey (NHL) 5. Melbourne Rebels 6. Ferrari 7. 2004 8. 2010 9. The Von Erich family 10. Missouri 11. Lauren Jackson 12. Qatar 13. Surfing 14. Erebus Motorsport 15. Ricky Ponting 16. Sydney FC (Five titles) 17. Auckland and Canberra 18. Ice Hockey 19. Australian Baseball League 20. James Magnussen 21. 8 22. 10 23. Las Vegas Golden Knights 24. New Zealand 25. Four 26. Baseball 27. 4 28. Figure skating 29. Alex Pearce 30. Video assistant referee

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0435 904 818 Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 17

PUZZLES No. 173

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

9

5 2 3 7 3 9 1 4

2 3

9 9 1 4

6 7 2 5

6 9 8 4 1 6 3 1 7 8

5

6 3 2

DOWN

1

Remains (5)

4

Artworks (9)

9

System of principles (5)

10

Soaked (9)

11

Not mature (6)

12

Haughty (8)

14

Unfaithful (9)

15

Pride (3)

17

Donkey (3)

19

TV advertisement (10)

23

Number comprehension (8)

24

Computer network linking newsgroups (6)

26

Items of great worth (9)

27

Seance board (5)

28

At least (coll) (9)

29

Fashion (5)

Salt (7) Steamed (7) Surgeon’s instrument (7) Sit for an artist (4) Gatecrasher (10) Fears (7) A salt or ester of nitric acid (7) Insurrection (8) A thin noodle (10) Circus (8) Country in Horn of Africa (7) Dried fruit (7) Traditions (7) Yearly payment (7) Lolling (2,4) Island (4)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 16 18 19 20 21 22 25

9 medium

8

ACROSS

No. 173

3 6 7 5 8 5 9 5 1

5 7 3 1 5 4 1 9 8 7 3

DECODER

No. 173

3 4

hard

6

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

10 11 12 13

Y

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

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

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

9-LETTER WORD Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once.

No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

T

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

E

U

R

A

C U

V

acre, acute, care, caret, carr, cart, carte, carter, carve, carver, cater, cave, crate, crater, crave, cruet, curare, curate, cure, curt, CURVATURE, curve, cute, cuter, ecru, eruct, race, racer, react, recta, recur, trace, tracer, truce, verruca

No. 173 Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down.

NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

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18 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

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4 LETTERS ARMS ASKS BASS BIAS BOOR CAVE EDIT HENS ICES MACE PACE SETS SINE TACT 5 LETTERS ADEPT AGILE AIMED AURAL

QUICK QUIZ

No. 173

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6 LETTERS ENDERS ENTRAP INSURE MISHAP

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7 LETTERS DRESSES ERUDITE OPERATE OVERRAN TITTERS TRASHED

23-02-24

1

Missy Peregrym (pictured) plays a gymnast in which 2006 film?

7

How many times has Ron Paul unsuccessfully run for president of the United States?

2

Tallinn is the capital of which European country?

8

3

Who played Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest?

What number appears on the neck of a Heinz Ketchup bottle?

9

4

Blue Dome Church is located on which Greek island?

How many countries use the Euro as their official currency?

5

The Genpei War took place in Japan during which century?

6

Which island nation was hit

by Severe Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin, within 48 hours of each other, in March 2023?

10 Who hosted the original run of the US version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

ANSWERS: 1. Stick It 2. Estonia 3. Cary Grant 4. Santorini 5. 12th century 6. Vanuatu 7. Three (1988, 2008, 2012) 8. 57 9. 20 10. Regis Philbin

1

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STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

MOTOR

Alfa SUV off to a bright start

By Derek Ogden, Marque Motoring I’m over electric vehicles, monster utes and sleek SUVs. They all have their place – these days highly prominent – in the automotive pantheon, but range anxiety, truck-style fossil fuel pollution, or squeezing into the third row of a seven-seater . . . poof!

I’ve had ’em.

All is not lost, however. There are all-rounders out there that fit the bill of what is expected, without going over the top. One such creature is the Alfa Romeo Tonale Hybrid SUV. Named after one of Italy’s highest mountain passes Alfa says the compact five-seater encapsulates the organic curvatures, bends and lines found in nature.

And Alfa’s first foray into the so-called C SUV segment, one of the most competitive in the automobile market, needs something to stop potential buyers in their tracks.

There’s plenty of Alfa essence – power and driving precision – to attract attention.

It is available in two trim levels – Ti and Veloce – which arrived in Australian priced from $49,900 and $56,400 respectively, making it a rival for the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Lexus UX and Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class. The Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4 joined the team late last year in a highly specified Veloce trim offered from $77,500.

Two options include the Technology Pack, for $2500, which takes the Ti up to Veloce safety standard and Lusso Pack, at $4500, the latter adding seat upgrades, heated steering wheel and 14-speaker 465 W Harman/ Kardon audio system.

Styling Sourced from the Turismo Internazionale (hence the Ti) has traditionally been identified with the most exclusive, elegant and comfortable Alfas. Signature features include the V Scudetto grille, offset rego plate and 18-inch diamond cut five-circle spoke wheels, echoing the classic Alfa Romeo.

Conversely, the present is to the fore with full LED Matrix headlamps, topped off with wave-pattern daytime running lights, which, as red lights are repeated at the rear, flanking the hands-free power liftback.

Interior Front seats have a wide range of adjustment and offer good visibility all round.

Alfa Romeo’s entry into the compact SUV segment is off to a positive start. (Pictures: Supplied)

However, tall occupants soon put rear leg room at a premium, but generally the cabin is spacious and comfortable. Perfect for pottering around town with two up front.

Boot space is a usable 500 litres, which can be ‘pumped’ to 1550 litres with second row backs folded. A space-saver spare finds a home under the floor.

Infotainment Infotainment is accessible via a 10.25-inch touchscreen, incorporating embedded satellite navigation, mounted in the central dashboard.

Images are clear and quick to call up. Unlike many of its ilk the screen is shaded well from bright light.

Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are on tap, while Alfa Connected Services enables control of a range of functions via an app.

Centre console storage includes a wireless charging station. Also standard features are digital radio, voice command, USB-A and USB-C inputs, plus steering wheel controls.

Engines/transmissions The 118-kW turbocharged engine plus mild hybrid technology enables pure electric drive and regenerative braking, stop / start operation, plus added boost to petrol power.

Paired with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission and 48 V 15 kW / 55 Nm electric motor make it possible for the 1.5 litre petrol engine to propel the wheels even when the internal combustion power is turned off.

The transmission enables the start-off and travel in electric mode at low speeds and when parking or cruising. The result is the

performance of a petrol engine but with fuel consumption of a diesel motor.

Safety All Tonale variants have earned a five-star ANCAP rating at 2022 standards. Passive safety features include dual front, side chest and head protecting airbags as standard across the range.

Active safety is covered by adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, intelligent speed assist, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors and rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines.

Driving With keyless entry, getting underway presented a few problems, the main, how to start the engine. An extended search finally came good: the start / stop button was attached to the steering wheel rim. Stupid boy!

Alfa’s mild hybrid electric system can drive the wheels alone up to 40 km/h, so the slow stuff can be done as a full electric vehicle before the petrol motor chimes in.

The 1.5 litre variable-geometry turbocharged unit handles the 1491kg of the Tonale Ti as well as can be expected under the Natural drive mode. Expect the Tonale to average premium petrol consumption of 5.6 litres per 100 kilometres over a range of driving conditions.

Advanced Efficiency is the money saving mode, with sporty performance sacrificed at the altar of economy. The dual clutch here showed its characteristic choppy changes. Time to wind up the Alfa to its zenith in Dynamic mode.

Gear shifts were at their snappiest delivering a satisfyingly sporty driving experience.

A 12.3-inch digital cluster is located directly in front of the driver, while those wanting to get their hands on the outsize aluminium paddle shifters behind the steering wheel will need to step up to the Veloce variant.

Ride is a not-uncomfortable experience on the 18-inch wheels with chubby rubber.

Summary While not exactly causing the hairs on the back of the neck to stand up – I’ll leave that to the Veloce – the Tonale Ti could be for many what they always hoped for in an Alfa – a handsome model (tick), a sporty driving experience (tick) and technological team leader (tick).

AT A GLANCE MODEL RANGE Alfa Romeo Tonale Ti Hybrid from $49,900 Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce Hybrid from $56,400 Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV from $77,500 Options: Technology Pack $2500; Lusso Pack $4500 SPECIFICATIONS Alfa Romeo Tonale Ti Hybrid 1.5L 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol, 7sp automatic, FWD SUV

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

Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 19

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Shimona Jok playing for Collingwood. (Pictures: AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

Jok reaches out for a new start City West Falcons new shooter Shimona Jok, who moved to Australia from Jamaica to pursue her love of netball, has ridden the highs and lows of professional sport in recent months as Tara Murray discovered.

I

t might have been the off season, but for new City West Falcons shooter Shimona Jok her first steps on the Altona netball courts were anything but easy.

Having been through the wringer with her Suncorp Super Netball team, the Collingwood Magpies, pulling the pin on the competition and then not being offered a contract for 2024, it’s been a tough few months for Jok, nee Nelson.

It tested her love for the sport which had seen her move from Jamaica to Australia to pursue.

“I don’t even think hard can describe how it has been and how it has been and how it is currently going,” she said.

‘Hard is probably the best word you can use right now. Depression, anxiety, just all the negative emotions… Not wanting to go outside, not wanting to see the world.

“It was a bit hard for me. I felt like I didn’t feel valued, no one wanted me. I felt like a nobody, I just felt like I wasn’t good enough for anyone.

“I wanted to stay away.”

Jok, who got married late last year, wanted to stay in Australia despite her uncertain netball future.

While she didn’t have a Super Netball contract, she did have an offer from Victorian Netball League club, the City West Falcons.

The Falcons, who had won last season’s championship title, had kept their three key shooters, but were more than happy to welcome Jok into the playing ranks with open arms.

“It has been really good,” Jok said of

‘‘

I questioned if I could even play the sport. No one recognised or even tried to reach out. I felt so belittled.

I felt like a nobody

’’

- Shimona Jok the Falcons. “I think everyone has been welcoming with big arms.

“I was a little bit nervous at first, but wasn’t too nervous cause I’ve always been around the Falcons…three or four years now.

“I think it’s easy. Personality wise who I am, quite relaxed. I love down to earth people, the environment and with the Falcons that

20 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

is what I give.

“I felt at home in an instant. I know everyone and I’m joking around and being myself. I think it’s really important to adjust to everyone.

“They didn’t really make me feel weird, but they all loved me for who I am. I think that made it so easy to slip right in.”

Jok said one of the biggest things for her was feeling valued again and that she could play a role on court.

She said the Falcons wanted to have her as both a person and player.

“When I got there it was like it’s okay to make mistakes and I want to ensure that you’re okay,” she said.

“We see the Shimmy we know, I think that helped me get back into it.

“Since August I have struggled, struggled with who I am, I questioned what value I bring to a team.

“I questioned if I could even play the sport.

No one recognised or even tried to reach out.

I felt so belittled. I felt like a nobody.”

Falcons coach Marg Lind said earlier in the pre-season Jok, who has played internationally for Jamaica, had been really open with them and had shown courage with her netball career in limbo.

She knew that Jok would get the opportunity to play goal attack, a role she didn’t play at Super Netball level.

Jok said she was excited for the challenge.

“I can’t wait,” she said. “It gives me another range. I have a bit more freedom to move… a lot more to think about, a bit more time to run around, defend, create moves for

everyone around you.

“I’ll take on feedback and be positive and have a really good environment. I think that really made me find the love for netball.”

With a strong goaling line up, it will be a battle for court time, but Jok said that was the least of her worries.

She sees the bigger picture.

“I feel like it’s more about what i can give, what i can learn, what we all can learn from each other,” she said. “For me also team first, self last. It’s not an issue if I don’t get court time or not, always going to be a cheer girl whether on the court or off the court.

“Whatever the team needs, I’ll be there.”

While Jok doesn’t have a Super Netball contract, she has signed on as a training partner for new side, the Mavericks.

She said it was a role that she was still adjusting to.

“I’m now not really taking it to heart that I’m not good enough to be contracted,” she said. “I’m taking it one training (at a time) and learning what I can and turning in a new chapter.

“Do something different, be something different, work on something different instead of saying I’m still the same goal shooter.”

After the last few months, Jok said she was focusing on rebuilding herself and getting her love back for the game. Anything else isn’t in her thoughts.

“Taking baby steps,” she said. “Try and regain that love for the sport and keep grinding and ticking those boxes where necessary.”

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SPORT

Lions’ bowling attack stuns Demons on day one West Newport went one step closer to securing its Victorian Turf Cricket Association McNamara Shield finals spot on Saturday.

Facing Tullamarine, which has slipped outside the top four in recent weeks, the Lions secured first innings points on day one in a massive boost.

Lions first XI player Daniel Shanahan said it was a weird day on Saturday.

The Lions managed to bowl the Demons out for just 93 in the 39th over.

“They’ve got some good quality batters with Harry [Meehan] one of the top wicket takers in the competition and three batters in the top 10,” he said.

“To bowl them out for 100 was a really good start. We just did what we’ve been doing all year.

“We really focused on bowling to our strengths and our fields. We found if we stuck to our plans throughout the 80 overs it’s working well for us.

Skipper Trent Jones was the pick of the bowlers for the Lions with 5-16 off his 11 overs.

With plenty of time to bat on day one, Shanahan said for them it wasn’t about how many runs they had on the scoreboard at the end of the first day.

“We wanted to try and limit our losses and keep as many wickets as we can in the shed,”

Tharanga Fernando (Ljubica Vrankovic)

he said.

“We managed to get first innings points and strengthened our position before next week.

“We want to continue on next week.”

James Usher (68 not out) and Jones (30 not out) were the two batters at the crease at the end of the day.

Shanahan said they would assess the

situation during the week before deciding what approach they wanted to take on day two.

He said having already secured first innings points, it already strengthens their position in the race for finals.

The Lions are currently in third spot, just percentage ahead of fourth placed Greenvale Kangaroos and six points clear of Tullamarine and Newport-Digman.

For the Lions, making finals and any success this season would be massive considering the club put a call out for players weeks out from the season.

“It got pretty hairy six weeks before the season,” Shanahan said. “The committee, James Usher the coach and Trent Jones the captain knuckled down.

“We got a start and two teams was all we were going to get. It’s very hard in the location we are with the sheer number of teams in the same competition, “It’s tough in the area. We’re pretty happy with where we are sitting at the moment and we’re already planning for a big 2024-25.”

In other matches Williamstown CYMS is 1-39 in reply to Sunbury’s 97, Newport-Digman is 4-50 in reply to Greenvale Kangaroos 119 and Altona Roosters have Keilor Park 6-60 in reply to their 168.

A’s sitting on top in clash against Melton

Quarterback Matthew Krul.(Joe Mastroianni). 303530_11

Crusaders step through

By Tara Murray Every grand final is special, but for the Western Crusaders this Gridiron Victoria Vic Bowl is an extra special one.

The Crusaders on Saturday qualified for their sixth straight grand final with a win against the Rangers.

The Crusaders get the week off with the win and even more important they get to play a home grand final for the first time, with the Vic Bowl to be held at Henry Turner Reserve.

Crusaders’ Tyson Garnham said everyone at the club was looking forward to the chance to play in the biggest game of the year at home.

“It is really good and really special to be playing at home,” he said. “This is the first one and hopefully we can do what we’ve done the last few years at home.

“Our club rooms have been upgraded to do it, our facilities weren’t up to scratch in the past to volunteer to host it.

“It makes it a little bit extra special.”

The Crusaders continue to be the team to beat as they not only reached a sixth straight grand final but looked to win it for a sixth straight year.

Garnham said they had been tested at times this season, but had been able to come through those challenges.

“We have had a couple of tough games this year,” he said. “We’ve played quite well this year.”

The Crusaders got off to a strong start in the semi final against the Rangers on Saturday.

Garnham said the game was over at the first break, with the Rangers taking their foot off the pedal after the break.

“We’ve built some confidence,” he said.

“There’s a good chance we will see them in the grand final in a couple of weeks.

“We got off to a good start and they pretty much gave up after the first quarter. We made some rotations and a lot of new guys got on which is special for them.

“It was a really good game and we were

able to rest some guys who were coming off injuries, it worked out well.”

The Crusaders again had two teams this season as they continue to give new players an opportunity.

The second side didn’t make finals. Unlike in previous seasons, the senior team is limited to 40 players for the finals, so those who were in the second side don’t get an opportunity to be part of finals Garnham said it was disappointing for those guys to miss out and hopes the rule changes back.

For the Crusaders, grand final day could be a big one with three teams in action.

The under-14s have also won through to the decider while the under-17s will play in finals this weekend for their chance to play in a grand final.

Garnham said it would be massive for the club if all three made it through.

Altona is in the box seat after day one of Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west clash, while Yarraville, Williamstown and Spotswood have work to do on day two.

The A’s who sit in fifth spot, are in control against Melton after their bowlers did the job at MacPherson Park in the second last round.

Melton won the toss and decided to bat, but struggled to get going, bowled out for just 114 in the 61st over.

Callum Hands was the standout bowler, taking 6-14 off his 14 overs.

The A’s had no troubles with the bat late in the day and will resume at 0-20.

Williamstown, which needs to win both its matches and hope results go its way to make finals, will need to have a good batting performance on day two against Brunswick.

Brunswick, on the back of a century from Jackson Cooper, made 238, as it was bowled out with 3.2 overs remaining.

Seagulls skipper Sean Sturrock was the pick of the bowlers taking 5-75 off his 25 overs.

Yarraville will also need a good batting performance on day two against bottom side Strathmore.

The Mores managed to make 218 before being bowled out in the 72nd over.

Jack Noble took 5-67 for the Eagles, while Matthew Kenvyn took two wickets.

The Eagles faced 14 overs at the end of day and were able to get through unscathed and will resume at 0-24.

Spotswood has a good fight on its hands against Werribee in its match.

The Woodsmen, who sit on top, were bowled out in the 63rd over for 192.

Mac Short top scored with 52 as there were a lot of starts and three ducks in the Woodsmen’s innings.

The Tigers faced 12 overs at the end of day one and managed to get through without losing a wicket.

They will resume at 0-13.

Wednesday, 21 February, 2024 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY 21

SPORT STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Dogs are wanting to finish the season strong Footscray is hoping to end its promising Victorian Premier Cricket season with a bang and finds itself in a good position to do so after day one against Casey South Melbourne.

On Saturday, the Dogs were sent in to bat and after a shaky start with two of their best batsmen falling early. It was left to young guns Aiman Nadeem (93) and Mitch Jamieson (45) who piled on a strong 120 run partnership to get the innings back on track.

“I’m pretty happy with where we ended up, it wasn’t looking too good at the start when we were 2-27,” coach Dale McDonald said.

“They’re definitely the players of the future for our club so it was great for them to get in and have a good partnership together, under a bit of pressure obviously, then to be facing such a good attack as well which was really rewarding for them.

“Aiman batted really, really well. He was disappointed not to get the seven runs (for his 100) but then Mitch Jamieson was also disappointed not to get the five runs for his 50.

“At the end of the day it was great exposure and great experience for those two boys, I think we’ve definitely got a bright future there that’s for sure.”

After finishing on 7-279 after only 94 overs the Dogs have the option to bat out the remaining six overs on Saturday morning.

With Dylan Kight (61*) and Jay Vine (26*) still at the crease McDonald said it’s something he will be contemplating throughout the week.

“It’s definitely something that we’ll consider,” he said.

“I’m not sure which way we will go at this stage but either way they’re going to try and chase the runs to get that second chance, so

we’ll wait and see what the wicket is like.”

While mathematically finals is still a chance for the Dogs, even with a win their percentage will most likely restrict them from finishing in the eight. Regardless, McDonald said it has been a positive season for the club with a plethora of fresh faces coming through the ones while remaining a competitive outfit.

“That would be great if we could finish with a win,” he said.

“We’ve had 10 debutants this year in the first XI which is the first time since the club’s first season in district cricket in 1948-49.

So to have 10 debutants play and for us to still be really competitive, albeit that we lost games that have hurt us in the end, it’s been a rewarding year and a year where there has been great development put into a number of players.”

Aiman Nadeem (Jacob Pattison) 369536_04

Aussies lose to South Korea

Chloe Logarzo.

(Western United/ Getty Images)

Back in green and gold Western United’s Chloe Logarzo is back in the Matildas squad after being called up by Tony Gustavsson for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers against Uzbekistan.

It represents a return to Matildas camp for the first time since November 2022 and is just reward for Logarzo following the journey that she has been on to recover from an ACL injury over the last 18 months.

The United co-captain has been dominating the A-League Women, scoring five goals and adding two assists in her 14 appearances this season.

“It’s really nice to be back,” she said.

“I don’t really know how to put it into words, I don’t think I am excited, I know that sounds weird, I think it’s just one of those sighs of relief that I was able to get myself back into a position to be back wearing this emblem and representing my nation again, so I’m just excited with the opportunity to be a part of something that I’ve wanted to be a part of for a really long time.

“I’m just trying to have fun and I think when there’s no expectations and you play without fear you have this sense of freedom when you’re playing and I think that’s oozing out in my game and is a by-product of what I’ve been enjoying.”

Logarzo said allowing herself to believe she

would be back representing her country one day was tough to do, but people at Western United helped push her back into the Matildas’ squad.

“My assistant coach Chelsea [Noonan] has really brought it out of me, I know it was deep down inside somewhere that I wanted to be here,” she said.

“I never really voiced it or said it allowed myself to voice it so her ability to work with me week in week out to find that desire to be back here has been the only reason that I am here.

“So I’m grateful for the club and I’m grateful for the people that have been in my corner pushing me to find the love of the game again.”

Logarzo will be hoping to add to her 55 caps for the Matildas as the side takes on Uzbekistan for a place at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The Matildas take on the central Asian nation in a two-legged tie, with the winner earning qualification to the Olympics. The first leg will take place in Tashkent on February 24 before the return leg at Marvel Stadium on February 28.

“Every game is important for us and I think it’ll be a really good challenge,” she said.

“I know it’s going to be hot in Uzbekistan and I know it’s going to be hot here, so it’ll be

22 MARIBYRNONG & HOBSONS BAY STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 21 February, 2024

one of those situations where we will be settling into it and for the girls to come together after the Christmas break is going to be really good.

“The pressure is always on, we still need to qualify for the Olympics so it’s about putting our heads down and working hard.”

Western United sit in second on the ladder ahead of its clash with Wellington Phoenix on Sunday.

In the club’s most recent game, against Brisbane Roar, Logaro was pivotal in getting the three points, scoring a brace including the winning penalty in the 92nd minute.

“To play in front of our fans is always special and to do it when we’ve got the chase on to get some silverware and towards the back end of the season when we’re coming into form and we’re playing really good football is something that’s really exciting,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to playing with the girls and just taking this one day at a time until I get into camp.

“My main focus right now is to just worry about the league and do the job that I need to do until I’m not here anymore.”

Logarzo has previously played at two Olympics, helping Australia to the quarter-finals at the 2016 games in Rio De Janeiro before reaching the bronze medal match in Tokyo in 2021.

Australia lost its two game International Baseball Showdown series to the Hanwha Eagles on the weekend at Altona Meadows’ Melbourne Ballpark.

The visiting South Korean baseball giant won the first game on Saturday night 2-1, in front of a packed home crowd for Australia’s first home game in four years.

All the runs were scored in the first three innings.

The Korean Baseball Organisation’s leading home run scorer Si Hwan Roh lived up to his hype as a Korean star, batting in both of Hanwha’s runs for the night. He scored the first run in the first innings, and the second in the third.

The Eagles grabbed both their runs off Australian starting pitcher Tim Atherton.

Australia scored its only run in the second innings on a fielder’s choice RBI (runs batted in) from Robbie Perkins.

Australia’s pitchers were impressive with Canberra’s Steve Kent throwing three innings for just one hit ball with four strikeouts. Melbourne’s Jon Kennedy also had a shutout inning while Luke Wilkins pitched two scoreless innings to close the game.

The second game was on Sunday afternoon with the Eagles winning in a thrilling 5-3 game.

It came down to the last pitch of the game with the home side down 5-3 at the top of the last innings and all bases loaded.

The responsibility was left on local legend Darryl George to get the winning hit for his side but was unfortunately unable to do so.

However, the Aces’ George was able to claim the first two RBI’s of the match in the bottom of the third innings.

Australia will play next as a senior national team in November for the Premier12, a World Championship equivalent.

Darryl George (Supplied)

Varcoe’s Viking era begins on a positive note Altona’s new era under former AFL star Travis Varcoe is under way ahead of the Western Region Football League division 1 season.

The former Cat and Pie has a breadth of experience from his 230 game AFL career, including winning two flags with the Cats and being part of Collingwood’s 2018 losing grand final.

Vacoe was announced as premiership coach Corey McCall’s successor in October and has been finding his feet at the club since.

“In the early stages it’s been pretty enjoyable, there’s a bit of hard work in it but that’s what makes it enjoyable,” he said.

“Anytime you start something you want to leave it in a better place than when you got there, and I think Corey and the team that he had around him certainly did that and you see the end results with playing in finals series and grand finals.

“It’s built around good people, good culture, good connection and that’s one thing that really drew me to Altona was you actually end up staying if you come from the outside and

the juniors generally stay on, which is a great sign of what they have been able to build over a period of time.

“It’s nice to be able to add something to that and where this journey goes we’ll have to wait and see, you just hope that you can add some value and the silverware is secondary to that.”

A large crop of junior talent at the club has stayed on for 2024, much of the youth was a part of its preliminary final side last season, and have forged a strong bond with each other and the club.

Since retiring from playing, Varcoe has focused his attention on development, both as a development coach with the Western Bulldogs in 2023, and as a teacher in his personal life.

“My passion is development and that’s in general in youth development, and then you couple that with football, that’s something that I know a little bit about,” he said.

“My job is to facilitate wherever young people want to get to, whether that’s an AFL dream, whether they just want to be the best

version of themselves, whether they want to play VFL, whatever it is, my job is to help guide and facilitate that.

“You feel like you’ve got a wealth of knowledge, you’ve been able to pick up a couple of things during your time in the AFL system, that you can actually have a bit of an impact.”

With the strong foundations that have been laid at the club coupled with Varcoe’s passion for development he said he feels the club is in a good position.

“I don’t feel like I have to come in and reinvent the wheel, I can just narrow in a little bit and take it from there,” he said.

“I’m relatively happy but again you don’t actually know how good you’re going until you play real opposition.”

Altona has a bye in the first round and will kick off its season on April 20 against Point Cook.

Harper Sercombe

It’s a new era at Altona. (Ljubica Vrankovic)

VFL fixture released

Spotswood’s winning side (Facebook)

Spotswood win T20 flag

By Harper Sercombe Spotswood is the champion side of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association’s twilight T20 competition.

The Woodsmen defeated Ivanhoe on the night of Tuesday to claim the T20 flag, yet it didn’t come without its challenges.

After electing to bat the Woodsmen were in a lot of trouble at 6-53 in the 11th over. However, an 87 run seventh wicket partnership between skipper Taylor Tatterson and all-rounder Jack Rietschel, saved their team. Rietschel fell on the final ball of the innings, with the Woodmen finishing on 7-140.

“A lot of credit has got to go to our T20 captain Taylor [Tatterson],” coach Dan Schuppan said. “A lot of clubs treat it a bit differently but Taylor was like ‘we’re in this to win it’ so we always put out a pretty strong side week in, week out.

“Taylor really led from the front on Tuesday night, we were in a fair bit of trouble and he’s been in really good form recently, not only in T20 but in our Saturday games. So it was a

fantastic performance and full credit needs to go to the team but then Taylor really needs to take a bit of credit as well.

“Jack Rietschel was our death player and he’s class. He’s played for Vic Country for a little bit, he’s really good friends with Taylor, they come from the same club down in Sale.

“It was amazing to have Jack and his experience through that middle order, we know he’s a class bowler but he’s a quality batter as well.”

With the ball the Woodsmen were clinical, with all bowlers except premier quick Sam Hope amongst the wickets.

Ivanhoe were in a decent position at 4-71 in the 12th over, but quickly lost its remaining six wickets for just 23 runs, with the last wicket taken in the 17th over, securing the victory for Spotswood.

Ivanhoe was bowled out for 94.

“I said to the guys that the great thing about Tuesday night was there were so many contributions and that’s hard in 20-20,” Schuppan said.

“There aren’t a lot of overs so normally you

might get one dominant player with the ball, but Harry Lumsden bowled unbelievable, Ansh Sharma for a 15 or 16-year-old, I think he ended up being the highest wicket taker in the T20 competition.

“So he’s just had an unbelievable T20 experience, so we’re wrapped with how that turned out.”

Lumsden was the pick of the Spotswood bowlers on Tuesday, as he took 3-20 from his four overs.

Sharma took 2-21 for the night but finished the competition with nine wickets at an average of 8.44, as the competition’s best wicket taker.

Spotswood lost to Ivanhoe in the weekend competition on the Sunday prior to the final, so Schuppan said he was pleased his side was able to square the ledger.

“We got back onto the horse and played some really good cricket on Tuesday night,” he said.

“They were too good for us on Sunday but we got the chocolates on Tuesday which was fantastic.”

Williamstown and Footscray will kick off their Victorian Football League men’s and women’s seasons on March 22.

Both competitions will commence on the weekend of March 22 to 24, aligning with round two of the 2024 AFL season.

The fixture release includes the full schedule for rounds one to 14 of the VFL season, along with match ups and venues for the remaining eight rounds.

Each team will play 18 matches and have three byes across the 21 round season. In the men’s competition, Williamstown will kick off its season against Frankston on the Friday night, March 22, at Kinetic Stadium, while Footscray will begin on Sunday afternoon, March 24, with a clash against the GWS Giants at Whitten Oval.

In a change to this year’s fixture, there will be more matches scheduled between VFL standalone clubs such as Williamstown. All seven of the standalone clubs will play 10 home games from their 18 matches. Each of the seven Victorian-based AFL standalone clubs have been fixtured to play eight home games instead of nine. At the completion of the home and away season the VFL’s wildcard round will return and be played across the weekend of August 24-25. The top-six teams on the ladder will have a pre-finals bye. The VFL finals series begins on the weekend of August 31 with the grand final scheduled to be played on Sunday, September 22.

All 14 rounds of the VFLW season was released. All 12 teams who took part in the VFLW last year will again feature in the 2024 VFLW season, which will again comprise 14 rounds. In a change to the VFLW fixture, the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants will compete in part of the season, with each New South Wales-based club to play five matches against VFLW clubs from rounds three to seven of the home-and-away season.

Both Footscray and Williamstown will open its seasons on the afternoon of Saturday, March 23.

The Bulldogs will play North Melbourne at home, while Williamstown will travel to La Trobe University in Bundoora to face Darebin.

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