Star Weekly - Wyndham - 13th March 2024

Vibrant hues for Holi

Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colour, known for its exuberant display of love, respect, and vibrant hues, is set to illuminate Wyndham again on Saturday March 23.

The Wyndham Holi event at Presidents Park will run from 1pm to 9pm and feature an array of events, including a colour run, fireworks, music and dance performances and food stalls.

Bolly Holi at Point Cook Pop-up Park takes place from 12.30pm to 5.30pm and also offers cultural performances and a DJ and dance party.

Appearing at both events will be the ABCD Bollywood Dance School.

Shweta Pandya, the founder and director of the school, said “We’re really looking forward to reuniting with loved ones, friends and family and engaging in the joyful tradition of playing Holi”.

Holi celebrations will then continue on Sunday March 24 with the Soho Holi event at Point Cook, where participants can immerse themselves in the festivities.

Holi is considered the most significant holiday on the Hindu calendar and is held each year in March or late February to mark the end of the Indian winter and the beginning of spring.

Shweta Pandya from ABCD Dance School which will perform at Holi colour festival events in Wyndham on March 23.

(Damjan Janevski) 393150_01

Vigil for Point Cook mum

By Cade Lucas

A vigil is being planned for this weekend to commemorate the life of Point Cook woman Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani, whose body was found on a roadside near Winchelsea on Saturday.

The 30 year old mother’s remains were discovered in a green waste bin left on the side of Mount Pollock Road, 37 kilometres west of Geelong, just after noon on March 9. Soon after the discovery, police established a second crime scene outside Ms Madhagani’s home in Mirka Way, Point Cook, which she shared with her husband Ashok Raj

VarikuppalaandtheirthreeyearoldsonArya.

Police are treating Ms Madhagani’s death as suspicious and believe the two parties were known to one another and the offender may have fled overseas.

Mr Varikuppala and and Arya are believed to have left for India in the days prior to the discovery.

RajaRameshReddyfirstmetMs Madhagani when she worked at an Indian sweets store in Hoppers Crossing and last spoke to her at a kids sporting event on Saturday March 2, a week before her body was discovered.

“It’s devastating,” he said of the impact her death has had on the local Telangana

community they were both a part of.

“It’s very hard to comprehend this type of brutal act. This is not what our community stands for or any human being should stand for.”

Mr Reddy said a vigil was being organised for this weekend with details to be released soon.

Wyndham mayor Jennie Barrera and Point Cook MP Mathew Hilakarai were among the local dignitaries to express their shock and grief at the news of Ms Madhagani death.

Both Ms Madhagani and her husband emigrated to Australia from the southern Indian city of Hyerabad about a decade ago.

While Ms Madhagani worked in customer service, her husband was until recently an employee of Coles in Sanctuary Lakes and is also believed to have also operated his own solar business.

It’s believed Mr Varikuppala and his son have returned to Hyderabad.

Media reports have quoted local police as saying they believe Mr Varikuppala has left Arya with in-laws and has since disappeared. Victoria Police would provide no further comment.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www. crimestoppersvic.com.au

Death threat over rubbish dump

By Cade Lucas

A Mambourin resident claims he received death threats after confronting someone illegally dumping rubbish near his home.

David Hanley said the incident occurred earlier this month when he noticed a young man dumping waste near his Jarlath Drive home.

“I confronted somebody the other day and I’ve had death threats, and I’ve had everything thrown at me,” said Mr Hanley who reported theincidenttopoliceandalsothecompanythe youngmanwasdumpingtherubbishonbehalf of.

“The owner of the business actually came backandapologisefortheforthislout,”hesaid, preferring not to name the company involved.

Wyndham police have been contacted for

comment.

It’s part of an ongoing battle Mr Hanley and other residents of new housing estates on Wyndham’s fringe are having with illegal rubbish dumping.

Vacant blocks and paddocks near new

housing estates are popular targets for rubbish dumping,particularlywastefromconstruction sites.

Mr Hanley, who moved to Mambourin Estate with his son just before Christmas, said the waste problem wasn’t confined to used building materials.

“People dumping stuff from houses instead of using their three tip vouchers or three hard waste collections. People are just dumping shit everwhere,” he said, adding that most of it occurrs after dark.

“Theyjustdriveupinthemiddleofthenight throw it in the paddocks or on the nature strip or whenever.”

Mr Hanley accused Wyndham council of dragging its feet over the issue.

“I seem to be doing all the running around, the council aren’t doing nothing unless I really

Artists as curators at Wyndham

Fifteen artists selected to participate in the Artist as Curator program will showcase their work at an exhibition at Wyndham Cultural Centre beginning later this month.

Developed by Wunder Gym founder and artistic director, Annette Wagner, and presenting partner Wyndham City Council Arts & Culture, the Artist as Curator program has been created to support and build confident artists as curators and producers, working collaboratively to find, engage and activate new public spaces, through group exhibitions or as collectives, reimagining creativity in Wyndham.

The fifteen participants have been placed

into three groups of five, with artists Sally Walshe, Amal Laala, Jasmeet Kaur Sahi, Zoe Jones & Christina Darras providing support.

“It has been really wonderful to collaborate with other creatives and to help build on my skills as a curator and producer in the west”, said Walshe who goes by the moniker Lady Mohawk.

Amal Laala said being involved in the program had given her a great insight into the art scene in Wyndham and Melbourne’s west.

“Collaborating with artists from the west and working on a creative project with local Wyndham small businesses has been great

to showcase great things that are artistically happening in the western suburbs,” she said.

Zoe Jones said assisting the selected artists had helped her professional development too.

“This program has given me the confidence to combine my arts, production & communications skillset to advocate for creative growth in the west.”

The results of the Artist as Curator program will be on display from Wednesday March 20, until Sunday April 6 at The Annex at The Wyndham Cultural Centre.

Entry is free.

wyndham.vic.gov.au/whats-on/artistcurator-exhibition

Day will raise awareness of Long Covid

With it recently being the fourth anniversary of the first lockdown, the pandemic is now something that many people have consigned to the past.

But for those suffering from Long Covid, it is still very much in the present, something International Long Covid Awareness Day on Friday March 15, is aimed at reminding people of.

Generally regarded as when Covid symptoms remain for 12 weeks or more and cannot be explained by other diagnoses, Long Covid is estimated to affect anywhere from two to 20 per cent of Australians who contract the Covid-19 virus. Among them is Werribee woman Kathryn

Tripodi, who first contacted Covid-19 on Christmas Eve 2022.

“Since then I have been bed/house bound suffering from chronic fatigue, brain fog, muscle weakness, POTS syndrome, heart palpitations, sensory issues, anxiety, depression, shocking headaches, breathing difficulties and other symptoms that come and go,” said the 35 year old.

Ms Tripodi hasn’t been able to work since she became sick and nor has she been able to access any sort of welfare or disability support.

She said the impact of Long Covid went beyond just the physical and financial.

“I feel isolated and alone. I even struggle to

bitch about it.”

In response, Wyndham council said it took a zero tolerance approach to rubbish dumping.

“EachyearWyndhamCityspendsthousands of dollars and hours collecting rubbish that has beenillegallydumped–thisisanunfairimpost on all our residents, the majority of whom do the right thing,” said a council spokesperson.

“Illegal rubbish dumping is a significant and growing problem for councils. Wyndham has adopted a number of methods to try and reduce the amount of dumped waste. We have dedicated waste education officers who aim to educate the community about their options for removing waste, and we offer three hard rubbish collections per household, per year.”

ThespokespersonforWyndhamcouncilalso said tip vouchers were provided to ratepayers via their annual rates notice.

Man charged over store fire

A man has been charged with an arson attack on a Point Cook tobacco store in January.

A 26-year-old Campbellfield man was arrested by police on Tuesday afternoon March 5 during a search warrant executed at a Campbellfield address.

Investigators searching the address also seized ammunition as well as various quantities of what appear to be cocaine, methylamphetamine and GHB.

The man was charged with criminal damage by fire, theft of motor vehicle, possessing drugs of dependence (cocaine, methylamphetamine and GHB), possessing ammunition without a licence and committing an indictable offence whilst on bail.

He was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on March 8.

The charges follow a fire at tobacconist on Murnong Street, Point Cook shortly before 6am on January 19.

Nobody was physically injured during the incident, but the business sustained minor damage.

A stolen Ford hatchback bearing false plates was used during the offence and later recovered by police.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Taskforce Lunar Detective Inspector Graham Banks said “If you are buying illicit tobacco, you are funding an arson attack, you are funding a shooting, you are funding the purchase of illicit firearms. I cannot be any clearer than that”.

Does your club need a helping hand?

watch TV, read a book or do just the simplest of tasks such as putting on a load of washing, cooking a meal or just general household jobs.”

After joining a Long Covid Facebook group, Ms Tripodi was put in touch with a clinic that specialises in treating the and credits them with helping her improve.

However, Ms Tripodi points out that currently there is no known cure for Long Covid, something she hopes Friday’s day of awareness will help change. For more information: longcovidawareness. life/

Artists (from left) Zoe Jones, Amal Laala, Jasmeet Kaur Sahi, Lady Mohawk (Sally Walshe) who mentored participants in the Artist as Curator program. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 392111_01

Rubbish dumped on the nature strip on Jarlath Drive, Mambourin. (David Hanley)

Deposit bailout after collapse

By Cade Lucas with AAP

Dozens of Victorians, including customers in Wyndham, left in the lurch by the collapse of South Melbourne builder Montego Homes will be bailed out by the state government.

Montego Homes went into voluntary administrationonJanuary15,citingtheimpact ofrisingbuildingcosts.TheVictorianBuilding Authority later revealed the company failed to take out domestic building insurance across 64 sites despite receiving almost $900,000 in deposits. Chantelle Gizycki, who paid the company a $15,000 deposit to build a house at Mount Duneed near Geelong, was among those customers left without insurance.

On Wednesday, the Victorian government announced she and other Montego Homes victims would be eligible for compensation

under its scheme set up following the collapse of Porter Davis. About 1700 homes across Victoria and Queensland were left in limbo when Porter Davis went bust in March 2023.

The expanded scheme will now cover customers of builders that entered into liquidation from July 1 to February 20. They willbeentitledtogettheirdepositsofuptofive per cent back, capped at $50,000.

“We’re stopping it at February 20 because we don’t want to create an incentive for other builders to not take out an insurance policy,”

Assistant Treasurer Danny Pearson told reporters at parliament.

An emotional Ms Gizycki said the decision had lifted a weight off her shoulders.

“Now that I’ve got my deposit back I hope to follow through with my dream of building a home,” she said.

The same can’t be said for customers of another failed builder, Apex Homes, who were ordered into liquidation last week over unpaid debts of more than $200,000.

The Victorian Building Authority is currently investigating reports that Apex Homes failed to take out domestic building insuranceonitsprojectsinWyndham,Geelong and Melbourne’s north. It is unknown if the compensation scheme will be extended if Apex customers are found to have not been insured.

Shadow Minister for Planning, James Newbury, said the government should ensure they and customers of other failed building companies are protected.

“Jacinta Allan must guarantee that no more families will be impacted by further compliance failures, otherwise Victorians will ask why Labor’s support scheme ended on 20

Werribee protests for better buses

By Cade Lucas

Protesters endured 40 degree heat on Saturday to demand better bus services in Wyndham.

The protest organised by the Sustainable Cities Collective, took place outside Werribee station on the morning of March 9 to mark 1000 days since the release of ‘Victoria’s Bus Plan’ ablueprintforimprovedbusservicesthat protesters claim the state government hasn’t acted upon. Sustainable Cities spokesperson Elyse Cunningham said despite the oppressive conditions, they had people running over to sign their petition for a bus reform pilot in Wyndham.

“We managed to get almost 50 signatures,” said Ms Cunningham, adding that feedback they received again highlighted the need for bus reforms in Wyndham.

“We heard countless stories of people who are dependent on unreliable and unsafe buses to get to work, school and around the community- meaning they are often penalised for being late to work, and are spending hours of precious time on long, winding buses that run down smaller roads, weaving through heavy car traffic.”

Released in 2021, Victoria’s Bus Plan was designed to alleviate some of these problems with reforms such as simplifying the bus network, moving to a cleaner and smarter bus fleet and improving accessibility.

But Elyse Cunningham said the implementation of these reforms was supposed to begin in 2023 and with it now 2024, the government had to stop dragging their feet.

“They’ve been sitting on this plan for 1000 days, but the people of Melbourne’s West are

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still stuck waiting for better buses, and taking hours to get to uni, work or the shops. In a cost of living crisis, families in the west are spending hundreds of dollars more on petrol just to get where they need to go”

TheneedforbetterbusservicesinWyndham was underlined last year in a report by Infrastructure Victoria which found Tarneit, Point Cook and Werribee among Melbourne suburbs that would benefit the most from reforms like lower fares, extended operating hours, more frequent services and priority bus lanes. The sustainable cities collective will continue their campaign on Thursday March 14, with a forum ‘Better Buses for the West: Why are we still waiting for bus reform in 2024?’ at 111 Overton Rd, Williams Landing.

Werribee MP Tim Pallas was contacted for comment.

February,” he said.

“The truth is Labor dragged its heels in extending this scheme because it cannot managemoneyandhomebuyersarepayingthe price.”

Under Victorian offences enacted in February, builders who fail to take out domestic insurance face a fine of up to $96,000 for individuals and $480,000 for companies.

Previously, businesses could be fined for not carrying out, managing or arranging domestic building work for contracts worth $16,000 or more without the required insurance. But that did not cover firms that received payment and then subsequently failed to take out insurance before collapsing. The Victorian Building Authority has suspended the registration of Montego Homes’ nominated director Todd Searle, pending a show cause process.

Digital map of Vic women

The state government is celebrating Victorian women, including those in Wyndham, who have made the state a better place through a new digital map that will show important locations connected to the achievements of women.

Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins marked International Women’s Day by opening nominations for Finding Her – an online tool that records locations which were named in honour of Victorian women.

Finding Her is Australia’s first interactive statewide digital map spotlighting locations connected to the stories, lives and achievements of women across Victoria.

Her Place Women’s Museum will research and write the stories of an additional 15 women and add them on the Finding Her website.

Thepubliccannominateanyphysical site, including statues, monuments, murals in public spaces, buildings, street names and parks, that have been named after women.

The call for submissions will run for four weeks.

Her Place Museum has already mapped more than 60 women who have shaped Victoria, linking the places and monuments that they’re connected to with videos, stories and photographs of their lives via QR codes on every site. Details: findingher.org.au.

New centre for Hoppers Crossing families is open

The newly refurbished Hoppers Crossing Family Centre is now open. Wyndham council has announced that the facility, formerly known as Mossfiel Integrated Family Centre, is now operational with kindergarten classes having returned on January 31 and maternal and child health services on February 5. Geographic Names Victoria has also formally registered and gazetted the name ‘Hoppers Crossing Family Centre’. Wyndham deputy mayor Josh Gilligan, said the formal gazettal of the name is an important milestone.

“I’m thrilled with the gazettal of the name Hoppers Crossing Family Centre, as well as

the centre now being operational – this will allow residents to make full use of the services provided,” Cr Gilligan said.

The new centre replaces two aging early years centres at the site and increases the number of kindergarten places available to the community to support the Victorian Government’s three- and four year old kindergarten reforms. This project received $3 million in funding through the Victorian Government’sBuildingBlocksCapacityGrant Stream and was delivered by the Victorian School Building Authority.

Wyndham council made an additional financial contribution to the project.

Protesters demanding better bus services at Werribee station on Saturday. (Supplied) 394559_01

Men to get new shed

Point Cook Men’s Shed will soon get a makeover after it was one of 28 men’s sheds across Victoria chosen for a state government funding program.

The $50,000 grant will go towards Point Cook’s current men’s shed being replaced by a newer, more modern building with a cultural facility also included.

Point Cook MP Mathew Hilakari recently visited the shed to announce the funding while also helping out in its nearby garden.

He said upgrading the men’s shed was an investment in the local community.

”Men’s sheds support mental health and wellbeing and provide a place for people to connect, this grant will make a men’s shed possible in Point Cook.”

PointCookMen’sShedmemberBillyBisaid while the organisation had been operating in Point Cook for some time, the grant would

allow for an actual shed to be built.

”I’m grateful for the investment into our very first Point Cook Men’s Shed, a place that will welcome all of our community.”

Other recipients from the latest round funding also were the Benambra Men’s Shed which will receive $100,000, and the Morwell Men’s Shed which will receive $77,589, with both grants towards the construction of new Men’s Sheds.

Other grant recipients include the Badger Creek and District Men’s Shed, which receives $7,648 to replace a staircase, making it more accessible to their members.

Men’s Sheds provide welcoming places for people to connect, socialise, learn new skills and work on common projects together.

Since 2015, 487 grants have been provided to men’s sheds In Victoria through an annual $1 million investment.

Briefs

Evacuation

Children and staff at a Point Cook childcare centre who suffered allergic reactions last Tuesday, have all recovered well. Creative Gardens Early Learning Centre on Brookdale Road was evacuated early on the afternoon of March 5 after 12 children and one staff member became sick after eating lunch. Paramedics provided medical assistance to those experiencing mild reactions, but none were taken to hospital. Fire Rescue Victoria crews arrived at the scene to check the air quality, but no issues were detected. Creative Gardens parent company G8 Education said early indications were that it was an isolated incident and that no one was seriously ill.

Carjacking

Police have charged two boys after an alleged carjacking in Sanctuary Lakes on March 6. It’s alleged the teenagers approached a stationary black Mercedes sedan on South Boulevard just before 11pm. They allegedly threatened the occupant, who was not injured, with a weapon before stealing the vehicle. The pair were arrested a short time later in Truganina after they fled from the vehicle on foot.

The boys, aged 15 and 16, have been charged with aggravated carjacking, theft of a motor vehicle, common law assault and unlawful assault with a weapon.

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Point Cook Men’s Shed member Billy Bi (left) and local MP Mathew Hilakari in the shed garden. (supplied) 393888_01

Visitor centre is an inspiration

From the mansion to the zoo, to Werribee SouthandKRoadCliffs,Wyndhamisn’tshort of tourist attractions and unsurprisingly, isn’t short of tourists either.

Approximately 1.5 million tourists visit Wyndham annually, injecting more than half a billion dollars into the local economy.

But to ensure those visitors are as well informed as possible and get the most out of their visit, Wyndham council is encouraging them to stop by the municipality’s Visitor Information Centre.

Conveniently located in the Werribee Park Precinct close to a number of the region’s top attractions, the Wyndham’s Visitor

Information Centre assisted approximately 20, 000 visitors in 2023, up from 14,000 in 2022. But while an increase of 6000 interactions per year is positive, it still represents only a fraction of the tourists coming to Wyndham overall.

It’s a discrepancy Wyndham councillor Heather Marcus wants to change.

“If you have friends and family visiting the Visitor Information Centre is a great place to find inspiration,” said Cr Marcus.

“Whether it’s a day trip, staycation or a longer stay, there is so much to see, do and experience. Our friendly customer visitor

centre staff are available to answer questions, provide advice and offer suggestions to make your visit to Werribee and surrounds unique and memorable. ”

Visitors to the visitor centre can find out about local events and businesses, as well as answers to questions such as how many roses are in the Victoria State Rose Garden at Werribee Mansion?

Kids fresh from a visit to the Werribee Open Range Zoo can also stop for a pat and photo with the centre’s large stuffed giraffe, Nikki.

Wyndham’s Visitor Information Centre is open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Bike ride to beat the black dog

More than 100 motorbike riders will be headed for Wyndham Harbour on March 17 for the annual Black Dog Ride for mental health awareness.

A national fundraising event held on the third Sunday in March, the local version will begin in Ballarat at about 10am and wind its way through the Brisbane Ranges and Meredith before arriving at Wyndham Harbour at 12.30pm.

Regional coordinator for the Black Dog Ride, Tejas Shah, explained how motorcyclists riding from Ballarat to Wyndham will raise money for mental health causes.

“Every participant who takes part in the event pays the registration fee, which is $35

per rider,” said Mr Shah.

“And after that, we also get lots of sponsorship from the small retail businesses if they want to donate something in terms of items or gift cards towards raffles. The raffle is another major fundraising component of the event and there’s an auction as well on the day.”

Theraffle,auction,lunchandotheractivities will take place at Wyndham Harbour once the two and a half hour ride is complete, with volunteers from Wyndham Harbour and Altona City Rotary helping out on the day.

It’s the first time that the Black Dog Ride ride will finish in Wyndham , with organisers choosing a different destination each year.

Last year’s ride featured more than 120 riders and raised $6500, figures that the 2024 version is expected to surpass.

But once the Black Dog Ride has raised the money, Mr Shah said it was up to other organisations to put it to use.

“Any community projects run by different organizations like Beyond Blue or the (Lifeline) suicide prevention hotline, they can apply for a grant from us,” said Mr Shah of grants offered by Black Dog Ride which range from $1000 through to $10,000.

To apply for a one of the grants or to register to participate in this year’s ride, visit: https:// www.blackdogride.org.au/view/our-mission Cade Lucas

Mentors wanted for drivers

Wyndham council is calling for volunteers to help mentor the next generation of drivers.

Mentors are wanted for the WynBay TAC L2P Learner Driver Program to support young drivers and to help build their experience on the road so they can achieve their probationary licence.

The WynBay L2P Program is delivered by Laverton Community Integrated Services and aims to match fully licenced volunteer mentors with learner drivers aged 16 to 20 years old.

Learner drivers who participate in the program are those who experience barriers in obtaining the mandatory 120 hours of driving practice required to gain their probationary driver’s licence.

“One of the ways we support safer roads is to promote and offer support to the Learner Driver programs operating in our city, and Mentor drivers have an invaluable role in helping to make our communities safer,” said councillor Susan McIntyre said.

“By helping young people get their licence, mentors have the opportunity to open doors for young people to access education and employment as well as gaining their independence and reaching significant milestones.We are continually looking for dedicated and passionate mentors who can support the program in Wyndham City and Hobsons Bay.”

Volunteer mentors must be over 21, have their full driver’s licence and be available for 1 to 2 hours a week for driving practise.

Acar,insuranceandfuelareprovided.

For more information visit: www. wyndham.vic.gov.au/directory/ laverton-community-integratedservices or contact 8368 0171.

Laverton North manufacturer fined more than $500,000

A Laverton North manufacturer has been fined more than half a million dollars for safetybreachesthatledtoanumberofworkers being seriously injured.

Plastics moulding manufacturer A & J Australia Pty Ltd was fined $545,000 in the Melbourne County Court on Thursday February 29 after pleading guilty to 16 charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Amongtheincidentsthecompanywasfined for was in November 2020 when two people suffered serious burns after a worker tried to extinguish a fire with liquid that turned out to be unlabelled methylated spirits.

The court heard a mechanical engineer was using an LPG torch to melt plastic from the blades of a plastic granulator machine when it caught fire. Despite having fire extinguishers and a fire hose nearby, the worker tried to extinguish the fire using an unlabelled container of clear liquid – which was later found to be methylated spirits – igniting a fireball causing severe burns to the worker and the sole company director.

The company was fined $75,000 for failing to provide a safe system of work; $250,000 for failingtoensuresafestorageofsubstances;and $100,000 for failing to provide information, instruction and training.

On another occasion a worker suffered a head wound and concussion after part of a machine fell on his head. The court heard that in November 2021, the machine operator had stopped a blow moulding machine to remove a blockage, when a part weighing approximately 40 kilograms detached and fell 2.3 metres onto his head.

A WorkSafe investigation found the company should have installed guarding to shield workers from hazardous moving parts and ensured the machinery remained in safe working condition.

The company was also fined $5,000 on charges of failing to notify WorkSafe of an

incident and failing to ensure an incident site wasn’t disturbed, after a technician lacerated his finger in a machine and required surgery in July 2020.

A & J Australia also plead guilty to a further 10 charges of failing to comply with improvement and prohibition notices, for whichtheywerefinedanaggregateof$40,000. WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Narelle Beer said “Things like maintaining machinery in safe working order and ensuring workers have the training they needtoworksafelyarenotnegotiable,andany employerwhofailstomeettheseobligationsis putting their workers at risk.”

Participants in last year’s Black Dog Ride event. (supplied) 393833_01

Cr Heather Marcus at the Wyndham Visitor Information Centre. (Damjan Janevski) 393602_01

More graves available

By Cade Lucas

After recent reports that it was full, new burial plots are set to be made available at Werribee Cemetery.

On February 14, the Star Weekly reported that the 160 year old cemetery was no longer offeringnewburialplotsduetoalackofspace, with only those with existing reservations still able to be buried there. Instead, residents of Australia’s fastest growing municipality who wanted a traditional burial were forced to choose between Altona or Melton.

But earlier this month, the General MetropolitanCemeteryTrust(GMCT),which manages Werribee Cemetery, announced a limited number of new lawn plaque graves would be developed at the site, meaning Wyndham will again have a place where local residents can be laid to rest.

“We are developing 170 new, lawn plaque gravesatWerribeeCemetery,whichweexpect to complete by July,” said Chief Operations and People Officer at GMCT, Dimi Patitsas.

The new graves will be located at the northeastern end of the cemetery, towards the fence line, where infrastructure has been removed to make space.

Ms Patitsas said along with new graves, the condition of this part of the cemetery would also be improved, allaying concerns expressed by some families that it was falling into disrepair.

“We’re further beautifying this section of the cemetery as well to create a sense of peace andsolaceforfamilies.Itincludeshundredsof metres of garden beds with trees, new fencing and bench seats. Roads within the cemetery are also being improved.”

The news was welcomed by Mambourin

resident David Hanley who has numerous familymembersburiedatWerribeeCemetery, but was last year told he wouldn’t be able to join them due to a lack of space.

With new burial plots now available he said he’d again try to secure one.

“Yes because my health’s not that good at the moment,” he chuckled.

Work on the new grave sites is schedule to begin next month and will be available in the new financial year.

GMCT said once the new section is open they will contact those who have previously registeredtheirinterestinbuyingalawngrave at Werribee Cemetery, but that the number of purchases per family or individual will be limited.

Those interested can contact Werribee Cemetery on 1300 022 298 or enquiries@ gmct.com.au

Two teens on home invasion charges

A 17 year old Wyndham Vale boy charged with a home invasion in Little River on Tuesday has also been charged with a stabbing in Werribee in January.

He was one of two teenage males charged by police following a home invasion in Rothwell Street at about 12.20am on March 5.

Police will allege the 17 year old and an 18-year-old man from Kingston, Queensland, forced entry into the property armed with machetes and a firearm and made demands for cash before assaulting a 73-year-old woman who was home at the time.

The woman sustained minor injuries and declined medical assistance.

A 47-year-old woman and a 17-year-oldboywerealsopresentduring the incident, but were not injured.

The pair have been charged with aggravated home invasion (steal) with a firearm, aggravated home invasion (steal) with an offensive weapon, committing an indictable offence whilst on bail and theft of a motor vehicle.

Detectives have also charged the 17-year-old Wyndham Vale boy with intentionally causing serious injury in relation to an alleged stabbing in Werribee on January 29.

It is believed a 16-year-old boy was stabbed following an alleged altercation with the 17-year-old on Overton Road at about 5.50pm.

The boy was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The17-year-oldboywillappearbefore a children’s court at a later date.

New Point Cook police station designs released

A long awaited police station at Point Cook is astepclosertofruitionwithrenderingsofthe new facility released by the state government.

The $25 million Point Cook station is one of the four new police facilities being built by the state government, with the others at South Melbourne, Narre Warren and Clyde North.

Designs released for the Point Cook station include the facade and front entrance, an

aerial view and a view of the muster area inside the facility.

A construction tender is set to be released in the coming months, after which builders can make a formal submission to build the new station.

One of the fastest growing suburbs in the state, Point Cook residents has long been campaigning for a 24 hour police station, with those at Werribee and Laverton

providing the nearest police presence.

In 2016 a change.org petition demanding a Point Cook station be built, attracted more than 200 signatures, while the Victorian Police Association has also previously recommended one be built.

The new station will be situated on Homestead Road next to the new Point Cook SES facility which is nearing completion.

A rendering of the Point Cook police station. (supplied) 394580_01

West Gate and Princes Freeway overnight closures

In mid to late-March 2024

There are upcoming closures of the West Gate Bridge in both directions, the West Gate Freeway in both directions between Williamstown and Millers roads, and the Princes Freeway inbound between Kororoit Creek Road and the M80 interchange over a couple of nights in mid to late-March

Plan ahead and check the exact closure dates and times. Stay up to date at bigbuild.vic.gov.au /disruptions

Mambourin’s David Hanley at Werribee Cemetery where new graves will be made available. (Damjan Janevski) 388107_04

The world is watching our Facebook fight!

An open letter to Prime MinisterAnthonyAlbanese

Dear Prime Minister, Your first response to Facebook brazenly announcing they’ll stop paying for our news that they use to make a fortune from was…perfect!

“That’s not the Australian way,” you said.

Exactly. Australians hate bullies. Australians fight for a fair go. And this battle is not just a fight for a fair go here - the whole world is watching.

Meta, the trillion dollar tech giant that owns Facebook has built an empire out of content they don’t own. They don’t produce anything. They ‘share’ the great work of others and keep the cash.

The Australian government was the first in the world to call out this scandal, and in 2021 the News Media Bargaining Code forced them to finally pay for news content. But not anymore.

Meta is betting that if they bully the Australian government, they win the world. PM, this is a fight for the future of news and democracy. This is fight against fake news and a fight for a fair go for all journalists who hold the powerful to account, all around the world.

Let’s make sure Australia shows Facebook what a fair go is. The world is watching.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Schreyer President Country Press Australia

United fans fight racial slur ban

When Western United takes to the pitch for their first home games at Tarneit in coming weeks, three devoted green and black supporters won’t be among them after copping 18 month bans for alleged racial abuse. Gerald Lynch spoke to the devastated fans who say their appeals to prove themselves innocent of wrongdoing at a recent game have fallen on deaf ears.

During a match between Western United and Perth Glory in the Women’s A-League competition on December 22, Football Australia officials say they were alerted to a serious incident involving alleged racial vilification directed at a Perth Glory player by spectators.

Three Werribee locals and Western United members were identified as the culprits, but they are adamant that the FA has wrongly accused and reprimanded them.

Caleb Trimble, 30, was enjoying the match at City Vista in Fraser Rise with his close friends AndrewTran,30,whohasleveltwoautism,and Jay Sutcliffe, 28, who is in the battle of his life with stage four bowel cancer, when they were approached by an FA official and questioned about racist comments.

After trying to help officials pinpoint the offender, Caleb couldn’t believe it when a letter arrived at his house, informing him that he and his friends were being accused of being the culprits.

“I was completely shocked and appalled to find out that I had been accused of racist language,” Caleb said.

“Jay, Andrew, and myself were chanting, cheeringandsupportingourteamwithpassion, but in no way, shape or form did any of us use the language that we are being accused of.

“Later on in the game we had security come up to us to ask us some questions about what had happened over there. We relayed all of the information that we had to them along with providing our details to help them out.”

The three men worked with security and FA officials who approached them, believing they were merely assisting with the investigation as they were in the vicinity of the incident, until letters arrived detailing the gravity of the situation.

Caleb claims the officials accused them of directing a racial slur at one of the Perth Glory players.

“I am extremely disappointed and saddened by the fact that the Perth Glory players were subjected to such disgusting language and

behaviour at one of our home games and I am of the firm belief that no one should have to deal with such things at all, let alone playing the sport that they love,” he said.

Facing an 18 month ban, Jay Sutcliffe fears he may have seen his last game of football.

“In April 2023, I was suddenly diagnosed with incurable and terminal stage four bowel cancer,” he said.

“This ban is actually quite terrifying for me as there is a good chance I won’t live another 18months,whichwouldmeanI’veseenmylast game of live football.

“Football is one of the highlights of my life at the moment. It helps me feel normal for 90 minutes a week and I would be absolutely devastated if I were never able to attend a game again for something I had no part in.”

Jay said he couldn’t make sense of how he came to be accused, saying the information the trio was told doesn’t match up.

“I fully deny taking part in any sort of anti-social, discriminatory or racist behaviour,” he said. “They told us our comments were audible via the broadcast of the match, and after carefully reviewing the footage from when these comments were made, between the 22nd

and 27th minute of the game, I could not hear myself, Caleb or Andrew make any comments other than supportive comments towards Hannah Keane and Chloe Logarzo regarding their shots at goal.

“As a foundation member of Western United, and as one of the people who helped start the Western Service crew active support, I understand the importance of inclusivity to help grow and support football in Australia.

“I have attended hundreds of games and become friends with supporters, club staff and players of various cultures, backgrounds and identities and I would never do anything to put them in a position where they feel vilified for simply being who they are.

“Western United and the community we are starting to build around the club mean everythingtomeandIwillalwaystryandmake anyone involved with our sport feel as welcome as possible.”

A spokesperson for the FA said a strict zero racism policy is enforced.

“As the governing body of football in Australia,weholdafirmstanceagainstanyform of racial vilification or anti-social behaviour,” the spokesperson said.

‘‘ Football is one of the highlights of my life at the moment. It helps me feel normal for 90 minutes a week and I would be absolutely devastated if I were never able to attend a game again for something I had no part in ’’

- Jay Sutcliffe

“The actions of these individuals not only breached the A-League Terms of Admission and our Spectator Code of Behaviour but fundamentally contradicted the values of respect and inclusivity that Football Australia stands for.

“In response, Football Australia issued an 18 month ban to these spectators, effective immediately. This ban encompasses all matches sanctioned by Football Australia, including National Team matches, Australia Cup matches, A-Leagues matches, National Second Tier matches, and National Premier Leaguematches.Wearecommittedtoensuring that football remains a sport that unites communities and offers a safe and respectful environment for all.”

“An official at the match identified the three persons in question at the time of the incident.

The facts gathered during the investigation confirmed names and details of the incident, which led to their respective bans.”

Star Weekly understands officials from Western United and FA were set to meet this week to discuss the ban.

StarWeekly approached Western United for comment.

Jay Sutcliffe (middle left) and Caleb Trimble (middle right) cheering on Western United with the active support group.

Left: Andrew Tran enjoying supporting his team. Right: Caleb and Jay celebrating Western United’s 2022 A-League Men Grand Final win. (Pictures: Supplied)

Thieves rob, vandalise charity

By Gerald Lynch

Workers at Sunshine West not-for-profit West WelcomeWagonturneduponThursday,March

7, to find their warehouse had been broken into and significantly damaged. West Welcome WagonchiefexecutiveColetteMcInerneysaidit was disappointing to discover the break-in, but she is confident the organisation will recover.

“The individuals responsible caused significant damage and took items essential for our daily operations and support to asylum seekers and refugees in Melbourne’s west,” she said.

“While this has momentarily set us back, it has also strengthened our resolve. Our team is more committed than ever in our mission of providing material aid and support to those in desperate need.

“The damage to our property and the loss of valuable resources including donated laptops, phones, a mini iPad, toiletries, food, and the spare key to our white van, is disheartening. However, the spirit of resilience within our community shines brighter in challenging times.”

West Welcome Wagon supports 700 households, and provides a range of essential

Howard is a good sport

Howard Chang has been named Wyndham’s young person of the month for March. Howard passionately advocates for increased sporting opportunities that are accessible for children in Melbourne’s west.

He noticed there was a lack of facilities for children wanting to play volleyball in Wyndham so created a not-for-profit volleyball club. He raised more than $4,000 and the club now has 30 young volleyball players.

Howard also helped out at as a program support officer at the 2023 winter basketball competition run by the Huddle, the community arm of North Melbourne Football Club.

Howard’sdreamisthateveryoneinMelbourne’s west has an equal opportunity to pursue their passion, talent and interests. He aspires for a future that is inclusive for all, especially in schools where he wants students to feel comfortableintheirenvironmentandsupported to try new things.

Participating in Wyndham’s Student Representative Committee in 2022 and in 2023, and Wyndham’s Emerging Professionals Network has strengthened Howards’ communication and public speaking skills so he canfurtheradvocate,inspireandmotivateyoung people. Wyndham mayor Jennie Barrera said Howard’sdedicationandcommitmenttoraising the profile of sports that traditionally have not hadahighprofileinWyndham,wasappreciated.

“Howard is a thoughtful and positive leader and champions inclusion and accessibility. Well doneHoward,”CrBarrerasaid.

Wyndham young person of the month recipients are residents aged between 12 to 25 who positively contribute to the Wyndham community and are role models to other young people. Winners are awarded a $300 gift voucher oftheirchoice.Formoreinformationgoto:www. wyndham.vic.gov.au/services/youth-services/ awards-competitions/one-wyndham

itemsincluding,beds,cots,whitegoods,kitchen utensils, food parcels, clothing, and more.

The organisation reported the incident to Sunshinepolice,andinvestigationsareongoing by detectives from the Brimbank Crime Investigation Unit.

Police believe a group of unknown offenders brokeintotheVellaDrivewarehousesometime between 3pm on March 6 and 6am on March 7.

They say the thieves stole cash, electronics and attempted to steal a vehicle but were unsuccessful. The offenders then fled the scene in an unknown direction.

MsMcInerneysaidanyformofhelptogetthe

organisation back on its feet would be greatly appreciated.

“This incident serves as a reminder of the challengesweface,butmoreimportantly,ofthe strength,compassion,andsolidaritywithinour community,” she said.

“As we navigate through this, any form of support, whether through donations or volunteering, is invaluable.”

SupportWestWelcomeWagon:https://www. givenow.com.au/westwelcomewagon

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Howard Chang is Wyndham’s young person of the month for March. (Supplied)

Celebrating Catholic education at MacKillop College

Being a part of a Catholic community is an act of weaving faith, symbolism and learning together.

The college motto, inspired by the words and deeds of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, is ‘Celebrating all life. Challenging all people. Dreaming the new day.’ This informs every decision at the college. We encourage and support all our staff to think about holistic education through dynamic and adaptive environments, and through enquiry and a creative exploration of ideas. We believe in the idealtohelpourstudentsfindtherightpathfor them, so they are better equipped to continue their life’s journey.

For our educators, the college endeavours to provide a diverse range of experiences, from mentoring those who don’t know, to coaching those who do.We are focused on creating a supportive community for all by prioritising careforeachother.Thisallowsustocollectively implement goals from our annual action plan to continue with our journey for school improvement. Forourstudents,wecontinuetobuildaworld of opportunities to allow for both personal and academic growth. Our outdoor education program includes a range of experiences. Our languages program features international opportunities. We have interschool sports

associations that offer the chance to train and compete in a wide variety of different sports. Performing arts evenings showcase acting, dancing, music, singing and more.

Our facilities are constructed on both contemporary use of space and technological advancement. The main campus includes a multi-court gymnasium; a beautiful chapel; outdoor amphitheatre; digital technologies hub; art, music and fibre technology centre; a state-of-the-art theatre, and we are currently reconstructing our separate Year 9 campus. For nearly 20 years, this campus has connected students to themselves, significant others and the wider community.

For over 50 years, we have strived to live up to what our namesake St Mary of the Cross MacKillop envisioned, by supporting our teachers to give our students that which they need to grow and develop. We have an ethos of inclusivity, acceptance and, ever, a need to protect the dignity of the human person. For those new to the community, or considering a place at MacKillop College, as eitherastudentorastaffmember,pleaseexplore our website. There, you will have a chance to register your interest to become a part of our Catholic community. Go to www.mackillop. vic.edu.au, email equiries@mackillop.vic.edu. au or phone 9734 5200.

M ac K illop c ollege

Principal Chris Caldow with students.

Proposed intermodal freight terminal for Little River

Pacific National is proposing to develop a new intermodal rail terminal and surrounding warehousing precinct in Little River in Melbourne’s west.

The proposed Little River Logistics Precinct would be a critical hub in the national supply chain and ensure more freight volumes stay on rail rather than shifting to trucks.

The site has been identified because it is positioned on the main interstate rail line and close to the Princes Freeway, which would deliver efficient freight transport connectivity to nearby logistics companies, distribution centres, warehouses, shippers, and manufacturers.

If approved, the precinct would accommodate a rail freight terminal, internal rail sidings and access roads, maintenance facilities and warehouses, and support more than 3,600 ongoing jobs at capacity.

Community consultation in the planning process

The project is currently at the start of a formal planning and environmental approvals phase, and an Environment Effects Statement (EES) will be required for this project which is the state’s most comprehensive and transparent planning and environmental assessment process.

With the environmental approvals pathway now determined, in the coming months, there will be a range of opportunities for the community, residents, and other interested stakeholders to learn more about the project and have their say.

The first community drop-in sessions, are scheduled for Thursday, 21 March (4.30pm7pm)andSaturday,23March(10am-12.30pm) attheLittleRiverMechanicsInstituteHall.At these drop-in sessions, attendees are invited todropinatanytimeandwillhavethechance to meet and ask questions of members of the

Pacific National project team and some of the technical specialists, and to provide feedback on the proposal.

Environmental and technical studies

Todate,PacificNationalhascompletedarange of preliminary environmental and technical studies to inform the project and support the referrals. These studies, along with others still to be undertaken, will support the planning and environmental approvals process and the detailed design of the Little River Logistics

Precinct.

Thesestudiesincludelanduseandplanning studies, design and other investigations,

including: Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, Stormwater and flooding, Biodiversity (flora and fauna), Landscape and visual impacts, Traffic and transport, Air quality, and Acoustics.

Pacific National is also working closely with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC) to better understand the biodiversity and cultural values of the land.

About Pacific National

As the country’s leading intermodal rail freight operator, Pacific National provides daily rail haulage services for more than 300

Little River Logistics Precinct

Pacific National is at the start of a formal planning and environmental assessment process to develop a new intermodal rail terminal and surrounding warehousing precinct in Little River in Melbourne’s west.

To learn more about the proposed project and have your say please visit our project team, to talk one on one, at our upcoming March drop-in community information sessions.

freight and logistics businesses. We deliver what matters for our customers, including supermarket freight, fresh and refrigerated farm produce, household and retail goods, manufactured products, and building and construction materials, by train across Australia’smainlandtowhereitneedstobeto help keep Australia’s economy moving.

At Pacific National, we are committed to driving carbon efficiency in the national supply chain and shifting more freight from trucks onto trains to reduce total transport emissions and deliver a better future for our people, communities, and customers.

When:

• Thursday, 21 March 2024 (drop in anytime between 4:30pm – 7:00pm)

• Saturday, 23 March 2024 (drop in anytime between 10:00am – 12:30pm)

Where:

Little River Mechanics Institute Hall (8 Rothwell Road) 12675617-CB11-24

Rotary golf day raises $25,000

Afterwards a presentation ceremony and lunch was held with more than 130 people in attendance.

One hundred and twelve golfers took to the course at Werribee Park Golf Club for the annual event, which this year was raising money for cancer research at Victoria University’s Werribee campus.

The team from SLK Engineering took out first place in the Ambrose competition, with prizes also awarded for longest drive, straightest drive and nearest the pin.

During the lunch a raffle was drawn which added to the final fundraising total, estimated to be in the region of $25,000.

Since first being held more than 40 years ago, the Werribee Rotary Golf Day has raised in excess of $400,000 for a variety of causes.

Star Weekly photographer Damjan Janevski was there to capture the action.

Hot weather didn’t deter golfers from taking to the course on Friday for Werribee Rotary’s annual golf day fundraiser.

Anne Randall and Jane Flynn enjoy the golf day fundraiser on Friday. 390854_02

Organiser of the Werribee Rotary golf day fundraiser Ross Conley. 390854_01

Graham Roper and Ross Smith use a buggy to get between holes.

Taylah Byrne lines up a putt during the Werribee Rotary golf day fundraiser on Friday March 8. 390854_05

Braden Borg tees off at Werribee Park Golf Club. 390854_06

From left: Jim Kefalas, Wes Roderick, Taylah Byrne and Braden Borg from Roderick Insurance Brokers participating in the Werribee Rotary golf day fundraiser. 390854_03

Collaboration the key

By Cade Lucas

When the Committee for Wyndham began its search for a new chief executive officer earlier this year, chairman Craig Kennedy told the Star Weekly they wanted someone with a great understanding of the municipality, both its businesses and the broader community.

In hiring a former Wyndham Citizen of the Year, it would appear Mr Kennedy and his board have achieved their aim.

On March 5 the committee announced it had appointed Leanne Down, CEO of the Wyndham Health Foundation and 2023 Wyndham Citizen of the Year, as its new leader.

Mr Kennedy said they couldn’t have hoped for a better candidate.

“Her exceptional qualifications and remarkable contributions to our community make her the perfect fit for this pivotal role,” he said.

Speaking to Star Weekly in the days after he appointment, Leanne Down sounded just as pleased to be joining the Committee for Wyndham as they were to have her.

“I am extremely excited to be continuing my impact on the wisdom of region in a further positive ways,” said Ms Down who begins her new role on April 8.

A Wyndham resident for 25 years, Ms Down has spent the past four running the Wyndham Health Foundation which raises funds to provide medical equipment, research and education programs at local hospitals.

Despite their differences, she said running a health organisation was ideal preparation for one more focused on business.

“I started at the foundation, literally the day the country shut down (from Covid) the 23rd of March 2020,” she said.

“It was literally the most challenging two years of my life as I entered into a sector that was directly impacted by COVID into a region that was the hardest hit by COVID and

saw the economy almost immediately come to a grinding halt.”

Ms Down said the Wyndham Health Foundation came through the pandemic stronger than ever and while excited by her new role, she was sad to be leaving her old one behind.

“It was very humbling to have implemented andmadeanimpacttoourhealthcareservices that are touching our community. You do those roles not wanting anything in return,

just wanting to leave a legacy.”

Ms Down hopes to do the same at the Committee for Wyndham where collaborating with members, her board and key stakeholders such as Wyndham council and the state government, will form a key part of her role.

It’s a task she appears well up for up for.

“Astheysay,‘ifyouwanttogofast,goalone, but if you want to go further go together.’ That’s very much my approach.”

Help find illegal guns

Crime Stoppers Victoria and Victoria Police have joined forces in a new campaign to remove illegal firearms from the Victorian community.

The campaign, ‘Say Something Before It’s Too Late,’ raises awareness about the dangers of illegal firearms and urges the public to protect themselves and those around them by reporting what they know to Crime Stoppers.

Data from the Crime Statistics Agency shows there were 5,126 firearm related incidents in Victoria in 2023.

Crime Stoppers said this campaign seeks to stop the harm caused by illegal firearms by encouraging the public to report what they know.

According to Crime Stoppers, recent efforts by Victoria Police have resulted in more than 1,500 illegal firearms removed from the hands of criminals in 2023.

‘Say Something Before It’s Too Late’ aims to assist police through community intelligence provided to Crime Stoppers about illicit firearms activity in the community.

Victoria Police Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly said, “We understand the community’s concern when it comes to gun-related violence, and we are taking strong action to target those responsible and prevent further harm.”

“Every report you share with Crime Stoppers can make a difference. If you know or suspect someone in possession of an illegal firearm, please report to Crime Stoppers Victoria today.”

Crime Stoppers asks you to make a report if you know or suspect someone is in possession of an illegal firearm.

IWD celebrated at Ison Road overpass site

International Women’s Day was celebrated right across the world on Friday, including in places not usually known for having a strong female presence such as construction sites.

Werribee’s Ison Road overpass project was one such construction site where the contribution of female employees was recognised on March 8.

The long awaited overpass, which broke ground in November 2023 and is set to be complete by 2025, is being built by a team that includes women in a range of specialised roles including project manager Jemma Wayth.

“We’ve worked hard on the Ison Road

Overpass project to provide a welcoming, inclusive environment for the diverse range of people working to build a vital link to the Princes Freeway for the Wyndham West community,” Ms Wayth said.

“We’re proud to have a number of women working in crucial roles on the project, supporting their development in the construction industry.Construction projects provide an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in local communities and make a real difference to the way people live, work and play.”

Along with Ms Wayth, other women

working on the Ison Road project include sustainability advisor Jessie Mendygral, graduate environmental engineer Leah Winter, environment manager Mamode Osikoya and head of communications Jacinta Boledziuk.

The $114 million project, which is being jointly delivered by Major Road Projects Victoria and construction partner Decmil, is also part of the Victorian Government’s building equality policy, which seeks to createtrainingandemploymentopportunities in the construction industry for women.

Ison Road overpass workers celebrating International Women’s Day, from left: Jessie Mendygral, Leah Winter, Jemma Wayth, Mamode Osikoya and Jacinta Boledziuk. (supplied)

New chief executive officer of the Committee for Wyndham, Leanne Down. (supplied) 393856_01

New school has history

By Cade Lucas

A host of new schools have opened in Wyndham in 2024 and Werribee Community College is one of them.

However, whereas others have new names and new buildings, the school located in Synnott Street, Werribee has a bit more history behind it.

Werribee Community College is born out of the Wyndham Community and Education Centre (CEC) which is this year is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Wyndham CEC has also been offering year 11 and 12 classes as a non-school senior secondary provider since 2005, in a program established by Wyndham CEC CEO and now Wyndham mayor, Jennie Barrera.

The classes helped thousands of students over the years, who’d become disengaged or not experienced success in mainstream schools.

But after nearly 20 years of providing school classes, in 2023 Wyndham CEC applied to be formally registered as one too.

The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) approved their registration on December 22, 2023, bringing Werribee Community College into being.

“It was wonderful to see the doors open as a newly registered school for the beginning of the 2024 school year,” said John Sheen, Director of Education.

“It was a lot of work to get the school registered, but it was certainly worth it.”

Along with offering year 11 and 12 classes, the VRQA also approved the school’s application to deliver senior secondary Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Vocational Major (VM) and Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC).

School board president, Jeffrey Lai said having the new school starting in the same year as their golden jubilee, was extra special.

“It’s incredibly exciting for Wyndham CEC to have been able to register Werribee Community College as an independent school in operation in Victoria in its anniversary year,” he said.

“Every student deserves an equal

education, and all students are capable of succeeding, some just need more support and encouragement to do so.”

Like its parent organisation, Werribee Community College caters for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, migrant, refugee and emerging communities and anyone else not suited to traditional educational settings.

Water grants now open

Applications are now open for this year’s round of the Greater Western Water (GWW) Thriving Communities grants and sponsorship program.

Thriving Communities has been running since 2022, offering funding to community-led groups and projects that are creating opportunities across our service region.

GWW general manager strategy and partnerships Kessia Thomson said groups could apply for up to $20,000 for projects that are locally led and benefit our customers and community.

“In previous rounds, GWW has funded a wide range of projects, activities and organisations and we hope this year is no different,” she said.

“Our eligibility criteria support local organisations with innovative ideas to help our communities thrive.”

“We are looking to invest in locally led initiatives for big returns on community wellbeing and care for country in the west. If you are working on something that creates opportunity, sustainability, inclusion or equity, we want to hear from you.”

An online information session is on March 13, at 7pm, where the GWW team will explain the grant guidelines, how to apply and answer any questions.

Applications are open until April 10. Successful recipients will be notified in June.

Details: gww.com.au/grantssponsorships

Werribee Community College teacher Yolanda Berecz (left) and assistant principal Teresa Vizintin (second from right) with students Connor and Dalia. (Jacob Pattison)392916_02

Local news and local jobs at risk

By Andrew Schreyer, Country Press Australiapresident

Australia’s largest organisation of newspaper publishers has attacked the announcement by Meta that it will no longer negotiate deals with publishers once current agreements expire.

Country Press Australia [CPA] represents more than 230 regional, rural and outer suburban publications across the nation.

The organisation was advised through an email from Meta on March 1 that “our company priorities have substantially shifted in the past year and, as a result, we will no longer be making Facebook news tab available in Australia”.

Meta also confirmed “This doesn’t affect our agreement with CPA which will continue in accordance with its terms and conditions until it expires”.

In a subsequent meeting, between CPA and Meta it was made clear that CPA’s agreement with Meta would not be renewed.

This is a devastating blow to our members who are party to the agreement.

Meta has been providing grants to CPA publishers which has provided vital sustainability.

There will be publishers who close the doors and won’t be able to continue supporting their communities with news in the wake of this announcement. These regional and local publishersarethemajor,andinmostcasessole, providers of local public interest journalism in their communities.

In times of trouble and in emergency situations, such as during floods and in major bushfire events, the local publisher’s Facebook pageisnevermoreimportantorappreciatedby people in our communities.

Meta’s actions undermine our democracy

in the way the company displays such disdain for the work of the news industry. It also undermines public confidence in the media sector.

The most popular Facebook pages in most regional and rural communities are those of the local news publishing company, yet Meta says people don’t go to Facebook for news or political content.

What about in times of bushfire and floods or when the chips are down and someone in the community needs help? Local experience would suggest otherwise.

If, by Meta’s own admission, Australians don’t go to Facebook for news or political content, then the federal government should

heed the advice of Meta and immediately cease advertising on Meta’s platforms.

The federal government must act to give assurance to our industry and to support the democratic infrastructure that is the newspaper industry. And it needs to move swiftly, decisively and with purpose. We need government to support the news industryandinvokethenewsmediabargaining code.

Sadly, jobs will definitely be lost as a result of Meta’s decision, but it’s hard to put a number on this.

Given the already well-documented challenges our industry faces, this announcement will force many publishers to confront the issues ahead of them and cut staff.

The reaction from our members in the aftermath of the announcement has been one of deep concern, alarm and even anger.

Facebookreapedthebenefitsofourmembers’ unique local content for many years, and has paid those local and regional publishers for only the last three years and will now not renew their agreement with CPA.

A democracy cannot function without a healthy news sector, and this is now heavily at risk in regional and local communities after Meta’s decision.

It is important that the federal government responds swiftly to this decision and considers all possible action including designating Meta under the News Media Bargaining Code and other options available to them and the ACCC.

It is vital that news media is adequately compensated for the content that Facebook has been able to build their business from over many years and ensure a strong and robust news media industrywhichisvitalforahealthydemocracy.

It is also vital that the federal government ensures strong support of the industry now more than ever before and ensures the News Media Assistance Program (News MAP) is finalised urgently.

Meta move ‘blackmail’

One of our pet hates at Star Weekly is the phrase: “Yeah, I read about that on Facebook”.

Gets the hackles up every time.

Yes, the person may have read a news report while on the social media platform, but it is almost certain that information was generated elsewhere.

Facebook doesn’t employ journalists to engage with local communities and report information relevant to readers. We do.

Facebook, as a US-based tech giant, doesn’t have a physical presence in those communities. We do.

Facebook doesn’t attend the local meetings and events that matter and report on what happens. We do.

Facebookdoesn’tcampaignontheimportant social issues or infrastructure needs of local communities. We do.

Facebook doesn’t support great local causes across the west. We do.

Yes, Star Weekly and other media organisations use Facebook as one of the many platforms to disseminate the news we produce, alongwithprintproductsandvariouswebsites.

But the news people read on Facebook is produced elsewhere; by companies like ours that pay people to provide that service.

What Facebook does bring to the ‘news’ conversation are the various noticeboard sites that pop up that offer rumours and misinformation.

Police investigating the disappearance of Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy had to appeal to people to stop theorising about the case on social media sites, some of which were created specifically for that case.

This rumour and innuendo wasn’t spread by traditional media, but through the unfettered social media channels.

Facebook has for years happily hosted our more legitimate and responsible content and made trillions of dollars from the eyeballs it attracts.

A few years back industry heavyweights

lobbied hard for the Federal Government to establish a News Media Bargaining Code that compelled Facebook to start paying for this news content.

The funding that came out of that agreement allowed us to employ more journalists and invest in more resources.

Facebook has now signalled that it will be walking away from that hard-fought agreement, a move that will cost local jobs and may force some local media outlets to the wall.

The decision by Meta to stop paying for the news it allows to be shared across Facebook and Instagram will have a direct impact on our newspaper and the support we can offer our readers and communities. And it is the same for every small suburban and country newspaper across Australia.

It may not seem such a big deal that the news tabonFacebookwilldisappear,butwhatifthey decide to block all news services, like Meta has done in Canada?

Is it okay that a massive US company can holdAustraliangovernmentsandbusinessesto ransom like this?

Thisdecisionshouldbeawarningtoallsmall businessesandorganisationsthatuseFacebook or Instagram as their only digital platform. What happens if Meta next randomly decides to charge hairdressers for business pages, or block community Pride events?

Not paying fairly for news, and then threatening to block access to media on their platforms is blackmail.

This isn’t just a squabble between giants; it’s about the survival of small newspapers. It’s about the sustainability of publications that give rural and regional people a voice and record the history of the towns in this region. This isn’t just about us; it’s about fair compensation for the news we produce. Don’t let our story end. Stand with us, stand with your local paper.

Right: Country Press Australia president Andrew Schreyer. (Supplied)

This

Tuesday is ladies badminton day

Eagle Stadium in Werribee is home to a wide range of indoor sports, from basketball and netball through to table tennis and and indoor soccer.

But on Tuesday mornings, it’s badminton, ladiesbadmintontobeprecise,thattakesover the stadium’s shiny hardwood floor.

Run by the Werribee Badminton Association, ladies badminton is held at Eagle Stadium every Tuesday morning from 10am to 12.30pm, with women of all ages and abilities catered for.

When Star Weekly’s photographer visited on Tuesday March 5, several women were sending shuttlecocks flying over the net, with two doubles games taking place at once.

While Tuesday morning is the preserve of women’s badminton, Werribee Badminton Association runs other weekly competitions at the stadium for those who want to take up the sport.

Senior and junior badminton is held on Thursday night, with junior badminton competitions also taking place on Friday evenings.

Whatever your age, gender or skill level, those interested in playing badminton at Eagle Stadium should email: contact@ werribeebadminton.org.au

Margaret getting in the swing of things, and Peggy prepares to receive.

Marlene preparing to send the shuttlecock over the net.

Top: Michelle and Margaret await their opponents serve, and right, Monica concentrating on her serve. Above: Jan gets racquet on shuttlecock, and right, Saloni gets ready to serve. Below: One of two doubles games at Eagle Stadium. (Pictures: Jacob Pattison) 393181

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Healthy living festival

The Wyndham Festival for Healthy Living is a free, multi arts program involving many schools and community groups, who have been exploring positive ideas of community through circus, music, podcasting, dance, drumming and more. The festival is on Saturday March 16 between noon-6pm at the Youth Resource Centre, 86 Derrimut Road, Hoppers Crossing.

■ festival.hl@rch.org.au

WYNDHAM

COMBINED

PROBUS CLUB

Eyndham Combined Probus Club has been providing friendship and fun for retired people for 22 years. The club has recently moved to a new home at the Iramoo Community Centre in Wyndham Vale. Enjoy speakers, lunches, brunches, shows, trips and tours. Newcomers are welcome on the second Tuesday of the month at 1.30pm.

■ Judy 0411 034 311

Laverton Community Choir

The choir is currently welcoming new members - especially male voices. If you love singing and would like to be part of a choir - come along and try out your vocal cords with our fun and welcoming group of singers. There are no auditions and you don’t need to be able to read music. The group meets on Thursday evenings during school terms at Laverton P12 College, 91 Bladin Street, Laverton from 7-9pm.

■ Sue 0418386147 or lavertoncommunitychoir@gmail.com

Live Well for Life

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

■ livingwell@ipchealth.com.au or 1300 472 432

Point Cook VIEW

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

■ Catherine, 0407 726 852.

Watton Group

A support group providing a social space for carers to get together in a safe and compassionate environment. Gives carers an opportunity to connect, share their experiences and offers emotional and practical support. The group meets at the Eco-Living Centre at 10am every fourth Tuesday of the month.

■ Patricia, 0434 487 360 or wattongroup131@gmail.com.

All Abilities Netball

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

■ Phil, 0437 078 739

Walking Netball

Walking Netball is a low impact, no

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

■ Phil, 0437 078 739

Wyndham Rotary

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

■ Julie, 0406 196 630

With One Voice Wyndham Choir

With One Voice Wyndham Choir is a community choir open to all. The community choir welcomes all ages, abilities, faiths, cultures and genders and is directed by a very experienced and friendly professional conductor. Fun weekly rehearsals and amazing performance opportunities are provided. They sing for an hour and then have a cuppa. The first two visits are free; and then payment is by tax-deductible donation. Tuesday evenings 7-8:30pm at Wayaperri House ,106 Duncans Road, Werribee.

■ wyndham@withonevoice.org.au

Adult community garden group

The group meets on the first Tuesday of the month 10-11.30am at Iramoo Community Centre, 84 Honour Ave, Wyndham Vale. Head down and join them as we maintain their rejuvenated community garden. Planting and harvesting produce that they grow.

■ 8742 3688

Golf Day

The Young Achievers Foundation Inc are hosting a golf day at the Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club on Friday, March 15. 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 (two golfers per cart).

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

Seniors House of Fun

The Grange Community Centre invites seniors of Wyndham to its weekly Seniors House of Fun. This is a free program running every Friday 11am-12.30pm, at The Grange Community Centre, 260-280 Hogans Road, Hoppers Crossing.

■ Vanessa, 8742 8000 or enquires@ grangecommunity.org.au

Seniors club

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

■ 0403 041 499

Diabetes Support Group

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

■ Bob, 0409 252872.

Hoppers Crossing Ladies Probus

The friendly and vibrant group meet at Hotel 520 on the second Wednesday of each month from 10am. They have a guest speaker each month as well as social lunches, outings and theatre trips.

? 0408 123 669

Sunrise Social Groups

GenWest Sunrise Social Groups are currently seeking new members for their Melton, Brimbank and Wyndham programs. The free groups are organised by Genwest and provide a social space for women, gender diverse and nonbinary people, who have a disability, chronic health issues and/or mental health challenges.

■ https://genwest.org.au/what-we-do/ health-wellbeing-programs/

U3A Werribee

The group is a not-for-profit community

organisation for semi-retired and retired Wyndham residents. They hold a variety of classes-activities specifically designed for seniors, including, light physical and mental wellbeing sessions, arts, games and craft, and general classes such as current affairs, history and lunch groups. Most classes-activities are held at Wyndham community centres.

■ Rick, 0402 299 220.

Lions Club

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

■ Jorge, 0433 566 575

Bingo for all

The Werribee RSL hosts Bingo every Monday between 12.30-2.30pm.

■ 9741 5525

Western Budgerigar Club

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

■ Don, 0414 975 862

Wyndham Ladies Probus

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

■ Rosa Sanderson, 0410 303 046

Wyn FM

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

■ 9919 8089 wynfm.org.au

This week’s photographer’s choice is of Tayla Dwyer and Princeton Leonard ahead of their performance in the Sound of Music. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 393570

No.

To

1 Philosopher, Rene – (9)

6 Ukraine city (4)

10 Indian Ocean country, – Lanka (3)

11 Extreme conservatism or rightism in politics (11)

12 Brings to life (8)

13 Urging, – on (6)

14 Greeting (Ital) (4)

15 Forbidden by law (7)

20 Order (7)

21 Prefix meaning 1 billionth (4)

25 French male name (6)

26 Disparage (8)

28 Disenchant (11)

29 Suitable (3)

30 Directs (4)

31 Banishment (9)

DOWN

1 Send out (6)

2 Curved sword (8)

3 Antenna (6)

4 Journeyed (9)

5 Location (4)

7 Roma is its capital (6)

8 Journey (6)

9 HitchhikersGuide author, – Adams (7)

16 Fanatic (9)

17 List of employees (7)

18 Seasoned smoked beef (8)

19 Impetus (8)

22 Eight-legged animal (6)

23 Time of the year (6)

24 Austrian capital (6)

27 Car (4)

DECODER

No. 176

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

Today’s Aim:

15 words: Good

3 LETTERS

No. 176

QUICK QUIZ

1 What word can refer to a famous volcano, a variety of apple or a photography company?

2 What chemical element is represented by the symbol Pt?

3 Which of the following series did JJ Abrams not produce: a) Fringe, b) Revolution or c) Continuum?

4 Danny DeVito (pictured) plays Frank in which US comedy series?

5 How many strings are there on a standard ukulele?

6 What is the heaviest lizard on Earth?

7 What is the capital of Croatia?

8 What is a female rabbit called?

9 What colour is sepia?

10 Is pinot gris a red or white wine?

No.

No.

FOR 5G UPGRADE

PHONE BASE STATION AT THE EXISTING TELECOMMUNICATIONS SITE AT 679-681 AVIATION RD WERRIBEE

SOUTH VIC 3030

1. The site at which this works is being undertaken is located at 679-681 Aviation Rd Werribee South VIC 3030 (Lot 2 PS624718). The proposed works include the reconfiguration of the existing equipment to activate ‘5G’ technology on the site. No visible changes to equipment will be made.

2. Optus regards the proposed works as a maintenance activity under the Telecommunications Act 1997, based on the description above.

3. The proposed infrastructure will comply with the ACMA EME regulatory arrangements. An EME Report and further information can be obtained from www.rfnsa.com.au/3030009.

4. In accordance with Section 7 of C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, we invite you to provide feedback about the proposal. Further information and/or comments should be directed to: CPS Technology & Infrastructure, (02) 9300 1700, submissionsVIC@cpstech.com.au by 5pm on Thursday 28th March 2024

12674393-JB11-24

An objection must be made to the Responsible Authority in writing, include the reasons for the objection and how the objector would be affected.

The

RATINGS

Looks: 7/10

Performance: 8/10

Safety: 8/10

Thirst: 8/10

Practicality: 6/10

Comfort: 7/10

Tech: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Star turns Poles apart from past

By Derek Ogden, Marque Motoring

Model mid-cycle upgrades usually consist of faffing about with design features and tweaking, or adding, the odd piece of automotive technology.

Surprisingly, Polestar 2, the Swedish designed sedan, via Volvo, made in China, has really set about its two-year-old EV.

As the maker puts it, the electric car’s range, efficiency, and performance have been improved,atthesametimewithacutincarbon footprint.Puttingfigurestothat,thePolestar2, with larger batteries and new motors, can now travel up to 22 per cent further, consume up to nine per cent less energy and charge up to 34 per cent faster.

A new look is in line with Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 models and includes a switch from front to rear-wheel drive for the base variants. All versions have been boosted with longer range and active safety equipment as standard. Prices are up between $3000 and $4000 before on-road costs.

The base model Standard Range Single Motor rear-wheel drive comes to market from $67,400, plus on-road costs, the Long Range Single Motor RWD sells from $71,400, plus on-roads and the Long Range Dual Motor AWD tops off the trio at $76,400.

APerformancePack,consistingofasoftware upgrade, Performance suspension settings, with Ohlins shock absorbers, 20-inch alloy wheels, gold tyre valve caps and gold seatbelts canbehadfor$9000.OntestweretheStandard Range Single Motor RWD and flagship Long Range Dual Motor AWD, the latter with Performance Pack.

Styling

If it looks like a Volvo and behaves like a Volvo, then it probably is a Volvo. Likewise, with its Volvo roots, little has changed along the way on the styling front from the first Polestar 2 iteration.

Interior

Thesteeplyrakedslit-of-arearwindowpresents

tight headroom and a limited view behind for the driver, but the panoramic glass roof really opensupthecabinforoccupantswithitstinted panel keeping out the hot sunrays.

However, the absence of a retractable solid material blind in the test vehicle failed to keep the summer sun’s heat at bay. Also the climate controls are operated through the touchscreen, which can make comfort doubly difficult during a bumpy ride.

Legroomisadequateforavehicleofthissize, asisshoulderspace.ThereareacoupleofIsofix child restraint anchor points in the back and a child seat can be clipped in the middle thanks to a top tether point in the lower section of the seat.

An under-bonnet cubby can easily house the charging lead, while the rear boot can take 405 litres with nifty ‘grocery gate’, a divider that has elastic bands to prevent smaller items from tumbling around. A useable 41 litre sub floor keeps stuff hidden.

Like with other EVs, you can forget a spare wheel.

Infotainment

The dual 12.3-inch screens provide stacks of info and once mastered, over time, is quick, responsive and fairly easy to navigate.

Bluelink connected car service allows users to set a charging time, and pre-set the vehicle’s climate control to take advantage of off-peak electricity; also remotely monitor the vehicle’s distance to empty and can restart charging if required. The app allows the owner to find EV charging stations and send the address to the car’s sat nav. A tool will show on a map the driveable radius with 80 and 100 percent battery charge levels.

Wireless phone charging is standard across therange.AppleCarPlayandAndroidAutoare wired, with Google and Android functions on tap. A 600W harman/kardon audio system has 13 speakers spread around the cabin but there’s no access to AM radio.

Engines/transmissions

The single motor versions are powered by a

newly developed permanent magnet unit and silicon carbide inverter putting out up to 220 kW and 490 Nm. In the dual motors, the rear one is the primary drive source, with support fromupfrontbyanewsynchronousunit.Total power output is 310 kW and 740 Nm.

The Performance software upgrade boosts power by 40 kW to 350 kW and torque to 740 Nm.

Safety

Polestar 2 carries over the five-star ANCAP safety rating from its debutant model.

Driver and passengers are ‘cushioned’ by eight airbags.

Value added across the range comes from active safety features such as blind spot warningandcrosstrafficalert,bothwithbrake support, rear collision warning and mitigation, along with 360-degree surround view camera and dimming exterior mirrors.

The SmartZone also incorporates some of the vehicle’s most important active safety features, including a front-facing camera and mid-range radar.

Driving

The move to rear-wheel drive with the single motor in the MY24 Polestar 2 makes for a morepleasingdriveoverthefront-drivemodel, while the rear-wheel drive bias of the all-wheel drive model has a similar effect.

The single motor model rear-wheel drive appeared more spritely than its all-wheel drive cousin, probably due to its carrying less weight. However, in one-pedal drive mode, regenerative braking in the latter is less sharp, an intentional move, says the manufacturer, if the electric motor slows the rear wheels too quickly, it risks putting the vehicle in a spin.

The Performance Pack used its race-developed four-piston Brembo brakes to pull up the weighty (2 tonne-plus) vehicle to a halt assuredly. However, the tweaked suspensionandlowprofiletyrespickedupeven the slightest blemish in the bitumen.

As far as efficiency is concerned, the front

motor of the latter can be shut down when not needed and re-engaged when more power is required, something that came to light during testing with the need to accelerate suddenly in a roundabout filtering move that could have ended not well.

Energy consumption on tests were, for the flagship 19.6 kWh/100km and the single motor 16.5 kWh/100km, compared to the maker’s claims of 17.2 kWh/100 km and 14.8 kWh/100km, respectively.

The Standard Range Single Motor is capable of a range of 532 kilometres, says the maker, depending on how the car is driven, while the Long Range Single Motor (on test) pushes that out to 654 kilometres.

An overnight charge at home via a standard plug-in system put around 30 per cent into the battery of the single motor model, while fast charging of the dual motor did roughly the same in 30 minutes.

The MY24 Polestar 2 cars on test came up with a few surprises, some good, some not so. Reversing out of home, the autonomous emergency braking system picked up a low growing bush encroaching onto the curved driveway and instantly brought the car to a sudden halt, with an accompanying shock to the driver. A temporary tieback defeated the Triffid.

Reversing, generally, was a chore, with the distorted camera view making it difficult to judge distances.

On the more pleasant side, a family visit west had us all smiling. A battery top-up was sought in the south-east Queensland town of Warwick, which boasts a single public service point. Now, there may be only limited access to the service, but courtesy of Southern Downs Regional Council and the University of Queensland, filling up there is F-R-E-E.

Summary

The dilemma for would-be Polestar 2 buyers is whether he or she should snap up the upgraded version at present prices or wait for thesoon-to-bereleasedcompletelynewversion at what cost?

On the surface there is not much change for the upgraded Polestar 2, however, under the skin it’s a different matter. (Supplied)

Cats bow out with another poor batting show

By Tara Murray

Hoppers Crossing’s achilles heel flared at the wrong time as the Cats were knocked out of theVictorianSub-DistrictCricketAssociation north-west.

The Cats batting has been up and down all season and they needed a good performance if they were to knock off Kew.

Cats captain-coach Simon Lambert was left thinking what might have been.

“It wasn’t ideal and we’re disappointed obviously,” he said. “We felt like we had the team to beat in the competition.

“Our batting has cost us all year and proved to be the case again. We got what we deserved and we’re disappointed as we didn’t produce what we know we can for large parts of the season.”

The Cats were sent in on Saturday with Lambert saying they would have bowled first as well.

He said they needed to get through the first hour then the pitch would start to settle and build a decent score from there.

The Cats though got off to a poor start, with their top three batters all back in the sheds by the score was 11.

They soon crumbled even further, with the

score 5-42.

The Cats lower order showed a bit of resistance and were able to push the score past 100.

A score of more than 150 was looking likely at one point, before the Cats lost their last three wickets for just three, to be bowled out for 147 in the 63rd.

Fawad Ahmed was the standout with the bat for the Cats, making 62. Abbas Faiyaz, who finished 28 not out, was the only other batter to make more than 20.

With something to defend, Lambert said they were hopeful their bowling attack could get the job done.

He said they were expecting the pitch to crumble a bit, but instead produced the best batting conditions he had seen all season.

“It didn’t move for the seamers and it didn’t spin for the spinners,” he said. “I’m surprised we got as close as we did.

“The conditions changed from the first day to the second day. Had we bowled first it could have been significantly different.”

The Cats bowlers started well and had Kew in trouble at 4-14 as the visitors had worked their way back into the game.

Kewwasabletofindacoupleofpartnerships later in the innings to get them past the Cats

score, finishing 7-150.

Ahmed, who has been a dominant force with the ball all season, was the leading wicket taker for the Cats with three wickets.

Having finished fourth, the Cats had hoped that other results had gone their way to get the second chance and progress into the semi finals.

But sixth placed Altona upset minor premiers St Bernard’s OC, meaning St Bernard’s would get the second chance.

While happy to have made finals after just missing out last season, Lambert feels like they’ve missed an opportunity.

“It wasn’t to be,” he said. “We were too reliant on one or two players and that’s why we ended up where we did.

“Last season we had the best batting attack in the competition with four or five guys making 500 and bowling was our problem.

“This season we had the best bowling team in the competition. We had the same batting line up as last year but it has not come anywhere near the same as last year.”

It wasn’t all bad news for the Cats with their third and fourth XIs winning through to grand finals.

Giants women back up

The Werribee Giants women’s top side overcame a slow start to win through to a second straight Baseball Victoria women’s grand final.

The Giants White have been the team to beat all season in the metro north-west competition, but were made to work hard in their semi final win against Geelong.

Geelong took an early lead in the first innings, before the Giants hit six runs in the second innings to take the lead 7-6.

That was extended to two runs after the third innings before Geelong levelled the scores in the fourth innings.

The Giants were able to find that winning run in the last innings to secure an 11-10 win.

Giants coach Bronwyn Gell said the whole group was pretty excited to be back in the grand final.

“We’re stoked,” she said. “Yesterday’s

[Saturday’s] game was a close one and we’re all on a high at the moment.

“We’re super excited.”

Gell said there were some nerves early in the semi final with the girls not their usual selves. She said once they settled they were able to play some better baseball.

She said there were a number of standouts in the win.

“Crystal Mollica hit a home run and two triples and she was able to get on in the last innings and get the winning run which was very exciting.

“Lily Kevelham is our star pitcher and threw a really good game and Jess Curnow hit the winning run in, she’s our solid hitter.”

The Giants face Research in the grand final on Saturday after it won its semi final against Alfredton 13-6.

Gell said the whole group was looking

Sports shorts

VPL

It was a tough night for Werribee City on Friday night in the Victorian Premier League 1 competition. Facing Brunswick City, the Bees had their worst performance of the season, losing 5-0. Brunswick did the damage early to lead 3-0 at half time before capping it off in the second half. After five rounds, the Bees have one win, two draws and two losses.

Australia Cup

Hoppers Crossing and Point Cook are both through to the fourth round of the Australia Cup. The Reds in their first game of the knockout competition, beat the Whittlesea Ranges, 2-1 on Friday night. The Reds led at half time 1-0, before both teams scored in the second half. Point Cook hosted Melton Phoenix on Friday night, also winning 2-1 after scores were locked at 1-1 at half time. West Point was due to play Sunbury United on Sunday, after deadline.

Football

Those who suffer a head knock while playing football will have to sit out for at least three weeks under changes to the AFL’s concussion protocols. The new protocol will operate in all other Australian football competitions, including the Victorian Football League and VFLW, Coates Talent Leagues and all community football competitions for senior and junior players.

forward to the occasion as they aim to go one better than last year.

“We’ve really performed this season,” she said. “We’re going in as the top team this season rather than as the underdog when we didn’t quite get across the line.

“We are the team to beat. It should be a good quality game, they’ve given us some tough games a couple of times during the season.

“They are very aggressive with their game.”

Meanwhile, the Giants men finished their regular season with a 12-2 win against Pakenham.

The Giants had already secured top spot heading into finals.

Werribee will face Ormond GH in a semi finals on Tuesday, after deadline at Surrey Park Arthur Field.

Tara Murray

A-League

Western United had mixed results on the weekend in the A-League competitions. The men’s side won 3-1 against the Western Sydney Wanderers. There were no goals in the first half, before the Wanderers opened the scoring. United would score three goals late to seal the win. The women’s side had a disappointing night against Sydney FC, losing 3-1.

FOR MORE SPORT, VISIT

Web: starweekly.com.au

Wyndham Star Weekly

@starweeklynews

@star_weekly

Werribee Giants White side has made the grand final. (Supplied)

Kaushik Jagannathan (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Wyndhamvale Falcons face challenging pre-season

Wyndhamvale is hoping to do what it couldn’t last season and make finals in the Western RegionFootballLeaguedivision2competition.

Last season the Falcons finished in fifth position, just a win outside of a finals position. They were right up to the standard of finals football too, coming within a point or better of all four finalists.

The Falcons went down to eventual premiers Parkside, and third placed Newport by just a point, while beating fourth placed Sunshine by a point, and runners up Albion by 15. While this off season has had its challenges for the Falcons, in a bigger competition excitement is building at Wyndhamvale South Oval.

“We look forward to it (round one) with a bit ofnervousness,youneverknowwhat’sgoingto happen,” co-coach Rob May said.

“We were a bit disappointed with the way we finished last year, not making finals. But hopefully this year is a different ball game.

“We’re definitely keen to get into it and hopefully can get off to a good start.”

The Falcons haven’t been the destination club they were hoping to be over the summer, with recruitment being a challenge and some players walking out the door.

“That’sprobablybeenthemostdisappointing thing over the pre-season,” May said.

“We’ve lost a few players unfortunately due

shoot through at the club with some getting an opportunity at the senior level last season.

“We played a couple last year in a handful of games and they’ll obviously be better for the run this year,” May said. “We had a couple of guys that were injured for the majority of the year that only really played reserves football that can definitely play senior football.”

May said there is a level of the unknown facing clubs that were previously in division 3 intheupcomingseason.Whilehesaidwhilehe expectssomeonesidedperformances,itdoesn’t mean games won’t still have their challenges.

to work, moving and some guys who probably lacked a bit of motivation playing.

“We’ve been pretty unlucky in that sense and we haven’t recruited much at all… we’ve got enough that we believe we can cover that anyway.”

However, there is still youth that is poised to

Faranda steps up to VFL

By Harper Sercombe

Werribee high performance manager Gaetano Faranda will ditch the yellow and black for the Big V during the AFL’s Gather Round.

A Victorian Football League representative sideissettotakeonaSouthAustralianNational Football League rep side at some point over the GatherRoundweekendwhichtakesplacefrom April 4-7.

Faranda has been selected as part of the VFL side’s high performance team, with the experienced operator entering his sixth season working with clubs in the league. This year will be his second at Chirnside Park following previous stints at both Williamstown and Box Hill.

Being the first time since 2017 the Big V has been donned, Faranda said he is excited for the opportunity.

“As someone who’s been following football, playing football and been around football for all his life, it’s pretty big,” he said.

“It’s pretty exciting being able to represent Victoria for this match.”

Adding to the excitement is the match being played during Adelaide’s footy festival which began last season and is set for its second instalment for the AFL’s round four fixtures.

The VFL will have a bye that round to allow all players selected to play.

“I didn’t go last year (to Gather Round), but I know a lot of people who attended and they said it was a different experience,” he said.

“That’s coming from AFL players, AFL coaches,it’sjustanamazing,spectacularround put together by the AFL so it’s going to be great to be a part of it.”

While Faranda’s excitement is building for the much anticipated clash, first there is business to be taken care of at Werribee. With apre-seasonstilltowrapupandtwobiggames set before the competition wide bye.

Werribee will kick off its season on March 23 with a clash against Geelong, down the highway at GMHBA stadium.

“We can’t wait to get started,” he said. “Last year was a great first season, I don’t think as a performance team, especially how new we were, could expect the results that we had.

“Player availability can really dictate a club’s success, if you’ve got your best players available for more of the season you’re more likely to get the wins on the board.

“The way the team is shaping and the way the list is shaping, we just want to see how we go round one and we’re pretty confident that the boys are going to hold up and have another great season.”

This off season has seen plenty of list turnover at the club, which has provided more challenges and opportunities for Faranda and his team.

However,hesaidallsignsarepointingtoafit andfiringroundonesquadandabigcampaign once again.

“It’s shaping pretty well, there’s been a lot of turnover in the list which has been well documented,” he said.

“There’s a few boys who we’re getting to know who we had to monitor and modify their training loads so they can adapt to the demands of not just VFL footy but to the demands of the way the Werribee Football Club is programmed.”

“I’m not going to be silly about it, Albion and Sunshinearethefrontrunnersatthemoment,” he said. “But on any given day any side can beat anyone. So if you’re not up to it on the day you’re going to struggle.

“Without knowing every side we’ve got to go in with our style of play and our ideas on how we want to play and hopefully implement them and that’s good enough to beat these sides.”

Siren shot misses in loss

It was a first up loss for the City West Falcons in the Victorian Netball League championship division on Wednesday night.

ThetypicallyslowstartingFalconswere on show against the Boroondara Express on night one, having to chase for much of the game.

The Falcons had a shot on the siren to draw the game, but missed, with the Falcons losing 58-57.

Falcons coach Marg Lind admitted that they still have a lot of work to do.

“We still have a bit of work to do,” he said. “We threw some combinations aroundandexploredafewdifferentideas.

“The defence end needs some more work. We were seven goals down and pretty much chased from there.

“We went a bit radical with our combinations. We were a bit wasteful and Boroondara was solid throughout the night.

“Wewereplayingtheteamweplayedin the final last year and they wanted a bit of revenge.

Lindsaidwhiletheoffensiveendmissed MaddyGray,whoiscurrentlymissingdue to pregnancy, they performed pretty well.

She said Jane Cook was outstanding in goalshooterdespitemissingtheshottotie the game.

Defensively she said they would work on a few things.

“Lucia [Fauonuku] was out as well,” Lindsaid.“Defensivelyitwasaprettynew line up.

“Mel [Oloamanu], Sophie [Hanrahan] and Sussu [Liai] are playing together for the first time. We’ll need a few weeks to get up to speed.”

The Falcons under-23 side also battled early before finding the right combinations towards the end to come away with a 48-46 win.

Lind said they played around with things in that division as well.

Looking at results across the board, Lind said the season is shaping up as an interesting one.

“It will be an up and down VNL season with some interesting results all ready,” she said. “It’s the first round and we are typically pretty ordinary.

“The last quarter we gained some momentum and some lessons were learned.”

The Falcons face the Hawks in round two. The Hawks beat Melbourne University on Wednesday night.

Wyndhamvale. (Joe Mastroianni) 282002_01

Gaetano Faranda. (Werribee Football Club)

Surviving the heat on the pitch

Theheatwastakenupalevelinmorethanone way as cricket finals got underway in several competitions on the weekend. Star Weekly photographer Ljubica Vrankovic braved the heat to capture some of the action.

Lee Elmore.

Isuru Yaddehige.

Jashan Malhotra.

Mathew Sanders.

Kaushal Lokuarachchi.

Declan O’Brien.

James Usher.

Mitchell Haberecht.

Trent Jones.

Sharks proud in narrow finals loss to Gellibrand

Point Cook Centrals fell agonisingly short of making the Victorian Turf Cricket Association Evans Clark grand final on Sunday.

After sneaking into the finals in the final round, the Sharks had nothing to lose against Gellibrand on the weekend.

The match would go down to the wire, with just one wicket standing between the Sharks and victory.

Sharks captain Brett Talbot said there were mixed emotions after getting so close to the result they were after.

“We got pretty close, but not quite there,” he said. “They held their nerve at the end.

“Their number 10 and 11 played the scenario very well. They were calm and knew to take a big stride.”

The Sharks decided to bat on day one in difficult conditions. Talbot said there was a little bit of unknown how to handle them, with

the possibility of being heated off.

“We were more cautious than anything,” he said. “We had a slot start.

“We lost crucial wickets before and after tea and that hurt momentum. We thought it was a

competitive total.”

The Sharks were bowled out for 207 with four balls remaining, with Talbot top scoring with 73 in the middle order.

Gellibrand started well and at 1-95 seemed in control of the run chase. The wickets started to fall frequently.

Talbot said they knew they needed to get into the middle order if they were to have a chance of getting the win.

“They are a really good team,” he said. “We know the top four or five score most of their runs.

“We got a bit of momentum and stuck to our plans and were quite disciplined and they worked.”

Gellibrand finished 9-210 making the runs in the fourth last over.

Ashen Perara took 5-66 for the Sharks.

Gellibrand will face Moonee Valley in the

Batting proves costly

By Tara Murray

Another batting collapse brought to an end an up and down season for Werribee in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west on Sunday.

Facing Spotswood in a rematch of last season’s grand final, the Tigers had both moments with the bat and ball, but weren’t able to put it all together.

Tigers captain Tim O’Brien said the result was a little bit disappointing.

“It’s disappointing after being in the position we were in early in the game,” he said. “We were a real chance and had another batting collapse.”

Spotswood batted first and at 5-112 the game was at a crucial part. A massive partnership between Declan O’Brien and Dan Schuppan turned the game back in favour of the Woodsmen.

Spotswood made 276 bowled out in the second last over.

Matthew Grose and Jonathan Burton took three wickets each.

O’Brien said had they been able to get one more wicket at that point it could have been a different story.

“Last time we played them we got them six down and were able to get them six down and then run through them.

“Had we got one more pretty quick wicket we could have broken through.”

The Tigers started day two with a strong partnership between Adam Alifraco (41) and Matthew Burton (74).

The pair put on 90 for the first wicket before the wickets started to fall, losing five quick wickets.

They struggled to get partnerships after that, bowled out for 190 in the 62nd over.

O’Briensaidtheopenershaddoneafantastic job to put them in a good position. He was full of praise for Burton, who has spent much of the season as the club’s second XI captain.

“He’s played a lot of second XI cricket and had a taste in the firsts last year,” he said.

“He was up for the challenge and showed balance at the crease. He showed everyone else how to do it and if a couple of others had batted

grand final.

For Talbot, it was his last game after announcing his retirement. He said he’d still be involved in recruiting and on the committee.

He said the work they’ve done the last few years has made the place a good place to be. He said satisfying was one word to describe seeing where the club is at now.

“The community has really got behind the club as a whole,” he said. “The committee led by president Mark Earl, who is inspirational.

“The twos were unfortunate and the threes were even more unfortunate. It’s a really good place to be which has been created in the last 12 years and more focused on the last 36 months.”

Tara Murray

Warriors are knocked out

Point Cook’s quest to make the Roy Picone Shield grand final fell just short on the weekend.

Facing minor premiers Williamstown Imperials in the semi finals, the Warriors pushed them all the way.

Point Cook was sent in and quickly found themselves at 4-31

A 62 run partnership got the Warriors back on track. Disaster then struck, losing their last six wickets for just 11 to be bowled out for 104.

There were four ducks.

Skipper Darcy Harmer top scored with 38 as only three players reached 30.

The Warriors bowlers got them back into the game, with the Imperials in trouble at 5-48.

The Imperials put on 20 before losing three quick wickets to slip to 8-72.

The ninth wicket fell when they were three runs behind. The Imperials did enough to get home, bowled out for 114 with a seven run lead.

Mayank Sharma took five wickets for the Warriors Senseind a chance for a reverse outright, the Warriors went back out there on the hunt for quick runs.

They made 8-107 in 15 overs before declaring.

Joshua van Zyl made 59 off 33 balls after being promoted up the order.

like him it might have been a different result.”

A first round finals entry is the lowest the Tigers have finished in a number of seasons, having made the grand final the past four seasons.

O’Brien said they hadn’t quite reached the heights of the past few seasons.

“It was an up and down season,” he said. “There were games were experience got us over the line when it shouldn’t have.

“We played some good cricket throughout the year, but our batting let us down. We had a bit of a challenge with the bat as we saw yesterday [Sunday].

“In the two-dayers we did well, that was our only loss, but we lost to three teams outside the top six which is disappointing.

“We’ve won a premiership from fifth with this group, but we feel short with the bat and ball on the weekend.”

It isn’t all bad for the Tigers.

Their third and fourth XI sides will play off in grand finals this weekend. Their second XI will play in a semi final on the weekend to try and win a spot in the grand final.

The Imperials managed to put on 46 for the first wicket, before losing three wickets to slip to 3-65.

At 4-80 there was a smaller glimmer of hope for the Warriors, but it wasn;t to be with the Imperials finishing 4-101 to complete an outright win

It was all single wicket takers for the Warriors.

The Imperials will face Maribyrnong Park St Mary’s in the grand final.

Mayank Sharma (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Jack Gage (Jacob Pattison) 392482_09

Jonathan Burton (Ljubica Vrankovic)

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