Star Weekly - Northern - 17th September 2024

Historic Lions’ win

South Morang managed to hold on to claim its first Northern Football League division 2 premiership on Saturday afternoon, beating Diamond Creek.

Just two years ago, the Lions were in division 3 and they will now be in division 1 for the first time in the club’s history.

For that and the wrap up of the NFL division 3 grand final and Essendon District Football League division 2 grand final, turn to sport.

Mother’s cry for change

By Afraa Kori

Bundoora’s Moetu Tawhai is fighting to stop knife crime, a painful reality she experienced as both a mother and a teacher.

As a former teacher at a northern suburbs school, Ms Tawhai noticed a change in school culture and students’ behaviour.

“The shift towards incidents involving knives has been stark. Previously, issues were more about fistfights, but now there’s a worrying trend of students bringing knives for protection, often due to bullying issues that aren’t adequately addressed,” Ms Tawhai said.

“Students today seem more direct in their interactions, and the presence of knives is a shocking new reality. It’s concerning to witness students resorting to such extreme measures.

“Social media plays a significant role in escalating conflicts among students. Moreover, systemic failures in addressing bullying contribute to a culture where students feel compelled to protect themselves and their peers.”

The breaking point came when her 13-year-old daughter recently had a knife pulled on her by another student.

“My daughter witnessed a year 10 student pickingonyear7students.Afteranaltercation with this year 10 student, my daughter was threatened. The student told her to wait and that they would return in 10 minutes to harm her. The year 10 student then came back to school with a small machete, intending to attackmydaughter.Thestudentevenrecorded

herself with the knife and pointed it at her, clearly intending to use it.

“She felt worried rather than scared. After the incident, she had to make reports because the student continued to threaten her by calling her friends and involving her own family. She has become very anxious and disruptive at school, constantly feeling the need to watch her back. She is now seeing a psychologist and the school’s wellbeing team and has been connected with the local police liaison working with the school.”

Ms Tawhai said more proactive measures should have been implemented to address threats before they lead to such a dangerous situation.

“While the school took appropriate action once the incident occurred, the situation should have been prevented earlier,” she said.

She is not only frightened for her daughter’s safety but is concerned that knife crime will have long-term consequences on school environments if no one breaks the silence.

“These incidents have driven many families toreconsidertheirschoolchoices,particularly

impacting the sense of safety and community trust within local schools,” she said.

“The fear and uncertainty created by such incidents can lead to increased absenteeism among both teachers and students. Incidents like these can significantly impact morale and safety perceptions, potentially discouraging teachers from staying in the profession or even working at certain schools.”

Ms Tawhai has called for the state government to better support teachers, students and families affected by knife crime.

“The northern suburbs need more youth support groups and increased discussion about violence. Schools should address these behaviours more proactively, as they are not discussed enough,” Ms Tawhai said.

“We haven’t been informed of any specific supportservicesinourareathataddressknife crime. It would be helpful to have resources and support services tailored to these types of incidents to assist affected students and their families.

 Continued: Page 3

South Morang won its first NFL division 2 premiership. (Field of View Sports Photography)

Moetu Tawhai.

Push on to turn up to Town Hall

By Laura Michell

Eight Hume councillors are pushing for councillors to be forced to attend a minimum number of in-person council meetings.

The eight councillors – mayor Naim Kurt, deputy mayor Karen Sherry, Carly Moore, Jarrod Bell, Joseph Haweil, Jack Medcraft, Jim Overend and Chris Hollow – wrote a letter to Local Government Victoria calling for the Local Government Act to include mandatory in-person attendance.

The councillors also want the councillor code of conduct amended to state that non-attendanceatin-personmeetings,without valid reason, would constitute a breach of the code.

In the letter, the councillors stated Hume council had faced “significant challenges” due to the “persistent non-attendance of some councillors” at in-person meetings and planning weekends during its four-year term.

“Some of these councillors have not attended any meeting or planning weekend in person over the course of their term, opting instead to participate remotely,” the letter stated.

“We believe this behaviour falls short of the expectations set out in the model councillor codeofconductanddoesnotfulfilthestatutory requirements of faithfully performing the role of a councillor.”

Cr Moore also raised the issue of in-person attendance during the September 9 council meeting, calling for the last two meetings of the current council term – September 23 and October 14 – to be held “wholly in person”.

Cr Moore said she raised the issue so council

“didn’t go through almost four years of meetingswithoutcouncillorseverhavingcome to a meeting in person”.

“Ithinkphysicallyturninguptodoourjobis important,“ she said.

Cr Jodi Jackson, who has attended a number of meetings this term via Zoom, said remote attendance had helped her save ratepayers’ money.

She said by not attending in-person, she was saving on mileage expenses and not contributing to council’s pre-meeting catering bill.

She said remote attendance had enabled councillors to attend a higher percentage of meetings this term than in the previous terms.

Cr Trevor Dance, who has attended all council meetings remotely, said the public did notcarewhethercouncillorsattendedmeetings in-person or remotely.

He defended his decision to attend meetings viaZoom,sayingthecouncilchamberwas“not a safe place”, and that the Local Government Act enabled councillors to attend remotely.

He also raised concerns about the cost burden to ratepayers of in-person meetings,

Author James Sismanes is releasing his debut children’s book. (Damjan Janevski) 429981_03

Treasured keepsake inspired by son

A desire to create a special keepsake for his son ledWollert’sJamesSismanestopenachildren’s book.

Sismanes’ debut book, The Marvellous Mullabaloos Only Wear Blue, tells the story of a family who loves the colour blue and is a celebration of what makes everyone unique.

“It’s about an ordinary family except for the fact that they of course wear blue clothes, have blue hair, drive a blue car and eat blue food,“ he said.

“The story follows the two children of the

family who are on a bit of a journey of self exploration. And coming to terms with the fact that they are compelled to wear blue and to do all these things under the colour blue.

“It’s their journey of identity and understanding what it means to be unique and tobedifferentandtoembracethosedifferences and accept who we are and who we are born to be and galvanize that as best as we can.” Sismanes, who has had the idea for the book for quite some time, was finally inspired to put pen to paper after his son Dante was born.

as well as the price of the redevelopment of the Broadmeadows council chambers – which he said was $2.7 million – and the chairs the councillor were sitting on at the meeting –which he said cost $1350.

Cr Bell said in-person attendance enabled the councillors to form working relationships. He spoke about his initial trepidations about workingwithCrOverend,butaftersittingnext to him for the majority of the past four years, he found they had developed a friendship and appreciation for each other’s differences.

“I think it is only fair that at least once in a four-year period we can get 11 elected representatives in a room together to see each other face-to-face, not though pixels, not through internet, not through any other method, but to see each other eye-to-eye, to be colleagues, to be team members, to represent the community as one,” he said.

In a statement to Star Weekly, Cr Kurt said he backed in-person attendance because he wantedtosettherightstandardandculturefor the next council.

“And that starts with teamwork,” he said.

”As elected officials, there is an expectation from the community that councillors are accessible and contactable, beyond just a computer screen.

”While remote attendance has its place, I don’t believe councillors can work together effectivelyasateamwhentheychoosetoattend meetings virtually indefinitely.

“To assess council performance and find solutions, you need to build relationships, which can’t happen if no one has met you and you’ve never set foot in Town Hall.”

“I knew I always wanted to do this. I have always been a fan of children’s media for a very long time and I could still put on a children’s cartoon today and still be perfectly happy,“ he said. “Ultimately, the catalyst was the birth of my son who is now three ... I really wanted to do something for him and something that he could cherish and be proud of and something that he could have with him throughout all of his days.”

The Marvellous Mullabaloos Only Wear Blue will be released on November 2.

“Schools can better support teachers by providing regular training focused on handling violent incidents and their aftermath. Creating spaces where teachers can openly discuss their feelings and concerns after such events is also crucial.

“Access to mental health professionals for both teachers and students would ensure that the emotional and psychological impacts are addressed properly.

“Additionally, schools should foster a more proactive approach to conflict resolution and prevention strategies to reduce the likelihood of these incidents occurring in the first place.”

Victoria Police said it responds to incidents and proactively visit schools to provide information to students, teachers and parents on topics relating to the law, safety, and wellbeing.

“The specific information provided varies according to local school needs. Police in the northern suburbs also run and participate in a range of proactive initiatives to support and engage with youth, including a current Whittlesea police trial targeting local young people who carry knives,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“As part of the Safe Edges initiative, police work alongside social services to engage with these children and find out why they are carrying edged weapons.

These young people are then linked in with relevant support services to keep them on the right track and out of the youth justice system.”

The state government was contacted for comment.

Councillors Jodi Jackson, Naim Kurt, Chris Hollow, Jack Medcraft, Karen Sherry, Joseph Haweil, Carly Moore, Jarrod Bell, Sam Misho and Jim Overend pose for a group photo in November 2020, shortly after the council was elected. Cr Trevor Dance was absent from the photo (Supplied)

A ‘couple of old heads’ nominate

By Laura Michell

Two members of the sacked Whittlesea council are contesting next month’s council election.

Former councillors Lawrie Cox and Stevan Kozmevski have nominated for the Ganbu Gulinj and Lalor wards respectively.

Mr Cox served on council from 1979-1986 and then from October 2016-March 2020, when the council was sacked by the state government.

Mr Kozmevski had been a councillor for more than 20 years when the council was dismissed.

Mr Cox, Mr Kozmevski and former

councillors Emilia Sterjova, Ricky Kirkham, Mary Lalios, Norm Kelly, Tom Joseph, Kris Pavlidis, Sam Alessi, Alahna Desiato and Caz Monteleone were sacked by the government following a report from municipal monitor Yehudi Blacher that found serious governance failures at the council.

MrBlacherwasappointedbythegovernment to oversee the council in December 2019, following the sacking of former chief executive Simon Overland and complaints of bullying at the council.

The council sacked three chief executives between April 2016 and December 2019.

Mr Blacher’s report to the government said

Taylor’s a top student

A Broadmeadows student has been named Victoria’s Koorie Student of the Year.

Taylor Hampton, a leadership and management student from Kangan Institute’s Broadmeadows campus, was honoured with the accolade at the Victorian Training Awards ceremony on August 30.

Taylor said he is overjoyed in winning this award.

“Winning this award feels amazing. I am so proud to have had the opportunity to represent Kangan and VACCA at the Victorian Training Awards,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who came to support me. It meant so much to have so many people cheering me on.

Kangan Institute chief executive Sally Curtain said Taylor has a bright future.

“Students like Taylor are the future of Australia, and their determination inspires us to continue delivering the critical skills they

Have your say

need to thrive,” she said.

Taylor,whoisaproudNgiyampaa/Wiradjuri man, enrolled in his course to enhance his career opportunities whilst working at Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA).

Through his hard work, Taylor ended up getting promoted at VACCA, including becomingtheactingexternaltrainingprogram manager who was responsible for delivering cultural training across Victoria.

He helps out his community through his work with VACCA’s Koorie FACES program and his involvement in efforts to develop a new program to support Aboriginal parents and carers.

Taylor has also co-authored a children’s book, “Our Mob,” to promote cultural pride.

Taylor will represent Victoria at the Australian Training Awards in late 2024.

Have your say about the recycled water facility we’re building in Wollert

We’re planning to replace our treatment plant in Wollert. Our existing treatment plant has operated at our Craigieburn Road East site in Wollert since 2009. It doesn’t have enough capacity to treat sewage and provide recycled water to the growing number of residents who’ll move into the Northern Growth Area in the future.

We’re in the early stages of designing this facility and we’d like to hear your views before we progress our plans. Your views will feed into our planning as we design the facility and apply for the necessary planning permits from Whittlesea City Council and a development licence from EPA Victoria. We plan to start constructing the new facility in 2027 and expect it will take around 2 years to build.

We’ll decommission the existing treatment plant when the new facility is operating. The new facility will be located at the same site, next to the existing treatment plant.

Have your say

Now is the time for you to have your say about the facility and anything you think we should be aware of as we progress the project. Share your feedback with us at yvw.com.au/RecycledWaterWollert

Join us at an information session

Join us at an information session to hear about the new facility at our Wollert site and have the opportunity to ask questions:

• ONLINE information session on Wednesday 25 September from 6-7 pm

• ONLINE information session on Monday 30 September from 6-7 pm

• IN PERSON information session on Wednesday 2 October from 6-8 pm at Kirrip Community Centre, 135 De Rossi Boulevard, Wollert

the governance of the council had collapsed, “along with its reputation”.

He labelled Whittlesea a “broken council” in which “poisons run deep”, and found that the council’sdeepdividesandpersonalityconflicts had rendered it “dysfunctional”.

Administrators were appointed to the council to perform the duties of councillors until this year’s election.

Mr Cox was outspoken about the conduct of some of his fellow councillors during his last four years on council.

Mr Cox said he was standing again because he believed “a couple of old heads” were needed to guide the new generation of councillors.

“For me, it is a little bit of unfinished business. From a governance point of view, I was disappointed with what occurred,” he said. “The games that people played ultimately led to the dysfunction. I think the clean out had to occur to try and change it.”

Mr Cox said he wanted to bring strong governance to the council if he was re-elected, as well as addressing infrastructure issues in Wollert. He said the challenges facing Wollert residents were similar to those experienced by Epping residents in the 1970s and criticised the administrators for failing to deliver critical infrastructure in the suburb.

Mr Kozmevski was contacted for comment.

Police arrest 21 people during Hume night blitz

Police caught more than 20 burglars, car thieves and dangerous drivers during a four-night operation targeting stolen vehicles in Hume last week.

Five stolen vehicles were also recovered, as Sunbury police and detectives from the Hume Crime Investigation Unit saturated local roads each night, scanning vehicles to detect stolen cars and motorbikes, and arresting individuals wanted on outstanding warrants.

The operation follows an increase in car theft in the area, police said.

Police intelligence reveals almost half of recent car thefts in the area were stolen via unlocked doors.

Those arrested as part of Operation Sneak include a man and a woman who were apprehended about two hours after allegedly stealing a white Toyota sedan from an address in Richmond, which ended up coming to a stop at Melbourne Airport.

court at a later date.

How to register Visit yvw.com.au/

RecycledWaterWollert to register. Don’t have access to the internet? Call us on 9872 1563 to register over the phone.

For more information

yvw.com.au/RecycledWaterWollert

RecycledWaterWollert@yvw.com.au (03) 9872 1563

The Air Wing observed the vehicle allegedly being driven on the Tullamarine Freeway at of speeds up to 170km/h.

Working with units on the ground, police were able to deploy stop sticks at the intersection of Bulla Road and Balmoral Avenue.

The car eventually came to a stop at Melbourne Airport and two people were arrested.

The alleged driver, a 29-year-old male from no fixed address, was charged with drug driving, theft of motor vehicle, reckless conduct endangering life, dangerous driving, unlicenced driving, failing to stop and failing toanswerbail.Hewasremandedincustodyto appear at court at a later date.

The alleged passenger, a 24-year-old female from Broadmeadows, was charged with theft of motor vehicle. She was bailed to appear at

During the operation, police also arrested four people for home burglaries, two people for evading police in a stolen vehicle, seven people for illegal drug possession, with six issued with cautions, two people for outstanding warrants, one person for theft and five disqualified or suspended drivers.

Police said that as a result of the operation they were able to recover five stolen vehicles, issue six fines for driving offences and issue for bench warrants.

Sunbury police Acting Sergeant Shae Morrison said vehicle theft continues to be a priority for police in the Hume area, with offenders arrested every week for this crime.

“Unfortunately, some people fall victim to these opportunistic crimes because their cars are left unlocked, so we’d like to remind the community to always ensure your vehicle is locked, even if it is parked in a secure driveway,” Acting Sergeant Morrison said.

“The message is clear – if you’re travelling around in a stolen vehicle in Hume you can expect to be caught.”

OperationSneakranintheHumeareafrom September 4-7.

Police Air Wing footage of the car coming to a stop at Melbourne Airport. (Victoria Police)

Taylor Hampton at the Victorian Training Awards night. (Supplied)

Third runway for airport approved

By Gerald Lynch and Oscar Parry

Melbourne Airport’s third runway has been giventhegreenlightbythefederalgovernment, but not everyone has welcomed the decision.

On Friday, Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King announced she had approved a development plan for the new north-south runway – submitted to the government 19 months ago. She said the runway meets the demands of a “growing city”. It will be completed in 2031.

“Melbourne’s third runway will bring

it in line with Sydney and other globallycompetitive airports,” she said.

“Throughout my consideration of this proposal, the needs of the local community have been front of mind.”

Ms King said “certain conditions” had been imposed on Melbourne Airport to reduce community impact, including restoration of the east-west runway to maximise the opportunities for noise sharing, and the implementation of a noise amelioration program to communities most impacted.

“The noise sharing plan will be developed by the airport, and in consultation with local

Cyclist ready to ride high

The Great Vic Bike Ride is celebrating its 40th year this year, and among the keen cyclists taking part will be Thomastown local Adrian Gifford.

Organised by charity Bicycle Network, the ride is a non-competitive bicycle tour of the rural parts of Victoria.

Mr Gifford is participating in his second Great Vic Bike Ride this year.

“Even though we had some of the worst conditions since 1986, it was still a great experience,“ he said.

“Itwasgreattoactuallygetbackthereanddo some camping and be a part of a a community of fellow bike riders.

“You’re together for nine days and you build a rapport with the riders each day, and if you are in the same sort of pace group you get to know the riders.

“You’re out there to enjoy yourself and see scenery you’d never see before, and they’re a

great bunch of people.”

Bicycle Network chief executive Alisson McCormack said this year’s ride, which will start in Wodonga, will be a nod to the ride’s history.

The event will roll through Lake Eildon, Marysville, and many other places throughout Victoria’s north-east, with more than 3000 riders expected to take part.

Details: greatvic.com.au

Max Westwood

communities, over the years to come,” she said.

GladstoneParkcampaignerFrankRivolisaid he is concerned about impacts of the decision for communities living near Melbourne Airport, including Bulla residents.

“Bulla … are right on the airport fence line … on the Sunbury Road side. Now, they need to be considered in how they are going to be shielded from aircraft noise, and there’s nothing in the masterplan nor the runway plan that will achieve that. So, they’ve been left to deal with this on their own,” Mr Rivoli said.

Hume council said while it supports the airport’s growth, the development must occur

inamannerwhichminimisespotentialadverse effects on the community. “We will continue to advocate for our community’s health and for noiseabatementmeasurestoberecognised,and we expect Melbourne Airport and the federal government to uphold these standards when engaging with our council and community on the third runway’s development,” mayor Naim Kurt said.

Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus said, “The new runway will require new flight paths, and as part of this project we will be facilitating noise attenuation for dwellings in the most impacted areas”.

Thomastown local Adrian Gifford is set to complete the Great Vic Bike Ride for the second consecutive year. (Damjan Janevski) 422770_02

At Aeralife, we believe that life should be filled with joy, purpose and connection. Our residents thrive in a forward-thinking community that embraces them as family.

Helping women navigate PCOS

By Eddie Russell

Despiteimpactingonein10Australianwomen, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is still a “mystery” to many.

That’s why Dr Sneha Parghi says when it comes to addressing the condition, knowledge is power.

“Raising awareness is really important because there are probably a lot of women walking around with PCOS who don’t even realise they have it,” she said.

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding around it and the effects that it has … that lack of education means people are confused because they don’t know where to begin with seeking help.”

PCOS is a hormonal condition that is associated with an imbalance of male type hormones like insulin or androgen.

It affects women of reproductive age in a variety of ways and can cause anything from irregular periods and reduced fertility to acne and excessive hair growth.

It can also impact weight and mental health issues like anxiety or depression.

Dr Parghi is a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician at Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital, as well as private women’s health clinic, The Maven Centre, in St Albans. She said symptoms varied from patient to patient and could be anything from mild to more impactful.

“It’s a spectrum in terms of severity – some people might have it but not be affected significantly, while others might be impacted more greatly.

“Some women will report that they won’t have a period for three months but then it comes and they have to stay home because it’s like a tap has been turned on.”

In some cases, PCOS can lead to long-term health risks like type 2 diabetes, endometrial cancer, sleep apnoea, and cardiovascular disease.

The broad nature of the condition can make it difficult to correctly identify, so doctors lookout for three key signs.

“Essentially, there are three criteria but you only need to meet two to get a diagnosis,” Dr Parghi said.

“The first is really irregular periods, the

second is a hormonal imbalance, and the third is the appearance of multiple cysts on the ovaries, which we can see on ultrasound.”

Dr Parghi said while these factors might not always be a direct relation to PCOS, they definitely point towards it.

“The cysts on ultrasound are not actually cysts, they are just immature eggs that haven’t reached maturity and ovulated yet,” she said.

“But the reason that they appear on the ultrasound in the first place is because of a hormonal imbalance, so if you have two out of those three things we would say it looks like you have it.”

Young girls and teenagers aged

10-to-19-years-old are among a “small pocket” of patients who can often get misdiagnosed with PCOS, said Dr Parghi.

“We are apprehensive about making a diagnosis in that group of women … where their hormonal messages and production are still maturing,” she said.

“When you are within your first eight years of having a period, you can have irregular periods at that time and it doesn’t mean you have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.”

However, a diagnosis is a lot easier to make among women in their twenties and thirties.

Dr Parghi said one setting where she sees the impact of PCOS is among those struggling to conceive.

“You might not necessarily know that [you have it], but it impacts the potential to fall pregnant,” she said.

“These hormonal imbalances may not manifest as irregular periods, but it may mean not being able to release an egg each cycle.”

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the average maternal age for first time mothers was 29.7 in 2021, and the highest proportion of mothers were aged between 30 and 34.

Dr Parghi said if these symptoms or issues sound familiar, it was important to check.

“I’d say talk to your GP about what you are experiencing and what you think might be going on.

“If they are unsure about making a diagnosis then it is worth getting the opinion of a gynaecologist.”

Treatment of PCOS is dependent on the type of symptoms a patient might have, but can include medications, cosmetics, and adopting healthy habits, as well as implementing treatment to reduce the risk of long term complications.

Aside from gynaecologists like Dr Parghi, other medical professionals who can provide care to help manage the condition are endocrinologists, dieticians, and fertility specialists.

Addressing barriers to PCOS care and education

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition among women, with symptoms beginning shortly after puberty, during later teen years, or within early adulthood.

Theexactcauseoftheconditionisunknown, and symptoms include irregular periods, weight gain, acne, and hirsutism.

Despite affecting up to 13 per cent of women in Australia, a lack of awareness and dismissive attitudes are just some of the factors that create barrierstoaccessingcare,saidPolycysticOvary Syndrome Association of Australia (POSAA) consumer representative Lorna Berry.

Ms Berry said she experienced significant barriers herself to accessing effective care for PCOS, with her diagnosis taking “years”.

“I often struggled to have doctors take my concerns seriously. Many healthcare providers were unaware of PCOS,” Ms Berry said.

She said many women are told that they will never have children and are advised to “only return when they want to start a family.”

“Women with PCOS are often told to simply go away and lose weight, which can be particularly challenging due to the insulin resistance commonly associated with PCOS. Unfortunately, many women living with PCOS have had similar experiences and are often unaware that they have the condition at all, leading to delays in receiving appropriate care and support,” Ms Berry said.

She said there are a broad range of factors that contribute to these barriers.

These include a lack of awareness, dismissive attitudes, a focus on weight, inconsistent information, limited access to specialists, stigma, and mental health.

“Accesstospecialists,suchasendocrinologists or reproductive health experts, can be limited

– especially in rural or underserved areas, further delaying appropriate care,” she said.

“The physical symptoms of PCOS, such as weight gain, acne, and hirsutism, can lead to stigma and impact mental health, making it even harder for women to seek care and advocate for themselves.”

To address these barriers, Ms Berry said she would like to see several changes to the approach of health professionals, public understanding, and attitudes towards women’s health concerns.

“There needs to be greater awareness and education about PCOS among both healthcare

professionals and the general public. This includes understanding the complexity of the condition and recognising the varied symptoms women may experience,” Ms Berry said. “Women should be empowered to take charge of their health, with healthcare professionals listening to their concerns and taking them seriously. Women need to feel confident in advocating for themselves and seeking the care they deserve.”

She said a multidisciplinary approach from health professionals is crucial for managing PCOS effectively.

“This would involve a team of specialists, including endocrinologists, dietitians, mental health professionals, and gynaecologists, working together to provide comprehensive care tailored to each woman’s needs.”

Increased funding and research towards treatments, accessible and consistent care, and more holistic and inclusive treatment options are other changes Ms Berry said she would like to see.

As the consumer representative for POSAA, which aims to raise global awareness of PCOS and assist those diagnosed with it, Ms Berry said that the support association has been involved in the development of evidence-based guidelines – including those published by Monash University.

According to Monash University, this guideline“istheculminationoftheengagement of over 3000 health professionals and the work of 10-plus multidisciplinary clinical and lived experience experts from six continents and 71 countries internationally.”

Ms Berry was a lived experience expert on the guideline.

“The information in these guidelines is grounded in the latest evidence, ensuring

that all care and recommendations are both scientifically sound and practically relevant,” Ms Berry said. “[The goal of POSAA] is to bridge the gap between lived experiences and medical expertise, ensuring a future where every woman with PCOS receives holistic, compassionate, and effective care.”

She said that an evidence-based approach is crucial for accessing effective care and helping women to make informed choices about their health.

“When guidance is rooted in scientific evidence, it provides a reliable foundation for understanding the condition, exploring treatment options, and managing symptoms effectively. This is especially important because misinformation or outdated advice can lead to ineffective treatments, frustration, and even worsening of the condition,” she said.

As it is a lifelong condition, she said that a multi-phase approach is crucial.

“Understanding that PCOS is a lifelong condition also highlights the importance of a comprehensive and dynamic approach to care. Women need resources that address the different phases of PCOS – whether it’s managing irregular cycles in their teens, addressing fertility concerns in their 20s and 30s, or mitigating metabolic risks later in life.”

Ms Berry said that as research advances, evidence-based guidelines help ensure that women with PCOS receive the best possible care, improving their quality of life and long-term health outcomes.

POSAA has a Facebook page where it shares PCOS news, resources, and information.

Details: https://www.facebook.com/ PCOSAustralia

Dr Sneha Parghi at the Maven Centre in St Albans. (Damjan Janevski) 427819_06

Oscar Parry

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association of Australia (POSAA) consumer representative Lorna Berry. (Supplied)

Sports precinct kicks off

Works have begun at the Regional Sports Precinct in Mernda.

According to Whittlesea council, the precinct is Whittlesea’s largest-ever social infrastructure project, with a project value of $180 million.

The precinct will include an indoor stadium with four multi-purpose courts, outdoor netballcourtswithlighting,carpark,wetlands, paths and areas for recreation.

Whittlesea council chief executive Craig Lloyd and Yan Yean MP Lauren Kathage were at the Everton Drive site on August 30 to celebrate the beginning of the works.

Mr Lloyd said the Regional Sports Precinct will benefit the health of the community.

“The precinct will give residents of all ages and abilities the opportunity to play the sports they love in first-class facilities close to home,” he said. “The City of Whittlesea is committed to helping residents live active and healthy lifestyles and the provision of purpose-built

facilities is an important part of that.

“This is an exciting project that will have tremendous physical and mental health benefitsfornotjustresidentslivinginthenorth but for the whole region.”

Earlier this month, council awarded a tender for preliminary earthworks to begin at the Everton Drive site in preparation for the precinct to be built.

Removal of rocks and site levelling, installation of retaining walls and creation of a wetlandinthesouthernpartoftheblockwerea part of the works that were undertaken.

Everton Drive will also be extended to create a new, traffic light-controlled intersection at Plenty Road is expected to be opened in mid-2025.

The Regional Sports Precinct is supported by funding from the state government.

Details: whittlesea.vic.gov.au/About-us/ Projects/Current-projects/Regional-sportsprecinct-in-Mernda

Briefs

Teen arrested

A Meadow Heights teenager was arrested by police after a speeding car was followed through the northern suburbs in the early hours of September 13. Police spotted an allegedly stolen blue Hyundai SUV travelling along Epsom Road in Flemington about 12.15am. The driver then sped off towards the Tullamarine Freeway, reaching speeds of up to 150km/h, police said. Officers followed the driver to Honni Court in Fawkner, where the driver and his passenger dumped the vehicle, before fleeing the scene on foot. It is understood the passenger jumped over fences and into bushes and was found a short time later by the Dog Squad. The 17-year-old Meadow Heights boy was taken into custody and will be interviewed by police. The driver was last seen running towards a park along Mahoneys Road.

Mill Park house fire

A woman was taken to hospital following a house fire in Mill Park. Firefighters were called to the Westleigh Court house about 3am on September 12. Members of the public helped the woman to evacuate the house before Fire Rescue Victoria crews arrived. She was treated by Ambulance Victoria and taken to hospital. The house was extensively damaged.

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Are your kids living in a world revolving around their passions? That’s a good thing.

It’s why the VCE’s new Vocational Major creates worlds where passions can be explored.

From agriculture to construction, health to clean energy. Whatever world our kids are into, there’s a VCE program to help develop the skills they’ll need to land a job in Australia’s most in-demand industries.

Yan Yean MP Lauren Kathage, Whittlesea council chief executive Craig Lloyd, Netball Victoria’s Sarah Rush and Northern Pride Netball Association president Michelle Kneale at the site of the Regional Sports Precinct’s future indoor stadium in Mernda. (Supplied)

Youth council spruiks vape truth

By Lara Prust

Whittlesea’s youth council is stepping up to address the increasing use of vaping among young people aged 12-25.

Alarmed by the increasing number of their peers turning to vaping, the youth council wants to raise awareness about the dangerous chemicals and toxins found in vapes.

A recent VicHealth study detailed that the ingredients of e-cigarettes are unknown by two thirds of young people.

Using the TikTok lolly salad trend, the

youth council explained how vapes contain over 200 toxic chemicals, some of which can also be found in harmful substances such as bug spray, paint thinner and biofuels, which are known causes of cancer.

Nicotine–foundinmostvapes–commonly results in addiction and can have detrimental effects on memory, attention and learning. These effects are additionally compounded by the fact that a majority of users’ brains are still in the process of developing.

YouthcouncilmayorZacharysaidthebitter truth is that while vapes might taste sweet, it’s

Jubilation over Jubulani

Werribee Open Range Zoo’s southern white rhino calf has been named amid much anticipation.

Jabulani, a word from the Zulu language of Southern Africa, means rejoice and was voted forbymembersanddonorsfromZoosVictoria in an online competition.

Werribee Open Range Zoo savannah keeper Sophie Gray said the name was the perfect fit.

“It’s meaningful because it reflects the immense amount of joy he has brought to his mother, Kipenzi, zoo staff and everyone around the country who has followed the wonderful news of his birth,” she said.

JabulaniwasbornonAugust18to15-year-old father Kifaru and 11-year-old mother Kipenzi following a 16-month pregnancy.

The successful birth and flourishing bond between mother and calf have been a joy for zoo staff.

Jabulani won’t be little for long, as the calf has a healthy appetite.

“Incredibly, Jabulani is drinking a whopping eighttolitresofKipenzi’smilkeveryday,which is translating to a growth of a very healthy five to 10 kilograms per week,” Ms Gray said.

Jabulani’s charisma has been on full display,

according to Ms Gray.

“He’s so confident and inquisitive.

“We’re also seeing him participate in some mock charges, which is a natural behaviour that is his way of telling us that he’s the boss. He puts his head down and nose towards the ground and charges forwards, then jumps on the spot and turns around quickly. It is very cute!”

Jabulani and Kipenzi are both currently homed in a keeper-only area to allow them some time to develop their bond. He will soon be introduced to the wider rhino crash and then in the coming months to the zoo’s savannah, where the public will be able to meet him.

Native to Southern Africa, southern white rhinos are classified as Near Threatened and it is estimated as few as 10,080 remain in the wild. Poaching, habitat destruction and fragmentation due to human activity.

The Australasian Southern White Rhino Zoo Breeding Program plays a crucial role supporting efforts to conserve wild rhino populations through education and community engagement.

Jaidyn Kennedy

important to get the facts,

“The rise in vaping among young people is very worrying. We’ve seen more and more of our friends and peers start vaping, and we’re taking action to ensure they understand the hidden chemicals in them,” Zachary said.

“This is about protecting our health now and in the future. Our message is clear, get the facts, be informed and make smart choices about your health.”

Youth council deputy mayor Kaynat emphasised the importance of raising awareness among young people about the

risks of vaping.

“Vaping may seem harmless, but the hidden dangers are real. Don’t let the flavours fool you. Protect your health, know the risks, and choose a future free from dependence. Our reels are created to support and empower young people by providing the knowledge they need to make informed choices. Vaping isn’t the answer; together, we can rise about it.”

The videos can be accessed via the youth council’s Instagram page: @ CityofWhittleseaYouth.

Apprentice chef savours his win

By Afraa Kori

South Morang apprentice chef, Alan Andrews went from a last minute applicant to award winning icon.

He applied for the Proud To Be A Chef program thinking that he had “nothing to lose”.

“This was the first time I applied for this competition. I was pretty confident in my cooking skills, but I was unsure about getting through because apparently 250 people applied for the program,” he said.

He was announced as the 2024 savoury winner for Australia’s premier foodservice mentoring program.

Proud To Be A Chef is a mentoring program that is dedicated to nurturing the next of culinary talent in Australia.

The program offers 32 apprentice chefs a unique opportunity to advance their careers through intensive mentorship, masterclasses and skills workshops.

This year’s mentor chefs and judging panel included Proud to be a Chef resident mentor and Anchor Food Professionals executive chef Mark Normoyle, executive pastry chef and Kori Ice Cream founder Joane Yeoh and Omnia Bistro and Yugen Dining and Tea Bar executive chef Stephen Nairn.

As part of his winning dish, Mr Andrews made lamb backstrap with potato fondant, celeriacpuree,glazedshallotsandcharredleek.

His recipe was hailed as a dish that Mr Normoylewouldserveinanyrestaurant,where every single component was well-executed and used an old technique in a modern way.

When Mr Andrews excelled in his favourite category, he described it as one of those moments he was lost for words.

“Savoury is my main thing! If I get through a

competition and win the savoury, I’ll be happy. So when they announced, ‘the best savoury goes to Alan Andrews’, I was like, ‘me?’

For Mr Andrews, the real value in the

program was in the connections, experiences and mentorship.

“It’s one of those programs I wish I could go back to again this year but I can’t because it’s only one time,” he said.

“I’ve met so many people through this program, it’s just meeting every apprentice, trainees around Australia. From networking we found out we’re on the same boat, we all have passion, we love cooking and hospitality. So when all that comes together, you just meet friends and you’re like, ‘oh, you’re one of us’.

“I encourage an apprentice, first year, second year, third year, or just a trainee to apply because it’s more gaining, like the people you meet and networking which you can’t really buy.”

Meanwhile the award validated his career choice, broke cultural expectations and won his parents heart.

“My parents were very questionable about this career choice because you don’t see many chefs from South India at all, it’s always from the north, like the Punjab area or that side. We all do white collar jobs, like IT, accounting, all that stuff. So being a chef from South India, my parents were worried about it. They were like ‘oh no, Alan made a big mistake being a chef’.

“Then I found out my cooking comes from my family line, like my grandma and parents hadarestaurantinIndia.Mydadisalsoagood cook here, so cooking is a big part of my family generation.”

Entries are now open for the next intake of Proud to be a Chef.

Details: https://www.proudtobeachef.com/

Alan Andrews. (Supplied)

Jabulani and Kipenzi bonding. (Zoos Victoria)

Paramedic’s wild rescue

Whittlesea’s Cassie Carr found herself in the right place at the right time while on holiday after coming across a woman who had taken a fall on a trail.

Cassie works as a wilderness response paramedic for Ambulance Victoria (AV) and is trained to assist in emergencies in remote and wilderness areas, such as bushland and alpine regions.

WhileonahikeinQueensland’sSpringbrook National Park, she came across a Queensland local, Dianne, who had slipped and fallen on rocky terrain.

“Dianne had suffered a broken wrist and compound fracture to her lower leg, so my paramedic instincts kicked into gear,” Cassie said.

“I directed her husband to call triple-0 and, despite not having a first aid kit on me, I was able to improvise and use Dianne’s socks as bandages to control the bleeding as well as stabilise her broken bones.”

Dianne was rescued from the trail by Queensland Fire and Rescue and Queensland Ambulance Service teams and taken to hospital where she underwent surgery and is now recovering well.

Cassiesaidtheincidentwasatimelyreminder to always be prepared for an emergency when hiking, even for short journeys.

“Always carry some sort of communication device and let someone know where you’re going and when you’re expected to be back,” she said.

“Download the EmergencyPlus app which has a built-in GPS function to help you provide a triple-0 call taker with location details, and also contains What3Words software which works offline, so can be used in remote areas with poor data connection.

“Bringfoodandwater,andconsidercarrying a basic first aid kit.”

Cassie will celebrate 10 years at AV next March and has been trained as a wilderness response paramedic almost the same amount of time.

“Ichosetoundertakethewildernesstraining early on in my career because I love adventure and getting outdoors,” she said.

“It took place in the Grampians, and we camped out, did a lot of navigation skills and mock patient scenarios where we had to find the patient and treat them.

“I grew up in Kinglake in the bush and around the mountains, and I love any sort of

camping or hiking related activities.”

Wilderness response paramedics are dispatched to cases such as hiking accidents, rock-climbing accidents and jobs in areas the air ambulance helicopter can’t access.

They spend most of their time working as on-road paramedics but are dispatched when notified of a wilderness incident and respond alongside other emergency services.

“Iloveworkinginamultiagencyenvironment with SES, CFA, police, and search and rescue,” Cassie said.

“I love working as a big collaborative team.”

Games for the young at heart

Whittlesea seniors better get ready to find their running shoes and tie them up tight as Whittlesea is hosting an Olympic-themed seniors’ festival.

Titled the Young at Heart Games, the event is for over-55s and it will run from November 12 to December 10.

The games will feature a wide range of sports including tennis, walking football, 10-pin bowling, carpet bowls, golf, pickleball.

The opening day will feature a community torch walk and will begin at Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre.

Whittlesea council chief executive Craig Lloyd said this year’s seniors’ festival is an opportunity to try something new and embrace the Olympic spirit.

“With more than 50,000 residents aged 55 and above, we are proud to be hosting the Young at Heart Games. It’s a time to celebrate our senior community, stay active and connect with others,” he said.

“Our positive ageing programs support healthy ageing and the festival is a great way to experience some of our regular activities. Whether for fun or competition, I encourage everyone to join in.”

Bookings are needed and spectators are welcome at all events.

Details: https://www.whittlesea.vic. gov.au/Services/Support-for-people/ Seniors/Seniors-Festival

Whittlesea resident and wilderness response paramedic Cassie Carr (Supplied)

Helping women talk about money

Health promotion organisation Women’s Health in the North is working to address economic equality for women. Cade Lucas reports.

When Manasi Wagh told me her official title, I had to ask for clarification, thinking I may have misheard or made a mistake.

“I’m manager of economic equality at Women’s Health in the North,” she repeated confidently, as though there was nothing unusual about economic equality being a focus of a women’s health organisation.

That’s because as far as Ms Wagh, Women’s Health in the North (WHIN) and other like-minded organisations are concerned, there isn’t.

“They’re interconnected,” she explained of the relationship between economics and health before adding the obvious rejoinder: “money and finances underpin everything in our lives.”

As far as statements go, they don’t get much harder to argue with than that, though just in case I wanted to, Ms Wagh wasn’t done.

“People experiencing financial distress are twice as likely to experience mental distress at the same time,” she told me, before reeling off a stream of statistics showing women were far more likely to experience financial distress than men.

“Currentlythegenderpaygapis21.7percent which means that every dollar a man earns, a woman earns 78 cents,” Ms Wagh said, adding thatthegapinsuperannuationuponretirement balloonsto47percent,withwomenleavingthe workforce to have babies and being more likely to work part-time, the biggest factors.

‘‘ There’s a shame attached to it ‘oh I cannot manage my money. If you put that together with family violence and financial control, it’s a deadly cocktail ’’ - Manasi Wagh

That’sassumingwomenreachretirementage with a job at all.

“In Australia the statistics for women over 50 are pretty grim,” she said.

“Forty per cent of women over that live in poverty or will retire in poverty, with rates of homelessness high as well.”

For all of these factors, migrant women and those from non-English speaking backgrounds are worse off again, with cultural factors often adding another degree of difficulty on top.

“Our work is focussed on reducing these inequities,” said Ms Wagh of WHIN, one of 12 such health promotion agencies set up across Victoria.

While originally established to serve the large migrant communities of Melbourne’s northern suburbs, Ms Wagh explained that as with the word health, the title should be taken too literally.

“Even though the organisation is situated in the north, the economic equality work we do goes across Victoria.”

As migrant herself, who moved to Australia from India in 2006, Ms Wagh knows intimately how important that work is, particularly in regards to money and finance.

“I came here as an educated person, but still struggled to know which bank to go to and what accounts to open because the names were different, the terminologies were different,” she recalled.

“I did not know what my financial rights were, what my responsibilities were, so these things are all taken into account in designing the program.”

That program is Let’s Talk Money, which WHIN have been offering since 2017.

Let’s Talk Money (LTM) provides tailored financial education to multicultural women through a peer education model where migrant women are recruited and trained in financial literacy, to then educate others from similar backgrounds.

“This approach has proved very successful because not only do the educators have the language skills and cultural understanding but the lived experience of migrating to this country,” said Ms Wagh.

One of them is Maria Zygourakis, the daughter of Greek migrants, who while born in Australia, grew up witnessing her parents struggling to understand the financial realities of their adopted home.

“Many, many times they’ve talked about the language barriers, or the cultural barriers they faced, yeah, when they first arrived,” said Ms Zygourakis who has been teaching financial capability classes for more than two years.

She said given the broad nature of the topic and the even broader range of clients, a needs analysis was conducted before each session to identify the issues to be focussed on.

“For example, recently, I had a group that were elderly Greek migrants, so they wanted somebody to come from Centrelink to talk to them about pensions and assets and property,” she said.

“And then there’s other groups that have recently arrived, and might want to know the simple information such as, how do you open a bank account in Australia and what identification is needed? What are the different types of cards?”

Translatingdocuments,explainingeconomic jargon and ensuring bills or fines are paid on time are other simple tasks participants are helped with, but which can cause serious problems if not understood.

Ms Wagh said cultural issues around women and money and the social stigma associated with financial difficulties are also addressed.

“There’s a shame attached to it ‘oh I cannot manage my money,” she said.

“If you put that together with family violence and financial control, it’s a deadly cocktail.”

As in all other sections of society, family and domestic violence is a huge problem in multicultural communities.

But according to national prevention of violence against women not-for-profit, Our Watch,thefinancialdependencemanymigrant

women have on violent partners, makes them especially vulnerable.

“Asylum seeker women living in the community on temporary visas, as well as migrant women on student and working visas, are not entitled to social security payments. Migrant women also experience other kinds of financial insecurity, including discrimination and racism in the labour market.”

Socialisolationduetoalackoffamilysupport, language barriers and even being more likely to live in outer suburbs or regionally, where access to transport is difficult, are other barriers to migrant women escaping violent relationships.

ForMsWagh,it’sthisissuewheretheoverlap between women’s financial and physical health is most important.

“I worked in the health sector and have worked in the family violence sector and the prevention of gender based violence and economic equality kind of sits alongside it.All this work WHIM, LTM) is to prevent gender based financial abuse. It’s my passion in life,” she said.

Left: Migrant women learning financial literacy skills at Let’s Talk Money classes run by Women’s Health in the North. Right: Let’s Talk Money educator Maria Zygourakis (top), and a Let’s Talk Money class in session. (Pictures: Supplied)

Women’s Health in the North economic equality manager Manasi Wagh.

DISABILITY SERVICES

Plan management experts

When it comes to accessing supports through the NDIS, financial administration and complex paperwork are unavoidable obligations that demand time and attention. Plan management providers like Windermere Child & Family services fulfill these tasks inline with the NDIS guidelines so that participants can focus on meeting their NDIS goals.

A not for profit organisation with three decades of expertise in disability support, Windermere has been delivering NDIS services since its roll out in 2016. Its expertise in NDIS services includes plan management which offers personalised supports through a dedicated plan manager ensuring consistent and reliable service.

Cameron has been using Windermere Plan Managementsince2018andrelieson21support services for his complex needs. Processing

payments correctly and on time, maintaining accurate records and meeting reporting requirements are among an overwhelming number of tasks his plan manager takes care of.

“It’s just such a relief to have someone we can trust to work out the financial side of things,” said Jenine, Cameron’s mum.

After trying their hand at self managing, Anne and Mark returned to Windermere plan management to better support their daughter who has cerebral palsy, visual impairment and an intellectual disability.

“We are very lucky to have our Windermere plan manager back. Instead of carrying it all on our shoulders we can share it with someone we can trust and who is knowledgeable,” said Anne.

To find out more call Windermere on 1300946337orvisitwindermere.org.au.

St Monica’s Week of celebrations

St Monica’s College in Epping recently held is traditional week of events that embrace the whole Monican community.

The celebrations included the school’s annual oration a youth parliament event led by McEwen MP Rob Mitchell, a sports breakfast featuring Tony Shaw, immy Bartel, Peter Hitchener and Eddie McGuire, acollege mass and carnival.

Principal Brian Hanley said it was fantastic week.

“We welcome the opportunity to bring together our Monican community and share so many wonderful experiences,” he said.

His Excellency Archbishop Charles Balvo, Apostolic Nuncio in Australia performing the mass.

Left: Tony Shaw, Jimmy Bartel, Peter Hitchener, Eddie McGuire at the sports breakfast. Right: Rob Mitchell MP, addressing St Monica’s students attending the SMC Youth Parliament.

St Monica’s College students enjoying the carnival. (Pictures: Supplied)

Plea on ‘hazardous’ roundabout

By Laura Michell

Hume council will call on the state government to fix a ’hazardous’ Roxburgh Park roundabout before it is the scene of a fatality.

The council will write to Roads Minister Melissa Horne to raise its concerns about the poor performance of the roundabout at the intersection of Somerton Road and Roxburgh Park Drive.

Thecouncilwillrequestthatthegovernment consider allowing both lanes from Roxburgh

Park Drive to turn left onto Somerton Road and/or the use of metering signals on the existing roundabout on the Somerton Road eastboundapproachtotheintersectionduring peak hours.

It is also requested that Ms Horne provide a timeframe for the duplication of Somerton Road.

“If implementation of this upgrade does not commence within 12 months, council believes that signalisation of the Roxburgh Park Drive intersection must be considered as an urgent priority,” a notice of motion to the September

9 council meeting stated.

Cr Sam Misho, who raised the issue at the council meeting, said the roundabout was extremely busy during peak hours.

Hesaidalotofdriversdroveintherightlane and completed a full turn of the roundabout to try and avoid the traffic waiting to turn left.

“It is a hazardous roundabout and I think something needs to be done about it,” he said.

“We need to address this serious issue before we have a fatality.”

Cr Misho said 25,000 vehicles used Somerton Road each day, resulting in

Shared trail to connect Mill Park

Residents can leave the car at home and still haveaccesstoimportantfacilitiesandservices in Mill Park following construction of a new shared trail.

The$950,000MillParkReserveConnecting

Shared Trail project has delivered 1.6 kilometres of all-weather and accessible walking and cycling paths.

Whittlesea council said the trail will encourage people to enjoy active lifestyles through regular recreational exercise such as walking, running or cycling.

It will also give some residents the option to forgo driving and instead walk, run or cycle to facilities such as the Mill Park Leisure Centre, All Abilities Play Space, Mill Park softball diamonds, Mernda Rail line and more.

Council’s contribution of $475,000 towards the project was matched by a $475,000 grant from the state government’s Growing Suburbs Fund.

Council chief executive Craig Lloyd said the trail will have benefits for not just Mill Park residents, but those living in surrounding

suburbs

Thomastown, Lalor and South Morang.

“Council wants to encourage residents to be active and enjoy the natural environment here in the municipality,” he said.

“Shared walking and cycling trails are a great way of doing just that as they cater to people of all ages and abilities.

“The added bonus of this trail is that it is not just good for recreational use, but can connect people to many of the facilities and services in the Mill Park area.”

significant congestion and “compromising the safety” of drivers and passengers due to “aggressive driving behaviours”.

“For more than a decade council has been advocating for the duplication of Somerton Road. Whilst I acknowledge that we have a business case, it is unknown when this capital works will commence let alone come to fruition,” he said.

“We need to get the state government to fund the Somerton Road duplication.”

The state government was contacted for comment.

The Craigieburn community and local sports clubs are set to benefit from the completion of an upgrade to the Craigieburn Sports Stadium.

The stadium on Craigieburn Road has undergone a $18 million redevelopment and now features three new multi-sport courts for netball, basketball and badminton, bringing the total number of courts at the stadium to eight.

The upgrade also included new change facilities to cater for higher demand, meeting rooms, a remodelled entry and reception, new cafe area and 80 extra car parking spaces.

The project was funded by Hume council ($12.3 million) and the state government ($5 million).

The government said the upgrades would provide a real home court advantage for the more than 1600 people who play in the Craigieburn Eagles Basketball Association, Craigieburn Netball Association and Craigieburn Ladies Badminton Club.

Community Sport Minister and Kalkallo MP Ros Spence officially opened the revamped stadium on September 13.

“Craigieburn and surrounds is a rapidly growing, sports loving community and this important upgrade provides the community with world class sport facilities,” she said.

“These stadium upgrades mean more people can get involved in community sport and reap the benefits of being active, close to home.”

Mill Park MP Lily D’Ambrosio and Whittlesea council chief executive Craig Lloyd at the Mill Park shared trail. (Supplied)

such as

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Star Weekly looks back through the pages of our predecessors

10 years ago

September 16, 2014

A shocked Hume council has been told it will have to pay $35 million to prop up a new Sunbury council.

7 years ago September 19, 2017

Whittlesea council is on a mission to attract10,000newjobstothemunicipality over the next five years. The bold vision is part of the council’s new economic development strategy, which is aimed at creating jobs, supporting local businesses and boosting the economy.

5 years ago

September 24, 2019

Police officers could become the latest victims of Broadmeadows’ parking shortage, with parking spaces currently used by police set to be returned to Hume council next month.

1 year ago

September 12, 2023

One in three children are living in poverty across a number of Hume suburbs according to a new report. The Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) released its Mapping Poverty in Victoria report highlighting what they found and how it can be fixed.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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

Art expo

The Craigieburn Art Group presents its annual art expo, Art & Beyond, at the Hume Global Learning Centre, 95 Central Park Avenue, from 11 to 13 October. The expo includes demonstrations, a raffle and 200 works of art encompassing traditional painting, photography, mosaics, woodwork, quilting and sculpture. Entry is free. Go to craigieburnartgroup.org/events for more details.

 Vicki Catchpole, 0417 559 089

TAC L2P Program

The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) L2P Program is a community-based program developed to assist eligible young Victorian learner drivers between the ages of 16 and 21 who do not have access to a supervising driver, or an appropriate vehicle to gain driving experience required for a probationary licence. Volunteer mentors needed.

 Cynthia Petridis, 0435 653 371

Adult education

Banksia Gardens Community Services is running adult education courses including an introduction to computers and brushing up on English skills.

 9309 8531

Senior citizens meet

The Gladstone Park Senior Citizens Club regularly meets for games of bingo, carpet bowls and a chat over a cuppa, at the coroner of Carrick and Elmhurst drives, Gladstone Park.

 Beulah, 0411 422 398

Homestead Walking Group

Enjoy some fresh air, beautiful gardens and meet other locals. Volunteer leaders will meet at the Homestead Community and Learning Centre at 9.30am on Wednesdays for a 30–45 minute walk.

 https://tinyurl.com/2wbet35x

Phone connect program

This is a free community service for older people and people with disability, living on their own in the Hume and Whittlesea regions. Through the Community Connect Program, you will receive regular phone calls from a volunteer to check that you are safe, secure and well.

 8301 8863

Broadmeadows Senior Citizens Club

The club meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and first Sunday of the month. It also has indoor carpet bowls, bingo, and snooker and on the third Saturday, and a dance from 7-11 pm. All are welcome.

 Liz Munro, 0409 712 613, or lizmunro7@gmail.com

Creative arts and fitness

Banksia Gardens Community Services is running yoga and jewellery making classes every Tuesday.

 9309 8531

Craft and Conversation

Craigieburn library is hosting a Wednesday weekly craft group, from 1-3pm, and everyone is welcome. Join the craft and conversation group and share your love of all things crafty. Bring your current project and make new friends.

 humelibraries.vic.gov.au

Community lunch in Roxburgh Park

Join the Homestead Team, along with members of the community for a free lunch and make some new friends whilst you’re at it. Lunch will be prepared by the Turkish Women’s Association. The lunch will be held every Wednesday, from 11.30am-1pm, at Homestead Community and Learning

Centre, 30 Whiltshire Road, Roxburgh Park.

 https://tinyurl.com/2wbet35x

Craigieburn Toastmasters

Craigieburn Toastmasters supports community members in developing and practising their public speaking, leadership, and communication skills. They meet the first and third Thursday, from 7-9pm, at the Craigieburn Guide Hall, 33 Hamilton Street, Craigieburn.

Qi gong for health

Qigong has both psychological and physical components and involves the regulation of the mind, breath, and body movements and posture. Mondays for intermediate at 10-11am, Mondays for beginners at 11.15-12.15pm, Thursdays at 10-11am.

 https://tinyurl.com/2wbet35x

Education and community centre

Do you or someone you know need help learning English or understanding technology?

Craigieburn Education and Community Centre is offering free beginner English and computer classes to eligible residents. Small, relaxed and friendly classes, drop in and say hello at 20 Selwyn Avenue, Craigieburn.

 9308 1477 or https://www.craigieburn.org.au

Whittlesea Historical Society

The Whittlesea Historical Society meets on the third Sunday of each month at Whittlesea Bowls Club at 2pm. Visitors are most welcome to attend.

 0414 740 778 or www.whittleseahistoricalsociety.org.au

Repair Cafe Sunbury

Bring an item that needs repair and volunteer repairers will do their best to fix it with you. Or just drop in for a cuppa. Saturday September 21st, 10am-12.30pm. All are welcome. Sunbury Neighbourhood House, 531 Elizabeth Drive Sunbury.

 www.sunburyhouse.com.au or 9740 6978

This week’s photographer’s choice pictured is of Western Health registered midwife/ nurse Amber Borg, holding two newborns, Bailey and Avleen. (Damjan Janevski) 430304_01

Indigenous Community Gardens

Westmeadows Indigenous Community Garden members are hosting a monthly open day on the first Saturday of each month, 11am-noon, to showcase the gardens at the corner Toora Drive and Redan Court. All are welcome.

 Eva Mazzei, emmmazzei@gmail.com

Craigieburn Residents Association

Do you live in Craigieburn and wonder what’s happening re-roads and facilities, or have a concern you’d like to raise so it can be addressed? Go along to the Craigieburn Residents Association and tell them about it. The association liaises with Hume council, as well as state and federal government organisations to get the job done. They also give annual donations to a local charity each year. They meet on the last Wednesday of the month at Selwyn House, Selwyn Avenue, Craigieburn, 7.30pm.

 craigieburnresidents@gmail,com, or 0401 369 311

Menergise men’s walk and talk

Every Thursday from 7pm, starting at the Mernda Neighbourhood House, a nightly walk for men to get some exercise and shoot the breeze in the breeze.

 0475 454 133

Community Cooking Class

Are you interested in learning new ways to cook Indian dishes and other multicultural foods? Join Creds Farm’s community cooking class, which happens twice a month on Thursdays from 11am to 1pm.

All is welcomed.

 https://creedsfarm.org.au/event/ community-cooking-class-creeds-farm/

Neighbourhood Garden

Become part of Sunbury’s Neighbourhood Garden and grow edible and useful plants in a social group at Sunbury Neighbourhood House, 531 Elizabeth Drive Sunbury.

All skill sets are welcome at the next working bee Saturday September 21st,

10am-12.30pm.

 www.sunburyhouse.com.au or 9740 6978

Scout Jamboree fundraising 1st Sunbury Scouts are fundraising to send Scouts to a Jamboree in Maryborough, Queensland in January 2025. The next fundraising event is a Miniature Train ride day at Bulla Hill Railway on Sunday, September 29 from 11am–3pm. Tickets per ride will be $5. There will also be a sausage sizzle and a coffee van. Tickets and info at: https://shoutforgood.com/ event-ticketings/1stSunburyJamboreeTrain. Donations are also welcome.

 scoutsjf@gmail.com

WeightWatchers

Join like-minded community members wanting to achieve weight health. WeightWatchers meets every Wednesday at 5.30pm at Sunbury Neighbourhood House, 531 Elizabeth Drive Sunbury.

 1800 958 288

Toastmasters

Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Toastmasters helps its members develop their public speaking, communication and leadership skills. The group meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month, from 7.20–9.30pm, at the Sunbury Community Centre, 531 Elizabeth Drive, Sunbury.  vpm-4185@toastmastersclubs.org

Pernaperna Women’s Group

The group is currently knitting and crocheting blankets for First Nations peoples in palliative care across Australia. Pernaperna is a friendly group who meet fortnightly at Sunbury Neighbourhood House, 531 Elizabeth Drive, Sunbury, on a Thursday, from 1-3pm. It has established a bush tucker garden at Sunbury Neighbourhood House. New members warmly welcomed. If you don’t knit or garden but would just like to drop in for a chat, the group would love to meet you.  Joan, 0418 302 676

‘Caveman’ comedy offers laughs

As the Brimbank Comedy Festival gets underway this weekend, one comedian who has been all across the country and world performing is set to give local’s stitches this Saturday night.

Tim ‘Caveman’ Barrot, who some have said is the oldest upcoming comedian in Australia will light up the Footscray Hotel with laughter at 6.30pm on Saturday, September 21.

Wedged into a weekend of finals football, he plays at the perfect time for football fans looking for a break from the stressful scenes of their teams battling it out on the big screens at the pub.

Join him on a wild journey that spans

continents and defies expectations.

From near-death experiences in Antarctica to getting goats stoned in Turkey, he’s seen it all and lived to tell the tale.

As a tour guide in countries he never knew existed, Barrot invites you to experience the excitement of each moment, while secretly being grateful you weren’t actually there.

His comedy is a unique blend of adventure, honesty, and relatability, drawing audiences in with his engaging storytelling style.

Giventhenatureoftheworldatthemoment, withcost-of-livingstrugglesrifeinMelbourne’s west, Barrot has waived the costs for his show, and encourages everyone to “just show up and

have a good time.”

Hehaspreviouslybeenapartofopenmicsin thearea,butSaturdaywillbeasolodebutinthe west for Barrot.

“Iamsuperexcited,asaworkingclassmiddle aged man, I fit in perfectly with the west,” he said. “It is a melting pot of multiculturalism down there, so my experiences of travelling hold me in good stead to be able to connect with the whole audience.”

Gerald Lynch

Pencil in the Craigieburn art expo

Visitors to the Craigieburn Art Group’s annual art expo in October will enjoy works in a variety of mediums from embroidery, woodwork and printmaking to traditional painting, drawing and pastels.

A highlight of the Hume artistic calendar, the show traditionally took place as part of the Craigieburn Festival in March.

However, in recent years the group has staged its expo, Art & Beyond, later in the year at the Global Learning Centre above the Craigieburn Library.

This year the show falls on the weekend of October 11 to 13.

President of the Craigieburn Art Group Vicki Catchpole will be among those displaying work.

Vickidescribedherartas“representational” and “realistic”.

“I’ve previously done a lot of acrylic painting, but this year I decided to focus on printmaking,“ she said.

The show, which is free to view, will feature artworks by 20 individual artists and creatives from the Hume area.

“There will be a variety of exhibitors from established artists to beginners,“ said Vicki. Visitors will have the chance to win a piece of art by purchasing a ticket in the raffle, proceeds of which will be donated to local Scouts.

Outgoing Hume mayor Naim Kurt has agreed to open the show in an unofficial capacity.

Art group members will stage demonstrations at 11am and 1pm on Saturday and 1pm Sunday.

Vicki encouraged anyone interested in art to join the group on Mondays at Selwyn House. Pariticipants meet at 3pm and 7pm.

“We have people of all artistic abilities, ages, physical ability and from different cultures. Everyone is welcome,” she said.

Vicki Catchpole

Young entrepreneurs host twilight market

As the sun sets behind Werribee Gorge on the evening of Thursday September 19, young entrepreneurs will take over Bacchus Marsh. From 5–7pm at the Village Green on 197 Main Street, the Youth Twilight Market will be open to people of all ages to enjoy activities, food and stalls run by locals aged 12 to 25. The event was designed by year 12 students from Indie School Bacchus Marsh in conjunction with Moorabool council. A wide range of products will be on offer including pet bandanas, gemstone jewellery, artwork, pencil cases, and more.

If you fancy items made from clay, crochet, 3D printing, or upcycled materials, there will be something for you.

Grace Green teaches the students who came up with the event.

She said that the cohort wanted to focus on “celebrating youth empowerment” —

something they determined was best achieved by working with young business people.

“They have been to involved in all of the planning and execution of the event. We are very excited to see it all come together,” she said.

A deadly circus performance

Community members can immerse themselves in the extraordinary talents of First Nations artists at Footscray Community Arts during the Deadly Fringe program, part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

This year’s program, which will run from October 1 to 20, promises a diverse and thought-provoking array of performances that reinforce First Nations voices and perspectives on stage.

For this year’s festival, Na Djinang Circus will collaborate with Circa Cairns to present In Place.

In Place is the culmination of a year-long journey where local participants tended to a native plant, fostering a deep connection with the land, their work and themselves. This journey will be interwoven into the performance, merging artistic expression with nature to examine society’s impact on the environment and its profound resonance within us all.

Audiences can expect a stunning displayofacrobaticskillandsophisticated storytelling.

NaDjinangCircus-aMelbourne-based contemporary circus company and a First Nations-led company - explores fundamental human characteristics from an Indigenous perspective. Its art and ethos reflect traditional and contemporary values.

Circa Cairns, supported by the Queensland Government and the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, is dedicated to creating bold art from the nexus of place and culture.

Details at: https://melbournefringe. com.au/event/in-place/.

Anne Parisianne

“They got heaps of businesses that are run by youth together and created stalls for things like face painting, games, popcorn and fairy floss.”

Entry is a gold coin donation, with all proceeds going to the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Ms Green said the charity was specifically selected by students, who feel a close affinity with Starlight’s work.

“They did a lot of research into who they wanted to donate funds to and Starlight was chosen because… they are able to do a lot for the people that they work with,” she said.

“The students are excited to contribute and help the foundation.”

Ms Green said she was most excited for the “lucky” person who will win a hamper featuring a globe skateboard, macpac jacket, and handmade terrariums.

Eddie Russell

President of the Craigieburn Art Group Vicki Catchpole with a piece of her work. (Damjan Janevski) 430696_02

Up: Margot Mansfield, down: Maya Davies, Dhananjaya Johnson and Cassia Jamieson. (Supplied)

Tim ‘Caveman’ Barrot will perform at the Footscray Hotel on Saturday. (Supplied)

SPORTS QUIZ

1. Which Carlton player returned to play finals just 180 days after he suffered a third ACL injury?

2. Which is larger: a squash racquet or a pickleball racquet?

3. Which English cricketer will join Melbourne Stars this summer, having been chosen as the No.1 pick in the BBL Draft?

5. To achieve the highestpossible score in darts, all three of your darts must land in which segment?

6. The Packers, the Zephyrs and the Bullets are all previous nicknames of which NBA team?

7. Which three AFL clubs are captained by players who wear the number 9?

8. Brisbane Stadium is also known by what witchy nickname?

What unusual punishment for arriving late to training was allegedly the catalyst for former Canterbury Bulldog Jackson Topine leaving NRL in 2023?

Taylor Gosens was Australia’s only 2024 Paralympic athlete to compete in which sport?

Which Australian batsman scored 80 from 25 balls in the first match of the Twenty20 international series against Scotland?

Lauren Parker became Australia’s first dual-sport Paralympic medallist in how many years, after winning triathlon and cycling medals?

13. Which rising British tennis star defeated Australian Alex de Minaur in the US Open men’s quarterfinals?

14. Italian racing driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli will debut in 2025 with which front-running Formula One team?

15. In which year was the AFL’s Brownlow Medal first awarded?

16. The son of which wellknown sports presenter made his debut recently in American college football?

17. Which country was recently bowled out for a total of 10 in a Twenty20 international against Singapore?

18. Australians Kaden Groves and Ben O’Connor won stages of which major annual cycling event?

19. Prolific goalscorer Erling Haaland, who plays for Manchester City, represents which national soccer team?

20. The so-called ‘Spoon Bowl’ was played by which two bottom NRL teams in round 27?

21. How many gold medals did Australia win at the 2024 Paralympic Games?

22. Which Sydney AFLW co-captain recently suffered a season-ending ACL rupture?

23. Which tennis player won the 2024 US Open Men’s singles title?

24. Australia recently swept which team 3-0 in a Twenty20 International series?

25. Which team finished top of the 2024 NRL ladder at the conclusion of the season?

26. ENGIE Stadium is the home ground of which AFL team?

27. Which Major League Baseball team is on course to finish season 2024 with one of the worst records in the league’s history?

28. The 2024 biographical sports movie Young Woman and the Sea tells the story of the first woman to swim what body of water?

29. Kate Roffey recently stepped down as the president of which AFL club?

30. The NBL Blitz pre-season tournament was held in which location in 2024?

Erling Haaland

PUZZLES

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

ACROSS

1 Annoyers (5)

4 Settler (9)

9 Formula (7)

10 People who speak (7)

11 One who evens the score (7)

12 Greek conception of afterlife (7)

13 Arrived at a judgement (9)

15 Relating to audio equipment (2-2)

17 Declare to be true (4)

19 Not here (9)

22 Type of paint (7)

25 Wed (7)

26 Paraguayan monetary unit (7)

27 Whenever you like (7)

28 Conglomeration of fabric scraps (9)

29 Hankerings (5)

DOWN

1 Very small amount (8)

2 Irish speakeasy (7)

3 One who makes less progress than others (9)

4 One half of Oxbridge (9)

5 Supple (5)

6 ‘Not on your –!’ (5)

7 Local law enforcer (7)

8 Recommence (6)

14 Go ashore (9)

15 Common greeting question (3,3,3)

16 Indecency (8)

18 Green (7)

20 Preparing writing for publication (7)

21 End a phone call (4,2)

23 Indisposed (5)

24 Egyptian capital (5)

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

1 What is the capital of Guyana?

2 Paul Mescal (pictured) co-starred with Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson in which 2021 film?

3 Which of the big cat species is typically the largest?

4 What protein is the main substance that makes up fingernails?

5 The Costume Institute Benefit is the formal name for which annual fashion event? 6 Name the 2018 novel by Trent Dalton that was adapted into a 2024 Netflix limited

7 Canon, Nikon and Olympus are well-known brands of what?

8 Which actor do the films MorningGlory, DoctorStrange and The Time Traveler’s Wife have in common?

9 Who painted the famous fresco The Creation of Adam?

10 Which Central American country is often referred to as ‘the

Power surge for Kia’s Sportage

By Derek Ogden, Marque Motoring

With hybrid buyers lighting up the EV market, great things are expected of the recent addition to the Sportage SUV range.

Driven by the surge in hybrid sales, the Toyota RAV4 has overtaken the Ranger and HiLux to become the best-selling vehicle in Australia.

So, it’s not before time that Kia has introduced a hybrid variant to its popular Sportage medium SUV range, which the company confidently anticipates, at 300 units per month, will contribute 20 per cent to total Sportage sales.

“The Sportage range was already an excellent medium SUV package in a very popular and competitive segment and the addition of the Hybrid variant strengthens our offering considerably,” says Damien Meredith, Kia Australia chief executive officer.

The Sportage HEV is available in two trims – SX FWD and top-of-the-range GT-Line –with power coming from the same 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol/electric hybrid system as the larger Sorento Hybrid.

This is mated with an electric motor and lithium-ion polymer battery delivering a combined petrol/electric output of 169kW and 350Nm.Pairedwiththepowerplantisadial-up, shift-by-wire six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels.

Based on the fifth generation Sportage, both hybrids feature 18-inch machined alloy wheels with temporary spare, while the GT-Line Hybrid (the test vehicle) adds a heated steering wheel.

The SX HEV FWD goes on the market for $45,950, while the flagship Kia Sportage GTLine HEV FWD sells for $55,420, both plus on-roadcosts.EachiscoveredbyKia’sgenerous seven years/unlimited kilometre warranty, the battery seven years/150,000 kilometres.

Styling

The body is defined by Kia’s Opposites United design language characterised by sharp lines amplified by bold surfaces with unique graphics. Up front the Kia signature Tiger Nose black grille links with distinctive curved

LED daytime running lights and headlamps.

In a nod to marketing, the polished metal Kia badge is hard to ignore.

From the side the Sportage HEV stands its ground in the mid-size SUV segment with bold blackplasticwheelarchcladdingandcleanlines linkingthefuturisticfrontwithasleekfastback and taillights cut into the body. A broad back supports an impressive width.

Interior

The heart of the top-shelf GT-Line is a curved touchscreen flanked by air vents giving the impression of width to the cabin. The 12.3-inch screen acts as a centre of connectivity for driver and front passenger, while the similar-size instrument cluster incorporates the latest display with clear and precise graphics.

A Blind-Spot View Monitor ‘sees’ what is potentially in the driver’s blind spot.

Unlike the ICE models, the HEV centre console features a dial-style gearshift knob as well as electronic parking brake with Auto hold. Storage includes cup holders and a large open space under the padded armrest.

Leather appointed seats include eight-way power driver’s seat, with two-way lumbar support. Front seats also are heated and ventilated.Boot,accessedbyasmarthands-free power tailgate, is a usable 586 litres with the seat backs up, expanding to a generous 1872 litres with them folded. A rare EV bonus is a

kit.

Infotainment

Smartphone wireless capability sadly is absent but there is a wireless phone charger as well as USB-A and USB-C ports. As is the case with other top-line Sportages, the GT-Line HEV is fitted with a premium eight-speaker Harman/ Kardon sound system as well as DAB+ digital radio and Bluetooth connectivity.

Engines/transmissions

Power in the Sportage Hybrid comes from the same 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid system as the larger Sorento Hybrid, which mates a 132kW/265Nm four-cylinder petrol engine with a 44kW/264Nm electric motor and a 1.49kWh lithium-ion polymer battery (combined petrol + electric output is 169kW and 350Nm). A six-speed automatic transmission puts power to ground via the front wheels, ensuring a smooth transition between gear changes.

Safety

The Sportage GT-Line HEV carries a top five-star ANCAP rating on 2022 testing. Included are autonomous emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection, rear cross traffic alert, active cruise control, lane keeping assist with steering intervention, blind

spot monitoring, 360-degree surround view cameras, front and rear parking sensors, trailer sway control and hill descent control. Front, front-sideandcurtainairbags,plusfrontcentre airbag complete the picture.

Driving

Refined is the only way to describe the GT-Line HEV manners. The engine and electric motor work together in conjunction with the conventional six-speed automatic transmission for a reasonably enjoyable driving experience. However, the lack of all-wheel drive does cause some chaos via the front under heavy acceleration.

Transitionbetweenengineandelectricmotor was done with quiet efficiency and is matched by a mostly unperturbed ride. Braking is good too and the regenerative system is consistent and pulls up the car well.

Fuel consumption is claimed by the maker to be 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres on the ADR 81/02 combined urban/highway cycle. The test vehicle came up with, I feel, an honest 6.5 litres per 100 kilometres.

Summary

It remains to be seen whether the Sportage Hybrid can hang on to the coat-tails of the runaway Toyota RAV4 petrol-electric and make it all the way to the top. Only time will tell.

space saver spare wheel rather than a puncture

As the footy season starts to wrap up, there’s plenty of elation and heartbreaking stories. StarWeeklyphotographer Ljubica Vrankovic was there capturing the action on Saturday.

The glory and the heartbreak

Sam Conway. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 431496_17

The Werribee crowd. (431496_26)

Footscray’s Charlie Clarke. (431495_12)

Footscray’s Jedd Busslinger. (431495_04)

The Riddell supporters. (431490_10)

Josh Grabham and Arron Bray. (431490_47)

Hoppers Crossing’s Chase Guy. (431493_20)

Sunshine celebrates its premiership. (431491_59)

Celebrations for Sunshine. (431491_35)

Caroline Springs’ Alipate Bryant. (431493_02)

The Coppinger sisters celebrate. (431489_50)

Riddell’s Finonnuala McKeagney-Stubbs. (431489_03)

Hume City knocked out by South Melbourne

Hume City’s title hopes were ended by South Melbourne for a third time this season on Wednesday night in the Australia Cup.

Having been knocked out of the Dockerty Cup finals and National Premier League finals by South Melbourne, Hume faced South Melbourne in the Australia Cup quarter finals.

For the third time in its past four games, Hume had to face extra time in the quest for a win.

Hume took the lead early on through skipper Josh Bingham before a penalty to Harrison Sawyer just after half time levelled the scores.

Maximilian Mikkola put South Melbourne infrontinthe73thminutewithLachlanWeier bringingscoresbacktoleveltwominuteslater.

Scores were locked at 2-2 at the end of regular time before South Melbourne scored in extra time, in the 116th minute through Jordan Lampard to come away with a 3-2 win.

Speaking before the game on Hume City’s social media, Hume president Ersan Gulum spoke about the season and making it to the quarter finals of the Australia Cup.

“It’s been an incredible season for Hume City, where do we start,” he said on the video.

“Dockerty Cup semi final, unfortunately we couldn’t get that over the line.

“If you look at the season competition itself overall, the highest ever points tally in a single season… What an achievement by the club and players.

“You can see now it’s benefiting through the club itself and it’s attracted a lot more fans now.

“Full credit to everyone involved at Hume City.”

Gulum, who has both played and coached Hume previously, stepped up as president during the season.

He said one of their big targets was to bring back that community to the club and with it

the supporters who had gone away from them the past couple of years.

“We can see now that they’re on the bandwagon and they haven’t stopped,” he said. “They’ve been absolutely amazing for us and the players are feeling it and us as a committee we’re feeling it too,

“We don’t want it to stop, we don’t want this season to end.”

Meanwhile, Hume’s Aamir Abdallah was one of the big winners at the Victorian Football gala night on Friday night.

The winger was crowned the NPLM Gold Medallist, the competition’s top honour, finishing with 32 votes.

He scored nine goals and had six assists across 20 games.

He also claimed the players’ players award and the Bill Fleming Medal for the best NPLM player voted by the commentary team.

Tara Murray

430072_45

Tough loss for the Tigers

By Tara Murray

Westmeadows is thinking what might have been after falling short in the Essendon District Football League division 2 grand final on Saturday.

The Tigers were the fairytale story heading into the game after two come from behind wins to win through to the grand final.

It was the club’s first senior grand final since 2000 and the club was going for its first senior premiership since their only one in 1984. Standing in the Tigers way was Taylors Lakes, the minor premiers and the best side all season.

For most of the game, the Tigers were in the contest.

A patch in the second quarter proved the difference, before the Tigers ran out of legs in the 8.14 (62)-5.13 (43) loss.

After two slow starts in their other finals, it was a better start this time round.

They led by two points at quarter time.

It was a real arm wrestle in the second quarter before three goals in 90 seconds to

Rachrache turned it in the favour of the Lions.

Tigers coach Ash Flavel said they had thought they had stuck with the Lions for long enough but couldn’t get it done.

“It was a tale of two ends,” he said. “They got a couple of junk goals in the end and that was it.”

Outside of that 90 seconds in the second quarter, the Tigers were left to rue the third quarter when they had complete control.

They kicked 1.5 for the quarter to one point, to still trail at three quarter time.

Goalkicking had proven to be an issue all finals for the Tigers, kicking more points than goals in all three matches.

“We probably should have kicked three or four and I thought it probably would have put us probably two or three goals off at three quarter time to get that momentum,” Flavel “We didn’t put them away and then we just couldn’t get going in the last quarter.

“It was the story of our lives. We kick those four really give mes, we are right in it. That is the game.”

The Collins brothers join Craigieburn

Craigieburn has added some much needed experience with the signing of Bundoora captain Luke Collins.

The Eagles announced the signings of Collins and his younger brother Josh Collins on Wednesday, their first new signings for next year’s Essendon District Football League division 1 season.

Eagles coach Shane Jacobs was thrilled to get the pair across.

He said he’d worked on trying to get Luke, who has also played in the Victorian Football League, across for a while having known him from when they were both at Bundoora.

“I’ve worked on him for a year and half now,” he said. “He let us know the good news a couple of weeks ago.

“He lives just outside of Craigieburn. Josh is only 20, so a bit younger than Luke who is 28.

“He’s [Josh] played regular division 1 football this year.

Jacobs said they had a couple of focuses with their recruiting, which is behind the decision to bring across Luke.

He said the first one was wanting to bring in people that lived locally as it’s hard to bring in players due to the location.

The other was adding a bit more experience.

Flaveladmitsthetollofcomingfrombehind thelasttwoweekshadalsoshownthroughlate in the game with the Lions looking fresher.

A hamstring injury to Korey Flavel-Wood, who tried to play through it, also didn’t help their cause.

Jarrod Petersen, Riley Hearne and Rex Hickman were named the Tigers best.

While disappointed, Flavel knows how far the club has come in 12 months.

Theygotrelegatedfromdivision1lastseason.

Flavel said he is proud of what they’ve been able to achieve.

“Watching Taylors Lakes get their medals, I just hope that just sticks in their memory heading into next year,” he said.

“It’s not gonna be a guarantee we’re going to be here next year, it’s going to a lot of hard work.

“I think the side that we got I think a lot of blokes are going to stay on and we’re already speaking to half a dozen guys already to build our list.

“We’ve actually put the club back on the map now making the grand final.”

“We were a very young side at times this year,” he said. “Sometimes we were playing four to five under-18s at once.

“Playing against the better teams you can’t do that. We’ve looked for players who are 27-28 and still have a lot of football left.

“Luke’s leadership will be great for us.”

Jacobs said they would look to announce some more signings in the next few weeks once finals action has finished.

He said they were excited by who they were bringing in.

“It’s always good to get in new faces but we’re not going away from our plan,” he said. “We want to develop what we have got but we need to add some more experienced players to support them.”

Tara Murray

Westmeadows players come to terms with their loss. (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Aamir Abdallah. (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Raafat

The perfect end to season for Plenty Valley Lions

Plenty Valley Lions timed their run to perfection to claim the FV state league 4 west championship and promotion.

The Lions faced Moonee Valley Knights in the final round, with both teams needing a win to finish on top.

With Fawkner right behind both teams, a loss could mean that one of the sides misses out on promotion and a play off promotion game all together.

Coach David Winton was thrilled with what they could achieve.

“It was definitely high stakes,” he said. “We had a consistent message, [assistant coach] Emmett [Sheehan] and I all week.

“Our boys followed the game plan to a tee and I think we deserved it. It was nice that we won the league.

“It was good for all the fans, long-suffering committee people who do all the hard work. I think for both Emmet and I it was a sense of relief and pride for the club.”

Winton said it was a nice feeling for them to be able to claim the title not having to rely on other results.

He said they’ve been there three years now and had a great first year before missing out on the second year.

Winton said they knew that they had a good team this year.

“We had some upsets along the way but since the turn of the season, the halfway point, I think we’ve won nine out of 11,” he said.

“We just kept plowing on and the boys kept focus and training well and there was a sense of relief when the job was done.

“I’m really pleased for the club, the players and the people that come and support us, week in, week out.

“It was great to see a lot of old players there on Saturday and what it meant for them.”

The Lions will now be promoted into state league 3 north-west next season.

Winton he believes it’s the first time the club has been that high in the current format of the competition.

He said planning was already underway for next year.

The Lions were back in action on Saturday

against state league 4 west champions Surf Coast in the battle for the overall state league 4 title.

The Lions won 3-2 and will now face Croydon City for the overall state league 4 title this week.

Speaking before the match, Winton said early in the week they didn’t care much about it, but said now it would be the icing on the cake.

“We really want to go there and win and put a performance in,” he said. “Hopefully we can put a performance in and have another big day next week.

“We have a few injuries and a few players who can’t make the time, we are taking a strong team and we go there trying to win it.”

Winton said they were confident that most of the group would return for next season and they would keep an eye out for anyone else that can take them further.

Tara Murray

South Morang’s stunning rise

By Tara Murray

A remarkable few years for South Morang has continuedwiththeclubwinningtheNorthern Football League division 2 premiership on Saturday.

Just two years ago, the club was celebrating finally breaking through in division 3 after a number of near misses.

It only took two attempts in division 2, beforetheclubaddedjustitsthirdpremiership to the cabinet and the first at this level. It means they will be in division 1 next season.

Speaking the morning after the grand final, Lions coach Gary Hall said it still hadn’t sunk in what they had done.

“It’s a dream at the minute,” she said. “All the efforts by a lot of people to get to this point.

“The hardest thing about division 3 is getting out of it. Then those years of Covid held us back a little bit.

“It gave the boys time to mature and grow as a footy club, the result was yesterday

[Saturday].

“We’ll probably get a reality check when we line up against Heidelberg in round one or something next year.”

On Saturday, the match went down to the wire like the Lions previous two finals. The first final between South Morang and Diamond Creek went to extra time.

This one, the Lions were able to hold on to win, 10.5 (65)-8.11 (59) at Preston City Oval.

Hall said the game was played in tough conditions.

“Itwasfairlywindytooneendoftheground and it was so slippery,” he said. “It was always going to be an arm wrestle.

“You go back to the three games that we’ve played during the year, it’s been the same. I think we had a 10 minute patch in the third quarter when we kicked a few and that’s probably what won us the game really.”

The Lions led by seven points at quarter time and six points at the main break with it anyone’s game.

Neither team kicked a goal for the first 22

minutes of the third quarter before the Lions kicked four quick ones to lead by 31 points at the final change.

Hall said the message at the last break was to make sure that they held their nerves and don’t panic.

“Just control the game,” he said. “Don’t do things that you don’t need to do and if you hang on you have just created history.

“They were all geed up with the reserves winning again as well. They came at us hard in the end, the boys to their credit held their nerve and hung on again.”

Hall said the grand final experience of the past few years had also helped them late.

The Lions kicked the first goal of the last quarter before Diamond Creek kicked the next five to get within a goal.

It would be too late and the Lions held on to create history.

Nathan Stefanile was awarded the best on ground medal. It was special for the big man who missed the Lions division 3 premiership in 2022 through suspension.

Hall said he was rapt to Stefanile and said it was perfect conditions for him.

Tye Hall and Joshua D’Intinosante were other standouts.

D’Intinosante finished with four goals and Tye Hall with two goals.

Gary Hall said those guys can play well in any conditions and they lead by example. Hall said that the Sunday would likely involve watching the replays of both the seniors and reserves wins amongst the celebrations.

He said they would have a weeks break before starting thinking about next year and being in division 1 for the first time.

Meanwhile, Tye Hall, James Traianou and Mitchell Kalpakis were named in the division 2 team of the year.

Whittlesea’s Mitchell Andrews, Jaron Murphy, Xavier Dimasi and Taidgh Bland were also named in the team of the year along with Thomastown’s Youseph Dib and James Lucente and Laurimar’s Joel Lawson.

South Morang celebrates. (Field of View Sports Photography)

Premiership glory for South Morang

Tye Hall.

Matthew Conversano scored twice on Saturday. (Ljubica Vrankovic)_424318_08

Eagles women turn it around to win championship

From looking like they wouldn’t have a team to champions, it’s been a big year for Uni Hill Eagles.

After winning state league 4 north in 2022 and finishing runners-up in state league 3 north in 2023, things were looking rough for the Eagles this year.

Wasim Najmeddine came on board in Octoberandhadtoputateamtogetherquickly to be ready for the season.

The team clicked and produced a season beyond their wildest dreams.

The Eagles finished undefeated, scoring 35 goals more than the next best team and conceding just seven goals for the year.

Najmeddine, who had previously coached senior women’s at Watsonia, said he was confident they could have a good season.

“I’ve always been ambitious when it comes to setting goals in every aspect of life,” he said.

“When I joined Uni Hill Eagles, the team was in a tough spot. They were struggling just to pull together a squad, and a lot of work had to be done, reaching out to different players.”

“Someoftheplayershadpreviousexperience, whileothershadnone.Somewereeagertojoin, andotherswerehesitanttocommit.Ittookalot of effort from myself and the assistant coaches to assemble a team.”

Najmeddine said he realised that they had a lot of potential in the short pre-season, having had some good results in practice matches including drawing with state league 1 side Fawkner.

Itthenstartedtoflowintotheregularseason.

“These girls had never played together before,” he continued. “But they quickly formed strong bonds. We made sure they had the chance to get to know and support each other.

“They adapted quickly to our processes and approach. It wasn’t long into the pre-season when I realized that what we had built was something special. The girls went on to play some outstanding football.”

Najmeddine said having had success this season, they were hoping it was only the beginning.

After being in state league 4 in 2022, the club will be in state league 2 next season.

“Our women’s and girls’ programs are really strong,” Najmeddine said.

“Withthepromotionandsuccessoftheclub, we’ve earned greater respect, more and more girls are interested in joining Uni Hill Eagles. They see what we’re doing at Uni Hill and are impressed by our commitment to the women’s program.

“We focus on recovery sessions, individual player performances, player reviews and bonding events like team dinners. What we do with our women’s program is one of the best I’ve seen among the northern clubs.”

Tara Murray

Old Paradians’ premiership raid

By Tara Murray

are still on cloud nine after claiming the Northern Football League division 3 premiership on Saturday.

A premiership was beyond the Raiders’ dreams at the start of the year having made the move across from the Victorian Amatuer Football Association.

On Saturday, it became a reality as the Raiders were able to overcome Fitzroy Stars, 17.8 (110)-13.17 (95).

Speaking on Monday, Raiders coach Ben Turnersaiditwasstillsinkinginwhattheyhad done.

He said said in the lead up to the game that the club had no expectations heading into this year and it was all an unknown being in a new competition.

“It’s been a big couple of days,” he said. “I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet.

“Our first year in the Northern league and we’ve won a premiership. It’s very special.

‘It’s been quite an achievement what we have been able to achieve this year.

“I can not believe what has happened.”

The Raiders faced the Stars for a second time in the space of less than three weeks.

The Stars won the semi final matchup between the teams by six points after the Raiders were 39 points down at three quarter time.

Old Paradians then won the preliminary final against Mernda to earn another shot against the Demons

With all the celebrating, Turner, who didn’t have much of a voice left on Monday, said he hadn’t really reflected on the match itself.

“Itwasagreatgame,”hesaid.“Itwaspleasing from a supporter point of view, I understand.

“We didn’t start the best and Fitzroy settled into the game better.

“There were a few key matchups that worked well for us and the backline held up under enormous pressure.

“Patrick Farrant kicking eight goals made it difficult.”

The Raiders were able to lead by four points at quarter time and still held that margin at the main break.

It grew to 19 points at the last change.

Turner said the message was simple.

“We couldn’t play it safe,” he said. “They had a slight wind advantage in the final quarter.

“We had to make sure we stayed composed and try to get a couple of goals into the wind.

“We were able to do that. We then looked to close it down.”

Turner said with about two minutes left on the clock they knew they had done enough to come away with the win and premiership.

He said it was nice to be able to celebrate the

last few moments of the game.

Lachie Kerr kicked four goals for the Raiders and was awarded the best on ground medal by the umpires.

Turner said Jack Nicolo and William Gilmore both had strong games as well.

HesaidtheexperienceofSamGilmoreshone through late when they needed him as well.

“He spent some time on the bench in the third quarter,” Turner said of Sam Gilmore. “He had a big influence in the last quarter.

“The moments he had were pretty massive. A lot of players had good moments.”

The premiership is the Raiders first senior one since 2015. It also means the club will have a new challenge next season, promotion into division 2.

“It’s the second part of it,” Turner said. “You win a flag and then you celebrate and reflect a little bit that you are going up a division.

“It’s exciting. We wanted to be relevant this

year and we wanted to make it so people would want to join.

“Winning a flag should hopefully attract some players. I’m excited by what the future looks like.”

Meanwhile, the division 3 team of the year has been announced.

Sam Gilmore was named as the ruck in the team of the year, while his Raiders teammate Kyle O’Sullivan was named on the bench.

Grand finalists Fitzroy Stars has the most players named in the team with four players, while Kilmore and Old Eltham Collegians had three.

Five clubs in Epping, Ivanhoe, Kinglake, Lalor and Old Paradians have two players picked in the side.

Those included in the team are Lalor’s Nathan Parkes and Sam Rexhepi, Mernda’s Kai Turner and Epping’s Daniel Rakhlin and Sebastian Latina.

Uni Hill Eagles women’s side. (Supplied)

Old Paradians

Old Paradians claimed their first NFL premiership. Coach Ben Turner and captain Marcus Nolan are pictured above with the cup. (Pictures: Northern FNL)