Melton father-and-son Phonsy and Bastian Mullan are on top of the world. The duo recently competed in the World Jetsprint Championship in New Zealand, where they each picked up a world champion title. Phonsy was named superboat world champion while Bastian won the new LS Class. They said it was a historic feat for a father and son to win both world champions in the same event in jetsprint. Story: Page 7
A Hillside woman with alleged connections to Albanian organised crime has been charged by police for her alleged involvement in a cannabis trafficking plot.
The Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (JOCTF) initially charged a Hillside man in September 2024, for his alleged involvement in the same plot to traffic $1.2 million worth of cannabis between Victoria and New South Wales and for allegedly dealing with suspected illicit cash.
The 38-year-old man was identified during AFP-led Operation Kraken as an alleged reseller of Ghost (encrypted) devices, which were allegedly being used to co-ordinate secret communications between criminals,
including members of an Albanian organised criminal syndicate.
As a result of this intelligence, the man was allegedly linked to $395,000 in suspected illicit cash, a Porsche Cayenne, 28 kilograms of cannabis, a grow house containing 25kg of mature cannabis plants, a sawn-off shotgun, ammunition and other prohibited weapons.
The cash and drugs were found by police in vehicles during separate searches in 2024.
The JOCTF has now charged the man’s partner, a Hillside woman, 35, for her alleged involvement in the cannabis trafficking operation.
She is facing five counts of trafficking a marketable quantity of a controlled plant,
namely cannabis. The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years’ jail.
She has also been charged with four counts of processing proceeds of crime and various other drugs and firearms charges.
The JOCTF has also charged the Hillside man with seven additional offences, including possessing an unregistered firearm, possessing prohibited weapons and various drug offences.
He will face the Melbourne Magistrates Court on February 18.
Asecondwoman,31,fromPascoeVale,who is also allegedly linked to the trafficking plot, wasalsochargedwithtwocountsoftrafficking a marketable quantity of a controlled plant,
namely cannabis and wo counts of possessing proceeds of crime.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Detective Inspector Chris Salmon said Operation Kraken showcased the skill, dedication and capability of the AFP.
“The resolution of Operation Kraken in September 2024 was the culmination of the AFP’s largest criminal investigation in 2024, but the work of investigators is continuing in 2025 to piece together the full scale of criminality that allegedly took place over the Ghost app,” Detective Inspector Salmon said.
“The AFP will never give up in the fight against organised crime. We do this to keep Australians safe – that is our number one job.”
Peri Urban Councils Victoria (PUCV) has elected a new team to head the organisation for the coming year.
Moorabool Shire councillor Moira Berry was elected chair, while Bass Coast deputy mayor Cr Brett Tessari was chosen to fill the position of deputy chair on Friday.
CrBerrysaidthenewleadershipteamwould focus on advocating for issues impacting peri urban communities ahead of the Victorian and federal budgets and the federal election due by May this year.
“This is an important time for us to champion the interests of our member councils by taking our message to Canberra
and Spring Street,” Cr Berry said.
“That is why I am honoured to be elected as chair, in partnership with my colleagues we will continue to advocate for the investment our members need to grow and prosper,” Cr Berry said.
The municipalities of Surf Coast, Golden Plains, Moorabool, Baw Baw and Bass Coast have a combined population of nearly 200,000. By 2041, that number is expected to reach 513,000.
Cr Tessari said peri urban councils were facing a period of enormous change.
“Our peri urban councils are on the front line of the next wave of growth in Victoria,
but we need government funding for essential infrastructure, such as roads, water and power, to ensure we can meet the accelerated demand for housing,” Cr Tessari said.
“These issues will be the focus of our conversations as we meet with state and federal leaders over the coming months,” Cr Tessari said.
In its pre-budget submission to both the state and federal governments, PUCV has recommended two funds be set up to support infrastructure planning and development in high-growth peri urban areas:
• a state government-administered Development Contributions Plan
Lakeside Alive in Caroline Springs is back in 2025. (Supplied)
Lakeside Alive returns to Caroline Springs for another fun-filled family day out by the lake. Bring the whole family and friends together and head to Lake Caroline on Saturday, March 15, from 12.30pm to 8.30 pm, for a day of free entertainment including roving performers, market stalls, live music and fireworks.
“What better way to spend a day than with family and friends, enjoying some delicious food and free entertainment by picturesque LakeCaroline,”MeltonmayorSteveAbboushi said.
“There’s something for everybody at Lakeside Alive, with activities for all ages, so
come along and join in some family-friendly fun.”
Keepthekidsentertainedwithasilentdisco, African drumming workshop, face painting, giant bubbles, art and craft activities, and the chance to meet our local emergency service heroes.
“It’s also a great opportunity to support our local businesses, so make sure you explore the shops and eateries around the lake while you are there,” Cr Abboushi said.
For those who are into the finer things in life, browse art, jewellery and clothing by local artisans at the market stalls, while being enthralled by the amazing talents of the
roving stilt walkers, fire twirlers, chalk artists and more.
When it’s time to satisfy your hunger, the range of food trucks serving yummy treats is ready to fill you up, or you can grab a bite at one of the delicious local eateries surrounding the lake.
Chill out to some live music on the main stage, with Australian indie-folk duo Pierce Brothers back from touring the world to headline the event.
To cap the night off, sit back, relax, and enjoy the twilight fireworks spectacular over the lake.
Details: melton.vic.gov.au/lakesidealive
(DCP) Future Fund that allows peri urban municipalities to borrow against DCP agreements to fund early-stage infrastructure projects (such as water, sewerage and drainage), and
• afederally-administeredCapitalInvestment Fund that provides grants to peri urban councils for community infrastructure (such as sports facilities, libraries and community centres).
Cr Berry and Cr Tessari will lead a PUCV delegation to Canberra this week where they will meet with government ministers and shadow ministers to discuss the two funds and advocate for government investment.
A fifth person has been charged following an investigation into the death of a man in Kurunjang last year.
A 21-year-old Kurunjang man and a 17-year-old boy from the Melton area were arrested on Friday, February 7 and interviewed by police.
The 21-year-old Kurunjang man was subsequently charged with murder.
The 17-year-old boy was released pending further inquiries.
Police charged a 21-year-old man of no fixed place of address and a 17-year-old boy from the Melton area with murder on on Monday, February 3, while a 22-year-old Harkness man and a 15-year-old Harkness boy were both previously charged with murder in relation to the incident.
The charges follow an incident in Kurunjang on Friday, December 20, where a man was fatally injured.
Emergency services were called shortly after 7pm to reports of a brawl between a group of people on McBurney Drive.
An 18-year-old Kurunjang man was treated at the scene but died a short time later.
Police will allege the incident was targeted and the people involved were known to each other.
The Old Djerriwarrh Creek and Bridge Community Group is raising money to install cameras along the creek in a bid to deter people from dumping their rubbish.
Over the past 12 months, the group has held clean-up days and removed rubbish illegally dumped in Djerriwarrh Creek and near the bridge.
The group’s chair Lita Tirkkonen said the clean-up days had helped volunteers to get on top of the rubbish dumping, but weren’t enough to deter rubbish dumping.
She said the group is hoping to raise enough money to install cameras in the area to track those who dump rubbish in the creek.
Don’t dump rubbish there,” she said.
“There are other options. There’s the tip, your garbage bin, if it’s metal, call somebody who collects metal.
“Idon’tknowhowwe’regoingtogetthrough them, but that’s what we’d love them to do.”
Ms Tirkkonen said Moorabool council has helped the group remove the rubbish on the west side of the creek, while Melbourne Water has also helped out.
Melbourne Water service delivery executive general manager Sue Jackman said the organisation had removed two abandoned car bodies and four cubic metres of waste from the creek.
Ms Tirkkonen called on Melton council to lend a hand to the clean up efforts as well.
Melton council city delivery director Neil Whiteside said the bridge and creek were the responsibility of the Department of Transport and Planning and Melbourne Water.
“Council would welcome discussions with these authorities about any restoration work in the area,” he said.
Old Djerriwarrh Creek and Bridge Community Group founder Lita Tirkkonen said the group has made great progress cleaning up the rubbish in the last 12 months. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 457562_02
By Faith Macale
Fifteen plaques have been stolen from a wall at Maddingley General Cemetery, exposing ashes.
Thecemeterytrustrealisedtheplaqueswere stolen on Wednesday, February 5, but police believe the incident occurred on Sunday, February 2.
Maddingley General Cemetery trust member Rick Dickson said the wall in an area the furthest from the cemetery’s main office, making him believe that it was targeted.
“It’s in a dark corner, under a tree,” he said.
“Unless you specifically went there, you wouldn’t notice it.”
Mr Dickson said the trust’s biggest concern is the pain this incident is causing to the families whose plaques were stolen.
“It’s the trauma that we’re causing by just ringing them up and saying ‘sorry, but you’re plaques gone and your ashes are exposed,” he said.
“It concerns us deeply that we’ve got to rehash an old burial.
“We’re stirring up emotions that have probably gone in the background.”
Mr Dickson said the trust has contacted
the Victorian Managed Insurance Agency (VMIA)to make an insurance claim to enable it to replace the plaques without charging the affected families.
It has also put temporary coverings on the wall.
“We’re lucky, we had a photo from the maintenance people of the wall which shows all the plaques intact,” Mr Dickson said.
“We can actually recreate the plaques.”
In Gisborne, eight plaques were also stolen from the local cemetery, but at this stage, police believe that two incidents are not related.
Lions Club of Diggers Rest is getting the whole community involved in a garage sale to raise funds for the Good Friday Appeal.
Secretary Bob Cassar said the garage sale is a fun way to get the club’s name out there.
“Most years, we get more than 50 houses having a garage sale on our town garage sale day,” he said. “Every individual house has their own garage sale.
“What we’re doing is encouraging people to all do it at the same time.”
The group charges a small fee for registration which then goes to the funds to be donated to the Good Friday Appeal.
“We make around $600 from the event,” Mr Cassar said. “With some money from the Lions Club itself, we try to make it up to $1000.”
ThegaragesalewillbeonSaturday,February 22 from 8am onwards, depending on the vendors.
“We produce maps of all the houses that are having a garage sale,” Mr Cassar said.
“We charge the general public $2 if they wish to have one.
“The sales from the map helps cover expenses.”
Local businesses and groups have also pitched in their support for the day.
“The general store is open in case someone wants a soft drink or an ice cream,” Mr Cassar said.
“The local fire brigade will also have a barbecue going.
“Ofcourse,whatkiddoesn’tlikeafiretruck?”
MrCassarstressedthatthisisnotjustaLions event, but a Diggers Rest community event.
“This is something that the Lions Club treasures,” he said. “It’s having that connection with different community groups, and also the public itself.”
Faith Macale
Lions Club of Diggers Rest members Matt Baker, Bob Cassar, and Kathy Skinner are getting ready for their garage sale. (Supplied)
Access to Navan Park Lake will be improved, with Melton council to share in $1.1 million in state government funding to improve fishing facilities.
Council will receive $55,000 to build lower landings on the Navan Park Lake boardwalk for easier access to the water.
Acting Outdoor Recreation Minister Ros Spence said the funding is backed by Victoria’s anglers through the reinvestment of their fishing license fees – which means this generation of fishing fans is making sure the next generation has the same great fishing they get to experience.
“Victorians love to fish so we’re making sure our local fishing hot spots meet their expectations when it comes to facilities and the fish we are stocking,” she said.
“By reinvesting the fishing license fees of
our angling community, we’re making sure fishing in Victoria remains the best in the country – so that future generations can experience this wholesome pastime in our great outdoors.”
Elsewhere in the west, Parks Victoria will improve seven fishing platforms on the Maribyrnong River thanks to a $46,400 grant.
The 2024-25 Large Grants Program is currently open, with applications closing on February 28. Details: vfa.vic.gov.au/fishinggrants
TheGlassesforKidsProgramiscoming to Melton, with vision tests and glasses being delivered to Toolern Vale and District Primary School in April.
The Glasses for Kids program has been expanded to an additional 473 eligible schools, including the two primary schools in Toolern Vale.
Member for Melton Steve McGhie said: “We’re helping kids and I’m delighted that students in Melton will benefit from this program, which saves families money and helps students to learn and thrive.”
The program is set to land on both primary schools on Monday, April 28.
The Glasses for Kids program was expanded to support more Prep to Year 3 students with free onsite vision screening and testing and, if needed, free glasses.
The Glasses for Kids program is offered to students at Victorian governmentschoolsidentifiedwithhigh and medium levels of disadvantage, based on the school’s Student Family Occupation and Education (SFOE) Index
Minister for Education Ben Carroll said: “Too many kids fall behind in school because of undiagnosed and treatable vision problems and that’s why we’re expanding the Glasses for Kids program.”
“Programs like the School Saving Bonus, School Breakfast Clubs, Glasses for Kids and the Affordable School Uniforms program sit at the heart of our plan to ease cost-of-living pressures for families right across the state.”
Natasha Papaelia
Senior Family Lawyer
Bachelor of Law with a focus on family law and dispute resolution. Member of the Law Institute of Victoria. Natasha is committed to delivering effective legal solutions, support, and advice with compassionate consideration of family law matters.
Bakery Square, Melton • Phone: 5332 1584 www.saineslucas.com.au
Blackwood’s got a new group in town, and it is bringing creativity and science together.
Blackwood Art and Ecology Club is the brainchild of the resident artist and nature-lover, Kathy Holowko.
She said she was driven to start the club to give kids and parents an opportunity to learn aboutnatureandhowlivingthingsrelyoneven the simplest things.
“All these kinds of sculpture-based workshops that I’ve done all over Victoria, and even across Australia, I wanted to bring to this lovely local creative community,” she said.
“I did sort of a test run at the Easter carnival last year, and invited everyone to come and make mushroom costumes for a couple of days, and then we all wore our costumes at the Easter street parade.”
Ms Holowko said the test run had a great turn out, and that the appetite was there, so the group where science and art collides was formed.
“Ireallywantedtomakeayearfullofmonthly events where we could meet up regularly.”
Ms Holowko has planned a workshop for every Sunday of the month for the rest of the year.
The workshops are free to all Blackwood residents, thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Foundation For Rural & Regional Renewal.
“I’ve organised this year-long program for the Blackwood community, but I’ve also created a second workshop in the afternoon to give everyone else in the nearby region a chance to join.”
Faith Macale
Exford Road closure
Melton residents can expect delays along Exford Road from Friday, February 14 to Friday, March 7. The works, which are part of the level crossing removal project, involve relocating gas mains under Exford Road. Impacted residents will be notified before any night construction works.
Alleged drink driver caught
A 29-year-old Weir Views man is expected to be charged with drink driving offences following a collision in Hoppers Crossing on Saturday. Police allege the man got behind the weheel of a silver Mazda while seven times over the legal limit. It is understood a silver Mazda and a utility collided on the Princess Freeway about 11.20pm on February 8. The Mazda then crashed into a pole. There were no serious injuries and the vehicle sustained extensive damage. The Weir Views man underwent a preliminary breath test at the scene where he allegedly returned a positive result. He was taken to a police station for an evidentiary breath test, returning an alleged reading of .326. The man is expected to be charged on summons with drink driving offences and driving whilst disqualified.
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Melton & Moorabool Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly
By Faith Macale
Melton father-and-son duo Phonsy and Bastian Mullan secured not one, but two world championship titles at the World Jetsprint Championship in Whanganui, New Zealand.
Bastian, and his navigatorTahleah Mullan, are the first world champions in the LS Class, a new class raced at the world championships this year.
“I feel so good,” he said.
“Alotofpeopleweresomewhatexpectingme to be at the front of the field.
“I didn’t want to let them down.”
Bastian said despite the pressure he felt, he was confident with the “absolute rocketship of a boat”.
“I basically just had to be cool, calm, and confident, and steer the boat around the truck as best I could,” he said.
Phonsy kept his Building King Superboat Class world champion title after a nail-biting run.
Phonsy, and his navigator, Narelle Pellow-Djukic, recorded a run of 43.262 seconds, beating their opponent by only 0.6 seconds.
“We ran in the finals under low water conditions, meaning the tracks actually got slower,” he said.
“For us to pull that time is pretty amazing.”
Bastian said he didn’t face as much competition as his dad.
“The biggest battle I had to face was myself,” hesaid.“Ihadtojustnotlistentoeveryone,and not fall to the pressure.”
Phonsy faced 22 boats from all over the world in his class, with three teams eliminated each round.
By the top six, Phonsy’s boat was damaged, leaving him sure they weren’t going to make it to the finals.
“With the water levels dropping, we took off crucial parts under our boat,” he said.
“Our team worked relentlessly to fix the boat in between the top six, and top three runs.
“Our competition had a brand-new boat, so we were against the odds.
“We ran our original boat that was about three and a half years old.”
to this year’s event
St Albans will transform into a unique Egyptianextravaganzawithanannualcultural event coming to town this weekend.
Despite no pyramids in sight, attendees will truly get a ‘taste of Egypt’ at the St George Coptic Orthodox Church’s free two-day festival.
From traditional Egyptian and Coptic foods like koshari, and shawarma, to cultural performances, kids’ activities, carnival rides, and market stalls – there’s something for everyone according to the church’s Makarious Rizk.
“Our festival is a celebration of faith, culture, and community,” he said.
“We’re hosting it to bring people together, share our rich Egyptian heritage, and offer a welcoming space for all.
“It’s a great opportunity to experience authentic traditions, delicious food, and joyful entertainment.”
Mr Rizk said organisers were expecting hundreds of people to descend on St Albans for the event.
“Whetheryou’refromtheCopticcommunity or simply curious to explore Egyptian culture, you’re warmly invited,” he said.
“We have been running our festival for several years and have welcomed thousands of visitors.
“Events like ours celebrate Brimbank’s multicultural spirit by allowing different communities to share their traditions. They create connections, break down barriers, and encourage cultural exchange, making our city a more vibrant, inclusive, and harmonious place for everyone.”
Visitors can also learn about the Coptic heritage during the festival, Mr Rizk said.
The Taste of Egypt Community Festival will kick off from 9am onwards on both days at 77-79 Henry Street, in St Albans.
Phonsy said world titles in the same event wasadreamcometrueforhimselfandBastian.
“It was an absolutely amazing, and historical achievement for father and son to do it in the same team,” he said.
“The pressure we’ve had, we’ve been building for at least a year.
“Our focus was to be the best in the world at what we do, and we are the best in the world now at what we do.”
The duo said the credit is also due to their team, and the locals who have supported them in their journey to become world champions.
“Winning the world titles, and winning it at the same time maybe was just the cherry on top, but that wasn’t our focus.
For residents of a West Footscray neighbourhood, the house on the corner might now be gone, but it will never be forgotten. Cade Lucas explains why.
Once a fixture of Australian suburbia, corner stores and milk bars are becoming increasingly rare with each closure invoking a mixture of sadness and nostalgia.
However, when a very busy corner store in West Footscray suddenly shut its doors a few weeks before Christmas, the only sadness among neighbours was that it didn’t close earlier. Any nostalgia was reserved for the time before it opened for business.
As you might’ve guessed, the business on the corner of Somerville Road and Lae Street, West Footscray wasn’t your archetypal neighbourhood shop: it didn’t sell lollies (though it products often came in small bags) and rather than closing late at night and on public holidays, it was open at all hours.
In fact the only resemblance 374 Somerville Road had to a traditional corner store was it was located on an intersection.
That’s because ‘the corner store’ was merely the nickname locals gave to the house, which from January 2023 to December 2024, hosted a drug selling business.
And for the near two years it operated, business was very good indeed.
“It seemingly came up over night,” recalled Marcus Wolfe of when he first noticed something going on at the house he had to pass to get to and from his home in nearby Park Avenue.
“It was an empty house one day and the following week it was a bustling shop with a 24-7 clientele.”
Another local resident, Chris Kennett, said trade at the corner store soon became so brisk that it caused traffic congestion.
Like Mr Wolfe, Mr Kennett also lives in Park Avenue so couldn’t help but notice what was going at the house on the corner.
“I reckon at least half the time I came in and out of the street there was an obvious customer entering or leaving,” he said. Given the new neighbours weren’t exactly running a clandestine operation, what their customers were buying was also pretty obvious.
“By observation of people shooting up and
passing out, I’m fairly confident they were selling heroin along with other stuff too, but couldn’t say for sure what,” said Mr Kennett, adding that similar stories soon began filling neighbourhoodWhatsappgroups,whilepetty crime, previously not a problem, suddenly became a concern.
Mr Wolfe said there were other dead giveaways, such as used needles suddenly turning up in the nearby park, McDonald A Reserve, where local children played.
The area around Somerville Road, Lae Street and Park Avenue is a quiet residential pocket in between gentrified Kingsville and industrial Brooklyn, making it an attractive location for young families.
Unsurprisingly, they weren’t enamoured with the new neighbours and their many, many visitors and began alerting the police.
“We’d report things to the police and if it was an urgent matter, it’d be a triple-0 call so the ambulance would come out,” said Mr Kennett, a single parent to two boys aged 13 and 8.
“Otherwise we’d lodge it on Crime Stoppers online as we were encouraged to by police.”
Mr Kennett provided Star Weekly with a list of 25 incidents he and his neighbours had reported to police last year alone, including drug users shooting up in the street, others passed out in parked cars and trucks and an incident on February 3 last year where two men armed with crowbars threatened the owner of the house next door in what’s believed to be a case of mistaken identity.
It wasn’t enough.
“Police said there needed to be a certain weight of evidence to justify a warrant,” said Mr Kennett.
“On the one hand it made sense, but it seemed ridiculous to us that with what we were experiencing every day, that they’d say we needed more (evidence). And what seemed galling was that it was our job to do this, that we had to collect evidence when police knew full well what was happening.”
A spokesperson for Victoria Police said they were aware of a number of complaints made about the Somerville Road property
throughout 2023 and 2024 and that action had been taken.
“Police executed a search warrant on April 9, 2024 and allegedly located two imitation firearms and cannabis,” the spokesperson said.
“Officers arrested a 53-year-old Footscray West man. He was charged with handling stolengoodsandprohibitedpersonpossessing imitation firearm, and was bailed to Werribee Magistrates’ Court on December 3, 2024.”
Police also executed a search warrant at the Somerville Road property on December 20, 2023, where heroin and suboxone strips were allegedly found, but charges were not laid due to insufficient evidence.
Mr Wolfe said he was left frustrated by the inability of police to shut down the corner store, especially given his job as a corrections officer.
“That was one of my biggest fears that one of their clients would be one of my ex-clients from work.”
Ultimately it wasn’t the authorities, but the
‘‘ It was an
empty house one day and the following week it was a bustling shop with a 24-7 clientele ’’
- Chris Kennett
the occupants themselves who shut down the cornerstore,packingupandleavingsometime between December 7 and December 13.
The reason for the hasty departure remains unclear, but what is undisputed is that the occupants left with their (dark) sense of humour in tact.
“We were stunned to find that they had left behind a sign which is just as flagrant as their business was,” said Mr Kennett of the ‘Shop is shut’ placard placed out the front of the house as a farewell message to the neighbourhood.
“We sort of marvelled at the cheek of it and the irony that we’d spent so long trying to get this acknowledged and dealt with that there was a shop here and then they admitted it.”
After two months sitting empty, 374 Somerville Road was recently torn down.
Where the corner store once stood is now just an empty block with an excavator sitting in the middle and a cardboard sign attached to the cab.
It reads: “Shop now gone.”
By Oscar Parry
This January marked the 10-year anniversary sincethebanningofcommercialsolariumbeds across Australia.
Despite this ban, Cancer Council Victoria reports that a large number of Australians are still taking part in dangerous tanning trends –with these trends affecting young Australians, including young women.
According to the Cancer Council, skin cancer has maintained its place as the state’s fifth most common cancer, with more than 3000 Victorians diagnosed with melanoma in 2023.
Cancer Council Victoria SunSmart program head Emma Glassenbury said the organisation is aware of harmful social media trends emerging recently, such as glamorising tan lines.
“We’re seeing harmful beauty norms glamorising tanning and we know this impacts women,” Ms Glassenbury said.
“We’re deeply concerned to see trends on social media emerging with young people showingofftanlinesandusingtheUVindexas a tanning tool rather than a warning … people should use the UV index to know when they should be using sun protection.
“These trends are really fuelling harmful attitudes towards sun tanning, particularly among young women, and increasing lifetime risk of skin cancer.”
MsGlassenburysaidmostyoungAustralians believe their risk of getting skin cancer is low and almost one in three young Australians believe that it’s safe to sun tan at their age.
“Young people are really susceptible to the social media messages, and it’s irresponsible for these platforms to be hosting misleading and dangerous content glamorising tanning – which is actually increasing skin
cancer risk,” she said.
Cancer Council Australia started a federal government-backed campaign to counteract harmful social media trends around sun tanning behaviours, titled End The Trend.
“This campaign is targeting young Australians and really promoting through social media platforms and … influencers to end tanning trends … highlighting that UV damage can occur just in 15 minutes to your skin,” Ms Glassenbury said.
Along with UV exposure increasing your risk of skin cancer, she said that it is also the cause of 80 per cent of premature ageing, causing wrinkles and sun spots.
Ms Glassenbury said a tan is the result of melanin production after skin is exposed to UV radiation, which is produced by the body as a way of protecting the skin, and is a sign of skin damage.
“We really want people to embrace their own natural skin tone … and to to use all five forms of sun protection whenever the [UV index rating] is three and above,” she said.
Ms Glassenbury said it is important to use all five forms of sun protection, which are wearing skin-protective clothing, using PF50+ broad-spectrum sunscreen, wearing a broad-brimmed hat, seeking shade, and wearing sunglasses.
A free virtual health clinic will help to make women’s health more accessible for women across Victoria.
On Wednesday, February 5, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas announced that the service will roll out before the middle of the year.
The aim of the clinic is to prevent delay or absence of medical treatment for women’s health issues which can have damaging impacts on education, employment, and quality of life.
Inpartnershipwithcommunityhealth organisation EACH, the free service will be led by expert medical practitioners to break down financial and geographical barriers of access.
“We know the gender health gap is real, especially for women living in regional or remote areas of Victoria” Ms Thomas said.
The clinic will provide initial health assessments and medical advice for issues like sexual and reproductive health, pelvic and endometriosis pain, breast and menopause health, menstrual concerns, and abortion.
The service will also provide referrals for relevant health professionals and various community services for mental health, drug and alcohol or family violence support.
Clinical services like screenings, examinations, and referrals for medical abortions (MTOP) and contraception will also be available.
Kaija Du
Swords, arrows, and battle cries broke in Ballan, as members of Swordcraft clashed for Biff Day on Saturday, February 1.
Biff Day is an annual event organised by Swordcraft, the largest live action role playing and battle game in Australia. The event is held in different chapters all over Victoria throughout the year.
Biff Day is a big role playing game where 40 to 60 players fight in a mass combat with Live Action Role Playing weapons like swords, daggers, axes, oriental weapons, maces, shields and hammers made of polyurethane rubber.
Swordcraft events manager Sarah Kelly said Biff Day was a great success.
“Everyone had a fantastic time,” she said.
“We had three battles in the course of the day.” Here are some photos of the action.
More than 100 excited young learners started their educational journey at Springside Primary School in Caroline Springs on February 6. Star Weekly photographer Ljubica Vrankovic captured all that enthusiasm, in and outside the classroom.
Melton CFA member Cooper Rhodes spoke with Faith Macale about his experience during the Grampians bushfire.
WhatisyourconnectiontotheMeltonCFA?
My connection to the Melton Fire Brigade is that I have been around it since birth. My dad has been a member for more than 35 years, and my brother for more than 15 years, with myself being a member for more than 10 years. It’s more of a family connection than anything
What do you like about being a member of the CFA?
Being a member of the CFA is truly an incredible experience, because of the friendships you can gain along the way from around the state, the opportunities that are provided by the CFA like strike teams, flood deployments, joint task forces with other organisations, or as simple as the urban Junior and senior state championship, but mainly the feeling of knowing that on someone’s worst day we can do our part to hopefully make it that bit better for them triumph’s everything
You were one of the crews from Melton that went to the Grampians, paint us a picture of what you saw and did there.
Arriving in Halls Gaps was an eye opening experience in itself seeing the parts that had been affected already. A recent fire only weeks before was breath-taking, seeing the kilometres of burnt forest and some areas of bright green regrowth on trees already was like a painting. After arriving at our staging area, and barely being able to see 30 meters in front of you as the smoke was quickly covering the air, an understanding of how serious the fire was. Our crew all said that seeing the size on VicEmergency compared to seeing it in person really opens your eyes on what people are going through. The crew I was a part of were tasked with entering the forest to protect
multiple structures. Entering the forest to complete this task gave you the ability to see the tireless efforts FFMV and CFA crews had put in to try and contain this fire.
Is there a local place you went to after coming back from the Grampians to
decompress and process the experience?
After returning from the Grampians it was back to life as normal. Starting the night shift the next night and getting straight back into work life, but coming home and being able to sitonthecouchandtalktomumanddadabout the experiences and the massive amounts of
learning experiences I received was amazing. I also talked about how impressive it was to see a community come together in a time of need and the respect and love they had for us CFA members. Dad was always engaged in the conversation, and mum was just wanting to give me a hug.
It all began when I left my house early one morning on the way to the pool. I was aware of anearliervisitbythegarbageworkers,heralded by their noisy trucks as they went about their business, disposing of our wastes. Of course, plants figure in this tale and this tale involves the street tree that I had lovingly planted around 18 months ago, after a succession of planting failures due to unsuitable plant choice and tree vandalism. The tree I had planted was around 40 centimetres in height when planted and was standing at over one metre in height ahead of this morning.
However, on this morning, the street tree was snapped well down the central trunk and our garbage bin lay casually poised at an angle against the tree’s trunk, as if proud of its damaging powers. The bin workers strike again! Being a nutty plant person, I felt some fury at the crime against an innocent plant and sad that the tree had been damaged badly. So,Iwenttoworkonahomeremedytorepair this tree. This involved only items I had lying around the house and garden already. These items were honey, strips of torn light weight cotton cloth, Velcro plant tape, a wire tree enclosure I had used seasonally as a vegetable trellis and three tomato stakes. I sealed several tree wounds with honey and held together the snapped limbs with cloth bandages and Velcro tape. I then enclosed the damaged tree with the trellis and supported that with three stakes in a triangular pattern.
I could also have screwed two eyelet screws into each side of the damaged trunk and held them together with a thin wire. I saw this as a solution offered on Youtube. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=b2Vwdd4giZo
Nowafewmonthson,theplantappearstobe surviving but I guess, it’s early days. Happily, I can see evidence of the cambion tissue of the splittrunkgrowingtogether.Anyway,itgotme thinking about all the plant home remedies out
there. Whether you are trying to repair a plant that is damaged as I was or to prevent and/ or treat a pest or disease problem that a plant might be experiencing. So, let’s discuss a few plant home remedies here.
Home remedies to help treat plants with a pest problem
Garlic/chilli-based spray
You can use a homemade garlic/chilli-based
spray to deal with small sucking insects such as aphids as well as caterpillars.
How: Mix crushed garlic and chilli (can be powdered chilli) with one tablespoon of vegetableoilandasmallamountofdishwashing liquid.Soaktheseingredientsovernightinajar, then strain and spray on plants. Avoid contact with your skin and eyes and keep away from kids. Use within two weeks of mixing.
Coffee grounds spray
Used or fresh coffee grounds can deal with slugs and snails you no longer want in your garden.
How: Mix used or fresh coffee grounds with 10 parts water and spray on areas of the garden where you’ve seen slugs and snails. The caffeine will kill them. To repel rather than kill, try copper barrier tape or pick the creatures off the plant you wish to protect and relocate them.
Home remedies to help treat plants with a disease problem
Rose Tonic
When growing roses, black spot or powdery mildewisacommonproblem.Whynottrythis mix as a tonic spray?
How: Mix these ingredients into a tonic: 2 teaspoons of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap in almost 2 litres of water. Spray the tonic on the rose bush which will protect the rose for months.
Chamomile tea tonic
When you’re starting seedlings, sometimes the tops of seedlings just fall over because the stem has rotted. Chamomile tea contains sulfur, which fights this fungus.
How: Inaspraybottleadd1chamomileteabag and 1 litre of cold water. Soak the chamomile tea in cool water for 15 to 20 minutes. Mist the solution over seedlings and young plants.
Each month, Stephanie Martinez will share an exciting craft project designed to inspire and spark creativity.
Stephanie starred in the first season of MakingItonNetwork10,whereshediscovered and ignited her passion for crafting. Join Stephanie as she explores the endless possibilities of crafting and turn everyday materials into something extraordinary. This month, Stephanie is creating a paper fidget toy.
Materials:
Assorted coloured paper/cardstock
Skewer
Straw Bead
Equipment: Scissors
Glue stick
Hot glue gun
Step 1
Cut ten strips of coloured paper and four circles from cardstock.
Step 2
Arrange the paper strips evenly around one cardstock circle and glue them in place. Then, glue another circle on top to secure them.
Step 3
Repeat the previous step with the other ends of the strips, attaching them to the remaining two circles.
Step 4
Carefully insert a wooden skewer through the centre of both circles. Use a hot glue gun to attach a bead at the top for security.
Step 5
Cut a small piece of straw and make several cuts to create tabs. Thread the straw onto the skewer and glue the tabs to the bottom circle.
ThreeintersectionsalongabusyroadinMelton are now safer for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.
The intersections of High Street with Coburns Road, Norton Drive and Holland Drive have been upgraded to make the area safer and easier for motorists in the growing area, the state government announced.
Crews installed traffic lights, traffic islands and signalised pedestrian crossings at the intersections of High Street with Coburns Road and Norton Drive.
AtboththeCoburnsRoadandNortonDrive intersections, street lighting and line marking has been upgraded as well as road resurfacing andtreeandvegetationtrimmingandremoval.
At the intersection of Coburns Road and High Street, new dedicated turning lanes and a raised safety platform have been installed.
Theroadhasbeenwidenedattheintersection of High Street and Holland Drive to cater for heavy vehicles turning left from High Street.
The new lane configurations are now in effect, with changes to vehicle movements
improving traffic flow for drivers.
As part of the more than $17 million state government project, a safer speed limit of 60km/h has been introduced on High Street in both directions between Melton Valley Drive and the Melton Highway roundabout, reducing the likelihood and severity of crashes.
More than 17,000 vehicles travel along High Street daily, and these upgrades ensure that this road can support Melton’s growth, the government said.
February and March will have somecase of the best events Melbourne’s west has to offer.
Lunar new year festivities will continue to dazzle in Williamstown with local artist QiQi on February 15 and in Footscray with the Vietnamese TET Festival across February 15-16.
Star-crossed lovers will be able to have a ‘Valentine’s Day Under the Stars’ at the Scienceworks planetarium in Spotswood.
Sunset Safari will continue to be a top do at Werribee Open Range Zoo with its extended Safari Tour, cocktails, performances and a traditional African Braai barbeque until February 22.
Close by, those wanting to catch a glimpse
of nautical excellence can visit the Offshore Superboat Championship’s thrilling races at the Wyndham Harbour marina on February 22-23.
Sticking with the sea, there is plenty of time to see the ‘Ocean Photographer of the Year Exhibition,’ at Seaworks in WIlliamstownwhich running through to July.
On the pitch, Western United will continue its campaign for glory as it takes on Auckland on February 15 and Adelaide on February 23 at Ironbark Fields in Tarneit.
Melton Night Market will have an assortment of European cuisine on March 7, as Greek, Italian, Dutch and Scottish dishes promise to excite taste buds.
Experience Wicked Sisters, a play about a witty reunion of old friends that takes a savage turn over laughs, wine, and unexpected truths at the Williamstown Little Theatre between February 12 and March 1 from 8.15pm, except for Sundays that when the show starts at 5pm.
Every Saturday until April 5, Kindred Studios in Yaraville will have free live music showcasing fresh local talent.
Last but certainly not least, Footscray Community Arts, The Substation in Newport will be contributing exhibitions to Asia TOPA, Australia’s major triennial of Asia-Pacific performance based in Melbourne.
Temporary street lighting is currently in place until the new street lighting is ready to be switched on.
Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne said, ““These upgrades ensure Melton residents can get where they need to go safely and smoothly – whether they are commuting to work, getting the groceries or heading off to school”.
Melton MP Steve McGhie said the works had made travel safer and easier for everyone moving through Melton.
Melton council is holding information sessions for parents with little ones aged three-to-four-years-old that are ready for kindergarten.
This is part of Melton’s Kinder Readiness Month, which will also have an open week over the next month to provide parents with information about the registration process and the chance to tour kindergarten facilities.
Parents are invited to come and explore their local kindergartens during this time.
Open week will run from Tuesday, March 11 to Thursday, March 13.
Families are invited to come and explorekindergartens,meettheteachers and ask questions to help decide if it’s the best fit for your child.
Registrations for kindergarten in 2026 will open on Wednesday, March 19. Some places still have registrations available for 2025 intake.
“Starting kinder is a big step for families and we are here to help you prepare for the transition and to choose an option that best suits your child,” Melton mayor Steve Abboushi said.
“If you have a child who is ready for kinder, I encourage you to come and meet our wonderful educators across the City of Melton and find out more about the registration process.”
Details: melton.vic.gov.au/kindergarten
Rockbank CFA
Rockbank CFA will be holding an info session at its station on Westcott Parade, Rockbank, on Wednesday, February 19, at 7pm. All members of the public within close proximity of the station are welcome to come along if they are interested in joining.
Luke Hibbins-Leece, 0406 259 272
Australian Gold Panning Championships
The Australian Gold Panning Championships is on Saturday, March 1, at the Blackwood Cricket Ground Recreation Reserve Road, Blackwood.
vicgoldpanning@gmail.com
Melton Night Market
Ignite your senses at Melton council’s vibrant Melton Night Market. Across two more unforgettable nights on the first Friday of March and April, from 5pm to 9pm, at the Melton Town Centre, immerse yourself in flavours, rhythms and traditions inspired by Asia, Europe and Oceania.
melton.vic.gov.au/Out-n-About/ Events-Activities/Melton-Night-Market
Grief education group
A group for people grieving the death of a loved one. Providing education, discussion and support on Wednesdays at 9:30am for six weeks from Wednesday, February 19 until Wednesday, March 26 at Melton Health Hub, 195-209 Barries Road, Melton West.
9747 7609
Bacchus Marsh CWA
Join Bacchus Marsh Country Women’s Association for its first public event of the year. An art sale with complimentary Devonshire Tea held on Wednesday, February 19, from 1-3pm for $5 an entry. Bacchus Marsh CWA is based at the Darley Community and Civic Hub, rear 182 Halletts Way (enter from Wittick Street).
karin.wilsonexchange@gmail.com, or 0417 344 968.
Women Working Together
A program connecting women aged 50 above in need of assistance, with mentors and mentees. Open to women across the western suburbs, including Melton.
9655 2131, or EmploymentSupport@cotavic.org.au
Over-50s Sunday games
Life Activities Club Victoria is running a games and cards afternoon every Sunday from 2-4pm at Kurunjang Community Hub, 35 Mowbray Crescent, Kurunjang. A newly-created friendly group which enjoys sharing a laugh and making new friends. Everyone is welcome because “life is better together”.
Deb, 9614 3017, or office@life.org.au
Darley Neighbourhood House
The Darley Neighbourhood House and Learning Centre is at 33-35 Jonathan Drive, Darley. It offers free and low-cost activities for all. There is a monthly repair cafe, a community pantry, a fortnightly chatty cafe and venue hire is available.
www.bit.ly/DNHnow, or 53674390
National seniors meeting
On the first Wednesday of every month at 1.30pm, the metro west branch of national seniors meets at the Deer Park Club, with meals available to purchase. The group also holds lunches on different Fridays each month, as well as activities such as theatre visits, bus trips and more.
0425 713 004, or lesley1.collins@outlook.com
Zonta club
Zonta is an international organisation bringing women together to support other women. The Zonta Club of Melton meets on the first Monday of each month at Melton Country Club, Reserve Road, Melton. Meetings include guest speakers.
Janet, 0421 080 923, or info@zontaclubofmelton.org.au
Melton Over 50s Social Group
Join a friendly group of people aged over 50 who enjoy each other’s company while attending events such as dinners, shows, dancing, cinemas and more. If you live in the Melton area and would like to meet new friends, in a welcoming group environment, this is for you.
Marlene, 0498 329 290
Rose carers of Maddingley Park
The group meets every Wednesday from 10am-noon at the Commemorative Rose Garden, Maddingley Park on the corner of Taverner Street and Grant Streets, Bacchus Marsh. They maintain the two rose gardens at the park. Volunteers are welcome and no experience is necessary to join.
Elaine, 0400 052 857 or Judy, 0428 463 538
Community band
The Greater Western Community Band meets Thursdays from 7.30 – 9.30pm. Rehearsal venue is the Bridge Road Community Centre, Strathtulloh (Melton South). The band is available for events. Brass, woodwind and percussion players are always welcome.
Sally Hamond, 0401474582
Melton Valley Ladies Probus
Melton Valley Ladies Probus Club meets on the second Friday each month at 10am at Melton Country Club. New members welcome.
Ann, 0425 705 150
Fishing club
Didyabringyarodalong Angling Club of Melton and Bacchus Marsh is a fishing club that welcomes and encourages people of all ages, genders and fishing abilities to partake in enjoying the outdoors in a relaxing and friendly environment. The club holds monthly fishing competitions at various locations, fresh and saltwater. New members are most welcome. Upcoming events will be listed on this page.
Andrew, 0407 303 438, or Wayne, 0414 785 366
Melton Concert Band
Rehearsals are on Thursdays from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the Bridge Road Community Centre, Bridge Road, Melton South. Musicians of any age who able to read Music are welcome to come along with their instrument (oboe, bassoon, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba, percussion). Please contact the number provided if you are intending to visit.
0401 474 582
Cancer Support Group
MelMarsh Prostate Cancer Support Group is for prostate cancer patients and their carers and meets on the first Thursday of the month, from 12.30-2pm, at Melton South Community Centre. Attendees
are encouraged as members share their journeys through what could be a very traumatic time of their lives. Explanations of medical terminology used in the treatment of this cancer are given in this group.
Grenville, 0412 741 865
Bacchus Marsh Ladies Probus Club Meets on the first Thursday of every month from 10am to noon at the Avenue Bowling Club on 254 Main Street, Bacchus Marsh
Krystyna, bacchusmarshladiesprobus@ gmail.com
Chatty Cafe Melton
Are you feeling lonely, isolated or just wanting to make some new friends? If so, Chatty Cafe is for you. The group meets on Friday mornings at 10am for delicious free coffee from Latin foods and wines at 10 Wallace Square, Melton.
https://www.facebook.com/ groups/352071857283331
Melton Trauma Teddies
Melton Trauma Teddies are seeking volunteers to assist with knitting, stuffing, or stitching teddy-bears that go to children in their time of need.
Jean, 0412 931 498
Boomerang Bags Bacchus Marsh Boomerang Bags Bacchus Marsh make reusable shopping bags from rescued fabric. They need people to cut, sew, iron and market our bags. The group meets on the first Sunday each month at Darley Neighbourhood House, 2-5pm.
https://63ec55b8628d6.site123.me/
By Faith Macale
Get ready for a colourful day mixed with culture, music, and food at Sri Durga Temple’s HoliFestivalonSunday,March16inDeanside.
Sri Durga Temple vice president Gary Verma said this year’s celebration is a modern version, but with a religious touch.
“It’saneventfulloffun,fullofcolours,fullof food and festivities,” he said.
“Many community members from all walks of life are welcome.
“Thebiggest,andfunpartiswhereyouthrow colours (powder) on each other, and celebrate
with your friends and family.”
Known as the Festival of Colours, Holi is a celebration in the Indian calendar to celebrate the eternal love of deities Radha and Krishna, and also the celebration of triumph of good over evil.
The event will also observe Holika Dahan, a practice where a person burns his evil deeds and pledges to make a new beginning from the next day.
The temple is expecting about 7000 to 8000 visitors on the day to celebrate the festival.
“There is beauty in living in a multicultural city,” Mr Verma said.
“You get to enjoy other cultural festivals, and in turn, they celebrate your festivals.
“Each and every person from the greater Victorian community is welcome.”
Different activities like dance performances, culturalprograms,marketstalls,andprayersat the temple will also be available on the day.
“There will be a DJ for you to enjoy if you are a person of music,” Mr Verma said.
“There will be folk dances, and singing on stage. We are also arranging kids rides, as well.
“We will be having four to five different cuisines from different parts of India to celebrate.”
their annual car show on February 23. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 454392_05
Altona’s Apex Park will be home of horse-power on Sunday, February 23, when the Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed hold its annual car show there.
Supported by Hobsons Bay council, the car show is the men’s shed’s largest fundraising eventwithallproceedsgoingtolocalcharities.
“This has been going now for 14 years,” Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed president David Berner of the event.
“We normally get up to 300 vehicles there.”
Broomsticks will descend on Taylors Lakes as a Macedon Ranges-based practice theatre group hosts its sing-along screening of the musical fantasy Wicked this month.
The event was brewed up by Friends of Safe Spaces Performances – a non-profit performancegroupthataimstoincrease performers’ confidence and provide an opportunity to practise their skills in a respectful and non-judgemental environment.
Group member Tracey Thiele said that attendees of past events have gone on to perform in local music theater and create their own solo performances.
“I think everybody knows someone [where you think] ‘they’re an amazing musician – why haven’t they ever pursued that as a career?’ I think the real answer is performance anxiety,” Ms Thiele said.
Shesaidthatthegroupchosetoscreen Wicked for both its musical appeal and its themes relevant to those looking to increase their confidence as performers.
“Everything from vintage, hot rods and all classics. Old Australia, old European, old American, it’s open to all types of vehicles,” he said.
Those that do enter a vehicle will out themselves in the running for a number of prizes across a wide range of categories, with all winners chosen by public vote.
They go by years,” said Mr Berner of the different categories.
“Best vintage, best original, things like that.
As for what type of vehicles, Mr Berner said it was more a matter of what cars wouldn’t be there, with being aged 25 years or older and paying a $15 entry fee, the only requirements.
There’s a wide range.”
There will also be food vendors, music performances as well as a showcase of other men’s shed activities such as making model trains, planes and, of course, cars.
Patrons can enter by gold coin donation with proceedings kicking off at 9am.
As for how many people he was expecting to come through the gates, Mr Berner wouldn’t choose a number.
“As many as we can,” he said.
“It’s a big area Apex Park.”
Details: https://www.hobsonsnet.com/
Cafe Philosophique is returning to the Bridge Hotel in Werribee as a monthly fixture starting Wednesday, February 12.
Drawing roots from a Parisienne intellectual tradition, philosophy cafes provide grassroot forums for people to discuss ideas.
Each night will include a feature poet and musician, alongside three open mic spots for those wanting to share a poem, story or song relevant to the nightly theme.
Jessica Fairfax, who will produce the event with the Little Theatre Company, started the series in 2017 at the Alex Theatre in St Kilda. She said inspiration can come from anywhere.
“For this first iteration our nightly themes were inspired by “philosophical“ quotes we found on public toilet walls.”
“In subsequent series we have since looked into death and dying, relationships, love and empowerment.”
A way to venture into philosophical parts unknown, the first session will be centred around the notion of purpose.
Gracing the mic will feature poet Sean M Whelan and a Pasifika songstress will augment the auditory experience.
While learning and self-discovery is integral to a philosophy cafe, the exchange between other thinkers is not to be underestimated.
“We hope to foster understanding between each other through respectful conversation and through discovering the different and similar ways we experience things,” Ms Fairfax said.
“Finally, we hope the event brings some awe into the lives of our attendees through stimulating ah-ha moments, and curating great stories and beautiful music.”
Each night’s theme will be announced a month in advance, so artists and attendees will have plenty of time to prepare.
Jaidyn Kennedy
“Wicked’s theme of overcoming adversity and defying what people think of you is the general theme of the movie … it’s just spot on with what safe spaces is trying to promote … believing in yourself, overcoming adversity, and singing.”
The sing-along screening will begin at 6pm on Wednesday, February 12 at Hoyts Watergardens in Taylors Lakes. Tickets must be purchased through the TryBooking link, with thepriceincludingpopcornandadrink.
The event will raise funds for the organisation’s future activities. Details: trybooking.com/events/ landing/1342332
Remind your special loved one with our exquisite range of flower bouquets, plants and gifts.
Roses to tulips to bouquets to hatboxes, we can cater to any occasion. From anniversaries, birthdays, condolences, graduations, and more, we have an arrangement for it.
We do same day deliveries all across Melbourne and surrounding suburbs. and suburbs
Come visit our store at: 352 Barkly Street, Footscray, Vic, 3011 Vic, 3011 or visit our website: www.BestFlowersMelbourne.com.au
You can also call us on (03) 9969 2400 between 9am - 5pm and email us at: enquiries@bestflowersmelbourne.com.au
Heritage Woven Wire & Gates are Powdercoated in 8 standard colours.
They are also available in a galvanised finish. Gates come in 7 different pedestrian and driveway styles. For your local distributor please call: 1300 360 082 Fax: (03) 9308 5822
Email: sales@emuwire.com.au • www.emuwire.com.au
PROPOSAL TO CO LOCATE ON AN EXISTING MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION AT 178 – 248 MURPHYS ROAD, EXFORD VIC 3338 INCLUDING 5G
1. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new Vodafone 5G equipment and associated works as follows:
•Installation of Three (3) Vodafone passive antennas not more than 2.8m in length onto proposed new headframe.
•Installation of Three (3) Vodafone 5G antennas not more than 1.2m in length onto the proposed new headframe.
Speak
3. In accordance with Section 7 of C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, we invite you to provide feedback about the proposal. Should you require further information or wish to comment, please contact: Abhishek Gampala from Nokia Solutions & Networks on 0413 809 856 or at communityrelations.vha@groups.nokia.com until 5pm Tuesday 25 February 2025. Further information may also be obtained from www.rfnsa.com.au/3338003 From
•Installation of Twelve (12) Remote Radio Units (RRU’s) installed on new steel mounts behind the antennas.
•Installation of ancillary equipment, cabling, GPS antennas and other items associated with the safety and operation of the facility; and
•Installation of a One (1) Outdoor equipment cabinet adjacent to the pole.
2.Vodafone regard the proposed installation as low impact under The Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 based on the description above.
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 Liquid part of blood (6)
4 Roma is its capital (6)
10 Part of flower’s calyx (5)
11 Banishment (9)
12 Fine ceramic material (9)
13 Designer, Calvin – (5)
14 Give up (6)
15 Immediate (4)
19 Mode of travel (4)
20 Reduce to very low temperature (6)
24 Handling (5)
25 Books of memoranda (9)
27 Area of England, historically the ‘Middle Saxons’ (9)
28 Perch (5)
29 Teutonic (6)
30 Essay on a theme (6)
DOWN
1 Document for travel (8)
2 Seeming (8)
3 People of Malta (7)
5 Detective (7)
6 Wait around idly (6)
7 Intending (6)
8 Scottish island (4)
9 Filmmaker, – Kubrick (7)
16 Testimony (7)
17 Poisonous (8)
18 Internet pages (7)
19 Insignia of royalty (7)
21 Comeback (7)
22 A spice (6)
23 Auction participant (6)
26 Written words (4)
1 What colour is the five-pointed star and the crescent of the Algerian flag?
2 Kristin Chenoweth (pictured) played Annabeth Schott in the final two seasons of which US TV series?
3 The 2022 film Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is an adaptation of which author's work?
4 In which country would you find the Trevi Fountain?
5 Which artist wrote and performed the songs You OughtaKnow and Ironic?
6 How many countries are the Alps in?
7 In what year did the Summer of Love occur?
8 The Russian Imperial State Duma was introduced by who? 9 Sofia is the capital of which European country?
10 Raven-Symoné's first TV acting role was on which US sitcom?
By Derek Ogden, Marque Motoring
With utes accounting for more than one fifth of the 1.2 million vehicles sold in Australia last year, Isuzu has jumped on the Ford Ranger/ Toyota HiLux bandwagon with a seriously upgraded D-Max pick-up truck.
Thepick-upfinishedasthefourthbest-selling vehicle overall, as well as scoring third in the dominant one-tonne ute LCV segment With major updates to technology, safety, interior and exterior design, 25 models cater for owners across the board from families to tradies and the odd tourist, the 2024 D-Max offers a choice of body styles, tray configurations and power trains.
The Japanese manufacturer says pricing remains competitive, with the D-Max SX single cab chassis 4×2 1.9 litre turbo-diesel manual at $32,990 drive away rising to the D-Max X-Terrain 3 litre turbo 4×4 at $67,990. Inbetweenisaselectionofvariantsincluding cab chassis/ute, manual or auto 4×2 or 4×4. Newly added is an X-Rider crew cab ute 3 litre auto 4×4 for $59,400. On test was the flagship 3 litre 4×4 auto at $67,990.
AllarecoveredbyIsuzu’ssix-year/150,000km warranty and up to seven years roadside assistance. A revised five-year/75,000km flat price servicing warranty has been introduced in response to customer and media feedback.
The D-Max X-Terrain weighs with a mix of muscle and contemporary design. Up front, theprofilehastakenonnewbi-LEDheadlights and sharp body lines evolved from Isuzu’s signature horizontal bar grille.
Tying in with this redesigned grille, are a set ofnewtail-lights,whichwithhorizontalcreases expand the width of the tailgate. The grey metallic aero sports bar has been redesigned, there are dark grey metallic sidesteps, mirrors, door and tailgate handles, roof rails, plus front and rear underbody spoilers and fender flares.
The X-Terrain is topped off with a matte black roller tonneau cover and the whole unit rolls on 18-inch alloy wheels in matte grey shod with 265/60R18 Bridgestone 68411 HT tyres.
Aerodynamics are taken up by a pair of air curtains within the fog lamps, channelling airflow round the front wheels, together with deflectors, sleek bodylines and reworked tailgate spoiler.
Interior
Forget the rough stuff, the crew cabin design, we are told, has more than a touch of the aestheticsoftheJapaneseartofMiuraOrigami paperfoldingintheperforatedleather-accented upholstery while melding creature comforts with occupant ergonomics and wireless connectivity.
The flagship X-Terrain adds signature red stitching throughout the cabin with dark grey and piano black appointments. Spokes of the steering wheel are trimmed in either matte silver, satin chrome or piano black, depending on grade.
The dual cab X-Terrain offers adequate leg-, head-, shoulder- and toe room for rear seat occupants. There are centre console-mounted air vents and USB-C ports, as well as a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders.
Infotainment
Addressing customer demands, a new 9-inch information touchscreen is the basis of new technologyintheX-TerrainsupportingUSB-C connectivity, voice recognition, DAB+ digital radio, and wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Also on hand in a new 7-inch muti-information display are more info on sat nav, ADAS setting controls and an additional 3AmP USB-C connection as well as tyre pressure and temperature figures.
Off-road enthusiasts can make use of an inclinometer and Terrain Command 4×4 modes now integrated in the system enabling the driver to access essential systems at a simple tap and swipe of the screen.
Engines/transmissions
There are two turbo-diesel engines, 4 2 and part-time 4 4, as well as six-speed manual and automatic transmission options. On test was the flagship 3 litre turbo-diesel 4×4 six-speed automatic.
D-MAX is already in possession of a five-star ANCAP safety rating under 2022 testing, the pick-up is waiting in the wings for a latest upgrade, which Isuzu is confident of passing with its extensive additions to driver assistance.
These include a new Gen4 stereo camera, plus upgrades to intelligent adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, rear cross-traffic braking, welcome headlight and welcome light functions which improve visibility and safety around the vehicle at night.
Eight airbags include dual front, dual rear seat side, dual full length curtain, front knee and centre (far side).
Driving
Not a fan of sidesteps for their tendency to damage in hard going off road. However, together with sturdy grab handles, they do make climbing into a big off-roader more acceptable, especially if the D-Max owner
is met with an exalted view from the driver’s seat.
Settling in some of the most comfortable seats in its class, D-Max passengers can have little to complain about. Font-seat padding is supportive and the X-Terrain’s eight-way power adjustment is easy to operate.
Whenthe3.0-litrefour-cylinderturbo-diesel of the test vehicle fired up there was more than a distant sound of the past from under the bonnet – for what the term ‘agricultural’ was coined.
Tap the accelerator and the D-Max has a particularly perky take-off – it’s easy to startle onlookers with a tyre squeal or two. The six-speed automatic transmission handled shifts smoothly, giving the driver an added layer of confidence. This is not the same for the lane-keeping, with systems varying in response. The system can be switched off manually.
Isuzuputsthecombinedurban/highwayfuel consumption at eight litres per 100 kilometres. The test X-Terrain recorded 10.4 litres per 100 kilometres in town and 6.4 litres per 100 kilometresontheopenroad.Towingislimited to 2800kg to 3500kg.
An optional suspension tuning unique to Australian roads, would not go a miss with those craving classy comfort, while off road is just the beginning for the D-Max X-Terrain, with impressive ground clearance of 240mm, and wading depth of up to 800mm, plus vital underbody protection.
Selectable dual-range 4WD, a rear differential lock and generous approach and departure angles make the D-Max one of the most capable units on the market.
Then, for the more adventurous, there are new improvements to Isuzu’s Rough Terrain Mode, an electronic off-road traction control aid that maximises torque transfer and driveability in slippery or rugged conditions.
Summary
The Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain Crew Cab, helped byacornerfullofthelatesttechnicalandsafety know-how, continues to duke it out with some of the best in the heavyweight ute division.
Finals spots are on the line as several women’s cricket competitions near the end of the season. Star Weekly’s Ljubica Vrankovic was out shooting some of the action on Sunday.
Harkness is hoping that it can go one step better in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association Jensen Shield this season.
Harkness, which was known as St Anthonys, sits in third spot with two rounds remaining primed for a tilt at finals.
President Marc Turner said they had a pretty determined group who wants to take the premiership after missing out last season.
“It would be good if we can get there,” he said. “We are tracking along like we did last year.
“We are confident we can get there. They are pretty keen to make amends for last year.
“It’s pretty much the same side as last year and they’re focused on getting the win.”
On Saturday, Harkness had a strong all round performance against Melton South Royals.
Harkness made 9-200 from its 40 overs with Jagjiwan Singh top scoring with 69 not out after coming in at number eight.
The Royals fell well short, bowled out for 149 in the 37th over. Baljinder Singh took four wickets for Harkness.
Turner thought the score they had on the board was more than competitive.
“It was a good score, they batted well,” he said. “It always helps when you bowl and field well.”
The side sits in third spot, two games behind Lancefield and Riddell with two
rounds remaining.
Harkness needs to win both its last two games and hope either of the top sides lose both their games to possibly move into the top four.
Turner said their second side was still in finals contention despite dropping its last
By Tara Murray
BacchusMarshhastakenastepclosertosealing the minor premiership in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association women’s league.
The Bulls hosted Darley on Sunday, with the match not only a local battle but a match up between the top two teams.
The Bulls continued to fire with the bat to set up a massive win.
Bulls captain-coach Tomeka Fowlie said it was a really good performance.
“They are a great team,” she said. “We made almost 300 last week which was a record and we have set ourselves some high targets when we go out to bat and make as many runs as possible.”
The Bulls top order set up the Bulls score as they made 3-261.
Sisters Ashley Gillard (62) and Sarah Bamford (70 not out retired) got them off to a flying start.
Fowlie made 70 not out retired as well.
The captain said they knew they had plenty of people down the order that could contribute.
“Ash and Sarah led the way for us,” she said. “Emily [Kennedy] and Stella [Blaikie] have come in and are really good with the bat.
“I’ve had a good run as well. The top five are really solid and everyone else in the bottom half is happy to have a crack.”
Fowlie said when they feel they can, they’ve moved the order around to give some players a bit more opportunity.
She said they want everyone to get their chance to show what they can do.
Having put the runs on the board, the Bulls bowlers then had a task ahead of them.
The Lions fell well short, restricted to 5-163.
Kim Bessell was the key for the Lions and while she made 68 it wasn’t with the same force as some of her other innings.
Fowlie said they had made a big focus of trying to restrict Bessell.
“She is one of a kind and she can take the game away from you,” she said. “Obviously we wanted to get her out early.
“When it didn’t happen we worked around her and got the other person on strike. We had
two matches while its third side was doing well too.
Having had a tough few years where the club nearly closed, Turner said it was good to see the turnaround.
“It is good to be winning again,” he said.
“It’s been a big turnaround.
“We were gone there for a while.
“Next year we’re looking to build again and maybe add another side. The numbers are positive and they want to play here.
“Hopefully we’re on to bigger and better things.”
Meanwhile, Diggers Rest Bulla is in trouble against Eastern Hill in the Johnstone Shield. The Burras were bowled out for just 91 on Saturday with Jake Reid top scoring with 28 as just three players reached double figures. Eastern Hill ended day one at 1-20. In the other matches, Aintree made 262 against Wallan while Eynesbury is 3-14 in reply to Kilmore’s 152. East Sunbury has the bye.
Tara Murray
Melton won a thriller against Werribee in the Cricket Victoria Women’s Community Cricket Competition shield 2 competition.
The Lions were at home against Werribee on Sunday afternoon and it went down to the wire.
Werribee batted first and made 8-163 from its overs.
Candace Hulett took 4-41 for the Lions to be the pick of the bowlers.
The Lions lost an early wicket before steadying
Charli Peterson and Hulett put together a partnership before Hulett fell and Chelsea Lapsley followed not long afterwards.
Skipper Amy Hibbert came to the crease and was there to help guide her side home with four balls remaining.
The Lions finished 5-164.
Hibbert finished 44 not out.
The win has the Lions in sixth spot, 12 points outside the top four with three rounds remaining.
Meanwhile, Melton’s men’s side had a tough match in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association south-west against Ormond.
Ormond needed just nine runs on day two to claim first innings points. It did that and declared at 8-175.
a good plan against Kim and it showed.”
Kennedy took three wickets for the Bulls off her six overs.
The Bulls are now two games and massive percentage ahead of second placed Darley with two rounds remaining.
Fowlie said the group was happy to be in the top part of the competition for a second straight season after being towards the bottom the first few years.
The Bulls face Kilmore this Sunday in the second last round.
“It’s more about giving everyone a go,” Fowlie said of that game. “We then play Gisborne at home and we want to put our best foot forward.
“We’ll play it by ear and see what happens. We just want everyone to enjoy it.”
Meanwhile in the Ballarat Cricket Association, Darley claimed the win against Buninyong and Bacchus Marsh lost to Wendouree.
With two rounds remaining Bacchus Marsh sits in fourth and Darley in seventh, eight points behind them.
Meltonmade139initssecondinnings with William Chesterman top scoring with 42.
Ormond finished 7-82 in its second innings to claim the full 10 points.
The Lions face Moorabbin this weekend in a two-dayer. The two sides sit bottom of the table.
New Darley coach Shannon Blackman wasn’t expecting to be thrown into the coaching hot seat in the Ballarat Netball League this season, but is keen for the challenge.
Blackman has been named the Devils new head coach after three-time grand final coach Di McCormack made the decision to step downtwomonthsoutfromtheseasonstarting.
Blackman, who is part of the A-grade side, was set to coach the C-grade team this season but will now take on a greater load.
She said it would be a good challenge.
“I’m excited and looking forward to it,” she said. “I didn’t think I was going to be head coach, it was originally just C-grade.
“I took a couple of days to think about it. It’s a lot as it’s not just one grade, but I’m now doing four grades.”
It was McCormack who suggested that Blackman step up and take on the overall role, having coached her for a number of years.
The two have a close relationship and Blackman said she has McCormack there as a mentor for any questions that she has.
“She is amazing,” she said. “If I need anything, I can ask her.
“She’s a second mum to me. When I came over I was living in the city and they offered me a home.
“I call her my Aussie mum and Adrian [McCormack] my Aussie dad.”
Blackman said knowing most of the playing group across the whole Devils program would help stepping into the role.
Only Ella Closter from last season’s A-grade side has returned this season.
Blackman, who missed trials due to being overseas, said she would see more of the mix
By Tara Murray
Caroline Springs may be undefeated but there’s still plenty of work to be done in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association women’s competition.
The Falcons have continued to be the pace setters of the women’s competition as they go for a third straight premiership.
Coach Gary Pretty said they were happy with how things were going this season as they sit undefeated.
“We’re going along OK,” he said. “We’re travelling along reasonably well and meeting all the challenges that come at us.
“We’ve got a few more weeks to go.”
The Falcons have looked to change things around this season as they’ve added some younger players and some new players to the mix.
Pretty said their key performers continue to stand up every week.
“We are still relying on the key performers,” he said. “We’ve mixed up the batting order with a couple of new openers who are going well.
“Some of the more experienced girls have slipped down the order and giving that
capacity when we need it, especially with finals coming.”
The Falcons are getting some big tests in the lead up to finals.
They faced Aberfeldie in a top of the table clash in round 13, which they won.
On Sunday, the Falcons faced Glenroy in a second straight top of the table clash with the Lions having overtaken Abers after the previous weeks results.
The Falcons did a demolition job with the ball to run away with a big win.
They kept Glenroy to 9-41 with Ashley Angus playing a lone hand with 22.
Only one other batter made more than one.
Caitlin Pretty and My Yen Au took two wickets each for the Falcons as eight bowlers had a bowl.
The Falcons openers then got the job done, finishing 0-42 in the seventh over.
Amelia Sevior made 21 not out and Shelley Carton finished 12 not out.
Pretty said it was good to have a run like that into finals against the top teams, who they might face again come finals.
“It’s good for us,” he said. “We’ve not where wewanttobeheadingintofinals.Ourbowling
across the grades when training starts this week.
“We have played with each other for the last few years,” Blackman said of the A-grade side. “We’ve made three grand finals without getting over the line.”
Blackman also has a lot of young talent at her disposal, with the under-19s winning the past two premierships.
She said it’s exciting to see what they can do and they have a lot of talent coming through the ranks.
It will be a busy few months for Blackman on the netball court.
As well as playing and coaching Darley, she’s part of the inaugural Gippsland Stars championship side in the Victorian Netball League.
“My whole weekend will be netball,” she said. “On Sundays we train at Warragul.
“There will be plenty of netball, but I’m enjoying it.”
Tara Murray
A super over was needed to split Sydenham-Hillside and Sunshine United intheVictorianTurfCricketAssociation T20 round of 16 on Thursday night.
The competition entered the knock out stage last week, with the top two teams from each pool having progressed through.
The game of the round was the Storm’s win against the Tigers.
The Storm made 8-141 after winning the toss with Cam West top scoring with 46 at the top of the order.
Three players took two wickets each for the Tigers.
The Tigers looked on track to get the runs at 3-121. The wickets started to fall and it came down to the final bowl.
Sunshine United finished 7-141 to send it into a super over. Skipper James Muirhead top scored with 34.
The Storm made 1-17 from its super over, before restricting the Tigers to 1-9. Sydenham-Hillside will face Altona North in the next round.
Deer Park is also through to the next round after beating St Albans on Thursday night.
The Lions made 5-160 from their overs withDanielSartorimaking57notoutoff 49 balls.
Daniel Blatherwick took 3-46 for the Saints.
and fielding needs to pick up.
“Our batting has been good but we don’t want to become self reliant on it and we want everyone to contribute when they have the chance.”
The Falcons finish the regular season against the Altona Roosters this Sunday.
Sydenham-Hillside had a bye on the weekend.
It will face Glenroy in the final round.
Meanwhile in the VTCA Roy Picone Shield, Caroline Springs claimed the points after East Keilor forfeited.
The Falcons sit second on the table with two rounds remaining.
In the men’s senior division, Sydenham-Hillside lost to Deer Park.
After day one of the match was called off, the Storm made 189 from its 40 overs.
Ishan Peiris top scored with 54. Fawad Ahmed and Allan Wise took three wickets each.
Aaron Ayre continued his good form to guide his side home in the 37th over with the Lions finishing 6-190. Ayre made 89 not out.
The Lions sit in second spot, now a game clear of Sydenham-Hillside.
The Saints were in trouble at 3-27 and then struggled to keep up with the run rate. Despite some late runs, they fell well short making 7-113. Akila Isanka top scored with 32.
Deer Park will face Point Cook Centrals in the next round.
The Crows batted first and made 5-127 from their overs with open Troy Stone top scoring with 55 not out.
At 4-100, the Stars were in the challenge but the wickets started to fall. They fell just short, finishing 9-122.
Ashen Abeykoon took four wickets for the Crows.
The Crows quarter final opponent is PEGS which is also through to the next round, accounting for Haig Fawkner.
PEGS made 9-143 with Jagadeswara Koduru tops scoring with 32.
Haig was bowled out in the 16th over for 93.
Shakeem Clarke and Rasika Batepola took three wickets each for PEGS.
The Druids and Westmeadows are the othersidesthroughtothisweek’squarter finals.
New Western Jets boys coach Christian Stagliano is looking forward to putting his passion for teaching and coaching together at the same time.
Staglianohasbeenappointedtheboyscoach for the Coates Talent League club, replacing Trent Dennis-Lane who has returned to the AFL system.
He was a development coach at both Collingwood and the Gold Coast Suns and has coached Northern Football League sides, Banyule and Macleod.
Stagliano said the role was something he was looking forward to.
“Last night [Tuesday] night was the first night,” he said. “It was a really good start to get out of some old habits and get back into it.
“I really enjoyed it.”
Stagliano said there were a few things that attractedhimtotherole.Combiningcoaching and teaching was the main one.
“I’m a qualified teacher and I’ve worked in
schools between full time football.
“In a work environment I’ve worked with schoolagekidswhoareaspiringtogetfurther. At the same time I have a passion for footy, it was a no brainer.
“I’vehadacoupleofmatesatotherclubsand they’ve spoken highly about the program.”
Stagliano said he had several football connections in Melbourne’s west already including at Werribee Football Club.
He said one of his main focuses was to help the players want to improve and want to get better.
WhiletraininggotunderwayonWednesday night, the Jets are yet to finalise their squad. That is likely to come closer to the start of the season.
Between now and then Stagliano will be
By Tara Murray
As a Western Bulldogs supporter, Western Jets’ Thomas Burton was in his element when he got to train with the club.
A member of the AFL Academy, for the best players heading into their draft year, Burton had the opportunity to spend time with an AFL club.
His club just happened to be the Bulldogs.
“That was so good,” he said. “It was one of the best experiences that I had to be in that environment, it was ridiculous.
“It was a surprise to be at that club and I was over the moon it was the Bulldogs. They were really good to me
“Any club would have been good, I’m so grateful for them to take me in and be part of the team for a week.”
The Bulldogs experience late last year has been part of a big few months for Burton. He was named in the academy after playing on the MCG in the under-17s futures game.
Burton said while the academy was something that he wanted to be part of, it wasn’t something he set for himself.
“It has been pretty hectic so far, pretty crazy,” he said. “I get to train and play with the best 20 players in the country.
“It’s pretty surreal, it was good and I was not really thinking it was going to happen. I played well on grand final day and was fortunate enough to get selected.
“To be out there on the MCG was crazy. By the end of the first quarter, I was gassed.”
The academy has already had one camp and will have more later in the year and play some games together,
Burton is aware how much this helps in his football journey.
“Having a strong bottom age year means I’ve already been seen by recruiters,” he said.
“It’s a good base and I want to go beyond that. It’s about me advancing this year.”
For Burton, the football dream and being drafted started when he was about 15.
busy learning the playing group.
“The next three to four weeks I’ll get across everybody and assess their performance,” he said. “In terms of expectations, I’ve only just started and getting to know each other.
“There’s some standards I’ll look to set, but I don’t want to rush into anything. We need to get to know each other.”
Stagliano said one of the biggest things for him early on was making sure they set an environment where everyone will thrive.
He’ll then look at other things.
“I want an environment where they want to behere,”hesaid.“Iwanttomakesureeveryone enjoys being there and being comfortable.
“That they want to improve and be in the best position to grow.”
Tara Murray
Brandon Lister has joined Diggers Rest in the Riddell District Football League. Lister joins the Burras from Yarraville Seddon where he was a former Western Football League division 1 team of the year member. He played consistent football in the middle and off half back. The Burras have also announced a number of re-signings with Chris Lawton, Austin Cicero, Kye Sheedy and Marcus Calvaresi the most recent announced.
Burnside Heights is set to lose two key players from its Essendon District Football League women’s division 1 side. Brodie and Ebony Stevens, who have been part of the women’s side of a number of years, have put in clearances to join Caroline Springs in the Western Football League. Both were part of the Bears grand final time in 2024.
Thefollowingyear,hemadehisseniordebut for his local club, Point Cook on the biggest stage in a grand final.
“I trained with them the previous week and Clay Smith the coach asked me if I was able to play and I said of course I’m able to play,” he said.
“It was a really good experience to be able to train with them as well. It’s the best atmosphere that I’ve played in.
“I was worried I wouldn’t fit in, but after the first quarter I thought I could make a difference in the game.”
Burton, who looks to Jason Johannisen and Zac Butters for inspiration on his game, is currently battling an injury but is hoping to be back running in the next few weeks.
His first focus is to be ready for the practice matches for the Jets before playing the first few games.
Being part of the Vic Metro squad is also one of his major aims in the next few months,
The Western Football League division 2 competition is now a 10 team competition with Glen Orden and North Sunshine withdrawing their teams. Both teams will instead play in the thirds competition. “The Western Football Netball League wishes to advise that both the Glen Orden Sports Club and North Sunshine Football Club have withdrawn from fielding senior and reserve teams in this year’s division 2 men’s competition with both clubs moving to the thirds competition for 2025,” the league said on its website. A new division 2 fixture has been released with the Western Rams now to start their season against Sunshine Heights.
Caroline Springs George Cross started its Victorian Premier League 1 season with a big win against Langwarrin on Saturday night. Luke Lofts scored twice in the win for the Georgies with Riki Hosoai the other goal scorer for the side. Western United was due to play on Monday night after deadline. In round two, the Georgies face North Sunshine Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
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