JULY 19, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Flower power revival on
(Shawn Smits)
Sharon Cook says she’s happy … and she’s free. And if you were to spot her outside her Albion house, you’d have to agree. The 53-year-old (pictured) is in the process of painting her entire house the colours of the rainbow. The idea first came to her when she was surfing the Internet and spotted some “hippy homes” in the US. “I thought, I’m going to do that,” Ms Cook says. “My husband said to me, ‘Don’t you dare’, so I took him to work at 5.30am then went straight to Bunnings to buy the paint. “I was half-way done by the time I had to go and pick him up,” she says. That was almost a year ago. While she’s finished the façade, a breast cancer diagnosis in October has put the job on hold, for now. Ms Cook plans to finish the rear of the house this summer. She said she has decided to live the life of a wild child. Growing up in the 60s and 70s has influenced her outlook on the world, she says. “It was a time of peace, when everyone loved everybody. I’ve got that spiritual sort of thing in me.” Alexandra Laskie
Police vigilante warning By Ben Cameron Brimbank police have urged Derrimut residents not to become “vigilantes” after a “frightening” early-morning home invasion on June 30. Derrimut and Deer Park Neighbourhood House (DDNH) organiser Rosa Mikac called a snap safety forum on June 7 following reports on the group’s Facebook page of residents conducting street patrols. Police from Caroline Springs, Sunshine and Keilor called for calm at the meeting. Mrs Mikac said police confirmed intruders had smashed their way through a sliding door of a property in Brimbank Gardens estate, stealing car keys, a wallet and the young family’s car.
When details of the incident were posted on the DDNH’s Facebook page, several responses indicated residents were prepared to take the law into their own hands. “The response was fear and anger on our Facebook page,” Mrs Mikac said. “It’s frightened the whole community. “Residents have been doing their own patrols, getting up earlier of a morning and doing drive-arounds. “We don’t want them taking matters into their own hands. We had to nip it in the bud, so we organised this forum.” Brimbank proactive policing unit’s Leading Senior Constable Matthew Mudie said residents should “leave the patrols to us”.
infocus T U R N T O
“They [residents] put themselves at risk,” he said. “Be vigilant, not vigilantes.” Brimbank crime investigation unit detective Senior Sergeant Matthew Baynes said police were working around the clock to tackle a spike in aggravated burglaries. A Taylors Hill teenager was charged in relation to two aggravated burglaries and theft of three cars in Brimbank at the weekend. The 17-year-old was arrested inAirport West about 4am Sunday. He has been charged over an incident at a Caroline Springs property about 5.25am on Saturday and an aggravated burglary at a house in Taylors Lakes about 3.55am on Sunday. Residents Christian Martinu and Rosa Mikac say – with Alexandra Laskie people are frightened. (Joe Mastroianni)
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