November 2014

1 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

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No 480, November 2014 ❂ For the community, by the community

Editorial & Advertising: 9844 0555

Email: info@warrandytediary.com.au

Picture: GARETH DICKSON

INSIDE

l COOK-UP CRAZY Drum roll, please, our culinary champs about to be announced P3

l SNAKE SEASON Watch your step, the snakes are slithering about in force P8

SPOOKY CUTE

HALLOWEEN hit the streets again this year as all sorts of creepy crawlies, witches, monsters, vampires, black cats and even female teenage mutant ninja turtles converged on homes for a

trick or a treat. Sarah and Rosie set about giving everyone a fright before bewitching one and all with those wickedly delicious hypnotic big browns … and demanding some treats!

Chapman Gardner B U I L D E R S Established 1977

Jason Graf

Registered Building Practitioner

0418 654 555 Office: 9728 8477 Fax: 9728 8422 jason.graf@chapmangardner.com.au www.chapmangardnerbuilders.com.au

l FIREBALL FRENZY Our gala event in pictures as important funds raised for firies P18-19

peter gardiner

LLB

general legal practitioner 40 years in legal practice office 1, 2 colin avenue warrandyte (adjacent to goldfields)

telephone 9844 1111 fax 9844 1792 peter@pgardiner.com

“Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”

— John Lennon

2 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

OVER THE HILLS

By JOCK MACNEISH

EDITOR: Scott Podmore, 9844 0555 PUBLISHER: Warrandyte Diary Pty Ltd (ACN 006 886 826 ABN 74 422 669 097) as trustee for the Warrandyte Arts and Education Trust POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 209, Warrandyte 3113 ADVERTISING & ACCOUNTS: Briony Bottarelli, 9844 0555 DIARY OFFICE: Community Centre, 168-178 Yarra Street, Warrandyte, 9844 0555 EMAIL ADDRESS: info@warrandytediary.com.au EMAIL SPORT: (Michael Di Petta) mikey_dipetta@hotmail.com WEBSITE: www.warrandytediary.com.au FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/warrandytediary PRODUCTION: Rachel Schroeder PRINTING: Streamline Press Pty Ltd, 155 Johnston Street, Fitzroy Published on or about the second Tuesday of each month (except January).

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NEXT ISSUE Next issue of the Diary will be published on Tuesday, December 9, 2014. Advertising and editorial copy closes Friday, November 28, 2014.

OUR NEWSPAPER The Warrandyte Diary was established in 1970 as a small local newsletter. Although it has developed over the years, it has retained its strong community character, being produced mostly by volunteers with only one aim: to serve its community. Financed solely through advertising, it guards its not-for-profit, non-commercial status and its independent voice. The Diary carries a strong editorial bias towards the people, environment and character of the place it serves. Its monthly circulation is 4000 copies and it is available in Warrandyte, North Warrandyte, South Warrandyte, Park Orchards, Wonga Park, Warranwood, North Ringwood, Kangaroo Ground and Research.

A SPECIAL PLACE Warrandyte (approximate population 8000) is situated on the Yarra River, some 27km from Melbourne. For countless ages a well-stocked hunting ground of the Wurundjeri people, in 1851 Warrandyte became the site of the first official gold discovery in Victoria. It soon established its character as a small, self-sustaining community set in a beautiful river valley.

Around 1900 the miners, orchardists and tradespeople were joined by a number of young painters who were founding the Australian nationalist arts tradition. Now a commuter suburb of Melbourne, the natural beauty, community spirit and sense of independence of Warrandyte has been largely retained. This newspaper is the voice and true expression of that spirit.

NOVEMBER Things Shiny & New

Neville and the angry bird EVILLE was more than a little intimidated as he joined the circle.

Sure they looked harmless enough – a geeky type in a smiley T-shirt, a guy in overalls with Termite Terminator across the back, a businessman in a pinstripe suit, an old codger with salt and pepper in his beard and a few other condiments besides, a twitchy fellow with trouser stains and a young buck with a tattooed spider crawling up his neck. But for all their genial ordinariness Neville couldn’t help feeling that, underneath, they were cross.

“Everybody,” said smiley Brian, who apparently led the Bloke Therapy Anger Management group, “this is Neville.”

The group grunted in either a gesture of welcome or some sort of communal phlegm clearing.

“So Neville,” he went on, “what would you like to share with us today?”

Neville blushed. “I got angry”, he said. “And I did something bad.”

“Did you get in a fight? I get in fights all the time!” said pestman.

“No,” said Neville.

“Road rage?” asked pinstripe. “Some of those morons must get their licence in a Weeties packet.”

“Bastards,” added the old codger.

living with The Trotts “Hardly,” said Neville.

“Aggravated burg?” said spiderboy.

“Certainly not,” said Neville.

“Urinate on public transport?” said trouserstains.

“Stop it all of you,” cried Neville. “I didn’t do anything to anybody!”

Pestman threw up his hands.

“Jeez mate, no need to get mad.”

“Angry bird!” said pinstripe.

“Denial,” said trouserstains.

“Bastard,” said the old codger.

“Calm down everyone,” said smiley Brian. “Just tell us what happened, Neville.”

Neville sighed and his shoulders sagged in surrender. “I broke my phone.”

A wave of disbelief ran round the group.

“Who are you with?” said spiderboy.

“Vodaphone,” said Neville.

“Bastards,” said the old codger.

“You hit someone with your phone?” said pestman.

“I didn’t hit anyone!” said Neville. “I hit my golf bag.”

You could have heard a pinstripe.

“I was having a bad day, all right? I hit every tree in Yarrambat, spent more time in the sand than a bucket

and spade, then topped one straight into the lake.”

“Bastard,” said the old codger.

“I was so angry I slammed my nine iron into my bag. The pocket where my phone was.

And smashed it to buggery.”

You could feel the tension as trouserstains voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

“Was it the par 3 on the eighth?”

“That’s the one,” said Neville.

“Bastard of a hole,” said the old codger.

“The important thing, Neville,” said smiley Brian, “is to find where that anger is coming from.”

“His ball went in the goddamned lake!” said spiderboy.

“Where do you think it’s com-

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Warrandyte CFA 9844 3375

ing from!”

“I don’t know how many balls I’ve lost in that lake,” choked pestman.

“I hurled my pitching wedge into that lake,” sobbed trouserstains.

“I dumped my whole bag in that lake,” cussed spiderboy, “and I’ve never played the stupid game again!”

Emotion was high, and manlove filled the room. “Thanks fellas,” said Neville. “You don’t know what it means to me.”

And a small tear trickled down his cheek.

“What sort of club was it?” said spiderboy. “Wilson? Calloway? I can do you a whole set of TaylorMades for three fifty.”

“I didn’t break the club,” said Neville, “just the phone.” “iPhone, Galaxy, Nokia?” said spiderboy, rummaging through his pockets.

“Beware of the angry bird, Neville,” said smiley Brian.

“We’re here to help shoo away the angry bird.”

“Shoo angry bird!” chorused the group. “Shoo!”

By the time Neville got home that night, he felt so much better. The group had been really supportive. Smiley Brian had made some interesting insights about his childhood.

And he had a new iPhone 6 that was an absolute steal at two hundred bucks.

ALAN CORNELL

FIRE AND EMERGENCY: 000

North Warrandyte CFA 9844 0847

South Warrandyte CFA 9844 2861

Wonga Park CFA 9722 1463

3 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Second river crossing?

By SCOTT PODMORE

WARRANDYTE could have a second Yarra River crossing before the end of the year with VicRoads to review the town’s ability to cope in a worstcase scenario bushfire emergency.

Member for Warrandyte Ryan Smith last week announced VicRoads would work with Emergency Management Victoria to create a traffic management model as part of a multi-agency review – including Victoria Police, the CFA, Melbourne

Water and local councils – with a particular focus on Warrandyte Bridge with considerations to widen it, as well as looking at improving water accessibility for fire brigades.

In February a fire destroyed three Warrandyte homes giving locals a stark reminder of the vulnerability of the environment we live in. The bridge has always been a concern given it is the only route for locals who live north of the Yarra requiring a southern evacuation.

“Two Disaster Plan (Displan) boxes will be installed at both sides of Warrandyte Bridge, containing equipment needed to assist with traffic management during emergencies,” Mr Smith said. “Our No.1 concern during an emergency is the safe evacuation of people, and these simple solutions will assist Victoria Police and other emergency response teams manage an evacuation.

“The boxes will contain two-sided multi message signs and 40 ‘witches

hats’ which could be used to provide drivers with advance notice to prepare for changed traffic conditions.

“The peak danger period for bushfires in the Warrandyte area is nearly upon us, so these measures are not only welcome but also a timely reminder to people in the Warrandyte area to be prepared.”

In addition to the Displan boxes, new folding traffic management signs on both sides of Warrandyte Bridge will be installed and road diversion

plans for the broader region were being reviewed and finalised.

“I’ve been speaking with VicRoads staff and the aim is to have all of these measures finalised and implemented by the end of the year,” Mr Smith said.

Residents are reminded of the importance of a solid fire plan throughout summer. Visit warrandyte.org. au/fire for news, suggestions and more information on how you can be better prepared.

Who will be our Cook-up kings and queens?

By MICHELLE PINI

THREE months of special cook-up lift-outs with stories about our local eateries and food suppliers, tips on everything from getting flavour into your Thai dishes, to cooking with kids to how to make fresh pasta and, of course, mouthwatering recipe entries from our talented community have flown by. It’s now almost time to announce The Great Warrandyte Cook-up major winners!

Joining us at the cook-up event will be our star-studded judging panel of Sasha Lewis from cult-status Babka Bakery Café, internationally experienced chef and French cooking instructor Sébastien Piel from Dish Du Jour and celebrity chef Benjamin Cooper of Chin Chin, Baby and Kong fame.

Our judges will review all your culinary creations, comment on their selection of finalists and determine the winner.

If you entered your culinary creations, and you are chosen as a finalist, then be prepared to be invited (along with three guests) to the judging event. Caterer Nellie Tamburro will recreate finalists’ dishes to be tasted by the judges, other contenders and Cook-up sponsors. This part of the event will take place between 3.30pm and 5pm this Sunday November 16 followed by a community BBQ. Cook-up sponsor Fisher & Paykel will cook up a storm on its amazing new outdoor grill for the community and the competition winners will be announced.

This event will take place after the recipe taste-off between 5pm and 6pm outside the Warrandyte Sports Complex for an early bite to eat Sunday evening.

We would like to say “thank you” to our foundation supporters, Altair Restaurant, Cocoa Moon, Grand Hotel Warrandyte, Indian Affair, Leo’s Bakery, Olivigna, Red Fox, Reflect Photography, Rob Dolan Wines, Vanilla Orchid Restaurant, Warrandyte Berry Farm, Warrandyte Café, Warrandyte Lollies & Treats, Warrandyte Quality Meats, Warran Glen Nursery Café, Wellers of Kangaroo Ground, White Owl Café and Yarralicious and our major sponsors, Quinton’s SUPA IGA, Camberwell Electrics and Fisher & Paykel.

The Great Warrandyte Cook-up finale will be held at the Warrandyte Sports Club on Sunday.

Bring in the experts: Celebrity chef Ben Cooper, his wife Fiona and son Felix put their tastebuds to the test in readiness for the announcement of The Great Warrandyte Cook-Up winners. Top right, Sasha Lewis, below right, Sébastien Piel.

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4 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Scenario event a great success A PACKED audience of more than 160 from Warrandte, Park Orchards and surrounding townships actively participated in a ‘Be Ready Warrandyte’ bushfire scenario based on the February fire – but with significant changes and potential outcome.

Warrandyte Community Association chairman Dick Davies said “the scenario was realistic” using CFA Phoenix Fire modelling.

“Our BRW local emergency service officers envisaged what could have happened last February if a similar situation had escalated”.

The scenario was a serious fire in Park Orchards spreading to North Warrandyte with a wind change.

Steve Pascoe and Joff Manders did a great facilitation job, painting the picture, asking the questions and engaging both the panel of experts and the audience.

Questions such as “what are your actions triggered by this warning” and “what are the dangers facing you now” elicited a lively interaction between the facilitators, audience and panel.

Steve is an emergency management and fire safety consultant familiar to Warrandyte audiences after facilitating a debriefing forum after the February fire. He works closely with the Victorian Emergency Management commissioner.

Steve is a Strathewen resident who experienced and survived the impact and aftermath of Black Saturday.

Joff Manders, a well-known Warrandyte identity, is a former MFB commander and advisor to the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Strategic Fire Management Committee.

The panel of experts included CFA captains Greg Kennedy and Adrian Mullens, local senior sergeant Stewart Henderson, chief park ranger Conrad Annal and Joe Buffone, the director of Risk and Resilience at Emergency Management Victoria.

Cartoonist Jock Macneish captured some of the proceedings in his inimitable style.

Mr Buffone congratulated the WCA and the Warrandyte community on the success of the evening and the level of community engagement.

At the end, Mr Davies presented Pastor David Molyneux with a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of the outstanding assistance in hosting fire meetings from the Warrandyte Community Church to the Warrandyte community since Black Saturday 2009.

More information on local fire planning and Be Ready Warrandyte events is available on the WCA website warrandyte.org.au . More info or inquiries phone the Victorian Bushfire Information Line 1800 240 667.

Be Ready Warrandyte is supported by funds from the WCA, Manningham and Nillumbik councils, the Bendigo Bank, Warrandyte Community Bank and the Warrandyte Community Market committee.

Pictures: STEPHEN REYNOLDS

Re-election pledge to help local scouts A RE-ELECTED government will support the 1st Warrandyte / Park Orchards Scouts with a $60,000 commitment to upgrade the Stiggants Reserve Scout Hall, according to Member for Warrandyte Ryan Smith.

This commitment is in partnership between the Napthine Government and Scouts Victoria, who will be contributing 50 per cent of funds towards the project.

Scouts Victoria has also partnered with Manningham City Council and the Warrandyte Community Bank and the upgrade will include re-flooring, an extension to accommodate a kitchen and meeting room and a refurbishment to make better use of the existing space.

Member for Warrandyte Ryan Smith said the upgraded hall would not only benefit current and future scouts, but also those in the wider community who use the hall for local events.

“In our first term, the Coalition

Government committed $4 million toward the refurbishment of ageing Scout and Guide halls right across the state,” Mr Smith said.

“I am delighted that we can continue that commitment here in Warrandyte.”

A further $1 million has also been provided to help support the scouting and guiding movements to encourage greater participation of culturally and linguistically diverse young people and to improve training to volunteers.

With more than 80 Warrandyte, Park Orchards and Wonga Park scouts using the hall on a weekly basis, it would be a timely upgrade for the 50-year-old facility.

The partnership of the State Coalition Government, Scouts Victoria, Manningham City Council and the Warrandyte Community Bank continues the ongoing practice of local leaders working together to deliver great outcomes for the local community.

Seven cars broken into and robbed OVERNIGHT between October 16 and 17 at least seven motor vehicles were broken into and items were stolen in Hutchison Avenue, Pound Road, Maree Court and Campbell Court. Police believe the thefts happened between the hours of 11pm and 6am.

Some cars were left unlocked, and others had windows smashed or door locks forced open. The majority of the vehicles were parked in driveways. Property stolen from them included sunglasses, iPods, a handbag, a games console and alcohol. Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information which may help solve these offences.

Police appealed to the public through the Warrandyte Diary’s Facebook page last month “to be on the alert for a male who on Sunday October 5 at about 2pm in Warrandyte approached a

offender forced a rear door to gain entry before searching through a bedroom, however nothing appeared to be stolen.

RUTH BIRCH

lone young female asking for directions”. Police said at the time: “The circumstances appear to be suspicious.

The male was driving an old white sedan containing rubbish and clothing. The male is described as balding, caucasian and aged between 30 to 40 years old. Police further advise that if walking alone and using headphones to consider using one side of the headphones only so that they can still be alert to their surroundings. Any information to L/S/C Logan at Warrandyte Police Station.”

Some time between 9am and 6pm on Monday October 20, a house in Milne Rd in Park Orchards was broken into. The

Some time between 6.30pm and 9.30pm on Friday October 24, a house in Williams Rd in Park Orchards was broken into with a rear window being forced open. Cash and jewellery was stolen and the home alarm was activated at 9.30pm before being jemmied off the wall by the thieves.

Detective Senior Sergeant Matt Volk of the Manningham CIU says the recent spike in thefts from cars in the area serves as a timely reminder for residents to remove all items of value from their cars and to not leave any items of value on display. Cars parked overnight should be locked at all times, even when parked in your property.

5 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

6 Warrandyte Diary

Aumann’s land is up for sale

By BRIANNA PIAZZA

A SECTION of the Aumann Family Orchard property is up for sale.

Hoskins’ website is asking for $1,150,000 – $1,350,000 for the 23-acre section at 112–130 Harris Gully Rd. Richard Aumann said only one of the seven lots of land at the property is for sale, with the intention that the family business will continue to operate.

The Aumann Family Orchard, established in 1895, encompasses 66 acres within the Green Wedge zone, with the family opposing the zoning of their property since the introduction of green corridors in Melbourne’s peri-urban areas.

Mr Aumann told the Diary that selling the land wasn’t the outcome he had been hoping for.

“There’s no longer an agricultural use around that part of the property, it’s residential so we’re between a rock and a hard place,” he said.

“We had been thinking about it for a long time, trying to find alternate uses and outcomes but this is what it has come to.”

The property went on the market in late October.

November 2014

Wonga Park CFA 75 years

By CHERIE MOSELEN

A BLAST from an old klaxon horn rang out at Potters Reception Centre on October 17 to signal the start of the Wonga Park Rural Fire Brigade’s 75th anniversary dinner.

Former captain and MC for the evening Don Gathercole said he was proud to sound the horn in honour of the brigade’s 75th year of community service.

Attendees were invited to view an exhibition that covered the history of fire and its influence on Wonga Park since the first “black” fire day, Black Thursday in 1851.

“This display was put together to capture the history of our brigade, highlighting significant steps along the way,” Don Gathercole told the Diary.

The exhibit revealed it was another catastrophic fire day – Black Friday in 1939 – that served as the catalyst for the formation of the Wonga Park Rural Fire Brigade.

Brigade members and invited guests looked on as a special birthday cake was cut in recognition of the organisation’s long-standing commitment to fire fighting.

Don Gathercole said it was fitting, in light of changes to the makeup of fire-fighting teams over the years, that the cake was jointly cut by the longest, continuously serving member John Greenwood-Smith, and youngest brigade member, female fire fighter Megan Williams.

The dinner catered for 62 people, among them Manningham councillor

dear diary Letters to the Diary on local topics are welcome. They may be edited for reasons of style, length or legality.

Celebrating 75 years of community service: Wonga Park CFA Life Member John Greenwood-Smith cutting the anniversary cake with youngest brigade member Megan Williams. Picture: DON GATHERCOLE

Meg Downie, chief officer E. Ferguson and operations manager D13 D. Renkin of the CFA, Mark Challen of Warrandyte Community Bank and Captain Adrian Mullens of the Warrandyte Fire Brigade.

The following awards were presented: National Medal: Treasurer John Greenwood-Smith; 10-year CFA Service awards: Captain. A. Mills, Lt. S. Gillen; Five-year certificate: T. Theodore; Fire Fighter of the Year: Lt. A. Wright; Rookie of the Year The Shane Melville Encouragement Award: A. Box; Brigade Life Members: ex captain Jim McKee, ex 1st lt.

David Miller, ex secretary Theo van Wegberg, and treasurer John Greenwood-Smith, were presented with a recently struck medal to honour their achievements.

Cr Meg Downie presented a plaque to Captain Andrew Mills to commemorate the significant anniversary.

Don Gathercole joined Wonga Park CFA in 2003 and undertook the roles

of 4th and 3rd lieutenants before assuming the role of captain for a period of two years (2011–13).

Currently, he is preparing for an event as part of the CFA Open Day program, which constitutes a joint display with the Wonga Park Historical Group.

“The aim of the event is to support the opening of the Burch Memorial Hall after its recent renovation by the brigade,” said Don Gathercole. “The Historical Group will concentrate on the historical aspects of the Wonga Park community, while we will offer a comprehensive look at 75 years of local brigade history.”

The Wonga Park Open Day will take place on November 23 at the Burch Memorial, 2–4 Old Yarra Road, Wonga Park, from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Depending on public interest, the display will continue for at least a week following. For all inquiries for the Open Day, email: secretary@ wongaparkcfa.org

Commemorative seat unveiled at 100 Acres The Warrandyte Diary has more than 2200 followers on Facebook.

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Visit facebook.com/ warrandytediary

FOUR Park Orchards residents - Kevin Smyth, David Mayor, Frank Gibbons and Murray Bourchier - have been honoured with a commemorative seat unveiled by the Lions Club recently.

The tribute is dedicated to a group of people who fought to save the 100 Acres Reserve from development in the 1970s.

Formed as a sub-committee of Park

Orchards Ratepayers Association in 1972, the residents group worked tirelessly over eight years and lobbied governments at all levels to save the bush land area, now a wellknown sanctuary, and have it set aside as public land for recreation and appreciation of natural habitat.

The names of the four are now forever inscribed in the rockwork-dug stone construction created by local

builder Rob Ameer of Opulent Homes. Lions club project coordinator David French said of the conservationists: “What these four achieved was just fantastic. The seat created in recognition their efforts has been placed in the tranquil Brown Dam area of the reserve, which would otherwise be a housing development if not for their efforts.”

MICHELLE PINI

And suddenly … there’s a parking inspector Dear editor, Have you ever seen a parking inspector in Warrandyte? I haven’t until this week when I got a $148 fine at school pick-up … I also heard someone got a fine for being 2 minutes in a new loading zone parking space on the main street. It seems the parking inspectors are hiding somewhere at key times ready to pounce on unsuspecting locals … it is being done in a very sly fashion and is very unlike Warrandyte’s community culture. I am guessing Manningham council became aware of potential fundraising when they visited WPS recently to look at safe pedestrian crossing options. A $148 fine is exorbitant, especially when we are only there a few minutes and parking around schools (and Warrandyte streets in general) is limited. I would rather give the $148 to the school.

Tricia Warrandyte

Is it time for you to bunker down?

Not everyone can take the heat

By MICHAEL DI PETTA

RESIDENTS of Warrandyte and the surrounding suburbs know only too well the danger the warmer months of the year bring. The hot, breezy days have long been threatening the community, as Warrandyte remains one of Australia’s most dangerous bushfire locations.

Fortunately there is an option, which, in combination with a solid fireplan, should give some relief to the nerves of some this summer.

Wildfire Safety Bunkers, managed and owned by Anthony Tratt, are producing the first private use bushfire shelters to have been fully accredited by CFA Australia.

Commencing his work on the project in October 2007, Anthony took on a lead role in the installation and testing of the units, and saw the shelters receive their official accreditation in 2010.

“We did two years with the Victorian Building Commission and the CFA, we did an enormous amount of testing, and we’ve been proved to be fit for purpose in a bushfire attack level flame zone,” Anthony states.

The bunkers come in a various range of designs, varying from smaller family units to larger options with the capacity to facilitate dozens, as Anthony explains.

“We’ve got a six-person unit for domestic use, a 12-person unit that can also be multiplied, and we’ve even got a big 250-person community shelter.

However, before a community shelter is built, there are a lot of factors such as access and location of the shelter that need to be addressed.”

Despite having their shelters proven to be fireproof, Wildfire Safety Bunkers urges residents in fire danger areas that the bunkers are a last resort defense mechanism.

Complementing this, the company emphatically reminds citizens as to

By KIM HUMPHRIS

Filling a hole in fire safety: Anthony Tratt from Wildfire Safety Bunkers.

the importance of the community’s fireplan.

“Obviously in Warrandyte they have one heck of a fireplan, and we absolutely promote evacuation.

Evacuation is the No. 1 priority for people living in a bushfire area.

Our shelters come into the equation when people do happen to get trapped or unaware. Then they have a place of refuge for that situation,” says Anthony.

Many people in the Warrandyte area have already pulled the trigger on purchasing and installing a private bunker in preparation for the sweltering days ahead. Due to the influx of customers in the region, Wildfire Safety Bunkers recently

sponsored the Fireball, providing valuable support to the community.

“We’ve met a lot of people in the Warrandyte area through installation, we have a lot of units in the area and a fair few people are starting to know about us so we want keep that going and provide an option,” says Anthony.

Full installation of a bunker, including excavation and placement, can be wrapped up in as little as six hours, so for those on the fence about installation, it certainly isn’t too late.

Truly now, with the development of these shelters, there is somewhere to go when there’s nowhere to go.

More info: wildfiresafetybunkers. com.au

AN important focus of the Be Ready Warrandyte committee is the Heatwave Project, which examines the dual risks of bushfire and heatwave, paying particular attention to the potential contradiction between the “leave early” fire message and the “stay indoors” heatwave message.

Nillumbik and Manningham councils have funded the project with additional cash contributions from the Warrandyte Community Association and the Warrandyte Market Committee.

Heatwave is a largely hidden emergency, with more people dying of heat-related illness in Australia than any other natural disaster. In urbanised areas, all of the general heatwave advice applies such as closing the blinds to reduce the heat inside your home.

However, within an official Bushfire Prone Area residents have an added risk of bushfire on hot days so need the blinds open to monitor their surrounds. That is just one example of the conflicting messages for bushfire and heatwave that has prompted Be Ready Warrandyte to launch a new project on heatwave risks.

In addition, public services in Bushfire Prone Areas may also be curtailed or cease altogether on days of extreme heat. For example, medical clinics may have reduced hours or close up shop.

Buses may not run if there is a

heightened risk of bushfire.

The project promotes awareness of heatwave and bushfire risks among senior residents and identifies practical strategies to assist them. Initial work has involved round-table discussions with elderly residents, a collection of case studies and stories of personal resilience from bushfire affected residents, and identification of community networking models which can be trialled in the Greater Warrandyte area. Close contact is being maintained with staff from both councils and relationships established with agencies such as Red Cross and other community organisations facing similar challenges in Victoria’s peri-urban areas.

For more information contact Be Ready Warrandyte on 9844 5855 or email info@warrandyte.com.au

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November 2014

Historical book commended THE Warrandyte Historical Society’s new book Wonderful Warrandyte – A Portrait received a commendation in the Small Publications Category at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and Public Records Office Community History Awards recently.

It was a great result for its first ever entry into these highly respected awards.

President Margaret Kelly and author/secretary Val Polley attended the award ceremony at

the State Library. It was very well attended with groups and participants from all over Victoria.

The speakers, particularly well-known author Gideon Haigh, were inspiring and the quantity and quality of the entries most impressive (and rather daunting). It was a great thrill to hear the book’s title and author’s name read out alongside those of noted historians and authors.

There were an unprecedent-

ed number of entries this year apparently so everyone involved with the book deserves congratulations, particularly Wayne Rankin who made it look so beautiful thanks to his design work.

Warrandyte Historical Society can be proud of its efforts.

The book is available from Yarra Cottage Books, Stonehouse Gallery and the Museum at 111 Yarra Street in Warrandyte at $30 a copy ($25 to Society members).

Diary shines at awards

By CHERIE MOSELEN

WARRANDYTE Diar y was a proud finalist in six out of nine independently judged categories at the annual Community Newspaper Association of Victoria awards recently.

Living up to its motto of “for the community, by the community”, the Diary received a notable thumbs-up, winning the award for Best Community Content among others.

Seven newspapers were short-listed for this award, with three finalists selected against strict criteria: ownership; whether there was an invitation for community people to write; writers being named; variety of writers; type of content about community; whether the writing style seemed community or corporate based.

The Diar y was also recognised for: Best Layout & Design (winner); Best Photo (finalist); Best Sports Coverage (finalist); Best News Feature (finalist), and the jewel in the crown – Best Newspaper (winner).

In choosing Warrandyte Diary as the winner in this category, the judge said: I was won over by this newspaper’s excellent understanding of its local community.

It has a superb lay out with headings and sub-heads that perfectly fill the space, lots of good quality photographs and there is an abundance of life and colour in this 40-page paper. There’s a good mix of hard and soft news plus stacks of wonderful feature stories – everything from Australia’s most remarkable school through to a Warrandyte doctor talking about a birth drug breakthrough on the world stage and a well written and photographed feature by Bill

rs ouche v t f i G ble availa

Happy winner: The Diary’s editor Scott Podmore receives one of three major awards.

McAuley about a local living treasure, Hugh McSpedden.

It’s also great to see a newspaper that is not afraid to have some fun with a humorous ‘Over The Hills’ column on page 2 and the use of cartoons on several other pages. Throw in plenty of excellent opinion pieces, five pages of sport and an eight-page lift-out on the Great Warrandyte Cook Up (with the cutest mini-chefs you ever did see!) and it all makes Warrandyte Diar y a worthy winner of this year’s Best Newspaper Award.

Diary editor Scott Podmore described the win in last month’s edition as “a fantastic result, not only for our great

little team, but all our contributors and the Warrandyte community that we serve”.

“It’s a really lovely way to cap my first year as editor of this newspaper, the communication hub of Warrandyte,” he said. “But I was obviously given an enormous head start and advantage on all the others, and that’s called the Cliff Green factor – the best part of 40 or so years of Cliff building the foundations and growing the best community newspaper in the world, let alone Victoria, and I’m merely steering the ship.”

Warrandyte Diary is one of more than 200 community newspapers regularly pub-

lished in Victoria.

CNAV, the peak body that represents them, actively works with its members to enhance the capacity and standing of community newspapers in Victoria, and also seeks to raise their profile with all levels of government.

To advance its aim of fostering communication between the papers, the organisation hosts an annual conference, which administers the CNAV awards.

Financed solely through advertising, Warrandyte Diary at 44 years old is the longest continuously running community newspaper in Victoria.

Long may it serve…

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8 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Watch out for snakes

By BRIANNA PIAZZA

WARRANDYTE residents have been warned to watch out for snakes as summer approaches after several snake sightings at people’s homes across the greater Warrandyte region in recent months.

A dog was killed by a snake bite in North Warrandyte, another was seen in a Warrandyte resident’s vegetable garden, while a woman also found a snake in the sandpit where her children play.

Judith Lightfoot says residents should be extra careful when protecting their pets from snakes. Her goat died within 20 minutes after being bitten by a snake at their North Warrandyte home last month.

“I heard him scream and when I got to him he was already down – his legs were stiff and apparently the snake bite affects their muscles. He was just screaming badly from the pain and it was really, really quick,” Judith said.

“You just have to be so careful. The goat wouldn’t be interested in the snake anyway – it obviously walked on the snake or sat on it by accident.

“The other week the postman told me he’d heard a lot of people had their dog’s water bowls at front or back of the house and that the snakes went there and dogs had been bitten.

So I’ve moved the dogs’ drinking bowls inside for now.”

Snake expert Raymond Hoser has been working with snakes for 32 years and says November is the busiest time of year for snake handlers.

“They come out of hibernation in September, so it’s not unusual to see them around that time, but the busiest month for snake catchers is November,” Mr Hoser said.

“Snake catchers usually have more work in November than every other month of the year combined – that’s how active they are in November.”

Australia is home to some of the most venomous snakes in the world, including the Eastern Brown and Tiger snake.

Mr Hoser says the most common snakes in the Warrandyte area are Tiger, Copperhead and Brown snakes.

However, it can be difficult to tell some species apart from others.

“The most common colour for copperheads is black so a lot of people confuse them with black snakes and a layperson has almost no hope of telling them apart,” he said.

“Misinformation with snakes is a serious problem because black snakes have different anti-venom to Copperheads. If you go to hospital and insist that you have been bitten by a black snake and they give you the wrong anti-venom you’ll die faster. You’d be better off waiting for the hospital to run a test to determine what snake it is.”

About 160 Victorians were hospitalised with snake bites last year.

Mr Hoser insists people should always go to hospital after being bitten by a snake, even if they suspect it’s only a “dry bite”, which is when a snake doesn’t inject any venom into its victim, as these are uncommon.

“First of all, don’t mess with snakes.

But if you are bitten always go to hospital and put a pressure bandage

WARRANDYTIANS and other Manningham residents who do the right thing and sort their recyclables have the chance to go into a weekly prize draw with Manningham council launching the ‘Recycling Right’ campaign to ensure people do not waste their recycling efforts.

Manningham mayor Cr Jim Grivokostopoulos said while most people know what can and cannot go into the recycle bin there are still items that slip through the gaps.

“It’s important that all recyclable items are placed into the bin loosely. Any recyclables put into plastic bags go straight to landfill as they cannot be sorted due to occupational, health and safety concerns.”

During the ‘Recycling Right’ campaign, council approved bin inspectors will identify residents who have sorted their recyclables to a high standard by placing a postcard in their letterbox.

All residents then need to do is fill in their details and send the postcard back to council for their chance to win a $50 gift voucher.

Cr Grivokostopoulos said the campaign aims to improve recycling habits in Manningham and reward those already on the right track.

“Recycling is a simple way for residents to help the environment and I would encourage everyone to take a little bit more time and effort when sorting their recycling in the future.”

The ‘Recycling Right’ campaign runs until June 30, 2015.

For a full list of competition terms and conditions, visit manningham.vic.gov.au

Do you know your snakes?

Coppe

rhead

Tiger snake

onto the bite immediately – that’s very important – and leave it on until after they have connected you to a drip with anti-venom,” he said.

However, the chance of a member of the public receiving a bite from a snake is very rare. Most Victorians who died from snake bites in recent

Recycle right and win a voucher

Dumpers beware

Red-bellied black snake

years were snake handlers.

Mr Hoser also warned people about buying products that claim to scare snakes away, such as vibrating electronic snake repellers.

“Snakes go under air conditioning units and vibrating things all the time, in my experience they just

don’t keep them away. I catch snakes in gardens with repellers regularly – in fact, I just caught one in Research the other day.”

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries says it’s illegal to kill snakes, which are protected wildlife, in Victoria.

Manningham council is on the war path for people dumping rubbish illegally. If you have any information about people breaking the law call 1800 NO LITTER.

9 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Moving tribute for a mate

By BRIANNA PIAZZA

NE punch cannot just destroy someone else’s life, but can also destroy your life,” Caterina Politi says in a video tribute to her son, David Cassai, a one-punch death victim.

In the moving video The David Cassai Story, David’s loved ones share their personal stories about coping with the 22-year-old’s sudden and tragic death on New Year’s Eve in 2012.

In the video, which has received more than 13,000 hits on YouTube, they speak of David as a loyal, caring young man who lit up the room and made everyone around him feel special.

It’s the latest from the STOP. One Punch Can Kill campaign, which is raising awareness about how fatal one punch can be.

Those behind the making of the video hope its message that violence is never the answer will reach young Australians everywhere.

Jack Wright and Vincent Petrilli, who put the video together with the help of Mitch Finlayson for filming, were close friends with David.

“We wanted to do something different, something hard hitting that would really move people,” Vincent said.

“It’s something that’s always going to be there on social media, so people can always go back to it and spread the message.”

Jack Wright, who went to Warrandyte High School with David, works at Channel 7 and plays footy for the Warrandyte Football Club, said the video had been in production for several months as they worked around other commitments.

“We didn’t have any idea of how good or how big it would turn out,” Jack said.

“Everyone who appeared in the video gave so much emotion when they were speaking – it just all came together and David’s friends, girlfriend and family were all blown away by it.”

Some parts of the video aired on Channel 7 following the sentencing of the young man who fatally punched David in Rye in the early hours of December 31, 2012.

The Supreme Court heard Dylan Closter, 18 at the time, chased down David in an unprovoked attack as David tried to back away, holding up his hands as a non-violent gesture.

However, Dylan Closter continued to throw punches at David.

Just one punch caused David to hit his head on the concrete ground and fracture his skull. The injuries he sustained were so severe that hours later doctors at the Alfred Hospital said there was nothing they could medically do for him and his life support was turned off.

Closter has been jailed for nine years and three months, with a non-parole period of six years.

Because of STOP. One Punch Can Kill’s campaign to strengthen penalties for ‘coward punch’ killers, Victoria now has the toughest laws for one-punch deaths in Australia.

Anybody who is found guilty of a fatal one-punch attack will face a minimum of 10 years imprisonment.

However, those close to David say no amount of time will ever make up for their loss.

Although there have been more one-punch deaths and serious injuries since David’s death, the organisation’s volunteers won’t give up on trying to prevent it from happening again.

They have started visiting schools and are educating teens about street violence by sharing David’s story and

showing them the video.

“Hopefully showing students that video once and the discussion afterwards is enough to make them think twice,” Jack said.

“We just want people to keep sharing it and contact us if they want us to do talks. We want to get this as far and wide as possible and we want as many people to see it because it’s a good tribute to Dave.”

Vincent says if the video can convince people to not resort to violence and even save just one life, it would be more than enough for him.

“At the end of the day David wouldn’t want us to sit around and mope about it, he’d want us to be proactive,” Vincent said.

“We want to send the message that it’s OK to pull your mate aside and tell him to pull his head in. A true mate is someone who will do that for you, not someone who is going to egg you on to make a bad decision that will affect your life forever and others’ lives as well.”

“We just want to plant that seed in people’s heads, that way Dave doesn’t die in vain.”

Watch the video at

www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DqSwQChYMuQ

Parents rethink religious education at our schools

By SANDI MILLER

CHANGES to government guidelines for special religious instruction (SRI) in schools have resulted in student participation plummeting at both Warrandyte and Anderson’s Creek Primary Schools.

The new legislative framework came into effect in July, changing the enrolment process from an opt-out to an opt-in system.

About 75% of the school population engaged in SRI before the changes.

Participation has now dived, with less than a third of Anderson’s Creek students opting in, and at Warrandyte Primary, the participation rate is a meagre 10%.

Warrandyte Primary School principal Gill Binger said the community

does not have the religious undertone needed to support SRI within the school.

“I do not think it is seen in the community as an important part of the public school system,” Ms Binger said.

Anderson’s Creek principal Trevor Gibbs said that when the program was ‘opt-out’, parents gave less thought to their children’s participation in the program.

Mr Gibbs said the new documentation provided by the education department now gives parents an opportunity to make an informed decision about their children’s participation.

“I guess they stop and think about the program a little bit more and

what it delivers, and it makes them a little bit more reflective about the whole program,” Mr Gibbs told the Diary.

Both schools now conduct SRI at lunchtime, which is putting even more pressure on numbers, as parents are unhappy that their children are missing lunch.

The schools are reluctant to cease offering SRI entirely, as it is seen as a largely positive program that complements each schools welfare initiatives.

“I think for us as a school the SRI program offers some really good points around student well-being and student welfare,” Mr Gibbs said. “But, if most parents choose not to opt in, then we are only governed by the

numbers of parents that want their children to be involved.”

The reaction of the Warrandyte community is in line with many other schools across the state.

Dawn Penney, Acting CEO of SRI provider, ACCESS Ministries, revealed on ABC radio that more than 60 schools have dropped SRI completely since the new legislation came into force.

In a statement to the Diary, Ms Penney blamed the reduced participation on confusion caused when changing to the new system.

“So many parents were confused to be asked to sign a revised and very complicated consent form mid-way through the 2014 school year when they had already signed one at the

beginning of the year,” she said.

In a school ground survey conducted by the Diary of local parents, the overwhelming call was for a move to a more general religious education model, where a broad instruction of comparative religions is taught.

Both principals from our local primary schools also agree that model would be more appropriate.

“The idea is to expose children to gain knowledge about different religions so they can be more informed about the world in which they live,” Mr Gibbs said.

However, this model does not fall under Victorian Educational Learning Standards (VELS) and is not a program offered by any external organisation.

10 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

The Warrandyte Mechanics Institute and Arts Association Inc is proud to present a

Free demonstration by local artist

Ron Reynolds Wednesday 26 November 2014 10am – noon Riverbank near the Bakery (Mechanics Institute Hall if wet) A chance to watch Ron compose, design and create a landscape as you watch.

T WO M A R K ETS I N D EC E M B E R STIGGANTS RESERVE WARRANDYTE SATURDAY DECEMBER 8 AND 20 NO MARKET JANUARY 2015, THEN FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH FEBRUARY 7, MARCH 7, APRIL 4 ENQUIRIES PHONE 03 9844 4495

Bring a chair, camera and notebook to record the process of creating rather than copying an image.

Ron will spend two hours demonstrating his concepts and will invite comments and questions as the work progresses.

Ron Reynolds is a noted local artist whose work appears in many public and private collections.

You can view Ron’s work at his website:

www.ronreynolds.com.au To register for this one-off event please ring 0457 121 477

11 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Warrandyte meets the Pollies

By MICHELLE PINI

A CROWD of about 60 people gathered at the community centre in North Warrandyte last month to meet and discuss local issues with state election candidates. Organised by the Warrandyte Community Association, the forum was chaired by Warwick Leeson.

Candidates included the sitting Member for Warrandyte Ryan Smith, Labor representative Steven Kent and Greens candidate Richard Cranston who answered questions on a range of community issues.

Each contender gave a personal introduction, followed by questions from the audience and concluding statements.

Incumbent Ryan Smith led by drawing on his eight-year record as the Member for Warrandyte, highlighting funding for local primary schools in Warrandyte, Ringwood and Croydon, the Warrandyte Community Centre, Warrandyte Reserve and the Ringwood Station upgrade, and affirmed his “open door” policy with the community.

Mr Smith emphasised his approach of interacting with business and community groups in order to stay abreast of issues of importance to the community and said his government’s platform was based on listening and responding to community wishes. He said he chose state politics because “it is about local issues that affect us on a day to day basis”.

Greens candidate Richard Cranston, spoke of his love of living in the area and ascribed his entry into politics as being inspired by Black Saturday and the “danger of bushfires for Warrandyte”. He attributed the increasing intensity and frequency of fire activity to “the realities of climate change”.

The youngest contender for the seat, he did not lack enthusiasm as he delivered his party’s policies on climate change, clean energies and what he termed “jobs for the future”, referring to employment that would result from a focus on the renewable energy sector. Mr Cranston also pledged his support for the Doncaster Rail project.

Steven Kent of the Labor Party said he would “provide a strong voice

Liberal Party: Ryan Smith

Greens: Richard Cranston

ALP: Steven Kent

in government” and criticised the Napthine government for Victoria’s high unemployment and cuts to Tafe funding. He cited the closure of Swinburne’s Lilydale campus as particularly relevant to his own family.

Mr Kent also blamed the government for opening up Victoria’s national parks to 99-year leases and discussed Labor’s commitment to the environment including its promise to develop renewable energies.

From the outset, community questions were heavily focused on environment issues, with particular emphasis on the future of the Great Forest National Park and Victoria’s endangered faunal emblem, the Leadbeater’s possum, as well as several questions on climate change and support for renewable energies.

Future plans for a Doncaster railway and improvement to the public transport system and the controversial East West Link also concerned the audience.

The first question, directed to Ryan

Smith, was about the government’s closure of wind farms and why they were not supporting the renewable energy option. The minister replied: “We are committed to listening to what communities want – we don’t believe they should be in communities that don’t want them.”

The Great Forest National Park and its endangered Leadbeater’s possum drew a heated debate.

Mr Smith said the government had done “arduous work” on the issue, instigating a task force and conducting a comprehensive survey that examined threatened and endangered species, and described the government’s approach as representing “the only measures taken in 30 years”.

Mr Cranston said that Black Saturday had destroyed the Leadbeater’s habitat and the government had exacerbated the problem by allowing logging to continue. He criticised the task force, accusing the government of only representing the interests of the logging companies.

A general question on the renewable energy industry also drew a passionate response from the crowd, and from Mr Cranston, who described that sector “as an absolute priority for the future”. He cited Germany’s example of providing 30% of its energy needs from renewables, despite its considerably lesser access to sun and wind than Australia, and described the Liberal Party’s policy in this area as “Draconian”.

Mr Kent reaffirmed the Labor Party policy of supporting the 20% renewable energy target by 2020.

Mr Smith said: “The Premier has already said he supports renewable energy targets” and referred to work being done behind the scenes. He said he was unable to name every specific project instigated in that area and reiterated his government’s position that any such projects must be “sustainable”.

The candidates were also asked by one resident to name their top three environmental priorities.

The minister listed protecting communities from bushfire with planned burning, waste management reform and support for land care volunteers.

The Greens candidate prioritised tackling climate change, protecting existing natural environments such as the Great Forest National Park and the Green Wedge.

And the Labor representative cited support for renewable energy targets, no 99-year leases in national parks as well as the Green Wedge.

The East West Link proved a divisive issue for the room. Mr Smith spoke of history being “littered with governments that do the job and those who seek mandates for every project” and shared his belief that the Liberal Government has “been given a mandate to govern the state”.

He described the East West Link as “a way of decongesting the loop” and added that Doncaster Rail couldn’t be attempted until “congestion has been addressed”.

Mr Cranston referred to the East West Link as “a poor use of taxpayers money” and contended that building additional roads only worsened traffic issues, adding, “It hasn’t solved congestion”.

Mr Cranston added that rail improvements will take cars off the road and suggested that, unlike Warrandyte, there are rail improvements planned for Mernda because it is a marginal electorate.

Mr Kent said: “Would you buy a car without knowing the cost? The government has provided a pretty brochure without providing the cost.

Put money into public transport.”

Additional questions from the floor concerned education, health and youth activities.

Recent electoral boundary redistributions mean that for the first time, the entire suburb of Warrandyte is in one electorate. It also makes Warrandyte the only metropolitan electorate that crosses the Yarra River. The new boundary now includes Warrandyte, North Warrandyte, Wonga Park, Warranwood, Warrandyte South, Parkwood and parts of Donvale and Doncaster East.

Victoria goes to the polls on Saturday November 29. For details on where to vote visit aec.gov.au

Carpie and the ghost of Henry Lawson FIRST read Henry Lawson’s stories when I was about 11. I loved them, even more than his verse. But they did not come to me as a surprising revelation.

I’d been there before, back as far I could remember.

Anyone educated in Victoria before the 1960s would remember his hilarious sketch The Loaded Dog from the old Victorian Readers.

I was born into the Great Depression. We lived in Sunshine, then a company town. The great McKay Harvester Works were closed, except for the Experimental Department, where my father worked three days a week, designing the brand-new machines that would clank forth onto the market ‘when things looked up’.

We were surrounded by unemployed neighbours. These were tough times.

A man we knew as ’ol Carpie boarded with us on an occasional basis, in between trips to ‘the bush’ in search of work for himself and his old truck.

On return he would tell us he’d either been ‘scratchin’ on the hill’, which seemed to include anything from gold prospecting to share farming, or ‘backin’ and fillin’, which covered soil shifting, wheat carting and delivery work.

His correct name, as I was constantly reminded, was Mr Carpenter.

And he was a carpenter by trade. He had built our house, a modest, scaled

down California bungalow on an unmade road on the outskirts of the suburb. My father appeared to owe him a small amount at the finish of our building job; the debt was being expunged via free board.

I only remember one clear incident from that time. I was sitting in my highchair at the end of the breakfast table, fiddling with my ‘Bunny’ bowl of cereal and milk.

“Come on,” said my mother, “eat your Weeties before the bunnies drown!”

“I wouldn’t worry about drownin’ a few rabbits, lad,” Carpie said from the other end of the table. “They’re

the curse of the country!”

One winter, Carpie ordered a railway truckload of oranges from Mildura, where he had been working.

The boxes of fruit duly arrived at the Sunshine railway yards and Dad and Carpie unloaded them onto the old truck and flogged them around the streets and lanes at a knockdown price. Another time it was a load of Mallee roots – wonderful fuel during those bleak winters.

So by the time I was introduced to Henry Lawson and his characters and settings they were familiar, thanks to Carpie and his tales of bush adventure.

I had long contemplated converting Lawson’s stories to television. I was still teaching in the bush, when following the production of some of my children’s plays and schools programs on TV, I suggested the idea to the ABC. They had always wanted to do this, and others had tried, but the brief, anecdotal nature of the stories made them unsuitable for series drama.

So I went back to the stories, seeing if somehow several stories could be combined into an hour of television.

Only the cycle of stories featuring Joe and Mary Wilson, their courtship and struggles on their pioneering selec-

tion suggested any sort of connected narrative. The ABC was interested, but needed further evidence that such an approach would work.

Then the job as staff writer at Crawford Productions came along and I spent the next three years writing police drama and learning my new trade.

One of my first jobs after leaving Crawfords was adapting the Norman Lindsay novel Halfway to Anywhere for ABC-TV Drama. This gave me the confidence to blow the dust off the Henry Lawson project.

What was special about the Joe Wilson stories? Uniquely, they were written and published as a group.

And they obviously had common characters. That would do for a start.

So I grouped together all the stories with the same casts – Dave Regan, the Steelman stories, Swampy and Brummy… Even though each separate story may have been written and published years – even decades – apart, the stories fitted together within each group: same characters, same settings, same writing styles even – tragedies, bush comedies, poignant romances – the full dramatic palette.

It was like completing wonderful jigsaw puzzles. Lawson was a much more diverse writer than we realised.

I finally settled on six episodes, which I wrote across several years, fitting them around other projects.

The delays helped me tackle each as a unique, one-shot play. They were produced at the Ripponlea Studios, with outdoor locations in various Victorian rural and bush locations, including Warrandyte.

CLIFF GREEN

12 Warrandyte Diary

One step closer

By CHERIE MOSELEN

THE Diary first spoke to Monash University researcher and Warrandyte resident Michelle McIntosh in August this year about her role in the major breakthrough of a new birth drug.

Michelle leads a research team at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, which has been creating an inhalable form of oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a drug that prevents excessive bleeding after childbirth (postpartum haemorrhage), and is routinely given as an injection to birthing mothers in Australia.

However, in developing nations hundreds of thousands of women die from postpartum haemorrhage because they do not have access to this lifesaving treatment.

Currently, oxytocin comes in an injectable form that requires refrigeration and trained personnel to administer, making delivery a challenge in many regions worldwide.

When the Diary caught up with Michelle last month, she had recently attended the 69th United Nations

General Assembly (UNGA) where it was announced the research had found substantial backing.

“It’s very exciting that we have managed to secure international support and a vital step in the life of this project,” Michelle told the Diary.

The oxytocin technology is to be licensed to GSK – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – which has formed a collaborative agreement to “co-develop, register and distribute” the life saving medicine to countries with high mortality rates.

Previously, the research had received critical endorsements, earning funding grants at two separate saving Lives At Birth conferences.

However, the establishment of a co-development partnership has been a major goal of the team for the last four years and means the project can move to the next phase.

An alliance between Monash, GSK, The McCall MacBain Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada and Plan-

et Wheeler Foundation will deliver US$16.6m, which includes in-kind research expertise.

The UNGA announcement described the alliance as “bringing together innovative science, development capability of inhaled medicines and specialist philanthropic commitment, in a collaborative effort to accelerate progress towards potential implementation of an affordable product in those countries with greatest need.”

Michelle said the partnership was most agreeable because the GSK technical team (based in the UK) and the team at Monash will work together on clinical trials to test safety and determine the efficacy of the medicine.

“In these cases it is usual just to hand everything over, but GSK values the experience we bring to the project, so we are collaborating with them via teleconferences and monthly video hook-ups.” Michelle said. “It is a wonderful opportunity for our team.”

As if the Warrandyte academic isn’t busy enough, (having lunch with the US Ambassador to Australia; taking calls from people who want to offer support and tell their own stories about post partum loss) renovations begin shortly at Monash to build a new lab that will better facilitate training of the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists.

Thanks to a $1.2m grant from the Helen Macpherson Smith trust, the new open access facility will be project focused, offering researchers from other institutes access to Monash’s pharmaceutical equipment and experience in designing studies.

Michelle said it was fitting the grant had come from the philanthropic trust who funded her first Monash application for $50,000 to buy an instrument: “That instrument led directly to the oxytocin research, so another upside to the breakthrough meant I could say to the trust: ‘look at what we did with your money – imagine what we could do with a lot more’.”

Putting boredom to bed… and a teddy

By CHERIE MOSELEN

KNITTING for the needy is just one pursuit that keeps a small team of Probus Club of Warrandyte and Park Orchards craftswomen from twiddling their thumbs.

WPO Probus meets monthly at the Warrandyte Senior Citizen Centre to provide fellowship and to “advance intellectual and cultural interests among active retirees who have retired from their activities”.

The club turns 25 this year and plans to commemorate the anniversary on November 10 at the WSCC. As part of the celebration, the craft group will present about 150 knitted items to the special care nursery of Box Hill Hospital.

Club secretary Gloria Holding told the Diary it was rewarding to know the group’s effort would be a real help to families with sick or premature babies.

“I called Box Hill Hospital to ask if the nursery would be interested in receiving little jackets and bonnets and the enthusiasm could not have been greater,” Gloria said.

When the Diary spoke to Box Hill Hospital Special Care Nurse Unit manager, Melissah Burnett, she confirmed the nursery received on average between 40-50 admissions per month, of babies in need of extra support.

“I’m looking forward to the presentation,” said Melissah. “And the unit will be thrilled because we are desperate for clothing like this.”

She explained that knitted garments are an ideal way to keep a tiny baby warm once it goes from an incubator to an open cot. Knitted beanies are also used to keep newborns warm after birth.

The Diary learned that as well as

November 2014

Slab Hut Open Day

By VAL POLLEY

AN Open Day at the Slab Hut in Castle Road, North Warrandyte, late last month was organised by the Warrandyte Historical Society as part of History Week 2014.

Margaret Kelly, Val Polley and Dianne Phillips presided over a very successful day overall in warm, sunny weather. About 50 visitors came to the hut in the space of two hours.

All walked up to the hut despite the difficult access up a steep foot track. All seemed very interested in the hut, its history and construction. Some spent a considerable amount of time on the site discussing its past and its future.

The general consensus was that the community should do whatever it can to save the building and prevent further deterioration.

The Slab Hut had been protected within an existing timber house for many years and was only discovered during demolition of that house in 1984. For the past 30 years it has been managed by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), (the Trust) on behalf of the community, on a fully fenced site and protected by a large overhanging roof. The Warrandyte Historical Society and the National Trust will no doubt be having further conversations as to the hut and its future.

River Yarra Heritage Walk

By VAL POLLEY

Knit one, warm one: WPO Probus Craft Group (back row, from left to right) June Sanderson, Sheila Scull and Margaret Pepper. Front row: Gloria Holding, Ann Irving. Pictures: CHERIE MOSELEN

providing clothing for premature babies, which could not be purchased generally, the handmade knits proved a kindness to families under stress.

“Parents love being able to choose a bonnet or little jacket for their baby and they get to take them home as a keepsake,” Melissah Burnett said.

“We have a brand new special care unit at the hospital now, and having a choice of lovely new quilts and cuddly toys to offer will help give extra comfort to families in their time of need.”

VIP SHOPPING NIGHT: Thursday 27 November 2014 5pm – 9pm

Six club members have been meeting once a month since last February to make the jackets, beanies, booties, toys and quilts.

The women donate more than their time, sourcing patterns online and paying for craft materials themselves.

“We are so happy to be of help that we don’t mind the outlay,” said one of the craftswomen. “But if anybody has wool or material that they are not using and would like to it pass on, we can promise it will be used for a valuable purpose.”

Gloria Holding said her eight-yearold neighbour had made a little toy owl and was excited to know her handiwork would go to help a special baby.

This is the second undertaking by various members of the craft group who first came together in 2012 to make quilts for single beds at a nearby nursing home.

For more info about WPO Probus, or to donate wool or material, please contact Gloria or Barr y Holding on 9844 1454 or email: wpo.probus@bigpond.com

AN enthusiastic and interested group of about 40 walkers joined David Carty from the Warrandyte Historical Society and Ian Penrose from the Yarra River Keeper Association for a Heritage Walk along the riverbank recently.

The weather was beautiful, the river flowing well and the group spent a happy couple of hours strolling along and listening to some stories of the past and about the Yarra River itself.

The walk started at the boulders at the Everard Road Park with stories of the Wurundjeri Dreamtime and the early settlers.

As they progressed along the riverside, the participants learnt of the early gold finds, establishment of the township, the churches, police station and post office. They heard of floods and fire, swimming carnivals and coffer dams.

Ian told them about the health of the river, its history of water flows and some geological facts.

David described the art history and the role the river played in it before all stood under the bridge and marvelled at its height.

The walk ended at the site of the Warrandyte battery. The two organisers were also very pleased with both the numbers who attended and the positive response their talks had received.

13 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

14 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Fireball raised $50,000 – Go Warrandyte!

The Fireball committee wishes to thank the following businesses and individuals for their generous assistance: Ab Fab Cakes Abbott Family Affinity Limo’s Altair Restaurant Andrew Beck Artists Photography Aumann’s Family Orchard Aumann’s Nursery Baby Bumkins Balance Gymnastics Barefoot Beach-house Beasleys Nursery Beauty Conscious Bek Doery Ben Galli Photography Benjamin Cooper Bhava Yoga and Dance Centre Bill Macaulay Boat O’Craigo Bonfoods Bonnie’s West End Hairdressing Bounce Physio Brad Teal Real Estate Buddhi Mind Cann-Doo Safety Cartwright Electrical Casella Wines Cellar Connection Claire Pini Coastal Whispers Rye Cockatoo Grove Collingwood Children’s Farm Craig Dick Craig Lapsley Creative Vue Imagery Crown Charity & Sponsorshihp Committee Dawn Mowers De Bortoli Deb Sullivan Photographer Dineamic Foods Doncaster BMW Dry as a Bone Carpet Cleaning Erikson Essendon Football Club Essential Photography Essentially Hair by Emma Exceptional Foods Fletchers Real Estate

Floral & Found Fuller Refrigeration Gardiner McIness Real Estate Genesis Gym Ringwood Global Ballooning Greg Kennedy H2Pro Plumbing Hair by Chris Harts Party Hire Hello Gorgeous Homing Instincts Ian Penrose Imajine Interiors by Jo Interiors by Riveresque Isuzu Ivory Hearing Jet Flights Simulators Jetts The Pines Jim’s Skip Bins John Farnham Julia Robertson Julie Quinton Karen Egan Photography Kings of Kangaroo Ground L.A.M. Creative Collective Lance Ward Le Beaute Salon Doncaster Love Your Home Mariana Hardwick Marina Prior MCG Melbourne Institute of Plastic Surgery Michelle Lambert Muscle Magic Nero Kits North East Diggers Olivia Newton-John Olivigna Part of the Pack Patrick Mohr Phillip Webb Photosynthesis Pool Werx Ringwood PTA Landscapes Puffing Billy Quinton’s Supa IGA Ragamuffin Pet Photography

Ratty and Mole’s Antiques Retreat Restaurant Rivva PT Rob Moffitt Rochford Wines Ruby Tuesdays Ryan Smith Saleslink Serendipity Designs Seven Publicity Sharron & Andrew Schram Simone Perele Simply In Order Smash Enterprises & Sharks Football Club Soul Rider Spin Studio Spin Cycle Warrandyte Statewide Concrete Station 13 Stefan Kazakis Business Coaching Suzie Gordon (& daughter) Telstra The Firehouse The Footy Show The Stables Restaurant The Tennis Guru Vanilla Orchid Restaurant Vincenzo Coffee Warrandyte Business Association Warrandyte Calisthenics College Warrandyte CFA Warrandyte Community Bank Warrandyte Diary Warrandyte Glass Warrandyte Grand Hotel Warrandyte Lollies & Treats Warrandyte Pharmacy Warrandyte Road Early Learning Centre Warrandyte Tennis Club Warrandyte Theatre Company Follies White Dog Studio White Owl Cafe Wildfire Safety Bunkers Wintu Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery Yarra Valley Toyota

We ask you to support these businesses to show our appreciation and thank the people who gave up their time to assist us and our amazing community.

15 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Melodies at the Mechanics

Pictures: STEPHEN REYNOLDS

Telegrams, dogs and sandwiches WARRANDYTE Theatre Company’s Spring production of Talking Heads by Alan Bennett has been a hit at the Warrandyte Mechanics Institute the past week with two more performances taking place on November 14 and 15 at 8pm, with a matinee at 2pm on the 15th.

Talking Heads was a series of 12 monologues written for TV. Presented by acclaimed actors, including Bennett himself, they have since

success fully translated to stage

productions of which our talented

team has selected three: Waiting

for the Telegram (directed by

Simone Kiefer), The Outside Dog

(directed by Alistair Rice) and

Playing Sandwiches (directed

by David Tynan). The Talking

Heads producer is Jen

Aitchison and Lisa Macgibbon

is stage manager.

WARRANDYTE Mechanics Institute and Arts Association is keen to promote music in the community to complement the other artistic endeavours of theatre, pottery and craft that takes place there.

Several ideas have been discussed and there will be more information to follow on some of these.

First up, though, an enthusiastic and gifted young lady called Hana Zreikat is keen to establish a community “orchestra” or ensemble in Warrandyte. So, do you play, or have you ever played an instrument?

Are you looking for a safe, friendly environment to share/revive your skills and play and perform as part of a team?

This is not likely to be a full symphony orchestra, but with Hana’s skills at composition and arranging, she will produce music suitable for whoever is keen to get involved with playing music together, whatever the instruments. Hana is a composer and conductor working in Melbourne as a composer, vocalist, voice and piano teacher and principal conductor of women’s choir, The Rubies.

“I’m looking to start an orchestra or ensemble within my new home community, but first I have to find musicians,” Hana says.

Her achievements in composition include receiving the 2012 Esther Rofe Scholarship, awarded to a female student who demonstrates promise in the field of composition, second place in the Chamber Strings of Melbourne Young Composer of the year competition (2007), public performances of her music by ANAM and the Ballarat Symphony orchestra, Levitas, for brass ensemble at Federation Square, the inclusion of her song Mother on Rock Industry’s CD Hua Abut for women in East Timor, the performance of her Piano Concerto No.1 by the Ballarat Symphony Orchestra at the Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts in June this year, and the completion of her bachelor degree in music at the Melbourne Conservatorium in 2012.

In 2013 Hana was choral and music director for BLOC Music Theatre Ballarat’s junior production of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. This year she conducted and music directed for the Ballarat Centre for Music and the arts production of You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.

“I find that the most fulfilling jobs are those in which I am truly able to connect with those I am teaching and working with,” Hana says.

If you play or have played an instrument and are interested in getting involved in an ensemble, contact Hana at hanazreikat@gmail. com or Pat Anderson from the Warrandyte Mechanics Institute and Arts Association on 9844 3442. It is hoped an ensemble is formed by the start of 2015, but it is important to first establish who out there is interested and to get music organised, so, even if you are just a bit interested, please email or ring to find out more.

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16 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Warrandyte Consulting Rooms 2 Trezise Street, Warrandyte 9844 3766 – 9844 1943

New doctors now taking new patients Dr Olivia Rimington Dr Andrew Perrignon Dr Libby Rochstein Dr Esther Ko Dr Paul Proimos

Dr Gail Dixon continues to see her regular patients OPEN Monday to Friday – 9am to 5.30/6pm Saturday – 9am to 12pm

17 Warrandyte Diary

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November 2014

18 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Warrandyte Diary 19

A flamin’ good night for our firies Hottest event of the year

By MICHELLE PINI

THE Fireball lived up to its “hottest event of the year” promise, selling out three weeks early and raising a net total in excess of $50,000 for Warrandyte’s CFA stations.

One onlooker commented that he had never seen so many people dressed in suits and evening dresses in Warrandyte before.

The glamour parade began arriving 30 minutes early, ready for a fun evening and the night did not disappoint.

At the entrance of the Italianate Olivigna venue, the red Fireball logo was everywhere and even the sparkling wine came in red as guests were treated to a range of delicacies prepared by Anna Gallo and her team and accompanied by Shepherds Hill and Antonio Luce wines.

The excitement was palpable and MC Lance Ward did a fine job to be heard above the excited chatter and laughter.

Entertainment was headed up by band Jam the Funk and included a flash singing mob (courtesy of Warrandyte Theatre Company Follies) and a live auction.

Guest of honour, emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley addressed the crowd, and Member for Warrandyte Ryan Smith drew the raffle.

There was the opportunity to win a $1300 diamond donated by Greg Kennedy by buying a glass of French champagne provided by Julie Quinton, and there was even a Fireball cocktail especially created by Olivigna barman Oliver Kortum.

But the most compelling part of the evening was unquestionably when Julia Robertson spoke about her personal experience when her home was destroyed in the February 9 fires.

Commanding attention with her powerful and resonating speech, Julia spoke from the heart leaving hardly a dry eye in the 300-strong crowd.

Winter Suns vocalist Bek Doery,

also a victim of the February 9 blaze, performed her own composition, an impressive number expressing her feelings of loss. Both girls served up poignant reminders of Warrandyte’s vulnerability and underpinned the purpose of the Fireball.

Warrandytians and their friends and associates dug deep and bid on silent and live auction items, bought raffle tickets and pinned notes on Firies dressed in full protective clothing.

Along with major supporters Wildfire Safety Bunkers, Quinton’s IGA, Warrandyte Community Bank, Hart’s Party Hire, John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John, Olivigna and Cellar Connection, the Fireball was also generously supported by donations from a host of businesses and individuals both within and beyond Warrandyte.

South Warrandyte CFA captain Greg Kennedy presented floral bouquets on behalf of the combined Warrandyte stations to each of the Fireball committee members as tokens of appreciation for their work in creating the fundraising event.

Greg told the Diary: “It was just a top night for all who attended. It is so reassuring and comforting to have so much support from the greater Warrandyte community and we are very appreciative.”

Warrandyte CFA captain Adrian Mullens described the evening as “an absolutely spectacular effort”.

“I don’t believe there has ever been a gathering of so many people from the greater Warrandyte area in one place, for one specific cause,” he said.

North Warrandyte CFA captain Mick Keating sent a touching email message to the Fireball committee, commending all the volunteers for their hard work and assistance in allowing the Warrandyte brigades to concentrate on what they do best. He wrote: “I sincerely thank everyone who made the night a great success.”

Pictures by DEB SULLIVAN and STEPHEN REYNOLDS

e Ward.

on and Lanc

Julie Quint

Captain Greg Kennedy.

Julia Robertson.

20 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Plumbing with heart

By BRIANNA PIAZZA

H2-PRO Plumbing doesn’t just service blocked drains, leaky pipes and toilets – giving back to the local community appears to be its legacy.

The business is a great example of embracing change and infusing a conscientious marketing strategy into the way it does business.

It’s a plumbing business with heart, real people caring about the people they serve.

In recent months, the Warrandyte business has donated Aquapure water filters, valued at $580, to Warrandyte Primary, Yarra Warra Kindergarten and the Fireball fundraiser.

The family-run operation has also sponsored the Warrandyte Junior Football Club’s Tackers footy team (Under 9s) and says it takes pride in providing customers with vouchers from local shops.

H2-Pro Plumbing director Tony Welsh lives in North Warrandyte and says supporting the Warrandyte community has never been a chore, only a passion.

He believes it’s an opportunity to have a bit of fun while supporting local customers, who make up most of the business’s clientele.

“People who live here love to support local business and in turn some choose us to do their plumbing as we are local,” Tony said.

“In return we want to give back to the community and support other local business’ and groups.”

“We genuinely love to help people and the community out, so what better way than be able to do it whilst promoting your business at the same time?”

H2-Pro is also hoping to run more educational presentations in the area in the future, after holding a seminar about current trends in bathroom and kitchen design at the Grand Hotel last month.

The presentation attracted 40 people and Tony says it was yet another way for the business to give back to the community and communicate new ideas with customers.

However, H2-Pro’s positive influence is spreading far beyond Warrandyte’s borders, also reaching people as far away as sub-Saharan Africa.

The business is supporting Who Gives A Crap, a Melbourne-based charity that funds sanitation projects in developing countries.

H2-Pro’s plumbers are helping raise awareness about the cause by leaving a free roll of specially marked Who Gives A Crap toilet paper at each client’s house.

They say it’s a fun way to spread the word about a serious issue and Quinton’s IGA has also jumped on board the project and is now selling the Who Gives A Crap toilet paper.

Tony said H2-Pro decided to support the charity after learning that roughly 40% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to a toilet and that across the developing world, people still become sick from sewerage leaking into drinking water supplies.

HOME GROUND ADVANTAGE

“Two thousand children under five die every day because they don’t have access to clean water. As a father of three young children, I find this terribly sad,” Tony said.

“We try to bring awareness to this by leaving a roll of loo paper at every job we do with some information in the hope that customers will also support them.”

H2-Pro Plumbing has been nominated for the Manningham Business Excellence Awards for Professional Services and after 14 years in business Tony says he’s extremely proud of the company and what he’s achieved.

“It’s not easy coming out of a trades apprenticeship and then heading out to run your own business. We’ve made lots of mistakes along the way, it’s all part of the journey … but [this] really shows how far we have come in the last 14 years,” Tony said.

Tony’s tips for success l It’s important to genuinely care what customers think. Be genuine and completely transparent with your clients. l Have a very clear brand in your market segment. l Running your own business has its ups and downs. There are so many people with a wealth of information out there, don’t be afraid to recruit help. l If you’re a mobile business, consider expanding into surrounding suburbs to grow your business.

For more information visit www. h2pro.com.au or call the team on 9844 1444.

Karen’s entries have a silver lining WARRANDYTE photographer Karen Egan is known to locals for her wonderful photography, particularly her landscape and portraiture work with her business Karenjegan Photography. As it turns out the Australian Professional Photographers Awards judging panel agreed with us all recently at the Canon AIPP Awards held in Sydney.

Karen entered three images as a student and received three silver awards – “It was way beyond my expectations,” Karen told the Diary. “I was hoping for a bronze.”

Karen’s entries were fine art landscapes, two after last year’s Kangaroo Ground fires and one from France.

And there’s more. Karen’s picture of her daughter Seanna and her chook (left) was selected for the Hurstbridge calendar last week and there was also an exhibition at the Donkey Wheel House where she was awarded the Most Creative Photographer (below left).

To see Karen’s other beautiful imagery or to engage her services visit www.karenjegan.com

21 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

22 Warrandyte Diary

Truly unforgettable

November 2014

Geoff’s finest drops on show

By RUTH BIRCH

By MICHELLE PINI

IF you’re a meringue lover, chances are you’ve already discovered Unforgettable Products.

Owner/operator Leanne Pooley started selling meringues made in the family kitchen from locally sourced ingredients and says “Warrandyte Market was my very first market”.

The business soon grew to encompass many markets as well as produce stores, such as the Yarra store, Warrandyte Berry Farm and Aumann’s Family Orchard, as well as a host of outlets throughout Melbourne.

To accommodate her venture’s growth, a section of Leanne’s Warrandyte home was converted into a commercial kitchen where she now employs four staff and enlists help from her family.

The product range has also expanded from a few humble meringue products and now encompasses curds, sauces and pastry cases, as well as a Dollop it Yourself range.

With cheeky and provocative names such as Meringue Kissed Lemon Tarts and Petite Pavlova Passions, the range includes everything you need to put a stunning dessert together and even includes an extra treat for the “cook”.

“They are created to make it easy for people to present something

Diary bites

Sweet sensations: Leanne with partner Johannes and grandsons Ollie and Leo at the Royal Melbourne Show.

beautiful without all the work and it’s also very important to look after the cooks,” Leanne told the Diary.

“I love my product and presenting my product, I believe it has to be heartwarming and taste unforgettable.”

Leanne even describes her ovens as her “princesses”, Thermomix as her “duchess” and kitchen aids as her “ladies in waiting”.

Having already won awards for in-

dividual entries, Unforgettable Products managed to capture large-scale attention at the Royal Melbourne Show this year, winning Best Tastes of Victoria Pavilion Exhibitor.

“I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such a caring and supportive community and my business has grown to such an extent that I couldn’t do it on my own – I need my girls and the wonderful encouragement of Johannes,” Leanne says,

referring to her four staff members and partner Johannes de Ryle.

Unforgettable Products are made with care, using high quality ingredients, and tantalising flavours such as French Vanilla, Lightly Toasted Almond and Vinocotto meringues or chocolate sauces infused with Cointreau. They are a visual and sensory delight.

More: www.unforgettableproducts. com.au

Wise choices at The White Owl

with Basil Fettucine

ALTAIR SUPER SEVENS Altair Restaurant is continuing its tradition for themed evenings following hot on the trail of racing events with another amazing dining experience.

The evening will feature seven courses showcasing indigenous ingredients paired with local produce. For bookings phone 9844 5548 or visit reservations@altairrestaurant.com.au HITTING THE HIGH NOTES Supported by the Ashburton Baptist church, Now and Not Yet has opened in Yarra Street and offers café fare as well as making exquisite acoustic guitars. It is described as “a space for worship activities in an alternative format” on the church’s website. The food’s yum, the coffee’s great and it’s in an excellent location in the heart of Yarra Street near the Warrandyte Community Bank.

WHOOPS! WE’RE BERRY SORRY Warrandyte Berry Farm’s contact number was incorrectly shown in the last Cook-up lift-out. You can contact Warrandyte Berry Farm to find out more about their delectable fresh berries, pantry items and tempting takeaway treats on 0409 411 402.

By SCOTT PODMORE

GREAT coffee always helps if you have a café wedged between a supermarket, newsagency, school and a basketball stadium, but if you can hit the right formula with the food and the vibe, you’re on a winner.

One of our newer kids on the café block is The White Owl – turns oneyear-old tomorrow, in fact – and it’s passed with flying colours ever since two of our local schoolteachers put their brains together and hatched the winning plan.

“When we sat down to write the business plan it was all about aiming it at supporting the locals and getting people to come back, pretty simple, really,” says owner Meredith Thornton.

Tick. Tick.

“And, of course, it was important for us to have a nice vibe, friendly staff and an inviting atmosphere.”

Tick, tick, tick. I’ll give these teachers an A for both effort and results. Food miles, impressively, are kept right down thanks to the fact most of the fresh bread, meats, juices and other supplies are sourced from only metres away at Warrandyte Quality Meats (local butcher), Quinton’s IGA (local grocer) and Leo’s Bakery (local baker).

They’re the quintessential ‘shop local’ ambassadors.

review It’s full of surprises, too, sometimes in a really healthy and fresh way: the Chicken Schnitzel focaccia is beautifully simple with chopped up tender crumbed chicken bites, basic salad and a subtle mayo touch that has you coming back for more of the same.

Or sometimes in a really naughty and fresh way: once you try the Rasberry & Choc Chip Muffins you’re signed up for life.

And that’s before you’ve even started on the melt-in-your-mouth choc brownies or the cronuts.

Brekky is a beaut option with items all under $10, including a $6 kids bacon and eggs deal, while other treats include Mediterranean frittata, fruit toast and ham and cheese croissants.

Lunch is on from 11.30am to 3.30pm and the Owl serves up a simple menu to choose from including scrumptious affordable options ranging from sandwiches at $7 up to a more-ish steak sandwich, with beef, rockette and French mustard in toasted sourdough for $12.

Baked potatoes, quiche, filo pastries including chicken and mushroom or spinach and ricotta options, pies including chunky chicken and vegetable and chunky beef fill out the menu.

Cronuts, mini tarts, raspberry and cream yo-yos, salted caramel brownies, caramel macadamia cheesecake, Florentines and … righto, I’ll stop now because you’re no doubt salivating, but let’s just say a coffee and cake is a pretty easy mission when it comes to The White Owl. The White Owl, Shop 10, Goldfields Shopping Centre, Warrandyte. Hours 6.30am to 5pm (closed Sundays, open 8am Saturdays).

STEP aside, De Bortoli, Domaine Chandon and all the other big boys, the Eltham District and Winemakers Guild will be bringing the biggest amateur wine show in the Southern Hemisphere to Melbourne and Warrandyte’s regular entrant Geoff Neagle will again be amongst it with some of his finest drops.

The Eltham Wine Show 2014 will feature over 500 wines available for tasting, with awards for the best brew decided by professional wine judges. But they aren’t the only ones who get to enjoy the fruits of the local producers’ labour.

Attendees at the show are encouraged to bring their own wine glass, which will serve as their free ticket to sample many of the wines at the show. Unusual wines made from different herbs, fruits and vegetables, including asparagus or pea pod wine, are sure to attract plenty of interest, and there will also be artisan cheeses and olive oil for sample and sale. Popular workshops in food and wine matching and sausage making are also expected to be popular, the perfect preparation for those upcoming summer barbecues and dinner parties.

I was lucky enough to enjoy a glass of locally produced cab sav with Warrandyte’s Guild member Geoff Neagle and his wife Ann, whose miniature vineyard Abingdon on the hills of their North Warrandyte property produces about 200 bottles a year. Geoff’s collection of homegrown reds date all the way back to 2001, (a testament to his self-discipline) and many have won awards and medals in various winemaking shows. The 2009 Eadie’s Drop, named endearingly after his baby granddaughter, went down a real treat on a mild day looking out over the bush, and he generously sent me home with a bottle of the lovingly created drop.

Most Abingdon wines are named in honour of those close to Geoff and Ann, and after the birth of every grandchild another wine is added to the list. As well as Eadie’s Drop I would have loved to have tried ‘Rowan’s Rush’, aptly named after a baby who was born a premmie. The ‘Rusty’s Revenge’ was named after a close friend with a wicked sense of humour, who sadly passed that year. In 2012 after a bad season ruined about half the crop, ‘Against the Odds’ was produced with the remaining grapes that survived a severe hailstorm, extreme sun, downy mildew, currawong attacks and a European wasp swarm. The Bin 40 was named in recognition of the number of years Geoff and Ann have been married, and Jack the Jack Russell even had a vintage named after him after turning 70 in dog years.

Geoff’s wines will be showcased at the event and available for tasting, as well as may other interestingly infused and flavoured wines including blackberry shiraz, his personal favourite. For anyone interested in learning about wine appreciation, wine tastings, food matching and the Guild itself, it is an exciting event not to be missed.

The wine show will run from 11am-2pm this Saturday (November 16) at the Veneto Club in Bulleen. For more info and tickets visit amateurwine.org.au

23 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Amber’s on a soulful mission

By BRIANNA PIAZZA

DURING the day on your average weekend Amber Ferraro is waitressing at the popular Warran Glen Café, but by night she’s lighting up Melbourne’s jazz-funk scene.

When she sings her original music on YouTube or performs live at a pub, it’s hard to believe that the incredible voice belongs to a 20-yearold music student.

Pursuing a career in music was always going to be on the cards for the Park Orchards resident, who remembers singing as soon as she began talking at the age of two.

“I think I’ve always been influenced by jazz music and the typical jazz singers like Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. I also listen to a lot of neo soul artists like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Kimbra,” Amber said.

“I draw inspiration from both sides because I love the combination you get from Jazz, RnB and Hip-Hop all intertwined.”

Amber says she usually performs at various venues across Fitzroy each week as a vocalist with the 10-piece funk/soul band Papa G and the Star Cats.

“We’re constantly in the Fitzroy area doing gigs at the Evelyn Hotel, the Workers Club, Bar Open, all those sorts of places,” Amber said.

“When no-one’s doing exams we’re always gigging. We played at the Inca Roads music festival last year, which was a huge deal for us, and I also do solo performances at pubs and for Warran Glen every now and then.”

When Amber isn’t performing with Papa G and the Star Cats, she’s playing with another band, Project Broczewski.

They released an EP last year, which Amber describes as “an interesting mix of Electronic with Jazz and Hip hop.”

Meanwhile, Papa G and the Star Cats are expecting to release an album by February.

Amber met her fellow band members at Monash University, where she’s in her second year of studying music and majoring in Jazz.

She was one of a handful of gifted students selected to study Jazz in New York in July – a once in a lifetime experience where she learnt from some of the industry’s most respected Jazz musicians.

“We had master classes with people like Joe Lovano, I worked with

Dave Pietro and I also had Janis Siegel as my vocal instructor,” Amber told the Diary.

“It was three weeks of intense study and it was so great to have all of this feedback from such amazing Jazz musicians.”

In Warrandyte, lessons with the popular guitar teacher, Jay Smith, have also turned Amber into a brilliant guitarist.

Jay, who has taught a number of

big names in the music industry including Guy Ritchie, Madonna and The Living End’s lead vocalist, Chris Cheney, says Amber is full of talent and could go a long way in the music industry.

“Getting a compliment from someone like Jay, who’s so well-respected in the industry, makes me feel like I can do it, that I can take on the music industry,” Amber said.

“He’s an amazing teacher, full of so

much knowledge and wisdom. He’s one of those people I would classify as a mentor. He is always very nurturing and has always encouraged me to be true to who I am.”

Amber is determined to make a living through writing and performing her own songs and is looking forward to getting through university exams and finding more time to create her own music.

“I’ve been doing a lot of music for other people so I really want to focus more on writing original songs that combine Jazz, Hip-Hop and RnB. I have so many ideas and now it’s just about finding some time to write music that’s from me.”

“I’d love to go back to New York one day and perform there, but that will probably be later in the future.”

More info: www.facebook.com/ AmberFerraroMusic

We offer a relaxed and family friendly venue for your family function or workplace get-together.

A la carte or set menus for group bookings.

Call us if you’d like to discuss your next event.

OPEN Tuesday to Saturday, 5.30pm to 10pm Sunday, 11am to 10pm Dine In and Takeaway Licensed and BYO (wine only)

188 Yarra Street, Warrandyte (opposite the Bakery)

Phone 9844 5778

www.vanillaorchid.com.au

24 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Some rum and Diary poet and regular contributor Karen Throssell is this month’s guest travel writer.

How to survive the long haul I have not travelled overseas before, do you have any tips for surviving a long haul flight? Judy (North Warrandyte) Judy, I am lucky enough to have travelled to all parts of the globe and am one of the lucky ones who actually enjoy international air travel. Some forward planning can make for an enjoyable flight.

Where possible pre book your seat in advance. Many airlines will allow you to do that at the time of booking otherwise you can do it when you check-in online. Whether you choose a window or aisle seat is purely a matter of personal preference. The further forward you are on the aircraft, the better – you get fed first and disembark more speedily. Avoid seats near the toilets as you will be disturbed by those waiting in line.

By using the online check-in, which usually opens 48 hours prior to departure, you are less likely to start your journey with a long queue at the airport. You simply drop your bags and you are on your way! Don’t worry if you can’t print your boarding pass, the bag drop staff will do this for you.

Another idea is to wear a few loose layers of clothing. I also like to take a pashmina and some ballet flats or socks. The pashmina can double as a blanket if the aircraft is cool and the ballet flats or socks keep your tootsies snug. Make sure you wear shoes that can fit easily as your feet are likely to swell. I try to avoid wearing jeans as these can become uncomfortable.

Also have a plan on how you will pass the time, I like to read a magazine until the meal is served, then a movie or straight to sleep. I enjoy a TV show thrown in to the mix as well and in no time there is another meal service. Stretch your legs by going for a walk at some stage. Adjust your clock to the new timezone as soon as you can and forget about the hours you have left behind.

Also keep your fluids up during the flight.

The Diary’s travel expert Carolyn is the manager of Warrandyte Travel and Cruise. Email: carolyn@ warrandytetravel.com.au

Cuba? Why travel to Cuba?

Oh, I know I’ve heard about the fantastic fifties cars, it’s like a time warp – being in ‘Madmen’. Oh, and the fantastic music – the Buena Vista Social Club playing on every street corner…

HILE I loved the idea of constant music and dancing in the streets, I couldn’t care less about the cars, I’ve never seen Madmen and I certainly don’t yearn for the good old 1950s.

My reason was as a politics/history student and an old socialist, I was going to see the brave little island that has, since the revolution in1958, defied the world’s greatest bully at its doorstep, withstanding the crippling US embargo on trade, which continues to this day. And Cuba remains defiantly socialist. This embargo was initially America’s punishment for Cuba’s political stance – especially during the Cold War, when its Russian ally saved the Cuban people from starvation in return for a wee nuclear missile site, facing Florida…

So, that was the Cold War. The missile site has been dismantled, but the embargo continues and totally dominates all that happens in Cuba.

It is largely on food and medicine

and cars, of course, which are from the 1950s because these are the cars that were there before the embargo.

Some marketing whiz decided to create a virtue of necessity: paint them bright colours and make them a tourist attraction. It certainly worked. People do travel there because of the cars.

I booked my trip with a new tour company called Locally Sourced Tours run by a young Cuban/Kiwi

which promised an “authentic Cuban experience” based on staying in private homes – Casas Particulars.

So people wealthy enough to have a spare room could now rent it out as a B&B. The casas were introduced during the 1990s when tourism was ramped up in response to the disappearance of assistance from the Soviet Union.

That resulted in what was termed the ‘Special Period’ a period of enor-

mous privation where Cuban GDP plummeted by 35% and the average Cuban’s weight dropped by 11kg.

During that period, which they are only just emerging from, not one hospital bed was closed, nor one school shut down. In fact, spending on children with special needs was increased—a sobering comparison with our current government’s priorities…

The casas were fabulous places to

By BRIANNA PIAZZA

people on a trip to Peru where they’ll visit typical tourist attractions such as the world-famous Machu Picchu and the Amazon Rainforest.

Yet unlike other typical group tours, Karen’s trip aims to encourage people to travel ethically, by supporting local not-for-profit organisations and businesses that give back to local Peruvian communities along the way.

“There are a lot of good not-forprofit organisations out there but ‘voluntourism’ isn’t always sustainable and I have a bit of an issue about making a commodity out of poverty, tragedy and adversity,” Karen said.

“That’s why I decided to support organisations that are already doing the work locally. We will mostly be supporting them by participating in the economic model they have set up to fund their projects.”

During the trip, which will run for just under two weeks, Karen’s group is staying in hotels that use the proceeds to support a local organisation that provides food, shelter and a safe

Responsible KAREN Driscoll always had a passion for travelling, serving others and making a difference to the world.

“I guess it’s just in my nature. When I left school I joined the navy and I travelled through South East Asia frequently,” Karen said.

“We were in Thailand on one occasion and I was sitting outside one of the tiger bars or brothels, just chatting with the local women. From that I decided to sponsor a couple of them to go to school.”

“That has stayed with me throughout my life – you really can do a lot for others with fairly small amounts of money.”

Now the Warrandyte resident is sharing her passion with anyone who’s willing to join her on a trip halfway across the world, by running overseas tours that she says are more sustainable and ethical than the average guided tour.

This month Karen, who is a social enterprise marketing specialist and a social impact mentor, is taking five

25 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

a Cuban revolution

stay, comfortable, clean and generally cool enough in the very oppressive heat. There was always a roof-top balcony where we had our breakfast: fresh tropical fruit, omelettes and wonderful coffee. There was also often the option of eating dinner there at night.

Here are my first impressions on arrival in Habana, as noted in my diary: Wide, palm lined streets; the houses similar to those in other developing countries – small concrete boxes often with flapping canvas front doors. But here they were painted fabulously bright colours.

Paint seems to cheer up even the humblest dwellings. There seems to be no rubbish around anywhere.

No homeless people that we could see. No advertising billboards! Just political slogans – “Cuba is a country run by its people – long live the revolution!” Wonderful round flamboyant women in tight bright clothes (largely leggings and tank tops, regardless of size or age). Loving their bodies.

They don’t know that we’re all supposed to look like stick insects. Lots of people in the streets; laid-back, friendly, not much hassling, often only asking ‘where you from? and often responding with a kangaroo impersonation. Skippy obviously even got as far as Cuba!

The tour was for 15 days and we travelled from almost the top of the island, Habana, to the very tip, Baracoa. It was a wonderful blend of serious stuff – politics, history, sociology and fun stuff – mountain walks, swims

in waterfalls, sunset beach picnics, salsa dancing and cocktails.

The cocktails are worth a special mention. Being rather fond of a good red, I was initially horrified to discover there was no wine! Because of the embargo you only ate or drank what was grown locally, something many of us aspire to here. And everything is organic, as since the 1990s (under the influence of a team of five Australian permaculturalists) there has been a prohibition against ‘poisoning the soil’.

So with all that sugar cane, of course we had to drink rum and the cocktails were to die for. As well as the usual Pina Colladas and Cuba Libres, the local cocktails Mohitos and Caiparinas were wonderfully simple affairs with sugar, lime, rum and ice; or sugar, lemon juice, mint and soda water. Very tasty and almost healthy. I could almost give up red.

All the food we ate you could see growing: tropical fruits, coffee, cocoa, coconut. There were also a lot of fresh seasonal vegetables thanks to a government campaign to break the pre-revolution monoculture. Historically under both Spanish and American domination, Cuba’s only crops were sugar cane and tobacco – providing rum and cigars for the rich gangsters that ran the place as their own giant casino.

After the revolution, Fidel announced that everyone could have nine hectares of land to cultivate vegetables, 10% to go back to the State to sell and the rest for themselves. I discovered that by asking Danny, our tour guide, what a particular billboard meant and he answered: The first duty of the revolution is to feed its people!

As a politics student in the 1960s, the Cuban revolution provided enormous inspiration to me and many of my fellow idealistic students. It was a David and Goliath story. Young charismatic leaders, they were called ‘the beards’, hiding in the jungle, hugely outnumbered by the American-armed force, but eventually prevailing because they had won the hearts and minds of the people.

We went to some of the key sites of the

revolution – even guiltily swimming in the Bay of Pigs. it felt a bit sacriigeous — like swimming at the beach in Gallipoli.

This was where the revolutionaries defeated the CIA inspired invasion in 1961, sinking the US supply ships so that 1400 invading soldiers were left stranded on the beach. Fidel swapped them for food, tractors and medicine.

We also saw the Moncado Barracks, the site of Fidel’s failed attempt to

overthrow the corrupt Batista regime in 1953. We saw Che Guevara’s mausoleum and museum at Santa Clara where the Face of the Revolution and his men derailed a train full of arms headed for Batista and won the revolution. Despite his appropriation by consumer culture (his image appears on everything from beer coasters to pyjamas), Che is still a greatly revered figure in Cuba. His image appears on posters and buildings and not just because he was so good looking, Fidel and Raoul are often there too. But it might be why his image still features on clothes worn by Gen Ys who don’t have a clue who he was and whose hearts and minds have yet to be won…

At home on my verandah in Warrandyte sipping my Mohito, I reflected that yes, it was still a poor country and yes it’s a time warp with scantily stocked supermarket shelves and ancient or four legged public transport, but this tiny island can still teach us a lot. They have free universal health care and education, with the highest literacy rate in the developing world and with doctors as their second largest export. (They even run highly successful literacy programs for indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.) Cuba is the only country in the world that is 100% carbon neutral and all their food is locally grown and organic. There is no huge wealth disparity and apparently no drug problem — huge penalties for the most minor offences.

Sadly, they also have disaffected youth who are longing to leave for the big smoke across the sea. But what else is new?

I’ll be going again…

travel across the globe for Karen place for more than 600 neglected Peruvian kids.

Along the way Karen’s group will also visit and give items to Peruvian Hearts, a local organisation that educates and empowers disadvantaged girls in Peru.

Karen believes the movement for more ethical and sustainable tourism is growing. She recently visited Tonga to hand over clothes and $1200 which she had collected from generous Warrandytians to support people with disabilities in the Polynesian country. Karen says it’s one of the many small ways that ordinary people can have a significant and positive social impact on.

“Not everyone can go and start Sea Shepherd or Greenpeace but you can just do a little bit and it all adds up.

We can also start by making a small difference when we travel. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to create a positive impact.”

Some of those small differences include choosing to eat at local restaurants and buying food from

markets, which generates more business for locals.

Karen says always eating at international food chains or staying in expensive hotels puts more money in the hands of foreigners, while the amount of money that trickles down to the local population is limited.

However, she warns that even well-meaning travellers and volunteers could be having a negative impact without realising.

“A lot of tourists want to volunteer at orphanages for a few days or a week and businesses can make money out of some of these programs,” Karen said. “So there are orphanages appearing in places like Thailand and Cambodia where they’re not actually orphanages and parents are selling their children to these places.”

“If people really do want to do ‘voluntourism’ they need to make sure they do their research thoroughly, and if possible, take a bit of time.”

“I also think it’s about being more aware and having a chat to a couple of locals – it helps connect you to the

country you’re visiting.”

Karen is also planning to take small group tours to Bali, Cambodia and Nepal next year, with the hope of teaching more people how travel can have a wide reaching and positive impact on local communities through their choices when travelling.

Karen’s top tips for becoming a conscious traveller: Find an organisation having a positive impact in an area you’re really passionate about. For example, if you’re into animal welfare you might book into the Bali Animal Welfare Association.

Do your research. Make sure the organisation you’re supporting is ethical.

Adventure outside your hotel complex and wherever possible, eat at restaurants owned and run by local people instead of international fast food chains.

Learn some of the local language – even just learning 10 words can change your entire experience.

Take the time to talk to locals.

182 Heidelberg–Warrandyte Rd, Warrandyte Phone 9844 3637 Email info@cbtp.com.au

The only place to stay in a cabin, in a caravan or for a camping experience n Pool, BBQs, Camp Kitchen, Games Room & undercover ‘al fresco’ area n Pets OK (with pet friendly cabins in addition to sites) n We host local birthday parties! n Cost effective accommodation for visiting family or friends n Try before you buy – don’t buy a tent, come and try ours!

26 Warrandyte Diary

PORT DOUGLAS

BEAUTIFUL PORT “Shout Yourself to a Holiday” APARTMENT – POOL – RESORT

HOLIDAY BOOKINGS NOW OPEN FOR 2015 2BR fully self contained 2 min walk to famous 4 mile beach, short walk to Macrossan Street shops and world class restaurants.

CONTACT OWNER DIRECTLY:

0409 359 240

November 2014

Tina Fersterer MAPS Child and Family Psychologist in Warrandyte 0404 657 473 Specialising in: • Assessment & Counselling • Positive Behaviour Support • Autism Spectrum Disorders • ADHD • Mental Health • Learning Disabilities • School funding applications • Medicare rebates available

WARRANDYTE ✷✷ GLASS ✷✷ Dr Stuart Turner (B.V.Sc.) & Associates Lwr Cnr Melbourne Hill & Houghton Rds, Warrandyte Consultation by Appointment

Phone 9844 3071

NEW WEEKEND HOURS SATURDAY 8–4 SUNDAY 10–12

All types of glass, glazing, mirrors, shower screens

Terry Ryan 9879 0373

or Mobile: 0418 369 294

Halls for Hire Uniting Church Hall................................9844 3547 Anglican Church Hall.............................9844 2193 Mechanics Hall................................. 0408 443 368

TOM KERKHOF

TELEVISION

A BIT OF WARRANDYTE

BY THE SEA! Available again after 2 years (sorry to all those who have missed it)

Servicing the area for 40 years

WYTALIBA Mudbrick Cottage at Aireys Inlet

DIGITAL Televisions, Stereo Systems, DVDs, Digital Set Top Box Systems, New Digital Television Set-ups

Set on two acres of bush and cottage garden it has three bedrooms (2 queen beds, two singles), a fully equipped kitchen, open fire, courtyard with bbq. 15 min walk (3 min drive) to beach, general store and close to bush walks in the Angahook State Forest.

Available Jan/Feb and all school holidays. Minimum 2 night stay.

Phone 9844 3970 Mobile 0408 175 274 27 Mitchell Ave, Warrandyte

Phone Karen on 0425 609 789 for bookings and enquiries

grant mcgregor 0431 157 025 • 9844 3424 maca.mcgregor@bigpond.com

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love landscapes

Just ‘in case’, we’re organised E left Australia for Europe with two suitcases. In one, half was full of medication. Herself with her normal backpack full of rheumatoid arthritis medication plus additional antibiotics, in case, sea sickness tablets for the cruise, natural sleep enhancers for the interminable plane trip and bowel bungers for the inevitable ‘trots’.

I had my normal anti reflux tablets, cholesterol controllers and my ‘in case’ antibiotics and bowel bungers. Of course we included sticking plasters, Panadol, antibiotic cream, bee/wasp sting spray, gauze bandaging, tweezers, nail scissors, an eye wash cup and a small but detailed First Aid booklet. What space in the case we had left was filled with warm, bulky and heavy clothing fit for semi Arctic conditions.

We came back with all of the ‘in case’ medication unused and the clothes for the unreliable UK and European weather unpacked. We could have managed with one suitcase case and an aged care nurse.

So it was ironic that with all that first aid medication we managed to survive six weeks away, having suffered no unusual medical or climatic catastrophes yet arrived home to scratchy eyes, phlegmblocked nasal passages and tiredness worse than jet lag?

The answer is contained in two words, plane trees.

I have already excited Diary readers with my idiosyncratic techniques for dealing with hay fever. For those with

kibbled “I had my normal anti reflux tablets, cholestrol controllers and my ‘in case’ antibiotics and bowel bungers...” memory problems or those who have forgotten or didn’t care, I’ll tell you again. Apart from the hay fever tablet, I endorse the use of goggles and either a disposable face mask or a Kleenex tissue twisted at two corners and the resulting plugs shoved up each nostril.

It isn’t a Jean Paul Gaultier look but it is effective against pollen attacks whilst working in the garden.

I have adjusted the fact that I have to live with the plane trees that line our street, so it was with amazement and a touch of annoyance that I discovered that Lygon Street addicts were going to be spared the indignity of pollen

polluting their caffeine fix.

Evidently, they were tired of having their chocolate-sprinkled fern fronds or psychedelic swirls besmirched by pollen and were staying away from their dealers, in droves.

The council’s answer to this economic disaster was to use more syringes.

Evidently sex is the problem.

Plane trees, like most other living creatures, choose to reproduce. The result of the plane tree equivalent of a torrid night out in a sordid motel room with some cheap spumante and a microwave pizza is pollen, seeds and a fine dust that I can only assume is sex-after-glow. Now all these might be the stuff of their family photo album but to most of us sufferers, they should be kept hidden behind draught-proof doors.

The council’s answer was uncharacteristically swift and draconian. Without consulting sex therapists, marriage guidance counsellors or any ethics committee, the council decided on enforced sterility.

A sort of chemical castration often suggested as a solution for the sex crime offender.

Trained syringe wielders were instructed to inject the trees with a concoction that would render them unable to produce any potential progeny. This, in effect, meant no conception and no resultant pollen, seeds or dust to annoy cafe patrons.

I haven’t read any articles about the effectiveness or otherwise of this attempt to curb the plane trees’ rising sap problem but it has led me to consider other possibilities.

Sick of raking up dead leaves and the twigs and bark of eucalypts? The solution is simple. For a nominal sum you can have your trees sprayed with a mist of polypropylene.

Once the mist settles on your errant tree, it attaches itself to the surface. Once it dries, your tree is encased in an hermetically sealed shroud thereby preventing any pesky leaves, bark or twigs from spoiling any social activity you might want to have. You might need to replace your trees annually but isn’t that a small price to pay for a hassle free barbecue?

And what about flies?

We all know how a summer’s gathering can be destroyed by flies. You are forever swatting them away from your face, food and drink. It is a constant race to see who gets to the food first. But the problem can be solved.

We all know that flies breed in cattle dung. Without cattle dung our problem could be solved. I suggest we get rid of all mooing critters. No mooing, no dung, no flies and no problems at a barbecue. You may need to eat more tofu and vegie burgers but at least you’ll be able to dislike eating them without the annoyance of flies.

I ALSO HAVE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS OF MOSQUITOES, BARKING DOGS, UNDISCIPLINED CHILDREN, PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW WHEN, CORRECTLY, TO USE ‘MYSELF’ AND TAGGERS BUT I’LL STOP HERE. YOU CAN HAVE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING. ROGER KIBELL

27 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Beware the tunnel of doom EAR is not a rational thing. Neither is fearlessness. How totally inexplicable are the people who happily scamper up a vertiginous precipice, on a wisp of a footpad that has sheer cliffs plummeting down, hundreds of metres down, either side?

“It’s OK,” they assure me.

‘There’s a chain to hang on to.”

In places. Where segments of chain are missing, the route is marked by the odd naked metal post. Even when it’s there, the chain and post arrangement seems to me to be taking up valuable space in the middle of the route, forcing hikers even closer to the lip of the precipice. Terrifying!

What if you met somebody coming the other way?

Aarrggghhhh! I kept waking up in a cold sweat after I saw our son’s photos of Angel’s Landing in Utah’s Zion National Park. What a naughty boy!

His photos were awesome though. I showed them to my mother. “Oh no!” she cried.

“No! They didn’t go out there!”

Well they did, actually. And the place was like Bourke

Street. Hikers had flocked there like lemmings to the slaughter. Obviously my mum and I belong to a minority.

The carwash is scar y enough for me. The Tunnel of Doom. First you become trapped in the vehicle, to be placed at the mercy of some science-fiction-like giant mechanical gizmo. You are no longer in control and cannot escape. Windows up, doors tight shut, emergency supply of black jelly beans at the ready. I try not to panic as I am blinded by a thick layer of white foam enveloping the vehicle. A basecoat followed by a topcoat. Spurt, spurt.

An ominous drumming noise gets louder and louder, closer and closer … Crunch! Splat!

Wham! Bang! Inside the guts of the thing, moving forward relentlessly, blindly, through walls of tumbling thumping menace, long blue octopus arms thrashing around in the foamy nightmare as if they were tumbling you over and over in a ferociously deep stopper under a Grade 10 rapid. I can’t help holding my breath as I catch glimpses of

our place

By MARILYN MOORE

The Blanket of Suffocation, The Grim Roller, The Beating Brush. The ghost train at Luna Park has absolutely nothing on this. Will this torment never finish? The car wasn’t that grubby!

Just as visibility starts to reassert itself, another wave of drenching foam washes over the car. Pink-green deep blue blobs of tri-foam spume cruise slowly down the windscreen and all goes quiet. I draw a cautious breath, but perhaps I’m hallucinating. Yep. It’s the calm before the storm. A deluge of water drums on the roof like the mother of all hail storms, before a great hulking black boom rotates menacingly as it begins its programmed attack. Like Darth Vader, it chugs wheezily towards the windscreen, which will surely break under the onslaught …

I feign nonchalance, pretending that I’m not planning a rapid exit. A split second before

impact, the boom changes direction and glides smoothly over the roof before we are precipitately popped out into the sunshine. The real world doesn’t seem to notice that one of its members has just been to hell and back. I am flooded with relief as the car starts on cue and we drive off cautiously, whisking away the last of the crawling water drops with squeaky wipers.

Perhaps I should go to the car wash more often!

Back on the road through Warrandyte, it seemed as though the Tunnel of Doom was a metaphor for something or other. I needed to escape.

So here we are, perched on a rocky headland overlooking The Coorong, lapping up the spring sunshine, braced firmly against a stiff southerly buster. A flock of pelicans cruises past then hovers over their raucous island rookery. We can hear the cries of their young despite the wind whistling and howling through the wildly beautiful salt grasses on the headland. Free as birds!

Another place to dream of coming back to …

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(Cuba 1953 – a very brief history of the revolution) A handful of men (119) In 21 cars Storming the barracks Their eyes full of stars A Hollywood movie?

What folly was this?

They banked on fiesta The soldiers all pissed Comedy of errors The lookout gets lost Outnumbered, out weaponed They cut their costs Head for the hills And in all that wild green The man sent to kill them said You can’t kill ideas Saved them instead the trial, a showcase for all to see Fidel talked up a storm History’’ll absolve me His legendary speeches, Batista’s lies Two years gaol And he ‘fills up the skies

By the peasants and farmers By the mountains and mist They sowed their seeds The hand it now flexes, turns into a fist The beards are winning the hearts and minds

The Beards are turning the hearts and minds

*** A handful of men (81) In an old Granma boat Set sail from Mexico And she kept them afloat but

*** A handful of men (300) How many do you need When you have Ernesto Guevara Taking the lead?

Santa Clara The race almost run Where they de-railed the train Stole all the guns

Ambushed on the beach A handful (12) saved face Again they were saved By the jungles’s embrace

TRUEWOOD CONSTRUCTIONS

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A hero is made And the revolution won.

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KAREN THROSSEL

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20 Rudolf Crt Ringwood North

Design Construction Sustainable

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TAXATION AND ACCOUNTING

• Taxation Return Preparation • Electronic Lodgement Service • Accounting & Business Consultants

SHOP 5, 35-37 DRYSDALE ROAD, WARRANDYTE 9844 2661 A/H 9844 2540

JOHN ROBERTS

and Associates

Certified Practising Accountants

28 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Toy bargains up for grabs Secondhand toy swap and sale. Pick up some bargains or clear out your cupboards.

Bookings required for stall holders. Thursday November 13, 11am-2pm at Warrandyte Neighbourhood House, 9844 1839.

You’re in safe hands PAUL J. GILLING REBECCA VAN DER JAGT B.Sc, B.AppSc, Grad Dip Manip Therapy MAPA

Warrandyte Physiotherapy Centre

2 Trezise Street, Warrandyte 9844 1566

Member of Manipulative Physiotherapists Association of Australia

RSL gigs

Live music sessions. Monthly Bands by the Bridge. Don Hillmans Secret Beach. Singer/ songwriter Don, playing songs about travelling and living in Australia. The wonderful outback/surfing and wilderness.

Sunday November 30, 4-8pm.

Sausage sizzle available from 6pm. BYO food platter welcome. Band donation appreciated. Inquiries: 9844 3567 after 4pm weekdays. RSL Club rooms, 113 Brackenbury Street (enter from Mitchell Avenue).

Movie night

Managing Director

p: 0412 765 210 e: andrewjohn75@optusnet.com.au w: fourwallspainting.com.au Member of Master Painters Association No. 3993

Ring or Email for a No Obligation Free Quote

‘Polar Express’ at North Warrandyte Community Centre (next to CFA). Saturday November 22. BBQ at 5pm with the main movie kicking off at 8pm. $20 per family or $5 per person. Beer, wine and soft drink on sale. Come along and join your neighbours and the local firies.

Cooking classes

Check out all the wonderful Italian masterclasses being held at Olivigna during November and December.

Children’s and adult classes.

44 Yarra Street, Warrandyte. Phone 9844 3280

out of the inbox

By BRIONY BOTTARELLI Publicise your coming events.

Items for Out of the Inbox are welcome. Include full details of date, place and time and post to: Warrandyte Diary, PO Box 209, Warrandyte Vic 3113 or emailed to: briony@ warrandytediary.com.au.

9844 4676, bea@olivigna.com. au, www.olivigna.com.au, or www.facebook.com/olivigna.

Garden

Warrandyte Community Garden currently has one spare plot available. If you are interested, please contact Barbara on 9844 4544.

WNH courses

Silver jewellery making with metal clay. If you have used dough you can use metal clay. Firing will be completed during class enabling you to take home your handmade jewellery. Saturday November 15, 9.30am-12.30m. Cost $95 including materials.

FOWSP nursery

Have you visited your local nursery? Come along on Thursdays between 9.30am and 12.30pm, or the first Saturday of each month from 9am-1pm and the first Sunday of each month from 2-4pm.

Purchase all your local native plants from $2.50.

Need volunteers

Make beautiful Christmas decorations using a variety of different materials, including modeling clay and fabrics. From Wednesday November 19 for three weeks. 4-5.30pm. Cost $45.

For more information on above classes contact WNH on 9844 1839.

Work with a great bunch of people for three hours a week (within school hours). The Information Centre in the Warrandyte Community Centre.

Our service covers tourism, health, support and social issues. Local groups and courses, legal and tax assistance.

Training provided. Please call 9844 3082 between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday for further information.

Storytime

U3A

Christmas crafts

Warrandyte Library, Wednesday from 11-11.45am for a lively program of stories, songs, rhymes and activities for children aged 18 months to five years, their parents or caregivers.

Enrol now for 2015. Retired from earning, but not from learning? Keep yourself young and active with over 30 courses to choose from in exercise, music, arts, humanities, crafts and computers. Annual cost

Alpha course

Explore the meaning of life!

Come along and ask some challenging questions. This is a free event. Alpha runs over 10 Wednesday nights, starting October 8 at 7pm. Commences with dinner, a short talk and then discussion. To be held at St Stephen’s Anglican Church, 5-7 Stiggants Street, Warrandyte. For registrations and more information contact Maria on 0423 093 967 or ststephenswarrandyte@gmail. com.

Convention

Last weekend’s Lions Club convention saw over 200 people from rural and metropolitan Victoria enjoying Warrandyte. Warrandyte High School provided the venue, our Community Bank provided the sponsorship, local traders provided hospitality and local Lions provided the hard work to make it a success.

artyfacts Exhibition

Discover ‘One out of the Box’ special exhibition showing from November 9 till December 25. Stonehouse Gallery, open daily at 103 Yarra Street, Warrandyte.

Kids power up a platypus

By CHERIE MOSELEN

Cameron Guymer 0408 348 180

Guest speaker Linda Lawrie from BeReady Warrandyte will talk about the dual risks of bushfire and heat wave faced by senior residents.

More people die from heat related illness in Australia, than any other natural disaster.

Visitors welcome on Monday December 1, 10am till noon, at the Senior Citizen Centre, Taroona Avenue, Warrandyte.

For more information contact Barry Holding on 9844 1454.

Presenting another great production, ‘Talking Heads’, now showing at the Mechanics Institute Hall. November 7, 8, 14, 15, at 8pm, with a matinee on Saturday November 15 at 2pm. Book at warrandyte hallarts.asn.au/tickets.

Commencing 8.30pm. Electric Intent, Friday November 14, Long Gone Daddys Band Friday November 21. Electric Intent, Friday November 28.

Local band ‘Rust’, Saturday November 29. Also, every Thursday night from 8pm, Harry Healy from ‘The Voice’ will be playing in the public bar.

Andrew John

Probus meeting

Theatre

Grand gigs

painting & decorating

$40 for singles and $60 for a couple for as many classes as you may choose. Plus a one off joining fee of $5. Norwood Park, 125A Warrandyte Road, Ringwood. Contact 9879 2677.

WARRANDYTE was abuzz with creativity last month when a group of primary school children gathered at Stiggants Reserve to construct a platypus using recyclable materials.

About 200 children were involved in building the sculpture as part of a program to teach kids living along the Yarra about river health and protection of local waterways.

The “Kids Teaching Kids” event was part of the Victorian Government’s Love The Yarra project, which encourages students to “share their knowledge of the Yarra River’s environmental, recreational and cultural value, and tackle conservation issues such as storm water pollution”.

Celebrated artist Jeminah Reidy (Warrandyte Scenes on the Yarra and Nature Play at Warrandyte Festival) guided the construction, which was funded by a grant from Warrandyte Community Bank.

“The children brought a wonderful energy to the project. One little girl said she was an art leader at her school and wanted to be a professional artist like me,” Jeminah told the Diary.

“She also said this was ‘the best day of school ever’. It was an extremely rewarding day for me and an enriching experience for the students.”

The sculpture was shaped using recyclable materials sourced through Manningham refuse. Bottles, cans, tires, and hanging baskets were just some of the household items molded with chicken wire, covered in cement and then painted.

The children (all from different places along the river and all wearing an “I love the Yarra” t-shirt) were divided into groups, some hand mixing cement, some making the rubbish base. A spokesperson from Manningham council said the artwork was “also in keeping with the education and engagement objectives of Manningham council’s Green Wedge Action Plan 2020 to celebrate the diversity and cultural significance of the Green Wedge and to educate participants about the impact of pollutants and litter on the health of the river and its inhabitants.”

Three weeks later, a small group from Warrandyte and Anderson’s Creek Primary

Making a difference: Local primary school children turn recyclables into art.

Schools, (plus several children from the Warrandyte Community Church playgroup) returned to unveil the finished platypus, which will also be used as a seat in the reserve’s play space.

In thanking the group, Manningham council Green Wedge project officer Ralph Geerling explained the sculpture represented an important idea about celebrating the Green Wedge and raising awareness around river health.

Also attending, Warrandyte Community Bank manager

Mark Challen congratulated the children on their great work and said the bank was thrilled to be able to bring everyone together.

Many of the “sculptors” had not seen the finished platypus and were excited to rip the tarp off and admire their artistic effort.

In an appropriate end to the ceremony, several children sat on the sculpture while Wurundjeri elder Ian Hunter recounted a traditional Indigenous story about how the platypus came to be.

29 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Nature’s magic after the October rains nature Words and Photos

by LINDA ROGAN

HE sun feels hot through the back of my shir t.

Clouds have given way to the sun’s power. Glorious after the past few cool days. More than 25mm in the gauge and our rainwater tanks are full. Even my rainwater pond, barely damp in early spring, is full again. And I have a new light-weight camera in hand.

I should be inside at the computer writing my Nature column; maybe something different this month.

But the garden is looking wonderful. Yellow leek lilies are everywhere.

Blue flowers of Creeping Speedwell (Veronica) and white flowers of Woolly New Holland Daisy are scattered between. Tall green tassels of spear grass wave regally and one bush of Yarra Burgan is absolutely covered in off-white blooms. Each one is 10mm wide, like tea tree blooms, but with white filaments giving a furry look.

A frenzy of activity high up, where the bush has grown beyond my reach. I climb up on a two-step kitchen stool, lean against the safety rail to avoid a fall. Winged dark specks become small flea beetles, pintail

beetles and metallic green Clerid beetles with triangular clubs on their antennae. Other winged creatures resolve into shiny flies ranging from minute up to blowfly size, and everywhere, spiders lurk.

Brown spiky garden spiders easily merge with the brown stems and twigs; green and cream crab spiders hide amongst the buds. They seem to know that when the Burgan blooms, their table is set. A giant lobs in amongst the flowers. It’s a European honeybee. These small spiders ignore the giant.

But something else, disturbed at the giant’s arrival, flies to a nearby branch. Less than a quarter the size of the imported honey producer, it is

a native bee. I see yellow and brown rings around its abdomen. Unlike the giant interloper, it is moving slowly in the first of the day’s heat. I can get close enough for a photo of this cooperative bee.

Another more strikingly coloured bee, I recognise as a wasp mimic, appears briefly but eludes my camera.

Later many smart black bees and a spectacular black and red bee are captured in pixels. I discover later that these are different colour forms of the same species, which, surprisingly, lack pollen-carrying hairs and swallow pollen in their crop to take it back to their nest.

As the sun dissolves the cool shadows, the frenzied activity increases.

Slightly larger beetles near the top of the bush are out of reach. Some of them seem to be pairing up. One pair on a drooping branch, I may be able to pull down. I must move carefully, like a gentle breeze. Beetles are easily alarmed and will drop to the ground, as if dead, if they sense my presence.

Just close enough now; camera in one hand, I try for a photo. Their cylindrical-shaped bodies have yellow spots, these are mating Jewel Beetles. I get both male and female in one photo.

Oh and nearby, more Jewel Beetles show different patterns and colours.

Beauty is a mixed blessing. Many Jewel Beetles have been collected and sold, even used to create jew-

ellery, leading to near extinction in some places. The eggs of most species are laid on trees where the larvae bore into the wood. Freshly emerged adult Jewel Beetles have been found in timber in buildings years after milling.

Eventually, I must head inside. I’m shocked, I’ve taken over 300 photos.

I hope some of them are good. In the end I have acceptable photos of at least two species of native bee and two species of Jewel Beetle, the ever-present hungry spiders and other creatures.

Friday morning has arrived and its D-Day at the Warrandyte Diary. The spring weather has selected my topic this month.

Blessing of the animals for all shapes and sizes FORTY humans, seven dogs, two budgies, a couple of cats and a pair of guinea pigs joined the Warrandyte Uniting Church congregation last month for Pet Sunday.

Reverand Lynette Dungan handled the furry guests with aplomb and there wasn’t an angry meow, ruff, squeak or chirp within earshot throughout the morning’s service in what was a very well behaved gathering of special guests on the day.

While Max the budgerigar didn’t have a lot to say early, he certainly became a lot chirpier by the end of the morning as George and Ginger the guinea pigs, Marla, Benson, Fran and Roxy the dogs, and moggies Roger and Murray all managed to get along just fine (or perhaps put up with each other for the occasion just fine).

Pictures: SCOTT PODMORE and PAM EGGLESTONE.

30 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Remembering Remembrance Day

By VAL POLLEY

DO we still really remember Remembrance Day? There was a time when at the eleventh hour on the 11th day of the 11th month the nation would come to a halt. Traffic would be brought to a stop, shoppers would stand still and workplaces would down tools and a minute’s silence would be observed.

Most people would participate.

There were always some pedestrians or shoppers who would scuttle apologetically through the crowds and some workers would take the opportunity for a crafty smoke but it was, on the whole, a solemn and shared moment. Over time, however, the practice has been less observed.

The significance of the day when the Armistice was signed and the First World War ended has been overshadowed by a greater emphasis on Anzac Day and its place in the Australian psyche.

The origins of the silence are variously ascribed to a Melbourne journalist Edward Honey and a South African, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, who sent his proposal to the King. Originally the proposal was for a five-minute silence but this was reduced to two minutes after a trial. On November 6 in 1919, King George V sent a special message to the people of the empire requesting a complete suspension of normal activities be observed for two minutes at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month to remember the fallen. Armistice Day was commemorated across the empire in this way from 1919.

The red poppy has been emblematic of Armistice/Remembrance Day since 1921. It has become a potent symbol of the sacrifices made in past wars. Initially it was a memorial to those who died in World War I. Scarlet corn poppies grow naturally in disturbed ground and during World War I, the fields and landscapes of northern France and Flanders were devastated by the conflict. Afterwards red poppies grew prolifically across the battlefields and inspired a Canadian surgeon John McCrae. He wrote a poem titled In Flanders Fields whose first two lines read: In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row His poem was first published anonymously in Britain but became widespread and well known throughout the British Empire. Then in 1921 the poppy was chosen by the Royal British Legion as the emblem for its Poppy Appeal which was held to aid those who had served in the British Armed Forces during the war. The poppy was seen to represent the sacrifice made by the fallen and was adopted as a lasting memorial.

Following the Second World War, some two decades after the first ended, Armistice Day changed from remembering just those who fell in World War I into a day that paid tribute to all the men and women who served in all wars. Accordingly its name also changed to Remembrance

Warrandyte calendar 2015 is out now TALENTED Warrandyte photographer Denise Illing has released her annual Warrandyte calendar, the fourth one she has produced featuring images taken around town including this photograph of three Tawny Frogmouths.

The calendar is A4 size, comes with an envelope, and was designed to be a suitable size and weight for mailing (it weighs less than 250g), so could make a perfect Christmas gift for someone special.

The calendar details the dates

Memories: Tomorrow, November 11, is Remembrance Day. It is an occasion to commemorate all those who have served, died or suffered during times of war. The red poppy has been an emblematic of Remembrance Day since 1921.

Day to commemorate all those who have served, died or suffered during times of war and, more recently, in peacekeeping operations.

This year holds a special significance as it signifies the centenary of the declaration of World War I. Remembrance Day services will be held in the countries that comprised the then British Empire, such as Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa as well as others such as the USA and France. They will all remember their fallen and debate the impact the Great War had on their respective nations. To attend these ceremonies can be a moving experience.

At the Cenotaph (Greek for an emp-

ty tomb) in London, there has been a service and march past held every year since 1919. Hymns are sung and prayers said and the monarch and other dignitaries lay wreaths.

It is solemn and dignified. To stand and watch the many ex-servicemen, mostly aged men, march proudly by, wearing their caps, berets and medals across their chest and the only sound is the shh-shh-shh of the many feet moving in unison is a sombre yet stirring experience. In Melbourne it is watching a natural ray of light fall across the word ‘Love’ on the Stone of Remembrance at precisely 11am on November 11 that provides a similar poignant moment, though this now occurs at noon, not 11am,

thanks to the introduction of Eastern Summer Time.

There has been much interesting debate about the significance of commemorations such as Remembrance Day in recent times. Do they represent a glorification of war or a solemn reminder of the sacrificing of lives for peace?

Warrandyte was a small community that sent many men away to the other side of the world to fight in the First World War. This was in the days before the easy dissemination of information through television or the internet. Yet there was a rush to enlist. No doubt these men, mostly young, were roused by the stirring rhetoric of the day. The pay was good. Australian soldiers were paid six shillings a day, more than three times their British counterparts, and it must have seemed a great opportunity to have adventure overseas.

Researching these men reveals the realities and tragedies of war more clearly. The Warrandyte soldiers experienced the same things as those from other countries. Many men spent long periods in hospital during their service with illnesses ranging from scabies and influenza to trench foot and serious injuries.

Some were disciplined for offences from drunkenness to being absent without leave. Some contracted various venereal diseases (VD).

These were young men, some away from home for the first time. The prostitutes of Egypt and France must

of the Warrandyte Festival, Warrandyte Pottery Expo, Warrandyte Carols by Candlelight and the Warrandyte Community Market.

“In the past, the calendars have gone all over the world, as I am sure they will do this year,” Denise told the Diary.

The calendar sells for $19.95 and can be purchased from Warrandyte Post Office, Warrandyte Berry Farm, Aumann’s Family Orchard, RIVVAPT, LAM Creative Collective and Warrandyte Neighbourhood House. have been a revelation and VD was rife at times. Do not forget, these were the days before penicillin and VD treatments were horrendous.

Some would not have been involved in fighting as for every man at the front there were those who provided support. When there was no fighting, boredom in the trenches must have been hard to manage. Atrocious weather conditions often exacerbated an already difficult situation.

Some became prisoners of war. Many men were injured, some several times, and some were maimed for life. Others paid the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives. Few of those who served would have returned unscathed by their experiences.

Remembrance Day can serve as a reflection on the futility as well as the glory of war. It can remind us that the outcomes of one war often sow the seeds of destruction for the next. There are so many wars. There are so many dead. There are so many unknown, unrecognised and unacknowledged casualties of war in addition to the military – the civilians, the dispossessed, the displaced. Buy and wear a poppy for Remembrance Day. It is for remembering them all lest we forget.

Warrandyte Historical Society’s new exhibition War & Warrandyte 1914-18 will be open weekends from December 6.

Open Sat/Sun 12 noon–5pm until Christmas. Normal hours: Sat/ Sun 2–5pm.

One Girl – mission accomplished for Brianna THE Diary’s Brianna Piazza has finished her fundraising campaign for girls’ education in Sierra Leone after raising more than $1500.

Brianna, 22, who is an ambassador for not-for-profit organisation One Girl, has raised enough money to send five girls in Sierra Leone to school for a year, pay for school supplies and fund community projects. She raised the money as part of One Girl’s Do It In A Dress movement, where men and women of all ages complete challenges while wearing a school dress.

Her challenges included swimming with sharks at Melbourne Aquarium, snowboarding, dancing around Warrandyte and shopping at the local IGA in a school dress.

During the campaign, One Girl’s Lauren Markwell joined Brianna in talking to nearly 300 students at Warrandyte Primary about poverty and girls’ education.

“People questioned how it was possible to explain poverty, child

marriage and the lack of educational opportunities that exist for west African girls in a way so that kids could understand,” Brianna said.

“But the kids understood the message, perhaps more easily than many adults. If we want to end the poverty cycle then it’s essential that girls in developing countries have the same opportunity as boys to go to school.”

Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries, where only one in six girls attend high school and even fewer complete high school.

In the areas of Sierra Leone where One Girl works, girls are more likely to be sexually assaulted than attend high school.

“Parents in west Africa might only have enough money to send one child to school but the child selected to go to school is almost always a boy,” Brianna said.

“Meanwhile, studies show that educating girls not only reduces the rate of child marriage and maternal

mortality, but educated women put nearly all of the money they earn back into their families and communities. They also tend to have fewer but healthier children.”

While schools across Sierra Leone have been closed due to the Ebola outbreak, which has killed close to 5000 people, students are learning from home over the radio until it’s deemed safe to return to the classroom.

Brianna said one of the most rewarding parts of the campaign was raising awareness about the importance of girls’ education at Warrandyte Primary.

“I was blown away by the number of students who wanted to know more about our work and Do It In A Dress,” she said.

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful that the school makes it a priority to teach kids that they’re never too young to make a positive difference in the world, because that’s so true.”

31 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

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WPS on a mission to redevelop EXCITING new changes are in the works for Warrandyte Primary School to redevelop a space that extends from the foundation playground.

A committee referred to as the FPR committee consists of both parents and WPS teachers who understand the value and the need for children to play/learn in an environment that meets all their play/learn requirements. They understand that the physical attributes of a playground must have both risk and challenge, while allowing the students to build on their creativity.

So having both high play and chill out areas in the foundation (Prep) garden in the setting of formal and informal play areas, the school believes will enhance the children’s growth, development and learning.

“They are very excited that the Foundation Playground Redevelopment will enhance the school’s already strong need to extend learning beyond the classroom walls and will be an amazing play/learning space for the students and teachers of WPS,” principal Gill Binger said.

If you are interested in taking part in this exciting redevelopment please don’t hesitate in contacting the school on 9844 3537.

CHAUFFEURED TRANSFERS Arrive safely, in style and comfort.

Airport transfers, Parties, Weddings.

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MOBILE WOOD SPLITTING SERVICE Ring Terry 0409 411 943 or leave a message on 9722 2592 PHILLIP ISLAND Cape Woolamai 3 bedroom Townhouse (sleeps 6).

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HOUSE PAINTING Call your local painter for friendly and efficient service. No job too small. Seniors discount available. Phone Clint’s Progressive Painting Service 9844 4969 or 0424 731 830.

NEED HELP IN THE HOME? Personal care, home duties, child minding. Current first aid certificate and police check. Phone Margaret 0417 636 813.

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FOR ADVERTISING CALL 9844 0555

DC Paint The redevelopment will obviously be wonderful for all the students and staff at Warrandyte Primary School but funds are needed to be able to proceed with the project.

One way the school is hoping to raise some of those funds is through the upcoming State Election and Friends of WPS (Warrandyte Primary School).

Warrandyte Primary School, Forbes St, Warrandyte is one of the designated polling booths and it has been chosen to hold a combined cake stall, car boot sale and sausage sizzle. So, if you fancy a bargain, love a cooked snag and a yummy homemade slice pop on down between 8am-3pm on Saturday November 29.

Friends of WPS would also like to send a big thank you to Quinton’s IGA who have generously donated the sausages for the event.

If you wish to book a site or make an inquiry for a site, contact Warrandyte Primary School on 9844 3537 for details but be quick as spaces will be limited.

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32 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Battle of the Bands

Cherry picking the best Words and pictures

by Bill McAuley

RTIST Cherry Manders is a woman of indeterminate age. The slim, smiling and friendly redhead still paints with the youthful enthusiasm of a twenty-something, but she insists it’s a woman’s prerogative to keep her age a secret.

“Even my husband Joff doesn’t know how old I am,” she says with a cheeky grin. “Nobody knows except me.”

Cherry first came to Warrandyte to teach sculpture at Potters Cottage in 1978 where she met young Joff Manders who was managing the pottery school in those hippy dippy days.

“Opposites attract,” says Cherry, remembering her first meeting with the man she would eventually marry.

“We certainly are opposites, Joff is organised and I’m not.”

“Working at Potters was one big party day back then,” she says. “I worked with Kay Scott and Joanna Francis. It was a place where people met and had fun. Gus McLaren and Reg Preston would come in and do workshops from time to time.

Unfortunately pottery took a bit of a downturn in the early ’80s and the school eventually closed down.

Cherry grew up travelling around Australia, her dad was a bank manager and they moved house once every two and a half years. Many people regret being moved around when they were young, but not this “living treasure”.

“I loved it. It was fabulous, we moved from Port Lincoln to Port Augusta, to Alice Springs, to Avalon Beach, then Grafton, and finally Brisbane where I studied art at Brisbane Central Technical College.”

After four years at the college, Cherry graduated with a certificate in fine art and a diploma in drawing and painting. Joff and Cherry live in their Till’s Drive home that they bought from Joff’s mother Margot in 1979. The house is tucked away in a beautiful bushy setting just one paddock away from the river and the other side of the property backs onto the Warrandyte State Park.

“I fell in love with the place,” says Cherry. “ They’ll have to drag me out

BUDDING musos and singers will hit the stage at Anderson’s Creek Primary School’s Performing Arts Centre on Sunday November 30 for the return of the annual Wonnies Battle of the Bands.

Last year’s Battle of the Bands saw 13 bands from nine schools battle it out in front of a packed audience of more than 400 people. It’s a day when more than 70 musicians from schools including Anderson’s Creek, Croydon Hills, Donvale, Vermont, Mullum, Kalinda and Eastwood are given the opportunity to strut their stuff on a professional stage and audio setup.

Wonnies chief Scott van Gestel says this year’s event will feature three past winners pitted against each other, so the quality will “be right up there” as they battle it out for 2014 bragging rights. Or could a newcomer roll up, rock out and spoil the party?

“We are also having a special group performing, Quiet Bedlam, which is made up of three locals – Soren, Zoe and Noah,” Scott told the Diary. “They have gone through our program at Wonnies since primary school and now perform in an acoustic three-piece outfit and are fantastic. They’re from Warrandyte High.

“We will have two other bands that we have selected from the best performers over the past three years.”

The biggest gig in town starts at 12.30pm, November 30. Visit wonniesbattleofthebands.com or like the Facebook page at facebook.com/ WonniesBattleOfTheBands

Di and Mel’s new book

of here. I never want to leave. It’s got everything I want.”

The house has a proud tradition of working artists living there. First was famous war artist Frank Crozier and then came Crozier’s only student who was Joff’s father, Wally Manders.

He rode his horse all the way from Pascoe Vale to take lessons from him and had to camp out the back because Frank wouldn’t let him in the house.

When Frank died he left a provision in his will that gave Wally an option to buy the house that he was once banned from entering. Wally bought the house and produced his landscapes in a tiny studio on the property. Both men died in the house and Joff and Cherry’s daughter Mina claims that the ghosts of both men have visited her at different times.

Cherry says: “I don’t mind fulfilling the tradition of being an artist dying in the house, in fact, I’m happy to do so. I fell in love with the place when I arrived and I never want to leave here. It’s got everything I want.”

Cherry works from her studio that stands between the house and the river. The studio, built by Joff, is suitably cluttered as artist studios are meant to be. Her paintings are stacked throughout the studio and display a diversity of styles. “ I’m a Gemini,” Cherry says with a grin. “And I swing from one thing

to another, but these days I mainly concentrate on painting landscapes, portraits and still life.”

Cherry is preparing for a one-day painting sale and is currently sorting and hanging the paintings that will be on display during the sale. On the easel sits a St Kilda landscape featuring the Palais Theatre. Cherry has used bold and confident brushstrokes of vibrant blues and purple giving the painting a luminous quality.

Against the wall leans another painting that she is working on, a still life this time. The painting features a vase of poppies and a bowl of apples.

“I am trying to give this painting a strong vertical structure,” says Cherry.

“I like to start with a strong composition and then work movement into the flowers.”

This vibrant still life features contrasting red and blue and combined with its strong compositional values it jumps right out of the frame and hits you in the face.

“I don’t paint realistically. I interpret the colours and design as I go,” says Cherry as she proudly shows the Diary her favourite painting. “It’s a portrait of Antony Neate, the drama teacher, and I painted it in one hit. I like the red and black reaction and, for me, the painting has life.”

Cherry’s love for her art is palpable. It’s easy to listen to her wax

lyrical about it.

“Colour is my passion and light, too. I try to capture that fleeting moment and embellish the colour. My favourite painter is the American abstract impressionist Mark Rothko.”

Cherry says that she is a bit of a recluse and enjoys spending time painting in her studio these days. “ If I need company I just go down the street where I’m sure to bump into somebody I know,” she says.

Over the years Cherry has been awarded many prizes including the Victor Harbour Still Life Award, the Norma Bell Portrait Prize and the McCubbin Award. She has received many other accolades and prizes in recognition of her artistic talent. But her hometown keeps her grounded.

“I love the community spirit in Warrandyte,” she explains. “And walking down the river with our dog Marley.

It’s an easy social climate here and I love meeting people.”

If you wish to view some of Cherry’s work she is having a one-day painting sale on Saturday November 22 at 33-35 Till’s Drive from 10am until 5pm. It’s a great opportunity to get an original piece by a Warrandyte artist up on your wall. There are over 100 framed and unframed paintings on sale at studio prices. You can also view the collection by appointment, ring Cherry on 9844 3895.

FORMER Anderson’s Creek Primary School teacher Di Mastores has been busy putting together a book with her daughter Mel Wahlsten titled Our Wheat Farm.

“My daughter married into a wheat farming family and moved to the central wheat belt of Western Australia.

During the course of my frequent visits to the west, I became fascinated by wheat production,” Di told the Diary.

“The teacher in me realised there was very little in print for children to learn about one of our primary industries and, in fact, not much on the internet either. So I began, looking at wheat production over the course of a year, focusing on machinery and problems that our wheat farmers face. The book is told through the eyes my grandchild and my daughter drew the illustrations.”

The Merredin community has supported Di and her daughter Mel’s venture and the Merredin College trialed the book through various levels. There are learning task centres in the back of the text and it has been geared to be perfect as Guided Reading sets for lower to middle school levels.

“The man from the local John Deere Centre at Merredin was so impressed that he supplied us with animated toy tractors to be given with the book,” Di said.

In the meantime, there’s no rest for the dynamic mother-daughter duo who are already in the process of fine-tuning their second book, The Wind Farm, which should be ready to publish by early next year.

“I am currently researching for the third on a pearl farm, so as you can see we are basing our books on Australian Primary Industries,” Di explained. “Maybe a fourth on gold?

Ha, then I can focus on Warrandyte!”

Now that’s a golden idea, Di, all the best with the book!

For inquiries about the book email meldipub@gmail.com

33 Warrandyte Diary

T20 comes to town

By RYAN HOIBERG

THE rock and roll version of cricket returns to Warrandyte as the yearly T20 RDCA competition hits off this month.

Warrandyte will host its first game, among an array of entertainment at Warrandyte Reserve that will be an event to remember.

Warrandyte has been pooled with some local foes that will see some suburban rivalries heat up across the quicker cricket version. On Tuesday December 2 and the following Tuesday (December 9), the WCG (Warrandyte Cricket Ground) will be buzzing with some of the brightest and entertaining talent collected across the senior club put into the cauldron to face the famous white ball.

Starting on December 2, Warrandyte will start the afternoon off with a Milo junior cricket clinic for the younger members of the club from 4pm with guest coaches from around the state coming down to the ground to help nurture the next generations of T20 superstars. Included in these activities will be a sausage sizzle for all the kids and the clinic will take place before Warrandyte hosts Croydon North for the T20 bash with a 5pm start.

For those who may not have seen some of the great games in the past, this will be the seventh season in which Warrandyte will participate in this tournament. Warrandyte was the runner up in just the second season of the tournament in 2009-10, and historically has been very competitive.

In 10 matches in this format, Warrandyte has scored above a run-aball rate, with Adam White still the only person in club history to have posted a T20 ton, which across any format is an exceptionally rare event.

Ben Taylor, Warrandyte Cricket Club president, is the current record games holder but is second to club legend Campbell Holland to most runs scored in the format. Holland holds the record for most runs and most wickets in this format of play and has a career strike rate of 118.

Warrandyte’s has a 55% winning ratio and will look to improve on this with the initial five pool games held before the end of the year.

Make sure you get down to the WCG on December 2 from 4pm onwards to enjoy what is expected to be a fantastic day, with entertainment assured for the entire family.

AS reported last month, injuries and holidays have reduced the number of players available for selection and ultimately resulted in withdrawal of the Sixth XI for the South Warrandyte Hawks.

Nevertheless, results are encouraging with the Fifths winning just one game, but all other sides winning at least two.

The Firsts won both two-dayers comfortably and are top of the ladder, just ahead of near neighbours Warrandyte (who they play in the next round) and Wonga Park.

The First XI scored 7/205 (Steve Lindsay 60, Michael Crosbie 48) against East Ringwood 165 (Chris Ryan 3/56) and backed up with 6/231dec (Jarrad Loughman 53no, Steve Garrett 49, Crosbie 44) against

Dynamic duo powers on

WARRANDYTE’S Karina Vitiritti and Angus Rodwell took part in an adventure race nestled in the foothills of Mt Kosicuszko last month.

The 38km mountain bike, 26km downriver kayak and the 25km run, described by the organisers as rugged, gruelling, wet and competitive, was the challenge and the mountain bike delivered hilly forest trails, steep climbs/decents, creek crossings and singletrack.

“It had a bit of everything and was a tough, but fun start to the day, a few wrong turns here but we both made it to the paddle,” Karina said.

The downriver paddle had swift flowing water and standing waves and they let water out of the dam just for the race. The run was where the real race began, separately the duo both hauled themselves up the very steep climb to the summit of Mt Elliott. At times there was no track, just bush bashing up the neverending mountain in very hot conditions.

The finishline at Corryong was a welcome sight, according to Karina.

“It was one of those events that was an achievement just to cross the line,” Karina said.

Angus finished second in his age group and Karina was the second-placed female.

Meanwhile, several Warrandyte mountain bikers headed up to the sunny town of Bright to compete in the Bright 24hr MTB. Courtney Snowball teamed up with some other local young guns to win the junior team category, while her mum and dad Wendy and Ross Snowball teamed up in a team of six from Pedalab and took the win in the mixed.

Philippa Birch and Karina Vitiritti joined forces in a team of four girls and also won their category. The mountain bike tracks at Bright are fun, fast and rocky, the highlight being the Pine Forest Switchback singletrack which winded its way down the mountain with a few small jumps.

Wheels on Wednesdays

Encouraging start for Hawks

By FRANS BROUWER

November 2014

Chirnside Park 156 and 6/98 (Garrett 5/50 and 2/36).

With a two-two win-loss record, the Second XI (A Grade) is sixth. Hayden Matthys with 61 and Lucas Williams with 3/23 (following 3/15 in Round 1) stood out in Round 3 against Chirnside Park.

Also on two wins, two losses, but in fifth place, are the Thirds (D Grade). Highlights were Paul Foley’s 74 in Round 1, scores of 86, 62 and 49 by Jack Hall, Alistair Price and Liam James respectively and Nick Mariniello’s 4/13 in Round 3 against Warranwood and 6/16 by Matt Sharrock in a loss to Montrose.

The Fourth XI (F Grade) sits in fourth spot with three wins. Cam Head scored 62 and Richard Cutler took 5/27 in Round 1 against Norwood, Tim Livingstone scored 111no

in Round 3 against Croydon Ranges, and Kane Hartrup’s 68 and Tom Chrisfield’s 48 against Heathmont Baptist in Round 4 were highlights.

The Fifths lost in the last over against Heathmont Baptist and forfeited Round 2. A 34 by Andrew Walker and 4/27 by Declan Mulqueen helped deliver a win against Montrose in Round 3, but then came a bad loss to Wonga Park.

In U16-1, 52 from Mikey Gibbons was not enough in Round 1 and 3/23

by Jessica Adams could not prevent Ainslie Park winning in Round 2. The team was re-graded to U16-2. Similarly, U14-2 was re-graded to U14-3 after losses to Warrandyte and Ainslie Park. The U12-3s beat Montrose and then lost to Boronia (Matthew Anderson 14, Cayden Skien 2/9).

U10 non-comp is thriving and the

one team before the season started has now been split into two. T20 Blast is set to start in mid-November at East Ringwood.

The Masters Division 4 team (over 40s) has started with two solid wins – 5/84 to 10/76 over South Croydon (Ian Weeks 32, Brad Driscoll 3/7), followed by 4/193 against Olinda’s 9/107. Legends B in the Box Hill Association has started with a loss to Wonga Park (Paul Campbell 43 retired, Paul Foley 41 retired) and to Croydon Ranges (Campbell 40 retired, Stuart Batten 35, Barry Williams 2/19).

On the social front, the Junior season launch and poker night were well attended. Matt Fasan and his band are due to front in early November and the Christmas Party/Junior T20 day is scheduled for December 13.

located to junior tennis. Thyme on the Terrace owner and sponsor of the event, Elmo, took a quick break from his café to present participation medals to all players and trophies to the winner and runner-up.

A delighted Matthew received the perpetual trophy from Thyme on the Terrace’s Elmo. Runner-up was Ramiro Lluna.

A round robin Orange Ball (50% compression of normal yellow tennis balls) competition was the first event on the card for the day and the

afternoon timetable included some round robin mixed doubles, the boys and girls finals and a consolation singles event.

With 2013 champion Lauren Szegeti sidelined with injury, the girls title was up for grabs. The hot mid-afternoon conditions delivered a close contest but it was Erin Theodore who ultimately prevailed over good friend but opponent for the match, Victoria Wain, to take out the 2014 girls singles title.

In the boys, final Cameron Do suc-

cessfully defended his boys singles title for the third successive year with a win over Rhys Newbury.

Green Ball doubles champions were Blake Haslam and Zac Hanrahan and runners-up were Vanessa Darmos and Daniel Mizzi. Consolation event winner was Angus McLellan.

WTC Seniors Club Championships had a new event – the social open doubles – and it was an afternoon full of laughs and ingenuity. Men’s doubles champions were Daniel Buckley and Tristan Jackson, runners-up

JAN Davies was pictured (above) leading the peleton of Warrandyte Wednesday cycling group members near Woori Yallock recently, while Geoff Haddy and Tom Fisher (below) were snapped enjoying the scenery near Launching Place.

Both photographs were taken on the Warburton Trail and other ride destinations include Williamstown and Berwick. The group is an informal one and consists of 15-25 riders who not only like a social ride of about 60km “without too many hills”, but who are also fussy about their cafe stops.

And after more than 10 years on the road, they have Melbourne pretty well covered! Anyone keen to go along on a ride or three should contact Marilyn Moore on 9844 1072.

First Thyme win for Matthew at championships

By TONY HONEYBORNE

MATTHEW Quick entered the Warrandyte Tennis Club record books becoming the inaugural winner of the Thyme on the Terrace Green Ball Trophy at the recent Warrandyte Tennis Club Junior Championships.

For the first time, the 12 years and under competition, which is played with green dot balls (75% compression of normal yellow tennis balls) was contested as part of new arrangements for the club championships, with a full day al-

were Michael and Tulloch Greeve.

Men’s singles champion was Craig Haslam. Men’s singles runner-up was Michael Greeve. Women’s doubles champions: Adriana Juan and Shannon Newman, runners-up were Nadia Harding and Ariel Paterson.

Women’s singles champion was Karia Blakemore while Adriana Juan was runner-up.

Thursday night social and competition are commencing soon so please register your interest with me on 0400 019 078.

34 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014

Saint or a Demon?

Warrandyte’s Christian Petracca the big tip to go No.1 in AFL draft

By MICHAEL DI PETTA

HE is undoubtedly the hottest prospect in AFL football – tall, athletic and as strong as a bull. Christian Petracca is the consensus No.1 pick in this month’s AFL draft. And he’s a Warrandytian.

Named the best player at the national carnival this year, the 18-yearold forward-turned-midfielder averaged 25 disposals playing for Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup this season.

Christian has tools at his disposal most footballers his age can only dream of.

One important one, he says, is the ongoing support and mentoring from his two older brothers, Julian and Rob. Eastern Football League players themselves, the trio makes up Warrandyte’s most talented football family.

“Brothers are your harshest critics, but they’ve been really good not just this year, but for the last couple of years with advice and constructive criticism. They are great role models.

Every week we get a tape and look over the game, they give me little things to work on,” Christian says.

With all three brothers starting their junior footy at Warrandyte, older brother Julian, who works at Quinton’s IGA, and oldest sibling Rob, now have a kick with Mitcham.

A tough midfielder who idolised Nathan Buckley growing up, Julian has certainly made his mark on the footy scene in the eastern suburbs.

“There are a few good things I can look back on,” Julian told the Diary.

“Kicking a bag of 18 playing school footy and winning a best and fairest playing for Blackburn in Division 1 are probably the highlights. I’m enjoying playing my footy at Mitcham these days, Eastern suburb teams kind of adopt you as their own, but never say never, I might return to Warrandyte one day, ” Julian says.

Surrounded by sportsmen, Christian has grown up in an ideal setting to hone his craft and nurture his talent. Additionally, it is the family’s

Super skills: Julian and Christian Petracca.

emphasis on remaining modest and guiding each other that has benefited Christian, according to Julian.

“We are quite a level-headed family, we try and offer advice and give constructive criticism at the same time. Most important for him is to be himself and be confident in his ability that he can make it at this level.”

Now readying himself for life in the big time, Christian acknowledges that things are going to different, es-

pecially in terms of media attention, something he is now beginning to get a taste of.

“Once you get into the AFL, obviously you’re always being watched, and now you’re seen as a role model for young kids,” Christian says.

“You’re always in the spotlight and the same goes off the field. Also potentially going as an early pick, I’m going to have critics and scrutiny as well, but I’m sure I’ll handle it well.”

Not only will the level of football change for Christian, but possibly the scenery, too, but the experts say he will likely go pick No.1 to St Kilda (coincidentally coached by another local resident and former Pies footballer Alan Richardson). If he isn’t picked up by the Saints, the Demons are sure to swoop with picks 2 and 3.

Moving interstate is a very real possibility for young footballers who are drafted by non-Victorian teams and it’s something the young star is ready for.

“I think it would be difficult at first, coming from quite a tight-knit family, it would be hard. But I’m sure the club would be really welcoming and there would be a lot of other guys there who would be doing the same as me, trying to achieve a goal.”

Given the odds that he’ll remain in Melbourne, the likelihood sits very well with his parents.

“Before the trade period, I think they were a bit nervous, a little hesitant,” Christian says. “But the way it panned out, Melbourne clubs have three picks inside the first five, so the odds are quite good there. But, of course, if I do end up at an interstate club they will be really supportive.”

As a tough midfielder who can move the ball with pace and also go forward and kick a few, Christian drew comparisons with Chad Wingard throughout his performances in the TAC Cup, Victoria’s premier competition for Under 18s. In today’s game, goal kicking midfielders are invaluable, something Christian recognised as he worked on his game.

“I try to play a little bit like Dustin Martin, or an Ollie Wines, kind of a strong midfielder who can get forward and score goals,” he says.

Those who witnessed any Eastern Ranges games would have seen Christian either playing deep forward or spending spells in the forward line from midfield.

The development he made in his time playing for Eastern community clubs is something that both Petracca boys recognise as being valuable.

Because of that, the young player is keen to be a model representative for Warrandyte.

“The Warrandyte community in general, you could say, we are quite close here, and it’s cool for me to give them someone to cheer for,” Christian says.

Certainly, the young star’s achievements are not only a reflection on his ability and work rate, but also on his surroundings and the role his family plays, something Julian can certainly be proud of.

“I never thought I’d make it when I was playing and growing up, that’s why I graduated in commerce and sports management, to get into the industry,” Julian says. “But when Christian makes it, I can see that as a really good achievement for the family and it’s a roller coaster that we have taken as well along with him.

“It’s going to be a great day when his name is read out and there’s no envy or jealousy, just pride.”

Coming from a family of diehard Collingwood supporters, the Petracca household may have a problem on their hands if Christian starts bagging goals against the Magpies.

“It’s all fine,” Christian says, laughing. “Whatever club I play for, I’m sure they’ll be supportive.”

The young gun’s fate will be decided on November 27 when the draft takes place. For Christian Petracca, it’s a defining moment and the beginning of a new chapter. The Warrandyte community is right behind him and wishes him well.

Little aths season heating up for summer

By ED MUNKS

THE first month of the summer season saw a big contingent of Warrandyte and Park Orchards athletes compete at the Doncaster Athletics Centre.

Some highlights include Clement Hay’s third in shotput with a massive 3.33m in the Under 6 division, while U7 girls Zara Vitirriti and Ava McEvoy are engaged in an epic competition and are neck and neck in all events highlighted with Zara coming third in the shotput with 3.33m and Ava fourth with 2.90m. Ezra Simpson

came fifth in the in long jump with 2.09m and in the U8s Olivia Carletti started well with a season best long jump of 2.05m.

The Under 9s has Holly Hansen in the top half of the competition in shotput with 3.76m, Rhianna Cummings fifth in 200m with a 38.64sec time and Chloe Woollard second so far in 800m and Isaac Rakuscek in the boys division achieved a great triple jump of 5.45m and Shane Mills performed well in the 400m.

In the Under 10s, Hannah Castagna is leading the shotput with a 5.12m

and Marlo Katis is consistent in all events and is leading the long jump with 3.05m. Alice Glover came first in the 200m with a time of 35.44secs, Fergus King came third in the 800m and Sebastian Lee was third in 400m.

Samuel Frost was 11th in long jump with 2.78m and Dewald Van Zyl finished eighth in shotput with 4.61m.

In the U15s, Stephanie Ney is holding the third best throw for the season in the javelin.

The relay season started with the Box Hill Invitational competition and our local athletes achieved the

following results: Under 9 teams of Chloe Woollard, Sienna and Elisha Betts made two finals and came fourth in the 4x200m and fifth in 4x100m, U10s saw Alice Glover get a bronze medal in the 4x100 mixed. In the U12s Ashlyn Krakouer got a silver medal in the 800m medley relay and a bronze in the 4x100m, Nick Sharpe made two finals and won a bronze running the final 400m leg of the 800m medley, Harriette Glover then followed up with a bronze in the 4x100m and a silver medal in the 800m medley.

The Under 14s saw Ben Munks make three finals with a best being a sixth in the 4x200m.

The best of the Warrandyte contingent were Mervyn Tan in the U15s with two gold medals in the 4x100m and 800m medley and U16 Nicole Reynolds with two golds in the mixed sex 4x100m and 4x 200m events.

Mervyn and Nicole both have a great chance to win medals in the Victorian state championships in December, while Ben Macri is expected to have recovered from his injury to bolster the already strong team.

35 Warrandyte Diary

Ask Mark Health & fitness advice

November 2014

Katrina’s clean sweep

By MICHAEL DI PETTA

Measuring your body fat Mark, there’s so much info out there about such things as body fat, muscle mass, and other ways to measure your body. Is that really worth taking notice of when you’re trying to be fit and healthy?

(Sharon, Park Orchards).

Good question, Sharon, measuring your body fat can help you better manage your routine and reveal whether any adjustments to your exercise and diet program are needed for a healthier you. For example, if you have been dieting with little or no exercise, you may find that you’ve lost as much lean muscle tissue as fat. Increasing your physical activity and testing again after six to eight weeks can help determine whether you’ve shifted back to a healthy rate of body fat loss and muscle gain.

Weight alone is not a clear indicator of good health because it does not distinguish between kilograms that come from body fat and those that come from lean muscle. Fat takes up more than four times as much space as lean muscle. So if you want to reduce your size and become fit and healthy you need to reduce your percentage of body fat.

At Jetts the Pines we have a Bioscan machine that measures your muscle mass, fat mass and percentage, as well as an obesity diagnosis and guidance for weight management and much more. It’s a great tool to help you understand how your exercise regime, diet and lifestyle are influencing your body composition.

IT isn’t often you are lucky enough to be recognised at the state level among hundreds in your chosen profession and rarer still to be celebrated as a national leader of it.

However, local calisthenics coach Katrina Berryman is one person who knows exactly how that feels. An expert in her field who coaches classes held at Anderson’s Creek Primary School, Katrina was awarded the Victorian Coach of the Year for 2013 in February of this year.

And if that wasn’t enough, Katrina followed that up just a few months later by winning the National Coach of the Year award in July, presented at Hamer Hall.

For Katrina, who has coached calisthenics at various levels for over 30 years, 14 based in Warrandyte, it was an acknowledgement beyond expectations.

“Usually all of the coaches who win these kind of awards participate at the state level, whereas I prefer to focus on the mid range level. So it was really nice and even unbelievable to get the recognition, even though I’m not necessarily coaching at the highest level,” says Katrina.

In addition to her excellent contri-

butions to the sport, Katrina believes her extra-curricular work in educating others in the program may have played a role in her recent acclaim.

“One of the things I get offered to do is coach other coaches, and I’m always happy to help. So I go to various seminars and offer training to people across Australia. Best of all is seeing trainers and people I work with mature and develop into first class coaches in their own right, and then make their own way in the sport,” Katrina explains.

For those who are a little rusty on their understanding of the sport, calisthenics is a performance-based sport for all ages, consisting of routines involving song, dance and objects. Timing, flexibility and teamwork are all keys for participants, who in Katrina’s case, range from ages of 6 to 60.

Fast becoming one of the biggest clubs in the state, Katrina still manages to give the club a tight knit feel, something she appreciates most about working with her current group.

“I love to know all of the girls closely and personally, and have a real relationship with them, I think it’s one of the most important things

about the sport,” she says.

And while Katrina doesn’t necessarily teach students who work at the state level, it’s not to say that her disciples don’t achieve excellent results. Her students have won countless state titles over the years, most recently notching a victory at a national competition held in Ballarat.

But for Katrina, the results are merely that – results. The truly meaningful part of the job is conducting the journey that benefits and educates women of all ages.

“I love the creativity, from a choreographer’s point of view. But what I really love is seeing the girls gain confidence and poise. The sport not only teaches discipline, but also allows people to come out of their shells. For me, that’s much more important then winning competitions.

Success is really just evidence that you’re doing something properly.”

Now reaching the end of their competition season, the girls begin again in January, undertaking strength and conditioning classes.

New routines are drafted when the school year commences, and the Warrandyte girls are sure to be wowing clubs across the state again in 2015.

Venom teams are ready to rumble TRYOUTS are officially over and the new representative basketball season is close to commencing.

Across a hectic two weeks, many young basketballers chose to attend tryouts for the chance to become a Venom player. Players are in full swing at training, playing practice matches and are preparing for the VJBL season which officially gets underway on November 21.

With a new season comes many new faces – players, parents and coaches. Joining Venom in the Under 14 girls program are coaches Cilla Bertoldi and Kellie King (pictured). Cilla and Kellie have been coaching with the Park Orchards Steelers domestically on a Saturday for several seasons and with some previous representative basketball experience have joined Team Venom to help advance the young players at the club.

Newly appointed director of coaching Nicole Howard said: “Cilla and Kellie are very experienced coaches, both having obtained their Level 2 coaching qualifications. They bring with them a passion for basketball that they share in abundance with their players. They encourage and expect young players to respect and value themselves and the idea of ‘team’ above all else. I feel privileged to have secured their coaching services for the upcoming season and can’t wait to witness their journey with the team this season.”

Picture: GARETH DICKSON

THE PINES

Junior Bloods reward Kerri and Bronwyn THE Warrandyte Junior Football Club is pleased to announce this year’s Club Person of the Year has been jointly awarded to club secretary Bronwyn Haines and coordinator of team managers Kerri McShanag. The awards were presented at the club’s annual volunteers dinner held at the Warrandyte Hotel in October.

Both women contributed an enormous amount to the club throughout the season and in Kerri’s case her contribution occurred at a time when she was having to deal with some major health issues in her life.

Wayne Eastaugh was awarded life member status following an outstanding contribution to the club over many years in printing the club’s weekly Bloods Diary as well

as the club year book.

In other news both Michael Nitschinsk and Deanne Dickson have announced they are stepping aside from their roles on the club committee. Michael has held the position as YJFL director over the past two seasons, ensuring the communication channels between both the club and the league have been open at all times. The club thanks Michael for his enthusiastic approach to this role and his tireless work in ensuring ‘club supplied’ umpires for the younger grades was well coordinated.

Deanne Dickson steps aside after a number of years having served on the committee both in an executive role and non executive role. Initially

fulfilling the role of social events coordinator, Deanne progressed to the role of treasurer at the beginning of 2013 and held the position for two seasons.

Deanne has worked tirelessly and diligently for the club during her time on the committee, and will leave behind an enormous hole to fill, having handled the treasurer’s role with distinction over the past two seasons as well as the many other thankless tasks she continually turned her hand to.

Club president Ross Snowball is also standing aside to concentrate on his expanding work commitments, having served in the role for two seasons.

The club wishes to thank its many

volunteers for their outstanding efforts during season 2014.

Warrandyte Junior Football Club will hold its Annual General Meeting at 10.30am on Sunday November 23 at the Warrandyte Sporting Pavilion.

The club urges all current and potential club members to attend and a $20 discount will apply to those people who attend the AGM and complete the on the day, early bird registration process for their child to play football in 2015.

The club had a successful 2014 season with over 200 Warrandyte boys and girls wearing the red and white with pride each week. The club also transitioned comfortably into its magnificent new pavilion and was fortunate enough to have three

teams make it through to the finals.

On the sponsorship front, the club is backed by both Quinton’s SUPA IGA and the Warrandyte Community Bank who will remain as the club’s major sponsors for season 2015.

The club is seeking nominations for the following key roles to ensure the momentum generated by the current committee is maintained: president, treasurer, secretary, Yarra Junior Football League liaison officer, and social events coordinator.

If you have what it takes and would like to help run this great community sporting club email president@ warrandytejfc.org. Role descriptions are available on request. Nomination forms can be accessed on the club website at www.warrandytejfc.org

36 Warrandyte Diary

November 2014