Mail - Ferntree Gully Star Mail - 7th May 2024

Legend of Jerry lives on

90 years may have passed since Jerry the Railway Dog died tragically but the legend lives on in the town of Cockatoo.

A celebration of his life and death was enjoyed by residents and the Cockatoo History and Heritage Group on Monday 29 April.

The stray dog became known for his

chasing of Puffing Billy and riding of the rail to and from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook.

On the anniversary of his death, the town remembers the icon of Jerry, his story and the impact one dog had on a long line of people, throughout history.

To read more about Jerry, turn to page 11

Knox violence forum to demand...

Time for change

With some of the highest rates of reported family violence incidents across the outer east, a primary prevention workshop for sporting club’s is a step towards improving these statistics throughout the Knox municipality.

Family violence prevention specialist Trent Larkman will host the ‘Clubs Say No to Family Violence’ session later this month, working to address culture, inclusivity and language at a grassroots level.

Focusing on the free from violence strategy, the workshop will look at the causes of family violence, how early intervention and prevention methods can adjust behaviour and the small actions like improving gender inequality within sporting clubs goes a long way to reducing the likelihood of violent incidents at home.

Mr Larkman said self reflection will also be a key element of the session, with participants invited to look inward at their own actions and privileges that may be harmful.

“It’s inviting them to reflect on themselves and reflect on how these ideas are playing out in the club,” he said.

The Knox City Council initiative is backed up by over $200,000 over three years from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing to fund the ‘Free From Violence’ program.

“The council is committed to taking action by working with community groups to change our culture and stop violence before it starts,” Mayor Jude Dwight said.

For the full story, turn to page 5

Primary listed Recognition

Tecoma Primary School has once again been recognised for its sustainability actions, getting a nomination in the ResourceSmart Schools Awards for its community leadership, improved education and environment, and helping the community in programs like Clean Up Australia Day.

To read more, turn to page 6

Communities Inclusive Volunteering Awards, seeing not-for-profits like Feed One Feed All, Foothills Community Care and Puffing Billy Railway walk away with awards.

More can be found on page 9

A round of applause for Jerry led by Patsy Parnall. 403846 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Info for councillor hopefuls

By Callum Ludwig

An opportunity for aspiring council candidates is coming up close to home in preparation for this year’s local government elections.

The Municipal Association ofVictoria (MAV) is visiting Yarra Ranges Council on Thursday 9 May for a Community and Candidate Information Session.

Director of Corporate Services atYarra Ranges Council Andrew Hilson said this session is an amazing opportunity for anyone who is passionate about their community and has a desire to create change in theYarra Ranges.

“No prior knowledge is required to attend, as the session covers off all of the basics around

the role of local government and the responsibilities of a Councillor,” he said.

“The session will also cover things like the election process, requirements for candidates, Councillor training and development opportunities,”

“It’s not often that these sessions are run in the Yarra Ranges so we’d love to see as many people as possible registering and coming along to find out what standing for Council is all about.”

Candidates intending to run in the neighbouring eastern metropolitan councils of Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash andWhitehorse are also welcome to attend the event, which will run from 6.30pm to 8.30pm in the

Council Civic Centre on 15 Anderson Street, Lilydale.

MAV CEO Kelly Grisby said the MAV Stand for Council campaign is designed to encourage and support a diverse range of candidates from across the Victorian community including first nations, and new and emerging communities.

“If you are thinking of nominating for council as a candidate, these sessions and resources will help you to further consider the broad responsibilities of a councillor, the wide range of issues you will be required to make decisions about and the time commitment,” she said.

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At the event, MAV will also be providing its Citizen to Councillor Guide 2024 to help prospective candidates to further understand the roles and responsibilities of a councillor and importance the role plays in the community.

In order to run for Council, you must be an Australian citizen over 18 years old who is enrolled to vote in the LGA you wish to stand and must have completed the mandatory Local Government candidate training.

Local government elections will be held in October.

Flu vax

Victorians are being reminded to book in their annual flu vaccination ahead of an expected rise in flu and other respiratory viruses this winter.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Clare Looker visited the Royal Children’s Hospital for her annual vaccination and to encourage more Victorians to get theirs, particularly those at higher risk such as children under five.

“The flu can be deadly – getting vaccinated is the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones,” Dr Looker said.

“The influenza virus changes throughout the year so new vaccines are developed for each season, which is why it’s critically important to stay up to date with your shots.”

Flu vaccination is recommended for anyone six months and older and is free under the National Immunisation Program for people considered to be at higher risk.

People considered to be at higher risk include children aged six months to under five years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months and older, pregnant women, people aged 65 and over, and people with medical conditions that put them at increased risk of severe flu and its complications.

People can get their vaccine at general practices, pharmacies, council immunisation clinics, Aboriginal Health Services and often at their workplace.

There have been 7769 cases of flu reported inVictoria so far this season, 1455 more cases than the same time last year. It remains early in this year’s flu season and numbers are expected to rise more steeply as we head into winter.

Dr Looker said annual vaccination reduced the chance of catching flu and could reduce the severity of illness in those who still become infected.

“Flu is highly contagious,” she said.

“While it most often causes mild to moderate illness with symptoms such as fever and cough, severe illness can develop. Especially vulnerable are babies, children, older people, and people with underlying medical conditions.”

A Community and Candidate Information Session will be held at the Yarra Ranges Council Civic Centre on Thursday 9 May. 379657

Picture: ON FILE

Zak still missing, concerns rise

The search for missing Kallista man Zak continues a week after he was last seen in Sherbrooke Forest.

Local SES volunteers continue to assist police with the search, navigating tough terrain to locate the missing 22 year old - who has a medical condition.

Zak was last seen on Norton Road, Kallista, on the evening of 28 April. Police believe Zak may have gone walking in the Sherbrooke Forest in the early morning of 29 April.

SES Lilydale Controller Shaun Caulfield said that concern has been growing as the days since Zak disappeared increased.

“We are hoping for the best outcome,” he said. Temperatures have been cold overnights in the areas and Mr Caulfield said being out in the weather “would not have been pleasant”.

Posters have appeared throughout the hills appealing to the public for any news of the young man and police and family have concerns for Zak.

His disappearance is out of character and

police stated he had a medical condition in their release to public on Eyewatch.

Zak is described as Caucasian in appearance, 170cm tall, of medium build with short blond/brown hair and possibly a moustache.

Around 50 SES volunteers per day from Emerald, Lilydale and Monash units have been assisting police with the forest based search.

Mr Caulfield said the terrain has been quite arduous and that the SES has been getting right down into the gullies and waterways.

“The search has been very thorough,” he said. Zak was last seen wearing a grey jacket, mustard-coloured t-shirt, navy tracksuit pants and black shoes.

Anyone who sights Zak is urged to contact Belgrave Police Station on (03) 9754 6677 or call 000.

Police have released Zak’s image to aid with the search, which continues.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Landslide job starts

By Emma Xerri

After expressing concerns that he felt like he was living in a “forgotten community,” Belgrave resident Steve Nicholas and his local community can rest easy, with repairs on the Belgrave-Gembrook Road landslide finally set to start this week.

Having served as a major disruption to members of the community and regular passers-by since the landslide first took place five months ago, these repairs feel well overdue for locals who have become all too acquainted with the bollards surrounding the damage.

“Our crews are planning to start repairs on a landslip on the Belgrave-Gembrook Road in Belgrave this week following the completion of landslip repairs further along the road at Selby,” a Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said.

“Wethankthecommunityfortheirpatience while we deliver these vital repair works.”

Crews will be working onsite along Belgrave-Gembrook Rd from late-April for a number of weeks, subject to weather conditions.

The Department has also worked closely with technical specialists, council and emergency services to investigate repair options to minimise the impact on the community as much as possible and to ensure critical services are maintained.

Along with the works on Belgrave-Gembrook Road, crews are continuing to deliver flood repair works right across the state with a $99.5 million Victorian and Commonwealth government investment.

These works are targeting the state’s most badly flood-damaged roads, along with key freight and travel routes.

IN BRIEF

Emergency management planning workshop in Kallista

Kallista Emergency Group K.E.G. and Kallista Village Inc invite residents to participate in Community Emergency Management Planning for Kallista, The Patch and Sherbrooke. Workshop 2 will be held on Sunday 26 May from 1 - 5pm at the Kallista Mechanics Hall, 6 Tom Roberts Rd, Kallista

The workshop will cover a range of topics - understanding community context & complexities, how to successfully communicate before, during and after disasters, mapping community capability and capacity and mental health and disasters. The initiative is funded by the Australian Government under the PHN program. For further info contact: kallistavillage@gmail.com

Knox police forum

Victoria Police will be hosting a Knox Neighbourhood Policing Forum from 6pm to 9pm onThursday 9 May 2024 at the Knox Civic Centre. The forum welcomes local services and community members to talk with police about issues that are important in our community.

A panel of senior police will lead discussions on community safety concerns and address the work we’re undertaking in those areas.

Topicscoveredwillinclude:

· Current crime trends and crime prevention

· Young people

· Family violence

· Road policing

· Drugs and drug related crime

The forum will be a great opportunity for community to have any questions or concerns heard and answered by the panel. Registrations are open to all community members who live, work or socialise in the Knox area.

To register your attendance at our Forum, please send your details to PROACTIVEPOLICINGUNIT-ED2-OIC@police.vic.gov.au

To submit a question prior to the forum, please visit https://bit.ly/3UqSTlr

If you’re unable to attend and still want your voice heard, police invite you to complete their Community Sentiment Survey by visiting https://engage.vic.gov.au/vicpol-2024

Annual Police survey opens for 2024

From 1 May 2024, Police are asking all Victorians about their local safety concerns, and where they can focus efforts to keep the public safer.

The online survey is open until 31 May and findings will help police identify the issues the community cares about most – and help them develop ways to tackle them.

Residents will be asked how they feel about safety in their local area, ideas to improve the work police do and how they want to engage with police and PSOs. Victorians can complete the survey before 31 May 2024 at bit. ly/3WhFkHF

CFA reminds residents - it’s time to change your batteries

Change your Smoke Alarm Batteries - with colder weather we generally see more structure fires due to issues with heating and electrical faults. Working Smoke Alarms can save lives and homes. The CFA also recommends regular chimney / flue cleaning and to service gas heaters.

Works to repair the landslip that occurred on Belgrave-Gembrook Road near Clematis Street, Selby are due to start. 405046 Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

Mount Dandenong Tourist Road in Ferny Creek, between Churchill Drive and Mast Gully Road, was also impacted by a landslip in January. 405046

Uprooted trees along Belgrave-Gembrook Road near Nation Road are still untouched. 405046

Frustrations grow as ambulance crews are stretched

By Callum Ludwig

An ambulance crew was subjected to an arduous trip out to Warburton as the sky-high demand for emergency responses and the prevalence of non-emergency calls continues to put a strain on paramedics.

The Beaconsfield 2 crew was dispatched from their base at about 7.10pm on Sunday 28 April out to Warburton to respond to a callout as all other ambulances were tied up in the region.

Paramedic Chloe Brennan was part of the crew which responded to the call and said there would have been 16 ambulances based closer to Warburton who were unable to respond.

“There’s at least eight ambulance branches closer to Warburton and most of these branches would have at least two operational ambulances staffed at this time of day,” she said.

“It took the crew one hour to arrive at the job, a Code Two, which in normal circumstances Ambulance Victoria (AV) would expect to have a crew on scene within 25 minutes and after being assessed, the patient declined the crew’s offers of transport to hospital.”

Over the course of this one night shift, the Beaconsfield 2 crew travelled over 420km, with the Warburton trip there and back accounting for about 120km alone.

“It then took the crew another hour to drive back to Beaconsfield, this meant the crew were unavailable to respond to other emergencies for approximately two and half hours,” Ms Brennan said.

“The crew also completed their 14-hour shift without receiving their meal break.”

A number of unions, including the Victorian Ambulance Union and the Victorian branch of Ambulance Employees Australia

are carrying out protected industrial action on behalf of paramedics and other ambulance workers to improve working conditions, reduce workloads, address the inappropriate coding of jobs and better allocate ambulance resources, while also having been negotiating new bargaining agreements with 000VIC for over a year.

Ms Brennan said they commonly find that periphery and urban fringe branches such as Yarra Junction, Emerald, Healesville and Montrose get sent to respond to jobs in inner metro areas, which frequently get inappropriately coded as high acuity or emergency jobs only to find on arrival, the patient is not particularly unwell.

“We have examples of crews being sent

lights and sirens to complaints such as toothaches or sore shoulders after going to the gym, these crews then get ramped for hours at hospital leaving them unavailable to respond to their local communities, this is where we see instances similar to Sunday night where crews are required to travel excessive distances to reach jobs because the local crews are ramped at hospitals,” she said.

“Paramedics are completing 800 hours of forced overtime every day because of the inefficiencies in the system and as a result of this we are seeing hugely detrimental effects on paramedic fatigue, mental health and burnout rates,”

“Paramedics are dedicated and passionate about providing the highest level of care

possible to their local communities, however, frustratingly they are often restricted by the systems and processes in place.”

15 minutes is the target response time for ambulance crews to Code One jobs, with AV’s latest performance data for the last quarter of 2023 the first time in over two years that the average response time to Code One calls was under the 15 minute target, despite it being the busiest in AV’s history with 154,267 emergency cases. This included 99,833 Code 1 cases – the second most on record – and 54,434 Code 2 cases.

As previously reported in the Star Mail, this is what the performance data told about responses in the Outer East:

· 73.6 per cent of the 2160 callouts in Knox were responded to within 15 minutes, down 0.2 per cent but the average response time improved by 20 seconds to 13 minutes and 34 seconds.

· 71.3 per cent of Maroondah’s 1567 callouts were responded to within 15 minutes, down 1.7 per cent while the average response time improved by 6 seconds to 13 minutes and 49 seconds.

· 51.4 per cent of callouts in 1759 Cardinia were responded to within 15 minutes, up from 50.8 per cent and the average response time worsened by 31 seconds to 17 minutes and 51 seconds.

· 55.5 per cent of the 2190 Yarra Ranges callouts were responded to within 15 minutes, improved from 53.7 per cent with the average response time also improving by 19 seconds to 16 minutes and 52 seconds. The demand on ambulance services also comes as The Herald Sun reported on 3 May that a patient died while waiting in the emergency department of the Maroondah Hospital, the nearest hospital with an emergency department to service the Maroondah and Yarra Ranges regions.

RACV calls for safety move

By Callum Ludwig

The RACV is putting pressure on the Victorian Government to match the moves of every other state in the country and change a road rule to better protect emergency roadside assistance workers and two truck drivers.

Following the South Australian government introducing legislation recently, Victoria is the only state (the Northern Territory also doesn’t) without reduced speed limits when passing roadside breakdown and recovery vehicles.

RACV’s General Manager of Automotive Services Jackie Pedersen said it is now time for the Victorian Government to ensure RACV emergency roadside assistance workers and tow truck drivers are provided the same protection as in other states.

“It is heartening to see that our colleagues in RAA are now protected just like workers driving vehicles with red and blue flashing lights,” she said.

“Following this development, we continue our call for theVictorian Government to urgently introduce a 40 kilometre per hour speed limit for passing vehicles with yellow flashing lights, including RACV patrol vans and tow trucks,”

“RACV is committed to achieving a safe environment, not just for our service providers, but also our members when they are stranded at the side of the road and we look forward to a positive response from theVictorian Government.”

Road Rule 79A, otherwise known as the‘Slow Down, Move Over’ rule, enforces that motorists are to slow down to 40km/h when passing vehicles with flashing red and blue lights such as slow-moving or stopped police and other emergency vehicles, and to move out of an approaching vehicle’s path when safe to do so.

A Department of Transport and Planning (DOTP) spokesperson said they are working with stakeholders on how we can improve safety for roadside crews and other motorists.

“Roadside incident crews are often the first to arrive at crashes, breakdowns, and unplanned situations on our freeways, and it’s their right to always feel safe when doing this important work,” they said.

The DOTP has carried out research into how to protect incident response workers working on busy roads and roadsides, with a study commissioned to look into how drivers react to different coloured flashing lights and seeing various response vehicles, such as emergency services, on the road and their adherence to the appropriate road safety rules.

The study found that the average passing speeds of motorists were lower with red and

blue flashing lights associated with emergency vehicles but drivers were still not slowing down anywhere close to the required 40km/h.

As such, the DOTP is looking at alternative methods to encourage drivers to slow down when passing incident response workers and reminds motorists that is the responsibility of every driver to slow down and drive to conditions - especially when potential hazards exist

like during roadside incidents.

For more on Victoria’s current road rules when passing law enforcement and other emergency vwhicles, visit vicroads.vic.gov.au/ safety-and-road-rules/road-rules/a-to-z-ofroad-rules/law-enforcement-and-emergencyvehicles.

Valley Towing was contacted for comment.

The Beaconsfield 2 crew was dragged out to Warburton for a call that didn’t even require transport to a hospital. Picture: SUPPLIED

Yarra

RACV is calling for Slow Down, Move Laws to be applied to other roadside workers like emergency roadside assistance workers and tow truck drivers.

Picture: RACV

DV: Culture change sought

By Tanya Steele

Family violence is in the spotlight with awareness, primary prevention and a culture for change at the forefront for sports clubs in an upcoming workshop in the Knox area.

Knox City Council are hosting the free workshop for sporting clubs which will be presented by family violence prevention specialist, Trent Larkman on 22 May.

The ‘Clubs Say No to Family Violence’ is a club development program initiative intended to increase awareness of family violence in the community.

The workshop will take participants through the connections between sporting club culture and the factors influencing family violence.

Knox Mayor, Cr Jude Dwight said that family violence is a serious and preventable issue.

“Grassroots sporting clubs play an important part in role modelling, developing a culture of respect and equality, and driving positive change,” she said.

Family violence prevention specialist Mr Trent Larkman said that although the title is ‘Our Club says No 2 Family Violence’, the program is really much more a primary prevention workshop.

“We know family violence is largely perpetrated by men. And so we really need to be engaging men in what is a men’s issue,” he said.

The workshop aims to build stronger cultures within sporting clubs, and to educate on the link sporting club culture has in preventing family violence and all forms of violence against women.

“It’s very much a starting place to bring awareness to the change the clubs can create,” Mr Larkman said.

Knox has had the highest rate of reported incidents of family violence in Melbourne’s outer east for over 20 years, with family vio-

lence rates steadily increasing in Knox over the last five years.

Knox City Council presented its updated family violence statement of commitment at its 22 April meeting and the council was also awarded $212,500 over three years from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing to deliver the ‘Free From Violence’ project.

The free from violence strategy responds to the royal commission into family violence and looks at where inequality and violent behaviour is shaped, early intervention and crisis response.

“Council is committed to taking action by working with community groups to change our culture and stop violence before it starts,” said Mayor Dwight.

The workshop prompts a lot of self reflection within participants and Mr Larkman said that it is a key part of his training approach.

“It’s inviting them to reflect on themselves

Working for resilience

Cardinia Shire residents are set to benefit from AusNet work under way to make the region more energy resilient.

AusNet Executive General Manager Strategy, Regulation and Corporate Affairs, Liz Ryan, said there are several new initiatives being introduced by AusNet that will enable the Cardinia Shire to be more energy resilient during future extreme weather events.

“We are investing in ‘quick-connect’ points in key locations across Emerald and Cockatoo that will enable mobile generators to be more quickly connected during future extended power outages. These quick-connect points will be located near shops and other key community sites to ensure vital services can be energised so that locals can get access to the services they need most during emergency events,” said Ms Ryan.

AusNet has also been working closely with local government and the community to strengthen infrastructure and help ensure they are better prepared to withstand future weather events.

In partnership with the Victorian Government and the Cardinia Shire Council we have recently delivered three energy resilience projects in Emerald, Cockatoo and Gembrook. These systems include solar panels, batteries, and generators to ensure that power is available in the event of a network outage in the area.

“Residents whose homes have lost power will be able to attend these community facilities to charge their devices, access the internet and cook,” said Ms Ryan.

These facilities are located at Worrell Recreation Reserve in Emerald, Gembrook Community Centre and Recreation Reserve in Cockatoo.

Following the catastrophic storms which went through Victoria in February this year that caused significant damage to the network, AusNet announced the establishment of a $10 million Energy Resilience Community Fund. It was established to

AusNet is working on creating a more energy efficient Hills region in response to recent power outages. Picture: AUSNET

support communities impacted by storms, with short term efforts focussed on grants and donations to residents and businesses to support local recovery efforts, and in the longer term, helping communities become more energy resilient.

AusNet’s Energy Resilience Community Fund has commenced providing funding and has subsequently been extended to $12 million.

“The Fund has already provided more than half a million dollars in hardship grants and donations to more than one thousand residents and businesses impacted by storm event, as well as to other charities that provide critical support to communities.”

“We know many of our customers are struggling with cost-of-living pressures, so we’ve extended the timeframe to apply for financial hardship grants until 30 June, 2024 to give households and businesses more time to apply,” said Ms Ryan.

AusNet representatives were at community sessions taking place in Monbulk, Cockatoo, Emerald and Gembrook over the weekend, as part of the Victorian Government’s Network Outage Review.

For more information on the hardship grants please visit ausnetservices.com.au/ about/community/energy-resilience-community-fund

and reflect on how these ideas are playing out in the club,” he said.

Mr Larkman started out as a volunteer men’s family violence counsellor, with an organisation called Men’s Referral Service.

”I just absolutely fell in love with the work that really aligned with my values and the type of world I wanted to live in and have been committed to it ever since,” he said.

Mr Larkman said that addressing gender inequality within sporting clubs is really important and the first steps include highlighting everyday sexism and language used between men.

“We provide people with some skills to firstly identify and understand how harmful it is” he said.

“We’re all somewhat resistant to acknowledging our privilege, but it’s vital we all step into that discomfort to create a better world.”

The workshop also unpacks how gender

equality play out in a club environment and Mr Larkman said that it’s about encouraging clubs to realise if they start creating the conditions of equlity, it’s better for everybody.

“It’s around helping clubs to broaden their understanding of how gender, equality and inclusivity can really be an awesome thing for everybody in the club,” he said.

“Your men’s and women’s team will perform better, as equality, teamwork and collaboration is good on and off the field,” he said.

All Knox sporting clubs, committee members, coaches, leadership groups, and team captains are encouraged to attend.

The workshop will run on Wednesday 22 May, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Knox City Council Civic Centre Room 3, 511 Burwood Hwy Wantirna South 3152.

Refreshments will be provided and for any questions or concerns, please contact Club Development Project Officer, Cesar Oritz, at cesar.oritz@knox.vic.gov.au or on 0438 185 491.

“When you start to develop a reputation that your club is really inclusive and it’s really open and supportive of women – people of all identities will want to come and play sport at your club, your club will grow,” Mr Larkman said.

Yarra Ranges Council

The workshop will cover insights into family violence and connections between sporting club culture and the factors influencing family violence. Pictures: SUPPLIED

Mr Larkman said that we really need to be engaging men in what is a men’s issue,” he said.

Indigenous-based symposium on resilience a success

By Dongyun Kwon

The Yarra Ranges Council (YRC) hosted a national symposium to discuss the Indigenous knowledge systems building resilience.

The symposium Our Country - Our Way was held in The Memo Healesville on Tuesday 23 April.

YRC Cultural Recovery Coordinator Nelson Aldridge, a Taungurung man, said the symposium was an Indigenous-based event on the effects of natural disasters.

“We have this symposium to bring in Indigenous knowledge systems in regards to how to possibly make Country more sustainable and be proactive instead of reactive,” he said.

“Resilience has been in Aboriginal culture for thousands of years, and we’re going through that at the moment getting an understanding of Country and how we can work with Country that has a sustainable way going forward.

“YRC is very passionate about these topics of events that are trying to lead the way with the Indigenous development team ensuring

that we’re always looking at how to look after the Country. It was a fantastic day and we’re looking forward to the next steps.”

The event started off with the Indigenous musical instrument performance followed by a Welcome to Country presentation in an Indigenous language by Samantha whose family descended on Coranderrk.

Aileen Blackburn and Buzzy Hewat from Moogji Aboriginal Council based in Orbost were the first guest speakers who spoke about the Black Summer bushfires.

“They spoke about how it was. It was just a disaster in terms of how agencies communicated with the community afterwards,” Mr Aldridge said.

“We then heard from Dr Carlie Atkinson about trauma-informed practices and the Lismore flood. At the lunch, we had Dr Andrew Peters who talked about resilience and reciprocity.

“And then we had Oonah which is an Aboriginal health organisation in Healesville talking about the services they offer to the community and the role they played in the recovery process of the storm.”

Tecoma PS in line for gong

By Gabriella Vukman

Tecoma Primary School has been announced as one of the three finalists of the ResourceSmart Schools awards.

On Tuesday May 4, Tecoma Primary will attend an awards ceremony at the MCG and discover whether or not they will be the winners of a $2000 cheque dedicated towards sustainability at the school.

Teacher and Sustainability Leader Deborah Langford said, “If we win, this money will definitely help us towards building our yarning circle.”

“Our yarning circle is an indigenous talking circle that will be like an outdoor classroom space,” Mrs Langford said.

“I’m actually really proud that a lot of the action has come from the kids. They come up with the ideas so I’m really happy that there’s a lot of action and student involvement.”

There are five modules for schools to complete in the ResourceSmart Schools program. These modules address energy usage, wastage, water management and biodiversity. Schools receive stars for completing each module.

So far, Tecoma primary has completed the core module.

Mrs Langford said, “We’ve done all of our baseline data which is how we got our first star, and we have implemented a sustainability policy and a green purchasing policy. As a part of obtaining this first star, we have also done an action plan.”

“The next star is reducing waste, then reduction in water usage, via tanks and things and then the next one is reducing our energy which hopefully we’ll be able to get some solar panels into the school,” Mrs Langford said.

“The last one is our yarning circle and in-

digenous garden will help us achieve biodiversity which is building up the native fauna of the area by planting native plants.”

Achieving its first star was a two-year process for Tecoma Primary School.

Ms Langford said, “We had to do an assessment of what we currently have and what we currently do and how much landfill we produce and how much water and energy we use. There was an audit in each of those areas and from there we brainstormed ways that we can better those areas.”

“Biodiversity and sustainability and climate

change is built into a part of our curriculum,”

Mrs Langford said.

“In term two, sustainability is the overarching theme across the whole school. Each year level focuses on a different element of sustainability,” Mrs Langford said.

“At the moment, the preps are looking at animals and habitat and the ones and twos are looking at reducing, reusing, and recycling.”

“The threes and fours, their topic is called ‘paddock to plate’ so they’re looking at farm sustainability and food sources and the fives and sixes are looking at renewable energies,”

Mrs Langford said.

The ResourceSmart Schools program is free for all schools and is offered by sustainability Victoria.

Mrs Langford said, “Carbon neutral is the ultimate goal but how achievable that is in the short-term I don’t know. If we carry on year in, year out then we should be able to get to that.”

“I do think this stuff is super important. It’s our future isn’t it? What we leave behind is our children’s future so we need to lead by example.”

Tecoma Primary School cleaning up their community on ‘Clean up Australia Day.’

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

The symposium Our Country - Our Way was held in The Memo Healesville on Tuesday 23 April.

Pictures: DONGYUN KWON

Buzzy Hewat (left) and Aileen Blackburn. The Indigenous musical instrument performance.

Dr Carlie Atkinson.

Care call for arson victims

By Callum Ludwig

An arsonist responsible for contributing to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires has been released from prison, with a local trauma psychologist advising that local residents affected by the disaster can be ‘taken back’ to the experience by this news.

Brendan Sokaluk was released on parole on Tuesday 30 April, having served 14 years of a 17-year and nine-month sentence on the condition he stays in secure accommodation 80km or more away from his former town of Churchill in the Latrobe Valley.

Yarra Glen resident and clinical psychologist Dr Rob Gordon has dedicated his life’s work to supporting victims of disaster and said the news of Mr Sokaluk’s release can stir up the feelings from that day for the victims.

“They probably put it aside, hopefully for all this time but there are probably very strong feelings of anger and helplessness about such a thing happening which, presumably for many people, caused a huge change in their life in various ways and it’ll take them back to those really raw, painful feelings,” he said.

“The problem is the legal process is usually not very satisfying for the victims, and the natural feeling is that the legal process should be a bit of a solution for the victims but it usually isn’t.”

In 2012, former CFA volunteer Mr Sokaluk was found guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court of 10 counts of arson causing death by deliberately starting fires in multiple locations that contributed to the Black Saturday disaster on 7 February 2009.

AVictoria Police spokesperson said they are aware of the release from prison on 30 April of a 54-year-old man.

“The man has been released on parole and is subject to a range of conditions,” they said.

“The man was charged with a range of offences following a fire in Churchill in 2009.

“Victoria Police is always pro-active in monitoring those in the community who are subject to these conditions and have a history of high-risk offending,” the Victoria Police spokesperson said. It would not be appropriate to comment further on specifics, however the safety of the community remains our number one priority.”

The jury in Mr Sokaluk’s case heard that he had sent an anonymous email to Crime Stoppers saying he witnessed a firefighter in a fourwheel drive deliberately lighting fires that day, made a Triple Zero call to report the rapidly growing fire and later told police in his interview that he had accidentally started the fire by flicking cigarette ash from his car.

Dr Gordon said that the punishment for an offender has to be related to things like the legislation, the penalties that can be given and the possibility of rehabilitation, which don’t mean much to the people who have been hurt by it. “People think that it’s really important

that justice is done and that people who cause such a lot of harm have some serious consequences,” he said.

“I think it’s really important that the people who’ve been hurt don’t make their recovery depend on what happens to that person (the offender) because it’s never going to be exactly what’s needed,”

‘‘What’s important for them is to actually reconnect with their lives and rebuild their future plans with whatever changes have happened, that’s the recipe we know to a good recovery.”

The Black Saturday disaster killed 173 people, burnt over 450,000 hectares of land and destroyed 3500 buildings including more than 2000 houses.

Mr Sokaluk’s starting of the Churchill fire was found to be directly responsible for 10 deaths and is believed to have resulted in the burning of over 36,000 hectares of land and razed more than 150 homes in the Churchill

area. Dr Gordon said there are a few things he recommends victims of the disaster do at this time if they are distressed by Mr Sokaluk’s release.

“Try and work out who you can talk things over with friends, family or other people in the community because when we communicate our feelings about things and our thoughts and attitudes, putting them into words makes them clearer, and in making them clearer we can think about them and get them into a better perspective,” he said.

“The second thing I’d suggest is, during the time of heightened emotion like this, try to make sure that you can do things to really value life, do some nice things for yourself, be with the people important to you and if people have rebuilt, celebrate what you’ve been able to achieve,”

“The third thing I’d suggest is to think about some really tangible ways of taking care of your health and your emotional life; making sure that you eat well, get plenty of rest and schedule some outings over the next few weeks.”

Dr Gordon himself fled his home in Yarra Glen to escape the Black Saturday fires. Dr Gordon said it’s better for victims to let go of thoughts about perpetrators like Mr Sokaluk.

“It’s never enough is a feeling that people can have, but it must be a big chunk of a person’s life now and they’ll probably be a different person now, but you won’t know that,” he said.

“We have to let go of that, there would have been some good people working in the judicial system that have hopefully done some work with this person and maybe they’ve had a chance to think about what they did and learned from it,”

“This is where we get into a loop, when we start chewing over something that we don’t really understand.

Black Saturday arsonist Brendan Sokaluk arriving at the Supreme Court in Melbourne in 2012. Picture: AAP/JULIAN SMITH

Are you gambling more than once a week?

Research shows if you are gambling more than once a week, you are more likely to develop an issue.

Volunteers are honoured

By Callum Ludwig

Volunteers groups from Melbourne’s east and beyond came together onWednesday 1 May for the inaugural EV Strengthening Communities InclusiveVolunteering Awards.

The event aimed to acknowledge and recognise the efforts of local community groups, including a few in the Outer East, in encouraging people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities to volunteer.

CEO of EV Strengthening Communities Viv Cunningham-Smith was the MC for the event and said they want the community groups to share their expertise on inclusive volunteering with each other.

“Through Volunteering Victoria funding, we were funded to break down barriers to volunteering for initially three priority groups; people with disabilities, First Nations people and newly-arrived migrants, and now we have some additional groups; young people, vulnerable women and the unemployed,” she said.

“The focus of the work is you, the organisations who are offering volunteering opportunities and who are delivering vital services through volunteers, whether you are solely a volunteer workforce or you have a mix of volunteer and paid workforces,”

“Those that met 80 per cent of the criteria and above were deemed to achieve an inclusive volunteer workplace, but those who didn’t are still committed and on that journey of working towards an inclusive volunteering workplace and we celebrate and wish to recognise all of that work today.”

28 volunteer organisations were nominated for their efforts, either set to receive an award or an acknowledgement for their efforts in providing an inclusive volunteering opportunity. The award recipients were:

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Baptcare, Feed One Feed All, Foothills Community Care Inc, the Melbourne AMEP Volunteer Tutor Scheme, the Newhope Baptist Church, Puffing

Billy Railway and Wellways Australia.

The organisations that were acknowledged for their inclusivity efforts were:

Living and Learning at Ajani Inc, Maroondah Winter Shelter, MiCare Ltd, Mountain District Radio Inc 3MDR, Carenet, MVC Boxing, Yarra Ranges Council TAC L2P Program, Ferntree Gully Tennis Club, Community First Responders Foundation Ltd, Temple Society Australia- CHAMPION Community Hub, Manningham Walking Group For Carers, Mooroolbark Community Garden, Ringwood Church of Christ, Community Support Knox, Yarra Ranges and Surrounds, Neuma Church, Benwerren, Melbourne All-Abilities Lions Club, The Boroondara Family Network, Australia Chin Community (Eastern Melbourne) Inc, Women Support Incorporated and Middle Ground Cafe.

Keynote speaker AJ Kulatunga came to speak about the ‘superpower’ and challenges of cultural diversity and said he was aware he was speaking to the converted but hoped to help flip the script and amplify what the organisations are already doing and take it out into the rest of the world.

Mr Kulatunga told two stories of a similar ex-

perience he had; once in a takeaway store where he was mistaken for an UberEats driver and another 10 years ago, where he had been told to‘dress up a bit more’ so he didn’t‘look like a taxi driver’ but an established professional speaker at his first professional speaker conference.

Mr Kulatunga said these incidents had gotten him thinking about how some of the challenges that he’d had in his career maybe weren’t always related to his competency.

“So looked into what is Australia comprised of, we’ve got 25.8 million people, 22.3 per cent speak a language other than English at home, which gives us around 5.7 million culturally diverse people and then we look at the workforce, we’ve got 14.2 million people in it and when you apply the percentages, it works out to about 3.1 million culturally diverse professionals,” he said.

“I didn’t quite understand why I wasn’t seeing people who looked like me on stage.”

Mr Kulatunga pulled up images of the lineups or boards at a number of speaking conferences and events, highlighting the‘sea of sameness’ in the people on screen and while they are all experts in their field, were clearly

New Ridgewalk worth 10 million

By Gabriella Vukman

Situated beside the Kalorama fiveways in a grassy field overlooking the picturesque Silvan dam, a new RidgeWalk is in the works for visitors and locals to enjoy.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, the RidgeWalk Land Art Tender was given the go ahead with no councillor’s motioning against its approval.

Councillor Andrew Fullagar said, “There has been quite intensive consultation behind this and so there should be. It’s an expensive project. It’s 1.8 million but it involves quite a lot of infrastructure including a DDA-approved pathway down the slope.”

“There will be zig-zags down the pathway to enable all people to reach this amazing art piece.

“The project also includes seating and a picnic area connecting to the rest of the RidgeWalk.”

From local history groups to the Wurundjeri indigenous project advisory network, there has been a wide range of consultants involved in this RidgeWalk project.

Councillor Fullagar said, “The artwork itself is an interactive piece, allowing listening to harmonic sounds as you put your ear to it.”

“It’s going to be an amazing attraction for the area and it has taken three different art studios to come up with this project so there’s been a lot of work behind it.”

“It will become a worthy feature and a destination point for visitors and our residents both and an important access point to the ngurrak barring which runs from Montrose all the way across the ridge line and Hills to Belgrave,” Cr Fullagar said.

Councillor Jim Child pointed out his own

lacking diversity.

Mr Kulatunga said one or more people have a decision to make in a very acute moment of space and time, which he calls the point of impact, people make a decision based on their identity.

“Our identity drives our thoughts and drives our actions and our identity is influenced by stories and lived experiences, occasionally you will create a great story that becomes a lived experience because you’re there with the people sharing the story,” he said.

“This is why it’s so important that we learn how to tell better stories, strategic storytelling is so important for all of us here if we really want to drive inclusivity and change instead of trying to throw information, data or facts at people,”

“If you influence a person’s lived experiences, magical things happen, if you influence a person’s stories, magical things happen.”

Six of the award-winning organisations, including the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Baptcare and Feed One Feed All, were also invited on stage after the awards to give a presentation on how they achieve inclusivity in their organisations.

historic ties to the land on which the RidgeWalk is to reside.

“That piece of land is very special to me and my family. I’m a fifth generation of the Child family, the original settlers along with the Jeeves family.”

“In that beautiful grassed area that you described my father and brothers grew potatoes and carrots on that block of land until Walter Jeeves actually sold it to the government to become what it is now.”

“Probably one of the best moves that the Jeeves family ever made,” Cr Child said.

There were no motions against the approval of the RidgeWalk Land Art tenure.

When this section RidgeWalk will be open to the public was not discussed.

The Tender for a new Ridgewalk overlooking the Silvan dam was approved in a council meeting on April 23. Picture: ON FILE

Representatives of the award-winning volunteer organisations receive their accolades. Picture: CALLUM LUDWIG A plethora of other volunteer organisations were also acknowledged for their efforts.

The force is with Jedi Tom

By Emma Xerri

Tom, a local 14-year-old boy, has been granted his wish of becoming a Jedi.

Having undergone a liver transplant, Tom’s wish for a ‘Star Wars and Lego themed bedroom,’ was selected as part of the Make-AWish® Australia program in late 2023, placing Tom’s wish now among the more than 10,000 wishes that have been granted by the foundation since 1985.

With an exciting new bedroom makeover, Tom no longer needs to rewatch the films in his favourite series to feel immersed in the world he has come to love.

And his wish was eagerly supported by Disney, who joined forces with Westfield to invite Tom to learn how to become a Jedi Knight.

Taking part in the Star Wars Lightsaber Training at Westfield Knox, Tom had the opportunity to learn the art of the lightsaber, training with experienced Jedi Masters before becoming one with the force as a fully-fledged Jedi Knight himself.

“It was a really cool experience, and my favourite part was getting to test out what I learned against the Jedi Master,” Tom said.

While the Lightsaber Training at Westfield Knox has now ended, all funds raised by training bookings have gone to Make-A-Wish® Australia, helping them make more wishes like Tom’s come true.

Tom’s company was

Big turn-out to honour Jerry

By Gabriella Vukman

When passers by notice a white cross, next to the puffing billy line in Cockatoo, they are told that this is the grave of beloved community member ‘Jerry…’ -a stray dog who died 90 years ago.

On Monday 29 April, members of the Cockatoo History and Heritage Group and residents from the Cockatoo community held a memorial service for the 90th anniversary of Jerry the beloved railway dog’s death.

Cockatoo resident Ruth attended the ceremony and said, “It’s more of a nice celebration and this year we had it at the Cockatoo station. It poured with rain”

“We normally have it at Jerry’s gravesite but it is a little bit hard to get to and we thought with the weather it would be easier for everyone to walk down and attend.”

“There were probably around 30 people who attended the ceremony. It was the biggest turnout we’ve had,” Ruth said.

The tale goes that Jerry was a beloved member of the Cockatoo community. Running alongside and popping on and off Puffing Billy across the Ranges from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook, Jerry would visit various locals along the way, receiving treats and a friendly pat.

Ruth said, “He was a stray and was adopted by Diccky Downs, the driver for puffing Billy and he used to run the whole length of the line from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook, getting on and off the train and running to houses to get some milk.

“This happened for years. Everyone talks about how much of a character he was.” Ruth

said.

Jerry’s train hopping came to an end when he was accidentally hit by Puffing Billy on 29 April 1994 after being blinded by steam.

“That day it wasn’t Diccky who was driving the train. It was a new driver who didn’t know about Jerry’s antics,” Ruth said.

“They didn’t realise until they came back that Jerry had been killed.”

They buried him where he was hit in Cockatoo and the grave has been there since 1934, but it has been lost for years in between,” Ruth said.

The current cross that marks Jerry’s grave is made of steel as the original wooden version was burned in the ash wednesday fires in the 80s.

“Patsy, who is very passionate about Jerry, always does the ceremony,” Ruth said.

“The ceremony is always a bit of fun. It’s not like a sad thing and we encourage people to bring their dogs along. There was cake as well”

“It’s just a remembrance of the dog,” Ruth said.

Over the years there have been multiple poems written about the Railway Dog and these were featured in Monday’s ceremony.

Ruth said, “It is a snippet of cockatoo’s history.”

“A lot of the people who go on puffing Billy are always quite interested and will ask the staff ‘what’s the grave about.’A lot of people still don’t know about Jerry and wonder why the grave is there. ”

“It’s just a way to bring the community together and keep our traditions and history alive,” Ruth said.

Sally dives into retirement

By Emma Xerri

After 30 years, Monbulk swimming teacher Sally Pizzey is hanging up her fins.

Moving on from an adored role at the Monbulk Aquatic Centre, Ms Pizzey is saying her goodbyes to families she has taught for generations, as well as staff and students she now feels privileged to call friends.

“It’s the end of an era, but I just feel the time is right,” she said.

“I feel I’ve contributed a lot of time to the aquatic industry, and now it’s time to move on and do other things.

“I’ll miss the staff and all of the families that I’ve gotten to know over the years that have become friends.

“I won’t miss being cold in the water though.”

The centre said their goodbyes to the beloved teacher after her last class on Saturday 27 April, celebrating with an afternoon of speeches and heartfelt well wishes.

“It was a very nice way to finish off,” she added.

And on whether or not emotions were running high, “yeah, they were. Inside they were,” she laughed.

“It was the sincerity of how much they appreciated my contribution to the centre, and the friendships that I’ve made.

“There are some families where I have taught every member all the way through, so it has been quite humbling to be able to do that.

“And for me, it’s never been a job, it’s always been a passion.

“It’s not just about teaching the kids to swim, but extending them further than what they think they are capable of, which might mean pushing them to swim a whole lap. It might not look too nice, but the sense of achievement they gain can work wonders.”

With her time at the centre spanning three decades, and her aquatic career as a whole exceeding four, this “friendly, old, grey-haired swimming teacher” hopes to be remembered, first and foremost, as “someone who knows their job.”

“But also as someone who is able to relate to the kids.

“I will always treasure the relationships I was able to build with them.”

And it’s clear her impact has transcended far beyond her lessons, as she prides herself on the leadership she’s been able to show the younger teachers, and the fact that she’s had more than 50 students go on

After 30 years at the centre, Sally will miss the relationships formed with her students.

to become swim instructors - “that’s quite an achievement.”

But she assures she is not leaving the industry altogether, instead she will be hard at work continuing her self-funded learn to swim program at Lord Howe Island, which she hopes to expand to Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands with the help of some more swim institutions hopping on board.

And when she isn’t busy travelling Australia or teaching swimming lessons in some of the country’s most beautiful lagoons, Ms Pizzey’s familiar friendly face can still be spotted at her nursery in Kallista.

Patsy Parnall conducting the ceremony on Monday.

Picture: FILE

out of this world at Westfield Knox’s Lightsaber training.

Emerald Rotary donates $50,000 for sick children

The Rotary Club of Emerald and District annual Kids Fun Run event has continued to raise money for sick children, with the club recently donating $50,000 from last year’s event to the Monash Children’s Cancer Centre.

On Sunday 26 November last year, hundreds of children between three and 12 raced against Puffing Billy from the Gembrook station in races from 150 metres to 1.2 kilometres, with each participant receiving a certificate and a showbag packed with goodies from local businesses.

On Tuesday 9 April, Emerald Rotary met with representatives of the Monash Children’s Cancer Centre to present the $50,000 cheque.

Club treasurer Shalini Penny said the

event continued to receive ongoing support from the community.

“Without the generosity of our sponsors, this event would not be able to achieve the outcome that it continually does,” she said.

“Emerald Rotary members have made several tours of the Monash hospital facility to witness firsthand why we should continue to raise funds and the 2024 event recipients will again be the Monash Children’s Cancer Hospital.”

The Kids Fun Run event has raised a total of $771,250 since it was launched in 2002, with funding recipients including the Starlight Foundation, Monash Health, End Polio Now,William Angliss Hospital, Cerebral Palsy Education Centre and the Insight Education Centre for the Blind.

Tall ship trip no tall order

Secondary College Year 10 student

Incoll received the chance of a lifetime earlier this month - sailing on a fully operational replica of a tall ship around Port Phillip Bay.

The Rotary Club of Emerald and District sponsored her to take part in the Rotary Youth Sailing Challenge, which involved her joining a crew of other young students on the tall ship Enterprize on a four-day round trip around the bay from Saturday 6 April to Tuesday 9 April.

Mentored by ex-Commodore of the Bobbin Head Cruising Club in North Sydney, Myra and the crew of 8 girls and two boys between 15 and 18 years of age departed from St Kilda at about 10am on Saturday morning.

Club president Sangeeta Bajaj, past president and youth chair Marcus Adams and past

president Shalini Penny were also there to farewell Myra.

Ms Penny said the weather conditions were good at first, but rainy conditions plagued most of the journey.

“The challenges involved parting with their mobile phones, standing on four-hour watches for the whole time they were on board,” she said.

“This meant at times getting out of warm bunks at night and going onto a cold, wet spray drenched deck, learning how to helm and navigate the ship, keep it clean and decide which sails to set to suit the varying wind strengths and directions.

“Facing and helping each other overcome challenges developed teamwork and camaraderie.”

Kids Fun Run chair John Shaw, Puffing Billy Railway chief executive Peter Abbott, Monash Health Foundation director Ron Fairchild, Monash Children’s Cancer Centre director John Heath, Beth Allan and corporate and community partnership manager Riley Nicholas, Barry Plant Real Estate Emerald’s Riley Nicholas and Justin Barrot, event founder Heather Nielsen, Emerald Rotary president Sangeeta Bajaj. Picture: SUPPLIED

Emerald

Myra

Rotary Club of Emerald and District youth chair and past president Marcus Adams, president Sangeeta Bajaj, Emerald Secondary College student Myra Incoll, mentor Roy Bowyer and past president Shalini Penny. Picture: SUPPLIED

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Mother’s Day

By Maria Millers

This year Mother’s Day will be celebrated against the background of a country reeling from the recent spate of frightening incidents of violence towards women.

A significant proportion of the Australian women killed from alleged gender based violence were indeed mothers.

There has been a reaction of understandable fear, anger and outrage with marches and candlelight vigils held across the country and demands for more action from the government to which it has responded with almost $1billion dollars to help women escape violent situations. But is this the only way to respond to a problem which is cultural and perpetuated by deeply ingrained attitudes over generations?

And how should we be celebrating Mother’s Day?

Mothers and motherhood has been celebrated from Ancient Greek and Roman times in festivals for the goddesses Rhea and Cybele.

The more recent Christian festival of Mothering Sunday was less about mothers and more about the church.

It was considered important for people to return to their home or ‘mother’ church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their ‘mother’ church, the main church or cathedral of their area and catch up with family.

Mother’s Day as we know it today was created by American Anna Jarvis, becoming an official holiday in 1914.

The unmarried and childless Jarvis waged a campaign for recognition of a special day honouring motherhood as a counterbalance to the existing holidays which she felt were unfairly biased towards men’s achievements.

Almost immediately, it was seized by commercial interests that led Jarvis to denounce the day and try to have it removed from the national calendar. She also urged people to stop buying Mother’s Day gifts: cards, flowers and candles.

Today, Mother’s Day is a billion-dollar industry in Australia.

Until the18th century inWestern Art, an idealised figure of the Virgin Mary prevailed but then came a marked change as the image of motherhood evolved as a symbol of gentleness, and the creator of life.

This persisted until 20th century art when more realistic works of artists such as Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois, Annie Leibvitz and others tried to change how motherhood was represented by engaging with taboo subjects such as miscarriage, abortion and the difficulties of motherhood.

Motherhood can indeed be hard for those with little support or security.

Today men are more involved in child caring and household chores than before, but it is still women who carry the brunt of most of the domestic chores and child care.

And it is still largely taboo to express any misgivings about motherhood.

With Mother’s Day next Sunday it begs the question, whether a retail driven Day can have any positive effect on attitudes towards women and their role as mothers?

In comparison with other countries, Australia’s rates of family violence have been reported to be relatively high.

Reasons are of course complex. But could the legacies of our past be contributing to the development of a particularly virulent toxic hyper masculinity that persists today as a national ideal?

From the outset in the founding colonies men outnumbered women and violence, particularly towards indigenous women, was accepted.

In a society where women still experience a lifetime of economic inequality and insecurity this can lead to coercive control. Motherhood attracts a significant earnings penalty.

Choosing to have a child will change you irrevocably and challenge you as few other things will, and more so financially.

It is easy to put the blame for the violence we are seeing among young men on the breakdown of the nuclear family but reasons are never simple.

Family life is always changing in response to economic and social change.

The nuclear family is increasingly unable to

WOORILLA WORDS

cover the wide diversity of households we see today: single parent families, couples without children, gay families with two mothers (or fathers), adoptive parents.

Our economic system lauds hyper individualism over cooperation and community.

Today the one income family with a stay at home mother is almost a rarity as living costs have soared to the point where it is no longer possible under a single income to meet the needs of families, as in housing.

Post COVID we are experiencing a society that seems too detached, disconnected and distrustful. Some families are looking for new ways of connected living.

Because of the housing crisis intergenerational models of living are being tried by some.

And there are some who forego the trappings of consumer driven lifestyles and settle for something more modest and may choose to be content to have a stay at home mother caring for the family.

The role of technology is without doubt an important factor in the way young minds are moulded.The easy access to violent and pornographic material and drugs is fraught with dangers and could be shaping them to accept violence towards women as normal behaviour.

But we also need men to become aware of their own every day, trivial expressions of misogyny so that they are not passing on these destructive attitudes to their young sons.

So how should we approach Mother’s Day beyond the last minute cliched gifts and Devonshire tea outings?

Let’s celebrate the care and love that most mothers give their children, acknowledging that we are all imperfect but strive to do our best.

And though motherhood can be the most enriching experience of a woman’s life it can also be the most challenging and underappreciated. Whatever family you have formed enjoy the day whichever way you want to.

We should also pause and remember those mothers who have been so tragically killed.

There are many poems idealizing motherhood but lately more and more poets are writing about their experiences and feelings as mothers with refreshing honesty.

Many mothers will respond to Gwen Harwood’s In The Park, a poem that taps into many a mother’s worst nightmare of being caught looking dowdy and frazzled by fractious children’s bickering and whining and unexpectedly meeting a past lover when she’s hardly at her best.

But she of course does not let it be known how challenging she is finding motherhood. Only when he walks away does she let her frustrations erupt. They have eaten me alive. What the poem does is highlight how exhausting looking after small children can be, and how social pressures would not allow truthful expressions of her feelings.

In The Park

She sits in the park. Her clothes are out of date.

Two children whine and bicker, tug her skirt.

A third draws aimless patterns in the dirt Someone she loved once passed by – too late to feign indifference to that casual nod.

“How nice” et cetera. “Time holds great surprises.”

From his neat head unquestionably rises a small balloon…”but for the grace of God…”

They stand a while in flickering light, rehearsing the children’s names and birthdays.“It’s so sweet to hear their chatter, watch them grow and thrive, ” she says to his departing smile. Then, nursing the youngest child, sits staring at her feet.

To the wind she says, “They have eaten me alive.”

Local songwriter scores overseas nomination

By Tanya Steele

Footwear icon RM Williams has inspired a country music artist to write a song which has gone on to be nominated for an international award.

Upwey local Jon Collins has recently been nominated as a finalist for the MLT Songwriting Award and will play his unreleased single ‘Boots’ at the APRA Country Music Song Awards in New Zealand.

“He was an interesting character with a fascinating story – he’s an iconic rag to riches historical figure,” Collins said.

Collins initially entered the competition with his song ‘Boots’ with the intention to take a shot and was happy to receive news he was one of ten songwriters to get to the finals.

The artists hadn’t written a song about a historical figure before and said he had been considering the concept for awhile before he landed on RM Williams.

“I think he was overall a positive character and the country community as a whole - very worthy of a song,” he said.

‘Boots’ presents with harmonica, strong chorus lines and beautiful lyrics that engage the ear and playfully weaves the history of RMWilliams into a poetic ballad that leaves the listener feeling inspired.

Collins will head to New Zealand this month to play at the Country Music Honours and will also be competing in the Gold Guitars, which is a sister event of the Tamworth Gold.

“The song feels really good to sing –there’s a little bit of an Irish sort of feel to ‘Boots’,” he said.

Collins said he is quite excited about the nomination but the sudden momentum had been a little can be a little overwhelming at times.

The initial ‘bones’ of the song emerged in half an hour writing in his home studio.

“It was really powerful and I’ve gone to edit it and played with the lyrics, but the core of the song was done in 30 minutes,” he said.

The MLT Songwriting Award acknowledges unreleased songs from writers from New Zealand and Australia and is presented by the NZ Songwriters Trust in the ten day annual festival from 24 May to 2 June.

Writing in this storytelling character style was a new experience for Collins who said the concept behind ‘Boots’ was like ‘dipping his toe in the water.’

“I’ve become more interested in it since writing this, you can’t really fit a whole life into a song, but you can fit small moments and then those small moments are representative,” he said.

“Choosing from those moments is really cool – you get to filter through an entire life worth of experience and distil it.”

The song was inspired partly by the act of buying himself a new pair of boots himself and becoming familiar with the story behind RM Williams.

“I was visiting my family in Sydney, and my dad’s always won RM Williams boots –and I’ve always had sort of second hand worn out pairs,” he said.

Collins grew up with music and has been playing guitar and singing for over 20 years, studying music and then going on to play in the events and bands space, He moved to Melbourne in 2010 and can often be found performing in the hills in places like Killik or Micawbers Tavern.

The Upwey country artist has been making great strides and is currently part of the Cardinia Arts 2024 Music Residencies program which gives local emerging musicians vital industry knowledge and experience to advance their individual careers.

Through a tailored program, delivered by Cardinia Arts and local industry whiz Daniel Kelaart, Collins will record a new song in Dan’s professional studio and partake in a series of professional development activities.

“He’s produced the song ‘Bloom’ by the Papercutz - and I get to work with him as one of the residents, which is pretty exciting,” Collins said.

The unreleased single ‘Boots’ – which releases in late June, will become the masthead for an album Collins is producing called ‘Lovestrong’ and heralds the first steps of this pathway in releasing produced music.

Performing at the the Country Music Honours Awards has been catalyst in bolstering many songwriting careers and Collins is very much looking forward to the trip.

Jon Collins.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Crossings reach 75

Seventy-five. That is how many level crossings have now been removed with the removal of Bedford Road Level crossing in late March, which meant the Belgrave Line was back up and about.

It now means that there are no level crossings on the line from Ferntree Gully to the City – a huge change and means it’s now safer and there’s less congestion on our roads. Virtual ED

Something I wanted to discuss was the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), which is a public health service for non-lifethreatening emergencies. It’s Victoria’s busiest ED. With Victoria’s Virtual Emergency Department, we’re making it easier for patients to access the right care, without the stress of rushing to hospital and the good news is we’ve recently added more capacity to the program to help more people when they need it most.

For more information visit, vved.org.au/ patients/ Eastern Freeway Upgrades Begin Upgrades to the Eastern have begun creating a modern Eastern Freeway (and 45km’s of new lanes), keeping traffic moving, while building new bike and walking paths and Melbourne’s first dedicated busway. Starting this year we’ll

Stunning stunt movie

The Fall Guy

Starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson M 4/5

Loosely based on the 80s TV show of the same name, The Fall Guy is an energetic, highly endearing action-comedy.

Eighteen months after a career-ending injury, stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) reconnects with his director exgirlfriend Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) on the set of her debut film, and must track down her missing star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

Buoyed by Gosling and Blunt’s extraordinary chemistry as estranged people slowly falling in love again, the script is witty without being too quippy, moves at a brisk pace and weaves Colt and Jody’s rekindling romance with a fun mystery plot.

The unfolding conspiracy has some muddled motives and lapses in logic, but it’s hard to care when the film is so touching and exciting, and Hannah Waddingham is delightfully deranged as Jody’s producer Gail. The film also dips into sci-fi with amusing glimpses of Metalstorm, Jody’s schlocky space war epic.

The Fall Guy is suffused with respect for stunt performers: many of the inventive, well-shot action sequences, including the bonkers climax, make overt use of stunt techniques and equipment, and the film is even bookended with stunt montages: stunts from recent blockbusters in the intro, and this film’s own stunts in the credits.

The Fall Guy even broke a real-world stunt record of the most car cannonrolls (eight).

For Gosling, The Fall Guy marks a more lighthearted return to a stuntman persona after the 2011 noir masterpiece Drive, and as an invigorating combination of romance, laughs and thrills,. - Seth Lukas Hynes

The state of

affairs

Jackson Taylor Bayswater MP

watch this mega makeover unfold. Works will kick off from Burke to Tram Roads and by 2028 we’ll slash travel times from Hoddle to Springvale Roads and join the freeway to the new North East Link tunnels. When complete, we’ll enjoy travel time savings of up to 35 minutes.

Revitalising Boronia

The work of building a better Boronia is continuing to deliver. Recently, the new façade to EACH on Boronia Road was officially opened - transforming an old blank wall into a bright and open façade. The works on Erica Ave are nearly finished as well and of course the very popular community breakfast program is continuing to run four days a week.

The State Government has provided significant funding for new streetscape renewals,

CARTOON

events, façade improvements and so much more – but there’s more to do. I’m excited that very soon I’ll be announcing our next round of projects funded via the Suburban Revitalisation Board and of course planning continues on the major upgrade at Boronia Station.

In other news

· Announced we’re resurfacing a 2.2km section of Napoleon Road between Kelletts and Glenfern Roads.

· Helped officially open the new Fairpark Reserve pavilion, which the State Government provided $50,000 to help fit-out.

· Visited the construction of the new regional athletics facility which the State Government provided $250,000 to help deliver.

Local Shout-Out

Heather McTaggart has been the manager at The Basin Community House for 16 years and now she’s decided to pull up stumps. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to have worked with her in my time in politics. She’ll be sorely missed. I wish her a very happy retirement!

If you are a resident of Bayswater Electorate, please feel free to touch base. Contact details can be found here, jacksontaylor.com.au/ contact/contact/ or call 9738 0577.

Nothing odd about success of Jacobsen and McKenney

Comedy Theatre

Melbourne

The Odd Couple

Two suddenly single pals – a sloppy sports writer and a fastidious fashion writer - strain their friendship by becoming roommates and unconsciously repeating the same mistakes they made in marriages they just left.

Neurotic and neat freak Felix Ungar is thrown out by his wife, and moves in with his slovenly friend Oscar Madison The characteristics that drove each of them to leave their wives soon have them at each other’s throats in thus classic comedy.

Starring as Oscar and Felix are Shane Jacobson and Todd McKenney, the archetypal odd couple, as different as chalk and cheese, but best mates and constant collaborators.

Since they met on the Channel 7 TV series

The Real Full Monty several years ago, the friends have worked together on TV in Mates on a Mission and The All New Monty, and on stage in The Rocky Horror Show and Hairspray (as husband and wife).

Support libraries PASSION FOR PROSE

WITH CHRISTINE SUN

In the previous two articles, we discussed the “Discovering a Good Read” report from Australia Reads, which examines reading trends among Australian secondary school students and how book-related social media are influencing their reading habits.

This article, in turn, focuses on the use of public and school libraries by teenage readers.

According to the report, nearly half (47 per cent) of those secondary schoolers surveyed used resources from public libraries in 2023.

Their main purposes for use are to “study for school”,“borrow books to read for recreation”, “borrow books or other material for school assignments”, “hang out with friends”, and “use the Internet”.

Other reasons for using public libraries include reading magazines, comics, newspapers or listening to music, attending art and craft classes, and participating in library activities.

In comparison, the report finds that school libraries are mainly used for study, with two thirds of Australian secondary students having studied at their school library.

About one third of those students surveyed have a reading session fortnightly or more often, although “schools tend to arrange library sessions primarily for younger students”, i.e. Year 7 and 8.

As for leisure reading, our teenage readers are less inclined to ask their school librarians for book recommendations, with 60% choosing not to do so. Some students admit “they can’t be bothered”, while others say they either already have enough books to read or do not borrow books from the school library at all. The good news is, when asked how helpful their school librarians are regarding book suggestions for leisure reading, students give them a high average score of 7.74 out of a scale of one to ten.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, younger students (aged 11-13) are more likely than their older peers (aged 16-18) to ask for reading advice from their school librarians. The report concludes that “enhancement in library services” is one of the potential solutions in our continuous efforts to help teenagers “find books that captivate their interests and motivate them to read”.

Based on this report, Australia Reads recommends seven ways to support teen reading, and one of them is to “invest in school libraries and librarians”.

Specifically: “School libraries have a positive influence on reading behaviours – providing access, community, and recommendations for teen readers. Libraries need to be funded in schools across Australia, with dedicated and knowledgeable librarian staff, and suitable and appealing options for teenage readers.”

Your correspondent was invited to a rehearsal of The Odd Couple where the two, Osscar (Shane Jacobson) and Felix, (Todd McKenney).

The pair worked brilliantly together and were a delight.

The play was written by Neil Simon and is a must see.

It opens at the Comedy Theatre Thursday May 23.

REMEMBER:

Comedy at The Basin. Saturday May 11. Bookings at www.thebasintheatre.org.au Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Suite Surrender opening June 27.

The 1812 Theatre The Great Gatsby May 16 – June 4 Bookings 9758 39644.

Furthermore, Australia Reads suggests “keeping teens engaged with the library space through their schooling may help maintain a positive and regular relationship with reading”. Indeed, school libraries provide a safe and convenient environment for teenage readers of diverse backgrounds to talk about books and share recommendations with their peers. Finally, those parents wanting to support teenage reading can establish positive reading habits by taking advantage of the rich and free resources offered by public libraries, thus helping to create a reading culture at home. Make an effort to explore what teenagers are reading, and you’ll be surprised how much you can learn from them.

MEDICALLY SPEAKING Protect eyes over winter

As winter blows in, so too do frosty temperatures, harsh winds and glaring reflections on surfaces around us.

Unfortunately, these can present a significant threat to our eyes.

Eyewear can act as protection against the cold wind by preventing it from reaching sensitive areas, thus reducing the risk of corneal damage and dryness.

Contrary, to popular belief, UV rays are not

solely a concern during summer. While the cloudy skies may appear as a protective barrier, they can actually reflect UV rays back into our eyes, intensifying the possibility of damage.

Mountain Gate Eyecare specialises in custom-making sunglasses and colour-changing lenses, which can act as an important shield on both overcast and bright days alike.

Specialised eyewear options are designed

to fit snugly, providing protection and coverage against cold, harsh winds.

This eyewear can prevent discomfort and dryness in the eyes and intercept dust and dirt blown around in gusty conditions.

Winter recreational activities, such as skiing, snowboarding, or simply walking in snowy conditions expose our eyes to various airborne particles including snowflakes and other debris.

Indoor heating and low humidity in the winter months are also a time to be aware of dry eye syndrome. It is important to address the changing needs of your eyes.

Come on in and chat to Danni, Paul and our therapeutically endorsed optometrist Edward at Mountain Gate Eyecare to ensure you have your eyewear needs met and can keep well in these winter months.

Paul at Mountain Gate Eye Care with transition glasses. 307668

Pictures: ON FILE

The glasses transition to protect your eyes outside. 307668

Danni helping a customer. 307668

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the

or

ACROSS

1 Kitchenware (4)

3 AD (4,6)

10 Non-professional (7)

11 Japanese paper folding (7)

12 A sweet cold drink (8)

13 Excuse (5)

14 Spindle (4)

15 Agitated (10)

18 Gratification (10)

20 Duster (4)

21 Adage (5)

23 Ponder (8)

26 US state (7)

27 Pirate’s sword (7)

28 Child of one’s child (10)

29 Principal (4)

DOWN

1 Worship (4)

2 Journeyed (9)

4 Account of events (9)

5 Layer that absorbs most of the sun’s UV radiation (5)

6 Largest of the Ryukyu Islands, south of Japan (7)

7 Baghdad native (5)

8 Started (9)

9 Note (4)

14 Annoying (9)

16 Relating to a specific discipline (9)

17 Neighbour of Mexico (9)

19 Member of ancient Germanic tribe (7)

22 Country (5)

23 Collision of one or more vehicles (5)

24 Very small amount (4)

25 Book ID (1,1,1,1)

5 LETTERS ABIDE ABOUT ACRES ALBUM ALIEN ALONG ANNUL BADGE BULGE CANOE CAUSE CLOTH DOONA EATER ELOPE EMAIL ENACT EVENT GENES GREED HUMAN INPUT KNACK KNOWS LAGER LAUGH LENDS MAPLE MELON NOBLY OMITS OPIUM PESTS PORTS POSTS RHINO RINSE RISEN ROUGE RULES RUSTS SHOCK SIEGE SNEER SPOON STAGE SWEAT TAMER TROOP

PENTHOUSE IN THE PARK

PENTHOUSE IN THE PARK

RARELY do you get to enjoy such a highend finish with cutting-edge design, coupled with breathtaking views. As you climb the stairway to reveal a clever multi-level design, stunning spotted gum flooring, square set plaster work and huge expanses of glass.

There are three distinct levels where you will discover four comfortable bedrooms, with a luxury ensuite and walk-in robe to the master. The huge central room is open plan and incorporates living/dining and kitchen that is fully integrated with top of the range Meile appliances, including the fridge freezer.

The top level is versatile as another living room, retreat, or an ideal work from home office, the choice is yours. Steppinwg outdoors to a well-paved barbecue/ entertaining area that captures that same distant view with all the autumn colours. Of course, all the creature comforts are there with split-system heating and cooling, ducted gas heating and a feature open fire place.

Complete with ample under house and attic storage and a remote control double garage.

This could be your chance to call 77 Kaola Street Belgrave home. ●

COMMUNITY RAFFLE WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

DANDENONG Ranges Community Finance Limited, which operates Community Bank Upwey, Belgrave and Cockatoo-Gembrook branches, has drawn the winners of their Community Raffle which was launched in November 2023 as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.

The raffle prize pool is $25,000 in gold bullion. 48 local community groups signed up to sell tickets, with $33,000 worth sold. With all (100%) proceeds from ticket sales going back to the selling group, this was a great opportunity for groups to fundraise with no outlay of their own.

We are very excited to announce the winners of the raffle drawn at 11.00 a.m. on Thursday 2 May 2024. The first prize winner of $20,000 of gold bullion was Carey W who bought tickets from the Olinda Ferny Creek Football Netball Club. A huge congratulations to Carey who is a dedicated supporter of the club and works tirelessly for them. The following were recipients of $1,000 worth of gold bullion each and the group they bought their ticket from: Craig M (Olinda CFA); Kathy T (Rabbit Runnaway Orphanage); Kerry W (Rabbit Runnaway Orphanage); Maxine A (St John’s Tecoma Cricket Club); Mick H (Olinda Ferny Creek Football Netball Club).

“Congratulations to the winners and to all the clubs that participated. We hope the clubs are able to put the funds towards projects that benefit their club and its members. I was so excited for Carey when I phoned her, it was a real thrill and a bit emotional,” said Dandenong Ranges Community Bank Group Chair, Deb Weber. ●

Carey Williams, Deb Weber (Chair of Dandenong Ranges Community Finance Limited) and Mick Hill. Both Carey and Mick are members of the Olinda Ferny Creek Football Club.

FAMILY HOME WITH PONY PADDOCK

WHAT a fantastic opportunity to secure a 4 bedroom home in the heart of Cockatoo. Walk to the mainstreet and all the Cockatoo amenities, including the recently built IGA.

There is plenty of off street parking, and a double lock up garage at the front of the home. There’s a welcoming entertaining area near the front door, and the home then opens to a front foyer. The floating floor boards invite you in, and there are then two bedrooms with built in wardrobes.

An open loungeroom with a cosy woodfire awaits, and then the home flows to a master bedroom with a built in wardrobe and a large walk-in wardrobe that could potentially be a great ensuite space (STCA). The zoned living then has another bedroom located near the master that also has built in wardrobes, and there is a lovely study/home office area with a treed outlook.

The kitchen and dining area are open plan and the charming kitchen has a woodfire, gas stove top, oven and dishwasher, as well as a walk in pantry/butlers pantry. The home then continues along to an updated laundry and bathroom, with the bathroom being luxurious with a bath, toilet and shower. This home also features gas ducted heating.

Externally is a pony paddock with a pony shed that is awaiting your four legged friend. This property has it all so don’t miss outcall to arrange a private inspection today.

Please note: All property details shown are correct at time of publishing. Some properties may have been sold in the preceding 24 hours and we recommend that you confirm open for inspection times with the listing agent direct or the listing office. ●

BeautifulHomeinEmeraldonapprox.23acreswithViews! Thisoutstanding3 bedroom,3 bathroomhomesituatedonapprox.23Acresoffersgorgeousviews acrossclearedpaddockstoCardiniaReservoir.Thisstoneconstructedhomehas awoodfireheater, acousticstrawboardvaultedceiling,giantwindowssoakingintheview &plentyofnaturallight.The kitchenisvast,with agasstovetop &electricoven, &plentyofbenchspace.Unwindinthesecond loungeroomwithanopenfireplace&astunningstudyarea.Thereisa masterbedroomfeaturinga walkthroughwardrobetotheensuite.Thefurther 2bedroomshaveBIRs& areservicedby afamily bathroom.Externallythereisa clearedpaddockwith acentraltreedgully.Thegroundscontaina pizzaoven,a highdoublecarportattachedtothehome, &inthebackyardareais adoublegarage withpower,lights &concretedfloor.Thispropertyhasmainspower,gas &water.

AaronDay M 0407365994 BrennanMileto M

PerfectlylocatedintheheartofMonbulkthisfamilyhomefeatures 4robedbedrooms, &2 bathroomsincluding afamilybathroomcompletewith abathtub,thishomehas afunctionalfloor plan.Themasterbedroomhasanensuite &WIR &islocatednear alargeformallivingroom,whilst2 oftheremainingbedroomsarelocatednearthespacious,openplankitchen &familyroom.Thereis aseparatediningroomwhichcouldbeutilisedas ahomeoffice/study.Addtothefeatures atoasty woodfireinthefamilyroom,gasductedheatingthroughout,floorboards, awell-appointedkitchen &securityshuttersonnearlyallwindows &doors.Outsideisthehuge,private,undercoverdeck, perfectforentertainingallyearround,a DLUG,2 furthergarden/woodsheds&alovelysideyard.

Thisis aRareOpportunityNotToBeMissed!Home &Business(STCA)Available!

Thispropertyhasa modern &stylish2 bedroomapartmentonthetopfloorwitha longverandah. Whilstalsoencompassingtheshopspacecurrentlyutilisedbythe‘BlackCockatooPizzacafé’& the ‘BlackCockatooBar& Bistro’onthegroundfloor.Theapartmentisconvenientlylocatedonground levelontheBelgraveGembrookRoad,whilethebarandpizzacafeareonstreetlevelonMcBride Street.Thereare2 decks, &an8 spacecarpark,& thecarparkdoublesas abeergarden.Inside thehomehas aspaciousopenplankitchen/living/diningareawith asplitsystemAC.Thekitchen hasstainlesssteelappliances &thebathroomisfreshlyrenovated.BothbedroomsofferBIRs.There isoffstreetparkingattherearoftheapartment &a SLUG &workshop.Thebusinessesareforsale separatelyanddetailswillbemadeavailableuponrequest.

StylishlyRenovatedHomewithEquineInfrastructureonNearly20acres! Featuringa 40m*20msandmenage,dayyards,electricfencedpaddocks,hotwash,tack room,floatstorage,hayshed,a 3-baybarn,cross-countrycourse,mainswater &a comfortable 4-bedroom,2 bathroom,‘Hamptons’stylehomewithviews &zonedheating& cooling.Thehome has2 loungeareas, adiningarea& entertainingdeck.Themasterbedroomhasa walk-through robe,ceilingfan &ensuite.Theopenplankitchen/dining/livingareahas awoodfire &a 900mmgas stove& anelectricoven,& thelaundryhasa dryingcupboard.Thereare 3furtherbedroomswith BIRs &a familybathroom.Thestockyardshaveloadingramps,thereare5 paddockswithwater,day yards,tackroom,feedshed,hotwashbay,haystorage &machinerystorage.Thereis apermanent creek,a Springfeddam,a chickenrun,anall-weathergraveldriveway, &lockupgarage.

HOME FOCUS

ROOM TO MOVE ON 3/4 ACRE

INTRODUCING your dream home nestled on a serene ¾ acre parcel with breathtaking treetop vistas. This spacious split-level sanctuary boasts 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, including a secluded master suite wing for ultimate relaxation.

Work from home in style in the study (or 5th bedroom) with views, featuring a charming mezzanine level. The living spaces are bathed in natural light, courtesy of expansive walls of glass that seamlessly blend indoor-outdoor living.

Entertain effortlessly in the heart of the home, the well-appointed kitchen with ample storage, walk-in pantry, and adjacent dining/ living area. Retreat to the lounge to chill with some Netflix or a good book.

Enjoy the outdoors on the expansive deck spanning the length of the home, ideal for soaking in the morning sun and birdwatching with your favourite cuppa. The landscaped grounds feature tiered gardens with hidden nooks waiting to be discovered.

With extensive storage, a 2-car garage, and plenty of parking, this home ticks all the boxes. You are minutes to both Emerald and Cockatoo Townships, Avonsleigh General Store nearby as are fantastic walks, rides and adventures to be had.

Don’t miss the chance to make this your own slice of paradise. Welcome home. ●

A beautifullymaintainedhome, perfect for those enteringthe propertymarketorwill makeanideal investment Situatedonjustover a 1/4 acrealonga sealedroad this propertyoffers a harmoniousblend ofcomfort& convenience and offersBIRstoall bedrooms,spaciousopenplanliving& dining newly renovated kitchen,polished floorboards, DGH,S/System, two new double-glazed windows for energyefficiency & sound insulation, spaciousdeck, established gardens, a veggie patch anda chookrun.

ErinDavies 0493136937 MickDolphin 0429684522

CUTTING-EDGEDESIGNWITHBREATHTAKINGVIEWS

Rarely doyou get toenjoy such a high-end finishwithcutting-edge design Asyouclimb the stairwaythe homerevealsaclevermulti-level designand featuresstunningspotted gumflooring,squaresetplaster work hugeexpansesof glass, a hugecentral room incorporating theliving/diningand kitchen thatisfully integratedwithMeile appliances, splitsystemheating& cooling,DGH anda featurefireplace.Outdoors features a paved BBQ/entertaining area, ample under-house and attic storage anda double garage

GrantSkipsey 0418528102

BREATHTAKINGTREETOPVISTAS

Yourdream homeisnestled on a sereneparceloflandwithbreathtakingtreetopvistas Thisspacioussplit-levelsanctuary boasts a secludedmastersuite wingfor ultimate relaxation,a study/5th bedroomwithviews&a charmingmezzaninelevel,expansive wallsofglass thatseamlessly blend indoor-outdoorliving,spaciousdeckspanningthe lengthofthe home, extensive storage, a 2-car garage, plentyofparking and landscaped grounds which feature tieredgardens withhidden nooks waiting tobediscovered

$600,000-$660,000

Overlooking lushestablished gardens,this charmingcottage has muchtooffer.Freshly painted throughout,polished timber floors sashwindows,wood fire &a gas heater spaciouskitchenwith a meals area The gardens,adornedwithagedferns, clivias& a majesticPowtontree & winding pathways createaninvitingatmosphereand from the reardeck, you can overlookthispicturesque scene.Withoff-streetparking and the convenience ofstrolling intotown, this propertypresentsanenticingopportunity 3 A 1 B 2 C

ErinDavies 0493136937

MickDolphin 0429684522

HOME FOCUS

SCENIC PROPERTY IN PEACEFUL SELBY

THIS scenic 3.4 acre property in the peaceful hamlet of Selby is the ideal family retreat. Featuring a private and picturesque dam, paddock, veggie beds, level lawns, hen house, and dog fencing, this very special property is what semi-rural living is all about.

Dual drives, including one with double carport, lead way to this lovely timber home with welcoming wrap-around verandah. With one step inside, the sense of warmth invites you to stay a while. The generous foyer introduces the high timber ceilings that feature throughout. The lounge centres around the magnificent brick fire while loop carpet and large windows that capture leafy outlooks add to the cosy and relaxed ambiance. The neighbouring meals area and modern kitchen with skylight, breakfast bar, tin splashback, ILVE induction cooktop, and Bosch dishwasher serves as the heart of the home. With further touches including a walk-in pantry with stylish barn door and a large deck for entertaining, every element has been considered with care.

In addition, the corridor accentuated with William Morris wallpaper branches to 4 spacious bedrooms with vaulted ceilings and built-in robes, a beautiful bathroom with antique vanity and soaking tub, and a guest powder room with designer sink.

If you seek a lifestyle property within easy reach of Belgrave’s schools, restaurants, cinema, and transport, you will find a fabulous lifestyle here. Homes in this tightly held pocket are rarely released, so don’t delay, plan your viewing today.

· Picturesque 13,797sqm (approx.) property with large private dam, paddock, veggie beds/citrus grove, dual drives, and double carport

· Beautiful family residence with wraparound verandah and large deck

· Generous living area with wood fire and modern kitchen with quality appliances, tin splashback, and sunny skylight

· 4 lovely bedrooms with ample storage and large windows

· Expansive under-house workshop/storeroom with potential for further development. ●

3MDR to mark milestone

Local hills community radio 3MDR has a special anniversary coming up and is creating a podcast series to celebrate - community involvement very much encouraged.

Mountain District Radio Inc, 3MDR 97.1fm will be turning 40 in 2025, celebrating 40 years of community broadcasting and is super excited to be producing a special series of podcasts to celebrate the colourful history of the local radio station.

On the scorched earth in the aftermath of the horrific Ash Wednesday bushfires in February 1983, a group of hills locals got together and got the ball rolling on setting up a radio station for the purposes of emergency broadcasting.

3MDR would like to hear from anyone who was involved in 3MDR’s early days – committee members, volunteers, presenters and long time listeners are encouraged to contact 3MDR to share their stories of how the station came into being.

It’s been a long, sometimes bumpy road traversing the airwaves for 40 years and it’s all due to the community coming together to contribute to this much loved local broadcasting operation which continues to be an important part of the ever changing media landscape.

Community news, interviews, local and not so local music, special interests and CALD community language programs, 3MDR has something for everyone.

Ifyou,orsomeoneyouknowhashadanyinvolvement in 3MDR’s early days please contact the 3MDR office on 9752 5678 or email 3MDR’s Station Manager, Nat Grant on office@3mdr. com and get involved in documenting the history of Mountain District Radio Inc.

Celebrating 40 years on air - 3MDR would love to hear from committee members, volunteers, presenters and long time listeners.

Picture: UNSPLASH

NOTICE OF HEARING OF SUBMISSIONS COMMITTEE MEETING

Tuesday 28 May 2024

Notice is hereby given that a Special Committee of Council be established for the purpose of hearing public submissions relating to the Draft Budget FY2024-25.

The Special Committee Meeting to hear public submissions will be held on Tuesday 28 May 2024, commencing at 5.30 pm in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Anderson Street, Lilydale and via videoconference.

An Ordinary Meeting of Council will follow after. Please visit Council’s website for more information.

Members of the community that wish to attend and observe the meeting are required to register via Council’s website.

Tammi Rose

Parks Victoria’s conservation management to restore and protect park habitat includes the control of introduced plant and animal species. As part of an ongoing strategy, notice is hereby given that Parks Victoria will be laying buried baits and canid pest ejectors containing Sodium Monofluoroacetate (1080) and Paraaminopropiophenone (PAPP) on public land for the control of Foxes.

Baits containing 1080 and PAPP will be laid from 27/05/2024 until 29/11/2024. Baits will be laid at strategic sites and other known areas of fox habitat within the Dandenong Ranges National Park.

1080 and PAPP poison signs will be posted throughout the baited area and members of the public who are living, visiting or working in the Dandenong Ranges National Park are advised to take particular care not to disturb or interfere with bait stations. Domestic dogs and cats are at risk from exposure to both poisons. Under the National Parks Act (1975) dogs and cats cannot be taken into or be allowed to remain within the Dandenong Ranges National Park.

All Tigers teams succeed

It was a triumphant weekend for Upwey-Tecoma as all teams picked up wins across the football and netball.

All teams bar the U18 and U19 boys were on the road to Berwick Springs, with the U19s having a bye and the U18s beating Mt Evelyn away 11.3, 69 to 12.7, 79.

Best players were Ryan Little, Tom Hutcheon, Ashley Piaser, Andy Sinclair, Lachlan Tilley and Harrison Censi with goals coming from Censi with 3 and one apiece from Harrison Gilbert, Champsee Grant, Tom Hutcheon, Nicholas Mackay, Little, Sinclair and Tilley.

The Senior Women dominated Berwick Springs from start to finish, keeping the Titans goalless and finishing with a final score of 0.3, 3 to 12.9, 81.

Best players were Corinna White, Jessica Occhipinti, Ashlynn O’Halloran, Rebecca Thompson, Georgia O’Halloran and Tahlia Sheehan. Occhipinti kicked 4, Thompson 3, and there was a goal each from Alexandria Bantock, Amy Elias, Niamh Hunter-Clear, Phoebe Lowe and White.

It was a less comfortable win in the Reserves as the inaccurate Tigers secured the win 4.7, 31 to 6.11, 47. Best players were Simon Orenshaw, Aaron Grenda, Jack Murray, Lachie McGill, Alex Heath-Bennett and Jordan Tailby with goals coming from Grenda 4 and Patrick Russell and Blair Sheppard with one each.

The Senior Men’s side set themselves up for a win in the second quarter, keeping their opponents scoreless while adding 29 points to their total and establishing a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the day, the final core reading 6.3, 39 to 11.16, 82. The Top Tigers were Matt Szczesny, Jackson Waters, Sam Wicks, Cody Maloney, Glenn Costas and Lachlan Hughes and the goalkickers were well spread; Daniel Waters, Jackson Waterman, Costas and Hughes all snagged 2 and one each came from Oscar Miles, Jai Sheehan andWicks.

In the netball, D Grade started the day with a 17 to 28 win. Best players wereTaylor Muscat, Bailey Caldow and Rachel Aitken with goals coming from Jessica Ducat 17, Emily Lowe 8 and Muscat 3.

C Grade’s win was comfortable, toppling the Titans 16 to 38. Best on the court were Taylah Borg, Renee Howe and BridgetWalters with goals from Bailea Robinson 20, Brodie Head 16 and Sophie Clarke 2.

B-Grade beat Berwick Springs 42 to 33 in the tightest netball tie of the day. Best players were Ashley Hamilton, Bek Breukers and Mila Seabrook with goals coming from Matilda Candy 37 and Seabrook 5.

A-Grade never looked like losing in their clash, coming out on top 13 to 63. Best on the court were Charlotte Davies, Sienna De La Sota and Amy Pickard with goals scored by Jessica Black 27, Taylah Hamilton 21 and Mia Lui 15.

Sam Wicks (7 Upwey Tecoma), Chris Johnson (36 Berwick Springs). 405142

Nathan Waterman (33 Upwey Tecoma), Riley Hillman (16 Berwick Springs).. 405142

Daniel Waters (47 Upwey Tecoma), Chris Johnson (36 Berwick Springs). 405142

Jai Sheehan (6 Upwey Tecoma), Rick Green (23 Berwick Springs). 405142

Jayden Malek (27 Berwick Springs), Rick Green (23 Berwick Springs), Nathan Waterman (33 Upwey Tecoma). 405142

Daniel Waters (47 Upwey Tecoma), Chris Johnson (36 Berwick Springs). 405142

Daniel Waters (47 Upwey Tecoma), Oskar Knight (7 Berwick Springs). 405142

Cameron Miller (10 Berwick Springs), Nathan Waterman (33 Upwey Tecoma). 405142

Pictures: ROB CAREW

Monbulk women go top

By Armin Richter

In Women’s footy round 4 pitted two unbeaten sides against each other at Warburton, when the newly formed and top placed home team Warburton-Wesburn took on the third placed Hawks. In a match befitting two premiership contenders, a tight and entertaining match ensued. Jade McCormick, the former ruck who has moved to full-forward this season, marked with the scores tied at the final siren. With ice in her veins she coolly slotted through the winner, straight through the middle, after the final siren to rapturous scenes from team mates and supporters. Jade is the equal leading goalkicker in Div. 2 with 10. Coach Sascha Wolfe has deservedly been named the Outer East Coach Of The Month for April as Monbulk now sit atop the Women’s Div. 2 ladder as the only undefeated side.

Best: Shania Turner, Indy Bakker, Stephanie Pauw, Molly Licciardi, Grace Emmett, Jade McCormick

Jade McCormick 3, Kathryn Gow 1, Laura Gillard 1

In Senior football Monbulk and Olinda-Ferny Creek have been traditional rivals for well over a century on the football field, and on Saturday met for the latest instalment of the rivalry. The Hawks have been competitive this year but have failed to register a win to date, primarily due to lapses where they let their opponents off the hook with a poor quarter. With three clubs to be relegated at the end of the season, Monbulk will want to register a win soon. Olinda ground was in fine condition, with cool, calm and sunny weather greeting the players. The Hawks dominated the first quarter but wasted multiple opportunities in front of goal with wayward kicking. By quarter time Monbulk held a one point advantage after kicking 2.9, which should have been a lead of five or six goals. Olinda made them pay in the second term when they slammed on seven goals in quick succession. The second half was fairly even and Monbulk were left to rue the chances that they let slip early in the day.

Monbulk 9.17.71 def by Olinda-Ferny Creek 17.9.111

Best: Ziggy Hatherley, Joshua Spencer, Lachlan Sheppard, Mitchell Dekker, Declan Browne, Lochlan Beecroft

Goals: Ziggy Hatherley 4, Hayden Finlay 2, Mitchell Dekker 2, Johnathon Hevern 1

The Monbulk Reserves have had their best depth in about 15 years, and even with injuries they are comfortably filling the 22 team

positions. Despite the list depth, the winless Hawks were in 11th place and facing Olinda, who were in 6th with two wins. The ladder positions proved to be inconsequential as the Hawks dominated the play and possession. Monbulk however missed numerous chances to close out the game with some inaccuracy. Late in the match the Bloods booted consecutive goals to get within a kick but the Hawks held on in a desperate final scramble.

Monbulk 5.11.41 def Olinda-Ferny Creek

6.3.39

Best: Thomas Trezise, Nicholas Taylor, Charlie Barge, Kai Linde, Jacob Defina, Lewis Oliver

Goals: Lachlan Smith 2, Harry Fleming 1, Charlie Barge 1, Brodie Emmett 1

A grade

A Grade netball was a high scoring and dominant game from Monbulk. Olinda had dominated Monbulk for 10 years until a breakthrough win by the Hawks last season broke the ice. The Bloods have entered a rebuilding stage while the Hawks are looking to eye off a finals spot in 2024 and needed to win, and win well, to send a message to the competition. They managed their highest score against Olinda since 2008 (where they scored 76 goals) and were dominant in every quarter in an unrelenting runaway win by 43 goals, and moved

up to 5th in the process.

Monbulk 75 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 32

Best: Stephanie Ferguson , Paige Whitworth, Georgia Himmelreich

Goals: Elly Stewart 40, Stephanie Ferguson 32, Sophie Stubbs 3

B Grade

After a disappointing few weeks, the B Grade girls put on a strong showing against Olinda. By half time they had established a 6 goal lead and then took no prisoners in the second half, to win comfortably by 20 goals, with good play on all lines.

Monbulk 57 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 37

Best: Siobhan Munday, Georgia Wilson, Rihanna Kelly

Goals: Jorja Wragg 39, Dayna Walsham 13, Chloe Schmidtke 5

C Grade

In C Grade Monbulk ground out an ever increasing lead over the first three quarters before unleashing a 13-4 final term which had the Hawks convincing 17 goal winners and moving up to equal 5th.

Monbulk 43 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 26

Best: Lisa Boyle, Sammi Kelly, Jamie Sands

Goals: Grace Sands 26, Jamie Sands 10, Chloe Carmichael 7

D Grade

The development squad came up against the equal 3rd placed Olinda team and fought out a very even game. It was only some rushed passes that were intercepted in the third quarter which really proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Monbulk 23 def by Olinda-Ferny Creek 30

Best: Leah Hansby, Maddy Buckland, Caitlin

Utting

Goals: Maddy Buckland 18, Hayley Donald 5 UNDER 15s

The Monbulk Under 15s metWooriYallock, the only other Yarra Ranges club in their Division, on Saturday morning at Olinda. The young Hawks are teaming together well and played a consistent four quarter game where they extended the margin at each break. The players are being rotated through different positions which has made them a versatile unit, not relying on any one individual. They sit equal second, tied with the team that they will meet next week, Pakenham.

Monbulk 33 def Woori Yallock 19

Best: Isla Stubbs, Stevie Mullinder, Lara Stenhouse

Goals: Lara Stenhouse 15, Kaitlyn Summers 10, Isla Stubbs 4, Stella Dunstan 4

Scoreboard for Outer East football and netball

By Armin Richter

Outer East FootballNetball League Scoreboard Round 4

FOOTBALL

PREMIER DIVISION

Seniors: Olinda-Ferny Creek 17.9.111 def Monbulk 9.17.71; Upwey-Tecoma 11.16.82 def Berwick Springs 6.3.39; Pakenham 16.11.107 def Emerald 10.11.71; Woori Yallock 14.15.99 def Wandin 12.16.88; Narre Warren 19.12.126 def Officer 3.10.28; Mt. Evelyn 9.11 65 def Gembrook-Cockatoo 6.12.48

Reserves: Monbulk 5.11.41 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 6.3.39; Upwey-Tecoma 6.11.47 def Berwick Springs 4.7.31; Pakenham 13.10.88 def Emerald 5.12.42; Wandin 11.16.82 def Woori Yallock 8.5.53; Narre Warren 9.7.61 def Officer 6.6.42; Mt. Evelyn 11.5.71 def GembrookCockatoo 9.11.65

DIVISION ONE

Seniors: Belgrave 15.17.107 def Healesville 11.4.70; Yea 23.12.150 def Yarra Glen 10.6.66; Warburton-Millgrove 20.9.129 def Yarra Junction 5.7.37; Seville 33.32.230 def Powelltown 3.4.22; Alexandra bye

Reserves: Belgrave 8.7.55 def Healesville 6.7.43; Yea 14.19.103 def Yarra Glen 3.1.19; Warburton-Millgrove 12.12.84 def Yarra Junction 3.8.26; Seville 21.14.140 def Powelltown 1.0.6; Alexandra bye UNDER 19s

Pakenham 22.9.141 def Wandin 7.9.51; Narre Warren 10.15.75 def Officer 6.3.39; Gembrook-Cockatoo + Upwey-Tecoma bye

UNDER 18s Healesville 16.18.114 def Seville 2.4.16; Woori Yallock 10.20.80 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 7.6.48; Upwey-Tecoma 12.7.79 def Mt. Evelyn 11.3.69 SENIOR WOMEN Division 1: Upwey-Tecoma 12.9.81 def Berwick Springs 0.3.3; Healesville 4.14.38 def Belgrave 0.0.0; Pakenham 7.11.53 def OlindaFerny Creek 4.5.29

Division 2: Wandin 4.4.28 drew Woori Yallock 4.4.28; Officer 6.9.45 def Seville 3.4.22; Emerald 9.15.69 def Thornton Eildon 1.0.6; Mon-

5.4.34 def Warburton-Wesburn 4.4.28

A Grade: Monbulk 75 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 32; Upwey-Tecoma 63 def Berwick Springs 13; Pakenham 60 def Emerald 50; Wandin 65 def Woori Yallock 58; Narre Warren 63 def ROC 32; Mt. Evelyn 75 def Gembrook-Cockatoo 33

B Grade: Monbulk 57 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 37; Upwey-Tecoma v Berwick Springs (result pending); Pakenham 57 def Emerald 40; Wandin 62 def Woori Yallock 58; Narre Warren 62 def ROC 38; Mt. Evelyn 71 def

Gembrook-Cockatoo 36

C Grade: Monbulk 43 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 26; Upwey-Tecoma 38 def Berwick Springs 16; Pakenham 29 def Emerald 25; Wandin 51 def Woori Yallock 16; Narre Warren 38 def ROC 28; Mt. Evelyn 33 def Gembrook-Cockatoo 17

D Grade: Olinda-Ferny Creek 30 def Monbulk 23; Upwey-Tecoma 28 def Berwick Springs 17; Pakenham 40 def Emerald 16; Wandin 33 def Woori Yallock 26; ROC 32 drew Narre Warren 32; Mt. Evelyn 43 def Gembrook-Cockatoo 1 DIVISION ONE

A Grade: Seville 99 def Powelltown 17; Healesville 51 def Belgrave 50; Yarra Glen 73 def Yea 13; Warburton-Millgrove 59 def Yarra Junction 31; Alexandra bye

B Grade: Seville 114 def Powelltown 5; Belgrave 71 def Healesville 36; Yarra Glen 57 def Yea 17; Warburton-Millgrove 56 def Yarra Junction 30; Alexandra bye

C Grade: Seville 79 def Powelltown 5; Belgrave 38 def Healesville 14; Yarra Glen 42 def Yea 15; Warburton-Millgrove 47 def Yarra Junction 18; Alexandra bye

D Grade: Yarra Glen 36 def Yea 4; WarburtonMillgrove 35 def Yarra Junction 10; Alexandra, Belgrave + Seville bye 17 & Under Premier: Pakenham 36 def Berwick 7; Wandin 46 def Woori Yallock 12; ROC 33 def Narre Warren 31; Mt. Evelyn bye 15 & Under East: Monbulk 33 def Woori Yallock 19; Pakenham 20 def

Pre game stand against domestic violence.

Picture: ARMIN RICHTER

Monbulk’s Nicole Macdowell.

Picture: ARMIN RICHTER

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