Star Weekly - Hobsons Bay Maribyrnong - 10th April 2024

Tram depot captured

A new mural has been painted in Footscray, highlighting the rich history of the surrounding area.

“It is an art deco influenced tram and rail homage mural. It is a nostalgic mural which celebrates the old tram depot,” said artist Daniel van de Wiel of ‘It Stands Out.’

“A bygone era of trains and trams and the immediate busy local rail and transport junction of Footscray which has been a gateway to Melbourne’s western suburbs for many years.”

In only two weeks Mr van de Wiel painted the mural with the original tram depot located right across the road at Buckley Street.

“On the other side of the building is where the train line is at Footscray station,” he said.

“Those who visit will see trains rumbling out the background of the mural, from a scene with the West Gate Bridge in the background and the city, tying in the link with the west.”

The mural was created in partnership between Maribyrnong council and the state government to enhance the Footscray CBD.

Health centre green light

By Jennifer Pittorino

Despite months of community opposition, planning approval has been given for the Footscray Clinical Hub, a major new healthcare facility proposed by Erica Heathcare Partners.

As previously reported by Star Weekly, Maribyrnong council made the decision to knock back the planning permit for the nine-storey health centre in its November meeting. However, the final decision remained with the state government which granted a planning permit for the $170 million complex on Geelong Road.

The planning permit was awarded under the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program, which was established in late 2023 to fast-track major new housing developments as well as priority economic development projects.

Erica Healthcare Partners director Ross Ferris said the project would cater for the booming demand in Melbourne’s west.

“The Footscray Clinical Hub will deliver the best for the west: major new investment, hundreds of jobs, and much-needed health care services for the growing population.”

Nearby home owner Anson Le said the outcome was disappointing.

“The main issue the (residents’) committee is the manner in which this proposal has been dealt with and ultimately approved,” he said. “We feel really blindsided and kept in the dark as the decision was made without any consultation.

“(Footscray MP) Katie Hall said she would keep us up to date with how this is progressing and see us to discuss our concern, none of those offers were taken up and no updates were provided.”

Ms Hall said she communicated with every resident who raised the matter with her.

“It was important to me to understand their concerns so I could make representations on

their behalf,” she said.

“After my discussions with residents, I wrote and spoke to the Minister for Planning to outline and summarise the concerns of residents who had raised objections.

“I provided a copy of that letter to residents

The decision to approve this permit and the conditions were made under delegation within the Department of Transport and Planning and I received the copy of the permit at the same time as residents.”

Mr Le feels the decision was made suddenly and is concerned this will set a precedent for future developments.

■ Continued page 5

Daniel van de Wiel with his mural. (Damjan Janevski) 395357_04

Footbridge campaign continues

By Jennifer Pittorino

For more than 11 years, Altona Meadows resident Dorothy MacKechnie has been advocating for a footbridge to be installed across the creek next to the Altona Sports Centre.

Now, with news of the beginning of the Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre to be built nearby, Ms MacKechnie feels a footbridge is more necessary than ever.

“Council recently built two soccer fields, a cricket oval and Pavilion in HD Graham Reserve. They are well used and the soccer club will soon be introducing night games.”

she said.

“The Altona Sports Centre was recently extensively extended, effectively doubling its building size, plus additional outdoor courts, and yet nothing has been done to accommodate the safety of pedestrians needing to access the area when walking from one side of Laverton Creek to the other.”

Although there is already the Laverton Creek Road bridge, Ms MacKechnie feels it is one kilometre out of the way when you only need to walk 10 metres across a bridge.

“When I first moved here 11 years ago, I walked across the bridge with my dogs and didn’t feel safe at all,” she said.

“The other day when I drove over the bridge someone was walking in the cycling lane with a child, and a cyclist needed to overtake, but this was made difficult with cars driving past in both directions. It’s just a recipe for disaster.”

With the wetlands centre set to be installed near the sports centre, Ms MacKechnie feels more infrastructure is required.

“It is a nice idea, but before council spends millions on more infrastructure, that will bring more people to this pocket, they need to make the area safe for people,” she said.

“People need to be able to safely cross the creek to get to the Sports Centre & Wetland

Artist inspired by her father’s life

One talented student has paid tribute to her late father in the way she knows best, her artwork leading her to winning a prize during Catholic Education Week.

Altona’s Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College

Sunita Daravong won the Secondary Schools

Portrait Prize for her four highly detailed coloured pencil drawings.

“The drawings are of my dad in little books. I wanted to represent stories in a book,” she said.

“The drawings are really about my emotions and my dad’s life.”

Ms Daravong used her close relationship with her dad as a way to harness her creativity and create the final pieces.

“He was very significant in my life. He was my main carer which helped me when I was picking what I wanted to do,” she said.

“I found it really easy with drawing and subject matter, to plan and get ideas when I would look at my dad’s pictures and think about our relationship together.”

It has been five years since her father passed away and her art pays tribute to his memory.

The pieces were selected by Ms Daravong’s

teacher in her Year 12 Art Making and Exhibiting class, taking her by surprise.

“My teacher told me she was going to keep the artwork to submit in an exhibition, I thought I’ll just see if I get it,” she said.

“When it got in I was happy and it took me a while to get back into it because it had been so long since I made them.”

The pieces were on display at the Catholic Education Week Creative Arts Exhibition and rewarded with a trophy and a cash prize.

Jennifer Pittorino

Centre, particularly young people who don’t drive.”

A Hobsons Bay Council spokesperson said this is already a priority for them.

“A Queen Street pedestrian and cycling bridge has been a key advocacy priority for Council for several years,” they said.

“We have worked closely with the Department of Transport to complete their design work for the bridge.

“We continue to advocate to the state government and with the Department of Transport and Planning to get funds to construct the bridge.”

VicRoads were approached for comment.

Briefs

House fire

Firefighters responded to a building fire in Williamstown North shortly after midnight on Friday, April 5.

Fire Rescue Victoria crews arrived to find the top floor of a double-storey factoryette on Orange Street in Williamstown North well alight.

Firefighters were met by the owner of the premises on scene, who was able to evacuate the building safely and report the blaze. The fire was declared under control at 12:57am, 33 minutes after FRV arrived on scene. Crews were able to contain the fire to the top floor of the building and stop it from spreading to adjoining factoryettes. The cause of the fire will be investigated.

Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria also assisted on scene.

Altona soccer club burglary

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following an attempted burglary at a soccer club in Altona earlier last month. Investigators have been told an offender attended a soccer club on Mills Street, twice on March 14. It was reported to police that the male offender unsuccessfully attempted to gain access to the club rooms via a side door, before taking off on a blue motorcycle about 11.50am. It is believed that the same offender returned later that night, breaking into a vending machine, positioned in an outdoor undercover area, about 9pm. The offender stole an unknown amount of cash and fled the scene. Investigators have released images and CCTV of a man who they believe can assist them with enquiries.

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Film screening debut is a celebration of Italian food, cars and fashion

Hobsons Bay locals will have the chance to catchonemoreeventbeforetheWilliamstown Italian Festival ends.

Williamstown man Leo Notarianni is hosting ‘The Widow Film Dinner’ on Friday, April 12, at the The Williamstown Italian Club, formerly known as The Empress Cinema.

Mr Notarianni said the evening will be a “spectacular celebration of local culture, with the historical cinema showcasing the film noir genre thriller set in Melbourne 1965.”

“The film will include a 60’s fashion theme,

a display of classic cars and a music playlist reflective of the era of the film,” he explained.

“This film has been one of the most highly successful short films in Melbourne with the film noir gem winning well over 200 awards around the world in film festivals, short film competitions and film awards.”

With a background in vintage car coordinating, the film gave Mr Notarianni the chance to first explore his passion.

“The Widow was the first film I vintage car coordinated for,” he said.

“It was the turning point as this has sprung

boarded (me into) continuous film industry and music industry vintage car coordinating.”

After a long preparation, Mr Notarianni is excited to host the event.

“I have been looking forward to doing this for a long time,” he said.

“The film will feature a Sicilian/Calabrian dialect which is very different from classic Italian.

“So it will be great for Italians in the area to experience it and be able to relate to it.”

Mr Notarianni said the film night will be a celebration of culture.

“It will provide an interesting celebration of Italian culture and heritage in the south east as much of the filming was shot in Williamstown, Werribee, Footscray and nearby areas,” he said.

“It just makes me feel great that I was able to make some contribution to the film industry in some way shape or form.”

No tickets are required to be purchased prior to the event.

Sunita Daravong with her artwork. (Ljubica Vrankovic)_ 396801_01

Toxic discovery closes reserves

By Jennifer Pittorino

HobsonsBaycouncilhasclosedfiveadditional reserves after testing confirmed the presence of material containing bonded asbestos.

Council announced sections of Crofts Reserve, Hosken Reserve and Lynch Reserve, all in Altona North, will be closed until further notice. On Tuesday the EPA added Dennis Reserve in Williamstown and Altona Coastal Park to the list.

Recycled mulch from these reserves was sent for testing following the recent discovery of asbestos at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood, which rocked the Hobsons Bay community.

It has been one week since local resident Jason Murphy reported suspicious materials he found in mulch at Donald McLean Reserve on Tuesday, April 2, in the middle of school holidays.

On Sunday, April 7, council received two remedial notices from the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria requesting proactive inspections of more parks and gardens.

Council said the conditions of the notices required council to commission a hygienist to inspect all council managed parks and gardens that have received mulch in the past 18 months. This work commenced on Monday, April 8.

“EPA will also review council’s procedures regarding the sourcing and handling of mulch and has requested all reports dating back to July 2021, from council, its staff and contractors regarding asbestos containing materials found in mulch at or around council infrastructure.”

Council said it has provided the EPA with a list of all suppliers used to source mulch, as

wellasalistofcontractorsandsub-contractors used from the same time period.

Hobsons Bay council has confirmed the two pieces of material found at Donald McLean Reserve by Mr Murphy were bonded asbestos.

Council said the EPA advised that bonded asbestos is generally made up of a small amount of asbestos fibres that are tightly bound in a product such as resin or cement.

“It is considered low risk for people who are in contact with it, unless it is damaged or badly weathered, resulting in asbestos fibres being released into the air,” council said.

Hobsons Bay council said two pieces of material were found and sent for testing, with results on Wednesday, April 3, confirming these were asbestos containing material (ACM).

The playground was closed on Tuesday

while council worked with the hygienist and the EPA to conduct remediation works consistent with a management plan for the site.

“There are two types of mulch used on the reserve – a recycled product around mature tree planting and a virgin soft mulch around the playground,” council said.

“The two pieces of material were found in the recycled product.”

The park opened in April with support from the West Gate Tunnel Project, which provided $5 million in community funding to help improve and upgrade local parks and sporting facilities in the inner west.

As part of this investment, funding was provided to Hobsons Bay council for a brand-new park at Donald McLean Reserve.

A West Gate Tunnel Project spokesperson said, “We are liaising with Hobsons Bay City Council, who oversaw construction of the playgroundandareleadingthisinvestigation.”

An EPA Victoria spokesperson said, “EPA was alerted to possible presence of waste materials including potential asbestos-containing materials in mulch at DonaldMcLeanReservethroughsocialmedia reports over the Easter weekend”.

“Aninspectionrevealedtheneedforfurther action and we have been in contact with Hobsons Bay council. They have taken further action to remove and identify material that does appear to be a small quantity of bonded asbestos pieces. Council has also cordoned off an area to ensure community safety. EPA will continue to provide advice to council to assist their clean-up.”

Mulch suspected to contain asbestos or illegal dumping of materials can be reported to Victoria’s EPA contact centre on 1300 372 842 or contact@epa.vic.gov.au

Scores on and off the field for Seddon cricketers

Seddon Cricket Club’s two new all abilities teams have had a boost at the end of a successful first season with the arrival of new club apparel and equipment.

The West Gate Neighbourhood Fund provided the teams with new club-branded shirts and hats, along with an array of equipment.

This includes the specialised cricket balls used in the MAACA Melbourne All Abilities Cricket Association (MACCA) competition.

The MAACA was established in 2015 to provide an opportunity for people of all backgrounds with an intellectual disability to participate in an organised cricket competition.

In addition to these cricket essentials, the fund has also provided assistance for the continued involvement of a coach, and for

affiliation and administration fees for the 25 players across the two teams.

SeddonCricketClubpresidentLeighDavies said setting up the All Abilities teams is one of the best things the club has ever done.

“It’s given the players a sense of direction on and off the field – not only are they getting to enjoy the game of cricket, but they’ve also experienced some really positive flow-on benefits in their everyday lives,” he said.

“We’re so grateful to the West Gate NeighbourhoodFundfortheessentialsupport it has given the club and the players.”

The West Gate Neighbourhood Fund is a state government initiative to support community projects in Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong council areas, while the West Gate Tunnel Project is under construction. Details: westgatetunnelproject.vic.gov.au/ neighbourhoodfund The

West Gate, M80 and Princes Freeway overnight closures

In April 2024

There are upcoming closures of the West Gate Freeway in both directions between the M80 interchange and Millers Road, the M80 Ring Road southbound between Boundary Road and the West Gate Freeway, and the Princes Freeway inbound between Kororoit Creek Road and the M80 interchange over a few nights in April 2024.

Plan ahead and check the exact closure dates and times at bigbuild.vic.gov.au /disruptions

Seddon CC’s Division One All Abilities team wearing the new uniform. (Supplied)

Local resident Jason Murphy looks through mulch for possible asbestos near a closed playground.

(AAP) Photo: James Ross/AAP

Call for clarity at intersection

One Hoppers Crossing resident who regularly travels into Williamstown believes one stretch of the journey is particularly unsafe.

Long time driver and user of Fitzgerald Road in Laverton, Richard Manton, believes the intersection is unsafe.

Mr Manton believes the two right hand turning lanes turning onto Kororoit Creek road don’t match up to the lanes and causes confusion to drivers.

“Normally when there are two dotted lines you drive in between the dotted lines,” he said.

“If you want to do a right hand turn onto Kororoit Creek Road and you want to sit on the right hand side of the road, if you follow the dotted line you can’t go into that lane which seems ridiculous.”

Mr Manton has been driving this road for years and has noticed every car in front of him and every car behind it do the same thing.

“You end up going halfway through the intersection and end up crossing the dotted line which is illegal,” he said.

“I spoke to the police and they said if you did

that I would book you.

“But everybody does it, they are attuned to it, it’s wrong.”

According to the Department of Transport (DTP) the right-hand turn lane configuration attheFitzgeraldRoadandKororoitCreekRoad intersection has been in place since 2009.

The DTP insinuated the configuration was specifically designed to ease traffic flow along Fitzgerald Road for vehicles attempting to access the on-ramp to the Princes Freeway.

Mr Manton said cars sitting in the far right

Girls, the Roosters sure need you

Nine-year-old Freya loves representing the West Footscray Roosters, which is why she needs more girls to join her on the team.

Since the departure of her only two girl teammates, mum Ceci Tankey said Freya has been asking for more girls non-stop. “She has been begging me to ask all her friends’ mums which I have. She says she wants another girl to play with,” Ceci said.

“I’ve said to her I’m trying my hardest but a lot of girls tend to go to an all girls club which is hard for our local community club because

we can’t retain the girls.”

Being the only girl on a team can be hard enough, let alone for such a young girl.

“She has been feeling very shy, being surrounded by only boys she feels quite on show and that’s not easy,” Ceci said.

“Interestingly enough they were planning to start an under 12’s girls team this year.

“I don’t think they would have trouble building a team to be honest.”

Secretary Kathy Lazanas said the club’s focus for the past three years has been on building capacity for girls.

“We are trying to build critical mass and keeping girls to establish our own girls team for our league,“ she said.

“Last year we had four girls in under 10 but that’s not enough for a team.“

To encourage girls to play football, Ms Lazanas said the club hosts a number of clinics at schools throughout the year as well as mentoring from the senior women.

“They are passionate about trying to the foster the girls we do have in the competition, get them to understand why footy is so good.”

lane turn right into the middle lane.

“You can’t get into the far right lane on Kororoit Creek Road according to the dotted lines,” he said.

“Everybody crosses the dotted line and ends up in that lane.” According to the DTP there have been no reported crashes involving right hand turning vehicles attempting to merge at the freeway ramp.

Mr Manton believes the dotted lines should be moved to avoid confusion.

The police were contacted for comment.

Top sports talent shines

The state’s best athletes attending government schools have been recognised for their achievements at this year’s Victorian School Sports Awards, including 15 students from Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay.

The ceremony at the MCG marked the 30th year of the awards which celebrate exceptional commitment and performance from Victorian school student athletes.

The awards also recognise leadership and community contribution through participation in sport.

Students were presented with Sporting Blue awards for excellence in their chosen sport, while other accolades recognised outstanding achievement in student, teacher and school categories.

Two students were recognised from Williamstown Primary School, Ethan Splatt for athletics with a multi-class and Hugo Devine for diving.

Thirteen students were awarded from Maribyrnong College, including Jamie Cefai who won the secondary award after winning silver at the 2023 Australian Open Championships.

For Australian Rules Football, Jordan Croft and Piper Dixen were awarded. Lucas Maticevski and Sakura Nakadai were awarded for volleyball and Charlie Roylance and Georgia Schwartz were awarded for golf.

In other sports Sai Tanvi Mushini was awarded for badminton, Declan Speirs was awarded for baseball, Bailey Toselandwasawardedforcricket,Rosie Bilszta was awarded for swimming, Gabrielle Villegas was awarded for tennis and Jin Woodman tennis with a multi-class.

Education minister Ben Carroll said, “Sport is an important part of life in Victoria – it is not only fantastic for people’s health and wellbeing, but it can play a role in developing important life skills”.

Celebrating Hobsons Bay’s rich heritage throughout April

TheheritageofHobsonsBaywillbeshowcased this April, as Hobsons Bay council celebrates the stories behind its spaces and places with a wide range of events.

Heritage Hobsons Bay returns on April 15, to May 2, with 35 events including 11 walkingtours,whichwilldelveintohistorical, Indigenous, cultural and natural heritage as it explores the theme of ‘connections’. Council said most events are free and will include performances, exhibitions, tours, author talks, film screenings, workshops or presentations.

Highlights of this year’s event include a heritage walk of Newport Lakes, which will

be held on Sunday, April 28 from 9am to 10.30am and 4pm to 5.30pm.

The tour will be taken by author Dominique Hes as she celebrates 40 years since the former quarry site was rehabilitated into a park.

The next event is ‘How to record a painful history’, on Saturday, April 20, from 2pm to 3pm at the Williamstown Library.

Respected Boon Wurrung Elder Aunty Fay Stewart-Muir and historian Marguerita Stephens with lead the conversation on their cross-cultural collaboration of recording and sharing the truths of a colonial past.

The Holy Trinity vicarage tour will take place across Friday 26 and Saturday April

27, from 2pm to 5pm at Nelson Place, Williamstown.

Council said this is a rare opportunity to see inside the recently renovated home for the vicars of Holy Trinity Williamstown since 1886 with Rev. Elizabeth Murray. Hobsons Bay Mayor Matt Tyler said council is proud of its cultural and natural heritage.

“From our rich First Nations history to our post-colonial stories, our history and stories are steeped in courage, perseverance, innovation and industry.”

Details: To view the full program and book, visit hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/ heritagehobsonsbay

Freya (9) and her all male teammates. (Damjan Janevski) 399280_02

Funds needed for fight

By Jennifer Pittorino

Three Maribyrnong residents have joined forces against the ongoing Paintback proposal dispute in West Footscray, creating a go-fund-me to pay for legal representation to fight an appeal before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Aimee Thorpe, Kelami Ata and Amy Kenny have created RAP (Residents against Paintback) to fight for their homes.

As reported by Star Weekly in July, Wattyl Paints applied for a planning permit for a Paintback hazardous waste processing facility in West Footscray.

The facility, mooted for Graingers Road, would crush paint cans and in the process release post-processed fumes into the surrounding area.

Residents wasted no time creating a petition against the proposal which accumulated 310 signatures and filed 112 objections to Maribyrnong council.

In November, council showed its support for the residents, some of whom live only 30 meters away from the proposed site, by knocking back the proposal on the grounds it would unreasonably affect the safety and amenity of adjacent or sensitive land users.

Wattyl Paints had 60 days to file an appeal with VCAT, which it did, notifying residents including Ms Thorpe in late January.

“All the original objectors received a notification in the mail from their legal team advising us of the appeal,” she said.

“Given we all objected we had the right to be named a party in the VCAT matter with council.

“So we formed RAP and called for expressions of interest from those 110 original objectors who would want to be listed as a joint responded to the VCAT matter.”

Now RAP represents 40 named residents who are hoping to raise over $7000 to hire an expert to solidify their VCAT case which is booked for the start of May.

“A compulsory conference between the parties was held at VCAT, however as no suitable agreement could be reached by all parties, the matter has progressed to a hearing before a VCAT member,” she said.

“This money is just a drop in the ocean and is still not going to put us anywhere near on a level footing to present our arguments at VCAT.

“All of the quotes that we obtained for legal

representation were well in excess of $15,00 which we don’t expect to get.

“So we’re hoping that this money will be able to get some basic, expert advice and assistance, to help us prepare our submissions to VCAT.”

Ms Thorpe said RAP’s deadline is Wednesday,April10,butanydonationsraised after that date will go towards extra support.

“Anything that we can raise in excess after Wednesdaywewillbewillingtotakeonboard and pay for additional support.”

As of Tuesday, April 9, the go fund me had raised $7,040.

Green light for health centre

■ From page 1

“Despite council having a long list of objections to the project, despite the community and residents voicing all their objections, despite the daycare centre, the proposal has just been put through without any amendments to the initial design,” he said.

“There needs to be greater transparency in these decisions and greater consultation.”

Maribyrnong council Mayor Cuc Lam said council’s concerns had not been addressed.

“While we acknowledge the permit requires some amendments to the original plan, with the exception of privacyissuesrelatingtothedevelopment overlooking into nearby residents’ properties, which are bare minimum planning requirements,” she said.

“Our 10 recommendations related to scale, form, design and amenity impact of the development on the surrounding properties.

“Council also requested further consideration of the impact of the developmentonthelocaltrafficnetwork, which has also not been addressed.

“There are no rights of appeal as the application has gone through the Development Facilitation process.

“Council reiterates its disappointment thatplanningdecisionsfordevelopments of this scale, which will have lasting impacts on our community, are being made without due regard for the view of council, and with little to no opportunity for residents to provide submissions.”

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Kelami Ata and Aimee Thorpe. (Damjan Janevski) 399475_03

Restaurateurs step in to help

By Hannah Hammoud

Queues for food relief are no longer an unfamiliar sight in the local community. But for local restaurant owners Peter and Thuy Le, it was simply too hard for them to look away.

Peter Le walked past the Duke Street Community House (DSCH) in Braybrook and witnessed first-hand just how high the demand for food relief is in the community.

Struck by the need, Mr Le approached the DSCH to enquire about how he could help.

Since mid-February, Mr Le and his wife Thuy have opened up their restaurant in Sunshine, Dai Loc Quan, and arrive at 5am every Wednesday to prepare 100 hot meals for donation to the DSCH.

The restaurant’s contribution has been nothing short of generous, providing fresh meals to those facing food insecurity in the community. Each week, without fail, Dai Loc Quan delivers these meals to the DSCH for distribution to those in need.

Mrs Le said she gives back to the community as a thank-you for the support she received herself as a newly arrived Vietnamese immigrant in 1999.

“This is just a small thing we do for the community, it is nothing big, but know that it is a lot for some people,” she said.

“We want to say a big thank-you to Australians because we are from another country and they supported us when we were younger. We think we can say thank-you now because we have a business and we want to

help people in the community as well.”

The DSCH offers the food relief service with a postcode restriction, accessible to locals living in the 3020, 3019 and 3012 postcodes through a ‘market-style’ service.

DSCH program coordinator Rajdeep Kang said the support from Mr and Mrs Le has made a significant difference in the lives of those facing hunger and food insecurity in the community.

“Many people come by and say they want to donate but often not many of them return,” Ms Kang said.

“We have 100 community members access the food relief market every week, these meals allow them to access restaurant quality meals that otherwise they would not be able to afford. As the cost of living rises, ready

Winni conjures up a magical show

Winni the Wizard is bringing her magical laughing spells to Yarraville as the only family show in the west at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Also known as Lisa Gatenby, the proud westie is excited to be bringing her talents to the area during the school holidays.

“Winni the Wacky Wizard of the West is a 150-year-old wizard who lives here in Melbourne’s Yarraville,” she said.

“I quit my corporate career two years ago to do this full time.During this time I developed the character and toured around Australia.”

Although she is still working out the kinks of her new career, Ms Gatenby is enjoying her

performing success.

“I am still finding the right balance of business and the level of performance but so far I am really loving it,” she said.

“I love everything about it. I grew up performing, doing dance and drama and all of that so I love being on stage and especially performing to kids.”

Performing for kids had always been a passion and something that happened naturally for Ms Gatenby.

“Istarteddoingstand-upandimprovisation and then just merged into kids comedy, which I find has a big market,” she said.

“Seeing those kids get so into it with my

character, they just love her and she’s so silly.“

A proud Yarraville local, Ms Gatenby is thrilled to be performing in her own community.

“I love how there is such passion for being a westie, so it is nice to be performing at the Yarraville Club.

The show will run until Sunday, April 14, at the Yarraville Club, 135 Stephen Street, Yarraville.

Details: https://www.comedyfestival. com.au/2024/shows/winni-wizard-and-hermagical-smells

Jennifer Pittorino

State funeral for west youth worker Les Twentyman

Proud western suburbs son, the late Les Twentyman will be honoured with a state funeral on April 16.

Mr Twentyman died on March 30, aged 76.

Growing up in the suburb of Braybrook, Mr Twentyman used his upbringing to dedicate his life to helping young kids from the western suburbs suffering from disadvantage.

The Les Twentyman Foundation works to engage young people with their education, families and community. His dedication to his community and the youth led him to receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1994 for his service to youth as an outreach worker.

Les Twentyman Foundation chief executive Paul Burke said the state funeral is an opportunity for the community to come

together to celebrate the life of a “truly great Australian.”

“As we farewell Les we need to remember that he was not someone to stand on ceremony. Les was a rebel, who loved a laugh. loved a red and loved the west,” Mr Burke said.

“Les was larger than life and would want us to come together in celebration of a life well lived, to share in his stories and to acknowledge the incredible legacy he leaves – a legacy of helping those in need that will continue through the foundation he created.”

The state funeral will be held on Tuesday, April 16, at 10.30am at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne. The funeral will be open to the public and the service will be livestreamed online.

PremierJacintaAllansaidMrTwentyman’s

to eat meals provide our clients with the comfort of not having to worry about putting food on the table for the day.

In February, the DSCH told Star Weekly that it was operating its food relief program without funding and said demand was in excess of what they could provide to the community.

“The lack of funding for this program means that we have to rely on local donations to keep this program going. These meals are delivered to our door every Wednesday, which makes a huge difference as lack of funding means we do not have the resources to organise pickups,” Ms Kang said.

Bike Fest rides in to end expo

Maribyrnong council is hosting its inaugural Bike Fest to celebrate the end of the Get Active Expo.

The event will be held at Quarry Park in Footscray for a day of cycling.

Council asks attendees to bring a bike and join in the fun on the pump track, mountain bike activation, balance bike obstacle course, and balance bike race.

There will also be onsite bike service and repairs to take care of any issues, as well as entertainment by a DJ and Bike n Blend smoothies for all.

The pump track sessions will be held for one hour at 11am and 12pm.

Mountain bike sessions will be held for one hour at 1pm and 2pm.

Balance bike obstacle course will be held for kids aged three- 10 years, between 11am-2.30pm.

Balance bike races will be held for kids aged two-five years old on each hour throughout the day.

There are different time slots for different ages.

Council said this is a family friendly event with activities to be enjoyed by all ages as well as giveaways and prizes to be won.

The event will be held on Saturday, April 13 from 11am-3pm, at Quarry Park (near Henry Turner North Reserve - 99 Farnsworth Avenue).

Email active@maribyrnong.vic.gov. au if you would like to borrow a BMX bike to participate in the BMX pump track as limited bikes are available.

devoted his lifetime to helping others.

“His passion and hard work changed lives, and his legacy will always live on in the young Victorians he fought for and believed in,” she said.

The family of Les Twentyman have requested that in lieu of flowers that a contribution be made instead to the Les Twentyman Foundation to help ensure that his life work in helping young people continues for generations to come – those who wish to make a donation can do so by heading to ltfoundation.com.au/donate.

Jennifer Pittorino and Hannah Hammoud

Lisa Gatenby AKA ‘Winni the Wizard’. (Damjan Janevski) 398985_01

Tunnel tour gives bird’s-eye view

Star Weekly journalist Jennifer Pittorino recently toured the outbound tunnel exit now taking shape as part of the mammoth West Gate Tunnel Project.

“We have just seen the installation of the access ramp for emergency vehicles which is an access point for emergency services,” he said.

“That way in the event of an emergency they can drive down into the base of the tunnel (to access) the emergency.”

With most of the work completed, Mr Lellyett said the project is on track for completion in 2025.

“Our crew will continue working on the reinforcing to continue to bring all of the walls up around the tunnel,” he said.

“There is still a lot of work to do, but it is going really well and moving ahead rapidly.”

MrLellyetthighlightedthedesignstructure of the ventilation duct which is still being built.

“The concrete ventilation structure will be covered over. We will also continue to take the height of the concrete structures up around itself,” he said.

“It will then be covered in a big aluminium cladding system which makes use of the architectural elements.”

In case of an emergency, Mr Lellyett said the ventilation system has been designed to allow smoke to escape up through the large body of the tunnel, along with the emissions from trucks passing through.

“There are ventilation ducts above the traffic space where any smoke and air will be pulled through the huge rectangular opening through huge silver fans and our of the ventilation structure,” he said.

Once cars emerge from the outbound tunnel, Mr Lellyett said the traffic will be free

YOUR NEW CAREER ... starts here

flowing onto the freeway.

“We have already opened two new lanes outboundandonenewlaneinbound,”hesaid.

“From four lanes each way it is now six lanes each way, which has already helped with traffic flow.”

Racing reunion on track

To commemorate this tradition, gold coins will be collected on the day of the reunion to donate to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

“It was something different and new at the time, it was a place to go on Saturday night,” Mr Berg continued.

Star Weekly seeks an enthusiastic Full or Part Time sales executive to work across our print, digital, social and online platforms.

Star Weekly is an independently owned company which prides itself on its long history of community experience but also its investment in the future.

The successful applicant will need to possess good people skills to enable them to meet with local businesses to sell solutions through our advertising platforms to help promote their business.

It has been 60 years since Tracey’s Speedway Maribyrnong closed and to mark the occasion a reunion is being held at the original site. Organiser and old club member Malcolm Berg said the event will be a family fun day filled with all the old show stopping cars and hot rods, bringing back a taste of the good old days.

The reunion will celebrate Fred Tracey and the solo speedway rider’s legacy within the industry.

It is said Tracey helped breathe new life into Australian Speedway by making safer and more popular cars.

“It opened in 1946 and closed in 1964 following complaints to council about the noise and dust coming from the speedway,” Mr Berg said “He would always raise money for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.”

“More than 7000 people would come to a quarter mile track and people would bring their cars, hot rods, midgets and more.”

Mr Berg said every year since the closure, Tracey’s Speedway has been remembered with a fundraising reunion.

“We’ve had a reunion every year besides last year because we thought the 60th would be more appropriate,” he said.

“Every year we hold one and it is very popular, so this year we have involved Maribyrnong council.”

The event will be held on Sunday, April 14, at Maribyrnong Reserve on Raleigh Road.

Applicants will need their own reliable vehicle for which we will provide an allowance.

The position is salaried, plus we offer an open ended commission scheme.

Send your application letter and resume to: Advertising Sales Manager, Mandy Clark mandy.clark@starnewsgroup.com.au

Members of

West Gate Tunnel Project executive director Peter Lellyett explained the structures taking shape near the tunnel’s outbound exit on the West Gate Freeway in South Kingsville.

A cross section of the outbound tunnel. The middle level is where the cars and trucks will drive, bottom level is where the emergency vehicles can access, and the top is where smoke and air will filter through.

The remainder of one of the tunnel boring machines used to dig out rock and soil from the 4km outbound tunnel and 2.8km inbound tunnel.

The extraordinary ventilation system.

Heritage galore

By Cr Peter Hemphill

I’ve always felt it is so important for us all to not only know our history, but to celebrate it.

As they say, our history tells us so much aboutwhowearetoday.Ithelpsusunderstand so much about our world, including our local neighbourhoods.

Advocating for the preservation and celebration of our heritage in Hobsons Bay has been a passion of mine for many years.

So whether it’s stories about our families or stories about our local area, I will always encourage people to learn more about what has come before us.

There are so many fascinating stories to be told. The Heritage Hobsons Bay Festival, whichstartsonApril15,isagreatopportunity for us to hear some of those stories.

I’m keen to hear from Ross McMullin, who will be speaking at Williamstown Library about his most recent book, Life So Full of Promise.

Ross is an acclaimed historian and biographer who is able to turn extensive research into captivating stories.

I’m interested in hearing about his process because I’m currently writing a book on my great uncle’s time in the war.

Therearesomanydifferentwaystotellgreat stories so they’re relevant and captivating to people of all ages.

There are 35 events as part of the Heritage Hobsons Bay Festival, including 11 walking tours, as well as performances, exhibitions, author talks, film screenings, workshops and presentations.

Hobsons Bay has played such an important role in the history of Melbourne and Victoria, and it has left us with such rich heritage, as well as the natural, cultural and Indigenous

heritage that forms part of our area.

I encourage everyone to take part in the festival in some way so we can all get a greater appreciation of this wonderful place we call home.

Please visit hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/ heritagehobsonsbay for the full program.

Briefs

Dune buggy theft

Police are appealing for public assistance after a dune buggy kit-car was stolen from Tottenham on March 14. It is believed an unknown offender stole the 1965 blue Volkswagen buggy from Alick Road about 3pm. The Volkswagen, which is valued at approximately $47,000, had club plates on it at the time bearing registration 3434H3.

Witness appeal

Detectives are appealing for public assistance to identify a man who filmed a naked child in Williamstown earlier this year. Investigators have been told an unknown man was near The Esplanade and Victoria Street, in the vicinity of the Williamstown Beach public shower cubicles, about 3pm on January 31. It is understood the man held a phone under a shower cubicle divider, capturing footage of a naked five-year-old girl. The mother of the child confronted the man before he fled the scene on foot towards Victoria Street. Investigators have released CCTV and images of a man they believe can assist with their enquiries. The man is perceived to be of Indian sub-continental appearance, approximately 30-years-old, with a medium build, black hair and olive skin. He was wearing a black hooded jumper, grey tracksuit pants and slides.

FOR BREAKING NEWS, VISIT

Web: starweekly.com.au

Cr Peter Hemphill.

Rangers roam the woods

School holiday fun in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay, kicked off with the return of Maribyrnong council’sJuniorRangerSchoolHolidayProgram.

School aged children joined the two Junior Ranger sessions to learn all about the plants and animals that live in the local parks while spending quality time outdoors.

Led by ranger Martin, participants were join by special visitor Mayor Cuc Lam, on Tuesday, April 2 at Pipemakers Park in Maribyrnong.

The second event was held on Friday, April 5, at Newell’s Paddock in Footscray.

A day of green, white and red

The Williamstown Italian Social Club (WISC) hosted its Williamstown Italian Festival over the weekend.

WISC president Carlo Abate said it was a huge event that went very smoothly. “We had close to 2000 people across the whole day which was filled with entertainment and food,” he said.

Visitors enjoyed Italian folk music and performances by local talent, as well as a range of food options.

“We had a pasta demonstration and gnocchi making. We had Italian continental sausages, pizzas made on site, fresh cannoli and fresh gelati,” he said.

Mr Abate said people sat around eating, playing bocce, as well as enjoying a display of Italian classic cars and motorbikes.

“The day was a huge success and beyond our expectations,” he said.

“Next year we would like to do it bigger and better and close down the street.”

Italian food, including cheesy toasted sandwiches, was a highlight of the day.

Entertainment included local talents Giulia Abate and Clara Abate.

Traditional Italian music was played throughout the day. Italian designed cars on display. (Supplied.) Fresh cannoli was included in the long list of food choices.

Zoe and Cameron check out the wildlife. Right: Mayor Cuc Lam attended the day.

Back row: Eunice, Robyn. D,Tam, Martin the ranger (in middle), Alison T, Emma 10. Front row: Alex 5, Harrison 7, Mayor Cuc Lam, Cameron 7, Zoe 9. (Pictures: Ljubica Vrankovic) 397554

Martin the ranger educating the community on Australian wild life and plants.

Ten fun ideas to keep kids busy these school holidays

School holidays are a time for kids to take a breakfromtheiracademicroutinesandexplore new avenues of learning and fun. Whether it’s a short break or a long vacation, keeping children engaged during these periods iscrucialfortheirdevelopmentandenjoyment. Here are 10 exciting school holiday activities that promise adventure, creativity, and plenty of fun for kids of all ages.

Outdoor adventures: Take advantage of the great outdoors by organising nature walks, picnics, or camping trips. Hiking through trails, exploring local parks, or simply playing outdoor games can provide kids with fresh air, exercise, and an appreciation for the natural world.

Arts and crafts workshops: Encourage creativity through arts and crafts workshops. Set up a dedicated space at home with supplies for painting, drawing, sculpting, or crafting. Alternatively,enrolchildreninlocalworkshops wheretheycanlearnnewtechniquesandcreate unique masterpieces.

Science experiments: Turn your kitchen into a laboratory and conduct simple science experiments with everyday household items. From creating homemade volcanoes to exploring the principles of buoyancy, these experiments foster curiosity and critical thinking skills.

Cooking classes: Get kids involved in the kitchen by teaching them how to cook or bake. Start with easy recipes like cookies, cupcakes, or sandwiches, and gradually introduce more complex dishes. Cooking not only enhances their culinary skills but also teaches them about nutrition and following instructions.

There are plenty of things to do these school holidays.

Library visits: Spend a day at the library exploring a wide range of books, magazines, and multimedia resources. Many libraries offer special holiday programs such as storytelling sessions, book clubs, or themed activities that cater to different age groups.

Sports and games: Organise friendly competitions or sports tournaments with family and friends. Whether it’s soccer, basketball, or a game of tag, physical activities help kids stay active and build teamwork and sportsmanship skills.

Daytrips: Plan day trips to nearby attractions such as museums, zoos, aquariums, or amusement parks. These outings provide opportunities for hands-on learning and sensory experiences, stimulating children’s curiosity and imagination.

Gardening: Teach kids about gardening by involving them in planting, watering, and caring for plants. Whether you have a backyard garden or a few pots on a balcony, gardening instills a sense of responsibility and appreciation for nature’s cycles.

DIY projects: Engage children in DIY (do-it-yourself) projects that allow them to build, create, or repurpose items. Whether it’s building a birdhouse, making homemade slime, or upcycling old clothes, these projects foster creativity and resourcefulness.

Family bonding Time: Finally, prioritise quality time with family during school holidays. Whether it’s through board games, movie nights, or simply sharing stories and experiences, these moments strengthen family bonds and create lasting memories.

School holidays are a precious opportunity for children to explore new interests, develop skills, and make memories that last a lifetime. By incorporating a variety of activities that cater to their interests and abilities, parents and caregivers can ensure that these breaks are not only enjoyable but also enriching and educational.

So, whether it is embarking on outdoor adventures, getting creative with arts and crafts,orsimplyspendingqualitytimetogether as a family, there’s no shortage of ways to make the most of school holidays and create unforgettable experiences for kids.

Family’s historic ‘labour of love’

Nestled quietly amidst the western suburbs lies Overnewton Castle, a historic gem in Keilor celebrating its remarkable 175th anniversary. Hannah Hammoud discovers more about the castle’s rich past and ongoing journey as she chats with Emma Stott who grew up within its storied walls and now manages the castle.

Originally owned by William James Taylor, a visionary who immigrated from Glasgow, Scotland, Overnewton Castle has stood as a testament to his legacy. Taylor’s masterpiece was originially commissioned a single-storey homestead on 13,000 acres of land in 1849 before it was transformed into a Scottish Baronial Castle in 1859 after Taylor returned from a trip abroad. Taylor came to Australia in 1840 – five years after Melbourne’s founding in 1835 –from Scotland at the young age of 22. It took him and his family six months to arrive on Australian shores, bracing the elements on a tiny boat.

‘‘ As beautiful as she is, the house, she’s just a money pit ... It’s definitely a labour of love ’’ - Emma Stott

Taylor’s influence extends far beyond the castle’s walls, with landmarks like Taylors Lakes and Taylors Hill bearing his name, a nod to his pioneering efforts in irrigation and sheep farming.

Fast-forwardtotodayasEmmaStottreflects on her family’s connection to Overnewton Castle, which spans nearly five decades. “Overnewton Castle is 175 years old which is exciting,” she said.

“The original owner was William James Taylor. When he was here he had 13,000 acres in 1849 and so that’s how Taylors Lakes and Taylors Hill got their name, because he irrigated the water from Taylors Lakes to Overnewton Castle so he could water his gardens.

“All the ‘Taylors’ you see in the Brimbank area are all based on William Taylor. He was a very clever man… he would farm sheep and send the wool back to England and Scotland. When he got to Keilor, he moved here when

he married his wife, then his family were here for 105 years. My family bought the house in 1975 – we’re just the third family to have ever owned Overnewton.”

Despiteitsgrandeur,Overnewtonremained a hidden treasure in the western suburbs until recent years. Emma describes it as a “hidden gem”knownmainlytothoseseekingwedding venues or indulging in high tea amidst its lush surroundings.

Born shortly after her family’s acquisition of the property, Emma’s life intertwines with the castle’s history in a deeply personal way.

“In our 50 years of being here, when we got here the house was quite run down but my parentscouldseethat itwasbeautifulbutthey knew it had a lot of work. There were 36 rooms in the house, as kids playing hide and seek was very fun especially if you were in trouble. Our parents, by the time they found us, they forgot why we were in trouble,” Emma said.

“We embraced sharing the life and legacy of William Taylor. I think the most important thing is to keep sharing history – the thing about history is if you don’t share it, it gets forgotten.

“We love sharing the history because it’s such an important time. William Taylor was known as the father of Keilor for all the things he implemented for Keilor whilst he was working as a councillor. It’s really easy to tell his story because it’s so positive.”

Emma’s parents, both doctors, dedicated themselves to restoring the castle to its former glory. The baton now sits in the careful hands of their daughter Emma, who said it is truly a labour of love to maintain and celebrate Overnewton’s heritage.

“We used to climb out windows and climb off the roof, we were quite naughty kids, five of us all up. Five kids growing up here with my Mum and Dad. Mum and Dad were both doctors. Mum liked Overnewton because she could still see patients while she had us kids close by,” Emma said.

“Being both doctors they had a bit of extra income to be able to put back into the restoration of the house. As beautiful as she is, the house, she’s just a money pit.

“We don’t profit here, every dollar we make we put back into restoration of the house, constantly maintaining 36 rooms of a 175 year old building. It’s definitely a labour of love.”

Emma and her family’s commitment extends beyond preservation, with historical tours, high teas, and Scottish events welcoming the community to share in Overnewton’s timeless charm.

“Wegetthesupportfromourlovelylocalsto help keep our business alive. Our little legacy is just to keep sharing the story and keeping William Taylor happy. We love opening our doors for people to come and share in the beautiful history,” Emma said.

“We’re on four and a half acres of beautiful manicured greens with probably one of the oldest trees in Brimbank, a 175 year old oak tree, the heritage is beautiful. We just love opening up the castle.”

To discover more about Overnewton Castle visit: https://www.overnewtoncastle.com.au/

Decades of history lie behind the doors of Overnewton Castle. (Pictures: Damjan Janevski) 397022

Emma Stott and Emily Garretto stand outside the 175 year old Overnewton Castle.

View.com.au’s stunning rise shown by new data

View.com.au is the fastest growing residential property portal in Australia with a 102 per cent growth in unique audience since October according to new data.

IPSOS released new data which compared propertyportaldatafromOctober toFebruary with the majority of portals have declined or have had very low growth*.

View’s had a 102 pre cent growth increase, while realestate.com.au was the next best with a 2.2 per cent growth.

Domain’sportalhadadeclineof2.6percent, while Allhomes’ portal declined by 9.0 per cent and Homely declined by 0.5 per cent.

View.com.au’s chief marketing officer Paul Tyrrell said it’s fantastic to see such strong audience growth on View as they continue to enhance the product and build the brand.

“Our consumer proposition is unique and features over 136,000 properties for sale, however it offers a complete view of the market with access to nearly 11 million properties Australia wide, with buyers able to express interestinpropertiesevenifthey’renotforsale. All delivered by best in class mapping from Nearmap,” he said.

“The marketing campaign is now in full swing and we’ve seen some massive spikes, particularly from our broadcast partnership with Channel 7’s AFL coverage. To be the fastest growing property portal in the country is a testament to the hard work of the team and a clear demonstration of the need for a competitive alternative in the property portal space.”

“Our agent partners are enjoying the benefit of this audience growth with our premium

to 600,000 with View’s February audience over 80 per cent higher at 1.1 million according to IPSOS data, with users of View spending on average 2.8 times longer on site than they did on Homely.

While internal Google Analytics data is showing nearly 1.7M Users for the month of February on View.

The executive team behind View includes seven ex-Domain executives that successfully took Domain to a $2.2 billion listing on the ASX and the company is headed up by former Domain chief executive Antony Catalano.

“We’re seeing the proposition we’ve built clearly resonating with consumers and we’ve got great momentum,” Mr Catalano said.

“Our freemium model for agents presents a true alternative to the traditional listings model; it’s free to list on View and our low cost premium product is performing incredibly well and delivering strong value for agents and vendors. We can make it free or keep prices low because VMG’s business model is not predicated on listings revenue, where the only option is annual price increases. We’re creating a true property ecosystem that caters to all steps along the property journey.

“While REA continues to cement its number one position, Domain’s audience has stagnated and we’re seeing some agents downgrading or dropping them from their advertising schedule due to high costs, underperformance and questionable return on investment. The industry is fed up with the status quo.

“We are the first genuine challenger to Domain’s number two audience position, having been propelled into the number three

Newport host families needed

Bayside P-12 college is searching for friendly families, couples and singles like Meg Chun, to host international students studying in Newport.

Ms Chun recently began her foster journey with her new house guest Bean, with the16-year old recently moving from Vietnam to complete his high school education.

“This is my first time with a host kid, he came in February and it has been a learning experience,” she said.

With a young four-year-old son, Ms Chun is still adjusting to suddenly taking care of a teenager, but recommends it to anyone who has the space and time.

“Iwasateenageraverylongtimeago,Iforgot what it is like, so there are some challenging moments but I have support from Bayside and I am learning along the way,” she said.

“He is very outgoing and has a great personality and it has been great for my son

MY PLACE

to have a friend.”

Bayside International student coordinator

ShelbyJohnsonsaidtheinternationalprogram has been going strong for several years, currently with 30 students in the program.

“We will probably have 40 students in the program by the end of the year,” she said.

Withstudentsfromawiderangeofcountries including Vietnam, China, Ukraine, Thailand and the Philippines, students are required to study English before beginning the program.

“It is a great cultural experience of studying in another country to improve their language skills while also acting as a pathway to an Australian University,” Ms Johnson said.

Ms Johnson said duration can be a short stay up to a few weeks or a long stay for up to three years.

Details: 0429 048 896

Community activist Michael West tells Jennifer Pittorino about his work in a range of fields.

Can you tell us your name and job title?

My name is Michael West, my pronouns are he-they and I’m the director of equality at the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

Tell us a bit about you and what you do?

I’mamid50squeerman,afatherandhusband. I’ve been a bee-keeper, I’m prone to self-doubt and love reading. I meditate and like jogging. I’ve worked in the fields of HIV, public health, LGBTIQA+ youth homelessness, drug and alcohol policy for about 30 years.

Tell us about your most recent work?

The Equality portfolio has the whole of governmentresponsibilityforimplementation of the 10 year LGBTIQA+ strategy, Pride in our future 2022-2032. Victoria is the only Australianjurisdictiontohaveacommissioner for LGBTIQA+ communities, minister for equality and LGBTIQA+ Taskforce that all work together to improve outcomes for LGBTIQA+ Victorians.

What do you hope to achieve in the future?

To make the world a gentler, kinder place for LGBTIQA+ people and others who face discrimination be that racism, transphobia, ableism and misogyny.

What’s your connection to Maribyrnong or Hobsons Bay?

I’m a member of Maribyrnong council’s LGBTIQA+ community advisory committee. I think Maribyrnong council is the only council to employee a full time LGBTIQA+ worker. To have my local council putting resources into including LGBTIQA+ people, working with their services and local police to make sure spaces are safe is wonderful and as it should be.

What do you like about where you live?

We’ve lived here for 15 years and I love that sometimes it takes a half an hour to leave the

streetaswestopandchatwithourneighbours.

The street has a WhatsApp group and an annual Christmas party with barbecues on

verges and kids running up and down the street.

What, if anything, would you change about where you live?

Plant more trees, create as much shade as possible as the world is heating up and change the rules for what can be done with verges so people can plant veggies or fruit trees to attract pollinators and birds and swap produce locally.

Where is your favourite local place to spend time?

Migrant Cafe in West Footscray, how great is this place? It is run and owned by smart, kind, strong Filipino women and women of colour and you can bring your dog. If I had to describe a community equivalent of a big smile, it’s Migrant Cafe. Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you.

My husband, Francisco and I have been together over 25 years and he has changed my life for the better. We met in Sydney when he was running the Mardi Gras gallery. Ten years later we began co-parenting with two women and had a beautiful son, Eddie. Unfortunately, themotherschangedtheirmindsandwespent close on ten years in five different court cases in two countries fighting for our son’s right to be part of our lives. We were successful every time.Weestablishedcaselawforgaymentobe recognisedasfathers,andnotmerelyassperm donors, as is the case under section 60h of the Australian Family Law Act. Despite all of this we haven’t seen him for eight years now. He will be 16 soon. It feels almost impossible as a father with no parental rights to talk about the daily grief of your missing child.

Michael West. (Damjan Janevski) 395731_01

Jennifer Pittorino

Bean, Sam and Meg. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 397885_01

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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

Mouth Organ Band

Yarraville Mouth Organ Band is looking for new members. Band practice is held on Friday evenings at 8pm in the band hall at 203 Williamstown Road, Yarraville. For great music in a friendly atmosphere feel free to call in one Friday evening.

■ Heather, 9399 2190 or ymob1933@yahoo.com.au

Hobsons Bay City Band

Do you play any percussion, brass or woodwind instruments? The Hobsons Bay City Band is seeking musicians to join their community band. Please note that rehearsals are held under the directorship of Wayne Bowden every Monday evening from 7.30pm at the Newport Bowls Club, 4 Market Street, Newport.

■ hbcityband@gmail.com or www.hbcb.org.au

Junior surf boat rowing

Wanting to hit the water and try rowing surf boats? The Williamstown Lifesaving Club is hosting come and try days for junior surf boats. Come and try this unique experience for juniors.

■ info@williamstownslsc.org.au

Boxing

Maribyrnong Boxing Club has reopened. New and former members of the Maribyrnong Community Youth Club are welcome to attend training sessions on Monday 6pm-8pm, Thursday 6.45-7.45pm and Sunday, 10-11am. Boxing for fitness classes, beginners, youth, adults and also competition available. The club premises are located under the Grandstand on Maribyrnong Reserve, on the corner of Hortense Street and Middle Road, Maribyrnong

■ nugara.david@hotmail.com or 0413 495 836

Walking Football (soccer)

For anyone aged 50 & over, we have participants in their 70s. Any fitness level is welcome. This is a social activity for fun and a bit of exercise, no experience necessary. Supported by Hobsons Bay Council and Football Victoria, this is a free activity each Wednesday morning from 10-11am indoors at the Sports Centre, Andrew Park Drive, Altona.

■ Mike, 0423 291 708.

Small steps walking group

Are you looking for a fun and social way to stay active? Join the Braybrook Community Hub walking group. Get some fresh air, make new friends and enjoy the benefits of walking. Or come for social connections, bikkies and a cuppa every Wednesday between 10.30-11.30am.

Meditation for stress management

Meditate under the guidance of an experienced teacher through visualisation, breath and movement. A form of mindful planning combining the psychological process of visualising, preparing for the future, and assigning action steps. Held at the Braybrook Community Hub between 10-11am on Fridays. This class will also be live streamed for you to join from home. Cost is $60 per a 10 week term or $6 per session.

Book sale

Friends of Altona Library hold a monthly book sale on the first Tuesday, Friday and Saturday of each month at the rear of Altona Library 123 Queen Street Altona. access via Coles car park, from 10am-1pm.

■ https://libraries.hobsonsbay.

Altona Girl Guides

Altona Girl Guides currently have vacancies

for girls aged five-plus who would like to learn new skills, gain confidence,and expand their friendship circle while having fun.

■ hobsonsbay@guidesvic.org.au

English lessons

Want to learn English in a fun and relaxed setting? Build your English, digital and employability skills with the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). Williamstown. Laverton Community Education Centre now offers free AMEP classes to eligible clients at Joan Kirner House in Williamstown. Classes are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am-3pm. Childcare is available for children who are under school age.

■ 9369 2726

Computers, crafts, conversation

Whatever your learning interests and needs, Outlets Newport Community Education Centre has hands-on, face-to-face classes for you or a friend. Contact the centre today to find something for you.

■ 9391 8504, or outlets@outletsco-op.com.au

Carers’ walk and talk

A collaboration between the state government, Interchange Outer East and Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL), the Pathways for Carers program is launching a monthly walk in Footscray on the third Thursday of each month. The goal of each group is to provide carers with peer-based support, information, services and resources, opportunities to be active and connect with other carers, connect with nature and connect with their local community.

■ lauren.mcalpine@bsl.org.au or www.pathwaysforcarers.com.au

Seeking stories

Award-winning local author Dr Dominique Hes is writing a book on Newport Lakes, tracing its history, its impact and its contribution. The book will outline the story of its development, highlighting the role of consensus, courage, vision and working with nature to create a beautiful ecological and social place. Weaving in theories of biophilia, regenerative development and placemaking with local stories, it aims to provide inspiration for other communities looking at what they can do in their neighbourhoods. Locals are asked to come

forward with any stories, photos, memories to be included in the book.

■ NPLbook22@gmail.com

Williamstown book sale

Friends of Williamstown and Newport

Libraries hold a book sale every second Saturday of each month 9.30am-12.30pm. The book sale is held in the friends’ room. Cash only sales.

■ libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

Walking group

The Altona Meadows and Newport Heart Foundation Walking Group is a local community of men and women committed to walking and socialising together with a post-walk coffee and chat and enjoying the natural beauty and birdlife that is to be found throughout Hobsons Bay together. Anyone is welcome to join the group on Mondays 10am at Altona Beach, Wednesdays 10am at Altona Meadows (Jolly Miller Café) or on Fridays 10am, at Newport Lakes.

■ Ian Watson, 0411 566 862 or https://ow.ly/TQ3j50PP1Ap

Computer classes for beginners

Computer classes are run Every day of the week. Choice of morning or afternoons. At Altona North and Williamstown.

■ Lynne, 9397 6168

Palliative volunteers needed

Mercy Palliative Care is looking for volunteers to visit palliative care patients in their homes to offer social support.

■ 9313 5700 or MPCVolunteerCoordinators@mercy.com.au

Altona North Combined Probus

The Altona North Combined Probus Club meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Altona Sports Club. Includes a speaker, organised trips and outings, and a friendly atmosphere.

■ Lesley, 0414 481 442

Friendship group

Altona Day Voice Interest and Education of Women [VIEW] Club meets at 11am on the third Wednesday of the month at Altona RSL.

■ Janet, 9394 6522 or 0412 010 176

Diabetes support group

The Westgate Diabetes Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month

at the Altona Bowling Club at 10am.

■ Elaine, 0415 030 996

AeroSpeakers Toastmasters Club

Would you like to develop confidence in communicating, competence with language and clarity in writing? AeroSpeakers Toastmasters Club would like to invite any and all residents to join them on the first and third Thursday of every month to help develop public speaking, communication and leadership skills. The group meets at the Laverton Community Hub, 95-105 Railway Avenue, Laverton from 7-9.30pm.

■ Vimi Gaoneadry, 0411 530 944

Art workshops

The Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre presents MonArt, workshops for people of all abilities facilitated by community art specialist Amanda Neville, Mondays 10-11.30am. Cost is $5 casual fee.

■ admin@ljac.com.au, or 9398 2511

West Footscray Rotary

The Rotary Club of West Footscray meets at the Medway Golf Club in Maidstone for lunch, fellowship and guest speakers each Wednesday from 12.30-2pm.

■ Mike, 0417 622 372

Cherry Lake Market

Set between Millers Road and the stunning Cherry Lake in Altona, this market has something for everyone. The market hosts more than 60 stalls, selling plants, bric-a-brac, handcrafts, hot jam donuts, tools, clothing and much more. There is live music every month from the Cherry Lake Cultural Series, showcasing local musicians from across Hobsons Bay. From 9am-1pm on the first Sunday of every month.

■ www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Community/ Whats-On/Altona or cherrylakemarket@ gmail.com

Point Gellibrand Rotary Club

Rotary Club of Point Gellibrand meets at Customs House Hotel, 161 Nelson Place, Williamstown, on the first and third Tuesday of the month from 6pm for a dinner meeting. The club has some great speakers and needs new, energetic, enthusiastic members who want to make a difference in their community.

■ www.rotarypointgellibrand.com.au, Pam, 0418 347 691, or rotarypointgellibrand@gmail.com

This week’s photographer’s choice picture is St Leo the Great Primary School students enjoying a colour run. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 399304_01

SPORTS QUIZ

1. Who did the Australian men’s soccer team defeat 5-0 recently in Canberra?

2. Which car manufacturer supplies the Red Bull Formula One team’s power unit?

3. Which famous action star competed as a diver for England in the 1990 Commonwealth Games?

4. Which IPL cricket franchise won the title in 2023, its fifth in total?

5. And which Indian batsman is the all-time leading runscorer in the competition’s history?

6. How many drawn grand finals have there been in the history of the VFL/AFL?

7. Thomas Bach is the president of which major international sporting body?

8. Which Australian motorcycle racer competes in the MotoGP competition

How many Australian Open men’s singles titles has Novak Djokovic won?

Which Super Rugby Pacific club has won the competition’s last

In which year did North Melbourne last win a premiership?

Which former child actor and contestant I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series?

13. Kane Cornes and Caroline Wilson are Monday night hosts for which AFL television program?

14. The Adam Sandler film HappyGilmore features which sport?

15. Jonah Oliver is a leading Australian expert in which field?

16. Which athlete is the all-time leading scorer in the history of NCAA Division I basketball?

17. Which team sport has the largest playing field?

18. Ilia Malinin recently won the 2024 World Championship title in which sport?

19. What is a perfect score in Olympic archery?

20. Which Matildas and West Ham player has had their season cut short due to injury?

21. Jack McVeigh was awarded the 2024 NBL Finals MVP playing for which team?

22. Which nation’s rugby league team is known as the Kumuls (birds-ofparadise)?

23. Which US boxer provided Tim Tszyu with his first professional defeat?

24. Jackson Hastings plays for which NRL club?

25. Kansas City Chiefs running back Louis Rees-Zammit played 32 internationals for which national rugby union team?

26. Favourites to win the 2024 women’s NCAA basketball championship, the Gamecocks represent which US college?

27. The UFC 305 mixed martial arts event is set to be held in which Australian capital city?

28. Favourites to win the 2024 men’s NCAA basketball championship, the Huskies represent which US college?

29. Which team defeated Chelsea 1-0 to win the 2023–24 FA Women’s League Cup final?

30. Melbourne United basketballer Matthew Dellavedova played for which US college team?

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

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural nouns ending in “s”.

2 Where was Australia’s first uranium mine?

3 Which plant family does lavender come from?

4 What is apophenia?

5 What are the three official languages of the landlocked European country Luxembourg?

6 Which country was Sam Neill (pictured) born in?

7 In which Australian state is the town of Wonglepong found?

8 Who was the Emperor of Japan during World War II?

9 What was the first synthetic fabric used in clothing?

10 In which year was the first Australian of the Year awarded?

Review: the Mitsubishi Eclipse

By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring

I read somewhere that the government was going to drop financial incentives for plug-in hybrids in April next year.

I’m not surprised. While PHEVs look good onpaper,withtheirultra-lowfuelconsumption figures - the reality is very different.

For example, vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV are good for a claimed 1.9L/100km. But to achieve this figure, you need to recharge the battery every 100km, or the final figure is liable to be considerably higher.

Basically, the battery provides 45km of petrol-free travel for the first 100km travelled, 45kmforthenextandsoon.Don’trechargethe battery and you won’t reap the benefit.

Styling

With seating for five occupants, Eclipse Cross sits between ASX and Outlander in terms of size.

There are three plug-in hybrid versions from which to choose: ES, Aspire and Exceed.

Prices start from $47,290 for ES, $51,240 for Aspire and $55,990 for top of the line Exceed.

All PHEVs come with an auto and all three are underpinned by all-wheel drive.

Standard kit includes cloth trim, two-zone climate air conditioning, 18-inch alloys, push buttonstart,LEDdaytimelights,cruisecontrol and rear parking sensors.

Aspire adds suede and synthetic leather trim, heated front seats, power-adjust driver’s seat, LED headlights, front parking sensors, along with adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera, blind spot warning, lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert.

Exceed adds full leather, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, power-adjust passenger seat, built-in navigation, head-up display and a double sunroof – plus an ultrasonic mis-acceleration mitigation system.

The PHEV received some minor updates earlier last year, including a power tailgate for Exceed and V2L (the ability to power external equipment) for Aspire and Exceed. latest USB-C ports or a 12-volt socket in the cargo area. Ditto rear air vents.

It’scoveredbya10-year200,000kmstandard warranty, provided that it’s always serviced at a Mitsubishidealership,otherwiseitdropstofive years and 100,000km.

So be wary if you’re consistently averaging more than 20,000km a year.

The battery warranty is for eightyears/160,000km battery warranty.

Infotainment

Infotainment comprises a now small 8.0-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth with voice control, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, wired Apple CarPlayandAndroidAutoandaneight-speaker Mitsubishi-branded sound system.

Engines/transmissions

The powertrain comprises a 2.4-litre petrol engine with two electric motors, one for the frontandoneforthebackaxle,plusa13.8kWh battery.

The engine produces 94kW of power and 199Nm of torque, while the electric motorsdeliver60kW/137Nmand70kW/195Nm apiece.

A combined figure is not provided, but throttle response is sharp thanks to the instant torque from the electric motors. Drive is to all four wheels through a single-speed transmission and is remarkably smooth.

Safety

Standard safety includes seven airbags, rear view camera, automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning, plus an ultrasonic mis-acceleration mitigation system. The latter reduces the chance and severity of hitting obstacles when the driver mistakenly presses the accelerator when stationary or at speeds of up to 10km/h.

Driving

Eclipse has grown a little in size since

launch. It now offers a pleasant, comfortable environment, with more rear legroom and a larger boot.

The cool two-piece rear window has gone, replaced by a conventional and probably cheaper one-piece unit.

A revised instrument cluster displays engine speed as well as EV charge levels and battery use - but alas no digital speedo.

Thefrontseatsandsteeringwheelareheated, but cooling would have been a better option given our climate.

Although larger overall, plug-in hybrid versions have a smaller boot than the standard model because of the space occupied by the battery pack. At the same time the spare wheel has been replaced by a tyre repair kit.

The PHEV system is ‘EV-biased’ and prioritises EV mode wherever possible, but can deploy series or parallel hybrid modes when required.

In EV mode (available from 0-135km/h), the PHEV is powered by the front and rear electric drivemotors,drawingcurrentfromthebattery.

In series hybrid mode (available from 0-70km/h), the car continues to use the battery to power the front and rear motors, while the petrol engine is engaged to run the generator to charge the battery while driving.

This mode is also automatically activated when the driver wants maximum acceleration, or for example when driving uphill or when battery charge is low.

In this mode, the vehicle will attempt to revert to EV Mode as often as possible for maximum efficiency and minimum emissions.

In parallel hybrid mode (available above 70km/h), the PHEV operates like a traditional hybrid.

This means the petrol engine drives the front wheels in tandem with the front electric motor via the multi-mode front transaxle, while the rear electric motor drives the rear wheels.

Once again, the vehicle is configured to revert to EV mode or series hybrid mode whenever possible.

There are five steps that add drag when you take your foot off the throttle, sending energy

back to the battery.

But, unlike other vehicles of this kind, you still need to apply the brakes. A button marked ‘SAVECHRG’suggestsyoucansavethebattery charge for use later, but it’s a bit confusing.

The whole PHEV thing might sound a bit complicated, but there’s no need to worry because the car takes care of everything — everything that is apart from charging.

ThePHEVhasACType2andDCCHAdeMO style input sockets.

Using the supplied cable and a regular 10A powerpoint it takes seven hours to fully charge.

It’s also supplied with a second cable for faster Mode 3 charging using a wall charger which takes four hours, while 0-80 per cent with a full-blown commercial DC charger takes 25 minutes.

The Mitsubishi Remote Control app allows drivers to plan and activate battery charging remotely via the app, to take advantage of off-peak electricity tariffs.

Mitsubishiclaims55kmofelectricrange,but that’s under the old NEDC standard. Under the newer, more stringent WLTP system, it’s actually 45km - but 55 sounds better.

Basically, if you live in the ‘burbs, Mitsubishi claimstheelectricrangeissufficienttopopinto the city and back without needing to recharge. We reckon it’s a costly option and a lot of mucking around for little in return.

The cynical might suggest it has more to do with satisfying emissions requirements across the range rather than delivering real world benefits.

At the same time, because it’s a plug-in hybrid, you don’t need to worry about being stranded. When the juice runs out, the petrol engine kicks in.

Hybrid questions aside, the PHEV is a heavy car and this has implications for ride and handling.

There are five drive modes: tarmac, snow, gravel, normal or economy.

Normal or Eco are what most urban motorists will use, while tarmac is in effect a sport mode in which the car becomes tauter, sportier and more responsive.

The ride is harsher on anything apart from smooth bitumen, even though they’ve done a bit of work on the rear suspension. You feel all the little imperfections and the car can take longer than normal to settle as it continues to bounce up and down on the suspension.

That weight means and the fact the car sits relatively high and also means it has a tendency to run wide in corners, with squeal hard brakingandlift-offoversteerwhenbrakinglate and hard into corners.

Thesteeringlacksanysortoffeel.Infact,you can waggle the steering wheel (technical term) from side to side with little or no effect on the direction of travel.

It’sliketryingtochangedirectioninthebilly carts we used to build as kids in the backyard with wood pinched from building sites.

A sports car it is not.

With a 45-litre tank, it takes regular 91 unleaded.

We were getting 6.5L/100km after more than 800km, bearing in mind that the trip computer in Mitsubishis are a law unto themselves.

That’s nowhere near the claimed 1.9L/100km, but unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to recharge the battery after the initial charge had been depleted.

Interestingly, 39 per cent of our time was spent driving in EV mode - not sure how. This compares with 7.7L/100km for the 1.5-litre turbocharged all-wheel drive version of the car.

On a final note, our test vehicle was fitted with Mitsubishi-branded roof racks, which were the source of an annoying hum at speed.

Summing up

At $14,750 more than the regular model, the Eclipse Cross PHEV Aspire is a big ask.

For a little less you can get into something like MG’s ZS Long Range EV, a fully electric SUVwith440kmofrangethatdoesnotrequire charging as frequently.

While buyers might be coming around to the benefits of EVs, they have demonstrated a reluctance to pay the outrageous prices that manufacturers are demanding for them.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV. (Supplied)

Panthers poised for success in season 2024

Newport coach Rodney Van Reit believes his club is well placed to go far this season in Western Football League division 2.

Van Reit was named as the club’s new senior in September last year after the Panthers narrow preliminary final defeat to Albion. The Panthers were one straight kick away from a grand final spot.

Despite being new to the club, Van Reit said he had been keeping an eye on the team throughout the last five matches of the season. “We’ve definitely reviewed what happened last year,” he said.

“I was able to see where I thought we had a few deficiencies, recruit for those needs and develop a game plan to fit the group.

“Ithinkitgavemealittlebitofanadvantage knowing what was needed.”

Van Reit was able to draw on his lengthy experience as a player to bring in new players.

This includes brothers Josh, Trent and Heath Rafferty, whom Van Reit played against during his time at Deer Park.

“Once I knew they were interested, I was keen to get all three on board,” he said.

“It’s a really good story that they all get to play together, especially at Newport, which is

a very family oriented club.”

The Panthers have also signed ruckman Zach Del Grosso, who has played more than 100 games for Spotswood.

Josh Rafferty’s immediate impact at the

club has been recognised with his selection as deputy vice-captain alongside Belal Abouied. Abouied had a stellar 2023 season that was capped off with him winning the club’s best finals player.

Dall’Oste is finals ready

By Tara Murray

Western United is better prepared for the A-League Women’s finals this time round according to goalkeeper Alyssa Dall’Oste. United stunned the competition 12 months ago when it made the grand final in its first season, falling short against Sydney FC in the decider.

Now through to its second final series after finishing third, United is keen to go a step better.

“Last season we didn’t know what we were getting into,” Dall’Oste said in the lead up to finals.

“A lot of us were new in the A-League. We didn’t know what to expect. We’re better prepared to hopefully go one better this year. “Second place is a little bittersweet. We’ve made it that far, but you didn’t get what you really wanted. You don’t want to feel like that again.”

Dall’Oste said they’d been putting a lot of hard work in behind the scenes to get

themselves ready.

She said having moved into their new home in Tarneit was also proving a major advantage in preparing for the finals.

“It’s nice to be preparing in the new facility,” she said.

“Everything is for us. We’re not having to move stuff all the time. Last year to this year, we had a place but not a home.

“It has everything we need to like ice baths.”

Personally,thisseasonhasbeendifferentfor Dall’Oste than last season.

Last season, she came on in one game to make her A-League Women’s debut.

This season she has stepped up since the departure of Hillary Beall, having started seven games.

She’s kept the starting goalkeeper role despite United bringing in Danish goalkeeper Kathrine Larsen.

Dall’Oste said this season had been really good personally.

“It’s been a long time coming and I’ve been

Malek El-Hassan and

will serve as vice-captains while Abdul Jawad will return as captain.

Van Reit said Jawad was an easily selection as captain.

“Abdul is really keen to lead us and is one of those guys that has played a lot of footy at a high level,” he said.

“Throughout the pre-season he’s really stood up on and off the field and been a big supportforouryoungerguyscomingthrough.

“He leads the standard at training and when the young guys see that they follow suit.”

The Panthers will play the Western Rams in round one, in what will be the Rams first match in the WRFL after transferring from the Riddell District Football League.

“It’s a bit of a tough one to prepare for,” Van Reit said.

“I’ve been able to make a few calls, obviously they’re coming across to try and be competitive in the west region, so it’ll be a good challenge for us in round one.”

The Panthers start their season on Saturday against Western Rams, who will be making their WFL debut.

Sports shorts

AFLW

Western Jets Lou-Lou Field was part of an under-23 all stars team that played against the AFL National Academy Girls side on Saturday. Made up of the top 18-year-old talent across the country, the academy girls squad showcases players eligible for the 2024 draft, while the Under-23 All Stars side is comprised of select talent playing in Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania, as nominated by AFLW clubs.

Australia Cup

Altona East Phoenix, Altona City and Altona Magic have learned their opponents for the next round of the Australia Cup. The Phoenix has drawn a tough opposition in round five, facing National Premier League powerhouse Avondale. Altona City will play the Manningham United Blues and Altona Magic will face Northcote City.

NPL

preparing myself,” she said.

“I’ve been given this opportunity and I’ve stepped up and done my job.”

Dall’Oste said she had learnt a lot from Beall in her time at the club, with the pair really pushing each other.

United had the weekend off with a week off before finals started. United host the Newcastle Jets on April 13 at 6.30pm. United’s men’s side will play beforehand.

Dall’Oste said they still feel like they are the underdogs entering the finals.

“This is our second consecutive finals series, we can’t we seen as the underdog forever,” she said. “We are still new kicks on the block and we’re still enjoying being underdogs. We’re better prepared than last year.

“Wehaveafewextragamesinthefinalseries too so it will be about game management and we can’t take any team lightly.

“We face Newcastle who we haven’t been able to clinch a win against them. We have something to prove.”

It was a tough night for Altona Magic on Saturday in the National Premier League. The Magic was facing Avondale which hit the scoreboard twice in the first half. Avondale completed the job in the second half, winning 4-2. The Magic sit in 12th over eight rounds with four points. In the Victorian Premier League 2 competition, Altona City beat Doveton, 2-1. Altona sits in second after four rounds with three wins and a loss. Altona plays Box Hill United in round four.

FV

Yarraville Glory had to settle for a 0-0 draw with Westgate on Friday night in the FV state league 1 north-west competition as neither side was able to find a goal. The point was the Glory’s first of the season after a loss in round round. In state league 3 north-west, Williamstown had a 2-2 draw with the Heidelberg Eagles, while Laverton beat Altona North 4-2 after dominant first half.

Alyssa Dall’Oste. (Supplied)

Sohrob Ismail

Oliver Lees

Newport last season. (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Roosters up for new fight after WFL restructure

West Footscray is up for the challenge of a new look Western Football League division 2 structure.

Following a restructure of the WFL, division 2 and division 3 have been merged, creating a larger competition with a number of new matchups.

After a solid season in division 3 last year, Roosters coach Troy Beamond said the shakeup won’t change the way his side approaches each match.

“We’re content with it,” he said. “We’ve got a really good junior program now and we always say we want our juniors to play at the highest level possible, so for us to play some division 2 sides is a good thing.

“Regardless of who we’re playing… we’re going out there with the same mindset, to play to the best of our ability, and give 100 per cent effort.”

The Roosters finished in fourth place last year with eight wins and eight losses, earning them a place in finals.

Facing a strong Albanvale side in the preliminary final they were outworked, 20.11 (131)-9.12 (66).

This season, the club will be without Josh Barker and Nathan Smith who have both retired from the game.

Among those recruits its forward Lachie

Fox booted three goals in one of the

Filer steers Phoenix win

By Oliver Lees

Altona East have brought in experienced coach Craig Filer to help steer them to success in FV state league 2 north-west.

Filer joins Phoenix after holding coaching roles at several different clubs.

After moving to Melbourne from the United Kingdom 11 years ago, Filer’s first gig was at AltonaCitycoachingtheunder-15sboysbefore he was given an opportunity at Point Cook.

Filer oversaw the Jets’ successful 2018 campaign, which ended in premierships for the club’s senior men’s, reserves and women’s teams.

“We built a really good club there,” he said.

“We put the plan together to build the club, to invest in junior’s, the women’s and senior men’s programs.

“It was the culmination of a three year program to build the club.”

Filer also coached at the North Geelong Warrior and Caroline Springs George Cross before landing at Phoenix.

Phoenix had a promising season last year, ultimately finishing in fourth.

At season’s end Phoenix had the second tightest defence in the competition, but it was on the offensive side that they struggled to get moving.

Filer said this was an area in need of improvement.

“It’s been my focus since day one,” he said.

“We’ve been able to bring some players in.

“The plan was not to change the club too much in terms of new faces, I wanted to acknowledgetheplayersfromlastyear,butalso freshen it up.”

Despite this intention, Filer said the list had changed substantially.

He said just five or six players from last year have remained.

Among the new signings are two imports from the UK, Lewis Bamford and Scott James Fenwick, whom Filer has known for years.

Before moving to Australia, Filer worked as a scout for professional clubs Newport County and Bristol Rovers.

It was through this work that he first scouted Bamford as a six-year-old.

Still in contact 19 years later, Filer urged Bamford to move to Melbourne.

Roosters practice matches.

Fox will be thrown into the forward line alongside Thomas Stelluto.

Stelluto finished sixth in the league’s goal scoring leader board with 48 from 16 games, which included a 10 goal haul against North Sunshine.

Chris Long and Michael Oddie have been chosen as captain and vice-captain respectively this season.

“Both of them have only been at the club 12 months and in that short period of time they’ve two of the best leaders at the club,” Beamond said.

The Roosters will face Wyndhamvale on Saturday at Wyndhamvale South Reserve.

Wyndhamvale were in division 2 last season and finished in fifth place.

Beamond said he hasn’t set any specific objectives for the season, believes they can go far.

“We just go out each week regardless of who we’re playing,” he said.

“If we put our structures and game plan in place, then we’ll be happy.

“Whether we have three, eight or 16 wins, we just want to make sure those things are our focus.”

Oliver Lees

Gators open account

The Altona Gators opened their account in Big V men’s division 1 on Sunday in stunning fashion.

Having started to build into the season having been promoted in the off season, the Gators were able to put it together against the Warrnambool Seahawks on Sunday.

The Gators got off to a flier on their home court, leading by 12 points at quarter time. The margin was still 10 points at the main break.

The Gators turned the pressure up in the third quarter to put the game all but beyond doubt, with a 22 point lead heading into the final break.

The Gators did what they needed to in the final quarter as they rotated their bench, winning 96-71.

Every Gator saw at least five minutes court time with six players scoring double figures, showing a spread of contributors.

Samson Rocker led the way with 18 points for the Gators, while Nicholas Patel had a double-double.

“It’s a pretty unique story, we go back a long way,” he said.

“There’s a lot of trust and faith in each other, he knows my strengths and I know his.

“I’m over the moon to have someone with Lewis’ ability at the footy club.”

Bamford and Fenwick have already shown their worth, as they each scored in Phoenix’s 2-0 win over Hume United in round one.

“The first game is always a nervous one, and I’ve probably never been as nervous in football as that particular one,” he said.

“You’re in the laps of the gods when the players step over the white line.”

The club is also coming off of an exciting recent win in the Australia Cup.

Playing Boroondara away, Phoenix were behind 2-0 at half time, but were able to fight their way to 2-2 by the end of regulation.

InextratimePhoenixoverruntheopposition to finish with an impressive 6-2 victory.

Phoenix have drawn Avondale in the next round of the cup.

On Saturday Phoenix defeated Hoppers Crossing 2-1, making them one of three undefeated teams at the top of the table.

The Gators face Gippsland United in round four. The two sides played in round one with United having a big win on that occasion, winning by 16 points.

Meanwhile, the Gators women lost to the Chelsea Gulls on Saturday night in the division 1-2 competition.

Both teams entered the match undefeated.

The Gulls led on their home court throughout most of the match, having started with a 22-13 first quarter.

Both sides had their periods of momentum, the Gulls in the first and third quarters, and the Gators in the other quarters.

The Gulls were able to hold on to win 80-77.

The Gators bench proved a key for them, with three players led by Aseka Ratnayake, with 17 points, scoring double figures.

The Gators now have a 3-1 record.

The Gators face Melbourne University on Saturday night and the Craigieburn Eagles on Sunday in round four.

Beamond said he felt the club had recruited well and estimated three or four players from under-18s would be getting the call up to the senior team in round one.

Fox, who joined the Roosters after taking a break from footy.

West Footscray will play in division 2 this year in the Western Football League. (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Altona East defeated Hoppers Crossing 2-1 on Saturday. (Supplied)

Seagulls vow to take positives out of defeat

The records will show a loss, but Williamstown tookplentyoutofitsVictorianFootballLeague Women’s match with Port Melbourne on Saturday.

After a win and draw in their first two matches, the Seagulls faced last season’s premiers, in a true test of where they are at.

Port Melbourne proved too strong as they kept the Seagulls goal less for the first three quarters, winning 5.2 (32)-1.3 (9). Seagulls coach Liam Cavanagh said they were the sort of tests that they wanted to have.

“It was a big step up on what we did a week ago,” he said. “Last week in our effort metrics we were down, but this week we were really up.

“We had some really good opportunities.

Port Melbourne is a fantastic team and had six AFLW listed players out there.

“We weren’t polished enough at the right times.”

Cavanagh said had they been a bit cleaner in front of goal they could have had more impact

on the scoreboard.Sharnie Whiting was the single goalkicker for the Seagulls.

Cavanagh said the biggest feeling for the group after the match was positivity.

“There were a lot more positives,” he said. “Weleftthegameknowingwhatthelevelisand full credit to Port Melbourne.

“We left feeling that we can do that and that sort of performance by us is close and not out of reach.”

Zoe Day was the Seagulls best according to CavanaghforherroleinkeepingFedericaFrew goalless.

Cavanagh said that Day is the best full back in the competition.

“She’s our best kept secret,” he said.

India Barker and Ash Thorneycroft, who both made the move to the Seagulls in the off season, were the other two standouts and have been solid in all three games.

The loss has the Seagulls with one win, one draw and one loss after the first three rounds,

Cavanagh said they expect that they will build throughout the season.

“Wewillcomehomewithawetsail,”hesaid. “There’s less AFLW players in the back half of the year.

“WegotmorecontinuitylastyearandIthink we won our last eight games in a row. If we can bank some wins in the early part of the year it will be good.

“We’re learning quality so it’s a positive.”

The Seagulls’ challenges don’t get any easier, facing the Box Hill Hawks on Saturday. The Hawks are undefeated.

“They have been naming 12 or 13 AFLW players each week and that is reflected in the results,” Cavanagh said.

“How often do you get to play against that many AFLW players? If we get beaten, we’ll get so much out of it and if we play well, we’ll be full of confidence, it’s a win-win.”

Falcons win west battle

The City West Falcons came out on top in the first battle of the west in the Victorian Netball League championship.

The Falcons faced fellow western suburbs side Western Warriors on Wednesday night and it was the reigning premiers that came out on top, winning 66-57.

Falcons coach Marg Lind said they knew it wasalwaysgoingtobeatoughchallenge.Lind said they know there’s a lot of talent out west and it was good to see it in the senior ranks.

“Kim [Borger] and Jules [Woolley] together, that’s a lot of experience,” she said.

“We’ve got a pretty new defence end and a young defence and so I thought shuffling the deck a bit worked well.

“Actually just having fresh legs every quarter against older players, who probably don’t want a fresh leg on them, so that was good.

“They were good at least until half time and then I think probably our fitness got us through in the end and maybe a bit of youthfulness in the defence end.

“They were solid and hard to beat.”

Lind said they started a bit slowly and were able to build into the game. She said it was always going to be a bit of a risk having given the girls last week off with the bye.

She said she was happy with how the defenders all progressed in the game saying they had their moments and the rotations worked well.

At the other end she said they were a little wasteful at times. The Falcons were without Shimona Jok due to commitments with the Melbourne Mavericks Super Netball side.

The Falcons under-23 side also came away with the win against the Warriors, 60-36.

Lind said the side was building. She said Mikaela Minns and Achel Yout in defence were really strong and said they were right on the cusp of playing in the championship side, while Maddison Mckiernan in wing defence had been a really good leader for them.

Minns, Holly Adams-Alcock and Lani Fauonuku will miss this week due to playing at that under-19 and under-17 national championships.

The trio will miss the Falcons game with the Geelong Cougars.

Lind said she was expecting a battle in both games against the old rival. The match will be a Falcons home game, with the match being played at Altona on Wednesday night. Lind said she was hoping to see a big crowd down there. They are also hosting two days of school holiday clinics this week as well.

“Normally by round six you start to have a look, I think this year might be a bit different,” she said.

“It might take a few more rounds, you’ve got that bye in there. Some teams have had a

One division for WFL women

The Western Football League will have just one women’s division this season.

The league has revealed its fixture with just nine teams down from last season when they had 14 teams in two divisions.

Last season’s runners-up Caroline Springs are back, but will have one team instead of two like the past two seasons. Werribee Centrals and Parkside Spurs, which also made division 1 finals, will have sides, along with Yarraville Seddon Eagles, who were also in division 1. Division 2 premiers West Footscray will be hoping to continue its momentum, while division 2 runners-up Wyndhamvale and North Sunshine are the other returning teams. The Suns, who are coached by former Point Cook Centrals coach Leanne Meyer, are the one new team in the competition.

Division 1 premiers Spotswood, which had two sides last season, won’t field a side this season. Braybrook announced on Facebook in March that it wouldn’t have the numbers for a side this year, while Point Cook Centrals won’t either.

WFL football general manager Luke Henry said long term they wanted to get the competition back to two healthy divisions. “Obviously it’s no surprise we’ve gone from two divisions to one with the number of teams,” he said. “We are looking forward to the season itself and the structure that we have in place for it. We are always about growth and wewanttogrowfootyinthefemalespace up from under-18 level to senior women.

“There’s always some challenges in fielding teams and sides.

“We’re looking forward to what is ahead and want to branch back out to two divisions.” Henry said they won’t split the competition during the season, with it to stay one division throughout. He said one of the big things they’re looking at doing is changing how finals look for senior women and under-18s.

“An exciting thing we are going to do is have senior women’s football and under-19s finals that align.

“We want to show that pathway and have a female football day for the grand finals which we’re excited to do.”

The WFL women’s season kicks off on Friday night with the Spurs hosting the Suns under lights.

tougher run so far. “Geelong will be the big test for us, to see where we are at.”

Tara Murray

Tara Murray

Ash Thorneycroft (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Maggie Lind. (Robbab Photography)