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Volunteer’s award reward goes to CFA Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au TYABB CFA officer Wayne Etcell is donating the $10,000 he received for winning the Victorian Premier’s Metropolitan Volunteer of the Year – Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Award to the brigade. Mr Etcell, of Somerville, received his award from Victoria Governor Linda Dessau at a ceremony at Government House last week. It is a wonder he had time to attend as his work-load is staggering: the busy 63-year-old audits full time for the Tax Department, puts in almost another week’s voluntary work with the CFA, as a Justice of the Peace and also as a bails justice. Mr Etcell took up the volunteer’s mantle at 16 and remained a member of the Chelsea Surf Life Saving Club for 10 years – two as treasurer – and group leader with 1st Chelsea Scouts for five years, during which time he was assistant district commissioner of leader training.
normal “after work” roster means he is on-call 4pm-midnight week days and 4pm Friday-7pm Sunday as one of only 77 bails justices in the state. His patch extends from Dandenong to Mordialloc and to Rosebud – an area with 14 police stations. In the fire season he is on call daily to fight fires across the Mornington Peninsula and across the state. He has been involved in flood and bushfire campaigns all over Victoria, including the Black Saturday fires for which he received the National Emergency Medal in 2013. Mr Etcell enjoys the camaraderie of his voluntary roles and the feeling of helping those less fortunate than himself. “I come across people from all walks of life under difficult circumstances. My primary objective is to help them and, especially, to take care of the welfare of the child,” he said. Dawn Tonge, who nominated her partner for the award, said he “always had a strong desire to give back to the community and finds these roles an immeasurable source of personal
Job well done: Wayne Etcell and partner Dawn Tonge at Government House after receiving the Metropolitan Volunteer of the Year – Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Award.
He now divides his voluntary hours between the CFA in the bushfire season – where he is a qualified assessor – and his bails justice role
where he is charged with being an impartial, deciding authority in cases involving bail and bail conditions and also decisions on child welfare. His
satisfaction and enjoyment”. “He’s always available to help people with inquiries and signing documents. His friendly and inviting manner is a welcoming light to some people who are often confused and require reassurance over confusing documentation,” Ms Tonge said. “The role of JP requires him to be available at any time of the day for people to visit our home, or have Wayne go to them. He also makes himself available on occasional rosters at the police station as resident JP for a few hours in the evening.” Tyabb station captain Stephen Birkinshaw described Mt Etcell as “certainly a most valuable long-time member who’s very important to the brigade and many other organisations in the community”. Mr Birkenshaw said the $10,000 would go towards car parking at the station. Mt Etcell was nominated by his colleagues at the Tax office to receive the Australia Day Achievement Medallion which he received in 2009.
Frisky ‘fairies’ live lives of torrid affairs and deceit A SWEET and dainty backyard buddy on the Mornington Peninsula proves you just can't judge a book by its cover. As breeding season kicks off for cute little fairy-wrens, so begins their long list of illicit affairs. There are nine species of fairywrens in Australia currently partnering for the breeding season. The most common wren in Victoria is the superb fairy-wren. “Fairy-wrens are super cute with beautiful feathers and have delightful personalities, so it's no wonder the superb fairy-wren was voted Australia's favourite bird,” said Susanna Bradshaw, CEO of the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife. “But behind their fluffy appearance, there lies a tangled web of torrid affairs and deceit. They appear to have a picture-perfect family unit with mum and dad busily rearing their young each year. Some of their offspring even stick around to help feed the next brood of chicks. “Dad will go to great lengths to protect the family territory from other males, while also sharing childrearing duties. However, just before dawn, the illusion of family duty and marital fidelity is shattered. “Both mum and dad will often disappear to neighbouring territories, before the sun rises, for romantic for-
Cute as a button: Superb fairy-wrens have a voracious appetite for insects and are an asset in gardens. Pictures: Patrick K
ays with other fairy-wrens. Mum may seek out a suitor who recently gave her a pretty flower as a gift, while dad may court other females. “This unashamed infidelity isn't just a one-off; it is so common that up to three-quarters of all fairy-wren broods can be sired by other males. It's not surprising they are the most unfaithful birds in the animal kingdom.
“Being unfaithful in the bird world is a lot more common than many people realise. It has benefits as laying lots of eggs fertilised by different males can increase the genetic health of the fairy-wren population.” Fairy-wren facts
Despite their size, they have a voracious appetite for insects and will eat large quantities of garden bugs.
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When the temperature drops, their cuteness factor increases exponentially as they huddle together on branches for warmth. Males may not look that tough but they're very brave. When most bird species hear a predator birds calling they will go quiet and try to work out whether they need to take cover. However the male fairy-wren decides this is a great time to loudly
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sing his own song, probably because he knows more birds will be listening. Fairy-wrens are incredibly smart. They learn to recognise the alarm calls of many other species, and flee to safety. Scientists liken this being able to understanding multiple foreign languages. How to attract fairy-wrens to the garden • Keep pet cats inside or install an outdoor cat run. Cats kill and eat many fairy-wrens, even if they're well fed and not hungry. • Plant dense bushes in a corner of the garden – lemon bottlebrush, lemonscented darwinia, and hakeas. • Small, insect-attracting flowers are great for males who offer pretty petals to females. These plants also attract insects for them to eat. Try croweas, tea trees and dwarf flowering gums. • A birdbath near dense bushes will entice them as they like to be close to bushes so they can escape predators. • Tall trees surrounded by open spaces favour predatory and aggressive birds such as butcher-birds and noisy miners, which chase away fairy-wrens. The foundation's Backyard Buddies free program includes a monthly email with tips to make your backyard inviting and safe for native animals. Details: backyardbuddies.net.au Mike Hast
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Western Port News 15 December 2015