News - Pakenham Officer Star News - 21st March 2024

By Matthew Sims

their top safety concerns.

safety, as

The issues, specifically property crime and crimes against people, as well as mental health and natural hazards and disasters, informed the council’s first Community Safety Framework, which would aim to ensure the community is a safer place to live, work and play.

At its meeting on Monday 18 March, councillors passed a motion to endorse the framework.

The process of developing the document included researching community safety trends and areas of concern across the state and Car-

dinia, analysing how incoming community safety reports and requests are prioritised and allocated to internal departments, and undertaking consultation with internal and external stakeholders, including community members.

Sitting alongside the Liveability Plan and Community Safety Action Agenda, the framework would aim to provide a detailed system and process for the council to collectively address community safety concerns.

RangesWard councillor Jeff Springfield said the council was stepping beyond its usual remit to create the framework.

“Crime and prevention is not a core process of council,” he said.

“It is so important for our community to

feel safe and included everywhere.

“Doing our bit within the community to help improve community safety is so important.”

The framework included factors to consider when considering community safety issues, including gender equality, cultural safety, universal access and design, intersectionality and crime prevention through environmental design.

CentralWard councillor Collin Ross said the framework aimed to incorporate members of all communities.

“We’ll be able to bring all the different groups together,” he said.

“We do hear their concerns and we’re doing

Full house for Cup

There was also plenty of action off the track at the Pakenham Cup on Friday night, with the ‘full-house’ sign taking prominence as more than 400 people filled the events centre for a night of high entertainment.

Meanwhile, on the track, Ciaron Maher, Mark Zahra and Australian Bloodstock added a Listed $300,000 Pakenham Cup (2500m) to their treasured war chest of victories after Ashrun demolished a quality field at Tynong.

Stories pages 10 and 19

as much as we can on our end.

“I’m sure that there’ll be things added over time.”

During consultation held throughout the community, the top areas of concern were road and pedestrian safety, property crime, crimes against people, alcohol and other drugs, mental health and natural hazards and disasters.

Cardinia Shire mayor Jack Kowarzik was one of the major proponents of the framework.

“Safety always comes up in every conversation we have,” he said.

“Community safety is of paramount importance.

“Cardinia Shire does take this very seriously.”

Kate, Corine and Jaime at the Pakenham Cup. 395150

Picture: GARY SISSONS

Pledge for worship help

By Matthew Sims

Cardinia Council has pledged to take a step to provide future applicants with guidance on where you can and cannot apply for planning permits for Places of Worship, after the council knocked back a number of applications for faith-based developments by the council.

At the council meeting on Monday 18 March, council passed a motion to endorse introducing a new section on council’s planning website to provide future applicants with guidance on where you can apply for planning permits for Places of Worship within Cardinia Shire, and provide links to state and local policies.

The decision was the third option presented to the council, signifying maintaining the status quo, with the other two options being:

* Developing a Guideline for Places of Worship, involving creating a guideline which would provide recommendations and guidance on locational preferences, built form, parking requirements, and other relevant aspects; or

* Developing a Places of Worship Policy, involving establishing a policy which would set clear directives and standards for locational preferences, built form, parking requirements, and other relevant aspects.

At the 12 December 2023 meeting, Officer Ward councillor Tammy Radford requested a Notice of Motion that council officers present a report back to council within three months which would present alternatives for establishing either guidelines, or a local policy, in the Cardinia Planning Scheme to guide applicants in choosing a site for a Place of Assembly (Place of Worship) within Cardinia Shire.

The motion also specified the report should specify the implementation timeframes and the likelihood of support at State Government of the discussed guidelines or policy and outline the communication plan for disseminating this information to applicants.

Traditionally, Places ofWorship have largely been established in residential areas, yet the council has received an increasing number of applications applied to use land for the purpose of a Place of Assembly (Place of Worship) within Industrial and Green Wedge zoned land.

Over the past 24 months, the council has

received nine planning permit applications and four pre-application requests to use land for the purposes of a Place of Assembly (Place of Worship), including two located in a Green Wedge Zone; six located in an Industrial Zone and one in a Low-Density Residential Zone.

The Cardinia Planning Scheme has defined a Place of Worship as ‘Land used for religious activities, such as a church, chapel, mosque, synagogue, and temple’.

Cr Radford said her notice of motion came off the back of council refusing a number of permit applications made by faith-based organisations recently.

“We’ve had to knock back many permit applications,” she said.

“They don’t fit in with the planning of those

zones.”

Cr Radford said the council did not want to discourage faith-based organisations from applying for Places of Worship in Cardinia.

“I want to encourage places of worship,” she said.

“We need them in our community.

“Let’s make that process easier for people.”

Cr Radford said the aim of denying such applications was not to reject all similar applications, but just to abide by zoning restrictions.

“We do have some specific industrial zones that need to be protected,” she said.

“This type of planning application cannot go ahead in this zone.”

Toomuc Ward councillor Stephanie Davies

said she understood how “frustrated” and “disappointed” applicants must be to have their applications knocked back, but regulations needed to be followed.

“We do need to maintain the integrity of our Planning Scheme,” she said.

“I do hope that this will hopefully guide how council interacts with potential applicants in the future.

Central Ward councillor Collin Ross said he was keen to help faith-based communities find their way through planning policies.

“Over the last 15 years, I’ve seen 16,000 new Australians call Cardinia home,” he said.

“A high percentage of those people come from faith-based communities.

“Under the present planning laws, it is extremelydifficulttogetanapplicationthrough.”

Cardinia Shire is home to three Green Wedge areas consisting of 70 per cent of the Westernport Green Wedge, 75 per cent of the Southern Ranges Green Wedge and five per cent of the Yarra Valley and Yarra and Dandenong Ranges Green Wedge.

The State Government unveiled the Green Wedge and Agricultural Land Action Plan, outlining a focus on preserving green wedges and agricultural land on Melbourne’s outskirts.

Planning reforms would also be introduced to provide better permanent protection for green wedge areas against over-development and inappropriate use through controls for agricultural land.

Legislation now required councils to prepare and review management plans to help inform agricultural activities which are consistent with Green Wedge values.

Cr Radford said the council would look at the plan and see how it would influence the advice it could provide to those looking to develop on Green Wedge land.

“Council will now review this and will then be able to go further with this report,” she said.

Beacon Hills Ward councillor Brett Owen said he was looking forward to reading the report in depth and seeing how it would be implemented.

“Our community wants these Green Wedge management plans, but we do need the assistance to complete these plans,” he said.

“We do need the assistance of the State Government to get on with that work.”

Council looks to future of infrastructure in the region

Cardinia Council has taken a look ahead at its infrastructure needs over the coming decade, endorsing its first Community Infrastructure Plan.

At its meeting on Monday 18 March, councillors passed a motion to endorse the Community Infrastructure Plan and Community Infrastructure Implementation Plan documents.

The document outlined the council’s infrastructure needs and aspirations over the

next 10 years, identifying infrastructure requirements and the opportunity to improve the performance of existing infrastructure across Cardinia.

The scope of the plan included consulting rooms, kindergartens, libraries, halls and bookable spaces, public toilets, arts and cultural venues.

Toomuc Ward councillor Stephanie Davies said she was looking forward to a better picture of the council’s infrastructure needs

coming into view.

“Any guidance or data that can inform better decisions is greatly appreciated,” she said.

“I am confident that this is a really good start to make more informed and more responsible decisions.”

Central Ward councillor Collin Ross said the plan would allow the councillors to be more informed about the context of their decisions.

“This will provide so much more data than we have now,” he said.

“I look forward to see what sort of information we get that we don’t have now that helps us make decisions.”

Beacon Hills Ward councillor Brett Owen said the plan would allow the council to keep abreast of what upgrades or improvements were needed across its infrastructure.

“It’s a really good snapshot of the conditions of these varying facilities,” he said.

Cardinia Council Central Ward councillor Collin Ross had previously raised his concerns over the council’s refusals of planning applications for Places of Worship. 379010 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Doctor hit with suspension

By Violet Li

Services at a women’s health clinic in Hampton Park have been partially closed and a surgeon suspended following a Casey woman’s death after an abortion surgery.

Narre Warren South woman and mother of two Harjit Kaur died shortly after a pregnancy termination surgery in Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic on 12 January.

The Department of Health suspended the clinic’s registration as a day procedure centre on 29 February following two days of inspection. The suspension does not apply to general practices services.

On 15 March, the Medical Board of Australia suspended the registration of obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Rudolph Lopes, who performed the abortion surgery on Miss Kaur.

The reason behind the suspension has not been revealed and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is unable to comment further about individual practitioners, or any investigations being undertaken in relation to an individual practitioner, beyond the information already in the public domain.

In a statement, AHPRA said it had received a range of concerns about a number of practitioners associated with the clinic and some of these concerns were also before the Victorian Coroner.

“AHPRA has established a specialist team to lead a coordinated examination of these issues which involve multiple practitioners across a number of professions and a number of practice locations,” it stated.

“Our investigation will continue in parallel with the coronial inquest into the death of a patient, respecting the integrity of the coroner’s critical work.”

A Coroners Court spokesperson said the death of Harjit Kaur was reported to the court and the coronial investigation was ongoing.

“As this is an active investigation, no further comment can be made,” they said.

The clinic’s medical director Dr Michelle Kenney said Miss Kaur’s death was very tragic, sudden, and unexpected, and nobody wanted to see that happen.

“My team had 30 seconds to respond to her heart stopping and they performed an excel-

lent resuscitation which lasted for over 45 minutes,” she said.

Dr Kenney believed that the suspension of the day surgeries and Dr Lopes’ registration had no direct connection with the death of Miss Kaur.

“We are now being called murderers,” she said.

Dr Kenney said that Dr Lopes ordered a coroner’s inquest days after the death of Miss Kaur.

“He spoke with a forensic pathologist who had done the autopsy on Miss Kaur.The forensic pathologist was stumped. He didn’t know what had caused her death. He ruled out a surgical or anaesthetic cause and he was taking it to a group of senior pathologists,” she said.

“Last we heard, they were investigating congenital cardiac causes.

“What’s happened is the authorities have looked at everything else in the clinic, which was non-sinister, and turned it into something

sinister to throw mud at us, whilst being totally uninterested in what happened on the day.”

She claimed that Dr Lopes’s suspension was due to a compliance issue regarding a supervision condition imposed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

According to the VCAT judgement on 19 October 2021, Dr Lopes was found to have engaged in professional misconduct.

He was reprimanded over alleged lewd remarks to a patient and long-term sexual harassment of a midwife.

VCAT stated that Dr Lopes must be required to work in a supervised environment under specific conditions.

“Regardless of our doctor’s history with AHPRA, they were and still are highly experienced registered specialists,” Dr Kenney said.

She also claimed that the suspension of the day surgeries in the clinic had something to do with past paperwork and administrative issues, instead of the death of Miss Kaur.

A spokesperson for the bereaved family Suresh Rajan: said:“What we want to be sure is that nobody else goes through the issues that we’ve had to go through.”

Mr Rajan said the husband was still in a complete state of shock, absolutely shattered.

The couple came to Australia about five years ago and was said to have worked very hard.

Before the tragedy, Miss Kaur had just started an IT executive position at Nike and she was going to buy a new house with her husband.

“All she’s done is to work hard to help everyone, help her family back home, help her children, just to make sure that everyone else is looked after,” Mr Rajan recalled.

Victoria Police confirmed it had received a report from the AHPRA and there would be no criminal investigation at this stage.

Brunt Road set to close as road bridge hits final stretch

There will be a new footpath and shared use path across the bridge giving local access across the

The construction involved installing 160 panels for the retaining walls, with 100,000 tonnes of material forming the bridge.

Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic. 396246

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERSHarjit Kaur with her husband Sukhjinder Singh.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Material deliveries to construct the foundation of the road bridge.

Pictures: LEVEL CROSSING REMOVAL PROJECT

View of the central supports of the road bridge.

Progress on the final southern retaining wall panel goes in.

THE LOWDOWN

Q&A

Tell us about yourself and your organisation!

I relocated to Australia from Singapore in 2018 (via China where I spent 10 years living and working). I wanted to contribute to Australia, my new home country, in some ways. Australia has a lot of nature parks and reserves with a large number of old trees. I decided to focus on the conservation of old trees. I therefore started the Friends of the Tulliallan Elms, Inc., a small community volunteer group to protect and conserve an avenue of 124 years old Elm trees in the Tulliallan area.

What do you love the most about working for your organisation?

I am an organisational change manager by profession. I love being able use my change expertise to bring about positive change in the community in terms of mindset and behaviour change towards conserving old trees.

What was your most memorable moment during your current role in your organization?

We organised a large community event last year called “Christmas Under the Elms”. I have over 20 years of communications and event management experience, but I was terribly under resourced for this event. As the day came nearer, I struggled to find volunteers for the actual day. When the day did come, volunteers started coming from all directions. They picked up the tasks and made the event a huge success. For the first time, I witnessed the power of the people.

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

I am an early riser and so I think I would like to be a rooster. So that I can crow in the morning to wake everyone up. Get off your bed now! Start your day! Go and make a difference to your life, the people around you and the community! Wake up!

What were you like as a kid?

I dreamt a lot. One day my best friend in primary school and I both heard a rumour that

with Raavenan Jayaraman, Friends of the Tulliallan Elms president

FriendsoftheTulliallanElmspresident RaavenanJayaraman. Picture:SUPPLIED

a small street snack stall in front of our school was able to fit you with a bionic arm at a small cost. Apparently a secret backdoor business. We were both excited as we were fans of the Six Million Dollar Man and we have seen what he could do with that arm. So we took a few months to save some money and finally went to the stall.The stall owner looked at us and we looked back.We knew instantly that he was the one who was going to perform the bionic arm surgery. For a second, we stood there wondering if we really wanted our arms to be chopped off first. We chickened out. We dropped the idea and ran back home looking back all the time to see if the bionic arm vendor was chasing us.

What event, past or present, would you like to witness?

I wish I was present during the world wars. In fact, all the wars that mankind has ever fought. But I just don’t want to witness them. I want to be able to stop them. Why war when we have the potential to reach the stars?

Which six dinner guests, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner?

My mum and dad whom I miss very much. I hope they could come and see me living in

Australia. Elvis Presley. He died at 42 and I wish he could live a little longer and sing a little bit more. Steve Jobs died prematurely. If this great mind could live a little longer, he would have transformed a few more industries and brought even more progress to mankind. Elon Musk, who I think is the new Steve Jobs, and is similarly misunderstood and over criticised. Last, but not least, Hong Kong’s action super star Jackie Chan, for his humility and laughter. What three words would your friends use to describe you?

Positive. Progressive. Perfectionist. What would you do on your perfect day off?

A perfect day for me is a simple day with my loved ones. Wake up early for an hour of yoga and quiet time followed by an hour of writing. Then going for breakfast to the Dandenong mountains and then roam around the curiosity shops there looking for old books and LPs. Then having a coffee before heading to the grocery shops and on the way, grab a bottle of wine. Then coming back home and taking the time to cook a fabulous dinner.

Where is your happy place?

Happy place is where I am with my loved ones. If you had to compete on MasterChef, what dish would you cook?

That’s an interesting question because I do love cooking. I cook mainly Singaporean, Chinese, Indian and Malay dishes. After coming to Australia, I am also trying to learn some Australian dishes. That’s one of the reasons I signed up for a part-time TAFE course on commercial cookery. For MasterChef I think I will cook mee hoon goreng, a Malay-style fried vermicelli noodle dish which is popular in Singapore and Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Where is your dream holiday destination?

My dream holiday destination is Australia. I am living it.

THREE … new things to try this Easter

1

Try your luck at homemade hot cross buns

While store-bought hot cross buns never disappoint, nothing says holiday spirit like a home cooked meal. So grab your best pastel coloured apron, pop on your favourite festive film, and head to the kitchen.

2 Track the Easter Bunny

Unlike Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny’s travelling efforts often go underappreciated. Download an Easter Bunny tracker app or head online to do your part in marvelling at the speedy hopping of this four-legged hero.

3 Decorate your Easter eggs with edible paint

If you can resist the urge to eat all your eggs straight away, decorating chocolate eggs with edible paint is a great way to make your treats look even tastier. Whether it’s an Easter-themed design or something entirely different, decorating your eggs ensures no one can ‘accidentally’ mistake your eggs for one of theirs.

NEWS Decades of service

Michele Lovett will be ticking off 30 years as she continues to take part in the State Firefighter Championships.

The CFA Hallam captain has been involved since she was just 11 years old and competed in the juniors division, with Michele saying that “it’s always been part of our family”.

“My brother and sister were also part of juniors and my dad has been involved in the CFA for 55 years or something ridiculous!” she said.

However, it’s not just the family aspect that Michele enjoys about the championships, but also the camaraderie and friendships that she’s made over the years.

“You go up there and you see people that you only see once a year but you know their name and they know you, some people I’ve known since juniors,” she said.

Although some time off was needed in recent years due to injury, Michele continues the championship tradition by helping to marshal the brigades off at the competitions.

“I make sure all the brigades are lined up in the order set out in the program, it’s like a roll call,” she said. Just last year, Michele competed in the trial of the female-only event, something she described was “a dry work event so there was no water”.

“Each competitor needed to connect certain hoses together and you have to do it as fast as you can within certain rules.

“It can be quite a challenge particularly when everyone is watching you,” she said.

Michele is also quick to encourage anyone thinking of taking part in champs to “give it a go”.

“If you’re a competitive type of person, you

can challenge yourself as much as you want either individually or as part of a team,” she said.

For those who aren’t looking to compete however, there are also other options where the event showcases a variety of aspects of the CFA, while allowing teams the opportunity to meet face to face.

“They’ve got all the different areas of CFA, last year the Aviation and the Personal Protective Clothing (PPC) teams were up there.

“Pretty much all of us that were up there for fitted out with the new Wildfire PPC and it was a good opportunity to speak to people in person rather than always over the phone,” Michele said.

TheVictorian Fire Brigade and Country Fire Authority 2024 State Firefighter Championships were set to be held this month.

MicheleLovettattheNationalEmergency Medalpresentation. Picture:SUPPLIED

No donation ban decision

By Cam Lucadou-Wells

An IBAC recommendation to ban property developers from making political donations remains up in the air.

The State Government has announced it will accept most of IBAC’s 34 recommendations arising from its Operation Sandon inquiry into Casey Council and property developers.

On 20 March, Premier Jacinta Allan announced the government would accept 32 of them in full or in-principle.

However, IBAC’s recommended ban on political donations from “high-risk groups” such as property-developers is still being considered.

It follows a recently-released report by the state’s Electoral Review Expert Panel which found prohibiting donations by property developers was “unnecessary”.

“Victoria’s disclosure requirements and low general cap on political donations make it unnecessary to introduce bans on donations from particular industries,” the Panel stated.

It found there were “significant policy and administrative challenges” to such a ban, such as the cost and burden of doing background checks of donors and determining what industries an organisation belonged to.

“At the moment, there does not appear to be a clear, established policy rationale for determining which industries a ban should apply to,” the panel stated.

“Industry-specific bans may unreasonably slur or stigmatise an industry.”

Meanwhile, the government partially accepted the proposed creation of an interdepartmental taskforce to oversee the recommendations’ implementation.

It didn’t support the taskforce making quarterly progress reports to IBAC, stating it was “not appropriate”.

“Significant policy development and legis-

lative change is ordinarily subject to Cabinet consideration.”

The taskforce will report back to the public within 18 months.

Many recommendations were accepted by the government as part of its Housing Statement, which will shake up the state’s planning system.

As recommended by IBAC, it will look at taking planning decisions out of councillors’ hands.

Premier Jacinta Allan said the government was“strengthening planning and local government as part of our once-in-a-generation reform to build more homes”.

Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said: “Victorians deserve to have trust in the state’s planning system, and we’re accepting these recommendations as part of our work to make sure good decisions are made faster – and more transparently.”

The government has already announced reforms at local councils, including mandatory training for councillors, a uniform councillor code of conduct and more powers for the Local Government Minister against errant councillors.

As part of Operation Sandon, former Casey mayors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett were especially highlighted for accepting more than $1.15 million in payments and in-kind support from developer John Woodman.

They were found to promote Woodman’s interests in several key planning decisions at Casey without declaring their conflict of interest.

Woodman was also found to cultivate influence at state government level, paying lobbyists and donating generously to Labor and Liberal party coffers.

He’d also funded 11 ‘friendly’ candidates’ campaigns in the Casey elections in 2016, and was linked to a community residents action group funded by developer Leightons.

It’s yet to be seen whether Aziz and Ablett will face criminal charges. IBAC has powers to refer alleged criminality to the Office of Public Prosecutions to make that call.

Both councillors and Woodman have denied wrong-doing.

Premier Jacinta Allan has announced the government has accepted 32 of IBAC’s 34 recommendations arising from Operation Sandon. 374312 Picture: ROB CAREW

Funding plea for desexing

By Violet Li

The Lost Dogs Home Cranbourne is pleading for “consistent and ongoing” funding for cat desexing programs as the shelter has seen its cat intake for Casey increase by 88 per cent in the last two years.

The Cranbourne facility took in 739 cats from 2020 to 2021, 1093 from 2021 to 2022, and 1393 from 2022 to 2023 in the City of Casey area.

Spokesperson Suzana Talevski said there had been a steady increase and it was a quite staggering number.

“There are just not enough animals that are being desexed,” she said.

“As much as we’ve tried over the years to educate and inform the community about the importance of desexing your pets, it has worked to a degree, but not enough to stop those numbers getting higher and higher.

“What we need to do is to work together with the community, the local government, and the State Government to make sure we’ve got programs that provide low-cost desexing alternatives because we know that the cost of living does bite, and there are a lot of families doing it tough.”

Casey Council currently has 8439 registered cats, and the majority are desexed except those with exemptions.

The State Government has recently committed $300,000 to run a trial program to in-

crease cat desexing rates, address cat overpopulation, and support vulnerable cat owners.

Councils can now apply for grants of up to $25,000 to deliver targeted cat desexing programs within their community.

The council-run programs will focus on people who care for semi-owned and unowned cats and help them take full ownership of these cats. The program will also provide free and low-cost desexing services to cats owned by Victorians who may be experiencing financial hardship in the program’s target areas.

Executive director of animal welfare Victoria Dr Trevor Pisciotta said desexing cats

helped reduce the burden of over-population on Victoria’s domestic animal services.

“Although 95 per cent of registered cats are desexed by the age of two, cats can have multiple litters in this time. This can sadly result in thousands of cats entering the Victorian pound and shelter system each year,” he said.

Ms Talevski said the recent program was a great start, which the shelter welcomed.

“But when you think about the fact that it will be divided between councils in Victoria, then that means it’s probably not going to have the impact that we need to really make a substantial difference in reducing the number of

cats that are out there,” she said.

She pointed out the cat population issue was likely the number one issue facing the shelter.

“And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better,” she said.

“We really need support from the State Government to provide adequate funding for those initiatives.”

City of Casey’s manager connected communities Callum Pattie said Casey had a 24hour cat curfew in place since 1999 to address cat issues in the community.

“Uncontrolled cats can have a significant impact on local wildlife and by containing cats to their owner’s property, it not only reduces the impact on the wildlife but helps keep the cat itself safe from other stray animals, disease, and harm from vehicles,” he said.

“It is important that pet owners practice responsible pet ownership by ensuring their cat is contained to their property, microchipped, registered with council, and wearing a registration tag at all times.

“Should a cat be found wandering outside their owner’s property and if registered with the council, the cat is returned home, and the owner is given a warning on the first occurrence. If the wandering cat is found and is unregistered, they are taken to the pound and the owner will be issued with an infringement penalty.”

Brendan Fevola statue unveiled in Narre Warren

By Emma Xerri

AFL great Brendan ‘Fev’ Fevola has been immortalised in copper form, with a statue of the popular radio host now at Narre Warren’s Webb Street.

Whether they were there for the statue’s unveiling or for the performance from Australian musical legend Shannon Noll, an excited crowd welcomed Fev at Bunjil Place for the statue’s unveiling on Friday 15 March.

Also joining in on the festivities were cohosts Fifi and Nick, as the team ventured to Fev’s home turf for Brekky in the Burbs.

“This is a big moment for the show as Brendan Fevola stands here in front of his home people in Narre Warren,” co-host Fifi Box said.

“Let’s talk about what this man has achieved. Six-hundred-and-twenty-three career goals. 204 AFL games. Three-time

OPINION

LENSCAPE

All Australian. Two-time Coleman Medallist. Italian Team of the Century. King of the Jungle 2016. Two Guinness World Records. It’s the great build-up… NarreWarren, here is your statue of the great man himself… Brendan Fevola!”

And Fev, who was simply relieved the statue actually looked like him, also relished the honour.

“Oh my God, this is like a mirror!” he said.

“What an amazing honour because dead people normally get this, and I’m not dead yet.

“Please don’t wreck it, make sure you look after it. If people poo on it, clean it. If other people want to get around it… I reckon we should be roping it off.

“People have been bronzed around the world and it doesn’t look like them… I think I look amazing!”

THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN

Thumbs down

On the engineering marvel who designed the roundabout on the Camms Rd rail overpass.

Thumbs up

To the magnificent Pakenham Show. Something for everyone to enjoy and perfect weather.

Thumbs down

To the arrogant people that think it is okay to dump their junk along the Princes Highway between Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon roundabout. Clean up your act, people. What a disgrace. Book a hard rubbish pick up - two a year for free.

Thumbs up

To turning McGregor Road into an airport runway with LED reflectors - can see the whole road light up in your mirrors at 4.30am.

A pair of laughing Kookaburras on a branch above Cardinia Creek in Akoonah Park, Berwick. 392855

Picture: GARY SISSONS

Hundreds of excited locals were eager to see the new statue when it was unveiled at Bunjil Place.

Brendan Fevola statue in Webb Street Narre Warren. 395876

They’re cute and fluffy, but there are serious concerns about cat over-population.

Thousands flock to show

AdventureTrailshowbagswereinhighdemand.

“The food vans were selling out of products,“ he said.

“We sold all the showbags that we had.

Kicking off with the main day on Saturday, more than 5000 people from near and far flocked to enjoy the program full of entertainment, fresh produce, food, cuddly creatures and fun for all ages. Show president David Young said the day was a hit for the community, with the sun shining throughout the program.

“It was a very successful show,“ he said.

“It was an excellent day for it.

“You couldn’t have asked for a better show.“

MrYoung said the food vans and the Parklea

Mr Young said major events such as the gumboot throw and the inaugural hobby horse relay race were also popular.

“It was never overly crowded,“ he said.

“There was plenty of people there from the start to the end.“

The show continued into Sunday with the dog show.

Mr Young said a third more dogs than last year competed in this year’s show.

“There were lots of dogs of all different shapes and sizes,“ he said.

The sounds, smells and spirit of the Pakenham Show were alive and well at the PB Ronald Reserve over the weekend, as part of the 113th Parklea Pakenham and District Agricultural and Horticultural Show.

Cody and Lilly on Barry the camel and Isaac and Eli on Alice the camel. 393927

Lilly, Ryan, William, Elise and Cody. 393927

Angela Long and Nancye-Joy Gardner from RoadSafe South East. 393927

Ava from Pakenham with a sheep. 393927

High flying BMX skills. 393927

Sue and Mandy from Star News Group. 393927

2024 Parklea Pakenham Show’s Junior Ambassador Tiffany Maestrale and Senior Rural Ambassador Tess Runting with show president David Young. 393927

The Brandt crew from Pakenham was back in full swing with their exhibition. 393927

Kian and Niyati with the Stone Stockmen.

Sudo from Racecourse Road Family Dental with Sebastian from Reptile Encounters and an Olive Python. 393927

Skye from PAW Patrol with Sara, Ned and Franklin. 393927

Callum shows off his scooter skills. Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

New tanker hits the road

By Ethan Benedicto

A

on Tuesday 12 March.

Tamara Bush, a firefighter from the Narre Warren North branch said that she, including her fellow firies, were “absolutely ecstatic” at the new tanker’s arrival.

“It’s something that is great for the brigade’s morale, it’s brought us closer in a way, through training for it and in a social sense as well,” she said.

With the previous truck being 23 years old, the new vehicle’s capabilities were something everyone in the brigade was in awe of.

As for the branch’s old truck, it was decommissioned from Narre Warren North and was given to the French Island CFA, whose truck Ms Bush recalled had an additional 20 years to its age.

“Our truck’s served us extremely well and it’s been to many local fires and some intestate fires.

“CFA trucks can go all over the state, and I know it’s been up to the northeast so it’s been to a lot of places,” she said.

Initial striking features of the new tanker include a dual cabin, which meant that all firefighters would be inside the vehicle instead of having two others in the back.

Robert Powell, the brigade’s first lieutenant, said that the truck is“the latest technology and it’s the most powerful tanker they’ve ever built”.

“It’s all-wheel-drive and a four-wheel-drive and from what I’ve just found out, this tanker will go into places that our old four-wheeldrive physically can’t do.

“Its capabilities are just phenomenal, yes it’s bigger, it’s got 4000 litres of water and it can really, really get in there and make a difference,” he said.

The previous tanker could only hold up to 3000 litres, and while that’s already a large amount, the extra thousand, Mr Powell said, could be the difference maker.

“It increases the effectiveness of what we do; we have the power to pump more and more water.

“We can also run what they call a mothership, so we can fill eight ultra-light tankers which hold 500 litres of water.

“We can also fill up two of the type of tankers that Hallam has, or we could fill up two of NarreWarren’s tankers and two ultra-lights before we go out and get more water,” he said.

While its main focus is on rural incidents, the new tanker can serve as an effective support vehicle to pumpers for urban-based emergencies.

Its firefighting capabilities are also an up-

grade compared to the branch’s previous tanker, carrying breathing apparatus so firies can enter buildings.

“In addition to the amount go water it carries, it’s got a big pumping capacity on it, which is driven by a four-cylinder Isuzu engine, meaning it can pump a lot of water.

“It also has a monitor in the cabin which our firefighters can use, and all these features will allow all the neighbouring trucks more time to come give us a hand.

“In the case if we were to go down to Clyde, we could pump water directly to other trucks’ pumpers, supplying them since we carry an extra thousand litres compared to their trucks, to gives them more time,” Mr Powell said.

The Narre Warren North branch also underwent three months’ worth of training that began in late 2023 before they could

use the vehicle.

In addition to that, new methods of maintenance and care have also been considered with additional procedures in place.

“Things are different on it, it’s a hell of a lot more powerful,” Mr Powell said.

While both Ms Bush and Mr Powell will miss their old truck, they are more than grateful for the new addition, while it improves morale, it serves as a major boost to safety as well.

Ms Bush is excited for Narre Warren and its surrounds to see their new truck in action, saying that “it would be good for the community to see it out and about as well”.

As for Mr Powell, he said that “while the old girl was good in its time, this is a lot more powerful and safer to drive, use and operate - this is the future”.

Sean Kerr, CFA acting chief officer on the left handing the keys over to the brigade’s first lieutenant Robert Powell. Pictures: KATY LYLAK

The new truck contains an array of features that the old one didn’t including a dual cabin, 4000-litre water capacity and an electronic interior.

Cup attracts bumper crowd

The $300,000 Listed Sportsbet Pakenham Cup (2500m) was run under lights on Friday night with trainer Ciaron Maher and jockey Mark Zahra combining to take home the big prize with eight-year-old gelding Ashrun.

There was also plenty of action off the track with the ’full-house’ sign taking prominence as more than 400 people filled the events centre for a night of high entertainment.

And it was a special night for two Pakenham Racing Club icons, with Michael Duff and Rick Tyrrell being awarded well-deserved Life Memberships.

Gazette photographer GARY SISSONS was on hand to capture all the action.

Gloria and Chris Webster.

Tracey, Dean and Marney.

Michelle, Erin, Lisa, Davina and Sophie.

Race 2 on Pakenham Cup night goes down to the wire.

Justin Pearson, Steven Menes, Craig Menes and Michael Utber.

They’re off in the Pakenham Cup. 395150

Pictures: GARY SISSONS

Geoffrey and Jude Hay.

Deeper roots to pay gaps

By Ethan Benedicto

Addressing the gender pay gap issue could be as deep as tackling foundational aspects of Australian society and culture, it’s been stated, following statistics revealed by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

Casey Council’s Safe and Equal Casey strategic plan began in 2022, with the local government pledging to continue creating a safe and equal community, with these statistics further bolstering resolve for their strategic plan which is currently in its second phase.

According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), Australia’s average gender wage gap is at 21.7 per cent, which means for every $1 a man makes, women earn 78 cents.

As for the employer wage gap data, 30 per cent of employers have a median gender pay gap between the target range of negative five per cent and positive five per cent.

However, 62 per cent of median employer gender pay gaps are over five per cent in favour of men.

Dr Claire Charles, a sociology professor from Deakin University said that “it’s really a reflection that we do live in a patriarchal society that is structured by men, for men”.

“Part of the issue comes when you decide that you’re going to make those spaces available to women now, and we’re going to give them laws and policies that say that we need to pay them equally.

“In sociology, we call that add-women-andstir approach, that in order to make things gender equal you admit women into spaces that were previously dominated by men,” Dr Charles said.

While women are being integrated into male-dominated areas, Dr Charles added that historically, it has only been relatively recently that laws and policies relevant to gender equality have been put in place.

“What happens when you add women and stir, you’re still going to have the residual effect

of all the cultures and practices, in the workplace that originally went with that patriarchal structure,” she said.

Callum Pattie, Casey’s connected communities manager said that the council is in its second year of implementing the Safe and Equal Casey strategic plan, which has a focus on gender equality and prevention against women.

With an end goal of 2032, the plan was “developed in consultation with local residents, community organisations and sector experts”.

“It outlines how council will deliver on its commitment to gender equality and prevent family violence by addressing the underlying drivers of violence,” he said.

While the council’s focus may be on violence, putting together a strong sense of togetherness through its eventual outcome echoes Dr Charles’ sentiments of targeting the foundations behind the gender pay gap.

Mr Pattie said that a focus of the first and second phases is building the foundations to apply an intersectional lens, which also began

as an internal council campaign in 2022 called the Gender Equality Action Plan.

Another factor that needs to be considered, according to Dr Charles, is the cultural and social practices in our current society.

“There is significant pressure on people to sort of perform their gender ‘correctly’, so when you’ve got a culture that says women are more suited to nurturing or caring roles - since that’s the role of women in a patriarchal structure - they’re more likely to feel that’s how they need to act subconsciously.

“Often there are more women in jobs that are lower paid, jobs that are more caring and nurturing, such as teaching, nursing, aged care and also the lower levels of hospitality.

“As people grow up they might feel that they gravitate towards those roles, it’s not simply just a matter of choice, we’re choosing in a system we didn’t create and that puts us in positions and certain ways from the beginning,” she said.

Overcoming these aspects is a slow and tedious journey according to Dr Charles, but progress can begin in the workplace through continued support, where a primary example could be more help on child-caring responsibilities.

“Sometimes these things operate on an unconscious level, so they really need to be pulled out through programs around raising awareness in workplaces around these issues.

“There can be a bit of a club mentality in workplaces, and you can see that being talked about even in our Federal Parliament, and if that’s a safe space for women to work.

“It’s a slow process, but the only way to challenge that is to raise awareness around it,” Dr Charles said.

Casey’s second phase of its strategic plan sees them further connecting with the community regarding the overarching issue and also would potentially have the gender equality plan progress into the council’s internal policies, procedures and systems.

Re-imagined snacks and meals results in healthy award

By Violet Li

Merinda

Park

Learning and Community Centre has been recognised in a state-wide award for its outside-school-hours care that boosts nourishing dietary options to help children learn, play, and be active.

The Cranbourne North centre won the Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) category under theVic Kids EatWell Awards 2023.

It has engaged around 30 children from surrounding primary schools with a focus on cooking activities and healthy food and drinks.

The award acknowledged that the centre re-imagined snacks and meals to offer a huge range of tasty, nutritious options to children attending before and after-school care.

“They swapped corn chips for soft wholemeal tacos, replaced puff pastry scrolls with pita bread, and have removed all processed items from their menu and their activities,” it stated.

“They now offer a rotating fruit and vegetable platter for kids to taste new foods, as well as providing a filling, nutritious second option, including zucchini slices and delicious veggie-packed curries.”

Children’s services coordinator Kirsty Tucker, who coordinates the OSHC program in the centre, said children also participated in cooking with the help of educators.

The award commended the daily cooking activities and believed that they helped kids make and serve their favourite foods to their friends while learning lifelong cooking skills.

The centre started the OSHC program around April 2023 after detecting a need for change.

“When I first started at the centre 12 months ago, I noticed that the children’s behaviour was a little bit up and down around the afternoon tea,” Kirsty said.

“After observing the kids, we came to the

conclusion that they’re actually hungry.

“So when we changed it [the afternoon tea] from snack meals to proper meals, their behaviour changed a lot.”

Kirsty said the centre was very proud to get first in the state.

The OSHC program has received local health expert support from Laura Ayers

at Monash Health to make the change happen. The centre also won the Schools and OSHC category in the 2023 Monash Health Promotion Awards.

A normal afternoon at the Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program in the centre. Back: Donte, centre’s children’s services coordinator Kirsty Tucker, Maddy, Sophie, and health promotion officer Laura Ayers from Monash Health. Front: Selena, Peyton, Destiny, Kahlan, and Brayden. 395179 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Dr Claire Charles from Deakin University says that certain aspects of the cultures and foundations of society need to be addressed to curb the pay gap. Picture: SUPPLIED

Advocating for victims

By Ethan Benedicto

The Southeast Monash Legal Service is shining more light on advocacy against sexual harassment in the workplace, encouraging victims, no matter how tough it may be, to speak to someone as soon as they can.

The community legal centre has been running a program called Advocacy Against Sexual Harassment for roughly three to four years, aiming to support and provide services for victims and highlighting the next steps to take.

Ariz Ansari, a lawyer who has been with the SMLS for the last year and a half, advises clients on these next essential steps, whether that be compensation, going through tribunals and so on.

Mr Ansari said: “This has been in the works for a while, but there’s always been a needfrom what I know - for clients experiencing sexual harassment in workplaces.

“The main thing is it usually comes in through other claims when they’re talking about other topics such as underpayment, or unfair treatment, sexual discrimination, discrimination based on race.

“Very often people don’t think what they experienced is sexual harassment, it might be a joke or something but it’s still unwelcome and still causes them harm,” he said.

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission in November 2022, one in three people have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the last five years since then.

In the same survey, which is the AHRC’s fifth on the topic of workplace sexual harassment, it is highlighted that half of the incidents are repeated and half are also ongoing for more than a year.

At the same time, reporting of these incidents remained low in 2022, with only 18 per cent of them being reported.

Mr Ansari said that the first step depends on the type of harassment, and if it were physical at any point to contact the police as soon as possible.

If the harassment was verbal, and targeted the victim’s body, appearance, gender, or even against a generalisation of a person’s particular sexual characteristics, then recording events and submitting a witness testimony is a key step for further action.

“Sexual harassment is any form of unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, and legally it’s a bit tricky to determine since there is an objective and subjective component.

“It’s good to speak to a lawyer so we can assess if there is a reasonably arguable claim, what other steps you can take and so on.

“It’s important that after you speak to the police and relevant parties, it’s good to speak to a psychologist as well.

“Not only is that good for you in terms of assisting to deal with that you experienced, but it’s also going to be helpful in conversation, with calculating if you’ve mitigated your loss.”

An article published by the SMLS in August 2023 highlights that the legal centre has an internal program that guides and empowers their support workers to navigate the multijurisdictional waters of workplace sexual harassment.

It also highlighted that young women and women from culturally diverse backgrounds are more prone to sexual harassment in the workplace.

Furthermore, those aged 18 to 29 experienced the highest rates of workplace sexual harassment out of all age groups at 45 per cent.

In a corporate setting, dealing with the issue immediately by getting in contact with the HR department is what Mr Ansari recommended.

Furthermore, he also advised to not only make a complaint against the individual harasser, but the company as a whole seeing as that they could be “vicariously liable depending on the steps they have taken to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace”.

“Even if you haven’t taken these steps, and it’s historical, even if it’s been three or five years, still speak to a lawyer.

“Limits on sexual harassment matters are discretionary for a reason, they recognise that

this is a very difficult thing to unpack.

“In the moment you may try and tell yourself that this didn’t happen and then you realise it much later on,” Mr Ansari said.

While Mr Ansari knows that it’s easier said than done, he wants victims to be “gentle with themselves [and] to stop blaming themselves for what happened”.

“Even though there’s a more progressive discourse around right now it’s very much ingrained for victims to think how they contributed to the situation.

“You can withdraw consent at any time, even if you consented to something a minute ago and something else happens that you didn’t consent to, it doesn’t make it okay because you said so earlier,” he said.

As for organisations and employers, Mr Ansari highlights that a harassment and discrimination policy should be mandatory.

“Very often you’d have this code of conduct, ethics and all these things, so you need to have a good policy that has proper procedures for reporting based on the size of the company.

“For example, what happens when someone makes a complaint, what are the next steps you take; you also need to provide training for the employees, especially at the managerial level,” he said.

Mr Ansari also clarified that these pieces of training he mentioned should be more than

just a short seminar with a piece of paper to sign at the end.

“That’s the minimum approach, but the best kind is to be interactive with discussions and questions.

“People may not really agree or understand but at least they know what this is what would be expected of them in the workplace,” he said.

The SMLS provides free legal assistance for those who have experienced workplace sexual harassment, with the availability subject to eligibility criteria and capacity.

For Mr Ansari, he applauds not just those who have decided to speak out, but also those who have gone through the experience.

“I think everyone is incredibly brave for just going through that experience, whether vocally or quietly.

“All we’re saying is if you speak out about it to someone that could help, it would set in motion a chain of events that could help yourself and the people.

“It may bring some form of closure, it may not make all the pain go away but it’s a start,” he said.

If you or someone you know requires legal aid related to workplace sexual harassment, the SMLS can be contacted through 9545 7400 or 9038 8002 for an appointment.

For any additional information, you can visit their website at smls.com.au/contact-us

Harkaway residents making the switch from septic

More than 100 Harkaway residents have connected to a smart pressure sewer system, eliminating the risk of groundwater, waterway and environment pollution from ageing septic tanks.

On Friday 15 March, South Eastern Metropolitan MP Lee Tarlamis met with Harkaway residents who have been connected to South East Water’s $3.9 million Harkaway Pressure System Scheme, after construction of a new 2.75 kilometre sewer main pipeline was recently completed.

Septic tanks require ongoing maintenance to ensure they are operating correctly, and if they’re not working properly or wellmaintained, dangerous bacteria and chemicals can seep into the groundwater and then into waterways, bays and beaches.

South East Water worked in partnership with Casey Council, under its Domestic Wastewater Management Plan, in identifying Harkaway as an area where failing septic tanks were polluting the groundwater and the environment.

Residents who wished to opt into the scheme are connected to a smart pressure sewer system managed by South East Water, which means there is no more maintenance

involved with the sewer system for the customer, and a healthier environment is maintained for the community.

Properties that are eligible to connect under the scheme include lots of land under 0.4 hectares within the designation backlog area which is currently on septic tank systems.

Mr Tarlamis said the project would ensure Harkaway residents would no longer have to rely on ageing septic tanks.

“Clean waterways, bays and beaches are essential for our health and wellbeing, and the Harkaway Pressure Sewer Scheme is helping eliminate septic pollution,” he said.

“This project will provide tangible benefits to Harkaway residents.”

South East Water liveable water solutions acting general manager Matthew Snell said the project would create a better environment for all residents.

“When eligible Harkaway residents connect, they’re not only getting a healthier system but one that’s safer too,” he said.

To schedule a connection day or arrange a free site visit from South East Water’s Connections Team, phone 1800 720 613 or email peninsulaeco@sew.com.au

SoutheastMonashLegalServiceslawyer,ArizAnsariisencouragingvictimstospeakabouttheirexperiences.

Picture:SUPPLIED

Saved from losing $2000

By Violet Li

A Cranbourne banker has saved a local woman from losing $2000 by stopping a six-monthlong romance scam, amid a rise in similar scams.

In late February this year, Maxine (not her real name), a local in her 60s, came into the Cranbourne NAB branch to deposit $2000 into an account.

She didn’t know the recipient’s surname when asked by the customer advisor Dilan Pathirannahalage, so she showed Dilan the surname in a text message on her phone and Dilan accidentally noticed very affectionate language in the previous messages.

He continued to ask Maxine the purpose of the transaction as routine, but she could not give any direct answers.

All these triggered a red flag for the banker, so he started to probe into what was going on. It was found out that Maxine was adamant that the money was to help her boyfriend who was sick and needed the money for treatment.

“She told me her boyfriend, who she met on social media, lived in Turkey and needed to fly to the UK for treatment, but his account had been frozen so was unable to receive the funds from her,” Dilan said.

“He told her to instead send the money to his friend in Sydney who could then transfer him the money. The reason she didn’t know who she was transferring the funds to was because she had never met the person on the other end of the line who she thought was her boyfriend, and so didn’t know their friends either.

“Even though the holes in the scammer’s story were clear to me, she was blinded by her love for him. These criminals are cunning and will prey on people’s kindness to steal their money.”

Dilan noticed the photo of the boyfriend could be taken from the internet or a magazine.

“This guy is wearing like a full suit, a waistcoat. I asked, have you seen any other photos?”

he recalled.

“Just none. So, only one photo in six months.”

Dilan then spent time with Maxine explaining why this was a scam.

“It’s very hard to convince. I spoke to her for quite a bit of time,” he said.

“They were actually calling her three times when she was in the branch.

“I said to her if I will give you some money, do you call me every time to get the money till

you get the money? Normal people won’t do that.”

Dilan said the lady was thankful later for him intervening with the transaction, which had saved her from losing a whole paycheque.

He also pointed out that according to NAB’s latest statistics, reports of romance scams increased by 29 per cent last year.

“For me as a banker, we have so many customers lined up and we want to help them as quickly as possible. I was glad to be able to spend the extra time with Maxine to stop her

from falling victim to a romance scam,” he said.

“I want everyone to know that if you’re not sure, just ask someone. We’re here to help.”

NAB is continuing to fight against scammers as part of a bank-wide strategy. It is running ads about romance scams across dating websites and apps and introducing more payment alerts across Internet Banking and in the NAB app, which will help customers spot potential romance scam red flags.

New childcare centre in Cranbourne North proposed

By Violet Li

A $960,000 childcare centre has been proposed in Cranbourne North’s established residential area, projected to accommodate 102 children and 18 staff.

Replacing the current detached weatherboard dwelling on 24 Huon Park Road, the proposed single-storey facility is said to “respond to the needs of the growing population of the area”.

It would operate from 6.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The peak hours are estimated to be around 8.30am to 9.30am and 3.30pm to 4.30pm.

The existing crossover located along Huon Park Road would be relocated to the north-

west corner of the street frontage for a twoway internal access way through the middle of the driveway. Two street trees on the nature strip would be removed accordingly for the relocation.

New vegetation would be planted in the open spaces and around the car park.

The proposal has provision for 18 on-site parking spaces, including one disabled parking space, and is applying for a reduction of car-parking spaces against the statutory car parking requirements, the application states.

The development plan states that the kerbside along the site frontage could provide space for up to three vehicles, which would be sufficient to accommodate the

shortfall in parking.

It believes that the on-street parking demand would be only likely to occur during peak hours and would be short-term lasting for 5 to 15 minutes, with minimal impact on the surrounding uses.

The proposal also outlines the projected peak-hour traffic volumes generated by the new facility, which would be 77 additional vehicle movements per hour during the morning peak and 69 during the afternoon peak.

The daily traffic volume would be around 337 vehicle movements.

It states that “the additional traffic generated by the childcare centre can be adequately accommodated within the surrounding

road network”.

Huon Park Road, a local road, has a single two-way carriageway that is approximately 7 metres wide, with a default speed limit of 50kph.

A noise impact report concluded the development was predicted to comply with the noise criteria in the Planning Scheme and it recommended acoustic barriers around the property and management controls to reduce noise.

The nearest childcare centre next to the proposed one is on Huon Park Road within a four-minute walking distance.

Casey Council will not make a decision before 2 April.

Cranbourne banker Dilan Pathirannahalage has saved a local woman from losing $2000 by stopping a six-month-long romance scam. 395303

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

A timeless celebration

By Violet Li

The Inner Wheel Club of Narre Warren weaved a vintage fashion show and fundraising together on Saturday 2 March to celebrate International Women’s Day.

More than 180 women attended the celebration with many of them coming all the way from Geelong, Bairnsdale, Wendouree, and Mornington Peninsula.

They were entertained with a three-part parade: a teaser of garments from the earlier years, a main parade, and a finale showcasing wedding and evening garments.

The day ended with a raffle with gifts donated by the communities and the club raised $5800, which all went to Foodbank Victoria. Club member and fashion show coordinator Margaret Sansom said it was a celebration of their era, in old wedding dresses and what women wore in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s.

“It was a bit of fun celebration of us as women, and with all the fashion,” she said.

Margaret said many women had still kept their mothers’ wedding dresses and fur jackets, so they just borrowed most of the dresses for the show.

“I know you can pay a lot of money and have a professional fashion parade to come in. But no, we did our own. We borrowed all the clothes and everything,” she said.

“You can really laugh at yourself when you get dressed up in some of the outfits.

“It was just incredible how many people still have those hidden treasures.”

Margaret said it was the club’s first big event ever since the pandemic.

“We were just so thrilled to think that we were able to get back and do something like that and have so many women come,” she said.

InnerWheel Club of NarreWarren members are going to Manchester in the United Kingdom to celebrate 100 years of the worldwide InnerWheel organisation in late April this year.

By Emma Xerri

Attendees brought a plate of food to share, expanding their palettes and their

Clyde North’s Balla Balla Community Centre opened their doors to locals on Tuesday 19 March for a special Harmony Day event.

The day, which invited people to reflect on and celebrate cultural differences, was honoured by the centre through a Harmony Day Lunch.

empathy through a colourful feast of multicultural foods and great conversation.

Avtar Saini,Baljeet Singh Sandhu,Maree Cullinan and Harbhagwan Dass.

Avtar Saini and Maree Cullinan.

Inner Wheel Club of Narre Warren members modelled at the fashion show. 391426

Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

Pauline Brewster (Narre Warren Inner Wheel Club) getting ready for the fashion show. 391426

Margaret Sansom (Narre Warren Inner Wheel Club,at the left) with Maree Budweg (Wandin Inner Wheel Club). 391426

Red Hat Society (from several chapters). 391426

Lunch at the function room. 391426

Tips for an elevator pitch

TAKING CARE IAN ASH OF BUSINESS

You have a great business with fantastic products and/or services, but how do you get people to want to find out more if you only have a short time to talk to them?

This is the essence of what is known as an ‘Elevator Pitch’, the word ‘elevator’ here relating to the American word for a lift.

The idea is that you are at the top of a tall building and as you step into the elevator, another person also walks in and asks you “what do you do?”.

An Elevator Pitch is intended to ensure that by the time the lift reaches the ground floor, the other person in the lift wants to find out more about your business and hence potentially engage.

These days, when attention spans are notoriously short, finding a way to grab someone’s attention quickly so that they want to find out more about your products or services is pretty important especially if you are likely to be attending networking events or similar.

So how do you create a great Elevator Pitch? Here is my recommended approach:

Step 1: Determine your USP (Unique Selling Proposition/Point).

Step 2: Create a single, simple statement using the following structure:

1. What you do

2. For whom

3.Results that are created

4.Apply your USP to the above

Your USP is simply a statement that high-

lights what makes your business special or unique, i.e. what you do better/faster/cheaper than your competition. This statement is necessarily very short and succinct and captures the key aspect(s) that you want to stand out. Some examples for larger companies include:

· Canva – “Empowering the world to design”

· Hubspot - “Grow better with HubSpot”

· Starbucks – “Expect more than a coffee.”

To illustrate the process, I am going to use a local business (‘Funky Cakes’ based in Pakenham) to show how a possible Elevator Pitch could be derived. Funky Cakes’ USP is “if you

can imagine it, I can cake it”. Using the above process:

1.What you do – I bake cakes

2.For whom – anyone with a special occasion

3.Results that are created – cakes that look amazing and taste fantastic.

4.Apply your USP to the above

Now when applying the USP to the above statements, some crafting may be required to make sure that the final result reads correctly so in this case a possible Elevator Pitch might be:

“I bake imaginative and unique cakes for any-

one with a special occasion that look amazing and taste fantastic.”

The ideal outcome is that the statement grabs the listener’s attention and prompts them to ask open-ended questions such as ‘how do you do that?’ or ‘where does the imagination come from?’ etc. Once this occurs, a conversation has started on the business from which hopefully new opportunities will be derived.

Ian Ash ACC, AInstIB Managing Director OrgMent Business Solutions - www.ombs.com.au

An Elevator Pitch is intended to ensure that by the time the lift reaches the ground floor, the other person in the lift wants to find out more about your business and hence potentially engage.

Picture: MAHAD AAMIR ON UNSPLASH

WHAT’S ON

Learn to play ukulele

The ukulele is a very simple instrument to learn – perfect for the lazy potential musician. No need for the ability to read music, or practise endless scales or devour a whole heap of theory.

The U-Bute Uke Group is a relaxed and happy group which makes magical music together. Bring a love of music and a sense of fun.

Enrol in the ‘Introduction to Ukulele’ nine-week course at the Outlook Community Centre Pakenham, with the view to graduate to join the group. Course begins on Friday 26 April from 12.30pm to 2pm.

· Contact Outlook Community Centre on 5940 4728 for further details. Bookings essential.

Songs from Around the World

A Voices of Casey concert will be held on Saturday 23 March, 2.30pm, Hallam Senior College, 74-84 Frawley Road, Hallam.

Tickets: $20 adults; $5 under 12; $40 for a family of four, afternoon tea included. Door sales are cash only.

· Saturday 23 March, 2.30pm.

Hills with Heart

Emerald photographer Tracey Sharp is running the Hills with Heart project, which is aiming to capture the stories of 50 local families with a exhibition at the Hills Hub later in the year.

There is a $100 participating fee per family, which will be donated to the CFA or SES brigade of your choice.

· For more information, visit sharpmemories. com.au

Bunyip Show

A community show once a year which families can attend. Please encourage your friends and family to attend from 9am to 3pm and get behind this local community event.

· Sunday 24 March at the Bunyip Recreation Reserve.

Emerald Rotary Market

A community market in the heart of the Hills. Crafts,produce,collectables,treasures,hot food, fresh coffee, ice cream and so much more will be available. The market will be located behind the shops off Kilvington Drive and opposite the primary school on the oval on Heroes Avenue.

For more information contact 0408 769 491.

· Second Saturday of the month.

Open mic for artists

Cardinia Creative Community is a space for animators, artists, musicians, writers, poets, comedians, actors, dreamers, visionaries, dancers, storytellers and creators to come together to support one another to make dreams come true.

· The group meets on the last Friday of the month from 7pm to 9pm, at the Officer Food Truck Park, 474 Princes Hwy, Officer. For more information, visit facebook.com/ groups/870966037793058

Probus Club of Pakenham East

The Probus Club of Pakenham East is encouraging new members to join. Various activities are held throughout the month.

· Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cardinia Club,commencing at 10am. A short meeting is followed by morning tea and the opportunity to get to know members prior to the introduction of the guest speaker. For more information, phone Pam on 0427 067 823 or Kevin on 0455 877 737 or e-mail probuspakenhameast@gmail.com

Housing Support and Advice

Are you experiencing homelessness? At risk of having no safe place to live? Living in low-cost accommodation with no support?

Visit the Pakenham Library and have a chat with a support worker to discuss available options and resources.

· Every Wednesday between 2pm to 4pm. Bookings are not required. If you require more information, please phone Pakenham Library on 5940 6200.

Casey Cardinia Life Activities Club

Are you newly retired, or new to the area, or just wanting to enjoy your freedom, or expand your social life?

Casey Cardinia Life Activities Club can offer you stimulating activities such as weekly social/chat activities with low key in line dancing if you want to tap your feet and great afternoon teas, day/ short and long trips away via (coach/flights), Weekly Morning Coffee Club, Monthly Saturday Country Pub Lunches, Monthly Evening Dineouts, Weekly Table Tennis Club, Walking Groups, Seasonal Daytime Musical Theatre Outings, and more! We welcome all you gentlemen out there with time on your hands! Ladies, come along, this is your time to meet like minded people and

Harewood Heritage Day

Tours of Harewood House and environmental walks of grounds, local historical displays, historic cars and vintage machinery, period costumes, food stalls, live entertainment, traditional trades and craft demonstrations. Entry: $15 adult,$10 concession and $40 for two adults and two concessions. Proceeds to

Kooweerup Regional Health Service.

For more information, contact Bev Edwards on 0400 584 235 or harewoodcharityday@ gmail.com

· Sunday 7 April from 10am to 3pm at 3300 South Gippsland Highway, Kooweerup, next to Tooradin Airfield.

make those new friends.

· Come along and get to know the club by visiting on a Thursday at 2pm at Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House or join us on a Wednesday at 10am for a Coffee at Little Sparrow Fountain Gate. For more information, contact enquiry officer Gloria 0468 363 616.

Berwick Springs VIEW Club

Affiliated with The Smith Family, the Berwick Springs VIEW Club is a not-for-profit organisation, with the aim to fundraise to support Learning for Life students.

The club currently supports seven students of varying ages with their education expenses and are about to take on an eighth student.

The club meets on the first Monday of each month in the Berwick Springs Hotel function room from 11.30am, where members enjoy a lunch and then host a guest speaker.

Throughout the year, the club has a couple of special fundraisers, as well as casual morning tea and lunch for interested ladies.

The club is always looking for new members in all age groups.

· For more information, contact Shirley on 0419 878 481 or email berwicksprings.viewclub@ gmail.com

Kooweerup’s Rodney and Bev Edwards playing the part of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria at the Harewood Heritage Day in 2023. 325553 Picture: GARY SISSONS

Absolute pleasure or pain

By David Nagel

The difference between winning and losing grand finals is the biggest abyss in sport and what will drive Tooradin and Pakenham to their absolute peak performance when the Seagulls and Lions collide in a spectacular close to the CCCA Premier Division season.

Premierships are so bloody hard to win; most players would be happy to celebrate one or two, with the thrill and exhilliration that follows the stuff that dreams are made of.

If you could bottle the feeling and sell it; you’d be a very rich person indeed.

If you could bottle the feeling of defeat; you’d decimate a bank balance in a heartbeat.

The winning feeling is something that Pakenham captain Dale Tormey experienced in his first year at the club, with his 4/30 and 61 runs leading his Lions to a four-wicket win over Kooweerup.

Covid ruined the Lions chance of going back-to-back in 2020, while missing finals in 2021 - and losing consecutive semi-finals to Cardinia - has left Tormey and his crew superhungry for success.

Talk about hungry; it’s hard to imagine the insatiable appetite for success that Tooradin captain Mick Sweeney will take into this week’s contest.

Sweeney turns 38 in less than a month’s time, and has suffered the sickening taste of grand final defeat on more than one occasion.

A long-time player for Dandenong in Vic Premier Cricket, Sweeney was part of a losing 1st XI team in 2012; and two years later suffered the same fate in the twos.

And coaching Cranbourne last season; he succumbed to Mark Cooper and his Beaconsfield Tigers in DDCA Turf 2.

To top things off, Sweeney was dropped for Dandenong’s 2011 1st XI win over Frankston; making way for Australian star James Pattinson.

You get handed nothing in sport; but Sweeney’s two-decade long search for premiership success is now within grasp.

His Seagulls have been the best side all season, with Cal O’Hare, Josh Lownds, Peter Sweeney, Tom Hussey, Russell Lehman and Dylan Sutton joining the Seagulls’ skipper on the 200-plus run-list.

His bowling attack is superb, with Brad Butler launching rockets from one end and champion all-rounder Russell Lehman the ideal foil with the new ball.

And in Lownds, Peter Sweeney and Sutton; Mick has the quality to tie things up if the openers don’t make inroads.

His first season on synthetic has been a real eye-opener for the Tooradin skipper.

“It’s been difficult as a captain, to come to this league, on these wickets; it’s a unique style of cricket that I’ve never seen before,” he said.

“The ball goes to places that I’m not used to it going, it’s been completely different.

“Regarding Josh Lownds; I don’t captain Josh Lownds; he puts nine players in positions where I would never stick nine blokes; but the ball always seems to go there.

“His stats after Christmas have been incredible, and that’s all down to him; he’s a very intelligent cricketer and bowler.

“Russ (Lehman) has great control, so we can work to a plan with him, and Brad (Butler) just needs three slips and a gully to go and do his thing.

“And I know Pete’s (Sweeney) bowling so well; we’ve played a lot cricket together.”

So how do the Lions bring down this Seagulls’ juggernaut?

The obvious answer is via the gun duo of Chris Smith (1008 runs) and Tormey (678); who have set the competition alight this season, while less obvious answers came to the fore in a semi-final win over Kooweerup.

Jack Anning showed some spunk, Jason Williams some class, and Sean Gramc hit the ball as cleanly as any player has this season.

Rob Elston, Stuart Johnson and Dom Paynter - who has caused the Seagulls much pain in finals before – are others the Gulls will need to restrict with the bat, while Nick Sadler is also dangerous.

And in Marcus Martini and James Close, the Lions have two young opening bowlers that are ready to perform on the big stage.

The more you look at it; this can’t be anything but a classic…with two great teams set to be driven to their peak performance.

It’s the Seagulls to win…and Mick Sweeney to make a thrilling cross of the abyss!

TOORADIN (1) V PAKENHAM (3)

TOORADIN

WIN/LOSS/DRAW 12-1-1

· RUNS TOP-5: Cal O’Hare 616, Josh Lownds 564, Peter Sweeney 390, Tom Hussey 338, Mick Sweeney 316.

· WKTS TOP-5: Brad Butler 31, Josh Lownds 24, Russell Lehman 21, Peter Sweeney 13, Tyler Evans 9, Kallan Braid-Ball 9.

· FLAGS/LAST 25 YEARS: 2003, 2013, 2022 PAKENHAM WIN/LOSS/DRAW 9-4-1

· RUNS TOP-5: Chris Smith 1008, Dale Tormey 678, Jack Anning 294, Rob Elston 280, Dom Paynter 197.

· WKTS TOP-5: Dale Tormey 30, Jason Williams 18, Chris Smith 14, James Close 12, Marcus Martini 12.

round-14 clash gives the best guide to this week’s outcome.

Kyle Parrott (53), Russell Lehman (45), Dylan Sutton (44 not out), Josh Lownds (38) and Cal O’Hare (29) helped the Gulls to 7/257, before the Lions looked to be cruising in reply.

Chris Smith (98) and Dale Tormey (91) had the score at 1/173, before the Gulls stopped the Lions in their tracks.

Brad Butler (4/57) and Tyler Evans (2/4) did the bulk of the damage, while Josh Lownds (154-22-0) and Peter Sweeney (21-2-74-2) bowled 36 overs between them.

The Lions can expect more of the same this weekend.

WHAT THE CAPTAINS SAY?

MICK SWEENEY (TOORADIN)

“To experience the ultimate in club cricket is something I’m really keen for.

“Definitely our depth is our strong point; I think one to 11 can point to something throughout the season where they’ve had an impact, and that builds confidence.

“Whether the opportunity has been large or small, they’ve grabbed it with both hands.

“Tyler Evans turned the game against Pakenham last time; and that’s just one example of what I’m talking about.

“I knew this coming in; but it’s a really, really tight-knit group, and I wondered how Pete and I were going to fit in.

“But they’ve welcomed us in so well; and I think having teammates that are also best mates is something that can’t be overlooked.

“I think that teams that are like that tend to find ways to win; and we’ll be leaning on a bit of that on Saturday and Sunday.

“Pakenham is a fantastic side and are probably deeper than what the stats show.

“They’ve got players that have played at a higher level and are experienced in big games.

“They’ve got some important young blokes, but they’ve also got experienced players that have performed under finals pressure.

“They would love (Chris) Smith and (Dale) Tormey to fire; it would make their job a lot easier, but to defeat Kooweerup with those to making 19 each; it shows the quality of depth they have.

“It’s going to be a very stiff challenge; but one we’re looking forward to.

“I’m as hungry as anyone for it; I haven’t had anywhere near enough success for my liking…I’m very, very keen to win it this week.

“They’re a special group and certainly deserved their shot.”

DALE TORMEY (PAKENHAM)

“Grand finals are what you play for; we play for team medals, not individual ones, and we’re striving for the ultimate in team success so it would mean a lot to us all to win.

“We back ourselves and we know we’ve got the ability, and we’re confident.

“The pressure is all on them; they’ve been the benchmark team all year and been on top of the ladder.

“It’s all on them, we finished third, we’ve got nothing to lose and we’re going to Tooradin to give it a red-hot crack.

“There were a few games early in the season where fielding was certainly an issue.

· FLAGS/LAST 25 YEARS: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2016. 2019

FINALS HISTORY

Despite being regulars at the top of the table, this will be the first grand final between Tooradin and Pakenham in at least the last 25 years.

In recent times they’ve played in three semi-finals with the Lions prevailing in all three; in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

In 2017 it was Dom Paynter (87) and Rob Elston (45) who stole the Seagulls thunder, while Paynter was at it again the following year.

He took 5/36 and made 29 not out to capitalise on a 94-run opening partnership between Chris Smith (53) and Jack Anning (39).

In 2020, it was Smith 67 not out and Ben Maroney 60 that piloted the Lions to victory.

THIS SEASON

Tooradin holds a two-nil record over Pakenham this season.

In a round-two one-dayer Tom Hussey (44 not out) and Peter Sweeney (36) helped the Seagulls (6/162) chase down the Lions 7/159; with two overs to spare, while the most recent

“We probably dropped seven or eight catches againstTooradin in the one-dayer, and you can’t do that against the top teams; they will make you pay.

“We’ve spoken about it, week in, week out, and the boys are putting in the time to get better.

“This week we’re coming up against a very strong batting line up, but they give chances and when they do give chances we have to make sure we take them.

“We were super against them in the Pink Ladies game for 60 overs, but then dropped a couple of half-chances late.

“That can be the difference between chasing 200 or 250, so it’s important we take those opportunities when presented.

“Whether with bat or ball, we’re going to support each other and put on the best show possible.

“It’s going to be a great game; Tooradin has a long list of very good players and we’re confident we can match them.

“It’s going to be a great show; and a great promotion of Casey Cardinia cricket as well.”

Tooradin speedster Brad Butler has hit form at the right time, taking nine wickets in his last two games, and looms as a serious threat to Pakenham in the CCCA Premier Division grand final.

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Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

CASEY CARDINIA CRICKET ASSOCIATION PREMIER DIVISION - GRAND FINAL PREVIEW

Culture ‘king’ for Warriors

By Jonty Ralphsmith

2024 down to the family culture that has been fostered.

It is exceptionally rare for imports to spend such an extended period at one club, but Davis indicated that off-court opportunities that have opened up for him made the decision to stay a straight forward one.

As well as acting as a conduit in the senior lineup and what he provides on court, averaging 22 points and nine rebounds last season, the Canadian has played a prominent role in mentoring junior basketballers and bringing the sport into the community.

As part of a buddy-system entrenching the one-club feel, the Warriors senior players are each involved in coaching a VJBL team, while Davis also coaches more than 200 five to nineyear-old Aussie Hoopers.

“He’s a leader – there’s no doubt about it,” men’s coach Rob Roberts said.

“He’s one of the first ones to communicate with everybody - those guys are hard to come by.

“He offers us everything we need both on and off the court.

“You can’t put a value on his on-court stuff, it’s so elite it’s ridiculous.

“He’s always positive and (focussed on) growth.”

Speaking on Pakenham, Davis praised the growth of the club which has him excited ahead of the 2024 season.

“It starts at the top with the way Rob and Tanya take us imports in and give us opportunities to get involved in the community, and make money working jobs staying in basketball,” Davis said.

“They let basketball be our life; giving back to this awesome community.

“It’s awesome seeing everyone get around

each other.

“That’s what makes this place special.

“I think we’re lucky to be at Pakenham, so the least we can do is give back while we’re here and it makes the journey that much more enjoyable.”

Roberts indicated that the culture shift started upon his return to the club ahead of the 2022 season, following a decade away where he explored other coaching opportunities.

He made calls to stalwarts Jake Spruhan, Trent Lee and Josh Dow outlining his vision, which they all bought into; the subsequent success has flowed from there.

“I said ‘I promise if you stick with me, I’m going to bring the level of culture and professionalism and we’ll use that terminology moving forward in a way this club hasn’t seen be-

fore,” Roberts said.

“We’ve had lots of guys come in and out through preseason and ask to have a run, and we’re very quick to be able to say they’re not going to fit with what we’re trying to do, despite being very good players that would’ve made a difference.

“But I think our culture adds 10-12 points per game to us and that’s enough to get us to where we are now.

“It’s really important to us and I figure if I set that down from a senior men’s program perspective, which is seen as the elite, then hopefully the rest follow suit and we think we’re seeing that.”

One player who the club identified as enhancing its on and off-field credentials ahead of 2024 was Malik Colvin-Seldon.

He has linked up with theWarriors for 2024, and is getting similar coaching responsibilities to Davis.

The 6’8 University of Cumberland graduate is set to become a crowd favourite with his athleticism and excitement but, crucially, has an exuberant personality which is giving him an excellent reputation internally.

“The kids love him; he stands out in a crowd and it’s easy for him to communicate with everyone so off court he’s fitting in really well,” Roberts said.

Colvin-Seldon’s size, alongside that of Matt Berkec and Davis, is set to be a nightmare for opposition teams to defend with Davis keen to take the court with him.

“I honestly believe I have never played with a guy like Malik,” Davis said.

“He (has) presence out there, he demands attention on the offensive side of the ball and teams are going to have to do a lot of game planning for him and that is going to make everyone else’s life easier.

“There will be games where Malik is a human highlight reel waiting to happen, and the crowd will get around him like crazy, but also (we need to) understand the game and make the right decisions.

“The days teams are doubling or tripling him, and trying to shut him down, we’ve got shooters and guys in depth who will benefit from him.”

Speaking on joining the Warriors, ColvinSeldon said: “I’m just excited for the season.

“I’m ready to go; I feel like I’ve been waiting for two months!

“I want to learn, grow as a team, I feel like we’ve got a lot of potential; we haven’t even scratched the surface.

“We just need chemistry; I see the talent, this is one of the best teams I’ve been on.”

Powerhouse trio combine for Pakenham Cup triumph

By David Nagel

Ciaron Maher, Mark Zahra and Australian Bloodstock have added a Listed $300,000 Pakenham Cup (2500m) to their treasured war chest of victories after Ashrun demolished a quality field at Tynong on Friday night.

The powerful trainer, jockey and ownership combination joined forces to win the 2022 Melbourne Cup with Gold Trip, while Zahra and Australian Bloodstock have also had their own individual success stories.

Zahra made it back-to-back Melbourne Cups aboard Without A Fight last year, while Australian Bloodstock tasted the ultimate in Australian racing with Protectionist in 2014.

Protectionist was prepared for his winning tilt by German trainer Andreas Wohler; the same trainer who brought Ashrun to Flemington for the 2020 edition of the famous two-miler.

Ashrun ran fourth in the 2020 Geelong Cup; then won the Hotham Handicap before finishing tenth in the Melbourne Cup to Twilight Payment.

Injuries then forced him to have almost three years away from racing; with a return to the track taking place in mid-September last year.

Now trained by Maher, he ran sixth in the Bart Cummings at Flemington, then second in the Geelong Cup to Amade, before Kerryn McEvoy piloted him to a fantastic fourth in the 2023 Melbourne Cup.

He has now had two runs back this prep; running a bottler from the back of the field first up over 2000 metres at Caulfield. He put the writing on the wall that day; closing fast for a close-up fourth behind Pakenham Cup contender Dunkeld.

Zahra was full of praise for both horse and trainer after his two-length victory over third-favorite Glentaneous on Friday night.

“He deserved that win; he’s an older horse and he’s had a few problems,” Zahra explained.

“Ciaron’s done a great job for him to be as

competitive as he is with so many problems; and it was a good win…he won easy in the end.

“It was a brutally run race and he just went to sleep on the rail and we just needed some room at the right time and it was over.”

Zahra bided his time perfectly, sitting midfield on the fence as Australian Derby and St Leger winner Major Beel went lickity-split up front.

“He was really relaxed, I was on the fence and didn’t really want to be back inside Dunkeld, but I didn’t have much choice and, in the end, I was travelling better than him anyway,” Zahra said.

“I saw Billy (Egan) give him (Dunkeld) a slap at the 600 and I thought ‘well, I’m going better than him’…I just had to navigate my way out and it worked out ok in the end.”

Zahra said Ashrun gave him a great feel and would be a great chance in his main autumn assignment; the $2million Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) to be run at Randwick on Saturday 13 April.

“I don’t think he has to improve much;

that’s 58kg and it’s only his second run this prep, so you’d think he’s got a bit of improvement and Ciaron’s just got him flying,” he said.

“He’s an eight-year-old, but he feels as good as ever; he let go a lot better than when I rode him in the Geelong Cup, so you’d think the Sydney Cup will be on the cards for sure.”

Stable representative from the Maher yard Adrian Joyce was clearly delighted that Ashrun had won his first race since the 2020 Hotham…1231 days before.

“It’s paid dividends for the owners and the patience they have had with him: 1000 days off the track and he’s runs since he came back have been marvelous,” Joyce said.

“He’s run in the Melbourne Cup and his first run back this prep was really good, so we were hopeful coming here tonight.

“He’s very tough, but a really kind, gentle horse, he loves his game and he really put it out there tonight.

“We have a great bunch of staff; they’re all doing marvelous work, and the owners are big supporters of our stable too; we’re all delighted.”

Maher took training honours on the night, backing up his cup win with Nana’s Wish in the last, which gave jockey Ben Melham a winning treble.

Melham also scored aboard Rubikton in the first race on the card the Matt Laurietrained Lightning Flash in the sixth.

Gun-hoop Damian Lane scored a winning-double, riding favourites Grinzinger Angel ($3.40) and Illative ($1.70) to victory in races two and three respectively.

This was the first Pakenham Cup run since Kissinger scored a runaway victory in December 2022.

Due to a change to the racing schedule by Racing Victoria, the Pakenham Cup lost its December ‘Saturday standalone’ timeslot in 2023, with Friday night’s edition really the 2023 cup run in early 2024.

The 2024 Pakenham Cup will return to its December ‘Saturday standalone’ timeslot this year; with the race tentatively scheduled for Saturday 21 December.

Mark Zahra and Ashrun complete a dominant Pakenham Cup win at Tynong on Friday night.

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Picture: SCOTT BARBOUR/RACING PHOTOS

Jockey Mark Zahra explains details of his winning ride to Master of Ceremonies and former hoop Simon Marshall. 395617

Picture: MORGAN HANCOCK/ RACING PHOTOS

Pakenham Warriors import Joe Davis has put his return to the club in

Joe Davis is the full package for coach Rob Roberts. 333511 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS