Gippsland Times Tuesday 12 December 2023

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TUESDAY, 12 DECEMBER, 2023

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UNSUNG HERO FRANCHISEE CHARGED PAGE 3

Sale United Football Club Treasurer, Cameron Irv rvine v collected more than 15,000 cans and bott ttles t purchased at the club over the past two tw w and a half years, which he returned to local CDS refund Tambo Recycling Centre Sale last week.

Photo: Zoe Askew

CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL PAGES 17-20

HERE TO STAY Philip Hopkins

GREAT VIC BIKE RIDE SPORT

VICTORIA’S native forest industry officially closes at the end of the month, but Radial Timber in Yarram is going nowhere.

The company, which has been building its own plantation estate for about 18 years, was relying on timber from VicForests for another six years until its own supply was ready to harvest.

Now, it’s in survival mode.

“We’re looking to source what local plantation material we can get - we’ve got two signed up at the moment and one should be starting to harvest,” Radial’s managing director, Chris McEvoy, said in an interview with the Gippsland Times.

“These are managed blue gum plantations planted in the late 1990s - almost 25-plus years old. They have saw logs 40-45cm in diameter - small end - so that will be the first material that will

go through our Radial mill for over 14 months, so that’s one thing.

“We are also sourcing a few plantations in southern NSW - not the land but the timber. They are not quite ready yet, but they will be ready before our own plantations.”

Mr McEvoy said Radial was making plans due to the shut down six years earlier than planned. “We have to try to get by and survive for the next six years.

Our Radial mill will be running at 25 per cent capacity. We can run it that way for the next six years; our own timber will come on board by 2030,” he said.

“That is enough to keep the doors open, but it has given us the ability to look at a lot more innovation. We have been pushing hard.”

Radial began establishing hardwood plantations on planned 30-year rotations in 2004. The plan is still to make the business self-sufficient in the long term.

The new plant, which uses radial cutting

technology, has now been operating for more than five years. Radial sawing cuts a log like a cake, which creates less waste and processes smaller logs than conventional sawing.

In the interim, in the absence of larger logs, Radial will concentrate on its new peeling plant and its bioenergy plant, which operates by pyrolysis.

“That’s burning timber waste in zero oxygen; it produces biochar, but also heat and energy. That plant is being installed now and should be commissioned this year,” he said.

“We are also looking at, beside heat, energy and biochar, a thing called ‘wood vinegar’. It’s interesting - an extract from pyrolysis oils used as an organic herbicide replacement for Roundup. This is the new bio-economy - refining wood fibre products into other products.”

A small log line is part of the peeler plant, which can peel a small log down to a 2030 millimetre core - basically down

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to a broomstick. This process has a 60 per cent recovery rate, unlike traditional saw logs at 30-35 per cent. The round log is peeled into veneer sheets, dried, glued and pressed. This engineered timber can theoretically be used to make mass panels.

Mr McEvoy picked up a piece of timber a metre or so long with a moulded groove down one side.

“That is the future of Radial. It’s nice and solid, yellow stringy bark, plantation grown, 12 years old. It’s potentially manufactured from a tree in the forest, to a round logs, to a peeled log to dried veneer, to pressed veneer to moulded product within 24 hours,” he said.

“We peeled it, dried it and sent it to Queensland; they pressed it, sent it back here; and we moulded it. It does not look like manufactured timber.”

This technology enables Radial to make laminated veneer lumber (LVL).

Continued Page 5

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Letters

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Bin replacement discussion I WOULD like to make a suggestion to the Wellington Shire Council regarding their replacement program for the existing wheelie bins.

Currently the bins are made of 30 per cent recycled content, the proposed new bins are up to 80 per cent recycled content. As I drive around my local area and beyond, I see bins which are in pretty good condition, suggesting to me that we do not need to go to the expense of replacing every bin immediately.

My interim suggestion is that the collectors when next emptying existing bins drop them at the next house along the street. We now have wheelie bins which are made of 100 per cent recycled content.

Kevin Christensen Maffra

Green waste of time I SEE that kerbside wheelie bins are being replaced

by Wellington Shire Council. The fact that Kwik Tip Bins - who charge the residents to collect, can "get the job done", therefore I have somewhere to take green waste, but take a look at the local council.

I moved to Sale in Easter 2022, and the message was plastered at the library for all to see: green waste bins - coming and scheduled for mid-2023.

Yet not only did they not fulfil their promise, it's now scheduled for 2025. Not 2024, 2025. What planet are they living on? Not to mention, rate rise!

Hayden Nichol Sale

Grateful for TAFE support AS 2023 comes to an end, I write to thank the Wellington community and industry for its support of TAFE Gippsland this year.

We have had around 11,000 students from throughout Gippsland pursue their study and training with us this year, along with thousands of local businesses trusting us with the vocational training of their staff.

The past six years have been transformational for TAFE Gippsland. We have worked hard to engage with the community again after some tough times and create an institute you can all be proud to call your own.

This year we were named the Large Training Provider of the Year at the Victorian Training Awards before we were nationally recognised, taking out second place at the Australian Training

Awards in the same category last month.

Just last week our engineering and fabrication team won the Training and Education Organisation Award for Victoria at the 2023 Weld Australia Awards.

We couldn’t have achieved all of this without the Gippsland community and local industries working with us to provide high quality vocational education and training that is custom-made for the skills needs of Gippsland.

As our students finalise their studies for 2023 and look forward to a summer break, we thank you Wellington for your support this year to make TAFE Gippsland the leading vocational training provider in Victoria.

We look forward to welcoming new and returning students to our campuses in 2024.

Laura Macpherson TAFE Gippsland Chief Executive

Cost of living pain EACH day as I speak to local residents across Gippsland South it is evident that many Gippslanders are struggling to deal with the rising cost of living.

This is a pain shared by many Victorians as reflected in a recent 47 per cent surge in calls to the Debt Helpline.

While I continue to push back against increased taxes and poor policy from the Allan Labor Government which compounds the issue, I wanted to take the time to thank the local volunteers and organisations in our community who are helping others in their time of need.

We are fortunate to have a number of great services within Gippsland South which are able to assist you if and when you need it including help with meals and basic necessities.

I encourage anyone who is finding it tough to reach out to their local neighbourhood house, Vinnies or Uniting for advice on what specific support is available to you.

Free financial advice is available by calling the National Debt Helpline (Victoria) on 1800 007 007, Monday to Friday, 9:30am - 5:00pm or visiting the National Debt Helpline's Financial Counselling page at ndh.org.au/financial-counselling/ find-a-financial-counsellor Danny O’Brien MP The Nationals Member for Gippsland South

A wonderful service

KUDOS to Stratford Cemetery Trust for the amazing effort that was done for the WW2 memorial service.

The cemetery looked superb with all the poppies, and the flags that were on each grave, of which was 150. There wasn’t a blade of grass out of place. The service was lovely, all the names being read out, of our heroes, and the lovely young man who sang our national anthem, and an old favourite ‘Till we meet again’. As a daughter of one of the 150, I felt proud and humbled that so many people put in such an effort to honour them. Not forgetting the wonderful flyover by the RAAF. Cecilia Temple Stratford

Where does your food and fibre come from?

FRIDAY, November 17 was Ag Day, a day where the agriculture industry and the hundreds of thousands of people employed in it are fittingly acknowledged and celebrated.

Victoria, and in particular my Eastern Victoria electorate is home to world class food and fibre producers.

Statistically speaking, Victoria does much of the heavy lifting when it comes to agriculture in Australia.

Our farmers produce 64 per cent of the nation’s milk, 47 per cent of the nation’s lamb, 70 per cent of the nation’s table and dried grapes, 35 per cent of nations fruit and nuts, 22 per cent of the nation’s vegetable, 21 per cent of the nation’s beef and 17 per cent of the nation’s grain.

Agriculture also contributes massively to our export markets with total food and fibre exports contributing a whopping $17.9 billion to the economy.

All this produce originates from the 21,600 registered farm businesses across in regional and peri urban Victoria - they are impressive statistics.

Growing up on a dairy farm is something I will cherish, it gave me an understanding of the challenges and tractor loads of hard work required to produce quality food from paddock to plate.

This year, may I take the opportunity on Ag Day to go further than a ‘shout out’ to our wonderful farmers across regional Victoria.

The Nationals know Ag Day is a chance to raise awareness of the high quality produce our farmers prepare for us all from behind the farm gate.

For those of us who live in the regions, we understand the importance production, processing, manufacturing, transport, marketing and all the workers that underpin of the supply chain.

This Ag Day let us celebrate all those workers who are an integral part of our high quality food and fibre sector.

A sincere thank you to all our fabulous farmers and their families for your role in feeding and clothing us.

Melina Bath The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region

Have your say THE Gippsland Times welcomes letters to the editor.

Preference will be given to brief, concise letters which address local issues.

The editor, Liam Durkin, reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of space and clarity, and may refuse to publish any letter without explanation.

The Gippsland Times does not publish letters from anonymous contributors.

Letters must include a phone number or email address and the author's hometown for purposes of substantiating authenticity.

Readers are entitled to one right of reply to a letter directly solely at them.

The views expressed in letters to the editor are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gippsland Times management or staff.

Email letters to news@gippslandtimes. com.au

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Page 2 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

News

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Bidding Zoe Askew adieu Movie starring IN breaking news, the Gippsland Times will no longer have any photos.

While resources, or the complete lack of, generally mean country journalists also need to have adequate photography skills, departing Gippsland Times journalist, Zoe Askew has well and truly filled the role of both journalist and photographer during her time with us.

Zoe Askew has had the last laugh as she leaves the Gippsland Times.

Photo: File

With respect to my fellow journos (and even myself) regular readers of the Gippsland Times have surely not needed to look at a photo credit in order to tell the difference between a 'Zoe pic' and one snapped by someone else.

Zoe's photos have been of such high quality, her skills have been sounded out for various outside engagements, and I'm certain readers have appreciated her willingness to share digital copies of community events, sporting feats and other functions.

I'm also certain I will be calling on her extensive selection of file photos over the next few months.

Zoe has produced some of our best front page photos in the last year-and-a-half, which has enabled stories to really 'lift' off the page.

Away from the camera, Zoe has been an energetic news gatherer, to the point where she wouldn't mark a piece submitted until satisfied she had the 'full story' - literally.

Much like a Zoe photo, you can often tell a Zoe story simply by how long it is.

I trust readers have enjoyed her monthly 'What's On' section and baby photos, elements that all add to the fabric of a local newspaper.

Those same readers may have inadvertently been networks of Zoe's to help her source stories.

She just seems to know everyone or has worked with someone from around Sale in a previous life.

As someone who has lived in Sale, Mallacoota, Broulee, Canberra, Newcastle and Indonesia, Zoe would have a fair story of her own to tell.

She has been prepared to work long and irregular hours - an oft untold part of the journalism trade.

As editor, the Monday morning deadline necessitates I arrive no later than 5am, and more often than not, the first person I've encountered in the last 19 months is Zoe, long before staff are expected to turn up.

Outside of work, her leadership skills have been sought after, and she captained Sale United Football Club Women this season, with the team winning virtually every trophy on offer.

Her journalism skills have also been sought after, with Boisdale Consolidated School asking her to give a presentation to students. Maybe the next Gippsland Times journalist was among that cohort.

Speaking of the next Gippsland Times journalist, Zoe's departure means a vacancy now exists for a new cadet to come on board.

If you have relevant qualifications and a genuine interest in telling local stories, please get in touch via ldurkin@lvexpress.com.au A knowledge of local sport would be absolutely advantageous.

In the interim, please be aware we will be one person down, and therefore little to no chance of getting to as many events as usual.

On behalf of editorial, I'd like to wish Zoe an enjoyable time as she ventures overseas to Europe, before returning to take on her next venture in the new year.

I hope she will not be totally lost to Sale, and won't be hitting us up for a commission on every photo we use from here on.

Liam Durkin Editor, Gippsland Times

Charged Sale man faces court Stefan Bradley SALE man and KFC franchisee Matthew Jones, allegedly dealing cocaine as 'Chicken Man', faced the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and Thursday after being charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug, trafficking cocaine, possessing MDMA, possessing methylamphetamine and committing an indictable offence whilst on bail.

The 39-year-old was arrested in Strathmore in Melbourne's north-west on Wednesday by the VIPER Taskforce. His charges follow the execution of four warrants at properties in Sale, Silverleaves, Strathmore and Patterson Lakes.

It is alleged detectives subsequently seized a range of drugs from the properties including cocaine, methylamphetamine and MDMA. Jones did not apply for bail following his court appearances and has been remanded in custody.

His next court appearance will be March 28.

A KFC spokesperson confirmed to the Gippsland Times that Jones was a franchisee shareholder.

"KFC Australia’s number one priority is the wellbeing and safety of our team members, and we were extremely concerned to hear of this incident involving a franchisee shareholder,” the KFC spokesperson said.

“The principal owner and operator of these

restaurants has taken immediate steps to ensure all team members are supported during this time and has commenced an internal investigation using a third party.

“We understand that team members are being well cared for at this time.”

It’s understood that Jones has multiple KFC franchises across Gippsland, including in Sale, Bairnsdale and Traralgon.

The investigation by VIPER commenced in April following a coronial enquiry into a drug overdose.

(The Gippsland Times does not imply or suggest that Jones’ charges are directly related to this overdose).

Investigators subsequently identified an entity

nicknamed 'Chicken Man', who was allegedly importing and trafficking cocaine via encrypted messaging platforms online.

Detective Inspector Craig Darlow of the VIPER Taskforce said they will follow up every possible avenue of enquiry to detect those allegedly involved in drug related harm.

"The community can rest assured that we have teams of dedicated detectives working around the clock who are intent on targeting the drug dealers, traffickers, and manufacturers causing the most harm in our community," he said.

"The repercussions of becoming involved in trafficking illicit drugs are life altering, with the maximum punishment life imprisonment."

Liam Neeson to start filming in Walhalla

Liam Neeson is shooting a film in Walhalla next month.

Photos: Contributed ARGUABLY the biggest name since Queen Elizabeth is set to come to Gippsland next year.

Hollywood star Liam Neeson is shooting part of his film Ice Road 2 in Walhalla next month.

The film is a sequel to the 2021 production Ice Road, which saw considerable success at the box office.

With a cast of 90 and a crew of 200, filming will begin on January 8, 2024 and is expected to wrap up at the end of the month.

The main location shoot will take place between the old fire station and the band rotunda, and the nearby Star Hotel will be specially repainted in new colours to suit the film's mood.

Neeson, 71, was nominated for an Oscar for his leading role in the 1993 Steven Speilberg epic Schindler's List - often rated one of the greatest films ever made.

It is one of only seven films to achieve a nine-star or higher rating on the Internet Movie Database.

The Northern Irish actor has achieved fame for work in blockbuster franchises such as Star Wars, Taken and Batman, as well as the romantic comedy and staple Christmas favourite Love Actually.

Since the early 2010s, he has mainly been cast in action movies.

It’s alleged Matthew Jones used the name ‘Chicken Man’ online, which is also a nickname for the Gustavo Fring character in the TV show Breaking Bad. Photo: Facebook

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Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 3

SALE COLLEGE CELEBRATING SUCCESS, ACHIEVEMENT AND BELONGING I would like to congratulate all the students who are finishing their secondary schooling this year across the Wellington Shire. VCE results are just part of the many stories of success that we are keen to celebrate as the year wraps up.

Our VCE cohort this year have been very supportive of each other and most of those DUX graduating will have the score required to take the next steps in their personal pathways beyond the school gate.

Our Dux this year was Finn Staple with an ATAR of 96.50. Finn’s goal is to study Engineering at The University of Melbourne.

ATAR 96.50 ATAR 92.70 Ronald Kong received an ATAR of 92.7 and is hoping to study Physiotherapy.

port and dux to come

ta: Career & Pathways & ptains doc, has new kids mes etc

CAREER & PATHWAYS New Career & Pathways text:

Sale College Careers and Pathways staff work with students to provide and equip them with all the skills and knowledge required to assist with future pathways. Our VCE students have shown a high level of commitment to their studies and we continue to support them as they transition to university, TAFE, apprenticeships and employment. As a College we are so proud of the large number of our students that have achieved their goals.

During 2023 our students have been involved in a variety of career-based activities including university visits, industry immersion, guest speakers, career expos, workshops, hospitality short courses, inspiring young people events,

camps and excursions as well as our incredible music and drama programs which has produced many concerts and performances throughout the year. We have had 90 students undertake either 1st or 2nd year of a VET Certificate with local training providers.

Our work experience program has been triumphant in 2023 with over 230 students attending industry placements. These have taken place mostly in the local area and we would like to thank the many businesses that have been involved in assisting and supporting our students on their journey. This program has enabled our students to gain real life work experience and direction which has resulted in

GUTHRIDGE CAMPUS

7-9

Every student will Learn, Achieve & Succeed

many apprenticeships and traineeships during 2023.

We celebrate all our students’ successes which includes a very successful 2023 VM (Vocational Major) program with high levels of completion and job outcomes.

The students raised a significant amount of money for charity and are trail blazers for the next years to come through the VM program.

We are so proud of all our students and their achievements over the year.

Below are our students

who have been employed in traineeships, apprenticeships and school-based apprenticeships. A big congratulations to all.

CAREERS AND PATHWAYS Sale College Careers and Pathways Program endeavours to equip each student with the skills and knowledge to make a successful transition from school to university, TAFE, apprenticeships or employment. Students are encouraged to investigate, experience and plan for their future in a supported, nurturing environment.

47 of our year 12 cohort have applied for tertiary education and many others have secured employment 83 students completed or are completing a VET (Vocational Education and Training) at certificate leve II or III and 7 students completed a School Based Traineeship (SBAT) in Construction. Another 14 students secured full time apprenticeships.

Sale College students have been involved in taster programs, university visits camps, careers expos workshops and music and drama productions. 185 work experience placements hav been organised for ou ents to give them the opportunity to disc MACALISTER CAMPUS

10-12

For further information phone 5144 1711 or 5144 3711 or visit our website: www.salecollege.vic.edu.au GP1665177

Page 4 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

News

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Radial Timber to stay around From Page 1

“I’VE always been interested in LVL (laminated veneer lumber), but LVL is still a commodity product from overseas that is generally softwood.

Could we value add more? We already have a cladding market; people want long cladding, and we can’t supply it. But we have lot of ‘thinnings’ from our plantations. If you can get a product out of 12-15-year-old plantations and turn it into this,” said Mr McEvoy, indicating the timber.

“Our lathe is 3.2m wide; what we are thinking is, we could do an end-matched cladding in set-length packs. In a one-storey place, use the three-metre pack; if two storeys, use two together and that’s six metres. We already have the customers, we don’t have solid wood anymore, we have engineered timber.”

Mr McEvoy said Radial would not be competing with pine LVL, which would need to be treated to become a cladding product.

“We have access to a lot of timber. We thin at six and 12-years - our final thinning is at 12. If that can go into a product - we might decide - why grow trees for 30 years? Why not do three rotations over 36 years?” he said.

“There are still durability issues, weather issues to test. However it’s exciting from the point of view, we could grow trees as a crop and turn them into engineered product in a third of the time it takes to grow saw logs for solid timber. The beauty of engineered wood and veneers is, they are a lot more stable. They are also easier to dry. The LVL board does have glue, but there’s a lot of timber in there, not like plastic wood, which is 80 per cent plastic and some wood fibre; this is 90 per cent wood and 10 per cent glue.

“All at the mill are excited by the potential. To have the veneers working with our moulding profile, physically it will look no different from our solid wood product. If that can weather like our solid wood product and maintain its durability, it’s great - we don’t have to start a new market, just convert people over.”

Financially, the company is relying on the compensation money that VicForests is paying because it cannot provide timber to fulfil its original contract. Radial’s licence is for timber supply until 2024 but was extended by VicForests until 2030

under the original proposed closure deadline.

Radial still produces its long, well-known ‘wavey’ boards.

“Again, it’s harder to get that resource - it’s generally a big bigger, native forest log. We have got some logs from interstate that will produce that,” he said.

The Radial group has 1600 hectares of plantations in total across 32 properties, all in South Gippsland and the Strzelecki Ranges. “The ultimate aim is 2000ha, which gives us a sustainable yield over 30 years repeatable. We have not got the whole 1600 planted yet - we still have some blue gums being harvested by others on land we own, and we need to buy a bit more land. I’m not sure that’s going to happen, with rural land being so expensive” he said.

Mr McEvoy said land prices since COVID had doubled. “We were paying per ha $5000-6000 preCOVID; now it’s $10,000-$12,000, and that’s in the Strzeleckis. Around Warragul, rich dairy country, it’s more like $20,000-25,000 per ha. We’re talking marginal farmland at $10,000 per hectare,” he said.

The Radial mill has a capacity to process about 10,000 cubic metres of timber a year. Mr McEvoy calculated that at a conservative average, the sustainable yield at the final harvest was about 150 stems per ha, with each stem about one cubic metre or one tonne. That’s based on a 40cm-diameter tree that is six metres long. With 150 stems over 2000 ha, that means 300,000 tonnes over 30 years, or 10,000 tonnes per year over 30 years.

“That’s a final harvest; it does not take into account peeling, LVL plant or biofuel,” he said.

With experience, Radial has changed its plantation model; the emphasis is still on durable hardwoods, but the species mix has grown from four to about six or seven - yellow stringybark, silver top, spotted gum, coastal grey box (class one), red iron bark, (“another class one from Gippsland”) and southern mahogany.

“We also do a lot more random establishment - still planting in rows but mixing up the species.

We do internal R and D, to determine which species grow best with each other. We try different permutations and combinations, and improve genetics, get seed, pick the best of the seed from trees, that’s important,” he said.

Nature had provided interesting lessons. “What

we found - Darwin’s natural section showed us how forests work. The stronger survive and the weakest don’t. Also, it’s really good for biodiversity; there is no sterile monoculture forest. It’s similar to a mixed species native forest.”

Mr McEvoy said he did not have a one-dimensional focus on plantations. “We need both plantation and native forest for fire, biodiversity, management and disturbance in our native forest. If nothing is done in the native forest, we are going to end up with a disaster. Plantation helps provide resource and wood fibre, but we must do something with native forest as well,” he said.

Mr McEvoy acknowledged that Radial was a micro-scale business, but it was a working model that could scale up based around a resource to create more regional employment and production.

“There is currently a movement against scale. I’ve always been small business person. Small business can get scale if done in the right way. Smart

decisions and implementation sometimes get lost in large-scale industrial; they are not as involved in local communities or landscapes, but I believe you can get scale from cooperatives, models that link together to create scale - that’s a more sustainable process,” he said.

 The Maffra Municipal Band would like to invite all residents and visitors to the Maffra Carols to be held on Sunday, December 17, 2023, at the Maffra Recreation Reserve commencing at 7pm.

Please BYO chair and/or rug. Santa will be appearing during the evening. Come along to hear and sing-a-long with the band. This is an alcohol-free family-friendly event.

Raffle to be drawn on the night.  Maffra Neighbourhood House will close for the school holidays on Thursday, December 14 at 3.30pm. Maffra Neighbourhood House sends best wishes for the festive season and new year celebrations to all their participants and looks forward to seeing them when the House reopens on Monday, January 29, 2024.

Chris McEvoy with a piece of engineered wood from his peeler plant.

Photos: Contributed

 Lions Club of Maffra Lionesses has only a few Traditional Lions Christmas puddings left at $15. To order please contact Barb Stone on 0408878173.

Caring, compassionate and professional service to those who have lost a special friend • Pick up from your home or vet • Private cremation • Keepsake urn or memory box returned within days

Follow us on facebook An up-close look at the engineered wood.

Get in touch 0407 579 500 Stratford

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Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 5

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News

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

The ceiling and columns are built with ASH engineered timber.

Hardwood production insight Philip Hopkins

TWO landmark advanced manufacturing timber buildings - one in Melbourne and the other in Bendigo - have been completed using regrowth hardwood from ASH in Heyfield. The buildings are two of the most important projects in the state's growing use of engineered timber for construction.

Hines, a global real estate investment, development, and property manager, has completed the firm’s mass timber office building in Melbourne.

Jackson Clements Burrows were the architects and ICON Contstruction was the builder.

In Bendigo, the Government Hub, which is mainly built from timber, is open for business and can house up to 1000 Victorian government and local

government workers. Lyons Architecture designed the project, while ICON along with Fairbrother Construction were the builders.

Both buildings have CLT (cross-laminated timber) from Xlam Australia in Wodonga and GLT (glue-laminated timber) from ASH. Hines’ T3 Collingwood (T3 stands for ‘timber, talent and technology’) is the tallest mass timber office building in Melbourne and is helping to drive the demand for high-quality, green office buildings.

Hines says building with timber, as opposed to concrete and steel, results in big savings in embodied carbon. The timber stores carbon dioxide sequestered by the growing tree in contrast to the vast amounts of CO2 used to produce a concrete and steel structure.

“We’re seeing a strong pivot towards ESG

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adherence, as well as towards core central locations, among today’s tenants both are expected to underpin growth for the prime end of the office market in Australia,” said David Warneford, country head of Australia and New Zealand at Hines.

“Demand is there, and we see good locations and premium green buildings leasing.”

Located at 36 Wellington Street in the suburb of Collingwood, the 18,200-square-metre, 15-storey timber office building adds to Hines’ global portfolio of 26 timber assets in various development stages across North America and Europe as of 2023.

“These ‘magnet buildings’ are sustainabilitydriven, well-located, technologically efficient, and adjacent to transit. They’re more than just office buildings. They’re places for building culture, collaboration, and community,” Mr Warneford said.

In fact, the mass engineered timber in the Bendigo building inspired Hines when it was planning Wellington. “We loved the timber; we saw what they were doing,” said Hines construction manager, Jo Lees.

The Wellington St commercial building has two levels of basement, six levels of concrete podium and nine levels of timber structure, which makes it the tallest timber structure in Australia - a mixture of certified CLT and GLT. Ms Lees said when the timber concept was first mooted, Hines assumed it would use European spruce, but opted for ASH regrowth hardwood.

Several reasons showed that Australian timber was a viable option.

“Cost - that always comes into it. The saving on shipping was a fairly high percentage of dollars,” she said.

“Time - having it local, three hours away, was a saving. All that ties into risk; it was a less risky proposition going local - there is better control over shipping, more quality control.”

ASH also knew the industry in Australia - the installers, the contractors and the delivery.

Ms Lees said ASH’s managed regrowth hardwood was a different colour, darker than European spruce and stiffer. “The stiffer timber beams and columns could be more slender, using less wood for the same structural result,” she said.

The Wellington St building has 970 cubic metres of hardwood GLT as beams and columns, and 2350 m3 in CLT made from radiata pine. About 30 per cent of the GLT volume is columns and 70 per cent beams.

“The beams and columns are all exposed - a great feature,” Ms Lees said.

ASH’s national business development manager, Daniel Wright, said unlike at Bendigo, his company was involved in design and detailing at Wellington.

“How the joints and connections work - we helped with that to make sure it was cost efficient, manufactured in time and looks good,” he said. ASH

also had more input into the beams and columns on Wellington.

“The structural strength in our hardwood is incredible; its strength-to-weight ratio compared to its price is internationally incredible. We have lots of data with fire testing; we understand how the wood performs in fire and how safe it is,” he said.

At ASH, production started with CNC - ‘computer numerical control’; big robotic timber processors cut and moulded the timber to meet the requirements of the connections. The company created a 3D model, with the full building in virtual reality.

“Every member, every screw in that model is millimetre perfect. From that we take a shop drawing with every individual piece,” he said. By rotating a beam on the computer, for example, improvements were made before manufacture.

Mr Wright said the shop drawing fed through to the company’s robots.

“The robots have their own program that actually determine the best tools to use - drills, saws, milling units, chain saws,” he said. The machine, which has 160 tools, chose the best tool to make the cut, although the technician “can override that”.

“Technology has caught up now - you build it in the boardroom and then the robots go and make it for you,” Mr Wright said.

In contrast, the Bendigo building is only fourstoreys, but has a huge floor plate and big floor space - 20,000 square metres overall including a car park, with a 13,000m2 building. The vast majority of the building is also timber. Cores anchor the building, but “everything wrapping around is timber”, said Lyons architect, Adam Pustola.

The beams and columns, as in Wellington, are Glulam from ASH, while the floor slabs in most of the building are mainly CLT from X-Lam. The building has 256 columns and 469 beams.

Sustainability is enhanced by photovoltaics on the roof that offset some of the energy usage, efficient air quality monitoring systems and water and energy monitoring. There is a lot of high-performance double-glazed glass, which is screened with louvres.

Mr Pustola said the design also exposed a lot of the timber, which is both structure and finish. “We have almost all the beams and columns on show, while half the CLT is on show,” he said.

With sustainability a key issue, showing the attractive timber structure removes the need to add materials, such as cladding and joinery, that hide the traditional structure.

"The interior, the public space, is warm and based on biophilic design, he said. This ‘nature connected’ design philosophy, as explained in Planet Ark’s report, ‘Wood - Nature Inspired Design’, outlines how using wood in an office brings nature indoors.

“It creates a wonderful, warm natural environment to work in, spacious,” said Mr Pustola.

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Page 8 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

ASH engineered timber work on display at the Bendigo Government Hub.

Photos: Ned Meldrum

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Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 9

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Taking the road less travelled Caitie Richardson

THIS is Audrey Brown's story.

I've had the pleasure of being one of Audrey's neighbours for the last few years and have loved getting to know her better.

Audrey was born in Birmingham in 1931, eight years before World War 2 began.

Her father worked in a factory turning brass and her mother worked in a Dunlop factory making golf balls. One of Audrey’s earliest memories was at five-years-of-age being carried on her father’s shoulders watching King George V and Queen Mary of Teck driving through the streets.

Every day life was getting increasingly hard leading up to the war, and Audrey and her parents soon found themselves in the thick of it. Their hometown of Birmingham ended up being the third most bombed city in England due to its importance as an industrial and manufacturing hub for the UK’s weaponry.

There were two air raid shelters in Audrey's street, one of them in her front yard. The warning sirens became a familiar sound for Audrey; the family would have to quickly run and hide with all their neighbours in the cold, stale-smelling shelter. She remembers disliking it greatly because it meant getting dragged from her warm bed at all hours of the night to sit with a group of scared strangers. After the bombers had left, everyone would flood into the streets to see what damage was done. Audrey remembers walking along the street collecting bits of shrapnel, some of which was still warm, and she would make a pile in their garden, just like kids collect stones.

Audrey and most children in UK cities were evacuated to live in the countryside where it was safer and away from bombings. This meant moving away from their parents and family to live with strangers for up to four years while the war went on. Audrey was just 10 or 11-years-of-age at the time and missed her parents greatly, but knew it was to keep her safe. Six weeks into Audrey being away, her home in Birmingham was bombed.

Luckily her parents were fine and moved to another house which was in a safer area, meaning Audrey could join them.

Audrey remembers food being very scarce and she wasn’t sure how her mother put food on the table every day.

The Germans were sinking ships that were bringing food to the UK, so it was very hard to find food in shops. Quite often her parents would line up for hours along the footpath to then reach the shop and be told everything was gone. Audrey remembers her mother getting frozen rabbit that had come from Australia and which had turned black in colour; others in the community were eating whale at the time. Her mother made a lot of stews and cottage pies, which to this day Audrey cannot stand.

When the war ended, she remembers American tanks driving up her road and people dancing and dragging their pianos out into the streets.

Audrey’s first job at the age of 14 was in an office as a telephone exchange, where she worked full time, six days a week and received 19 shillings and six pence.

When Audrey was 17-years-old, she met Joe at a roller-skating rink where they danced, and he kept bumping into her. She wasn’t sure what to think of him at the time, but they ended up going out together. Joe and Audrey were engaged at the age of 19, married at 20 and had their first child at 21 and another at age 24.

They decided to make the move to Australia, which was a long six-week boat journey that cost them 10 pounds each.

Leaving from France, it made one stop in South Africa and then made it to Perth. When they arrived, Audrey remembers walking into a pub and being told to leave and was ushered into a lady’s lounge. They settled in Elsternwick in Melbourne.

Joe had raced motorbikes a lot growing up, which helped him get a job in a motorcycle shop.

Audrey got word that her father had died a few months earlier back in England, from emphysema.

He had inhaled a lot of gas during WW2, which had greatly affected his lungs. Both Joe and Audrey’s mothers moved over to Australia to be closer to their children.

Joe saw a motorcycle business up for sale in Sale, so they decided to buy it - and packed their family together for the shift.

He called it Joe Browns Motors and Chainsaws, which sold motorcycles and Hondas. My father bought his first motorbike from Joe when he was 16-years-old, just as many others in the community did also. Their first impression of Sale was that it smelt terrible. This was because there was no sewerage system yet.

After being in Australia for two years, their third

ANTENATAL BREASTFEEDING EDUCATION SESSIONS

child was born and 10 years later, their fourth and final child arrived.

Joe sold his business in 1976 and bought a farm in Longford, which was close to my own grandfather’s farm.

Here, they started up a horse stud where they had around 40 horses, some being sold as far as Sydney.

In 1981, drought hit and things became incredibly difficult but luckily all their horses survived. Their horse stud suffered as no one had any feed and weren’t buying stock, so Joe started up a business in Yarram. Joe Browns Mowers and Chainsaws.

Due to Joe's ill health and needing a quadruple bypass, they sold the farm and moved back to Sale in 2002. Unfortunately, Joe died in 2021 at the age of 94.

During their 69 years of marriage, Audrey and Joe travelled the world together. Some of Audrey's favourite memories are, flying in an ultralight over the Victoria Falls in Africa, parasailing over the Cairns Harbour and flying in a helicopter over New York. She also mentioned that she may try skydiving soon at the ripe old age of 92.

Audrey misses Joe greatly, but is lucky to have her four children nearby who pop in and call her regularly. She also has Rocco, her dog, who is

15-years-old and is as deaf as a post but spends all his time by her side.

Robin, who lives opposite, is one of Audrey's wonderful friends and can be spotted in a few of these photos. They both catch up each week and have wine dates, which is gorgeous to see.

Some life advice from Audrey: Don’t be afraid to live life. Money isn’t everything, but it is important to have some behind you when you grow old. Travel the world, it will broaden your mind.

About the author Caitie Richardson is a local family photographer based in Sale who services all of Gippsland. Her passion is helping people tell their stories that they can keep safe within photographs for future generations to come.

In her spare time, she has started photographing and chatting with elderly members of the Gippsland community. Caitie writes each individual’s story and feels very privileged to be able to help keep those stories alive.

Caitie’s work may be seen on her website: at caitierichardsonphotography.mypixieset.com Alternatively, head to Caitie’s Facebook Page at facebook.com/caitierichardsonphotography

Audrey Brown (right) with Sale photographer Caitie Richardson.

Audrey Brown went parasailing over the Cairns Harbour.

Audrey Brown was married to Joe for 69 years.

He died in 2021 at the age of 94.

Audrey Brown.

Held every second Monday 2 – 4pm (except public holidays) in the Community Services Building, Palmerston Street, Sale.

Audrey Brown showing off her wedding dress (above, below, bottom right).

Book your spot by phoning the Pregnancy Care Clinic (PCC) on 51438 944.

Job Vacancies ç

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These sessions are not just about feeding your baby, but also a deep-dive into the amazing world of maternal/paternal and newborn bonding. You’ll also get access to resources to help you navigate your breastfeeding journey.

Please visit the recruitment section on our website: www.cghs.com.au

Sale Hospital Phone: (03) 5143 8600 Heyfield Hospital Phone: (03) 5139 7979

Maffra District Hospital Phone: (03) 5147 0100 Stretton Park Aged Care Phone: (03) 51 47 2331

Page 10 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

Photos: Caitie Richardson

Audrey Brown with her dog, Rocco.

MAFFRA SECONDARY COLLEGE 2023 YEAR 12 SUCCESSES Principal Jennifer Roep is proud of the cohort who have overcome many challenges to successfully complete their Senior Secondary Certificate, with nearly every VCE student choosing to get an ATAR. “I am really pleased for all of our Year 12 students, including the graduates of the new Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) and the Vocational Major (VM). It has been fantastic to see our Year 12s lead the school, fully involving themselves in the extracurricular opportunities available and building strong and lasting relationships with staff.”

Our students have consistently demonstrated our values and will go on to access a broad range of pathways, both vocational and academic. The majority of our VM students have secured great apprenticeships, due to the broad range of learning experiences and skills they have gained through our applied learning programs and structured work placements. The College excels in producing young people who are well-rounded, resilient, community-minded, and passionate about their futures.

Student voice and agency has continued to be a focus after our win of Vic SRC Student Voice School of the Year in 2022. We pride ourselves as a school on our support for all students regardless of their goals, whether they be tertiary study, employment, TAFE or apprenticeships/traineeships.

We are delighted to announce that our school captain Charlie Giles is the 2023 dux of Maffra Secondary College, with an ATAR of 85.4. Charlie is an exceptional role model for other students, and has worked consistently throughout VCE. Charlie said, “Year 12 was a great challenge for me, and I know I would not have gotten dux if not for the support of the people who have been around me for my schooling. Thank you to my family, friends and year mates, teachers, and everyone else who has supported me this year. Next year I plan to attend university to study environmental science and wildlife conservation.

It is my hope that my achievements in year 12 will assist me in reaching my goals and living my dreams helping to maintain the beautiful Australian environment.”

CAREERS AND PATHWAYS

Our careers team provides individualised support for every student. We work with students on their areas of interest and talents, supporting them to develop skills

that will help them in the workplace. Through the Head Start program we support students to obtain school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, which

allows them to continue their studies while starting their apprenticeships. We congratulate the students below who secured apprenticeships and traineeships in 2023:

Tarant Rose Cert III Electrotechnology

Regan Wright Cert III Early Childhood

Sydney Williamson Cert III Dental Assisting

Tyler Macmanus Cert III Electrotechnology

Charlotte Gell Cert III Early Childhood

Ryan Evans Cert III Automotive

Ronan Hall Cert III Plumbing

Cooper Domaille Cert III Agriculture

Jack Dennis Cert III Electrotechnology

Bailey Perdon Cert III Agriculture

Keely Thacker Cert III Early Childhood

Aiden Dalton Cert III Agriculture

Mitchell Coridas Cert III Plumbing

Caleb Ronan Cert III Carpentry

Boyd Tappenden Cert III Civil Construction

Brody Veitch Cert III Carpentry

HEADSTART SCHOOL-BASED TRAINEESHIPS

Hamish Sellings Cert III Electrotechnology

Taelen Richards Cert III Automotive

Kane Berryman Cert III Electrotechnology

Phoebe Martin Cert III Animal Studies

Jack Bravington Cert III Agricultural Mechanical apprenticeship

Will Ruthberg Cert III Plumbing

Natalie Riley Lily Surton Cert III Early Childhood Cert III Agriculture

Billy Johnson Cert III Agriculture

Joel Pettigrew-Hughes Cert III Information Technology

www.maffrasc.vic.gov.au 03 5147 1790 Bill Cane Ct, Maffra GP166465 GP G GP166465 GP1664 P166465 66 65 664

Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 11

PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY THESE PARTICIPATING LOCAL BUSINESSES

Crossword Puzzle No. 8564

with Muzza ONE POINTERS 1. Which Hollywood movie star is shooting a movie at Walhalla in 2024?

2. Michael Gudinski founded which record label in 1972?

3. If I was visiting the town of Katherine, what state/territory would I be in?

4. In gaming, what is the name of Mario’s brother?

TWO POINTERS 5. Koalas, kangaroos and wombats are all mammals that are classified as what kind of animal?

6. In the British TV show ‘Red Dwarf’, what was the name of the hologram?

7. What was the name given to Robin Hood’s band?

8. Which British actress starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie ‘Titanic’?

THREE POINTERS 9. If 1=3, 2=3, 3=5, 4=4, 5=4 then what does 6=?

10. What is the name of the new Beatles song that has just been released recently?

11. In the phonetic alphabet, what word represents the letter ‘P’?

12. Which civilisation built the Machu Picchu estate?

FOUR POINTERS 13. Who wrote the books ‘The BFG’ and Matilda?

14. What four letter word refers to a person’s manner of walking?

FIVE POINTER 15. Five true or false questions? One point for each correct answer.

1. True or false. The Great Wall of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

2. True or false. Sharks are mammals?

3. True or false. The Channel Tunnel between England and France is 50.45km (31.5 miles) long?

4. True or false. Pineapples grow on trees?

5. True or false. Fortune cookies were invented in China?

HOW DID YOU FARE? 37: Top of the class; 30-36: Outstanding; 23-29: Well done; 15-22: Solid effort; 9-14: Room for improvement; 0-8: Hit the books.

ACROSS 1 Went by 5 Uncooked 9 Banish 11 Angry 14 Paradise 15 Worshipped 16 Roman emperor 18 Wagers 19 Former Russian ruler 20 Summit 22 Fewer 24 Owns 25 Efface 27 Limb 29 Narcotic 30 Stop 32 Wise man 34 Decorative plant 35 Periods of time 36 Slanders 38 Window stone 40 Drive back 41 Temporary relief 42 Become firm 43 Method

DOWN 2 Greedy 3 Climbs 4 Attire 5 Colour 6 Representatives 7 Draws to a close 8 Colour scheme 10 Shelf-like surfaces 12 Garments 13 Stifled laugh 15 Irritation 17 Garden tools 21 Radiolocation 22 Convict 23 Withdraw from federation 26 Steal cattle 27 Cavalry weapon 28 Precious stones 29 Longing 31 Breaks out 32 Prophets 33 Catches the breath 34 Gets on 37 Otherwise 39 Ignited

1

2

3

4

5

9 11

12

13

18 22

24

25

27

29

30

33

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34

35

36 38

37

39

40

41 43

Sudoku No. 0188

Target Time No. 0188

Solution page 39

23

26

42

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may be used only once.

No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in ‘s’.

17

19

21

32

8

14 16

Solution page 39

How to play...

7

10

15

20

6

R P T A I N E O O

How to play...

Fill the grid so that every row and every 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9. Solution page 39

Target: Average - 40, Good - 48, Excellent - 60+

Answers 1. Liam Neeson 2. Mushroom 3. Northern Territory 4. Luigi 5. Marsupials 6. Arnold Rimmer (or Rimmer) 7. Merry Men 8. Kate Winslet 9. 3 10. Now and Then 11. Papa 12. Inca 13. Roald Dahl 14. Gait 15. 1. False 2. False (Fish) 3. True 4. False 5. False (America)

WHY BUY LOCAL? WE ARE HIRING Guy s Glass & Glazing Qualified Glazier We’re after a qualified glazier for immediate start Duty’s will include installing shower screens and Splashbacks & reglazing of broken windows

The owners of local businesses are behind the counter

Be able to work unsupervised Be able to work in a team environment

A small change creates BIG impacts for the local economy

Position available for an experienced aluminium window & door fabricator Must be reliable, have driver’s licence Please email your resume to: tracee@guysglass.com.au or in person to: 543 Princes Drive, Morwell

Guy s Glass & Glazing

Local businesses support local events, sports teams & charities

543 Princes Drive, Morwell. Phone: 5133 7000

GP1653005

Page 12 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

Aluminium Window & Door Fabricator

Emaiil: offfi fice@ @guysgllass.com.au

Web bsiite: guysgllass.com.au

GP1664878

News

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Training for the tough conditions LOCAL CFA brigades have been meeting in cluster groups to train together in preparation for the hot summer season ahead.

What is a normal training night for a volunteer firefighter?

Depending on the size of the brigade, training nights (or days) can be weekly, monthly or bimonthly as a regular schedule; however, during the COVID pandemic, many brigades found it hard to maintain a regular schedule of training.

With a hot and dry fire season forecasted ahead, quality training is required to get volunteer members fire-ready.

What is cluster brigade fire training?

CFA District 10 training team introduced a novel concept of cluster group training each fortnight, "it aims to get brigades that often respond to the same events to become familiar with other brigade's trucks and members of other brigades", says volunteer Anthony Kovco, 3rd lieutenant and Brigade Training Officer (BTO) of Maffra Brigade.

Initially, the first two cluster training nights were led by CFA visiting instructors who could share some expertise that local brigades had not often been exposed to. Delivering the training was a joint effort between visiting firefighters and experienced volunteer firefighters. After the initial two training nights, the brigades take turns hosting a training night in their patch.

"We have about 24 members in our (Boisdale) brigade, with about seven regularly turning out to emergency call-outs," Boisdale Brigade firefighter Paul Bawden said.

"When it was our turn to host the training night we had BTO Kovco (also president of the Boisdale Hill Climb) to help us to create some scenarios at the hill climb track. This included trees over

Visiting CFA instructor Kenric Carter, taking volunteer firefighters through various pumping skills.

Firefighters Imogen and Tammy Chilton (Boisdale Brigade) at the end of the fire hose, practicing branch techniques, while other members in the background share knowledge about different trucks and the pumping techniques.

Photos: Contributed tracks and using chainsaws, using drip torches and extinguishing fires using water and rake hoe techniques, followed up by some use of the thermal imaging camera as part of the 'mop-up'."

The cluster training has helped volunteers not only develop their skills but also meet other volunteers whom they would most likely later end up meeting again on a dark night at the side of a

road, shed or paddock to fight a fire.

"At an emergency event, it is always reassuring to see familiar faces greeting you as you arrive on scene to see lights flashing, the noise of water pumping and a sea of yellow uniforms doing a great job to protect their community," Boisdale Brigade 1st Lieutenant Dee Dorber said.

How can the community find out more?

The Maffra, Tinamba, Newry, Valencia Creek and Boisdale cluster, plus some other neighbouring brigades, will be coming together to conclude the season preparation and meet up to share ideas and plans for the summer over a sausage sizzle by the park.

They would like to invite the local community to come along to meet the volunteers protecting their community and ask questions about how they can prepare for the summer ahead or how to become a volunteer.

The sausage sizzle will take place on Sunday, December 17, at 12pm at the playground opposite the CFA Boisdale fire station. Everyone is welcome.

Another successful Keith Hamilton Toy Run Ben McArthur

THIS year's Keith Hamilton Toy Run was another "massive success" said Red Knights Motorcycle Club - Chapter 6 President, Andrew Young.

"There weren't as many bikes this year because of the weather, but it's been a perfect day, and the donations have been much bigger than last year.

"I think we're gonna have close to $30,000 worth of donations this year," he said.

Mr Young estimated last year's donations were worth $21,000.

The event had about 25 riders, including four police escorts, such as senior Constable Nick Rose.

He said it was his final shift for 2023.

"It's a good way to see the year out. Everyone's behaving, and everything went really well," he said.

"Our presence makes it easier and safer for everyone, especially with the wet weather."

The route started at the Sale Clocktower at 9am, then the riders rode through Rosedale, Heyfield,

Tinamba, Boisdale and arrived at the Maffra Vehicle Collection at 11am. The riders stayed there for an hour before heading back to Sale and distributing gifts.

Many riders only joined the event during the final Maffra to Sale stretch, like Darren Kennedy, who brought two cars: a 1929 DeSoto and a 1974 MGB that was originally owned by his Dad, Ian Kennedy.

Ian Kennedy helped begin the annual Keith Hamilton Toy Run, but he, along with his wife, died in a car crash six years ago.

"Dad helped organise rides and rallies in Maffra for 40-odd years, and when Mum and Dad passed away, we were asked if we'd like to change the name, but we kept it as the Keith Hamilton toy run because that's what Dad wanted it to be," he said.

Also joining was Keith Hamilton's son and motorbike rider Bill Hamilton.

He and his daughter Tahlia rode a restored 1912 Rex with a custom wicker basket.

"My father was a great man, and he lives on in this rally today," he said.

"He loved bikes, and this Rex is one of the bikes he restored. But he restored so many others, I couldn't imagine how many bikes he actually restored."

The toys were collected throughout the year at drop-off points by club members like Robert Chubbs. He was responsible for the Rosedale pickup point in Del Jardin and rode into Sale with a trailer that was full of toys.

He was riding a 2000 nice trike that was made in Sydney.

"I do it for fun and also to know that I can do something at Christmas that gives back to the community," he said.

"Every year I've done it, I've had a full trailer."

All donated items will go to Salvation Army and St Vinnies in Sale, said Mr Young.

"We divide the toys up equally because we literally cut the total in half, and they will then go to families in Gippsland that need it," said Mr Young.

SAVE NOW The risers and their families at the Gippsland Vehicle Collection.

Photos: Ben McArthur

Robert Chubbs checks out his toy haul.

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Entertainment

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Annemieke’s ‘A Life’s Work’ GIPPSLAND Art Gallery is delighted to announce the much-anticipated Annemieke Mein ‘blockbuster’ exhibition, A Life’s Work, will be staged at the Gallery from March 2 to May 26, 2024. Coinciding with Annemieke’s 80th birthday, this major retrospective will provide the most comprehensive survey of her work yet seen.

A Life’s Work will be a unique exhibition that will pay tribute to this greatly loved textile artist, who has inspired and influenced vast audiences over many decades. Drawing together over 200 original artworks created over a 60-year period, from private and public collections nationwide (some of which have never been exhibited), this unforgettable retrospective will explore all facets of Mein’s life and career. Occupying all five spaces at the Gallery, the exhibition will present key works from her major wildlife themes, and will include a recreation of her art studio within the Gallery.

A Life’s Work will span from Annemieke’s first experiments with textile in the 1960s, through to the masterworks from the 1980s that catapulted her to international acclaim. The exhibition will showcase the full range of Annemieke’s artmaking with three-dimensional sculptural works, drawings, sketches and bas-relief bronzes presented alongside the extraordinary wall-based relief textiles that established her reputation, in which the objects are given sculptural form and appear to project forward from the surface of the canvas.

A Life’s Work will coincide with the publication of a new book on Annemieke Mein - the first since 1992’s The Art of Annemieke Mein: Wildlife Artist in Textiles, which has sold almost half a million copies worldwide - together with a complete range of new merchandise. The book A Life’s Work will provide a comprehensive overview of her work, with contributions from 16 writers who will explore every facet of her life and career.

Tickets for this unmissable exhibition now on sale exclusively from gippslandartgallery.com, noting that visitors are not required to pre-book, and will be able to purchase tickets from Gallery Reception on the day of their visit.

In the meantime, fans of Annemieke’s art can

Katrina Brandon BORN and raised in Alice Springs, to our fondest memories of belting out Cold Chisel songs, Ian Moss is coming to Sale.

Following his recent release of the Rivers Run Dry album, the tour shares the acoustic version with rural fans. The album includes many co-writers, such as Brent Clarke and a duet with Kasey Chambers. All the songs vary in style throughout the album.

Freedom, 1986, by Annemieke Mein (born The Netherlands 1944; Australia from 1951).

Image: Contributed check out the latest 6-monthly display in her dedicated space, The Art of Annemieke Mein, which currently features a number of old friends, in th he form off Dragonffli lies, Cup Moth hs, Cup Moth h Larva/Caterpillar and Sawflies, all from 1980, as well as The Potter Wasp I and II, both from 1981. These earlier works are distinguished by their use of textile dyes (before she started using fabric paints), earthy colours and heavy, woollen backgrounds. The subjects-each flying insects-are also characteristic of this period, when Annemieke first started attracting national attention for her innovative use of textile and her treatment of Australian native wildlife.

These works are complemented by the more recent Face On and Siblings (1992 and 1998 respectively), which each focus on new life. In Face On we see a newly emerged female Common Grassblue butterfly, in a work that also demonstrates Annemieke’s extraordinary faculty with paint-wash techniques, while in Siblings we find a group of recently-hatched birds huddled closely together in their nest. Face On is also accompanied by a

showcase displaying trials and samples. However, the works that are likely to command the greatest attention are Frog Down Under II (1988), which has recently arrived in Australia with its owner from Canada, and Queen Snapper School (1993–2021), which took 28 years to complete. Annemieke is much admired for her ability to create a sense of movement and dynamism within her subjects, and these two are no exception. While the school of snapper surge forward, as if out of the frame itself, our charming frog dangles precarious from a tree branch. Annemieke’s frogs have long been among her most popular subjects, and this playful character shows why!

Exhibition ten of The Art of Annemieke Mein captures the magic of her art and is testament to the quality and enduring appeal of her work, which has been spellbinding visitors for nearly 50 years.

Three Chain Road’s fast-tracked success Katrina Brandon STARTING to see horn stickers on cars around?

You’re not alone.

Local country and rock band Three Chain Road is rapidly gaining popularity around Latrobe City and East Gippsland.

The band got together seven months ago and is already a massive hit with local pubs, with some even full enough that you can’t walk around, let alone dance.

“We took off quicker than we thought. We have had a lot of support from locals,” Three Chain Road lead singer Courtney McBride said.

“The communities out this way are amazing.

We were out at the Glengarry Hotel last weekend, and it was so packed that you couldn’t move.”

Drummer Sam Dwyer said, “Seeing all the hard work and practise you do when you get on the stage is awesome.”

Before being a band, guitarist Jack Radford and Sam had been at a festival and decided that the crowd wasn’t for them, but the stage was. They knew that Courtney was already doing solo gigs, so they rang her, and then shortly after, bass player Joel Keane joined the band.

For now, they are a cover band but recently they have been putting together originals, which they hope to release soon.

Moss’ ‘Rivers Run Dry’ tour reaches Sale

Recently released, the band has been selling stickers at gigs and according to the band, someone bought a bunch at one of the gigs and placed it on cars parked outside the venue. Jack told the Gippsland Times, “We sold them, but it wasn’t us.”

With the growing popularity, Three Chain Road is fully booked until June 2024, with more and

more coming in. Some gigs include December 16 at Yallourn North Pub, Australia Day at Dargo, and February 10 at Sale Polocrosse Carnival.

To follow Three Chain Road and catch their next gigs, go to facebook.com/profile. php?id=100092039385850 or instagram.com/ threechainroad_/

Three Chain Road gang Joel Keane, Courtney McBride, Sam ‘the hitman’ Dwyer and Jack Radford.

Photo: Contributed

Ian Moss coming to Sale for his Rivers Run Dry tour.

Photo: Contributed “I don’t let styles limit the creative process.

The last thing you need to do is to put a hex on things,” Moss said.

“Rivers Runs Dry was written 3 years ago or so. I was born and raised in Alice Springs.

I left there in my mid-teens and quickly learnt that you have to earn your way in to find new friends and how difficult it is to make friends as you do with those you grew up with and went to kindergarten with. I thought that no matter how my career went, I would never lose contact with my childhood based in Alice Springs. I’m glad I did that.”

Many challenges have followed, including medical issues for one of his close friends and co-writers. He said that the challenges throughout the years have always kept changing. Some of these challenges include the acceptance of Australian artists on radio.

He said that music has evolved so much over the last 50 years. With easy internet access and better technology, more styles are available, meaning more can better explore different genres. More people are now open to different types of music.

Moss told the Gippsland Times that writing songs was a precise art form when he was performing with Cold Chisel member Don Walker.

“He wouldn’t play it unless he were sure it was good,” he said.

“He would be on sound check and messing around with something we had never heard of, sitting on it for months or years. Now I get it.”

After Moss’s Rivers Run Dry tour, he hopes to get back into more songwriting and will do festivals and gigs.

Moss is stopping in at The Wedge on Friday, December 15. For tickets, go to thewedge. com.au/event/ian-moss-river-run-dry/

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14 43 York St, Sale Ph: 5144 2538 Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 15

News

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Peppertree Apartments, located on MacAlister Street in Sale.

Photos: Contributed

Accommodation’s best love story Zoe Askew A CHANCE meeting in Mexico, a gamble on love, international moves, the welcoming of two beautiful, healthy sons, significant career changes, the purchase of a business, and later, the purchase of a second. Today, Dave and Ange Durning's love story has placed them at the forefront of the region's evolving accommodation industry with the opening of Peppertree Apartments in Sale.

It was 15 years ago when Dave and Ange Durning's paths unexpectedly crossed while holidaying in Mexico, sparking the beginning of your classic love story.

Girl from Maffra meets boy from Dublin.

Boy from Dublin and girl from Maffra fall in love.

It wasn't long after Ange returned home to Melbourne, where she had lived since graduating high school, that Dave took a gamble on love and moved halfway around the world.

"We met in March 2008, and Dave moved to Melbourne in August 2008," Ange said.

Thirteen months later, in September 2009, Dave and Ange relocated to Dublin, where they would stay for eight years, Dave working as a consultant for multinational accounting organisation KPMG and Ange as a regulatory affairs manager.

In 2014, Dave and Ange welcomed their first son, Liam, with the arrival of Alfie in 2016, turning their family of three into four.

The completion of their young family set in motion a sequence of life-changing events for Dave and Ange Durning.

"Dave was working massive hours in Dublin - I'd just had Alfie, so I was on mat (maternity) leave - and he was being robbed of all the milestones," Ange said.

"They learned to walk while he was doing his long hours. Dave would come home, and he'd give them a kiss in bed, and they were already asleep.

"Ships in the night; we were very much like that."

Fed up with missing milestones, missing each other, the Durning's yearning for more family time led to a radical life-changing decision.

Dave and Ange quit their jobs and bought a motor inn, the Maffra Motor Inn. "It was totally different, unlike anything we had done before," Dave said.

While neither Dave nor Ange possessed any accommodation industry experience, making their venture one into the unknown, the Maffra Motor Inn wasn't entirely unfamiliar to Ange.

Ange Durning spent the first 16 years of her life at the Maffra Motor Inn, then owned and operated by her parents, Faye and Graeme Gaw. "I was in year 11 when they sold the lease," Ange said.

"It's funny, having grown up in this place, I never expected or particularly cared to see it again.

"It's not like I was a farm kid who grew up and longed to come back and run my parent's farm; I didn't have any of those notions.

"I couldn't have imagined this path, not a chance; it's very unexpected but a delightful outcome."

Dave and Ange officially assumed ownership of the Maffra Motor Inn business in 2017, with the husband and wife team quickly grasping the ropes of the trade.

"It was daunting because we didn't know whether the business was going to be a success; we had left

Peppertree Apartments’ bathrooms are unrecognisable to their former state.

Ireland on pretty good jobs and our whole life, and when we got over here, the business was really struggling," Dave said "It wasn't so difficult learning how to run it (Maffra Motor Inn); the difficult part was not knowing whether we had made a massive mistake."

"We had given ourselves two years - we'd do it for two years," Ange said.

"But then, as the months and years went on, we realised we could never go back to our old lives because what we are doing now is amazing."

"We loved it," Dave said.

"We loved the slower pace of life and being around your family all the time."

With a run-down business on their hands, the Durning's knew they would have to throw everything they could into turning it around.

"There was no online presence of the business at all, so one of the very first things we did was create an online presence and get the Maffra Motor Inn up on all the booking platforms," Dave said.

"We had to do a lot of refurbishment works - we put new sheets in, new bedding, new linens, new furniture, new air conditioners, new televisions, new fridges, and we also remodelled some of the rooms."

Having transformed the previously dilapidated motor inn into a thriving establishment, now rated 8.5 on Booking.com and 4.5 stars on Google, Ange and Dave began seeking a new venture.

"About three years of running this, we were like, 'Oh, do we want a bigger one? Do we want to sell it, maybe get a bigger one?'" Ange said.

"We were kind of always looking for something else because we felt like we'd conquered it, and so we'd always have a little bit of a delve into the real

estate pages looking for motels mainly."

"And to see if there was a way that we could manage two motels at the same time, so to own and operate two motels at the same time," Dave added.

"We felt like we could do a little bit more; we could take on a bit more without letting this place slip."

Having continued their search among commercial real estate, entertaining many new possible business ventures, a spontaneous peek into residential real estate in Sale would see Ange discover what is today Peppertree Apartments.

"We weren't looking at normal real estate pages; we were just looking at motels and things like commercial property businesses for sale," Dave said.

"Then Ange saw that there were 10 residential units in a block for sale in Sale.

"Ange suggested that maybe we should consider buying that, refurbishing it and running it as an accommodation business rather than residential lets.

"I thought it was a great idea, and that's what we did."

By March 2022, Dave and Ange Durning were the official owners of the block of 10 residential units at 137 MacAlister Street, in Sale, with the husband and wife team wasting no time in beginning refurbishments.

Ten months later, the MacAlister Street units were unrecognisable to their former state; each one lifted into the perfect blend of practicality and luxury with all the comforts and convenience of home.

Floating floor boards replaced dilapidated carpet and cork flooring.

The once-dated, lifeless bathrooms and kitchens gutted, making way for modern, sophisticated

Floor-to-ceiling windows in every apartment and studio see spaces flooded with natural light.

One of Peppertree Apartments’s newly renovated kitchens.

Page 16 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

spaces equipped with state-of-the-art amenities.

Newly-fitted window frames, which feature floor-to-ceiling windows in every apartment and studio, allow an abundance of natural light to fill the spaces, creating a tranquil environment bolstered by views of the garden and Victoria Park.

King one-bedroom apartments feature a separate bedroom with ensuite, open-plan living and dining space, full kitchen, balcony/patio opening to the garden, and access to laundry facilities.

Queen studio apartments also feature a full kitchen within an elegant open-plan space and access to laundry facilities.

With no onsite reception, making booking and check-in entirely remote, Peppertree Apartments are the first of their kind in Sale.

Other local accommodation businesses, like At Home Apartments and Airbnb, utilise comparable systems; however, they differ from Peppertree Apartments in that the latter offers all its accommodations in a single location.

"The way Peppertree was set up, it was kind of a blank slate as in it's got no existing reception or no existing customer base or no existing expectations, so we created this system so it's all contactless check-ins and online reception," Dave said.

"With Peppertree, there is no physical key; you'll get an access code like 2124, and when you check out, that access code automatically deletes, and a new one is reissued to the next guest."

Bookings are made online via the Peppertree Apartments website (peppertreeapartments.com. au), eligible online accommodation booking agencies such as Expedia or over the phone.

"You receive a normal booking confirmation, and then before you check in, you send us a copy of your ID by text or email," Dave said.

"So the morning that you're due to check in, you receive a text message and an email from us saying, 'dear so and so, we welcome your arrival today.

You'll be in apartment number three; your access code is this, which will be valid for the duration of your stay."

In October 2023, 19 months after Dave and Ange assumed ownership of the block of units, and in the same month, the Maffra Motor Inn celebrated 50 years since its construction, Peppertree Apartments officially opened.

Once more, Dave and Ange Durning have risen to the challenge and demonstrated their indefatigable dedication with their unwavering commitment to ensuring an exceptional experience, evidenced by a growing number of satisfied guests and glowing reviews.

It was 15 years ago when Dave and Ange Durning's paths unexpectedly crossed while holidaying in Mexico, sparking the beginning of your classic love story.

Girl from Maffra meets boy from Dublin.

Boy from Dublin and girl from Maffra fall in love.

Who would have thought that Dave and Ange Durning's love story would one day bring them to the forefront of the region's evolving accommodation industry?

Peppertree Apartments offers king onebedroom apartments and queen studio apartments.

Maffra Christmas Festival

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Christmas comes to Maffra

Johnson Street will be bustling once again tomorrow as the Maffra Christmas Festival takes place.

Photo: File

TOMORROW it’s back! It’s bigger than ever and the town of Maffra can’t wait to put on a show that the whole region can come and enjoy.

The Maffra Christmas Festival is revving to life again to bring the spirit of Christmas back to the main street in town.

Having built expectations as one of the busiest and entertaining festivals in Gippsland, it’s likely that a big crowd will return this year.

Christmas committee member Pam Anderson said that the joint venture with the Maffra Business and Tourism Association has proven to be a successful combination of hard work and a desire to put

on a professional event that would attract people from over the whole state.

‘We’ve had people come and return each year from Melbourne, Ballarat and other areas around Victoria. It’s been great for Maffra and for the local area but also for tourism and letting people experience what our great region of Gippsland has to offer,” Ms Anderson said.

This year’s festival will be no exception to previous years with an array of entertainment to suit the youngest to the oldest.

Standing high above the crowd will be stilt wearing guests such as Giant Mr and Mrs Santa,

Fuchsia Flower and Gemma the Giraffe, accompanied by her ranger.

Wacky Wombat will bring a hive of activity for kids and parents to enjoy. Tubby the Robot and Marjo the clown will be slowly making their way through the crowd for plenty of pics and selfies.

And of course, what Christmas Festival would be complete without a visit from the real Mr and Mrs Claus.

Other activities include a petting zoo, face painting, balloon twisting and jumping castles to keep the kids entrained for hours.

Local acts will be on display, with music from

Mr and Mrs Jones and an interactive song and dance show from Gran Pam and Phil Pop. Their set will include mostly original songs but a number of well-known classics that people can sing along with.

Great raffle prizes will be available on the night as well as food and gift stalls for last minute Christmas shopping. Most local retailers will be open during the event so that passers-by can enjoy the best of what Maffra has to offer.

So come along, bring the whole family and join in with the festive cheer, tomorrow Wednesday, December 13, from 5:30pm-9pm at Johnson St, Maffra.

THANKS TO ALL OUR AWESOME SPONSORS

Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 17

Maffra Christmas Festival

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Local star returns to Gippsland THIS year there are more market stalls to shop for Xmas gifting, more food trucks with yum food.

More entertainment. It’s our biggest yet! Thanks to all our generous and supportive sponsors and passionate Christmas fest committee.

Jaxson Cornell, who performed on the 2023 The Voice talent show will be our guest artist at this year’s Maffra Christmas Festival.

Jaxson currently resides in Melbourne and we are excited that he has generously offered his time to perform for us at the festival showcasing his amazing vocal talent.

24-year-old Jaxson will be performing some well-known hits, including 'I Fall Apart' by Post Malone, 'On My Own' by Callum Scott and others.

Jaxson is a self-taught singer and has played piano since six-years-of-age.

His story is simple … He has a love for music.

A Sale resident and busker, Jaxson Cornell, had progressed to The Callbacks round on The Voice after his successful blind audition that saw him chosen by judge and coach Guy Sebastian. Before The Voice, you may have seen him performing in front of the Gippsland Centre (Coles side), the Clocktower, the Sale Chemist Warehouse, and the Sale Greyhounds Club.

“I’ve been busking a lot in many different areas.

Going from busking to hitting that stage in front of a lot of successful people … it was truly breathtaking,” Mr Cornell told the Gippsland Times.

“Guy Sebastian turning his chair was such an amazing feeling. I’m glad he turned out of all four of the coaches. I love him - he’s a great bloke.”

Mr Cornell’s siblings watched his audition on the show from the sidelines, but sadly, their mother never got to see his performance, as she died in 2019 from cancer.

He brought a photo of her, showing the coaches and the Australian public how much she meant to him. He became emotional as he described her as his biggest inspiration.

“She always believed in me,” he said.

Come and experience the talent of Jaxson Cornell at the Maffra Christmas Festival tomorrow.

Mr Cornell’s music journey began when he was about five-years-old. He recalls how enamoured he was by the sound of a piano keyboard.

Sale busker Jaxson Cornell sang his heart out on talent show The Voice, passing the blind auditions before being chosen by singer Guy Sebastian.

Jaxson Cornell idolises Post Malone, and sang his song ‘I Fall Apart’ for his audition on The Voice.

Jaxson Cornell shows a photo of his biggest inspiration, his mum, who died in 2019 from cancer.

Photos: Seven Network

Have a wonderful

Christmas and New Year

Sale’s Jaxson Cornell (left) sang ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus. Bella Mackenzie went straight into ‘The Battles’ round and Robbie Hunt was sent to ‘Ultimate Callback’.

Wishing our valued customers a wonderful

Christmas and New Year

ll th t ff att B kf d From all the staff Browns St Stockfeed

HOLIDAY TRADING HOURS Fri 22nd Dec - 8am - 12pm Sat 23rd Dec - Closed Sun 24th Dec - Closed Mon 25th Dec - Closed - Christmas Day Tues 26th Dec - Closed - Boxing Day Wed 27th Dec - 8am - 4:30pm

Thu 28th Dec - 8am - 4:30pm Fri 29th Dec - 8am - 12pm Sat 30th Dec - Closed Sun 31st Dec - Closed Mon 1st Jan - Closed - New Year’s Day Tues 2nd Jan – 8am – 4:30pm

Locally Owned

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Call in and see us today at

620 Heyfield Upper Maffra Road, Tinamba West

Page 18 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

Thanks for your support over the many years

From Ros, Louise and Kylie

59 Johnson St, Maffra Phone 5147 2129

Maffra Christmas Festival

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Spreading cheer with bells on COME along and get all the good vibes of Christmas, at the annual Maffra Christmas Festival tomorrow. Market stalls, food trucks, kids entertainment and rides, roaming entertainment ... see you there!

Main Street is rocking the festive vibes with fabulous Christmas decorations. Special thanks go to Wellington Shire Council for providing this year's Christmas decoration grant!

There are plenty of house lights to see, as well as Christmas trees thanks to the Maffra Men's Shed!

Images: Visit Maffra

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DRIVEAWAY

2019 HOLDEN COLORADO LSX

Auto, turbo diesel, full service history, low kms, great condition. 97,000kms. 1CQ-5FZ

$31,990

DRIVEAWAY

2012 NISSAN NAVARA D22

THROUGHOUT

DECEMBER Includes accessori

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LAND STOBIES &SURF 60 Johnson St, Maffra 5147 2333 *Excludes schoolwear & workwear

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$42,990

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Turbo diesel, manual, full service history, bull bar, tonneau cover, 186,912km. ZIH-110

$19,990

DRIVEAWAY

Phone 5147 1344 JOHNSON STREET, STREET MAFFRA

LMCT 1986

Jason Lowe 0448 370 185 John Seymour 0418 514 515 www.wilmourmotors.com.au

Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 19

Maffra Christmas Festival

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

History of Maffra’s holiday spirit

Throwback: coverage by the Gippsland Times of the inaugural Maffra Christmas Festival on Friday December 18, 2015.

MAFFRA was alive with the Christmas spirit on Friday night.

The inaugural Maffra Christmas Festival was a huge hit, with about 1500 people making their way through Maffra’s main street.

A fireplace was set up along with antique chairs for children to have their photos taken with Mr and Mrs Claus.

A crowd of about 300 people watched a belly dancer perform while the market stalls were packed with people buying last minute Christmas presents.

Maffra Business and Tourism Association president Marcus Stobie said the night was a glowing success.

Mr Stobie said the highlight for him was the festival atmosphere of the night, with a mix of stalls, musical entertainment, great performers and delicious local food and drinks.

“There was a real family vibe to it which made it a great night,” he said.

“Giant Santa was an absolute hit.

“From one end of the street you could see him moving through the crowd, it was great.”

People came from across the region to check out the market stalls, see the 10-foot tall Santa and celebrate the festive season.

Mr Stobie said the association was thrilled with how the night went, with plans to make it an annual event.

Gippsland Times coverage of the 2016 Maffra Christmas Festival.

THOUSANDS attended the second annual Maffra Christmas Festival on a balmy Friday night.

Maffra retailers lined Johnson St, with plenty of bargains and gift ideas on offer, as well as food and wine from across the district.

The night, organised by Maffra Business and Tourism Association, featured Mr and Mrs Claus arriving in a vintage fire truck, and stilt walkers wandering through the crowd.

Association president Marcus Stobie said the night was even busier than last year.

“So much work goes into these events,” he said.

“There were more people, and more involvement from community groups.

“The initial feedback from the community was that it was a huge success.”

Pictured above: Mr and Mrs Claus on stilts and a pumped up Elf had plenty of little helpers to help distribute goodies to the crowd at Maffra Christmas Festival.

Photo: Sam Crothers (2016) Pictured right: Emily Knobel and Hannah Harrington were on hand to direct children to Mr and Mrs Claus during the Maffra Christmas Festival.

Photo: Sam Crothers (2015)

NEW CARS NEW & USED CAR SERVICING FARM MACHINERY SERVICING

Merry Christmas & Happy New Ye ear Christmas/New Year office opening hours rs

22nd Dec - 8.30am to 2pm 27th, 28th & 29th Dec - 9am to 1pm 2nd Jan 2024 - Resume normal office hourss 8.30am to 5pm

TORS GREAT RANGE OF NEW TRAC AND FARM MACHINERY

131 Johnson St, Maffra 5139 2900

GP1665479

Page 20 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

Wishing our valued clients and the community a very

MAFFRA

118-120 Johnson Street, Maffra

5147 2200

HEYFIELD

4 Temple Street, Heyfield

5148 3007

SALE

191-193 Raymond Street, Sale

www.gippslandrealestate.com

5144 1888

Modern family living on the edge of Stratford

N

estled on the outskirts of town with an idyllic rural backdrop, 2 Davis Street offers an expansive lifestyle on a sprawling block.

This spacious property boasts a sizable shed and grants effortless access to nearby amenities - schools, shops, sports facilities, and the serene Avon River.

Spanning approximately 3793 sqm, the home not only encompasses modern family design but also includes a license agreement for the adjacent Crown Land along the Avon River, extending its allure.

Step inside to discover a thoughtfully designed, family-oriented layout. A wide entrance sets the tone, leading to a north facing formal lounge.

The heart of this residence is the openplan kitchen, dining, and family area.

Recently updated, the kitchen dazzles with contemporary cabinetry, ample storage within a spacious island bench boasting a double sink. Natural light pours in through large sliding doors and windows, providing a lovely outlook onto the property's surroundings.

The master suite features a generous walk-in robe and an ensuite, while three additional spacious bedrooms with built-in wardrobes offer comfort and space. A central family bathroom with a vanity, shower, and bath caters perfectly to family needs. A split system and ceiling fans provide year-round comfort, the 20-panel solar system provides an energy efficient home.

Outside, the vast rear yard beckons with its lush, established lawn - an ideal space for children and pets. A substantial 9.0 x 14.0 sqm shed will impress, equipped with a single roller door, power, water, and a wood heater. Additionally, sliding doors at the other end facilitate ease of access.

Completing the package is a double garage with direct entry into the home, adding convenience and security.

2 Davis Street presents a harmonious blend of space and modern convenience with its spacious interiors, extensive outdoor space and proximity to essential facilities this property stands as a testament to comfortable family living in an enviable location.

Brief details Property: Four-bedroom home on a large riverside block Address: 2 Davis Street, Stratford Price: $760,000 Contact: Tony Kiss, Wellington Real Estate, 0419 526 637 Times-Spectator Property Guide, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 21

PropertyGuide GippslandTimes

Position Perfect in Stratford N estled in the heart of Stratford, 14 Dawson Street epitomizes the allure of convenience and space.

If proximity to shops, schools, and a spacious 1272m2 block are your desires, this property will tick all those boxes. A solid, neat, and tidy brick home welcomes you, offering the option to move right in or update to your needs.

The living room is a generous size inviting in plenty of natural light, while the wellappointed kitchen, accompanied by a dining area, promises ample storage and practicality. For year-round comfort, embrace gas heating, reverse cycle cooling, ceiling fans, and the efficiency of solar panels.

There are three sizable bedrooms, each with built-in robes. The large central bathroom provides a vanity and shower.

Outside is a large secure yard with established gardens and trees, and side gate for ease of access. The property provides established shedding including a 9.4 x 8.9 garage with concrete flooring, three-phase power, and dual roller door access. Complementing this, find a single lock-up garage and a smaller garden shed.

Completing the ensemble, a large carport offers shelter for your vehicle.

Enjoy the charm of its prime location, the convenience of nearby amenities, and the promise of a versatile property awaiting your personal touch.

Brief details Property: Three-bedroom on a large block Address: 14 Dawson Street, Stratford Price: $455,000 Contact: Tony Kiss, Wellington Real Estate, 0419 526 637

395 Raymond St, Sale 5144 0601 EST 1886

A reputation built on honesty and integrity

Kirimi Farms, M.I.D Dairy Operation 335 RIVERVIEW ROAD, HEYFIELD For Sale, Closing 19th January 2024

25 Mclean Street, Maffra $675,000

5 Bed

2 Bath 4 Car

• Kitchen has a generous dining area and a study nook • Large lounge and formal dining area with a library nook • Master bedroom with WIR and ensuite • Remaining four bedrooms which each have BIR’s • Modernised family bathroom • Solar panels, double garage, carport

An extraordinary opportunity in the heart of the Macalister Irrigation District, where a thriving dairy farm is nestled amidst a picturesque landscape, this expansive property boasts a profitable dairy operation and a charming homestead that epitomizes rural living.

Featuring an immaculate 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom homestead, this property is a masterpiece of renovation; every detail of this residence speaks of timeless elegance and contemporary luxury.

A second residence is ideal for the manager and/or staff needed to run this productive dairy farm. The 4-bedroom, 1-bathroom functional weatherboard home.

A good mix of highly productive river flats running alongside the Thompson River and high country with flood

irrigation out of the MID channel gives you the best of both worlds.

The Farm consists of but not limited to: • 589 Acres (approx.) on 11 titles • 679 MG high water reliability, 329 MG low water reliability • Herringbone Dairy, 28 a side swing over • 500 cow yard with new holding yards, race, crush and loading ramp • 15,000 ltr Packo vat, New 46 tone pallet silo • Calf shed, Machinery and Hay sheds • Please note there is the opportunity to purchase the current herd of approximately 450 cows and some plant & equipment on a W.I.W.O basis.

25 Gordon Street, Heyfield $525,000

3/34 Fitzroy Street, Stratford $369,000

2 Bath 2 Car

• Ideal for the young family, first home buyer and astute investor • Three-bedroom, master with WIR & Ensuite • Two bathrooms, Solid kitchen, Two split system air conditioners • Two living zones, large living/dining room • Double garage • Secure yard, 581m2 block

Agent: Glen Synnott 0467 550 904

Aaron Ralph - 0456 215 087

3 Bed

Agents Aaron Ralph 0456215087 Glen Synnott 0467550904

Jarryd Sutton - 0457 034 111

Page 22 – Times-Spectator Property Guide, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

Contact Aaron Ralph today on 0456215087

2 Bed

1 Bath 1 Car

•Ideally located in a very quiet Stratford location •Open plan living, dining and kitchen area. Generous fenced yard with Garden Shed •Two good sized bedrooms with BIR’s, modern bathroom and laundry area •Remote access single garage Agent: Glen Synnott 0467 550 904

Glen Synnott - 0467 550 904

Traralgon. Address available on request 190 Acres $2,000,000

•Great turnout paddock for a dairy farmer, or growing/fattening block for a beef enterprise •Well fenced and subdivided paddocks •Strong fertiliser history and has had a good resowing program •Latrobe River flats are renowned for their heavy carrying capacity

Agents Jarryd Sutton 0457 034 111 Max O’Doherty 0419 286 920

Kristie Feenstra - 0400 946 144

Declan Patten - 0499 949 292

CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE Weellington Real Estate is teaming up with

A Better Life For Foster Kids

this Christmas.

Place a gift under a tree at Sale, Stratfford or Maffra office to help celebrate our communities most vulnerable children.

Help us make their Christmas SPECIAL!

For more details contact: Bronwyn at Wellington Real Estate 5144 4575 or Heather at A Better Life For Foster Kidss 0412 154 424

Times-Spectator Property Guide, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 23

PropertyGuide GippslandTimes

Exceptional opportunity - Near new home

OPEN DAYS

SATURDAY 16TH DECEMBER 1/99 REEVE STREET, SALE

3

1

1

12

Frith Street, Wurruk presents an exceptional opportunity for those seeking a new home. This thoughtfully 2023 designed residence boasts a contemporary aesthetic, offering four good sized bedrooms, two bathrooms, two spacious living areas and the added convenience of a large shed.

Step inside to discover an inviting interior that effortlessly combines practicality with elegant design elements. The well-appointed kitchen serves as the heart of the home, featuring sleek counter tops, quality appliances, ample storage space and a walk-in pantry with plenty of space, even a second fridge!

The living spaces are light filled, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. With two separate living areas, there’s plenty of room for relaxation and recreation. Whether you’re hosting a gathering with friends or enjoying a quiet evening with family, this home provides the versatility to accommodate your lifestyle.

The four bedrooms offer comfortable retreats for rest and rejuvenation. The master suite in particular is a haven of relaxation, complete with ensuite bathroom and large walk-in robe.

The additional three bedrooms are generously sized with built in robes,

1

$372,500 9AM 9:30AM 29 WOONDELLA BOULEVARD, SALE

5

1

2

2

$560,000 10AM 10:30AM

ensuring everyone in the family has their own personal space.

One of the standout features of this property is the 7x7 shed, boasting concrete floor, remote entry, insulation and rear entry. Providing a versatile space that can be used for storage, a workshop, or even as a creative studio.

There is so much more we could mention about this property, however you will need to book an inspection to discover all it has to offer.

Don’t miss the opportunity to inspect this home.

Brief details

Property: Near new four-bedroom home Address: 12 Frith Street, Wurruk Price: $585,000 Contact: Julian McIvor, Wellington Real Estate, 0428 084 622

96 BOISDALE STREET, MAFFRA

2

2

1

So you think solicitor conveyancing is too expensive when you are buying or selling real estate?

1

$395,000 $430,000 10:30AM 11AM

Try us . . . you will be surprised

37 POWERSCOURT STREET , MAFFRA

Call our Sale office today for a quote 3

1

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Karen Brown

2

GP1665047

237-239 RAYMOND ST, SALE TEL: 5144 4333 www.chalmer.com.au

GP1636698

$390,000 11AM 11:30AM WARREN, GRAHAM & MURPHY PTY. LTD. Solicitors, 99 Raymond Street, Sale

Page 24 – Times-Spectator Property Guide, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

■ Brick veneer ■ Carport ■ 3 bedrooms all with ■ 6 fruit trees out the wardrobes back ■ Kitchen ■ Lounge ■ Bathroom Terms: 30 to 60 days settlement ■ Toilet

$350,000 neg

Call 0431 770 216 to arrange appointment

FOR GP1665523

5144 1777

SALE

101 DAWSON STREET, SALE

PropertyGuide GippslandTimes

Heart Lodge

F

or Sale by Expression of Interest, closing 4pm Friday, November 17, 2023.

This exceptional rural property, spanning 50 acres with irrigation, presents an unparalleled opportunity for those seeking a retreat from the hustle and bustle of town life while still having the convenience of town only a few minutes’ drive.

This property boasts a modern home that elegantly complements its natural surroundings, offering not just a place to live, but a lifestyle to be cherished. Here, you’ll find the perfect balance between contemporary comfort and the rural lifestyle you’ve always dreamt of.

Four bedrooms, the master includes a walk-in robe and ensuite. The remaining bedrooms all have built-in robes. The home also includes: Two bathrooms, two living areas - one with a bar and huge amounts of shedding including garages, carports and storage sheds that offers a great opportunity for a tradie or handy man to set up from home.

The farm consists of but is not limited to:  50 acres (approx.);  61 Meg of high reliability water, drain license, stock and domestic bore;  3 Meg re-use dam with pump;  Laser graded with a mix of flood irrigation and sprays;  Undercover cattle yards with crush and loading race;  Lane way connecting you to the 20 + paddocks;  Excellent fertilizer history and pasture management, and;  Hay and machinery sheds.

Brief details Property: Four-bedroom home on farmland Address: 141 Lower Heart Road, Sale Contact: Aaron Ralph, Alex Scott & Staff, 0456 215 087

QUIET COURT LOCATION

4

• Open plan, 2 living areas • Ducted heating, split system air conditioning • Back yard access via drive thru garage • Quite court location, lockable shed

28 Speechley Crt, Sale

2

2

$545,000

Tracey Wrigglesworth 0427 444 044 GP1665076

MAFFRA

118-120 Johnson Street, Maffra

5147 2200

50 QUEEN STREET, MAFFRA

HEYFIELD

4 Temple Street, Heyfield

5148 3007

SALE

191-193 Raymond Street, Sale

5144 1888

1/44 MORISON STREET, MAFFRA

AUCTION THIS SATURDAY

NEW LISTING

BUILDING BLOCK IN BRILLIANT LOCATION

TOWNHOUSE ON OWN TITLE

• A rare find in such a great location

• Only one block from Maffra’s main street

• 638m2 block

• Build your dream home here

• 5m x 9m shed with concrete floor

• So close to all town amenities

AUCTION THIS SATURDAY 16TH DECEMBER @10:30AM ON SITE LOT 2 KENTUCKY ROAD, NEWRY NEW LISTING

• 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms • Huge open plan living area • Modern kitchen • Double garage with automatic roller door and direct access into dwelling

• Undercover alfresco area at rear • Garage shed with concrete floor • Located near Maffra’s major sporting complex • Compact low maintenance yard

8 MERRYDALE STREET, MAFFRA

66 KENT STREET, MAFFRA

FOR SALE $449,000

34 GEORGE STREET, MAFFRA OPEN HOUSE

IDEAL WEEKENDER/LIFESTYLE PROPERTY ∙ Situated on approximately 80 acres of undulating land with a fabulous outlook ∙ The ultimate weekender set up – 16m x 6m shed/weekender ∙ 8m x 8m machinery shed plus 5m x 7 lock up garage ∙ Separated into 2 large paddocks and featuring established trees and 4 dams ∙ Close proximity to State Forest for motorbike and horse riding enthusiasts ∙ Whether you are looking for a relaxing block to enjoy with family and friends, a hobby farm/turnout block and as a potential home site (STCA), this property ticks all the boxes

FOR SALE $780,000

www.gippslandrealestate.com

OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY 16 DEC AT 11:30AM-12PM FANTASTIC FAMILY HOME IN GREAT LOCATION

TICKS ALL THE BOXES

* Solid brick family home on large 1033m2 block * 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms * Formal lounge, formal dining area * Sunlit kitchen adjoining the family room * Combination of wood heating, reverse cycle air conditioning and gas heater * Large outdoor undercover area including spa * 6m x 8m garage/workshop * Delightful established gardens

∙ Beautifully presented both inside and out ∙ 3 bedrooms with built in robes ∙ Separate lounge area ∙ Modern kitchen featuring electric appliances and dishwasher ∙ Ducted gas heating plus reverse cycle air conditioner ∙ Undercover patio at rear ∙ Double carport plus 11m x 7.5m colorbond garage/workshop

FOR SALE $525,000

Pat Weatherley 0412 435 644 Brett Lanigan 0427 517 577

Kevin Lanigan Paul Bourke

0408 472 566 0428 451 366

FOR SALE $445,000

Bec Rose Leo O’Brien

0422 425 668 0409 143 668

TASTEFULLY RENOVATED • A complete refurbishment • Compact block measuring 391m2 • Stylish 2 bedroom home • Master bedroom featuring ensuite and walk in robe • Large open plan living • New family bathroom and laundry • Low maintenance yard • Will suit first home buyers, investor or those looking to downsize

FOR SALE $410,000

Jarrod Freeman 0439 707 253 Angela Cruickshank 0429 483 007 Rod Anderson 0428 472 615

Times-Spectator Property Guide, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 25

PropertyGuide GippslandTimes

S

ituated just two blocks from the Sale CBD in a highly sought after location is this three-bedroom two-bathroom home on its own 462m2 title.

The residence has been completely renovated throughout and presents as a “new home” with brand new kitchen, bathrooms, floor coverings, window dressings, all appliances and completely repainted.

The large open plan living area with reverse cycle split system and ceiling fan will accommodate a dining setting, formal loungeroom setting and has a study alcove. The kitchen features stone benchtops, large all-electric stove top and oven with new range hood, dishwasher and lots of cupboard and drawer space including a large pantry.

All three bedrooms have built-in robes including drawers, shelving and hanging space, new carpet and ceiling fans. The master bedroom leads to the sizeable fully renovated ensuite and has a reverse cycle split system installed. The completely renovated family bathroom is central to the other two bedrooms and is adjacent to the separate toilet.

Completing this home is a fully renovated laundry with large two-door storage cupboard and a further large two-door cupboard in the main living room.

The rear porch has been converted into a quality sunroom with two sliding doors allowing access to the private fully secure rear and side yard space. A full lockup single car garage provides secure access to the home and a further garden shed allows for good storage space externally.

Quality brand-new dwelling in an absolutely excellent location

Brief details

Inspection: By appointment

Property: Fully renovated three-bedroom home

Contact: Gippsland Real Estate Sale,

Address: 111 Market Street, Sale

Leo O’Brien 0409 143 668 or

Price: $692,500

Jarrod Freeman 0439 707 253

AU SA T CT TU HI IO RD S N AY

155-157 FOSTER STREET, SALE AUCTION: THIS SATURDAY 16TH DECEMBER 2023 AT 11AM ON SITE 4 2 2

Dual access from Foster Street & Turnbull Street Exceptional shedding (12m x 8m & 11m x 6m)

COME SEE US!

Agent: Chris Morrison 0419 381 832

AU SA T CT TU HI IO RD S N AY

297 RAGLAN STREET, SALE AUCTION: THIS SATURDAY 16TH DECEMBER 2023 AT 10AM ON SITE 3 2 1

RESIDENTIAL OR ALLIED HEALTH PRACTICE

Currently set up as a medical practice Three split systems Great street frontage

Renovators Dream Fully functioning Kitchen Two large living spaces Office already set up

8

Agent: Matt Cutler 0438 356 761

matthewc@chalmer.com.au

237-239 237 239 RAYMOND ST, ST SALE TELEPHONE: TELEPHONE 5144 4333 www.chalmer.com.au Page 26 – Times-Spectator Property Guide, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

With 19 years in business and over 45 Years combined conveyancing experience, we do all that is necessary to ensure a smooth property transaction!

GP1644803

Family home in premium location Elevated 1992m2 allotment Outstanding views of Lake ge Guthridg

12

W 20 in 18 ne r

A FOSTER STREET GEM

BUYING OR SELLING PROPERTY IN VICTORIA?

Principals

Jessica Lamb Licensed Conveyancer

Karen Manning Licensed Conveyancer

CONVEYANCING Pty Ltd 252 Raymond St, Sale

(next to Commonwealth Bank)

PHONE: 5143 1456

GP1627659 44803

Attention Trades & Services providers How many times have you heard...

I didn’t know about your business?

Well here is your chance to let the 26,000 readers, of the Gippsland Times, know how your business can help them.

Simply write your information into the desired advertisement size below, then drop it into our office or take a photo and email it -

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13 weeks minimum

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advertising@gippslandtimes.com.au 74 - 76 Macalister St, Sale

$50.25

Weekly & fortnightly packages available p/w

includes GST

13 weeks minimum

Weekly & fortnightly packages available *Actual size

*Actual size GP1647763

Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 27

Rural news

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Steady dairy forecast predicted THE December 2023 Situation and Outlook Report from Dairy Australia forecasts milk production to remain steady over the 2023/24 season despite the anticipated impacts of the El Niño weather event.

Record profits were recorded in some regions last season, and high farmgate milk prices this season bode well for farmers.

Meanwhile there are some challenges such as high production costs, Australia’s competitiveness of dairy products and economic constraints on consumers.

The good news for Australian dairy is that the impacts of El Niño, which was officially declared by the Bureau of Meteorology in September and is expected to bring hotter and drier conditions, may not be as severe on milk production at the national level as past events.

While several northern regions have already dried out, some moisture has been retained in areas across Southern Australia.

Weather conditions are significantly different to this time last year, and it shows through the moderate production growth recorded in every month of this season.

Australian dairy farmers in several regions made record profits during the 2022/23 season, strengthening progress towards Dairy Australia’s target of at least half of farming businesses achieving $1.50/ kg MS EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) over a five-year average.

The latest Dairy Farm Monitor Project results indicate that last season’s significant weather challenges contributed to a substantial rise in total farm costs.

Supplementary feed was brought in at high rates to combat weather damage and many farmers reported increased labour costs, in efforts not only

Dairy Australia’s industry analyst, Eliza Redfern.

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Page 28 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

9 9 9

GP1665071

Your “one stop shop” for all your bulk & bagged stockfeed, nutritional advice and rural merchandise requirements

Fertilizer ● Gypsum ● Lime ●

• Locally owned • Products manufactured on site • Employing locals

Free delivery in Gippsland

620 6 20 H Hey yffield i ld U Up pperr Maffra Road Tinamba West Matt James - Sales Ph 5145 1345 Mob: 0488 623 159

76 PRINCES HWY, SALE

PHONE 5143 0075

GP1645991

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looking to limit cost pressure.

This growing pressure from overseas dairy products is a sign that deviation from global markets is a temporary phenomenon and will likely have implications for next season’s farmgate milk prices.

Dairy in a retail setting continues to see significant total value growth, ranging between 9 to 14 per cent depending on the category.

Total volumes sold in most key dairy categories, continue to fall with Australian households shopping more frequently but buying less product in each shop.

For more information and to view the latest Situation and Outlook Report visit dairyaustralia. com.au/sando

holidays, diverting tighter milk supplies to respective domestic markets.

Additionally, lower farmgate milk prices in all key exporting regions (apart from Australia) have weighed on milk flows.

Global demand, however, remains quiet and will likely limit significant export price recovery.

The Situation and Outlook report also confirms that Australia is becoming a much more prominent dairy importer, shipping in the largest volume of overseas dairy in a single season during 2022/23.

In 1999/2000, imported products accounted for 11 per cent of Australia’s dairy consumption, whereas last season, 27 per cent of dairy consumed was from overseas.

With Australian farmgate prices keeping prices of the local product high, imported dairy has proven increasingly attractive to businesses and consumers

GP1636714

to attract employees but also retain them.

“The Australian dairy industry enjoyed record profitability last season and is still benefiting from high farmgate milk prices this season, as well as strong retail revenues,” said Dairy Australia’s industry analyst, Eliza Redfern.

“High production costs, Australia’s price competitiveness of dairy products and economic constraints on consumers are emerging risks.

These challenges will be a focus over the rest of the season, in anticipation of Australian and global markets moving towards equilibrium.”

The cost of producing milk remains high this season.

Feed prices remain under pressure due to average yields this harvest and strong demand for supplementary feed, while temporary water prices have risen.

Recent developments relating to the Murray Darling Basin Plan have also raised the prospect of reduced water availability for dairy in the longer term.

Geopolitical tensions also continue to weigh on farm input markets, with both grain and fertiliser markets still influenced by the Ukrainian conflict, despite the increased fertiliser supply which has seen global indicative prices drop between 20 and 40 per cent below October 2022.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has also had minor impacts on oil prices.

Dairy export commodity prices have seen some recovery in recent months, led by a contraction in exportable product globally.

Global demand remains quiet however and will likely limit further price increases.

Local demand across both Europe and the US has increased in the lead up to the end of year

Rural news

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

The truly local Loch Sport Foodies Stefan Bradley

Day so the customers that come from Melbourne or other places get here and realise they’ve forgotten something, and that's what the shop is all about,” Mr Edey said.

Mr Edey describes FoodWorks Loch Sport as the ‘I forgot this’ shop. As a coastal tourist town, many people come to the area for fishing, camping and water sports, but you may not always have what you need. It might be toys for the kids, precooked meals, thongs, a fishing rod or even your toothbrush.

“We do carry a vast range of stock and we actually got nominated for another award which was the general merchandise award which we didn't win,” he said.

“We’ve increased our range probably four or five fold since we opened.”

Asked about his own increased costs, inflation and the controversy surrounding price hikes at Coles and Woolworths, Mr Edey said he wants to support local people.

“We purchase well here. We buy fresh fruit and veg from the Lazzaro brothers. And we tend to buy as much as we can locally because they're the ones that support you. So if I need a box of lettuce I’ll get it from Sale, I can't go and get it from Melbourne,” he said.

“You've got to weigh up in this business FoodWorks Loch Sport is not easy to run. You’re 64 kilometres from the nearest town. No-one wants to come out here because it's always costing them freight ... or it's an hour's travel (for labourers).”

Mr Edey said they will be implementing a price match promise in the near future to stay competitive with the supermarkets in the area to give locals more reasons to shop there. He hopes that will lead to fewer people travelling to Sale to do their shopping.

FOODWORKS Loch Sport has been crowned Australian United Retailer’s (AUR) VIC/SA/TAS Express Store of the Year at the 2023 AUR Store Excellence Awards.

Loch Sport FoodWorks is a member of AUR, a network consisting of 560 supermarkets, food and convenience stores spanning every state and territory in Australia.

This award recognises the store and its staff who have gone above and beyond to support the local community with great service and a fantastic fresh food offer.

Loch Sport local Matt Edey owns the store together with his wife Angela Edey. While they were unable to attend the award ceremony in Melbourne, store manager Nicole Stephens went on their behalf.

“When I heard (about the win) I was happy because we've done a lot here,” Mr Edey said.

“When you look inside the shop you'll see that it's very well laid out. It's a good customer experience,” Mr Edey said.

After purchasing Foodworks Loch Sport in 2017, the Edeys decided it was too small and built a new shop about 200 square metres bigger, which opened in 2019.

“A lot of credence goes to the owners of the

business, but it’s really the staff when you drill it down,” Mr Edey said.

“It’s the staff that do the work and they do a brilliant job here. It’s difficult to get staff (in Loch Sport) ... so that’s (our) biggest single issue.”

Ms Stephens agreed.

“Our staff strive for excellence. We get new products in and listen to the customers,” she said.

Mr Edey described Loch Sport as a “quiet little hollow” for much of the year - it’s the long weekends and public holidays when it becomes very busy.

“But then Christmas comes along and it just goes to another level. And you know, we need 12 staff on every day to try and appease all their customers because it's just busy all day,” he said.

“There are queues all day... three tills going flat out.”

And every single day the store is open, including the recent fires, and even on Christmas Day for a few hours.

“We’re open for about three hours on Christmas

FoodWorks Loch Sport owner Matt Edey and Store Manager Nicole Stephens in front of the store with their award.

Photo: Stefan Bradley

Sparking fire awareness

GP1665059

danger periods, leaving campfires unattended, burning off without a permit, or using unmaintained machinery or hot tools that emit flames or sparks.

If you are not taking appropriate precautions around fire, you will face the consequences and penalties.

Penalties for recklessly causing a bushfire or grass fire include up to 15 years imprisonment.

The maximum penalty for arson resulting in death is 25 years imprisonment.

For more information, visit bit.ly/3N6m8qV

SCALES

every ryy Wednesday

Gordon Conners 0408 131 720 Brian Ogilvie 0428 598 751 Ben Greenwood 0429 193 136 Hayden McKenzie 0428 411 201 Ian Baker 0408 509 319 Bailey Anderson 0409 614 167 Greg Wrigglesworth 0407 809 155

Follow us on Facebook

GP1665068

for cows, bulls and manufacturing steers

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L-R: Rick Wight (Chief Executive, Australian United Retailers), Nicole Stephens (Store Manager, FoodWorks Loch Sport) and Robert Markezic (National Operations Manager, Australian United Retailers) at last month’s 2023 AUR Store Excellence Awards in Melbourne.

Photo: Contributed

BUSHFIRES cause devastation in Victorian communities, claiming lives, displacing families, and impacting livelihoods.

Crime Stoppers Victoria is partnering with Victoria Police to remind people to consider the consequences of their actions in a bid to prevent potential bushfires this summer.

The new ‘You Light It, You Own It’ campaign reminds Victorians to exercise caution to avoid starting reckless or accidental fires.

Reckless behaviour can include disobeying restrictions relating to total fire ban or fire

Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 29

Trades & ServicesGuide Ultra Blinds TRADES Call

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to arrange the promo p romotiion of your busiinesss

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Split System Air Conditioning Installations

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D ILLIING DRILLING G SERVI SERVICES ICESS

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Phone: 5143 2762 www.joneselect.com.au

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C CONCRETING ONCRE ETING

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GP1653515

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Design and Solutions

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Phone Matt 0488 171 759

Page 30 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

Servicing Sale and surrounding areas

exper ience

GP1644945

$50.25

Building Permits...

It’s what we do.

Packages include:

CABINET MAKING CABINET MA AKING

We can beat any Quote by 10%

BUILDING BUILDING/CARPENTRY G/C CARP PENTRY

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Servicing Gippsland for 30 years GP1644937

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Double Column Trades Ad - Medium

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GP1644944

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Permit No. L004172

GP1645709

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● Split and ducted air conditioning

Compliance Certificate issued with each installation

30mm (w) x 55mm (h)

1800 068 236

DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL

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Made locally with Australian products

• All areas • Prompt service

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WEEKLY & FORTNIGHTLY PACKAGES AVAILABLE

Gippsland Air

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PACKAGES

BLINDS BLINDS S

AIIR CONDITIONING AIR CONDITIONING

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Digital Edition

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Trades & ServicesGuide GAR GARDENING RDENING

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PAINTING

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ect Our Vision Your Proj

DARREN 0437 404 966

• Interior/Exterior Painting • Roof Restorations • Home Maintenancee/ Plaster Repairs DISCOUN • Colour Consults ON THIS T • Timber Varnissh AD • Pressure Washing

GP1644946

SHEDS SH SH HEDS ED FA FACTORIES FACT FA CTOR CT ORIE IES ES DAIRIES DA DAIIRIE DA IESS C CARPORTS CARPOR CARP POR ORT TS TS HAY SHEDS CONCRETE FLOORS

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PAIINTING PAINTING

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PLUMBING & AIR AIIR CCONDITIONING ONDITIONING 10% PLUMBING SSW W & CCM M EEDWARDS DWARDS

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Installations

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5144 4388 or 0407 550 792 “WHEN SERVICE COUNTS’’

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Mitchell: 0413 537 569

Ph: 5144 3900

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Plumbers & Gasfitters

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Lic No. L058709 AU23152 ARC Cer tified ABN: 58 087 219 799

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Want to advertise

VEGETATION VEEGETTATION MANAGEMENT MAN NAGEM MENTT

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advertising@ gippslandtimes.com.au

CALLING ALL TRADIES! For as little as

$26.30per week

you can brand your business and gain new clients.

To organise your Trades Package, call 5143 9306 or email advertising@gippslandtimes.com.au Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 31

Accommodation Accommodation Wanted Lease To Let Business Opportunities Education and Training Employment Services Professional Situations Vacant Phone: 5143 9333 Situations Wanted Adult Services Computers Entertainment Events Fax: 5144 7308 For Hire Holidays and Travel Home Maintenance Houses for Removal Legal Email: classifieds@ Lost and Found Meetings Missing Persons Party Planners Personals Pet gippslandtimes.com.au Cemetery Public Notice Religion Tenders 4WD Caravans Cars Machinery Livestock

•

How to BORDER COLLIE place your advertisement

Puppy, purebred black and white male. 12 weeks old. Good-natured. $1,000 MC: 953010006634145 Source no. RB177604 Ph: 0413 772 331

BULLS

PHONE

(03) 5143 9333

FAX

(03) 5144 7308

E-MAIL

classifieds@ gippslandtimes.com.au

IN PERSON

74 Macalister St, Sale or newsagents

Deadlines for

classifieds

Tuesday’s paper

FOR HIRE/SALE Angus, Limousin, Jersey, Hereford and Friesian, very quiet. 0447 331 762.

HORSES WANTED $$$ Cash Paid $$$

PUPS, CAIRN TERRIOR

WILTIPOLL SHEEP

For more information please visit

Photographs Photographs for Death and In Memoriam notices will cost according to the space they use.

Please email high resolution images to classifieds@gippslandtimes.com.au as we cannot accept photos on a memory stick.

Personal notices All engagement and marriage notices must carry the signatures of BOTH parties. If under 18 the parents’ signatures as well.

Lost and found All ‘found’ advertisements are published free.

Simply provide the details of your find for publication. ‘Lost’ advertisements are paid.

BICYCLE

We will refill any gas bottle including SWAP'n'GO if it's less than 10yrs old Call Platinum Plumbing Plus Sale 5144 7644 Maffra 5147 2818

Public Notices

•

HORSES WANTED Sale PRODUCERS MKT $$$ Cash Paid $$$ Producers Market, TRACTOR

40-75 horsepower with front end loader. Sale.

Ph: 0468 422 051

Public Notices

•

GARDEN RENOS

Make it, bake it, grow it.

Saturday, December 16, at Sale Showgrounds under the elm trees, 8am-12:30 pm. Enq: 0409 697 254.

SUNDAY MARKET

Sale Charity Sunday Variety Market, Canal Reserve, December 17.

Egg and bacon rolls for breakfast, BBQ, hot dogs, hot and cold drinks, stalls from $15, raffles must be accompanied by a stall.

Proceeds to charity.

Buskers welcome.

Phone 0409 574 253 or 0438 079 966

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Garage Sales

MAFFRA

•

Sale Rd., 16th Dec., 8am to 1pm. Stanley hand plane parts, tools, collectables and loads more.

SALE 36 Sandra Ct. Sat Dec 16.

9am-3pm. Dec estate household, electrical, tools, equipment, bric-abrac, craft materials, books, magazines.

No early birds!

TINAMBA 5250 Traralgon-Maffra rd.

8am - 2pm. Sat 16 and Sun 17 Dec. Horse gear, household goods, records, books.

CLASSIFIEDS DEADLINE FOR TUESDAY’S GIPPSLAND TIMES IS

The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertisements Page 32 - Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

9:30AM MONDAY

Stored S tor ed undercover Held in water Trimmed to shape Best stands in town Delivery service available

Support Animal Aid

BRIDGE CRASH-COURSE SATURDAY FEB 3, 2024 10:30am - 3:45pm

Location: Sale Bridge Clube, Masonic Hall, 7 Marilyn Way, Sale.

Bring your own lunch About the day: Engaging lessons from the renowned Laura Ginnan. Discover the excitement and strategy of the card game bridge. No experience necessary.

All are welcome and you don't need a partner.

Cost: $15 (pay on the day - cash only) Registration is essential, secure your spot today: Email: salebridgeclub@bigpond.com or phone Libby Thomson: 0408 783 500 or Lorraine Robinson: 0400 058 038

Meetings

•

Macalister Demonstration Farm

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18 At 6pm at Sale Greyhound Club RSVP is essential for catering purposes

CHRISTMAS TREES

● Trimmed ● Undercover

You can’t go past a Growmaster Xmas!

Ph: 5144 4338

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Wanted

•

CARFree REMOVALS service.

Phone Sam 0488 471 163

•

CARPENTER

Fully qualified Quality work guaranteed Interior / exterior house / factory farm / commercial verandahs / pergolas decking Mobile 0400 647 111

PAINTER

Local tradesman, 15 yrs. experience. New houses and repaints, no job too big or too small. Phone Steve 0499 345 384.

Situations Vacant

Situations Vacant

•

•

Newspaper Deliverer required for Rebecca Drive area Please phone Sam 0438 446 513

Newspaper Deliverer required for York St. from Raglan to Dawson St. Rhodes Dr. area Please phone Sam 0438 446 513

Situations Vacant

•

A fantastic opportunity for

RSVP to: cowz1965@gmail.com

Also Available: Artificial and Potted Christmas Trees and Decorations

Situations Wanted

•

Chriisttmas Trees

Heyfield Newsagency

Private vendors of motor cars advertised for sale must include in their advertisement: - Cash price of motor car - If car is registered, registration number - If unregistered, the engine, vin or chassis number.

•

APRICOTS

8.5kg - $20 45kg - $130

More options for placing classifieds in person

Car advertisers

ALL HEART FISH FERTILIZER Supplying quality liquid fish fertilizers for pastures, crops and veggies.

Discounts for bulk quantities. Call PSN Australia for pricing on 0413 383 733

LPG Gas Bottle Refills

before 9:30am Thursday

CLASSIFIED GUIDELINES

Wanted To Buy

Gippsland Ph. Dave 0418 202 202

26" "specialised", multispeed lady's bicycle, One ram, two ewes and excellent condition, $160. three lambs.

Phone 0427 441 805.

PIC 3WLKF692.

Phone 0408 144 280.

ANTIQUE dining chairs x4 in need of reupholstering. $20 each. Ph: 5147 1260 In accordance with a after 5pm. local law itroduced by Also windsurfer worn footholds - best offer. the State Government on January 1, 2012,

Friday’s paper

Maffra Newsagency Newry Store

•

Total garden cleanups, weeds removed, watering systems and more. We are qualified, experienced and we love what we do.

Fresh from Goulburn We are the garden Valley. Due in Sale 5 males 2 females, pure- approx. Early January. renovators. Call Mike. bred, vaccinated, wormed. 10kg - $35, 20kg - $60. 0478 636 088.

MC 953010100647873 - Ring now to place your Public Notices 701571-429297-482562- order 0439 768 671.

686683-428784-428784.

Source no. mb222262.

PH: 0407066784. $1900 Gippsland Ph. Dave 0418 202 202

before 9:30am Monday

CREDIT CARD FACILITIES We accept

For Sale

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Heyfield Hospital will be held on: WEDNESDAY 20 DECEMBER 2023 AT 6:30PM AT HEYFIELD HOSPTIAL 1.Confirmation of previous AGM minutes.

2.Receive the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2023.

3.Election of Committee Members: nomination forms available from Evelyn Marciniec, Executive Assistant.

4.General business for which 7 days notice has been given.

Should you wish to attend, please contact Evelyn Marciniec, Executive Assistant at 5143 8608 or Evelyn.Marciniec@cghs.com.au for videoconference details.

Outside School Age Coordinator

to join our centre on a fixed contract to work at our Longford Service.

Our growing team is seeking enthusiastic and dedicated OSHC educators to join us. Our OSHC programs cater for children aged five to twelve years and provide a range of additional services to our children and families in the community.

Due to continued growth and expansion of our service we are looking to build on our already established team of highly motivated, professional Educators to continue our journey in a great workplace environment.

Our Educators must be passionate about achieving quality outcomes for children, their families and our community. You must be highly motivated, enthusiastic and have proven Outside School Hours skills. If you would like to work in a community run not for profit centre who value and appreciate their staff, then this is the centre for you!

Some of what we offer: ● Above award wage ● Excellent facilities and resources ● Ongoing professional development training Successful applicants must: ● Hold a qualification in Outside School Age Education and Care or similar accredited qualifications or willing to enrol and study an accredited Diploma course. ● Be passionate and enthusiastic about School Age Care and Education ● Have strong leadership, communication and organisation skills ● Have a Working With Children Check Further enquiries to contact the OSHC Supervisor on 5144 6952.

Please contact the centre to receive a position description and email your updated CV to gumnutsoshccoord@gmail.com or post to 305 Raglan St, Sale 3850.

Gumnuts is committed to child safety Gumnuts acknowledges the Gunaikurnai people as the traditional custodians fo the land of where Gumnuts now is.

We pay respect to their Elders past and present and emerging.

For all classifieds call 5143 9333

Situations Vacant

•

Situations Vacant

Cars

• Bonaccord Freightlines is currently hiring full-time

(Interstate)

Please visit our website: https:/bonaccordingram.com.au/careers for further details and job descriptions.

Applications can be emailed to: freightlines@bonaccord.net or contact 03 5157 1325 for further information.

Want to earn some pocket money?

Gippsland Times Deliverer required for

Cars

Please call Sue 0403 00 6347

•

2003 Pajero 3.5l V6 4WD, rough interior, still used everyday as a work vehicle, no r.w.c. or rego, SDB-004, $2500 o.b.o.

Call Pete 0448 777 445.

HOLDEN Captiva 2007, 224,000kms, new tyres, reg. till Jan. 2024, great cond., well taken care of $6300 o.n.o. 1YI-2IB. Ph 0407 552 269 after 6pm.

Newspaper Deliverers

Burling Court ALAMEDA Dr Part Hutchison St once a week

Caravans

•

SUBARU WRX

Long Distance HC Drivers Morwell, Warragul, Sale

•

GP1665427

STI Premium, 2018, 48k's, manual, $4k stereo, plus PARAMOUNT Thunder many extras, BMV-699, 19'6'' pop-top, custom made, 2020, dual axle, full $61,000. 0419 385 128. ens., L-shaped lounge, x2 95L water tanks, x1 95L grey water tank, bike rack, diesel heater, QS bed, elec. brakes, Dexter antisway, m/wave, gas/240v HWS, 3-way fridge, antiflap kit, Dometic awn., solar panel, rev. camera, w/mach., TV, exc. cond., great van, easy to tow Ultimate V6 5 8 0 , $65,000. 0431 159 984.

88,000kms., BIT-436, over $20,000 in extras, $63,000. Ph 0400 441 700.

VW AMAROK

Caravans

• 1996 POP TOP

QUEST RV off-road, 2014, all electric, diesel heater, Windsor caravan, lots of dble bed, m/wave, fully extras. Ph 0422 897 849. equipped awning, 3-way fridge, 11 months reg.

67,000 kms, 12 mths reg. $20,000 neg. 0408 038 112.

Reg, no. YBR-754.

PH: 0498 186 362 ROYAL Flair 17ft, 10 mths reg., sgle axle, m/w, gas stove top and grill, 3-way fridge, front kit, sgle beds, solar, annexe, lovingly kept $16,500. 0427 916 547.

CAMPER Trailer, off-road, water tank and pump, ROYAL Flair Elite 18ft, elec. brakes, 12v batt. and 3-way fridge, m/w, d/axle, 12v plugs, boat rack, erect QS bed, elec. brakes, TV, trailer for tinny $6000 annexe, new awning, bbq, Toyota Sahara 200 Series o.n.o. Ph 0488 301 283. outside table, exc. cond., AFB-486, ex. cond., no off $35,000. 0419 895 218. road, no accidents, 100, 000kms., $93,000. Ph. ROYAL Flair Promenade 0400 441 700.

2011, 16ft 6'', QS bed, full fridge, HWS, air cond., arm chairs, 12 mths reg., excellent cond. $27,000.

Phone 0408 210 764.

KIA RIO 2010

CPP4 Advanced Child Protection Practitioner Outer Gippsland Practitioners to join our team in the Outer Gippsland area, working in Sale and Bairnsdale, two major commercial centres in East Gippsland.

GP1664651

Commit to a career in Child Protection

The area provides access to the world-famous Gippsland lakes region and is an ideal location for those looking for a sea or tree-change.

Relocation packages are available for those looking to move to Sale or Bairnsdale to take up one of our exciting opportunities.

Packages are valued up to $17,500 and can also include up to 28 nights accommodation and additional financial supports to cover the cost of relocation.

To see what the region has to offer please visit https://www.visitgippsland. com.au/destinations/east-gippsland To find out more about relocating to Gippsland please contact Elishia Mitchell, 0419 857 780 or Elishia. mitchell@dffh.vic.gov.au or Darlene Henning-Marshall, 0407 746 137 or Darlene.Henning-Marshall@dffh.vic.gov.au.

DFFH/COPL/OGA Wednesday 31 January 2024 For more information about this opportunity, please go to www.careers. vic.gov.au and download a position description to view departmental information, the selection criteria, our pre-employment screening requirements and our Diversity and Inclusion commitments.

GP1664372

CADET JOURNALIST The Gippsland Times and Latrobe Valley Express are looking for a cadet journalist to join our team.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to contribute to the communities in our region.

The role will include general news reporting in a region with a wealth of stories to be told about current challenges and future opportunities in addition to the normal story telling expected of a local newspaper serving its community.

The ideal candidate will: Have relevant tertiary qualifications Have great communication skills, both verbal and written Be able to write punchy, informative and exciting stories on a range of subjects Possess great news sense and an understanding of what engages local readers Have a current driver’s licence Be motivated with a commitment to accuracy and quality reporting The position will be based in Sale.

The successful applicant will report to the Editor.

Send a letter of application, resume, list of referees and work examples to: The Editor - Liam Durkin Gippsland Times ldurkin@lvexpress.com.au Applications close: Monday, 18 December 2023.

GP1664910

CLASSIFIEDS TYPESETTER

The Gippsland Times is seeking a person to join our classifieds team.

This is a basic graphic design role which includes preparing classifieds advertising and setting pages for print on deadline mornings as well as assisting customers with counter and telephone enquiries and general reception duties.

You will need to be computer savvy and experience in some or all of the following programs would be desirable: Photoshop, InDesign, Emails, Microsoft Excel and Word. A willingness to learn newspaper-dedicated programs is essential.

A strong grasp of grammar, spelling and touch-typing is essential.

This is a part-time position, approximately 20 hours per week, with extra hours available to cover leave in a job-share capacity.

If you like learning and feel you can accept this challenge, please apply via email to: Classifieds Typesetter C/- Office Manager reception@gippslandtimes.com.au Applications close Friday, December 15, 2023

We currently have a vacancy for a part time Practice Manager.

Tasks and responsibilities include: ● Manage the reception team workflow, lead and support them to manage patient appointments, greet clients, take rebookings and payments. ● Appointment scheduling. ● Billing procedures. ● Debt Collections. ● Maintenance and security. ● Privacy and quality controls of patient files and notes. ● Support Management team with reporting and ad hoc tasks. ● Create and support a harmonious, cheerful and engaging practice environment. ● Manage and orientate new Doctors and students to the Practice. ● Maintain and develop the Practice's Policies and Procedures.

This position would ideally suit somebody with General Practice experience but is not essential.

The position is currently for three days per week, but this could be negotiated for the right applicant.

How to apply: Please submit your resume and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to: Practice Manager Heyfield Medical Centre pracman@heyfieldmed.com.au

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Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 - Page 33

Deaths

Engagements

•

•

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Birthdays

•

BIRTHDAY

GREETINGS

(size 1column x 6cm)

Deaths

•

ALTHAUS, Helmut Walter.

7/10/1949 - 6/12/2023 Passed away peacefully at the Sale Hospital.

Dearly loved son of Anni and Walter (both dec.).

Husband of Margaretha (dec.).

Loved brother and brother-in-law of Len and Lynette. Uncle of Sandra and Damian, Karen and Andrew, David and Tsugumi, James and Mellisa.

Great uncle of Hayden (dec.), Cassie, Kaitlyn (dec.), Matthew, Jake, Finley, Maya, Subi and Zuke.

A gentle man, now in God's care.

CASTLE (nee Clow).

Heather June.

6/4/31 - 4/12/23 Passed away peacefully at CGHS Sale.

Loved wife of Maurice (dec.) and Graeme (dec.).

Daughter of Florence and Ernest Clow (both dec.).

Sister of Geofrey and Patricia (both dec.).

Mother and mother-in-law of Ann and Ross, and Mark (dec.).

Great grandmother of Oscar, Napier, Arley, and Eden.

No more suffering, at peace.

CATT, Jim T.C. Passed away suddenly on November 19, 2023.

A talented artist, musician and leatherworker.

A great neighbour and friend who will be sadly missed.

RIP Louise and family.

FISHER (nee Lestrange), Ann Frances.

22/6/1951 - 7/12/2023 Passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family, after a long illness.

Dearly loved wife of Graham.

Adored mother of Kim and Rick.

Loved Gran of Brodie, Mat and Craig.

Special special Great Gran of Paisley.

Loved daughter of Alf and Lil Lestrange (both dec.).

Sister of Lynne (dec.) and John.

Forever In Our Hearts FISHER, Ann. We began as two individuals, marriage drew us together as one.

We traversed the journey of life together for almost 50 years.

We were each other's rock during the good and the bad times.

We learned that love never ends.

During the last years, your strength, courage and faith has been amazing, despite the adversity you faced.

For now, rest peacefully and I will love and honour you, until we meet again.

All my love, Graham.

FISHER, Ann. Mum, my best friend.

My heart broke having to say goodbye to you.

I'll cherish all the good times and memories we made, miss you terribly.

Love you always and forever, Kim. XX. Ann, I couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law than you.

Going to miss you and your cheeky sense of humour.

Love Paul.

FISHER, Ann. To our beautiful Gran, How lucky we are to have someone that makes saying goodbye so hard.

I hope your garden looks just as beautiful from up there as it does down here.

Deaths

•

Deaths

•

HOWELL, Glenn.

Born in UK in 1957, Glenn found his heart in Australia, finally settling in Sale, Victoria.

As a member of Sale Art Circle, Glenn's artistic talents were an inspiration for all. His works defined a testament of his boundless creativity.

Glenn's passion for art along with his larger than life personality enlightened the room just before 12pm each Wednesday. His infectious charisma could uplift spirits of all. He leaves FISHER, Ann. behind a legacy of 22/6/1951 - 7/12/2023. creativity, camaraderie and love.

To our beautiful Aunty Glenn will be sadly Ann, missed by us all at SAC. Life is so precious and it went by too quick.

Our hearts are broken.

It's never goodbye, "we will see you soon".

Thank you for the promise you made before you left.

Forever in our hearts.

Love always and forever, Carla, Brendan and Adam.

Nanny Annie to Jesse, Jake, Hunter, Kaeli and Sean xox FISHER, Ann Frances.

Passed away 7/12/2023.

Our beautiful Auntie Ann, thank you for everthing that you have done for us over the years, we will be forever grateful.

We will miss you, our catch-ups, phone calls and messages.

So many fond memories of times shared together that we will cherish forever.

Love always.

Tracey, Steve, Melissa, Brendan, Debbie, Mick and Mitchell.

FISHER, Ann. Goodbye dear friend. Rest peacefully longtime friend.

Love Kerrie and David.

FISHER, Ann. My beautiful friend.

You suffered so much, yet you never complained.

You didn't deserve what you went through.

You always put others before yourself.

I will always remember the happy times we spent together.

We had a lot of fun times in the auxiliary.

I will miss our visits and phone calls.

You were a wonderful friend and I will miss you so much.

Lots of love, Deidre.

FISHER, Ann. The Stratford Fire Brigade Ladies Auxiliary are deeply saddened by the passing of Life Member and president Ann. Ann was a dear friend to us all.

Ann was a dedicated hard-working member of the auxiliary for 43 years.

She worked tirelessly supporting the fire brigade.

We will all miss you.

Our deepest sympathy to Graham, Rick, Kim and family.

Until we meet again.

Love you special, Brodie, Pret and Paisley GRANT, xxx.

Walter Robert Edwin.

(Wal) FISHER, Ann. Loved Gran of Mathew My darling Wal passed away on December 6, and partner Gypsy.

You may be gone but will 2023 at Sale Hospital. never be forgotten, we Aged 82 1/2. loved your kind heart and We had a wonderful 60 will miss seeing your and a bit years together and I cannot imagine life beautiful smile.

May you no longer be in without you.

Husband, best friend, we pain but at peace. were joined at the hip and Forever in our hearts! soul mates.

We love you.

'Til we meet again Mat and Gyps xxx.

Love you to bits.

-Lee My beautiful Gran, How I miss you always knowing what to say when I needed someone to talk to.

Not a day will go by that I won't be thinking of you.

I love you always Gran.

Forever thinking of you.

Craig and Kira ♥

Funerals

•

Funerals

•

ALTHAUS. The funeral service for Mr Helmut Walter Althaus will be held at Delbridge Funeral Chapel, Marley Street Sale at 1pm TODAY (Tuesday December 12, 2023) followed by burial at the Sale Lawn Cemetery.

GRANT. The funeral service and committal for cremation for Mr Walter Robert Edwin (Wal) Grant will be held at Our Chapel, 5 Queen St Maffra on THURSDAY, (December 14, 2023) commencing at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Ashleigh House.

Please our website for the livestream of Wal's service.

BRAND. A funeral service for Mrs Naomi Mary Brand WAS HELD on FRIDAY (December 8, 2023).

NICOLACI. A private funeral service for Mr Dominic Nicolaci was held.

CASTLE (nee Clow).

The funeral service for Mrs Heather June Castle will be held at St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Cunninghame Street Sale at 1pm on MONDAY (December 18, 2023) followed by burial at the Sale Lawn Cemetery.

NICOLACI, Dominic.

In lieu of flowers, 6/1/1961 - 1/12/2023 donations may be Dearly loved partner of Liz made to Mental Health for 30 years.

Foundation Australia.

Family and loved friend to Kerryn and Rick, Kylie and Jono.

Poppa Dom to Will, Matthew and Lily.

Fond brother-in-law and friend of Marg and Joe and family.

FISHER (nee Lestrange).

Sadly Missed In accordance with Ann's wishes a private funeral service will be held.

NICOLACI, Dominic.

Son of Angelo and Maria (both dec.).

Brother and brother-in-law to Greg and Ev, Mary and Norm, Entz and Christine, Stella and Ken, Antoinette and David.

Uncle to 11 nieces and nephews.

"Gone too soon, now at peace"

In Memoriam

•

COLLINS, Ron. 16/1/1943 - 13/12/2021.

Treasured memories.

It's hard to believe it's two years since you left us.

Forever in our hearts.

Loved and missed every day.

With love, Judy and family.

DRANE, Paul John.

11/12/1974 - 09/12/2014 In the garden of memories we meet every day, Never for a moment are you far away.

Mum and Dad, Sarah, Lachlan and Jordan, David, Jessica and Sierra.

HEARSEY, Julie. (Dr.) Ten years ago, you left us.

Always in our thoughts and in our hearts.

Barry, Meg and Izzy.

Bereavement Thanks

•

CRANK, Richard Joseph.

Marj, Tanya and Nigel and family wish to thank all our friends for their kind thoughts and expressions of sympathy on the passing of our loved Richard. Special thanks to Dr. Fang, Dr. Dandy and staff at Maffra Medical Group and also staff at Sale Hospital. Please accept this as our personal thank you to all.

Funeral Directors ROBBINS (Hall, Worlley), Dawn.

Born 8th October 1937, passed away peacefully on the morning of Thursday 30th November 2023. A loved mother and mother-in-law to Brett Worlley (dec.), Karen and Harold Johnston, grandmother to Sarah, Emily, David, Jessica and Tyler, great grandmother to Miles, Clark, Logan, Fletcher and Arley.

Mum, Dawn, Granny Daw Daw was always known for her love of Christmas, wonderful cooking and appreciation for beautiful gardens.

A private memorial will be held in the new year with Dawn's immediate family.

•

GP1658408

Barry & Annette Lett

67 Macarthur Street, Sale

Phone 5143 1232

GP1658406

Celebrating life...with care.

Scott Rossetti & Staff 1390 Maffra Road Sale

03 5143 2477

www.gippslandfuneralservices.com.au GP1658407

Page 34 - Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

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Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 35

Sport

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

finishes Latrobe Health partners Photo and excitement with Warnie Campaign on Cup day FREE heart tests to detect preventable underlying heart conditions are rolling out across the country, thanks to a new partnership with Gippsland's private health insurer Latrobe Health Services, Wesfarmers, SiSU Health and the Shane Warne Legacy Trust.

Latrobe Health Services Head of Marketing and Business Development, Kate Jarvis, said the death of Shane Warne was a shock for so many Australians and cricket fans worldwide.

"Too many Australians are unaware of heart health risks," Ms Jarvis said.

"Working with the Shane Warne Legacy Heart Test Campaign we can raise awareness of heart health and offer 23,000 free heart health tests before the end of 2023.

"We've been working with Wesfarmers Health and SiSU for 18 months delivering heart health tests across regional Victoria and are thrilled to have Shane Warne Legacy on board to really move this program forward.

"We've seen some interesting population level

results in these tests, but more importantly we've seen that these tests have had life changing impacts for participants.

"In 2022 we saw a 38-year-old Sale man who presented to one of our testing stations at a shopping centre. The team there were immediately worried about his wellbeing and called an ambulance for him on the spot. The next day he had triple bypass surgery - saving his life.

"We've also had instances more recently where tests have identified individuals with diabetes or who are pre-diabetic - but did not know. These participants were referred onto their GPs immediately to begin a screening process."

Some in the Gippsland community have already taken advantage of the free heart health tests, when Latrobe Health visited Farmworld, East Gippsland Field Days and a number of workplaces and shopping centres in the last 12 months.

The Shane Warne Legacy Heart Test campaign aims to make 23,000 free four-minute heart tests available to Australians before the end of 2023.

The Latrobe Health Services team celebrating the new partnership with Shane Warne Legacy.

Next year, the partners will work together, aiming to provide 500,000 free heart health tests to Australians in an attempt to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and save lives.

"By providing access to free heart health checks to communities, we hope to raise awareness and understanding of heart health indicators and ultimately save lives," Ms Jarvis said.

"It really hit home for me on the day we announced this new partnership, I was on my way to the funeral of a young man who died of a heart attack. Cardiovascular disease kills 43,000 Australians each year, if we can be part of reducing this devastating figure we will."

Latrobe Health Services is a not-for-profit, for purpose, private health insurer. It has a strong focus on regional Australians and improving access to health care for its members and their communities.

For more information about Latrobe Health and its heart health program, go to: latrobehealth.com. au

Latrobe Health Services Head of Marketing and Business Development, Kate Jarvis LHS Chief Executive Ian Whitehead celebrate the new partnership with Shane Warne Legacy.

Photos: Contributed

Station One wins the Traralgon Cup Liam Durkin

NAMING a racehorse with the word 'one' in it became quite fitting at this year's Traralgon Cup. That its full name was Station One only completed a double, possibly triple, entendre.

Station One ran express only, and won (one) Sunday's Bet 365 Traralgon Cup. The gates of Latrobe Valley Racing Club may well have been a train station, as the five-year-old gelding jumped from the start and lead virtually the entire 1900-metre distance.

Only once was Station One overtaken, which came when Samedi snuck in with just over 400 metres to go.

The fellow five-year-old gelding couldn't maintain its speed though, and Station One kicked strongly in the last 50 metres to leave the field in its dust.

Station One got home by just under two lengths from last year's Traralgon Cup winner Starspangled Baby, trained in Sale by Andrew Perdon.

For its worth, Starspangled Baby has performed admirably on the Gippsland Cup circuit this year, running fourth in the Sale Cup last October.

Sunday however belonged to the Liam Howley stable at Mount Macedon, as well as jockey Alana Kelly.

Howley heaped praise on Kelly, who in turn publicly praised the Latrobe Valley Racing Club track when presented her winning trophy.

The winning trainer described the performance as a "super ride" by Kelly, and revealed it was rather fortuitous to have her in the saddle.

"She's got a real good feel on those sort of stayers, thankfully the meeting got pushed back a week because she (Alana) was unavailable last week," Howley said.

In terms of the race itself, Howley said Station One ran to its strengths.

"He's always got really good natural gate speed," he said.

"She (Kelly) gave him a little squeeze at the start,

Traralgon Cup winning trainer Liam Howley is presented the trophy by Latrobe Valley Racing Club Chairperson Frank Bezzina.

Page 36 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

he found the rail and then from our point of view it was a watch-and-see from there. He's got a big tank on him, when she asked him at the half-mile he really quickened into it nicely and thankfully came off the bend nicely and put them away."

Despite entering with $5.50 odds, Howley said the stable had reason to be optimistic.

"We were confident, he's had a really good prep, and he's just got a huge capacity," he said.

"We've changed his program a little bit this time around, kept him nice and fresh, made full use of our facilities at home, just been able to balance his workload ... he came here in really good order."

From here, Howley said he may look to run Station One in a Benchmark 78 at Mooney Valley before Christmas, but would "let the dust settle" first.

The Traralgon Cup win maintained good recent form for Station One, who won over a similar distance at Dunkeld last month, and came third in the Kyneton Cup on November 8.

Station One crosses the line first in the 2023 Traralgon Cup.

Photos: Liam Durkin

Liam Durkin

LATROBE Valley Racing Club hosted an eight-card meeting on Traralgon Cup day.

Persistent rain which fell in the days leading up to last Sunday's event threatened to derail proceedings, but as it turned out, the wet weather actually inadvertently helped on a number of fronts.

The meeting had been originally scheduled for Sunday, December 3, but was pushed back a week due to the Glenview Park track being too damp.

A rodeo event, meant to held last Saturday night inside Glenview Park, was cancelled for similar reasons, which gave some reprieve to Latrobe Valley Racing Club from a logistics perspective.

The rodeo would have necessitated coordinating trucks, trailers and patrons crossing over the horse racing track, which would have surely added to the usual burden that goes with holding a race meeting.

With the rodeo called off however, and with rain falling Saturday, there was not only traffic taken off the racing track, but the track itself was given a chance to freshen up.

The track was a thick green by Sunday, and rated a Soft 6 for the entire meeting.

A field of seven horses took part in the Race 1 WIN Television Gippsland Maiden Plate over 1900 metres.

Of the seven, only two were in the finishing frame, although one of the them was still three lengths ahead when it crossed the line.

Wambeen, for Cranbourne trainer Trevor Andrews, opened the meeting on a positive note, with the four-year-old cruising to victory.

Sisu came third for Sale trainer and this year's Sale Cup ambassador Paul Worthington.

The second race saw a much closer finish.

Everett and Highland Dream were separated by a nose in the Latrobe City Council Maiden Plate (1365m), with the former stretching home on the outside.

The win provided another Cranbourne trainer with reason to smile, this time going to Enver Jusufovic.

Race 3, the RACV Solar Maiden Plate (1100m) was a one-sided affair.

More horses were scratched than ended up taking part, with only four competing.

While there was a 75 per cent chance of a place, it soon became clear there was no chance of anyone beating Accending, who strolled to victory by nearly five lengths for Mornington's Jerome Hunter.

Race 4 gave backers more interest, although there was no great surprises as the three shortest priced favourites took podium spots.

The Morwell Bowling Club Maiden Plate (1100m) saw four-year-old gelding Graewazi win on the inside from Houso, giving Hunter a consecutive double.

Flower Gallery performed well for Sale trainers Troy and John Kilgower.

The closest race for the day came before the cup, in the Race 5 TRFM Handicap (1100m).

A photo was needed to determine not only the winner, but first, second and third.

Even usual deadeye race caller and Stony Creek Racing Club Chief Executive, Adam Olszanski could not separate the winners, but eventually projected Catalina Black Cat as the winner over the PA system.

The five-year-old gelding hit the line on the outside from Citaleon, giving Mornington trainers David Brideoake and Matt Jenkins a win.

Race 6 was the Bet365 Traralgon Cup. The penultimate race was the Race 7 Of The Track Handicap (1900m).

Another competitive finish saw the top five horses all get within two lengths of each other, but six-year-old gelding Flying Basil held on after taking the lead at the 800m.

The win gave locals reason to smile, as Flying Basil is trained in Bairnsdale by Jackson Pallot.

Sale trainer Damien Walkley also had a good run, with Fine Weather coming third.

The Race 8 Latrobe Valley Express Handicap (1365m) saw out the day.

Mornington was again represented in the winners stable, with Estapaz doing it easy by two lengths for David and Coral Feek.

This year's Moe Cup winning jockey Craig Newitt rode the last winner at Traralgon.

The next country cup on the Gippsland calendar will be at Stony Creek on Sunday, March 10.

Sport

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Maffra PS scoop Hooptime title MAFFRA Primary School recently won the senior boys Hooptime Grand Final.

The team started off their journey in Sale in July, winning there before moving onto Traralgon for the regional finals.

Maffra was successful on that occasion, progressing to the finals, where a similar result was met.

Maffra then went undefeated through all stages and won the Grand Final by 16 points.

Ryder Gieschen won the most determined player of the tournament (winning a basketball).

Ace Burgiel was a vital member of the team, as were Bentley Johnson, Huddy Cromb and Lincoln Fulford.

Connor Howson, Chance Lindrea and Jobe Bailey played their role to help the side win.

Coached by Byron Sandeman (teacher) and Fiona Whelan (education support staff), the boys have great comradery, which showed on and off the court throughout their campaign.

Local pro-ams to take place this week Maffra Pro-Am

Monday, December 11 (yesterday)

Sale Pro-Am

Tuesday, December 12 (today)

Traralgon Pro-Am

Thursday, December 14 to Friday, December 15.

Yarram Pro-Am

Saturday, December 16 GIPPSLAND is home to a number of golf pro-ams this week. Sixty professionals are competing for the $30,000 prize money, and will be joined by 30 of Victoria's top amateurs in the Classic event.

They will compete alongside 200 club golfers, receiving tips and doggedly trying to match their skills with the professionals.

Defending his title is 'Mr Consistency' Canberra professional, Matthew Millar.

Professional golfers are travelling from pro-am to pro-am this week in order to make a living.

Previous winners Kyle Michael, Adam Burdett, Ben Wharton and Steve Jones are also out to wrestle the title back.

Maffra Primary School celebrate after winning the Hooptime championship.

Photo: Contributed

Premiers gear up for Gippsland

Wellington Gippsland Tennis Association Round 9

Saturday, December 9 SENIORS - WASHED OUT Section 1 Ladder: Sale KFC (71 points), Maffra GRE (69), Sale Dahlsens (65), Maffra WRE (40), Maffra CSC (40).

Section 2 Ladder: Sale Finsex (60.5 points), Stratford (59), Sale CS (54), Longford (50), Heyfield (48), Maffra ARL (42), Maffra O'Briens (26.5).

Section 3 Ladder: Briagolong (70.5 points), Stratford (69), Heyfield-Longford (45.5), Maffra Stobies (43.5), Sale GL (34.5), Maffra Wilmours (34).

JUNIORS

COLLINGWOOD IN GIPPSLAND SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 3.30pm-4.30pm: Super Clinic, Morwell Recreation Reserve 4.30pm-5.15pm: Signing session

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19

Morning: School visits Afternoon: Clinics and player appearances in Traralgon, Moe, Morwell, Warragul, Drouin and Fish Creek Evening: Coach training delivered by AFL Victoria and Collingwood coaches

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20 9am-11am: Open training session, Ronald Reserve

(Morwell East FNC)

Collingwood during their visit to Morwell for the 2020 Marsh Community Series.

COLLINGWOOD are heading to Gippsland for the club’s Community Camp, from this Sunday, December 17 to Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

The Magpies will start their visit with a super clinic at Morwell Recreation Reserve on Sunday afternoon, before visiting schools and junior football clubs, holding an open training session over the following few days.

The Magpies are expected to visit Morwell, Traralgon, Moe, Warragul, Drouin and the recently devastated Fish Creek, who lost their clubrooms in a fire.

Gippsland product Tew Jiath, who was recently selected by the Magpies in the 2023 AFL Draft,

Photo: File

will return to his home town as part of the camp.

The Magpies recently visited Sale, bringing their 2023 AFL Premiership Cup for locals to get a hold of.

Collingwood games record holder Scott Pendlebury grew up in Sale, and barring injury, looks certain to become just the sixth person to play 400 AFL games next year.

The 35-year-old won his second premiership this season, and is currently on 383 games.

If he makes it to 400, he will join Brent Harvey, Michael Tuck, Shaun Burgoynem Kevin Bartlett and Dustin Fletcher in the exclusive group.

Section 1: Maffra 6 def Sale Sambuilt 2, Longford-Sale v Sale Khayaam (no score supplied), Bairnsdale v Sale Intersport (no score supplied). Ladder: Maffra (58 points), Sale Intersport (53), Bairnsdale (52), Sale Sambuilt (34), Sale Khayaam (30), LongfordSale (7).

Section 2: Maffra 7 def Longford 1, Briagolong-Stratford 1 def by Sale DSF, Sale IH - BYE. Section 3: Heyfield 5 def Bairnsdale Alcott 1, Longford 0 def by Maffra 3, Bairnsdale Rafters v Sale ME (no score supplied), Sale RS - BYE. Section 4: Sale JERE 2 def by Stratford 6, Sale GMS 3 def by Maffra 5, Sale Phillipsons v Bairnsdale Laver (no score supplied), Sale WG&M v Sale AH (no score supplied), Bairnsdale SS - BYE. Section 5: Bairnsdale v Sale GFB (no score supplied), Sale HB v Sale GCP (no score supplied), Briagolong - BYE. Section 6: Maffra Volleys 1 def by Sale Specsavers 5, Bairnsdale Hewitt 6 def Stratford 0, Heyfield 6 def Maffra Aces 0.

Section 7: Sale MoR v Nambrok (no score supplied), Longford v Bairnsdale (no score supplied), Maffra - BYE.

Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 37

Sport

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Thousands journey through region Stefan Bradley LAST month, Bicycle Network’s The Great Victorian Bike Ride (GVBR) journey came through Sale, Yarram and Port Albert.

For 39 years, riders have shown the towns they encounter how dedicated they are, as well as how much fun they are having.

Road users across Gippsland were asked to take care, with about 2100 cyclists taking on the event.

Some participants chose to ride for three days, others five, or for the resilient ones, the full nine days (Saturday, November 25 to Sunday, December 3), pedalling 540 kilometres from Orbost to Wonthaggi.

More than 700 school students took part.

It’s been six years since the last ride visited Gippsland - and even longer since it visited many parts of the route.

On Wednesday, November 29 (Day 5), riders had the option to pedal about 82 kilometres from Paynesville to Sale, in challenging and wet conditions.

That day, Alison McCormack, Chief Executive of Bicycle Network, told the Gippsland Times that many riders had to be transported due to the wild weather.

“We work with the local police because safety is absolutely paramount to the riders. So because we did have just such heavy rains we made a call that any of the students or any people under 18 on the ride weren't going to ride today,” McCormack said.

“And if there were any very keen hardcore adults out there that wanted to ride, they were able to ride but to do so with extreme caution. We had about 600 of the 2100 riders ride today in the conditions.

It was raining, but they did have a very strong tailwind that supported them.

“The conditions dampen the campsites but it doesn't dampen people’s spirits.”

East Gippsland Highway Patrol and Wellington Solo Unit assisted with the traffic flow.

The next day was a break from riding, so a perfect opportunity for more than 2000 people to go explore Sale and all it has to offer - the local parks, the cafes, the restaurants and all the sites.

This would continue for the other towns, whether

there was a rest day or not. Friday, December 1 was the scheduled ride of 101 kilometres from Sale to Port Albert.

“We work with the community and obviously hang out in the town, and people go and explore.

Usually the bike riding is done anywhere from around 12.30pm to 2pm,” McCormack said.

“Most of the riders come in, they pitch a tent and then wander into town and see what's going on and what the town has put on.”

Bicycle Network General Manager of Events, Caitlin Borchers, said they had worked with local authorities, councils and Victoria Police to ensure the event could run safely.

“We’d like to thank locals and visitors for their cooperation and patience during the event,” Borchers said.

“The bike riders range from toddlers being towed in trailers to 86-years-of-age. Some will be very experienced bike riders while others will be saddling up for their first cycle touring holiday.

They will stretch along the road for up to 50kms each day.”

Speaking to the Gippsland Times at Stephenson Park in Sale was Greg Parrington, a rider from Adelaide. He revealed he was well prepared for the GVBR, as he cycles five kilometres to work each day.

He said he and his partner would spend his rest day in Sale staying dry.

“We're just probably going to have a look around town,” he said.

Parrington nominated the Snowy River as his favourite site from the ride so far.

Due to the wet weather, the route was changed from Port Albert to Yarram, however Port Albert Progress Association (PAPA) President, Jenny Smith said Port Albert still put on a great experience for those who came round.

“The ‘Relax and Unwind’ event at the Port Albert Water Sports and Safety Centre went ahead despite the riders not staying in town,” Smith said.

“Whilst fairly well attended after 4.30pm, the event closed its doors at 6pm due to licence requirements, so couldn't take full advantage of the crowd.

“I have spoken to the three eateries in town. They

all prepared for huge crowds ordering additional stock but only experienced a normal day's trade in the end so all have experienced a loss of some sort due to the event being moved.

“The GVBR team organised shuttle buses from Yarram to Port Albert which we really appreciated, but an overnight stay would have provided a better outcome for the town.

“Nothing can be done about ‘Mother Nature’, and who would expect those conditions at the start of summer?”

It’s unfortunate how wild weather can derail plans for small business, but both GVBR and the people of Port Albert made the most the situation.

It was a rain-free afternoon, with hospitality from Rosedale Thai and Neirbos EATS. Live music was performed by No Promises and Ally Row. In Yarram, the restaurants, bistros and cafes saw their own extended day of trade to serve the unexpected arrivals of bike riders, some of whom took the bus to Port Albert.

The next day, riders continued onto Fish Creek, and then the following day, the nine-day trek ended at Wonthaggi.

It may be over, but it's not too soon to jump on the bike and train for next year’s 40th GVBR.

Greg Parrington from Adelaide at Stephenson Park, Sale. He and his partner took part in the Great Victorian Bike Ride, which rode from Orbost to Wonthaggi.

Photos: Stefan Bradley

Hundreds of bikes at Stephenson Park in Sale.

Sale United cash in on Container Deposit Scheme Zoe Askew CAMERON Irvine may have seemed like Sale United Football Club's resident oddball, rummaging through bins at the end of game day for empty cans and bottles, squirrelling away his findings in cardboard boxes. But two years on, there has proven to be a method to his madness.

When Sale United Football Club's Treasurer heard whispers that Victoria would introduce the container deposit scheme, he began diligently collecting and storing away empty cans and bottles purchased at the club, driven by the knowledge that soon, Victorians would be able to receive a 10-cent refund for returning eligible drink cans, bottles, and cartons at refund points across the state.

On November 1, two-and-a-half years after Irvine began amassing empty bottles and cans, Container Deposit Scheme Vic, or CDS Vic, was officially launched as part of the state government's $515 million investment to transform the state's waste and recycling sector.

"I heard rumours that it was going to start up, and I thought I might as well get a head start," Irvine said.

"Halfway through, I started to think, 'I'm not sure whether this is going to happen', but thankfully, it did."

Last Wednesday (December 6), Irvine returned more than 15,000 empty cans and bottles to the Tambo Recycling Centre Sale, one of Sale's three CDS refund points.

With 15,428 empty cans and bottles in hundreds of cardboard boxes, a convoy was called upon to transport Irvine's collection effort, filling one hatchback, one sedan, a ute, two SUVs and two trailers.

"There were 7128 bottles, 8200 crushed cans and about 100 plastic bottles," Irvine said.

After going above and beyond to collect and store empty bottles and cans sold at the club, to the extent of sifting through bins after game day, Irvine's efforts have proven to be worthwhile.

"It did take a fair bit of effort to do it, but I think it was well and truly worth it," he said.

"Halfway through, I realised it was worth it in the saving for the bin costs as well.

"If you imagine all those cans and bottles in blue bins at $60-$70 an empty, there are probably at least 12 empties there, so that's a pretty big cost saving.

"Plus, on top of that, you're actually generating money."

Irvine's collection of 15,428 eligible cans and bottles ranked among the largest returns at the Tambo Recycling Centre Sale since the scheme opened, falling just short of the top deposit of 19,000.

Kwik Tip Bins employee, Tim Russell said he is amazed by the community response to CDS Vic. "More than 600,000 cans and bottles have been deposited just in the Sale area since the scheme began," Russell said.

"We're actually number one in the state; for cans and bottles returned, we are number one by a long way."

According to Russell, the average deposit is about $25, equivalent to 250 eligible drink cans, bottles, and cartons.

"Since the scheme started, we are seeing more and more kids collecting and returning cans and bottles to earn some pocket money and a lot of grandparents collecting for their grandkids," he said.

"People are also collecting for charities, like St Vinnes; they have people collecting for them."

Cameron Irvine packs boxes of empty cans and bottles into his trailer to return at the Tambo Recycling Centre Sale. Photos: Zoe

Askew

Page 38 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

There are four options to return eligible containers: reverse vending machines, depots, over-the-counter sites, and pop-up refund points.

Depending on the type of refund point, Victorians can choose whether to receive an electronic refund,

a cash refund, a retail voucher or donate their refund to a charity or community organisation registered with the scheme.

To find refund points near you, visit cdsvic.org. au/locations

Sale United Football Club Treasurer, Cameron Irvine’s collection of 15,428 eligible cans and bottles ranked among the largest returns at the Tambo Recycling Centre Sale since the Container Deposit Scheme opened.

Tambo Recycling Centre Sale is one of three CDS refund points in the Sale region.

Kwik Tip Bins employee Tim Russell counts Sale United Football Club’s CDS return.

Sport

www.gippslandtimes.com.au

Another washout

Cricketers across the region will be hoping rain stays away this weekend. The last two weeks have been lost to wet weather.

Liam Durkin WOULDN’T mind playing some cricket.

Wet weather again caused issues in the SaleMaffra Cricket Association, with virtually no on field action for the second week in a row.

Most Round 7 matches were abandoned, as persistent rain left grounds unplayable.

The only first grade match that got a start was between Boisdale-Briagolong and Maffra, although even that only lasted 4.3 overs.

The Eagles were 1/28 before the game came to a halt in Briagolong.

Only one match went ahead in second grade as

well. Visiting Collegians got 26.4 overs completed against Stratford, and were 7/66.

All third grade games were called off, while there was no winners in fourth grade.

With fourth grade played mostly on synthetic wickets, there was greater leniency to go ahead with games.

However, given hardly any matches reached anywhere near the number of overs required for the day showed just how damp conditions were.

Bundalaguah Yaks only got 7.5 overs in on the Bundy back oval against Collegians.

Stratford was 5/30 off 23 overs against BoisdaleBriagolong on Briag No 2, and Longford was 2/14

Photo: File

having bowled Nambrok out for 39 at Stephenson Park No 2.

No play was possible in Rosedale or Heyfield for matches against Maffra and Sale respectively.

Bundalaguah Bulls were short of players, and had to forfeit against Wurruk.

While the situation was unfortunate, the fact Bundalaguah made the call perhaps deserves some credit.

Given the weather, and the likelihood of games getting called off, not to mention the fact the game was scheduled to be on turf, the Bulls could have easily kept their mouths shut and waited until an abandonment before handing their opponents points for a win.

Top-three clash in midweek T20

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Marita Fry in action for Sale in last week’s midweek twenty20. The opener retired after making 18.

Sale captain Lily-May Lyndon will be looking to lead her side to victory against Bundalaguah tonight.

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SALE-MAFFRA women’s cricket continues tomorrow.

The Saputo Midweek T20 competition has two more rounds before the Christmas break.

Rosedale-Kilmany heads into Round 9 on top of the ladder and will headline action taking on fellow top-three side Longford.

The Warriors are hosting the Lizards on Rosedale Synthetic from 5.30pm.

Other matches see Stratford take on Collegians in Stratford, and Bundalaguah play Sale at Colin Wrigglesworth Oval.

Maffra has the bye.

MEN’S T20 matches are down to four teams.

Boisdale-Briagolong is hosting Rosedale-Kilmany tomorrow, and Stratford are hosting Sale.

Frustratingly, there has now been three of 10 Saturday’s in season 2023/24 lost due to wet weather.

The situation isn’t just confined to Sale-Maffra, with leagues across Gippsland affected.

Cricket Latrobe Valley has suffered the most, with an astonishing five out of 10 days lost.

Sale-Maffra has one more round to play before the Christmas break.

Games are: Yarram vs Rosedale-Kilmany (at Yarram Rec), Longford vs Boisdale-Briagolong (Stephenson Park), Sale vs Maffra (Sale Oval), Collegians vs Stratford (most likely in Stratford), Bundalaguah - bye. mes • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Times • Th and Times • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Ti a mes • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Times • Th m and Times • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Ti a mes • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Times • m and Times • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland TTii a mes • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Times • Th m T and an a d Ti Time mess • Th The e Gi Gipp ppsl slan land d Ti Time mess • Th The e Gi Gipp ppsl slan land d Ti mes • The Gipps m p land d Times • The Gipps p land d Times • TTh h and an a d Ti Time mess • Th me The e Gi Gipp ppsl pp slan sl and an d Ti Time mess • Th me The e Gi Gipp ppsl pp slan sl and an d Ti Ti mes • The Gip ipps psla ps land and nd Tim imes es • Th he Gip Gip ipps psla land nd Tim imes es • Th Th and an a d Ti Time mess • Th The Gi G pp Gip p sla ppsl s an a d Ti and Tm Tim mes me es • Th The he Gi Gipp ppsl slan and d Ti Ti mes • The Gippsland m sland Times Times • TThe he G Gippsland ippsla Times • Th T

Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023 – Page 39

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RIDE ON The Great Victorian Bike Ride came th hrough Sale recently. Stopping over at Stephenson Park were Kati Reti and Brigid Ryan Ryy who travelled from Melbourne to take part rt. t

STORY - PAGE 38 Photo: Stefan Bradley

Wet weather disrupts cricket once again Liam Durkin

WET weather that saw regular Saturday club cricket called off also led into Sunday.

The Gippsland Cricket League match between Latrobe Valley and Sale-Maffra was abandoned.

The Round 4 senior men’s game was scheduled to be held at Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe, but conditions were still unplayable on Sunday morning.

Latrobe Valley was to be without regular skipper Nathan Freitag. Imperials batsman Ryan Morley was named his replacement.

Sale-Maffra regular and former captain Jack Rietschel was a noticeable absence from the Sharks selected team.

THE game between Leongatha and Warragul went ahead.

The match was transferred from turf at Korumburra Recreation Reserve to an astro pitch in town due to soggy conditions.

The visitors elected to bat first and compiled 162.

Captain Cam McPhan top-scored with 39, while Yashan Samarasinghe and Greg Munro contributed scores of 30 and 29 respectively.

Scoring was difficult on an outfield that, understandably, hadn’t had much chance to be trimmed.

McPhan, Samarasinghe and Munro reflected this, all striking around 50.

The lower order batted with McPhan, who was the last batsman dismissed.

The Wild Dogs tried to hit out to accelerate the scoring as the innings wore on, which led to a flurry of late wickets.

Jake Cochrane cashed in, taking the last five wickets to finish with figures of 5/15 off 5.2 overs.

Ethan Lamers was also effective, taking 3/30 off 10.

Leongatha had little to no issue chasing the required total, getting home with more than 10 overs in the bank.

Lamers proved key, smashing 72 off 80 balls against the new ball.

He hit 10 boundaries, including five sixes during his innings, which received good support from Koby Brann.

Brann played more within himself, working the ball around to make 41 not out off 73 balls.

The pair put on 88 for the second wicket to put Leongatha in the box seat.

Nick Fairbank picked up two wickets for Warragul, nabbing 2/15.

Warragul threw the ball around looking for an answer, using nine bowlers.

Page 40 – Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 12 December, 2023

BAIRNSDALE had the bye.

Senior GCL is now done for 2023, and will return after Christmas on Sunday, January 14.

AN inspired bowling performance from Jordan Shields led Latrobe Valley to victory over Bairnsdale in the under 18s.

Travelling to Meerlieu, a full game was completed in the area usually considered the driest of all Gippsland competing regions.

Latrobe Valley decided to bat first at the toss, and put together a score of 134.

A few players helped the side along, making it to double figures. Hayden Stockdale top-scored with 23 from number nine, after Jacob Bloomfield (21) and Liam Cumiskey (20) got a few away earlier.

Wickets were shared in the Bairnsdale camp.

Jack Hodson took 3/18 and Tajwyn Corden 2/18.

The response was undone by Shields, who blew the home side off the park, taking 5/25 off 10 overs with two maidens.

Bairnsdale appeared in a strong enough position at 1/47, before Shields took the next three wickets, triggering a middle order collapse of 3/9.

Bairnsdale failed to recover from there, and were bowled out for 88 inside 33 overs.

Jacob Dunn joined the party, taking crazy figures of 3/1 off 4.5 overs.

LEONGATHA, Sale-Maffra and Warragul had the bye in Round 3, and will play a series of twenty20s this Sunday.

WOMEN’S GCL did not go ahead, with Leongatha forfeiting to Latrobe Valley.

The Round 5 game was scheduled to be held at Toongabbie.

Sale-Maffra had the bye, and will return in the New Year.

SALE-MAFFRA defeated Latrobe Valley in the Under 13 Junior Development League.

The Sharks won a low-scoring game in Round 3, getting up by 18 runs at Maryvale No 2 Oval.

Batting first, the visitors closed at 4/89 from their allotted 40 overs.

Jack Morris showed good application, seeing off 105 balls to score 34.

Latrobe Valley didn’t have an individual innings of similar substance, and were bowled out for 71.

Kaiden Morrison and Chance Lidrea were leading lights with the ball, taking 2/6 and 2/11 for the winners.