Midland Express Tuesday April 29 2025

Photo: Lachlan McMahon

Excellence down to the finest detail

So you’rebuildingyour dream home, finally knocking down the leaky old lean-toand extending, or giving the kitchen an entertainer’smakeover.

Theteam at EdificeConstruction can work with all kinds of plans. They arecommercially and residentially registered and have adedicatedteam of project managerstoensure works staytoschedule.

Theproject managementduo of Dugald and Stevehaveworked together formorethan 10 yearsand ensurethe seamless coordination of trades. They stayonajob until it’s completed, ensuring their clients aresatisfied down to thefinest detail.

Tworecenthappyclients were Ursulavan Dykand her husband Luke who had aStephen Lumb Architects-designed home built forthem by Edificelast year

Thecorrugatedironand timber single-storey home exudes contemporary style.

“The detail of the internal fittings is amazing, it’sreally functional and practical forhow we liketouse it,”Ursula said.

“The aesthetic is greatand their attention to detail wasimpeccable.

“Wewereinvolved in all the steps and theykeptusinformedonall of their ideas and the thinking behind it. They really had our vision in mind and understood whywewanted things acertain way.

“Theygaveuslotsofadvicealong the wayabout whytheythought things would work well and really wanted to understand whywe’dchosen certain materials or layouts so theycould help us throughout their build processtoget thebestoutcome.”

Edificewerealso the buildersbehind the newly renovated Taproom at Shedshaker Brewing, which wasanother project delivered ahead of schedule.

Therenovationisincredibly impressiveand Edificeissoproud of theresulttheyhave entered into theMaster BuildersExcellenceinConstruction awards, which will beheld later this year

EdificeConstruction has room in their schedule to start work immediately.Call the team today on 5472 4250 to arrangea quote.

‘Backtobasics’budget

Macedon Ranges ShireCouncil'sdraft2025-26 budget released forpubliccommenthas been described as "back to basics"

Proposed major projects recommended include $8.68M on road renewal, $3.66M on council building renewal, $700,000 on footpath renewal, $370,000 on newfootpaths and $611,000 on drainagerenewal.

Renovations to theGisborne Library western rooms, upgrading Gisborne Aquatic Centre's boiler from gas to electric,upgrade to Kyneton'sHutton Street public toilets, and Kynetonairfield infrastructureupgrades arealso listed.

Ratesare proposed to increase three per cent in line with the cap setbythe Minister forLocal Government.

Changes to fees and chargeshavebeenrecommended in accor-

dancewiththe increasing cost of delivering services, benchmarking and communityfeedback.

Proposed changes include afee waiver forgeneral local law permitsfor once-off community group activities (one free permit per year), changes to non-statutory planning servicefees, and proposed reductions to user fees foraccessing council’soutdoor pools.

Thecouncil received 61 submissions to its early consultation. Thecommunitynow has achancetocommentonthe draftform.

Submissions close on May8 and can be made via the council's website: yoursay.mrsc.vic.gov.au/budget-2025-26

Thebudgetisexpected to go before councillorsfor adoption in June.

Earlyvoting centresopen

TheFederal Election will officially be held on Saturday, May3,but constituentshave the option to vote early.

Hundreds of early voting centresare now open and will run up to andincluding Friday, May2.Early voting centresinclude the following locations:

Castlemaine Catholic Church Hall (St Mary's),at70Hargraves Street,Castlemaine

Gisborne Community Hall (Scout Hall), 63 HoweyStreet, Gisborne St Anne'sCatholic Church Hall,101-103 Riddell Road,Sunbury

Wandong Public Hall,19Rail Street, Wandong

Forfurther earlyvoting centre locations, and afull list of opening times, visit the AEC website: aec.gov.au

SATURDAY 8.30-3PM SUNDAY 8.30-3PM

Health Services Plan

Engage Victoria Survey

Local communities, patients, families and carers are invitedtoshare your experiences of healthcare in Victoria through an online survey.

Your views will inform how care is delivered within Local Health Service Networks. Networks will be established across VictoriafromJuly 2025.

Hospitals within theseNetworks, including Dhelkaya Health, will be responsible forsupporting coordinated care to the Victorian community.

Programs &Services

Falls & Balance Service

Dhelkaya Health has a specialised outpatient Falls and Balance Program It takes acomprehensive approach to preventing falls through one-on-one assessment and treatment, as well as a Better Balance Group. Appointmentsare available at both our Castlemaine and Maldon campuses.

T. 5471 3575

Opportunities

BirthStory Counselling

The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and is anonymous. It is open from 22 April to 8June 2025.

The survey being conducted by the Victorian Department of Health.

The survey is available onlineat: engage.vic.gov.au/your-healthexperience

Current Vacancies

If you’ve recently welcomed ababy into your family, we inviteyou to take time for yourself in asafe, supportive environment to process your birthing journey. This free service offers you a space to share your story, process your feelings, explore your early parenting experience and connect with supportsif you need them.

T: 5479 1000

•Nursing Workforce andPatient Flow Manager –Ongoing/full-time

•Quality &Improvement Specialist Manager –Ongoing/part-time

•Trade Cook –Ongoing/full-time

•Personal Care Worker roles –Ongoing and casual/full-time and part-time

•Hotel Services roles –Ongoingand casual/full-time and part-time

•Administration roles –Ongoing and casual/full-time and part-time

Healthier Together dhelkayahealth.org.au |(03) 54713555

Submissions to Macedon Ranges ShireCouncil’sdraft2025-26 budget close on May8.

Remembering the scars,

Morgan Reinwald

South Vietnam, 1966: An isolatedcompanyof108 Australian soldiersisoutnumbered by 2000-strong Vietcong. They trade firefor four hoursand 18 Australian lives aretaken. Francis Donovan, amedic on the battlefield, attends wounded 20-year-old LesFarren. He lays unconscious with his groin destroyed and legs detached. He opens his eyes afinal timeand calls forhis mum; he dies in Francis' arms.

Francis stands in complete darkness on amountaintop, grasps his harmonica and croons, "War bleeds on down through the families".Only the sound of wind and sniffles ensue. Francis is completely surrounded and cannot see it. As the sun rises, athousand facesform but it isn’t their battalion. They shownofear

Francis is no longer at the Battle of Long Tan; the medic is at the MountMacedon Memorial Cross commemorating Lesand every other Australian soldier forthis year'sAnzac Day Dawn Service.

Francis sang BleedOnDown,anoriginal song about themental and physical impactwar had on those who served and their families. It wasthe theme of the Cross’Anzac Day service. Servicemen and women across the region spokeoftheir experienceand commemorated those who served but arenolonger with us.

WOUNDED AT GALLIPOLI

Colonel John Charles Barrie (1883-1957), wasalocal who worked at theColonial Bank Kyneton He wasatthe landing in Gallipoli and received abullettothe chest thatwould remain therefor the rest of his life.

He laterserved at the Western Frontand waswounded again, but in the midst of his pain he wrotehome to his mother suggesting otherwise. It appeared in the KynetonGuardian on June 17, 1915:

“I am in asorry plightand canonly writewith difficulty; but Iamstill smiling and Iwantyou, please, nottoworry about me at all, forI am getting the very bestattention, and although it maybe alongtime, Iwill eventually be as good as ever again.”

Barrie's "unseen wounds of conflict"wasn't aconversation he and his fellow soldiershad when theycamehome. Histrauma remained as hidden scarsfor decades.

FIVE DEPLOYMENTS, NO RESPECT

Craig Byrne, joined the Australian Army in 1980 and completedfivedeployments in his 40 years andfourdaysofservice. When he came home from Iraq, he wasspaton.

“I walked out of VictoriaBarracks in my uniform because Ilived close by.I waswalking home and this guy had come up to me and he spat on me. He spatonmyfaceand he spatonmyuniform,” Byrne said.

“And whatI did was, Isaid ‘thank you’ to him. Isaid‘thankyou’.

“Whatyou'vejust done to me proves that whatI do in servicemakes adifference. What Idoin serviceallows youthe freedom to come andspit on me and there'snoretribution fordoing that.

“That'swhy Iserve.”

All quietatthe MemorialCross.Photo:KGMG Creative

physicaland mental

THE LUCKY ONES

Greg Hughes, presidentofCastlemaine RSL, also understands what it is liketobespaton. He wasconscriptedasaNational Serviceman at 18 yearsold and said the cultural uproar of the Vietnam Warleftlasting impacts.

When the warended, he wasdenied entry to theRSL because it wasn't a"real war" in the minds of its memberswho foughtinthe GreatWars.

“Ifyou wandered around in uniform, yougot spaton,"hesaid.

“Therewerea lotofhorrible things happening in Vietnam, and theyhad to livewith it forthe rest of their lives.

“When theycamehome, therewas no-one to greetthem.”

Greg'sbeginnings in the armyweresimilar to LesFarren's,excepthewasn'tcalled up to serveoverseas. He's been forevergratefulfor this. Leswas the first Victorian National Serviceman to die in the Vietnam War. Akeen photographer and the only son of Thomas and Lillian Farren, he died June 10, 1966. He was19daysshort of his 21st birthday.

at the cross. Photo:KGMG Creative

A salute to the fallen

Picturedatthe Kynetonserviceare veterans John Wyke,Jim Foreman,Tim Collins and Joyce Damon.

Thecrowd

Lest We Forget

Craft marketon

R. M. Begg KynetonAgedCareishosting acraft marketonSaturday, May3 Browse awonderfulselection of babygifts, knit wear,beanies, scarves, rugs, toys, cakes, jams sauces, books and more!

Thecraftmarketwill be held at R. M. Begg Aged Care'sBolton Hall,22 Epping Street, Kyneton, from 9am to 1pm. Eftpos is available.

Second houseapproved forElphinstonefarmland

Asecond house has been approvedfor farmland on the edgeofElphinstone despite MountAlexander ShireCouncil'sinitial permitrejection.

Theapplicantsuccessfully appealed the council'sdecision forland at 2342 Calder Highwayatthe Victorian Civil and AdministrativeTribunal. TheVCATmember's decision considered the location of the land, surrounding developmentand determined "impacts on agriculturewill be limited"

Thecouncil refusedtogrant apermit in June, stating the proposal wascontrary to the purposes and provisions of the Farming Zone and did notsupport/enhance agricultural production, resulting in loss and fragmentation of farmland.

MASCsaidthe proposed second dwelling would undermine policy relating to discouraging the spread of rural residential land use outside of the existing settlementboundary of theElphinstone township.

Thesubject land is locatedonthe northeast corner of the Calder Highwayand Pyrenees Highwayand isbordered to the northbythe Calder Freewayand Pyrenees Highwayinterchange. It wasalso notedthat apermit had been grantedfor landopposite the siteonthe west side of the intersection (south-western corner)for aservicestation, which had yettobegin construction.

Twoprevious proposals forthe sitewere rejected. They both involved subdivision of the land into twolotswith one lotcontaining the existing dwelling and forthe useand developmentofa dwelling on the other lot.

Bothproposals were refusedbycouncil, withColiban Wateralso objecting to both due to issues around separate wastewater treatmentand disposal design.

Theapplicantsubmitted thatthe current proposal wasamoreresponsivedesign for asecond dwelling only,with no subdivision and ashared wastewatereffluentdisposal design.

TheVCATmember approved the plans withconsideration given to the land being adjacenttoa settlementboundary and in an area the council accepted had little valuefor agriculture.

"I accept thesecond dwelling is nota changeofuse and is aminor increase in intensity thatdoesnot include with it, subdivision, that creates anew lotand associated fragmentation concerns in the FZ,"theysaid.

"Italso avoids the associated issues withseparatewastewater effluentdisposal systemsthatplagued earlier unsuccessful permit applications relatedtosubdivision anddevelopmentonthe sitefor adwelling."

Thepermit wasapprovedwith several conditions.

Naturerepair needsaccelerator funding Nature e r repair needs accelerraator

Alocal environmental allianceisreminding federal election candidatesofthe toll naturaldisasterstakeon centralVictorian communitiesalready struggling witha cost-of-living crisis.

Biolinks Allianceand 12 of its membergroupssaid repairing nature wasvital to mitigating the impacts of droughts, floodsand fires and their flow-on effects.

“For so manyatthe moment, the rising cost of living is incredibly stressful and we have seen hownatural disasters can result in food shortages thatleadtoafurther hikein food prices,”said Dr Sophie Bickford, ecologist and Biolinks Allianceexecutivedirector

“When natureishealthyand resilient, it supports our food production, butunfortunately natural disasterscan cause havocwith this relationship,aswell as significantly

risking the safety of our communities.”

Working together through Biolinks Allianceare 19 community organisations, representing 121 landcare groups and more than 2000landholders, who areatthe ready to repairnatureatscale in centralVictoria.

“Together,wehavethese incredibly catalytic, large-scale partnership projects thatare based in scienceand receive some support through landcaregrantsand philanthropy, but categorically need accelerator funding from the federal governmentifweare to better prepareour lands fora hotter and moreextreme climate,”DrBickfordsaid.

Onesuchproject is Biolinks Alliance’slarge-scale boxironbark forest repairpartnership project, which expands on its groundbreaking Spring Plains Watershed Repair demonstration project.

This expansion projectlooks to makecatchmentsfrom St Arnaud to Bendigoand Rushworth more absorbent–or less ‘leaky’ –slowing waterdownand making it more available to theecosystem, while also reducing flash flooding.

Another collaborativeproject the community is leading is the Melbourne to Echuca Biolinks restoration project. It will greatly mitigate floodeventsthough slowing down floodwaterswhile also saving iconic Australian species including theplatypusand koala.

“Communities manageover60per cent of the land in Victoria and most of Australia’s threatenedspecies occur on privateland, so these projects also offera vitaland importantway to preventspecies extinction in central Victoria,”DrBickfordsaid.

Rejectedfrom road register

An unmaintained section of Mt William Road's northern end at Goldie will notbeincluded in Macedon Ranges ShireCouncil'sPublic Road Register

Thesection of road is about 130 metres (fromend of the public road section), has awidth of three metres and provides access to one property. It is also aboundary road with Mitchell ShireCouncil that is maintained by MRSC.

In areport to council, council officersstated the section wasin"aminor state of disrepair, withdrainageissues along itsentirelength".

Thetrack wasconstructed without table drains on either side. Apipe culvert is in placeto preventthe road flooding but it requires repairstorestoreits full functionality. Track repairs were estimatedat$50,000.

Council officerssaid the track does notmeetthe expected construction standards to be considered forinclusion in thePublic Roads Register

Access track status unchanged

An unmaintained section of Kyneton's Blackhill Road access track will notbe added to Macedon Ranges ShireCouncil's Public Road Register,despiterequestsfrom residents.

Thesection considered wasfromthe intersection of Blackhill Road and FoxesLane to 558 BlackhillRoad which spans about 1270 metres. It serves as the eastern entrancetoBlackhill Reserve, the entranceto KynetonRidgeEstate Winery and provides access to severalfarming properties.

Council officers determined thesection of road didnot meet the criteria forinclusion in the public road register.Areport to MRSC also highlightedsignificantpotholes and major drainageproblems.

"The section of Blackhill Road in question wasconstructed without table drains on either side,"itsaid.

"Additionally,runoff from Blackhill Road

is directed through thecarriageway,causing pondingatthe lowerside of the road and scouring along thelongitudinal direction of the road."

Council officersaid significantrepairsand upgrades would be required to meetthe council'sminimum standards foranunsealed local road.The estimated cost was$100,000 and "notconsidered as the best valuefor the overall ratepayercommunity"

Thesection of Blackhill Road that is maintained through thePublic Road Register extends from Kyneton-Baynton Road to FoxesLane, covering atotal length of 4290 metres.

It includes 1250 metres of sealed road from Kyneton-Baynton Road to Bald Hill Road, and 3040 metres of unsealed collector road from Blackhill Road to FoxesLane. North of FoxesLane, an uncategorised privateaccess track continues.

Cars collide at Kyneton

Police officers at thecenotaph were

alerted to thecrash when sirens from the policestation sounded across of the town centre.Residents were confused at the time and notsureifitwas part of the Anzac service. Police told the Express at the scene, all driverspassed aroadside alcohol test and were checked by paramedics at the scene.

Bungledspeedsigns settled

Spencer Road's speed limit is expected to return to 80km/h following bungled signage changes last year thatreduced speeds to 50km/h on the Woodend road

Last week, Macedon Ranges ShireCouncil votedtoformalise the original 80km/h following discovery of an anomaly on the DepartmentofTransport and Planning's record system.

Council officers explained the 50km/h speed signs were posted in response to community requestslastyear, using typical procedure.

"Astherewerenoprior recordsof speed signageonthe road,council officers consulted the DepartmentofTransport and Planning Portal, which indicatedadefault 50km/h speed limit,"council officers said.

"Following repeated incidents of vandalism and the removalofthe regulatory signs, council officers,inconsultation with the DTP, identified an anomaly on the DTP Portal.

"Itwas determined thatSpencer Road should nothavebeenassignedadefault 50km/h speed limit, and the correct speed limit should be 80km/h, as per DTPguidance."

Theroad is southofthe Woodend township, offBlack Forest Drive, and the 80km/h wasinline with the Victorian SpeedZoning Guidelines and recommended forroads of this type. Council officers notified Spencer Road residents in January of their intention to formalise the speed limit to 80km/h but received mixed community responses.

Apetition from 30 residents called on the council to maintain the 50km/h speed limit and to placepermanentsignage.

Thecouncil also received aletter, signed by 21 individuals, objecting to the request to formalise the default speed limit on Spencer Road at 50km/h, with the preferencefor an 80km/h limit instead.

Last week'scouncil meeting made clear thatthe council'sdecision wasbased on formal guidelines.

"Concerns regarding driver safety,pedestrian safety,orfailuretoshare theroad appropriately falloutside of infrastructurerelatedsolutions and areinstead issues of driver behaviour," the officerreport said.

"Ifdriversare exceeding the speed limit, this is alaw enforcementmatterand should be reported to Victoria Police forappropriateaction.

"Lowerspeed limitsshould be based on safety risks such as sharp bends, high pedestrian activity,ora history of crashes, none of which mayapply here.Setting an unrealistically lowspeed limit mayleadtopoor complianceand enforcementdifficulties."

Thereport to council statedrecenttraffic counts along SpencerRoad were "relatively low" at 222 movements withvehicles averaging 78km/h.

MRSC will nowproceed with formalising the 80km/h speed limit along Spencer Road and restoring signagewith approval from DepartmentofTransport and Planning. Councillorsapprovedthe move without objection.

Life,death and dying

Thefirst of the monthly Good Grief Lounges will be held from 11am to 1pm on SaturdayMay 3atCastlemaine's Northern Arts Hotel.

Thelounges area placetolisten to beautiful music, talk andlisten to gentle conversations about life, death and dying overmorning teainarelaxed environment, with others who care.

TheGood GriefLounges arethe follow-on of the Good GriefForget-Me-Not workshops and RemembranceRaveheld during the Castlemaine FringeFestival culminating in the Memorial Shrine Windows in the Ray Bradfield Centre in Castlemaine.

This month guests will hear from aDeath Doula about her work –whatdoes she do and howdoes she do it?

Barb Ferguson has experience of over16 yearsinend-of-lifecare, together with in home after-death care, shrouding, natural burials, home-based funerals and commercial funeral guidance. Shehelps support people through the mazeofbothexpected and unexpected death care. Theloungewill also hear from alocal solicitor about makinga will. No RSVP necessary but if youhaveany questions, contact Jill Rivers on 0418 389 189 or email jillrivers@gmail.com

Take control of your health today

The GPspracticing at ourclinic arehighly trained and supported by ateam of friendly receptionistsand experienced nurses.

GP servicesinclude:

•Women’s,men’s and children’s health

•LGBTQIA+ health

•FotoFinder skin checks

•Health assessments

•Hearthealth checks

•Medical body composition analyser

•Flu and COVID-19 vaccines

•Mentalhealth

•Chronic disease management.

OPENINGHOURS

Mon –Thu: 8:00am –7:00pm Fri: 8:00am–6:00pm Sat: 9:00am –3:00pm

Adriver crashed into another car during Anzac Day commemorations last week in Kyneton.

AMercedes Benz driver failed to stop on Beauchamp Street and collided with aMazda on Mollison Street,700m away from veterans marching at the cenotaph.

AGITATIONHILL CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES ELYANE LAUSSADE AND FRIENDS CHRIST CHURCH CASTLEMAINE

CONCERT 2 2025 – SUNDAY MAY 11th @ 3pm

FeaturingThe Magnificent Schubert PianoTrio No.1 in B Flat Major Eylane Laussade (piano), Miranda Carson (Violin), Luke Severn (Cello)

Schubert Piano Trio is a lively, buoyant work, with unrivalled lyricism throughout .. magnificent and beautiful

Bookings atTrybooking: Agitation Hill Chamber Music Concert No2 2025 or tickets at the door $40 Adults; Concession $30; Student -16 $10 A complimentaryglass of champagneforMother’sDayincluded!

Locally owned and operated and proud stockists of leading brands Monday - Friday 9am-5pm Saturday 9am-2pm

23HighStreet, Kyneton 0354222090

Do youknowhow to make your vote count?

Federalelection, Saturday 3May 2025

It’s important that youunderstand how to votecorrectly.

On electionday youneedtocompletetwo ballot papers:

•a greenone forthe HouseofRepresentatives

•a largewhite one forthe Senate.

On thegreen ballot paperyou arevotingfor arepresentative of your localareaorelectorate in theHouse of Representatives.

On thewhite ballotpaperyou arevotingfor representatives of your stateorterritory in theSenate.

Don’tworry if youmakeamistake. Justask foranother ballotpaperand startagain.

Whiteballotpaper –you canchoosetovoteeither aboveorbelowthe line

AmyHume

Theyearofthe reds

Lyons Will Estate at Lancefield is celebrating abumper crop and promising vintagefollowing ashort, dry season.

Estate vigneron OllieRapson said thedrier weather had meanthardwork but plentytolook forwardtoin the final product

"It'sbeen dry,but we'vehad agood yield. It wasup 20 per cent year on year.Lotsofwine will be made. It's quiteexciting,"hesaid

"Wehaven't had ayearthis dry fora fewyears. It seems to be areturn to whatwesaw in 2015-19. It has felt likewewereentering another droughtphase. The vines and vignerons have hadtoadjust.

"Froma wine perspective: it'sbeen ideal. Thewine will have lots of intensity in colour andflavour,and soft bouquets.

"Wefinished pressing last week and it'slookingvery vibrant."

Ollie predictsitwill be the year of the reds, and Lyons Will produces pinotnoirand gamay, alongside rosé, riesling and chardonnay.

"I think this year the reds will shine,"hesaid. "We're quiteexcited about the reds."

Some of the wines from the mostrecentharvest areexpected to be on the market from nine months onwards.

With plentytocelebrate, Olliesaid therehad never been abettertimetoexperiencethe Macedon Ranges wine region.

"Get excited," he said. "We've neverhad better wine in this region and we'venever had moreaccolades for our region's wine.Cellar door experienceshavenever been better.Everyone should be celebrating.

"There'sa lottobeexcited about in this growing region. There'slotstodo, and if locals haven'tdone it yet, theyshould. People should be pretty happytocall the Ranges home."

TheMidland Express is celebrating the region's wineries, distilleries, cideriesand breweries in anew publication coming out next month.

Stay tuned formore!

Annear appointed

MountAlexander ShireCouncil'sRosie Annear wasamong nine Victorian mayors appointed the Local GovernmentMayoralAdvisory Panelfor 2025.

Chaired by the Minister forLocal Government, Nick Staikos, the panel provides high-level adviceonlegislative, regulatory,strategic and policy issues thataffect Victorian councils. This year'spanel is expected to focus on governanceand other keyissues of concern to local government.

Themayorshavebeenselected from urban, regional and rural communities across the state,ensuring thata diversity of perspectives is broughttothe forum. Theminister metwith the panel last week forthe firstofthree official meetings to be held this year

Lyons Will Estate’Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello and their children arehands on in the winery

Ready your engines and dust offyour suits –the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is returning to Castlemaine on Sunday May18.

Join hundreds of thousands of dapper gentlefolk in the world'smoststylish on-road motorcycling charity event, as theyride to raise funds and awarenessfor men's health.

Local DGR hosts Brian Rixand Mick Morgan said this wasthe thirdyearthey had held the ride and theyhad raised $48,000 to date

Riderswanting to participateare encouraged to 'Dress Dapper' and ride modified café racerstyle bikes or vintage motorcycles, but the local eventisopen to all types of bikes.

"Whether you'vegot aHarley, asleek Ducati or apostie bike, we want to see youthere!" Brian said.

Participants will be gathering outside the CastlemaineRSL Hall on Mostyn

Dapper up and ride!

Street at 11am fora 11.30am departure.

Theride will be amystery cruise through the local region finishing at the Five FlagsHotel in Campbells Creek where participants will stop to enjoylunch and a friendly chat.

Each year the local DGR organising team invites aguest speaker to address ridersbeforetheyhead off.

"The first year adoctor spokeonmen's health, and last year we welcomed aMelbourne friend who wasbattlingprostate cancer," Brian said.

"This year we arehonoured to welcome retired Australian DefenceForce Sergeant TimWhitfordasour special guest."

Timservedoverseas in Cyprusand with NATO in Germany.

"I am aformer tank commander,military historian and veterans advocate," Tim said.

Theex-serviceman said he had seen a lotofpeople impacted by the effects of warand suicide.

"Itissoimportantthatpeople staycon-

nected. Events such as this, which raise awareness of men's health and wellbeing, aresoimportant, he said.

"People aredealing with all sorts of traumaand the effects can last foryears. Isolation and cutting yourself offfrom friends and family can be very dangerous.

"And it'sjust notphysical or mental traumapeople maybedealing with. They mayhavelost apartner,bedealing with divorce or family breakdown. It's importanttoreach out forhelp and support Don'tcut yourself off."

TheDGR isaninternational charity eventspanning over121 countries around the world.

It wasfounded by Mark Hawwain Sydney, Australia in 2012, who decided a theme ride would be agreat wayofconnecting niche motorcycle enthusiasts and the community who arepassionate about men's mental health awareness

Theride has continued every year since then, uniting classic and vintagestyle motorcycle ridersall overthe world to raise

Property

funds and awareness forprostate cancer research and men's mental health.

Working with Movember hereinAustralia, DGR is committed to engaging the community in their goal of bringing people together and changing the face of men's mental health.

"AtCastlemaine, it has been our personal mission to raise morefunds than the Paris eventand we have done thattwo yearsrunning,"Brian said.

"All menand women areencouraged to come along and have afun day, raising funds forthe cause. Alot of family membersalso come along and join us forlunch afterwards. Everyone is welcome.

"Itisexceptionally importanttorecognise and promote men's health and wellbeing in our community,and encourage men to getthe necessary health checks to tackle anyproblemsthatmay arise as early as possible."

To learn moreabout the eventand to register visit www.gentlemansride.com/ rides/australia/castlemaine

Artnot wasted

Children in the Macedon Ranges have the chancetosee their artwork on the side of a council wastecollection truck.

Macedon Ranges ShireCouncil is encouraging young residents to take part in anew art competition that combines creativity with environmental awareness. Thewinning entries will be printedonthe side of council’s wastetrucks.

Thecompetition encourages children to create an artwork in one of three keywaste education categories:

•The four-bin system –showhow to correctly sort wasteintothe rightbin,

•Hazardous waste– help peopleunderstand howtodispose of hazardous items safely,or

•Choose to reuse –inspirethe community to ditch single-use items and embrace reusables.

Entries areopen to children from early learning centres, kindergartens and schools throughout the shire.

Winnerswill receivea wastewarrior starter pack filled with fun and practical ecofriendly goodies. Their artwork will be professionally printedand displayedonone of the shire’swastetrucks.

Theearly learning centre or school that each winner attendswill also receivea delivery of organic compost fortheir gardens, helping to close thelooponfood and garden waste.

Thecompetition is nowopenand will close on Friday, May30. Fordetails, or to enter, visit: mrsc.vic.gov.au/truck-art

Lisa Dennis

Thethird localDistinguished Gentleman’s Ride will be heldinCastlemaineonMay 18 and will welcome guest speaker, retired SgtTim Whitford(second right).

3rd &4th May 2025

Two potatopacked days of fun

Thetinytownship of Trentham celebrates its long historyofpotato growingwithThe Great Trentham Spudfest, acommunity-led festival bringing together localpotato growers,artisans, music, food vendors,and history to showcase theregion’sfinestofferings across the weekend of May3-4.

This year marks the 17th iteration of TheGreat Trentham Spudfest, though thedeep redvolcanicsoils of the districthaveprovidedperfect potato-growing conditions sincethe 1860s.

Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas said the Victorian Governmentwas proud to support Spudfest through the Regional Events Fund

"Eventslikethis bring people to regional Victoria, showcase the incredible food and produceofthe region, and support local businesses and jobs," she said.“Whether it’stasting some of the region’s best potatoes, enjoying the livemusic, or exploring Trentham’s unique heritage— Spudfest is aperfect weekend getaway with friends and family.”

Thetwo-day event,held against abackdrop of spectacular autumn colour,attracts morethan 8000 visitorsand is hosted throughout the historic town of Trentham and surrounding districts.

“The iconic Spudfest is one of our region’s most celebrated family events,and HepburnShireCouncil is proud to support it,”said the mayor, Cr Don Henderson. “A true reflection of our region’s rich agricultural heritage, the eventhonoursthe hardwork of ourlocal farmersand brings together people to shareinthe fun, food,and festivities.”

Festival coordinatorKye Theobald said Spudfest remained alargely free event, witha selection of specially curated activities requiring tickets. New for2025 is the inaugural Digging Deep: Cooksin Conversation eventonSundaymorning, featuring award-winning cookbook author and TV host Alice Zaslavsky,local chefs Tony Tanand Liam Downes, and moderator Jacinta Parsons at TheMechanics Trentham

Thefestival runs adifferentprogram on each day.

“OnSaturday, ourlegendary Street Fair is held in the heart of Trentham town, with four main precincts packed full of spud food,fresh regional produce, our local makers market,livemusic,and of course the fabulous Spud Olympics. It’s agreat carnival atmosphere,”Kye said. “And if youwanttobuy abag full of famous Trentham spuds, Saturdayisthe dayall our growersare in town.”

Local farmer and fourth-generation spud grower Luke Wicker will be at the Railway Precinct on Saturdayselling his kennebec, nicola, dutch cream, pontiac,sebago, and kipfler potatoes.

“The Wicker family has been growing potatoes in the fertile soils around Trentham formorethan 100 years,"Lukesaid. "Wereckon it'ssome of the best potato-growing soil in the country.Spudfest is the biggest eventofthe year around town. So come and try our spuds and celebrateour history."

Visitorscan also join aTrentham Historical Society-led bus tour of the heritage-protected Spud Huts, dotted across the local landscape. Ticketssel out every year,soget in early Saturdayevening the funcontinues with the Spudfest Cèilidh, afamily-friendly celebration of Celtic music, food and dancing, to mark the halfway pointofthe festival. Theevent will be held in The Mechanics Trentham and revellerscan bring their ownfood or order apicnic packfromaselection of localtraders. Ticketsavailable via the Spudfest website. Forsomething extraspecial, local chef, author and farmer Annie Smitherswill preparean exclusivefour-course feast celebrating the humble Trentham spud, at her famous restaurantDu Fermier on Saturdayevening. Very limited sittings forthis event.

“Sundayisour Discovery Day,delivering the perfect energy shift from dayone,”Kye said.

“Join the inaugural In Conversation eventheld in town, or takea gnocchi-making class at Hotel Trentham (wine and lunch included), or getout into the surrounding countryside and explore our curated Farm Gate Trail, filled with freshfrom-the-paddockproduce, or book atour of one of our renowned local farms. Ipersonally recommend signing up forThe GreatSpud Scavenger Hunt.”

On Sunday, Trentham Town Squarewill transform into the Spud Hub, with freshly harvested potatoes on sale, exclusiveSpudfest merch, details about all toursand trails, and signups forthe ScavengerHut Horseand cart rides, guided historic walking tours, and the RedBeardBakery Scotch Oven tour willbe operating during the day, while spudtastic dishes will be served all dayatvenues throughout the region.

TheGreat Trentham Spudfest is held on the lands of the DjaDja Wurrung and Wurundjeri people. The featival acknowledges the Traditional custodians of this land and pays respect to their Elders, past,presentand emerging.

Mamma Mia! at ThePhee

Students at Castlemaine Secondary Collegeare hardatwork on bringing the belovedABBAmusical Mamma Mia! to life

Theschool will be presenting four shows over three big days from this Thursdayto SaturdayatCastlemaine's Phee Broadway Theatre.

them could be her real father

Themassivecastfeatures students from year seventhrough to year 12 supported by astudent-led backstageand production crew

Theplotfollows ayoung bride-to-be who invites three men to her upcoming wedding, with the possibility thatany of

Theproduction is being directed by year 12 studentArchie Cowanwithsupport from teachersJoTsakoumagos and Kat Vearing.

Mother’sDay teaatBuda

Buda Historic Home and Garden will onceagain be hosting aMother’sDay afternoon teaonSundayMay 11.

Thespecial eventwill begin at 2pmand featureentertainmentbythe beautiful Kavisha Mazella.

Aperfect waytospend aSundayafternoon celebrating mothersorfriends. Youwill receivesparkling wine on arrival, savouries and sweettreatsalong with leaftea andbrewedcoffee.

ARIA awardwinner and songbirdKavisha Mazzella's original songs lyrical ingredients include humour,poetry, social justiceand the spiritual. Combine this prowess with the voiceofanangel and youhavethe experience of aKavisha concert.

Singing in English and Italian, she will takeyou on an uplifting boundary-riding journeyofwell-craftedstories and songs ringing with echoes of Celtic, Fado and Gypsy influences thatwill strikea resounding chordwithin. With eightsolo albums under her belt, she has sung and given vocal workshops at national music festivals and abroad.

Bookings can be made at budacastlemaine.org

Themusic side of the production is being led by musical directorsand CSC teachersBen Nieuwkerk and KatVearing.

Mamma Mia! willfeatureatthe Phee on ThursdayMay 1at7pm, FridayMay 2at 7pm,and SaturdayMay 3at12.30pm and 7pm.Ticketsare on sale nowattrybooking. com/CUWIG

ARIA awardwinner and songbirdKavisha Mazzella.

Weed of theMonth Willow(Salixspecies)

Willows (Salix species) area weed of national significanceand arelisted as a ‘restricted’ noxiousweed in Victoria under the Catchmentand Land Protection Act1994.

Willows were introduced to Australiainthe 1860s by European settlersasornamental plants and then for erosion control. They occur worldwide but aremostly indigenous to theNorthern Hemisphere. In Australia thereare about 100 species (including hybrids and cultivars), with about15occurring in Victoria, and manyare very serious environmental weeds. They grow as trees andshrubs and due to the frequency of hybridisation theycan be very difficult to tell apart

Willows grow in moist situations and thrivealong streams and wetlands where theyare particularly invasive. TheCRC forAustralian Weed Managementbelieve thattheyhaveonly invaded about fiveper cent of their potential rangewithin temperateAustralia, meaning thatwithout controltheir reach could be much moreextensive.

removal, remove anystemfragments to stop them from taking root and growing in a differentplace.

Willows changethe function of our stream systems and wetlands in manyways, impacting the ability of our nativefauna to usethe systems, and reducing the presence of our nativevegetation. Willows spread through seed and also stem fragments, which, when disturbed, readily break offand grow

Finding the rightcontrol method foryour situation is importanttoreducespreading plants further.Thismay include acombination of methods such as ‘drill and fill’,‘cut and paint’ or manual removal. As willows are dormantfor some of the year (mostlyover winter) it is importanttoonly apply herbicide when theyare actively growing. If treating with chemicals, it is also importanttoleave plants in placeafter treatmenttoensure the chemical movesthrough theplant and completely kills the plant. If using manual

Formoreinformation on willows or other land managementtopics, visit theConnecting Country websiteatconnectingcountry org.au/ or getincontact via email; info@ connectingcountry.org.au or phone 0493 362 394. LandcareGroups arealso agreat resource forlearning about local weeds. You can find your local group on the Landcare pageofthe Connecting Country website.

TheWeedofMonth article is asegment from Connecting Country’s ‘Partnerships Against Pests’project funded by Agriculture Victoria in 2024-25. Through this program, Connecting Country is working closely with local community groups,suchaslandcare, to raise awareness of local pest plantand animal issues, with the aim to empower community with the skills to address these threats.

The Compost Conversation Giving our compost agreat start

When we arestarting anew compost pile –beitbin or bay– it is good practicetostart witha good layerofcourse, chopped up, carbon-rich ingredients at the bottom of the pile.

This 'bedding' will help thebottomof our pile to have good oxygen access in, and good carbon dioxide ventilation outof the pile, despite being rightatthe bottom of aheavy compost.

But, getcreative, thereare arangeof other similarly ‘weedy’ plants thatproduce agreat stem that is perfect forcompost bedding. Autumn veggie garden clean-outs can provide the stems or stalks of;corn, sunflower, amaranth, silverbeetetc, all wonderful bedding material when chopped up to about 100-150mm.

Abig cubic metrecompost bay, when full,can weigh overhalf aton (500kg), and even astandardsizeGedye-style bin can weigh morethan 100kg when full. With all thatweightabove,weneed our bedding layertonot squash down tooeasily, and notdecompose into the compost too quickly

So,whatare thebest ingredients to makethis bedding layerout of,and how thick shoulditbe?

Ourfavourite bedding ingredient when we build demonstration bays at YIMBY* workshops is the dry stems of globe artichokes. They strikejustthe right balance, being very coarse andchunky while still being full of air-spaces, breaking down slowerthan leavesand straw, but faster than woody branches, and ending mostly integrated into the humic compost substanceafter one or twopasses through afull composting process.

Globe artichokes areveryhardy (sometime described as ‘weedy’,theyare arelativeofthe thistle), their flowerstalkscome up in early summer and the dry stems are compost gold (theyalsoproducelotsof juicy leavesthatchop up easily forour composts over winter and spring too).Oh, and don’t forget their edible heart!

Ihaveseen small branches, chopped up short being used as, or part of,abedding layer. Woodybranches will do the aeration job well, but mighttakemanypasses through acompost process before being fully integrated into the compost As with everythingelsetodowith compost,westill want agood diversity of ingredients, even in our bedding layer. To my chopped-upartichoke stemsIliketo add some coarse straw, some coarse wood chip and some other diverse veggie garden prunings.

Together these makea good airy structuretobuild acompost pile on topof. Ourrecommendation with mostof the layers in our compost pileistokeep them thin, thin enough we canstill see the layerunderneath, at least alittle bit. The bedding layerisanexception, it wantsto be the thickest layerinthe pile, at least 100mm, but even double thatwill work well

Give your next compostpile the best start youcan with agreat bedding layer.

–Joel Meadows works with *Yes In My Back Yard,(YIMBY), acommunity-scale composting initiativeinCastlemaine and surrounds. Send questions or comments to hello@yimbycompost.com, or to book in fora compost workshop.

Funds awarded forlandcare

Photo: Connecting Country

Joel about to lopoffa globe artichokestemfor acompost bedding layer.

Buy the bestproduce

TheCastlemaine monthly farmersmarketishappening again this Sundayand will feature80+ producersinattendancefor shopperstoselect from.

Goods on offerinclude fresh fruits and vegetables –many organically produced, meats –beef, lamb, pork and small-goods, eggs, dairy– butter, cheese, milk, cream, sourdough breads and pastries, sweettreats, nuts and seeds, whole foodsselection, condiments, jamsand sauces, hotsauces, olives and extravirgin oliveoil, black garlic,ferments, cordials and probiotic beverages,

body careitems,beeswax products –candles, wraps, fine regional wines, traditional foodsfrommanycountries, icecream, locally roasted coffee, chai, cidersand spirits, nativeplants, seedlings and herbs, livepoultry and more!

Alist of producersinattendancewill be available from the Castlemaine FarmersMarket's Facebook pagethisweek forthose keen to makeupashopping list.

Themarket runs from 9am to 1pm and is an initiativeofthe CentralVictorian FarmersMarketsAssociation.

Interactivemultimedia

Anew exhibition at Trio ArtStudio and Gallery in Kynetonfeaturesthe works of Linda Loh, avisual artist based in Melbourne whose childhood home wasinfact Trio Homestead. Thecontemporary artworks are interactiveand impressive. Lohhas recently reestablished links with her rootsand is exhibiting in the WordsinArt 2D-3D exhibition. Hermultimedia works navigate the elusiveform and materiality of digital space with transformed sourcesoflight. In 2012, Lohreceived afine art degree from RMIT whereshe focused on painting and digital methods in their Expanded Studio program. In 2021, she completeda MastersinFine ArtinNew York City,focusing on computer arts and making worlds in virtual reality.She has had solo and group exhibitions in Australia, USAand Europe, with works curated into projection festivals, billboardprojects, screenings and art galler-

ies. In 2022-24, she exhibited in Melbourne, Hobart, NYC, Florida, Denver,Paris and online. Shewas also aresidentartist at MAP mima, an innovativeprojection spaceinLake Macquarie, NSW.In Maythis year she is looking forwardtopresenting an artist talk at the International Symposium of Electronic Arts in Seoul, Korea. Trio ArtStudio and Gallery is locatedat 98 Trio Road,Kyneton. Thegallery is open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, Sundayand Monday. www.trioartstudiogallery.com.au.

Castlemaine Farmers Market

Sunday, May 4th

Celebrating 21 years of vital trading in 2025. Grab your bags and trolleys,the monthly market is on again! 80+ producers from Djarracountry and beyond Shopping herebuilds our local food production, community while nourishing youaswell! Experiencethe difference, this Sunday.

Feast for Freedom

Jill Rivers of Art-full Living and Rural Australians forRefugees is hosting aFeast for Freedom fundraiser in Castlemaine on May8

Theevent will raise funds forthe Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and will featurea medleyofmulticultural cuisine and discussions on the subject. Cost is $40 donation or whatyou canaffordtogivetothisworthy cause. Thefeast is on at 12pm on Thursday May8 at the Northern Arts Hotel. Register on the Art-full Living pageon Feast forFreedom websiteorcallJill 0418 389 189 or Sue0413 434 987

Photos: Sorell Wilson Photography

@ YourOPINIONS

What is truth?

Mavis Price,Castlemaine

Itotally agree withJohn Shaw ('Truth in political advertising long overdue', Opinions, March25). Ialsobelieve thattruthislong overdue in all political parties and in many other areas of life.

Pilate askedJesus just before sending him to crucifixion, “Whatistruth?” Buthe didn’t wait forananswer.Weask the same question today.

Is truth found by aconsensus of the people?Thisisincreasingly unlikely in our deeply fractured, multicultural society, because values and opinions differ on most issues. Witness the various, sometimes violent, demonstrations between opposing groups, despite the moneyspentonsocial cohesion. When thereisnoconsensus, who decides?

Or is truth determined by the facts and logic?Facts need to be interpretedand the underlying beliefs of aperson or community can lead to differentconclusions. It’s very easytotell only some of the facts. Forexample, TheSmart Energy Council estimatesfor nuclear energy rangefrom $116 -$600 billion but we only hear the top number.The assertion thatcarbon dioxide is bad forthe planethas led to arush to renewables, which can only be made with fossil fuels and include toxic minerals that can’t be recycled, nottomention the exploitation of human beings in manufacture and ravaging of the environmenttomine cobalt and placeturbines. Allthe facts have to be in the open.

Or is truth determined by those in power? Forexample the shelved ‘disinfor-

Local knowledge (1 point)

1. Wholaunched ‘The Re-usery’at Castlemaine?

2. What daywill the SmallBusiness Bus roll in to Kyneton?

3. Which local theatregroup willpresent TheGirl on the Train in May?

4. Gisborne ranked whereinthe Good FridayAppealtotals raised forregional towns? (3 points)

5. TheCastlemaine Community InvestmentCo-operativehas been given the green lightfromConsumer AffairsVictoria forits mechanism to trytopurchase what?

General knowledge (1 point)

6. Wherewas artist Frida Kahloborn?

7. Whoisthe US vice-president?

8. Which of following features on the Australian $50 bank note:SydneyHarbour Bridge, magpie, brumby, rose bush or black swan?

9. Which of the twoislarger: llama or alpaca? (3 points)

mation’and ‘misinformation’(lies and mistakes)law where thegovernmentexempted themselves from the lawand declared they arethe only source of information. People who disagree with ‘The Narrative’ areseen as notonlywrong, but also bad and hateful. Emotion becomes the basis forlaw;a person can be censored, charged, cancelled and even imprisoned forexpressing acontrary opinion, as we sawduring the COVID-19 lockdowns. Fiveyears laterwe arefinding out thelies told. Onething is for sure, truth will alwaysalign with reality and will eventually be revealed.

Calder interchange upgrade funded

Lisa ChestersMP, Labor Memberfor

Bendigo

Didyou hear the news?The Calder Freewayisgoing to geta major upgrade.

In partnership with the Victorian Labor government, the federal Labor government will invest $300 million to construct anew interchangebetween the Calder Freeway and Calder Park Drive, Calder Park.

Calder Park Drivereceives approximately 4400 vehicles per day, including 1700 heavy vehicles. Thenew interchange will improve access on and offthe Calder Freeway.

It is the main access routeontothe Calder Freeway, and to Macedon Ranges, MountAlexanderand Greater Bendigo communities.

TheCalder Park Driveupgrade will provide critical access to theCalderFreeway and will have flow-on effects into the Ben-

digoelectorate, getting our communities home sooner and safer.

This is greatnews!Only aLabor governmentwill deliver forVictoria.

Awonderful experience

Trentham Easter Artand Craft Showcommittee

Thank youtothe volunteersand all of the communityfor making this year’sArt and CraftShowawonderful experience forartists and visitors. Thenew Mechanics wasa superb venue to host almost 400 art and craftworks, 24 per cent of which went to newhomes.

About 1000 visitorscame to seethe varietyofartworks on displayoverthe four days of Easter.The eightjudges remarked on the high quality and breadth of artand found it difficult to choose the 17 awardwinnersineach of the categories of art mediums. Children under 12 and youth 12 to 18 were also admired and boughtfor their talent, suggesting an exciting next generation of artists is coming up. Of the 163 exhibitors, 111 were locals (within 50km of theTrenthamPost Office) reflecting astrongartistic community in our area.

Best Emerging Artist waswon by Jeanie Dean

Best Local Artist waswon by Carolyn Smyrk

Dr Gwenth Wisewould Portrait Painting Prizewas wonbyEmma McAdamMarmo

Stan Falloon Prizefor Best Craft–soft medium waswon by Anja Tusek

Stan Falloon Prizefor Best Craft–hard medium waswon by Yvette DeLacy

Phyllis Smith Prizefor Best Watercolour waswon by Judy Perfect

Best Oilwas wonbyShayPappas

Best Acrylicwas wonbyWendy Webster

Best Drawing waswon by Fred Mdamanyi

Best MixedMedium waswon by Helen McRae

Best Digital Design waswon by Penelope Cato Best Photographwas wonbyPamela Kent

Best Sculpturewas wonbyJodi Galvin

Best Jewellery waswon by Vanessa Pearl

Best Artisan under 12 waswon by Jack Grant-Allan

Best Artisan 12 to 18 waswon by Josephine Salanitri

ThePeople’s ChoiceAward waswon by Brian Nash

Thecommitteewould liketothank our major sponsor the BendigoCommunity Bank Trentham and Districts, Trentham Lions and the LittleGallery,East Trentham Fellowship, Trentham Petrol and Stuff,Ruby Goose Foods, Cool Country Classics, Greg and RobynSmith, Harkin Real Estate for prize sponsorships. Alsothe localtraderswho assistedinthe provision of food, coffee andalcohol foropening night. We especially appreciate Georgie Patterson forthe magnificentflowers she broughtus from hergarden, which graced the hall and foyerand were admired by the hundreds of people throughoutthe show.

Save time at Easter next year to visitthe Art andCraftShowand consider entering yourself

Insignificant amount, maximum benefit

MatthewNickson, Hanging Rock Action Group Inc.

With the Federal Election less than aweek away it wasmost interesting to watchABC TV's Insiders program filmed livefromthe East Paddock withHanging Rock as the background on Sundaymorning.

Hanging Rock is in the seatofMcEwen and the ABC explored the issues affectingvotersinthatelectorate,which is nowconsidered marginal. Thephrase“growing pains”byone of the commentatorsneatly sums up the manyissues that oneofthe fastestgrowingareas inAustralia is experiencing.

Watching the program Ilost track of howmanytens of billions of dollarshavebeen promised by both major parties if theywin on Saturday, these billions being directly targetedatswinging votersinseats like McEwen.

Hanging Rock will be directly affected by this rapid growth as it is within less than an hour'sdrivefromthree of the fastestgrowinglocal governmentareas in Australia, these being Mitchell, Wyndham and Melton. It is nearly twoyearssincethe Hanging Rock PrecinctMaster Plan was approved, which provides along-term solution to alleviate the adverse effects of such rapidvisitation growth, yetnot one dollar has been forthcoming by anygovernmenttobegin the necessary work to implementthe Master Plan.

In early 2024, Macedon Ranges ShireCouncil applied to thefederal government’sRegional PrecinctPartnership Project for$5,000,000 in funding to begin implementation of the Master Plan but were unsuccessful. In thescheme of things it is an insignificantamount,yet has the potential to deliver maximum benefit, notonlyfor the people of McEwen but to all Australians as well.

Plantsale andstall

“The best time to plantatreewas 30 yearsago.The second-best time is now.”

While the origin of this famous quote remainsunconfirmed, autumn in the Macedon Ranges is the best time forplanting indigenous plants. PipersCreek Landcare will be running anativeplantsale and information stall at the next KynetonRotary Market on May 10 from 8am –1pm

Plantsales of indigenous tube stock, including grasses, shrubs and trees, will be available forsale at very affordable prices.

Whether youliveintownoronacres,seeking one or manyplants for screening,windbreaks or birdand pollinatorattractors, therewill surely be something tosuit your needs.

Experienced memberswill be availabletodiscuss theactivitiesofthe group, including their recent focus –control of the dreaded gorsebush. As acollaborativeventure, the Friends of Black Hill Reservewill be joining PipersCreek Landcareand be available to discuss the activities theyundertakeincluding an upcoming planting dayaspart of the Macedon Ranges BioLinks project. Copies of the iconic book, AWalk Through Black Hill Reserve,will be available forsale.

Anyone considering joiningeither group, particularly if newtothe area, iswelcome to discuss thebenefits of membership.

MIDLAND Property &Living

MIDLAND Property &Living

Character, comfort and country charm

Nestled on approximately 7000m² of land, this delightful homeisset amonggracious eucalyptslooking out over therolling hills of Metcalfe(between Kynetonand Castlemaine) Built in the early 2000s, the modern cottage boasts acharminggalvanised iron exterior with insulatedwalls and asturdy metal roof Recently re-stumped, withrooftop solar and electric heating and cooling, this homeisready forits next chapter!

Inside, you'll find twowell-sized bedrooms, plus aversatile smaller room in between –perfect as anursery,home office,ordressing room. Thekitchen flows seamlessly into the open-plan dining and living area, creating a brightand airy spacethatfeels open and inviting. Large windowsthroughoutallow an abundanceofnatural lighttofill the home, adding to its warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Thekitchen is both stylish and practical, featuring agas stovetopand oven that runs on cylinderswith an annual cost of approximately $150. Beautifultimber flooring runs throughout thekitchen and living areas, adding to the timeless charm of the home. Alarge combined bathroom and laundry including abathcompletesthe comfortable and convenient layout.

Step outside to enjoythe wide frontverandah and spacious back deckwithstunning views over thesurrounding hills. Thedecks, with timber flooring and generous eaves, createwonderfulopportunities foryear-round entertaining or simply relaxing while soaking up thepeaceful surroundings.

Outside, there'splenty to love.You'll find a large 7.5 x4.5-metreworkshop/storage space, chicken coop,fruit trees,veggie garden, and avarietyofnativeplantings. Thecharming red-brick firepit area offers the ideal place to gather and enjoythe fresh air and beautiful outlook.

Thepropertyisserviced by twowater tanks with acombined capacity of approximately 40,000 litres. Additional tanks provide 12,500L extrawater storagefor garden use, and the propertycomes with atwo-megalitreannual waterallowance.

Aplanning permit has been approvedfor construction of an additional self-contained structureonthe property

With its fantastic layout, abundantnatural lightand wonderfuloutdoor spaces, this property is atruegem –offering aperfect blend of character,comfort and country charm.

Property: Modern cottage on 7000m2 (approx)

Address: 28 Kyneton-Metcalfe Road,Metcalfe

$730,000 -$750,000 Agent: Raineand Horne Kyneton Contact: Judith Stevens 0438 683 484

MIDLAND Property &Living Grand countryvision with abushlandsoul

Framed by nativebushland,Tallaringa, meaning 'through the trees', stands as a bold expression of country living –where modern design, relaxedluxury and sustainability meeton1.33 acres of lush, curated grounds.

Theheart of the home spills out to a broad entertainer'sdeck and afully heated pool-elevatedjust enough to catchthe breezeand takeinthe views.It'sa space designed forcelebration and stillness in equal measure-long summer lunches, poolside lounging under wide skies, and starlit swims, all from the comfort of your privateretreat.The pool is equipped with an automatic in-floor cleaning system anda year-round heating solutionvia an electric inverter,poweredbysolar panels or 240V electricity foradded efficiency and flexibility

Inside, the layout responds intuitively to the rhythmsoffamilylife. Zoned into distinct living areas, the home offers four to five bedrooms, generous living spaces and acentral kitchen-dining hub thatfeels as open as it is functional. With a900mm oven, gas cooktop, walk-in pantry and access to thewraparound verandah, this

is the kind of kitchen that offers spacefor every occasion.

At oneend, atranquil parents' retreat features its ownloungewithfireplace, officewith external access, walk-in robe and indulgentensuitewith bath and walk-in shower. At the other,three bedrooms, family bathroom and asecond living space ensurecomfort and connectionfor every generation.

Every detail has been considered –with ceiling fans, split systems, plush carpets, electric gatesand Starlink internet. The garden is awonderland mix of both native and European planting, meandering paths, fruit trees, veggie beds, chicken coopsand tall, wildlife-prooffencing. Complete with double carport and acountry shed.

Poweredbya 10kWsolar system, with both tank and borewater on hand,with irrigation system,Tallaringa is future-ready without compromising its laid-back charm

Just minutes from Newstead and Maldon, and within easyreach of Castlemaine and Maryborough, this is wherethe dream of regional living becomes areality –with beauty,privacy and apoolyou'll neverwant to leave.

Property: Modern familyhome on 1.33 acres

Address: 54 Pitts Lane, Welshmans Reef

Price: $1,150,000

Agent: Belle Property

Contact: Narelle Waller 0408 571 131 RobWaller 0418 571 130

Belle Property Castlemaineand Maldon.

24BUrquhartStreet, Castlemaine.

3 a 1 b 2 v 532r

•Spacious brick townhouse, walking distance to shops andcafes, offering low-maintenance living

•Fresh interiors, high ceilings, open-plan lounge, three bedroomsand well-equipped kitchen.

•Carportwithstorageand aprivate,paved courtyard for entertaining

For Sale

$798,000 View

Saturday 3rd May: 9:30am-10:00am

RobWaller |0418571 130

BlasiMulholland |0417 311 733

14 Gray Street, Maldon.

3 a 1 b 2 v 1177r

•Charming early 1900s timber home on 1,177m² near Anzac Hillwith rich family historyand historiccharm

•Includeswideverandah views, period features andmodern comforts throughout.

•Lush gardens,outbuildings, just 900mfrom Maldon’s towncentre.

For Sale

$769,000 View Saturday 3rd May: 10:45am-11:15am

NarelleWaller |0408571 131

Rob Waller |0418571 130

Lot3/2ADundasStreet, Newstead.

4 a 2 b 2 v 676r

•Brand new,low-maintenance home in Newstead with four bedrooms and modern comforts.

•Features include solar-boostedhot water, air conditioning, 900mm cooker and easy to maintain garden.

•Just ashort stroll to theLoddon River, shops, cafes &local amenities.

For Sale

$570,000 -$595,000 View

Saturday 3rd May: 11:00am-11:30am

BrettTweed |0417564 697

Rob Waller |0418571 130

Scan to viewour currentlistings

Tranquillityinthe heartoftown

This charming three-bedroom Edwardian-style home, just ashort stroll from centralCastlemaine and conveniently locatednear Kalimna Park, offers aperfect blend of period eleganceand modern comfort.Nestled on a1002 sqm (approx.) corner allotment, the property is surrounded by beautifully landscaped, park-like grounds, providing privacy and tranquillity.A separate, independentstudio further enhances the appeal of this unique property,offering versatile potential forguests, rental opportunities, ahome office or creativepursuits. Locatedjust 500 metres from thecentreoftown, this is ararechancetoenjoya peaceful lifestyle withall the conveniences of urban living.

Set behind aquintessential whitepicket fence, enter the home from the frontverandah into aspacious living room with double doorsthatopentoa back deck that overlooks the privategarden, making it an ideal space forentertaining. Theliving area has agas wall heater, a split system anda study nook with built-in shelving. A sunny, north-facing dining spaceflows into an updated kitchen, which features afreestanding 900mm Franke gas cooktopand oven,aBosch dishwasher,and astone benchtopperfect forcasual dining. Thedining area includes built-in bench seating and opens to awraparound deck.

Thefront-facing main bedroom includes abuilt-in robe and an ensuitewith external access, while the second bedroom boasts aperiod brick firesurround. A thirdbedroom is unique, with aloftbed that provides character and functionality.The updatedbathroom has awalk-in shower, toilet, vanity and combined laundry facilities. Additional updatestothe home include partial double glazing, an integrated solar system, solar hot waterand ceiling fans.

Thepropertyincludesoff-streetparking and lowmaintenancegrounds with raised veggie gardens, ornamental and fruit trees,quiet sitting areas, awater tank and apeaceful atmospherethatenhances its parklikefeel. To the rear,the independentstudio is self-contained with an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, complete with acooktop and oven.A bedroom with built-in robes and abathroom with combined laundry facilities makeita perfect spacefor rental, multi-generational living, or an art studio. Double-glazed windows and asplit systemensureyear-round comfort

This home offers the best of both worlds: the convenienceand vibrancy of town living, just moments from the heart of Castlemaine, while Kalimna Park and Goldfields walking tracks arealso only ashort stroll away, allowing fora lifestyle of peace, natureand community.

Property: Edwardianhomeincentral location

Address: 26 Urquhart Street,Castlemaine

Price: $1,295,000

Agent: Cantwell Property

Contact: Bianca Wiegard 0439 939 619

Contemporary Living with Sustainability

34 Penhallurick Street, Campbells Creek

Bathed in natural light and designed with true solar passive principles, this energy-efficient home (6.3star rating) offers amodern, comfortable lifestyle with astrong focus on sustainability.Positioned on agenerous 1106 sqm (approx) block with breathtaking views of Mount Franklin, this property blends beautifully with the landscape.

Historic Charm and ModernStyle

45 Greenhill Avenue, Castlemaine

Set beneath aleafy canopy,this unique and beautifully restored residenceisarareoffering in one of Castlemaine’smost desirable locations. Originally built in the mid-1850s, the home blends historic character with thoughtful contemporary updates, offering timeless elegance and modern comfort across an expansive 917 sqm (approx.).

0422 848 662

$985,000

View

Saturday 3rdMay

10:30am-11:00am

Contact TomRobertson 0473 642 644

remarkable home is nearly complete, with aselect few finishing touches remaining, inviting you to bring your own vision to life.

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POWER -StevenDavid

We are heartbroken to announce that Steven passed away peacefully on 17April 2025 with his loved ones close at hand.

Loving partner to Phoebe, “Amaaazing” dad to Maggie, son to Robert and Paulette and big brother to Kath and John. We will miss himimmensely but take comfort garnered in hislifetime. Our thanks to everyonefor their care and support of Steve through the course of his illness.

KN283948/L

Passed away suddenly on the 20thApril 2025, aged 62

Beloved wife of Harold Adored mother of Daniel,Aaron and Jarrod and mother in law of Caitie, Hunnah and Hannah Devoted Grandmother of ten Loving daughter of Ian and Maureen McQuillan, sister of Julie, Greg, Maree, Leanne and Paul

To hear your voice and see you smile, to sit and talk for just a while, to have you back in the same old way would be our dearest wish today

Family and friends are invited to attend Tricia’s funeral service, to be held in St Brigid’s Catholic Church, Chapel Street, Maldon on Monday 5th May at 1 30pm

DALTON –Chr is 7. 10.195 2–2 4.4.202 5

De arly loved Husb an do fLyn et te Loving Dad of Matt &Lou ;S am &P ip Pop Ch ri sofJack &Izzy Thankyou forsharing thejourney

TheFun eral &Prayers for Chris

be held at St Mary’sC at ho

Youare invited to celebrate the life of our much-loved Steven at 11.00am, Wednesday,30thApril 2025 within the Valley Room, Macedon Ranges Hotel and Spa, 652 Black ForestDrive, Macedon. Light refreshments will be served afterwards.

In to BowelCancerAustralia. Donation QR codeand envelopes will be available on theday Natural Grace Holistic Funeral Care 5427 3112

KN283949/L POWER

RICHMOND

The funeral service to celebrate the life of Mr ColinAlfred Richmond will be held at the (May 2nd 2025) at 2pm.

followed by the burial to be held at the of the service via the live-stream whichcan be www.tjscottandson.com.au

Following this service the cortege will leave for the Maldon Cemetery To join us via livestream, please visitTricias tribute page on the website of MountAlexander Funerals KN283956/L

PLUMBING APPRENTICE REQUIRED 16 -18yearold

•1st year -all aspects of plumbing, roofing and gas.Including digging trenches some heaving lifting.

•Working in the elements year round.

•You must livebetween Woodend &Bendigo •Drivers licencenot nesessarytostartwith Castlemaine based business. Enquiries email: paulaj_1998 @hotmail.com

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Sue Pillekers

Passed away peacefully and painlessly on Saturday 19thApril, aged 83 years. Loving mother of David andAndrew, mother in law of Brooke

and PRESENTATIONS for2024-2025 SEASON

The Harcourt Bowling ClubInc.Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Presentation Day will be held on Sunday 18thMay 2025 at 11.00am at the clubrooms 1Warren Street Harcourt.

TheAgenda fortheAGMwillincludethe presentation of the 2024-2025Annual Board Report (including theAudited Financial Statements) and the election of Board members for 2025-26and 2026-27 BowlingSeasons. This will be followed by the Presentations to winners forthe 2024-25Bowling Season. ABBQ lunchwill followthe presentation of trophies. ALLWELCOME

Kyneton Home Hardware

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ROMSEY

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Town

& District

GOLF results

Afterpaying their respects early on Anzac Day,12teams tackled an Ambrose round, undeterred by welcome rain.

Leigh Campbell, Shane Burke, Frank Byrne and Dave Rennie led the waywith an impressivenett58.

In the mixed division, Julie Cross, Ross Stevens, LesPrendergast and Martin Cross wonnarrowly with 58.875.

Damp conditions underfootposed a challengetosome, butnot TomSummers (17) who shone with afine 39 points to beatGarry Moore(12) on 35 in A-grade.

Mick Kehoe (16) and Harald Domanski (14) filled the toptwo B-grade placings, and Joel Maddern (22) topped C-grade with 36.

LesPrendergast wasthe sole NTP winner

In the nine holes forearly starters, PeterSmith (27) wonwith 16 points, with Bronwyn Gudgeon second aftera fourwaycountback.

Therewas acountback in both grades last Thursday.

Klai Jermyn (0) had four birdies in his 39 points in A-grade, edging Leigh Campbell (4) on acountback.

Tayler Walsh(18) had 38 in B-grade, as did JenDyer(19).

GISBORNE

TheAnzacDay perpetualtrophywas contested in adverse conditions, with some fine scores produced.

Matt Laing wonthe men's A-grade with 39 points, Adam Brancatisano took out B-grade with 41, and club stalwart Ron Albanywas best in C-grade with 39.

Marg Ivory took out the women's section with35points, oneclear of Karen Dillon.

Last Thursday'sopencompetition saw Kent Spry win A-grade with38points, Kerry Peterson took out B-grade with 36, and ColinPaine topped C-grade with39.

Thewomen playedinthe qualifying round of the RoyalWomen's Hospital annual eventonWednesday.

Kaye Atlas and Gail Hicks had 44 points to qualify forthe finalslater inthe year

Runners-up on 42 were Fran Crimmins and BarbaraGrbac.

KYNETON

Thefeature par-3tournamenton Anzac Day drew astrongfield of members and visitorschasing 18 pots of gold.

Jesper Hansen's newclubs began paying forthemselves with NTPsonthe 1st and 17th fora $200 haul.

Kristie Kennedy wasinsideametre on the 7th and 11th, and Marvin Lampert wasthe closestofthe day, just 30cm away from an aceonthe 18th.

Castlemaine duo NigelMcKenzie 6213-49 and Craig Stevens71-20-51 had the best nett scores, withKynetonvicecaptain Dave Pilcher thirdwith62-10-52, including thelast fiveholes twounder PresidentJoanGibbs 68-15-53 was the best of the women, from Seymour's Glenda Woods 69-15-54 and Diana Rutecki 83-29-54.

Saturdaystableford:Cam Hendy (8) took out the topdivision with 36 points, one ahead of RichardPartridge(14) and Terry Kot(12).

Connor Munro(22) wonthe over15 handicap section with37, and Valma Smoors(30) had 35 to lead Kylie Munro by twopoints in the women's field.

NTPswereSmoors, Jarrod Lee, Kot, David Mooreand Regan Williams.

Wednesdaystableford:John Waddell (16) 38 on acountback from DavidAustin, Julie Harris (17) wasthe women's winner with 39.

Tuesdaystableford:Denise Murphy wonA-grade with 36 points, twoclear of BernadetteBogacki (13).

Marian Orrromped to afour-stroke win with43pointsinB-grade, and Jane Stanley(30) topped C-grade with 36, one ahead of Terry Morley(30).

Namik Akkurt (8) wasbest of the men with 35 points, andVicki Hardwick (44)

took out the nine-hole eventwith 20 points.

NTPswenttoStanley, Beth Murray, Lorraine Hanna and BevHanna.

LANCEFIELD

Close finishes were plentiful in last week'sevents.

Saturdaystableford:Denis Davenport (6) 37 points, on countback from David Morgan (15); Alastair Beard(29) 36 on c/b from Jason Byron(12).

ThursdayFix: John Leefe(10) 34 points from Gary Dudderidge(9) 33.

Foursomes: Wendy Nicholas —Ros Jensen 69.5 nett, from SandraMatthews —FlorenceMeyer70.

Legends: Luke Parks (23) 37 points, c/b from Jarrod McGill (9), PeterMcGill(8) and SteveDraper (15) both 34. Multiplier --Draper —Davenport 66, John Leefe(10) —J.McGill 64, Malcolm Ive(20) —Parks 59.

MOUNTMACEDON

Atouch of winteronthe Mountfor Saturday'smonthly medal, withcountbacks in all grades.

Matt Willis (6) wonA-grade with nett 64, from JimHynes (2). They will play-off forthe medal next month.

David Hudson's 82-13-68 wonB-grade from Isaac Golden (18), and Marty Campbell 93-24-69 edged out Mark Shepherd (21) in C-grade.

NTPswenttoHynes, Willis, Peter Palmer and surf coasterTonyLittman.

Hynes wassuccessfulinthe play-off against Patrick Doyle (4) forthe March medal.

Mili Peniamina (24) led the midweek stableford field to topB-gradewith 40 points, from PeterSemmens(23) on 39.

Reigning matchplay champion Mark Burrage(10) topped B-grade with39, from John Dawson (13) on 36.

ROMSEY

With around 35mm of rain on Friday nightand intermittentdrizzle formuch of Saturday'smonthly medal round, conditions were noteasy.

However, thereweresome topscores, with Toby Clement84-15-69 capturing the medal on acountback from ZacScales 93-34-69. ScottWilliams 87-17-70 was third.

Davey Kenneybecame the 2024-25 medal of medallists with 84-12-72.

Andrew Clementwas best putter with 28, on acountback from Mick Squire, and NTPswenttoWilliams, Nathan Moroni and Simon Donovan.

Alarge field forWednesdaystableford incorporating the women's monthly medal.

Kath Jekabsons 102-30-72, from Darlene Baker91-17-74 and Lis Manktelow 101-23-76.

Stableford:David Jones (16) 41 points, from RobMcDonald (14) 39, and Mitch Thomas (18) 36.

TRENTHAM

Afield of 60 turned outinSaturday's chilly conditionsfor the Graham Purton Memorial Trophy— apar event.

Thereweresome hotscores, the best being +4 from Ross Green

A-grade: Craig Cotton(10) +3, from Brendan McMenamin (6) +2; B: Simon Carroll (15) +2 from Tony Henry (18) +1; C: Ross Green (23) +4,fromPaul McKeon (21) +1.

Looking forwardtoplentyofstarters in the monthly medal eventonSaturday.

WOODEND

Simon O'Day (16) had aday out in Saturday'spar event, carding abrilliant+5 to be the overall and B-grade winner.Paul Whelan (11) had +3.

DanSipthorpe (8) topped A-grade with +1 from Will Maclean (5) square.

In C-grade long marker FiRamanauskus (48) came in with +2, from Brian Kent (31) on +1. Tuesday'sstableford:Bernie Jackson (14) 39 points, on acountbackfrom Murray Bradley (12).

Woodend'spennantteams facedimportantpennantmatches on Sunday, with all players keyedupfor topperformances.

Covering the Macedon Ranges and MountAlexander Shires

Circulated throughout: Kyneton,Castlemaine,Gisborne,Malmsbury,Trentham,Woodend,Redesdale, Lancefield, Romsey,Macedon, Mt. Macedon, Metcalfe, Chewton,

Newstead, Maldon, Taradale, Elphinstone, Campbells Creek, Guildford, Barkers Creek, Sutton Grange, Baringhup, Muckleford,Yapeen. ELLIOTT MIDLAND NEWSPAPERS

KYNETON

3MarketSt., PO Box153,Kyneton, 3444

Telephone: (03) 5422 1488

Facsimile: General (03) 5422 3173

CASTLEMAINE

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MondaytoFriday8.30 am-5.00 pm Email: Kyneton: ahume@midnews.com.au Castlemaine: ldennis@midnews.com.au

Harcourt,

Seniors

GOALS: Castlemaine: MHartley 4RSmith 2MFilo 2REyreZ

Greeves JChester JWatson BBrowne-KerrCHolman.

BEST: Castlemaine: HSheahan REyreMHartley LWilkinson

BBrowne-KerrDSemmens

GOALS: Gisborne: BBernacki2CJohns RBourke ZDenahy

MMerrett DJohnstone JDenahy.

BEST: Gisborne: BBlake PTrotta BBernackiJGrayD Johnstone JDenahy.

Reserves

Seniors

GOALS: Trentham: JRegan 5T

3Z Gervasoni 2J Keogh ZFrench JNesci JDovaston EFanning MJensen.

Newstead: HHall 2M Runciman JGoulton JSmith BMoran

AMayes EHein

BEST: Trentham: ZGervasoni TFuller JKeogh SKelly JRegan

TBoyer.Newstead: MDalrymple AMurphyN Woodman H Hall NLordEMaltby

GOALS: Castlemaine: BRobinson4DSlingo 2AGoddard2J

Byrne2 TWhaley BKeogh CMcLennan JCochrane JWaters

BEST: Castlemaine: DSlingo BRobinson BKeogh B McConachyCMcLennan. GISBORNE3.2

GOALS: Gisborne: ZPaterson 2LMeletis HDoricic JFloreani JRyanJLong

BEST: Gisborne: DLewis HManders ZPaterson JLong J Floreani LThiner

Romsey:MDuttonjohnson 2S

CREEK

GOALS: Maldon: DWilson 3BBrown3BJohns 2A Woodman DWustMColston Dzammit BCoffey.Campbells

Creek:J Wootton 2MCox

BEST: Maldon: DKelly AHumphreyMGrayD Wust IHartley

BBrown. Campbells Creek:DStevens LHylandM Stevens M CoxMLangley JMartinovic

GOALS: Maldon: JSmith 5LJames 3A Turner 2C James MWoodwardH Walls TRowbottom. Trentham: HKentonBarnes

BEST: Maldon: JSmith TRowbottom HWalls MWoodward JMcLeod ATurner.Trentham: MPowney AShawGEvans D Sutton NCassidy KStephens

Under 14.5s

CARISBROOK VS MARYBOROUGHGIANTS

DETAILS N/A

CAMPBELLS CREEK 2.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 24

GOALS: Maldon: MCarmichael 5ZDyer4 C Jennings 3O Merlo3C McGee2L Pascoe ZTurner JMuller TFoster A Webster VJones DWilson. Campbells Creek:L Mountford2 MAnderson MCalabro

BEST: Maldon: CMcGee TFoster VJones OMerlo CJennings WGovier.Campbells Creek:L MountfordNJones M Anderson JAnderson AJones BReidie

GOALS: Trentham: JGray2 CWhelan ANadin RSutherland Newstead: JEntwisle 3KSmith

BEST: Trentham: JCutler MSmith JGrayANadin DHolden C Whelan. Newstead: BJackson JThomas CElderfield KCordy BMcDougall ODaldy

GOALS: Trentham: J Leong 4 H Kost C Powney E Hamilton Grey HThompson JReid. Newstead: JElliott 3BBrightK Waddington

BEST: Trentham: HThompson DThompson WHopper H Edmondston TJames GPowney.Newstead: KWaddington E EberyFBlundell JElliott WGarsed FArmstrong

GOALS: Maldon: NKelly 14 LDavey 7MMitchell 5SBurchell

2BBrackley 2C Baker 2T Webb COrton TRowbottom. Campbells Creek:Details N/A.

BEST: Maldon: NKelly TRoweD WhiteBBrackley TWebb

LDavey.Campbells Creek:J MooreCMountfordJPickenJ Roser RTingayNGrazules

PBlake Trentham: Details N/A.

Newstead: BBright2MPye

Kynetonpairtakes topspot

It wasabig weekend forcroquet players from centralVictoria. Competing in the Essendon Handicap Doubles competition, Kynetonplayers JennySymons andGraham Smith took outthe Division 1title withPaul Williams from Castlemaine pairedwith Robert Kidd from Queensland runners-up, while Gary Dykesand RodBennett from Maldontook out the Division 2title.

Afterfiverounds of competition in Division 1, an Essendon pair wasinthe boxseatwithjustone loss butwere closely followedbythree pairswho could all takethe title depending on the final round results. Theonly pair that couldn't affect the results wasKyneton, Symons and Smith already had twolosses and with abye in the final round, could only watchonnervously and hope foranupset and forall other results to go theirway;and that's how it turned out. ApairfromIvanhoe Park, who had lost all their previous games, upsetthe topteam in anail-biting 7-6 win on the final hoop to enable the Kynetonpair to leap over theothers and taketop spotonhoop differential. Williams and Kidd managed to sneak intosecond placewith 7-1 win in the final round.

In Division 2, Dykesand Bennett held their fate in their ownhands going into the final round; theywerealone on fivewins but the next twoteams, Mooroopna and Essendon,had better hoop scores so aslip-up by Maldon could see them overtaken. TheMaldon pair held their nerveand anarrowwin in the final gamegot them home.

Croquetpennanthitsoff

Last Thursday, theNorthern Districts CroquetAssociation autumn pennantcompetition got into its second round. Once again thereare strong entries from all the clubs in the NDCA region, including fiveteams in the combined Div1/2, and eightteams in Division3.With newcombinations and some newplayers,the competition is wide open onceagain.

In Division1/2, last pennantchampion Chris Eiffert(Quarry Hill Wattlebirds, teamed with newpartner Gayle Deary) outclassed Darryl Chiversand stand-in George Lund (KynetonBlue) by 5-1 games and remain undefeated.The only game wonbyKyneton wasChiversoverDeary 7-4. TheQuarry Hill Galahs (Bernie Lacey and ColScott) arealso undefeated,recording another impressive win overthe newMacedon Mt Gisborne combination of PennyKrstevand Brenda Jackson by 4-2 games. Aclear leader will beresolvedwhen the twoundefeated QH teamsmeetinRound 3.

Meanwhile, Julieand Trevor Ware (QH Ravens)who were theChampions of Division

3inthe last Pennant,had abye this week They have steppedupagrade to Div. 1/2, as well as transferring allegiances from Maldon to Quarry Hill With the WaresmoveduptoDiv 1/2, it wasgameoninDivision 3. KynetonGreen (Jenny Symons and newpartner David Laird) had an extremely tightwin overthe Maldon Maldonites (Rod Bennett and stand-in Cheryl Lang). Each playerbothwon and lost asingles match, andthe doubles were split evenly,making it 3-3 games. However, Kynetongot thewin by virtue of 35-34 hoops scored, the closest possible margin. Particularmention must go to Lairdwho started playing croquetonlyinFebruarythisyear afterdoing aU3A croquetcourse, and has already had three good wins in his Pennant singles career

TheKynetonYellowteam (Margaret Parker and Judy Aldred) returned to form with a perfect 6-0 games win overMacedon's Mt Towrong (Terry Goodley andLiz Harnden), including Parker scoring ahard-to-do 7-0 win in her singles.

TheGolden Squareclub has entered two teamsinDivision 3. GoldenSquare(Nigel Gauland KathyMontgomery)tooka hit this week against the experienced Macedon Mt Charlie team (Elizabeth Payneand Olwyn Snape),going down 4-2 games and 37-30 hoops. Paynewas undefeated inher singles, and her experienceshowedinMtCharlie winning both the doubles games.

Theother GoldenSquareteam(GS Magpies)composed of Alanand LynBreen re-bounded to a4-2 win against the Quarry Hill Parrots(Chris Scottand Christine Ball), although hoops scored were close at just 32-30. AllanBreen wassolidfor theMagpies with two singles wins, and theBreens combined beautifully to takebothdoubles games.

Thereare currently threeundefeated teamsin Division3, each from adifferent club, so it is going to be interesting to see whoprevailsatthe long game.

Thepennantcompetition featuresweekly matches, and willconcludewith finals in mid-late June

Moama action

KynetonBowling Club's division one team provedcompetitiveatthe StatePennantChampionships held at Moama overthe weekend.

Playing fivesectional matches, Kynetonwon three and lost two.

Representing the Ballarat-Highlands Region, Kynetonbegan the sectional round witha 50-43 shots victory over City of Warrnambool.

Kynetonthenran into the twohot shots in the section, namely Moama and Ocean Grove

Moama, which went through its five matches undefeated, accountedfor the Kynetonline-up 52-25, and Ocean Grove thenbeatKyneton40-32.

Undeterred, Kynetonbounced back with a43-39 victory overPaynesville, and a56-26 win overFrankston to finish thirdinthe section.

Kyneton's midweek division one side began its state championship section matches yesterday.

Bowls news

KynetonBowling Club's Greg Podesta has finished up equal thirdin the Victorian Champion of Champions singles.

Representing Ballarat-Highlands Region, Podesta had some good knockout wins leading up to asemi-final at BendigoEast, wherehewentdown 25-19 against David WellsfromCity of Warrnambool.

Wellswas defeated 25-16 by star NewZealander AliForsyth (Clayton) in the final.

Trentham Bowling Club's recent mixedfours tournament washeld on a Sunday.

Theundefeated winning team was the Kynetoncombination of Alan Mathison, Keisha Monleon, DeniseKnight and AnthonyMathison (s).

Kerry Thomson's team from TheAvenue wasrunner-up, with BevHanna's Kynetonfourtaking the prizefor the best lastgame

Racing news

Four-year-old mare SheSaidwon her second race forMacedon Ranges trainer Liam Howley on Saturday.

Second upfromaspell, SheSaid wasridden in fine style at Horsham by in-form jockeyAlana Kelly.

Shetravelled well in the 1800 metre GroupHandicap, and sprintedinthe straighttooverhaul Tekapo who tried to lead all the way.

SheSaidwon by 0.8 lengths and started as second favourite.

Step up formentalhealth

Lifeline Loddon Mallee is calling on locals to join the push forbettermental health this June by taking part in ThePush-UpChallenge– Australia’s largest mental health and fitness event.

This year,Lifeline Loddon Mallee is excited to welcome some incredible local ambassadors, including JedZimmer and Luke Baker– both passionate advocatesfor men’s mental health and suicide prevention –and theteam from BendigoSpirit, who areready to inspirethe region throughout the Challenge.

Lifeline Loddon Mallee is encouraging individuals, workplaces, gyms, clubs and schools across the region to get involved and join Team Lifeline Loddon Mallee.

From June 4to26, participants will aim to complete 3,214 push-upsover23days, representing the 3,214 lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2023.

TheChallengeisdesigned to raise awareness and start

conversations around mental health, while encouraging connection, movement, and education.

Anyone can takepart –whether you'redoing push-ups, sit-ups, squats or atailored movementthatsuits your ability.The number of push-upschanges daily to reflect importantmental healthfacts, and progress is easily tracked through adedicated app.

ThePush-UpChallengefounder Nick Hudson said the challengeisa fun, inclusiveway to getactive,learn about mental health, and connect with your community, allwhile honouring lives lost to suicide.

“Mental healthimpacts us all. By taking part, Australians arehelping to reducestigma,improve mental health literacy and promote proactivewellbeing.”

Last year,morethan 218,000 people completedover 317 million push-ups, raising morethan $12 million for mental health services –with morethan $50 million raised

sincethe eventbegan.

Arecentstudy from theUniversity of Melbourne highlights theChallenge’slong-term impact. Participants reported significantboosts in mental wellbeing, resilience, and social connection, along with markedreductions in anxiety and depression symptoms –bothimmediately afterthe eventand three months later. Thoseexperiencing mental health challenges were more likely to seek support and adoptself-carestrategies.

ThePush-UpChallengeisfreetojoin. Participants can sign up solo or as part of ateam –with the option to fundraise to support vital mental health services in the community.Register nowatwww.lifelinelm.com/lllm-tpuc Need support? Lifeline is there 24/7. If youorsomeone you knowneeds crisis support,pleasecall Lifeline anytime on 13 11 14, or text Lifeline on 0477 13 11 14, or visit www.lifeline. org.au fortheir online chat service.

L-R: RodBennett, Gary Dykes, JennySymons, Graham Smith, Robert Kidd andPaul Williams.

Maldon playedhost to Campbells Creek in round threeofthe Maryborough Castlemaine District Football NetballLeague competition on Saturday

In atightfirst term the Dons gottwo goals on the boardand held Creektoa solitary pointtolead by 13 points at the first break.

Creek stepped up in second pegging a couple of much-needed goals, but Maldon found four in replytohold a25pointadvantageathalftime.

Thearm wrestle continued in thethird with the Creek keeping Maldon to two goals, but they were unable to makethe most of opportunities at the other end of the park only managing four points.

TheMagpies wrested out another muchneeded goal in thefinal term but Maldon poweredhome with fivegoals to win by a convincing 56 points.

Best forMaldon were BaileyBrown with three goals, DarcyKelly and Ash Humphrey Best forCreek were Dylan Stevens, Lachlan Hyland and Mitchell Stevens.

In the other local matchofthe round Newstead welcomed Trentham.

TheSaints were chasing their second win aftera greatperformanceagainst Dunolly, while the Steaders were looking to bounce back and securetheir second win aftera second round loss at the hands of Carisbrook.

Trentham made apositivestart smashing on fivegoals in the firstterm and keeping Newstead to 1.2.

TheSteadersuppedthe ante in the second kicking another three goals, butthe Saints were on fire booting another eightto lead by 53 points at half time.

Newstead foughthardinthe thirdkicking twomoregoals to tryand bridgethe gap, but theSaints still managed three and had extended their lead to 61 points at the final change.

To their credit Newstead lifted again in the final quarter kicking another 3.4 and holding to theSaints to asolitary pointto win the term.

Butitwas toolittle, toolatewith Tren-

Maldon and Trentham emerge victorious

tham winning by 40 points.

Best forthe home side were Hayden Hall with twogoals, Michael Dalrymple and Alex Murphy.

Best forTrentham were JamesRegan with fivegoals, Zachary Gervasoni, and Thomas Fuller

KEOGH'S 300

Jake Keogh, one of Trentham's all-time greatplayers,chalked up 300 games on Saturday.

Avery loyalplayer, Keoghhas kicked well over 700 goalsfor the Saints over along period.

Avery strong and adaptable forward, Keoghwas applauded on Saturdayagaint Newstead, and thanked forhis tremendous service.

Over the yearshehas resisted offers from severalother clubs, and stayedaSaint.

Supportersare sure Keoghhas plenty moregoals left before he finally decides to hang up his boots.

In other matches, Dunolly went down to NatteBealiba by 67 points, Avoca lost to

Lexton by 34 points, Carisbrook recorded a 66-pointMaryborough Giants and Navarre fell to Talbotby69points.Harcourt had the bye

NETBALL

In AGrade clashes Campbells Creek 63 recorded afantastic win over Maldon 34. Best forCreek wasElouise Jones with39 goals. Best forMaldon wasClaireKelly Newstead 50 had aclose win overTrentham 42. Best forthe Steaderswas Brianna Jury with 29 goals. Best forthe Saints was KaseyButtonwith22 goals.

In other matches Avoca 62 defeated Lexton 29, Dunolly 35 lost to Natte Bealiba 84, Carisbrook 65 defeated 57, Navarrev Talbot -noresultsreceived. Harcourt had the bye. THISWEEKEND

In round four matches this weekend, Harcourt fresh from twoweeks rest will host Maldon, NatteBealiba welcome Newstead, Campbells Creek takeonAvoca, Trentham host Maryborough Giants, Lexton face Navarreand Carisbrook welcome Talbot Dunolly will have thebye

Maldonand Campbells Creek battled it outatthe Bill Woodfull Reserve. Photo: MaxLesser

AMaldon netballer leaps forthe ball as her Creek opponentchases her down.

Photo:Max Lesser

Newstead and Trentham netballers go headtohead. Photo:Max Lesser

Magpie footballerswin four from four

TheCastlemaine Magpies madethe trek to DowerPark on Saturdaytotackle Kangaroo Flat and recorded their second win of the year.The winplaces Castlemaine in fourth spotonthe BendigoFootball Netball League ladder

Flat gotthe jump on the Magpies early withgoals to Nicholas Keogh2 and Jake Hywood, before Magpie coachMichael Hartleyslotted through their first.

Flat found areply through SamBarnes, before Ryan Eyre snappedanother forthe Magpies to bridgethe gap to nine points at quarter-time.

Thesecond term wastighttusslewith both sides kicking twogoals apiece. At half-timeKangaroo Flat held a10-point buffer.

Castlemaine pulled out all the stops in the thirdterm kicking amassiveeight goals, with MatthewFilo and Brodie Browne-Kerr leading the charge while holding the Flat to just one to nab a 37-pointleadatthe final change.

TheRoos returned firewith agoal to Nicholas Lang minutes into the last quarter,hesoon found asecond before Michael Hartleyslotted through another forthe visitors.

Flat kicked twomore, before Magpie young gun Archie Rixonkicked another

TheRoos Jake Hywood goaled before the siren but Castlemaine held on to win by 21 points.

Best were Harrison Sheahan, Ryan Eyre, Michael Hartley, Liam Wilkinson, Brodie Browne-Kerr and DarbySemmens.

TheReserves also wontheir clash by 58 points. TheMagpies held aone-pointlead afteranevenfirst term but led at every changetowin by comfortable margin.

Best forthe Magpies were Declan Slingo, Bodhi Robinson, BradleyKeogh, BenMcConachyand Campbell McLennan.

TheUnder 18s also had afantastic win overthe Roos to the tune of 37 points. Best forthe Magpies were Mitchell McKnight, Oscar Giddings, Gabriel O'Sullivan, Logan Browne-Kerr,Saxon Sieber-Hogg andBenjamin Jardine.

WOMEN'SFOOTBALL

TheWomen had amassive185-pointwin overthe Bendigo Thunder.The sideopened the match with an eight-goal haul in the first term and went on with thejob to runout convincing winners. Best on were TiahnaCochrane, Jemma Finning and Tia Davidge.

NETBALL

On the neball court, AReserve34losttoKangaroo Flat 74. Best on wasRachelle McLean. BGrade 40 lost to Flat 66 in a close battle. Best on wasCharli Henderson.

BReserve11had atough dayout against Flat 87. Best on wasCharleyPedretti

TheUnder 17s also lost aclose contest 29-41. Best on was Ella Rixon.

This weekend the Castlemaine sides will host South Bendigo at Camp Reserve, while the women's football side will enjoy aweek'srest before theyhost WhiteHills at theCamp on Mother'sDay

RSL sub-branch presidentReinhardGoschiniak(at left) and sub-branch vice-president John McCosker

Clean sweep in netball

Lancefield and Riddell netballerseachwon all fiveof their matches over theweekend.

ForLancefield, it wasa significantmilestone performanceatKynetononAnzacDay,vindicating the club's extensiverebuilding programlaunched twoseasons ago.

TheLancefield A-gradersstepped up the pressure in the second half to defeat Kyneton34-26.

The'Clash of the Tigers'club shield between Kyneton and Lancefield went to thelatter, due to theirfivenetball successes. KynetonTigerseasily wontheir threefootball matches. Forthe powerful Riddell Bombers, winning all fivenetball matches on Saturdaywas anticipatedathome to Melton Centrals

TheRDFNL thirdround of netball sawthe closest Agrade matchatRomsey, with the Redbacks finishing well to topple Wallan 40-38.

Reigning premiersWoodend-Hesket,Riddell, Lancefield and Gisborne Giants areall unbeatenafter three rounds.

TheGiants finished strongly in A-grade to defeat Melton South.

Macedon A-graderschalked up their first win forthe season by accounting forDiggers Rest by 20 goals.

TheAnzacDay spirit wasonceagain epitomised at variousvenues, with RSLsub-branch membersjoining withnetballersand footballersinacommon bond to remember those who have given service, includingsome who paidthe supreme sacrifice, fortheir country ALL THESCORES

Scores from thirdround matcheswere:

A-grade: Lancefield 34 dKyneton26, Macedon 55 d DiggersRest 35, Gisborne Giants 53 dMelton South 29, Romsey40d Wallan 38, Riddell 55 dMelton Centrals 37

B-grade: Macedon 68 dDiggers Rest 13, Lancefield 60 dKyneton37, Gisborne Giants 36 dMelton South 23, Romsey54d Wallan 45, Riddell 52 dMelton Centrals 44

C-grade: Lancefield 29 dKyneton19, Macedon 48 d DiggersRest 17, Gisborne Giants 46 dMelton South 21, Wallan 51 dRomsey27, Riddell 45 dMelton Centrals 34.

D-grade: DiggersRest 27 dMacedon 10, Lancefield 25 dKyneton22, Melton South 26 dGisborne Giants 16, Romsey22d Wallan 9, Riddell 23 dMelton Centrals 15.

19&Under: Lancefield 36 dKyneton16, DiggersRest 36 dMacedon 28, Melton South24 dGisborne Giants 17, Wallan 30 dRomsey25, Riddell 44 dMelton Centrals 28.

Special medal:Lancefield A-grade goalkeeper Bella Collodetti receives the BonnyLamb Medal fornetball from Romsey-Lancefield

Matthew Filounleashes akick as his Roos opponents close in. Photo:PeterBanko

Magpie netballer SarahMcLean leaps forthe ball.Photo:PeterBanko

AdrawatMacedon

Bill West

An epic Anzac Day football contestat Tony ClarkeReserveended up in aspinetingling draw between Macedon and DiggersRest, throwing further intrigue into the likely composition of the Riddell League final fivethis season.

Thetwo clubs have built up aspecial Anzac Day relationship in recent years, and Anzac Day observance waspart and parcel of activities on aday wheretherewas rain, drizzle and some clear weather Scores were close throughout, with goals having to be earned.

Macedon coachAlMeldrum sawplenty to be pleased about from his Cats, who led by 11 points in alow scoring encounterat half time.

"It'sprobably the best matchI'veseen forquitesomeyears,"was the observation from Macedon's football manager Bevan Uren.

From aMacedon perspective, big ruckman Charlie Rossetti wasdominant.

Recruited from Montrose, he is certainly one of the recruits of the season in the RDFNL, and gives the Cats the big man power theyneed against topsides.

Brodie Hoyne,recruited from Gisborne some seasons ago, playedhis 100th game forthe Cats, and waswarmlyapplauded as a fine and consistentteam man.

The27-year-old has plenty of good football ahead.

Athirdquarter revival by DiggersRest put them in frontbyfivepoints going into

the last term, and supportersfromboth sides were on edge.

Macedon had chances to wrap up the game, but acouple of costly misses prevented them taking thelead.

TheCatskicked 1.5 to alone goal from the visitors, and the siren sounded leaving both sides wondering whatcould have been.

Still, adrawisbetterthan aloss, and takes percentageout of the equation.

In addition to Rossetti, versatile Jack Kernan and skipper Hamish Govandid well forthe Cats, as did SamIndian.

Utility playerRyanMullen and Brandon Lester were in fine form forthe Burras,who expecttobetherecome finals time.

Mullen received the 'Most Courageous' awardafter the match.

Macedon's A-grade netball centre player Caitlin Alfracoreceived the medal for'Most Courageous' afterher side's 20-goal victory

Themedal presentations were made by long-timeMacedon FNC sponsors/supportersYvonne Kernan and Ross Grumont.

Macedon is nowlooking forwardto this Saturday'smatch at Romsey, with the Redbacks keen to turn their fortunes around aftergoing down to Wallan by 29 points.

Forthree quartersthe matchatRomseywas tight, but the Magpies heartened their supporterswith5.3 to 0.2 in thelast quarter

Macedon's Under 19.5s excelled by outclassing DiggersRest 13.10 to 4.5 to remain unbeaten, but the Reserves found Diggers Rest toostrong

Romsey’swinning women’s football team.

Firstwin forRedbacks

It's taken three seasons, but Romsey women's senior football team has made a breakthrough by winning itsfirst match. Therewas jubilation as the Redbacks defeated newteam Riddell 4.3 (27) to 1.4 (10) at Riddell.

In alow-scoring affair,the Redbacks led 3.1 to 0.3 at half-time.

Riddell'sfirst and only goal came from Brianna De Haas

Goalkickersfor Romsey were Maddison Dutton Johnson 2, Stacey Smith and Gabrielle Kassinidis.

Best players were Megan Brundell, Laura Lonergan, ZoeHardiman, Dutton Johnson, Kassinidis and Smith.

Coach Matt Brundell wasvery pleased to see his side break the ice.

Riddell'sbest were Mariam Habib, Ruby Ayers, MollyConnell, Britt Layton, Lauren Nolan, and De Haas

Lancefield continued its good startto the season witha 3.5 (23) to 2.4 (16) victory overMountAlexander Falcons. In the remaining match,unbeatenreigning premiersMacedon beatMelton 6.5 (41) to 1.2 (8).

United delivers masterclass

Gisborne-KynetonUnited putonanabsolute clinic last Saturday, steamrolling East Sunbury with an incredible 23-goal performance— featuring 10 individual goal scorers. Their midfield continued to impress, showcasing a seamless blend of both teams' toptalents who worked beautifully together to deliver into the forwardline.

Todorovic, Ainslie, Macumber and Hateleywereamong GKU'sbest on the day, while sharpshooters Cole andCowan combined fora staggering nine goalsbetween them, sending aclear messageto the rest of the EDFL Division 2competition.

This weekend, GKU faces a real test against ladder-leadersTaylorsLakes —amatch up that'ssuretobeatough battle.

Co-coaches Bernie Marantelli and Phil Hawkes praised the squad’schemistry,noting the impressivecohesion just three games into the season. They'll be looking to bring their best footywhen they clash with the Lions at Gardiner Reserve, SaturdayMay 3at11.50am.

Best: Alexia Todorovic, Belinda Hateley, Cheyene Macumber,Teagan Ainslie, EbonyCole, Kareena Jacobsen-Logan.

Goals: Todorovic (5), Cole (5), Cowan(4), JacobsenLogan (3), Williams (1), Crooks (1), Brancatisano (1), Hateley (1), White(1), Korinfsky (1).

Medal winners:Macedon netballer Caitlin Alfraco and DiggersRest’s BrianMullen after receiving their ‘Most Courageous’medals on Anzac Day. Photo supplied.

United’sAbbeyMcKenna in action.

Photo: Shari Mitchell

Kynetonready forBombers

Bill West

Afterthree rounds Kynetonsenior footballersare on topofthe Riddell League ladder, andthis Saturdayfaceanacidtest against reigning premiersRiddell.

Thedrawcardmatch should attracta large crowd to theShowgrounds, with Kyneton coming offa 66-pointvictory over atenacious Lancefield in the Anzac Day 'Battle of the Tigers'.

Kynetontook until the thirdquarter to get on topofLancefield and will be without onballer JamesO'Sullivan who sustained abroken collarbone early in the first quarter

KFNCpresidentGuy Nelson saidearly indications were thatitmightnot be aseasonending injury forO'Sullivan, who wastaken to hospital forattention.

He said Kynetonwas looking forwardto playing the BombersonSaturday, following big wins against thebottomthree sides in Gisborne Giants, Woodend-Hesket and Lancefield.

Kynetoncoach Ethan Foreman has indicated the aim for2025 is a"topthree finish"inwhat is shaping up as avery interesting season.

Therewas areal Anzac Day spirit at the KynetonversusLancefield match, and the 'Most Courageous' medal fora Kynetonplayer wasawarded to Isaac Barassi.

In hisfirst season with the Tigers,Barassi has given the side another talentedplayerwho is versatile in akey position or on the ball.

Lancefield'sZac O'Halloran, in his first season with the club, received the IkeJohnston Medal, named aftera legendary figure who gave outstanding servicetohis club and country

TheLancefield players wore black arm bands in memory of ColRichmond, the last surviving member of the Tigers'1952 premiership team. He died last week.

BothLancefield footballersand netballers also wore uniforms bearing the names of 13 former Lancefield players who hadlost their lives in conflictsoverseas.

Bothsides attacked the ball hardinthe

opening term, and Kynetonwas tested by opponents who had regrouped aftercoming offthe bye

At half-time, the home side led by 18 points, and playopened up in the thirdquarter Kyneton'sdepth of talentwas revealed in the second half,and Lancefield continued to battle hard, but managed another twogoals.

Final score: Kyneton13.23 (101) dLancefield 5.5 (35).

Barassi, Jack Willmott, Jack Hamilton, Caleb Fisher and Gabriel YowYeh were listed as Kyneton'sbest.

Lancefield waswell served by Darren Robinson, O'Halloran, RileyO'Meara, Noah Smallacombe, MaxTaylor and Ashley-James Graham.

In the Reserves, Kynetonmonopolised the ball in the first half,and Lancefield revived to outscore the home side in thesecond half in apromising display.

KynetonUnder 19.5s scored arunaway15.15 (105) to 4.1 (25) victory

Gisborne to face biggesttestyet

Gisborne senior footballersfacetheir biggest test of the season when theyconfrontladder leader Eaglehawk on Saturday.

Thefourth-roundmatch at Eaglehawk brings together twosides withvaryingcredentials on whathas been revealed in the first threerounds of matches.

Gisborne, runners-up to Sandhurst last season, thrashed Kangaroo Flat in the opening round, then surprisingly went down to South Bendigoby27points.

In the thirdround on Saturday, Gisborne had to work very hardtoget the points at Gardiner Reserveagainst winless Strathfieldsaye

In the end, defender JedDenahykicked agoal which al-

lowedthe Bulldogs to scramble homebyfivepoints.

Eaglehawk beatSouth Bendigo9.17 to 5.4, and appears to be amuch stronger combination than last year

Apositiveagainst Strathfieldsaye wasthe form of top ruckman Braidon Blake, who earned the listing as number one on the "dogsbest players list

At quarter-time Gisborne led by 23 points, only to see the visitorscut the margin to four points by half-time.

It wasa struggle from then on, with the matchinthe balancethroughoutthe last term.

Gisborne waspleased to escapewith a8.9 (57) to 7.10 (52) margin.

Blake, Patrick Trotta, Brad Bernacki, James Gray, Dylan

Johnstone and Denahyfigured among the best.

TheBulldogs wontheir Under 18s match7.8 (50) to 3.7 (25), and their Reserves led throughoutfor their first win, by a7.9 (51) to 3.7 (25) margin.

With the netballerswinning four of their fivematches,it wasagood feeling at the club'sTeams of the Decade (2010 to 2019) function on Saturdaynight.

Scores in the netball were:

A-grade —Gisborne 50 dStrathfieldsaye 22; AReserve— Gisborne 46 dStrathfieldsaye 29; B-grade —Gisborne 56 dStrathfieldsaye 32; BReserve— Gisborne 45 dStrathfieldsaye 30; 17&Under —Gisborne 28 lost to Strathfieldsaye 48.

ZacO’Halloran receives the IkeJohnston Medal from Romsey-Lancefield RSL presidentReinhardGoschiniak

Isaac Barassiwas awarded the‘Most Courageous’medal forKynetonin the Anzac Dayclash.

Kyneton’sEthan Turner boots one away.

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