Don Magazine August 2019

ISSUE 2 | AUGUST 2019

SUPER

STYLE V8 star on the rise

Skin art: Getting inked

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ON THE TRACK:

FOOTSTEPS OF LEGENDS

The X7 has arrived and sets a new benchmark for SUV’s. Its generous space, sleek design and unique panoramic cabin provide the ultimate sense of freedom from the first to the third row. Designed to elevate every moment of the journey, experience freedom like never before.

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Shepparton BMW 8002 Melbourne Road, Shepparton. Ph (03) 5823 2940. sheppartonbmw.com.au. LMCT11214

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62 EDITOR John Lewis P: 5820 3250

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WRITERS Jessica Ball Sharon Wright Alex Mitchell Myles Peterson John Lewis Liam Nash James Bennett Kevin Tyler Tara Whitsed Rodney Braithwaite Luke Lewis Tyler Maher Pat Patt SUB-EDITORS Wendy Russell Sandy Lloyd EDITORIAL DESIGN Jacqui Maskell

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23 CONTENTS LIST

ADVERTISING DESIGN Jacqui Maskell Alysha Bathman Bella Considine Prutha Kulkarni

Garry’s in gear

50 years of snips and shaves

Cheers for craft beers

In the footsteps of legends

What women want

Brick by brick

PHOTOGRAPHY Ray Sizer Megan Fisher Rodney Braithwaite

Modern fathers and sons PAGE 19

Poo test life saver

Gaming : the good, the bad

An ancient art for modern times

Test drive Audi’s Q5

The cholesterol challenge

Fast track for memories

PAGE 57

Old wheels look new

Odds on for problem gamblers

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATORS Jordan Purtill Rhiannon Nicholas ADVERTISING Aaron Brown Leesa Haeusler Lisa Ryan Leonie Limosani Simone Dunne Karen Chatterton Ashton Still P: 5820 3187

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PAGE 23 PAGE 28

Step back to move on PAGE 33

Fishing trip — get organised

PAGE 47 PAGE 48 PAGE 50

PAGE 71 PAGE 77 PAGE 80

PAGE 84

Stay warm in the cool

PAGE 88

Pop goes the candle

PAGE 90

PAGE 62

New life for Aussie classics

PAGE 69

PAGE 37

COVER

Photo by Ray Sizer Story page 4 by Tyler Maher ISSUE 2 | AUGUST 2019

SUPER

STYLE V8 star on the rise

Skin art: Getting inked

Published by Shepparton News, PO Box 204, Shepparton, Victoria 3632 (03) 5831 2312

PAGE 42

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ON THE TRACK:

FOOTSTEPS OF LEGENDS

Clothing worn on cover.

Gibson suit, $595 Carlo Visconi tie, $49 Ganton shirt, $129 Lluis dress shoe, $189 All clothes and shoes supplied by Identity Menswear Hair styled by VAB Hairdressing Seiko solar stainless steel black and gold watch SSC218P $750, Stephen’s Jewellers

AUGUST 2019

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ON THE

FAST TRACK TO A GOOD LIFE

Shepparton’s Garry Jacobson lives life in the fast lane as a racing car driver, but he feels just at home driving a bus. Tyler Maher talks to one of the most promising up-and-coming talents in the V8 Supercars Championship about taking time out, slowing down and life away from the track.

F

or a man who hurtles at great speeds around a racetrack for a living, Garry Jacobson loves spending plenty of time in 40 km/h zones.

Shepparton’s fastest bus driver — as the moniker goes — embraces life in the slow lane as much as possible despite his calling as a full-time V8 Supercars driver.

When the roar of the engine subsides and the blur of the grandstand dissipates,

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DON MAGAZINE

Garry finds himself drawn to a different type of vehicle back in his home town.

“I suppose I’ve always been known as the Supercars driver who drives buses, and I find that actually a really nice job to do,” Garry, 27, said.

“You wake up at about 6 am and you start the bus at about 7 and you inspect it, walk around it, kick the tyres and make sure that it’s safe to drive and pick up kids,

so that’s the first thing in terms of a lifestyle thing that I do to wind down.

“It’s work in a way but it’s also really a nice way to drive around and see the local kids at Verney Rd special school and all the parents involved and things like that.”

Connecting to the Goulburn Valley community is high on Garry’s list of priorities when he is back home from race meetings, a trait he developed as a

See page 6 for fashion

child and nurtured upon his return to Shepparton in his early 20s.

“I was always a kid that was quite sociable at a young stage,” he said.

“In primary school my interests were just hanging out with my mates a lot, so I was into footy growing up as a kid because you saw it a lot on TV, I was into basketball, I was into tennis and things like that.

“I just liked to be involved in what everyone else was doing.

“It’s at the forefront now because after I finished high school at the Goulburn Valley Grammar in Year 12, pretty much

the day after I finished my last exam I moved straight to Bayswater North in Melbourne, and that was more of a learning curve for me in terms of branching out of Shepparton and seeing what other communities are like and towns are like.

“What I found was I broke my arm when I was 21 and I came back home and I started driving the buses again, I got my heavy rigid licence and that was like a gateway opportunity to really get to know everybody from a broader spectrum.

“You’re picking people’s kids up to take them to school and you’re young,

but people had started to see me race on the TV and stuff like that and it was like the golden days in a way for me because I was starting to get trophies for the first time and I was starting to get recognised a little bit for the first time, and that’s when I started getting involved a lot more in what the community was getting up to in terms of things like charity events for the first time.

“I loved that part of being back home and getting to know everyone, and I think it’s at the forefront of my mind now, talking about everything and reflecting on everything.

“We’ve probably had businesses behind me now locally in Shepparton for about eight years. There’s been no fly-in fly-out sponsorship deals, they’ve been people that have come on board and we’ve built together the profile of the local businesses and we’ve built my profile as much as we can locally to get me involved as much as we can.”

Garry’s growth — both professionally and personally — has seen him rise from a young kid “walking around the back of Speedway circuits”, as he puts it, to one of the most promising up-and-coming talents in the V8 Supercars Championship.

But throughout it all the Shepparton product has never forgotten his roots.

“Now I can train with some of the greatest people in Shepparton and it motivates me quite a lot,” Garry said.

“I can go and train with Sammy Rachele who teaches taekwondo and kickboxing, who’s an elite fighter and great at training young people and people that want to stay fit for lifestyle.

“Cher Hetherington from Fix Muscle Performance, it sounds like >> AUGUST 2019

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“

I suppose I’ve always been known as the Supercars driver who drives buses – GARRY JACOBSON

Tarocash jacket, $149 Tommy Hilfiger T-shirt, $49.95 Nudie jeans, $189 Tarocash dress boot, $169 All clothes and shoes supplied by Identity Menswear Hair styled by VAB Hairdressing

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DON MAGAZINE

Gibson suit, $595 Carlo Visconi tie, $49 Ganton shirt, $129 Lluis dress shoe, $189 All clothes and shoes supplied by Identity Menswear Hair styled by VAB Hairdressing Seiko solar stainless steel black and gold watch SSC218P $750, Stephen’s Jewellers

AUGUST 2019

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Ganton shirt, $129 Nudie jeans, $189 Tarocash dress boot, $169 All clothes and shoes supplied by Identity Menswear Seiko black solar divers watch SNE498P $675, Stephen’s Jewellers Hair styled by VAB Hairdressing

“

Now I can train with some of the greatest people in Shepparton and it motivates me quite a lot – GARRY JACOBSON

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DON MAGAZINE

>> I’m doing plugs but it’s just the truth of it, I wanted to learn how to strengthen my back and things like that in longer races and she was getting me into Pilates and things like that.

“Then like local F45 places, just having the luxury of racing on the weekend and then turning up Monday morning to train with the locals at F45 where it’s like really social, things like that it’s quite motivating for me when you can go and train in Shepparton and you know nearly who everybody is.

“You can just go and get a coffee — I’ll get encouraged from the locals at Lemon Tree Café about, you know, great job in the wet weather racing on the weekend and things like that and that puts a real pep in my step and you don’t really get that feel or vibe in Melbourne.”

Garry is always pushing to get the best out of himself while also making sure he touches base with that slow lane every now and again.

“I do tend to get a little bit addicted to my training and that’s more just a thing

that I get up to where there’s so much you can do in Shepparton,” he said.

“You can ride your bikes with the local Coodabeens group on the road bikes because the roads are so quiet around Shepparton.

“I like to go and catch up with those guys, but lately I’ve had a different course of training on the bike — I actually get involved with the mountain bike tracks that are just based near the river underneath the bridge that takes you from Shepparton to Mooroopna. >> AUGUST 2019

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>> “There’s a mountain bike track that takes you from there all the way to the bus depot actually, so there’s a good 30 km loop out there that I like to do.

“I suppose like anybody you have relationships back home, I’ve got a lovely girlfriend Naomi that I’ve been with nearly for 10 years and obviously spend a fair bit of time with her when I am home, because you do tend to travel a bit more now that I am in the top category.

“We love going to local wineries around Dookie and things like that and there’s actually a mountain bike track there around Mt Major.

“In terms of apart from training and that, I actually enjoy doing a bit of fishing with Ross Threlfall obviously from Trelly’s Tackle World, those guys are really great for me because they take me outside and take me fishing.

“If it’s the summer time we’ll go skiing up at Bundalong, I enjoy a bit of water-skiing, if it’s winter time we tend to catch cod if we can.

“Another thing that comes to mind lately is that I’ve actually been getting a little bit more into yoga and meditation as a way to quieten the mind.

“It’s really hard sometimes, you’ll get 10 |

DON MAGAZINE

home on a Sunday night — we had a race at Darwin and you get home at 3 am and you’ve got to shut your brain off sometimes — and whether you have a good result or a bad result, I think part of my performance is learning how to quieten the mind, so I’ve actually just started doing little things like that in Shepparton.”

And as for Garry’s advice to the next generation of Shepparton products looking to make it on the biggest stage of all his motto is quite simple — just ask him.

“Hassle as many people as you can and not be worried about taking up their time,” he said.

“I’ve had some kids that contact me nearly once a week on Facebook messenger asking for that help and support and the biggest thing that I love about it is their determination to keep asking for help and support.

“It’s not annoying, it’s just sometimes you get carried away with what you’re doing and you’re away for a long time, you don’t see them, and then the same message you see gets repeated six or seven times … and eventually there comes a stage in the calendar where it does fit up.

“I think I didn’t do enough of it when I was young, and I’d always be scared that

I’d be taking up their precious time and things like that; but for me, I don’t know, it just seems to make sense to me.

“You don’t know everything and it’s a cliché thing, you’re always learning every day, but I think it’s just more about having as many mentors as you can.

“It’s funny how much you learn from people that are involved in the sport. Keep encouraging them to keep asking me for help and, hopefully, if I can give back once every now and then I’d hope that I can make a difference for young karters.

“Because everyone’s afraid of stepping on people’s toes and getting in people’s way and it’s not like that. You might get a couple of people that reply like ‘mate, bugger off ’ sort of thing, but I find it’s a lot less now these days, like, people can get contacted quite easily through Instagram and Facebook.

“So even though we have messages that are repeated like 10 or 15 times I actually like the fact that they’re persistent and it shows me how hungry they are and they’re not just going to say ‘ahh he didn’t reply so I’m not going to ask any more’.

“They keep going and keep hassling and I think that’s great to see the motivation that they have.”

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AUGUST 2019

| 11

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AUGUST 2019

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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF LEGENDS STORY: JOHN LEWIS

There were many chances to get wet on the walk, such as this stream crossing with a simple wooden bridge.

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DON MAGAZINE

Walking the legendary Kokoda Track is a dream for many Australians. Two Shepparton mates made the dream a reality when they decided to take on the gruelling challenge in memory of their grandfathers, who were there more than 75 years ago in very different circumstances.

I

t was the birds, the graves and a box of grenades that brought it all home for Leigh Wright and Scott Kelly.

The Shepparton pair had been planning a Kokoda trip for two years after meeting up through a mutual friend.

“We met over a couple of beers and we discovered we both had an interest in military history,” Leigh said.

When they discovered both their grandfathers had served in Papua New Guinea during World War II, that was it — the challenge was on.

Scott’s grandfather Frank was in the Royal Australian Engineers in PNG’s Owen Stanley Range when Scott’s father was born.

He was named Owen after the range.

Scott said he took his grandfather’s war medals with him when he retraced his steps on the track.

Leigh’s grandfather Keith ‘Dick’ Steele served in the 2nd Battalion Australian Infantry during clean-up operations in PNG from December 1944 to August 1945.

Out of a plethora of adventure tour companies offering to take people on the trek, Leigh and Scott chose Adventure Kokoda, based in Sogeri, PNG. “It seemed the most authentic — and they don’t overload their guides,” Scott said.

Adventure Kokoda’s website says it limits the weight of its guides’ and carriers’ backpacks to 18 kg — the maximum allowed during the 1942 campaign.

Scott and Leigh’s trip was set for August 9 to 19, 2018.

Then the training began.

Adventure Kokoda sent them a suggested training program which involved stair work and gym machines for leg strengthening.

“Shepparton tower became my friend,”

Scott said.

Both men backpacked up and down Dookie’s Mt Major most weekends for six months and began running regimes before work.

Nevertheless, when they arrived on the track they realised it was going to be more than a walk in the park — or up Mt Major.

“The first three days were the worst — your body just wasn’t used to it,” Leigh said.

He said on day two one of the trekkers was found to be struggling.

“He was in a world of pain and there was talk of a helicopter rescue. But he came good.

water bladder.

Leigh said despite the carriers, the guides and good weather — it was tough going.

“It was unbelievably rough — you wanted to look at the scenery, but you’re looking at where your feet are going.

You’re up on a ridge and you can’t see the bottom.

“One guy did slip, but a carrier caught him. You had to have your wits about you.”

Although the Kokoda Track is officially 96 km long, the Adventure Kokoda team often walked off track to abandoned villages and historic locations, such as the site where Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner Shepparton mates on the track — Leigh Wright addressed his Aussie (left) and Scott Kelly. troops after an intense battle against the Japanese at Isurava — a moment captured by wartime photographer Damien Parer.

This meant Leigh and Scott’s nine-day trek covered almost 150 km.

Local carriers told stories of finding old munitions from the war years.

Scott said fortunately, they had a serving Australian soldier among their team, who was able to shed light on the armaments used during the war. ‘‘It made you think – this is real. People fought and died here,’’ he said.

Throughout their walk “You have to realise that when you they were continually astounded by the call for help you’re not calling a profes- beauty of the landscape and the wildlife. sional rescue service — it’s a farmer with “There were birds that sounded exactly a helicopter.” like machine guns — ka-ka-kak. You Scott and Leigh were among a group could swear it was a gun. It was eerie,” of 15 trekkers aged from 13 to 76 from Scott said. across Australia, supported by local backAfter nine days of climbing mountain pack carriers and cooks. ridges, fording streams, clambering over The two mates were geared up with rocks and pushing through thick forest, hiking boots, T-shirts, shorts and back- the team reached Hoi Village at Kokoda, packs carrying about 8 kg of extra gear where they boarded a small plane to Port including a wet weather jacket and Moresby.

AUGUST 2019

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>> Before returning to Australia, Scott and Leigh visited the Bomana War Cemetery at Port Morseby where 3779 Australian and allied soldiers, sailors and airmen who died during the New Guinea campaign are buried.

Leigh and Scott said it was a deeply moving experience.

“It’s immaculate — like an oasis. We walked along and read the names — I was surprised at the number of older blokes, killed in their 40s,” Leigh said.

“It was sombre. I thought about what we had just done, compared to what these guys did,” Scott said.

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done — but we did it in good weather and in good health.

“They fought malaria as well as the enemy — they had limited rations, wet weather and they carried gear that was falling apart.

“I’ve always been in awe of those blokes.

“To walk the same dirt they walked on was pretty special — to walk with absolute legends.”

End of the journey — the Australian Bomana War Cemetery at Port Morseby, the final resting place of 3779 Australian and allied troops.

Leigh Wright on the track. The landscape was tough — but stunning.

Counting the cost Leigh Wright and Scott Kelly travelled with tour company Adventure Kokoda.

Leigh said their trek included extras such as off-track exploring and extra days. They also bought their own clothing and gear before they left.

All up, he said the price was about $7500 including flights.

Leigh said a shorter eco-trek would cost about $5000.

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DON MAGAZINE

Fording a creek across a fallen log — there was hardly any infrastructure such as bridges or tracks.

A patrol of the 2/31st Battalion negotiates a path through the native cane growing on the swampy river flats bordering the Brown River in October 1942.

Picture: Australian War Memorial.

WAR ON OUR DOORSTEP T

he Kokoda Track is a single-file path that runs for 96 km overland through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea.

The track runs from Owers’ Corner in Central Province, 50 km east of Port Moresby, across rugged and isolated terrain to the village of Kokoda in Oro Province.

The World War II Kokoda Campaign consisted of a series of battles between Australian and Japanese forces, fought

between July and November 1942 in what was then the Australian territory of Papua.

The Australians succeeded in their mission to stop the Japanese reaching Port Morseby and then to push them back to their north coast strongholds at Buna, Gona and Sanananda.

But victory came at a terrible price.

More than 600 Ausralians died and about 1680 were wounded in what is now considered the most significant World War II battle for Australia.

AUGUST 2019

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Audi Centre Shepparton

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Murchison horticultural worker and dad Luke Lewis with his three boys: Hektor Rose, Errol Rose, and Milo Rose.

A NEW BREED OF

fathers and sons

Being a decent dad is, and always has been, an important and challenging role. Here, 27-year-old Luke Lewis from Murchison talks about what it’s like being a modern father in a changing world.

B

oyhood is changing, and fatherhood with it.

My partner and I have three boys. When I came home from work today, I scooped up the youngest, along with a slice of carrot cake baked by the middle, and then painted the nails of the oldest. Then we rode bikes, collected eggs, I adjudicated arguments and kissed cuts.

Our days are mostly spent this way, me revelling in the wonder of childhood while trying to give them the best chance to just be in it.

We aren’t an especially different household; I work full-time, my partner mothers full-time.

We share the housework as best we can (she does more, but I’m trying to change that), and we talk about parenting and all its joys and hardships. We discuss what it’s

like parenting in the 21st century, navigating our family through today’s challenges.

Culture throughout the world is filled with positive social change.

Queer Eye is one of Netflix’s biggest successes, the new Little Mermaid will break cultural barriers, and Lil Nas X, a young, gay, African American, has the longest running number one song in history – a country hip-hop song, no less.

These are all cultural progressions to applaud and be proud of. They show our children, no matter their gender, race or background, that it’s okay to be themselves, whoever they may be.

But that’s not to say we can all sit back and binge reality TV drag queen RuPaul until Nobel Prize laureate Malala is the President of Earth.

There’s still work to be done; and men, especially fathers, have a unique, and I believe pivotal, role to play.

Toxic masculinity still pervades much of culture, from arts to sports to politics.

Men are disproportionately the perpetrators of most of the violence in the world, and also often the victims of that violence.

Men have the responsibility to change this. To change attitudes towards the way masculinity is portrayed. To ask ‘How

are you feeling?’ And to care about the answer.

Fathers are in the unique position of directly influencing future generations.

Our children watch our performance of masculinity, whatever it may be, and internalise it, either to perform it themselves one day, or seek out those who perform it that way.

As a dad, I’ve been conscious of showing extra empathy to my boys, so they see men as caring figures. I’ve never walked through the door and had to dish out discipline for rotten behaviour in my absence, so they never see men use violence as vengeance.

I make sure we clean together, because that’s a skill all people need. I’m learning to cook alongside them, because that’s a skill all people need. And on the other side of that same coin, they mow the lawns and do woodwork with their mum, because they’re good skills too.

The best part, though, is that the simplest and purest way I make the cultural change I want to see in the world, is by loving my kids.

I unashamedly and embarrassingly enjoy my kids. I love them and, I believe, they put that love back into the world.

AUGUST 2019

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GIFT’S

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 Funky Trunks backpack $89.95, Aquamoves

 Makita 18V 2 piece drill kit includes 2 x 3.0ah batteries, $399, Total Tools Shepparton

20 | DON MAGAZINE

 Citizen EcoDrive watch, $475, Purdeys Jewellers

 Monster Solara bluetooth outdoor solar powered speaker, $349, Harvey Norman Shepparton

 Jaquar sunglasses, $319, Graham Hill Eyecare

 Outback leather belt, $60, Talisman Menswear

 Adina Country Master stainless steel watch, $119, Purdeys Jewellers

 James Harper shorts, $79.95, Talisman Menswear

 Kincrome Contour Mini Workshop, $299, Ultimate Fasteners  Stanley 44 piece screwdriver & hex set, $29.95, Total Tools Shepparton

 Carrerra GT Race Stars digital car set, $729.99, Hobby Boss

AUGUST 2019

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Golfing lessons and Pro Shop PGA Professional, Darren Rodgers operates the GV Golf Centre from the Pro Shop that is open to the public 7 days per week.

With over 25 years’ experience, Darren is on hand for golfing advice for adults and juniors. Darren offers private lessons, group classes, game improvement programs and Dynamic Club Fittings for all club set up requirements.

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AN ANCIENT ART FOR MODERN TIMES

STORY: SHARON WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY: RODNEY BRAITHWAITE AND BLACK CROWN TATTOOS

Once associated with bikies, sailors and underworld characters, tattoos have been propelled into the mainstream in the past two decades.

T

he stereotypical tattoo, of a loved one’s name inside a love heart on a bicep or shoulder, has been replaced with intricate and creative pieces on almost any part of the body.

Shepparton tattooist Kie Markey, 34, transforms people into walking works of art every day.

He said when reality television shows exploded onto our screens, giving insight into life inside tattoo parlours, the art form appeared more accessible and is now commonplace.

Sports stars and celebrities have embraced tattoos, further influencing people from all walks of life to add permanent art to their bodies.

Kie, who established Black Crown Tattoos four years ago, said there was no one demographic that fitted the tattoo profile.

Instead people were starting their tattoo journeys at all ages, with their motivation and choice of design as individual as they were.

“There are so many different styles of tattooing, it’s hard to say there are any real trends,” Kie said.

“Older people tend to get smaller tattoos; they are often memorable tattoos — portraits of people, names or sayings.

“Something that does seem popular now is the pocket watch; people might get that tattooed with a portrait of their children with their time of birth on the watch.”

Kie’s path to business ownership hasn’t been easy. Originally turned >>

24 | DON MAGAZINE

AUGUST 2019

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>> away from the then bikie-dominated industry as an 18-yearold, he worked in graphic design before getting his break in his mid-20s.

He has honed his technical skill and creative artistry and specialises in black and grey realism, turning the blank canvas of bare skin into a masterpiece of faces, animals and plants.

His clients can sit for a marathon six hours at a time and he doesn’t do any pieces under A4 size.

“Some have really clear ideas of what they want; others have a bit of an idea and trust what I come up with,” Kie said.

“I usually send people away to have a really good think about what they want, and look at photos so when they come back they’re sure.

“I really focused on art at school; I wasn’t really good at anything else. You never stop learning.”

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DON MAGAZINE

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AUGUST 2019

| 27

BACK ON TRACK

TO CHILDHOOD MEMORIES STORY: LIAM NASH PHOTOGRAPHY: MEGAN FISHER

Attempting to recapture forgotten childhoods in this day and age may seem like trying to trap lightning in a bottle, but Mal McLeod is doing exactly that at Hobby Boss.

At the rear of the store is a bewildering set-up of racing tracks.

28 | DON MAGAZINE

Mal McLeod in his retro world of model cars, boats and trucks that is Hobby Boss.

Model cars for every taste and every race — just like the real thing, they can all be modified for speed and handling.

N

estled among the industrial clamour of Shepparton’s Lockwood Rd, Hobby Boss pays homage to a much simpler time when slot cars and collectables dominated the toy industry.

Mal said his childhood hobby of playing with model cars never seemed to die. Instead, it turned into a job when he retired from the air force.

“It’s a passion of mine, the remote-control slot cars and whatnot,” he said.

After being involved in another hobby store in Canberra, Mal made the switch back to Shepparton to be closer to family and opened Hobby Boss to share his passion with the locals.

The store hosts an array of model cars, boats and trucks that provide hobbyists with a link to a period where petrol was a dollar a gallon and the Holden Commodore ruled Australian roads — the focal point of Mal’s decision to open Hobby Boss.

But as Mal says, it is “much more than your average hobby store”.

Walking past the pint-sized Porsches and mini Mustangs to the back of the store is like stepping into a dream.

The hum of tiny slot cars hurtling around racetrack upon racetrack permeates throughout the open warehouse, accompanied by the occasional squawk from Mal’s birdcage or meow from the in-house cat, creating an amusing cacophony of joy that drags you right back to the 1980s.

“The slot cars and tracks are just a twist on a standard hobby shop — they are something that I did with my autistic son back in Canberra,

and I thought it was a good idea here because I could see all the fun people were having as well,” Mal said.

“They are the grass roots of doing something that is quite simple, everything is so complicated these days — with this you have got a car in a slot, and away it goes.”

But Mal says the mini electric automobiles are a far cry from the dollar store Matchbox cars given to kids refusing to cease the waterworks, mentioning the modifications possible are comparable to those of the speed machines flying around the tracks at Bathurst.

“It is no different to a V8 Supercar, you can change the handling and all the rest of it — and the more you develop it, the faster it will go.

“At the end of the day it is like anything — you can make it go faster and you can tune it.”

Holding slot car races every Wednesday from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm, Hobby Boss gives everyday nine-tofivers an excuse to throw down the tools and pick up a controller in the name of healthy competition.

“For some people I think it is a touch back to their childhood, especially the older guys,” Mal said.

“Some guys come back for the competitive side of it, and for some of them it’s a chance to have a laugh away from work.

“At the end of the day, it is just an outlet and it’s something different.”

Mal challenges anyone who hasn’t ventured into his neck of the woods to visit Hobby Boss and rediscover a piece of their childhood.

“Come down and have a look, you will be surprised at what we have.”

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AUGUST 2019

| 29

GOOD PEOPLE

GREAT RESULTS

Dressed to the nines as a 25-year-old full of ambition, Rocky Gagliardi climbed the steps to Roland Cosby’s office in 1999 with one thing on his mind. To make the leap into the real estate industry and build a name for himself as an agent.

Fast forward to the present day and Rocky now serves as the Principal/Director of Gagliardi Scott and has just recently ticked over the major milestone as a servant of 20 years to the industry.

“I always wanted to be an agent,” Rocky said.

“I approached Roland Cosby smartly dressed in a suit, he didn’t know why I made the appointment to see him, but he gave me an interview and I got the job.

“A few months later I was qualified and all ready to go.”

Over the years he has witnessed an elevation of the standards within the industry and has seen it evolve into a much more smoothly run industry.

“The market has progressed a lot since I began in terms of professionalism and the services that are provided to buyers,” he said.

“The education as well, it is second to none.”

Starting off as small boutique business in July 2016, Gagliardi Scott is one of Shepparton’s fastest growing real estate firms, with Rocky’s name at the forefront.

“I am very happy to be a representative of the firm,” he said.

“I never intended to have my name on the business, but my clientele prefer to deal with the person rather than a brand.”

Rocky has been able to transition from a residential agent where he began, breaking into the commercial market ten years ago establishing relationships in the rural sectors as well as making a name for himself in Melbourne.

Being able to form intimate relations with people and achieving personal goals have been amongst Rocky’s greatest triumphs as an agent.

He credits his affluence and durability throughout his career to character traits that are instilled in him from his vast experience in the real estate industry.

“Firstly, it would have to be my honesty; people definitely respect that.

Also, my ability to adapt and evolve with the market.

I try and stay ahead of the game as well as much as I can.”

www.gagliardiscott.com.au

182 High St, Shepparton | 0358 31 1800

GSRE have experienced a really strong 12 months lead by Directors Rocky & Gerald who have one of the highest median sold price ($344k & $325k) compared to the industry average of $273k and boast the lowest days on the market (21 days & 14 days) respectively within the Shepparton area compared to average of 75 days.

Both agents agree the high selling price and low days on the market come down to a combination of quality marketing campaigns, presentation and photography and our strong personal relationships with buyers within our data base.

Along with our expert knowledge of the current market trends we utilise this information to help our Vendors achieve asking price or higher.

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 American crew, Fibre, $31.95, VAB  Wahl Colour Pro Cordless Hair Clipper, $99, Harvey Norman Shepparton 32 | DON MAGAZINE

A G N I K TA K C A B STEP E V O M TO D R A W FOR

STORY: SHARON WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY: RODNEY BRAITHWAITE

AUGUST 2019

| 33

A workplace injury curtailed Glenn Scott’s career in retail, forcing the then 45-yearold to re-evaluate his options and attempt to turn a negative into a positive.

A

fter much deliberation, ‘plan B’ involved returning to study and now, aged 50, Glenn is a secondyear Bachelor of Human Services and Master of Social Work student at La Trobe University’s Shepparton campus.

“I couldn’t continue in my current job in retail, so I would have had to retrain anyway,” Glenn said.

“Friends told me I was good with people and my wife Leonie is a teacher so that’s probably how I ended up here.”

34 | DON MAGAZINE

Certificate IV courses in human resources, leadership and management and community services evolved into completing an 18-month Diploma of Community Services at GOTAFE. The TAFE pathway was pivotal, Glenn said, since he hadn’t studied since graduating from Numurkah Secondary College when he was 18.

“When I finished school I didn’t think I was capable of uni study, and I suppose I was a bit of a homebody and at that time

Bendigo was the closest option,” Glenn said.

“I’ve never been so nervous as my first day at uni; I thought these young kids are going to think ‘who’s this old fart’. It was really intimidating.

“That only lasted an hour though; the students and lecturers are so helpful, they’ve been awesome. I couldn’t have wished for better people, the whole of La Trobe is a real gem.”

With two adult daughters from a

Returning to study, Glenn Scott is making his way in a traditionally female-dominated industry.

previous marriage, and two grandchildren, Glenn has had to learn to balance study, family and self-care. “One of the biggest challenges for me has been time management; when I’m completing assessments and research, it’s easy to get distracted on the computer

by YouTube videos,� he said. “And I’m a perfectionist – I had to stop overthinking my assessments and just send them in. I was pretty panicky before I got my first essay back; when I got the thumbs up on that I was right and now I’m so focused.�

Trying not to put too much pressure on himself, incorporating regular exercise in his wellness routine and encouragement – as well as the occasional gentle reprimand – from wife Leonie is helping Glenn adapt to his new student lifestyle.

He believes his lived experiences of a relationship breakdown when his children were young and navigating the minefield that can come with a workplace injury has given him valuable first-hand knowledge for his chosen field.

“I can identify some of my own experiences within the course content, that’s been a bonus in helping me grasp the concepts,�

Glenn said.

Making his way in a traditionally female-dominated industry hasn’t been an issue; instead he can offer a different perspective.

The course has also forced a measure of self-reflection, and Glenn said his perception of people had altered and he now looked beyond the person, to understand their situation and circumstances. “Social work is so broad but at the moment I’m steering towards the youth and education aspects.

There are so many kids disengaged from education. “As a social worker you need to have empathy and respect, and be honest and mindful of your own opinions and beliefs. “Every situation is different and every individual is different so you have to find the right approach so you can advocate for them. “If I can help one kid get back on track, the hard work will be worth it.�

Hobby Boss have a versatile product range that includes R/C Vehicles for land, water and air, slot car sets and vehicles, plastic model kits, diecast collectibles

plus so much more.

3 commercial size slot car raceways plus a slick 1/10 EP Drift track and Scale 4WD test track in store for social hire, corporate hire or for that special person for a party booking.

37 Lockwood Road, Shepparton 03 5940 7542 www.hobbyboss.com.au

Release your i er child!

AUGUST 2019

| 35

Damian DRUM MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR NICHOLLS

Contact my office for assistance with federal government matters 426 Wyndham Street, Shepparton VIC 3630 damiandrum.com.au

(03) 5821 5371

damian.drum.mp@aph.gov.au

DamianDrumMP Authorised by D. Drum, National Party of Australia, Shepparton.

36 |

DON MAGAZINE

Yo ho ho, it ’s off to fish we go

To go fishing can be a spur-of-the-moment decision — the stars have lined up so grab the gear and off you go, usually somewhere nearby to a local fishing hole, lake, river or channel. But a real fishing adventure usually takes planning; a lot of time, effort and anticipation go into setting up a decent fishing trip. Veteran angler Kevin Tyler uses a four- or five-step plan depending on the location.

T

ake, for example, a day trip to Queenscliff. This entails a threehour drive, usually very early in the morning as the fishing is dependent on the tides, and this means getting under way when sane people like to stay curled up in bed.

But before the journey is undertaken you need to research the potential outcome, or in other words: are the fish biting and, if so, what species?

This usually means a call to Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters, who operates along the coast around Port Phillip Heads. He will provide information on tide times and conditions as well as what fish are on the bite; he also provides all gear needed as well as bait, and during the day will coach and advise novice anglers, including removing fish from the hook and baits lines if you are a little precious about getting your hands smelly.

The hardest part in planning a trip is to get enough companions to fill the charter.

This is important in controlling the cost of the adventure — locking names in is easy, getting them on the day is another thing — but once you have a commitment and a crew together, setting a departure time and a meeting place is the next step.

The anticipation of the journey and the outcome all adds to the excitement — memories of past adventures, >> AUGUST 2019

| 37

>> who caught the biggest and most that time, who will be number one on this trip, the banter among companions, relating details of previous trips — it’s all part of a fishing adventure. Because that’s what it is — this is an opportunity to release the hunter-gatherer that hides away inside us all.

So, it’s a three-hour drive from Shepparton to Queenscliff: almost two hours to reach the city, 40 minutes to Geelong then a further 40 minutes to the boat, then half-an-hour of greetings, introductions for the newbies and a short briefing on boat safety.

Then motors are started, ropes are cast off, ‘yo ho ho’ and other nautical terms such as ‘where is your parrot?’ are bandied 38 | DON MAGAZINE

about, and it’s off to fish we go.

Rod outlines the game plan: this trip is to The Cottage, a well-known landmark between Queenscliff and the Heads to try for some squid. He said they had been hit or miss; if no bites happened on the first drop then we would continue on through the Heads.

He was prophetically correct — no bites, so off we went to chase snapper.

All lines baited and we were ready, once the drift was established over a mark shown on his sounder, Rod gave the command — lines in the water — and down they went. It is amazing how long it seems to take for the bait to reach the bottom, we were only in 30 m of water, but once the weight hit the bottom and

the slack was taken up, we were fishing.

The action started not long afterwards. No, I was not the first one to get a bite — in fact there were several fish in the boat before I had an opportunity to strike.

A miss. Take your time; another strike and another miss, finally a hook-up, 10 turns of the reel and it got off.

There were nearly half-a-dozen fish in the boat before I hauled one in. This was the infamous snapper smaller than the bait, but it was a fish — no bragging rights, but at least the dreaded naked run around the car park if a person does not boat a fish had been averted.

So the day went on. Not one of my better days fishing, but it was still a great day — plenty of banter, conditions that

A mid-sized Penn egg beater reel is a good option for snapper.

R

were not too severe and enough fish to make a nice feed when we got back home.

The good thing about going on a charter with Rod is he fillets and packs the fish so everyone, including the not-so-great contributors like myself on this occasion, gets to take home a feed.

Then the farewells and we face the three-hour journey back home, only this time we have the Melbourne peak hour traffic to contend with.

You breathe a sigh of relief when you reach the Hume and start heading north, with still a chunk of driving to go before you can finally relax, down a stubby and start telling stories of yet another great fishing trip.

od Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters uses quality Penn gear, a 10 kg 2.5 m-long rod matched with a mid-sized Penn egg beater reel also rated about 10 kg.

It’s loaded with 30 kg braid and at the business end, a 10 kg mono leader is used with a medium-sized circle hook and a snapper lead.

The weight will depend on the rate and speed of the drift.

A lot of anglers are still using the old doublesliced suicide hooks, but Rod is moving over to the circle hook. He seems to think that you get a better hook-up rate with this style of hook and in most cases the fish is caught in the corner of the mouth, making release of unwanted fish more humane.

The circle hook was developed by long-line fishermen as a method of hooking fish without the need to be on hand to actually strike when a fish bites. In fact, you need to change your technique when using these hooks.

In the past, you wait for the bite and then strike to set the hook but using a circle hook, the fish takes the baited hook into its mouth, and the re-curve of the point hooks the fish.

When a bite is felt you slowly lift the tip of the rod to make sure you are still connected to the fish. The rule of not letting the fish have any slack line when you are reeling in or using the pump and wind method depending on the size of the fish, still applies.

Using the old method of striking when a fish bites will be counter-productive when using circle hooks; the strike will actually pull the hook free, leading to a frustrated angler.

Rod uses a cocktail of pilchard pieces and squid for bait, the idea being the oily pilchard attracts the bite and the squid being tougher makes, the fish bite harder.

You’ll need to change your technique to use a circle hook.

AUGUST 2019

| 39

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AUGUST 2019

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FIFTY YEARS OF WIELDING THE SCISSORS STORY: ALEX MITCHELL PHOTOGRAPHY: RAY SIZER

42 | DON MAGAZINE

“

We’re old-fashioned in the way we operate; there’s no appointments, you just walk in­ — the old barber shop style­ — and just take a seat – RALPH GIULIANI

AUGUST 2019

| 43

Ralph and Tommy’s sporting shrine greets customers at the shop entrance.

In the ever-changing town they call Shepparton, there is one constant. Alex Mitchell visits Giuliani’s to see what the all buzz is about.

G

iuliani’s, Maude St’s iconic barber shop, has been open since the 1960s, with three generations of the family having gripped the clippers and turned messy mops of hair into masterpieces.

Tommaso Giuliani, who died late last year, started the business more than five

44 | DON MAGAZINE

decades ago and was shortly after joined by son Ralph, who to this day remains one half of the shop’s workforce.

The other member of the dynamic duo is Ralph’s son Tommy, who is closing in on 30 years at the store.

“I started in Melbourne, working at Ben’s in Flinders St, but then I transferred midway through an apprenticeship back to Shepparton in 1967,” Ralph said.

“I used to finish school and ride here, I’d sit behind the counter and do my homework, and do the till for him (Tomasso).

“It was just natural progression from there; I didn’t know what I wanted to do

after school, so I thought I’d stay in the business.

“Tommy came and joined in 1990, so we kept the tradition going. Who knows how long we’re going to be here, but we’ve withstood all the challenges, and we’re still going all right.”

Greeting customers as they enter is a sporting shrine — to Ralph’s and Tommy’s involvement with local sport as well as the family’s beloved Essendon Football Club — with posters, newspapers and framed photographs all gracing the walls and lighting up the space.

Giuliani’s does not pretend to be

Second and third generations — Ralph with son Tommy form a dynamic father and son hairdressing duo.

Ralph started his apprenticeship in Melbourne but returned in 1967 to join his father Tommaso in Shepparton.

anything it isn’t, but its two talkative shearers turn heading there from a run-ofthe-mill haircut into a genuine experience.

“We’re old-fashioned in the way we operate; there’s no appointments, you just walk in — the old barber shop style — and just take a seat,” Ralph said.

“When we started out, I took the younger clientele and my old man worked with the older ones, and now we’ve basically reversed that around. That works nicely, it’s just a family business we run along, and if it ain’t broke, we don’t fix it.”

Like Tommaso, both Ralph and Tommy are sport-crazed and more than

happy to chew a customer’s ear off, often about their long-term personal involvement with the local sporting scene.

Adorning the walls are many pieces of Shepparton South Soccer Club memorabilia, with Ralph a foundation member and Tommy having been at the club since he could walk. But it was another sport that captured Tommaso’s attention.

“The old man was with the Shepparton Footy Club — he lived for Shepp, but we’re more involved with the soccer,” Ralph said.

“Everybody in town knew him — there wasn’t a person in Shepp that didn’t know

him, I don’t reckon.

“And Tommy’s involved in sport too, and sport gets you involved with people.”

With no plans to hang up the scissors any time soon, men of all sorts throughout the region will be relying on the stylists to keep them looking spiffy for years to come.

“You see all sorts come through here, and that’s what makes it so good, seeing all the different people,” Ralph said.

“There’s your tradies, your lay-person, solicitors, doctors, grandkids, kids, dads — everyone comes through here.”

AUGUST 2019

| 45

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TIMES CHANGE, but some things remain the same STORY: TARA WHITSED

While we might not like to admit it, females have been judging the male species since the time they were clubbing dinner on the head.

A

merican author John Gray said it best when he wrote Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.

While that’s most definitely true, could it now be that those little Martians are finally making their way over to the big bright Venus to see what all the fuss is about?

There is no doubt a woman’s ideal man has morphed from ‘macho’ into the ‘new-age guy’. While we once considered biceps and a propensity for using a hammer to be masculine, we’re now more likely to pit man against man based on

the lusciousness of his man-bun or grooming of his beard.

No longer do we care how efficient a man is at clubbing our dinner, we just care if he is going to cook it or not — preferably with sautéed kale topped with activated slivered almonds on the side.

And if you’re looking to inject a little more romance into your relationship, dudes, just be sure to clean said kaleladen dinnerplates.

There is nothing sexier than a man with his hands in the sink. Or on the vacuum shaft, for that matter.

I often wonder what a man’s Tinderprofile would have looked like had the technology existed in the 1950s.

His biography might read ‘astute lawn-mower with skills in bread-winning’ perhaps? And it would capture

the attention of female swipe-righters.

There’s no doubt about that.

That’s what we wanted in our husbands.

What else did a housewife need in her man?

But a woman on the receiving end of that Tinder match would likely be welcomed by a courteous ‘how do you do?’ instead of an unsolicited sexual photograph.

He might have even spiced things up with an invitation to get a milkshake as opposed to a late-night Netflix-and-chill session.

Maybe our new-age, man-bun-wearing dudes could take a leaf out of the 1950s Tinder-man’s book — just as he could, in turn, learn something from the man of today.

It may seem like women have no idea what they want and we’re constantly changing our minds on a man’s alluring factors.

But one thing has never changed — the desire for respect.

It does not matter if the respect is clad in bulging biceps and stoicism or if it is shrouded in a carefully curated outfit from ASOS — that’s all we want in our men.

And while we’re waiting for it, we’ll be judging from afar on our thrones on Venus.

Have we swapped muscles for man-buns when it comes to the ideal man?

AUGUST 2019

| 47

A SIMPLE TEST COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE The facts and figures around bowel cancer in Australia make worrying reading. The number of people dying each year is increasing but, if everyone took advantage of the free National Bowel Scan Screening Program, many lives could be saved. In 2015–16, only 34.8 per cent of residents in Greater Shepparton who were eligible to participate in the program did so.

W

hile bowel cancer is a major killer and the five-year survival rate is considerably less than for other cancers, because of its slow growing nature early detection and treatment can dramatically improve the prognosis.

There are often no early warning signs of bowel cancer and it can grow in the bowel for several years before spreading to other parts of the body.

Small amounts of blood can leak from

the growths into the bowel motions and the test can detect this blood.

Australia’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Program began in 2006 with the aim of reducing the number of people dying from the disease.

The test kits are sent out to people aged 50 to 74 every two years.

There is no charge for the test and the sampling is easily done at home.

Although the percentage of people

completing the tests is increasing slowly there are still less than 50 per cent of the kits returned for testing.

While the risk of bowel cancer increases with age there is no lower age limit to the disease and it is now being found in younger people in Australia.

For more information check out the Bowel Cancer Australia website: www. bowelcancer.org.au

CANCER SURVIVOR SAYS ‘DO YOUR POO TEST’ Because Lindsay Dunstone completed his Bowelscan test when he received it in the mail, his cancer was detected before it obstructed his bowel.

“I had one of those gifts from the government,” the Shepparton East resident told Don. Unlike more than 50 per cent of people who receive them, he completed the test.

“It came back with the answer I didn’t want to hear.”

In retrospect, Lindsay acknowledges that he had had a change in his bowel habits.

His poo had become stickier, but he hadn’t associated that with the problem, although he had worked in pathology and tested many poo samples over the years.

“We all think we are just about bulletproof. I think that’s part of the reason that people don’t do the test.”

Lindsay visited his GP who booked him in for a colonoscopy and the scope found a large tumour that would soon have blocked the bowel completely.

Because of the size of the tumour, Lindsay was back in surgery the next day — which gave him no time to stew on the problem.

His main concern was to find out how bad the cancer was and whether it had spread.

Unfortunately it had spread, which 48 | DON MAGAZINE

meant chemotherapy would be necessary.

His surgeon asked Lindsay where he would prefer to have the chemo, and as the Peter Copulos Centre had opened at GV Health he chose to go there.

“The prospect of tripping up and down to Melbourne didn’t appeal to me very much,” Lindsay said.

It took two to three months to recover physically from the surgery before he could start the chemo.

“They told me I might have as little as two years to live,” Lindsay said, about his first meeting with the oncologist, more than five years ago.

Although bowel cancer treatments tend not to have some of the unpleasant side effects as the treatments for some other cancers, Lindsay experienced a metallic taste and serious lack of appetite.

“I used to have to force myself to eat,” he said, having been advised by the oncologist that he shouldn’t lose weight.

He also couldn’t swallow anything cold so couldn’t enjoy a beer.

Lindsay has had other treatments since but is now just being monitored regularly with CT scans every three to four months.

If more lumps show up he will go back on treatment.

Apart from liver scans and liver surgery, all Lindsay’s treatment has been in Shepparton.

“The staff are first rate, really great people,” he said.

When asked how his cancer experience had changed him, Lindsay said he doesn’t think ahead too much.

“I probably have a more day-to-day view of life than before. I don’t make long‑term plans so much.”

However, he has just planted a mango tree and an avocado tree which will each take five years to start bearing fruit.

Asked if he had any advice to offer, Lindsay immediately said, “Do your poo test!”

Even though his tumour is not the type that makes it a familial risk, Lindsay said all his family and their partners now had regular screens.

“Me having it has caused them to be more aware.”

He said his cancer had brought home to the family that the idea of ‘it can’t happen to me’ is just not true.

Raising bowel cancer awareness

E

ach year Barry Campbell rides his bike around Mooroopna delivering leaflets for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.

Now aged over 80, Barry has been doing the leaflet drops for about five years and this year clocked up more than 800 km.

“It’s an interesting trip around the town,” Barry, who has lived in Mooroopna for more than 50 years, told Don.

“I’ve learned a bit about the town.”

Barry is a member of Mooroopna Rotary Club and each year the club receives about 3000 leaflets to be delivered as part of its commitment to bowel cancer awareness.

Rotary figures showed that in 2017, 76 kits were sold in Mooroopna, 67 of which were returned and three of which showed positive results.

RISK FACTORS FOR BOWEL CANCER YOU CAN’T CHANGE • Age. • Family history of bowel cancer.

• Previous personal history of cancer (of the colon, rectum, ovary, breast or endometrium).

• Incidence of polyps in the colon.

• History of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

• Some hereditary conditions.

THINGS YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF BOWEL CANCER • Quit smoking.

• Reduce consumption of red meat and processed meat products.

• Restrict alcohol consumption to less than two drinks a day.

• Maintain a healthy weight.

• Be physically active.

• Eat more whole grains and dietary fibre.

• Consume more dairy products and/or take calcium supplements.

HELPING NAVIGATE THE BOWEL CANCER JOURNEY

A

lthough being diagnosed with bowel cancer can never be considered a stroke of luck, patients in the Shepparton area are more fortunate than patients in some other areas.

Thanks to funding from the Shepparton Biggest Ever Blokes’ Lunch Committee and the Georgopoulos family, Shepparton has its own bowel care nurse.

Since January 2017, Katie Emanuelli has been the smiling face that greets anxious patients when they begin the list of appointments that will mark their bowel cancer journey.

Working in the Peter Copulos Cancer and Wellness Centre at Goulburn Valley Health, her job is to support and educate patients and families after a bowel cancer diagnosis.

She acts as a central point of contact for people at all stages of bowel cancer, from the newly diagnosed to those requiring palliative care and can link patients to a wide range of local support services.

Don caught up with Katie and asked

her what scared people most about a bowel cancer diagnosis.

“The word cancer,” she said.

“Once they have heard the word cancer they shut down and don’t hear the rest of what is being said to begin with.”

Katie said the huge financial impact of an illness, with loss of income and the cost of medical tests and treatment, could also be an issue for many people.

Since the opening of the oncology unit at GV Health people do not need to travel for chemotherapy, and Katie is excited about the new radiotherapy unit in Shepparton which will hopefully be opened by the end of the year.

“It will be so good for the patients,” she said.

“They will be able to stay in their own homes, sleep in their own beds, be with their pets.”

Katie explained that bowel cancer could present as either colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on its site in the bowel.

About two-thirds of cases are colon

cancer and one-third rectal.

Patients with rectal cancer receive six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy before undergoing surgery.

In all cases if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body patients will need chemotherapy after surgery.

Katie has set up two support groups; one is a bowel care support group for bowel cancer and stoma patients, the other is a carers’ support group.

At some meetings there is a guest speaker and other meetings are just a chance to catch up.

Katie is always keen to talk to groups about the importance of early diagnosis and using the kits supplied through the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

“If everyone who receives a kit does the test, by 2040 we can save 85 000 lives,” Katie said, quoting the figures from a recent Bowel Cancer Australia presentation.

AUGUST 2019

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TEST DRIVE

with Goulburn Motor Group

QUIET, COMFORTABLE, REFINED AND PREMIUM From the first touch – the driver’s door handle hinges upwards – you know that you’re entering a very special vehicle.

A

udi’s Q5 Sport has won strong praise from reviewers and owners alike – classy, mature good looks, refined interior and the best technology makes this a very special motoring experience.

The Audi virtual cockpit has the 50 |

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clearest graphics of any instrument cluster around, conveying the information that you want and need. Everything falls easily to hand – and the powerful diesel barely emits a whisper as you build speed.

The long-term ownership experience is now better than ever – you have the option of three-year or five-year service plans – excellent care for your new Q5 and no surprises for your wallet.

Audi sales executive Scott Mutimer, explains the Q5’s appeal: “The Q5 is the perfect size for those who seek the best in

their vehicles. Understated, capable and classy – the car lives up to the demands of a professional, the business owner or farmer. And importantly – it can handle everything that a family can throw at it. I know – we drove our young family through the red centre of Australia in my wife’s Audi. The car never missed a beat – and the kids loved it.”

Come in and see Scott and the Audi Centre Shepparton team at 325 Midland Highway.

Audi’s Q5 Sport 40TDI

Q5 SPORT 40TDI SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE TYPE: 4-cylinder inline diesel with common rail injection and turbo-charging TRANSMISSION: 7-speed S tronic NUMBER/ARRANGEMENT OF CYLINDERS: 4 In-line SAFETY: Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with electronic wheel-selective torque control, ABS, ASR, EDL and Brake Assist FUEL CONSUMPTION (LITRES/100 KM) COMBINED: 5.5 CO₂ EMISSIONS (G/KM) COMBINED: 143 TOWING CAPACITY: 2000 kg

AUGUST 2019

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TEST DRIVE

with Shepparton BMW

PERFECT COMBINATION

BMWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new X7 arrived in July this year offering an SUV with comfort and agility.

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A

t last, a perfect combination of space and sports driving.

The new BMW X7 manages to combine the presence and spaciousness of a luxury car with the versatility and agile response of a Sports Utility Vehicle.

Launched in March this year, the X7 packs in a standard seven seats spread across three rows.

The two passengers in the third row can settle into full-size seats complete with armrests, cupholders and USB ports. The middle row can be composed of two individual comfort seats as an option. All seats are adjusted electrically at the push of a button. The boot capacity can

be increased from 326 to a huge 2120 litres as required.

Interior highlights include five-zone automatic climate control, a panoramic glass roof, and a Bowers and Wilkins surround sound system For the driver, the new X7 offers a comprehensive array of driver assistance systems to enhance comfort and safety. As well as an active cruise control the driver can chose from a range of safety options including steering and lane control assistant, side collision protection, evasion aid, crossing traffic warning, priority warning and wrongway warning, and emergency stop assistant.

A reversing assistant comes as standard.

BMW X7

BMW X7 SPECIFICATIONS HEIGHT: 1805 mm WIDTH: 2000 mm LENGTH: 5151 mm ENGINE OPTIONS: Petrol or Diesel ENGINE OPTIONS: PETROL: 340 kW/750 Nm DIESEL: In-line six 30d — 195 kW/620 Nm or 50d — 294 kW/760 Nm

The X7 chassis offers a wealth of technology as standard, including adaptive suspension with electronically controlled dampers, and air springs at both axles.

Ground clearance can be varied by up to 80 mm – by either pressing a button or using the BMW Display Key. On the street the X7’s large BMW kidney grille gives the car an unmistakable sense of presence. The car’s defining features when viewed from the side are its large windows, high ground clearance and long roofline. The X7 is fitted as standard with 20-inch light-alloy wheels, while 21- and 22-inch variants can be selected from the options list.

Contact the team at Shepparton BMW for further information, email sales@sheppartonbmw.com.au AUGUST 2019

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YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LL BE CAPTIVATED The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Sedan has been given a facelift, but still features the familiar AMG radiator grille.

T

he expressive exterior design signals sheer performance with the AMGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4.0-litre V8 twin turbo engine now boosted to 386 kW (525 hp) and a maximum torque of 700nm.

The distinctive AMG body styling shows the unique personality of the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S from any angle.

The high-tech components are the basis for an impressive, agile driving experience with the AMG Ride Control delivering sports suspension while a three-stage damper adjustment enables lateral acceleration and grip at the highest level to make the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Sedan an extraordinary performance vehicle.

Inside, the Mercedes-AMG offers an authentic sports car atmosphere with performance steering wheel and seats, and the AMG Dynamic Select switch has

specific drive programs to enable your vehicle to be adapted perfectly to your desired driving experience.

The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Sedan.

Make a bold statement of power with the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Sedan. Featuring the breathtaking 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbo engine enhanced by AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 9G transmission, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S stands for exhilarating driving performance. Pushing its boldness further with motorsport-inspired AMG design, technology with true instincts, an empowering AMG sound and DYNAMIC SELECT driving programs, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Sedan proves that true power is driven by bold decisions.

Visit Ken Muston Automotive to book a test drive today. www.mbkenmuston.com.au

Ken Muston Automotive 205-215 Benalla Road, Shepparton 03 5821 6688 LMCT11908 www.mbkenmuston.com.au

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For more information, please contact the team at Ken Muston Automotive on 5821 6688.

Your health — Your family depends on it Some men can be a little too carefree about their physical and mental health. In 2016, nearly twice as many males died from coronary heart disease and lung cancer as females.

Smoking, drinking too much, eating unhealthily, lack of exercise and irregular medical checkups– can all increase your chances of getting a range of illnesses.

But it is not just you relying on you making the right health decisions, your family and friends are counting on you too.

They need you to be there for them, to support them — they need you to look after your health.

Better living does not need to be a chore, it can start with a few simple decisions each day. One less drink, one more serve of vegies, one more walk to the shops.

You’ll feel better and your family will too.

Do it for them.

Tel: (03) 5831 6944 www.suzannasheed.com.au @SheedSuzanna Suzanna Sheed Funded from Parliamentary Budget. Authorised by: Suzanna Sheed, 5 Vaughan St, Shepparton VIC 3630.

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Restoration IS A LABOUR of love STORY: JAMES BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHY: MEGAN FISHER

Many car lovers dream of spending time in the garage restoring that classic 40-year-old sports car, before taking the ‘old girl’ out for a spin on a sunny spring day.

B

ruce Feldtmann is taking on a rather more difficult challenge – the classic car he’s restoring is 113 years old.

What make Bruce’s challenge just that

little bit harder is, it’s unknown how many 1906 Star Motor Company cars with a Starling engine were produced, meaning parts are not easy to source.

This isn’t the first time the 82-year-old

has restored cars. He previously restored a Ford Model T and Mustang, among others.

The Dookie local said restoring the Star started with finding the chassis >> AUGUST 2019

| 57

The 1906 Star was considered a luxury vehicle when it was introduced.

>> about 20 years ago.

“I’ve been working on it for the last 10 years on-and-off. Bits come from everywhere,” he said.

“For example, it has a brass steering wheel and according to the English register in Wolverhampton, there are no known brass steering wheels for this model but it has the genuine numbers and marks on it.

“Most of the steering wheels were aluminium. How these cars were made, it would be hard to find two cars that are the same; they do vary a lot,” Bruce said.

It’s believed there’s only about 130 58 |

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Star Motor Company cars left in the world. Star was based in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom from 1898 until 1932.

Many parts, including the crankshaft on the Star, are handmade in Bruce’s workshop, while others have come from Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and various swap meets held across the country.

“The bolts in this are all bigger heads than the bolts you buy now so I made all of them,” Bruce said.

“I also made the wheels and hubs but that was part of the work I did commercially so it wasn’t too difficult to make.”

There’s no surprise this rare find is quite

different to the modern car.

The 1906 Star was considered a luxury vehicle when it was introduced. It cost about £375 when it was sold, roughly $56 000 in today’s money.

But even though it was a car designed for the wealthy, it still doesn’t match up to a modern-day Jaguar.

The ‘ignition key’ is a hand crank – a bent metal rod that would be inserted into a small hole below the grill on the bonnet.

Common on most crank-starting cars, the driver would use both hands and all of his strength to turn the crank just to start the car.

The rod was famous for being incredibly

Bruce reckons there are only about 130 British-made Star Motor Company cars left in the world.

Bruce made the wheels and hubs. “That was part of the work I did commercially so it wasn’t too difficult to make.”

The 24cc engine has a magneto to advance the spark.

stiff and held the reputation for breaking wrists.

“They call hand cranks ‘Armstrong starters’,” Bruce said.

“In the Model T, if the timing is wrong the car can kick back and easily break an arm.”

The manual transmission car comes with two foot pedals — clutch and brake — and a hand lever for the throttle.

“The throttle is controlled from a lever on the steering wheel. Advance and reverse is all automatic on modern cars; this one does it manually.

“It has a magneto to advance the spark and to advance the throttle it needs to

have a rod attached to the carburettor.

“The car has a hand brake and the gear lever is on the side of the cabin. It only has three gears and like a motorbike you need to work your way back from top gear when you brake.

“It does have reverse and there’s neutral between each gear.”

Bruce said his Star had a cubic capacity of 24 cubic inches, allowing it to have a top speed of about 50 km/h, backed with a whopping 10 horsepower.

“It would be pretty frightening going at that speed because you’re quite exposed.

“The car runs off petrol and has quite a large fuel tank. Going at full speed

you could probably go from Dookie to Melbourne in one tank.

“If the carburettor is in good order it’s as economical as a normal car.”

Bruce loves to talk about restoring cars, especially the Ford Model T. His Dookie workshop was used for commercial engineering from 1990 until 2011.

“You need to be crazy to restore cars like this. The Model T is a bugger of a car but they’re durable,” he said.

“Restoring is a bit of a challenge but it can show craftmanship. What I find I’m doing most of the time is making something to make something else.

“Every make of car has history behind it.”

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FIVE WAYS TO LOOK SHARP INSTANTLY Suit guru Paul Jerome, from Taliman Menswear in Mooroopna, shares five things blokes should consider when deciding what to wear.

1. DON’T MIX AND MATCH It’s the golden rule: do not mix black and brown when it comes to shoes and belt.

“It is either, black belt and black shoes or brown belt and brown shoes,” Paul said.

“The ladies notice the lack of forethought here, fellas.”

2. UP YOUR SHOE GAME What you wear on your feet indicates what you intend to do.

“Wearing sneakers, skate/surf shoes or that sort of thing to a formal function such 60 | DON MAGAZINE

as funerals, weddings or job interviews, doesn’t quite cut the mustard,” he said.

3. MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION In a job interview a first impression is a lasting impression. Believe it or not, a decision can be made before you have even opened your mouth.

Always wear a good pair of trousers, shirt and tie (the tie is non-negotiable).

“Show your respect to those doing the interview by showing you took the time to present yourself to them,” Paul said.

4. DRESS THE PART When you get an invitation to an event, find out what the dress code is stat — and Paul said that’s the time to organise your get-up.

“Not the day before, or in the case of a lot

of fellas, the morning of the event such as weddings.

“What if you need alterations or tailoring?

It’s too late, bro.”

5. PREPARATION MAKES PERFECT When storing your clothes, find an empty shoe box and roll your ties and store them inside.

This saves them being damaged and it’s easier to locate them; never store ties hanging on a hanger with your shirts or suits.

The same for your belts. If you don’t wear it often, roll it up and put it with the same coloured shoes in its box.

For more tips and tricks, like how to tie a tie or how to hang up your pants correctly, pop over to the Talisman Menswear Facebook page for plenty of how to videos.

DRESSING FOR THE OCCASION

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STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY: RODNEY BRAITHWAITE

If you’re heading off on a snow trip, a Tassie hike or a winter walk in the park, outdoorsman and cold weather adventurer Rodney Braithwaite has some cool ideas on how to stay warm.

I

love this time of year. The morning air around Shepparton is cool and crisp while there’s snow falling in the mountains only a few hours away.

I come out of my summer hibernation and start to be active.

It must be the Tasmanian in me.

I remember beginning my love of winter as a young child around the age of seven, hiking with my mum to see frozen waterfalls and snowy peaks.

I have built on these experiences over the years to have ridden horses across frozen rivers in mid-winter China at latitudes further north than Vladivostok, brought in the New Year camped at 3000 m in Japan at -25°C, and snowshoed frozen lakes in the magnificent Italian Alps.

Keeping warm and dry while pursuing your favourite winter activities is not as easy as just grabbing the nearest jacket from your wardrobe as you head out the door.

Whether you are skiing at nearby Mt Buller this season, cycling around Shepparton on a frigid morning or winter hiking through New Zealand as I have just done, you need to prepare in advance the appropriate clothing layers to wear to keep warm, dry and comfortable while pursuing your favourite winter activity.

Another serious issue faced while being active in the cold is overheating.

I remember packing up my tent in -23°C degrees in Japan, hiking off the side of a mountain with my crampons strapped on and heavily perspiring for hours. Being too hot in freezing conditions can be as dangerous as feeling too cold.

Here are my tips for selecting the correct layers on your cold adventures: >> AUGUST 2019

| 63

At Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, wearing base layers with outer layers in his bag to put on when he gets colder. It’s common sense.

>> BASE LAYERS OR THERMALS These keep you warm by fitting close to your skin, but don’t get them too tight or movement will be uncomfortable.

There are two main options here, Merino or synthetic. Merino offers comfort with natural breathability that allows changes in temperatures. When wet, synthetic base layers dry faster and can keep you warmer, but at the cost of overheating when you are more active.

Merino thermals come in different thicknesses depending on how warm you want to be. These are marketed as GSM. The higher the GSM number the thicker the fabric.

Base layers: Kathmandu Polypro $29.98 each, Icebreaker Oasis 200 Merino top $119.95, Mont El Gringo pants $189.95.

MID LAYER A fleece jacket is perfect here. I like a pullover quarter-zip for its comfort and not too thick.

The Polartec brand is still one of the original and best when it comes to fleece and makes a series of fleece materials for different conditions under a number of brands. Look for thumb holes for a better fit for your activities.

Before hitting the changeroom, you can feel the difference between materials by holding them in your hands. Select two fleece jackets on the rack and hold a sleeve of each in your hands. After 15 seconds you will feel a difference in the warmth being felt. This gives you a guide to how warm the material is.

Fleece jackets: Wilderness Equipment Coldsnap $69.95, Mountain Designs Climber $199.95.

OUTER SHELL A good waterproof jacket to keep you dry also offers wind protection. Some models offer zips for ventilation under the arms to let the build-up of heat escape.

There are many choices of materials in this category, from Gore-Tex, and Pertex to Hydronaute, to name just a few.

A double zip will allow for movement in the lower body when active.

Rain jackets: Patagonia Torrentshell $179.95, Mountain Designs Cumulus $399.95, Mont Supersonic $649.95.

INSULATED JACKETS The higher the loft number, the warmer the insulation and more compact the jacket. However, the amount of fill in the jacket really determines the warmth. >> 64 | DON MAGAZINE

An outer waterproof shell jacket keeps you dry and warm by blocking the wind and trapping body heat.

When active during winter, like skiing here on Mt Buller, quick drying is a feature to look for so your clothes do not make you cold from perspiration. This ski jacket has freedom to move.

COMPETITIVE BOXING GROUP TRAINING PRIVATE TRAINING Shepparton Boxing Gym @sheppartonboxinggym 0402 504 871 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Daniel sheppartonboxinggym@outlook.com

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>> Goose down is of higher quality than duck down, but comes at a higher cost.

The major drawback with down is it loses warmth when wet, therefore many jackets have their down coated in waterproofing chemicals. In addition, many jackets are using water-resistant fabrics such as Pertex to protect the down from getting wet.

It is vital to get the right fit with an insulated jacket. Too tight and the down is compressed and offers no warmth. Too loose and you get too much cold airspace.

Synthetic insulation has caught up to down in regard to warmth to weight ratio.

An advantage is that it can still keep you warm when wet. Look for brands such as Primaloft as a leader in this area.

Also keep an eye out for RDS or responsible down standards that safeguard the welfare of the geese and ducks.

Insulated jackets: Macpac Pisa $160.00, Mont Fusion $429.95, XTM Granite $599.99.

GLOVES AND SOCKS When our feet and hands are cold many people put on thicker socks and gloves.

While this is important, cold extremities can also be a sign of your body core not being kept warm.

It’s always a good idea to carry two pairs of gloves in case one gets wet. You can also layer socks and gloves with a thinner pair for extra warmth.

Looking for items with no cotton is important as cotton has no insulation properties and stays wet. Merino for socks would be my recommendation here.

Gloves: XTM Merino gloves $39.99, XTM Gore Infinium $69.99, Mountain Designs alpine gloves $149.99. Socks: Wigwam Hiking Outdoor Pro $24.95, XTM Razorback $27.99, XTM Sochi Ski $34.99.

TIPS FOR KEEPING WARM Know your body. Our body shape, metabolism and even the food we have just eaten play role in keeping us warm. Are you a cold person? Do you wear jackets and jumpers before your family and friends?

If you are a cold person, make sure you select warmer and more layers when you are in the cold. Wear a beanie made of Merino or a warm synthetic material.

When you are selecting clothing, you must try it on. Leave clothes on for a few minutes. Feel the warmth. Do this during winter and not on a 35°C day in a Shepparton summer as you are about to leave for Europe.

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Mandy O’Brien on a snowshoe trip with Rodney Braithwaite in late winter. Wear layers that can be taken off or added to as your body temp changes with activities. Mandy is pictured with a down insulated jacket and base layers.

Ben Lomond National Park, Tasmania, during -10°C temperatures and wind chills down to -22°C. Picture: Sam Ashton.

Ben Lomond National Park, Tasmania.

LOOKING TO SELL? No sale, no fee. Guaranteed Nothing Was Too Much Trouble We would like to thank Terri Burtina and the team at Ray Dobson Real Estate for the way they handled the recent sale of our property. We were very impressed with the fact that Terri always made herself available and kept us up to date during every step of the sales process. She was very pleasant to deal with and nothing was ever too much trouble. If we ever sell again we will only use Terri from Ray Dobson Real Estate as she is the best.

Olmina & Maria Racioppo, 3 Cuthbert Court, Grahamvale

Enthusiasm & Understanding We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to Christine Hill and the team at Ray Dobson Real Estate for their enthusiasm and understanding which was extended to us whilst they were handling the sale of our loved home of 47 years. We would like to recommend the Ray Dobson Real Estate ‘crew’ to anyone who is considering selling a property.

Brian & Lois Hardy, 18 Fairless Street, Shepparton

Real Estate

Ph 5831 7777

189 Fryers St, Shepparton www.raydobsonrealestate.com.au

fashion changes, style doesn’t 78–80 McLennan St MOOROOPNA (03) 5825 5170

AUGUST 2019

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A PROUD PATRON OF

SHEPPARTON’S BIGGEST BLOKES LUNCH

www.kevinhicksrealestate.com.au 228-232 Wyndham Street Shepparton (03) 5821 8388

1-3 Melville Street Numurkah (03) 5862 2611

BLOW ME DOWN WITH A CANDLE STORY: JOHN LEWIS

The golden rule of good grandparenting is DO NOT blow the birthday cake candles out before the grandees.

The punishment for this unforgiveable boast of lung capacity is an extended Lego session on a shagpile rug.

A

s any person over 50 knows, floorlevel Lego building and shagpile carpets containing tiny pirate hats can be worse than a hot poker on the knee.

It’s best not to blow the birthday candles out before the littlies or you may never walk straight again.

I have the scars to prove it.

The art of humble candle-blowing has a few valuable spin-offs.

It teaches you to hold back and let someone else take the glory for a change.

But if you’ve been used to a win-at-all costs sort of life, then holding back can be a problem.

However, with grandkids it’s not about you, it’s about them.

You’ve had your turn at the wheel — you’ve shown everybody how grown up you are by earning money, building a chook pen, driving a car and blowing out the candles.

It’s tempting to keep on showing off, but it’s not good for the future of the human race.

Small people need to taste their own victories — particularly when they come with chocolate.

Anyway, for my birthday I invited the grandees around because I do enjoy

a chance to loon around and act like a lunchtime drunk without being told to lay off the turps.

We used giant rolls of newsprint to paint portraits of our best animal friends and I amazed everyone with my picture of a Salvador Dali elephant-dog.

Then we played piano and again I amazed everyone with my jazz rendition of Let It Be in B-minor with woof-woof Tom Waits vocals.

After that, we went to the playground up the street and I showed off my balancing skills with imagined audience applause.

Hey look, anyone over 60 who can walk backwards up a slide without looking down deserves some attention.

Then we went home and I played I am The Walrus on vinyl and again I amazed everyone with my John Lennon impersonation.

Look, this was MY birthday, okay?

But when the moment came to gather around the cake I sat just behind the kiddies and pretended to blow when the candles were lit.

It was time to let the littlies shine.

And I didn’t want the Lego shagpile punishment.

But small kids can spot a pretender a mile off.

The eldest, a five-year-old whirlwind with a devil in his eye, looked back at me and screamed “Poppy — you’re not blowing!”

I was caught open-mouthed and blue-lipped.

There were six candles — one for each decade of my hugely talented life.

But five were still alight because when you’re three and five years old you haven’t quite got the knack of blowing without showering the world in spit.

So, the candle was re-lit, and we prepared to blow again.

I decided these kids need to learn the important skill of blowing out candles.

They couldn’t go through life showering their children and grandchildren in spit.

So, with one mighty Thor roar, I blew out all the candles.

The grandees sat in silence staring at the wisps of smoke drifting off the chocolate sponge.

They were crestfallen.

Not even a slice of chocolate cake cheered them up.

I was condemned to three hours of Lego on the shagpile.

That’s the price you pay for being an elder with too much wind.

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HERE’S CHEERS TO CRAFT BEERS the cheeky grog co.

BUNBARTHA

STORY: JESSICA BALL

shepparton brewery

The craft beer movement is taking Shepparton and surrounds by storm.

SHEPPARTON

F

rom the new kids on the block to one of Victoria’s first independent breweries and even a cidery, Don has rounded up the top five places to enjoy a cold one.

Why not organise a designated driver or hire a bus for the ultimate boys’ day out, take the family on an adventure you’ll all enjoy or test out a new date spot?

nagambie brewery and distillery

NAGAMBIE

palling bros. brewery

HEATHCOTE

tooborac hotel and brewery

TOOBORAC

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SHEPPARTON BREWERY

T

ransformed from a warehouse, this bustling independent brewery has been the talk of the town since it opened in April.

Born from a passion for home brew and the local food scene, everything is brewed onsite at Shepparton Brewery, with five styles currently on tap and a plan to build up to six.

The core range includes the mid-strength Careful Cobber; an easy drinking common ale, Shepp Common; a bolder American-style pale ale, Maude Street Pale; and Session Red Ale, which has quickly become the cult favourite, with its hoppy character and deep colour.

The other two taps will feature seasonal and one-off brews and are currently pouring a take on the classic English brown ale for winter. All complemented by a local wine and cider list.

In the kitchen everything is made from scratch, with as much local produce as possible.

Beer is the common link when it comes to the menu — it’s all food that goes with beer or dishes that incorporate beer, like the pizza dough and cheesecake.

There’s classic beer food — pizzas, burgers and chicken wings — and a custom smoker churning out pork ribs, briskest and barbecue-style food.

This family-friendly venue isn’t pretentious, it’s a place to sit back, relax and enjoy a drink and a feed with friends.

Photography: Megan Fisher.

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THE CHEEKY GROG CO

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hese apples might not be pretty enough for the supermarket shelf, but they sure make great cider.

A lightbulb moment led third generation apple growers Mark and Jenny Morey to open a cidery to put their second grade fruit to good use.

That was almost four years ago; now The Cheeky Grog Co has a range of 14 ciders.

The ciders are all grown and processed onsite with other fruits grown in the orchard often finding their way into the food offering, including cherries, plums and figs.

The Moreys aren’t afraid of a little fun, experimenting with everything and anything they grow.

The results – some uncommon beverages with some cheeky names, including Cheeky Cherry, a cider infused with cherries; and Grannies that Pop, a cider champagne.

It also serves up ciderbased cocktails and slushies.

Just a few minutes out of Shepparton, this rustic venue offers a chilledout, family-oriented atmosphere.

It’s a place to dig into a wood-fired pizza or platter, play lawn games and entertain the kids.

Photography: Megan Fisher.

PALLING BROS BREWERY

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eathcote might be known for its wine, but among the many vines you’ll find a lone brewery.

Named after infamous larrikin Henry Rood Palling – Heathcote’s original brewer who was later run out of town – Palling Bros Brewery recently turned one.

Over the 12 months the artisan brewery has crafted 12 different beers, with a pale ale, golden ale, lager and IPA making up the core range.

Beer lovers can reap the rewards of head brewer Stuart Richie’s experience with major craft breweries around the country and taste test some experimental brews, including

pineapple and chocolate.

It has cemented itself as a foodie destination and the perfect date spot.

The gourmet menu covers the usual suspects like burgers but is also a little inventive, all

taking advantage of seasonal produce.

The brewery is also in the process of establishing a kitchen garden for a full paddock-to-plate experience – right down to making its

own butter.

Along with a beer garden and resident brewery dogs Monty and Milly, it offers plenty of events including live music and poetry reading.

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NAGAMBIE BREWERY AND DISTILLERY

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ith panoramic views and a deck overlooking Lake Nagambie it’s not hard to fall for the charms of the newest instalment from businessman Gerry Ryan.

After almost three years in the making, Nagambie Brewery and Distillery opened in February and launched its first two beers this month.

The pale ale and lager complement a selection of local Victorian beers and wines, while the plan is to add at least one seasonal rotation to match the weather.

In the distillery, a gin and a whisky are in the works.

Master brewer and distiller Jamie Chesher is fine-tuning the whisky recipe before putting it into barrels and letting it sleep for a few years, while the gin is almost there.

The food offering is not over-complicated, with burgers and pizzas the top choice.

The ever-changing menu is all designed to be shared with family and friends, just

like socialising over a beer at home. And there’s barely a need to use cutlery.

With a relaxed family and poochfriendly atmosphere, Nagambie Brewery and Distillery is a place for every man and his dog.

Photography: Gareth Sobey.

TOOBORAC HOTEL AND BREWERY

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hen you walk into this cosy pub, you expect to be served up a hearty feed and a refreshing cold beer with lashings of good old-fashioned country hospitality.

And while that’s exactly what you’ll find, this humble hotel was also there at the beginning of the craft beer movement.

The oldest national heritage-listed pub in Victoria brewed its first craft beer almost a decade ago, in what was once a dilapidated stable.

Now Tooborac Hotel and Brewery pours around 12 base beers – the most popular are Stonemason’s Pale Ale and

Woodcutter’s Amber Ale – and also releases four innovative seasonal beers each year.

This winter it tapped a mocha stout, which has quickly established itself as a crowd favourite, and a chocolate chilli stout.

From pizzas and parmas to steak sandwiches and fish and chips, the kitchen shines with traditional pub fare – but it’s the pie shop it’s famous for.

With big chunks of real meat, the homemade beef and beer, and lamb and

rosemary potato pies, are the clear winners – but if you’re looking for something a little different, tuck into the rabbit pie or even the vegetarian korma.

15 Edward Street Shepparton • 5821 9776 info@sheppartonbrewery.com.au • www.sheppartonbrewery.com.au

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From growing up on a dairy farm to running a successful hay carting business, Neil and his wife have just sold up their Pine Lodge farm after 17 years ahead of their next adventure.

He is excited for the challenge while still dabbling in the farming game.

I am sure that his positive attitude and easy going nature will see him flourish in an industry that values honesty and integrity.

For immediate enquiries contact Neil Congram on 0409 834 785

BUILDING A CAREER BRICK

BY BRICK As nations picked up the pieces after the destruction of World War II, a Danish toy company gave children the chance to build their own world — and so Lego was born.

S

ixty years later, one man from Mooroopna would dedicate his life to Lego, ditching the office block for the building block.

Ten years ago, Ryan McNaught was stuck in a nine-to-five job as chief information officer with a big corporation.

When he found himself in a meeting

talking about how to cut down the number of meetings, he knew he’d had enough.

“At the time I was doing a bit of IT work for a Lego company, and they asked me to work with them further,” Ryan said.

“We started to do things more and more together and I took a leap of faith.”

Calling Melbourne home nowadays, Ryan’s love of Lego has far transcended a hobby, as he is the Southern Hemisphere’s only certified Lego professional, joining 13 other building block buffs worldwide.

He was just three years old when he first got his hands on Lego blocks.

“I got my first set when I was three from my grandma and played with Lego all the

way up until I was 13 or 14,” he said.

“I stopped playing because it wasn’t cool anymore.”

Throughout the next phase of his life he put his passion on pause, but the arrival of twin boys rekindled Ryan’s love for Lego building.

Aptly dubbed ‘Brickman’, Ryan’s website showcases some of the extraordinary creations he has brought to life with Lego, including life-size car models, Disney princesses and a 7.5-metre-tall NASA rocket.

Consisting of more than 450 000 bricks and weighing almost a tonne, Ryan had to obtain a working with heights licence >> AUGUST 2019

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>> with actual construction workers in order to be able to build the spacecraft.

But most recently, Brickman cast his scrupulous eye for detail onto others as host of Channel Nine’s Lego Masters series alongside comedian and television personality Hamish Blake.

Already greenlit for a second season, the show pits contestants against each other to see who can come up with the most wild and wonderful Lego creations, an experience Ryan recalls as a refresher to the fast-paced nature of media.

“I had done a little bit of TV before, but for me it was quite an eye-opener,” he said.

“I was working with extremely professional people which made my job a lot easier.

“It put all the contestants under the microscope, and they handled the pressure incredibly well.”

And if juggling television and work commitments wasn’t enough, Ryan’s spare time is spent tackling the open road — 42 km at a time.

Having already completed a marathon in March, Ryan and his partner Tracy will jet off overseas for another event in October.

“My partner and I run marathons in our spare time — we are heading over to Chicago for the next one,” he said.

“It is a great way to keep in shape — although she is a bit faster than me.”

Ryan continues to wow audiences worldwide with his wacky and wonderful creations, which are documented on his website and can be found at www. thebrickman.com/ 78 |

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Ryan McNaught and fellow Lego Masters co-host Hamish Blake.

The Brickman in action on Lego Masters.

The Brickman with his favourite Lego brick, the 2x4.

Ryan McNaught destroys a Lego creation alongside Hamish Blake.

Stockdale & Leggo Shepparton A 91 Wyndham Street Shepparton, VIC, 3630 P 03 5831 3812 F 03 5831 3934 W stockdaleleggo.com.au/shepparton

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GAMING TALK

GAMING GREED OR PLAYER PLEASURE? STORY: MYLES PETERSON

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The video game industry — the biggest entertainment industry in the world in economic terms — is simultaneously in the best and worst state of its relatively short history.

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n the black side of the ledger is the diversity, creativity and sheer scope of many modern titles.

Gamers are spoilt for choice by singleplayer and co-operative action-adventure driven narratives conducted in immersive worlds, sometimes hosting players in their thousands. Or they can compete against each other in myriad ways; racing, shooting, managing simulations and sports teams.

But increasingly a dark psychological factor is creeping in, a dopamine-inducing strategy increasingly favoured by many game developers to addict players for reasons that have little to do with good game design and everything to do with greed.

In the early days of the industry, clever designers noticed a peculiar quirk of the interaction between players and games.

Motivating a player to stay engaged is no easy task, especially in an industry that moves so quickly with new genres and technologies emerging rapidly. Good game-play and storytelling will only get a designer so far, but some developers struck on a fairly simplistic psychological technique for maintaining interest — randomly generated in-game items.

The 1996 hit Diablo was one of the earliest examples. Not only did the game generate random maps, the ‘treasure’ found in these demonic-inspired dungeons was also delivered randomly.

Players became obsessed with ‘farming’

the same levels again and again to obtain what they perceived as items with the best statistics.

Gaming commentators marvelled at the re-playability of what was essentially a fairly simplistic title.

The parent company of Diablo’s developer, Blizzard, would go on to embed randomly generated items into another of its most successful titles, World of Warcraft, where players in groups of up to 40 would collectively invest billions of man-hours into ‘farming’ dungeons with randomly delivered items forming the primary psychological driver behind this rinse and repeat behaviour.

Meanwhile developers of games such as Counter Strike Global Offensive realised the incentives did not even have to affect game-play. Players could be just as easily addicted to pretty colours — as long as those colours were perceived to be ‘rare’.

In-game gun skins quickly evolved into a lucrative real-world economy with some players paying tens of thousands of dollars for the ‘perfect’ rare skin.

There is no real value for these items in any traditional economic sense — although some may argue the same can be said of art and certain collectors’ markets. The only value lies in artificially induced desirability. And unlike artworks, the only thing that prevents an infinite number of so-called rare items popping into in-game existence are a few lines of code.

Developers in 2019 are all too aware of the economic power and psychological pull-factor of shiny in-game items. The last craze of addictive multi-player shooters, the so-called Battle Royale genre, are full of randomly generated, often tradeable, in-game items.

Despite many of these items doing nothing for game-play, players are collectively paying millions of dollars, if not billions, to obtain ‘rare’ objects in titles such as PUB-G, Fortnite and Apex Legends.

Depending on the business model, it can be a highly lucrative, simplistic and effective way of generating large amounts of money from the player base.

Children’s games are also strong purveyors of the tactic. Popular platform Roblox contains many examples, the most popular currently titled Adopt Me, were children are induced to gamble on randomly delivered pets. The average cost of obtaining the most ‘desirable’ — such as a rare unicorn or dragon — can be eye-watering.

Some argue that delivering random items increases the fun factor, but at what stage does this clever psychological trick, so loved by poker machines, step into the realm of cynical exploitation?

When the addiction subsides, how many modern gamers will regret the thousands of hours they spent chasing an ephemeral line of code with no future value?

Myles Peterson is a Shepparton-based tech and video game writer.

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When you’ve pushed yourself to the limit, it can be difficult to do it again. And again. And again.

T

he most overwhelming part about fitness can be maintaining it.

Enter Shepparton’s Trent Suratman.

The long-term Aquamoves member, who has also been a martial artist for 40 years, said to be successful it was important to remember to keep calm, not doubt yourself and not bring things from the past to the present.

Having drawn a lot of his philosophy from life lessons he experienced as a martial artist and his involvement in mainstream sports, Mr Suratman said he was a big believer in the practise of positive discipline.

He encourages people to align their minds with their goals, be disciplined about their use of time, and commit

whole-heartedly to whatever they are doing in that moment.

Mr Suratman believes it’s important to not get tense or stressed about a certain situation or let something from the morning impact what you do or how you do it in the afternoon.

“There are 24 hours in a day, and seven days in a week, so how we manage this time either creates success or mediocrity,” Mr Suratman said.

Mr Suratman feels that a lot of the language we use is fear and anxiety.

“The confidence to get fit might be one of your hurdles and that’s fine, but by rewording it and changing the way you think about it, the fear can become excitement.”

Mr Suratman said finding the courage to exercise was also about focussing on the right environment for you — somewhere you will feel comfortable trying new things and where you are

open to learning.

For Mr Suratman, this place is Aquamoves, located on Tom Collins Drive.

“It’s a place where you feel comfortable and which provides a sense of social connection,” he said.

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TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR CHOLESTEROL You’ve been to the doctor for a check-up and routine blood tests reveal you have high cholesterol.

It’s a result you can’t ignore, with long-term implications potentially leading to chest pain, heart attack and stroke.

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oulburn Valley Health Quit educator, health coach and registered nurse Shelley McFadzean and community health dietitian Alison Green offer tips and advice to Don readers to manage their cholesterol and remain healthy.

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL? Cholesterol is a waxy fat-like substance.

The liver and intestines produce about 80 per cent of the cholesterol in our body, the rest comes from the food we eat.

Cholesterol is carried around the body in the blood by lipoproteins which are referred to as either low density or high density lipoproteins.

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LDL is often referred to as ‘bad cholesterol’ while HDL is known as ‘good cholesterol’ for its role in collecting excess cholesterol from cells and transporting it to the liver for excretion from the body.

Triglycerides are another form of fat in the blood and can reduce the HDL cholesterol, these are made in the digestive system and are influenced by what you eat.

A small amount of blood cholesterol is required for important functions such as: • building the structure of cell membranes; • producing hormones such as oestrogen, testosterone and adrenal hormones;

• helping your metabolism work efficiently; and • producing bile acids, which help the body digest fat and absorb important nutrients.

WHAT ARE HIGH CHOLESTEROL RISK FACTORS? High cholesterol can sneak up on you, as there are no symptoms — but there are risk factors to be aware of such as diet, being overweight or obese, smoking and lack of exercise.

Cholesterol levels start to rise after age 20 so age is a consideration, and in some instances there is a genetic link. Heart Foundation research has revealed one in

FACTS AND FIGURES • In 2011–12, Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed 5.6 million people, or 33 per cent of Australians aged 18 and older, had high cholesterol.

• Australians living in regional and remote areas were more likely to have high cholesterol than their city counterparts.

• High cholesterol is most common in the 55 to 64 year age group, with a prevalence of 47.8 per cent.

250 Australians is affected by familial hypercholesterolaemia, a condition caused by a faulty gene, where the body is inhibited from removing enough cholesterol from the blood.

IS MEDICATION AVAILABLE? To keep your LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels within the recommended range and to stabilise plaque in the arteries, your doctor can prescribe the most commonly used cholesterol-lowering medicines, called statins.

A common side-effect of these medications can be muscle aches and pains so if you experience these talk to your doctor for a different brand or type of tablet that may suit you better.

WHAT FOODS SHOULD I AVOID IF I HAVE HIGH CHOLESTEROL? The types of fat in food affect our blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat

increases blood cholesterol levels and can be found in fatty meats, chicken skin, butter, full-cream dairy foods, deep-fried takeaway foods, commercially baked biscuits and pastries along with coconut and palm oil.

Reducing refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, sugary cereals, pastries, lollies and soft drink is also recommended.

WHAT FOODS SHOULD I EAT TO HELP LOWER CHOLESTEROL LEVELS? Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat have a helpful effect on blood cholesterol levels. When eaten in moderation, these fats have been associated with reductions in LDL cholesterol and increases in HDL cholesterol.

Unsaturated fats can be found in cooking oils such as sunflower, safflower, soybean, olive, canola and peanut, canola or olive oil margarine spreads, fish, nuts, seeds such as linseed, chia or tahini and avocado.

LIFESTYLE CHOICES Working on changing your lifestyle and taking your medications will reduce the future risk of heart attack, angina, heart failure and stroke, keep you out of hospital and increase your life expectancy.

Recommendations include: • Stop or reduce your alcohol intake — no more than one or two standard drinks a day and avoid binge drinking. This may help lower triglyceride levels.

• Don’t smoke. Smoking increases the ability of LDL cholesterol to get into artery cells and cause damage.

• Exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise such as brisk walking, or 15–30 minutes of vigorous exercise on five or more days a week. Exercise increases HDL levels while reducing LDL and triglyceride levels in the body.

• Reduce any excess body fat, as being overweight may contribute to raised blood triglyceride and LDL levels.

• Control your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes. High blood sugar levels are linked to an increased risk of atherosclerosis (or hardening of the arteries), heart attacks and strokes.

HEALTHIER EATING • The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends eating a variety of food from each of the food groups each day.

• Higher intakes of vegetables and fruits are associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

High-fibre diets from wholegrains have been linked to reduced LDL cholesterol levels and reduced heart disease risk.

• Include more plant-based foods including vegetables, fruits and wholegrains such as wholegrain cereal, bread, pasta and rice, quinoa, oats, lentils and beans.

• Aim to include a variety of healthy protein sources including fish and seafood, lean meat and poultry (remove visible fat and chicken skin before cooking), legumes, nuts and seeds.

• Choose reduced fat or skim dairy products without added sugar, such as unflavoured milk and yoghurt, and cheese.

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ARE YOU AT RISK? Skin cancer does not discriminate but some people are more at risk than others, including those with: • Fair skin.

• A family history of skin cancer.

• Exposure to ultraviolet light, including solariums.

• Exposure to lots of sun, including those who play sport and work outdoors.

• Recurring sunburns, including all those had as a child and teenager.

• Previous skin cancer.

Did you know that skin cancer is five times more common than all other cancers put together?

Or that middle-aged and elderly men are most at risk?

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iving in Australia, we are all aware of the dangers of the sun. Yes, we know we should slip, slop, slap, but what if you knew that one in 84 men will die from melanoma over the age of 80? That is compared to just one in 240 women.

It’s an alarming statistic that might just change the way you think about sun exposure and skin cancer. Reassuringly though, if it’s found early most skin cancer is not a death sentence.

Skin cancer is five times more common than all other cancers put together and it’s middle-aged and elderly men who are most at risk.

One in 84 men will die from melanoma by age 80, compared to just one in 240 women.

While the number of young people diagnosed with melanoma is decreasing, it is on the rise for middle-aged and elderly men.

But if found early, most skin cancer is not a death sentence.

Dr Stephen Hook from Shepparton Skin Clinic said the key to successful treatment was early detection.

“The most serious consequences of skin cancer, including death, are preventable just by doing self-surveillance and having regular skin checks, which we recommend annually,” Dr Hook said.

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“Skin cancer can occur anywhere including between the toes and fingers, on the soles of the feet and under the jocks and the plumber’s crack.

“It’s often the least worrying looking lesion that is in fact the skin cancer, not necessarily the big ugly one and that’s why regular skin checks are best done by someone specially trained.”

As well as full body mapping, Shepparton Skin Clinic can teach people how to do a full skin check and while it is handy to have someone else check those body parts you can’t quite reach, Dr Hook said you could also use mirrors.

“It’s really important to be aware of new skin lesions because four out of five melanomas occur in normal skin and one in five occurs in a mole that has changed,” he said.

Dr Hook is an expert in diagnosis, treatment including biopsy and incision, management and prevention of skin cancers.

“The best way of not dying of skin cancer is early detection and treatment,” he said.

“We do all of the procedures here in our dedicated operating rooms under local, regional anaesthetic and with nitrous oxide gas also available.

“It saves unnecessary hospital admissions and waiting times.”

THE RISK OF SKIN CANCER INCREASES WITH AGE.

WARNING SIGNS Solar keratosis or sunspots: • A warning that you are prone to skin cancer.

• Red, flattish, scaly dry skin that may sting if itched.

• Appears on areas often exposed to the sun, like the face and hands.

• Most common in people aged over 40.

THE MEAN AGE FOR MELANOMA DIAGNOSIS AMONG MEN IS 63.

63

ONE IN 14 PEOPLE WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH MELANOMA BEFORE THE AGE OF 85.

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AUGUST 2019

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ODDS STACKED AGAINST PROBLEM GAMBLERS STORY: JESSICA BALL

Each day $91 000 is pumped into pokie machines in Greater Shepparton, but the full cost of gambling is largely unknown.

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hat’s $33 343 094 a year without accounting for the temptation buzzing in your pocket, seducing you with bonus bets and high-risk offers devised to rip you off.

The gambling industry has radically shifted since the 1990s, and Primary Care Connect community engagement and education officer Julie Trotter said with the introduction of smartphones, people did not need to sneak off to the pokies.

“In the past you’d have to go and take out money, you’d have to go to a venue, you’d have to consciously, visually hand over your money,” Julie said.

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“Now it’s just clicking on a phone and some account’s being topped up.”

As the popularity of Sportsbet and other online betting agencies rise, so does the impact of gambling, particularly in the work environment.

“The biggest impact in the workplace is workers that are on their phone and not being productive, coming back late from their lunch, distracted and looking at their phones,” Julie said.

ENTERTAINMENT vs PROBLEM Just like having a drink doesn’t make you an alcoholic, having a punt doesn’t make you a gambling addict.

Primary Care Connect health promotion officer Sam Spinks said it was all about moderation and ensuring it was safe for your circumstances.

“Gambling isn’t automatically a

problem; it runs on a spectrum so it’s all about the risk and the harms you’re experiencing,” Sam said.

“Not all gambling is the same.

“Twenty dollars for one person may not cause a person harm, and it might have been food for that day for another.

“It’s all about that, recognising what is harmful to you and then being able to reach out.”

Statically men are at higher risk of problem gambling, but for every person experiencing harm there are six to 10 others affected. They are the partners, children, parents, friends and work colleagues.

The wife at the supermarket checkout whose card has been unexpectedly declined.

The children who were looking forward to the treat they convinced their mum to

THE WATCH LIST It can be hard to identify problem gambling but it is best to seek advice from a professional if you notice a mate or loved one’s behaviour has changed.

Look out for: • obsession with odds • distraction from family events, • mysterious disappearances, • concealing whereabouts, • vague money talk, • strange excuses and • becoming agitated or even violent when questioned about money.

People experiencing mental health issues, alcohol or drug addiction or family violence situations can be at greater risk.

put in the trolley.

The parents who bail their children out of somehow unforeseen financial trouble.

GETTING HELP It can be difficult to identify when what started as harmless entertainment turns into something that occupies a person’s mind, haunted by their next bet and the need to win their money back.

Julie said asking someone if they had a gambling problem was unlikely to get them to open up.

Often they don’t see it as a problem; they’re just one win away from covering their debts and making millions.

There is plenty of help out there so why don’t people reach out? The stigma.

Many would rather say they have a drug, alcohol, mental health or even family violence problem before admitting

to a gambling problem.

“We’re very much where mental health was a lot of years ago when people didn’t discuss their mental health,” Julie said.

“People can really hide a (gambling addiction) until they’ve lost their home, lost their marriages and lost everything.”

Sam said this often came from a place of shame, and the normalisation of gambling was to blame.

It’s not uncommon to hear chatter around the office, the pub or footy club about the odds.

From the results of elections and reality television contests to the gender of the royal baby and the next winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, there’s nothing you can’t bet on.

Sam said gambling was entrenched in everyday Australian life.

“It’s completely throughout sport culture even though (gambling advertising is) banned on television during live games, it’s on the grounds, you see it anyway,” she said.

“The message is that it’s made to be something that you can do safely, and if you aren’t that’s your own fault.

“We’re trying to change that conversation, making it completely okay to seek support before it hits the crisis end.”

In reality, poker machines, betting apps and gambling advertising are all designed to be addictive, to hook you in and take your money.

Primary Care Connect financial planner Bill Shattock said often gambling came out of the woodwork when another crisis hit, like a relationship breakdown.

“I often find it’s not the gambler that will come to me but it’s the affected other, their spouse, and it’s often because they’ve split up and she’s been left with the debt and lost everything,” Bill said.

“Overall I have probably a lot more female clients than men; men think ‘nope, I’m going to handle myself ’, they don’t want other people to know about it.”

It isn’t necessarily about stopping cold turkey, but regaining control of how much time and money a person is gambling.

The solution? Squashing the stigma and empowering people to speak out and seek help.

Talk, share and support.

If you or someone you know is experiencing gambling harm, talk to a professional confidentially. Phone Primary Care Connect Gambler’s Help Program on 5823 3200 or the 24/7 Gambler’s Help on 1800 858 858 and Gambler’s Help Youth Line on 1800 262 376.

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HOOKED ON

Aussie classics

STORY: LIAM NASH

PHOTOGRAPHY: MEGAN FISHER

With current European car manufacturers fixated on pumping out new makes and models at stupendous rates, classic performance Fords and Holdens have become the most sought-after commodity on four wheels for automobile purists young and old across the country.

Waiting for the love — Adam’s Ford Falcon is ready for a resto.

90 | DON MAGAZINE

Adam and his 1967 Ford Falcon — another project in the wings.

O

ne particular purist, Adam Rando, plies his trade as a project manager for Spiire infrastructure consultants, but as soon as the clock strikes five the office chair is swapped for a trolley jack.

“My grandfather was into cars and my father was into cars; they’d get them, do them up and sell them,” Adam said.

“There was always a different car in the garage.”

As a young man Adam quickly recognised those same engine-dripping, wrench-gripping tendencies were also within his wheelhouse, but with car restorations practically impossible to finish on the smell of an oily rag, he knew he would have to get his hands dirty.

“I bought my first car when I was 14 before I could drive — a 1967 Ford Falcon XR. Then I bought a Holden EH wagon for 75 bucks and sold it for $500, and thought ‘hold

on, I can probably do something here’.”

And he was right.

Equipped with a skill-set completely self-taught when it comes to the nuts and bolts of fixing cars, Adam has become a guru of all things under the hood.

A short stroll around his shed hints at countless hours and many a dollar poured into each of his Australian classics in order to rejuvenate the models to their former glory. >> AUGUST 2019

| 91

“

How it came out of the factory, that is how I want it to look – ADAM RANDO

>> At least half a dozen projects, finished or otherwise, lie dormant through the garage with a story attached to each.

“My XR, I started working on that when I was 14, and now I am 28, whereas my XE was in much better in terms of rust, I was able to fix that in 12 months,” Adam said.

“I sourced a radio, kick panels and a few other bits and pieces that it was missing and then I put it all back together, basically.”

While some prior re-builds have proved profitable, it isn’t the monetary aspect of the process on which he thrives.

With modern motorheads obsessed with bigger rims, bassier sound systems and other frivolous ways to make their ride roar, Adam’s sole purpose lies with restoring a car to its prime.

“Cars are like art to me.

“I like a car all original — how it came out of the factory, that is how I want it to look.

“For me it’s a shame to see a car go to waste, especially a lot of the older stuff that they made here in Australia.

“You could order anything from America at any time, but Ford and Holden over here are closed now so they have never made them again.”

And as he prepares for the next phase of his life, Adam’s mentality hasn’t changed when it comes to his machine of choice.

“I fully understand at some point I am going to have to buy a family car for my wife, and I know I am going to lose money on that which kills me a little bit,” he said.

“I would rather continue buying those old types of cars because I know if I leave it in the shed, when I am 50 or 60 there will still be a market for them.”

92 | DON MAGAZINE

Ready for the Rando treatment – a 1980s Ford Fairmont.

What goes around comes around:

T

he International C1800 truck Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandfather bought back in the late 1970s.

Sold over 20 years ago, Adam searched for a number of years to find a similar make and model to restore and stumbled upon the exact same truck on a farm an hour past Bendigo.

Honouring his commitment, Adam purchased the truck last year and has since added it to his list of ongoing renovations.

AUGUST 2019

| 93

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