The Local Paper. Whittlesea Post Edition. Wed., Dec. 15, 2021

‘WHITTLESEA POST’ EDITION URBAN AREAS: BUNDOORA • EPPING • EPPING NORTH • LALOR • MILL PARK • SOUTH MORANG • THOMASTOWN • WOLLERT Local and Independent. Not associated with any other publication in this area.

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W’SEA CONCERNS IN PARLIAMENT

■ WHITTLESEA Council’s concerns about new laws relating to the ‘circular economy’ has been raised in State Parliament by Craig Ondarchie MLC. “Local Government has had limited … involvement in the creation of this Bill,” Whittlesea Shire CEO Craig Lloyd was quoted to say.

“There has been very little consultation, as I have outlined already. This is despite the significant implications of this proposed new act on - council- … service delivery.

“The proposed governance structure decreases the role and scope of Local Government … and will reduce independence.

“The current Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group: … which include significant local government representation in favour for local governments role being delegated to one representative on an ‘advisory committee’, has left the local government sector with significant concerns that the implementation of the new Act is likely to be based on ideals rather operational reality for service delivery.

“The mandating of a one size fits all structure does not allow Councils to tailor services to reflect the waste needs and affordability of their communities … a legitimate concern.

“There is an assumption the materials recycling and reprocessing markets will develop through private sector investment outside of a thorough sector development strategy.

“Recycling Victoria is set up to become a regulator rather than the enabling structure of the current Waste Resource and Recovery groups.

“The focus of the act seems weighted towards Council collection, rather than more significant waste streams that arise from construction, demolition, commercial and industrial

MLC raises Council worries about recycling economy

● Craig Ondarchie, North Metro MLC waste streams.” Mr Lloyd said there are “Assurances that Recycling Victoria will use the data Councils provide to inform government decision-making.”

“The collection of data should … be focused more broadly from councils to all waste generating activities.” Mr Lloyd, as quoted by Mr Ondarchie.

Level access tram stops needed ■ Northcote MLA Kat Theophanous has told State Parliament of the need for level access tram stops in Northcote, Thornbury Preston and Reservoir.

“Regularly raised with me is the accessibility of our public transport network, particularly on the route 86 tram along High St,” Ms Theophanous told the Legislative Assembly.

“This route already runs with many low-floor trams, which is fantastic, but there remains a significant gap when it comes to accessible stops.

“From stop 33 through to stop 54 there are no level-access stops. This traverses part of Northcote, the entirety of Thornbury, the entirety of Preston and some of Reservoir.

“Locals know how many venues, services and shops are located along this route. Whether you are someone with a disability, an older resident, a young family with a pram or even just someone carrying your weekly shop, accessible infrastructure makes a difference in getting you to where you need to go safely. ● Level access stops are required.

“It removes barriers to social isolation,” Ms Photo: Audit Victoria Theophanopus said.

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Page 2 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Where to pick up your free copy of The Local Paper ■ ALPHINGTON. 7-Eleven. 785 Heidelberg Rd. ■ ALPHINGTON. Foodstore. 52 Wingrove St. ■ ALPHINGTON. Milk Bar. 50 Wingrove St. ■ BRIAR HILL. Briar Hill Post Office/Newsagency. Shop 1/111 Mountain View Rd. ■ BUNDOORA. BP Service Station.

1050 Plenty Rd. ■ BUNDOORA. Bundoora Newsagency. Unit 3, 39 Plenty Rd. ■ CLIFTON HILL. Clifton Hill Lotto.

306 Queens Pde. ■ CLIFTON HILL. Clifton Hill Newsagency. 316 Queens Pde. ■ CLIFTON HILL. Continental Grocery. Spensley St. ■ CLIFTON HILL. McCoppins Supermarket. 292 Queens Pde. ■ CLIFTON HILL. Milk Bar. Cnr Fenwick St and Spensley St. ■ COLLINGWOOD. Metro Petroleum. 318 Wellington St. ■ EAGLEMONT. Australia Post/ Newsagency. 64 Silverdale Rd. ■ EAGLEMONT. IGA Supermarket.

83-85 Silverdale Rd. ■ EAST IVANHOE. Australia Post/ Tatts/Newsagency. 249-251 Lower Heidelberg Rd. ■ EAST PRESTON. East Preston News and Lotto. 669 Plenty Rd. ■ EAST PRESTON. Liberty Service Station. 502 Plenty Rd. ■ EAST PRESTON. Plenty Road Cellars. 766 Plenty Rd. ■ ELTHAM. Bolton Street Deli and Liquor. 120 Bolton St. ■ ELTHAM. Caltex. 527 Main Rd. ■ ELTHAM. Coles Express. 650 Main Rd (Cnr Mt Pleasant Rd) ■ ELTHAM. United Service Station.

1050 Main Rd. ■ ELTHAM NORTH. 330 Ryans Rd. ■ EPPING. Cnr Dalton Rd and Childs Rd. ■ FAIRFIELD. 7-Eleven. Cnr Darebin Rd and Station St. ■ FAIRFIELD. BP. 490-500 Heidelberg Rd. ■ FAIRFIELD. Caltex. 215 Heidelberg Rd. ■ FAIRFIELD. Coles Express. 377 Heidelberg Rd. ■ FAIRFIELD. Coles Express. Cnr Darebin Rd and Station St ■ FAIRFIELD. Fairfield News and Lucky Lotto. 99 Station St. ■ FAIRFIELD. Service Station. Cnr Separation St and Station St. ■ FAIRFIELD. Station Street IGA. 140 Station St. ■ FITZROY. BP. 143-145 Johnston St. ■ FITZROY. Fitzroy News. 125 Johnston St. ■ GREENSBOROUGH. Milk Bar. 31 Greenhill Rd. ■ HEIDELBERG. 7-Eleven. Cnr Burgundy St and Lower Heidelberg Rd. ■ HEIDELBERG. Heidelberg Tatts/ News. 112 Burgundy St. ■ IVANHOE. Ivanhoe Newsagency.

194 Upper Heidelberg Rd. ■ IVANHOE. Milk Bar. 53 Lower Heidelberg Rd. ■ KEON PARK. Australia Post/Tatts.

Johnson St ■ KINGSBURY. Bottle-O. 949 Plenty Rd. ■ KINGSBURY. BP. 935 Plenty Rd. ■ KINGSBURY. Supermarket and Tatts. Link St. ■ LALOR. Kingsway Corner Store.

1/70 Kingsway.

■ LALOR. Lalor Lucky L:otto. 332 Station St. ■ LOWER PLENTY. IGA Xpress Supermarket. 101-105 Lower Plenty Rd. ■ LOWER PLENTY. Lower Plenty Newsagency/Tatts. 95 Main Rd. ■ MACLEOD. Macleod Newsagency.

62 Aberdeen Rd. ■ MILL PARK. 7-Eleven. Cnr Childs Rd and Morang Dr. ■ MILL PARK. Mill Park Newsagency. 4 The Stables Shopping Centre.

■ MONTMORENCY. 7-Eleven. 215 Sherbourne Rd.

■ MONTMORENCY. Australia Post/ Newsagency. 41-43 Were St. ■ MONTMORENCY. Caltex. 180 Sherbourne Rd. ■ NORTH FITZROY. Terminus Hotel.

492 Queens Pde. ■ NORTH IVANHOE. Australia Post.

Cnr Waterdale Rd and Beatty St. ■ NORTHCOTE. 7-Eleven. Cnr Victoria Rd and Separation St. ■ NORTHCOTE. Licensed Supermarket. Cnr Mitchell St and Victoria Rd. ■ NORTHCOTE. Northcote Newsagency. 335 High St. ■ PRESTON. United Service Station. Cnr Chifley Dr. and Bell St. ■ PRESTON. United Service Station. Cnr Bell St and Albert St. ■ REGENT WEST. Post Office and Tatts. 136 Regent St. ■ RESERVOIR. Australia Post. 10a Gellibrand Cres.

■ RESERVOIR. BP Service Station.

Cnr McFadzean Ave and Hughes Pde. ■ RESERVOIR. Broadway Lotto.

238 Broadway.

■ RESERVOIR. Caltex. 931 High St ■ RESERVOIR. Coles Express. 192202 Broadway.

■ RESERVOIR. DM Deli and Liquor.

35 McFadzean Ave. ■ RESERVOIR. Liberty Service Station. 101-111 Edwardes St. ■ RESERVOIR. Milk Bar. Cnr Yarra Ave and Boldrewood Pde. ■ RESERVOIR. News and Lotto.

251 Spring St. ■ RESERVOIR. Reservoir RSL. 251 Spring St. ■ ROSANNA. Rosanna Newsagency.

137 Lower Plenty Rd. ■ ST HELENA. Milk Bar. Cnr Glen Katherine Dr and Weidlich Rd. ■ ST HELENA. St Helena Newsagency. St Helena Marketplace, Aqueduct Rd. ■ THOMASTOWN. BP. 123 High St. ■ THOMASTOWN. Foodworks. 126 Alexander Ave. ■ THOMASTOWN. Milk Bar. 128 Alexander Ave. ■ THOMASTOWN. Stevens Cellars Licensed Grocery. 20 The Boulevard.

■ THOMASTOWN. Thomastown News and Lotto. 223 High St. ■ THOMASTOWN WEST. 7-Eleven.

Cnr Mount View St and Edgars Rd. ■ THOMASTOWN WEST. Supa IGA Supermarket. Edgars Rd ■ THORNBURY. 7-Eleven. Cnr High St and Hutton St. ■ THORNBURY. BP. 410 St Georges Rd. ■ THORNBURY. Normanby News and Lotto. 638 High St. ■ THORNBURY. Tatts and Licensed Grocery. 400 Station St. ■ WATSONIA. BP. Cnr Watsonia Rd and Morwell Ave. ■ WATSONIA. Coles Express. Cnr Greensborough Rd and Yallambie rD ■ WATSONIA. Watsonia RSL. 6 Morwell Ave. ■ WEST HEIDELBERG. Convenience Store. Moresby Cres.

■ WEST HEIDELBERG. Foodworks.

571-573 Waterdale Rd. ■ WEST HEIDELBERG. Licensed Supermarket. Olympic Village. Moresby Cres.

■ WEST HEIDELBERG. Milk Bar. Cnr Banksia St and Oriel Rd. ■ WEST HEIDELBERG. Tatts. The Mall. Cnr Bell St and Oriel Rd. ■ WEST PRESTON. Brightway Milk Bar. 107 Gilbert Rd. ■ WEST PRESTON. IGA Xpress Supermarket. 392-298 Gilbert Rd. ■ WEST PRESTON. Liberty Service Station. Cnr Gilbert Rd and Union St. ■ WEST PRESTON. Thornbury Cellars. 141 Miller St. ■ WEST RESERVOIR. 7-Eleven.

Cnr Gilbert Rd and Henty St. ■ WEST RESERVOIR. Lakeside Newsagency. 716A Gilbert Rd. ■ WESTGARTH. Lotto/SubNewsagency. 107 High St. ■ WESTGARTH. Milk Bar. Cnr Westgarth St and South Cres.

■ YALLAMBIE. 7-Eleven. 371 Lower Plenty Rd.

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Court Lists Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court Plaintiff / Informant / Applicant vs Defendant / Accused / Respondent. Information Division.

Criminal Case Listings Wednesday, December 15 Abdi, Muhdin Abdulle, Said Abdulrahman, Mohamad Adams, Kien Ahern, Mark Ahmadi, Neda Al Harbiah, Mahdi Ali, Mohamed Austin, William James Azeez, Baydaa Bacash, Karl Barton, Shannaya Bazenski, Robert Bee Wifi Pty Ltd Belfiore, Adrian Biddlestone, Roger Wallace Bolton, Andrew Bonakdar Esfahani, Bahram Boundy, Joel James Brandsetter, Roula Brockman, Rachael Brown, Trudy Bruce, Andrew Bryan, Deborah Bullock, Marcia Bundara-Wijesundr, Yushan Cabon, Richard Cammarata, Paul Candice, Marye Carpenter, John Patrick Carratello, Rick Stephen Carrodus, Tayla Lee Carrucan, Jarryd Casey, Andrew Francis Chaban, Jamil Chedraoui, Suzanne Chen, Jie Clegg, Luke Coghlan, Daniel Connor, Amy Lee Cooke, Daniel Cosar, Ibrahim Costanzo, Eugenio James Crosby, Bryan Crouch, Vanessa Curmi, Melissa Dall, Noel Dayoub, Alex De Boni, Madisson Deam, Emily Dean, David Despotovski, David Dissegna, Sarah Dole, Darren Edmunds, Pavla Edwards, Alvin Edwards, Travis Eid, Brett Charif El Abdo, Abdallam El Hoss, Marwan Elliott, Brandon Farmer, Douglas Fenton, Aaron Fitzpatrick, Vanessa Fizesan, Stefan Fouki, Lampro Freebairn, Krystal Gaber, Mayar Georgopoulos, Felicity Grande, Luciano Green, Shane Grozdanoski, Daniel Guerra, Harley Hajjar, Adele Hartley, David Hassan, Mohamud Hayes, Bronson Hemming, Craig Henderson, Isaac Hensel, Kimberley Hilsaca, William Hobba, Remi Hocking, Luke Hodgers, Jarrad Hodson, James Andrew Hojok, Abdullah Hosseini Sani, Vahid Howell-Reid, Jaydyn Hunt, David Huynh, Van Muoi Ibbotson, Peter Ioakim, Lucinda Johnson, Henry Jones, Matthew

Contents of Court Lists are intended for information purposes only. The lists are extracted from Court Lists, as supplied to the public, by the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, often one week prior to publication date; for current Court lists, please contact the Court. Further details of cases are available at www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au The Local Paper shall in no event accept any liability for loss or damage suffered by any person or body due to information provided. The information is provided on the basis that persons accessing it undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. No inference of a party’s guilt, innocence or liability should be made by publication of their name as a defendant. Court schedules may be changed at any time for any reason, including withdrawal of the action by the Plaintiff/Applicant. E&OE.

Kader, Hafij Kai, James Kandel, Krishna Kantheti, V Naga Satya Keas, Yasmin Kekez, Magdalena Kemp, Aaron Kemp, Ashleigh Kerdsawat, Pornsuda Kokarevski, Stefo Kondratowicz, Mark Koopmans, Erik Lam, Ming-Hong Lazarevski, Steve Lazarov, Atanas Lenon, Stephanie Lewin, Keith Lewis, Damien Ling, Desmond Mark Lovett, Brian Maher, Brian Makhoul, Shadi Malhotra, Sandeep Mccallum, Cindy Leigh Mcsweeney, Bonnie Melrose, Sean Memery, Daniel Menexes, Michael Nikoloski, Zan O'brien, Beau James Odish, Jason Odisho, Basim Lani Oliver, Mark Omar, Asiyah Palmer, Peggy Pappas, Helen Parisi, Anthony Redzepi, Adem Riego, Delia Rossengas, George Rovtar, Phllip Salom, Asher Sameer, Ameer Sartorello, Michael Schembri, Jason Shabdar, Yosra Sheekho, Raad Singer, Omar Smith, Melissa Stojkovski, Trajan Tekin, Metin Thilakarathne, Kuruppuachchige Thomas, Aaron Todorovski, Tony Tran, Khanh Quoc Troutbeck, Carly Vo, Minh Vozinidis, Sharon Walmsley, Danielle Webb, Kim Wojciechowski, Pawel Zammit, Nathan

More parking needed

■ The City of Whittlesea has started construction on a temporary gravel overflow parking area at the All Abilities Play Space in Mill Park.

The gravel parking area will provide spots for 51 vehicles and is in addition to the 77 parking spaces (including eight disabled bays) already provided within the reserve. It will be open daily between 8am to 8pm.

The new spots should be available by December 24.

The Whip Our Spy in Parliament

Scott set to go

● From last week’s Local Paper (Preston Post) edition ■ Preston Labor MLA Robin Scott looks likely to be one of number of Government MPs set to lose pre-selection in an ALP faction battle prior to next year’s Victorian elections.

Scott, along with western suburbs MLA Marlene Kairouz, have been identified as part of the Adam Somyurek faction, which is destined for political oblivion after branchstacking allegations.

Carbines promoted

■ Ivanhoe Labor MLA Anthony Carbines has been elevated to the position of State Government Minister.

The former Geelong Advertiser journalist was promoted by Premier Daniel Andrews to take on the portfolios of Disability, Ageing and Carers, and Child Protection and Family Services.

“In his inaugural speech to Parliament, Anthony quoted former NSW Premier Jack Lang about the importance of the Labor Party in making social gains for Australians – and I have no doubt he’ll keep those words from the ‘Big Fella’ in the front of his mind as he tackles the work of these incredibly important portfolios,” Mr Andrews said.

Dress sizes up

■ It always happens in the third and fourth year of Parliamentarians. Have a look around and see how a number of politicians have gone up in dress size over the winters. That also includes some of the blokes!

Catherine’s job

■ Cathrine Burnett-Wake (Lib.) has been chosen to occupy the vacant seat in the Legislative Council caused by the depature of Edward O’Donohue.

A joint sitting of both Houses confirmed that Greg Mirabella hold the place in the Senate rendered vacant by the resignation of Senator Scott Ryan.

Lily in the Valley

■ Protesters turned up at the Mill Park office of Minister Lily D’Ambrosio on Friday (Dec. 10) to make their point about brumbies in the high country.

One protester, anticipating Ms D’Ambrosio’s absence, even had a sign saying ‘Where’s Lily?’

Conveniently, she was announcing a park on the other side of town.

Felicitations

■ Speaker Colin Brooks summed it up this way on the last day of sitting: “I just want to take the opportunity to say it has been a very big year. We have had a very tough year.

Well, it has been a tough year for everyone with the pandemic - tough for our communities. Despite the political differences in this chamber, every member has worked hard in their own local communities to support their local communities.”

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Ticks & Crosses

The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 3

Local News

Epping road rage arrest ● Craig Lloyd, Whittlesea CEO Whittlesea City Council late last week issued a media release to say how good Whittlesea City Council is. “CEO Craig Lloyd said the annual release of comparative data was an opportunity for Council to review its performance,” the press statement said. The media release said the Council did well in perceptions regarding animal management requests, food complaints and compliance follow up.

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Perhaps Mr Lloyd should have revealed more in his media release. The Know Your Council survey said the timeliness of Whittlesea Council’s time to action animal management requests was actually down 3.46 per cent. The service standard for animals rehomed was down 9.06 per cent.

Number of visits to aquatic facilities per head of municipal population was down 57.35 per cent, in a comparison with other Councils in the same period. Time taken to action food complaints was down 30.81 per cent. Active library borrowers in the municiaplity dropped 12.6 per cent.

● Lydia Wilson, Chief Administrator Adding to the ‘spin’ in Whittlesea’s ‘Council lauded for service delivery’media release was Lydia Wilson, Chief Administrator: “I’m pleased to see our scores for increased transparency in decision-making as well as higher responsiveness in statutory planning matters significantly improve.” Ms Wilson did not refer to the 4.35 per cent rating given to Whittlesea Council’s transparency. Similar Councils across Victoria had an 8.37 per cent rating. The consultation and engagement rating was down. The survey said the cost of the three part-time Administrators averaged at $252,544.67 each.

Whittlesea Council’s cost of local road re-sealing was $51.42 per square metre. The report said the cost at similar councils was $22.28 per square metre, and $18.06 per square for all Victorian councils. Some 23.67 per cent planning applications were not decided within required time frames. Only 45.83 per cent of Whittlesea Council planning decisions were upheld at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Mr Lloyd figures around missed bin reporting reflected a change in the way calls about missed bins were documented previously. “The missed bin figures are actually 6725 bins of the 5.75 million scheduled bin collections which is only a very small portion and we have been working with our contractor,” Mr Lloyd said.

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■ A man has been charged following a serious road rage assault in Epping on Thursday (Dec. 9).

Detectives from Whittlesea Crime Investigation Unit executed a search warrant at a Narina Way, Epping address.

A 35-year-old man was arrested and subsequently interviewed by detectives.

He has been charged with 15 offences including intentionally cause serious injury, recklessly cause serious injury, conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, assault with a weapon, threat to inflict serious injury, criminal damage by fire, drive whilst suspended, possess methamphetamine, possess ecstasy, possess cannabis and possess imitation firearm.

He was to presented to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday afternoon.

■ Banyule Council is temporarily transforming the walk in front of WaterMarc into a free pop-up park.

The park will host a variety of events and activities over the next few months, including music, performances, markets, movies, art installations and table tennis.

Clean Energy move

The charges follow an incident outside an Aranda Way address just after 8pm.

A 19-year-old Lalor man sustained serious burns after a flammable liquid and lit rag was allegedly thrown onto him and his car.

Shooting probe at Reservoir ■ Echo Taskforce detectives are appealing for information and public assistance as part of their investigation into the drive-by shooting of a pastry shop in Reservoir.

Police were called after a person heard gunshots near the intersection of Cheddar Rd and Broadway in Reservoir just after 12.30am on July 12, 2020.

Attending police found bullet holes in the front window of the property.

A 52-year-old Reservoir man who was inside the property at the time was not injured.

It is believed the weapon used was an assault rifle, with one of the shots fired subsequently travelling through and entering a neighbouring property.

Despite a significant investigation since the incident, no-one has been charged in relation to the matter.

Investigators believe the incident was targeted however are still looking to determine the motive for the shooting.

They are also looking at any connection between a number of other firearms incidents in the northern suburbs around the same time.

Detectives have released CCTV footage of a car they believe may be able to assist with their enquiries, as well as an image of the semiautomatic rifle believed to have fired the shots.

They are also releasing a digital composite image of a male they believe may be able to assist with the investigation.

Detective Inspector Graham Banks, Echo Taskforce, said: “Any indiscriminate use of a firearm in this manner is concerning for police, particularly on this occasion given such a highpowered weapon was used.

“It’s really only luck that has prevented anyone in the vicinity being killed or seriously injured.

“Over the past 17 months, detectives have followed up a number of avenues of enquiry in relation to this shooting and we are hopeful that with the release of the CCTV and images, we will have more people come forward with information.

“Investigators still believe it was a targeted incident, but we are keen to speak to anyone who has knowledge of those involved and what the motivation for the shooting might have been.”

■ Anyone who recognises the vehicle or has information regarding the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Local Briefs G’boro pop-up park

■ Clean Energy Nillumbik is running free Zoom webinars this month where people can learn about neighbourhood batteries and have questions answered.

Funded through the State Government’s Neighbourhood Battery Initiative, CEN is also conducting a survey on neighbourhood batteries and wants to hear from residents.

Teenager critical

■ Fawkner Highway Patrol members are investigating a single vehicle crash that has left a teenage boy in a critical condition.

A Holden Commodore station wagon with six occupants was travelling along Roxburgh Park Drive just after 6.30pm on Wednesday, December 8.

It is believed the driver lost control near McKenzie Crescent, mounted the curb, and struck a tree. A 15-year-old Coolaroo boy, believed to be the driver, was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

All five male passengers aged 14 and 15years-old were treated for non- life-threatening injuries.

Arrest after death

● Police want to speak with this man

■ Homicide Squad detectives have charged a man following the death of a man in Reservoir. Emergency services were called following an altercation at an address on Mahoneys Rd about 4.30pm on December 6. A 44-year-old Thomastown man was treated by paramedics for lower body injuries but died at the scene.

ADVERTISEMENT

● Police believe that a semi-automatic rifle like this was used in the dive-by shooting at Reservoir. ● This is the final 2021 issue of The Local Paper. our first 2022 issue is scheduled for Wednesday, February 2.

Authorised by Marilyn Nuske, Castlemaine.

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Page 4 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

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In 38 Local Areas Incorporating editions and traditions for these local areas: • Banyule: Heidelberger • Bayside: Southern Cross Weekly, Bayside Times, Bayside Advertiser, Brighton Advertiser, Sandringham Advertiser • Boroondara (Northern): Boroondara Weekly, Progress News • Boroondara (Southern):Southern Cross Weekly, Boroondara Weekly • Brimbank: Brimbank Messenger, Keilor Messenger • Cardinia: Cardinia Edition • Casey: Casey Edition, Cranbourne Sun • Darebin (Northern): Preston Post-Reservoir Times • Darebin (Southern): Northcote Budget • Frankston: Frankston Edition • Glen Eira: Southern Cross Weekly, Glen Eira Standard • Greater Dandenong: Dandenong Advertiser • Hobsons Bay: Hobsons Bay Edition • Hume: Hume Obserrver, Broadmeadows Observer • Kingston: Southern Cross Weekly, Kingston Standard, Moorabbin Standard, Moorabbin News • Knox: Knox-Sherbrooke News • Manningham: Manningham News, DoncasterTemplestowe News • Mansfield: Regional Edition • Maribyrnong: Maribyrnong Edition • Maroondah: Maroondah Mail, Croydon Mail, Ringwood Mail • Melbourne: Melbourne Observer, Nation Review, Southern Cross Weekly • Mitchell: Mitchell Shire Edition • Monash: Monash Gazette, Waverley Gazette, Oakleigh Times • Moonee Valley: Moonee Valley Gazette, Essendon Gazette • Moreland: Moreland Courier, Brunswick Sentinel, Coburg Courier • Mornington Peninsula: Mornington Peninsula Post, Hastings Sun, Southern Peninsula Gazette, Western Port Sun • Murrindindi: Dindi Local, Murrindindi Citizen, The Phoenix • Nillumbik (Urban): Diamond Valley News • Nillumbik (Regional): Regional Edition • Port Phillip: Southern Cross Weekly, Port Phillip Times, Emerald Hill Times, Sandridge Times, St Kilda Times • Stonnington: Southern Cross Weekly, Stonnington Weekly • Strathbogie: Regional Edition • Whitehorse: Whitehorse Gazette, Box Hill Gazette, Box Hill Reporter, Nunawading Gazette • Whittlesea (Regional): Regional Edition • Whittlesea (Urban): Whittlesea Post • Yarra: Southern Cross Weekly, Yarra Times, Collingwood Fitzroy Carlton Courier, Richmond Times • Yarra Ranges: Lilydale and Yarra Valley Express, The New Free Press Also incorporating Melbourne Press Network, Victorian Press Network, Victorian Press, Melbourne Trader Newspaper, Melbourne Advertiser, Melbourne Seniors News, Victorian Rural News, Melbournewide

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Long Shots played a similar role on Bert Newton’s Good Morning Australia.

■ What an extra-orTo our growing dinarily tough 2021 number of readers we all have all been most of all, we express through together. our heartfelt thanks.

At The Local PaYou are the people per and the Melwho keep our business bourne Observer, the alive - by supporting pandemic meant that the advertisers who we missed 17 issues fund our business. this year. (It was eight The Local Paper is issues in 2020.) now produced in We would like to localised editions for thank our team for 38 areas of Meltheir wonderful loybourne, the Morningalty and resilience. ton Peninsula, plus The names of our peri-urban and reteam - writers, columgional areas. nists and reviewers, The Melbourne as well as our logisObserver, which tics people - are listed started in 1969, will at left. enter its 53rd year in We also recognise 2022. the crew at StreamHopefully, COVID line Press, with whom will be behind us, and with Ash Long, Editor we are clients, and we have plans at the have been since 1985. ready to expand our Celebrating 52 years in local media Our thanks extend newspapers - in area Winner, Best Local Reporting Award to the 1000+ outlets and in size.

Victoria-wide Westpac Award that distribute our We are going to Direct: 0450 399 932 newspapers each take a Christmas-New E: editor@LocalPaper.com.au week.

Year break. Our offices Web: www.LocalPaper.com.au Sadly, we are unwill re-open at 9am on Personal: www.AshLong.com.au able to liost by name Thursday, January 28, the many thousands and our first issue will “For the cause that lacks assistance, of people who read be on Wednesday, ‘Gainst the wrongs that need resistance our newspapers each February 2.

For the future in the distance, week, both in print and Merry Christmas And the good that we can do” online. and Happy New Year.

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Novak Djokovic is likely to be booed if ★ he shows his face at the Australian Open in Melbourne next month.

Campbell Wallkier, a fourth-year car ✩ pentry apprentice with JA&ME Constructions, has been named the 2021 HIA

Alec Fuller VictorianApprentice of the Year.

Thousands of RMIT employees will be back paid approximately $10 million after the National Tertiary Education Union accepted the university’s proposal to settle its casual payment dispute.

In 1928 a young Marjorie Lawrence arrived in Paris from regional Australia to study Opera. She didn’t know a word of French and had never heard of Richard Wagner. A new film, Marjorie Lawrence: The World At Her Feet, narrated by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, is being released tomorrow (Thu.).

Ombudsman Deborah Glass has slammed decisiondunder the Victorian Border Crossing Permit Directions.

Victoria’s only wholly regional-based university, Federation University, will slash number of academic schools by half.

Phone: 1800 231 311, 9489 2222, 9439 9927, 5797 2656, 0450 399 932 Reg. Office: 30 Glen Gully Rd, Eltham, Vic 3095 (same address for 27 years) Mail: PO Box 1278, Research, Vic 3095 Web: www.LocalPaper.com.au E-Mail: Editor@LocalPaper.com.au

Editor: Ash Long Features Editor: Peter Mac Columnists: Len Baker, Matt Bissett-Johnson, Rob Foenander, Mike McColl Jones, Peter Kemp, Aaron Rourke, John Rozentals, Jim Sherlock, Ted Ryan, Cheryl Threadgold, Julie Houghton, Kevin Trask, Gavin Wood, John O’Keefe Honorary Reviewers: Juliet Charles, Sherryn Danaher, Mary Downie, Peter Green, Lyn Hurst, Kathryn Keeble, Beth Klein, Deborah Marinaro, David McLean, Graeme McCoubrie, Maggie Morrison, Jill Page, Elizabeth Semmel Logistics: Sam Fiorini (All Day Distribution), The Gregson Family, Graeme Hawke, Maurice Golden, John Parry Credit Manager: Michael Conway OAM, Fast Action Debt Recovery, 0402 142 866

Short Shots

● The Country Women’s Association has about 5000 members in 300 branches across Victoria. It is an organisation of women supporting women, children and families. At Yea at the weekend, Gidget Knight and Marie Oddy were part of the street stall fund raiser, which included CWA ‘Collect’ tea towels.

● Philippa Caris ■ Congratulations to Philippa Caris, Manager of the Glen Eira Adult Learning Centre on being selected as a finalist in the 2021 Learn Local Awards in the category of Learn Local Pre-accredited Leadership Award.

For 15 years, the Learn Local Awards have celebrated adult community education in Victoria, highlighting the courageous achievements of adult learners as well as the sector's committed trainers, leaders and training providers.

Maria Peters, Chair of the Adult, Community and Further Education Board commented that Philippa's selection as a finalist was "a great reward for your hard work, your commitment to your organisation, trainers and learners, and the positive way you have led innovation in programs and learner and staff engagement over the course of a challenging year."

The positive learning environment Philippa creates at the Glen Eira Adult Learning Centre ensures the well-being of staff and 335 students, many from Glen Eira's diverse migrant community.

Her connections made with other notfor-profit organisations assist with training learners for employment and helping with tax, banking and health services.

During the pandemic lockdowns, Philippa implemented a digital learning and engagement strategy and provided support for staff and students.

In her address at a gala awards ceremony last week, Gayle Tierney, Minister for Higher Education, said the state of Victoria is a leader in adult and community education.

The winner of the Victorian Learn Local Pre-accredited LeadershipAward was Rana Tbaileh from Banksia Gardens Community Services.

- Cheryl Threadgold

www.LocalPaper.com.au

Your Stars

with Kerry Kulkens Aries. March 21- April 20.

Colour green.

Lucky day Monday Racing numbers 6.3.5.2.

Lotto numbers 13.15.24.40.5.2.

Over this period, a surprising and happy situation appears out of the blue that could be what you need right now. If single, you should meet someone you could take a fancy to.

Taurus. April 21- May 20.

Colour white Lucky day. Wednesday Racing numbers 5.6.2.3.

Lotto numbers 1.9.14.16.23.31 A restless urge could make the time drag, and some could lack discretion in affairs of the heart. Some could feel misled by a friend. Romance will improve if you show your loved ones that you care.

Gemini. May 21- June 21.

Colour fawn Lucky day Monday Racing numbers 5.6.2.1.

Lotto numbers 1.6.13.24.40.33.

Many could find a source of happiness in unexpected places and situations you could get caught in a lot of activity, to begin with, and then wonder what it’s all about.

Romance should be encouraging.

Cancer. June 22- July 22.

Colour red Lucky day. Friday Racing numbers 1.6.5.2.

Lotto numbers 13.15.24.40.11.2.

If you plan well, a financial venture will succeed. Health will improve. Worry should lift off your shoulders. Your attitude to money will be positive and successful.

Leo. July 23- August 22.

Colour green Lucky day Monday Racing numbers 1.6.5.2.

Lotto numbers 13.15.24.40.11.2.

Opportunities to advance your career interests. Many changes are in the pipeline. Make sure you don’t take on more than you can handle. More interest in making your domestic or love life more enjoyable.

The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 5

Local News

Clean energy in Nillumbik

■ A Zoom webinar about neighbourhood batteries – how they work, what benefits can be expected - will be held by Clean Energy Nillumbik.

Funded through the State Government’s Neighbourhood Battery Initiative, CEN is also conducting a survey on neighbourhood batteries and wants to hear from residents. Community input via the survey is a critical component of CEN’s work towards a neighbourhood battery.

Nillumbik Mayor Cr Frances Eyre said the Neighbourhood Battery Initiative is a perfect fit for Nillumbik Shire.

“Nillumbik has a history of focusing on innovative and practical sustainability solutions, and a neighbourhood battery is an excellent step in the right direction,” Cr Eyre said.

“A neighbourhood battery would sit in our local area to support the community in the use and sharing of renewable energy, and help create a more resilient electricity grid.”

CEN will hold a free webinar information sessions at 7.30-8.30pm tonight (Wed.), and welcomes survey responses until December 23. Surveys submitted with an email address will go into a draw for a $100 Eltham Farmers Market voucher. Complete the survey and read more at cleanenergynillumbik.org.au/batteries

● Cr Frances Eyre, Nillumbik Mayor

Protest at MP’s office

Virgo. August 23- September 23.

Colour orange Lucky day Wednesday Racing numbers 1.6.5.2.

Lotto numbers 13.15.24.26.20.11.

Could be significant changes looming in your love life.

Long-distance travel is indicated. However, don’t expect too much from work associates.

Libra. September 24- October 23.

Colour lilac Lucky day Thursday Racing numbers 3.5.3.2.

Lotto numbers .1.6.23.35.36.20.

Changes concerning career and finances are indicated, although most will be more interested in pleasure than work and will have to push themselves into staying solvent.

Scorpio. October 24- November 22.

Colour white Lucky day Friday Racing 5.6.8.7.

Lotto numbers 7.9.15.24.40.33.

Watch out for faulty electrical equipment or appliances; many will try new ventures. Health improvements and many will start a health get fit or beauty course.

Sagittarius. November 23- December 20 Lucky colour orange Lucky day. Thursday Racing numbers 6.5.2.1.

Lotto numbers 13.15.24.40.33.36.

Love relationships should be happier. Some are in for an unusual work proposition. Legal affairs may need your attention; however, the results should be successful.

Capricorn. December 21- January 19.

Colour cream Lucky day Saturday Racing 6.5.2.1.

Lotto numbers 13.15.24.29.34.45 Good fortune can come in many ways, and many could be settling critical financial deals. It won’t be your usual period, and something more interesting will shake you out of your routine existence.

Aquarius . January 20- February 19.

Lucky colour brown Lucky day Tuesday Racing numbers 5.6.3.2.

Lotto numbers 13.14.29.38.5.33.

A close relationship should become very special. Many will be more in the spotlight and feel proud of themselves. However, watch out for a hard-luck story; you could be conned.

Pisces. February 20-March 20.

Colour white Lucky day. Thursday Racing 1.5.7.8.

Lotto numbers 1.5.13.19.24.40.45 Your financial situation should improve. This week could see the start of massive events in your life. Be ready to catch the ample opportunity.

VISIT KERRY KULKENS MAGIC SHOP AT 1693 BURWOOD HWY BELGRAVE PH/FAX 9754 4587 WWW.KERRYKULKENS.COM.AU Like us on Facebook

● A protest outside the Mill Park electorate office of Lily D’Ambrosio to complain about plans to eradicate brumbies from the high country, attracted television news crews. Ms D’Ambrosio was across town at the timne, announcing plans for a Dandenongs Ranges project.

Letters to the Editor

editor@LocalPaper.com.au

‘Scrooge’ alive at Darebin Sir, About 11 months ago I was talkingt to the City of Darebin General Manager of Governance and Engagement anout several complaints I had about her department.

I told the General Manager one of her staff gave me one piece of paper with my three questions on it.

I did protest to the officer who then gabe me two more sheets of paper.

I mentioned this to the General Manager, she advised me that she has instructed gher staff not to photo copy anything for the customers. I thought this was rather mean. ★ As a person who always seems to get into trouble with Council officers, I did notice how the Council officers with whom I have a conversation are “juidge, jury and executioner”.

There is no appeal to their decisions. The only thing you can do is go to the Ombudsmam.

Really? Is this the way to run a multi-million dollar organisation where there is no appeal?

Everybody has a right of appeal.

These executives should be brought up into

the 21st century now.

- John Nugent, Epping

Loss of democracy Sir, I have the greatest sympathy for the Darebin Progress Association’s Secretary, Marion Harper, who laments the loss of democracy on the Darebin Council and its replacement by bureaucratic decree (“You have lost our respect:Association”, Dec. 1) The Darebin Council bureaucracy is all powerful. The leader of the bureaucracy is Darebin’s $6923 per week CEO Sue Wilkinson.

On council her word is law, as I am only too well aware.

In the last few years she has personally signed four banning orders against me to prevent me from attending Council question time, enforced by hired security and Preston Police.

The secrecy of the bureaucracy is absolute.

Letters and email enquiries from ratepayers go unanswered.

- Brian Sanaghan Scotia St, West

Local Sport North Metro Jika Shield. Holy Trinity 8/227(cc) A Shackelford 56 M Manteit 33 L Williams 29 J Walker 2/67 def Preston Baseballers 226 M Sortino 68 A Boughton 67 D Castrucci 26* D Newell 25 P Medhurst 2/37. Donath 9/130(cc) J Tennent 57 D Sedgwick 42 N Ratnayake 3/ 17 A Kumar Badwal 2/26 def by Northern Socials 9/139(cc) JL Ladiges-Tucker 2/16 D Rowley 2/21. Keon Park 123 J Smith 50 C Taylor 3/17 D Dharmasena 3/36 C Malluwawadu 2/21 def by Heidelberg West 7/151(cc) VK Arachchige 89 P Capaldo 3/ 39 AS Jamal 2/29. Rivergum 2/81 J Bannister 57* def Reservoir Cobras 78 M Krstitovic 26 J Bannister 4/7 C Murray 3/1 DK Young 2/26.

Jack Quick Shield. Old Ivanhoe 3/89 M McLean 28 def Preston Footballers 87 H Ravichandran 38 B Hazeldine 4/21 M Moncrieff 3/15 H Cox 2/4. Fairfield 108 P Kalbhor 34 M Syed 33 E Smith 3/13 J Dickman 3/18 Z Taleb 2/16 def by Cameron 7/154(cc) KD Beaumont 49 R McBean 2/17 S Muhammad 2/24 P Kalbhor 2/32. Camrea Cricket Club 9/140(cc) R Khurana 39 MR Jacobs 25* JC Sparrow 3/19 J Horder 2/17 def Dennis 123 V Dhankar 28 M Smith 26 CA Dennehy 3/41 A Indrajith 2/1 D Pougios 2/7. Olympic Colts 214 J White 102 JT Lynch 35 S Vikash 4/28 S Buddaraju 3/44 def by Fiji Victorian 246 B D'Mello 120 H Kumar 28 J White 3/28 JT Lynch 2/42 Jack Kelly Shield. Bellfield 149 SS Harsha 39 N Thammineni 35 S Aluru 27 A Bennett 3/14 A Balasubramaniam 3/23 MM Attri 3/34def by West Preston 9/202(cc) B Vasudevan 58 SG Palaniappan 48 S Aluru 5/ 38 H Dodipelli 2/39. Preston Baseballers 2nd XI 193 L Trinh 60 F La Mendola 54 JP Perko 5/31 S Krstevski 2/28 J Delcus 2/28 def by Lalor Warriors 8/194 S Suri 84* C Burns 54 JT MacDonald 3/31 F La Mendola 2/27. Darebin Northern Riders 170 GD Ridding 4/28 J O'Brien 3/17 def Rivergum 2nd XI 115 M Dijulio 36. Preston YCW District 104 M Morabito 39 def by Strathewen 200 AN Kumar 2/25.

John Adams Shield - B-Grade. Reservoir Cobras 2nd XI 6/146(cc) M Devgan 47 P Baxter 26 S Chhetri 2/33 def by Preston Himalayan 5/147 S Thapa 48 R Paudyal 28 S Gurung 27 M Devgan 3/21. Strathewen 2nd XI 7/187(cc) J Shepherd 4/23 RC White 2/41 def by Old Ivanhoe 2nd XI 6/190 JA Claus 72 V Pawar 48. Heidelberg West 2nd XI 128 B Moore 42 G Camilleri 40 L Setefano 3/20 M Parremore 2/1 def by Camrea 2nd XI 8/ 164(cc) M Parremore 47* J Dempsey 38 C Sims 36 G Camilleri 3/31. Ivanhoe Mavericks 28 B Rickard ACC 3/10 N Ryan 3/17 def by Holy Trinity 2nd XI 7/196 J Cloonan 53 H Ellis 39 N Goodwin 35 R Saw 25 A Ghanghas 2/44.

Les Horne Shield - C-Grade. West Preston 2nd XI 6/271 K Ravi 149 G Devaraju 50* def Olympic Colts 2nd XI 8/157(cc) M Coombe 78 J Owen 29 S Subramanain 3/23 S Gunasekaran 2/21. Cameron 2nd XI def Fairfield 2nd XI. Dennis 2nd XI 8/200(cc) C Hancock 98 Z Hancock 56 T Kikani 2/14 R Torre 2/31 def Keon Park 2nd XI 8/181 HJ Sutton 48 SD Baker 41* J Celodka 31 B Barker 28 L Fraser 3/35 T Thompson 2/25.

Northern Socials 2nd XI 5/272(cc) RW Taylor 77 S Newitt 56 NS Silva 47 H Qureshi 34 J Purves 2/36 T Hopkins 2/57 def Donath 2nd XI 153 J Busuttil 55 T Hopkins 32 DG Newitt 3/27 H Qureshi 2/13 P Firebrace 2/20 N Nteris 2/48.

Bob Herman Shield - D-Grade. Darebin Northern Riders 2nd XI: Bye. Fiji Victorian 2nd XI 80 D Cook 3/4 A Sibillin 2/7 S Goodwin 2/15 def Holy Trinity 3rd XI 65 A Sibillin 25. Lalor Warriors 2nd XI 2/97 D Cauchi 34 S Pati 27* def Preston Baseballers 3rd XI 96 BB Haas 5/8 M Cutler 2/8. Preston Footballers 2nd XI 51 def byRivergum 3rd XI 7/165(cc) M Naeem 3/27 M Corbett 2/42.

Les Kemp Shield - E-Grade. Old Ivanhoe 3rd XI def Keon Park 3rd XI. Reservoir Cobras 3rd XI 63 SK Thomas 3/10 Z Shaik 2/2 P Das 2/2 def by Bellfield 2nd XI 1/69 N Surampudi 37*. West Preston 3rd XI 67 def

by Fiji Victorian 3rd XI 134 J Bonello 4/23 S Sherani 4/28.

Syd Sault Shield - F-Grade. Fiji Victorian 4th XI 143 S Mekala 55 RR Suravajjula 31 JI Mahmud 3/14 RH Reday 2/24 def by Camrea 3rd XI 4/145 KR Haque 47* SS Bokka 34 S Patti 2/28 A Boddula 2/29. Holy Trinity 4th XI 6/191(cc) J Philpott 100 R Mulder 55* CA Day 2/24 R Edwards 2/25 def Dennis 3rd XI 8/187(cc) CA Day 107 J Kovacic 31 I Bartley 2/26. Rivergum 4th XI 81 A O'Connor 40* DC Reid 3/20 JR Morgan 2/4 D Maloney 2/22 def by Kinglake 1/94(cc) T Maloney 41* B Robinson 26*

Page 6 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Local Sport Premier Cricket Men’s Premier Firsts. Carlton 8/253(cc) NJ Ross 72 TJ Smyth 58* HJ Smyth 29 P Patil 3/34 SR Paramesh 3/55defKingston Hawthorn 138 R Dhindsa 36 RV Grenville 26 TJ Smyth 3/30 EC O'Sullivan 2/13 EP Gulbis 2/16 CA Stevenson 2/21. Dandenong 157 GE Seneviratne 29 CP Forsyth 27 J Slater 25 JN Fry 2/10 RP Kellepotha 2/28 LJ Shelton 2/40 C Dodson 2/50 def by Casey-South Melbourne 8/258(cc) MT Wallace 89 L Manders 49 HA Kannan 39 A Chandrasinghe 29 MN Wilson 3/62 GE Seneviratne 2/45.

Essendon 4/252(cc) J Seymour 67 I Willett 58 MW Hill 52 RJ Stingel 37 HJ Burrill 2/34 def Camberwell Magpies 202 S Bhargave 54 LP Bowe 4/33 M Hussain 2/33. Fitzroy Doncaster 128 N Fletcher 45 AJ Gregory 4/ 11 M Stafford 3/18 B Rolfs 2/30 def by Melbourne University 8/130 N Croes 27 AP Young 25 E Alavi 3/23 HS Goad 2/15 SM Elliott 2/30. Footscray 9/253(cc) AJ Armstrong 57 DG Kight 51 TJ Dean 51 DJ Brasher 29 JE Koop 3/42 JA Prestwidge 2/ 48 FP O'Neill 2/52 def by Melbourne 8/ 254(cc) CJ Kellaway 102 JW Harper 74 J Vine 2/42 MC Birthisel 2/48. Geelong 209 HW Butterworth 68 AL Boyd 45 BT Walsh 3/48 IG Holland 2/22 JM Freeman 2/23 DA King 2/42 def by Ringwood 262 TF Rogers 118 AS Dhull 93 DK McGlinchey 5/46.

Northcote 6/249(cc) J Lalor 94* JC Rushton 47 MC Phelan 32 H Singh 3/54 JK Lalor 2/ 58 v Greenvale Kangaroos 10/127 MM Harrison 59* JC Rushton 4/23 A Crispe 2/26 R Lane 2/34. Prahran 193 L Bangs 44 WJ Sutherland 37 BM Moon 34* M Perry 3/43 AJ Humphries 2/18 J D'Rozario 2/32 def by Richmond 2/194 S Singh 98* J FraserMcGurk 36 Y Pednekar 29. St Kilda 6/149 EJ Newman 38 JA Merlo 32 JG Bartlett 25* BJ Symons 4/33 B Clarke 2/27 def Frankston Peninsula 145 AG Kodoth 28 TR Murphy 5/ 32 TV Russ 2/22.

Seconds. Camberwell Magpies 6/284(cc) A Pawha 106* JW Wiseman 44 DP Redhu 36 E Nelson 30 DP Deasy 3/46 def Essendon 221 W Blair 115 F Chowna 60 A Pawha 3/32 KA Prior 2/53. Frankston Peninsula 8/181(cc) D Mylius 47* LJ Klauer 35 ML Sellenger 3/ 30 JW Noske 2/27 def by St Kilda 5/183 JA Manning 47* BS Davies 41 DT Meddings 35 C Cleef 3/29. Kingston Hawthorn 10/156 V Wickramasinghe 37 S Sathyajith 25 MJ Culvenor 3/14 NE Hurley 2/27 N Pottabathini 2/33 def by Carlton 8/206(cc) T Mileto 100 A Poppa 42 N Walker 29 ZV Richardson 3/30 S Khattak 2/33. Melbourne University 6/ 196(cc) HJ Barnes 81* J Peacock 55 Z Parr 2/37 A Johnston 2/38 def by F i t z r o y Doncaster 9/200 M Sacchetta 35* ML Thomas 35 M Jephcott 31 J Peacock 4/28.

Melbourne 9/212(cc) HM Pearson 54 M Jackman 42 K James 42* B Aggelis 3/33 T Hughes 2/19 def by Footscray 3/213 S Mihelakos-James 104 MT Jamieson 58 H Bajwa 2/34. Greenvale Kangaroos 8/255(cc) HA Qureshi 83 BR Kelly 76 N Panaia 25 N Biscontin 3/26 DJ Lalor 3/31def by Northcote 9/256 EJ Brandon-Jones 117* B Pereara 38 TJ Winchester 6/74 MW Archer 2/40.

Richmond 10/235(cc) A Cross 64* K Viccars 41 C Hinds 40 NP Morrey 2/32 AI Wheeler 2/43 D Harrison-Smith 2/44 SM Beer 2/47 def Prahran 10/158 NP Morrey 49* J Agar 34 A Becker 3/21 J Trevethan 3/32 J Hesline 2/ 30. Ringwood 10/214 TJ Wynne 45 AM Flynn 44 ZE Flintoff 38 TM Freeman 34 D Mehta 5/45 V Huf 3/44 def by Geelong 7/242(cc) LG Field 63 D Mehta 57 JA Collins 44 GJ Lawson 4/48 TM Freeman 2/50. Casey-South Melbourne 198 C Benedek 73 A Deshpande 67 TA De Silva 4/41 J Murray 4/42 def by Dandenong 9/215(cc) MN Marinic 113 A Athiththan 42 DA Vanderwert 37 J Packer 5/ 26 EM Allaway 2/33.

Thirds. Footscray 10/185 A Nadeem 44 A Sehrawat 31 J Clements 29 WT O'Brien 2/5 AJ Boyle 2/23 KA Parrott 2/23 MA Cesarios 2/32 def by Melbourne 9/281(cc) KA Parrott 83 CD Anderson 48 AD Pellin 48 HJ Brown 40 HC Tonks 5/37. Geelong 3/104 H Melville 53* def Ringwood 103 AP Meehan 32* S Geary 4/13 M Potter 2/13. Northcote 1/135 W Brennan 67* R Fernando 40* B Crick 25 v Greenvale Kangaroos 133 M Welsh 27 Z Mills 4/16 V Vasan 2/33. St Kilda 119 JB Sugden 31 J Cox 5/27 AL McIlroy 3/29 def

by Frankston Peninsula 2/121 NS Taranto 49* M Islam 42. Prahran 1/171 NJ King 98* MO Delaney 68* def Richmond 8/170(cc) A Bauer 39 H Gell 28 PM Pancholi 27 N Hunt 3/36 EP Wright 2/27. Carlton 3/130 J Shepherd 54* I Shaikh 25* R Rajeshbabu 2/19 def Kingston Hawthorn 129 SB Morrow 3/ 16 L Brasher 3/23 HD Trenwith 2/19.

Dandenong v Casey-South Melbourne.

Essendon 7/173(cc) M Lawson 81* B Mulheran 31 BK Watkins 3/25 RA Steele 2/ 33 v Camberwell Magpies 10/87 M Pearce 3/30 BJ Toseland 2/10 B Mulheran 2/15.

Fitzroy Doncaster 171 JP Ellingworth 32 JT Braunthal 31 LD Ingram 29 TJ Walker 4/13 R Rakes 2/44 def Melbourne University 137 O Patel 40 MP Forwood 25 JP Ellingworth 4/ 25 S Kimber 3/24.

www.LocalPaper.com.au

Local News

North rallies together ■ Northcote MLA Kat Theophanous has told the last 2021 sitting day of Parliament that the inner north has rallied together to great achievements in difficult times.

“Together we have now secured over $78 million in local school funds, with 13 major school projects underway or completed.

“The Chandler Highway is finished, and we are on the way to removing four level crossings in Preston, creating massive swathes of new open space.

“There are upgrades to Penders, Alphington and Yarra Bend parks and new cycling and walking tracks, and we are finally linking Alphington to the Darebin Yarra Trail.

“We have built 10 new netball courts and have another eight on the way at Fairlea Reserve. We are building Australia’s first Aboriginal Women and Girls Sport and Wellness Centre in Thornbury.

“There are some things we have achieved that do not make big headlines but mean so much, like a new food forest for the kids at Croxton special school, building 38 self-contained apartments in Fairfield for women in need, supporting food relief through our neighbourhood houses and a new community garden in Croxton,” Ms Theophanous told the Legislative Assembly.

● Kat Theophanous, Northcote MLA

Angel Wings

● Carla O’Brien, pictured with ‘Angel Wings’, is exhibiting neon installations as part of Northcote Rise next weekend.

Nod for Bridge Inn Rd

● Danielle Green, Yan Yean MLA

■ Yan Yean MLA Danielle Green spoke in praise of works at Mernda.

“My question is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure (Jacinta Allan). Minister, as you are aware, the Andrews Government has made significant infrastructure investments in Melbourne’s north: North East Link, the extension of rail to Mernda, the Mernda line upgrade, upgrades to Plenty Rd and Yan Yean Rd and more intersection upgrades and better traffic management measures.

“I am pleased to see that the next cab off the rank is the major works contract just awarded for the Bridge Inn Rd upgrade. The project will improve traffic flow and reduce travel times to provide better access to the area, particularly to Mernda station and Mernda town centre.

“The project will make mobility in all forms safer with the installation of walking and cycling infrastructure. During the works locals have expressed concern about the construction impact on traffic flow and transport in the area and on surrounding arterial roads. Minister, I ask: when can my constituents expect to see works underway, what steps are being taken to ensure that access to local areas is maintained for locals and what is the time line for completion of this upgrade?”

Local Sport Diamond Valley Cricket Assoc.

Barclay Shield. Banyule 8/159(cc) LJ Poyser 37 JN Wilson 27 MJ Stanley 2/21 LA Costa 2/29 def Lower Eltham 158 C Clayton 45 LA Costa 29 TC Hall 2/11 JC Mahar 2/23 NP Murray 2/23. North Eltham Wanderers 180 J Lambert 47 L Camuncoli 36 B Roughsedge 27 D Smith 3/34 CM Salm 3/38 L Morgan 2/27 D Mills 2/38 def by Riverside 4/181 N Chrimes 112* CM Salm 38* JC Young 3/43. Epping 153 SA Barker 27 M Keenan 3/26 DH Bedurke 2/20 DR Gilbert 2/ 24 H Smith 2/25 def by Diamond Creek 9/ 160(cc) DR Gilbert 50 JT Ireland 37 T McLean 26 T Hughes 3/31 J Lever 3/36.

Macleod 6/159 N Lynch 76 R Wise 29 A Fotinopoulos 2/24 def Heidelberg 6/158(cc) P Cashen 57 Z Pett 33 D Brandt 2/16. Research Eltham Collegians 163 NM Rowe 2/ 23 N Carlton 2/25 A Khanna 2/49 def by Rosanna 6/202(cc) N Carlton 84 DC Marsh 37 S Sheehan 29 SJ Malone 2/41 J Turner 2/ 44.

Money Shield. Rosebank 115 R Sharma 40 CC Prasad 4/31 C Barclay 3/16 S Cullen 2/19 def by Plenty 9/182(cc) M Johnson 56 TK Rajarathna 39 O Capaldo 2/9 R Sharma 2/16 H Smith 2/26 A Perera 2/48. Bundoora Park 205 R Singh-Dhillon 69 T Herath 38 B Healy 32 RM Gaylard 4/20 L Solar 3/36 def

by Bundoora United 7/218(cc) M Ross 79 J Thompson 33 SC Barnett 30 C Gunn 26 DA Fox 3/55. Old Paradians 8/137 RB Landers 56 MJ Cheung 42* D Bainbridge 2/25 R Marnell 2/27 L Taylor 2/27 def Mernda 136 D Chesterton 51 D Ranatunga 25 UJ Ranasingha 3/24 AWegener 2/12 DP Wegener 2/18. Montmorency 7/179(cc) TK Groom 51 M O'Brien 35 J Taylor 33 SS Taggar 2/28 N Sharma 2/33 def by Bundoora 5/180(dec) S Silva 58* SS Taggar 35 N Sharma 26 A Fairchild 25 TK Groom 2/11. Lalor Stars 3/ 189 DJ Worthington 70 R Mittica 65 J Steele 37* A Lamont 2/18 def Eltham 6/188(cc) M Chrimes 52* L Rushton-McCoach 45 K Sheehan 26 JJ Nixon 2/17 J Steele 2/21.

Mash Shield. Laurimar 4/156 AR Crook 50 RJ Boddy 43* SM Toull 27* def Greensborough 7/153(cc) JL Marenos 34 CJ Austin 30 AR Crook 2/36. Thomastown 5/158 C Aitken 43 N Fellows 38 L Alberti 33* C Baker 2/13 C Avola 2/24 def by Whittlesea 4/ 227(cc) B Bell 80* C Baker 56 N Fowler 45.

Lower Plenty 8/161(cc) BA Jenkin 38 B Wright 30 RL Offer 29 M Berry 2/23 T Sanjeewa 2/39 def by Hurstbridge 7/166(cc) T Sanjeewa 67* A Caldera 3/27. Mill Park 110 R Knee 28 B Young 4/22 R Ford 2/6 def

by Panton Hill 235 R Ford 56 S Tung 48 M Selleck 37 M Stamkovski 28 J Marshall 2/29 M McMaster 2/33 C Fernandes 2/33 N Andrews 2/39. Thomastown United 2/142 J Lalios 64* D Lakmal 60* J Bellam 2/14 def South Morang 140 AJ Salmon 25 J McSwain 3/15 A Fernando 3/28 RG Patterson 2/31 B-Grade. Diamond Creek 109 L McLellan 51 MJ Fitzpatrick 2/11 K Lamprey 2/23 NJ Gardiner 2/25 def by Epping 5/ 110 SC Trowbridge 34* LR Rowley 2/20 R McCormick 2/35. Rosanna 7/183(cc) T Bourke 56 M Crispe 36* BJ Ellis 31 A Cunningham 2/20 J Brown 2/39 def Research Eltham Collegians 132 O Irvine 35* B Willis 30 C Douglas 4/11 A Dickson 4/27 MR Jackson 2/24. Bundoora United 132 S Anand 37 M Williams 29 C Lennox 3/17 DD Mills 2/9 FA Davis 2/27 def by Banyule 7/133 C Lennox 43* OA McGillion 41* S Anand 3/13 R Singh 3/17. Heidelberg 1/116 D Gattuso 55* LJ Balcombe 34* 0/1 D Gattuso 55* LJ Balcombe 34* def Lalor Stars 112 T Balcombe 3/20 P Hannah 2/19 TF Meehan 2/29. Riverside 142 C Daw 4/31 C Butcher 3/ 35 R Patmore 2/30 def Montmorency 8/131 S Norton 52 R Edwards 28 J Money 4/24 N Brennan 2/21 C-Grade. Banyule 6/128 H Foster 2/27 def Laurimar 126 B O'Loughlin 32 A Macchion 26 PA Davis 3/22 JG McIntyre Snr 3/22 PJ Barnes 2/22 LC Sier 2/26. Lower Eltham 7/156 N Frayne 31* J Caldarelli 27 LA Robertson 2/18 def by Lower Plenty 4/ 186(cc) LM Sirianni 63* G Brown 51 T Smith 34 AAndrews 2/46. Mernda 5/124 P Sharma 63* S Sekhon 26 CP Muir 2/28 def Old Paradians 123 K Lawson 55 MW Fernando 29 D Taylor 4/20 M Edwards 4/31. Riverside 4/203 R Gleeson 70* KJ Mahony 41 DD Kovac 3/56 def Macleod 4/199(cc) LJ O'Leary 94* AW James 39. Bundoora 96 AJ Evans 29 B O'Donnell 3/18 LS Anderson 3/ 23 JW Sharples 2/8 def by North Eltham Wanderers 0/97 M Corda 49* D Naidoo 43*.

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Local Theatre Shows

■ Centrestage: Puffs: The Play (by Matt Cox) December 16 – 23 at Warehouse 26, 26 Rodney Rd., North Geelong. Director: David Greenwood and Michele Marcu. Bookings: www.centrestage.org.au ■ Essence Theatre Productions: The Scrunch Test (by Alaine Beek) December 22, 23 at 7.30pm, December 23 at 2.00pm at the Wyndham Cultural Centre. Director: Kevin Hopkins. Note: Contains adult themes and occasional coarse language. Bookings: www.wyncc.com.au ■ Geelong Repertory Theatre Company: Summer of the Aliens (by Louis Nowra) January 6 – 16 at The Woodbin Theatre, 25 Coronation St., Geelong West. Director: Stacey Carmichael. Bookings: Geelong Arts Centre 1300 251 200 geelongartscentre.org.au ■ Peridot Theatre: Hypnosis (by David Tristram) January 28 – February 12 at the Unicorn Theatre, Mt Waverley Secondary College, Lechte Rd., Mt Waverley. Director: Pip LeBlond. Bookings: www.peridot.com.au Adelphi Theatre Players: The Christian Brothers (by Ron Blair) January 28 – 30 at GEALC Centre, 260 Booran Rd., Ormond. Evening and Matinee performances. Director: Michael Mace. Admission $10. Information and bookings on 9690 1593 or 9578 0952.

Bookings are essential.

■ Playhouse Players Inc: Around the World in 80 Days (by Jules Verne, adapted for stage

by Mark Brown) February 2 – 5 at 7.30pm and 3pm matinee at Clayton Theatre, Cooke St., Clayton. Tickets: $25/29. Bookings: www.trybooking.com/BQIMV ■ Mordialloc Theatre Company: The Kitchen Sink (by Tom Wells) February 18 – March 5 at the Shirley Burke Theatre, 64 Parkers Rd., Parkdale. Director: Rod Hulme.

Bookings: www.mordialloctheatre.com ■ Monash One Act Play Festival: February 25 – 27 at the Unicorn Theatre, Mt Waverley Secondary College, Lechte Rd., Mt Waverley.

Phoenix Theatre Company: We Will Rock You February 25 – March 5 at the Doncaster Playhouse, 679 Doncaster Rd., Doncaster.

Director/Choreographer: Renée Maloney; Vocally Directed by Kristyn Adamopoulos; Band directed by Peter Verhagen. Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/events/ landing?eid=796834&

Auditions

■ Peridot Theatre: A Season of One Act Plays January 30 at 6.00pm, February 13 at 2.00pm/5.00pm and February 19 at 2.00pm at the Unicorn Theatre, Mt Waverley Secondary College, Lechte Rd., Mt. Waverley.

Audition bookings: Line-Up directed by Joe Dias joe.dias. actor@gmail.com Love is a Dish directed by Audrey Farthing 0421 600 441 or treasurer@peridot.com.au Embers directed by Colin Morley 0420 947 373 morcolin@gmail.com Just a Straight Man directed by Bob Bramble 0418 586 273 or bobbramble2013@gmail.com - Cheryl Threadgold

Clifford

■ Paramount Pictures presents a school holiday new movie Clifford the Big Red Dog. The movie tells of middle schooler Emily Elizabeth struggling to fit in at home and at school and meeting a magical animal rescuer who gives her a small red puppy which is destined to become her best friend.

Clifford becomes a gigantic 10-foot hound in her New York City apartment and attracts the attention of a genetics company wishing to supersize animals.

Emily's single mother is away on business, so her fun but impulsive Uncle Casey set out on an adventure, fighting the forces of greed as they go on the run across New York City.

Along the way, Clifford affects the lives of everyone around him and teaches Emily and her uncle the true meaning of acceptance and unconditional love.

Clifford the Big Red Dog opens in cinemas on December 30.

- Julie Houghton ● Receive a free copy of the digital edition of this newspaper. Subscribe at www.FreePaper.com.au

Observer

The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 7

Melbourne

Observations Delicious

Published statewide weekly in the Melbourne Observer and all editions of The Local Paper.

Phone: 1800 231 311. Email: editor@MelbourneObserver.com.au

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021

SS METAPHOR

■ The Malthouse Theatre’s production of S.S. Metaphor, directed by Sarah Giles, written by Ash Flanders, bravely performed on an outdoor stage (this is Melbourne!), was not the grand return to the stage we may have hoped for these performers.

There were undoubtedly moments of humour, witty asides, the odd smutty joke to make you snigger, a touch of cynicism with the cry “we’re all in this together” and plenty of glorious vocals, thank you Natalie Gamsu! However, overall it was a mishmash of the odd and ridiculous.

The concept itself was brilliant - a cruise liner anchored at sea, a safe distance from covidinfested mainland, with a crew of entertainers – Harold (Will Conyers), piano and backup vocals, and the dazzling Suzie (Gamsu), vocals (with an unexpected party trick), to keep the horde of passengers (the audience) entertained.

After 365 days afloat Suzie stages a mutiny that goes horribly wrong.

The plot to kill the ship’s captain is sabotaged by a waiter (Flanders) who overthrows Suzie to stage his own cabaret based on Des’ree songs.

His performance is interrupted by additional subplots, not all that really work. Enter ‘dull’ environmentalist (Zenya Carmellotti) trying to save the ship from crashing into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the appearance of a Disney character actor.

That said, you could not fault the talent on stage. Gamsu was commanding at every moment. With a rich and powerful voice, her hammy diva sequin-studded opening numbers were highlights.

Equally fun to watch was Flanders. His maniacal character was played beautifully, a true comic actor with a great voice and a tap routine worth the ticket price alone. Musical director Conyers impressed and Carmellotti did the best she could.

● Ash Flanders in S.S. Metaphor.

Photo: Pia Johnson A product of our COVID times – perhaps we are all a bit madder now, S.S Metaphor has the bones, but the flesh needs more work and could comfortably be cut back to 60 minutes.

Performance season: until December 19 Venue: The Malthouse Theatre Outdoor Stage, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank Tickets: $40 - $65 Bookings: https://tickets.malthousetheatre. com.au/production/7211 - Review by Beth Klein

The Pageant

■ Performing at Melbourne’s newest comedy venue Comedy Republic as part of Midsumma Festival, comedians The Beryls – aka Laura Trenerry and Patrick Dwyer– present The Pageant, a narratively driven, immersive sketch show that casts the audience as contestants and pushy showbiz parents as they satirise the superficiality of beauty standards.

The show can be seen on Friday, February 4 and Saturday, February 5 at 7pm.

Creators and performers Trenerry, from award-winning comedy trio The Travelling Sisters, and Dwyer, a mainstage theatre actor, have been working behind the scenes with Travelling Sister Ell Sachs as co-devisor and director Kimberley Twiner, from award winning, physically based queer comedy troupe Po Po Mo Co and The Wholesome Hour (recent winners of a Green Room award), to bring this twisted tale about beauty, devotion and fighting for your dreams to the stage.

“I always feel most comfortable when I’m playing a skittish, creepy middle aged man. This show is a dream come true,” quips Trenerry, who met Dwyer when they were both studying theatre at the University of Southern Queensland.

Since then, Patrick has performed in mainstage theatre productions for Queensland Theatre Company, DeBaseTheatre, MetroArts and at Laboite Indie, plus was also a key Fire Event performer at Woodford Folk Festival.

“I’m basically living out my unfulfilled fan-

● Patrick Dwyer and Laure Trenerry in The Pageant. tasies of being a pageant queen,” he says of his role as Victoria Beauvoir.

Performance Details: February 4 and 5 at 7pm Venue: Comedy Republic, 231 Bourke St., Melbourne Tickets: $20/$25 Bookings: Midsumma.org.au - Cheryl Threadgold

● Delicious ■ After so many months when we didn’t have access to that much-loved Melbourne pastime, eating out, we are now booking our cafes and restaurants for overdue catch ups with friends over good food and drink.

But imagine if we lived in a time where there were no restaurants and cafes, and the only eating-place was a grimy and none too savoury travellers’ inn?

That’s what life was like in France in 1789, just prior to the French Revolution, and it’s the setting for a delightful new French language film called Delicious.

From an egalitarian Aussie view, it came as a shock that in 18th century France, elegant food was considered the sole province of the aristocracy, with lower orders not being considered worthy of the chance to eat fine food Our hero, Manceron (Grégory Gadebois) is the highly valued cook of the Duke de Chamfort (Benjamin Lavernhe) but there are strict rules about not inventing anything without the consent of the Duke, so when Manceron produces a superb new dish, as an appetizer, he is summoned before the Duke and the proverbial hits the fan.

Sacked and banished, Manceron retires hurt and wounded, but when the mysterious Louise (Isabelle Carré) arrives and begs him to take her on as his apprentice, his love of creating food gradually returns.

There are a number of subplots involving revenge and passion, but the real focus is Manceron inventing his new career.

The first restaurant is born, open to all comers, and great food is no longer the sole province of the elite.

The film is a visual delight and the culinary creations are fascinating, as are the characters.

It’s not hard to see why the aristocracy was about to meet Madame La Guillotine, as the ordinary people claim their right to the good things in life.

Delicious is a terrific film for our own season of feasting and enjoying life and it opens on Boxing Day. - Review by Julie Houghton

Benedetta

■ Hi Gloss Entertainment and Vendetta Films announce the release of Paul Verhoeven’s (RoboCop, Basic Instinct, Elle) upcoming film and Cannes Film Festival favorite, Benedetta.

Having sparked protests outside its premiers at the New York Film Festival, the Queer Palm nominated film has quickly become one of the most anticipated and controversial releases of the year.

Featuring performances from Belgian actress Virginie Efira (Sibyl, Bye Bye Morons, Elle) and British screen legend Charlotte Rampling, Paul Verhoeven’s 17th century convent romp will be playing in Australian cinemas on Thursday, February 10.

The movie is set in the late 17th century, with the plague ravaging the land, and a young girl named Benedetta Carlini joins a convent in Pescia, Tuscany.

Seemingly capable of performing miracles and having visions of Jesus Christ from an early age, Benedetta’s impact on the community and convent is immediate and profound, but some question the legitimacy of her claims.

With Benedetta’s position within the convent rising, it is not until the arrival of a new nun, the young and rebellious Bartolomea, that her faith is truly questioned.

The film is based on Judith C. Brown’s book, Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy.

In cinemas: February 10.

Page 8 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Local Theatre I'm Wanita

■ In the country music capital of Australia, Tamworth, in the shadow of the giant 12 metre Golden Guitar, Australia’s ageing “Queen of Honky Tonk,” Wanita Bahtiyar, is desperately scrounging enough cash to finance her long-held dream of becoming Australia’s Loretta Lynn.

“Loretta Lynn was the greatest interpreter of the common man, the common person, the common woman, the common transexual, whoever,” Wanita declares.

Director Matthew Walker’s fractured fairy tale, I’m Wanita, is utterly compelling.

A warts-and-all documentary, Wanita’s quixotic obsession with making it in country music has guided her choices since the age of seven and left her loved ones in her wake.

Her daughter no longer talks to her, and her Turkish husband, Baba, is bewildered by her fixation.

A true eccentric, unquestionably delusional, wonderfully talented, Wanita is beset by demons.

Fuelled by alcohol, financed by sex work, Wanita and her two Sancho Panza’s, Gleny Rae and Archer, head off to the bright lights of Memphis, New Orleans and Nashville for one last shot at hitting the big time.

Gleny seems on the verge of a nervous breakdown wrangling the unmanageable Wanita.

“I struggle with the lack of structure,” she says without irony.

“I reckon you’d be better off if you didn’t drink,” Archer tells Wanita in perhaps the understatement of the film.

In Nashville, to record Wanita’s album with the legendary Billy Yates, producer of artists such as Charley Pride and Willie Nelson, we wait with bated breath for the inevitable train wreck to come.

To everyone’s surprise, Wanita delivers each soaring country ballad with one take.

“There are acts, and there are artists. You are a true artist,” Yates tells Wanita.

Maybe this time.

In Melbourne cinemas, January 6.

- Review by Kathryn Keeble

WellBless

■ WellBless is a play perfectly suited to provide satirical commentary on the strange, dark times we live in.

Think Pete Evans spruiking beating COVID with his $15,000 light machine or Antivaxxers warning us to watch out for injectable 5G; misinformation, spin and scams are everywhere.

“Cancer is just the body’s way of telling you that you should have taken more care of yourself.” So says wellness guru Juniper played by Ella Roth Barton.

Pseudoscience and snake oil wrapped up as empowerment where love, crystals and clean living will cure cancer.

“Wasting good wellness is self-sabotage,’ Juniper pontificates.

Inconveniently, her star recruit, Maha (Emily Joy), who swapped her chemo for Juniper’s WellBless Miracle Tonic, drops dead during the WellBless Soul Convergence.

An entertaining play that occasionally takes itself too seriously, it’s at its best when it pokes fun at the ridiculous.

Some very funny writing by co-creators Barton and Debra Thomas translate into many excellent comedic moments.

Joseph Lai and Lauren Steiner play out some particularly funny scenes.

There is a message in the madness that doesn’t need overworking into melodrama.

Wellness is a multi-million-dollar making industry.

Selling Wellness is another avenue for unscrupulous fraudsters to shame and guilt-trip women into buying unproven treatments at exorbitant prices with the promise of a miracle cure.

Unfortunately, the pace is slowed by some unnecessary scene changes where one item of furniture moves on and offstage – easily fixed switching from stage to floor to stage without the need for blackouts or moving the table. A bonus, as this would have shortened the running time.

WellBless was presented at Theatre Works, St Kilda.

- Review by Kathryn Keeble

Confidential Melbourne

Talk is cheap, gossip is priceless

Around the World in 80 Days

■ Playhouse Players Inc. present Around the World in 80 Days from February 2 - 5 at 7.30pm at the Clayton Theatre, Cooke St, Clayton.

This timeless classic written by Jules Verne is adapted for stage by Mark Brown and directed by Graeme McCoubrie.

The story follows two travellers who grow to a trio then a foursome as they fight their way through many obstacles to reach home.

The main characters include Phileas Fogg who is trying to win a bet with the Reform Club that he can travel around the world in 80 days.

Together with his new valet Passepartout he leaves London on October 2 1872, vowing to return by December 21, 1872.

Along the way they encounter Detective Fix and an Indian Princess Aouda who they rescue from certain death.

Will Fogg make it in time? A rail bridge collapses, Indians attack, a typhoon hits his sea voyage and let's not forget Kiouni the elephant.

Performance Season: February 2 - 5 at 7.30pm Venue: Clayton Theatre, Cooke St., Clayton

LocalTheatre The Candidate

■ The performing industry has been decimated by the COVID pandemic and getting back to the theatre has been a struggle.

The Melbourne French Theatre has attempted to put on their current show The Candidate many times. The resilience of the Executive Director and Producer, Michael Bula, and his troupe of actors and crew is a testament to their love of all things theatrical.

After having their venue cancelled and finally securing the Meat Market in North Melbourne, the production was troubled by cast illness and pandemic isolation requirements. As a result some of the actors were still on the books but all battled on regardless.

The Candidate is a well written comedy (by Jean Franco and Guillame Melanie) which calls for quick repartee but this timing was a bit lost due to the last-minute cast changes.

Dominique Croset played a flamboyant but easy-going Cecile Bouquigny. She was confident yet relaxed in her role and showed an enjoyment for performing.

Olivia Bula played the seductive, sassy Samantha Kolaski. Olivia showed great expression and performed with panache. Louis Tesson was performed by Richard Ryan. He was the bright comic relief but sometimes overplayed his role a little.

His wife, Sara Bellecour-Tesson was played creatively by Maria Paula Hernandez. The other stand-in actors are to be congratulated for good characterisation.

The surtitles had obvious problems but will work well with more practice. Costumes by Ayala Gopnik-McManus were very well done.

The set was extremely tight but the effects worked. Although, maybe a smaller sun umbrella in front of the surtitles or none at all, would make one of the set changes more seamless.

This production has great potential so I urge all concerned to keep up the good work done so far and continue refining.

Melbourne French Theatre productions can be found at melbournefrenchtheatre.org.au - Review by Lyn Jurst

My Brilliant Career

■ Sunday at a performance of My Brilliant Career from Skin of our Teeth Productions, written, produced and directed by Christine Davey; a large cast of nine who (apart from Miles Franklin and Sybylla Melvyn,Franklin's alter ego) share 14 plus characters.

It's a dramatisation of Miles Franklin's first and arguably best book and Ms Davey has mined it deeply.

It's a mistake for writer or director to lack trust in their audience's intelligent apprehension

● Damian Vuleta, Stephen Keen, Mike Dixon and Karsh Chaudhary rehearse Phileas Fogg travels to India onKiouni the Elephant to rescue the Indian Princess.

Tickets: $25/$29 Bookings: www.trybooking.com/BQIMV Enquiries: 0407 276 973

of what they're watching, but in my opinion Ms Davey has done just that.

The two hour work had more signposts than the Hume Highway, many of them repeated too frequently or emphasised by the cast,like a Greek chorus, reduced to one word.

If that wasn't a deterrent to my enjoyment and appreciation of Miles Franklin's story, clearly autobiographical, one of the characters was an aged Miles who controlled and directed the production's progress and all this shouted.

I found interesting the characterisation of the males .It was as if the writer had altered Orwell's famous quote from Animal Farm "four legs good two legs bad" to "skirts good trousers bad" Henry Lawson, who helped Miles have her work published, was presented to us one dimensionally as a drunk with a large brown jug (used thereafter by Sybylla's drunken failure of a father,another signpost).

We meet briefly a very jolly and informal Banjo Paterson, though why I couldn't fathom.

After interval, and blessed silence, the performance shifted from loud overacting to elements of coarse acting. The writer and director's characterisation of a family Sybylla becomes governess to was so snobbish and absurd as to insult intelligence.

Scant memorial for an adventurous and very useful human being who often put others first and whose bequest funded The Miles Franklin Award for work which presents "Australian life in any of its phases".

My Brilliant Career was presented at La Mama Courthouse.

- Review by Peter Green

www.LocalPaper.com.au

What’s On Death and The Discotheque

■ After a forced pandemic-pause, dance theatre work Death and The Discotheque is set to premiere at The Butterfly Club from January 5-8.

Set to an electro soundtrack, an unrelenting bass line and live narration; Death and The Discotheque is a rave parading as performance in memoriam to those we have lost and the experiences we crave. Both absent one forever, one not.

Whilst the work is a deeply personal reflection by writer Jessi Lewis, the many and varied losses that have been experienced universally throughout these times may resonate with audiences. Common ground is found as grief and emotion are collectively unpacked – on the dancefloor.

“I wrote this show upon reflection of my 20s, which was a period of my life marked by the death. I lost so many friends that I almost lost count. The dance floor became my refuge, a safe space for me, a place to escape all the sadness."

Choreographed by Sasha Chan and Jessi Lewis; Death and The Discotheque dancers Indya Brott, Sofia Reinking, Angus Eastwood, Ben White and Erin O'Rouke emulate the energy of a crowded dance floor.

With moves born on club floors and from within queer culture; whacking, voguing and ballroom styles fill the floor.

The soundtrack by Robert Downie (winner - best soundtrack Melbourne Fringe 2018) features percussionist Ollie Cox, and transports the audience to a sweaty, packed dance floor at a time just before the sun rises - then to a desert.

As writer and narrator, Jessi Lewis (a current Globe Community Award finalist - Outstanding LGBTIQ Media Reporting) has worked with long term collaborator and mentor Tony Yap to further refine the script and performative focus of the work. They have previously performed together in Melbourne, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Extending the performance beyond the realms of the theatre will be seven large scale photographic art works from the Death And The Discotheque photo series. The work of acclaimed artist and photographer, Gregory Lorrenzutti, they will be featured in inner city locations in the lead up to the production.

“A team of around 20 creatives have been employed and engaged with on this project. I feel like together we have almost achieved the impossible in mounting this project. It certainly has been a long time coming and I'm beyond excited to finally bring this to the stage,” said Lewis.

Performance Details: January 5 - 8 at 8.30pm Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne Tickets: $26-$35 Duration: 50 minutes Bookings: thebutterflyclub.com - Cheryl Threadgold

Alter Edith at fortyfivedownstairs ■ To fortyfive downstairs forThursday night last and the opening ofAlter Edith from director Maude Davey and creator/performer (if they're the right words) Holly Durant.This was a very different performance than I been used to at fortyfive downstairs: " ... almost performances amongst extraterrestrial environments" ... was the website's description.

I've been lucky to know Maude as a performer of her own work and also as a mainstay of The Burlesque Hour, an annual sellout event at fortyfive downstairs and Al La Mama, for a long time.

The same for Holly in The Burlesque Hour curated by Finucane and Smith; burlesque that moved and shaked but punched you when you weren't expecting with a new vision of relationship truths, feminism when you thought the costume wrong and the politics of getting respect and living authentic lives.

The fortyfive downstairs website announced Alter Edith as "an altar of alienation;

a good description of what I experienced .

The space stripped of its seating banks and a ramp reminiscent of skateboard purpose-built facilities. Lit at sudden and unexpected intervals blindingly together with a soundscape whose crescendos made earplugs a must; no time for reflection; Alter Edith was an experience impossible to ignore.

Holly; naked; moved much as I'm sure Mary Shelly imagined Frankenstein's creation discovered its limbs and their potential .

Thursday night fortyfive downstairs became " n altar of alienation" and Holly its sacrifice.

Holly's experiments with her body moved her into increasing sophistication, mixing a martini,discovering and wearing clothes but thus her loss of innocence.This 2021 Eve leaves the stage, strips naked ready to start again.

My advice? Get there.

- Peter Green

Classifieds

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The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 9

The Local Paper

Incorporating the ‘Melbourne Trader’ and ‘Melbournewide’. Melbourne-wide readership - and beyond. Appearing weekly in the following editions of The Local Paper: Eastern Division: Knox-Sherbrooke News, Manningham News, Maroondah Mail, Monash Gazette, Progress News, Whitehorse Gazette. Northern Division: Diamond Valley News, Heidelberger, Northcote Budget, Preston Post, Reservoir Times, Whittlesea Post. North-West Division: Brimbank Messenger, Hobsons Bay Edition, Hume Observer, Maribyrnong Edition, Moonee Valley Gazette, Moreland Courier, Sunbury Regional News. Peninsula-Frankston-Dandenong Division: Casey-Cardinia Edition, Cranbourne Sun, Dandenong Advertiser, Frankston Edition, Mornington Peninsula Post, Southern Peninsula Gazette, Western Port Gazette.

Southern Cross W eekly Division: Bayside Times, Boroondara Weekly, Glen Eira Standard, Kingston Standard, Stonnington Weekly, Port Phillip Times, Yarra Times. Victorian Division: Dindi Local (Murrindindi), Lilydale and Yarra Valley Express, Melbourne Observer, Mitchell Shire Edition.

Phone: 1800 231 311. Web: www.LocalPaper.com.au and www.AdvertiseFree.com.au E-Mail: editor@LocalPaper.com.au Deadline: 5pm Friday PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLISHING ARRANGEMENTS There is the final edition of The Local Paper to be published in 2021: it carries the cover date of December 15, 2021.

The first issue for 2022 will be published on Wednesday, February 2.

Deadline for advertising material is 5pm Friday, Jan. 28. The office reopens at 9am, Thurs., Jan. 27.

WANTED TO BUY

OPAL BUYER

Specialsling in Qld Boulder Opal. Buyer of specimens, cut and rough, and opal jewellery.

0425 749 849 XX21

FREE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

HALL STAND. Small. Light Oak Colour. GC. Frankston North. 0433 886 874.

WW-YY

ALUMINUM sliding door, 1800W 2100H. Silver colour,flat packed with all attachments. New. $450 .Dandenong 0413 400 400.

ALARM. Senior’s pendant (Life Love).

White. Never been used. Full instruction sheet. Will post if required. Sell $400.

Alexandra. 0419 445 VV-YY 697.

BOAT ANCHOR, Chain, Rope and Float. GC. $60.

Brighton. 0434 801 031.

WW-YY BOOKCASE. Baltic pine. English made.

21 cms h x 90cm wide c 30cm deep.

EC. Antique pine colour. $300.

Croydon. 9736 9690.

BUNNINGS Complete Guide to Gardening. As New. $10.

Pascoe Vale. 0419 138 356.

SOFA CHAIRS. 2 Teal, Wingback style.

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0433 886 874.

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PIANO ACCORDION. 24 bass. ItalGARAGE SALE ian brand, red colour if possible, in good condition. Mt Martha.

5973 4163. VV-YY SAT., DEC. 18.

Kitchen goods, camping and garage goods, garden tools, auto tools, etc. Sll must PRIVATE SELLERS can list their items sell. VGC. Cheap. 67 for sale. There’s no advertising charge. ListFrawley Rd, Hallam. ings are free. Lodge your ads at: 0405 977 690. www.AdvertiseFree.com.au YY

The Local Paper

VV-YY

CABIN at Over 50s permanent residential park. Air Con., Heating, one bed, self contained, furnished if desired.

VGC. $42,000. Alexandra.

Claudia, 0409 470 TT-WW 107.

CHAIR. Pressure Cushion QS 10 x 10 inches. VGC. $250 Templestowe. 0422 036 386. WW-YY CHINA CUP and saucer sets, nine some with plates, 1950s style. $210 lot, other collectables.

Alexandra. 0419 445 697.

TT-WW

FOR SALE BIKES. 2 new bikes, never used. Lady’s bike, 24”, brand name: Radius. 15gear range. Man’s bike, 26”, brand name: Gemini, 21gear range. 2 helmets also never used. Price for the lot: $245.

Wantirna South. 0415 886 496. WW-YY BOAT. Caper and Trailer. Caribbean.

4.5m. 2 seater, fully restored, all new instruments, 74HP Mercury motor that needs attention or replacement. Trailer EC. $3500 Neg. Croydon.

0417 514 707.

VV-YY

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

CHILDREN’S Green Smiggle Talking Clock. Battery operated. VGC. And Children’s Green Sniggl;e Eloectric Sharpener. VGC. $25 for both items. Box Hill North. 0401 494 336.

UU-XX CLOTHES DYER. Hoover 195 Front loading. 80cm high, 56cm wide. Hot/ warm switch, timer control, lint filter, wheels, slots for wall mounting. Little usage, GC. $55. Reservoir. 9442 3263.

UU-XX CROCKERY to select from,. Walnut buffet, large glass doors, drawers, lots of cupboard space, EC. $220. Alexandra.

0419 445 697

DINING CHAIRS. Set of 6, fabric upholstered (seats and backs). Small spindle feature between back and seat, solid and same feature on legs.

Oak-walnut wood stain. 1950s era.

VGC. Could be re-upholstered. $250.

Kew. 0417 577 637.

VV-YY DINING TABLE. Solid Timber with 8 chunky leather chairs.

Colour: dark brown.

GC. $490. Donvale.

0418 380 095.

WW-YY

DRAWERS. Set. 3 drawers. Orange.

Wooden. 80cm high, 66cm wide. GC. $45.

Reservoir. 9442 3263.

UU-XX

Page 10 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

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The Local Paper - W ednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 11

Melbournewide Classifieds FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

EXTENSION LADDER. Fibreglass.

6.3m. GC. $100.

Greensborough. 0406 939 273. WW-YY FIREWOOD. Gum. Truckload. No reasonable offer refused.

Bayswater North.

0455 411 630.

FLOOR CRAMPS x 3. Australian made.

GC. $325 for the lot.

GC. Croydon. 0408 332 181.

FLURO LIGHTS. Electronic. 24V DC. New. $15 each.

Greensborough. 0406 939. 273. WW-YY FOOD Deyhydrator.

Never used. Still in box. Keitch couture model. FO770A. New. $45. Pascoe Vale.

0419 138 356.

FRIDGE or Bar Trolley. Rubber tyres, light weight. Scratch marks to the red paint. GC. $15.

Croydon. 0408 332 191.

UU-XX FRIDGE Rank Arena.

Small. $60. Irone (Press Elina). $150.

Desk and drawers, 12 small shelves inside 14 dividers with roller shutters, VGC. $80.

Coffee table, round, $50. 2 glass shelves.

Piano, VGC, $150.

Fridge, Whouse, $100. Narre Warren.

0402 483 707.

GAS BARBERCUE. Five burner with wheels, new ignition assembly. 9kg and 4kg gas tanks. Both full. New valves fitted.

VGC. $300. Pascoe Vale. 0419 138 356.

VV-YY

GARAGE ROLL DOOR. Sky blue colour. 2500w/ 2300h. Dandenong 0413 400 400 G AS COOK-TOP. Chef. White. 4 burners and a wok burner.

Never used as wrong size. Paid $488. Sell for $400. West Brunswick. 0414 245 680.

UU-XX GENEALOGICAL Research Directory.

Editors Johnson and Sainty Volumes.

1981-2002. As National Genealogical Directory. Editor Michael Burchall 1981-85. VGC. $25.

Ashburton. 9885 2203.

TT-WW INDUSTRIAL OVERLOCKER. Brother brand. 5 cotton used. Includes safety stitch. Very little used. Cost new $3450 selling $1450.

As new. Dandenong.

0402 385 692 INSULATED refrigeration panels. 3x3m 1 1h. $95 per panel.

1m 6w. Alexandra.

0409 470 107.

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Suited to height 5’1” or 1.25m. $450.

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REAL ESTATE SELLERS CASH BUYERS WAITING TOWNHOUSE SITES over 20 builders require DUAL OCC sites Can be with or without permit, all northern, inner and outer suburbs ■ Townhouse sites without permit from 10 to 50 per project. 2 buyers ■ Townhouse sites. 8 to 15 per project with permit. 3 buyers DEVELOPMENT SITES: all types, child care, medical ■ Residential land subdovisions $5MILLION TO $100 MILLION INDUSTRIAL land subdivisions. $5m to $20m. 2 buyers FAMILY HOMES: north suburbs only Over 40 years in real estate Will pay referral fee to introducing party for any resulting business done

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Page 12 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

■ Rosemary Clooney was a famous American singer and actress who had hit songs in the 1950s and appeared in films and television shows.

Rosemary was loved by millions, but her life was not as ‘rosy’ as many of her fans would have thought.

Rosemary Clooney was born in Maysville, Kentucky, on May 23, 1928. She was the eldest of three children and had a sister Betty and brother Nick.

Her childhood was very difficult as her father had a drinking problem and when Rosemary was 15 her mother re-married and moved to California taking Nick with her.

Rosemary and Betty stayed with their father until he deserted them.

They became a singing duo to support themselves and in 1945 they had a regular spot on a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, as The Clooney Sisters.

Rosemary and Betty sang with The Tony Pastor Band and made recordings. They split up in 1948 and Rosemary went to New York to try her luck as a solo singer.

Her brother Nick became a television newscaster and he is the father of the famous actor George Clooney.

Rosemary was signed by Columbia Records and began working with producer Mitch Miller.

She was forced to record lousy material which included obscure children's songs and novelty compositions.

www.LocalPaper.com.au

Magazine

Whatever Happened To ...

Rosemary Cooney

By Kevin Trask of 3AW and 96.5 Inner FM

Despite Rosemary's anxiety she had a series of hit songs which included Botch-A- Me, Sailor Boys Have Talk To Me In English, Where Will The Dimple Be and Come On-a My House.

Rosemary begged Miller to let her record decent material, but when he did so he put the song on the ‘B’ side of the records.

Her recordings with screen legend Marlene Dietrich in 1952 were very popular.

Her first film appearance was in 1953 as a performer in The Stars Are Singing. This was followed by lead roles in Here Come The Girls, Red Garters and then White Christmas where she co-starred with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen.

Rosemary married José Ferrer and they had

‘Rosemary begged Miller to let her record decent material’ five children. In 1956 Rosemary Clooney had her own variety television series which was shown in Australia.

She left Columbia Records in 1958 and worked with several record labels which included MGM, RCA, Reprise, DOT and Coral Records.

Whilst at RCA she recorded the famous Fancy Meeting You Here album of duets with Bing Crosby. Rosemary was divorced from José Ferrer in 1962, they remarried the following year but divorced again in 1967.

Rosemary was standing very close to her friend Robert Kennedy when he was assassinated at the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel and she suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of the trauma.

She made a comeback when Bing Crosby invited her to join him on his 50th anniversary tour.

She began recording at Concord Records in 1977 and produced some of her best recordings over the next 25 years.

In 1991 Rosemary gave her first Carnegie Hall concert and returned again in 1997 where she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Singers.

José Ferrer passed away in 1992. Rosemary married her long time friend Dante DiPaolo in 1996.

Rosemary Clooney was one of the great interpreters of the American Songbook and infive children. In 1956 Rosemary Clooney had her own variety television series which was ected a part of herself into the songs she sang. Rosemary did guest roles in television series and was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in an episode of ER. She loved Bing Crosby as a dear friend and commented - "Bing had a brilliant mind and an original wit. That casual delivery combined with an unexpectedly wide vocabulary. It was a great device for comedy -- and also an effective way of communicating with an audience or with a person."

Rosemary Clooney never won a Grammy Award but received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2002 and sadly died of lung cancer four months later.

I was a huge fan of her singing and I would have loved to have seen her perform onstage.

Kevin Trask Kevin can be heard on 3AW The Time Tunnel - Remember When Sundays at 10.10pm with Philip Brady and Simon Owens.

And on 96.5 FM That's Entertainment - Sundays at 12 Noon. www.innerfm.org.au

Fashion Manifesto at National Gallery

Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto is the first exhibition to exclusively focus on the significant contribution to 20th century fashion culture by the renowned French couturière Gabrielle Chapel (1883-1871). Presented by the National Gallery of Victoria in partnership with the Palais Galliera, the preeminent fashion museum in the City of Paris.

With more than 230 garments, accessories and jewellery pieces drawn form the major public museums and private collections Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto showcases the impressive breadth of Gabrielle Chanel’s output and her design codes.

The Melbourne presentation also features several designs form the NGV collection, including recent, never-before-seen acquisitions generously gifted by Krystyna CampbellPretty and family, including an embroidered organdie Evening dress, spring-summer 1933 and spectacular shirred red silk velvet and marabou-lined Evening cape, c 1924-26.

Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto premiered in Paris in autumn 2020 and makes its international debut at the NGV in Melbourne.

Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto was developed by the Palais Galliera, with outstanding loans from the Director du Patrimoine de Chanel, the fashion house’s heritage department, and is curated by Miren Arzalluz and Véronique Belloir, respectively the Director and Head of collections of the museum.

Considered to be one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, Gabrielle Chanel introduced a language of modernity into fashion that still resonates today.

With the opening of her first fashion boutique in Deauville in 1912, then her couture house on 31 Rue Cambon in Paris in 1918.

Chanel began to reform women’s wardrobes by creating a new code of dress that privileged comfort, function and elegance, and responded to the growing desire for greater social freedoms among women.

Highlights of the exhibition include rare examples of Chanel’s early daywear and her wool jersey suits, which marked a radical departure

The Arts

with Peter Kemp from the elaborate fashions of the Belle Epoque and Edwardian periods in France and England.

Exhibition closes April 25.

National Gallery of Victoria 180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne

Geelong Gallery

Archie 100: A century of the Archibald Prize An Art Gallery of New South Wales touring exhibition.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of theArchibald Prize, Archie 100 explores the history of Australia’s most prestigious portrait award.

The exhibition presents a diverse selection of Archibald portraits from the last century – the triumphant and the thwarted – and honours the artists who have made the prize the most sought -after accolade in Australian art today.

Exhibition closes Sunday February 20.

Geelong Gallery 60 Little Malop St, Geelong

Gilbert and Sullivan

The Gondoliers Set in Venice, and a balmy isle in the Mediterranean, this quintessen■ Kingston Arts will engage an art- tial light opera of mixed up babies at ist to create a beautiful environmen- birth to ‘happiest music ever written tal theme mural for the brick walls at by an Englishman”.

Cachucha, fandango, bolero, its Horscroft Place in Moorabbin.

The artworks will activate the ex- Sullivan was truly inspired to write isting brick walls located along the such delicious Italian and Spanish northern property boundary in the melodies.

Gilbert’s satire of Republicanism Horscroft Place pocket park in consultation with the local community. is still as fresh today as ever. “When Horscroft Place Pocket Park is a everyone is somebody then no one’s new park in Moorabbin that is sched- anybody”.

Season: January 29, Venue: uled for completion.

Corinella Public Hall. Time: 7pm. ★ - Peter Kemp Kingston Arts will also commission an indigenous artist to deliver completion this December.

Kingston Arts will also commis■ Alan Jones has this week sion an indigenous artist to deliver a launched an online television prolarge-scale public artwork integrated gram, Alan Jones: Direct To The into the rooftop deck of the new People, through Australian Digital Mentone Lifesaving Club.

Holdings.

The selected artist will work During a press conference held closely with the Bunurong Land at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel, Alan Council, key stakeholders, Council confirmed the new weekday proofficers and local community memgram will air on his website, bers on this multifaced project.

Facebook and other social media The club is currently being built platforms, at 8pm Monday-Thursand scheduled for completion in earlyday. mid 2022.

Kingston Arts

AJ on air

OK. With John O’Keefe Legal tiff resolved

● Grant Denyer ■ Logie winner Grant Denyer and family have resolved their legal tiff over editorial published in New Idea claiming Grant was involved in an extra marital relationship.

The claim was untrue and New Idea forced to print an apology and hand over a lump sum of money that must remain confidential. Let's hope this prevents New Idea and other publishers from failing to check facts.

Bye to Ellen Degeneris

■ After 19 seasons, the Ellen Degeneris Show is all over, no more. Ironically the same show has been awarded People's Choice award for daytime talk shows. To be expected Ellen made an impassioned thanks to her staff and viewers and made no mention of controversial issues that helped bring the show to a close.

Rebel finds love in Fiji

■ Rebel Wilson looks great in her new slimmed down version and has arrived on our small screens as an ambassador for holidaying in Fiji.

In a TV spot Rebel survives a shipwreck, finds friendly locals on a Fiji isle, and last seen walking along a windswept beach hand-in-hand with a local fella. Rebel shed 30kg going on a high-protein diet.

Brooke Shields returns

■ Brooke is now 56 years old and has attacked iconic TV interviewer Barbara Walters for the legendary interview she conducted when Brooke was aged 14.

“I was naive,” said Brooke when answering questions about Brooke's advertisements that at the time were considered raunchy.

Brooke really railed Barbara and went on to condemn Barbara about her interrogation with Ricky Martin light years before he announced he was gay .

Jessica headlines at Mildura

■ If you live in the Sunraysia area it will be a 'must see' to get tickets for Back to Base, a fundraiser to raise funds for 130 years of hospital care in the Mildura region.

Headlining the show will be Jessica Mauboy, and date is March 22 next year. Be there, make the most of the long weekend. Tickets at the usual sources.

- John O’Keefe

www.LocalPaper.com.au

Magazine

The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 13

Movies, DVDs with Jim Sherlock, Aaron Rourke What’s Hot and What’s Not FILM: THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Streaming on Disney+): Cast: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Linda McCartney, George Martin, Billy Preston, Peter Sellers.

Genre: Documentary/Music.

Year: 2021.

Rating:E. Length: 468 Minutes.

Stars: ***** Review: Oscar winning director Peter Jackson's monumental "fly -on-the-wall" threepart Beatles documentary, a daunting undertaking compiled from over 55 hours of unseen footage, as well as 150 hours of unheard audio, from the then marathon 1969 "Get Back" rehearsal television special/final album/concert/documentary sessions for what became known as 1969's "Let It Be" sessions and subsequent 1970 theatrical feature "Let It Be" directed

by Michae Lindsay-Hogg.

Locked in a vault for over 50 years, Peter Jackson has painstakingly and meticulously restored for "The Beatles: Get Back" footage and audio of the band working in the studio, as well as their legendary rooftop performance atop Apple's London office, which is presented here in full for the first time, all utilising the landmark film restoration techniques he pioneered with 2018 WWI documentary, "They Shall Not Grow Old," and the results are simply jawdropping, an immensely personal and exceptional time-capsule that now looks and sounds like it was filmed this year.

Opening with a supremely crafted ten minute history of the band, this is a feast for music and Beatles fans, a tremendously affectionate 468 minute (nearly 8 hour) rockumentary that puts to rest a lot of misinformation reported over the decades, and as a result, it will completely reappraise your viewpoint of the band that we thought we had fully known for so many years, but it's also the beginning of the end of a cultural phenomenon, as you see their lives and friendships as a group changing throughout many moments of uncertainty and melancholy, overall, this a fun, intimate, chaotic, poignant and compelling revelation, a truly extraordinary and unmissable ending historians, Beatles and music fans have waited so long for.

FILM: THE POWER OF THE DOG (Streaming on Netflix): Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodo Smit-McPhee.

Genre: Western/Romance/Drama.

Year: 2021/ Rating:M. Length: 126 Minutes.

Stars: **** Review: Charismatic rancher in 1925 Montana inspires fear and awe in those around him, but when his brother brings home a new wife and her son, he holds nothing but contempt for them and tensions grow.

Oscar winning writer/director Jane Campion, whose previous credits include "An Angel At Mt Table" (1990), the Oscar winning "The Piano" (1993), "The Portrait of a Lady" (1996), "Holy Smoke" (1999) and "In The Cut" (2003), to name a few, has created a majestic, intensely driven character study that challenges the masculine myths of the American West that all encompasses and sublimely unfolds throughout with a searing unnerving subtlety, savage grit and a spellbinding visual poetry.

Benedict Cumberbatch gives a commanding award-worthy performance as the gruff, silent and mean-spirited Phil Burbank, delivering a career best performance as the tension simmers increasingly under his surface, ready to explode at a moment’s notice, and is matched superbly by Jesse Plemmons as his more understanding brother, along with Kirsten Dunst and Kodi SmitMcPhee as the newly arrived wife and son that create resentment and a dark shadow over an already broody world.

Filmed stunning and breathtaking beauty in New Zealand by Ari Wegner, whose previous credits include "Lady Mabeth" (2016) and "In Fabric" (2018), Jane Campion has ultimately created exquisitely crafted gem, a beautifully crafted drama on the turbulence of inner lives, a methodically paced, slow burning, haunting, poignant and multi-layered, slice of early American life that s mark long after it's over, and will be well rewarded in the upcoming awards season

- James Sherlock

Rourke’s Reviews The Best of 2021

■ Yes, it’s hard to believe, but here we are, ready to see off the unpredictable year that was 2021.

This year definitely didn’t work out how we expected, but hopefully 2022 will be when things get back on track.

My thanks to editor Ash Long, my movie colleague James Sherlock, and of course to everyone out there who has helped keep this newspaper going strong.

I hope you all stay safe (and vaccinated), and have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

The following were my favourites for 2021.

MY TOP TEN FILMS FOR 2021 1) Titane (R). Highly provocative and controversial film from Julia Ducournau (Raw), while showing some inspiration from the films of David Cronenberg and Shinya Tsukamoto, is a true original, pushing thematic and visceral boundaries in ways few films do nowadays. Deserved the top prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

2) Riders Of Justice (MA). A Death Wish type revenge premise is superbly deconstructed by writer/ director Anders Thomas Jensen (Men & Chicken), weaving thought-provoking themes with a sharp, left-of-centre sense of humour. The cast are terrific, headed by a marvellous Mads Mikkelsen.

3) The Father (M). Florian Zeller makes an extraordinary directorial debut with this complex, intricately structured drama detailing an elderly man’s slide into dementia. Hopkins delivers his best performance in years, while Olivia Colman is the best of an outstanding supporting cast.

4) Nomadland (M). Winner of the Best Picture Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, this quietly sad drama looks at the swathe of older people living hand-to-mouth on the road after the GFC. Writer/director Chloe Zhao (The Rider) is huge talent reminiscent of Terrence Malick, while Frances McDormand delivers another powerhouse performance.

5) Boiling Point (M). Breathtakingly crafted drama set at a restaurant during a particularly stressful night.

Immaculately shot in one, continuous take, co-writer/director Philip Barantini thoughtfully uses the technique to tell a compelling story, rather than treat it as a lazy gimmick.

The entire cast bring their A game, headlined by a fantastic Stephen Graham (This Is England,

The Irishman).

6) Wolfwalkers (PG). From the makers of The Secret Of Kells and Song Of The Sea, this is another gorgeously animated film that has more on its mind than mere lighthearted family entertainment.

7)Another Round (M). Winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar this year, and anchored by a gallery of fine performances (Mads Mikkelsen is again the standout), director Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt) executes the topical subject matter with purpose, along with that typical off-centre Danish humour.

8) Pig (MA). It’s been a long time since a Nicolas Cage film made my Best Of list, but this unexpected gem subverted all expectations, with writer/director Michael Sarnoski taking a potentially trashy premise and turning it into something somber, tender and haunting. Cage is excellent.

9) 76 Days (M). Potent, matterof-fact documentary showing how frontline medical staff in Wuhan tried to cope during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The footage, which had to be smuggled out of China, is powerful, eye-opening stuff, as we see nurses dealing with a then-unknown virus.

The title refers to how long Wuhan was locked down for during this early period.

Beware the altered version edited for Chinese release, titled Days And Nights In Wuhan.

10) Minari (PG). Writer/director Lee Isaac Chung’s autobiographical film lovingly covers his family’s move from South Korea to Arkansas in the 1980s, and the obstacles they had to face while trying to start a new life in a new country. Chung thankfully doesn’t fall into easy sentimentalism, and is helped by a wonderful cast, including Steven Yeun (Burning, Okja), Yeri Han, and Youn Yuh-jung, who won an Oscar for her first-rate work.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS : Limbo; Nitram; Promising Young Woman; Space Sweepers; The Amusement Park; Rurouni Kenshin : The Final; Rurouni Kenshin : The Beginning; Violation; Demon Slayer : The Movie - Mugen Train; About Endlessness; Judas And The Black Messiah; Kingdom: Ashin Of The North; Rocks; His House; Saint Maud; Blood Conscious; In The Earth; Together; Oxygen; Jakob’s Wife; Gaia; Midnight. My Favourite TV series for 2021. Hellbound; Squid Game; Midnight Mass; Dr. Brain; Chucky; Dopesick.

- Aaron Rourke

Top 10 Lists DECEMBER 12-18 THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. DUNE. 2. VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE. 3. NO TIME TO DIE. 4. ENCANTO. 5. BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS. 6. CHRISTMAS WITH ANDRE. 7. ETERNALS. 8. AKHANDA. 9. A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS. 10. MARAKKAR: LION OF THE ARABIAN SEA. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: DECEMBER 9: DEAR EVAN HANSEN, HENCHMEN, THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. DECEMBER 16: SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST, UNDINE. DECEMBER 26: DELICIOUS, LICORICE PIZZA, SING 2, SWAN SONG, THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, WEST SIDE STORY. TOP DVD AND BLU-RAY SALES: 1. JOE BELL. 2. STILLWATER. 3. PAW PATROL: The Movie.

4. INFINITE. 5. CANDYMAN. 6. REMINISCENCE. 7. THE SUICIDE SQUAD. 8. MY NAME IS GULPILIL. 9. PIG. 10. ICE ROAD. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD, BLURAY AND 4K-UHD THIS WEEK: DANGEROUS. SMALL AXE. THE COUNTY. EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM. DVD AND/OR BLU-RAY NEW & RE-RELEASE CLASSIC MOVIES HIGHLIGHTS: WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT 4K-UHD. NEW RELEASE TELEVISION, DOCUMENTARY AND MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS: NEW AMSTERDAM: Season 3.

HOLLINGTON DRIVE. - James Sherlock

DVD COLLECTION: Specialising in Classic and Hard to Find Movies, and Latest Releases Classics, Comedy, TV, Drama, Thriller, Action, Music, Adventure, Cult Classics, Horror, Documentary. All Genres for All Tastes - Box Sets and Limited Editions Collections UNIT 2, 21 FLIGHT DRIVE, TULLAMARINE PHONE: 9338 4879 HOURS: Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm vidcoll@bigpond.net.au www.ebay.com.au/str/dvdcoll281

Page 14 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Melbourne

Observer

Magazine

www.LocalPaper.com.au

Lovatts Crossword No 18 Across

1. Blizzard 6. Wattle tree 11. Villain 15. Dried grass piles 20. Exclamation of pain 21. Genuine thing, the real ...

22. Numerous 23. Underground molten rock 25. Relaxation art (1'2,3) 26. Coral organisms 27. Dinners or lunches 29. Venice canal boat 32. Singer, ... Diamond 34. Famous British school 36. Type of spanner 39. Condemns to hell 41. Harnessed (oxen) 43. Rubs with emery 46. ... of Troy 48. Beneath 49. Dad 51. Hooter 52. Co-venture 55. Coarse file 56. Acorn bearers 59. Kills 61. Sit for portrait 62. Once again 63. Screw 64. Ripens 67. Halfway through pregnancy 68. Fortified wine 70. Culmination 71. Actress, ... Loren 72. Nag 73. Naked 74. Renovate (ship) 75. Rose-shaped award 77. Stop! (nautical) 78. Survives 79. Style 82. Mob 86. Jelly/sponge dessert 87. Eye lustfully 89. Belief in the supernatural 92. Pond plant 94. Capture 96. News 98. Floating log platform 100. Live coal 101. Computer input 103. Princess Royal 105. Resided 106. Press 108. Burn 111. Commoner 112. Very lazy (4,4) 114. Amaze 116. Spy, ... Hari 119. Bullets 120. German WWII fascist 121. Anticipated touchdown (1,1,1) 123. Freezes, ... over 124. As far as (2,2) 125. Omits (6,3) 126. New York borough 127. Blackberry shrub 130. The masses, ... polloi 131. Dawn to dusk 135. Alternate, every ...

138. Calf-length skirt 139. US astronaut, ... Shepard 141. Acute remorse 144. Unchanged, the ...

146. Cheerio!

147. Unfasten 148. Male swan 149. Young sheep 150. Uncle Sam (1,1,1) 151. Type of saxophone 152. Print with raised design 153. Taj Mahal city 155. Closing 157. Part of eye 158. Method 160. Braid 161. More ancient 162. Up to the time of 163. Overly cute 165. Less frequent 166. Snake, ... constrictor 167. Rowing aid

Across 168. Guitar sound 169. Servant 171. Accessory 172. Female title 175. In vain, to no ...

176. Light sleeps 179. Arid US state 180. Schoolgirl 182. Prison 184. Opens door to (4,2) 185. Balmy 186. Crooner, ... King Cole 188. Quiet 189. Pod vegetable 190. Dull 191. Snow-runner 193. Betting chances 194. Jogs 196. Match before final 197. Unreliable 198. Revolving tray, lazy ...

200. Modesty 205. AFL great, ... Barassi 207. Angrily 210. Impetuous 211. Concealing 212. Stupefy 213. Trading centre 214. Banned pesticide (1,1,1) 216. Irish sweater style 218. Actual 219. Ellipse 220. Repaints (vehicle) 224. Moodier 227. Depend 229. Space flight organisation 230. Tethers 231. Latin American dance 232. Nipple 233. Aware of 235. Prophetic signs 237. Go up 239. Printing error 241. Type of orange 244. Child's toy (2-2) 246. Pet's neck band (3,6) 249. Please reply (1,1,1,1) 252. Stingier 254. Former English cricket captain, ... Hussain 256. Outrageous 258. Arrange 259. Fuss, song & ...

260. Introducing in stages, ... in 263. Rest on knees 264. Outcome 265. Rot (of leather) 267. Paltry 270. Niece & ...

271. Avoided 272. Entertainer 273. Additional items 274. Welsh vegetables 277. Witnessed 279. Carpenter's spike 281. More rational 284. Hurry 286. Sum owed 288. Absorbed 292. Whisky ingredient 294. Kiss & cuddle 295. Fire remains 298. Smallest 300. Nominated 301. Mention, ... to 303. Monastery superior 306. Decorative shrub pot 308. Encounter 309. Concludes 311. Pink-eyed rabbits 314. Last Greek letter 315. Ketchup, ... sauce 316. Powerful 317. Fruit mash 318. After that 319. Deserve 320. Mafia, ... Nostra 321. Treats with drugs 322. Rewrite on keyboard 323. Unhappier 324. Muscle toning therapists

Down 1. Cosy 2. Furnace 3. Polynesian island group 4. Heart or lung 5. Complain 6. Movement 7. Blackboard marker 8. Drumming insects 9. Amongst 10. Fuel energy rating 11. Go around 12. Playful water mammal 13. Propel 14. Christian festival 15. Sacred song 16. Long (for) 17. Try out (food) 18. Cudgel 19. Obscene material 24. Charity offerings 28. Youths 30. Milky gem 31. June 6, 1944 (1-3) 33. Eagle nests 35. Equal (2,1,3) 37. Raven 38. Deer 40. Yelling 42. Geological division 44. Positive electrodes 45. Least moist 47. Fencing blades 48. Great disturbance 49. Prepared mentally, ... up 50. Sports ground buildings 53. Wed again 54. Impedes 57. Rescued by plane 58. Examines closely 60. Brighter 63. Temper fit 65. Hatchets 66. Settee 68. Cry weakly 69. Corrode 76. Outstanding 79. Fellows 80. Not anybody (2-3) 81. Lodge firmly 83. Boundary 84. Media tycoon, press ...

85. Pixie 88. Disadvantage 90. Team 91. Tiny amount 93. Skin irritation 95. Paradise garden 97. Flourish of trumpets 99. Friends star, Jennifer ...

100. Periods 102. Degrade 104. Kinder 107. From Italy's capital 109. Rectify 110. Arabian prince 111. Ode 113. Glancing 115. Summer footwear 117. Cousin's mother 118. Nuclear explosive, ... bomb 121. Morally sound 122. Friendly 127. Chest 128. Gave weapons to 129. Childbirth contractions (6,5) 132. In unison (3,8) 133. Relative by marriage (2-3) 134. Call up (feelings) 135. Vigilant 136. Magician's cry (3,6) 137. Idealists 138. Rissoles 140. Of course 141. Document summaries 142. Blameless

Down

143. Tent cover 145. Corrected (text) 151. Former IOC president, Juan ...

Samaranch 154. Wanders 156. Fragrance 159. Reproductive cells 164. Sixth sense (1,1,1) 169. Imitative performer 170. Wood surface design 173. Hoped (to) 174. Versus 177. South American mountains 178. Effeminate 181. Facility 183. Commissioned soldier 187. Random 192. Hopping marsupials 195. Office workers 199. Usefulness 201. Chooses 202. Weather feature, El ...

203. Milan opera house, La ...

204. Bright signal light 206. Seductress, ... fatale 207. Map 208. Nimble 209. Executive jet 213. Car race city, Le ...

215. Small plums 217. Advertising sign 221. Jetties 222. Incidental comment 223. Complacent 224. Soccer net 225. Policy reversal (1-4) 226. Courtyard 228. Ambassadors' residences 234. Loud-hailer 236. Hypodermic syringes 238. Charged particle 240. Enquire intrusively 242. Showy flowers 243. Poetic name for Ireland, ... Isle 245. Apple groves 247. Parentless kids 248. Boost 250. Blood feud 251. Mesh 253. Rodents 255. Copied 257. Former Italian money unit 258. Fix 261. Respiratory ailment 262. Shoe lining 265. Rounded stone 266. Brainwaves 268. Put up with 269. The Queen's third son 275. Sitcom, My Name Is ...

276. Ruler, Genghis ...

278. Tidal river mouth 280. Carbonated 282. Opposed to 283. Resound 285. Throat-clearing noise 287. Wobble 289. Wage 290. Polluted 291. Assumes (attitude) 292. Guru 293. Ready, willing & ...

296. Impassive person 297. Upright 299. Make reparation 302. Wooden barrier 304. Farm sheds 305. Overly fat 306. Prudish 307. Elderly 308. Rugs 310. Luncheon meat 312. Bobs head 313. Timber cutters

Solution on Next Page

Magazine

The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 15

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Page 16 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Crossroads

By Rob Foenander info@countrycrossroads com.au

Donna’s new song

■ You Are Christmas To Me is a new music release written by well respected singer songwriter and entertainer Donna Fisk.

The track was composed a while ago and centres around family and the bond between all members.

Breaking news for Donna is that Channel 7 will once again using the theme song Rock n Footy for the start of the AFL 2022 season, a song written and performed by Donna and Michael Cristiano. www.facebook.com/DonnaFisk01

Grand NY Eve

■ The Voluntary Outreach Club Melbourne is presenting its NYE dinner dance at the Grand On Cathies Lane Wantirna South, commencing 6.30 pm.

Tickets are $110 per person, all inclusive with food and drinks. Replay 6 and No Limit will perform. Funds raised assist the needy in Sri Lanka. Contact: Bert 0414 979 483 or Anton 0419 516 882.

Stereo Stories

■ Stereo Stories brings you stories of heart, soul and daring, inspired by iconic songs.

A unique collaboration between writers and musicians, features special guests Brian Nankervis, Carmel Bird, Danny Katz and Jenny Valentish accompanied by the sevenpiece Stereo Stories Band. It will make you laugh, cry and hear your favourite songs again with fresh ears. Saturday, January 9 at Memo Music Hall.Tickets www.memomusichall. com.au - Rob Foenander

www.LocalPaper.com.au

Magazine

Circus Oz issues closure statement

■ “Over the past two years, the Circus Oz Board completed a comprehensive internal assessment that examined different robust business and artistic models to best support the needs and opportunities for circus in Australia.

“Through this process, the Board confirmed a vision for a renewed Circus Oz with a strong and prosperous future, where the company continued to entertain audiences, inject fun into society and support circus artists and the artform.

“During 2021, the Board worked closely with the Australia Council for the Arts and Creative Victoria as they commissioned an independent review of Circus Oz, which included consultation with a wide range of representatives from the circus and physical theatre sector.

“The government review identified that Circus Oz has a tremendous rich legacy, but there were systemic issues holding back the company. “ It was recommended that if Circus Oz is to continue to receive public funds, reforms were required to introduce an entirely skills-based board and broaden the membership criteria to diversify representation.

“The insights from the governments’ review aligned with the Board’s proposed vision for reform initially presented to the 100 Company Members in September.

“The decision on how to respond to governance and membership re-

form, based on the recommendations in the review, was a matter for the Company Members (made up predominantly of former Circus Oz employees).

“This week, the Circus Oz Company Members were polled regarding their support for such change. The Poll results indicate the formal vote will not support making the required reforms.

“Without the Company Members support, the Board have been compelled to confirm they cannot meet the governments’ funding requirement and are now working on the process of closing the company, including finalising any employment and program obligations, contracts, and commitments.

“After surviving the pandemic challenges and recently emerging with new artform support initiatives, audience engagement programs and launching 2022 shows, the Board acknowledges this is a devasting blow to the current teams of creatives, circus artists and employees. The Board thanks them for their significant work, commitment, and professionalism throughout this challenging time.

“We respect and appreciate that for staff and members, their commitment, heart and passion has been what built this organisation and critical to the company’s principles, beliefs and success. We understand what a deeply sad time it is for the Circus Oz family.

“The Board respects this was

Crossword Solution No 11 S N OW S T O R M A C A C I A O B A D D I E H A N V A R OUCH I MCCOY O MA N Y U E MAGMA T A I CH I T PO L Y P S ME GONDO L A NE I L A D A A P E TON P DAMNS YOK E D S A NDS HE L E N U P A P A S HORN P A R T NE RS H I P RA S P S L A Y S O I POS E O I A N EW P H Y V MA T URE S C M I D T E RM E MA DE C L I MA X T SOP H I A E S P E S T E R A H L RE F I T F ROS E T T E W A V E X I S T S N MA NNE R M RA B B L E A D O E OG L E O MY S T I C I SM A L I L S NA RE I N FO B I N O B RA F T S D A T A A N N E DWE L T I RON CH E P L E B BONE I D L E N A S TON I S H A MMO N A Z I F C O E T A A M S I C I E S L E A V E SOU T MA NHA T T A N B RAMB L E I R R K HO I D N O E O R A O T HE R M I D I A L A N A NGS T L AMB US A S AME B B Y E OP E N COB O EMBOS S Y M AGRA L A S T S I R MOD E U E P L A I T O L D E R UN T I L P V N RA RE R N BOA OA R R TWA MA I D P V E X T RA MA DAM A V A I L U NE V A DA S I L A S S GAO L C E L I I NA T CA L M P E A F L A T S K I M I L D I A N T RO T S S EM I I F F Y S US A N COYNE S S B Y F N RON I F T N P I C I MP U L S I V E S E CRE T I NG S T UN MA R T I A T DD T E M L A R S OV A L RE S P RA Y S A GRUMP I E R E NA S A T I E S MAMBO T E A T ON OME N S R I S E I U S A U T Y PO E B E YOYO R DOGCO L L A R I RS V N UNHO L Y E ME A NE R R NA S S E R P HA S I NG I K N E S DA NCE P RE S U L T H P E R I S H S N ME AGRE D I E S CA P E D D A R T I S T E B A DDE A R B S E E N H O NA I L W T L E E K S DA S H A DE B T A S S I M I L A T E D MA L T R A S HE S L E A S T NAME D RE F E R A P L A N T E R ME E T U C P O A E NDS R G OMEGA T OMA T O U PO T E N T P U E I C T HE N R ME R I T E COS A I

Y E A R N

S T A CK S A O M L S S U A T CHE T DE R L S OA K S TW I S T I RA R U UNC L A D A S T I I T R I F L E Y U T S EMB E R A R D MA T A A E S UP TO N N O DA Y T I ME L N V L A L TO E T I NA K O TWE E NG O S E NA P S E T S I N I H ODDS E E S CROS S L Y H P E A N RE A L RE L Y R TO M NA V E L P Z G N MA NAGE E E L P T N E P H EW NDA O O S A NE R A NE CK B BO T H A L B I NOS RE E O A N S D W

● Circus Oz likely a hard decision for the Com- over many generations, and the pany Members who previously company leaves a significant artiscontributed to shaping the legacy tic and creative legacy that has shaped the artistic expression and and iconic brand of Circus Oz. “Circus Oz has played a major ambitions of many of today’s cirrole in the development of circus cus artists,” the statement said.

- Contributed and physical theatre in Australia

Observations

with Matt Bissett-Johnson

Mike McColl Jones

Top 5

THE TOP 5 C0MMENTS HEARD DURING THE NUDE CY CLISTS R A CE. CYCLISTS

5. From the look of you Sir, I don’t think you need“trainer wheels”.

4.“When it heals, you can always call it your‘Malvern Scar”.

3.“I’d go to the doctor. I don’t think the puncture kit will fix it”.

2. “Sorry, a Dink is out of the question”.

1.“Yowwwwwwww!”.

www.LocalPaper.com.au

The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 17

Sport

Magic Millions ready to jump ■ Magic Millions’ world-class celebration of thoroughbred racing and breeding excellence, coupled with the showcase of elite equine sport continues to expand.

The Magic Millions combination has announced that they will be adding showjumping to its entertainment at the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo Event on Sunday January 9 at Doug Jenkins Park on the Gold Coast.

Announcing the showjumping addition, Magic Millions co-owner, Katie Page-Harvey, said” The horse and rider as an athlete; it is what Magic Millions is all about.”

Showjumping just fits perfectly into the Star Gold Coast Magic Millions.

“When you see a 500kg horse soar over a 1.4 metre jump at a flat gallop, turn on a hair pin, and clear a triple jump, you are in awe; you are holding your breath.

“It is how you feel watching your horses, whether as an owner, breeder or punter, cross the line first.

“It is the reaction you have watching high goal polo-five horses in a cluster, at a gallop chasing down the goal. That is Magic Millions’”.

“Like everything we do it has to be done at the highest level, to attract the elite horses and rider, the best in Australian showjumping.”

Magic Millions will be offering $100,000 in prizemoney, $92,000 for the Senior Competition and $8000, for the Junior Competition.

“The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival brings racing identities and spectators from all over Australia to the Gold Coast for the Carnival’s rich $10.25 million prize purse.

Pony racing had been on the agenda for some time since it was launched Thoroughbred Industry Careers three years ago.

Through the support of Kate Page-Harvey and the team at Magic Millions, the Brisbane Racing Club, the Gold Coast Turf Club and the Pony ClubAustralia.

The Magic Millions Gold CoastYearling Sale revenue has grown 46 per cent over the past five years.

That revenue goes back to the breeders and assists Magic Millions to continue to grow prizemoney for graduate owners.

That growth is only made possible with the support of their partners, the Star Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland, Racing Queensland, Pacific Fair, the TAB, Seven West Media,Audi Centre Gold Coast and Sky Racing.

The first yearling is due to arrive on January 2.

● Bend The Knee, winning at Flemington. Racing Photos. lion Gold Coast Magic Million three-year-old Guineas, with an additional $750,000 in Magic Millions Racing Women Bonuses.

Ted Ryan

■ Just having a look at some of the early chances for the three-year-old youngsters who may contest the Magic Millions event.

Bookmakers have put the Sydney trained colt, Jamaea, as the likely early favourite, if his Kembla Grange trainers, Robert and Luke Price decide to nominate.

He has already won nearly one million dollars picking up a Group Two race on his home track. He is by the promising young sire, Headwater.

On the second line is the Peter and Paul Snowden youngster, King of Sparta, who re-

Free double passes

■ The popular Balnarring Picnic meetings are to continue with their big Summer Picnics on Tuesday, December 28.

The Club through popular top man, Terry Mulcahy, has six double passes for the first six people to ring him and tell him how many race meetings are held each year at Balnarring.

Give Terry a ring to win your double pass, the first six to answer correctly wins the double pass.

Terry’s number to win is 0413-874-982.

■ Everyone, have a Happy and Holy Christmas, and a great New Year. Catch you in early February.

- Ted Ryan

Looking for a Professional to run the show?

Key events

■ Sunday January 9: Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo at the Spit, with the addition of toplevel showjumping with a $100,000 pool.

■ Tuesday January 11: Morning Barrier Draw and the picturesque horse run down the beach at Surfers Paradise.

■ Tuesday January 11-Saturday January 15: over 1,200 Australia’s sought-after yearlings, go under the hammer at the Magic Millions Auction Complex at Bundall.

■ Saturday January 15: The Star Gold Coast

3-year-olds

cently ran a good third at Randwick on October 19.

Battleton might be one to watch having just the one start for a good second at Randwick at a mid-week meeting on October 23.

One that I do like if he goes around is Bend the Knee, who won in good style at Flemington on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival over 1400 metres.

He is beautifully named being by Snitzel, out of Kneeling.

He’s only had four start for two wins, with a second and a third, and his trainer John O’Shea has a big opinion of him.

Another that appears to be smart is the last start winner at Doomben, Far Too Easy, back on December 4, beating some smart ones over 1200 metres.

He beat the likes of Zuma California, who went into the race undefeated after two on end, and Jackson on Time, who was having his second run.

Another who could be excused for a last start failure is Snitzonfire, prepared by Gai Waterhouse and Andrew Bott.

Magic Millions Race day at the Gold Coast Turf Club, over $10.25 million in prizemoney on offer.

■ Feature races: $2 million. The Star Magic Millions two-year-old Classic, and the $2 mil-

★ Compere/Host ★ Auctioneer ★ Promotions ★ A-Grade Journalist ★ Voice-Over Commercials ★ Race Caller All Sports, Race Nights ★ TV, Radio, Press ★ Respected Member of the Media

Ted Ryan Phone 9876 1652 Mobile: 0412 682 927 ● Generation wins at Moonee Valley. Racing Photos.

E-Mail: tedryan@australiaonline.net.au ted.ryan@optusnet.com.au

Page 18 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

www.LocalPaper.com.au

Sport

ID grand finals to Victoria

■ Following two weeks of racing throughout NSW at three different venues (Menangle, Bathurst and Newcastle), Grand Final night was held on Saturday December 11 with many owners full of expectation of pulling off the major prize.

Racing over the marathon journey of 3009 metres, the $500,000 Pacers Final was the major race which looked to be a match between the Belinda/Luke McCarthy trained stablemates King Of Swing (gate three on the second line) and polemarker Expensive Ego, both undefeated during the series.

It was a dramatic finish to the big race when runner up Boncel Benjamin’s young reinsman Joshua Gallagher (21) and trainer Jason Grimson (28) both lodged an objection against the winner Expensive Ego. Following a hearing that lasted almost half an hour, the decision was subsequently UPHELD. Exploding away from gate six to lead easily, Boncel Benjamin was restrained to allow polemarker Expensive Ego to ease off his back and take over.

On settling it was Expensive Ego, Boncel Benjamin, Alta Orlando (inside the second line) and Max Delight (gate two on the second line) all on the markers while Majestic Cruiser (gate five) was left leading the outside division being followed by Malcolms Rhythm (gate two) and Triple Eight (gate three). King Of Swing (gate three on the second line) possied a long way off the leaders.

On a leader dominated affair, Expensive Ego crossed the wire a head clear of Boncel Benjamin and Alta Orlando who was 6 metres away third. Max Delight was fourth and King Of Swing fifth after moving to race exposed for the final circuit. In quarters of 29.6, 29.3, 26.9 and 25.8.

Raced by Goulburn Valley residents Julie Duffy and (although not listed) husband Steven who has done all of the work with the horse since a juvenile Boncel Benjamin was credited with a mile rate of 1-55.7.

Trotters Final

■ The $150,000 Trotters Final also over 3009 metres was an open affair with Victorians Maori Law, Pink Galahs, Lotamuscle, Kyvalley Chief and The Penny Drops all having an undeniable chance while Just Believe and Illawong Stardust looked to be place chances, while Majestic Man trained in Melton by caretaker trainers Anthony Butt and Sonya Smith was also in the mix despite two disappointing efforts after an opening night success.

As the starter released the field Majestic Man pounced on the lead from gate two crossing Just Believe with Greg Sugars allowing Maori Time (gate six) to find his feet and go forward to assume control.

Pink Galahs was not on her best behavior galloping in the score up from gate seven to settle at the rear of the field, while Illawong Stardust starting inside the second line held a forward spot settling four back along the markers.

Lotamuscle (gate two on the second line) and Kyvalley Chief (gate three second line) both possied well back in the field and were never a chance. The Penny Spent (gate four on the second line) after following Humble Ladd (outside the front line) which had been three wide from the outset going forward to race exposed with a circuit to travel.

Dictating terms to a nicety, Maori Law had one and a half metres to spare over a much improved Majestic Man which eased of his back halfway up the running, with Just Believe running the race of his life to finish third three metres away for Mick Hughes and Rod Petroff after following the markers.

Trained in partnership by Emmett Brosnan and father Richard at Meredith between Geelong and Ballarat, Maori Law a 8Y0 LawmanSundonna gelding bred and raced by Melbourne’s Fred Crews in quarters of 30.7, 30.4, 28.4 and 27.9 returned a track record mile rate of 1-59.4.

The victory gave Richard Brosnan his second Inter Dominion success having trained and driven No Response to victory at Addington in 1979.

Harness Racing

Geelong earlier in the year blitzed his rivals by 23 metres in advance of Azterian (one/one from gate six), with Mister Cracker 13.8 metres back after following the winner all of the way. The mile rate 1-57.4.

Back on the list

len-baker@ bigpond.com

with Len Baker It was Maori Law’s 20th victory from 58 race appearances which include 36 placings for stakes of excess of $322,494.

Next year’s series will be held in Victoria.

Syndicate joy

■ Extremely honest 3Y0 Skyvalley-Poet Laureate gelding Tennerson was victorious in the Yarra Glen Bakehouse Trotters Handicap over 2150 metres at Yarra Valley on Monday December 6 and in doing so, registered his fourth success in 24 race appearances.

Driven by James Herbertson, Tennerson raced by Steve Carter, Jason Fenech and trainer Philip Chircop began swiftly from 10 metres to lead as the lone front marker and favourite La Serena was slow to begin and galloped on the first turn when tackling for the front running.

Given an easy time for most of the race, Tennerson was tackled strongly by Jodi Quinlan’s One Over Da Son (10m) approaching the final bend before fighting on bravely to record a nose margin in a finish which tricked many.

Sonny Brooke (one/one) after being given every chance by John Caldow was third 5.1 metres back. The mile rate a pedestrian 2-06.6.

■ There would have been celebrations galore following the victory of Kiwi bred A Rocknroll Dance-Willowbrook filly Letherocknroll in the 2150 metre Ashmores Automotive Smash Repairs 3Y0 Pace which marked a long awaited return to the winners list for Diggers Rest partowner/trainer Vince Dicocco.

Raced by a large syndicate including members of the Del-Re family, Letherrocknroll with Jack Laugher in the sulky began fast from gate five to cross Classy Countess (gate three) shortly after the start and was never headed, accounting for Seaside Sister (one/two) and No Motive which followed the runner up throughout. The margins a neck by 4 metres in a mile rate of 200.5.

Season to recall

■ Ararat raced on Tuesday afternoon and Allendale owner/trainer Adam Stephens who has had a season to remember added another winner to his tally when 4Y0 Bettors Delight-Lombo Madam Lashe gelding Silver Domino snared the 2195 metre Don’t Miss Out On The VHRC Bonuses Pace with Michael Stanley in the sulky.

Trapped wide from gate three as the start was effected with stablemate Iamawingate crossing from gate four before handing over to She Will Wantano (gate six), Stanley put the foot to the floor and Silver Domino was able to stride clear without spending too much petrol.

Allowed to dictate terms, Silver Domino recorded his sixth success in 71 outings, scoring by a half neck over She Will Wantano along the sprint lane in a rate of 2-01.5. Glenferrie Devotee was third 7.6 metres away after racing exposed for most of the journey.

■ Mach Three-Shes A Cool Lady gelding Hes A Cool Mach raced by the Ted Syndicate was victorious in the Be A Part Of APG’S Greatest Sales Ever Sales & Race Series 3Y0 Pace over 2185 metres.

Trained and driven by Kerryn Manning, Hes A Cool Mach began fast from gate four to lead his rivals a merry dance. Bounding away at the straight entrance, Hes A Cool Mach a winner at

■ At Maryborough on Wednesday, Sutton Grange reinsman Ross Graham returned to the winners list when successful aboard brother Leigh’s bred, raced and trained Used To MeSonoko gelding Sonokos Son who was making his race debut in the Harness Breeders Victoria 3Y0 Vicbred Maiden Trotters Mobile over 2190 metres.

Buried four back along the markers after walking out from gate two as Miss Broomfield (gate four) led. Sonokos Son after angling away from the inside approaching the final bend was switched down to the sprint lane on straightening and finished his race off well to prevail by a neck from Seeyouinmydreams which trailed the pacemaker. Krakuer (one/one) was third 5.4 metres back. The mile rate 2-07.2.

■ Popular Meltonian Ken Tippet trained and reined Rock N Roll Heaven-UniversalAlice filly Kia Ora Beauty to land the Harness Breeders Victoria 3Y0 Vicbred Maiden Pace over 1690 metres, returning a mile rate of 1-57.8.

Despite racing uncovered from gate six as Elli Joh (gate three) led, Kia Ora Beauty did it tough, but did it well after switching to the sprint lane on turning to score by 1.7 metres from Miss Tyler (one/one – three wide home turn) which bloused Elli Joh by a head for second.

Led throughout

■ Tabcorp Park Melton raced on Thursday and Inglewood part-owner/trainer Grant Innes’ 5Y0 Bacardi Lindy-Subitize gelding Vincent Kai returned to the winners list when successful in the Nutrien Equine Trotters Mobile over 1720 metres.

Bred by Grant and wife Franceen, Vincent Kai raced by the Innes family was sent forward from gate four by reinswoman Ellen Tormey to cross outsider Jordans Mate (gate two) shortly after the start and proceeded to lead throughout, reaching the wire 6.3 metres in advance of Mystic Chip (one/three) and Jordans Mate which held third 1.7 metres back. The mile rate 200.9.

■ Pearcedale co-trainers Simone and Andrew Walker caused a major upset in the first leg of the quaddie – the TAB Long May We Play Paace over 2240 metres when 8Y0 Rock N Roll Heaven-Indigenous gelding Reclusive scored at on course odds of $95.00 and $151.00 fixed.

Driven by Simone who races the horse in partnership with Peter Gibbon, Reclusive was taken back from gate four at the start to settle at the tail of the field after raging hot favourite Sweet Louise after being trapped wide from gate three crossed polemarker Doubtless Bay to lead.

Very wide on the home turn, Reclusive rattled home to blouse the hot pot by a half neck in a rate of 1-57.3. Doubtless Bay weakened for third 2 metres away after gaining an inside run along the sprint lane on turning.

Wallan connection

■ Home bred seven year old Rocknroll Hanover-Albertique gelding Albarock won his first race in over 14 months when victorious in the Ausure Echuca Vicbred Pace over 2160 metres at Echuca on Thursday.

Bred and raced by Wallan’s Noel Shinn, trained by wife Ruth and driven by son Chris, Alba Rock led all of the way from the pole to account for Roslyn Gaye off a three wide trail from last at the bell by a metres, with Karalta Courage third 2.7 metres away after trailing the winner. The mile rate 2-01.5.

All trots program

■ Bendigo raced on Friday with an interesting all trotting program honoring the Lang dynasty – the highlight being the True Roman Trotters Mobile over 2150 metres taken out by StArnaud district part-owner/trainer Jason McNaulty and

Sulky Snippets This Week

■ Wednesday – Kilmore, Thursday – Charlton/Ballarat, Friday – Cobram/Melton, Saturday – Cranbourne (Cup), Sunday – Terang, Monday – Maryborough/Mildura, Tuesday – Melton.

family’s 6Y0 Danny Bouchea-Cheque Again gelding Chissy in a rate of 2-00.6. Driven by James Herbertson, Chissy spent most of the race three back in the moving line from gate five as last start winner Sky Eagle (gate three) led.

Restrained from a tight pocket in the last lap to make the home turn four wide, Chissy finished his race off stylishly to prevail by 2-7 metres over Kyvalley Chichy (one/four) which raced to the front halfway up the running, with Namoscar a gigantic third a half neck back after galloping away from gate two and circling the entire field from last on straightening.

The McNaulty’s are a farming family and unfortunately for Jason, he couldn’t attend the meeting as he was working hard on the header.

Our sympathies

■ Veteran Western District trainer Len Fahey passed away at the age of 93 on Friday. Len whose daughter Mary is married to John Meade had spent a lifetime in the trotting game and was always readily available for a chat at most Terang meetings.

Readers may recall a mare of his by the name of Frosty Locks which raced in the seventies.

Sincere sympathy is extended to his family.

Newcastle heats

■ The third and final heats were held at Newcastle on Sunday December 5 which was the last opportunity for owners and trainers to gain valuable points to qualify their horses for the $500,00 Grand Final over 3040 metres at Menangle the following Saturday - the big question being will team McCarthy dominate once again as they have done all through the series ?

The answer was no !

HEAT– SEVEN Upset results are not all that common in Inter Dominion heats, however 4Y0 Lincoln RoyalMullaghmore gelding Bundoran trained at driven

by Bathurst’s Amanda Turnbull was a somewhat surprise winner at tote odds of $10.20.

Given a cosy passage from the pole on the back of the leader and favourite Max Delight (gate two), Bundoran after easing off the back of the leader in the straight finished best to score by a head from Max Delight which was hammered by Line Up from the bell. Spirit Of St Louis (one/two – three wide trail last lap – four wide home turn) was a head away third. Rank outsider Royal Gamble (four back the markerds) was fourth. In sections of 29.3, 28.9, 26.9 and 28, Bundoran returned a mile rate of 1-53.2 for the 2030 metre journey.

HEAT – EIGHT Possibly Australia’s best pacer King Of Swing went through the series undefeated with an easy four metre success for Belinda and Luke McCarthy.

Not pushed out from gate five, King Of Swing once balanced went forward to assume control after Balraj led from the pole. Not extended at any stage, King Of Swing in quarters of 28.6, 28.4, 27.1 and 27.2 returned a new track record mile rate of mile rate of 1-51.4, coasting to the wire in advance of Balraj with Victorian Triple Eight coming from five back the markers after starting inside the second line for third four and three quarter metres away. The Black Prince (three back the markers) trained in the Hunter Valley by Roy Roots Jnr was fourth.

- Len Baker

MARKETING FEATURE

Magazine

The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Page 19

Stateside with Gavin Wood in West Hollywood

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ■ Hi everyone, remotely from my suite at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites in West Hollywood comes this week’s news

Out and About

Christmas greetings

Federal aid money abuse

■ It’s that joyous time of the year and all the management and staff of the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites, 8585 Santa Monica Boulevard in the heart of West Hollywood send their very best wishes for the festive season.

They are all looking forward to welcoming all the Australian tourists in 2022.

Make the Ramada the entry point for your trip to America.

You will always find a friendly person to help you and they are happy to assist in any way. It looks like 2022 will be the year for travel as everything starts to settle down.

Gavin’s message

■ Once again, we find ourselves approaching the Christmas Festive Season with great speed.

Every year seems to roll around even faster than the year before and I am sure that we will make the best of the most wonderful time of the year.

With the traditional beginning of the holiday season in the US being Thanksgiving Day, we all had the opportunity to reflect on the difficult COVID-19 year that has just passed, again, and we quietly consider all the people and activities in our lives for which we can give thanks.

It is a great tradition and I know that I and Alan Johnson have many people that we wish to thank for support and friendship during 2021.

To all our dear family and friends, loyal clients, readers of this page, fearless editor of your Local Paper, Ash Long, we thank you and make our commitment to serve you, to the very best of our ability, in 2022. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe NewYear to you all.

● Happy Christmas and a wonderful new year from Managing Director Alan Johnson and General Manager Bill Karpiak.

Tik Tok alarm

31-year high

■ Consumer prices spiked at their fastest pace in more than 30 years last month, the Labour Department reported.

The consumer price index increased 6.2 per cent from a year ago, the highest since November 1990.

The rise in the consumer price index a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for products including gasoline, health care, groceries and rents – came in above the Dow Jones estimate of 5.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, the index jumped 0.9 per cent on a monthly basis, also higher than the 0.6 per cent estimate.

Fuel oil prices spiked 12.3 per cent for the month and 59.1 per cent over the past year. Used vehicle prices rose 2.5 per cent for the month and 26.4 per cent for the year. Food prices also jumped 0.9 per cent for the month and 5.4 per cent for the year.

The new report raises questions about claims by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that inflation would be transitory and related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both have recently revised their positions to say that inflation has been more persistent than they anticipated, though they believe conditions will return to normal over the next year or so.

GavinWood

From my Suite at the Ramada Plaza Complex on Santa Monica Blvd

■ Doctors around the globe have reported seeing a baffling surge in the number of teenage girls seeking medical attention for tics since the start of the pandemic, a trend that many of them have linked to TikTok videos, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Doctors were reportedly left scratching their heads at the influx of teenage girls experiencing the “physical jerking movements and verbal outbursts,” as men have traditionally been far more likely to develop the movement-disorder.

But as doctors in the US, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom began comparing notes, they realized that all the teens shared a fondness for TikTok videos.

They had also reportedly been watching videos of influencers sharing their experience with Tourette’s syndrome, a nervous-system disorder that causes people to make involuntary movements or sounds.

Doctors say that the teens who’ve recently experienced such behaviours are likely to have pre-existing diagnoses like depression or anxiety.

“There are some kids who watch social media and develop tics and some who don’t have any access to social media and develop tics,” Dr McGuire, an associate professor at John Hopkins University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, was quoted saying. “I think there are a lot of contributing factors, including anxiety, depression, and stress.”

Get back to work

Is society worse?

■ These results might help explain why Mark Zuckerberg was so eager to rename his business last month.

A new poll from CNN shows that over three-quarters of Americans surveyed said they believe Facebook has harmed US society and half of respondents said they personally know someone who believes in a conspiracy theory because of something they saw on the social network.

The headline poll result showed that an astonishing 76 per cent of Americans believe that Facebook has made society worse, with just 11 per cent saying that Facebook had improved society.

The results also showed that 49 per cent of people know someone who they think has fallen for a conspiracy theory because of content they saw on Facebook.

The CNN Poll was carried out by SSRS between November 1 through 4, days after Zuckerberg confirmed that Facebook would be rebranded with the new name Meta.

■ A Justice Department news release documents a litany of luxury items allegedly bought with pandemic aid meant to keep struggling businesses afloat.

One man was charged with spending his loan money on strip clubs. Another pleaded guilty to using his funds for a $318,000 Lamborghini.

Vinath Oudomsine may be the only person accused of using his small-business loan on a single Pokémon card. Prosecutors say the card cost the Georgia man $57,789 more than two-thirds of his federal aid, which officials say was based on false information.

The wire-fraud charge brought last week against Oudomsine is part of a federal crackdown on alleged misuse of massive relief programs that threw lifelines to businesses during the pandemic but also raised concerns about scams and waste.

A federal watchdog said this month that the Small Business Administration overpaid $4.5 billion in grants to selfemployed people and that "no system of controls was in place to flag applications with flawed or illogical information" even claims of up to one million employees.

This year, the SBA inspector general concluded that the federal agency rushed out billions of dollars in loans through the Pay check Protection Program "at the expense of controls" that could have blocked inappropriate aid.

The result, according to the SBA inspector general, was "limited assurance that loans went to only eligible recipients."

● Mark Zuckerberg

Come and visit us

■ If you are considering coming over for a holiday to see the in 2022, then I have got a special deal for you.

We would love to see you at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites, 8585 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood.

I have secured a terrific holiday deal for readers of the Melbourne Observer and The Local Paper. Please mention ‘Melbourne Observer’ when you book to receive the ‘Special Rate of the Day’ for your advance bookings.

Please contact Jennifer at info@ramadaweho.com Happy Holidays, Gavin Wood

www.gavinwood.us

■ The Labour Department's Bureau of Labour Statistics announced on Friday that 100,450,000 people in this country were not in the labour force in October, up 38,000 from the 100,412,000 in September.

This is the 14th straight month that this "not in the labour force" number has remained above 100,000,000. Persons who are neither employed nor unemployed are not in the labour force.

This category includes retired persons, students, those taking care of children or other family members, and others who are neither working nor seeking work.

Among those not in the labour force in October, 1.3 million persons said they were prevented from looking for work due to the pandemic.

This measure is down from 1.6 million in September. The number of people not in the labour force reached a record high of 103,418,000 in April 2020, as the pandemic took hold; and the highest it's been under President Joe Biden is 100,708,000 this past February.

Page 20 - The Local Paper - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

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