Alpine Observer - Myrtleford Times 100523

WAVING TO THE CROWD

Early winter warning

LOCAL emergency services were called out to two major incidents last weekend caused by icy conditions, leading to early warnings for mountain travellers.

On Saturday afternoon several emergency services were called to a man in his late 20’s who appeared to have fallen and hit his head on Blue Rag Range Track in Selwyn while in a group of four-wheel-drivers, according to Bright SES deputy controller Marcus Warner.

“He was obviously

Icy blast gives rescue workers a busy weekend ygy

BY BRODIE EVERIST beverist@ nemedia.com.au

bleeding quite heavily when the accident occurred; they called triple zero straightaway,” he said.

According to Mr Warner, the group of 12, in four vehicles, were travelling to a campsite when weather conditions worsened, so they turned around and drove to the Dargo High

Plains Road.

Mr Warner wasn’t sure how the man injured his head, but he said one of the vehicles had broken down, and suggested the man had slipped while trying to restart the car.

He said it was snowing heavily at the time.

Mr Warner said initial reports suggested it could have been a vehicle rollover down the road, requiring high-angle rescue, so a large number of units were called in to support the rescue,

including Bright, Wangaratta and Mount Beauty SES, Bright and Harrietville CFA, two ambulances and two police cars.

“As he was on the track it didn’t require all the resources, but it’s better safe than sorry when the conditions are like that,” he said.

According to Mr Warner the man was taken by ambulance at around 6pm.

Another high angle rescue was almost needed when a large car and caravan, with a man and woman inside, fell

20 metres off the Great Alpine Road near Mount Lock on Sunday.

According to Mr Warner, the woman was able to leave the car, however the man was trapped inside with suspected spinal injuries.

Mr Warner said Ambulance Victoria members decided to walk the man back up the slope to the ambulance.

“The road conditions worsened during lunchtime onwards and there was a decision made just after lunch to close access to Mount Hotham from

Harrietville,” he said.

“I think these vehicles were already on the mountain at the time.”

Mr Warner said these rescues may not have been necessary if drivers had been prepared and heeded weather warnings.

Bright SES controller Graham Gales encouraged motorists to drive to conditions, be aware of local weather and start carrying snow chains.

“With these icy blasts they can replicate winter, you can get ice on the road, you can get no grip,” he said.

BRIGHT local Kathie Lewis waves as the Bright Croquet Club float travels down Ireland Street in the Gala Day Grand Parade on Saturday.

 Story page 12.

PHOTO: Brodie Everist

ORIGINS OF RECREATION RESERVE SAINTS OUTWORKED BY BULLDOGS BY

Myrtleford’s major spend

SEVERAL infrastructure projects in Myrtleford could receive a combined total of $3.6 million, according to the Alpine Shire Council’s draft budget report released last month.

Big ticket items include funding for the Myrtleford Splashpark, Myrtleford Memorial Hall, the Nimmo Pedestrian Bridge and upgrades to the Myrtleford Savoy Soccer Club and Ablett Pavilion.

McNamara Reserve committee president Bob McNamara said the $720,000 allocated to the pavilion was for renovating and extending

BY BRODIE EVERIST beverist@ nemedia.com.au

the building to make the upper floor an events and community space.

He said the upgrades will include a boardroom and storage extension on the west side of the building, upgrades to the bar and kitchen, and concertina windows facing the football oval.

The upgrades aim to make

the pavilion an improved space for functions, making it financially self-sustaining and a source of income for the Myrtleford Football and Netball Club (MFNC), according to Mr McNamara.

“They’ll bring the building up to a standard that will that will see it out for the next 30 or 40 years and make it a really valuable asset for the community,” he said.

“The plans we’ve drawn up look great.”

Mr McNamara said events held at the upgraded pavilion

might include corporate functions, weddings or other midweek events.

“Similar to a Savoy Club concept to give another alternative to the shire and the town for an events area,” he said.

He said eventually the football club would consider employing full-time staff and a manager to make the space a fully self-sufficient commercial enterprise that could also fund the MFNC, which is in a league of significantly larger clubs.

“It would help take pressure off a small club like Myrtleford, who are competing against major cities that are much bigger,” he said.

“It helps them, hopefully, to be a bit more sustainable and eventually take pressure off the volunteers.”

The Myrtleford Splashpark, brainchild of local chamber of commerce president Jim van Geet, has $860,000 earmarked for the project.

Mr van Geet said tenders received for the project have been over budget, so council have been looking to cut

There is limited stock available with all profits contributing to the GROW Myrtleford+ fund which in turn will be invested back into the community through grantmaking. To support the fundraiser you can purchase a wine pack online at www.intoourhandsfoundation.com.au/fund/growmyrtleford/ Orders

costs without impacting the overall concept.

He said the park, which will be located on the site of the former Myrtleford scout hall, will be a major attraction for the town in summer months.

According to the budget report, council’s capital expenditure program totals $12.6 million, supported by government grant funding of $6.6 million.

Council invites written submissions from the public on any proposal contained in the budget, with submissions closing at 5pm, Wednesday, May 31.

READY FOR RENOVATIONS: McNamara Reserve committee president Bob McNamara is happy to see funding for upgrades to the Ablett Pavilion in the latest Alpine Shire Council draft budget.

PHOTO: Brodie Everist

Show your community spirit for Trish

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

MYRTLEFORD community spirit is yet again proving to be strong, with past residents and locals digging deep and showing up in support of local woman Trish Semmens.

Trish, who lost her legs and fingers more than 20 years ago after medical complications during a breast cancer diagnosis, recently lost her wheelchair accessible car which was also modified to suit her disabilities and allowed her to drive.

While NDIS will pay for any modifications, Trish has to purchase a new car herself, which will cost around $85,000.

A Gofundme campaign has raised just over $11k but past resident and performer Sharyn Bilston wanted to do more so she has organised a fundraising event at the Myrtleford Hotel on Saturday, May 20 from 3pm.

Afternoon of entertainment

“I’m an old Myrtleford girl and have been in the entertainment industry for more than 35 years and I remember as a community we would help however we could and locals would band and rally together,” she said.

“When I read about Trish’s situation on Facebook my heart was taken by it and the darling has been through so much already so to have gone through that now I immediately contacted them and

MYRTLEFORD’S St Paul’s Church will be holding a ‘Lazy Sunday Afternoon’ of music and a variety of entertainment at the St Paul’s Church Hall on May 28, 2:30pm-5pm.

Entry is $10 and includes afternoon tea.

wanted to know how to help.

“We just need to show our support for her and get as much raised as quickly as possible because it could be months before insurance kicks in and she needs to be able to independently travel.

“We’ve pulled a fair few musicians together for a fun, family day with live music, activities for the kids, a live auction and challenges and it’s only $20 entry.

“Darren Colston, Tracy Hamilton and the Friesians and my daughter Livy B will perform.

“The Myrtleford Hotel is such a great venue, I’m really excited to see it reopen and to support this event.”

Sharyn is still looking for people to donate auction items and for volunteers to help on the day.

“We’ve got a few but around 10 more significant items would be really great,” she said.

“Other than that we’re just asking people to send monetary donations to the Gofundme and to show up on the day.

“Bring your friends, family, kids and anyone that can show their support.

“We’d also love people to get some sponsors and enter the footy vs netball goal challenge where you’re sponsored for every goal made.

“Anyone can enter and it’s just going to be a fun day for all, for a great cause.

“I’m really looking forward to being back in Myrtleford, especially to support Trish.”

The event will be held on Saturday, May 20 from 3pm at The Myrtleford Hotel on Standish Street.

For further information or to donate an auction item call Sharyn on 0418 652 769.

To donate, head to https://gofund.me/bb5f4976.

Mountains blanketed in snow

FALLS Creek and Mt Hotham are blanketed in snow, with skiers and snowboarders hoping it’s a sign of things to come this winter.

The cold front bringing the wintry blast delivered the first falls to the alpine areas last Thursday, with heavier dumps over the weekend.

Sub-zero temperatures on Monday morning saw up to 20cms of snow at Falls Creek.

Not all of it was from Mother Nature, with the Falls Creek Alpine Resort’s snowmakers have been busy firing up the snow guns since Thursday.

Falls Creek senior mountain operations manager, John Palmer, said there was nothing more exciting to signal the start of a season than firing up the snowmaking system for the first time of the year.

“We will be making snow at every opportunity leading into the start of the snow season on Saturday, June 10,” he said.

Council to investigate short-stay laws

By BRODIE EVERIST

ACCORDING to Leigh Marlow, co-owner of a Bright electric bike rental store, they lost one of their best employees when she needed to move house.

“We put a lot of training and effort to build her up and she couldn’t get any long term accommodation,” he said.

“She’s in Melbourne now.”

“It’s also affected us personally - our house came up for sale, and we struggled to find somewhere to live.”

It’s a problem the Alpine Shire Council have touched on in their latest draft budget, with plans to investigate short-term rental

accommodation local laws, but, shire mayor John Forsyth said they’re at an early stage.

“We’re looking at what other jurisdictions are doing and what we can do under the current restrictions within Victoria,” he said.

“We’re saying to the public, we recognise that there is a problem.”

Last year council committed to developing a business plan for five key worker accommodation units in each of the councilowned caravan parks in Bright, Myrtleford and Tawonga.

Mr Forsyth also mentioned Tourism North East had developed research into the regional

accommodation shortage, but said any investment in worker accommodation could come at a significant cost.

“We just need to come up with partnerships because they’re talking in the millions of dollars to build worker accommodation,” he said.

Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) president David Clark said the MAV is actively engaging with councils on the issue and are looking to build an evidence base on the impacts of short-term rentals on local housing markets and community cohesion.

“This is not an issue councils can solve on their own,” he said.

“The State Government needs

to step up and use the levers it has to empower councils to address short-stay accommodation.

“Potential avenues to address the issue include through the planning system, through application of a different council rate, or even by restricting how frequently throughout the year a property can be used as a shortstay like what’s currently proposed in New South Wales.

“As a starting point the State Government needs to implement a state-wide register of short-stay accommodation, which New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia already have done.”

JUMPING FOR JOY: Maggie Henschke was delighted with the winter transformation at Falls Creek this week.

PHOTO: Chris Hocking

RETURNING PERFORMERS: Mother daughter duo Sharyn and Livy Bilston are among performers coming together to show their support and fundraise for local Trish Semmens.

Got News?

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Special rate proposed for Dinner Plain

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

COUNCILLORS are set to declare a Dinner Plain Special Rate for the village at the June meeting this year with the purpose of defraying expenses for the winter bus service, marketing and events support.

According to the recommendation before council, the special rate to be declared is for the purpose of defraying any expenses in rel ation to the provision of services of special benefit to the own-

ers of commercial/industrial land within the Dinner Plain village.

The Dinner Plain Special Rate will be 43 per cent of the general rate, levied between July 1 2023 to June 30 2024, as shown in the Alpine Shire Council 2023/24 draft budget report.

The total amount is estimated to be $172,000, according to the council report.

Each person liable to pay the Dinner Plain Special Rate is to pay by instalments in line with

council’s general rate payment requirements each year and the total cost of the performance of this function is estimated to be $290,000 over one year, and based on inclusion of the following services:

The Dinner Plain to Hotham winter bus service $140,000 or transport subsidies to an equivalent value; Marketing for Dinner Plain $90,000;

Events support to Dinner Plain $60,000.

A declared special rate for

Familiar and new faces on RSL committee

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

BRIGHT RSL sub-branch elected two new members join the ranks at its annual general meeting last month, alongside some new faces on the committee.

Phillip Keeghan, who remains president, said the committee was essentially the same for the second year of the term, with elections to be held next year.

“I’m still president, Judy Moore is vice president and we’re also acting treasurers, Craig Shewell is vice president affiliate and welfare officer,” he said.

“We’ve got two new members on board; Bob Spencer and Jeff Setford and Maz White, Kay Evans and Glynn Jones have joined the committee.

“We’re looking forward to the year ahead with some great events coming up and hopefully a few projects kickstarted; we’re just waiting to hear back on grant funding.”

On June 3 the club will hear from guest speaker Lambis Englezos OA who discovered 250 unmarked military graves in France.

NEW YEAR: Bright RSL are looking to the year ahead.

On October 28 there will be a play at The Courthouse Theatre as well as the 4/19 Prince of Wales Light Horse Brigade presented with freedom of the city.

“The Light Horse Brigade event is a fairly big one,” Phillip said.

“It will be full military dress code, bands playing and a good turnout.

“Mostly we’re just continuing the celebrations of 100 years of the Bright RSL.”

Dinner Plain reduced to 43 per cent in 2017/18.

In 2018/19, the special rate was aligned to the differential rate for commercial/industrial land in the rest of the shire and was only paid by ratepayers who own commercial/industrial land in the Dinner Plain village, including holiday lets.

This approach has continued since 2018/2019.

In 2023/2024 it is proposed that it be maintained for the declaration of a special rate to be made.

New arrival

Axel Ephraim Holt Talbot

AXEL Ephraim Holt Talbot was born at Northeast Health Wangaratta on Thursday, May 4 at 11.19am and weighed 4.62kg (10lb 2oz).

He is the son of Jessica Holt and Blaise Talbot of Myrtleford and brother of Willow Holt.

Stadium’s renewable upgrade underway

By BRODIE EVERIST

SOLAR and battery installations at the Mount Beauty Sports Stadium are expected to be completed in coming months, according to Towards Renewable Energy Kiewa (TREK) member Keith Pike.

Mr Pike said the council officer running the project had indicated the installations were due to be completed in July and the project was well-within budget.

The 23kws of solar panels and 26.4 kilowatt hours of total energy storage is designed to reduce running costs for the stadium and improve the building’s status as a Neighbourhood Safer Place (also known as a place of last resort) in the event of emergencies.

According to Mr Pike, the venue has bathroom facilities, hot water and a small kitchen, making it suitable as a place of safety, and a three-phase diesel generator is to be installed to provide further emergency power.

He said the installations will also lower running costs for the stadium.

“When the battery is full, which will be most of the time, any spare solar is going to go straight into the pool and heat the pool, which is a very expensive item,” he said.

According to Mr Pike, TREK received $203,000 for the stadium upgrades through a grant from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) and they supplied the money to the Alpine Shire Council to manage the project.

Mr Pike said the project showed potential for future renewable energy generation and storage at the site, and he suggested a community battery could be installed.

“You can easily put more panels on the roof, you could easily make a bigger battery,” he said.

“It gives you an idea of what could be done.”

SUSTAINABILITY SITE: TREK member Keith Pike, pictured outside the Mount Beauty Stadium, said the building’s upgrades show potential for further renewable energy installations at the site.

Response times up but still below average

AMBULANCE response times in the Alpine Shire are improving, but remain well below the statewide average, according to recently-released Ambulance Victoria data.

Performance data for the first quarter of 2023 shows shire residents waiting an average of almost 22 minutes for a Code 1 ‘lights and sirens’ response, with only 44.9 per cent of ambulances responding within 15 minutes for patients that require urgent paramedic and hospital care.

This is a 40-second improvement on the previous quarter, and faster than the 2022/23 Q1 Code 1 response average, which was over

24 minutes.

Across Victoria, ambulances only reached 65.2 per cent of code 1 callouts before the 15-min mark, well under their goal to respond to 85 per cent of incidents within 15 minutes.

The state-wide average response time to Code 1 emergencies was 15 minutes and 20 seconds - an improvement of one minute and 24 seconds compared to the previous quarter.

Code two responses, for acute but not time critical incidents, took an average of 45 minutes and 35 seconds in the third quarter of 2022/23 in the Alpine Shire, around a minute slower than the

previous two quarters.

Ambulance Victoria Hume regional director Narelle Capp said ambulance performance improved thanks to reduced demand and fewer staff furloughed due to COVID-19.

“January to March saw ambulances called to 92,413 Code 1 cases across Victoria, which provided some welcome relief to our hard-working paramedics who faced rising demand during the pandemic,” Ms Capp said.

“That’s 7,825 or 7.8 per cent fewer ‘lights and sirens’ cases compared to the previous quarter - which was the busiest in our history with more than 100,000 cases.

No date set for culvert repairs

“We thank the community for helping us relieve pressure on our paramedics and the health system by saving Triple Zero (000) for emergencies.

“However, now is not the time to be complacent. We know demand is already rising again and will continue to do so as we head towards winter.

“I encourage all Victorians take care of themselves and keep regular check-ups with your GP or specialist and get your COVID-19 booster and annual flu shot.

“For more minor ailments, visit your local Priority Primary Care Centre in Shepparton or Wodonga.”

THE Department of Transport and Planning has offered no timeline on repairs to a culvert on the Myrtleford-Yackandandah Road damaged by rain.

The small section of road between Myrtleford and Barwidgee has been reduced to a single-lane for some months, with speeds reduced to 40kp/h and traffic lights in place.

According to a Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson, the road was closed after storm water damage following heavy rain.

“The road will be re-opened as soon as it is safe to do so,” they said.

PHOTO: Fay Mason

Quilting for a cause

By BRODIE EVERIST

AT 36 blocks and six halfblocks, Whorouly local Jo Matheson has spent at least 20 hours on her quilt so far, but it’s all for a good cause.

“I do it because I love to do it,” she said.

The single-bed quilt will be the big raffle prize in the Whorouly Country Women’s Association’s (CWA) Biggest Morning Tea event on May 25, raising money for cancer research.

The annual ‘cuppa for cancer’ has a quilt prize each year, but this is the first time Ms Matheson has taken up the mantle of being the prize seamstress.

“This quilt is one I started a few years back and then put away,” she said.

“Us quilters, we tend to start lots of things and there are lots of unfinished things in the cupboard.”

The top of the quilt, which only needed a three-inch border before completion, is made of a series of squares (called blocks) that make a ‘Chinese lantern’ pattern.

Each one takes between 30 minutes to an hour to make, Ms Matheson explained.

She sews each block together into a strip, then each strip together to make the top of the quilt.

The top will be layered with the bottom fabric and the in-

ternal wadding and then quilted - where the three layers will be stitched together.

While some people take their quilts to professional quilters, Ms Matheson said she prefers to do the stitching herself.

“It’s fairly costly, for one thing,” she said.

The raffle and the entry donations for the morning tea go to the Cancer Council to assist

in funding research and patient support.

CWA branch secretary Jeannette Allen said the COVID-19 pandemic has dented attendance numbers in the past few years, but they are hoping to reverse that trend.

“We invite sister branches in the North East, as well as local organisation representatives and community to the

Council switching off Dinner Plain TV

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

ALPINE Shire Council has decided the Dinner Plain cable television network infrastructure is at the end of its useful life, and will be discontinuing the delivery of the service at the end of the 2023 winter season.

Council provides and maintains the cable TV infrastructure to parts of Dinner Plain and reported at the recent council meeting that over the last few years, the number of breakdowns and customer complaints has risen.

This was reportedly due to the ageing infrastructure and an increasing susceptibility to weather events.

According to the recommendation before council, maintenance costs were increasing and the equipment is obsolete, with the hardware no longer commercially available.

Council has advised there are two private TV service options available to the community: Mobile NBN connection via Telstra is accessible to all residents via signing a Telstra contract, which provides access to TV and Foxtel channels through mobile streaming via the internet;

VAST TV satellite connection is accessible to all residents through a contract with VAST and at an approximate cost of $900 to connect.

Council advised some trees may impede this service’s signal and currently approximately 10 per cent of houses have installed this service.

morning tea,” she said.

“Even with only a small crowd last year, they were very generous crowd.

“We raised almost $1000, and if we can top that we will be most happy.”

The morning tea will be held at the Whorouly Recreation Reserve function room on Thursday, May 25 from 9.30am to 11.30am.

The report concluded that council has “sufficient existing operational budget” to maintain the service through to June 30, 2023, and through the draft budget is “seeking additional budget to maintain the service through to September 30, 2023, following which the service will be switched off and the infrastructure decommissioned”.

Council assured that a comprehensive communication plan will be implemented to inform the Dinner Plain community and will provide sufficient notice of the decision to provide guidance and support to enable a smooth transition to the new superior private TV services.

PASSION FOR PATTERNS: Whorouly seamstress Jo Matheson and grandson Chase Beach with the top of her latest quilt, which will be the first prize in the Whorouly CWA’s raffle on May 25.

PHOTO: Brodie Everist

PEOPLE AROUND TOWN

Joy Keith

How long have you lived in the area?

I’ve lived here in Mount Beauty for 47 years, my husband came up from Melbourne to work for the SEC.

What do you like about living here?

It’s quiet and peaceful, a good place to raise a family. I love the views all around , it’s a welcoming community with lots of organisations to volunteer at or join.

Would you like to see any additions or changes?

No I like it as it is, however, more eateries would be good, particularly at night, and a dry cleaning depot.

I wish there was an industry that could employ school leavers so they didn’t have to move away.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I like researching my family history, walking, reading, and I volunteer at the hospital op shop.

What do you do for a living?

I worked at the hospital for over 20 years.

Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?

Walks mainly - to Pebble Beach, the Gorge Walk, around the lake, followed by coffee at the wonderful Neighbourhood Centre, or the Old Tawonga Store.

Mary Broz

How long have you lived in Myrtleford?

Fifty-nine years. I was on a working holiday in Australia, going back to Kenya, but I didn’t get there.

Why did you decide to stay?

I married my husband - you make your home where your family is.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Girl Guides, and Scouts to a certain extent. Choral singingmostly classical choral works like Messiah and Vivaldi - and family and church.

What do you like about the area?

I like the mountains because I was brought up in Africa in a mountainous area, and the greenery, excepting for when there’s droughts.

I like the change of seasons because in Africa you don’t get

the change of seasons. You have a rainy season and a dry season, whereas here you have the four seasons.

Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?

Mount Buffalo for sure, and just around the nooks and crannies in this area that are interesting. Beechworth, Yackandandah, Bright, and probably the Lake Buffalo dam because I worked on its construction. I worked from the office.

How has Myrtleford changed since you moved here?

I find with all the newcomers it’s a much friendlier society than it was when I first came here. Probably that was partly my fault. I was growing up in Africa and we were the only white people around, then I went to university in New Zealand.

I was with family, university, and I went to boarding school

Prahnee Ambler

How long have you been living in the area?

I have lived here for four adventurefilled years.

What do you do for a living?

I’m a teacher at our picturesque school.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Snowboarding, mountain biking, trail running, hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, crocheting, and chasing after my lost dog.

What do you like about the area?

I love that we have four distinct seasons, easy access to mountain biking, trail running, snow sports, swimming holes, waterfalls, national parks and walking/hiking trails. I also love our friendly community, full of people that push me outside my comfort zone, teach me new things and provide unwavering support.

Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?

I would take visitors for tea and scones at the Red Stag Deer farm, mountain biking down our flowy trails, a glass of wine overlooking Mt Buffalo at Ringer Reef, a walk through the Bakers Gully autumn trees, and enjoy a fire at Jack’s Hole with a Billy Button wine in hand. Is there anything you would change about the area?

from the age of seven.

So I was always institutionalised.

Then I came to a country town, and I’d never been in a country town.

I married an Italian and I couldn’t speak Italian, although they were very accommodating.

I can understand, in ways, how the Italian women felt, because I felt the same way.

When they came here they couldn’t speak English and they couldn’t drive, so they were isolated.

I went into nursing and my tutor became the community health nurse in Myrtleford.

She got Italian woman out driving and learning to speak English.

That changed the whole atmosphere. So the community has definitely changed completely.

I would love to see a drink tap for humans and dogs at the arboretum.

MYRTLEFORD

BRIGHT

MOUNT BEAUTY

Dragon boat paddlers rule the waves

MEDALS

Tackling invasive weeds and animals at the public/private interface - Webinar

LANDHOLDERS are invited to join a webinar that will discuss how a coordinated and prioritised approach can treat invasive weeds and pest animals on public land, where it adjoins private land.

Invasive weeds and animals have a significant impact on Victoria’s natural environment.

The Good Neighbour Program is run by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and Parks Victoria (PV).

By

FAY MASON, Kiewa Valley Correspondent

Fay, who is also a regular host on Alpine Radio, can be contactedon 0410 738 266, or email faymariemason@gmail.com

FANTASTIC results for the Mount Beauty Dragon Boat Club in the State vs State competition in the recent Australian championships, held at Gateway Lakes at AlburyWodonga in April.

The Victorian team had a successful campaign winning gold in all four categories they raced in.

The junior and premier club racing saw Mount Beauty juniors Ella, Sophie, Bella and Ari selected to paddle in the Australian junior team, ‘The Joeys.’

The juniors had an amazing experience with this team, making new friends and connections across Australia.

Sean Taylor and Wendy Rose were selected for the regional state team, Lisa Smallbone the Mount Beauty head coach was also the regional team coach,

and Sean Taylor named as one of the captains.

The support that comes from families, coaches and club members proves that dragon boat racing is a valuable, life affirming, truly engaging sport for people of all ages.

THE Mount Beauty Neighbourhood Centre is hosting the Snow Sports Technician Course to be held on Friday, June 2 - Sunday,

June 4, 8am to 5pm.

This course provides comprehensive training for snow sports and includes practical training sessions, individual feedback, and group critiques.

The course is subsidised by ACFE to make it affordable for a pre-accredited qualification, please register via the website http:// www.mountbeauty.org.au/ bookonline, or to find out

GALORE: Mount Beauty Dragon Boat Club members (front from left) Ari Panozzo, Bella Navakowski, and Sophie BrethertonLee, (back from left) Wendy RoseDavidson, Sean Taylor, Ella White and Lisa Smallbone.

Each year over 200 Good Neighbour projects are delivered across Victoria targeting Gorse, Rabbit, Blackberry, Fox, Serrated Tussock, Prickly Pear, and many other species along the public / private boundary.

Mel Birleson - Good Neighbour Project Officer, DEECA, will present on how the Good Neighbour Program complements your weed and pest control efforts to prevent the spread of invasive species, protect your property, and sustain our natural environmental assets.

more call the Neighbourhood Centre on 03 5754 1166.

ON the Alpine FM Brunch program this morning we will be speaking with Helen Haines Federal MP for Indi at 9.30am, and Alpine Shire Mayor John Forsyth at 11.10am during the Talking Heads Segment. At 3pm tune in for the Pale Blue Dot program where the focus is on sustainability, with interesting guest speakers.

Andrew Griffiths - natural resources co-ordinator from Wodonga Council will outline the importance of determining land tenure, the weeds and pests of concern to Wodonga Council, how to contact your council and what assistance may be available for pest and weed control on council land to complement work on your property and maintain natural assets.

The webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 16, from 7 - 8 pm.

Register at https://www.trybooking.com/CHVNU by Monday, May 15.

For further information contact Gervaise Gaunt 0409 027 115 or email healthyhectaresne@wodongalandcare.org.au.

The Healthy Hectares project is supported by Wodonga Urban Landcare Network, Kiewa Catchment Landcare Groups, Mid-Ovens Landcare Consortium, and Ovens Landcare networks, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Sustainability group questions houses’ enviro-credentials

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

SUSTAINABLE Upper Ovens (SUO) have called for more detail following the release of housing guidelines for stage 1 and 2 of the Bright Valley Development, with the group asking for more information on environmentally sensitive features.

SUO community energy and EV coordinator Dennis Lambert said the group is in the process of putting forward suggestions for sustainable, comfortable, energy efficient housing in the bushfire prone environment on its website in the coming weeks.

According to the housing guidelines, all houses will have double glazing on all windows and doors, a 2.0kw solar panel system, LED downlights for the entire home, a 15A isolation switch for electric car chargers and split-system air conditioning with a minimum 4-star cooling rating and a 4.5 heating rating.

“We wonder if double glazing is a requirement for a 7-star nationwide house energy rating scheme (NatHERS) rating; as this rating system has no-post construction testing for energy performance, it allows

tradespeople to take shortcuts that may well remain undetected,” Mr Lambert said.

“High quality solar PV with a 25 year product warranty is sound economically and environmentally.

“A 2.0kw solar system is very small and there needs to be a large enough inverter installed to enable increasing solar systems over time.”

According to Mr Lambert, renewable energy expert Dr Saul Griffith said we need 1015kw of solar PV for all-elec-

tric homes, with one or two electric vehicles, by 2030.

“In line with this information, SUO is encouraging new builds to be planning for 10kw solar PV on a certified passive ouse and 15kw on a typical home build, by 2030,” he said.

“A split system air conditioner with a 4-star energy rating for cooling and 4.5 for heating should have coefficient of performance (COP) of about 4.

“COP is the relationship between the power (kW)

that is drawn out of the heat pump as cooling or heat, and the power (kW) that is supplied to the compressor.

“The COP of 4 is good but the actual brand, model and size will give a lot more detail.

“Regarding split air conditioners, it is important to use energy efficient ones.”

Dennis also raised concerns over the fire resistance of the planned 1500 trees to be planted around the development.

“We wonder if those trees are going to actually be fire resistant,” he said.

“Do they assist nature as the climate increases?

“I don’t think it matters that you plant 1500 trees when they’re that young; they’re spindly little things 10 years later.

“They’re not big trees yet, they’re not giving a shade over the road and they’re not reducing the heat impact.”

Deague Group said all trees for the subdivision streetscapes are proposed to be different species of European exotic deciduous trees “in keeping with the

Bright character”.

“Fortunately, these trees are generally considered less combustible, as confirmed from advice from our project landscape architect and arborist,” a spokesperson said.

“Our tree selections are heavily dependent on the available stock at our specialist tree nursery provider.

“We are proposing to plant advanced trees in the vicinity of 4-6 metres which are trees of around three to five years old.”

Deague Group also proposes more advanced trees on key streets subject to availability and quantities and will be confirming orders with their provider at detailed design stage in the next few months following approval of Stage 1.

“We have been assured by our industry specialist nursery tree grower that the stock is sterile,” Deague Group said.

“At detailed design stage we will be working closely with the shire to ensure the availability of tree stock complies with expectations.”

For more details go to https://www.alpineshire.vic. gov.au/bright-valley-development.

BRIGHT VALLEY DEVELOPMENT: Questions raised by local sustainability group on proposed housing development. INSET: MORE INFO NEEDED: Sustainable Upper Ovens community energy and EV coordinator Dennis Lambert wants more information on the development.

Long-time firefighters recognised

AROUND 32 CFA members and their families were recognised for their service to the Rosewhite CFA last Friday evening at the Happy Valley Hotel.

Ovens Valley CFA group officer Micheal Freudenstein said Commander Trevor Ebbles handed out the awards, ranging from five years to 70 years of service.

According to Mr Freudenstein, a posthumous presentation to Donald Walpole was particularly significant, acknowledging that Mr Walpole’s knowledge of fire enabled him to identify the cause of a 1968 fire from electricity wires, rather than initial suspicions of arson.

Mr Freudenstein said another highlight was the recognition of 70 years of service by local David McDonald.

“We encourage people to join the CFA by recognising people’s past performance and past efforts,” he said.

“It encourages the younger ones to come on board.”

Schools, community to benefit from Mental Wellbeing week

FOR the second year running, community groups will combine to deliver a series of sessions to young people and the community regarding mental health.

A collective group, including Myrtleford Football Netball Club’s (MFNC) Wellbeing Team, Communities That Care Alpine (CTCA) auspiced by Alpine Health, Marian College and Myrtleford P-12 College, have collaboratively coordinated this year’s schedule for the

Mental Wellbeing Week #Bekindtoyourmind, from May 13-19.

This annual event is set to promote mental wellness through a series of events, guest speakers and school activities.

Founder of SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY, Mitch McPherson, will kick off the week speaking at the MFNC’s luncheon during the match between the Saints and Yarrawonga Pigeons, before heading out to school during the week to

share his stories and advice.

“I’m super excited to be part of the #Bekindtoyourmind Shield, coming over and speaking to you all at the luncheon,” McPherson said.

“I’m pumped to meet everyone there.

“Then I get to spend a few days and head to the schools for the Mental Wellbeing week, being able to speak to the year 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, teaching staff, everyone associated with the schools as part of Mental Wellbeing Week.

“I have 10 years’ experience in the space of mental health and suicide prevention, so to be able to come over and bring a bit of my wisdom and a bit of my experience, and share that with you all is something I’m super pumped for.”

Students at these colleges will also be provided with mental wellbeing sessions from Headspace, Alpine Health and NESAY in the days following.

NESAY, a community

partner of the CTCA, will also be providing a series of #Bekindtoyourmind community seminars and free workshops for young people during the week including:

 Lisa Bishop - Family Connections through Art - Tuesday, May 16, 5.30pm, Myrtleford Senior Citizens Centre; An opportunity for our young people and a parent/family member to create an artistic image of their family tree with support and guidance. Bookings- https://nesay.com.

au/upcoming-events.

 Dr Michael Carr-Gregg Community SeminarThursday, May 18, 5.30pm, EMPAC, Myrtleford. Bookings - https://nesay.com.au/ upcoming-events/

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg is one of Australia’s highest profile child and adolescent psychologists and specialists in mental health - he’ll share his insights on how to build happiness and resilience in young people and their families.

LEADERS: Past Rosewhite CFA captains (from left) Gary Howell, Trevor Dwyer (sitting), Les Brine, Micheal Freudenstein and David McDonald.

YEARS OF SERVICE: Medal recipients, (from left) Gary Howell, Micheal Freudenstein, Noela Dawes, Les Brine, Leisa Tucker, David Cummins, Jim Borsi, David McDonald, Jake Howman, Jean Walpole, Terry McCormick, Trevor Dwyer, Tim Brown, Joan Cartright, Kevin McPherson and Les Evens.

Gala day brings visitors from all around

By BRODIE EVERIST

BRIGHT was filled with visitors from across the state and beyond for the Gala Day and street market on Saturday, with many coming for the Autumn Festival.

Ballarat resident Neville Curtis and Geelong resident

Glenda Flanagan were at the Gala Day supporting two members of the Wangaratta Pipe Band, who performed at Mafeking Square during the market. While persistent rain in the morning had dampened the morning, Ms Flanagan said it was good the weather

had eased off by midday.

“The town has done an excellent job,” she said.

“I’m so thrilled that the market is back in the main street.”

Sue Hooper was one of five Sydneysiders who were seated under a tree on Ireland Street.

“We come up here every

Make Mum’s Day

See

year for the event,” she said.

“The people are very lovely.”

Another of the group said they had already booked accommodation for next year.

Brendan Holland, president of the Bright Autumn Festival committee, said most visitors come from Melbourne for the festival, but they also get tourists from Queensland and New South Wales.

“I think primarily because we offer some of the

best autumn colours in the country,” he said.

“They also come because it is a local harvest timeso you’ve got fresh apples, you’ve got your chestnuts and other nuts that are around this time of year.”

“Mushroom foraging has become quite a big thing around here too.”

Mr Holland said they had around 25 floats for the parade, which celebrated ‘everyday heroes’, such as emer-

gency and health workers.

“It was really good to see the community get behind it and have a really good representation of community groups, emergency services groups, businesses, schools, youth groups,” he said.

The committee are planning to hold the Autumn Festival from April 26 to May 5 next year, and volunteers are welcome to get involved by contacting enquiries@brightautumnfestival.com.au.

RECOGNITION: Bright P-12 College’s float celebrated health workers. PHOTOS: Brodie Everist

BUFF: A member of the Alpine Cycling Club poses for the camera.

Housing top priority ahead of budget

INDEPENDENT

federal MP for Indi

Helen Haines was looking for government to fund measures to open up housing supply in the regions before the federal budget was handed down yesterday.

Speaking last week before the budget had been delivered, Dr Haines said the housing crisis is being felt across the North East region, where 40.6 per cent of renters are experiencing housing stress.

“In our region we know that the dire lack of housing supply is a major factor contributing to the crisis,” she said.

“What we need is a dedicated Regional

Housing Infrastructure Fund, which would provide funding for enabling infrastructure that would help open new housing developments, like sewerage, drainage, parks and other amenity.

“It would also provide local government assistance to fast-track planning approvals and reduce red tape.”

Dr Haines has also called for funding to improve access to health care in regional, rural and remote Australia.

Further coverage of the federal budget will be in next week’s paper, which went to press before the budget was delivered.

Negotiations underway for Tawonga toilet

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

AN offer to purchase land in Tawonga South for the construction of a public toilet has been made by council, chief executive officer Will Jeremy reported at the Alpine Shire Council monthly meeting in April.

Councillors were asked for an update on the Tawonga South public toilet, an ongoing campaign leaving resi-

dents busting for facilities in the town.

When asked if there had been any progress made, Mr Jeremy said the offer to purchase had been made.

“If this is accepted it will allow us to develop public amenities there but we haven’t had a response yet,” he said.

“We’re awaiting that response but at some point we’ll decide if we’re going to get one and alternative plans

will be made to develop public amenities within another reserve in Tawonga South.

“We don’t want to jump the gun as we’ve made the offer and it is a better spot but if we don’t get positive confirmation we’ll move forward.”

Mayor John Forsyth commented on the timeline, ahead of snow season.

“I think the CEO has triggered something here and that is we probably should

push harder as a council to get a result from our acquisition proposal,” he said.

“We should give a timeline and if that isn’t acceptable we should be pushing hard as we have another snow season coming up with more traffic so we have to get something put in place.”

Council was unable to disclose the location of the land while going through negotiations.

HOUSING HELP: Indi MP Helen Haines was hoping this week’s federal budget would address a housing crisis across regional Victoria.

Racecourse and Recreation Reserve 1866-1950

By JOHN TAYLOR OAM, Myrtleford and District Historical Society Inc.

THE first horses to graze in the Myrtleford district came in 1837 with the arrival of European overlanders, led by John Hillas, driving 1,300 head of cattle on to the Myrtle Creek Pastoral Run.

Local indigenous people already knew of horses, having observed the Hume and Hovell exploration party descend the ranges in 1824 and follow the Burgoigee Creek to its junction with what they would name the Ovens River.

Growth in population after 1850, associated with gold mining, grazing, cropping and commerce created a need for communal gatherings.

One such activity was competitive horse racing where the skill and prowess of the rider and endurance of the horse could be displayed.

To provide stock for racing, some local thoroughbred owners rode or walked their stallions around the district, including John Carroll of ‘The Laurels’, Mudgegonga with ‘Blue Peter’, Lott Healy from Tunnel Gap Road, who had 30 farmers in his stock book, and JE Milne who kept detailed records of the progeny of his ‘Macedon Mount’.

Myrtleford’s first organised horse racing event was on a flat course in the centre of town in April 1867, where the CoStore, Myrtleford Hotel and railway station yards were eventually located. The start and finishing posts were outside the Myrtle Creek Hotel, established by Joseph Paul in 1857. Later, it would be known as the Temperance Hotel and then the Golden Valley Cafe.

Nearby, a second racecourse was established on Merriang Pastoral Run on the side of the round hill where a flax mill would be established in 1942.

On October 2 1866 the Myrtleford Racing Club (MRC) was formed by nine prominent pastoralists and businessmen and in November four members of the committee, Edward Chambers, John B May, John O’Brien and Peter B Wallace, were appointed to petition local parliamentarian Mr GV Smith MLA to defer the sale of Crown Land lots along the Barwidgee (then known as the Myrtle) Creek with the intent of developing a racecourse and recreation precinct.

The committee’s petition was successful and a contract to fence in the land was signed off in April 1868.

In March 1869 the new track was in order for racing and the trustees erected a grandstand in 1869.

It was condemned as unsafe in 1885 and

replacement was built by Mr F Farley in November 1896.

Many well-bred highly regarded horses appeared at the races.

Events at the old town racecourse in 1867-68 were two-day events, with four races on the flat each day with names such as ‘Maiden Plate’, ‘Publican’s Purse’, ‘Miner’s Purse’, ‘Consolation Stakes’ and ‘Ladies’ Purse’. Hurdles and hack events were also held.

Horses, such as ‘Misty Morn’, ‘Ray’s Lottery’, ‘Mountain Maid’, ‘Little John’, ‘Wee Mick’ and ‘Smuggler’ sometimes appeared in two races on any day, up to two miles in length.

The first event on the new course saw many of the old favourites return, attracted by record prize money of 165 pounds.

They were joined by ‘Spanker’, ‘Shylock’, ‘Rose of

JOHN MARTIN CARROLL AND GRANDSON OF ‘BLUE PETER’, 1930s: ‘Peter’ photographed at ‘The Laurels’, Mudgegonga. ‘Blue Peter’ was purchased in 1875 by John Carroll snr and serviced many thoroughbred mares in the district.

RACECOURSE GRANDSTAND, LATE 1920s: A second grandstand was erected in 1896, under the supervision of Messrs Chambers, Teakel and Croucher, three Racing Club committeemen. It was sited on the slope where the Show Society pavilion is now situated.

Australia’, ‘Eaglehawk’ and ‘Pathfinder’.

In 1874 the two-day event was abandoned for one day of six events.

New horses and owners continued to attend.

In 1881, local owners Messrs E Chambers, T Barton, C Gerraty and J McHenry were prominent.

Due to the economic impact of the closure of Reform Mine in 1888, no meetings were held in 1890 or 91.

This led to the creation of an amateur racing club which eventually amalgamated with the MRC in 1892.

The annual meeting of the club on November 12 1898 saw a committee of 17 members elected under the leadership of Mr J Hart (President), D Niall (Treasurer) and R Milne (Secretary). Other members included M Carley, A Croucher, C Teakel

and G Murray. Success continued into the new century for the MRC, but it became clear that a Recreation Reserve Committee was needed to control overall use of the area and set charges to cover maintenance costs.

This committee first met in April 1908.

Early challenges related to the need to support the racing calendar, responding to requests for access to dredge and mine for gold, the need for a reliable water supply, responding to a request from the Light Horse Militia to conduct drills and a suggestion to establish a rifle range on the site.

Horse racing continued, and at an unregistered meeting on Boxing Day, 1911, the ‘Myrtleford Mail & Whorouly Witness’ reported “The attendance was about 800.....The pretty little course looked well after recent rains, and the going was good, with the exception of one or two small crab-holes”.

“Visitors came from all

parts, from Wandiligong to Stanley.....the afternoon’s sport was the best seen here for years.”

The Recreation Reserve Committee abandoned meetings during World War I, until 1919, when rules based on Department of Crown Lands and Survey regulations were reinforced, and controls introduced over any improvements.

The Reserve became a major venue for sports and gala days to raise funds for the War Memorial.

During 1924-26 major issues related to grazing licences and stray stock, pest and weed control and improved road access.

The late 1920s and early 1930s saw renewed controversy on subletting charges and discussions on leasing and course design with the fledgling golf club.

The MRC’s regular race meetings, in affiliation with the NorthEastern Unregistered Racing Association and Yackandandah Picnic Racing Association, would continue until its last events in the late 1930s.

By 1943, during World War II, the Reserve Committee turned its attention to grazing rights for cattle penned by auctioneers, sports days to support the RSL and further plans for expansion of golf club amenities.

In 1947 an agricultural show was trialled by the community, led by AW Richardson, EMG Dean and HJ Ashdown, with a view to commence a permanent annual event in 1948.

Beyond 1950, a community asset continued to evolve from the humble beginnings of 1869, to offer facilities we can enjoy today: a golf course, indoor sports facilities, horse events, an agricultural show and a speedway.

Voices lift Autumn Festival

THE Bright Singers performed to a crowd of around 50 at the Bright Community Centre last Sunday afternoon, the second of two performances for the Autumn Festival.

Celebrating their 30th year, the choir sang a variety of pieces and styles, including Lennon and McCartney’s ‘Yesterday’, a medley of songs from ‘Forrest Gump’, and Irving Berlin’s ‘Blue Skies’.

Of note were some particularly challenging a capella pieces, including Mozart’s ‘Ave Verum Corpus’.

As well as the singers, some works also featured Jill Chalwell on piano, Rob Pitman on bass and Brodie Everist on saxophone. The singers will be holding three more rehearsals this month before going into winter hibernation.

To get involved brightsingers@gmail. com.

“Bellissimo”, says Rotary exchange student

By FAY MASON

WHEN Rotary exchange student Harri Silvester found out his exchange location was to be in the mountains north of Italy, he naturally hoped he would have an opportunity to ski.

He knew he would be sharing daily life with his host family and improving his basic Italian language skills.

Here is a small account from Harri on his experience so far:

“The first three months have flown by, I’m living in a suburb called Porto Mantovano in the city of Mantova in Northen Italy.

“I live with my host parents, host sister, who is my age, and a host

brother who returns home from university occasionally.

“The host grandparents live on the same property.

“I am learning to speak Italian, taking lessons at school, the school being Liceo Scientifico that specialises in science and maths.

“So far I’ve been to Roma, skiing in the Dolomites, Padova, Lake Garda and to Sicily for four days.

“Next month I’m going to Brescia for a Rotary/outbound orientation weekend, and in the holidays a hiking trip to Spain and Portugal, then back to Sicily with my host families.

“I am so grateful to everyone who has made this exchange possible.

“I have learnt so many new

things, been to so many new places, and have learnt so much about the Italian culture.

“I would like to thank the Mt Beauty Rotary Club, Victorinus Feltrensis, Kelly, Kirsty, Meredith and my host families for making this exchange possible.

“It is truly a lifetime in one year.”

Mount Beauty Rotary is inviting applicants to bring an international experience to your family by hosting an international student.

They cannot confirm details of the student who will be coming to Mount Beauty in July this year regarding age, gender or nationality, but they have decided to put the word out early to give families time to consider this great opportunity.

All expenses will be covered by Rotary, including uniforms, excursions and fees along with a monthly pocket money allowance.

A food allowance is available on request, the student will be attending Mt Beauty Secondary College.

Hosting for around three months is preferred, but it can be varied.

For more information call Rotary president Bob Flower on 0417 246 303 or Ewan Silvester on 0403 396 036.

For families who are considering hosting a student or sending a student overseas there will be an information evening on Wednesday, May 17 at the Mt Beauty Secondary College.

SUBDIVISION REFUSAL: The Alpine Shire Council officially refused to issue a Notice of Decision for a six-lot subdivision on Ashwood Avenue in Bright at last month’s council meetingl.

Council formally refuses Bright subdivision

By BRODIE EVERIST

THE Alpine Shire Council officially refused to issue a Notice of Decision for a six-lot subdivision on Bright’s Ashwood Avenue at last month’s council meeting, after voting against the proposal in their March meeting.

Council had voted against granting a Notice of Decision at their March meeting but failed to vote for an alternate motion, meaning the proposal returned before council in April.

The alternate motion, put before council by Cr Sarah Nicholas, proposed council refuse a Notice of Decision to grant a planning permit as the subdivision does not reflect neighbourhood character or orderly planning.

The motion was carried, supported by Councillors Simon Kelley, Tony Keeble and Sarah Nicholas.

Councillors Katarina Hughes and Kelli Prime were absent from the meeting.

SCINTILLATING SINGERS: The Bright Singers after their Autumn Festival performance on April 29.

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) That sometimes contrarian Arian streak emerges and could affect an important decision. Try to keep your mind open to the possibilities, even if they currently seem remote.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) It could be a long wait before you get an answer to a question involving financial matters. Meanwhile, check on other interesting possibilities.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A misunderstanding shouldn’t keep you from continuing to work. Pursue a reconciliation with someone who really cares. Talk it out before you consider walking out.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Exercise some discipline -- don’t keep changing your mind. An upcoming decision requires that you stay focused on the direction you need to follow.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Although family matters take up much of your time these days, you still need to deal with important workplace issues. Try to balance both obligations wisely.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your on-the-job problems appear close to being resolved. Now, make time to repair those personal relationships that you might have ignored for too long.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Someone might suddenly balk at fulfilling an important agreement. There could be a hidden reason that you’ll need to uncover before you take this to arbitration.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21)

A friend seeks to confide a secret, knowing it will be safe with you. But, given your friend’s history, you might not want to know what you’ll be told.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Your new “self-improvement” course will continue to hit bumps in the road until you start shedding those unnecessary loads you’ve toted for too long.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A decision to move to a new home needs to be delayed until you have accurate reports about its condition. Rely on facts, not assurances.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18)

Congratulations! Your good work is beginning to pay off. Reward yourself. Take some muchneeded rest and recreation time with loved ones.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Fishing for compliments isn’t always wise. Build your self-esteem on your own worthy achievements, and don’t rely on others to tell you how good you are.

La Fiera set to be bigger and better than ever

MORE than 5000 visitors are expected to flock to Myrtleford over the two-day La Fiera festival this month, according to festival organisers, with guests to enjoy an itinerary of live music, local wines and produce, masterclasses and family activities.

This year will see the return of traditional games and activities including grape stomping and the barista race at La Festa, an Italian movie night and an Italian car display

at the Mercato on the Sunday. The main event, ‘La Festa’, held on May 20, is an Italian Food and Wine Festival which sees the town’s Piazza come alive.

“The Festa brings together diverse elements of Myrtleford and the region, for the benefit of all,” festival convenor John Reynold-Smith said.

“It provides the town with a wholesome and positive identity which we should work hard to develop and preserve.”

Mr Reynold-Smith also acknowledged the help of passionate and dedicated community members, local business and sponsors.

“The ‘Myrtleford Circoli’, who bring the deliciousness of Italian regional cooking, wonderful wines from the Alpine Valleys wineries, and our sponsors, volunteers and businesses who present year after year, and the commitment of the Myrtleford Chamber of

Commerce and Industry to promoting the economic wellbeing of Myrtleford whilst acknowledging the Italian contribution to this town and region,” he said.

In its 14th year, the La Fiera’s Italian Festival is returning to the Myrtleford Town Piazza on May 19-21, offering a celebration of traditional flavours, local wines, entertainment, events and local businesses at various locations.

DANCING UP A STORM: Brody Brown, Sam Rogers and Riley Gasperotti enjoyed the rain at the La Fiera Festival last year.

PHOTO: Jenny Zamperoni

A/c Emerald Hill-Merriang

17x17 Hereford & Black Baldy M/A Cows with Hereford

CAF by Red Hill Hereford Bull 1-3m Not Rej

A/c NA Martin-Havilah

14x14 Hereford Cows with 3rd Hereford & Black Baldy

CAF 1-2m, Vibrio & Pestiguard Vacc Not Rej.

A/c IBP-Havilah

7x7 Angus Heifers 2.5YO with Angus CAF 1-2m Not Rej

4x4 Angus Heifers 2YO with Angus CAF 1-2m Not Rej

2x2 Red Angus Heifers 2.5YO with Angus CAF 1-2m Not Rej

A/c Yoralla-Buffalo River

10x10 Angus Heifers 2.5YO with Angus CAF by Alpine

Angus Bull 1-2m Not Rej.

A/c Southfork-Whorouly South

9x9 Angus & Angus x Heifers with Angus CAF 1-2m

Not rej.

13 Hereford/Shorthorn x Heifers PTIC to LBW Alpine

Angus Bull TCC August

A/c B Lobe & S Williams-North Wangaratta

7x7 Angus Heifers by Alpine Angus Bull with Angus CAF

1-2m by Alpine Angus Bull Not Rej.

A/c E Cavedon Holdings-Eurobin

7x7 Angus Cows M/A with Angus CAF 2m Not Rej.

A/c D & H Toner-Barwidgee Creek

6x6 Angus Cows M/A with Angus CAF 2m Not Rej.

A/c P Morrison & Son-Barwidgee Creek

6x6 Angus Cows M/A with Angus CAF 2m

Redepastured to Angus Bull 1/5/23

A/c P & J Carney-Rosewhite

20 Angus Heifers rising 2YO by Alpine Angus Bulls PTIC to LBW Iveragh Angus Bull TCC 12th July for 7 weeks

A/c Buffalo River Pastoral-Buffalo River

15 Angus/Simmental x Cows M/A PTIC to Alpine Angus Bull TCC August

A/c Stellar Livestock-Mudgegonga

14 Angus Heifers Rising 2YO PTIC to Stellar Angus Bull TCC July

A/c K & K Preston-Mudgegonga

6 Angus Heifers by Prime Angus Bull PTIC to Thologolong Murray grey Bull TCC August

A/c Koska & Williams-Buckland Valley

1x1 Blue Roan Heifer with Angus CAF 6m Redep to Alpine Angus Bull

2 Angus x Cows -2nd calvers PTIC to Alpine Angus bull

TCC August

W WEANNERS

A/c D Rae-Murmungee

50 Angus & SimAngus x Steers 7-10m by Webb Black

Simmental & Alpine Angus Bulls WEANED NE Accr.

20 Angus & SimAngus x M/S 12-14m by Webb Black

Simmental & Alpine Angus Bulls WEANED NE Accr.

A/c L, S & T Witherow-Murmungee

60 Angus M/S 8-9m by Black Aqua Angus Bull

A/c J & L Townsend-Germantown

60 Angus/Hereford x M/S 7-9m by Alpine & Stellar

Angus Bulls

A/c C & A Browne-Ovens

50 Angus M/S 8-9m by Alpine Angus Bulls WEANED

A/c Yarumpa-Buffalo River

50 Angus Steers 8-9m by Alpine Angus Bull

A/c IK Junor- Hinnomunjie

45 Angus M/S 8-9m by Alpine & Ardrossan Bulls NE Accr.

A/c CJ & CA Hall-Buckland Valley

40 Hereford & Black Baldy M/S 12-14m by Jarobee Angus Bull

A/c Carroll & Dunn-Mudgegona

40 Angus M/S 8-10m by Stellar Angus Bulls WEANED

A/c K & A McCormack-Ovens

40 Angus M/S 9-10m by Fernhill Angus Bulls

A/c P & P Dawkins-Buffalo Creek

14 Hereford M/S 15m

22 Angus Heifers 12m

A/c Dalander-Porepunkah

35 Angus & Angus/ Hereford Steers 13-14m by Kelly Angus & Murdeduke Angus Bulls WEANED

A/c P & J Carney-Rosewhite

33 Angus Steers 8-9m by Alpine Angus Bull Drenched Cydectin Platinum 20/4 WEANED NE Accr.

A/c NJ Four-Buffalo River

28 Angus & Angus/Hereford x M/S 8-9m by Murramungee Angus Bulls

A/c Rothmore Angus-Myrrhee

25 Angus Steers 10-11m by Injemira & Scotts Angus Bull Drenched Ivomec PO 23/4

A/c S Robertson-Buffalo River

25 Angus Steers 12m by Alpine Angus Bulls WEANED

A/c Rosewhite Estate-Rosewhite

25 Angus & Angus/Hereford x Steers 9-10m by Alpine

Angus Bulls

A/c One Oak-Harrietville

24 Angus & Black Baldy M/S 10-12m by Murramungee Bulls WEANED

A/c M Blair-Buckland Valley

23 Red Angus & Angus M/S 6-7m

A/c KJ Morrison-Barwidgee Creek

20 Angus M/S 12m by Alpine Angus Bull WEANED

A/c D Hamilton-Whorouly

20 Angus Steers 9m by Alpine & Jarobee bulls NE Accr.

A/c A & B Malcolm-Milawa

20 Angus/Simmental x M/S 9-10m by Woonallee Black

Simmental Bull

A/c M & J Shields-Sandy Creek

20 Angus M/S 9-10m by Alpine Angus Bulls

A/c MV Carroll-Mudgegonga

20 Angus M/S 9-11m by Alpine Angus Bull

A/c RB & RM Lumsden-Buckland Valley

20 Hereford/Holstein Steers 10-12m by Rosstulla Hereford bulls WEANED

A/c PR & SA Eggleston-Buckland Valley

19 Angus/Hereford x M/S 10m by Alpine Angus NE Accr.

A/c D & S McMahon-Myrtleford

18 Angus & Black Baldy M/S 10m By Jarobee Angus Bull

A/c L Walpole-Rosewhite

18 Angus Steers 9-10m by Alpine Angus Bull

A/c Buffalo River Pastoral-Buffalo River

16 SimAngus x M/S 7-8m by Pinnacle Angus Bull

A/c Andalaur-Byawatha

16 Simmental x M/S 7-9m by Sammi Bella Simmental

Bull Multimin Vacc 25/4

A/c Southfork-Whorouly South

16 Fleckvieh Steers 7-8m by Serpell Fleckvieh Bull

WEANED NE Accr.

A/c A & J Brain-Eurobin

15 Angus & Angus x M/S 10m by Stellar Angus Bull

WEANED

A/c R Shaw & S Brindley-Buckland Valley

13 Angus Heifers 16-18m NSM

A/c O’Connors View-Murmungee

12 Angus Steers 14m by Alpine Angus Bulls

A/c Stellar Livestock-Mudgegonga

12 Angus Heifers 19m by Stellar Angus Bulls NSM

A/c JC & J Gardner-Bobinawarrah

12 Angus Steers 9-10m by Murramungee Angus Bulls WEANED

A/c J & B Fraser-Harrietville

12 Angus Steers 10m by Alpine Angus Bull NE Accr.

A/c S & K Ivone-Whorouly

12 Angus M/S 10-11m

A/c B & H McNamara-Whorouly South

12 Fleckvieh Steers 10m by Serpell Fleckvieh Bull

A/c B Hall-Mudgegonga

10 Hereford Steers 10-12m by Newcombe Hereford

Bull

A/c IBP-Havilah

10 Angus Heifers Tom Groggin Bred 14m

A/c Tomasoni F/T-Smoko

10 Angus Steers 10-11m by Alpine Angus Bulls

WEANED

A/c E & M Notarianni-Myrtleford

10 Angus Steers 10m by Alpine Angus Bull

A/c Coolungubra Station-Buckland Valley

10 Hereford Steers 10m by Newcombe Hereford Bulls

A/c Koska & Williams-Buckland Valley

7 Angus Steers 10m By Alpine Angus Bulls WEANED

A/c B & J Lindsey-Laceby

7 Angus Steers 8-9m by Rennylea Angus Bull A/c

KJ Goonan-Barwidgee Creek

7 Angus/Hereford x M/S 8-9m by Pinnacle Angus Bulls

A/c DJ & HA Toner-Barwidgee Creek

4 Angus Steers 11m by Weemilah Angus Bull WEANED

A/c B Lobe & S Williams-North Wangaratta

2 Hereford Steers 12-14m

2 Shorthorn Heifers 10m WEANED

‘Acacia Park’ - King Valley Vineyard – 263 ha (651 Acres) A/C A.P. & R.L. Murtagh A rare & outstanding opportunity

• 99 hectares (244.6 acres) established, quality vineyard

• 9 varieties – Pinot Gris, Prosecco, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Savagnin, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Saperavi

• Exceptional water supply – 143meg plus 2 dams and springs with high rainfall 1,000-1,100mm pa average

• Undulating terrain providing a selection of rich productive soils

• Extensive and well maintained Plant & Equipment, workshop tools and parts included in sale

• Reliable income stream and return on investment

• Two residences set in established and restful park like setting

• Two machinery sheds, workshop, historic King Valley Hall

• Potential for further development with a diversity landscape

• ‘Acacia Park’ offers some of the best views in the King Valley ‘Prosecco Point’ an elevated 700m2 (approx.) site – potential cellar door, restaurant, helipad, new home site, accommodation (STCA).

Agent Remarks: ‘Acacia Park’ is one of a kind, and one of the largest vineyards in the highly regarded and sought after King Valley region. One ownership since 1947. Potential and opportunity for development to tourist attracting enterprises and higher levels if des ired. Inspection and tender offers are encouraged for this outstanding rural asset showing positive returns on investment.

FOR SALE BY TENDER: Tenders will close on Wednesday 17th May @ 12 noon at Agents office. Terms: 1% with tender offer, a further 9% payable if accepted. Full settlement within 60 days of vendor confirming acceptance. The vendor shall have sole discretion to accept or reject any offer submitted and the highest or any tender may not necessarily be accepted. Offered for sale on a Walk In Walk Out basis.

‘Prosecco Point’

POLISHED PERFORMANCE BY HYBRID HEAVYWEIGHT

By DEREK OGDEN

WITH electric vehicles lighting up the sports utility vehicle market, the Santa Fe has muscled in on the heavyweight SUV segment with the seven-seat premium Elite and flagship Highlander taking on hybridised rivals such as the Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento hybrid and Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid.

The Santa Fe petrol-electric hybrid has the brains to charge its lithium-ion battery through conversion of kinetic energy while working in conjunction with the internal combustion engine and regenerative brakes while on the move. Hyundai hybrid is kitted out essentially like its petrol- and diesel-powered cousins.

However, an electric shock comes with the price differences - a high voltage $6500 over the petrol and $3000 on the diesel, which equates to $63,000 for the Elite and $69,550 for the Highlander (the test vehicle, without onroad costs).

With the Hybrid in the higher-grade Elite and Highlander corner, the interior has a classy look and feel, with nappa leather in the latter and other quality materials shared. Both are seven-seaters but can be reconfigured as a six-seater with two captain’s chairs in the second row instead of the bench. With seven seats, the third row is fit only for littlies, although it does have its own air-con.

As with all Santa Fes, both hybrids are covered by a fiveyear unlimited kilometre warranty, while the battery earns an eight-year 160,000km

guarantee.

Service intervals are 10,000km or 12 months.

STYLING

A major facelift three years ago saw the Santa Fe put on a fresh face and interior.

The new Hybrid differs from petrol and diesel versions only in the wheels - smaller 19-inch alloys with different designsaid to be more aerodynamic and save fuel.

The shapely Santa Fe exterior is well known for its socalled cascading grille, which in the Hybrid case covers a yawning chasm of a radiator.

In profile, looks are toned down a tad in readiness for a robust, yet shapely rear.

INTERIOR

The Highlander Hybrid shares much with the Elite but adds nappa leather upholstery, a power front passenger seat, ventilated front seats and heated window seats in the second row, head-up display and a panoramic sunroof.

Head room is restricted by the intrusion of the sun roof workings.

The boot has a spot for a full-size spare wheel under a flat cargo area and with third row folded, there’s room for family shopping or a stroller.

With five seats in use there is up to 782 litres on offer.

A power tailgate takes away the trauma of loading in the rain.

INFOTAINMENT

There’s a configurable 10.2inch instrument display, which features a digital energy metre and 12.3-inch infotainment dash-mounted touchscreen

with wired Apple CarPlay and digital radio.

There’s a plethora of buttons below the screen on the centre stack, which keeps the need for grubby fingerprints on the glass to a minimum.

A 10-speaker Harman Kardon audio system is standard, filling the cabin with quality sound from front to back.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS

Under the bonnet a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a combined output of 169kW and 350Nm is hitched up to a sixspeed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

While this compares favourably with petrol and diesel performance, when it comes to towing, the hybrid is left behind with 1650kg to the internal-combustion pair’s 2500kg.

SAFETY

The Santa Fe Hybrid comes with all the latest safety systems.

These include automatic emergency braking, which operates at intersections, blind-spot warning, lane keep-

ing assist, rear cross-traffic alert, rear occupant alert, automatic high-beam and adaptive cruise control.

Hybrid Highlander also takes on a 360-degree surround-view camera, blind spot monitor and reverse automatic emergency braking.

DRIVING

First, let’s talk about fuel economy.

Hyundai claims consumption of 6.0L/100km of regular unleaded in the combined urban/highway cycle.

On picking up the Santa Fe Highlander Hybrid with a full tank, the vehicle’s computer read a range of 800km plus.

After a fortnight’s family business, according to the ‘brain’, there was still almost 300km worth on board.

With the odd sampling of Smart in the combined drive/ terrain mode range, most of the time was spent in the default Eco mode, serving up a motorway cruising consumption of 5.3L/100km; around town up to 8.0L/100km was the norm.

At a whisker less than 4.8 metres long, the Santa Fe Hy-

MODEL RANGE

HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID ELITE $63,000

HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID HIGHLANDER $69,550

Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Hyundai dealer for driveaway prices.

SPECIFICATIONS (Santa Fe Highlander 1.6L Turbo 4-cylinder petrol, 44.2 kW electric motor, 6sp automatic, AWD)

RATINGS:

Looks: 7/10; Performance: 7/10; Safety: 8/10; Thirst: 8/10; Practicality: 8/10; Comfort: 7/10; Tech: 7/10; Value: 5/10

brid Highlander is knocking on the door of the SUV big time.

However, a well-sorted suspension and responsive steering come up with relaxed ride and handling.

Off the mark, there’s more than a hint of sporty performance under a range of loads, from sole driver to a full seven-up and their gear.

A centre console dial is in charge of combined drive/terrain modes from Eco, Sport or Smart to sand, mud, snow or other obstacles thrown up off road.

Tight parking spaces are easily avoided by using the remote parking system operated from outside the vehicle via the key fob.

Back inside, head-up windscreen display is never an unwelcome driving aid.

SUMMARY

This Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander Hybrid SUV performed well above family expectations.

Say no more.

ENGINE:

Capacity: 1.598 litres

Configuration: Four cylinders inline, hybrid electric motor, 1.49 kWh Li-ion battery

Combined Maximum Power: 169 kW @ 5500 rpm

Combined Maximum Torque: 350 Nm @ 1000-4500 rpm

Fuel Type: Regular unleaded petrol

Combined Fuel Cycle (ADR 81/02): 6.0 L/100km

DRIVELINE:

Six-speed automatic, allwheel drive

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:

Length: 4785 mm

Wheelbase: 2765 mm

Width: 1900 mm

Height: 1685 mm

Turning Circle: 11.4 metres

Kerb mass: 1845 kg

Fuel tank capacity: 67 litres

BRAKES:

Front: Ventilated disc

Rear: Disc

STANDARD WARRANTY:

Five years / unlimited kilometres

Battery eight years / 160,000 kilometres

SWITCHED ON: With the Highlander, Santa Fe has taken on a hybrid model role with aplomb.

42 years of running in Mount Beauty

By ALLAN MARSLAND

THE 42nd Mount Beauty Running Festival will be held on Saturday, May 20, offering participants a choice between the traditional 10km and 3km running events and a 14km trail run.

The 10km course is a scenic out and back along the undulating Damms Road with great views of Mount Bogong on the way.

The 3km course follows a flat sealed walking track around the Mount Beauty Pondage, and with no road crossings it is ideal for children and prams.

The 14km trail run was first held in 2021 and has quickly established a reputation as a really nice event.

The first section of the run gets you out of town on the same course as the 10km but then turns off to the Mermaid Pool and heads up a single link track

to reach the historic Survey Track used back in the 1930s when the Bogong High Plains Road was being built for the construction of the Kiewa Hydro Scheme.

Heading onwards and upwards you reach the Cranky Charlie fire trail and descend down to the first creek crossing where you can choose between a quick set of wet feet or take time to rock hop across, and then head up a single track to reach the East Kiewa fire trail.

From here, a steady descent brings you back to the second broad shallow river crossing (where you will get your feet wet) and back along the road into town.

At the finish line, participants and spectators can restore energy reserves at the local playgroup’s bake sale and barbeque or a hot beverage from John’s Coffeeeee Van.

Along with the ongoing support from the Mount Beauty & District Community Bank, this year’s Mount Beauty Running Festival has received a significant grant from the Alpine Shire’s Community Grant Program that has enabled the purchase of traffic management equipment for the event.

Hire of this equipment has been the largest single item in the event budget, and removing this annual cost will ensure the future viability of the festival.

While you can enter on the day at the Mount Beauty Swimming Pool, it makes life much easier for organisers, and you, if you enter online from the ‘running’ link at www.hoppet. com.au

Start time is 10am and bib pickup from 8am.

It’s sure to be a great day out for the whole family.

Preparing for emergencies

THE North East Multicultural Association (NEMA) held an emergency preparedness session on April 29 at the Pavilion Hall in Bright, the first of three sessions about crisis management for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

According to NEMA project manager Faryal Nawaz Khan, the Alpine Shire Council’s Bradley Drennan spoke on the

council’s role in emergencies, while Captain Brett Michie and Maureen Piera from the CFA spoke on emergency plans, fire danger ratings, and networking for communication with local authorities.

Ms Khan said she had the opportunity to translate Red Cross documents ‘RediPlan’ and ‘Get Prepared’ into nine different languages, which will soon be available on the avail-

able on the Red Cross website. She said the session also provided information packs in 21 different languages, they created emergency and contact lists for community members to stick on their fridge, and they explained and encouraged the use of emergency apps.

The session was funded by a $220,000 grant to NEMA from the Victorian Government and Federal Government under the

Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

The project aims to educate CALD communities in the Wangaratta, Alpine, Indigo and Mansfield local government areas about emergencies and crisis events.

Ms Khan said the next sessions in the project haven’t yet been organised but will occur after July.

BIG EVENT: The Mount Beauty Running Festival will be held on Saturday, May 20.

GETTING PREPARED: NEMA president Ian Prentice addressing community members at the emergency preparedness session in April at the Bright Pavilion.

WE ACCEPT

BUDGET AND PROPOSED DINNER PLAIN SPECIAL RATE 2023/24 –SUBMISSIONS INVITED

Draft Budget 2023/24

Council has prepared a draft Budget for the 2023/24

submission on the draft

Proposed Dinner Plain Special Rate 2023/24

Council is proposing to declare a Special Rate (Dinner Plain Special Rate) for the 2023/24

CARAVANS & CAMPERS

GAZAL Zodiac pop top

of Commercial / Industrial land

the Dinner Plain Special Rate and adopt the Budget at the

More information

For more information on the draft Budget or proposed Dinner Plain Special Rate, Director Customer and ROAD CLOSURES – LA FIERA ITALIAN FESTIVAL

submission on the proposed How to make a Submission

proposed Dinner Plain Special

staging of La Fiera Italian

Submissions must be in 5pm Wednesday, 31 May 2023.

Email – submissions@ Online –

submission on the draft Budget or proposed Dinner Plain

appear in person in support of their submission, before

CHECK OUT OUR NORTH EAST JOBS

Saturday, 20 May 2023 | 6am - 8pm

Sunday, 21 May 2023 | 6am7pm

CARAVANS

2009

CLASSIFIEDS WORK! 5723 0101

caravan 17 ft, registered, tare 1150 atm 1450, very good condition, new awning, Reco 3-way fridge, diesel heater, gas/electric hot water, external shower, 2 water tanks, led lighting throughout, windguard aerial, 1500w invertier, 200w solar panel on roof, 2 batteries, p rivacy screens and walls, $16,000 ono. Ph 0428 398 360.

Personal Notices

SOLD

DEAN, Esme Carolene.

2000 silver Commodore Executive, low kilometers, one owner, reg (QMC201), $2500 ono. Ph 5721 6078.

2016 Ford Territory, titanium, diesel, auto, 7 seater, RWC, full service history, 60,000km, REG (1IR4EG), $32,000 ono. Ph 0427 595 561.

Family and dear friends of Esme Dean are saddened to announce her sudden passing on May 2, 2023, just 4 days before her 98th birthday. Strong and independent all her life, we are blessed she was not alone in her final hours, comforted by family at her side. Loved and cherished by all, she leaves behind her two daughters Brenda and Sandra, together with her four grandchildren, Ben and Rebecca and Sam and Alice. Also survived by her sister Coral and extended family in Western Australia. Our world will never be the same without her and she will remain in our hearts forever. At rest now and together again with her devoted husband of 50 years, Bill. “Never defeated”

GIGLIOTTI (nee Marasco), Angela. 5/4/1933 - 1/5/2023

Passed away peacefully on Monday, May 1, 2023 at Barwidgee Lodge Myrtleford. Aged 90 years.

TOYOTA Hilux SR5, 4WD, petrol, tray, 1981, reg (BBO864), excellent farm vehicle, no RWC, $4100. Call Rod 0439 839 228.

Dearly loved wife of Giovanni. Loved mother and mother-in-law of Angelo (dec), Rennie and Sharon (dec), Lou, Rosa, Maria and Darren. Much loved Nonna of 7 Grandchildren.

WM Statesman (1OJ9OS), immaculate condition, 229,000km, new timing chains, p lugs, tyres, battery, Rego till April 2024, RWC, $13,000 ONO. Ph 0438 217 103.

Loved Bis Nonna of 6 Great Grandchildren. Rest in peace. A private family service will be held.

Wodonga | Wangaratta | Myrtleford (02) 6024 1093

DEAN

2003 Ford Falcon XT BA Fairmont, only 170,000km, RWC, 5 month reg, (IJQ405), $5,500. Ph 0499 992 860. Bright.

2008 Prado GXL, auto, 3.00l diesel, 7 seater, very clean and tidy, 349,000km, drives well, serviced regularly, RWC, rego (SIR327), $22,500. pH 0417 561 585.

The Graveside Committal Service for Esme Dean will be held at the Myrtleford Lawn Cemetery, Myrtleford Yackandandah Road, Barwidgee on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 3pm.

Esme’s service can be viewed via livestream at www.masonpark.com.au/live-streaming/

CLASSIFIEDS - 5723 0101 CLASSIFIEDS WORK - 5723 0101

IN MEMORIAM

CAVEDON, Enio Guiseppe. October 18, 1943 – May 12, 2020. Your life was a blessing. Your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words. And missed beyond measure. You will always be forever in our hearts.

~ With love Gayle, Peter, Michael, Melanie and extended family.

In loving memory of UGOLINO, GIOFREDDI. 10/5/1920 – 11/5/2009 You left us beautiful memories, your love is still our guide. Although we cannot see you, you are always by our side.

Miss you so much Dad.

Massive week for golf

MYRTLEFORD GOLF

DESPITE the wintery conditions, the Myrtleford Golf Club has been a hive of activity in the past week, including the club championships and a hole in one.

Saturday, May 6

DRUMMOND GOLF MONTHLY MEDAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS STROKE AMCR 71

A grade winner - Karl O’Shaughnessy (12) 83/71. A grade runner up: Brad Carroll (9) 81/72.

Ball winners: S Hancock 74, P Evans 75, J Martin 76, J Galvan 76 c/b.

Matthews Cleaning encouragement award: David Rowe 87.

Raffle winner: Aaron Jose.

Club Championships winners -

A grade: Craig Piazza 239. B grade: Karl O’Shaughnessy 258. C grade: Zac Cunneen 271.

Handicap: Karl O’Shaughnessy.

The qualifiers for the scratch match play are as follows -

A grade: C Piazza vs A Jose, B Carroll vs J Galvan.

B grade: K O’Shaughnessy vs B Holmes, P Evans vs S Hancock.

C grade: Z Cunneen vs P Cowman, J Martin vs G Browne.

up: David Clark (15) 27 pts.

Ball winners: G Veldman 26.

Foodworks NTPs - first: Ichlis Giovannoni (HOLE IN ONE).

Tuesday, May 2

DRUMMOND GOLF MONTHLY

MEDAL - STROKE AMCR 74

A grade and medal winner: Barb Welch (22) 94/72. A grade runner up: Marg Curtis (18) 92/74.

Nine hole winner: Denise O’Donohue 40. Nine hole runners up. Ball winners: Angela O’Shaunessy (21) 96/75, Jan Roseby (17) 94/77.

~

Umiliana,

Foodworks NTPs - first: Jade Galvan, fourth second shot: Aaron Jose, eighth: Brad Carroll, 14th: David Matthews, 16th: David Clark.

Wednesday, May 3

WHEELERS TRANSPORT - STABLEFORD AMCR 71

A grade winner: Andrew Roseby (19) 30 pts. A grade runner

Foodworks NTPs - first: Barb Welch, fourth second shot: Angela O’Shaugnessy, 14th: Marnie Broz. Putting comp, 18 holes: Judy Bynon 28 putts.

FUNERAL DIRECTORS

Barry, Stephanie and Alexander. A

MYRTLEFORD - RED: Sam Lupo, William Koers, Claye Corcoran, Jake Jennings, Halen McIntyre, Koby Prott. BRIGHT: No best players have been selected.

GOALS: MYRTLEFORD - Red: Sam Lupo 2; Cooper Roman 1. BRIGHT: No goal scorers have been selected.

BEST: MYRTLEFORD - BLACK: Nash Durling, Nate Michelini, Xavier Millar, Mason Durling, Blake Parolin, Noah Harris. BENALLA BULLDOGS: Hugh Ross, Joshua Montgomery, Charlie Bell, Poppy Wilson, Ben Wells, Levi Crisp. GOALS: MYRTLEFORD - BLACK: Nash Durling 1; Nate Michelini 1; Xavier Millar 1; Blake Parolin 1; Louis Sanderson 1. BENALLA BULLDOGS: Oliver Parker 2; Riley Hilton 1; Joshua Montgomery 1; Tyson Williams 1.

All

Personal Notices

may be placed up to 3.00pm each Monday

classifieds@nemedia.com.au

Phone: 03 5723 0101

Trying conditions for Mount Beauty golfers

A GROUP of nine men braved the damp weather on Wednesday, May 3 to battle the front nine at the Mount Beauty Golf Club.

Victory was hard won by Ron Gallagher on a countback from Ross Rynehart, both 18 points.

Allan Retallick hit the best shot nearest the pin on the seventh while Ron Gallagher was successful in

getting close on the ninth. Only 11 ventured out on Saturday, May 6, despite it being the very important Monthly Medal.

It did not rain very much but the course was very damp - winter is nigh.

Mastering the conditions was Peter Hertzog with a 68 net with Trevor English, 69, yapping at his heels.

Roger Church was able to take a place on the podium with a 76 net. NTP on the seventh, along with the Tatts Ticket from the Tawonga South Newsagency & Post Office, was Peter Johns.

NTP on the ninth went to the club, 17th to Peter Hertzog, while relative newcomer Sam Perry took the money on the 18th with a great shot.

BEST: MYRTLEFORD: Leon Gabler, Taylor McPherson, Noah Robb, Matthew Morgan, Max McMahon, Luke Duncan. BENALLA BULLDOGS: Ryder Robertson, Jack Montgomery, Kobi Thwaites, Billy Dyer, Jobe Stovell, Angus Richardson. GOALS: BENALLA BULLDOGS: Ryder Robertson 5; Jack Montgomery 4; Angus Richardson 1.

BEST: MANSFIELD - BLUE: Alex Kipping, James Wellborne, Harrison Sheeran, Cruz Purday, Liam Smith, James Lean. BRIGHT: Hamish Johnston, Gabriel Banks, Cash Garratt, Harry West, Fraser Stephens, Matthew McCann. GOALS: MANSFIELD - BLUE: Alex Kipping 2; Orlando Miller 2; James Wellborne 2; Cruz Purday 1; Mitch Storer 1. BRIGHT: Gabriel Banks 3; Alex Tanaskovic 3; Otis Dalbosco 1; Matthew McCann 1.

UNDER 17

Myrtleford 6.4 12.12 18.17 22.24.156

Benalla Bulldogs 0.2 1.2 1.4 2.4.16

BEST: MYRTLEFORD: Cooper Howden, Taj Cooper, Patrick McLean, Samuel Crisp, Tai Miller, Thomas Morgan. BENALLA BULLDOGS: Blake Calvert, Private player, Daniel Farley, Hunter Carter, Connor Breheny, Jonty Priest. GOALS: MYRTLEFORD: Jock Pascoe 5; Spencer Colson 4; Erik Martin 4; Patrick McLean 2; Tai Miller 2; Taj Cooper 1; Samuel Crisp 1; Cooper Howden 1; Adam Morgan 1; Jordyn Notarianni 1. BENALLA BULLDOGS: Connor Breheny 1; Archer Irwin 1.

Mansfield 6.4 9.8 13.15 17.18.120

Bright 0.1 1.2 1.3 2.7.19

BEST: MANSFIELD: Hayden Desmond, Samuel Guppy, James Benton, Harry Craddock, Nick Taylor, Jack Stoney. BRIGHT: Alan Grasser, Ethan White, Jack Thomson, Noah McMonagle, Nathan Alexander, Stefan Barnard. GOALS: MANSFIELD: James Benton 3; Astin Browning 2; Harry Craddock 2; Jack Stoney 2; Charlie Watts 2; Christopher Caminos 1; Charlie Dobson 1; Jaxon McCormack 1; Edwin Morphett 1; Sunny Murphy 1; Nick Taylor 1. BRIGHT: Alan Grasser 1; Angus Murrells 1.

MASTERED CONDITIONS: Peter Herzog made the most of the damp course in the Monthly Medal competition on Saturday.

BACK TO BACK: Craig Piazza has gone back to back to be the Club Champion for the third time.

for Porepunkah Panthers

IN the second match of the season the Panthers’ Under 12 team turned up the heat playing against the Wangaratta Rangers, and were rewarded with a huge win not only hitting the ball in a dominant display but also making the right choices in the field.

Twins Lincoln and Heath Hughes controlled the infield playing pitcher and first base, making several important outs.

Eamon Thompson was impressive at shortstop taking the catch of the day off a hard hit ball, and Cohen at third base gave nothing away with some great fielding.

Jackson Mallinder in his first season played second base and made all the right moves, impressing.

Wes Booth once again took on the catching duties behind the plate and was reliable as usual.

The Panthers had an amazing 32 safe hit to Wangaratta’s 13.

Steph Alexander went three for three in her second game, Uraia lles smashed the ball having three safe hits as well.

Sisters Mina and Yuna Meddings collected four safe hits between them looking good and young gun Harvey Hughes had three safe hits and showed great speed between bases.

The final score was 32-6.

On a side note, the Panthers only had one B grade team four years ago, and now boasts U12s, U15s, C grade, B grade and A grade sides.

The club also has more junior numbers than Albury and

Wangaratta teams - all senior players have been walking a little taller watching the kids improve.

The club wishes to thank the involvement of players, parents and club members who take the role of coaches, umpires and scorers each week.

It was a strong showing by the Panthers’ C grade again, with the focus on playing more teenagers.

Eight of the starting nine players are aged 15 to 18, who have gone through the under 15s last year to senior baseball.

Hayden Williams joined the Panthers this year and at only 21 is already becoming a player opposition pitchers fear.

In the first innings, Luca Barthelmes singled on the first pitch at bat, scoring one run for a positive start.

Porepunkah then came out in the second innings scoring an impressive seven runs.

The offensive onslaught was led by Mason Anders, Lachie Rosser, Makiah McCallum and Hayden Williams who all drove in runs.

Youngest player in the side, Sam Bourne, had a sharp eye receiving two walks.

Wangaratta came back hard and scored six runs in the next two innings to challenge the Panthers, but it was a great effort from a young team not to be flustered and continue to play the percentages.

Jarrod McCormack was impressive, collecting three hits and his speed around bases once again troubled the Rangers.

Lachie Rosser was on the pitcher’s mound for the Panthers, allowing only two runs on two hits and striking out five, with Luka Barthelmes

5752 1058

Starting on the hill was Kaleb Hoare, the righthander allowed only seven runs in just over four innings, striking out one and walking one.

Adrian Quinton and Paul Meddings entered the game as relief pitchers and accounted well for themselves, both striking out a batter.

The outfield was kept busy with Paul Medding and Heath Anders taking two impressive catches each.

They also were responsible for knocking in the three runs with nice hits in the fourth innings.

coming out of the bullpen to pitch the final two innings.

The young gun Panthers ended up winning 13-6 and are now on top of their division.

Porepunkah Panthers fell behind early in their B grade match and couldn’t come back in a 20-1 loss to the Wangaratta Rangers, but took some positives out of the game regardless.

Ollie Chambers started the game pitching for the Panthers, doing a top job for a young man.

Two innings saw seven runs and only four hits against him.

Liam ‘Wild Thing’ Quinton threw three innings out of the bullpen and is showing nice pace.

Both are only 15-16 and pitching against senior men, in a great effort.

In a blast from the past, Andrew Smith has come back to

the area after 16 years out of the game.

The former junior and A grade Panther took the mound to finish of the game and blew a few cobwebs off his arm - he will be a great asset this season.

Another player back for the season is Jamie Jelleff, and will be looking for A grade selection in the next few weeks.

Safe hits went to coach Randy Skippen, Hayden Williams, Andrew Smith and Liam Quinton.

Once the team settles and gels, they could reverse this scoreline.

The A grade game against the Wangaratta Rangers was a heartbreak for the Porepunkah Panthers, as they lost the lead late in a 13-4 defeat.

The game was tied at the top of the fifth innings and could’ve gone either way had the Panthers kept their composure.

Damon ‘Barks’ Barker showed why he is still one of the premier players in the competition - playing third base, he made it look easy, throwing out three runners at first and hitting a bomb into rightfield nearly clearing the cones.

Lachie Rosser at shortstop got to play beside his father Adam Rosser who was at second base, showing everyone how it’s done making an amazing catch (no dive) and another three outs with sharp fielding.

Stevie ‘J’ Johnstone was solid behind the plate once again putting his body on the line.

Stephen Johnstone, Damon Barks and Adam Rosser each had multiple hits and were the best batters for the Panthers. Exciting times are ahead for the Panthers and players will have to play well to hold their spots, with two or three younger players putting up some good stats and knocking on the door.

SUPER SLUGGER: Hayden Williams swings for the fences in the Panthers’ B grade clash with Wangaratta on Sunday.

Heart eclipsed by Savoys

By BAILEY ZIMMERMANN

THE Savoy women made it two wins on the trot on Sunday as they defeated the Wodonga Heart 3-1 at Willow Park.

It was a commanding performance from kick-off with the Savoys striking first and they never looked back as they maintained their hold on second position on the division two standings.

Tuhina Morton was impressive in attack once again scoring a brace on her birthday, while Sienna Alam continued her run of scoring form with a goal of her own.

Coach Gabby Paglia said it was an almost faultless performance from the girls.

“Everyone played so well, they played their positions and held them really well,” she said.

“There was a lot of passing and great ball skills; pretty much everyone in that attacking half from Harriet [Duff ], Maddi [Cherry] and Sage [Davidson] all showed their worth and had a couple of shots on goal.

“And even in defence with our keeper Jess [Stringer] there

she went on to earn herself an extra birthday gift, scoring twice on Sunday in the Savoy’s win over Wodonga Heart.

was a lot of passing around and taking our time with the ball, staying composed, focused and there was plenty of communicating which was nice.”

The Savoys now look forward to their long awaited first home game of the season at Savoy Park against the Boomers, with refurbishment works set to be

fully re-developed by the weekend.

Shae Justice will be coming back in for Sage Davidson in the midfield, who will be away, as the team look to make it three in a row against the winless Boomers.

Paglia said her team has shown great resilience to be placed in the top two without a home ground to play or train on for the first two months of the season, and can’t wait to be playing in front of the Myrtleford crowd on Sunday.

“It’s really nice to see that improvement with all that we’ve gone through with training; it shows the girls really are dedicated and improving, working on it themselves as well,” she said.

“There’s so much excitement and we can’t wait to be on our own home ground; it’ll be nice to see the community get around us.

“It’s the best we’ve done in years, we’re so excited and so happy to be able to show our worth like this and we’re hoping it doesn’t disappear from us.”

Accountants

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PAYNTER & ASSOCIATES

Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors

25 Clyde Street Myrtleford

Phone 5751 1995

Email admin@paynterassoc.com.au www.paynterandassociates.com.au

MYOTHERAPY, MUSCLE HEALTH & FITNESS Dennis Kersting Dip. RM CM. BRIGHT - 6/2B Star Road

MYRTLEFORD - 18B Rayner Street Phone 0427 440 744

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Insurance Brokers

OVENS VALLEY INSURANCE BROKERS Myrtleford, 47 Clyde Street Phone 5752 1151 Bright, 104 Gavan St Phone 5715 9705 Email info@ovib.com.au

Solicitors

ROOM TO MOVE: Josh Zito and the Myrtleford Savoys division one side will have their work cut out this week as they face the Boomers in their FA Cup fixture tonight and again in their AWFA home opener on Sunday.

Savoy Men primed for double header

By BAILEY ZIMMERMANN

THE Myrtleford Savoys men’s side could be excused for seeing double this week.

The Savoys prepare to take on the Boomers tonight in their FA Cup fixture at Kelly Park in Wodonga, and again on Sunday for their AWFA blockbuster home opener. Fresh off the bye last weekend, the Savoys watched on as the club’s other grades battled it out in Wodonga against the Heart on Sunday.

Co-coach Richard Morgan said his team will be looking to take it one game at a time

against a Boomers side who will be eager to bounce back from a surprise 8-1 defeat to the Cobram Roar on the weekend.

“There’ll be some differences to both games with Wednesday night being under lights and the Sunday game being the first game back at home where we’ll hopefully have some local support as we always do,” he said.

“Just being back at home is going to provide a totally different feeling no matter what happens on Wednesday night.

“It’s going to be a matter of just being prepared to take our time and work through the game and not get overawed by them.

“They’ve got some quality players and probably the worst thing for us is they got pumped on the weekend, so they’ll want to bounce back.”

The Savoys defeated Albury Hotspurs in their prior FA Cup fixture in a high scoring 5-4 affair before their opening game of the AWFA season back in March.

A win would propel the Savoys into the FA Cup semi-final against the winner of the Albury City and Albury United clash.

Morgan said the Sunday game will be the first time the Savoys have been able to access their home turf while re-develop-

ments have been finalised over the past three weeks, which will be a welcome blessing for his team.

“We’re really excited to get out there on the weekend,” he said.

“Not being able to train there has made things a little bit difficult; even walkthroughs and those sorts of things are hard when you don’t have goals to play to and you don’t have the area.”

There will be no planned changes to either Wednesday or Sunday’s game against the Boomers, with the Savoys eager to unveil new midfielder Michael Pertzel for both games.

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TONER & MAY LEGAL BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS 86 Standish Street, Myrtleford. Ph 03 5752 1493

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Email: amanda@tonerandmaylegal.com.au or jess@tonerandmaylegal.com.au

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Phone Jenny on 57313305 or email jking@nemedia.com.au

PHOTO: Janet Watt

BURSTING AWAY: Tuhina Morton taking on a defender against Melrose last week, as

PHOTO: Janet Watt

Bright tennis players battle through the cold

ON Sunday, May 7, the Bright Tennis Club held their annual Senior Club Championships in chilly autumn conditions, when three divisions were contested.

A field of 10 played in the men’s singles competition, with a round robin format being completed over four weeks and culminating in a semi-final and final played on Sunday in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

Congratulations to David Chlebna, Chris Pangrazio, Tom Russell and Craig Thompson for making it through to the semi-finals.

The first semi-final was match of the day, with Russell making a great comeback to overcome Pangrazio in a tiebreak, winning 6-5 (7/4).

Unfortunately, Thompson was unable to compete on the day which saw Chlebna progress through to the final against Russell.

Although Russell fought hard he was outplayed by Chlebna, who retained his title as club champion 6-0.

A field of seven contested the ladies singles competition and congratulations to Michelle Yarwood, Lauren Bartlett, Kellie McConachie and Tracy Carey for making it through to the semifinal.

The two semi-finals were played concurrently with Carey overcoming Bartlett 6-1 and Yarwood playing strongly against

McConachie to secure her place in the final, 6-1.

Congratulations go to Yarwood, who rallied strongly to beat Carey in the final 6-2.

The mixed doubles was the highlight of the day with eight teams contesting the coveted mixed doubles club champions.

Two round robin draws saw Charlotte Paton and Darren Fer-

rier finish in top position in draw one with three set wins.

They went on to outplay the runners-up in draw two, Michelle Yarwood and Chris Pangrazio, 6-1 to secure their place in the final.

In draw two, David Chlebna and Lauren Bartlett finished in top position also with three set wins. Chlebna and Bartlett were a strong combination and took their place in the final overcoming runners-up in draw one, Kellie McConachie and Will Pearce, 6-1.

The stage was set for the final in what was the last match of the day.

Congratulations to Chlebna and Bartlett who played strongly against Ferrier and Paton to take out the title of mixed doubles champions, 6-1.

The ladies and men’s doubles events will be held on October 28 to kick off the 2023/2024 tennis season.

It will be fun filled day with a Wimbledon theme, so keep practising and get out your whites.

Myrtleford swimmers star at state champs

IT was a strong showing from local swimmers at the School Sport Victoria State Swimming Championships on Friday, April 28 at Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre.

A group of nine students from St Mary’s Primary School and one from Myrtleford P 12 performed incredibly well, with personal bests and even some podium finishes.

St Mary’s PS principal Kitty Hancock said she was extremely proud of all students who competed.

“For our small school to have such a large contingent of students at a State level championships is quite remarkable and we are all very proud,” she said.

“They were up against big school with big swim programs.

“For a small, regional town like Myrtleford to have so many swimmers qualify and progress

through to a state level is a fairly remarkable effort.”

Myrtleford P-12 College was represented by Taleah Elkington, who competed in the 150m free-

style, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly in the girls 12-14 multiclass category.

RESULTS

-Daisy Howell, Alexis McGuffie, Arabella Chapman, Milla Corcoran - third, girls 9-13 yrs medley relay.

-Hunter Szaraszek, Willow Szaraszek, Mitch McMasters, Arabella Chapman - fifth, mixed 11 years freestyle relay.

-Mia McGuffie - eighth, girls 9/10 years 50m freestyle.

-Claye Corcoran - sixth, boys 9/10 years 50m breaststroke.

-Arabella Chapman - third, girls 11 years 50m butterfly.

-Milla Corcoran - eighth, girls 12 years 50m butterfly.

By DANIEL SAVILLE

win

DMB netballers ruthless in Rutherglen

THE Dederang-Mount Beauty A grade netball side has registered their third win of the season with a comfortable victory against Rutherglen in Mount Beauty on Saturday.

Looking to rebound at home after being defeated convincingly against an experienced Kiewa-Sandy Creek, the Bombers led at every break to win by 38 goals (50-12) in what were difficult conditions for netball.

The home side raced out of the blocks and dominated the first 15 minutes of play as they recorded 13 goals and conceded only one of their own.

Rutherglen steadied momentarily in the second quarter but were still facing a 19-goal deficit at half-time.

The Bombers showed no mercy in the third quarter to keep the visitors goalless and shut the door completely on a potential Rutherglen comeback, then sealing the deal with another even performance in the final quarter.

Interestingly, the scoreline was a carbon copy in each half as the 25-6 first half score was replicated in the second.

The Bombers made the most of their chances in the circle with an accurate display from both shooters.

Alysha de Koeyer converted her opportunities in front of goal at an impressive 80 per cent (28 goals from 35 attempts), while Caitlin Grambau added 22 goals from only 30 shots on target.

The DMB defence, led by mainstays Dani Beer and Emily Jansen van Beek, were at their stingy best as they conceded only 12 goals in 60 minutes of play.

A relentless defensive display ensured that DMB find themselves within striking distance of the all-important top-five, currently sitting equal on points with fifth-placed Chiltern.

Dederang-Mount Beauty hit the road this weekend as they travel to Barnawartha, who are looking to rectify a last-start loss against Yackandandah.

If ladder positions are any indication, a clash between the Bombers (sixth, +28 goal difference) and the Tigers (seventh, +27) should go down to the wire as both teams are looking to record their fourth win of the season before a league-wide bye.

DMB had reason to celebrate as they enjoyed a hat-trick of senior netball wins.

B grade posted a 44-goal win (60-16) and C grade overcame a slow start to win by 26 goals (46-20).

Bombers cruise past Cats

■ From back page

The inclusion of inside midfielder Phil Bellingham was crucial in the centre circle and around the ground, as he often gave his teammates first use at the stoppages and started multiple scoring chains for the home side.

Key backs Josh Kable, Connor Brodie and Ben Rigoni made it a tough day for the Rutherglen forwards to make a meaningful impact on the scoreboard, as their close-checking and intercept marking featured throughout the entire four quarters.

A trip to Barnawartha awaits Dederang-Mount Beauty this weekend as they attempt to win consecutive games for the first time this season - the fixture also marks the first time the two sides will meet after the Bombers defeated the Tigers in a thrilling elimination final only a few months ago.

DMB’s footy sides won all of their games as the reserves defeated Rutherglen 10.13 (73) to 4.2 (26) and the Under 14s were victorious by 43 points.

STRONG REPRESENTATION: St Mary’s had nine swimmers head down to Melbourne to compete (from left), Hunter Szaraszek, Arabella Chapman, Willow Szaraszek, Mia McGuffie, Alexis McGuffie, Milla Corcoran, Mitch McMasters, Daisy Howell, and Claye Corcoran.

WELL SWUM: The girls 9-13 yrs medley relay team of Milla Corcoran, Alexis McGuffie, Arabella Chapman and Daisy Howell took third place at the School Sport Victoria State Swimming Championships.

CHAMPIONS: Mixed doubles winners (from left) David Chlebna and Lauren Bartlett with runners up Charlotte Paton and Darren Ferrier.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

OVENS AND MURRAY SENIORS LADDER

YARRAWONGA

SCOREBOARD RESERVES RESULTS

LAVINGTON

GOALS: YARRAWONGA: Leigh Williams 4; Jess Koopman 2; William Wheeler 2; Nicholas Fothergill 1; Logan Morey 1. LAVINGTON: Luke Garland 3; Jack Driscoll 2; Jack Harland 1; Tyson Neander 1; Jake O’Brien 1. BEST: YARRAWONGA: Cameron Wilson, William Wheeler, Bailey Frauenfelder, Lach Howe, Leigh Williams, Leigh Masters. LAVINGTON: Tim Hanna, William Glanvill, Ewan Mackinlay, Luke Garland, Maclayn Hallows, Jonathon Spina.

GOALS: WODONGA: Oscar Willding 5; Adam Jorgensen 3; Harry Kitching 2; Angus Baker 1; Jett Cassidy 1; Nicholas Hynes 1; Samuel Jewell 1; Matthew Wilson 1. MYRTLEFORD: Brody Ricardi 3; Sam Hilton-Joyce 2; Ryley Sharp 2; Declan Bren 1. BEST: WODONGA: Matthew Wilson, Kade Mimmo, Charlie Morrison, Joshua Mathey, Ollie Greenhill, Oscar Willding.

MYRTLEFORD: Simon Curtis, Alex Jacobs, Sam Martyn, Thomas Cappellari, Brody Ricardi, Lachlan P Hourigan.

NETBALL SCORES

A GRADE: Albury 24 def by Wangaratta 47

GOALS: ALBURY: Skye Hillier 15 Claudia Hocking 6 Lani Wall 3. WANGARATTA: Georgia Clark 29 Kellie Keen 9 Amy Byrne 9 . Yarrawonga 58 def Lavington 54; Wodonga 27 def by Myrtleford 65; North Albury 45 def by Wodonga Raiders 48.

B GRADE: Wodonga 37 def by Myrtleford 38; North Albury 36 def by Wodonga Raiders 39; Albury 28 def by Wangaratta 30; Yarrawonga 46 def by Lavington 47. C GRADE: Yarrawonga 23 def by Lavington 37; North Albury 33 def Wodonga Raiders 26; Wodonga 18 def Myrtleford 53; Albury 19 def by Wangaratta 40; Wang Rovers 38 drew with Corowa-Rutherglen 38. 15 & UNDER: Yarrawonga 8 def by Lavington 34; Wodonga 39 def Myrtleford 32; Albury 19 drew with Wangaratta 19; Wang Rovers 40 def Corowa-Rutherglen 22; North Albury 29 def by Wodonga Raiders 31. 17 & UNDER : Yarrawonga 37 def Lavington 31; Wodonga 73 def Myrtleford 18; Albury 29 def by Wangaratta 48; Wang Rovers 74 def Corowa-Rutherglen 50; North Albury 38 def by Wodonga 53.

THIRDS RESULTS

Wodonga 9.11.65 def Myrtleford 5.4.34

BEST: WODONGA : Riley Gill, James Grohmann, Jack Mathey, Coen Ainsworth, Ezekiel Morey, Etienne Tshijika. MYRTLEFORD: Sam Rossato, Luke Nannipieri, Marcello Vescio, Fearghus Jones, Saxon Rosser. GOALS: WODONGA : James Grohmann 3; Coen Ainsworth 2; Riley Gill 2; Lachlan Nugent 2. MYRTLEFORD: Brody Bouker 1; Joseph Crawley 1; Nicholas Hall 1; Sam Rossato 1; Jet Walton 1; MYRTLEFORD: ; Brody Bouker 1; Joseph Crawley 1; Nicholas Hall 1; Sam Rossato 1; Jet Walton 1.

Albury 5.8.38 def by Wangaratta 11.10.76

Yarrawonga 0.1.1 def by Lavington 16.16.112

North Albury 1.6.12 def by Wodonga Raiders 9.13.67

GOALS: NORTH ALBURY: Joshua Minogue 4; Joshua Murphy 3; Nathan Dennis 2; Isaac Campbell 1; Jackson Weidemann 1. WODONGA RAIDERS: Nick Bracher 1; Hayden Clarke

1; Cameron Ellis-Yolmen 1; Max Glass 1; Jamison Scott 1; Zac Whitsed 1. BEST: NORTH ALBURY: Archer Gardiner, Foster Gardiner, Julian Hayes, Joshua Minogue, Layton Taylor, George Godde. WODONGA RAIDERS: Alex Daly, Tom Bracher, Nick Bracher, Nelson Bowey, Hayden Clarke, Cooper Daly.

GOALS: ALBURY: George Horlin-Smith 3; Luke Daly 2; Riley Bice 1; Kolby Heiner-Hennessy

1; Ben Kelly 1; Brayden McMenamin 1; Connor O’Sullivan 1; Brayden O’Hara 1; Elliott Powell

1. WANGARATTA: Callum Moore 4; Jackson Clarke 2; Bradley Melville 2; Mark Anderson

1; Mathew Grossman 1; Harrison Hewitt 1; Xavier Laverty 1; Michael Newton 1; Daniel Sharrock 1. BEST: ALBURY: Lucas Conlan, George Horlin-Smith, Phoenix Gothard, Jeff Garlett, Jay Hillary, Connor O’Sullivan. WANGARATTA: Michael Bordignon, Chris Knowles, Bradley Melville, Jackson Clarke, Tyler Norton, Xavier Laverty.

ROUND 5 - MAY 13

MYRTLEFORD V YARRAWONGA

WANGARATTA ROVERS V ALBURY

LAVINGTON V NORTH ALBURY

WODONGA RAIDERS V WANGARATTA

COROWA-RUTHERGLEN V WODONGA

Yarrawonga ...............9.4.58

Lavington ...............10.10.70

BEST: YARRAWONGA: David O’Dwyer, Douglas Arnold, Reed Bonat, Max Hemphill, Hayden Cartwright, Bronson Schofield. LAVINGTON: Charlie Sanson, Aidan Cook, Andrew Yates, Darcy Smith, Samuel Hargreave, Harrison Thomas. Wodonga .................15.9.99

Myrtleford .................4.3.27

BEST: WODONGA: Gus Jones, Jack Chesser, Will Bradshaw, Rhys Venturoni, Zac Nugent, Joel Heiner. MYRTLEFORD: Leigh Corcoran, Tex McIntosh, Mitchell Botter, Jye Gribbin, Jai Dylan Dykstra, Jake Hood. Albury ....................14.12.96 Wangaratta................2.6.18

BEST: ALBURY: Spencer Jones, Jacob BRUNNER, Charlie Lappin, Noah Heywood, Chas Retallick, William Blomeley. WANGARATTA: Lachlan Bray, Braeden Marjanovic, Will O’Keefe, Ben Bray, Tim Aumann, Harrison Smart. North Albury.............9.10.64 Wodonga Raiders .......4.3.27

BEST: NORTH ALBURY: Cooper Summers, Callum Pattinson, Jamieson Bouffler, Callum Fisher, Connor Bradbury WODONGA RAIDERS: Cameron Smith, Bailey Phillips, Angus Sinclair, Kieran Jones, Wade Knights, Beau Packer.

ROUND

6

OVENS AND KING SENIORS LADDER ROUND 7

NETBALL SCORES

A GRADE: Benalla All Blacks 38 def by King Valley 57; Greta 55 def Whorouly 22

B GRADE: Benalla All Blacks 62 def King Valley 32; Greta 43 def by Whorouly 47; Moyhu 15 def by Milawa 78

B RESERVE: Benalla All Blacks 47 def King Valley 16; Greta 28 def by Whorouly 47; Moyhu 8 def by Milawa 57; North Wangaratta 40 def Tarrawingee 39

C GRADE: Benalla All Blacks 36 def King Valley 11; Greta 36 def by Whorouly 38; Moyhu 27 def Milawa 15; North Wangaratta 44 def Tarrawingee 39

UNDER 15s: Benalla All Blacks 23 def King Valley 9; Greta 22 def Whorouly 21; Moyhu 20 def Milawa 8; North Wangaratta 15 def Tarrawingee 12

*No other scores available at time of print.

SATURDAY, MAY 13

WHOROULY VS KING VALLEY

GRETA VS BENALLA ALL BLACKS

MILAWA VS NORTH WANGARATTA

TARRAWINGEE VS BONNIE DOON

BRIGHT VS GOORAMBAT

MOYHU - BYE

SCOREBOARD RESERVES RESULTS

BENALLA ALL

BLACKS

Benalla All Blacks ....12.14.86 King Valley ................6.2.38

GOORAMBAT

1.2 1.7 2.7 4.8.32

GOALS: GOORAMBAT: Kobe Black 1; Jamie Dunne 1; Alexander Moloney 1; Benjamin Reaburn 1. BONNIE DOON: Will Foster 9; James Fox 4; Luke Murray 4; Al Bennett 3; Matthew Hedin 3; Joel Sanford 3; Luke Berriman 1; Ben Hedin 1. BEST: GOORAMBAT: Bradley Simmons, Ryan Burns, Curtis Anker, Aaron Blackburn, Jamie Dunne, Sully Malay. BONNIE DOON: Will Foster, James Law, Morgan Evans, Connor Heaslip, Joel Sanford, Matthew Hedin.

GRETA

3.1 5.6 10.10 17.13.115

WHOROULY 6.1 7.4 7.5 7.5.47

GOALS: GRETA: Joshua Bell 3; Brenton Newbold 3; Corie Hooper 2; James McClounan 2; Cameron Newbold 2; Tyler Arrowsmith 1; Frazer Judd 1; Lachie Kennett 1; Nicholas Pell 1; Ned Rohrt 1. WHOROULY: Simon Chalmers 2; Connor Crimmins 2; Riley Calvene 1; Adam Harris 1; Lachlan Moore 1. BEST: GRETA: Jarrod Morham, Joshua Bell, Lachie Kennett, Thomas Rosser, Mark Wettern, Corie Hooper. WHOROULY: Connor Crimmins, Edward Bramich, Oliver Dixon, Lachlan Moore, Max Grant, Samuel Piazza.

MOYHU 1.3 2.6 5.8 8.8.56

MILAWA 5.5 9.9 16.10 21.11.137

GOALS: MOYHU: James Kelly 2; Charlie West 2; Harrison Grant 1; George Hearn 1; Jett Roberts 1; Matthew Thrum 1. MILAWA: Harry Allan 3; Sebastian De Napoli 3; Luke Toohey 3; Daniel Bihun 2; Joel Radovanovic 2; Steven Williamson 2; Kristopher Allan 1; Jack Bussell 1; Liam Byrne 1; Declan Joyce-Lawford 1; Brent Newton 1; Jarryd Wallace 1. BEST: MOYHU: Brady Bartlett, George Hearn, Jett Roberts, Xavier Wales, Dylan Carmody, Luke Grady.

MILAWA: Josh Owen, Luke Toohey, Ben Clarke, Simon Pane, Jarryd Wallace, Harry Allan.

TARRAWINGEE 1.2 1.2 2.2 2.3.15

GOALS: NORTH WANGARATTA: Tyler Nanson 7; Matthew Prestianni 3; Ryley Ely 2; Daniel Williams 2; Jack Brown 1; Flynn Butterworth 1; Cooper Gracie 1; David Killen 1.

TARRAWINGEE: none registered. BEST: NORTH WANGARATTA: Kyle McQuade, Adam Enever, Daniel Williams, Tyler Nanson, Ryley Ely, Tyler Schulze.TARRAWINGEE: Reiley Murtagh, Patrick Byrne, Sam Piper, Jeremy Lawford, Ryley Benton.

BEST: BENALLA ALL BLACKS: Conor Dolan, Ciaran Wallace, Dean Bradshaw, Dylan Bell, Jake Whitmore, Ryan Nedeljkovic. KING VALLEY: Bradley McPoyle, Alex Tatulaschwili, Thomas Wright, James Hansen, Edward Maclean. Goorambat ...............4.4.28 Bonnie Doon ...........10.12.72

BEST: GOORAMBAT: Todd Haslam, Haider Alhasnawi, Dallas Spencer, Jack Williams, Leslie Lawford, Peter Cochrane. BONNIE DOON: Trent Smith, Jack Kirley, Ben Kelleher, James Trellu-Coker, Jason Heathcote, Isaac Murray. Greta ...................24.18.162 Whorouly ....................0.1.1

BEST: GRETA: Brodie Pearson, Luke Arrowsmith, Chris Dube, Trent Whitecross, Alex Fitzpatrick, Stewart McLeod. WHOROULY: Ryan Harris, Brett Allen, Corey Boyd, Jacob Penn, Aiden Giovannoni, Peter Sang. Moyhu .....................11.4.70 Milawa .....................6.12.48

BEST: MOYHU: Josh Coonan, Thomas Clough, Liam Cook, Will Johnson, Leroy Dowling, Aaron Thrum. MILAWA: Tim Leslie, Private Player, Zachary Wallace, Hamish Falla, Tim Mortimer, Callum Honey. North Wangaratta .38.17.245 Tarrawingee ................0.2.2

BEST: NORTH WANGARATTA: Kye Williams, Joshua Ismale, Blake Marlborough, Cameron McCormack, Luke Brown, Tana Freeman. TARRAWINGEE: Tyler Heywood, Jordan Stana, Cody Meloury.

MATCH REVIEWS

Bright footballers and netballers return to play

BY NATHAN DE VRIES ndevries@ nemedia.com.au

AFTER enjoying the week off with the scheduled bye, Bright’s footballers and netballers will return to action this Saturday, hosting Goorambat in their Mothers’ Day round clash.

It has been a fruitful first block of matches for the seniors and reserves football squads, who both sit comfortably in second on the ladder, with the opening round loss in the seniors the only blemish on an otherwise flawless record so far.

The Mountain Men have also been impressive on the scoreboard, with the seniors sitting at 287.98 per cent, and the reserves at a whopping 849.48 per cent, more than 180 ahead of anyone else in the league.

Senior coach Paul Harrison said the side was travelling exceptionally well, and would look to maintain their form against the Bats.

“We had a pretty solid week on the track, then they got the weekend to do what they wanted, have a week off, recoup and get ready to go into our next five-week block,” he said.

“Our seniors and reserves have been playing some really good footy, there’s a hell of a lot of depth at the club

at the moment, so that really helps.

“We’ve been getting some good numbers and there’s a great feeling around the place at the moment.”

Coming into just their second home game of the season, Harrison said it should help inspire his players even further.

“It’ll be good to be back at home - this is only our sec-

ROUND RESULTS:

NORTH East

Bushrangers

Basketball (NEBB) is collaboration between local north east basketball associations with the commitment of “Creating Realistic Pathways for all North East Athletes”

11 NEBB junior teams compete in the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) - the highest level junior competition in Victoria.

1 NEBB Youth League Men’s (YLM) team competes in the semi-professional Big V competition.

Big V & VJBL consist of teams from both metropolitan and regional Victoria.

ond home game for the year, so we haven’t been there much yet and the boys are looking forward to getting back there,” he said.

“The big ground suits us down to a tee as well.

“When you look through Goorambat’s list, they’ve still got some decent players in their line-up.

“We’re not going to take anyone lightly because we

U14 Boys 1 50 def Altona 1 45

(Top Scorers: Keoni Anderson 24, Charlie Voss 8, Connah Hart 5)

U14 Boys 2 29 def by Keilor 5 48

(Top Scorers: Brock Buckland 10, Joseph Milton 6, William McKenzie 3)

U14 Girls 1 40 def McKinnon 1 29

(Top Scorers: Ella Mercieca 23, Lily Purss 6, Maisy Moscrop 6)

U14 Girls 2 38 def Surfcoast 1 22

(Top Scorers: Kaity Ford 15, Maria Hanley 9, Winnie Heffernan 6)

U16 Boys 1 50 def by Chelsea 1 54

(Top Scorers: Dashiell Smith 12, Jett Milligan 10, Blake Newton 9)

U16 Boys 2 31 def by Ballarat 3 41

(Top Scorers: Joshua Vearing 8, Samuel Kain 6, Aaron Hamill 4 )

U16 Girls 1 39 def by Diamond Valley 1 45

don’t want to drop a game that we shouldn’t.

“We’ll respect everyone and then get to work on game day and try and get the job done.”

Over on the netball court, it’s been a mixed season so far for Bright, with teams sitting everywhere on the ladder from third to 11th.

A and B grade coach Marlene Steiner said her side

had stood tall in the face of adversity.

“I think it (the bye) came at a very good time, we’ve had a few injuries along the way,” she said.

“Whilst the versatility’s been good to have, we’re yet to have a week where we’ve had the same line-up at all for the whole season.

“It’s been challenging.

“Each week we just take

it as it comes because we’re building a bond with the players.

“As long as we can get the opportunities to the goalers, we’ve got as good a chance as any team.”

Bright hosts Goorambat at Pioneer Park on Saturday, May 13, with the senior football from 2pm and the A grade netball set to start from 2.15pm.

(Top Scorers: Mekenzie Wood 13, Lily-Anne McClure 9, Charlotte Woosnam 8)

U16 Girls 2 31 def Wallan 1 29

(Top Scorers: Ebony Chapman 11, Sophia Kotzur 9, Elliana Gray 6 )

U18 Boys 1 55 def by Dandenong 158

(Top Scorers: Coen Ainsworth 16, Frank Oguche 13, Jobe Shanahan 11)

U18 Boys 2 44 def Diamond Valley 3 26

(Top Scorers: Harry Stripeikis 21, James Frazer 6, Nic Watson 4)

U18 Girls Postponed Camberwell 1

YLM 54 def by Melton 98

(Top Scorers: Hugo Cusack 15, Jesse King 14, Samuel Gebauer 8)

NEBB U14 Girls 1 team mates representing their home associations at the recent U14 State Championships

REWORKED: Jess Carnes (pictured) and coach Marlene Steiner have revamped the A and B grade squads and will look to test their experiement against the Bats.

BACK ON THE PARK: Cooper Thomason (second from left) and the Bright footballers will look to continue their strong form when they host Goorambat on Saturday. PHOTOS: Nathan de Vries

MATCH REVIEWS

Blues too good for Whorouly

By NATHAN DE VRIES

A FADED second-half performance left the door open for Greta to storm home and take the win over Whorouly, with the Lions downed 7.5 (47) to 17.13 (115).

The Lions took the game on early, stunning the top side in the opening term with a three goal lead at quarter time.

Greta rallied, bringing the game within 10 points by halftime.

Whorouly failed to fire after the break, only managing a behind in the second half while Greta’s structures allowed them to score with ease as the Lions’ bench ran thin.

Coach Riley Calvene said his squad performed well, but just didn’t have the staying power to keep the fight going through the second half.

“Our first half was really strong, we were able to play the game on our terms and play the way we wanted to play, so that was really pleasing,” he said.

“We fell away in the second half, we knew that Greta were going to come for us and they just blew us out of the water with their run and drive.

“They caught us out there, but overall we’re relatively happy.

“We went into the game with the brand that we wanted to play, and it just came off better than it has in previous weeks.

“We were more composed with the ball, we were able to change angles and maintain possession whereas in other weeks, we’d turn it over far too easily.

“We usually kept possession

and kept the ball off Greta - I think we executed our game plan better than we had previously.”

The Lions have had a tough run early with injuries to key players, but Xavier Cannizzaro’s first game back from a foot concern proved Whorouly’s list has the talent to compete.

Ed Bramich again was among Whorouly’s best, continuing a tremendous season for the ruckman.

“Ed’s having a great season so far, he battles hard in the ruck all day, around the ball he’s such a presence,” Calvene said.

“His tackle pressure is elite, he plays as another on-baller, really.

“We’re rapt to have Xavier back six weeks ahead of schedule with his foot, he came back and sets us up so well down back.

“He uses the ball really well, provides a lot of drive and run, he just straightens us up down there.”

The Lions host King Valley this Saturday in their Mothers’ Day clash, with both squads looking to stabilise after periods of inconsistency through the year.

“They’ve been very similar to us in the way they’ve had a fair few injuries and been inconsistent at times,” Calvene said.

“We look forward to it, as always, we’ve had a couple of good games with them over the past couple of years.

“We’ve just got to play our brand and be harder for longer.

“They’re still a very good side so it should be a ripper.”

The reserve Lions also had a tough match, outclassed 24.18 (162) to 0.1 (1).

Whorouly humbled by powerhouse Blues netballers

By NATHAN DE VRIES

WHOROULY’S A grade netball squad’s undefeated run came to an end on Saturday at the Greta Recreation Reserve, where the Blues handed the Lions their first loss of the season, downed 22-55.

The Blues came out of the gate firing, stunning the usually quick-starting Lions with a 13-1 first term, with the Lions only reaching double figures through the third term.

Whorouly attempted to

fight back, but the damage was already done, and the Blues lead 40-12 at threequarter time.

Coach Ebony Allen said they knew the match was going to be difficult, but they weren’t able play their normal style of netball.

“It was a tough game for us this week, we always knew it was going to be - Greta are a quality side and there is a reason they have been the side to beat for so long now,” she said.

“Unfortunately we had a

very slow start to the game and steered away from our usual style of netball which is credit to Greta and the pressure they are able to cause all over the court.

“It was a good test for us and was definitely a game we needed.

“We just didn’t make the most of any ball we had and let Greta get on top of us early which made it very hard to play catch up.

“We changed up a few different positions to see if we

could stop Greta’s flow of the game which seemed to work in our favour in the third term, we were able to keep them only nine goals which was good for us.”

The Lions now sit second behind Greta on the A grade ladder, even on points and trailing by just over 22 per cent.

A win this weekend at home against fifth-placed King Valley will go a long way in settling the side after their first loss, with a few Li-

ons finding form.

“Credit to all of the girls, no one gave up and tried their best the entire game but unfortunately the score just didn’t reflect what we wanted to put out there,” Allen said.

“Alex Muraca had a good game through the mid court, she worked hard all game and never gave up.

“Sarah Primerano had her first game back since her finger injury and came on and really made a difference for

us in the attack end.

“King Valley will be another tough match-up but we are going to have a strong week back at training and get back to our style netball that has worked well for us so far - hopefully we can get back on the winners’ list.”

Whorouly’s B grade edged out a close win over Greta 47-43, the B reserve took the victory 47-28, the C grade got home by two goals, and the 15 and under side fell by a goal 21-22.

DEFENSIVE PRESSURE: Ebony Hughes looks for a passing option. PHOTOS: Nathan de Vries

TRANSITION: Tayla Allen and Sally Wood (background) look to move the ball out the the Lions’ defensive end.

STRONG RETURN: Sarah Primerano played well in her first game back from a dislocated finger in the Lions’ loss to Greta.

FOOTRACE: Josh Cleeland and Simon Chalmers race to gain possession of the ball deep in the Lions’ forward 50.

AND HE’S OFF: Matthew Vescio steps around the mark and boots the ball long.

MINE: Connor Crimmins attempts to rip the ball from Greta’s Paul Fruzynski in the Lions’ 68-point loss.

PHOTOS: Nathan de Vries

Saints smash Wodonga to remain untouched

By NATHAN DE VRIES

THE good news keeps coming from the netball court as the Myrtleford Saints remain undefeated, following a 65-27 thumping of Wodonga Bulldogs at Martin Park on Saturday.

The clouds parted before the A grade match got underway, with the Saints taking a six-goal lead early on the match to have the Bulldogs on the back foot from quarter time.

An even stronger second quarter from across the court limited Wodonga’s scoring chances and allowed Myrtleford to start piling on scoreboard pressure, with a 35-13 margin Myrtleford’s way at halftime.

Wodonga never seemed to be in contention, as the Saints started playing around with positional changes and trialling combinations for future matches.

Co-coach Olivia Sinclair said the defensive end of Tina Way and Sophie Hanrahan really stood up and played their role to perfection.

“I think what’s been pleasing is it has been a full-team effort, defensively - we’ve worked a lot on changing our defensive set-ups so that we’re doing more special defence and it’s a team structure,” she said.

“This is saying something, but I genuinely think it was the best game I’ve ever seen Soph (Hanrahan) play ever on the weekend - I’ve played a lot of netball with her over the years and she’s played a lot of spectacular games.

“They were taking her stats on the bench and I think she scored 22 intercepts or something absurd.

“Tina (Way) is so underrated, she has been flying under the radar and complementing Soph so well in goal defence.

“We can’t ask for much more in

defence at the moment.”

At the other end of the court, goalers Bec Piazza, Saige Broz and Sally Botter worked well when they were in the shooting ring, with Piazza scoring 43 goals at 91 per cent accuracy for the match.

“It was pleasing to get two games in a row where we’ve scored over 60 goals, because that’s the ideal scoreline you want from an attack end,” Sinclair said.

“With Sally in goal attack, they’re the classic goal shootergoal attack, where Sally’s quite small but zippy, and Bec’s quite

Inconsistent Saints outworked by Bulldogs

■ From back page “We need to make sure that we’ve got as good a team that’s going to really challenge the Pigeons this weekend.”

The Saints will be without young gun Josh Muraca for the next month, after he received a four match suspension for a tackle last weekend which left Rovers player Will McCarthy concussed.

Millar said the decision, handed down last Wednesday, was disproportional and baffling given the circumstances of the event.

“There was no secondary motion, it was acknowledged by all parties involved in that tribunal process that the players’

legs got tangled in each other, and it was a complete accident,” he said.

“To walk away with a four-week penalty was, in my opinion, an injustice and disappointing for Josh because he’s been training well, he’s fair as any player in the competition.

“It was just disappointing for him and for the club to go through that, but we understand the health and wellbeing of players and concussions are really serious, and we need to make sure we protect players.”

Myrtleford’s reserves and thirds footballers also suffered losses against Wodonga on Saturday, downed by 72 and 31 points, respectively.

tall and doesn’t move too much.

“On the weekend, their combination together definitely allowed the team to score goals freely and quickly, which helps the scoreline keep ticking over.”

The Saints face a top of the table clash against Yarrawonga this weekend, with the two undefeated A grade squads going head-to-head from 12.15pm on Saturday at McNamara Reserve.

“We don’t want to focus too much on Yarrawonga’s game and just focus on ourselves,” Sinclair said.

“Luckily for us, Yarrawonga’s

to continue her

been filmed a couple of times this year, so we’ve certainly looked over their games and where they’re really hitting their shots at the moment.

“I definitely think their defence end in Hannah Symes and Kylie Tyrell is almost the engine room of their whole team, so as an attack end it’ll certainly be the focus this week, how we control our ball movement and ball speed and make sure we’re really definite in our passing.”

The B and C grade Saints also picked up handy wins over Wodonga, while the under 17s went down 18-73 and the under 15s lost 32-39.

BEST OF THE BEST: Ashton McPherson is one of eight Saints called up to the O&M’s football and netball interleague clash with Goulburn Valley League on Saturday, May 20.

Saints called up to interleague

A CROP of eight Myrtleford Saints footballers and netballers have received the call to play for the Ovens and Murray in their interleague clash with Goulburn Valley League on Saturday, May 20 at the Albury Sportsground.

Ryley Bouker, Thomas Cappellari, Sam HiltonJoyce and Brody Ricardi made the cut in for the senior football squad, while Ashton McPherson, Cy Banks and Luke Nannipieri received invitations to try out for the underage squad.

First-year Saint Sophie Hanrahan was the only Myrtleford netballer called up to the side, and will provide some leadership in the defensive end.

PHOTO: Janet Watt

DEFENSIVE KEY: Sophie Hanrahan, pictured in last week’s win over Wangaratta Rovers, will look

form when the Saints take on Yarrawonga on Saturday.

PHOTO: Janet Watt

TOUGH TASK: The Saints will look to bounce back from their loss against Wodonga when they take on Yarrawonga at home this weekend.

PHOTO: Janet Watt

Bombers cruise past Cats

By DANIEL SAVILLE

A WEEK can be a very long time in football, and Dederang-Mount Beauty has proven just that.

Coming off a huge 157-point loss against KiewaSandy Creek seven days prior, the Bombers were far too strong back on their home turf at Mount Beauty against a gallant Rutherglen outfit, who tried hard all day on a cold and gloomy Saturday afternoon.

The 88-point differential was an impressive margin considering that the conditions were conducive to a low-scoring scrap, but it wasn’t to be as the Bombers kicked clear against the Cats to record a 19.11 (125) to 5.7 (37) victory.

Dederang-Mount Beauty started strongly with a fivegoal opening quarter and managed to keep the Cats to a solitary point.

Rutherglen opened their goal-scoring account in the second term but conceded five more goals to be trailing by 49 points at the main break.

The second half followed a similar trend to the first on the scoreboard and in general play, as the home side dominated possession and territory to finish the game with a much-needed win at the final siren.

For the Bombers, Cody Hewat was a focal point up forward and demanded plenty of the ball as he kicked a game-high five goals.

Mid-sized forward and playing coach Damien Jones won plenty of one-on-one contests to finish with four majors and a couple of goal assists to match.

Not to be outdone, midfield bull Jordan Harrington produced another best-onground performance as he collected possessions at will and finished with four goals of his own.

■ Continued page 26

SOARING HIT-OUT

Inconsistent Saints outworked by Bulldogs

MYRTLEFORD’S senior football side suffered another loss on Saturday, downed by 51 points by a tremendously strong Wodonga Bulldogs outfit, 8.2 (50) to 15.11 (101).

The Saints only managed three goals to half-time, trailing by 37 points at the main break, before a four-goal third term brought the margin back to 28 points.

Wodonga stormed home, kicking five goals to one in the last quarter to remain undefeated on top of the ladder.

Myrtleford’s Brody Ricardi recorded another strong game up forward with three goals, while Simon Curtis, Sam Martyn and Alex

BY NATHAN DE VRIES ndevries@ nemedia.com.au

Jacobs also turned in impressive performances.

Coach Craig Millar said his squad would need to work on consistent efforts in order to keep themselves in tough matches.

“I was really proud of parts of our game, but there were too many inconsistencies in our play across the four quarters, we just can’t put it together for long enough to be competitive when we’re really challenged,” he said.

“Even though we fought back in the third quarter really well, it was a disappointing finish to the game, them kicking five goals to one in that last term.

“We just found it hard at times to move the ball inside 50 efficiently and to be able to score the way we needed to.

“Full credit to Wodonga, they were too strong for us defensively, they stifled that.

“By and large, we were beaten by a better side, and we’ve just got to find a way to be more consistent across the duration of the game.”

The Saints will look to rebound this weekend when they host Yarrawonga Pigeons in the

#Bekindtoyourmind Mental Wellbeing Round.

The Pigeons loom as one of the flag contenders again this year, and will be an uphill challenge for the Saints to overcome.

“It’s a really important round for the club, it’s the mental health round which started with Yarrawonga a few years ago, it’s really built into being a great feature of a home game for us,” Millar said.

“They’re a really good side, they’ve proved that over a long period of time, and we’re really looking forward to the challenge this week; they’ve got good players across the park.

■ Continued page 30

ED Bramich and Mark Wettern go up in the ruck in the Lions’ 17.13 (115) to 7.5 (47) loss to Greta. Whorouly lead at half-time but only added a minor score in the second half. Match report: page 29.

PHOTO: Nathan de Vries

Education & Career Development

Apprenticeships for males and females

New rural doctors

Mentors to help young job seekers

Education & Career Development

Join a global leader at Thales

THALES is a global technology company that are leaders in aerospace, space, defence, and digital security.

With facilities in Benalla and Mulwala that focus on the manufacture of munitions to support the Australian Defence Force (ADF), Thales has been a significant employer in the community for years; providing a range of employment opportunities.

A significant number of employees based at these sites have worked for Thales for more than 10 years in various roles demonstrating that a career with Thales can provide longterm satisfaction, enjoyment and sustainable work-life balance.

There are a range of exciting career prospects at Thales as outlined below including: production worker, laboratory technicians, mechanical and electrical maintenance trade and engineering positions.

Positions that don’t require a significant amount of experience include:

Production workers

Production workers play a crucial role in ensuring the efficiency and quality of the company’s products.

They assemble, test, and package a wide range of components for the defence sector.

With ongoing training and development programs, Production workers can hone their skills and advance their careers.

Laboratory Technicians

Thales offers a range of laboratory roles, including technicians, chemists, and materials scientists, who contribute to the development of high-quality products.

Our technicians carry out a wide range of tasks, including preparing and conducting experiments, operating and maintaining laboratory equipment and collecting and analysing data.

Positions that require a certificate or degree include:

Mechanical and electrical maintenance trades

Thales’ state-of-the-art facilities in Benalla and Mulwala require highly skilled mechanical and electrical

maintenance fitters to maintain and optimise the performance of their advanced production equipment.

These professionals work closely with engineers and other technical experts to diagnose and repair faults, perform preventative maintenance, and implement upgrades to ensure the smooth operation of the manufacturing process.

Engineering

At Thales, engineers work on some of the most innovative and challenging projects in the defence sector.

Opportunities are available across various engineering disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, and process engineering.

Thales’ engineers design, develop and test new products and technologies, as well as optimise existing systems.

The company offers a stimulating work environment that fosters collaboration and creativity while providing ample opportunities for professional growth and development.

Thales’ facilities in Benalla and Mulwala offer a wide range of employment opportunities and Thales’ commitment to training, development, and employee wellbeing ensures that staff members can thrive in their chosen fields.

For those looking to build a future in with Thales, visit their website at https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/career.

MADE LOCALLY: Thales facilities at Benalla and Mulwala focus on the manufacture of munitions to support the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Career change tests Jack’s metal

WHEN Jack Jeffries decided it was time for a change of careers, he found his ideal job with Burder AgAttachments in Wangaratta.

“I had been in the hospitality industry as a qualified chef for a number of years but decided it was time for a change,” Jack said.

“I was looking for a new challenge and when I saw the job at Burder advertised, I decided to give it a go.

“I have always enjoyed problem solving and building/doing things with my hands, building intricate products and I am passionate about working with metal.”

Jack is now a third year apprentice with Burder, completing a Certificate III in Engineering Fabrication.

“I enjoy every aspect of the job and love the diversity I get at Burder,” Jack said.

“I have been exposed to all areas of the welding shed so I am now capable of building lots of the different products we offer our customers.

“I have also been exposed to the bending machines in the steel shed, which is

another side of engineering that I get the opportunity to learn.

Jack said that no day is ever the same and that he enjoys when a customer brings in a product to be modified.

“There are no drawings to follow with custom jobs

that are brought in by customers, so I have to work it out on the spot to make it work for the customer,” he explained.

“I also love when a new product is developed, and I get to weld it together for the first time - it is a real challenge to do something

you have not seen before.”

As team leader in the work area, Jack has several different responsibilities each day.

“I have to order metal parts from different work areas around Burder to be able to complete my jobs, I have to ensure

that deadlines are met as scheduled, I work with the engineering team to simplify ways to build our products or fix any issues with them and I work with our sales team to help them support our customers.”

Jack is happy he decided to make the switch and

Looking for the next exciting challenge in your career? Then you are looking in the right place!

Burder AgAttachments offers a career opportunity and not just a job. You will be given plenty of opportunities to grow with our company and there will be continual training to ensure your success.

Burder AgAttachments has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing agricultural equipment with more than 600 dealers across Australia. Burder Industries is always on the lookout for passionate and like-minded professionals to jump on board with us. As a market leader in agricultural manufacturing industry, you can be certain that there will be no dull days and there will be plenty of fun challenges.

Apprenticeships

Cert III Engineering - Fabrication Trade

Cert III Engineering - Mechanical Trade

Immediate Start

Adult Applicants welcome

Product Assembler/Installer

Final assembly and installation role

Installation of products to tractors and vehicles

Ability to work from drawings

Mechanical Aptitude

Training program to assist in transition into role

burder.com.au/careers

Burder AgAttachments, a family owned engineering company, seeking enthusiastic people to join our team.

Steel Parts Team Member

Work as part of our external contract team

Sorting, working and packing parts for supply

apply and take on an apprenticeship with Burder AgAttachments and encourages others to do the same when the time feels right.

“They are a great team to work with, arranging days off is simple and the worklife balance has been great.”

Ability to work to schedules and read from drawings

am upply di

Suits a well organised person who takes pride in their work

On the job training provided

Laser Parts sales and nesting

Contracting, quoting and selling steel cut laser parts

Computerised nesting of parts for cutting

Managing production and delivery

Invoicing goods

Extensive training provided

Industrial Spray Painter

Preparation and painting of agricultural parts

On the job training provided

Potential for a traineeship

Part of the finishing team

ENGINEERING HIS CAREER: Apprentice Jack Jeffries loves his role at Burder AgAttachments.

PHOTO: Kurt Hickling

Pursue your dreams and change your life with Free TAFE

AN expansion of Free TAFE in 2023 has helped remove financial barriers to study.

With enquiries open for Semester 2 intake, there has never been a better time to apply to study at GOTAFE.

Gain hands-on experience while you study and learn from industryexperienced trainers so you can graduate with job-ready skills.

The introduction of Free TAFE, combined with the flexible, supportive learning environment at GOTAFE helped Kate Reid make the decision to enrol in the Diploma of Nursing (HLT45121).

After a career in the human resources and business management world, Kate knew she wanted to make a difference through nursing.

“Always having an itch for nursing, I reached out to the staff at GOTAFE and they told me the Victorian Government was subsidising the course and it was offered in a part and full time capacity,” Kate said.

“I felt like this was my chance

to pursue a career path I’d always wanted to.”

The supportive learning environment at GOTAFE and state-of-the-art facilities have set Kate up for a strong future in nursing.

“The staff are an attribute,” she said.

“They are extremely supportive and personable.

“They work with you and want to see you succeed.

“The campus is modern and has a great vibe.

“You feel part of a community.

“I felt completely supported, encouraged and connected.”

Whether you’re considering a career in nursing, or other in-demand industries such as agriculture, community services, hospitality, or early childhood education and care, now is your chance to explore your opportunities and find your passion.

Make the most of Free TAFE. Visit the GOTAFE website and apply now.

NURSING A PASSION: Kate Reid has enrolled in a Diploma of Nursing (HLT45121) with GOTAFE.

Training and assessment options at 1 Stop

WITH campuses in Wangaratta, Bundalong and Barmah, 1 Stop Driving School is centrally placed to deliver high quality training.

They take pride in offering and delivering training and assessment in the fields of civil construction plant operations and driving operations, and as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO #40729) 1 Stop has earnt a reputation as a leader in the provision of flexible and innovative services.

Among others, the following three courses will be run in 2023 and now is the time to contact 1 Stop to book your place.

Certificate III in Agriculture

This certificate will give you the skills and knowledge to work independently and in teams, on a wide variety of practical tasks.

You will gain hands-on experience in machinery operation, selecting suitable management techniques and problem solving techniques to manage the unexpected.

AgVet Chemical Users course

This course provides

participants with information on state legislation and knowledge on issues including identifying of pests, issues associated with chemical use, understanding and selecting farm chemicals, transporting and storing chemicals, risk management and analysis planning for chemical use and application, cleaning and disposing of farm chemicals and chemical record keeping.

This is a nationally accredited course applicable to Victorian and New South Wales land managers and provides training required by the Department of Environment and Primary Industry for issue of an Agricultural Chemical Users Permit (ACUP).

Certificate III in Civil Construction Plant Operations

Build your career as a trade qualified plant operator with this nationally accredited course.

Learn how to safely operate plant equipment such as excavators, backhoe, loaders, skid steers and rollers, as well as working on exciting civil infrastructure projects, White

Card and First Aid topics and more in a booming industry.

The Certificate training courses are delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth funding.

1 Stop’s goal is to provide students with a safe, fair and supported environment to participate in their training and assessment, and to ensure they are job ready.

They believe that every individual matters and that everyone has the potential to learn new skills and gain new knowledge.

They strive to inspire confidence, belief and value in vocational education for the individual, the employer, and the industry.

If you are currently employed in, or want to enter sectors such as civil construction (plant operations), forestry or timber, road transport, driver training and license endorsement, materials handling, industrial licensing or maritime, 1 Stop Driving School can help you get the qualifications you need to succeed.

& Career Development

A global education at a local university

LA Trobe University believes everyone should get to study at a globally renowned university, regardless of postcode.

La Trobe is Victoria’s only state-wide university with campuses in Melbourne, Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura and AlburyWodonga.

Preparing students for the real world of work lies at the heart of La Trobe’s approach to teaching, with work integrated learning, work-based learning and placements built into many courses.

As a result, La Trobe graduates are rated first in Victoria and third across all Australian universities for overall employer satisfaction.

Additionally, La Trobe ranked second in Victoria and fourth across all Australian universities for technical skills, with 96.6 per cent of employers satisfied with La Trobe graduates’ technical skills.

La Trobe Deputy ViceChancellor (Students) Professor Jessica Vanderlelie said these strong results reflected the University’s focus on helping students prepare for workplace success throughout the course of their studies - giving students the benefits of a world-class education at a local university.

“Our course design, as well as our work-integrated learning programs where students gain firsthand experience of the workplace, ensure our students have the creativity, flexibility, resilience and technical capability employers are seeking,” professor Vanderlelie said.

World-class facilities

La Trobe’s commitment to investing in local communities has seen the University invest in its regional campuses, including the recently completed $60 million Bendigo Campus Transformation Program that included a new engineering and technology building, expanded library and more.

The Shepparton Campus is undergoing a $10.5 million redevelopment to improve the study experience for local students.

This includes high-tech clinical teaching spaces, modern study areas and a flexible space for community events.

While on campus, students learn in facilities

built to prepare them for the real world, such as the La Trobe University Rural Health School - Australia’s largest rural health school.

The School boasts facilities such as nursing simulation labs, a paramedicine practical laboratory and multipurpose skills laboratories - so students can practice their skills in a safe and controlled environment.

The advanced facilities offered by La Trobe is a vital component in preparing students for a career as a healthcare professional, such as Bachelor of Nursing student Thomas Schmitt.

“La Trobe’s fully equipped Clinical Learning Unit has enabled me to practice important clinical skills in a safe environment before going out on placement,” Thomas said.

“Rural nursing placements in the Goulburn Valley are very hands-on and I always feel like a vital member of the team.”

Connected to community La Trobe University partners with organisations

and community groups throughout regional Victoria.

The industry and community partnerships are aimed at enhancing the learning experience of students, fostering research opportunities for local organisations and building professional skills in the region.

“We know regional

students deeply value the strong connections they build with lecturers and fellow students, the experience of attending a vibrant regional campus, and the strong links they form with local employers,”

La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar AO said.

La Trobe has strengthened

its support of regional students by building more flexibility into a range of degrees with StudyFlex, allowing students the option of studying online, oncampus or a blend of both.

According to Professor John Dewar, the combination of StudyFlex and La Trobe’s Regional Connect program means

regional online students can feel right at home.

“Our Regional Connect program gives students access to events, networking opportunities, placements and project partnersmeaning that whether studying online, face-to-face or a mixture of both, they will continue to reap the benefits of regional study.”

OPTIONS: StudyFlex at La Trobe allows students the option of studying online, on-campus or a blend of both.

WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES. INDUSTRY CONNECTED. GREAT EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES.

Make your gap year count

CONNEX Group offer a unique gap year and cadetship program which gives young people the chance to remain living locally, while gaining experience in the construction industry.

Connex Group is a multidisciplinary company which provides engineering design consultancy and a specialist workshop fabrication modelling service.

Cadets have exposure to a client base which includes steel fabricators, structural detailers, engineers, architects and project managers and complete several short courses to add to their skill set.

They have access to the Achievement Program, a State Government health and wellbeing initiative which focuses on areas such as healthy eating, physical activity, and mental health and wellbeing.

There is potential through the Connex program for further casual and full-time employment during chosen studies, as well as an industry pathway post-study.

Connex Group general manager/director Kevin Feldtmann said he loved the idea of offering opportunities local young people may not otherwise have in their region.

“The program is suited to local students with an interest

in visual communications, maths, engineering and project management or fabrication,” he said.

2022 saw the successful completion of the pilot Gap Year, with three students completing 12 months with the company.

Connex has employed another three local cadets in 2023.

Two of these cadets are based in the detailing department of the company, with the third being based in the engineering department.

While the cadets’ primary

duties are within their specific department, Connex has tailored the program to provide a broad experience in the industry by offering rotations through their structural engineering department/detailing department, point cloud scanning, and their

Gap Year & Cadetship

industry partners through fabrication, project management, and project site erection.

Connex is fortunate to be partnered with La Trobe University-Engineering, which guarantees all students who participate in their program an automatic placement into Engineering at La Trobe’s Bendigo Campus.

In 2022 the cadets were exposed to the university’s lifestyle through campus visits and online mentorships along with visits from key mentors from LaTrobe. This year the new cadets have had their first visit from the La Trobe mentors with the relationship to continue throughout the year.

“We are very pleased to have partnered up with La Trobe and look forward to a long relationship with La Trobe,” Mr Feldtmann said.

The team was really excited with the success of the first year of the program and 2023 has started with the same positivity.

Connex is looking forward to seeing this year’s students develop and learn about the different aspects of the construction industry.

For further information visit www.connexgroup.com.au/ gap-year-cadetship-program/ or contact Amanda Herezo at admin@connexgroup.com.au.

NEW CADETS: Angus Lewis, Ben Sgarioto and Liam Hill have joined Connex’s gap year and cadetship program for 2023.

PHOTO: Belinda Harrison

Doctor of Medicine (Rural Pathway) student Yong Deng

YONG Deng is a rural medical student who is currently completing the Doctor of Medicine (Rural Pathway) degree at the University of Melbourne in Wangaratta.

The Doctor of Medicine, Rural Pathway, is for students from a rural background who are committed to undertaking their medical education wholly in a rural setting and becoming a part of rural and regional Australia’s medical workforce.

Yong spent his first year of the program in Shepparton before electing Wangaratta for his second year of Medicine.

Prior to starting the degree, Yong was working in Melbourne as a pharmacist.

However, it was Yong’s experiences as a child which led him to study medicine.

Yong spent several years in a Kenyan refugee camp before moving to Australia.

He saw first-hand the effects of living in a developing nation and the inadequate access to medical care.

From his lived experience, Yong feels it’s his duty of care to deliver quality healthcare in areas of need across the globe including

rural and remote Australia.

Thanks to the Doctor of Medicine (Rural Pathway) program, he is on his way to becoming a rural doctor.

We asked Yong what some of the highlights of the program have been so far, he replied as follows:

“Meeting so many incredible people and getting to explore Shepparton; I got to enjoy dinners with new friends, went bowling with local doctors, our lecturers/clinical educators and the University staff

“To top it all, the student Outlook Rural Health Club organised a skiing trip - it’s still one of the most memorable experiences that I am super grateful for.

“I also enjoyed living in a beautiful and affordable accommodation through the University of Melbourne.

“The new MD teaching building is remarkable although we never took the advantage of the Sectra Visual Dissection Table more than we did with the outdoor basketball court.”

To learn more, search Doctor of Medicine Rural Pathway or visit the University of Melbourne website.

HAPPY IN THE COUNTRY: Yong Deng is completing a Doctor of Medicine, Rural Pathway, to become part of rural and regional Australia’s medical workforce.

Join Australia’s leading regional university

CHARLES Sturt University

(CSU) is your go-to uni for career and workforce development in North East Victoria.

Whether you’re taking your first step after school, looking for a career change, updating your qualifications or undertaking research, they have the course for you.

Why them?

They are grounded in the qualities they draw from their regional roots - their sense of community, the ability to tackle hard work and their resilience.

They understand the regions - because they’re part of them, providing professional education and research for more than 100 years.

They believe in making a difference.

They connect students to their purpose, and they use that purpose to make their communities better.

And when we make communities better, we create a world worth living in.

CSU know that to do that, you need to fit study around your life.

That’s why they provide a range of study options.

Want to study on campus?

You’ll find the six Charles Sturt campuses in some of the fastest growing regional cities in New South Wales.

Living and learning regionally

comes with perks.

The cost of living is generally lower than the city, you can adventure in your own backyard and the nearest capital city is always within reach.

All of their campuses include

libraries, learning commons and a full range of support services.

They also have police recruitment training at Goulburn, and study centres in Canberra and Wangaratta. Prefer to study online?

Live in North East Victoria?

Study with Australia’s most experienced online uni.*

When you study with CSU online, you have the flexibility to control your schedule.

Decide where and when you learn - and complete your work

when it’s most convenient for you.

Fit study around part-time work, family, volunteering and internships.

Whatever works for you.

Because as an online student, you don’t have to attend classes at a specific time - you’re the master of your timetable.

You’ll be part of a diverse community - more than 27,000 students are studying online with Charles Sturt right now - and you’ll connect with your classmates on online forums and groups.

And whenever you like, you can go onto campus to use their full range of services and facilities.

See how Charles Sturt University can support you studying from North East Victoria

From health and wellbeing, to study and careers, their Wangaratta Regional Study Centre can connect you with personalised support to help you succeed.

Plus, you’ll have access to stateof-the-art learning and teaching facilities, seminar and meeting rooms, videoconferencing, science and computer labs, and quiet study spaces.

Ready to get started?

Check out their courses or reach out for a chat about your options via study.csu.edu.au.

*2019 National Data: The Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Higher Education Statistics.

study.csu.edu.au

We’re the uni for you.

Our Wangaratta Regional Study Centre can help you get the most from your online studies. From private study spaces and collaborative seminar rooms, to research labs and access to support services – it’s your place to connect with the Charles Sturt network.

OPTIONS: The six Charles Sturt University campuses are located in some of the fastest growing regional cities in New South Wales.

Career Development

From struggle to success - CVGT Employment mentor helps Zavier thrive

ZAVIER fell on hard times.

But with the help of CVGT Employment mentor Anty, she got her career and life back on track.

“Being unemployed was really challenging,” Zavier said.

“Having a mentor helped me to gain the strength and courage I needed to make a change.”

Zavier had very few people in her life that could support her.

She was lacking career direction and at risk of homelessness.

Zavier connected with CVGT Employment mentor Anty and for the first time she found someone who genuinely cared.

“Zavier wanted a permanent residence; a place to call her own,” Anty said.

“We knew to achieve this, she had to get a job.”

Drawing on her employment expertise Anty started to develop a pathway plan to help Zavier gain work.

Together, they worked on

developing employability skills, including rehearsing interviews and confidenceboosting techniques.

Anty encouraged Zavier to get her driver’s license,

a major barrier that often holds back job seekers from obtaining employment.

Anty arranged for Zavier to complete her White Card course, giving her the

licence needed to carry out construction work.

“Zavier had the strength and determination, I just needed to mentor her in the right direction,” Anty said.

With Anty’s help and guidance, Zavier was successfully offered a store worker role with a local employer.

“Having a mentor was

having someone I could look up to for guidance and support,” Zavier said.

“Anty taught me to never give up and always have hope.

“Believe in yourself and your dreams and even though it’s hard you are stronger than you think.”

Zavier successfully turned her life aroundovercoming barriers many face when looking for work - and she recently celebrated her six-month work milestone.

“Seeing this kind of transformation is what this job as a mentor is all about,” Anty said.

“It lights my heart that I get to spend valuable time helping people see their worth and strength.”

If you are experiencing challenges with mental health, education, social support, and employment you too can turn your life around.

If you need support, connect to a CVGT Employment mentor today - call 132 848 or visit www. cvgt.com.au.

Meaningful work tailored to your needs is available CVGT Employment harnesses your abilities to create meaningful and sustainable work with an employer who understands you.

BACK ON TRACK: Thanks to Anty and CVGT, Zavier found work and recently celebrated her six month anniversary.

Supporting more regional students

COUNTRY Universities Centre (CUC)

- Ovens Murray is supporting even more regional students on their education journey.

The CUC is a free service for any student currently studying a degree or course.

“This semester alone, we have students from 17 different universities from across Australia, as well as eight higher education providers and TAFEs,” Centre Manager, Mark van Bergen said.

“Two thirds of our students are studying part-time, with around the same number studying their course fully online.

“A quarter of our students are upskilling and completing post graduate qualifications, and most pleasing is that half our registered students are the first in their family to undertake a degree.”

Laura Mack is studying Bachelor of Nursing through La Trobe University and registered with CUC Ovens Murray’s Wangaratta service last month.

“CUC is a fantastic local opportunity to study,” Laura said.

“It is great to have access to a quiet study space, facilities and support for free that we don’t normally have in the regions.”

Registered students have free, reliable, fast internet, printing, dual screen computers and a quiet dedicated study space.

Students can access the centre seven days a week from 7am to midnight and can use the centre when they need.

“The access times give me the flexibility I need when juggling study, placement and a family,” Laura added.

For more information or to register for this free service, visit www. cucovensmurray.edu.au.

STUDY TIME: La Trobe University student Laura Mack works on an assignment for her Bachelor of Nursing degree at the Wangaratta CUC.

Don’t bust a boiler, just give it a crack

LILY-MAY Rogers-Harding grew up in a household where she and her younger siblings were encouraged to be their own people; be leaders not followers, respect people, think for themselves and have their own opinions.

She has grown up around chefs, tradies, mechanics, truckies, meat workers and woodchoppers and counts herself lucky to have had such an experience as she has met many different characters and heard lots of colourful language and banter.

“My brother and sister and I were all raised the same, regardless of our gender and we were told there is nothing in life we can’t do and no limits we can’t reach,” Lily said.

Such positive encouragement and nurturing gave the 19 year old the courage to follow her own path when she fell in love with engineering and boiler making during her final year of schooling.

“I didn’t feel comfortable going to university straight after school as I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study,” Lily said.

“I was never taught anything about engineering or the different elements of it during my schooling so I was very curious about what it was and sought more information online and from businesses around town.

“I did some work experience in different engineering workshops during the last term of year 12 to see what I might like to do once I finished and then found that GOTAFE offered a boilermaker course.”

David and Leanne Cruickshank from Allied Engineering employed Lily as an apprentice Boilermaker following her completion of VCE and Lily enrolled at GOTAFE in Wangaratta in a Certificate III in Engineering.

While Engineering and Boilermaking have traditionally been male-dominated fields, Lily said that there are plenty of females now entering them and she expects her workmates to just be themselves and do their job, teach her and, most importantly, let her do her job and display her talents.

“I don’t mind being treated

like one of the guys and I love being a female in the engineering industry,” she said.

“My work family is very supportive and don’t see me as just a female - I’m a workmate that has to meet the same high standard that is expected for everyone.

“One of the best thing about my job is that I not only make boilers/tanks for local companies, I make council shelters for Melbourne or pipe systems for farms, so there’s a lot of variety.

“I love working on the old machinery at Bruck Textiles, I find the equipment and structure so interesting and challenging.”

This year, Lily has enrolled in a Certificate IV in Engineering to expand her knowledge and skills in metallurgy and inspection and engineering design.

“School isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put yourself out there and find a trade or industry you want to explore,” she said.

“Don’t quit, just give it a crack because university and GOTAFE provide you with learning opportunities and support at any age.”

Custom Steel &

Aluminium Stainless Steel General Engineering

Lily Rogers-Harding is completing an apprenticeship as a boilermaker with Allied Engineering in Wangaratta.

PHOTO: Belinda Harrison

Perfect start to a career in journalism

I ARRIVED at the Wangaratta Chronicle in 2019, just a week after graduating high school.

I had no idea what I wanted to do after school but the opportunity to join the Wangaratta Chronicle as a cadet arose.

Originally I applied for the position as a cadet journalist in the early general news side of the paper, however, an opportunity to join sport came to fruition and I jumped at that with both hands.

As a sports-loving 18-year-old, sports journalism combined both my love for sport, as well as writing which I saw as one of my strengths at school.

The opportunity to combine these two facets, along with earning a full- time wage and having my study at Deakin University paid for was too good to pass up.

Under the tutelage of all senior journalists at the Wangaratta Chronicle, I have been able to not only improve my writing, but also learn other valuable skills such as pagination.

My time as a sports journalist has been nothing short of interesting.

When I took on this job I had absolutely no idea that I would have virtually no sport to report on through 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as partly through 2021, but I feel that these times have only improved my skills as a journalist.

Throughout these times I had to search far and wide for stories, while my hard-news style of writing only improved with all the cancellations

that occurred throughout that time, which I believe will only hold me in good stead for my future in this arena.

Since then, sport has returned and I’ve been able to get back to writing match reports on all sport and cover things like grand finals which has been some of my highlights thus far.

For me, reporting on the 2022 Ovens and Murray grand final was a massive highlight with Wangaratta saluting in an absolute thriller against Yarrawonga at the Lavington Sportsground.

Memories like that is why many people should seriously consider taking on a cadetship at the Wangaratta Chronicle

Throughout all of this I was studying online with Deakin University’s Country Press Australia’s PostCadet Journalism course, which gave me an extra insight into the world of journalism.

Thanks to this course I secured a position at Deakin University, studying a Bachelor of Communications.

Due to my prior studies as a cadet journalist I’m eligible for recognition of prior learning which gives me credits that will cut my course down and allow me to finish my bachelor degree a lot sooner.

My career at the Wangaratta Chronicle has equipped me of life-long skills and knowledge and I strongly encourage any young person to give this path a go.

• Interested? See below.

Soon to be Year 12 graduate or past graduate

Excellent English skills

Passionate about the local community

Ability to build rapport & network quickly

Strong organisational skills & attention to detail

Valid driver’s licence

Photography and/or social media skills

JOB DONE: Willson Mack completed his three-year cadetship with the Wangaratta Chronicle in 2022 and is now attending university in Geelong to complete his Bachelor of Communications.

What is Startup Shakeup?

STARTUP Shakeup is here to help you make your business ideas a reality.

Do you want to bring a new idea to life or do what you do in business differently?

Would you like to meet others who share your innovative streak?

Then join the Startup Shakeup community... it’s your ticket to networking and educational events that will support your mission to solve local problems and make your business the best it can be.

This is the network for you, the movers, shakers, and innovators in our community.

“My biggest ‘aha’ moment is the journey doesn’t need to be lonely; shared joy is double joy,” Lyndal (Ideas Lab Graduate) said.

“I have gained so much from weekly sessions with likeminded individuals all riding the same wave.”

Startup Shakeup grows your skills while building your confidence, accelerating regional innovation and helping you grow your business.

As an independent Not for Profit, Startup Shakeup works in collaboration with partners to offer a year round calendar of programs and events, connecting and strengthening Startups, Shakeups and Innovators across the region.

They see this region as diverse, innovative and resilient in which Innovators thrive; a region where businesses can start, adapt, expand and connect; growing and supporting a sustainable economy and strong communities.

To achieve this, they believe that we all have a role to play.

Like Startup Shakeup themselves, the businesses they work with value their networks, connections and the community that surrounds them.

They have an open door to diverse ideas, innovation and partnerships.

Through innovative collaboration and leadership, inclusion and reach, enabling empowerment and investment in the

future, Startup Shakeup supports the growth and development of regional entrepreneurs. They will help them to

thrive as they connect them to a network of advisors, resources and funding opportunities, and will help develop and

value driven operators who want to see a regional community of innovators and innovations succeed.

Startup Shakeup is supported by Alpine Shire, Benalla Rural City, Indigo Shire, Moira Shire, Towong Shire, Rural City of Wangaratta and City of Wodonga, sponsors NBNCo and GOTAFE and has received program funding from LaunchVic, Department of Justice, Precincts and Regions and Emergency Recovery Victoria.

With this, they offered previous and ongoing programs including, but not limited to:

The Incubator: Taking your idea to the next level;

Bootcamp: Pressure testing your Idea;

Jumpstart Me: Business idea validation; Inspire Me “Meetups”: Sharing regional stories of success;

Regional Skills

Network: Professional advisors supporting

community organisations in Alpine and Towong Shires; Click Region: Building digital confidence;

Smart Seeds Challenge Workshops: Communityled identification of issues needing solutions;

Smartmate Pitch Coaching: Preparing innovators to stand loud and proud when pitching their idea;

Launches and Share Your Impact Night: publicly launching your idea and pitching to the public;

Rocket Seeder

Innovation 101: Designed expressly for Food & Ag Startups;

Storytelling workshops: What makes a good story and how to make your business story stand out;

Strategic Creativity: Rethinking what you do and how you do it; See more events and programs at www. startupshakeup.org or email hello@startupshake.org.

GROW YOUR SKILLS & BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE

Regional programs, events & mentors that help you make your ideas a reality, bring a new idea to life, do business differently, & meet others who share your innovative streak

and develop my concept in a structured and supportive manner.

The highly collaborative environment meant IIF went from a concept to a reality in a number of months, and the business would not have been able to progress without it.

– Nathan, Invest In Farming

We know digital technology is constantly evolving, and that negotiating online can be daunting. We know small businesses are often time poor, overwhelmed with irrelevant information, and looking for sources they can trust.

right audience & social media advertising, to building your budget & cyber smart tips. For

NEW SKILLS: Lyndal Symons was a graduate of the Ideas Hub program and learnt a number of new ways to take her business into the future.

Digital confidence and literacy with Click Region

STARTUP Shakeup

conducted a North East Victoria Small Business Survey early in 2022 around digital confidence.

The results showed that digital literacy is low in North East Victoria, in fact 9.9 points under metropolitan Melbourne.

Startup Shakeup considered the survey results and decided it was best to create an educational style platform to help small businesses digitally up-skill themselves.

It was clear they needed a trusted source of information, somewhere safe to explore and a resource that could act as a time management tool for those that are time poor.

That’s how Click Region was born.

Click Region’s website is designed to inspire and educate small businesses to feel confident in the digital space.

It helps you navigate and learn online business tools and programs.

The information is tailored in short, direct topics, no

longer than seven minutes, so you can spend more time where you choose.

No more hours spent digging through irrelevant content to find the steps you need.

With Click Region you learn the information ‘on the go’ that is fundamental to running your business.

The topics are designed to use simple steps and clear language to ensure it is easy to understand and implement.

With business topics such as ‘what is your target audience’, ‘social media paid advertising’, ‘building your budget’, ‘scaling up or down’ and more, it will give you a strong start.

Based around a sustainable model to ensure continuity for the website, Click Region has both free and paid content.

To get started, all you need to do is jump on the website www.clickregion.org.au register as a user and start exploring.

If you have any questions, the Click Region team can help.

You can email them at hello@clickregion.org.au.

Kids Get Money is a financial literacy education platform for schools – our mission is to reduce the numbers of people living in poverty through the power of education. We provide easy-to-use software for teachers and students - everything is built in so there’s no overhead for teachers in preparing content, finding resourcing, booking facilitators - it’s all right there…students and teachers love it.

Why did you reach out to Startup Shakeup?

I had been thinking about how to get Kids Get Money off the ground for some time. Following our move to Bright during COVID, I became aware of the Startup Shakeup incubator program - I took a leap to apply and the rest is history.

What programs, projects or events have you been a part of?

I was a part of the Incubator for Start-Up’s, funded by Launch Vic and run with Runway Ballarat. I have also benefited from the expertise of Marketing, Strategy and Brand experts through the Regional Skills Network

What did you learn most through Startup Shakeup?

The most significant learning has been that it takes a community to raise a Startup – the belief, encouragement and support this community has provided to me is invaluable.

Are you a Year 3-10 teacher wanting to give students more real-life money education? We would love to talk to you about how we can help you and your students, get in touch at https://kidsget.money

HERE TO HELP: Click Region has free and paid content available to inspire and educate small businesses and help them feel confident

Working Together program

STARTUP Shakeup and Click Region are here to help guide you on your digital journey.

Whether you are a new small business, established small business, a community organisation or have a business idea in the making, they want to teach you the skills you need to thrive in your business online.

Startup Shakeup was funded by the State Government of Victoria through Emergency Recovery Victoria’s Working Together

grant program to assist the small business communities of Towong and Alpine Shires.

To build your digital confidence and increase your online skills, they first need to speak with you.

By understanding what you are looking for, they will be able to assist you further in your digital journey.

However, if you don’t know where to start, that is ok as well, they can guide you through that process.

Digital skills can be

“Inspire Me” event

extremely varied for each individual, hence why it is integral to have an initial conversation so you can get the personalised assistance you need.

There are a series of workshops available to help you grow, including beginner face-to-face sessions and online intermediate zoom sessions.

Please contact Bree, Program Manager (Digital) directly at hello@clickregion.org. au to secure your initial one-on-one call.

ARTIFICIAL Intelligence

(AI) is rapidly transforming the business landscape, and understanding its impact is crucial for any aspiring entrepreneur.

That’s why Startup Shakeup is hosting an upcoming regional event, “Inspire Me” AI: Where Startups and Business Meet the Future.

The event will bring together accomplished professionals, Dean Arnel (Founder, Culture Collective), Bronwen O’Shea (Founder, StoryUp) and Daswin De Silva (Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition, LaTrobe University), to discuss the latest developments in AI and how they are driving innovation in various industries.

This isn’t your typical meetup - it’s a chance for attendees to connect with like-minded individuals in the local start-up and business communities who are interested in what the future is going to look like and how they can harness the potential.

From seasoned entrepreneurs to curious individuals interested in the

possibilities of AI, everyone is welcome to join the engaging conversation and Q&A session.

The event promises to be both fun and informative, with the potential for attendees to gain new ideas and connections that could take their business to the next level.

The impact of AI on business and daily life is a topic of immense interest and importance.

By attending this event, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from experts, engage in discussion and connect with others who

share their interests.

Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or simply curious about the potential of AI, this event is a must-attend.

So, mark your calendars and join the discussion on the future of AI and its impact on business and daily life.

The event will be held on Friday, May 12 from 4pm to 6pm at Wodonga Hyphen Library Gallery, and tickets can be booked through Startup Shakeup’s website or https://events.humanitix. com/inspire-me-ai-meetupfor-startups-and-businesswodonga.

LAUNCHED: Bree Nightingale, Program Manager, Working Together; Dean Purkis, Acting CEO, Emergency Recovery Victoria; and Ilena Young, Managing Director, Startup Shakeup at the launch in March.

Q & A with Nathan McPhee, Founder of Invest Inya Farmer

Who is Invest Inya Farmer (IIF)?

IIF is on a mission to break down the barriers between the people who grow our food and everyone who eats it... and it starts with your smartphone.

Through our easy-to-use IIF app, consumers can invest in agriculture and potentially profit from farming, without owning the farm.

Buy a single cow, a dozen oysters or a hectare of wheat.

It’s not your typical investment.

It’s a win-win partnership that can transform farm businesses and deliver ‘profit with purpose’ for members.

IIF gives farmers direct access to consumer-sourced capital to improve their cash flow, transform their business and foster a unique connection with consumers that they won’t find anywhere else.

Along the way, you’re helping to bridge the city/country divide by sharing the growing journey with the people who’ve invested in you, both financially and emotionally.

Why did you reach out to Startup Shakeup?

I had an idea about investing into cattle, without needing to own a farm, but I didn’t know how to pursue the idea or if it was even worth pursuing.

Whilst deliberating whether to progress or abandon the idea, I noticed an ad about an upcoming Incubator program with Startup Shakeup.

I read about the program and it seemed like it would help test, refine and develop the idea, so I applied and I am very grateful I did.

What programs, projects or events have you been a part of?

IIF was part of the foundation incubator cohort of Startup Shakeup. This program ran for about four months, during which

time I was provided coaching and relevant tools and techniques to unpack and progress my raw idea.

We emerged from the program with a well-defined and developed concept and business plan, confident and ready to tackle the next stage.

Following the incubator we have attended a number of networking and other events, which was been great to share ideas, build relationships and connections.

What did you learn most through Startup Shakeup?

Startup Shakeup taught me that through small progression, a fledging idea can evolve into something meaningful.

Q & A with Craig Docherty, Founder and CEO of Fusion Safety

Tell us about Fusion Safety

FUSION Safety is a values-based Australian owned and operated professional safety and leadership consultancy with a clear and incisive focus on improving lives.

From its Basecamp in Mount Beauty and Asia Hub in Singapore, Fusion Safety successfully works with national and international organisations to create workplaces that are highly reliable, focusing on empowered leadership as a means of enhancing the quality of work teams.

Why did Fusion Safety reach out to Startup Shakeup?

Craig Docherty, Founder and CEO, initially reached out to Startup Shakeup to find networking opportunities amongst other professionals across North East Victoria, as well as a means of resourcing sales and marketing expertise.

What programs, projects or events have you been a part of?

In 2022, Craig spoke at the Startup Shakeup Digital Innovation Futures (DIF) Festival.

“At the DIF, I spoke about three focus areas that form part of what we do at Fusion Safety: leadership

qualities that work, the use of technology in business, and working with international clients from North East Victoria,” he said.

“Specifically, I spoke about the importance of building rapport and embedding dignity and respect in the role repertoire of all leaders.”

Startup Shakeup has helped Fusion Safety to find a community of other leaders across North East Victoria.

What did you learn most through Startup Shakeup?

“Startup Shakeup has successfully emphasised the substantial professional network in North East Victoria,” Craig said.

“When people consider starting a business, it seems that they often gloss over the regions because they expect that expertise lies in the cities.

“This mindset ignores the skills and experiences that live out here in regional Australia.”

Fusion Safety’s relationship with Startup Shakeup has helped Craig to tap into what he knew was an impressive network of professional expertise in this region, which he recommends as a fantastic resource for businesses looking to start up in northeast Victoria. Improve your leadership capabilities with Fusion Safety by visiting their website: www. fusionsafetymgt.com.

LEADER: Craig Docherty, Founder and CEO of Fusion Safety.