Alpine Division 130923

Bright blue tree blue tree to appear in to appear in

band together to promote RUOK Day

THIS year for RUOK Day on September 14, a local tree in Bright’s Pioneer Park will don a new bright blue colour to promote awareness of mental health.

Local arborist Tom Nicholson, along with Alpine Shire staff, are leading the way as part of the national charity Blue Tree Project which helps spark difficult conversations and encourages people to speak up when battling mental health concerns.

“In the last few years I have seen dead trees randomly painted blue on the side of roads, so I decided to google what it was about,” Tom said.

“I discovered they were painted to help start difficult conversations and talk about mental health.

BRIGHT BUS RETURNS

BY LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE landersonbyrne@ nemedia.com.au

“The nearest blue tree is located on the outskirts of Everton and I thought it would be great to have a tree of our own in Bright in a location that is very noticeable to the public.

“The prevalence of stigma and discrimination towards people in our society who suffer from mental illness can make it hard to have a simple conversation with others about how they feel.

“Hopefully, this project can help

make that conversation a little easier to initiate with others.

“Working casually for Ambulance Victoria has made me very aware of how people in our local community suffer from mental health.

“Unfortunately, it’s too often that people attempt self-harm.

“It’s not until this happens that something is done to improve their mental health situation.”

Tom said he, along with local sponsors Wattyl Paint, Dahlsens Mitre 10 Myrtleford, Matt Weymouth Painting, Dulux Paint and the Alpine Shire, hope to spark more conversations when people see the tree.

“We hope that when people see the big dead blue tree they ask why

SHED MEN MEN HONOUR HANDYMAN

is it painted blue,” he said.

“This might prompt them to search like I did or scan the QR code which will be attached at the base of the tree which will get the conversation rolling about mental health.

“The tree had to be dead so we didn’t ruin the health of a live tree by painting it, in a location where it was very visible to the public and have a large impact and safe to pull over and get out of your car to look at the tree.

“People are welcome to come along and watch it happen.

“The tree is pretty much behind the new digital scoreboard at the football oval, in Pioneer Park.”

The paint job is kicking off at 8am on Thursday, September 14.

Sport

BRIGHT STORM TO O&K GF

FRESH COAT: Local aborists in Bright, Mitch Leist, Tom Nicholson and Gareth Williams with the tree they’ll be painting to promote mental health.

PHOTO: Leah Anderson-Byrne

Locals

NEW LEADERS

■ Full story page 12.

AFTER 12 months of planning and an entire online refresh, The Myrtleford Show is returning bigger and better next month, and you can now check out the full schedule.

Show president Debbie Geddes said the show office became her second home over the past year.

“It’s been quite intense these last 12 months with all our renovations being done,” she said.

“I’ve been meeting trades nearly every day and we’ve got our kitchen being completed next week and that’s the last project.

“We’ve got a brand new

BY LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE landersonbyrne@ nemedia.com.au

building, fresh and painted, a new poultry shed, new amenities block and cattle pavilion.

“Getting the schedule finished has been great; our secretary Amy Kirk has been fantastic getting it online.

“It’s our first year with an online entering system and online ticketing.

“It’s partly to make it easier for people to book tickets and enter our

competitions, but also to help lighten our workload.”

The show now has a webbased software program to run all competitions as well as a system to book general public tickets.

“It’s a lot of changes; we’ve bitten off more than we can chew but we keep chewing,” Amy said.

“With the online system managing things like who enters, the judging and prizemoney, it’s much less labour intensive for the stewards.

“The online ticketing was to lighten the load at the gates but it also helps us gather info about the numbers and to help us

with grant writing.

“We’re conscious of bringing the people who have always been a part of the show with us; so how they’ve always done it is absolutely still how they can do it.

“If you’re not interested in the changes that’s so okay.”

Ms Geddes said the committee has been overwhelmed with community support.

“Our local business sponsors have been so supportive and we’ve got lots of families saying they’re excited to come back and bring their kids,” she said.

“We’ve got some new

things this year for them.

“We’ve got a canine group doing demonstrations, whip cracking all day, pony rides, a sheep, goat and alpaca section, the poultry have baby chicks hatching on the day and our horse section is back this year after cancelling it due to the wet weather in 2022.

“The cattle sections are really big this year and we’ll have an animal nursery for the kids.

“We’re also really excited for our new night program, which Belinda Ramia from the Myrtleford Festival has been coordinating.”

“From the festival side of things we were struggling

for volunteers so someone suggested we combine the two events and see how that goes,” Belinda said.

“We’ll have local musicians playing, roving performers for kids entertainment, rides operating and a carnival vibe all night.”

General public parking has changed this year, traffic management will advise on the day.

You can find the show booklets in most local stores, for free.

The event will be held on Saturday, October 28.

For full details go to https://www. themyrtlefordshow.com.au/.

NEW Ovens Valley CFA Group officer Brett Michie with incoming Bright CFA brigade captain Brad Drennan.

PHOTO: Helina Murphy

Grow Myrtleford has cash to share with community

LOCAL community organisations, not-forprofits and charities are being invited to apply for the GROW Myrtleford+ 2023 grants round.

Grow Myrtleford+ is a community-led organisation which seeks to enhance the liveability, sustainability and community connections in Myrtleford and surrounding communities.

It is a sub-fund of the Into Our Hands Community Foundation.

Grow Myrtleford+ chair Fiona Nicholls said the 2023 grants program is the second year grants had been offered to assist the community.

“This year we are offering two grant streams with Small Impact Grants up to $2500 and the Community Scale grants up to $5000,” she said.

“The GROW Myrtleford+ fund will consider one to two Community Scale projects up to $5000 and several Small Impact Grants.”

Ms Nicholls said the inaugural grant round last year saw more than $21,000

worth of grants distributed.

“We were able to make a real difference in our community through funding projects including water tanks at the Myrtleford Recreation Reserve, improving environment outcomes through the Myrtleford Sustainability Group and funding a community garden,” she said.

“Another we are highly excited about is an Alpine Outreach Mobile Facility, an initiative of Alpine Health and Myrtleford Chamber of Commerce, which, once operational, will significantly boost community health services in remote regional locations.”

Ms Nicholls said all projects for the 2023 round will need to demonstrate they are for

charitable purposes or have community or public benefit as defined by the Australian Charity and Not-for Profit Commission (ACNC).

“The grants will be assessed by the Grow Myrtleford+ committee, and we are looking for applications for projects which will help to grow resilience and community capacity, as well as our local economy,” she said.

Applications are open up until Monday, October 23 at midnight, with successful recipients announced midNovember.

Further details and online applications can be accessed at https:// intoourhandsfoundation. com.au/apply-for-a-grant/ grow-myrtleford-grantround/

For more information contact Into Our Hands executive officer Peter McCabe on 0466 252 866.

GRANTS ON OFFER: Grow Myrtleford chair Fiona Nicholls invites local groups to apply for grants.

Locals cheer for return of beloved bus

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

TAKING the bus may not be the most desired form of transport for some, but for a group of Alpine Shire locals it’s an important and necessary service.

Back in June a local bus, which travels along the Alpine route from Wangaratta to Bright, was replaced by regional coach with steep stairs, making it difficult for elderly people, especially those with mobility issues, to get on and off

Myrtleford local Craig McTaggart flagged the issue with Nationals MP for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, who immediately wrote to the Minister for Transport.

“I wrote to MP Ben Carroll and spoke about the issue in parliament, as I though tit was absolutely something that needed to be amended,” Mr McCurdy said.

“I actually didn’t hear an-

ything more about it until Craig thanked me for bringing it back.

“Bright isn’t remote exactly, but it’s essentially one road in and out and if you want services or you’re older and don’t like driving or can’t drive and need to get to Wangaratta it’s an essential service.

“The V/Line bus does a huge loop and this one is straight there; it’s a great service.”

Bright resident Craig McTaggart thanked all who supported the cause and helped reverse the change.

“Thanks to Mr McCurdy, the Minister for Public Transport and Dyson (buses); it’s great to be back in business,” he said.

“It’s wonderful to see...when it was replaced I had to help haul people with mobility issues up the steps and many stopped using the service, but it’s a necessity for many.

“Roger was the catalyst, he was raising his voice about it and I thought I should do something and take it further.

“There’s a woman who lives alone in Porepunkah and has to get to Myrtleford and she thinks the bus coming back is the best thing since sliced bread.”

Porepunkah local Roger Jones has been using the service every Thursday for 12 years.

“It was completely useless for some users, and we weren’t asked about the change,” he said.

Angela Isherwood from Myrtleford said losing the bus was a major loss for the regulars who use it and need it.

“Some use it to get to Wangaratta hospital and it may not be a huge group who use it regularly; around eight of us, but for that group it’s our only quick way of getting around,” she said.

Nationals MP for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy (left) campaigned for the return of a local bus, for users like Craig McTaggart, Evelyn Hobbs and Roger Jones, pictured with bus driver Craig Allen.

PHOTO: Leah Anderson-Byrne

Electric vehicles in the spotlight at AGM

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

ELECTRIC cars will be the focus at Sustainable Upper Oven’s (SUO) annual general meeting this weekend, and everyone is welcome to come along.

Guest speaker Russell Klose from Kilowatt Cars, Yackandandah will discuss the benefits of electric vehicles, including the cost saving and advantages of second-hand EVs.

“If you’ve been considering an electric car as a secondary vehicle, or learning about the work that SUO does, this session is perfect for you,” SUO secretary Eliza Stokie said.

“An authority in the EV industry, especially with years of expertise in importing automobiles from Japan, Russell will be sharing his insights on the advantages of EVs.

“For those considering the addition of an electric vehicle to their household, this event will be particularly beneficial.

“The opportunity to acquire firsthand information and interact with a veteran like Russell is rare and invaluable.”

The meeting will be held at the Bright Senior Citizens Centre on Sunday, September 17 from 3pm with light afternoon refreshments provided.

For any enquiries, please contact info@ sustainableupperovens.org.au.

RSVPS appreciated via https://events. humanitix.com/ev-info-session-and-agm.

If you would like to become a member you can join now at https://sustainableupperovens. org.au/membership/.

Reggie reflects on his pioneering squash days

FOR 92-year-old Reggie Splat, the intense game of squash has been a way to keep fit and healthy for 47 years.

Reggie began playing the sport in Melbourne at the age of 45, when he was working 20 hour days and didn’t have much time for exercise.

“If I could get to the squash courts and have a hit and in half an hour it was all over, then I’d got in some exercise,” he said.

“I became reasonably good at it I suppose and I just loved the game.

“The exercise is the big part; you have to be fit and have good lungs and good eyesight and the aptitude to return the ball.

“My wife’s family and I visited Bright one year and I noticed there weren’t squash courts, so somebody told me to go see Stewie Hargreaves and he said

BY LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE landersonbyrne@ nemedia.com.au

he’d build them.

“We moved here and I ran the club and coached.

“For the first six years I wasn’t well liked, I was very strict on following the rules and if you were late, you were penalised.

“But after that we just grew and grew, we had 46 members and it was a good group, and at one point more players than the football club.”

Reggie said when the women started their own pennant they had more members than the men at one point and it’s also a good and friendly sport.

“My fondest memory is coaching the kids; we had 30 kids come

every Tuesday and they were just marvellous,” he said.

Those same kids have recently invited Reggie back to come watch the games and hit the odd ball.

“I barely recognised them, they’re all in their 40s now,” he said.

“It was a nice thing to be welcomed back but I don’t want to encumber anyone as I don’t drive but I don’t want anyone to come out, pick me up and bring me back again.”

Squash player Paul Hargreaves, son of the man who built the squash courts, said he’s known Reggie since he first came to Bright.

“He taught me and a number of people so to be in the privileged position to invite him to see us playing all these years later at the same place is an honour,” he said.

“I think it’s important to recognise older people who have been committed to the community and to be able to celebrate them in some small way gives you a good feeling about life.

“When he came down two weeks ago there were a number of people who he’d taught and we gave him a racquet for a hit.

“He admitted the skills have dropped but the joy is still there.”

The social squash group plays every Tuesday in Myrtleford and every Thursday in Bright, and welcomes anyone to come along and give it a go; just ask for Chris Photis or Peter Ahne.

You can contact Chris on 0414 691 922.

For more information go to https://www.brightsportscentre. com.au/play/squash.

LOOKING BACK: Wandiligong resident Reggie Splat recently returned to the Bright Squash Courts to meet past students.

College cultural day spreads knowledge and understanding

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

MYRTLEFORD P-12 College

enjoyed another successful cultural day, highlighting the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, culture and history.

Year six teacher and coordinator of the day, Georgia Royse, said her role was simply as facilitator; the school’s First Nations students took charge of planning.

“The day has been happening for a while here; predominantly more-so in the primary school, but when I arrived three years go I thought lets make it bigger and better and greater,” she said.

“Mr Lindsay and I are very passionate about this day, but it’s really our First Nations students who are the power behind it.

“They tell us what they want to see and are a big part of how we run it.

“The reason we do a cultural appreciation day, celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history, is to acknowledging that there is a long history here and to learn about it.

“The idea is if we have students learning and engaging with the culture, it’s creating a culturally safer place within our school.

“It’s just one day but part of it

is teaching students and teachers more to take that knowledge back into their classrooms and continue that learning.

“Last year was the first one I ran and the first stand-alone day that involved the whole school, which was very successful and this year was the same structure; we did a whole school assembly with an acknowledgment to country and a spiritual smoking

ceremony before our proud and deadly awards to acknowledge our First Nations students.

After that the primary school engaged in rotations of different learning, including traditional art, meditation, sports games and literacy with librarian Cath Morgan.

“Cath isn’t indigenous but the kids look at books written by indigenous authors, and our other

rotations are led by senior First Nations students,” Ms Royse said The unofficial theme of this year’s day was ‘elevating indigenous voices’.

“I’m really hoping next year we can include the secondary school in the rotations,” she said.

“It’s an ever evolving event and I’m always open to ideas and feedback.”

IMPORTANT DAY FOR ALL: Myrtleford P-12 College students (back, from left) Sahara Giles and Gemma Couch Trinider with Koori engagement support officer Tammy Campbell, (front, from left) Noah Harris, year six teacher Georgia Royse and Awi Ling at the school’s recent cultural day celebrations.

PHOTO: Brodie Everist

Father’s Day

MYRTLEFORD P-12 College enjoyed a lovely Father’s Day with parents and students.

FOGO collection already facing issues

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

JUST over one month into the rollout of the food organic, garden organic (FOGO) bins, local residents are seeing contamination problems arise due to the colour of their bin bags.

At the August council meeting, Mount Beauty ratepayer David Walsh flagged the issue, after receiving a contamination sticker on his FOGO bin after collection.

Director of Assets Alan Rees explained the issue is a common one across the state rollout of FOGO.

“One of the matters we are experiencing is the use of composta-

ble bags that aren’t the same colour as the standard bag issued as part of roll out,” he said.

“What that means is when a FOGO bin is lifted and tipped into truck there is a camera that captures the contents so when the bag colour is not the same as the green ones issued with the rollout it triggers a risk of contamination.

“The driver then pauses and stickers the bin to raise the residents’ awareness around using a correctly coloured compostable bag.

“The reason this is important at the moment is there are a range of

compostable bags available on the market.

“The risk is if bags are not the same quality and standard then we have high levels of contamination in FOGO and that results in contamination of the final product when it goes to processing facilities.

Mr Rees said council is currently working with Cleanaway and the bag producer to develop a standard colour code and scheme to make it easier for residents and ratepayers to have that standard across the shire.

“That will be developed in the coming weeks,” he said.

“There will be a grace period to allow implementation and alignment of all matters and the contamination problem should be eliminated over the next month or two.

“It’s known that implementing a new system will see challenges and teething problems but we’ll certainly be working together to get them rectified.”

Mr Rees reminded residents the contamination stickers are not a threat, simply a signal to raise awareness.

Mayor John Forsyth said council will receive a report after three months of FOGO to look at how things are going on the ground.

TEETHING PROBLEMS: Residents have raised issues with the FOGO bin system.

MATHESON FAMILY: Leon Matheson with his dad Peter Guy and children Jacob and Samuel.

VESCIO FAMILY: Jason Vescio with daughter Zarah.

RAMIA FAMILY: Daniel Ramia with children Deagan, Caden and Jaali.

POVOLO FAMILY: Simon Povolo with sons Harry and Max.

Insurability crisis in Indi highlighted by Haines

AN insurability crisis for victims of natural disasters has prompted Independent Indi MP Helen Haines to call on the government to broaden the scope of a public inquiry.

In her speech to parliament last week, Dr Haines said the issue of insurability is particularly salient in Indi, with the Climate Council’s Uninsurable Nation - Australia’s most climatevulnerable places report - rating Indi as the eighth most at-risk federal electorate in the country.

The Climate Council finds that in the most at-risk electorates one in seven properties will be uninsurable by the end of this decade.

In many cases it’s the least well-off electorates that are the most at risk, and Indi rates 133 out of the average income of 151 electorates.

Dr Haines noted the Black Saturday and Summer bushfires in calling on the government to broaden the terms of reference of the parliamentary inquiry into insurer responses to the 2022 floods, to include insurance relating to all forms of natural disaster.

“The majority of the 173 victims of the Black Saturday

bushfires in 2009, Australia’s deadliest, were in Indi,” Dr Haines highlighted.

“Towns across my electorate still bear the scars of that fateful day more than 14 years ago.

“More recently, the Black Summer bushfires impacted vast swathes of our region.

“Communities such as Corryong, Cudgewa and Tintaldra in the Upper Murray were deeply impacted, surrounded by fire and cut off from the rest of Victoria.

“Homes, infrastructure, stock and hundreds of kilometres of fencing were lost.

“Fires also roared through many of the magnificent alpine areas in Indi threatening localities such as Dinner Plain and the alpine resorts of Mount Hotham, Falls Creek and Mount Buller.

“These disasters take a psychological as well as a physical toll on individuals and communities and recovery from the trauma of natural disasters is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Dr Haines said the last thing people need after a disaster is the stress of not knowing whether they will have the funds needed to

get through the immediate aftermath, let alone to rebuild and improve their resilience in the face of future events.

“I often hear stories from my constituents of insurance premiums skyrocketing to unaffordable levels, complicated insurance contracts, delays in accessing insurer payouts after disasters and difficulty accessing government assistance,” she said.

“This is why I support the recently announced parliamentary inquiry into insurer responses to the 2022 floods.

“I support efforts to ensure Australians have access to affordable insurance with fair and simple contracts.

“However, I also strongly call upon the government to broaden the terms of reference of the inquiry to include insurance relating to all forms of natural disasters.

“We know very well that the same challenges of insurance, unaffordability, complexity and delays impact not just those seeking protection and support in the face of floods but also those in the face of bushfires, storms and more.”

Department of Transport and Planning respond to local concerns

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

FOLLOWING complaints from Upper Kiewa Valley residents about the state of local roads, the Department of Transport and Planning has sought to reassure the community that safety is a priority.

Mount Beauty and District Chamber of Commerce president Gerardo Altman last week told the Alpine Observer the highway between Albury and Mount Beauty is “peppered” with potholes, some of which require drivers to drive into the opposite lane to avoid them. He said at some parts of the road he has to slow down to

40km/h on a 100km/h road.

“We have some of the worst roads that I’ve ever driven on,” he said.

“Our team continues to work hard to stay on top of road maintenance and repairs, prioritising work according to risk,” she said.

Acting regional director (Hume) Emma Bamford said the department is continually looking at ways to make it safer and easier for people to use the road network.

“We will continue monitoring the intersection of Happy Valley Road and the Great Alpine Road, and investigate possible safety improvements that may

be required,” she said.

“When determining safety improvements, we consider a range of factors such as the road environment, the types of road users, the site’s historical safety record, and the impact the improvements would have on the surrounding road network.

“When safety improvements are under consideration, the Department of Transport and Planning engages in detailed consultation with stakeholders impacted across the community.

“We encourage road users and the community to report any hazards and concerns about the road network by calling 13 11 70.”

BROADEN INQUIRY: Independent Indi MP Helen Haines said insurance delays impact not just those seeking protection and support in the face of floods but also those in the face of bushfires, storms and more.

PHOTO: David Foote, Auspic

If you don’t know, find out

TEACHERS and educators frequently get robust feedback about the life skills we are failing to teach our students.

I can however comprehensively reassure you that we always teach our students that ‘if they don’t know’ that they should find the information they need - we would never say “if you don’t know, just remain deliberately ignorant”.

We consistently teach children to fills gaps in their knowledge and understanding by seeking out more information.

We teach them to source that information from reliable sources.

We teach students to be curious and questioning learners.

Civics and citizenship is taught; it’s an integral part of the curriculum.

If you didn’t know when the train was leaving, what time your doctor’s appointment was or whether you needed a pass to get into a ski resort, you’d find out; you know the details exist, it’s highly unlikely you’d say, “well I don’t know, so I won’t go.”

So, if you legitimately ‘don’t know’, for goodness sake get out there and find out, because ‘deliberate ignorance’ does not respect our democratic system of government.

Solar panels vs batteries

ELECTRICAL energy security issues have been making the news recently.

El Nino weather events are predicted over the next three summers which will increase bushfire risks.

Our ageing coal fired generators are less reliable in hot weather and our power transmission lines sag due to the heat which limits the power they can transmit safely.

However, on the positive side, more than 33 per cent of us have installed solar PV panels on our roofs.

This locally produced power is a tremendous asset and will become more important as these ageing power stations retire.

The next step in bushfire prone areas is to install household batteries with either flow or gel technology to increase our energy resilience.

Home batteries will continue to power essential items like our refrigeration, mobile phones and lighting when the grid goes down.

Flow or gel batteries are non-fla mmable and do not give off toxic fumes if burnt.

These are the preferred choice for stationary batteries in homes and community batteries in our region.

Lithium-ion batteries are a major concern as stationary batteries.

If they catch on fire they cannot be put out with water and the fumes are extremely toxic.

In our valley communities, particularly Harrietville which is in a confined valley, fumes could pose a serious risk for residents and emergency services.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in all our mobile devices like mobile phones, e-bikes, scooters and electric cars.

If they catch fire, stay well away from the smoke and do not try and put them out.

Sustainable Upper Ovens Inc is working on a project to help households get flow or gel batteries with government support.

At the same time, we are promoting the use of electric vehicles to facilitate the energy transition and save money.

It is in relation to the topic of electric vehicles that we invite you to join us at our Annual Meet Up on Sunday, September 17, 3-4.30pm at the Senior Citizens Centre, 10 Cobden St Bright.

Our guest speaker is Russell Klose from Kilowatt cars in Yackandandah.

Russell is an expert on electrical vehicles.

Please join us and have all your questions about EV’s answered.

David Lambert, Bright

Bill Connolly

How long have you lived in the area?

Coming up to eight years now.

What do you do for a living?

I’m retired but spent most of my life acting, directing and building sets.

How did you get into that?

I started off in Adelaide at the Sheridan Theatre with Colin Ballantyne. I did lots of live theatre around Adelaide professionally and on an amateur level. I also made television commercials. I eventually decided I was too famous for Adelaide so I came to Melbourne and vanished into anonymity for some time which suited me.

Naige Stafford

How long have you lived here?

I came here on vacation for three months with my father from France, I have been attending the Mount Beauty Primary School that I really like. They have taken good care of me. This is my third trip here, it’s a similar environment to where I live in France.

What do you like about the place?

Everything, especially the school, the people, the atmosphere and the

BRIGHT

What are your hobbies and interests?

Playing with my electric trains, playing lawn bowls, men’s shed activities and still acting and directing.

What do you like about the area?

I used to visit with friends in the late 70s, early 80s. We would have canoe races down the river to

Porepunkah and it was one of the happiest time of my life which decided for me that I’d live here one day. I love being around the creeks and rivers. The community up here is incredibly clever and doing all sorts of fantastic things. They’re great company, I love every minute.

Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?

Bring your tastebuds; everything here tastes better than anywhere else. There is also good wine, and I know good wine due to my parents owning a winery back in the day. Is there anything you would change about the area?

There’s not a lot I would change. Tell them not to chop down the trees.

Would you like to see any changes or additions?

I would like to see a cinema here

What are your hobbies and interests?

Skiing, art work, I like reading comics, it’s a big thing in France, we have the “Festival de la BD d’ Angouleme”.

Where would you take friends who are visiting the area?

mountains. I live in the Pyrenees in France, I am used to being surrounded by mountains.

Firstly to the school to show how amazing it is, then to the Skate Park Pump Track, and to Mt Bogong when there is snow.

Jacquie Walpole, Whorouly

Life-saving project launched in Bright

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

THE Rotary Club of Bright has launched its Community De-Fib Project, to enhance emergency response in the township, and is reaching out to local community members and businesses for help.

The initiative aims to map and update the locations of defibrillators, also known as Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), across

the township, and is a proactive step towards enhancing community safety.

A defibrillator is a device that uses electricity to restore the heart’s normal rhythm and is vital in saving lives during sudden cardiac arrests.

Project leader Michelle Chalwell said in case of a cardiac emergency, quick access to a defibrillator can be a matter of life and death.

“By identifying and map-

ping these crucial devices, the Rotary Club of Bright aims to make this life-saving resource easily accessible to both residents and visitors,” she said.

“With approximately 54,000 Australians experiencing heart attacks annually, having defibrillators strategically placed throughout the community can significantly improve emergency response times and outcomes.

Timber Towns Victoria concerned for future of forestry

TIMBER Towns Victoria (TTV) is calling on the State Government to provide certainty to the forestry sector, following a report on the cessation of native forest harvesting in Victoria.

TTV and its member councils last week released a ‘Position Paper’, closely considering the implications of the cessation from the end of 2023.

The TTV members, who consist of councils right across Victoria where forest industries are recognised as significant contributors to the economy and community, have considered challenges and unintended consequences as a result of the decision, whilst also considering solutions for the future, focusing on immediate needs, transitional needs, and long-term support for the industry and the communities affected.

The paper’s summary states “Our position is that continued native forest harvesting is regenerative, viable and the lifeblood of many of our communities. We regret the closure decision.”

The report discusses how the cessation of native forest harvesting is expected to have a ripple effect throughout local economies.

“This impact will stretch far beyond the timber industry… despite these anticipated challenges, there are potential opportunities for reinvention,” the paper states.

“There is expected to be increased engagement with landowners to pursue diversified farm forestry operations and enhanced collaboration with First Nations Australians, including Traditional Owners and Custodians.

“This could prove pivotal in reimagining the future of Victoria’s timber towns and communities.”

TTV president, Cr Karen Stephens, called on the Victorian Government to provide certainty to the forestry sector for the future of the industry.

“We know that 21,000 direct jobs and a further 50,000 across the supply chain will be effected without some guarantee and

certainty that their future is secure,” she said.

“The forestry sector purchases $634m of gross value in logs per annum and provides $7.6b in direct sales which is 33 per cent of the national primary and secondary manufacturing.

“This industry is not to be sneezed at.

“The forestry sector is a huge contributed to the skilled work force and to the economy and needs certainty moving forward.

“The rural council sector knows that one job loss in Melbourne is equivalent to five job losses in rural communities.

“The importance of the Victorian Government reviewing its forest plan is not lost on the sector and the communities that are affected, so when will the government deliver a new Forest Plan for Victoria?”

The Timber Towns Victoria Position Paper on The Cessation Of Native Forest Harvesting In Victoria can be found on the Timber Towns Victoria’s website www.timbertownsvictoria. com.au.

“We really want to raise awareness of where our community and visitors can find our AEDs and the possibility of acting quickly to save the life of someone who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest.”

Jenny Chellew of the Rotary Club of Bright stressed the importance of the project.

“We invite and encourage all businesses, organisations and individuals who have AEDs on their premises to

get in touch with Michelle, to help us update our list,” she said.

”This effort will enable us to create a comprehensive directory of AEDs and guarantee that this critical community asset is ready and accessible to anyone in need.”

The ‘Community De-Fib Project’ will not only compile an accurate list of AED locations but will also include the installation of distinctive signage indicating

the presence of a defibrillator on-site.

Common places for AED units include churches, chemists, community halls and sporting grounds.

The Rotary Club of Bright also intends to collaborate with responsible parties for these AEDs to ensure their proper functionality.

Michelle Chalwell can be reached at 0419 501 764 or via email at mchalwell@outlook.com.

First impressions matter.

WINNERS: Bright Brewery takes out best in state.

Bright Brewery is public’s ‘best in state’

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

BRIGHT Brewery has been named best brewery in Victoria by public nominations through the Wotif Uniquely Aussie Awards.

The awards showcase an annual guide to Australia’s best local gems, as voted by Aussies.

This year’s awards highlight classic experiences

where Australia punches well above its weight, but that are often taken for granted.

Wotif managing director, Daniel Finch, said whether it’s a smooth Aussie flat white, artisan sanga or finely brewed beer, there are just some things that nowhere else does quite like Australia.

“With one in seven businesses in Australia directly connected to tourism, the Wotif Uniquely

Aussie Awards are focused on recognising and celebrating some of the very best,” he said.

“The categories this year really encompass what Aussies are most passionate about, from delicious foodie experiences to breathtaking natural wonders and scenery. “These are the simple yet essential experiences that make a local trip spectacular and unforgettable.”

The broken gate can wait, until it can’t.

Livestock is the second highest killer on farms – we all know cattle can be unpredictable.

So while it may seem like a job that’ll take longer to get the tools out than do, one small repair could save a life.

Understand your responsibilities with safety around cattle at worksafe.vic.gov.au/livestock

It’s never you, until it is.

Local runners gearing up for Harrietville Half

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

WHILE Harrietville Half Marathon race director Robyn Downey can’t compete in her own event, that hasn’t stopped the avid runner from entering and winning others.

Robyn recently ran in the Sandy Point Half Marathon, coming first in the female 72-79 age group and although she was the only entrant in the category, her time also beat the entire men’s 72-79 group.

“I thought there would be more people my age, it was quite astounding,” she said.

“I am quite proud of it as I beat the men’s group as well and it was a good time my age group.

“A group of us from Harrietville and Germantown went down and they all did their personal best time so it was a great weekend.

“I’m way past running my personal best, but I’m so grateful I can still run at my age and I still love it.

“For the others it was a nice training day for our race, which I can’t enter as I’ve got duties on the day, but it was nice to run with my friends at this one.

“I remember when I had

children we were in the air force at Point Cook and my husband John would come home for lunch and I’d go on a run; if I didn’t I’d be off for the rest of the day.

“It’s the freedom of it, it really does help with mind-

fulness and leaving behind stresses, and all you need is a pair of shoes and comfy running clothes.

“It’s a gift for me; many of my friends can’t run anymore, so I value it immensely.”

Locals can get a taste of that freedom, with the Harrietville Half Marathon coming up in October.

“This year we’re again running along the Great Valley Trail from Harrietville to Bright and it’s almost pur-

pose made for our event,” Robyn said.

“We only have to add one 800 metre loop but otherwise its the right length and it’s an absolutely beautiful trail.

“It runs along the river in areas we weren’t able to ac-

cess before, and it’s all bitumen so still road running.

“Everyone last year commented on how amazing it was to run along, and we had two blind women from Melbourne who commented on the smooth surface which was wonderful.

“This year’s event is mostly the same as last but we’ve got a few new things.

“Alpine Timing will do the timing this year with magnetic strips on the bibs and Mount Hotham Road Management Board have been generous sponsors and given us a free pass to next winter’s season to the mountain, up for grabs if you enter before the early bird cut off on September 15 and pass the finish line.

“It’s also transferable so if you don’t go you can give it to someone you know.

“We’re also giving cash prizes for overall first, second and third placings in the 10km this year, as well as the half marathon.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing familiar and new faces at the event.”

The event will be held on Sunday, October 8.

For more information, go to https://www.harrietvillehalfmarathon.com/.

PREPARING: Alpine Shire locals (from left) Alan Rees, Andrew Sutherland, Patsy Sutherland, Robyn Downey and Evarne Rees recently ran in the Sandy Point Half Marathon.

BIG COMP: Bright CFA members captain Brad Drennan (pictured) and volunteer Reilly CooperGrant recently competed in the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb. Both members completed the event, with Reilly finishing overall in the top 10, out of 700 entrants. The events raises funds for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Bright CFA has raised $475 for the organisations.

Administration error remedied at August meeting

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

ALPINE Shire Councillors have rescinded a previous resolution from a meeting in April last year, following a mistake in governing powers.

Toms Road in Tawonga South, which is maintained by Alpine Shire Council, was awarded a contract for an upgrade at the February 2022 council meeting.

During the scoping phase of the project, it was identified that the formed road was not located entirely in the road reserve and that private infrastructure had been constructed on the road reserve

Council faces significant staffing challenges

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE

ALPINE Shire Council’s staff turnover rate has steadily increased over the last three years, with the challenge of attracting and retaining staff flagged at the recent August meeting.

During discussion of report item 9.3.2; instruments of appointment and authorisation, Alpine Shire chief executive officer Will Jeremy was asked about the current vacancy rate by Cr Kelley.

“We remain in a very challenging situation from an attraction and retention perspective,” he said.

“Our turnover last year was calculated at 28 per cent for permanent staff, in the previous year it was 26.5 per cent and the year before that it was 19.5 per cent so we’ve lost more than 70 per cent of permanent staff in that three years.

“It’s creating significant challenges; filling those vacancies is challenging but also having an organisation with many new staff is a challenge in itself with getting people up to speed and learning the role they’re filling.

“We have very few people with a long tenure.

following previous council approval.

Survey work has been undertaken to establish title boundaries and determine land areas impacted and subject to the road discontinuance and land exchange.

At the April 2022 council meeting, council resolved to commence a statutory process to carry out a road deviation and exchange of land in respect of the roads.

Subsequently, council officers have established that the resolution does not accurately refer to council’s road deviation powers under the Local Government Act 1989 (LGA 1989).

The Road Deviation and Land

Exchanges will be placed on public exhibition for no less than 28 days.

Public submissions may be received during this exhibition period.

Any person wishing to be heard in support of their submission may request to do so, in which case a committee of councillors will be formed to hear these submissions.

All written submissions will be considered by council.

The recommendation before council stated that the required deviation of the road and land exchanges were to be carried through to completion as outlined

in the report to ensure the existing road alignment is within the road reserve in its entirety.

Cr Keeble commented on the interesting road location.

“The shire has done an amazing job in realigning that road as it was very wet and boggy,” he said.

“It’s done an excellent job maintaining and improving that section so we’re happy with the changes so we can get that realignment as it’s important for access.”

Cr Janas noted that the report item from the August 2023 meeting didn’t change the intent of the motion from the original recommendation, it was merely administrative.

“In terms of attraction of staff, one of the key issues, to put it bluntly, is we’re not paying staff enough to attract people.

Mr Jeremy said there was an opportunity through the enterprise bargaining process to correct that but that’s also proving to be a significant challenge.

“We’re attracting people through the interview and application process but it’s hard to put people in the positions because of the pay,” he said.

“We’re currently in the process of recruiting 28 people, in various stages of that process, and the organisation is only 130 full-time equivalent so it’s a significant challenge in our service delivery.”

The Billion Dollar TikTok Scandal

$1.7 billion paid out in fraudulent refunds, another $2.7bn in fraudulent claims stopped, around 56,000 alleged perpetrators and over 100 arrests to date. How did the TikTok tax scandal get out of control?

It was promoted as a victimless hack that delivered tens of thousands of dollars into your bank account. Like any hack, taking part was as simple as following the instructions. The streamlined process designed to make it easy for a small business to start-up under Australia’s self-assessment system, also made it easy for the ‘TikTok fraud’ to go viral.

How did it happen?

At some point in 2021, videos started to spread that spelt out how to get the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to deliver money into your account. Not quite a loan but a hack that sometimes saw tens of thousands delivered into accounts, no questions asked.. All you had to do was hand over your personal details to the facilitators and they would take care of the rest.

The fraud saw offenders inventing fake businesses, applying for an Australian Business Number (ABN), many in their own names, then submitting fictitious Business Activity Statements (BAS) to claim GST refunds.

By late 2021, the Banks noticed the uptick in suspicious activity, mostly large refunds that were out of character for those accounts - in some cases, Centrelink recipients receiving large credits from the ATO. The banks froze a number of accounts and reported the suspicious matters as they are required to do under the Anti-Money Laundering & Counter Terrorism legislation, including to the ATO.

In April 2022, the ATO formed Operation Protego to disrupt the rapid increase in GST refund fraud by individuals that were not genuinely in business. By that stage however, the strategy had gone viral.

By May 2022, the average GST refund paid was $20,000, claimed by around 40,000 people. The ATO conceded around $850 million had been

paid out in potentially fraudulent claims. By June 2022, that figure had blown out to $1.2bn but the ATO had stemmed the flow, rejecting $1.7bn in fraudulent claims. Search warrants and arrests of scheme promoters followed.

It’s hard to understand how so many people - an estimated 56,000 Australians - made the leap in logic that some sort of hack had been discovered that enabled you to claim thousands of dollars in tax refunds as a ‘loan’ from the ATO. At the best of times the ATO is not known for its sporadic acts of generosity and laissez faire attitude to tax revenue. We know the opposite is true.

And, why so many accepted a view promoted on TikTok - the act of participating in the fraud required falsifying records at several stages and questions asked. As the message gained traction, and with more and more people validating the hack facilitators emerged. All you had to do was hand over your personal details to the facilitators and they would take care of the rest.

Season end for local captain

AFTER a busy four years, Brett Michie has stepped down as Bright CFA captain, only to step in to the role of Ovens Valley CFA group officer.

The new role comes after Mr Michie’s personal career saw a change of its own and he was encouraged to apply for group officer, supporting the the 11 brigades in the local area, from Gapsted to Dinner Plain.

“I had two terms as captain and it’s a pretty full time gig as a volunteer, and with my new job I’m away more than anticipated,” he said.

“Being captain you’re ultimately responsible for running the entire brigade and all operational aspects.

“You tend to get in a position where you want to be as available as possible to turn out when you can; it’s a demanding job and the last four years have been in particular.

“The 2019/20 fires was my first season as captain and after that was COVID lockdowns.”

Mr Michie said group officer was a different position with communication a key factor.

“It’s about communication between the District 24 office based in Wodonga and making sure the brigades have the capabilities to response to all incidences that CFA deals with,” he said.

“CFA is a very changing environment since the fire service reform so there’s a lot to do with training in that space and I want to make sure our volunteers have access to that.”

Mr Michie commended his brigade on its capacity to turnout, especially in the last four years.

“The 2019/20 bushfires were significant; we had a lightning strike come through NYE in 2019 on a Sunday night and by Thursday we had a community meeting with 3500 people being advised to leave Bright.

“The next day the whole town was a ghost town apart from the pub open for us.

“It’s pretty significant the whole town can leave and we’re still here; we had members sleeping on the brigade floor.

“It was great to work with our partners in Forest Fire Management, Parks Vic, VicPol and Ambulance Australia to help defend the town.

“We’re pretty chuffed we were able to do that with the members we had.”

BY LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE landersonbyrne@ nemedia.com.au

The brigade had 32 members operational then and used that number throughout the four week period.

“To sustain that through COVID and be able to respond 24/7, 365 days a year as a volunteer service is impressive dedication to service,” Mr Michie said.

“We’re always looking for more; we’ve consistently had 30 operation male and female members since I’ve bene in brigade for 20 years and out of that probably 10-15 on a regular basis for training.

“Our new captain Brad Drennan is relatively new to Bright; only here since 2019/20 and moved up from Melbourne.

“He was in a brigade where they had a heap more call outs compared to us so is coming from a different capability perspective and very strong in structure.

“He’s committed to the brigade and works in emergency management with the shire so is very keen, enthusiastic and has a wealth of experience in the CFA so it should go well.”

The changeover also comes with the timely reminder that preparation for fire season in the local area is paramount.

“Locals who have been in the area for many years would prepare the same way; it’s important to remember preparation for fire season on your property is necessary,” Mr Michie said.

“For those new to the area, don’t underestimate where we live.

“Learn and know what’s involved in preparation, learn where the weather is coming from and listen to the warnings and have a plan on those days of extreme fire danger.

“CFA will determine the start of fire season but the long term forecast is it’s an El Nino year with reduced rainfall and hotter than average temperatures so all factors are leading to a significant season.

“For information the CFA website is best bet but you can call the Wodonga head office for community safety coordinators and engagement in the district.”

LEADERS: New Ovens Valley CFA Group officer Brett Michie with incoming Bright CFA brigade captain Brad Drennan.

PHOTO: Helina Murphy

Whorouly’s $895k netball courts project starts soon

By STEVE KELLY

NETBALLERS and pickleball

players in Whorouly will be able to train and play on two new courts next season with Wangaratta council recently awarding a contract worth $895,650 to reconstruct the facilities.

As part of the works the existing court will be demolished and two netball courts, with two pickleball court overlays, will be constructed.

Works on site will include the construction of a new concrete pavement with an acrylic surface complete with all auxiliaries and all associated infrastructure and works such as, but not limited to, paths, drainage, shelter, storage shed, reinstated seating and site earthworks.

Whorouly FNC president Eddie Constenaro said he was ecstatic the works had been tendered.

“What started off as a little project has come to this and it will definitely be a huge asset to the whole community including the schools,” he said.

“The club has more than 200 members, and players and spectators will benefit from the new facilities.

“A lot of work has gone into this over the course of a decade, so everyone is very happy.”

At the Rural City of Wangaratta’s August council meeting, director of community and infrastructure Marcus Goonan thanked the Whorouly Football and Netball Club and recreation reserve committee which have done a lot of work over the last two years to get the project to this point.

“It’s probably the quickest that I’ve seen a court redevelopment come to fruition and they certainly deserve plenty of thanks for that,” Mr Goonan said.

He wasn’t the only one praising the community efforts, with south ward councillor Harry Bussell re-

Community and council staff praised for efforts in getting netball, pickleball courts over line

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Local fishing clubs can reel in new grants

THE State Government has officially announced the opening of the Stronger Fishing Clubs Grant Program, welcoming angling clubs and associations across northern Victoria to apply for grants of up to $10,000.

Labor MP for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said the grants are available under the $1.2 million program to help strengthen and increase club membership, and to promote participation in recreational fishing.

Applications for round one of the program close on December 6.

This program delivers on the Andrews Labor Government’s election commitment to help fishing clubs attract new members, encouraging more families to take up fishing, and is part of the government’s record $96 million package to improve fishing, boating, piers and aquaculture.

marking that he wasn’t sure if he or the “ladies from Whorouly” would be more excited about the project.

“I reinforce that the engagement between the community and staff has been really, really good,” he said.

“Marcus’ staff, I’ve got to commend them - a magnificent job there, and certainly credit to the community which has constructively engaged with the staff and they have come up with some really good plans for this project.”

Cr Bussell said it’s quite significant to build infrastructure like this because of the benefit to girls and

women, and the community who stand around the courts and talk to each other on a Saturday afternoon will benefit as well.

As the courts have a multi-purpose feature, Cr Bussell said the women and men who play pickleball will also reap the rewards.

“There are health and social benefits around these places over a long period of time and the life of this infrastructure has got to be 50 to100 years,” he said.

The tender for the works was awarded to iDwala Pty Ltd by Wangaratta council on Tuesday.

Works will be carried out in the 2023/24 year, with $250,000 coming from the Victorian Government’s Country Football and Netball Program, delivered in partnership with the AFL, AFL Victoria and Netball Victoria.

Council confirmed the upgrade works are planned to commence in late September following the 2023 Ovens and King Football and Netball league season.

“The planned completion late this year (weather dependent), will be just in time for preseason training,” a spokesperson said.

Projects eligible for funding include events that provide recreational fishing tuition for women, multicultural groups, First Nations peoples and allabilities, alongside open days, training and events, and guest speaker nights.

Projects involving IT upgrades, website development, clubroom improvements, and equipment that will benefit all members are also eligible for funding.

To apply online or learn more visit vfa.vic.gov.au/ strongerfishingclubs.

LEVEL UP: New courts at Whorouly will be built in time for the 2024 season, a welcome improvement for players like Bec Allen (pictured).

PHOTO: Nathan de Vries

Bringing thrilling stories to Mount Beauty

By CHLOE JAENICKE ASHLEY Kalagian Blunt

(pictured) will be one of the featured writers at the Mount Beauty Writers Festival on October 7.

Currently living in Sydney and growing up in Canada, she has always had a keen interest in reading and writing.

She kept writing throughout her childhood and while studying in university.

Ashley decided to take writing seriously in her mid-20s when she began to write her first book, ‘My Name Is Revenge’, a novella and collection of essays about the Armenian genocide and its connections to Australia.

The book took her nine years to publish as Ashley found the transition from being a reader to a writer.

“I did a lot of research, I interviewed 140 people across three continents to write that first book,” she said.

“But what I discovered was even though I was a passionate reader, I didn’t know how to actually write so, becoming a writer is a long process of learning the industry and how to put a story on the page.”

Since then, she has published two more books, ‘How to be Australian’, a memoir about her transition from living in Canada to living in Australia and her latest novel, ‘Dark Mode’, which was released this year.

Dark Mode explores the horrifying reality of the dark web as it follows Reagan Carsen, who has kept her life offline with no internet presence until she stumbles across a shocking murder where the victim looks just like her.

As there are more murders, Reagan is drawn out of hiding to confront her greatest fear of being found.

Ashley’s passion for writing thrillers comes from her interest in learning what drives people to commit crime, how crime is investigated and how it affects people’s lives and said she enjoyed writing Dark Mode.

“I really wanted to give readers a book that would hook them from the first page and pull them through the story at a fast pace,” she said.

“I love that feeling when a book has its own momentum, Dark Mode was a lot of fun to write.”

Ashley said she is looking forward to being a featured writer at the Mount Beauty Writers Festival as she knows of many of the featured authors and because of her love for

small town writers festivals.

“Small town writers festivals are the best writers festivals, there’s just this lovely atmosphere and just a great vibe and I know some of the writers on the program, so I know its going to be an interesting day,” she said.

She is also looking forward to exploring regional Victoria while she is here.

“I’m very appreciative for the opportunity to come to a small town I might otherwise never get to and connect with readers,” she said.

“I’ve never been to that part of regional Victoria, so I am very excited.”

For more information on the Mount Beauty Writers Festival visit https://www.mountbeautywritersfestival.com/.

Puttyfoot honoured for his Men’s Shed work

By FAY MASON, Kiewa Valley

Correspondent

Fay,

DICK Puttyfoot has been recognised by the Mount Beauty and District Men’s Shed by receiving a Life Membership award.

Well deserved when you look at the citation listed by the committee.

Dick was a shed foundation member starting on October 14, he was president for 10 years and vice president for one year.

Dick oversaw all the electrical work at the shed doing much of the work himself, particularly in the role of building the main shed and the west wing extension.

He is the ‘go to’ man for all things electrical at the shed.

A problem solver and teacher he was also the liaise with electricians and building inspectors, providing regular updates to the committee, along with initiating the Women in the Shed program.

Dick was renowned for putting his hand up to assist with fundraising and community projects that required man power, examples being football/netball gate collection, Christmas street decorations, garage sale, music

festival security, bike park car parking, furniture moving and more.

He represented the MB&D Mens Shed at VMSA and AMSA and cluster meetings, bringing back project ideas, governance procedures, useful contacts and other benefits.

As the shed’s welfare officer Dick has helped out many members

with personal problems, going so far as to giving a member a lift to Melbourne for medical care, this has been done quietly , but has been greatly appreciated by those involved.

Dick was nominated by Paul L’ Huillier and seconded by Ian Howley. Congratulations Dick, a well deserved award.

The Alpine Alive supplement is the ultimate guide for locals and visitors alike, who are keen to explore everything the wonderful Alpine Valley and High Country has to offer.

A LARGE crowd gathered last Saturday to hear celebrity chef Gabriel Gate speak about his long career in the industry.

Ably assisted by Owen Stickels who interviewed Gabriel, the Q&A session brought some interesting questions like “what do you think of Australian Bread?”, the answer being not too complimentary.

Whether it be local events, food and wine or exploring the region’s many natural attractions, Alpine Alive provides a comprehensive guide of things to do and see.

The new format Alpine Alive will be printed in full colour on premium white newsprint and will be published six times a year to coincide with key visitor times and local events. As well as being inserted into the Myrtleford Times and Alpine Observer, the supplement will also be a stand alone publication with 500 extra copies being distributed at key tourism/visitor locations across the Alpine Shire and Visitor Information Centres throughout North East Victoria.

“In France people go to the boulangerie up to three times a day for a fresh baguette.”

Gabrielle did say we are improving on our ability to cook fish, and have moved on from the ‘meat and three veg’ meals.

At the conclusion of the talk the crowd were entertained by local musicians Richard and Rachel Finnet and Ian Harrowfield, playing a medley of French tunes.

A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, put together by Henry Ziemnicki and Elene Wood on behalf of the Alpine U3A , ending with a delicious dinner at Rois restaurant.

SCHOOL holidays are starting next week with the Mount Beauty Library bringing entertainment for the kids, the first being The Vegetable PlotLive Music Workshop, for ages 5-9 years, Thursday, September 21 10.30am at the Mount Beauty Library.

Next up is Duck Cameron - Australia’s Master Magician, Thursday, September 28 at 10am at the Mount Beauty Library suitable for ages 5-12 years.

Master Magician Duck Cameron’s unique performance has captivated kids worldwide with magic and wonderful interaction.

Bookings are recommended via 5754 4305.

HONOURED: Dick Puttyfoot (left) receiving the lifetime award from Men’s Shed vice president Henry Ziemnicki.

Country living at its finest

SITUATED on a 74ac allotment this rural lifestyle property is a superb opportunity for anyone wanting to live the country dream.

Located just over 20mins to Wangaratta’s CBD this home offers privacy and seclusion whilst still being close to a large regional town.

This custom designed quality home was built in 2010 and is beautifully presented.

The Kitchen has country style blackwood cabinetry, equipped with a large double oven, dishwasher and breakfast bar.

The open plan dining/living space is a great size and the combustion heater adds to the atmosphere in the heart of the home.

Additional living space also upon entry of the home is perfect for a formal lounge, formal dining or sitting room.

The master bedroom features a WIR and ensuite.

The main bathroom has separate toilet and shower only.ted with BIR’s.

Heating and cooling is well catered for with refrigerated split system and combustion heater.

Entertaining guests is made easy with a large covered outdoor area, showcasing a beautiful rural backdrop - this is the perfect spot to spoil friends and family when hosting.

76 Reid Street Open weekdays 9am to 5pm (closed 1pm to 1:45pm) 1300 004 863 humebank.com.au

Shedding is setup for the lucky pur-ing, light and power - great use for caravan/boat storage or a large workshop.

Other machinery storage is a second open bay shed.

Other features of the property include multiple large rainwater tanks, fruit trees, in ground water systems and great fencing.

At the rear of the property the grazing land rises to a rocky hill which is all on title offering incredible views to the west - truly a little piece of paradise.

If you are currently looking for privacy, peace and quiet whilst still being close to large rural towns with great facilities get in contact with Nutrien Harcourts today.

Agent | Phone | Price | Location |

Nutrien Harcourts 5722 9444

$1,550,000

Shedding supreme: renovated home and genuine yard offered

CENTRALLY located on 3287 square metres, this two bedroom and study home was recently renovated with double glaze windows, verandah, decking, kitchen and bathroom works.

The property has 350 square metres of shedding 22 m X 16 m with mezzanine.

Display fridges, bathroom, lock up

The property is set in the middle of the growing township of Moyhu and adjoining land subject to residential rezoning.

Walk to renowned Ineeta’s cafe, kinder, school, pub, recreation reserve for all that you would want in a small country town.

Only 20 minutes to Wangaratta with secondary schools, employment, supplies and opportunity.

Or head south 20 minutes to Whiters and lakes in a tourism precinct that is becoming more popular every summer, autumn and spring.

Tick many boxes in one purchase and

m2

Agent | Phone | Price | Location |

Nutrien Harcourts 5722 9444

$765,000 - $840,000 5 Market Street, Moyhu

2 1 3287 wangaratta.nutrienharcourts. com.au/L19190720

enjoy the convenience of having great shedding of your own and the opportunity to work from home or simply enjoy

Inspections highly recommended, so call Nutrien Harcourts Wangaratta to arrange inspection 03 5722 9444.

BUY ONE OR BOTH OF THESE QUALITY INVESTMENTS 40 - 42 Rowan Street, Wangaratta

• High quality, energy efficient building on large, central land holding (Established 1976)

• 40-42 Rowan Street anchored by irrigation specialists, Gordon Gibson Nominees

• 3 year lease ends 30/06/2026 with 3 x 3 Options.

net rent $90,000 +GST

• A second lease

Luxurious and exclusive

LOCATED in the exclusive Waldara Golf Course Estate, this home boasts an This impeccable four-bedroom plus study custom home combines outstanding quality and functionality with A sizeable home, it offers a seamless open plan kitchen, living and dining with high ceilings, wide hallway and second signed to showcase a custom concrete island bench, with premium Smeg apAppointed to a high standard, the

kitchen has twin ovens, dishwasher, silent rangehood, recessed lighting and an abundance of soft close storage along

The home is designed to maximise natural light with a strong emphasis on

This is truly a home for all seasons, where glass stacking doors can be opened to bring the outside in cleverly adjoining the expansive outdoor area dibedrooms with their very own ensuites and walk in robes, whilst two further

The main bathroom is spacious and beautiful with freestanding bath, 900 tiles, recessed lighting and frameless

Comfort is ensured with ducted refrigerated cooling and heating along with zoning capacity to individual areas of the home, whilst double glazed windows

Additional features include spacious yard, oversized double garage, laundry with additional walk in storage, and fully

EV(LUTION) A MAGNET FOR FOSSIL-FED KONA

By DEREK OGDEN

IN a display, which can only be described as a case of automotive smoke and mirrors, the new Hyundai Kona is designed to look like an electric vehicle – no radiator grille – whether an EV, hybrid or petrol powered.

The maker Hyundai says this is to make the whole range of the small SUV, including petrol variants - EV and hybrids are due here by year’s end - blend in with traffic better in the future.

The ‘petrols’ on offer at present are a 2.0-litre fourcylinder with a CVT automatic and front-wheel drive, and a turbocharged 1.6-litre fourcylinder with an eight-speed torque converter automatic and all-wheel drive.

Prices for the second-generation SUV start at $32,000 and rise to $46,500, plus onroad costs.

The N-Line pack adds an extra $4000.

The new Kona is covered by a five-year $100,000 kilometre warranty and attracts Hyundai’s Premium Roadside Support Plan free for the first 12 months and renewed annually for up to ten years so long as the vehicle is serviced by Hyundai.

STYLING

If there were a patron saint of electric lighting, say St Osram, the new Kona would pay him or her homage, for the car’s design makes Hyundai literally a leading light in automotive design.

The absence of a grille apart, up front the full width of the compact sports utility vehicle is emphasised by

an LED strip light – similar to one which debuted in the Staria - on the leading edge of the bonnet from wing to wing.

Not far behind is a similar single bar across the rear, highlighting the futuristic (EV) view from behind.

Outboard lighting matches the front triangular set-up.

Inside and out the new Kona is bigger than its predecessor.

In profile, apart from muscular wheel arch covers, the rest is very much de rigueur for the class.

INTERIOR

At a tad over 4.3 m long, 1.8 m wide and almost 1.6 m tall, the ‘small’ SUV is more spacious on the inside too thanks to a 60 mm increase in wheelbase front to back.

This translates to much more leg room in the back compared with before. Head room is more than adequate for the average adult.

Storage abounds, with bins in the front doors big enough for large bottles and two retractable cup holders in the centre console, plus a generous glove box, as well as wireless charging, USB-C jacks and a 12V socket.

Rear doors can take small bottles and there are two cup holders in the fold-down centre armrest and pockets on the front seat backs. Adjustable ventilation outlets and a pair of USB-C power sockets are in situ.

The boot will hold 407 litres with the rear seat backs raised, or up to 1241 litres with them folded flat.

A space-saver spare is carried.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS

The Kona and Kona Premium come with either a naturally aspirated Atkinson cycle 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine sending 110 kW and 180 Nm at 6200 rpm and 4500 rpm, respectively, to the front wheels through a CVT automatic transmission.

Hyundai claims a combined urban / highway fuel consumption figure of 6.6 litres per 100 kilometres, while the test car came up with 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres over a week of varied driving conditions.

SAFETY

Kona is on board with Hyundai’s SmartSense safety system, which includes front and rear autonomous emergency braking (with car, ‘powered two-wheeler’, pedestrian and cyclist detection), blind spot view and collision avoidance, lanefollowing and lane keeping assist.

There’s also rear crosstraffic alert, active cruise control, safe exit warning, surround view monitor, driver attention warning and tyre pressure monitoring.

A multi-collision brake is designed to minimise the chance of additional impacts after an initial crash and an emergency stop signal function are also standard.

There are seven airbags, including a front centre bag to minimise front occupant injuries in a side impact, as well as three top tether anchors and two Isofix positions across the rear seat.

DRIVING

Riding on the standard 18-inch wheels the Kona kept up a steady march over some rough country roads and reduced cabin noise intrusion to an acceptable level on concrete motorway surfaces.

Steering followed suit with positive feedback from the road, while disc brakes, ventilated at the front, had little trouble stopping the 1.4 tonne-plus vehicle in the dry-only conditions encountered.

Speed presented only one problem and that was purely electronic.

The test car speed-sign recognition indicator suffered from a form of dyslexia: the 10 km/h speed limit registered in a shopping centre car park remained unchanged through several streets before the instrument display switched to the correct legal limit.

SUMMARY

In typical Hyundai fashion the new Kona 2.0 stands apart in its class from a design point of view and it will be interesting to see what the hybrid and full electric models can come up with under the skin later this year.

ENGINE:

Capacity: 1.998 litres

Configuration: Four cylinders inline

Maximum Power: 110 kW @ 6200 rpm

Maximum Torque: 180 Nm @ 4500 rpm

Fuel Type: Regular unleaded petrol

Combined Fuel Cycle (ADR 81/02): 6.6 L/100km

OPTIONS:

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

SPECIFICATIONS (Hyundai 2.0L 4-cylinder petrol, CVT, FWD)

DRIVELINE:

CVT automatic, frontwheel drive

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:

Length: 4350 mm

Wheelbase: 2660 mm

Width: 1825 mm

Height: 1590 mm

Turning Circle: 10.6metres

Kerb Mass: 1455 kg

Fuel Tank Capacity: 47 litres

STANDARD WARRANTY: Five years / unlimited kilometres

ELECTRIC FEEL: Unique design features look to an electric future for the new Hyundai Kona.

ACROSS

4 What was the real name of the Artful Dodger, Jack ... (7)

8 Quito is the capital of which South American republic (7)

9 Name an art of Japanese flower arrangement (7)

10 What is the space around the altar of a church (7)

11 What is Hansen’s disease more commonly known as (7)

12 Which white ductile metallic element has the symbol Ag (6)

14 Which term describes an assumed or false name (6)

18 What is a system of writing or printing for the blind (7)

21 To which group does a snail or squid belong (7)

22 What are subjects to be studied at school (7)

23 Name the presiding officer of the House of Representatvies (7)

24 To be the most pliant, is to be what (7)

DOWN

1 Which church officers were probably concerned with temporal affairs (7)

2 What are mountain lions also known as (5)

3 To teach or instruct, is to do what (7)

4 Which tools make cylindrical holes (6)

5 What is the young of the dog or wolf (5)

6 What might we call a native of Idaho, USA (7)

7 Which colloquial term implies that which is frightening (5)

13 Name another term for a circular (7)

15 What was a particular Australian poll (7)

E-QUATIONS

Letters A to Z have a number value. Some are shown in the right-hand cells. Create remaining values using clues in centre cells.

16 Which planet is nearest the sun (7)

17 To free from condensation, is to do what (6)

18 Name a bushy aromatic annual plant, cultivated as a culinary herb (5)

19 To hire something, is to do what (5)

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD QUICK THINK

20 Which rubber discs are used in ice hockey (5)

Find the following words in the grid. They may be read in any direction, even diagonally. Some letters are used more than once.

WHICH WORDS

1 TANTIVY (a) At full gallop or speed (b) Slow in pace or movement (c) With reckless boldness

2 OSCITANT (a) Yawning (b) Pertaining to the mouth

Swinging to and fro

BIYWORD

Build it yourself using the clues and each of the twenty-four letters once only to form ten words: five across and five down. A key word (bold clue) builds on the letter set in the grid.

CLUES:

Bay (5)

Demobilise (abb) (5)

Mobile circuit-bearing card (3)

NE african nation (7)

RC group: Opus ... (3)

Sea birds (5)

Small child

Supplied air

Tribal symbol

SOLUTIONS SUDOKU

Solve the crossword. Each answer has four letters.

Bright Junior Football Club AGM

Tuesday October 3, 2023, at 6pm. Bright Pavillion Centre. All positions vacant.

Email: brightjuniorfootball@gmail.com for further details.

NOTICE OF AN APPLICATION FOR PLANNING PERMIT

An application for planning permit has been made which may affect you.

Details about the application

The land affected by the application is located at: 43 Feathertop Track, Harrietville VIC 3741

The application is for a permit to: Construct a building and construct or carry out works associated with an Accommodation use (dwelling)

The applicant for the permit is: Katie McPhail GJ Gardner Homes - Wodonga

The application reference number is P.2023.046

You may look at the application and any supporting documents via following options: portal via the link below https://alpine. greenlightopm.com/public/App_ Advertising/25230501moGSwgNGV

Using a smart device to access to QR code below (no account needed)

Authority: Alpine Shire Council PO Box 139 Bright VIC 3741

Telephone: 03 5755 0555

Email: info@alpineshire.vic.gov.au

To view:

Chris Mason

A full copy of the application and supporting documents can be viewed at the Council and made available for the purpose of the planning process as set out in the Planning and Environment Act 1987. The information must not be used for any other purpose. By taking/accepting a copy of this document you acknowledge and agree that you will only use the document for the purpose distribution or copying of this document is strictly prohibited.

Any person who may be affected by the granting of the permit may object or make other submissions to the Responsible Authority.

You can lodge an objection:

the link above OR

Via the QR Code above OR In writing sent to PO.BOX 139, Bright VIC 3741 or info@alpineshire.vic.gov.au

Your objections must:

Please be aware that the Responsible Authority must make copies of objections / submissions received available to any person to inspect.

Council will not decide on the application before this date: 4 October 2023

If you object, Council will advise you of the decision.

Notification by Buyer – Intention to apply for the permanent transfer of a Licence to Take and Use Groundwater GMW Reference No: BPTWE0019-23

We Labvale Pty Ltd

Of 106 Toniazzo Lane MYRTLEFORD VIC 3737

Refer to Vic Roads Map 49 D2

Intend to make application to permanently transfer entitlement to our existing Licence to Take & Use Groundwater and increase the licensed volume from 36.0ML/Year to 55.0 ML/Year.

The Volume sought in this application is 19.0ML/

Year

We intend to extract groundwater from an existing bore

The water will be used for the purpose of: Irrigation

To be used on lands described as:

Volume Folio Lot No. Plan No. Plan Type 10241 419 1 & 2 552972R TP

Any person able to demonstrate that their interests will be affected by the transfer of this Licence including any intended groundwater use, is invited to make a formal submission setting out the nature of the impact within 14 days of receipt of this written notification.

To make a submission please read the information available to download from https://www.g-mwater. com.au/customer-services/forms refer to No. 4 (or contact G-MW to arrange for a copy to be posted to you). Submissions must be lodged in writing using the template available by either mail or email to Customer Support Coordinator, Licensing Administration, PO Box 165, TATURA VIC 3616 or email licensingadmin@g-mwater.com.au

CLEANERS REQUIRED BRIGHT

and MYRTLEFORD

$40 PER HOUR!

15+ HOURS PER WEEK!

Peopleworks Cleaning Services is seeking passionate and reliable individuals to join our team as cleaners.

If you’re dedicated, enthusiastic and have cleaning experience we want to hear from you! Apply today and become a valued member of our renowned cleaning service company. Express your interest by sending an email with your resume to karina@peopleworks.com.au

2020 Toyota Hilux (1SO2UL), 2.8L ute, diesel, 28,000km. $62,000. Phone Brian 0427 595 561.

BLACK Holden Cruze CDX 2010 (XWT095), 173,400klm. $3500 neg. Contact Andrew 0428 410 341.

COMPOSTABLE BAGS AND CADDIES FOR PURCHASE

Additional and replacement benchtop caddies and Council-accepted compostable bags are now available for purchase from a range of our facilities. The following items can be purchased from all Transfer Stations and Visitor Information

Mount Beauty and Myrtleford libraries.

Council-accepted compostable bags$5.00 for a roll of 75

Benchtop caddies - $7.50 each

Our kerbside contractor, Cleanaway, of bag in the kerbside FOGO bins, so please ensure you stick to using the bags provided and available for purchase from Council. Cameras located inside Cleanaway’s kerbside trucks enable drivers to know if the correct bags are being used by a property or not, and if the contents of the bins contain contaminants. If your bin is found to have contained contaminants, it will be stickered. If alternate compostable bags are used and found in your FOGO bin, the material and not processed at the Wagga Wagga organics facility. If you’re still unsure on what material can go in each of the kerbside bins, head to https://halvewaste. com.au/

HOWITT PARK OPEN SPACES UPDATE

The grassed areas of Howitt Park, Bright will be closed off until late November in order for our team to successfully complete the biannual open space renovation. Works to take place include:

Turf renovation

Irrigation upgrades

Re-surfacing

Required tree maintenance

The site will remain fenced off with temporary fencing while the works are being completed, and the re-opening of the area will be weather dependent. We thank our community for their respect and patience whilst our team reinvigorate this much-loved community space.

KOKODA Endure II Platinum, semi off-road, 18ft 6in, $50,000. Phone Brian 0427 595 561.

Personal Notices

DEATH NOTICES

Stunning play at Myrtleford Golf Club

HEATHER Street was on fire last Thursday at the Myrtleford Golf Club, taking out the A grade and the medal ahead of Marg Curtis.

Saturday, September 9

Adam Cartwright Electrical Par AMCR 73

A grade winner: David Clark (17) +3. A grade runner up: Aaron Jose (11) -1.

W Rowney 0, J Martin -1, G Veldman -1.

Foodworks NTPs - first: Ian Wales, fifth: David Clark, 10th: Jim Martin, 14th: Ichlis Giovannoni. Matthews Cleaning encouragement award: Paul Evans -14.

Raffle winner: Ichlis Giovannoni.

Curtis (23) 32 pts c/b.

9 hole winner: Kerry Chapman (47) 16. 9 hole runner up: Penny Dawkins (37) 15 pts.

Ball winners: Kerry Newton (24) 32pts.

Wednesday, September 6

Adam Cartwright Electric Stableford AMCR 73

Foodworks NTPs - first: Jim Martin, fifth: Karl O’Shaughnessy, 10th: Karl O’Shaughnessy, 14th: Karl O’Shaughnessy.

Tuesday, September 5

Adam Cartwright ElectricalStableford AWCR 76

TSITIMBINIS, LUCY

The committee and members of the Myrtleford RSL SubBranch are saddened by the passing of our long-standing and much loved fellow member,

B grade winner: Spider Hancock (18) +3. B grade runner up: Brendan Wheeler (2) +1.

Ball winners: T Chapman 0,

Thursday, September 7 Drummond Golf Monthly Medal Stableford AMCR 76

A grade winner and medal winner: Heather Street (54) 35pts. A grade runner up: Marg

A grade winner: Kevin Bruhn (19) 37 pts. A grade runner up: Ian Wales (13) 36 pts.

Ball winners: K O’Shaughnessy 34 D Clark 33, J Martin 33c/b.

A grade winner: Faye McLees (35) 29 pts c/b. A grade runner up: Denise O’Donohue (49) 29pts. 9 hole winner: Kaye Holmes (39) 14pts c/b. 9 hole runner up: Kerry Chapman (43) 14pts. NTPs - Denise O’Donohue.

DEATH NOTICES

TSITIMBINIS, Lucy Ellie. 20/5/1933 – 27/8/2023

Thank you for being you, the most warmest, loving, caring Mum, Nanna and friend to us all. We’ll miss you everyday and think of you with love in our hearts and a smile on our face.

~ Love forever Mareeta, Dom, Alicia, Jenna, Kristy, Ryan, Sienna, Chayse, Archie and Saige. XXXXX.

BEREAVEMENT THANKS

TSITIMBINIS, Lucy.

Acknowledging our heartfelt gratitude to Myrtleford CFA Captain, Gloria Pizzolitto and members, along with family and friends who joined us to farewell our amazing mother Lucy Tsitimbinis.

Now burning the flame with Nick. ~ Mareeta, Ruth and Nicole.

Presentation night for junior footballers

AROUND 230 members attended the Myrtleford Junior Football Club’s end of season presentation night at the Myrtleford Club Savoy on Sunday, September 10.

It was a great way for players and families to celebrate a wonderful 2023 season for MJFC.

The club would like to thank the coaches for a great year and all the work they have put into the players: Ryan Harris, Dave David McMahon, Wayne Roman, Luke Matheson, Scott McMasters, Paul Muraca, Nick Howden and Simon Crisp.

The club also wishes to thank everyone who helped out on game days, and the hard-working committee.

FUNERAL DIRECTORS

A funeral experience... not just a funeral service

AWARD WINNERS

Under 12 - Red

 Most Improved – Halen McIntyre.

 Most Consistent – Orlando Hunkin.

 Coaches’ Award – Dakar Hilton.

 Leading Goal Kicker – Sam Lupo (12 goals).

 Best & Fairest – William Koers.

 Runner Up Best & Fairest – Jake Jennings, Gemma Corcoran.

Under 12 – Black

 Most Improved – Hunter Szaraszek.

 Most Consistent – Billy McMahon.

 Coaches’ Award – Nate Michelini.

 Leading Goal Kicker – Xavier Millar (17 goals).

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 Best & Fairest – Noah Harris.

 Runner Up Best & Fairest – Blake Parolin.

Under 14

 Most Improved – Matthew Morgan.

 Most Consistent – Ryder Harris.

 Coaches’ Award – Hudson Durling.

 Leading Goal Kicker – Lucas McKeone (11 goals).

 Best & Fairest – Noah Robb.

 Runner Up Best & Fairest – Skylah McPherson.

Under 17

 Most Improved – Taj Cooper.

 Most Consistent – Cooper Howden.

 Coaches’ Award – Jake Skahill.

 Leading Goal Kicker – Jock Pascoe (36 goals).

 Best & Fairest – Samuel Crisp.

 Runner Up Best & Fairest – Thomas Morgan.

UNDER 17: (Back, from left) Thomas Morgan, Jake Skahill, Jock Pascoe, Taj Cooper, Sam Crisp and Cooper Howden.

UNDER 14: (Back, from left) Skylah McPherson, Hudson Durling, (front, from left) Luca McKeone, Matthew Morgan, Ryder Harris and Noah Robb.

UNDER 12 BLACK: (Back, from left) Noah Harris, Hunter Szaraszek, (front, from left) Billy McMahon, Nate Michelini, Blake Parolin and Xavier Millar.

UNDER 12 RED: (Back, from left) Dakar Hilton, Orlando Hunkin, Sam Lupo, (front, from left) Gemma Corcoran, Jake Jennings, William Koers and Halen McIntyre.

SPORT

Busy fortnight at Bright Golf Club

AS winter turned to spring, golfers were out in force at the Bright Golf Club, recording some great results.

Veterans, Monday, August 28,

Stableford

Winner: Julie Englert (42) 29 points.

Men, Thursday, August 31,

Stableford

A grade winner: Heath Thompson (10) 36 points. B grade winner: Graham Badrock (18) 33 points c/b.

NTPs – third: Phillip O’Neill, sixth: Mark Zwiersen, 11th: Heath Thompson, 16th: Mark Zwiersen.

Men, Saturday, September 2, Stroke

Monthly Medal

A grade winner: Michael O’Shea (17)

70 nett. B grade winner: Mark Zwiersen (23) 73 nett. C grade winner: Graham

McElvenny (28) 69 nett.

NTPs – third: Michael O’Shea, 11th: Mick Dunne, 16th: Michael O’Shea.

Ladies, Saturday, September 2,

Stroke

A grade winner: Charlotte Paton (16)

73 nett. B grade winner: Anita Furnell (39) 72 nett.

NTPs – third: Bernie Wickes, sixth: Carol Burgess, 11th: Charlotte Paton, 16th: Tina Cook.

Veterans, Monday, September 4,

Stableford

A grade winner: Glen O’Connell (18)

31 points c/b. B grade winner: Fran Bentley (37) 37 points.

NTPs – third: Michael O’Shea, sixth: Fran Bentley, 16th: Colin Richardson.

Men, Thursday, September 7,

Stableford

A grade winner: Phillip O’Neill (4)

37 points. B grade winner: Hugh Kirk (16) 35 points. C grade winner: Dennis Pangrazio (29) 37 points.

NTPs – third: Paul Duff, sixth: Leon Burstin, 11th: Stephen Grogan, 16th: David Kelly.

Men, Saturday, September 9,

Stableford

A grade winner: Craig Keem (13) 32 points. B grade winner: Willian Kelty (20) 38 points.

NTPs – third: Mark Frost, 11th: Gary Shattles, 16th: Neville Blewett.

Ladies, Saturday, September 9,

Stableford

Winner: Heather Thompson (21) 30 points.

NTPs – third: Heather Thompson, sixth: Carolyn Bailey, 11th: Heather Thompson, 16th: Charlotte Paton.

Louis skied up a storm to start season

HARRIETVILLE alpine skier

Louis Muhlen-Schulte has already competed at the Junior World Championships, Winter Youth Olympic Games, World Championships and Olympic Games, as well as lining up at Alpine World Cups since 2019.

All that experience has continued to shape one of Australia’s leading technical skiers into a more well-rounded athlete and if the start of this season is anything to go by, it could be his best yet.

The 25-year-old Australian team member lined up at the New Zealand national championships at Coronet Peak last month against a talented field which included the likes of Slovakia’s Adam Zampa and Great Britain’s Laurie Taylor, both of whom have top five Olympic Games results on their CVs.

Completing the first run of the slalom in fourth place, MuhlenSchulte made up more than half a second on the leaders in the second run to claim victory.

Three days later he was in the giant slalom gate and was in second place after the first run, 0.37s from the lead.

When he finished his second run, he was in front by more than eight-tenths of a second, and when the leader failed to finish the Aussie had his second race win in less than a week.

“I really had no expectations heading into the events,” said Muhlen-Schulte.

“We had some tricky conditions early in our training block over here in New Zealand.

“As well, I just recently switched equipment brands so I was mostly

focused on getting comfortable with the new skis and boots.

“So the races mostly just felt like some extra training and a chance to push a bit harder in a higher pressure environment.

“Personally, it was definitely reassuring to know that I had made the right decision in switching equipment.

“It also felt like a really nice start to the season.

“One which I wasn’t expecting, but am definitely proud of and keen to keep that momentum going into the northern season.”

Fast forward to last week and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic skier was back at Coronet Peak and showing no signs of slowing down.

He took on another strong giant slalom start list in the AustraliaNew Zealand Cup in which he fin-

ished second and was edged into fourth by the final skier in the GS.

While he remains unsure how his southern hemisphere form will translate to the northern winter, consistent podiums are a step in the right direction.

“It’s hard to say how it has set me up completely, but It is definitely nice to get a few good points scores this early,” he said.

“It will allow me to focus a bit more on the training aspect and getting things locked in with equipment rather than worry about trying to race so much.

“But the real answer will come with the international season starting in October.”

Muhlen-Schulte arrived home briefly last week but will get back to work in Europe this month.

- Courtesy Snow Australia

STRONG PERFORMANCE: Louis Muhlen-Schulte in action in New Zealand.

PHOTO: Courtesy Ross Mackay/Snow Sports NZ & Winter Games NZ

Volleyball season comes to an end

THE Myrtleford and District Volleyball Association season wrapped up on Wednesday, September 6, with a great grand final contested and awards handed out to the truly exceptional players.

The winning team was The Rookies, who overcame That’s What She Set to take top honours.

Best on court in the grand final went to Bayley Power from The Rookies, while Blake Humphries and Hannah Pear took out the male and female best and fairest awards, respectively.

The MDVA committee would like to thank everyone for their participation over a fantastic season.

AWARD WINNERS

Winners: The Rookies - Ben Hodgkin, Karlie Grant, John Russel, Bayley Power, Jake Hodgkin, Alison Shepherd.

Runners Up: That’s What She Set - Ben Walters, Jenny Brown, Keira Schaefer, Blake Humphries, Pete Antonello, Grace Keown.

Grand Final Best on Court: Bayley Power.

Male Best and Fairest: Blake Humphries.

Male Best and Fairest runner up: Alex Durling, Will Matthews.

Female Best and Fairest: Hannah Pear.

Female Best and Fairest runner up: Karlie Grant.

Junior Best and Fairest: Jake Hodgkin.

Junior Best and Fairest runner up: Isabelle Morrison.

Most Improved: Tiahna Patten.

Season open for Myrtleford lawn bowlers

IN a definite sign summer is on the way, the Myrtleford Bowls Club held their official Opening Day for season 2023/24 on Sunday, with the club experiencing a great turnout.

Some fun bowls were played by 36 members for two and a half hours before everyone retired to the bar and enjoyed the company of other members with afternoon tea.

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

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

One 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.

The club also welcomed four new members: Peta Mattys, Mark Bell, Mikey Clayton and Peter James.

Four of the club’s Life Members attended and, as a tradition at the MBC, two Life Members helped open the season by putting down the first roll of the jack (also known as the kitty).

Annie Dunstone obliged, and her husband Wally Dunstone rolled the first bowl.

This coming Saturday, the club will commence a series of practice matches against other strong A grade clubs before the first round of Pennant starts on Saturday, October 14.

The club will host their first tournament for the season on Thursday, November 30, with the Bright Brewery 2 Bowl Triples offering $1200 in prizemoney.

GRAND FINAL

U14 Girls 1 2731

Korumburra 1

(Top Scorers: Ella Mercieca 11, Maisy Moscrop 7, Lily Purss 6)

TOTAL Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

KORUMBURRA 8 10 0 13

BUSHRANGERS 2 5 9 11

U14 Girls at the North East Bushrangers end of season awards night

BEST AND FAIREST: Blake Humphries took out the top honour after a great season on the court.

STELLAR YEAR: Karlie Grant came second in the female Best and Fairest award.

RISING STAR: Jake Hodgkin took out the junior Best and Fairest award.

RUNNERS UP: Ben Walters, Jenny Brown, Keira Schaefer, Blake Humphries, Pete Antonello, Grace Keown.

WINNERS: Ben Hodgkin, Karlie Grant, John Russel, Bayley Power, Jake Hodgkin, Alison Shepherd.

SEASON OPEN: Life Member Wally Dunstone rolled the first bowl of the season on Sunday at the Myrtleford Bowls Club.

& ProfessionalConsultants

Accountants

BELMORES CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

(formerly CRM Business Advisers)

Certified Practising Accountants

Myrtleford, 1-7 Albert Street

Phone: 5752 2288

Bright, 3 Ireland Street

Phone: 5755 1327

www.belmores.com.au

PAYNTER & ASSOCIATES

Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors

25 Clyde Street Myrtleford

Phone: 5751 1995

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

Clinical Massage

MYOTHERAPY, MUSCLE

HEALTH & FITNESS

Dennis Kersting Dip. RM CM.

Myrtleford - 18 Rayner Street

Phone: 0427 440 744

Hearing Services

JO ROSS-JACKSON HEARING CENTRES

Now at 29 Clyde Street Myrtleford

Plus Standish Street Surgery & Bright Allied Health

For appointments call 5752 2817

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

DICK & WILLIAMS

Solicitors & Attorneys Vic & NSW

Myrtleford, 5B Clyde Street.

Phone: 5752 2363.

Email: email@dwlawalbury.com.au

TONER & MAY LEGAL BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS

86 Standish Street, Myrtleford.

Phone: 03 5752 1493

2A Camp Street, Bright, Phone: 03 5750 1819

Email:

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

Promote your service here!

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

Cup final heartbreak

By BAILEY ZIMMERMANN

A GOAL in the 89th minute for Albury United broke Myrtleford hearts Saturday night as the Green went on to win the AWFA cup final 2-1 at Lavington.

The game was destined for extra-time after a heavyweight bout worthy of a final was set for more drama, but star striker Melke Woldemichael and United had other ideas, sneaking a shot by keeper Nathan Gleeson off a quick counter attack to finish the final in regulation and seal a backto-back treble for the Greens.

Savoys co-coach Richard Morgan said his heart dropped as the ball found the back of the net late in what was a thrilling final.

“Up until that goal went

through it felt like we were going to get there [extra-time], it had that feeling all night but just didn’t pan out that way,” he said.

“It was a little bit frustrating but not much we could do about it.

“It was a titanic match, United played really well, they’re a good side and they got the better of us on the night.”

Making the cup final from seventh position, Myrtleford proved they were no ordinary finals contender, giving the best team of the past two seasons a run for their money from the first whistle.

Chances were at a premium throughout the first-half with neither side able to break past the opposing keeper going into the main-break.

The deadlock was broken by

Woldemichael in the 57th minute, which saw Myrtleford lift to another level in search of an equaliser and beginning to gain a stranglehold on the game as chances came flowing.

Matt Richardson and Lee Hughes were peppering the goals and no one could believe Jack Milford’s header didn’t find the back of the net as it came off the post.

Eventually Josh Zito was the man for Savoy to break the drought and level the game in the 72rd minute, finishing off a Lewis Holloway cutback from inside the box to send the travelling Savoy fans into hysteria before being heartbreakingly silenced as Woldemichael completed his brace.

Lee Hughes backed up his

strong semi-final performance with another impressive outing in attack as Tom Caplin and Kaden Saric were equally dangerous in the midfield, with Gleeson repelling a bulk of United’s chances in goals.

Morgan said he couldn’t have faulted the efforts of any of his players on the night and was proud of their resolve in their electrifying cup final run.

“I think we showed after finals we didn’t get there by fluke which was important to do,” he said.

“We always thought we were right up there with the team we had and just couldn’t get them on the park and when we finally did they all came together.

“They did a fantastic job, a lot of the players were talking about next year and it’s nice to hear.”

Savoy women fightback falls short

By BAILEY ZIMMERMANN

AN inspired second half comeback wasn’t enough for the Myrtleford division two women on Saturday, going down 3-2 to Wodonga Heart.

Savoy’s cup final dreams were in tatters at half-time, trailing the league title winners 3-0 after a brutal opening 45 minutes at the pristine Lavington Sportsground.

After settling the nerves at the main break Myrtleford rallied behind winger Tui Morton, who scored twice to bring the margin to just one goal and set up a grandstand finish.

Savoy continued to probe for the equaliser in stoppage time but ran out of clock as Heart claimed the grand final win to go with their league title earlier in the year.

Coach Gabby Paglia said nerves had the better of her team in the first half, which left them with too much work to do in the second half to get back on even terms.

“It was an off day which happens, but I’m really happy with how the girls played,” Paglia said.

“We felt a little bit flustered, we did our best to calm ourselves and stick to what we normally do… we were a bit on the defensive where in some situations we could have been more aggressive.

“Heart were strong, we knew they were going to cause us problems in that middle section.

“We made some adjustments as we saw fit and put Annie [Iaria] in the middle and I think that really made a difference for us.

“Going in at half-time the girls were a bit flat… I just kept telling the girls that this is possible and we’ve done it before, we just needed to put our heads down.

“We came back in the second half and had a bit more hope after those two goals, but there just wasn’t enough time for us, if we had five more minutes I think we could have equalised but that’s the game.”

Morton’s brace was enough to earn her best on ground honours at the final presentations, despite being on the losing side of the affair.

Paglia said she was ecstatic for Morton.

“It was really nice for her to get that recognition, she smashes it along that wing there and goes hard all game, she’ll be down my end in defence one minute and down the next in

two seconds,” she said.

“She’s a warrior and for her to be rewarded for her efforts in a game we lost, especially at this scale, is pretty amazing.”

Paglia said the grand final experience will be character building for her young team, who had exceeded her expectations throughout the year.

“It was such an out of body experience for us, definitely good for us to get that experience now and hopefully go one better the next time we’re there,” she said.

“It’s a little bittersweet to think we were one point off the league title and one goal off winning the grand final, it’s very close and a little bit frustrating.

“But when you look at it as a whole you can see how far we’ve come and all these stepping stones will lead us to where we eventually want to be.”

SNUCK THROUGH: Gabby Paglia tries to block a Heart shot on goal.

PHOTOS: Janet Watt

FIERCE CONTEST: Harriet Duff makes a play for the ball against Wodonga Heart’s Esther Seymour.

SO CLOSE: Amber Howell and Tui Morton celebrate one of Morton’s goals on Saturday afternoon as the Savoy seniors women’s second half fightback fell just short in the grand final.

DANGEROUS BALL: Tom Caplin looks to centre the ball inside the Savoy’s box.

HARD CHALLENGE; Lee Hughes was influential in attack for Myrtleford on Saturday night. PHOTOS: Janet Watt

CROWD SALUTE: Josh Zito and the Myrtleford Savoy men celebrate after Zito’s equaliser in the 72nd minute of the AWFA cup final.

Grand final fever hits Sandy Creek

By DANIEL SAVILLE

THE Tallangatta & District Netball Association season will reach its conclusion this Saturday afternoon as the two best teams on paper and ladder position meet in the TDNA Grand Final.

Minor premiers Kiewa-Sandy Creek have progressed to the biggest game of the year after they recorded a reasonably comfortable 16-goal preliminary final win against Thurgoona.

The Hawks took the lead by four goals at the first change and increased their lead at every break to finish with a 48-32 victory.

Yackandandah, who missed the finals series altogether in 2022, will meet reigning premiers Kiewa-Sandy Creek, as the Kath Evans led team will be looking for redemption against this week’s opponent.

The decider promises to be a fascinating contest – the Roos snatched the win over the previously undefeated Hawks in the final minutes of the second semifinal, but it will be interesting to see how Yackandandah deals with the week off after it didn’t work out too well for KSC before their previous encounter.

The Upper Kiewa Valley will turn red and black for the week

in support of Dederang-Mount Beauty’s grand final appearance in Under 14 football, where they will play Yackandandah in the hope of bringing some silverware back down the highway. If you exclude a mid-season forfeit, the Bombers have not been beaten all season, but Yackandandah have challenged them on multiple occasions throughout the year, including during the second semi-final a fortnight ago, when the scores were tied with a quarter to play.

Regardless of the outcome, it promises to be a day to remember at the ‘MCG of the Bush’ for these young Bombers.

TDFL Grand Finals

Seniors – Kiewa-Sandy Creek v Chiltern

Reserves – Chiltern v Yackandandah

Under 17 – Kiewa-Sandy Creek v Rutherglen

Under 14 – Dederang-Mount Beauty v Yackandandah

TDNA Grand Finals

A grade – Yackandandah v Kiewa-Sandy Creek

B grade – Thurgoona v Tallangatta

C grade – Thurgoona v Kiewa-Sandy Creek

Under 17 – Barnawartha v Chiltern

Under 15 – Mitta United v Yackandandah

Under 13 – Yackandandah v Tallangatta

Bombers prepped for grand final, honoured at league night

By BRAD REDMOND, U14 coach

IT’S finally here – the under 14 Bombers take on Yackandandah this Saturday in the big dance.

Over the past six years, Yack has had the wood on DMB, with the Bombers only prevailing twice in the junior competition in that time.

If the Bombers want to win, they will need to find a way to shut down the competition’s best player and ball magnet, Ollie Boddenberg.

Beau Duggan will have his work cut out running with Ollie but has managed to keep him quiet (or quieter than normal) in the last two games we’ve played.

The athletic centre that also in-

cludes Toby Derrick, Will LutterWood and Jack Coulston will have one job – run all day.

Fergus Gardener has been a revelation since moving into the centre half back position, with the ability to outmark anyone in the competition.

Billy Perri-Williams is always reliable at full back and able to hit any target.

But Yackandandah can’t be underestimated - they have talent from full back to full forward, and if the likes of Will McGregor, Harvey Gosling and Jack Miller get started, it may be a tough day at the office.

All we can say is may the best

team win - but I do hope that’s us.

Recently, the Dederang-Mount Beauty U14s team had more to celebrate than just making a grand final, with two players honoured to attend the Tallangatta and District Football League presentation night, taking home two of the four league trophies up for grabs.

Jack Coulston, our captain and football magnet came runner-up in this year’s count to Yackandandah powerhouse Ollie Boddenberg, scoring votes in most games he played this year.

Jack has backed up his performances this year with 16 goals out of the centre, and is someone to keep an eye on.

A honourable mention goes to his left-foot partner in crime out of the centre, Darcy Fallon, who came sixth in the vote - together, they are a big reason why we feature in the last game of the year.

The other trophy went to Jai Redmond, who ended up booting an impressive 56 goals in the 12 home and away games he played this year, including one bag of 12 and two of nine.

His tally was 16 ahead of his closest rival, with Jai looking to take this form into Saturday’s grand final.

The match against Yackandandah gets underway from 8.50am at Sandy Creek.

AND MANY MORE: Club legend Stan Church sponsored the club’s 3 Ball Ambrose on his 98th birthday on Saturday.

Stan’s ambrose a delight at Mount Beauty

SATURDAY, September 9 was a 3 Ball Ambrose at the Mount Beauty Golf Club, sponsored by Stan Church on his 98th birthday.

Stan joined the golf club in the early 1980s, just before retiring.

Once he retired in 1985 it was not long before he was a volunteer and committee member.

He’s been regular mower of the fairways with the gangs, a regular mower of the rough with the slasher, the main waterer of the grass greens when they were first established, fill-in mower of the greens, and general volunteer.

He’s held most positions on the committee, including president, secretary, and treasurer.

Teams eventually took to the field with Dave Browning, Leesa Bevan and Don Mason winning with a score of 63.5 net.

Victor Selway, Rick Biesboer and Gerad Biesboer came in next with 63.667.

NTPs went to Gerad Biesboer on the seventh along with the Tatts Ticket from the Tawonga South Newsagency & Post Office, ninth went to Tony Campen, 17th to Gerad again with Don Mason taking home the money on the 18th.

All the prizes were donated by Stan on the day.

On a nice Wednesday afternoon on September 6, 11 men turned out for the Front 9 Stableford competition.

Ron Gallagher pipped Macca Deans on a countback with 17 points.

Next in line was Syd Thomas on a countback from Fred Gerardson with their 16 points.

NTPs on the seventh went to Don Mason along with the Tatts Ticket from the Tawonga South Newsagency & Post Office, and the ninth went to Roger Church.

ONE MORE STEP: The under 14 Bombers are ready to take on Yackandandah in the grand final this Saturday. RIGHT: STAR PLAYERS: Jai Redmond (left) won the league goal kicking award while teammate Jack Coulston came second in the Best and Fairest count.

FINALS SCOREBOARD

NETBALL RESULTS THIRDS RESULTS

SECOND SEMI FINAL A GRADE

Yarrawonga 43 def by Lavington 45

BEST: YARRAWONGA: Hannah Symes 3, Mylah Kennedy 2.

LAVINGTON: Tayla Furborough 3, Maddi Lloyd 2 .

GOALS: YARRAWONGA: Kaleisha Pell 24, Mylah Kennedy 11, Madeleine Allan 8.

LAVINGTON: Hidden Player 39, Olivia Sanson 6.

B GRADE: Yarrawonga 41 def Wodonga Raiders.

C GRADE: North Albury 38 def by Yarrawonga 39.

17 & UNDER: Wodonga Raiders 49 def by Wodonga 50.

15 & UNDER: Wodonga 41 def Wodonga Raiders 30.

FIRST SEMI FINAL

A GRADE

Wangaratta 33 def by Wodonga Raiders 37

BEST: WANGARATTA: Kellie Keen 3, Issy Newton 2, Ellie Cooper 1.

WODONGA RAIDERS: Zoe Prentice 3, Emily Stewart 2, Molly Goldsworthy 1 .

GOALS: WANGARATTA: Amanda Umanski 19, Kellie Keen 12, Georgia Clark 2.

WODONGA RAIDERS: Emily Stewart 15 Mia Lavis 14 Taylor Donelan 8.

B GRADE: Wodonga 55 def Wangaratta 48

C GRADE: Wangaratta 39 def by Myrtleford 45

17 & UNDER: Wangaratta 62 def Wangaratta Rovers 39

15 & UNDER: Wangaratta Rovers 21 def by North Albury 34

A GRADE: SUNDAY, SEPT 17 - PRELIMINARY FINAL

@BIRALEE PARK, WODONGA

Yarrawonga vs Wodonga Raiders

GRAND FINAL

SUNDAY, SEPT 24

@LAVINGTON SPORTS GROUND Lavington vs winner of Yarrawonga vs Wodonga Raiders

SECOND SEMI FINAL

Wangaratta Rovers 6.10.46 def by Lavington 8.14.62

BEST: WANGARATTA ROVERS: Tom Forrest, Harvey Correll, Charles Ledger, Jez Rigoni, Sam Nolan, Finn Osborne.

LAVINGTON: Xavier Russell, Jack Costello, Alex Swinnerton, Nick Paton, Will Liersch, Oscar Lyons.

GOALS: WANGARATTA ROVERS: Samuel Comensoli 2, Judd Schubert 2, Riley Allan 1, William Ashton 1. LAVINGTON: Ryder Corrigan 3, Harryson Barber 2, Archy Cohalan 1, Cruz Nash 1, Declan Thiele 1.

FIRST SEMI FINAL Wodonga Raiders 9.12.66 def by Wangaratta 11.4.70

BEST: WODONGA RAIDERS: Oliver Robertson, Harvey Cribbes, Jack Stewart, Connor Howells, Beau O’Neill, Fraser Jensen. WANGARATTA: Daniel Young, Harry McMonigle, Dylan Browne, Oscar Roberts, Chad Donald, Connor Hughes.

GOALS: WODONGA RAIDERS: Beau O’Neill 2, Jack Stewart 2, Andrej Clark 1, Finn Gray 1, Fraser Jensen 1, Tom Johnson 1, Archer Scammell 1.. WANGARATTA: Max Bihun 3, Oscar Roberts 2, Charlie Kerwin 2, John Blake 1, Hugh Canning 1, Hunter Graham 1, Connor Hughes 1.

SUNDAY, SEPT 17- PRELIMINARY FINAL

@BIRALEE PARK, WODONGA

Wangaratta Rovers vs Wangaratta

GRAND FINAL

SUNDAY, SEPT 24

@LAVINGTON SPORTS GROUND Lavington vs winner of Wangaratta Rovers vs Wangaratta

SENIORS RESULTS RESERVES

SECOND SEMI FINAL

GOALS: YARRAWONGA: Brayden Coburn 3, Ryan Einsporn 1, Nicholas Fothergill 1, Ned

Pendergast 1, Mark Whiley 1. ALBURY: Riley Bice 2, Kolby Heiner-Hennessy 1, Anthony Miles 1.

BEST: YARRAWONGA: No best players have been selected. ALBURY: No best players have been selected

FIRST SEMI FINAL

GOALS: WANGARATTA: Mathew Grossman 4, Fraser Holland-Dean 2, Callum Moore 2, Fraser Ellis 1, Braeden Marjanovic 1, Liam Mcveigh 1. WODONGA: Matthew Wilson 3, Jett Cassidy 2, Noah Spiteri 2.

BEST: WANGARATTA: Mathew Grossman, Murray Waite, Daniel Sharrock, Tyler Norton, Liam Mcveigh, Luke Saunders. WODONGA: Matthew Wilson, Charlie Morrison, Zac Harding, Joshua Mathey, Jack O’Sullivan, Ollie Greenhill.

OVENS & MURRAY FINALS:

PRELIMINARY FINAL - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

@BIRALEE PARK, WODONGA

ALBURY vs WANGARATTA

GRAND FINAL - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

YARRAWONGA VS winner of Albury vs Wangaratta

@LAVINGTON SPORTS GROUND

FINALS SCOREBOARD

RESULTS

SECOND SEMI FINAL

Saturday, Sept 9

Lavington ..................4.8.32 Albury ......................10.9.69

GOALS: LAVINGTON: Judd Mcleod 2, Darcy Hennessy 1, Darcy Smith 1. ALBURY: Rory Parnell 3, William Blomeley 2, Jacob Brunner 2, Max Bruton 1, William Haberecht 1, Christopher Lockhart 1.

FIRST SEMI FINAL

Sunday, Sept 10 Yarrawonga ..............10.5.65

Wangaratta ..............4.11.35

GOALS: YARRAWONGA: Tim Lawrence 3, Max Hemphill 2, Ross Mulquiney 2, Luke Congram 1, Will Robinson 1, Dillon Walsh-Hall 1.

WANGARATTA: Jayden Adamo 1, Thomas Gorman 1, Darcy Melksham 1, Harrison Smart 1.

SUNDAY, SEPT 17

@BIRALEE PARK, WODONGA

Lavington vs Yarrawonga

GRAND FINAL

SUNDAY, SEPT 24

@LAVINGTON SPORTS GROUND Albury vs winner of Lavington vs Yarrawonga

NETBALL SCORESSENIORS RESULTSRESERVES RESULTS

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

A GRADE:

Milawa 46 def Tarrawingee 45

B GRADE:

Bonnie Doon 60 def Benalla 37

B RESERVE:

Milawa 57 def Benalla 41

C GRADE: Greta 43 def Bright 39 UNDER 15s: Greta 33 def Whorouly 30

PRELIMINARY FINAL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 @ TARRAWINGEE RECREATION RESERVE

GOALS: GRETA: Frazer Judd 2, Tom Baker 1, Joshua Bell 1, Daniel Cassidy 1, Brenton Newbold 1, Nicholas Pell 1, Ned Rohrt 1. BRIGHT: Cooper Thomason 5, Patrick Bren 2, Guy Campbell 1, Kieren Jamieson 1, Tex McIntosh 1, Riley O’Shea 1, Max Stevens 1.

BEST: GRETA: Mark Wettern, James McClounan, Tom Fursdon, Jarrod Morham, Bradley Whinray, Lachie Kennett. BRIGHT: Reuben Jamieson, Cooper Thomason, Michael Elliott, Tex McIntosh, Riley Bacon, Max Rampling.

PRELIMINARY FINAL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 @ TARRAWINGEE RECREATION RESERVE

13.7.85

GOALS: GRETA: Osbert Ramage 4, Brodie Pearson 2, Damiun Cassidy 1. BENALLA ALL

BLACKS: Harry Moran 11, Joshua Kotvas 1, Mark Mc Dermott 1.

BEST: GRETA: Stewart McLeod, Chris Dube, Trent Whitecross, Joshua Cleeland, Ben Monaghan, Brodie Pearson. BENALLA ALL BLACKS: Thomas Grimes, Harry Moran, Sean Hartnett, Eoin Fitzgerald, Mark Mc Dermott, Joshua Kotvas.

GRAND FINAL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 @ WJ

FINDLAY OVAL, WANGARATTA

BONNIE DOON vs BRIGHT

RESERVES - BRIGHT VS BENALLA ALL BLACKS

A GRADE: Greta vs Milawa B GRADE: Milawa vs Bonnie Doon B RESERVE: Bonnie Doon vs Milawa

C GRADE: Bonnie Doon vs Greta UNDER 15s: Bonnie Doon vs Greta

C grade Saints thrive in extra time thriller

By NATHAN DE VRIES

A DOMINANT performance in extra time saw Myrtleford triumph over Wangaratta in Sunday’s C grade semi-final.

After ending the fourth quarter deadlocked at 37-37, the Saints blew the Magpies away in the additional term to finish 45-39 up and book a spot in Sunday’s preliminary final against North Albury.

With the temperature almost as hot as the contest on the court, neither team could gain the ascendancy early.

The Saints took a four goal lead into three quarter time, but momentum swung the way of the Magpies through the final term, with Myrtleford holding their nerve to force the game to extra time.

“It was a little bit stressful towards the end there,” co-coach Georgia Ryan said.

“It was quite warm for the girls running around, so we were trying to maintain a bit of fresh legs.

“The biggest thing was that extra, external stimulation was rocking the girls a little bit, they were starting to feel that extra pressure.

“The crowd was huge, Wang Magpies actually had four teams in the netball and they were in the football as well, so they had quite a huge following.

“If it had been 10 seconds longer, Wangaratta would’ve tipped us, they had that momentum in the dying minutes, but the girls held on which was really good.”

With the match going to extra time and their season on the line, every single Saint stood up and delivered a powerhouse performance, shutting Wangaratta out defensively and capitalising with their shots.

“They get a message every week with a bit of a quote, and this week’s was ‘It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up’, and I felt that they all took that on board and held on to the end,” Ryan said.

“They blitzed it in that overtime, took that first goal then six unanswered – they only scored two in that extra time, we had complete control.

“In my head, I knew we had the momentum.

“Felicity (Lincoln) shot at just under 82 per cent, it settles us knowing she’s got that accuracy.

“Emma Sharp sets up a lot of play and she takes a lot of hits to make sure that ball does get into the ring and opens it up so we can give a nice, clean, easy feed to Felicity.

“Our defensive end was stellar with Leah Bihun and Lauren Morgan – Lauren had a horrendous match-up, her player was probably four or five inches taller than her which made for a wellfought battle.

“Alexis Johnson was brilliant

through the middle, nice and in control.”

Myrtleford’s C graders face North Albury this Sunday at Birralee Park from 10.45am for a chance to play Yarrawonga in the grand final.

“I’ve said to the girls if they want to take out this premiership, they definitely can,” Ryan said.

“We’ve not beaten North Albury yet this season – they’re quite strong, they’ve got a very dominant goalkeeper, so we’ll be working on a lot of short, sharp stuff this week.

“If we can maintain our composure, then we should come away with it.”

Bright C grade, Lions U15s downed in prelims

THE season is over for the region’s last remaining Ovens and King netball sides, with Bright’s C grade and Whorouly’s 15 and under squads crashing out in Saturday’s preliminary finals.

Bright fought hard in their match against Greta for a spot in the grand final, falling short of a comeback for the ages 39-43.

From a seven goal deficit at quarter time, Bright came tearing back into the match, refusing to let the

margin blow out and bringing it to a four goal game heading into the final term.

Despite some incredibly shooting from Mackenzie Lynch (26 goals for the match) and solid defensive work from Daisy Stonehouse and Molly Whitty, a dream result wasn’t to be.

It was a nail biting tussle in the earlier 15 and under preliminary final between Whorouly and Greta, with the Blues too strong 33-30.

The margin was within two goals for the majority

of the match, with neither team letting the pressure of the occasion get the best of them.

The Blues led the Lions by one goal at three quarter time, and managed to hold their nerve to run out winners by three goals.

Claire McDonald was sensational in the shooting end for the Lions, finishing with 24 goals to her name.

Both C grade and 15 and under grand finals this Saturday will see Greta take on Bonnie Doon for the flag.

FORCEFUL PUSH: Mackenzie Lynch looks to put pressure on Greta’s defenders.

COMPOSED: Whorouly’s Shayla Power steadies and weighs up her options going forward.

WELCOME BACK:

Star on-baller

Frazer Dale has returned to his home club and will play the next two seasons with the Saints.

Dale locked in for two years

By NATHAN DE VRIES

GUN on-baller and Myrtleford

export Frazer Dale will return to the Saints for the next two seasons, after putting pen to paper last week.

After a stellar stint with Goulburn Valley League side Mansfield which saw him picked in the interleague squad against the O&M this year, Dale will return to McNamara Reserve to bolster Myrtleford’s engine room.

With experience at AFL level for Carlton, as well as a stack of personal accolades including the Myrtleford senior B&F gong in 2017, Dale is sure to make a massive impact for the Saints in the years to come.

Coach Craig Millar said the signing was a tremendous get for the resurging side.

“We’re rapt he’s decided he wants to come home and play with us,” he said.

“The fact is he’s a really good player, he had a couple of years off, played a couple of seasons at Mansfield and he was clearly one of the best players in the GV.

“When we got wind he was potentially looking at coming home, we jumped on it as quickly as we possibly could and left no stone unturned.

“We’ll look forward to getting him into our program as soon as we can, he’s already started training with some of our players so he’s ready to go.

“I’m sure he’ll have a huge impact for us on field and off the field next year.”

It’s unclear at this stage if Dale’s younger brother Lachie, who also played at Mansfield this season, will make the trip back to his home club as well.

In other signing news, Brady Sharp has recommitted to the Saints after spending the year recovering from a knee injury sustained during preseason.

“He’s an outstanding person, and there’s no doubt he’s a good player too,” Millar said.

“Coming off a knee injury, he’s going to be fantastic for us over the preseason and he’ll be right for round one.

“He’ll play a really integral role from a leadership perspective, but also on and off the field.”

LOCKED DOWN: Leah Bihun receives a pass in the Saints’ defensive end.

PHOTO: Melissa Beattie

PHOTOS: Janet Watt

Bright seconds can go one step further

By NATHAN DE VRIES

SPORT has a funny knack of recreating matches almost down to the letter, and this Saturday’s reserve grand final is another example of this, when Bright face off against Benalla All Blacks in the decider just as they did last year.

Last season’s 38 point loss to the Panthers in the big dance has fuelled the Mountain Men on to bigger and better things, and if this season is any judge, there’s going to be some fireworks at the WJ Findlay Oval.

The Mountain Men have

been the team to beat in the twos all season, and just as they did in 2022, vanquished other teams to finish on top of the ladder heading into finals.

However, Bright’s class and power saw them sail right through to the ultimate match, with their qualifying final win over Greta 12.9 (81) to 8.6 (54) giving an extra week off to prepare.

Co-coach Darcy Martin said there has been a mountain of work put in by the side to get them to this stage.

“It’s really built

throughout the year, when we played the first game we only had about 16 and we were a bit worried, but we’ve got the right people in there,” he said.

“It’s been a lot of training sessions and a lot of commitment, we’ve been doing the extras which you probably wouldn’t expect for reserves football just to get that redemption.

“It’s been a successful year so far, and the best part is we’ve got so many young and local players.

“Everyone went to school together, everyone played local footy together, so to

have two teams playing this weekend with such a local group, it’s been a long time coming.”

With stars across their three lines, Bright will be well-positioned to perform, if they can nullify Benalla’s playmakers and chaotic game style.

“If you told me after we played them in round four and won by 170 points that we’d be playing them in a grand final, I wouldn’t have believed anyone,” Martin said.

“They’ve definitely brought in a fairly different crew and they’re fairly

unpredictable, but I think they’re very reliant on one or two key players.

“There’s a lot of talk about stopping Harry Moran after the weekend, but we’ve got to keep in mind they’re got to stop the bloke that’s kicked 140 goals.

“Up forward, Tom Mullane-Grant is probably the man, with Paul Harrison, but another one who goes under the radar is Jet Walton – he’s kicked 40-odd goals this year, so when he’s on we can really get going.

“Joe Crawley in the ruck is probably a key driver, just getting that first use, Nick

Howell is a pretty handy midfielder and Jed Pryor’s had a really good season as well in there.

“Down back, our skipper Brodie Brain’s been leading the way, with the likes of Regan Alexander who moves the ball really well, he’s a handy player to have down there as well.

“But it won’t be individuals; it’ll have to be a full team effort.”

The Mountain Men take on Benalla All Blacks this Saturday from 11.45am at WJ Findlay Oval for the 2023 Ovens and King reserves premiership – game on.

RESERVE POWER: Bright’s reserve football side, pictured before their round 19 match.

PHOTO: Charlotte Kilner

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Bright’s senior side, pictured in round 19 this season.

Mountain Men looking to break senior flag drought

By NATHAN DE VRIES

IT’S been 19 years since Bright last hoisted the Ovens and King senior cup, but this Saturday presents a golden opportunity to break the flag drought.

Having last taken out top honours in the 2004 season, the Mountain Men have featured in the decider multiple times since, with grand final appearances in 2007, 2008, and 2019.

Bright will take on last year’s runners up Bonnie Doon for the ultimate prize

in O&K footy this Saturday at WJ Findlay Oval, and if recent form is any indicator, the Mountain Men are set to give it everything they’ve got.

After finishing the home and away season third on the ladder, Bright had to do it the hard way, knocking out Moyhu, Milawa and Greta in the run into the big dance.

Coach Paul Harrison said his side had earned their place in the decider off the back of all the effort they’ve put into the year.

“We’ve put a tremendous

amount of work into the year, to be honest with you – I doubt any other team has put the amount of work in that these guys have,” he said.

“They’ve been doing recovery sessions Sunday morning for a long time, the guys are fitting in extra runs - I’m not talking 2km runs, we’ve got half our team doing extra 10km runs every week.

“With the amount of extra work they’ve put into it, they deserve and have earnt the right to be there this weekend.

“The opportunity is there now for us to create that,

so I’m sure the guys will do everything in their power to make it happen.”

The Mountain Men boast incredible talent across the park, with Harrison backing in his midfield depth to get the match moving the right direction all day.

“I really think our midfield bats a lot deeper than a lot of other teams, we’ve got six or seven guys we can throw in there and rely on they’re going to get the job done, whereas a few other teams rely on too little,” he said.

“We’ve got a pretty strong

forward half, with the likes of Cooper Thomason, Guy Campbell, Riley O’Shea can pop up and kick a couple.

“Kieren Jamieson as a centre half forward probably doesn’t get the accolades he deserves, because he does a mountain of work between centre half forward and centre half back.

“We’ve found some nice form, we changed things up with our wings and half forwards a little bit, they’re hitting the scoreboardPatty Bren, he’s kicked two the last two weeks, Jonah

McIntosh adds to the pace and class out there.

“Our back half holds up so well defensively but actually give us so much attack off the half back, led by Michael Elliott.

“I think if our bottom five or six can stand up, then that’s where the game’s going to be won for us.”

With the reserves side also in flag contention, selection will be a headache, but Bright has a phenomenal opportunity to return to Pioneer Park with flags in both grades.

In the flag fight

■ From back page

“It’s something we do work on a lot, so it was pleasing to see it come off

“At times, I think we took too many short kicks when we had the flow of the game – we tried to force things to happen when we didn’t need to.

“Our back half once again was terrific, and they’re going to have an even bigger job this week.”

Greta coach Greg Newbold said injuries throughout the finals series forced an unfortunate end to an otherwise brilliant season.

“In eight quarters of football, we’ve done three ankles, two ACLs, one meniscus, a hamstring and a concussion, that’s what’s happened to us in the last eight quarters,” he said.

“We had a really good start to the game and gave up goals in the back half of the first quarter which put us on the back foot.

“From then on, we just weren’t able to convertfrom 2.1 in the first quarter we kicked 6.18.

“We missed shots we should’ve landed, missed passes we should’ve hit.

“The two things that are most important statistics in football at times are scoreboard pressure and injuries – unfortunately, both of those things have accounted for us this year.

“We miss out, but we’ll live to fight another day next year.”

The Mountain Men will take on Bonnie Doon this Saturday at WJ Findlay Oval in the senior grand final, after the reserve decider between Bright and Benalla All Blacks.

CONTEST: Ruckmen Mark Wettern (left) and Joe Gray go head to head in the centre of the ground. PHOTOS: Kurt Hickling

OUT OF ROOM: Patrick Bren ushers Tom Rosser over the boundary line.

CLEARED: Clyde Baker Medallist James McClounan boots the ball free from the contest.

A message from United Bright Football Netball Club president Gerard Gray

WE are just so excited for both footy teams to have gotten the reward for effort in making the grand final.

They’ve given themselves a chance to go all the way and we know if they can play their very best football that they can do.

I know that the reserves have had around 60 different players pull on the jumper this year to make sure we have fielded a team each week, which is a huge effort.

A massive congrats has to go to Darcy Martin in rallying the troops and being able to call on so many players to make the reserves such a strong united group.

In the seniors Paul Harrison has done an outstanding job as senior coach this year, ably assisted by Nick Howell and a fantastic

Big on

Big

leadership group.

Paul has worked tirelessly since last October confirming players, bringing some new players in and setting a standard that would see us in to the last game of the year, so thank you, Paul!

The club could not be any prouder of not just our senior and reserve grade footballers making the grand final, but to all of our teams that made the finals this year - our B reserve, C grade, 15 and under, and Under 14 Development Squad played netball finals this year, along with the under 14 Bright junior footballers making the finals in the Wangaratta and District Junior Football League.

Good luck to all the boys this Saturday, we know you’ll do the club proud.

UBFNC president Gerard Gray.

PHOTO: Brodie Everist

EXTRA TIME THRILLER

MYRTLEFORD’S C grade side progressed through to the preliminary finals after overpowering Wangaratta in extra time. Alexis Johnson (pictured) and the Saints outscored the Magpies eight goals to two after regular play to book a match with North Albury this Sunday. Match report: page 27.

3 McGeehan Crescent, Myrtleford. AH: 5752 2198

Chiltern charge into TDFL grand final

By DANIEL SAVILLE

THEY have travelled the scenic route to get there, but Chiltern have made it to the ultimate destination – the Tallangatta & District Football league grand final.

After finishing fourth on the ladder in the regular season, the Swans have had to face three consecutive elimination finals and could not have been any more impressive in their wins against Barnawartha, Beechworth and most recently Yackandandah, in what was at times a fiery contest between two quality teams.

Chiltern held a 16-point lead at quarter-time, but the margin couldn’t be reeled in by a determined Yackandandah outfit, who lost captain Ben McIntosh in the second quarter after being knocked out.

Both teams were wasteful in front of goals and couldn’t always capitalise on opportunities inside forward 50, highlighted by a combined 12 goals from 38 scoring shots, but the low match total says a lot about how desperate each team was to defend their goal face.

In the flag fight

GRETA’S senior side will be ruing missed opportunities in their forward 50 after a loss to Bright in Saturday’s preliminary final at Tarrawingee.

The Blues had plenty of scoring shots but couldn’t make the most of them, downed 8.19 (67) to the Mountain Men’s 12.7 (76).

With a spot in next week’s grand final against Bonnie Doon up for grabs, both sides exploded into the contest, as Greta slotted the first goal of the game through Frazer Judd.

However, the Mountain Men warmed into the match, producing a six goal first term to take a 23

Chances go begging for Blues, Bright storm to decider Ch g b ggi g f Bl , B igh d id r

BY NATHAN DE VRIES ndevries@ nemedia.com.au

point lead at quarter time.

While the Blues’ forward 50 pressure and work at the contest was exceptional, Bright found a way to clear the footy, transitioning end to end through smart ball movement and clean skills resulting in effective shots on goal.

Trailing by 19 points with 10

behinds heading into the second half of the match, Greta stepped up to the challenge, but still failed to make the most of their forward 50 entries with snaps under pressure flying wide.

With the majority of the ball and solid defensive work, the Blues fell short of a comeback, as Bright proved too strong and will now face the Bombers this weekend for the flag.

Bright coach Paul Harrison said his side’s defensive pressure got them over the line.

“I know it looks like if they had kicked straight they would’ve won, but from our perspective, a lot of the shots they had were on the run, on sharp angles,” he said.

“We were forcing them as wide as possible, I think they only had five set shots for the entire game – the rest of them were shots they were trying to force.

“We were able to move the ball really well a lot of the time, and transition it from across our half back to deep into our forward half.

■ Continued page 30

Chiltern finished the game with a 26-point victory – 8.14 (62) to 4.12 (36).

Minor premiers Kiewa-Sandy Creek stands in the way of a Chiltern team that is looking to go back-to back after last year’s low-scoring triumph against the same opposition, when the Swans beat the Hawks by 16 points to claim the 2022 premiership.

Chiltern have only conceded a miserly 13 goals during the finals series, but the Kiewa-Sandy Creek senior side of 2023 will be hard to keep down for too long.

While the Hawks may enter the match as deserved favourites to win at their home away from home in Sandy Creek, their only loss for the season was against this week’s opponent but managed to win their round 5 fixture to be tied at one game all heading into the all-important decider.

The UBFNC are thrilled to have our Seniors & Reserves playing in this week’s Grand Final. Thank you so much to our hard working committee, coaches & volunteers for getting us this far.

We now all need to get as much Blue & White down to the Wang Rovers Ground by 11:30 on Saturday and cheer like we’ve never cheered before #GoBright

PHOTO: Melissa Beattie