Buckland farmer Bruce Lumsden is looking forward to some relaxation after he and his wife exited the dairy industry, marking the end of dairy farming in the Upper Ovens. He won’t have too much time for rest though, as he’s making the move into beef cattle.
■ Story page 2.
PHOTO: Brodie Everist
THE Australian Workers Union (AWU) is applying for a protected industrial action ballot across Victorian alpine resorts, which may result in work stoppages by resort staff during the snow season.
The AWU announced last week that months-long negotiations between ARV employees and the statutory authority had stalled, alleging Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV) was refusing to address employees’ lack of weekend penalty rates and overtime compensation for working outside of daylight hours.
“This is, from the union’s
BY BRODIE EVERIST beverist@ nemedia.com.au
perspective, a once-in-alifetime opportunity for the alpine industry to fix the discrimination they’ve faced in their award and in their enterprise agreements for decades, where they get inferior conditions to the rest of the workforce,” AWU regional organiser James Newbold said.
According to the AWU, most ARV employees receive no weekend penalty rates and no compensation for irregular shifts in extreme
weather conditions.
Before industrial action can be deemed legal, employees must apply to the Fair Work Commission for approval to hold a ballot and the employees must vote in favour of taking the action.
According to the Fair Work Commission, a ballot can be held when bargaining fails for a new enterprise agreement or the existing agreement is out-of-date.
Mr Newbold said the ballot will allow employees to consider a range of industrial actions, including work stoppages of five minutes to a whole day, partial work bans, or bans on work be-
tween midnight and 8am.
“We hope the ballot itself will send a strong enough message, but we are preparing our members for the eventuality that ARV doesn’t see reason here and may force our members’ hands to take some actions that are listed on the ballot,” he said.
Mr Newbold said the ballot will close on June 25, in time for potential industrial action in the winter school holidays.
Alpine Resorts Victoria chief executive officer Amber Gardner said ARV does not expect the ballot to impact holiday makers for the coming ski season.
“Progress in our discussions has been positive, with ARV’s approach being to harmonise employment terms and conditions for employees, by generally adopting the most generous provision from our current enterprise agreements for each entitlement,” she said.
“Discussions will continue in the coming weeks, and we are confident these will continue to be productive.
“We’re disappointed that employees who are members of the AWU have been asked to vote on possible industrial action.
“However, we respect the rights of our people to
choose whether or not to participate.
“We are committed to achieving an outcome that delivers benefits for staff as well as delivering a sustainable future for the resorts.”
ARV has been in ongoing negotiations with the union regarding updated enterprise agreements since last year, following the merger of four alpine resort management boards in 2022.
According to ARV, they have been working with staff representatives to merge the four different enterprise agreements of the previous boards into one agreement.
MORE than 5000 people from around Australia gathered in Myrtleford’s Piazza over the weekend to celebrate Italian culture, food, wine and music at this year’s La Fiera Festival.
The festival, now in its 15th year, is run by local volunteers including committee member John Costenaro, who said this year’s event was spectacular.
“The entire weekend ran so smoothly and the weather was glorious for us on the Saturday for our La Festa,” he said.
“On Friday we had over 2000 tickets sold and the entire weekend saw more than
BY LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE LAndersonByrne@ nemedia.com.au
5000 people enjoy the local region and our huge range of activities and events.
“The main event on Saturday brought in around 3000 and we spoke to people from Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and even further afield.
“Lots were return visitors from last year’s event but we also saw many new faces who had never been which was great.
“We had people tell us
they would be returning next year, as well as visiting throughout the year to explore the region further.
“I truly believe this event is pivotal for the region as a whole.”
Mr Costenaro said although La Festa was wellreceived as expected, all external events based away from the piazza had great patronage as well.
“We kicked off on Friday with a great dinner with chef Patrizia Simone and it was a full house there,” he said.
“The children’s activ-
ity hub on Saturday was extremely popular as was the Il Mercato on Sunday.
“We had great entertainment throughout the weekend and it was lovely to see families with picnic baskets enjoying the sun and good food.
“None of this would be possible without our volunteers who help with set up and running of the event on the day, a big shoutout goes to them.
“The same people who come in year after year and they make our event, and
this year they really stood out with their blue vests.
“It meant they were more visible to patrons and were someone to go to if people had questions.
“That thanks also includes the local Ovens Landcare Group who did all the waste management to make sure it ran smoothly.”
Dino Michelini, director of the festivals major sponsor Michelini Wines, said the event was absolutely fantastic.
“We had pre-booked lunches at the winery on Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the event, which were successful and wellreceived, as well as a stall on Saturday and Sunday.
“We think it was one of the largest events and it was also great to see lots of visitors who came into beautiful Myrtleford.
“Everybody had a great time and we’re already looking forward to the next one.”
“The weather really showed out on Saturday this year, it was great to see so many people there,” he said.
More photos page 12.
AMID low milk prices and the failure of a dairy cooperative Buckland dairy farmer Bruce Lumsden was considering leaving the industry in 2015.
“The price was so poor that for three years we made a loss on the dairy farm and all I could see was gathering debt,” he said.
He and his wife, Robin, stuck it out for another nine years, buoyed by strong prices and good seasons, but this time it’s for certain.
After 101 years the Lumsden family have left the dairy industry and moved into beef cattle, marking the end of dairy in the Upper Ovens region and generations of dairy farmers at their Buckland farm.
This time it wasn’t economics that drove the decision, but simply the passage of years.
Nearing 70 years old, Mr Lumsden said they are retiring from the demanding rigour of dairy farming, including milking the cows twice a day, feeding, calving and calf rearing.
“It’s seven days a week and it’s relentless,” he said.
“If you talk to any dairy farmer they would say the same; there’s no rest period and you’re on call.
“If a cow’s got to be delivered, a calving in the middle of the night, you’ve got to go and attend to it no matter whether you’ve been out or whether you’ve got up early.
“My wife and I are of the age when it’s time to stop.”
The decision marks over a hundred years of dairy farming at the property.
According to Mr Lumsden, in 1923 his grandparents Charles and
Margaret Lumsden came from Scotland to the Buckland property, previously run as a dairy farm for an estimated 40-50 years by the Howell family.
They weren’t farmers, he said, and not long after becoming established they endured the Great Depression, World War II, followed by years of industry booms and busts.
“The locals were sure that they would fail and, in reality, I’m surprised that they didn’t,” he said.
Dairy farming was once common across the region, including in the Ovens, King and Kiewa Valleys, Mr Lumsden said, but he wasn’t sure why dairy farming has since dried up, suggesting it may be down to increasing mechanisation and productivity.
“When I was a kid if anybody was milking 120 cows that was considered a really big herd, whereas today that would be considered a very small herd,” he said.
“When I first came home on
AS the group of 16 Bright locals crossed the finish line of the Great Ocean Road Marathon on Sunday, a crowd of 40 supporters could be heard cheering them on, including the young man who inspired their cause.
Dylan Sgambelloni, who lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, stood alongside his parents as a group of his mates completed the 44km marathon, raising $22,000 for the Save Our Sons Duchenne Foundation (SOS)Â in the process.
Rob Merrett, part of the running group, said despite the cold, wet weather, the run was an incredible
thing to be a part of.
“It was such an incredible show of community and support, we had about 16 of us who ran in the end,” he said.
“We have all had the pleasure and privilege of sharing life with Dylan and throughout his life have known him as a strong, resilient and positive person.
“His can-do attitude is a testament to Dyl and his urge to live life to the absolute fullest.
“Dyl really enjoyed it and got to run along the finish line with Jed Pryor which he loved.
“Considering we thought our initial goal of $20,000 was ambitious, to get to $22k was amazing.
“Everything really just
came together in the last cope of weeks and we had a really good support team at the end there as well.
“Everyone finished which was the main thing, we made sure to wait for everyone at the finish line and to see how much Dyl appreciated what we were doing was super special.
“This started as an idea at the end of last year so it’s been a big thing we’ve been working towards and it was such a cool weekend to be a part of.
“To bring that many people together in such an amazing effort really is a reflection of the amount of care and love we have for Dyl.”
Mr Merrett thanked everyone who donated, more
the farm, if we had a cow that was producing 18 litres of milk a day she was probably our very best cow, whereas, we’ve had cows producing over 50 litres a day.”
He said they’ve had the only dairy farm in the Buckland Valley since 1980, while another in Porepunkah closed in 1986.
Mr Lumsden said they had been considering exiting the dairy industry since 2015, when they had been hit by poor prices and the failure of a dairy cooperative.
Luckily, Mr Lumsden managed to sell shares in the co-op when the new buyer took over, and dairy prices started to improve.
“In the last four years it’s been a delight to dairy farm because we’ve had very good prices, we’ve had very good seasons, but those things don’t always line up,“ he said.
They have been breeding a beef cattle herd from their dairy cows and sold the remnants of their dairy herd to a farmer in Moyhu only last week.
They have around 10 dairy cows, including their pet cow.
“There’s certain things I won’t miss and that’s getting up early every morning, particularly in the winter,” Mr Lumsden said.
Mrs Lumsden agreed.
“You don’t have to rush home to milk,” she said.
However, it’s too soon to say what they’ll be doing with their spare time.
“I think we’ve yet to work out the things that we’d like to and probably the things that we can’t do,” Mr Lumsden said.
“At the moment, we’re just sort of relaxing - not going as hard.”
CRASH: Both the Bright and Myrtleford SES attended a car rollover in Eurobin on Monday morning.
A CAR rollover in Eurobin early Monday morning was caused by driver fatigue, according to police.
Leading senior constable Tony Finlaw, of Bright Police, said the male driver had been travelling from Melbourne to Bright when he fell asleep at the wheel and began driving towards the left-hand side of the road.
“He woke up, panicked, overcorrected and veered off the side of the road,” Sen Const Finlaw said.
“His vehicle dug into some dirt and rolled.”
Sen Const Finlaw said the vehicle’s two occupants were not injured, but the pregnant female passenger was taken to Wangaratta hospital for a health assessment.
Both the Bright and Myrtleford SES were notified of the incident at 3:50am.
According to Myrtleford SES controller David Coates, one passenger was initially trapped but was extricated before the SES arrived.
He said police, Ambulance Victoria, Porepunkah CFA and the two SES units attended the crash.
According to Mr Coates, SES attended for around two hours directing traffic and assisting the tow truck driver to remove the car.
than 200 people, as well as the Bright community, local businesses and sponsors who got behind the cause.
The group’s sponsors include John Pryor, Mitch Dalbosco Electrical,
Torque Electrical Services, Dalbosco Wines, Bright Accounting, Bright Rotary, Bright FNC, Dylan Wilson Torque Electrical, BDO and Ashfords Accountants.
“We were also so thankful to those who came to watch and cheer us on.
“This will be something we’ll remember for a long time.”
“To see how the community rallied around us made it all worth it,” he said.
17-year-old Ruby Bryant is seeking help to achieve her dream of becoming a professional show jumper, after being selected to compete in a major equestrian event in Brazil.
The Porepunkah resident is planning to attend the Global Amateur Tour in Sao Paulo in August, a 12-day competition experience for riders 15 years and over who can jump at heights of at least 1.15 metres, but the trip will come at a significant cost.
The amateur tour is part of the CSI Sao Paulo 5*, reportedly the largest international indoor showjumping competition in South America.
Ruby said the competition is an important stepping stone to becoming professional, with the opportunity to train for four days, compete for three days in a world-class venue and meet fellow show jumpers.
“It’s always been a dream to compete overseas and never thought it would really happen at this age,” she said.
Ruby and her mother Virginnia Armstong are fundraising for $15,000 to help pay for the multitude of expenses associated with the trip, including flights, travel insurance, accommodation and horse insurance.
They have set up a funding page at the Australian Sports Foundation website seeking $5000, and they have also received a $1000 donation from the Community Bank Bright.
Director of the Community Bank Bright board Lenore Taylor
said the donation is part of their commitment to reinvest their profits into the community.
“We see this as an opportunity of really assisting somebody who’s got a dream, who’s young and who’s local to kind of get that start they might need.
“It’ll be exciting to see how she goes.”
The first two parts of the trip will consist of attending equestrian facilities to select a competition horse then training with it to understand its temperament and characteristics.
Ruby said all horses have different characteristics that the rider must work with – and used her own horses as an example.
Of her three horses, one has a
smaller stride and likes to jump, one is heavier and is more work to take around a course, and one is quite naughty, she said.
“Lots of horses have different quirks and different styles you have to get used to,” she said.
“It takes a while to actually understand how to ride them.
“I’m still training my horses, but to have a horse that already knows what it’s doing and has done it heaps would be a really good opportunity.”
Ruby has been showjumping for between five and ten years and regularly attends showjumping events across Victoria and New South Wales.
“I have competitions on weekends, and I have three [horses] to
ride, which means they all need to be worked at least three or four times a week,” she said.
Her mother said she is particularly proud that Ruby trains her own horses.
“She’s got two horses that we’ve bred, and she’s trained pretty much herself,” she said.
“A lot of people buy their horses.”
Ruby also thanked Ledger Racing, a North East horse training company, for helping break in and train her horses, as well as her Canberra-based equestrian trainer Stephen Dingwall.
Ruby’s fundraising webpage can be found here: https://asf.org. au/projects/ruby-bryant/rubybryant-jumpstart-rubys-quest-tobrazil.
PLANS to upgrade the Cundy Park playground in Myrtleford will cost over a million dollars, according to council.
The proposed spend was disclosed at last month’s council meeting, where councillors noted two recent applications for sports infrastructure grants.
According to council, they recently applied for grants from the Victorian Government’s Regional Community Sports Infra-
structure Fund for the upgrade of the Mount Beauty cricket nets and the Cundy Park playground.
Director of assets Alan Rees said design work to support the playground funding application indicated a spend of around $1.25 million.
A successful grant application would require a $250,000 contribution from council.
The total cost for the Mount Beauty cricket nets upgrade would cost $221,760 with a council contribution of $20,000, and
$5000 of in-kind resources, if the application is successful.
Chief executive officer Will Jeremy said the council funds will comes from yearly allocation of around $1.8 million for capital works.
Parts of the Cundy Park playground have been fenced off for several months.
According to Mr Rees, the playground needs significant maintenance due to a white ant infestation.
“We ‘re currently investigat-
ing a short-term opportunity to remedy that, just through maintenance activities and we’re obtaining estimates of what that will take,” he said.
The Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund is a competitive Victorian Government investment program open to Victorian rural and regional councils, and Alpine Resorts Victoria.
The fund aims to deliver new and upgraded community sports infrastructure.
ANTI-BATTERY: A protest sign near the site of the proposed BESS.
A PETITION sponsored by Nationals Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, opposing the construction of Mint Renewables’ Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) has been tabled in Parliament with more than 1300 signatures.
“It is clear that there is a clear desire to protect agricultural land, not just from locals, but from visitors all around the state,” Mr McCurdy said.
“The community has banded together to gain more support and they have been rewarded for their hard work.
“This is a clear message to the government on renewables – you cannot place the burden solely on the country whilst leaving Melbourne pristine.”
The petition requested that the Legislative Assembly of Victoria call on the Minister for Planning to reject the Dederang BESS due to widespread community opposition, as well as environmental, bushfire, and health concerns.
WHOROULY Primary School students celebrated the school’s 150th anniversary last Wednesday.
School principal Pauline McPherson said the school celebrations, coinciding with the exact opening of the school in 1874, comprised a birthday party then a ‘talent quest’ series of performances by students.
Further community celebrations were held at the school on Saturday, with a tree planting and the unveiling of commemorative pavers and artwork.
The tree was planted by the school’s two youngest students and one of Whorouly’s oldest residents.
The artwork was created by school students from grades three to six depicting the school in 1874, 1999 and today.
Following the ceremony attendees toured the school, viewed historical records, photos, and student and parent reflections of their time at Whorouly Primary School.
Ms McPherson said there was a range of attendees, including former teachers and students and past town residents.
“Past students spent hours poring over the materials we had,” she said. Celebrations continued into the evening with students, teachers and families enjoying dinner at a local function centre.
According to Ms McPherson, between 80-100 attended the community celebration, while around 100 attended the dinner. She thanked the community for their support.
“It was really a team effort that got it up and happening,” she said.
IMMENSE power, breakneck speeds and the rush of adrenaline are all part of Myrtleford mechanic Rob Kerr’s passion: drag racing.
The 61 year old has been around cars all his life, and part of the drag racing world since his early 20s.
“I got involved at a very young age, around when I had a V8 Torana when I was 19,” he said.
“It is a very expensive sport so I wasn’t able to be involved at the level I am now; I’ve only really been doing it in the last two years.
“In that time I’ve won the Easter Nationals at Heathcote Park Raceway, as well as the Nostalgia Nationals US Muscle Class two years in a row, and I’m hoping to make it a third this August.
“I also came runner up in the Central Victoria Drag and Drive.
“I built my 1967 Rambler American myself in my garage and it just does everything right and is very competitive.
“I’ve just always been a car enthusiast so I like fast cars and plenty of power.
“The drag racing community is also one where I’ve found friends, it’s a great family atmosphere and I just love the people.”
According to the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), a drag race is an acceleration contest from a standing start between two vehicles over a measured distance, and a drag racing event is a series of such two-vehicle,
READY TO GO: Mechanic Rob Kerr is gearing up for another win at this year’s
racing event.
tournament-style eliminations.
Mr Kerr said it’s a sport that essentially comes down to your reaction time.
“It’s not just two cars that line up at a set of lights,” he said.
“If you have the faster car the other car gets a handicap start to make up difference of time so technically both cars should be equal at the end and it’s really about reaction time and how your car performs.
“It’s about driving skill and
also knowing when you’re going too fast and can break out of your time.
“It’s a huge adrenaline rush and a big thrill as it all happens very quickly.
“My car has a horsepower of nearly 700 so it does a standing quarter mile (400m) in 10.2 seconds at more than 100km per hour.
“I love that I get to travel for the sport too; I’ve been to track in South Australia, Queensland, Sydney and all around Australia.
“Getting to the winner’s circle is a pretty great achievement too.
“It’s a great sport and keeping it off the streets is important.
“To get involved in the proper place to drive high power vehicles safely and in a controlled environment.”
Mr Kerr thanked local businesses Guns Garage, Myrtleford Motors and Mitch Ivone Tilt Tray Services for their continued support, as well as his wife, Catherine.
GET INVOLVED: Alpine
Shire Council chief executive officer, Will Jeremy, said the MAV Stand for Council initiative aims to motivate and assist a wide array of candidates from diverse backgrounds within the local community.
THE Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is calling all community leaders and potential candidates to get inspired through their Stand for Council campaign.
To support potential candidates, the MAV is partnering with councils across the state to host regional-based information sessions.
Alpine Shire Council chief executive officer, Will Jeremy, said the MAV Stand for Council initiative aims to motivate and assist a wide array of candidates from diverse backgrounds within the local community.
“They provide valuable insights into the responsibilities of a councillor, the wide array of issues you’ll explore, and the rewarding commitment you’ll be making,” he said.
“Whether you’ve decided to run or are just exploring the possibility, I encourage you to attend a session, either in person or online, to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a councillor and how you can make a difference.”
A session will be held at the Wangaratta Performing Arts and Convention Centre on Thursday 13 June from 6.30pm. Registrations for the event can be made here: https://shorturl.at/nru89
For more information on the MAV Stand for Council campaign visit the MAV website: https://www.mav.asn.au/standfor-council-2024.
FOR
Bright Valley offers a range of homes to suit everyone. Each residence has been thoughtfully crafted with enduring materials, sustainable features, and spaces tailored specifically for the local lifestyle. Filled with warmth, texture and character, every angle of Bright Valley exudes the essence of home. With a choice of nine distinct house types, move into your alpine sanctuary in 2025.
Only a limited number of 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom homes are still available. Contact one of our agents today.
Accountants
BRIGHT ACCOUNTING
Certified Practising Accountants – C.P.A.
Accounting for small businesses and individuals.
4-1a Camp Street, Bright Phone: 5755 5105 E enquiries@brightaccounting.com.au
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
MYOTHERAPY, MUSCLE HEALTH & FITNESS
THIS year the theme for National Volunteer Week is ‘something for everyone’. Over my time as an MP I have met all kinds of volunteers, each of them contributing in their own way to make our communities even better.
From showground committees to public hall and rec reserve committees, those involved in Landcare or local music programs, schools, hospitals, and aged care –thank you.
Our hardworking CFA and SES volunteers who take time away from their jobs and their families in order to keep us safe – thank you.
To those in sport, whether
the scorekeepers, coaches, umpires, groundsmen, or those manning the canteen –thank you.
To our volunteers in churches, neighbourhood houses, Foodshare and op shops, providing support for people who need it - thank you. Each and every volunteer uses their skills to make the world a better place,
contributing their time and passion to build us up and make us thrive.
They are the backbone of our local communities and ensure that there is ‘something for everyone’ no matter how remote the location, or how niche the idea.
To each and every one of you – thank you.
Tim McCurdy MP, Member for Ovens Valley
Hearing Services
JO ROSS-JACKSON HEARING
Now at 29 Clyde Street Myrtleford Plus Standish Street Surgery & Bright Allied Health For appointments call 5752 2817
Dennis Kersting Dip. RM CM. Myrtleford - 18 Rayner Street Phone: 0427 440 744 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
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
LETTERS to the editor must be signed with the full name, address and contact telephone number of the author provided. Letters under 250 words are preferred and we reserve the right to edit letters to fit available space. Nom de plumes will only be published at the editor’s discretion. Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by this newspaper.
Email: edit.timesobserver@nemedia.com.au
Post: North East Media 76 Standish Street, Myrtleford, Vic 3737
WHILE many were partying at La Fiera last Saturday, another tribute to Italian culture was being tested at Myrtleford’s Club Savoy, with hopes the initiative could grow in coming years.
The club hosted an informal Italian car display organised by former town resident and vintage car expert Leo Notarianni, featuring a handful of classic motors outside and a memorabilia display in the club’s foyer.
The cars included a Ferrari Testarossa, a Ferrari 308 GTS and a Fiat 500 Giardiniera estate wagon (right-hand drive).
“The display was small, but the quality and calibre of cars was very high,” said Mr Notarianni.
“It’s easy to organise car shows where there’s a lot of cars that always get seen at car shows, but it’s very seldom that a Testarossa gets seen or a GIardiniera.”
Mr Notarianni is planning to hold a similar display next year, where car owners are allowed to come and go, with ease, rather than being locked
into a parking space for the length of an event.
“Some festivals you’ve got to close the doors,” he said.
“Ten o’clock in the morning to four o’clock they can’t join
and they can’t leave.
“I don’t want to do that because Myrtleford’s a very informal sort of place and people come up from Melbourne and they’ve got other commitments.”
Mr Notarianni works in the film industry as a professional vintage car coordinator, sourcing vintage cars and making sure they are period-appropriate for the production.
FRIENDS of the Kiewa and Alpine Valleys have voiced their endorsement for the Alpine Shire Council’s plan to seek support from the State Government for significant landscape overlays.
Alpine Shire Council last week pledged to work together with other northeast councils to seek financial or direct support for more comprehensive significant landscape overlays in the region.
Alpine Shire chief executive officer Will Jeremy said council sees a significant link between land assessments and the transition into renewables.
“We feel exposed by the lack of significant overlays and the fact the government is running a process to determine where things might be sited,” he said.
“Our planning controls at the moment don’t provide an adequate oversight of where significant landscapes are and our concern is a decision will be made in the absence of that information.
“We will lead that collabo-
ration with other councils and, as a group, we’ll pitch our position to the state government.”
The pledge follows the Victorian Government’s recently declaration of renewable energy facilities as Significant Economic Development projects, removing third-party appeals from
their planning processes in an aim to meet Victoria’s renewable energy target of net zero by 2045.
Planning permits for renewable energy facilities, utility installations and associated subdivision will now be decided under a fasttrack planning process.
Friends of the Kiewa and
mountain life both on and off the and is the dedicated media servicing Mt Hotham, Falls Creek, dedicated media Mt Hotham, Falls Dinner Plain and the Great Alpine Road Dinner Plain and the Great Road.
will be published and distributed by June 2023 will be and distributed June 2023. Subsequent
it’s an excellent pitch.
“Our understanding is that it is about declaring places such as Mt Buffalo and Falls Creek as areas of significance like the Grampians and the Great Ocean Road for example,” she said.
“Doing something like this may at least future proof our ridge lines from wind tower developments.
“Collaborating with other councils to make a pitch to the State Government sounds like a positive way to approach it.
“We understand the current significant landscape
overlays appear to only relate to the valley floors and not the mountains and forested areas.
“Mr Jeremy’s statement about our area being a beautiful place that many people visit and move to for the landscape is spot on.
“This is one of the facets that we have been focused on in our presentations.
“The liveability and amenity of rural lifestyle blocks will be heavily impacted by renewable energy infrastructure if it infiltrates our valleys.
“One of our deep concerns is that renewable energy companies are driving around our valleys trying to sign up landholders and give no consideration to the already existing significant landscape overlays; they just sign them up anyway.
“We are yet to see if this has an impact on the decision to approve planning permits by the minister, time will tell, and we have no right of appeal through VCAT.
“Our fight is about the future of our Alpine valleys as a collective.
“It’s not like they can ever be replaced.”
snow sports outlets in Melbourne and Visitor snow outlets in Melbourne and Visitor Information Centres Centres.
Mt Hotham Falls Creek News is also available free as a digital edition which can be accessed via smart as a edition which can be accessed via smart phone, tablet or desktop device tablet or device.
Every
0427 494 309
Email: jking@nemedia.com.au
Web: www.nemedia.com.au
18-20 Smith Street, Myrtleford
Nestled amidst the picturesque landscapes of Myrtleford, this extraordinary Victorian Estate stands a testament to the architectural grandeur of a bygone era & beckons you into a realm of timeless elegance. Immerse yourself in the eternal sophistication of this solid brick residence crafted in the early 1900’s with a historical architectural brilliance that once graced the Bush Nursing Hospital. Features are, however, not limited to:- Double block (1470 squaremeters); Indoor cellar & Attic; Powered shed /workshop;- Garden shed; Ducted heating/ cooling with added ready to welcome them into a lifestyle of sophistication & timeless elegance.
How often do you visit the area?
We visit here between autumn and winter, or summer and spring, so twice a year. We try to come here in as early autumn as possible, but if we don’t, sometimes it ends up being winter.
What do you visit for?
We come here for nature, greenery, the slow pace, the calmness that this area has, the lifestyle where you feel no one is in a real rush. You feel very calm and very relaxed.
What do you do for a living?
I’m a property developer.
What are your hobbies or interests?
Cycling, fishing and walking.
Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?
Anywhere to Bright, Myrtleford and particularly a good drive to Mount Beauty. That’s a nice scenic drive depending on what season you drive there - we are planning to do that tomorrow. I think Bright is the main attraction. They’ve got some of the best pie shops in Bright, especially Gum Tree Pies.
Is there anything you would change about the area?
A downside that I sometimes feel is that it gets too busy with too many people, particularly over the weekends. This is why we tend to come midweek or on weekdays because it’s a lot more calm. Saturday, Sunday, particularly in the holiday season, it loses the magic. There are enough facilities, supermarkets and restaurants here, maybe in Bright it lacks a variety of restaurants other than bakeries and pubs.
How long have you been living in the area?
Petula, myself and our family retired to Bright 23 years ago to join my sister who had emigrated from the UK in her early 20s.
What do you do for a living?
I am a retired senior executive legal officer from the British Civil Service but have simultaneously been a livestock farmer and a re-builder of farmhouses. I also repurposed a derelict manor house into a country hotel.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I am a member of Bright Alpine Uniting Church, Bright Rotary Club, Sustainable Upper
Ovens (environmental group) and a member of Mount Beauty AGL Community Board. I am passionately involved in fighting climate change and writing about the many injustices in the world. I was lucky enough to help our fantastic MP, Dr Helen Haines, as a volunteer assistant in Canberra. I still try to live by my old Boy Scout motto “Help other people at all times” and Jesus’ commandment to “Love one another”.
What do you like about the area?
Bright has a good caring community. There are a lot of clubs and activities to join and the tree-lined streets are so beautiful, particularly in autumn.
Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?
I would take them to the top of Mount Buffalo to give them a full panorama of our beautiful area, looking down on the Buckland Valley. I would visit the falls on the way up.
Is there anything you would change about the area?
Somehow reduce the number of second homes
used as Airbnb, depriving younger locals of an opportunity to buy a home in their hometown.
Do you have any ambitions for the future? I am now 83 years old. I would like to stay healthy enough to continue looking after my now large family and contributing to our caring society. Dr Rowan and the team at Bright Medical Centre is helping me achieve this ambition.
How long have you lived here?
I came here 10 months ago from Oxford in the UK. I was recruited via the scouting system to play cricket for the Mount Beauty team.
What do you like about the area?
The people are fantastic, the mountains, the outdoor activity, there’s so much to do, plus it’s peaceful.
Would you like to see any additions or changes?
Yes, a cocktail bar would be good, more live music and more single girls.
What do you do, your hobbies and interests?
I work at Tawonga South Butchers, and at Settlers Tavern. I play cricket as an ‘ all rounder’ for Mount Beauty and I love any outdoor activities, hiking and more.
What are you future plans and ambitions?
I want to stay here in the Valley, get my citizenship, become an Aussie, but I’d still play cricket for England.
IN the Alpine Shire chestnuts are a common sight in autumn –sold by the bag at local markets and an attraction for two local festivals.
In fact, conditions are so good for chestnuts growers the nut’s national lobby group, Chestnuts Australia, is based here.
But it has one nutty problem –many people don’t know how to eat them.
According to Tanya Edwards, communications officer for Chestnuts Australia, said they have found many people don’t know how to eat chestnuts, so have created resources to show how they can be cooked and stored.
At last Saturday’s La Fiera Festival in the Myrtleford Piazza, the group was selling roasted chestnuts, chestnut paraphernalia, as well as handing out free information on the nut.
Chestnuts Australia recommend good chestnuts should be firm, glossy and heavy, and they should be stored in the fridge.
“To prepare them, you must always score them or put a cut or a cross because it’s a bit like a potato,” Ms Edwards said.
“A chestnut, if it’s not scored, it will explode.”
To negate the chestnut’s short season, their final tip is to freeze cooked chestnuts so they can be used for months.
“They can appear a bit daunting if you don’t know what to do with them, but it’s not really that hard,” Ms Edwards said.
Wandiligong resident Lindsay Bennett, who was roasting chestnuts at the Wandiligong
Nut Festival last month, said sometimes the chestnut’s prickly outer casing, called a burr, can confuse potential nut pickers.
“A lot of people see the prickly burr, and they don’t really know
what it is, that this beautiful nut’s inside it,” he said.
Mr Bennett said the growth of different ethnicities in Australia has resulted in a greater understanding of the chestnut’s culinary capacity.
“We’ve got foods that 15-20 years ago we hadn’t even heard of and now they’re a staple every day,” he said.
“Chestnuts are one of those things that have been around forever, but we really didn’t know what to do with them.
“Now we’re getting enough ethnic people that grew up with them in Europe, that are that are living here now, that enjoy them.”
Roasting on a fire or in the oven is common, but Mr Bennett recommended boiling them.
He boils them for twenty minutes, cuts them in half, adds some butter and squeezes the nut out of the husk.
Wodonga resident Robert Lacey, who had come up to visit Bright last month, was a self-confessed chestnut novice, saying he prefers almonds and cashews.
“I know nothing about chestnuts,” he said.
“If my wife were here maybe she would be able to help.”
After some discussion on the merits of the chestnut, Mr Lacey suggested a tool could be invented to remove the nut from its shell.
“It would bring that sort of nut onto the market,” he said.
FUNDING is available to support community initiatives through the Community Flood and Landslip Recovery and Resilience Grant Program, Alpine Shire Council announced last week.
According to council, the October 2022 flood event and landslip had a significant impact on businesses, groups, and organisations that provide integral services to communities in the Kiewa Valley.
Alpine Shire mayor John Forsyth said that this one-off grant program gives community members the potential to fund new or existing projects.
“A range of activities are eligible for funding, including events that create opportunities for social connection and initiatives that prioritise community recovery capabilitybuilding,” he said.
According to council, the Community Flood and Landslip Recovery and Resilience Grant Program is open to eligible businesses, community organisations and groups, social enterprises, and creative organisations.
Funding ranges from $250 through to a maximum amount of $10,000.
Community members must apply through the SmartyGrants online grant management system.
Applications close at midnight on Sunday, 16 June 2024.
To find out more, contact council by calling 03 5755 0555 or emailing info@alpineshire.vic.gov.au.
Apply now by visiting https:// alpineshire.smartygrants.com.au/2 022KiewaValleyFloodandLandslipPr ogram24_25.
MORE than 5000 people from around Australia
The four-day festival, now in its 15th year, is run by local volunteers.
Our roaming photogra-
pher took a series of snaps at La Festa on Saturday, the festival’s peak celebration of Italian food and wine in the piazza and Jubilee Park. The event featured regional food prepared by the local circoli - Trentini, Trevisani and Vicentini - as well as other stall holders, entertainers and winemakers.
Alan
OVER 1800 cattle were auctioned at the Myrtleford Special Cattle Sale last Wednesday at Matheson’s Lane, with mixed reports from sellers due to the dry autumn.
A lack of rain has meant little pasture growth, so cattle farmers unable sustain their herds have been offloading stock, causing an increase in stock supply and a subsequent drop in prices, both sellers and observers at the sale reported.
Nevertheless, some were satisfied with the prices they achieved.
Eurobin cattle farmer Aaron Brain was pleased with his sale of 14 steers at $1140 per head, even though he felt cattle prices have dropped.
“They’re getting plenty of rain up north, so I think
prices will lift after winter,” he said.
He also thanked Nutrien Ivone Agencies for running the market.
Mudgegonga cattle and sheep farmer Lach Fraser received $1090 per head for seven Hereford steers and $820 per head for six Black Baldy heifers.
He said he expected to receive around $1200 for the steers and over $900 for the heifers, but admitted he doesn’t follow the cattle market closely.
“I’m a bit disappointed with those prices, but we’ve got to take these prices because no one’s got any grass,” he said.
“It’s very, very dry.”
According to the TAFCO weather monitor, Myrtleford received 2.6mm of rain this month, while only 41.2mm fell in April.
Last year April received
113.2mm of rain.
“It’s coming on to winter now, we mightn’t get much pasture growth because we’ll start to get frosts, so that means you’ve got to feed your stock,” Mr Fraser said.
“That’s why people are offloading.”
He said current cattle prices are unsustainable for farmers.
“Our prices have got to go up 40 per cent, really, to coincide with costs and running farms and pasture improvement,” he said.
According to Dan Ivone, livestock manager for Nutrien Ivone Agencies, the sale saw 917 steers sold at an average price of $1048 per head.
Some 766 heifers sold at an average of $809, 79 cows and calves sold at an average of $1868, while 45 joined cattle sold at an average of $1277 per head.
Carroll and Dunn of Mudgegonga received top prices for their weaner calves at $1290 per head. Their 13 heifers also received top price at $1040 per head.
Doug Hamilton from Whorouly sold 22 steers $1290 per head.
Also of note were the 200 mixed sex weaner calves sold by Denise Rae at an average of $909 per head.
“We here locally have probably missed the rain that all those other people have been getting,” he said.
“You don’t have to go far from us to see where it’s a bit greener.”
Mr Ivone said the market was stronger than he had expected, partly driven by 4-5 major buyers who bought cattle to stock herds in the Riverina, Northern New South Wales and Queensland.
By BRODIE EVERIST
COUNCIL will continue the Dinner Plain bus service subsidy at an increased cost, shire councillors decided at their meeting last month.
Councillors unanimously voted to commit an extra $30,000 to the service following unexpected costs last year, with council noting the service had been well-used.
Last year council entered an agreement to pay Mount Hotham Alpine Resort a $140,000 subsidy for the bus service between Dinner Plain and Mount Hotham,
following council’s failure to find a supplier.
According to council, a review of the 2023 season found the bus service was well received, however Mount Hotham Alpine Resort was subject to higher than expected operating costs, prompting a recommendation to council to provide a $170,000 subsidy this year.
“It was extremely successful – the roster met the needs of customers despite some initial mobilisation challenges that were experienced,” council’s director of assets Alan Rees said.
“However, on review of the operating costs at the end of last season it was determined that a small increase was required to have a cost neutral impact for the delivery of this service.”
Councillor Tony Keeble said he appreciates the need for the service but expects a commercial operator will eventually take it over.
“I know the shire’s worked really closely with the different providers up there to come up with some solutions,” he said.
“At some stage someone will come along who thinks
they can run a bus service and make some money out of it.”
Cr Simon Kelley was more supportive of council involvement in public transport.
“Clearly this is a good solution in the sense that it eases the pressure on transport on those roads, it improves the safety on those roads and also eases the pressure on parking,” he said.
“When I look in our valleys on popular weekends and on popular events I see the same opportunity.”
The cost of the bus service delivery will be funded from the Dinner Plain Reserve.
Special Partners & Sponsors
• Circolo Trentini, Circolo Vicentini, Circolo Trevisani
• Chestnuts Australia & Alpine Valleys Vignerons
• Patrizia Simone, James Mele (of the Meat Room) & Richard Cornish
• Myrtleford Savoy Soccer Club • Myrtleford & District Historical Society
• TAFCO Rural Supplies & Myrtleford Farmers Market
• St Marys Catholic Church • Vic Roads • St Pauls Anglican Church
• NEMA • Myrtleford Football & Netball Club • Myrtleford Film Society
• James & Co Wines • Bright Brewery • CFA • Homestead Estate
• All the many volunteers, too many to mention, Grazie – you make this event possible.
THE weather may have been cold and windy on Saturday but at the Mount Beauty Hospital Op Shop the welcome was warm and inviting with volunteers and members of the public coming together to celebrate the op shop’s 10th birthday.
Three of the original four volunteers who started the op shop were present at the
celebration and the current president, Lyn Blandford thanked Barb (Talbot), Jan (Driver), Lynda (Barter) and Marg (Ranton) for all their work and dedication over the last 10 years, along with the 30 plus volunteers that help keep the op shop operating six days a week.
“Over the 10 years, the op shop has raised over $570,000 with all the profits
going to the Mount Beauty Hospital, Kiewa Valley House and various allied health services in the upper Kiewa Valley,” Lyn said. The op shop’s next big event is the annual ski sale on the Saturday of the King’s Birthday weekend on June 8 and the op shop is currently accepting donations of ski clothes and equipment.
HARRIETVILLE Rural Fire Brigade members were this month celebrated for their contributions and commitment at an inaugural awards dinner, with past captain Gary Weston receiving both a brigade and a CFA life membership.
The Harrietville Hotel Motel was host to the night, which brigade captain Jason Williams said was a great one enjoyed by all.
“A CFA life membership is awarded to a member who has served the CFA for 30 plus years,” he said.
“It is based on the contributions that the member has made to the brigade and the CFA that has enhanced its standing within its membership and the wider community.
“The commitment that does not seek personal reward, and the member has a high level of recognition from within the CFA or brigade of the members work over several years.”
Mr Williams said a brigade life membership was presented from brigade members to ex-captain Gary Weston to show their appreciation for his dedica-
tion as a firefighter.
Mr Weston served as captain of the brigade from 2001 to 2019.
Other service awards presented on the night include Michael Doleman, Krishna Castricum and Graeme Tierney for five years; Gianna Verdini-Fensom for 10 years; Stephen Lukey for 15 years; Robyn Romeo and Jason Williams for 20 years; John Forbes and Joe Romeo for 35 years; and Trevor Castricum for 40 years.
The awards were presented by ACFO Paul King and commander Carl Stibilj.
Trina Solar is in the early stages of seeking development approval for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to be developed at a site in the Kiewa Valley, approximately 3 km north-east of Dederang, Victoria.
A BESS consists of battery containers and associated inverters, transformers, and switchgear. Its purpose is to improve the stability and reliability of the electricity network by storing energy during periods of low demand, and dispatching energy during periods of peak
economic development and jobs associated with the future of energy.
Trina invites residents and the wider community to learn more about the project and provide their insight into their community and feedback for the project by attending a community drop-in session. The two 5-hour sessions will provide interested community members with the opportunity to come along and respectfully and meaningfully discuss the project at a time that suits
streaming will not be permitted.
Valley
Wednesday, 29 May 2024, from 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm Thursday, 30 May 2024, from 7:30 am – 12:30 pm
For more information, visit or email
We also welcome feedback from interested community members via our online survey at or scan the QR code.
THIS 2017 custom built home offers the complete package for buyers seeking modern living and style in a well sought after court location.
functionality and practicality, with the back.
The large master bedroom suite is located at the front of the home, separate to the remaining bedrooms, and is inclusive of a walk-in robe and generous ensuite featuring frameless step in shower, dual
The three further bedrooms are located
past the large family room, capturing views to the rural outlook and large 8m x 3m inground swimming pool.
All bedrooms include built in robes and ceiling fans.
A fabulous and spacious open plan living environment forms the heart of the home, with the centrally located kitchen living and alfresco areas.
The kitchen features white shaker style cabinetry, stone benchtops, gas stove, double oven, dishwasher and a generous butler’s pantry.
The second living space completes this
family home, providing room for a spa-
The large laundry includes ample storage, with below bench and overhead cupboards.
Other features include ducted gas heatdouble garage, established vegetable garden, exposed aggregate paving from the alfresco to pool area, and relaxing views to the farmland beyond.
Boasting a high-quality build with pre-
lished 665m2 approx. allotment, this is a home you will be proud to call your own.
Wangaratta branch
76 Reid Street
Open weekdays
9am to 5pm (closed 1pm to 1:45pm)
1300 004 863 humebank.com.au
Commencing: 1st June 2024, Term – 3 years, with
Open for inspection: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 from 3-4pm
Tenders closing: 4pm Thursday, May 23, 2024
Tender forms and any information
AGENT DETAILS
Daniel Fischer | 0429 165 073 | daniel.fischer@nutrien.com.au
NutrienAgSolutions.com.au
Markwood 2142 Snow Road 3734m26 32
Great
Eldorado 101 Main Street 1441m23 24
Immaculate Family Living
For Sale $640,000 - $690,000 View by appointment, wangaratta.nutrienharcourts.com.au/L19191055
Nutrien Harcourts Wangaratta
Paul
Wangaratta 137 Rowan Street 603m24 21
Beautiful Period home in great location For Sale $629,000 View by appointment, wangaratta.nutrienharcourts.com.au/L19194116
Nutrien Harcourts Wangaratta
Wangaratta 44 Corncob Boulevard 500m24 22
June 1pm
Sale
For Sale $600,000 - $660,000 View by appointment, wangaratta.nutrienharcourts.com.au/L26147489 Nutrien Harcourts Wangaratta
Moyhu 2551 Wangaratta-Whitfield Road 13.86Ac3 12
Development opportunity in Moyhu
For Sale Contact Agent View by appointment, wangaratta.nutrienharcourts.com.au/L26106702
Nutrien Harcourts Wangaratta
Paul Reid M 0417 537 520 Harcourts
COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE: The six-seater has a spacious rear cabin that can accommodate various passengers in comfort.
By ALISTAIR KENNEDY, Marque Motoring
LAUNCHED here in 2019 the Toyota Granvia effectively replaced the long-running Tarago people mover.
At the same time, it moved its target audience beyond the family friendly transporter into the high-end hospitality and corporate market.
To do so, Granvia had to increase in size and it measures 5300mm long and 1990 mm high.
That’s 505mm longer and 240mm higher than the last Tarago and takes Granvia into modern minibus territory.
Granvia is offered in two spec levels, Standard and Granvia VX, each with the choice of six or eight seats.
The entry-level six-seater comes to market for $68,306 plus on-road costs, the eightseater adds $2000 while both the VX six and eight seaters share the same $77,476 price tag.
Both Granvia variants use same engine, a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel.
It delivers 130 kW of power at 3400 rpm and 450 Nm between 1600 and 2400 rpm to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.
Fuel consumption is just 8.0 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined urban/highway cycle, while emitting 211 g/km carbon dioxide.
Only its designers could call Granvia stylish although, from the front, with its robust radiator grille, the big Toyota has an imposing presence.
There are sliding doors on either side, both with an easy close function to open and shut smoothly.
They are manually operated in the Standard, and powered in the VX.
Large windows let in plenty of light and highlight the lightcoloured upholstery the test VX and give all six occupants an expansive view of the passing scenery.
A high-lift tailgate opens up to give access to the cargo area.
Other features include auto LED headlights, taillights, fog lamps and daytime running lights, 17-inch alloy wheels, and chrome garnishes.
Four exterior colours are offered Graphite, Ebony, Crystal Pearl and Silver Pearl.
Comfort and convenience take top billing in the Granvia VX cabin.
The six-seater features a spacious rear cabin with four individual captain’s chairs with armrests, reclining backrests and a sliding seat base of more than 50 cm ensuring easy access and the ability to accommodate a variety of passengers in comfort.
The four captain’s chairs, along with the driver’s seat, are all power-operated with the rear seats incorporating a
power ottoman leg rest, adjustable headrest and solid armrests with all seats finished in a luxe quilted leather-accent upholstery.
Further welcome additions include keyless smart entry and start, front and rear climate control, rear sun shade blinds, nanoe dehumidifier, leather-accented/woodgrainlook steering wheel, synthetic leather/woodgrain-look door trim, front and rear, 12-volt accessory sockets and six rear USB power points.
A 2022 upgrade added powered lumbar support for the driver’s seat.
Standard safety features include nine airbags, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera with guidelines, panoramic view monitor, auto-dimming digital rear-view mirror and nine airbags.
VX adds a panoramic view monitor.
Also standard is the Toyota Safety Sense with driver assistance features that include pre-collision safety system with pedestrian detection (day and night) and cyclist detection (day only), high-speed active cruise control, lane departure alert, road sign assist and automatic high beam.
All models get 17-inch alloy wheels and a full-size spare.
Entry and exit through the sliding side doors is made easier by a 50 cm opening
and grab handles.
However, out the back, the amount of effort needed to alter the seating arrangements, or open and close the hatch could be a challenge to all but the fittest.
Likewise, the absence of a powered tailgate makes access to the rear luggage area difficult.
The beefy Granvia takes up a good ‘acreage’ on the road and has a reasonable 11.0-metre turning circle, so a clear view all round is important.
Front and sides are okay but it runs into trouble behind, with the plush seats blocking the majority of the rear window.
On the move, there’s little fault to the Granvia, apart from a sluggish take-off
Things look up as the minibus stretches its legs.
Wind noise intrudes at higher speeds and watch the speed on tight bends, understeer and body roll are twin traps for the unwary.
Pulling up is safely taken care of large ventilated discs on each wheel, with twin-pot callipers up front and single calliper brakes on the rear.
Braking system is backed up by a range of technologies including anti-lock brakes, vehicle stability control, traction control, hill-start assist and trailer sway control.
Also on board is an electronically-controlled limitedslip diff that applies the brakes to individual wheels to ensure drive torque is delivered to the rear wheel with the most grip.
NOTE: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Toyota dealer for drive-away prices.
SUMMARY
Fit for purpose best describes the Toyota Granvia – ‘purpose’ being the movement of up to eight people in comfort and safety.
Best leave it to the professional, a chauffeur, perhaps.
It’s excellent and luxurious interior together with the six-seat option and captain’s chairs suggests that Granvia natural habitat is much more likely to be premium hotel forecourts than suburban driveways and school parking areas.
The Granvia is covered by Toyota’s five-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
Or 160,000 kilometres if used for commercial operation.
SPECIFICATIONS:
(Toyota Granvia VX 2.8L turbocharged,
Myrtleford Landcare Community Information Meeting
Myrtleford Landcare are designing a strategic plan for their role in the management of riverside areas abutting Myrtleford township. We would like suggestions and input from the local community.
A community information meeting will be held at the Myrtleford Library on Wednesday, June 5 between 4pm – 7pm. Maps will be on display with members of Myrtleford Landcare group and Conservation Collaborators available to answer questions and capture suggestions and feedback. Tea and coffee will be provided. For further information or if you can’t make it on June 5 and would like to provide feedback, please contact Phil Prior 0467 522 706 or Email: landcaremyrtleford@gmail.com
PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE EXISTING MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION AT BRUTHEN WITH 4G/5G TECHNOLOGY
Telstra plans to upgrade an existing telecommunications facility at 80 Jennings Road Bruthen VIC 3885 (RFNSA No. 3885003).
1.The upgrade consists of
•Replacement of six (6) existing panel antennas with six (6) new panel antennas (each is no more than 2.8m long)
•Replacement of six (6) existing Tower Mounted Amplifiers (TMAs) with six (6) new TMAs
•Replacement of six (6) existing Remote Radio Units (RRUs) with three (3) new RRUs.
•Ancillary works including feeders, cable trays, fibre, and electrical cabling.
•Internal work in the existing equipment building.
2.Telstra regards the proposed works as Low-impact Facilities under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 (“the Determination”) based on the description above.
3.In accordance with Section 7 of C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, we invite you to provide feedback about the proposal. Further information and/or comments should be directed to: Wannan Bao, 0459 449 531, Telstra.submissions@ugllimited.com / Level 6, 12 Help Street, Chatswood NSW 2067 by 5pm, Friday 7 June 2024.
4.Further information can also be obtained from https://www.rfnsa.com.au/3885003
Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) will be carrying out routine maintenance at Lake Buffalo on the spillway from Wednesday 22 May 2024 to Thursday 13 June 2024.
These periodic works involve testing and inspecting anchors which are used to improve the stability of the structures in extreme loading events such as floods and earthquakes.
To ensure public safety, please stay clear of the work zone.
For more information, please contact GMW BOKH Storage Manager Nicholas O’Brian on 1800 013 357, email nick.o’brien@gmwater.com.au or visit our website at www.gmwater/lakebuffalo.
YELLOW Hyundai sedan, 2000, (1YM9QQ), 218,242km, great car for new drivers, 5 speed manual, $4500 ono, located Mansfield. Ph 0439 719 529
North East Media, an award-winning publisher of community newspapers, has a full time position for a graded journalist based in our Myrtleford office in North East Victoria.
We are seeking a journalist with previous country newspaper experience to produce our weekly Myrtleford Times and Alpine Observer, servicing the picturesque Alpine Shire communities of Myrtleford, Bright and Mt Beauty.
The position requires a journalist with a strong work ethic and well-rounded skill set, who has a passion for community newspapers and a real desire to work with volunteer contributors.
Excellent writing, editing, photographic, communication, time management and organisational skills, and the ability to generate ideas into relevant news coverage that matters most to a local readership, will be among your strongest attributes.
The ability to use social media and deliver high quality work under deadline pressure are also a must.
The successful applicant must also have a valid driver’s licence.
North East Media is an independent media group publishing award winning publications in print and online across North East Victoria and beyond.
Applications, including covering letter and resume, should be forwarded to: Jeff Zeuschner Group Editor North East Media jzeuschner@nemedia.com.au 2 x
2018 SUBARU Impreza, 34,000km, RWC, (1MA8HE),
ABBOTT, John.
John “Grandad” Abbott sadly passed away Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Aged 84 years.
Dearly beloved husband of Margaret (dec) and deeply loved father to Cindy (dec), Jenny (dec), Susan and David.
Adored grandfather of Benjamin and Melissa, great-grandfather to Isa. Builder of Bertram boats for over 40 years, master of all trades and fixer of all things. Loved by many and will be greatly missed by all. A private cremation has taken place.
KENDALL, Brian “Tiny”. Farewell Tiny. A man of small stature but of great generosity of heart. ~ Barb Jones.
KENDALL, Tiny.
Passed away May 12, 2024.
Silent thoughts of times together, Hold memories that will last forever.
~ Bill, Denise, Kate, Lea, Joan, Abbey and Matthew.
MATTHEWS, Sheree (Reebo).
Beautiful daughter, Treasured memories. Forever in our hearts. ~ Love Dad and family.
PALEZZA Giuseppe May 23, 2000
PALEZZA Adele May 27, 2003
MYRTLEFORD’S Ben Amery recognises Ultraman Australia is “bit of a crazy and silly event.”
Not many people would want to complete some of the most physically demanding courses imaginable, swimming 10km, riding 421.1km and running 84.3km in the span of three days, held on May 11-13 at Noosa.
But for Amery, it was the culmination of months of hard work and training.
His journey began after retiring from football, and he heard of the gruelling challenge of Ultraman.
“I stopped playing footy for Myrtleford and a couple of other clubs quite young because I had too many injuries, so I chose to get into triathlons because my body couldn’t handle it (football),” he said.
“A couple of shoulder recos, a knee reco as well – I was not in a good way on the football side of things, so triathlons were my go-to.
“My strength and conditioning coach at the Grovedale footy club from a couple of years back, Nathan Taylor, he did the (Ultraman) event so that’s how I first found out about it.
“I started with Ironman Cairns in 2022, that was the qualifying event to get into Ultraman, to get my invitation.”
After completing the Cairns Ironman in 11:21:57, Amery submitted his application to Ultraman, and secured one of the 55 spots on the starting line.
From then on, he put his nose to the grindstone and trained.
“It was a long build up, I probably started officially training in August last year, started on about seven hours a week and peak weeks were closer to 18-20 hours,” Amery said.
Mason Park
“Every weekend would be in Ultraman format, so I’d do a swim and a ride on Friday, a long ride on Saturday, then a long run on Sunday.
“The rest of the week would be recovery and filling up with some smaller workouts to get my volume in.
“I can’t go into professional hours, 25-30 hours a week, otherwise I’d get injured and wouldn’t make it to the start line.
“You sacrifice your training to make it to the start line, your volume goes up for the race then you get your way through it.”
After months of hard work, it was day one of the race, and with his support crew watching, Amery plunged into the waters off Noosa Heads.
“Day one was a 10km swim and 145km ride,” Amery said.
“The swimming was just off Noosa beach, it’s definitely my weakest leg, it’s something that takes a lot of time - my PE teachers at school would definitely confirm I was a terrible swimmer as a kid, I was shocking.
again for the rest of the day, he well and truly had me covered, but I managed to jump the guy in fourth and had a good run.
races ‘I’ll never do it again’, but I think that’s a bit of a lie to yourself,” he said.
“I came out of the water and my coach helped me up the chute, and he told me I was in the top 10 coming out of the water which was a bit of a surprise.
“Into the bike, 145km, I managed to keep my position and even make up a few spots to finish the day in eighth or ninth.”
Day two was spent entirely on the bike, riding 276.1km around the Shire of Noosa and Sunshine Coast area, and nine hours later Amery was sixth overall before the 84.3km run on day three.
“There was a fella sitting in fifth that was 10 seconds ahead of me, the fella in fourth was four minutes ahead of me,” he said.
“The fella in fifth raced off at the start and I never saw him
“I finished sixth overall which was definitely beyond my expectation and what I thought I’d be able to achieve with the race.”
Amery said he had no immediate ambitions to tackle the Ultraman again, but didn’t rule out retiring from triathlons entirely.
“Everyone says after these
“I’m quite happy with the result, so I don’t have any burning desires to go back straight away – maybe if I didn’t do as well as I did in the end, I might go back quicker, but at the moment, probably not.
“Right now, I’ve earned a beer or two, maybe I’ll get back into training in a little bit of time.”
THE under 12s Porepunkah Panthers were playing away this week at the Wangaratta reserve against the Benalla Bandits.
The second innings was where the game was decided, with Porepunkah shutting out Benalla with three quick outs.
Zara Gould and Ollie Smith both taking nice catches.
With the Panthers up 11-6 going into the last inning’s they put up an impressive five runs across the plate to put the game out of reach for Benalla.
Panther Byron Smith had his fourth safe hit for the game to top the batting and was great behind the plate all day.
Charlie Smith also making some impressive plays at first base throughout the game.
Final Score: Porepunkah 16
Def 11 Benalla
The under 15s had another strong win on the back of strong base running to roll the Benalla Bandits 16-4.
Porepunkah set the tone scoring six runs in the first innings.
Paige Anders took the mound for Porepunkah and with a prefect start struck out the first three Benalla batters faced.
Once again the Porepunkah
team showed patience at the plate, with walks to Samara McCallum, Sophie Anders, Rory Clarke and Wes Booth who all crossed the plate for runs.
The final inning’s had Porepunkah score another five again to put the game away.
The Porepunkah team ran riot, stealing a total of 22 bases for the day to take the win.
Final Score: Porepunkah 16
Def 4 Benalla
The C grade Panthers stayed in it until the end, but it was the Wodonga Warriors who pulled away late in a 7-6 victory.
The Panthers were the better batting team on the day having six safe hits to Wodonga’s one.
The Panthers jumped out to a lead in the top of the first with Luca Barthelmez hitting safely, Kim Lawson and Jayden Eastwood both receiving walks.
After a long battle with the pitcher, Mason Anders came out on top and blasted an outfield hit to bring in two runs.
Benalla managed four runs to take a one run lead.
With the Score at 6-5 as Benalla went into the last dig, it was Panther Eric Quinton who
stood up and hit safely , also rounding the bases to score on a wild pitch.
Porepunkah nearly kept the game a tie, thanks to some shortstop pickup and throw out by Jayden Eastwood, but Benalla managed to get one run over the plate to win.
Final Score. Benalla. 7.
Def. 6. Porepunkah
Bats were blistered as the B grade Porepunkah Panthers outshone the Benalla Bandits to win 16-14 and move into a top three ladder position.
The game reached the final innings with both teams tied, Dean Anders hit safely and stole his way around to score.
Brothers Liam and Eric Quinton then made their at bats count by walking and hitting safely.
Pete Alexander then helped bring the runs in giving the Panther a three-run lead.
Pitcher Dean Anders struck out two batters in the last dig to help hold onto the win.
Panther Scott McCallum was solid in the field all day controlling first base.
Also call-out to Panther Mason Anders who played for the opposing team and hit a single and a big double baser and was one of their best players.
In a very close game that could have gone either way, the A grade Panthers stood strong to walk away with 7-7 tie against the Wangaratta Rangers.
Panther Adam Rosser put in another brilliant performance, coming off 4 from 4 safe hits last week he went 3 from 4 at bats this week to top the batting.
The Rangers responded with one run, Panther outfielder Steve Johnstone making a nice catch at centre field helping end the innings.
Porepunkah were leading 5-3 going into the fourth dig, Panther Jack Banks managed to round the bases to score again on Adam Rosser’s hit to extend the lead.
Wangaratta then batted in four runs to take a one run lead, leaving the Panthers one last bat.
Adam Rosser hitting to centre field and crossing the plate to bring in the tying run on Lachie Rosser’s hit was a fitting end to the day.
The Panthers rotated three pitchers for the day, and it seems like it will be the normal this season.
Adam Rosser, Heath Anders and Lachie Rosser all shared pitching duties.
LAST Wednesday saw the girls play 18 holes with 38 points being the winning score by Carol Bartholomew from Liz Harvey at 37 points.
NTP on the 18th (second shot) was Helen Whittaker.
The girls played 18 again on Saturday, May 18.
This time Liz Harvey (39 points) beat Carol Bartholomew (35 points) and
Carol was closest to the 18th on her second shot.
The men played the back nine on Wednesday, May 15 which was won by Ross Rynehart, 19 points, on a countback from Allan Retallick.
Another countback was needed to determine the ball winners Syd Thomas, Ivan Mock from Andy Cook on 18 points apiece. NTP on the 17th was Allan Retallick.
The 18th was Ron Gallagher.
Saturday, May 18, was the honour board event in the Alf McBain Par trophy.
The close finish saw 10 men scoring -1 and forcing a large contingent to go back to the 18th for a play-off.
It took 3 visits back to the 18th before Keith Archibald proved victorious over Stephen Short.
NTP on the seventh was
Macca Deans, along with the Tatts Ticket from the Tawonga South Newsagency & Post Office.
The ninth was Roger Church.
The 17th was Mark Redmond.
Roger was the only one to be able to get on the green on the 18th and as he was not in the money hole competition, he got his ball while the club kept the money.
Saturday competition, with Dave Matthews and Andrew Loftus taking out the respective A and B grade wins for the day. TUESDAY, MAY 14
Myrtleford BWS - Stableford - AWCR 74
A Grade winner: Faye McLees (26) 38pts c/b.
A Grade runner up: Heather Street (41) 38 pts.
Foodworks NTP’s: 1st: Kerry Newton ,8th: Judy Bynon, 14th: Marnie Broz, 16th: Marnie Broz. Ball winners: Denise O’Donohue (38) 36pts, Jan Roseby (15) 35 pts c/b, Judy Bynon (20) 35pts c/b.
9 Hole winner: Penny Dawkins (39) 20pts. 9 Hole runner up: Loretta Wales (54) 18pts.
Wednesday, May 15
Myrtleford BWS Stableford AMCR 71
A grade winner: Alan Sands (13) 40 pts (Jubilee).
A grade runner up: Jim Martin (15) 36 pts c/b. Ball winners: A Brereton 36, W Rowney 34, I Wales 34 c/b.
Foodworks NTP’s: 1st: Ian Wales, 4th 2nd Shot: Alan Sands, 8th: Alex Manzella, 14th: Peter Vasey, 16th: Alex Manzella.
SATURDAY, MAY 18
Myrtleford BWS Stableford AMCR 71 AWCR 74
runner up: Robert Wheeler (25)
Rossato, 8th:
GOALS: WODONGA RAIDERS: Cameron Ellis-Yolmen 4, Max Glass 1. MYRTLEFORD: Jaxon East 2, Lachlan Murphy-Dale 2, Levi Young 2, Diesel Batey 1, Ryley Bouker 1, Toby Cossor 1, Charlie Crisp 1, Ned Turner 1. BEST: WODONGA RAIDERS: No best players have been selected. MYRTLEFORD: No best players have been selected.
GOALS: COROWA RUTHERGLEN: Sam Dunstan 4, Darcy Hope 1. WANGARATTA: Callum Moore 8, Jackson Clarke 2, Alex Federico 1, Charley Holland-Dean 1, Fraser Holland-Dean 1, Charlie Ross 1. BEST: COROWA RUTHERGLEN: Ryan Eyers, Jedd Longmire, Tom Forrest, Joe Hansen, Nathan Dunstan, Connor Leslie. WANGARATTA: Daine Porter, Aidan Tilley, Jackson Clarke, Callum Moore, Liam Mcveigh, Alex Federico.
A GRADE
Wodonga Raiders 56 def Myrtleford 42 Corowa-Rutherglen 38 def by Wangaratta 48 Albury 19 def by Yarrawonga 41 Wangaratta Rovers 45 def by Wodonga 49 Lavington 35 def by North Albury 49
B GRADE: Wodonga Raiders 43 def by Myrtleford 48; Corowa-Rutherglen 36 def by Wangaratta 47; Albury vs Yarrawonga; Wangaratta Rovers 45 def by Wodonga 53; Lavington 34 def by North Albury 56.
C GRADE: Wodonga Raiders 43 def Myrtleford 37; Corowa-Rutherglen 28 def by Wangaratta 43; Albury 45 def Yarrawonga 28; Wangaratta Rovers 54 def by Wodonga 61; Lavington 25 def by North Albury 49.
17 & UNDER: Wodonga Raiders 39 def Myrtleford 28; Corowa-Rutherglen 21 def by Wangaratta 37; Albury 38 def Yarrawonga 29; Wangaratta Rovers 48 def by Wodonga 75; Lavington 39 def by North Albury 57.
15 & UNDER: Wodonga Raiders 38 def Myrtleford 25; Corowa-Rutherglen 36 def by Wangaratta 53; Albury 54 def Yarrawonga 20; Wangaratta Rovers 60 def Wodonga 36; Lavington 47 def North Albury 28.
Corowa Rutherglen 2.5.17 def by Wangaratta 14.7.91
BEST: COROWA RUTHERGLEN: Luke Nicholson, Izak Schirmer, Rory Beattie, Caile Duryea, William Gannon, Ethan Lane.
WANGARATTA: Max Bihun, Keahn Driscoll, Oscar Roberts, Josh Styles, Angus Jayet, Hamish Laverty. GOALS: COROWA
RUTHERGLEN: Isaac Dickinson 1, Caile Duryea 1. WANGARATTA: Max Bihun 8, Charlie Eames 2, Kade Hadley 2, Connor Hughes 1, Declan O’Sullivan 1. Wodonga Raiders 24.14.158 def Myrtleford 1.1.7
BEST: WODONGA RAIDERS: Declan Ramage, Connor Howells, William Robertson, Tait Smith, Jesse Cannell, Jack McCarty. MYRTLEFORD: Nicholas Hall, Jude Browne, Jack Jones, Samuel Crisp, Angus Smiles, Connor Beveridge. Wangaratta Rovers 11.15.81 def Wodonga 0.3.3
BEST: WANGARATTA ROVERS: No best players have been selected. WODONGA: No best players have been selected. GOALS: WANGARATTA ROVERS: Oscar Clelland 5, Samuel Comensoli 2, Samuel Rourke 1, Connor Breheny 1, Trey Vincent 1, Cooper Boman 1.
GOALS: ALBURY Rhys King 2, Jacob Conlan 1, Jacob Page 1, Lachlan Tiziani 1, Mat Walker 1. YARRAWONGA: Bailey Frauenfelder 3, Leigh Williams 2, Logan Morey 1. BEST: ALBURY: No best players have been selected. YARRAWONGA: No best players have been selected.
ROVERS
GOALS: WANGARATTA ROVERS: Alex McCarthy 2, Brodie Filo 1, Shane Gaston 1, Lochie O’Brien 1. WODONGA: Noah Spiteri 4, Ashton Brookes 1, Jett Cassidy 1, Matthew Wilson 1, Kyle Winter-Irving 1. BEST: WANGARATTA ROVERS: Charles Ledger, justin lewis, Tom Boyd, Lockey McCartney, Will McCarthy, Brodie Filo. WODONGA: Charlie Morrison, Noah Bradshaw, Tom Miller, Riley Gill, Matthew Wilson, Adam Jorgensen.
ALBURY
GOALS: LAVINGTON: Samuel Hargreave 1, Tim Oosterhoff 1, Charlie Sanson 1, Nicholas Sedgwick 1, Darcy Smith 1. NORTH ALBURY: Joshua Minogue 3, Nathan Dennis 2, Ben Fulford 1, Jackson Weidemann 1, Cayden Winter 1. BEST: LAVINGTON: William Glanvill, Nicholas Sedgwick, Jack Costello, Samuel Hargreave, Tim Oosterhoff, Jonathon Spina. NORTH ALBURY: Jack Reynolds, Leighton Coe, Isaac Campbell, Jack King, Cayden Winter, Jack Penny.
GOALS: BONNIE DOON: Al Bennett 5, Campbell Smedley 3, Cody Turner 3, Jayjay Curtin 2, James Fox 2, Matthew Hedin 2, Sean Campitelli 1, James Law 1, James Octigan 1. KING VALLEY: Anthony Ciancio 2, William Davies 2. BEST: BONNIE DOON: Matthew Hedin, Zak Bailey, James Law, Jayjay Curtin, Guy Murray, Jack Goonan. KING VALLEY: Connor Shanley, Sam Evans, Mackenzie Hughes, Beau Wheeler, Joel Burchall, William Davies.
GOALS: GOORAMBAT: Rhys Goodley 8, Duane Haebich 7, Joel Bate 2, Lachlan Boyle 2, Benjamin Reaburn 2, Kobe Black 1, Sully Malay 1. BENALLA ALL BLACKS: Tom Levy 2, Patrick McDonald 1. BEST: GOORAMBAT: Angus Burston, Rhys Goodley, Sully Malay, Lachlan Boyle, Curtis Anker, Duane Haebich. BENALLA ALL BLACKS: John Hughes, Tyson Ryan, Sam Cox, Tom Levy, Jordan Smith, Jesse Walker.
A GRADE:
Bonnie Doon vs King Valley
Goorambat vs Benalla
North Wangaratta vs Bright
Whorouly vs Milawa
Tarrawingee vs Moyhu
B GRADE:
Goorambat 30 def by Benalla 34
B RESERVE:
C GRADE:
Bonnie Doon 58 def King Valley 43
Goorambat 94 def Benalla 10
15 & UNDER: Bonnie Doon 33 def King Valley 8 Not all scores available at time of print *Ladder correct at time of print from Ovens and King website.
9
SATURDAY, MAY 25
BRIGHT vs GRETA
BENALLA vs TARRAWINGEE
KING VALLEY vs NORTH WANGARATTA
MOYHU vs GOORAMBAT
WHOROULY vs BONNIE DOON
MILAWA - BYE
GOALS: NORTH WANGARATTA: Tyler Nanson 5, Damien Bradley 2, Jack Brown 1, David Killen 1, Josh Nanson 1. BRIGHT: Cooper Thomason 4, Luke Quirk 2, Dylan Bursill 1, Jack Dalbosco 1, Samuel Dalbosco 1, Max Rampling 1. BEST: NORTH WANGARATTA: Adam Enever, Daniel Williams, Thomas Johnson, Kyle McQuade, Tyler Schulze, Josh Nanson. BRIGHT: Dale Breeding, Cooper Thomson, Max Rampling, Thomas Gray, Luke Quirk, Samuel Dalbosco.
GOALS: WHOROULY: Darcy O’Shannessy 2, William Allen 1, Samuel Ferguson 1. MILAWA: Brady Bartlett 3, Braydon Kearns 3, Jared Lea 3, Kheda Stevenson 3, Jayden Whitehouse 3, Simon Pane 2, Aiden Bihun 1, Tyler Dunn 1. BEST: WHOROULY: William Allen, Samuel Ferguson, Darcy O’Shannessy, Jared Cook, Jacob Penn, Samuel Piazza. MILAWA: Aiden Bihun, Kyle Collisson, Daniel Bihun, Josh Owen, Michael Batey, Brady Bartlett. TARRAWINGEE
GOALS: TARRAWINGEE: Dylan Adams 3, Patrick Byrne 1, Deacon Cleal 1, Sam Peters 1, Sam Piper 1. MOYHU: Noah Campbell 3, Nick English 2, Harrison Grant 2, Jett Roberts 2, Darby West 2, Bailey Zimmermann 2, Tom Bannon 1, David McDonald 1, Matthew Thrum 1. BEST: TARRAWINGEE: Dylan Adams, Austin Amery, Hugh Amery, Sam Piper, Lukas Allan, Jarrod Everitt. MOYHU: Nick English, Jett Roberts, George Hearn, Matthew Thrum, Josh Coonan, Nick Stewart.
SAVOY had to come from two goals down to defeat arch-rival Wangaratta Devils in the annual La Fiera showdown on Sunday.
Played in front of a massive crowd in the first home game of the season and marking the opening of the new changerooms and canteen, the script was not going to plan early in the match according to Savoy coach Jayden Vescio.
“The two goals came from set pieces which were just lapses in concentration from us but you can’t have them if you aim to win the league title,” Vescio said.
“It was our first home game of the season and the La Fiera match against Wangaratta is always one of the biggest days of the year and we’ve been on the losing end of a few of these in recent years.
“We were unbeaten in the league competition (having only lost the FA Cup final the
week before) so we should win these on paper but in these games anything can happen.
“At half-time we changed our formation around a bit and put it on our midfield to lift the intensity and they responded which was pleasing.”
Goals to Scott Peggie, Jack Milford and Pietra Montagna secured the points which puts Savoy two points clear
on top of the AWFA table.
Vescio said the win was even more pleasing considering there were a few players missing through injury.
“We had a few on the injury list before the game and we also decided to rest Brenton Cook just before the match so to still get the job done was good,” he said.
Savoy are on the road again next weekend taking on St Patrick’s.
WANGARATTA’S Lady Devils proved too strong for an undermanned Myrtleford Savoy on Sunday to claim the Christina Mancuso Cup 4-0.
After a competitive start, the Savoy women were unable to keep up with the second-best defence in the league through eight games this season, and were kept off the scoresheet.
Coach Tom Scott said the quality of Wangaratta City shone through late, as the team felt the losses of Maddy Sandow and Tui Morton in attack throughout the day.
“Wang are a pretty strong team, there were a lot of things we learnt from the day,” he said.
“We were just missing that drive forward, which something that we lacked a bit with our personnel and Wang were able to counter that.
PUSHING FORWARD: Lily Notarianni takes on Wangaratta’s Lara Seeger as Svoy went down 4-0 against Wangaratta City in their home opener. PHOTOS: Janet Watt
“We were able to hold them within periods of the game early on, but as the game wore on, they found themselves in the upper hand because they were able to continually to attack.
“We couldn’t quite find that last third pass or have that outlet.”
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”
Ten NEBB junior teams compete in the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) - the highest level junior competition in Victoria.
Our Club offers specialist Basketball Clinics, as well as pathways through Senior Big V Competitions.
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 trophy is in its second season, named after the late Christina Mancuso, who spent time playing at both clubs and was well-respected as a teammate.
After hanging onto the
U14 Boys 1 52 def by Frankston 1 62
(Top Scorers: N. Atukorala 14, C. Keatch 12, C. Hueston 9)
U14 Boys 2 29 def by Wyndham 3 55
(Top Scorers: N. Caccianiga 6, L. Curtis 6, E. Kain 5)
U14 Girls 1 34 def Diamond Valley 2 30
(Top Scorers: A. Damianopoulos 10, E. O’Neill 8, M. Moscrop 6)
U14 Girls 2 31 def Geelong 3 14
(Top Scorers: L. Nedelkovski 12, E. Kennedy 5, M. Tomkins 5)
U16 Boys 1 66 def Knox 3 35
(Top Scorers: C. Clark 17, E. Ockenden 15, A. Hamill 14)
U16 Boys 2 44 def by Ballarat 2 59
(Top Scorers: J. Kelly 18, B. Harvey 6, S, Inch 6)
U16 Boys 3 40 def by Macedon 1 52
(Top Scorers: O. McGahan 10, A. Richardson 10, E. Damon 6)
U16 Girls 1 - Eltham 2 -
U16 Girls 2 33 def Eltham 3 22
(Top Scorers: M. Watson 16, T. Pettie 5, C. Campbell 5)
U18 Boys 34 def by Keilor 6 45
(Top Scorers: J. Vearing 10, A. Button 8, H. Pople 4)
silverware last year, Savoy will hand over the cup to the Lady Devils for the first time.
The two teams christened the new change rooms and canteen erected at Savoy Park for the first Myrtleford home game of the season.
“The new rooms are spectacular, I definitely recommend everyone come down and see them at our next home game,” Scott said.
“The facilities have brought a new life to the club which I think was really
needed, so it’s an exciting time ahead.”
Myrtleford now sit eighth on the standings and will relish a well-timed break in the season with a bye this week, as the remaining Savoy grades take on St Pat’s at Alexandra Park.
Scott said the break will serve as good recovery for his side coming off three straight losses, and hoped to have the likes of Morton and Sandow back from injury for their match against Melrose back at Savoy Park in two weeks’ time.
“We’ll look at doing something more social during the week to get their mind off sport and do some light duty activities,” he said.
“We’ll have a couple of conversations about what we think we might want to achieve for the remainder of the year, what we can improve on and what we’re doing well.”
IT was a match that looked reasonably comfortable on paper, but the script was exceptionally close to becoming a nightmare, as Bright pulled off a finalquarter comeback to claim a one-point thriller.
Coming up against North Wangaratta after the bye proved to be a challenging proposition for the visiting Mountain Men, who were saved by the breeze in the last term as they kicked two goals to nil to reclaim the lead late in the game and hold on by the barest of margins – 10.8 (68) to 10.7 (67).
Bright took a three-goal lead into the rooms at half time after an even first quarter.
The Hawks then made the most of the favourable conditions to the scoring end to slam on six goals in the third to lead by 13 points with a quarter to go, but they couldn’t hold on to the lead to complete the upset win.
League leading goalkicker Cooper Thomason was the hero for Bright, kicking four majors for the game and the only two goals in the tense last quarter.
Experienced forward Dylan Bursill, who returned from injury, suggested the group can take a lot of positives from the game.
“We were confident going into the last – Harro (coach Paul Harrison) told us to take a breath and knowing we had the breeze
going forward, we really put the pressure on them early in the last with a lot of repeat entries and an early goal,” he said.
“It was exciting and to come away with a scrappy, hard-fought win and was good for the team after the bye.”
Bright (first) will return home this Saturday to face Greta (third), who will undoubtedly be their biggest challenge of the season so far. These two sides last met in the 2023 preliminary final, where the Mountain Men were victorious over the inaccurate Blues by 12 points in a nail-biting encounter.
The battle of the key for-
wards at either end of the ground will be fascinating, with Thomason (47 goals) and Declan Bren (29) coming up against Greta’s Frazer Judd (41) and Cody Crawford (38), as the attacking quartet currently occupy four of the top five spots on the goalkicking leaderboard.
“Our midfield has a different look this season and we have great depth in there, so it’s going to be a great battle against their midfield,” Bursill said.
“The game should draw a good crowd at Bright and we will have a few back in both grades from injury and unavailability, so should be near full strength.”
WHOROULY’S A grade stumbled to their third straight loss on Saturday, going down to first-placed Milawa 31-58.
The Lions looked up for the fight early on against last year’s runners-up, with Milawa holding a slight two goal advantage after the first 15 minutes.
But the Demons flexed their muscles to outscore Whorouly 31-14 in the following two quarters to put a break between the home side and cruise to the 17-point victory.
Lions coach Kelly Cousins said while the girls took a lot of positives out of their start to the match, they couldn’t keep up with the relentless pressure of the Demons throughout the four quarters.
“We started off really well, but we just didn’t have that consistency across the whole day,” she said.
“We’ve definitely got the skills there; we just haven’t got the four quarter intensity yet so we’ve just got to build on that.
“I was happy with our volume, I think we lacked a lot of volume against Greta last week, but we freed up a lit-
tle bit more and I was happy with our attacking play this week.”
After winning their first four games of the season, Whorouly have gone on to lose their last three and have ran the gauntlet in the past two weeks, coming up against the undefeated grand finalists of the past two seasons in Greta and Milawa.
It won’t get much easier for Whorouly, as they face the improved Bonnie Doon outfit, currently sitting in third on the ladder.
Cousins said the team now knows where they sit in the grand scale of the competition and was hoping to regain key cogs Bec Allen and Laura Keighran this week.
“Our draw probably eased us into the season, but we’ve got the top four all in a row now (Greta, Milawa, Bonnie Doon and Tarrawingee),” she said.
“Hopefully we build on that, Bonnie Doon will be tough this week as they’re such a physical side.
“It’ll be good to know where we’re at against Tarra after a few really hard games, but we’d like to be there or thereabouts.”
On the other side of the
fence, the Lions senior football side were comprehensively overmatched by Milawa, going down 3.5 (23) to 19.14 (128).
Heading in with high hopes after a competitive display against Greta, Whorouly were snuffed out of the match with a scoreless opening quarter and trailed at the main break by 27 points.
Milawa made full advantage of the breeze out of half-time, kicking nine goals to one behind in the third quarter to kick away.
Coach Lochy Moore said it was a disappointing day for his side.
“I thought we would be able to compete a little better than what we did, in previous weeks our pressure and competitiveness was right up there and it just wasn’t quite there on the weekend,” he said.
“We’re still a team that’s improving week in and week out, but I think we just waited for something to happen and it never really did.
“Milawa have a great core, event with the injuries they have, they were really disciplined and worked the ball around nicely.”
Will Allen continued his
BRIGHT’S A grade has taken out its third win on the trot over North Wangaratta to skyrocket into finals contention.
Bright won all quarters on their way to a 43-32 win, with coach Kate Buckly leading all-comers with 22 goals.
The Hawks came out of the gates fast early to keep it a two-goal game at quar-
ter-time, before Bright put the foot down in the second quarter and never looked back.
Georgie Matters was a workhorse all day for Bright to be named best on court while Ashleigh Grimes played a key role at goal attack, to convert 19 of her 28 chances on goal.
Bright now sit at eighth on the ladder and are just percentage outside of the top six heading towards
the halfway point of the season. The red-hot form of Bright will face the ultimate test this weekend against the four-time reigning premiers Greta, who are yet to lose a game this year. It was a successful day overall for Bright with the thrilling one goal loss in the under 15s the only blemish throughout the day, beating the Hawks in under 17s, B reserve and B grades.
strong run of form to be named as the Lions’ best while Sam Ferguson and Darcy O’Shannessy put their best foot forward.
Whorouly will host last year’s premiers Bonnie Doon this weekend, and while it was a daunting task, Moore said he hoped his players would remain positive, having faced a tough stretch of games against three of the top four sides in as many weeks.
“By no means is it back to the drawing board, we have a pretty solid foundation of culture, it doesn’t always win games but I want us to enjoy our football and it’s not easy coming up against this quality of opposition so I hope we don’t drop our heads this weekend and play some positive footy,” he said.
THE gauntlet of the Myrtleford A grade draw has been run as the Saints went down to last year’s runners up Wodonga Raiders 56-42 last week at Biralee Park.
The firepower of the Raiders shone through early, as they broke out to a nine goal lead at the main break, with the lethal duo of Emily Stewart and Taylor Donelan proving too much to handle in goal.
Myrtleford steadied in the third to give themselves a small chance, before the third-placed Raiders ran away with proceedings to win by 14 goals.
The Saints have now played the current top three sides in consecutive matches, after having gone down to Wangaratta and Corowa-Rutherglen
in their previous two.
Coach Olivia La Spina said the late out of goal shooter Daisy O’Kane with illness caused a re-shuffle of the side just before play, but she was proud of how her team adapted.
“We were a little disappointed with how we fell away in our last two games towards the end, so we made a real effort to sustain our play over four quarters, and I think the girls did that really well on the weekend,” she said.
“I think having to re-shuffle the team a bit let the girls go out there and play with some more freedom.
“It was definitely a better loss than what we’ve had in recent weeks.”
La Spina said the team has taken a lot of lessons out of its past three weeks against the barometer of the competition.
“We’ve tried to separate the game into its four quarters rather than the entire 60 minutes itself, we’ve really focused on resetting at the break and the first five minutes of each quarter is really crucial, trying to utilise those turnovers and gain momentum,” she said.
“We’re trying to establish a mindset shift, but also making sure our defensive efforts are all the way down the court, not just played by our defend-
ers.
AHEAD: Evie Hughes looks to distribute the ball as the Saints look forward to the interleague bye after a tough run of games.
PHOTOS: Janet Watt
“We’re still a relatively new look side and when you go up against Raiders and Wang, you can tell they’ve been together for years and know each other inside and out, but we know our best netball is up there with these teams.”
In O’Kane’s absence on the weekend, Bec Piazza was swung back from goal keeper to goal shooter and starred for her team, putting through 35
of her team’s 42 goals.
The Saints will enter the break in seventh on the ladder, two games outside of the top five.
La Spina said her side would look to utlise the most out of the week-long break.
“We know we’ve got a big month of netball coming out of the bye, so we’ll definitely
IT’S steady as she goes at the Myrtleford Bowls Club, with the club’s recent AGM solidifying the club’s leadership.
Cheryl Lewis was elected secretary and Lance Symons was voted in as president for the sixth consecutive year.
“Lance and I have had great support from a very good board of directors that continues to see our club grow in membership and provide additional benefits for all our members,” Lewis said.
The club’s strength was recently highlighted by the announcement from Attorney General Jaclyn Symes that the State Government has pledged $350,000 towards an upgrade that will see the change of the playing surface from natural grass to a synthetic bowling green, and eventually also provide a Teflon roof over that green.
“While further funding for this project will be required it will be amazing and allow us to utilise our facilities in all weather, diversifying our user base and growing participation at our club,” vice president Gerry Green said.
On the greens, the winter XXXX bowls competition was
again enjoyed in sunshine last Saturday, albeit cooler than the first week.
The key objective is to give newer bowlers a chance to experience fun bowls but also in a more competitive format - winning is not foremost about this
competition, more so introducing new player to the game of lawn bowls.
The results saw Chiltern snick ahead of Bright on all four rinks to win 78 shots to 56, while Myrtleford had a big win over Yackandandah, who have
recruited strongly with a lot of first-time bowlers.
Next Saturday sees Chiltern host Myrtleford while Bright will play host to Yackandandah.
All four clubs welcome new members if people wish to try the game of lawn bowls.
use the bye to rejuvenate, but also knowing we’ve got to put our heads down once it ends as well,” she said. While Saints missed out on selection in the open interleague squad, Skylah McPherson in the under 17s and Lily Boyer and Gemma Corcoran in the under 15s will be flying the colours this weekend.
■ From back page
Miller said it was satisfying to have seen reward for effort over the past two weeks after putting in a consistent patch of footy throughout the first third of the season.
“We feel like the last couple of weeks have been much more consistent, I think we’ve been consistent throughout the year bar some patches in some games,” he said.
“We’re in a different phase of our physical training program, it’ll be a pretty solid week again on the track.
“Now our challenge is to physically and mentally get ready for Rovers in a couple of weeks time, who have started the season really well.”
Munro, East, Zac Pethybridge, Mitch Dalbosco and Brody Ricciardi were all named in the interleague squad for this weekend’ match against Goulburn Valley FNL.
A SIXTH consecutive win for the rampaging Dederang-Mount Beauty A grade netball side has enabled them to jump into fourth position on the league ladder after seven rounds of competition.
The comprehensive display of netball, particularly in the final three quarters of Saturday’s match against Rutherglen at Barkly Park, has helped the Bombers keep in touch with this year’s contenders and are only a win away from top spot.
The game was in the balance for the first few minutes and the margin crept out to five goals at the first change of ends, but DMB powered away from the opposition to stretch the margin to 35 goals by the end of the match – 68 to 33.
Dederang-Mount Beauty’s A grade netball coach Alex Dyde was pleased with her team’s performance despite being challenged early in the game.
“It took a few minutes to ease into our groove and then it was just a matter of continuing to extend our lead each quarter which we were able to successfully do,” Dyde said.
Alysha de Koeyer was DMB’s leading contributor in terms of goals with 35, while Keely Bullivant and Stacey Browne were named as the best two players on court.
There is no bigger test in Tallangatta league netball than facing the powerful Kiewa-Sandy Creek, but the Bombers will have the advantage of coming up against the ladder leaders in Mount Beauty for their fourth and final game at the picturesque venue this Saturday.
Speaking of the upcoming challenge that awaits her squad, Dyde was confident that her side will go into the game with belief.
“It’s great to have six wins from seven rounds to firmly cement us in the top teams, particularly going into a more challenging run of games, but we are really keen to be challenged and continue to strengthen as we face other top sides over the coming weeks,” she said.
Dederang Mount-Beauty’s senior football team couldn’t get the job done away from home against a resurgent Rutherglen on Saturday and went down by an even 120 points.
The winless Bombers were held goalless by the Cats as the scoreboard read 0.2 (2) to 18.14 (122) at the conclusion of a difficult four quarters of footy.
Regular contributors Michael Collins, Ben Ozolins and Matt Paddle were named as the best three players for Dederang-Mount Beauty, and will play fourth-placed KiewaSandy Creek this weekend, who are entering the game off the back of a 55-point victory against Tallangatta.
MYRTLEFORD will head into the O&M interleague bye full of confidence after a second straight win over Wodonga Raiders at Biralee Park.
A stifling first half from the Saints restricted the home side to just a single goal at halftime, making much better use of the wind at their backs to run away with the 5.8 (38) to 11.12 (78) win.
Coach Craig Miller said it was a great way to back up his team’s maiden win of the season last week against CorowaRutherglen.
BY BAILEY ZIMMERMANN bzimmermann@ nemedia.com.au
“I thought we defended really well in the second quarter when they had the breeze,” he said.
“Through the last quarter they had a 10-minute period where we struggled to wrestle a bit of momentum back from them, but they didn’t score which was the pleasing thing for us.
“We’ve been working really hard on defending as a team for
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.
some time now and while there’s still some parts of it we’re fine tuning, the past couple of weeks has been really great.
“Individually our tackle pressure was really good and our ability to shut down some of their key players at critical parts of the game was really good.
“Frazer Dale did a really good job on Cam Ellis-Yolmen in the first half, sacrificed a lot of his game for the betterment of the team and I thought Ashton McPherson did an outstanding job on Tom Brasher.
“We went with one of our best
young players against one of their best young players and one of our most experienced players against one of their most experienced, and they did a great job for the team.”
Myrtleford found plenty of avenues for goal with a slew of contributors, as Jaxon East, Lachie Murphy-Dale and Levi Young all finished with multiple goals.
The Saints have now jumped to seventh on the ladder heading into league-wide break with two wins and five losses.
■ Continued page 26
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. 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.
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.