News - Pakenham Officer Star News - 19th August 2021

PAKENHAM OFFICER

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

EDUCATION Our Education wrap has plenty of options to suit any learner. Open up and take a look!

Pictured: Students at St Patrick’s Primary School, Pakenham.

We pride ourselves on being a Catholic, welcoming school where everyone is valued and respected. Our committed and professional staff provide a safe, caring environment where we aim to engender a love of learning in every student.

ENROLMENTS NOW OPEN Ph: 5943 9000 or email office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au to book a school tour 136 Princes Highway, Pakenham | www.stppakenham.catholic.edu.au | (03) 5943 9000 12496727-HC22-21

FOCUS ON … EDUCATION

In search of top teaching Opportunities and respectful relationships have been identified as the key ingredients for students to succeed in all areas of school life by leading educators at Haileybury.

Regardless of the school that young people attend, their year level or the subject being taught, when planning a child’s education, parents should prioritise schools that combine these two essential elements, says Ms Melissa Allen, Head of Teaching and Learning (Middle School) at Haileybury.

“Relationships are the foundation of quality teaching,” she says.

“US President Theodore Rooesevelt said: ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care’. I like to change that quote and say: ‘Student’s don’t know how much you know until they know how much you care’.”

Ms Allen says honest relationships that encourage critical feedback help children engage in learning and gain the most from their teachers.

“At Haileybury, formal feedback for each student outlines what they did well, what can be improved and how to make that improvement and that feedback is visible for parents so they can support their child, too,” says Ms Allen.

Opportunities, challenges and tasks from ELC to Year 12 are also integral to quality teaching and learning, but they should be relevant, practical and relate to real life, adds Ms Allen. For example, Year 8 students at Haileybury take part in the Haileybury Startup program that encourages entrepreneurship, digital literacy, critical thinking and teamwork. At the end of the program, students ‘pitch’ their startup business ideas to parents and the school community.

A school that supports the ongoing professional development of its teachers and the appreciation of student individuality are also

part of quality teaching and learning, says Ms Allen.

“It’s important that teachers respect that

their students have their own opinions and that learning is two-way,” she says.

“Students allow us to grow as teachers, too.”

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FOCUS ON … EDUCATION

Discovery Centre aids students’ digital skills

High marks for college

Rivercrest student 4 year old ELC. Rivercrest Christian College, in Clyde North, recently shared the news that its Early Learning Centre received the highest government rating of “Exceeding National Quality Standards.“ “I know how hard our ELC team work to nurture every one of our students and this excellent review comes as no surprise” Rivercrest ELC director Melissa Martin said.

A representative from the Department of Education visited the Rivercrest ELC in June to conduct the Assessment and Rating, measuring their practice against the National Quality Standards.

In the final report, the Department of Education and Training could not speak highly enough of the Rivercrest ELC program and the report asks the assessor to comment on any quality improvement required, and the Rivercrest ELC Service received a ‘Nil improvement needed’ in all seven quality areas.

“I want to acknowledge and express my appreciation to the all the team at Rivercrest Christian College. Firstly, the ELC team, for their dedication to the quality improvement process. Their commitment to excellence to ensure that we provide quality education to

Having fun - Tyson, Sneha and Amelie. 228312

your children is truly commendable. This exceptional rating in the National Quality Standard Assessment and Rating report is a clear indication of their commitment,” Ms Martin said.

The report goes on to say: “Educators displayed a strong commitment to connecting with children and families and creating a true sense of community… Educators demonstrated an ongoing commitment to ensuring that the program was responsive to the needs of individual children. The educational program was designed with purpose and consideration to extend and enhance each child’s learning and exploration. The programs were responsive to each child’s abilities, strengths and interests and routines had been carefully considered to support the needs of each child”.

Rivercrest Christian College currently offers 3-year-old and 4-year-old ELC, driven by the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) and the Early Years Learning Framework.

The learning that happens at Rivercrest Early Learning Centre (ELC) values the development of inquiring, knowledgeable and caring students.

Students Guguei and Ernest.

St Patrick’s School Pakenham, is fortunate to have an excellent Discovery Centre that houses one to one Chrome Books and iPads for each student which amplifies student skills in navigating essential technologies and applications.

The Discovery Centre provides opportunities for students to use programmable robots to practice their Coding Skills using Dash, Sphero and Bee Bot Robots. Students have multiple opportunities to experiment with the Coding Language required for each Robot and design pathways for the robots to follow.

Students have been creating Stop Motion Animations - Google Slides, Claymation, Flip Books and using Green Screens.

The themes for the Stop Motions are drawn

from Inquiry units making cross-Curricula links. Students are developing their capacity in problem solving, and trial and error while practising their ICT skills and media arts creativity.

The students’ growth in technological know-how and use of Google Suite has allowed a higher level of engagement and learning during our Remote Learning periods.

Students log in to Google Meets with their teachers daily and access their work via the Stream and Classwork pages. St Patrick’s has been able to provide laptops to families who don’t have them at home, promoting further engagement in learning for all students and a smoother transition from school to learning at home.

registrar@hillcrest.vic.edu.au

03 9702 2144

www.hillcrest.vic.edu.au 12479614-AV27-21

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Chairo’s distinct approach Located just 6 km from the centre of Pakenham and less than 4 km from Nar Nar Goon, Chairo Christian School’s campus on Bald Hill Road offers all the benefits of wide-open spaces and a rural environment while being accessible to families living in the south eastern outskirts of Melbourne.

More and more families are making the choice each year to enrol their children at Chairo and discover for themselves the school’s distinct approach to education, partnership and community.

Chairo Pakenham provides education within a caring and supportive Christian environment for students from Kindergarten (K3 and K4) through to Year 12 (VCE & VCAL) and has some vacancies at various year levels for 2022 and beyond.

The Principal, Pete Wells, explained, ‘Our desire is that each student feels welcome and safe as they participate in a friendly, vibrant and uplifting community that values the unique capabilities of every child. It’s our desire to see boys and girls experience care, challenge, teaching and example that helps forge them into young men and women of great character and integrity.’

A diverse range of key learning areas are covered, encompassing English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Health, Physical Education, The Arts, Technology, Ag Hort, French, Indonesian, Bible and more.

Music is a significant component of school life at Chairo, with students learning a wide range of instruments and participating in various bands, ensembles and choirs in music classes and with a team of specialist instrumental music tutors.

Chairo provides a range of enriching experiences, including comprehensive camping

More and more families are making the choice each year to enrol their children at Chairo. and sporting programs that foster participation, skill development, character and resilience. There’s also a popular and successful

Corriedale sheep program.

Interested families are invited to book a tour to discover Chairo’s friendly and nurtur-

ing environment, learn more about the rigorous academic expectations and experience the authentic Christian community.

One size doesn’t fit all Pakenham Secondary College knows students are not all the same.

Whether they are visual, hands-on, or academic learners, we offer multiple pathways and a large range of programs to engage with their diverse interests, aspirations, and strengths. Contact us for a private tour and learn about what is available for your child.

Assistant principal Emmanuel Merambeliotis and VCAL teacher Allison Barrie.

The pathways are endless

1020 Princes Highway Pakenham, Victoria, 3810 Phone 5945 1433 www.pakenhamsc.vic.edu.au @pakenhamsc

Choosing a high school can be a difficult decision as both a parent and child, not knowing where your child will be best supported or offered a range of pathways to make the right choice for their future.

Pakenham Secondary College takes away the pressure of choosing just one pathway because they go above and beyond by offering four.

Assistant principal Emmanuel Merambeliotis said in offering a range of different pathways visual learners, hands-on learners and academic learners are all catered for.

“We recognise that we have a really diverse student cohort and they have diverse aspirations. We’ve got kids who want to do something in the medical field right through to a diesel mechanic,” he said.

“In order to accommodate for that what we try to do in the senior years is offer a full range of programs to engage those students.”

Mr Merambeliotis said Pakenham Secondary College offers VCE, VCAL, a range of VET subjects and school based apprenticeship programs like the one at Lime Cafe Cardinia.

“We really want to improve the educational opportunity and levels in the local community, having more students complete Year 12 or its equivalent,” he said.

“A high number of our students who

complete Year 12 are the first in their family to do so. We see a responsibility to raise the aspirations and the opportunity for a lot of the kids in the local area.”

Pakenham Secondary College teacher in science, VCAL numeracy and the applied learning leader Allison Barrie said by letting students choose the right pathway for them, the programs are more individualised and students are more engaged.

“Our students are more engaged in learning, it’s more real life content to the learning and there’s a bit more internal motivation because this relates to their chosen pathway,” Ms Barrie said. “What we’re really trying to do here is look at how we make our educational experience for our students here lead to an outcome or a pathway.

“We’re trying to look at supply and demand I suppose, we’re trying to be responsive to what we’re hearing employers and higher education is looking for and giving our students the opportunity to have a go at those sorts of skills before they leave school.”

The College wants students to succeed in all aspects of life, including their health and wellbeing. That’s why they allow students to be flexible in their studies and the programs are interchangeable so that students can find the right fit, perhaps by doing VCE and a VET certificate or by doing VCAL and a VCE subject.

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FOCUS ON … EDUCATION

Is my child ready to start school?

It’s a question many parents agonise over before enrolling their son or daughter in prep.

Moving from pre-school to primary school is a big transition - the teaching hours are longer, the playground is bigger and there are lots of older kids.

In Victoria, a child needs to turn five by 30 April of the year that they begin school, but mums and dads often debate whether to hold their son or daughter back.

Education transitions expert Emeritus Professor Bob Perry says parents need to ask themselves if there is a compelling reason why their child shouldn’t be starting school if they are old enough.

“I basically come from the position that if a child is age eligible to go I would need to know some reason why they shouldn’t go,” he said.

“I think children thrive on the challenge at school as long as they are supported by the teachers. We shouldn’t deprive them of that challenge.”

Here, Prof Perry explains what parents need to consider before sending their child to primary school.

CHILD’S AGE: The first thing a parent has to look at is their child’s age - will their child be old enough to start school? There are different age cut-offs in different states, and sometimes different areas, such as the Catholic system, have different age cut-offs.

THE CHILD’S THOUGHTS: Does the child think they are ready to go to school? Parents should be talking to their child about going to school and seeing what that means for the child. What does the child think school is about, how do they think they will go at school, do they know anyone else going to school?

THE OTHER OPTION: If a child doesn’t go to school with their cohort of friends, what are they going to do? Are they going to have another year of preschool? How is that extra year of preschool going to challenge them differently to the year they’ve just done?

DANGERS OF REPEATING: I’m not at all enamoured with the notion of repeating any year of a child’s education. Some parents make the decision their child can go to school as soon as they are age eligible as there is a fallback position that they can repeat and it won’t be a big deal. But it is a big deal. It is a big deal in the way the child will lose a group of friends and it is a blow to a child’s prestige. It seems to be a really poor excuse when parents say ‘I don’t need to make this decision because if it doesn’t work out then they can repeat’.

THE RESEARCH: Children who start school when they are a bit older will of course function better in the first year of school because they are a bit older, they are wiser, they know a bit more. But the research is clear - that washes out after a while. There is no great advantage in being older later in school.

ASK FOR ADVICE: Parents should be taking advice from people who know their child

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- that means other parents and preschool teachers. The school teachers don’t know your child and they don’t get to know them during orientation weeks. If a child is age eligible they can go to school providing the child is comfortable about going to school and the parent can work on that, unless there are special circumstances. Of course there are some children who are developmentally delayed and they may need special provision. Everything else being equal, prep teachers are trained and prepared to take children as they come. A lot of prep teachers will tell you they would rather have older children than younger children, but that’s not the point. These children have a right to school education at that age. Show me why they shouldn’t have the school education at that age when they are eligible.

BOYS V GIRLS ARGUMENT: There are suggestions that boys should start school later than girls. But what about the individuality of this whole thing? There are very young boys who will flourish in school. There are older boys who will go to school and not flourish. Same with girls. It’s an individual thing.

EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL SECURITY: The key for starting school is that the child feels they belong there, that school is actually a place suitable for them. Parents also need to look at their child’s makeup and how certain issues can be addressed. If your child is shy, if they don’t have many friends, if they don’t like to be around other people - I think they actually signals for the parents and teachers to do something about it, rather than signs of school readiness. The parent might arrange some play dates with other children who are going to the school. There will be things that the children are a little bit worried about - but we don’t know until we ask them. Some children can be apprehensive about school toilets. That can be addressed by visiting a public toilet. There are things that the parents can do. The signals are emotional and social.

ACADEMICS AREN’T IMPORTANT: I don’t think it matters if your child can write their name, count to 10 and say the alphabet.

They are not necessary.

It’s useful for the child to be able to recognise their name as it helps them find their hat, jumper and bag. The challenges for children as they settle into school are social and emotional challenges. Look at how your child functions with other children, look at how they talk with adults, look at how they are happy to occupy themselves.

BEWARE OF CHECKLISTS: There are lots of schools that have checklists for school readiness. I actually get frightened when I look at those lists as there are some things that I can’t even do. I’ve seen lists with things like ‘can deal with difficult situations successfully, can deal with criticism successfully’. What does that mean for a four and a half, five year old child? The important things are that you want the child to wake up in the morning and be pestering you to be getting into the car and going to school.

Outstanding opportunity Hallam Senior College provides outstanding opportunities for senior students in Years 10 to 12. They cater for an extremely diverse range of students with varied interests and aspirations including those focused on university, those wishing to excel in one of our Centres of Excellence (Sports, Innovation and Creative & Performing Arts) or those wishing to complete a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course.

They welcome you to the Come and Try Day (choose from Monday, 6 September or Monday, 18 October) and is an unique ‘hands on’ chance for potential students (Current Year 9 or above) to experience Hallam’s subject offerings. Come and see first hand how VET courses can complement our engaging VCE and VCAL programs.

Hallam Senior College would like to invite prospective families to register for a tour, and to come and experience what they have to offer, including but not limited to: 1. Maximising your VCE studies How to maximise your VCE studies at Hallam and ATAR Experiencing high quality teaching and learning 2. Experience and learn from one of our high performance coaches from one of our Centre of Excellence Program’s including: High Performance Sport - AFL (boys/girls), Rugby League (boys/girls), Basketball, Soccer and Netball (girls) Innovation (Aviation Technology, Horticulture, Microsoft)

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Creative and performing arts programs.

3. Attend our Come and Try Day. Learn about apprenticeship, traineeship and employment opportunities Find out about our partnerships and pathways to further study Hallam currently has more than 400 students completing a VET course, more than 200 of these students travel from other High Schools in South East Melbourne each week to study at Hallam 4. Hear about the range of transition and support services we offer our students Hallam Senior College encourage all current year 9 students in South East Melbourne or those wishing to transfer schools to come and experience what Hallam has to offer.

Register today for a school tour or their Come and Try Day by calling 9703 1266 or register online hallamssc.vic.edu.au. Experience what we have to offer prior to enrolling. You won’t be disappointed.

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Advice on school readiness

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FOCUS ON … EDUCATION

Be active, learn better

By Mikayla Van Loon Ever thought about the link between motor skills and children succeeding at school?

Well the link is actually quite high as researched by GymbaRoo. The ‘No Child Should Fail’ schools research project in 2007 and the ‘Unlocking Potential (UP)’ research projects of 2013 and 2015 found that early learning of motor skills helped kids excel academically, emotionally, in leadership roles and on the sporting field.

The Unlocking Potential program is a sensory-motor-perceptual program for primary schools. In the 2014 to 2015 school year, 314 students took part in 25 minute sessions before the school day started three times a week.

The study found that the students who participated in the program increased their neurological age by at least 22 months throughout the 12 month period.

Teacher’s also noticed a change in behaviour, attention and ability to comprehend.

By repeating motor skills from a young age, the brain learns to control movements and in turn allows kids to hold a pencil, sit still and follow a task.

Motor skill development helps stimulate eye muscles and vision, forming better pathways in the brain to look up and down, left and right or near and far, which is essential for reading and learning. .

Although it can be a slow process, babies and toddlers need time to work out how to do certain things in their own developmental stages.

To encourage babies to develop their skills, get them to be as active and unrestricted as possible.

Tummy time is excellent for those inbuilt

Early development of motor skills proves successful for learning in the future. exploratory movements like crawling, rolling over and discovering.

Dance, swing and sway with babies to nursery rhymes or songs to get their bodies moving.

For toddlers and preschoolers, avoid too much screen time, get children to use their balancing skills like standing on stepping stones, running up and down grass hills or balance along sleeper edges and let them get active.

Picture: UNSPLASH A child’s school and academic potential can be improved from doing simple things and giving them the chance to explore their motor skills.

Handwriting is essential

Discover Chairo Pakenham • • • • • •

Kinder to Year 12 on one beautiful rural campus Caring Christian community and safe environment Campuses also at Drouin, Leongatha and Traralgon Vacancies exist at various year levels for next year Currently accepting applications for 2022 and beyond Visit chairo.vic.edu.au/enrolments for more information

585 Bald Hill Road, NaR NaR GooN enrolments@chairo.vic.edu.au • 5942 5632

A recent study has investigated the links between handwriting and other literacy skills in young children, finding that handwriting automaticity, or fluency, predicted writing quality and reading skills a year later.

The researchers warn that a shift to “paperless schools” does not have strong empirical support and that it could potentially have a negative impact on students’ literacy.

Dr Anabela Malpique of Murdoch University and Associate Professor Deborah Pino-Pasternak of University of Canberra conducted the study, which involved 154 students and 24 teachers across seven Perth schools. They wanted to understand the effect handwriting automaticity has on children’s later literacy skills.

“A growing body of research argues specific cognitive benefits of handwriting during early childhood, including brain development, working memory, translation of thought-to-script, and overall writing quality and production.”

Despite the widespread use of technology and the current digital literacy agenda, handwriting plays a unique and fundamental role in writing development. Anecdotally described as “thinking with a pencil”, handwriting involves the integration of visual-perceptual, fine and gross motor skills with cognition While it might be tempting to dismiss the importance of handwriting as simply cosmetic, handwriting in fact underpins many higher functions of writing.

The researchers note that poor handwriting automaticity hinders vocabulary selection, ideation and revision, while also affecting motivation, writing development and, in turn, academic success.

Automatic letter writing has been found to be the best unique predictor of the writing skills of early developing writers, theoretically supported by the notion that the translation of ideas into written text relies heavily on the writers’ ability to retrieve alphabet letters in memory and produce

these letter forms efficiently, legibly, and automatically.

The researchers note that their study’s findings, well aligned with recent neuroimaging studies, question the empirical foundations of digital only efforts in schools today.

In a time when handwriting is being replaced by digital writing devices, research is showing that such a move could be counterproductive.

Of particular concern to the researchers were the teaching practices reported.

Year One students spent less than 50 minutes per day practicing writing, which is the minimum recommended, while across the board there was great variability in the time students spent on writing. Writing time and instruction ranged from 30 to 120 minutes per week.

The researchers also note that Australian teachers may be focusing too much on basic skills rather than teaching writing processes such as planning for writing and learning strategies to revise the quality of their texts.

“This may be problematic since research with primary students suggests that writing instruction in early education should include the teaching of basic writing skills and the teaching of writing processes in the same instructional protocol.”

The researchers conducting the research were also assisted by Dr Magda Sofia Roberto, their statistical consultant.

Anabela Malpique, Deborah PinoPasternak, and Magda Sofia Roberto.

2019. Writing and reading performance in Year 1 Australian classrooms: associations with handwriting automaticity and writing instruction. Reading and Writing. DOI: 10.1007/s11145-019-09994-z.

For more information contact Dr Anabela Malpique, Murdoch University at a.malpique@murdoch.edu.au. or Associate Professor Deborah Pino-Pasternak, University of Canberra at deborah.pino-pasternak@canberra.edu.au.

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FOCUS ON … EDUCATION

New works St Clare’s Catholic Primary School continues to grow and now has an enrolment of over 520 students. One of the major developments for 2021 is substantial landscape works to incorporate further sport fields and playgrounds.

St Clare’s continues to go from strength to strength.

As part of the parish of St Patrick’s in Pakenham, the school is on site with the Early Learning Centre and the Officer campus of St Francis Xavier College. This provides a seamless transition from early childhood to secondary education with state-of-the-art facilities.

Each learning space has been designed by education award-winning architects to provide a rich environment conducive to relevant, meaningful learning. Areas are spacious and well-resourced so as to meet the diverse needs of all learners.

The final stage of classrooms was finished in 2020 and the current works will include a new playground and sports field.

Before your children even comes to school, you, as parents, have taught them so much.

They’ve learned to listen, to ask questions, to be filled with wonder, to say thank you, to wash their hands, to pick up after themselves and to look out for each other.

The job of St Clare’s is to continue these life lessons and nurture the holistic development of each child.

For the St Clare’s family, numeracy and literacy skills are core elements of education; but

At St Clare’s their aim is to have each child reach their potential.

so is Religious Education - developing empathy, social justice and a strong moral compass.

The school encourages active play and healthy bodies; understanding other cultures through learning languages; and the confidence that comes with developing creativity through the performing and visual arts.

Due to the impact on Covid-19 on schooling in 2020 and 2021 we all discovered, digital technology is an integral part of the learning experience in the connected world, and St Clare’s emphasises a student’s capacity for safety, courtesy, critical literacy and independent learning online using the most current mobile learning technologies.

Student achievement is measured not only by academic growth but by each child’s emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.

Being part of a faith-filled community instils students with a sense of identity, a feeling of belonging and above all, a powerful sense of self-worth.

At St Clare’s the aim is to have each child reach their potential; to be a well-rounded individual - within a supportive and caring learning environment.

Unfortunately, current restrictions do not allow for school tours but the school is taking inquiries so a school tour can be arranged as soon as it’s permitted.

For all inquires or to receive enrolment documentation call 5940 6777 or email enrolments@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au

Introducing your

School Principals Helen Staindl, our Principal, was born and raised in Gippsland and has been a Principal in Stratford, Melbourne, Geelong and now at St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Officer. She has studied both internationally and locally and has Masters Degrees in Theology and Education as well as further degrees in Religious Education and Administration. Helen was a member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Board for many years and has broad experience in the Catholic and Private sectors and with the International Baccalaureate Program.

When not at school, Helen performs and tours with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus and has sung at the MCG Grand Final, the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics and with celebrities including John Farnham.

St Clare’s is a Catholic School called to serve the local community, to teach the Catholic faith, to promote educational excellence and to nurture the growth and well-being of all students, families and staff.

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Helen has a deep understanding and awareness of student learning and wellbeing. As the Principal of a new school, she has been responsible for establishing a vibrant learning culture at St Clare’s and ensuring that the needs of the students are at the forefront of the growth of the school. That is why education is her passion.

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Pakenham Secondary College is home to a dynamic teaching group, dedicated student body and wide range of opportunities.

With a rich 50 year history in our region, we place our students at the centre of all that we do. More than ever, the College is providing a range of pathways for students to follow with confidence.

Academic results that are constantly improving and are complemented with excellent sporting and co-curricular participation.

The College’s values hinge upon the acronym SOAR, which in turn has inspired the eagle in the school’s logo.

SOAR S ocial and personal responsibility Everyone is accountable for their own actions and share responsibility for the development of a positive learning environment.

O pportunities for all All members of the school community are provided with a variety of learning opportunities to further develop themselves and participate in the decision making process of the school.

A chieving personal best We expect that all members of the school community commit to a culture of excellence.

R espect and relationships We recognise the importance of productive relationships, with all members of the school community showing respect for themselves, others and the environment.

I would like to welcome you and your children to our College community.

Mrs Jeanette Rawlings

Helen Staindl

Head of Haileybury Berwick Haileybury provides an environment in which every student matters every day. We are known for our outstanding academic results, extensive co-curricular choices and our outstanding teachers who work with each student as they strive to reach their potential.

In a safe and supportive environment, students learn under our acclaimed Parallel Education model.

Students in ELC (Reception and Pre-Prep) and Junior School (Prep to Year 4) learn together in a co-educational environment while students in Middle and Senior School (Years 5 to 12) have single-gender classes. Students have access to our extensive Sport program in which they have more than 30 sports to choose from. Tailored to each schooling stage, we have a meaningful Pastoral Care approach with a true commitment to wellbeing. Our Social Justice program creates student awareness of their community and encourages them to think beyond themselves to become young people of character and integrity.

Haileybury Berwick is a community where each child feels cared about, valued, respected and known, and where parents and families feel welcome.

Pakenham Secondary College

St Clare’s Catholic Primary School

Haileybury Berwick

1020 Princes Hwy, PAKENHAM VIC 3810 Phone 5945 1433 www.pakenhamsc.vic.edu.au

95 Majestic Drive OFFICER 3809 Phone 5940 6777 www.stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au

138 High Street, Berwick VIC 3806 Phone 9904 6006 www.haileybury.com.au

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Ray Squires

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St Clare’s Catholic Primary School, Officer Our Faith leads to Wisdom and Courage.

Enrol Now!

’s has developed providing a quality schooling experience, developing

Our faith leads to wisdom and courage.

St Clare’s and is embedded in the ethos of the school,

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parent, guardian or family, I invite you to visit us at St Clare’s and discover this dynamic learning environment and start the beginning of, what I hope will be, a life-long learning partnership.

Helen Staindl School Principal

Enrolment Enquiries email enrolments@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au 8W STAR NEWS

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Thursday, 19 August, 2021

St Clare’s Primary School Officer Officer 3809 Phone 03 5940 6777 pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

PAKENHAM OFFICER

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RSL notches up a century

Revamp for park

By Gabriella Payne

Pakenham’s popular PB Ronald Reserve is set for a major facelift. landscape and drainage to support use of the reserve for large events; new multi-use courts for basketball, netball, tennis and soccer; an additional bowling green and surrounding seating; a new picnic/barbecue area near the Living and Learning Centre; relocation of the Remembrance Cenotaph and plaques (creating a safer and accessible location for gatherings); upgrades to toilets, furniture, and shelters; and improved carparking and planting throughout the reserve.

The first stage of detailed design for the skate park and parkour circuit is expected to

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NEED HELP WITH AN INTERVENTION ORDER? OPEN FOR BUSINESS !

Now in office consultations Online Consults still available Pakenham Drouin, Narre Warren and Yarra Junction Offices | P 5941 5166

kick off this financial year, and Cr Owen said that community members were still able to share their thoughts on the project.

“Key elements of the reserve’s redevelopment including the skatepark and surrounding facilities will go out for community consultation so there will be further opportunity to have your say,” Cr Owen said.

To register your interest in receiving council updates on PB Ronald Reserve, please visit www.creatingcardinia.vic.gov.au/pbronaldreserve or call their customer service team on 1300 787 624.

JASON WOOD MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR LA TROBE 03 9768 9164 JasonWood.Updates Authorised by J.Wood, Liberal Party of Australia, 3/16 Langmore Ln, Berwick VIC 3806.

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is key to creating a sense of community pride and connectedness and I know locals will be excited to see progress on this project.”

The masterplan details major upgrades to PB Ronald Reserve that will be conducted over the next 10 years - a huge project that will see the reserve become a focal point and community hub in the heart of Pakenham.

Some of the key features of the new masterplan include an upgrade and expansion of the existing skate park; a new parkour circuit and exercise station; a new stage with power for festivals and events; improved lighting,

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It’s been a long time coming, but it seems upgrade works at Pakenham’s PB Ronald Reserve have finally received both the community and the council’s seal of approval, after the park’s long-debated masterplan was endorsed at Monday night’s council meeting.

The busy recreation space, located in the heart of Pakenham, is home to many community facilities including the Pakenham Library and Hall, U3A, Pakenham Living and Learning Centre, Pakenham Men’s Shed, Pakenham Community garden, SCOPE disability service and the RSL memorial walk.

Being such an important, central place for the local community, the Cardinia Shire Council took the time to ensure that everyone’s input was considered in the development of the masterplan, and they are now looking forward to the next stage. Cardinia mayor Brett Owen said that it had been fantastic to see the amount of community interest in the project.

“There’s a very strong sense of community ownership of PB Ronald Reserve so it’s important we took the time to listen to what the community and stakeholders had to say about the masterplan,” Cr Owen said.

Since the plan’s proposal in September 2019, Mayor Owen said that the council had heard from countless community members and made changes accordingly to ensure the new design catered to everyone.

“After the final round of consultation, we made a number of changes to the plan taking community feedback into account. Now it’s time to get on with the job and move to detailed design for the first stage of the redevelopment,“ he said.

Henty Ward Councillor Carol Ryan thanked local residents for contributing all their thoughts and ideas.

“Thank you to all the community members and groups who have provided input into the masterplan for PB Ronald Reserve,” Cr Ryan said.

“High quality, well designed public open space developed in consultation with users

NEWS

RSL notches its centenary

By Gabriella Payne

L-R: Sue Rasmussen (treasurer), Vic Phillips (secretary), Gary Elliott (president) and Rob Rasmussen (vice president), standing proudly with the 100 year old charter. 247220

One hundred years ago, the small, regional town of Pakenham officially opened the doors of its first RSL sub-branch and although the area and times have changed, a century later, they are still going strong.

Despite having to postpone their big birthday celebrations due to the ongoing global pandemic, the dedicated team of veterans

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Thursday, 19 August, 2021

and volunteers at the local club said they were thrilled to mark this huge milestone and reflect on 100 wonderful years.

Vic Phillips, the secretary of the Pakenham RSL, said that it was a fantastic achievement for the branch and they couldn’t wait to celebrate once restrictions were lifted.

“It’s a fairly big deal,” Mr Phillips said.

“It’s been 100 years since the formation [of the RSL branch] and I don’t know how many members we’ve had over the years, but there’ve been a lot of veterans and families that have come through our doors.”

“We’re still assisting veterans from both World War II, Vietnam and the current conflicts, and ex-service people as well,” Mr Phillips said.

These days, the club is made up of about 50 members and over the years, they have helped raise “hundreds of thousands” of dollars to assist the wider community and RSL Victoria - a fantastic achievement and one the small club is very proud of.

The club’s president, Gary Elliott, said that although 2021 marked the 100th birthday of the branch, the idea of starting the Pakenham RSL club was first talked about in 1919, but it wasn’t made official until 1921 when the charter was printed.

“It was set up in 1919 originally, a guy by the name of Harold Worship was the original president,” Mr Elliott said.

“It bobbed along for about 8-10 years, maybe 15 at most, but then after the first World War it started fading away a bit and ended up rotating through Pakenham South and places like that.”

“So it shifted out there, down to Rythdale and then finally came back here in 1940, but it was still under the same charter [the whole time], the same RSL sub-branch,” he said.

“When it came back here, it was obviously run through a number of houses or private properties in Pakenham and then somewhere in either the very late 40s to early 50s, this property was purchased,” - and the building on the corner of James and Snodgrass Streets has been the club’s home ever since.

Over the years, the local club has provided a safe and welcoming space for veterans and their families to come share a cuppa and have a chat - and they’ve seen the area change immensely over that period.

“As you can imagine in those days, Pakenham was a farming town, a small community and it’s only probably in the last 15 - 20 years that it’s gone through a huge growth,” Mr Phillips said.

Mr Elliott agreed.

“I think the sign out the front at that time said that there were under 1,000 people living in the area, and when you look at the first and second World War numbers, the number of people that were in this area and the number of guys that went away, it was about 50 percent of the male population that left the Pakenham area to go to either the first or second World War - and that’s a serious number of people,” he said.

“The commitment from the area was enormous.”

With membership having picked up a bit in recent years, the club are pushing to try and get a bigger venue, so that the RSL club can continue to expand in the local area.

“This area deserves a bigger RSL than what it’s got, that’s for sure,” Mr Elliott said.

While the club said it was “very disappointing” that their centenary celebrations couldn’t go ahead as planned, they were looking forward to having an even bigger and better event next year (once restrictions have been lifted).

“We’ve just had to put everything on hold, there’s not much we can do about it - it’s just the way it is at the moment,” Mr Elliott said.

“We are pretty disappointed, because we were really looking forward to it,” Mr Phillips added.

“I think it was going to be a great day - but it will still be something worthwhile celebrating when we can.” pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Vets’ painful memories

By Shelby Brooks Not only can Vietnam veterans not come together to support each other on the 55th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan due to lockdown 6.0, but recent imagery of the fall of Kabul in Afghanistan has brought up painful memories for many.

The Battle of Long Tan was the longest conflict Australians were involved in during the 20th century and is commemorated on 18 August in conjunction with Vietnam Veterans’ Day. Past president of the Pakenham RSL and Vietnam veteran Gary Elliott said 18 August was always a tough day for the veterans.

“It’s quite an emotional day generally speaking for a lot of us,” he said.

Although there were live stream services available to watch at home, Gary said it just wasn’t the same.

“Some guys don’t want to watch if they can’t go to the live one,” he said.

“A big part of the day is to go down and have a brekkie on the lawns near the Shrine. It’s a day to catch up with some friends you haven’t seen in a long time.”

Gary said the current situation in Afghanistan was having a toll on all servicemen and women, including the Vietnam veterans.

“Unfortunately, there are lot of similarities [with Vietnam],” Gary said, “I saw a photo on Facebook of 1975 when Saigon fell and when Kabul fell this year, both looked the same.

“It’s just so reminiscent of those days, of that time. It just beggars’ belief. We spent 20 years training Afghanistan troops on how to look after their country and then it’s all over in a day. Literally a day.

“The Americans in Vietnam went in expecting a military victory and it just wasn’t going to happen, and Afghanistan has been the same.”

Gary said he hoped all Australians took a moment to reflect on the service of the Viet-

Alma and Gary Elliott honour the sacrifices made in Vietnam at a previous Vietnam Veterans’ Day. 213318 nam veterans on Wednesday 18 August.

“It’s either in your heart or head to do that or it isn’t,” he said.

“People should remember we have gone off, on the behest of our government, to fight a battle on behalf of for another government- we were following orders.

“I hope people remember that and respect that on the days that were allocated for it.”

This year’s ceremony was supposed to be one of the last big services held in Victoria, Gary said.

“Unlike Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, Vietnam Veterans’ Day will probably fall to

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

the wayside a bit as we diminish in numbers,” Gary said.

“Mainly because the guys are getting older.

There’s no Vietnam veteran under 70 and most of us well over that.

“People should remember the service of any service man and woman of any conflict.”

The need to feed

By Shelby Brooks The Salvation Army Pakenham is barely keeping up with the demand for food and assistance during the sixth Covid-19 lockdown.

Captain Katie Ryan said the Bald Hill Road organisation was always seeking any type of food donations.

“We’ll take anything at this point,” she said.

“It goes out the door as soon as it comes in.

“The demand is growing here- there are many people affected by the lockdowns.”

The Salvation Army can operate during lockdowns because they are deemed as an essential service, albeit with Covid-safe measures in place.

“We’re here if anyone needs assistance or if anyone feels they need support in any way,” Capt. Ryan said.

“We want people to be their best selves during Covid.

“They can come for a chat outside on a bench whenever they need.”

The help of the Pakenham Salvation Army has recently gone beyond the immediate area, helping out the Leongatha branch recently with excess food donations through its Doorways program.

“Our volunteer team in Pakenham were sources food for our Doorways program and they ended up with quite a lot of extra,” Capt.

Ryan said.

“So, we reached out to the Leongatha branch who also have a Doorways program to help them out.”

Capt. Ryan said the Leongatha team were able to reach more spaces than they usually had in the past due to the donation from Pakenham.

“Leongatha were able to find whole new areas to assist because they didn’t have to resources in the past to reach these spaces,” she said.

With the extra fruit, vegetables and nonperishables that were delivered to Pakenham this week, they were also able to distribute goods to Salvation Armies in Berwick, Wonthaggi, Moe and Morwell as well as teh Remar Church Pakenham, Assembly of God Pakenham, ADRA Nunawadding and Pakenham, Bunyip and Garfield Community Centres and Casey North CISS.

Salvation Army volunteer John Cooper sorts through food donations on Wednesday 18 August. 247827 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

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NEWS

Teens’ theft spree Five teens as young as 13 have been charged over a four-day stealing spree across the East and South East.

The series of car thefts, robberies and other offending allegedly occurred in Pakenham, Cranbourne North, Beaconsfield, Carrum Downs, Springvale, Sandown, Balwyn, Box Hill North and Warrandyte South between 14 and 16 August.

Greater Dandenong Crime Investigation Unit detectives arrested four teens after they fled from a crash in Mooroolbark on Monday 16 August. A teen was arrested that evening after being caught driving a stolen vehicle in Dandenong, police say.

An 18-year-old Pakenham man was charged with 10 offences including theft, theft of motor vehicle, attempted theft of motor vehicle, attempted aggravated burglary, evade police and criminal damage.

He was remanded to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 6 September.

An 18-year-old Narre Warren man was charged with theft of motor vehicle and theft.

He was bailed to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 27 October.

A 19-year-old Narre Warren woman was charged with theft of motor vehicle, theft and evade police.

She was remanded to appear at Dandenong

Magistrates’ Court at a later date.

A 15-year-old Noble Park boy was charged with seven offences including theft of motor vehicle, robbery and theft.

A 13-year-old Frankston boy was charged with theft of motor vehicle, robbery, unlawful assault and two counts of commit indicatable offence on bail.

Both were remanded to appear before a children’s court at a later date.

A car came crashing into the window at the Pakenham McDonald’s on Wednesday evening.

Pictures: SUPPLIED

Not quite the drive through

By Gabriella Payne Diners at the Pakenham McDonald’s restaurant had quite the mid-meal surprise on Wednesday evening, 11 August, after a car came crashing into the window.

Emergency services were called to the Princes Highway fast-food restaurant at about 6.30pm after a woman accidentally drove her car into the building.

Sergeant Stefan Schmitzer from the Pakenham Police said that thankfully no one was injured in the incident and the woman had simply made a mistake.

“Basically, she was just a very inexperienced driver who accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake,“ he said.

Sergeant Schmitzer said that the accident had occurred at a less than optimal time for the female driver.

“She was nervous because she had just had a job interview at McDonald’s,“ he said.

“The poor girl... no one was injured and so we gave her a warning in relation to the accident.“ Thankfully the driver had managed to avoid hitting any pillars, only the large glass window, and Sergeant Schmitzer said that no structural damage was caused to the building.

Emergency service responders safely taped up the scene and covered the glass panel with a protective tarp after the incident.

The team at the Pakenham McDonald’s declined to comment on the accident and it remains unknown whether the woman got the job or not.

COVID-19 has affected all of us, but there is a way forward. It’s time to arm yourself by getting vaccinated. Protect yourself and the people you care about.

The sooner we all do it, the sooner we’ll get through it.

Book your vaccination today.

australia.gov.au Thankfully no one was injured in the incident and there was no major structural damage caused.

1800 020 080

Diners had quite the fright mid-meal.

Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.

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NEWS

Paris Marie serenades her idol Jessica Mauboy.

Pictures: SUPPLIED

Paris flees to find Voice

By Cam Lucadou-Wells An Endeavour Hills teen singer escaped from the cocoon of a snap lockdown to give a dream serenade of Butterfly to the song’s writer Jessica Mauboy.

In February, Paris Marie’s plans to compete in The Voice’s pre-recorded blind auditions were thrown into havoc with her flight cancelled due to one of Victoria’s snap Covid lockdowns.

With no available earlier flights available, she and her family instead loaded the car and headed north.

They joined a stream of traffic fleeing across the NSW border before it shut at midnight.

After a frenzied 900-kilometre trip, Paris took the stage and delivered.

As viewers saw on The Voice on 16 August, Mauboy turned her chair to offer to coach a thrilled Paris during the 2021 season.

“It was beyond belief,” Paris says.

“Jess said I’d captured the emotion of the song. It was an honour to be singing her song to her.

“Butterfly is about strength. I was singing it from my own experience about the times when we have to draw strength, especially af-

ter the year we have had.”

Mauboy had been the same age when she shot to fame on Australian Idol.

Since the age of seven, Paris has been performing gigs, including Advance Australia Fair in front of 10,000-plus basketball fans.

The accomplished pianist and guitarist as well as vocalist has collaborated with celebrated artists such as Andrew de Silva, Katie Underwood and Joe Cammilleri.

She had been planning to perform in the US – until the pandemic struck.

But even with that vast experience, The Voice was “surreal” – singing to four coaches, four “amazing artists that I idolised” and “hoping they would turn their chairs”.

With a full studio crowd roaring and Australia watching on TV, she was grateful to have her mother Natalie, brother Pharell and sister Eden looking on.

“There’s a lot of nerves involved. You have to push through those nerves and sing.

“At the heart of it, I’m a girl from Endeavour Hills. It was a bit overwhelming.”

Paris Marie succeeds at The Voice blind auditions.

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STAR NEWS 5

NEWS

OPINION Don’t erase our house traditions!

Drive-through vaccine hub is coming

By Shelby Brooks A drive-through vaccination hub has been announced for Melbourne’s south east.

The drive-through clinic will be established in either the City of Casey or Cardinia Shire.

Acting Covid-19 commander Naomi Bromley shared the update in the Premier’s press conference Friday 13 August.

She said it followed the “successful” opening of the Melton drive-through vaccination clinic on Sunday.

“We are looking at planning three additional drive through sites in Wyndham, up in the Hume/Whittlesea area and down in the south east in Casey or Cardinia,” Ms Bromley said.

“We are looking forward to providing more information on those soon.”

These sites are being established in partnership with community, local government and industry groups.

THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN

My name is Luka Salopek and I’m in year 7 at St Francis Xavier Berwick campus.

I’m proud to say that I’m in McDonagh House, like my dad and extended family who were house captains and sports captains etc, which is a goal I would like to achieve (even would like to be school captain).

My godfather and very good family friends were in other houses. I love hearing there stories about house sports and who was the better house!

I was looking forward so much to this, and I was going to be a part of this tradition and share my stories about McDonagh House with my family and friends.

But now this could possibly change, a tradition that the wider community and past students and parents are not happy about! I feel, as a student, I have not had much of a say as to why I don’t want the change of the house names, and so do a lot of parents and the wider community.

I don’t understand why they can’t remain the same. It’s part of our school’s history and tradition and community.

I understand that the school wants more of a Catholic identity, but I think we could do this in another way without changing the names.

There is a petition online with over 1000 signatures to ’Maintain the Legacy of the Founding Members of St Francis Xavier’. I think it should be looked at and these people heard.

On the St Francis website it says they acknowledge the dignity and value of every person, that we are all made up with the image of God, and also on the website it says that ’we encourage the involvement of all members of our community, past and present and future’.

Please take this into consideration, please read through the petition and some important messages from our community and past students!

Luka Salopek, McDonagh House, St Francis Xavier Berwick campus

Fight for freedom During my time in State Parliament, I have been fortunate to meet many within my community whose homeland is India and live in and call Casey and Cardinia their home.

I have appreciated the connections I have made through my extensive involvement with many of our local Indian community groups the Indian Association Cardinia Casey, Gurdwara Siri Guru Nanak Darbar Officer, Gurd-

LENSCAPE

Tooradin foreshore. 247485

wara Baba Budha Sahib Ji, Pakenham and the Gurajarati Association Cardinia.

In recognition of our Indian community members, I would like to acknowledge the 75 years of Indian Independence celebrated on 15 August, to commemorate India’s independence from the British Empire.

This was a fight for liberty and freedom to choose their own destiny, for people to live and govern their land, to be free from control and influence of others; it was a significant time in the history of India.

My recollection of my time in India holds fond memories of families who shared meals and celebrations together and embraced staying connected. From the farmers along the Kerala River to the celebrations of weddings and family gatherings, coming together as a community in India is very important.

The value of their freedom is steeped in

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

the history of those who fought for their independence. The relevance in the Indian culture to stay connected within their community is an essential part of who we all are, where we believe in the importance of being engaged with our elderly, youth, students, families and workers.

We are a society that embraces the freedom to stay connected, which underpins our collective need to be part of a community. We all want to see our community share cultural and significant events again and be able to appreciate these times as they occur and plan for upcoming events with certainty.

I thank my Indian friends for celebrating community and the significance this has with acknowledging Indian Independence Day. Brad Battin, Gembrook MP

Thumbs up To Gary Sissons for his wonderful bird photos in Star News. I’m no longer able to drive to my beloved aqueduct trail and delight in his beautiful shots.

Thumbs up To all the students and teachers for being so amazing during this tough time aka Covid pandemic. Keep up the great work everyone you got this.

Thumbs up To everyone doing the right thing, yes these times are very challenging, we need to be kind to each other!

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Thursday, 19 August, 2021

Rob Kelly, Multimedia learning specialist, Berwick Lodge Primary School As a multimedia learning specialist and eSafety ambassador at Berwick Lodge Primary School, my role is to talk to students about the dangers of online video games and social media platforms.

Most students think I’m a card-carrying member of the ‘fun police’, but if that’s the cost of keeping them safe, I’ll wear it.

In my eSafety presentations, I warn students of privacy and data breaches, the consequences of cyber-bullying and the dangers of making ‘new friends’ online. My goal is to educate and inform, not to cause panic or create unnecessary anxiety.

However, the seriousness of the subject cannot be underestimated. After the presentations, I am often faced with tears and disclosures from students about terrible things that have happened to them on the internet.

One of the most concerning things I hear from students accessing social media or online video games rated 13+ is, ’my parents allow me to use it’.

My response is, ’I would like to meet with your parents because I don’t think they understand the risks involved.’

Of course, the truth is most parents don’t know the risks involved. They don’t know what their children are playing or accessing online and they don’t realise the long-term cost of their ignorance.

Take for example the popular video game Roblox. It looks like a fun world of interlocking plastic bricks and characters and parents could be forgiven for making the assumption that like Lego, Roblox is a child-friendly thing.

YOUR VOICE The truth is, when it comes to cyber-bullying and eSafety, Roblox is one of the worst offenders.

In Roblox, children are exposed to ‘shoot and kill’ gameplay, horrific visuals, open chat spaces and other inappropriate virtual behaviours that should make any parent reach for the ‘delete’ button.

The sexualisation of avatars is a disturbing development and reports of children as young as six years old being invited into ’sex rooms’ by a ’friend’ while playing the game is terrifying.

Fortnite is another online video game that is popular among pre-teens. It is indeed an entertaining distraction from daily chores and homework for children, but an important question for parents to consider asking themselves is, what kind of online society the game is attempting to create? What are the implications for - and its effects upon the children playing it?

If you have seen Fortnite being played, you would know it depicts considerable amounts of fantasy violence.

Although the graphics are presented in a semi-cartoon and non-realistic way, there is growing concern that exposure to video game violence may have a long-term detrimental effect on a child’s development.

Combine these online games with chat spaces like Discord, Twitch, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat and suddenly a very ugly pic-

ture of the internet starts to emerge.

Discord is renowned for abuse, racism, porn and identity theft. TikTok has the same problem and YouTube has so much inappropriate content on it, it’s difficult to know where to start.

The big question is, do you want the innocence of your child’s childhood stolen by these games and apps?

If the answer is no, there’s a simple solution.

Delete them. You may see a tantrum, outburst or blow-up from your child, but consider the alternative.

And the bigger question is, if a video game or online space is controlling the emotions of your child, why allow it to continue?

Similarly, if you allow your child access to age appropriate video games at home, remember that restricting their screen time will help them develop other important life skills such as understanding boundaries, rules and expectations.

My colleague and experienced primary school teacher and parent blogger Fiona Froelich suggests that in her experience children between the age of five and 10 should not be exposed to screens for more than an hour a day, while children between the age of 10 and 12 should not be exposed to any form of digital technology for more than two hours a day.

For parents with infants, it is recommended by the World Health Organisation that they avoid using technology altogether, as this is an important time for their social and emotional development.

If you allow your child to have independent access to online spaces, you’re taking a risk. They’re not safe! pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

NEWS

A hoon hotspot at Taylors and Edison roads, Dandenong South. 228944

Picture: GARY SISSONS

Hoons blitz

By Cam Lucadou-Wells

Vehicles were impounded after police intercepted alleged hoon drivers in Hallam in June.

Picture: VICTORIA POLICE ple attending these kind of events, we have been successful in disrupting several hooning events, impounding offending vehicles, and arresting and charging some of those involved,” Inspector Poida said.

The operation had involved strong coordinated police responses to hoon activity from Highway Patrol, CIUs, divisional response units and general duties police.

There have been regular proactive patrols of hot spots, and sharing of intelligence by investigators across the state.

If arrests aren’t made on the spot, detectives thoroughly follow up using automatic number-plate recognition data as well as CCTV and other vision.

“My message to those who escape police attention on the night is simple,” Inspector Poida said.

“Whether you were a participant or a spectator, we will have teams of officers and detectives reviewing all available intelligence to identify you, arrest you and charge you.”

Images of people related to hoon mass gathering in Lynbrook in May.

pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

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A six-month enforcement operation has begun to put the crush on rampant hooning in the South East, police say.

As part of Operation Achilles, police have disrupted seven “high risk driving events” in Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia in the past month.

Four arrests, four vehicle impounds and 10 defect notices were issued as a result.

In a show of the crushing consequences, a 25-year-old man’s Holden Statesman was recently forfeited for possible destruction after he pleaded guilty at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court to conduct endangering serious injury.

The man had driven aggressively, dropped burnouts and fled at a dangerous speed from Macleod Road, Carrum on 23 January, according to police.

The driver was remanded, his car seized by police ahead of his 27 July court case.

Inspector Jacqueline Poida, of Victoria Police, said since Achilles began in February, police are reporting a “decrease in hooning activity”.

She reiterated the message that hoon activity was “dangerous and not simply a bit of harmless fun”.

Charges such as reckless conduct endangering persons, careless driving, and improper use of a motor vehicle had been issued, she said.

“While it’s clearly not possible for police to arrest every single participant and spectator on the evening due to the number of peo-

Picture: VICTORIA POLICE

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

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STAR NEWS 7

NEWS

Tardiness led to abuse

By Cam Lucadou-Wells An after-school care service in the South East delayed reporting a stepfather’s sexual abuse of a girl with “horrible consequences”, a court has heard.

A former coordinator and a staff member pleaded guilty to failing as mandatory reporters to immediately report the abuse that was disclosed by the girl on 27 August 2020.

After their dithering, it wasn’t reported to police until the mid-afternoon the next day.

By that time, the child had been allegedly sexually assaulted another three times by the perpetrator on the afternoon of 28 August,

Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard.

Instead of reporting to authorities, the staff member initially left a letter about the matter on the coordinator’s desk.

The coordinator didn’t discover the note until the following morning.

The coordinator said she tried to contact support service Child FIRST for several hours.

At lunchtime, Child FIRST returned her call and advised her to ring Child Protection.

At 1.30pm, the stepfather reoffended. Authorities received a report by mid-afternoon.

Star News has chosen not to name the staff or service so as to not identify the child.

Mandatory reporters are required to immediately report concerns to Child Protection or Victoria Police.

A defence lawyer told the court that the coordinator’s moral culpability was lower than her colleague’s.

The Victorian Institute of Teaching had also suspended the coordinator from work, pending an investigation into the matter.

Magistrate Tony Burns, in sentencing the coordinator on 11 August, said she should have contacted police via triple-zero “straightaway”.

“This is a very unfortunate circumstance.

“It’s a horrible consequence that due to the tardiness by your staff member and, to a lesser extent by you, that a child victim was left in a position to being preyed upon which could have been prevented.”

Mr Burns noted the co-accused staff member had been “fairly leniently” dealt with by another judge.

His sentence was constrained to match it – under the principle of parity.

In the end, both received a 12-month goodbehaviour bond without conviction, plus a $500 fine to the court’s charity fund.

The maximum penalty is a $1817.40 fine.

Lose yourself in a book to help endure lockdown

By Danielle Kutchel

Maggie gets stuck into her latest library delivery. 247311 book,” she said.

Chris Buckingham, CEO of Casey Cardinia Libraries, said feedback from customers about the two programs had been “overwhelming”.

“They really appreciate ongoing free access to books and other library items, but

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

what also comes through is how much they value the sense of connection with their local library,” he said.

To find out more about click and collect or home delivery from your local library, visit www.cclc.vic.gov.au

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Lockdown has been extended, but it’s not all doom and gloom – because Casey Cardinia Libraries is continuing its click and collect and delivery options to get you through!

Wile away the hours at home with a good book, either delivered to your door or collected, Covid-safe, from your closest library.

The program is easy-peasy according to Cranbourne North customer Maggie.

She discovered the options through the Casey Cranbourne Book Club on Facebook, and said it had been “fantastic”.

“It’s the simplest process ever,” she said.

“Just go on their normal site, search the catalogue for the book you want and say ei-

ther ‘deliver it to me’ or click and collect.”

She said customers also have the option of choosing a mystery box of unknown books to try, picked by library staff.

Over her time using the service she has discovered some new favourite authors and gotten through over 100 items from the library, including DVDs. “I go through books really fast,” she said, adding she wanted to give the staff a “challenge” to keep up.

She recommended the library’s click and collect and delivery options to anyone looking for a hobby to keep them occupied over lockdown and beyond “In lockdown you can’t go anywhere or do anything, so you may as well escape in a

8 STAR NEWS

|

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Kathy and her daughter Nicola channeling their inner artists for a craft exercise.

Some of the ‘Live 2 Achieve’ participants with Kathy Bartlett and Bobo Davis (centre) packing boxes for those in need.

Kathy Bartlett is passionate about helping disabled youth achieve their dreams.

Achieving goals together

By Gabriella Payne Sometimes the best way to learn is through experiencing things together and pushing your boundaries, and one new Pakenham based organisation is helping young disabled people gain important life skills by doing just that.

Currently being run out of the Lakeside Community Seventh-day Adventist Church, ‘Live 2 Achieve’ is an amazing organisation filled with a few passionate people that are working hard to change lives for the better.

Catering for disabled youth from the ages of 17 - 24, the ‘Live 2 Achieve’ team are helping these high school graduates gain simple but important life skills that help boost their confidence and independence in everyday society.

Kathy Bartlett, the founder of ‘Live 2 Achieve’, only started the organisation at the beginning of 2021 and has already seen it grow and help so many young people in need of a helping hand.

“We support young people with disabilities and help equip them with life skills that will assist them to transition into adult life,” Kathy said.

“Because for a lot of these young people, once they’ve graduated from their specialist schools, they tend to be isolated at home, so we try and bring them together in a group where they can socialise and try new activities.”

Having worked in the disability sector for almost a decade and having a daughter with a disability herself, Kathy said that she had always been passionate about her work, but it wasn’t until she was stood down last year due to the pandemic that she realised it was the perfect time to start an organisation of her own.

“I started ‘Live 2 Achieve’ because it was a space where I thought Nicola (my daughter) and many of her friends, who are graduates from the same specialist school, could stick together and learn new skills,” she said, “and I’ve also managed to bring in some participants who had slipped between the cracks after finishing school”.

Kathy said that at the moment, ‘Live 2 Achieve’ were helping nine participants from all across the Cardinia Shire and they covered

a wide range of activities throughout the week.

“So our programs include all sorts of training, so we have cooking programs, work experience, volunteering, socialising, playing games, karaoke days, we go out on excursions, health and fitness days, library trips… we just like getting out and about really.”

“For instance with our cooking programs, they will come up with the ideas of what they want to cook, so beforehand we will make a list of the ingredients required and we try and stick within a certain budget, which allows them to start understanding money,” Kathy explained.

“So we do the calculations, come back here and then we will cook the meal - so they’re not only learning the one skill, but a whole range throughout the day.”

Support worker Dell joined the team in June and said that seeing the pure joy and happiness on these young peoples’ faces when they learnt a new skill was just “soul food” for everyone around.

“For me personally coming here, these kids are soul food. They make us want to do this more and more and more,” she said.

“This is where they can meet new friends, learn new hobbies and this is the sort of bubble where they can share, express and take what they want from it, it’s just great.”

With plans to partner up and expand into a bigger space with another local organisation, ADRA very soon, the ‘Live 2 Achieve’ team are hoping to see more and more young people join their family in the near future.

“My dream for these young people is to just give them work opportunities,” Kathy said.

“We’d love to open up a little cafe one day where we can invite families to have childrens parties and our people can bake biscuits, make toasties, coffees and the like (with some assistance). It would be amazing and it would make them feel like they are contributing to the community - which they already are,” she said.

“Our goal is just to try and help as many young people in this area as we can - and there’s definitely a need for it.”

For more information about ‘Live 2 Achieve’ and how to get involved visit http://live2achieve.com.au/index.html

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Works continue near you and there will be transport disruptions Train disruptions: Buses and coaches replace trains in both directions Gippsland Line The ‘Live 2 Achieve’ participants are gaining valuable life skills and confidence in themselves.

Pictures: GABRIELLA PAYNE

Each night, 15 to 19 Aug

Southern Cross to Traralgon

Each night, 23 to 26 Aug

Southern Cross to Pakenham

28 to 29 Aug Each night, 30 to 31 Aug Cranbourne and Pakenham lines

Frankston and Stony Point lines

8.30pm to last train each night, 17 to 19 Aug and 23 to 26 Aug

Caulfield to Westall

28 to 29 Aug

Flinders Street to Oakleigh

28 to 29 Aug

Flinders Street to Caulfield

Road disruption: Closed lane Princes Highway

Until late 2021

One westbound lane closed between South Gippsland Highway and Plunket Road

These works are progressing with strict COVIDSafe Plans in place. The health and safety of our workforce and community remains our top priority. For more information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au

Nicola is all smiles as she learns some new skills. pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

1249

Find out if you’re affected at bigbuild.vic.gov.au The group hopes to move into a new, larger space in future.

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

|

STAR NEWS 9

NEWS

Gender support for clubs

By Gabriella Payne

Bass MP Jordan Crugnale dropped in to the Officer City Football Club (prior to lockdown) - pictured here with club players and coaches, Amelia Picture: SUPPLIED Pattison (Coach) and Daniel Dyson (Coach). 247100 “The record-breaking demand for the ‘Change Our Game Community Activation Grants’ is some of the strongest evidence yet of the wholesale support for gender equality in community sport across Victoria,” she said.

Successful grants in this round range from come-and-try days and leadership workshops, through to gala dinners and awards nights, all designed to inspire the next generation of leaders in sport and active recreation.

The Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence, said that it was great to see such an important message inspire the next generation of female sporting stars.

“Community sport plays a vital role in uniting our communities and driving positive social change. The Change Our Game initiative is providing opportunities for Victorian women and girls to lead on and off the field.”

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Dir ty on dining

By Gabriella Payne

Pop-up dining spaces sprang up throughout the city last year as Covid safe practices restaurants and forced cafes to turn to the streets for space, and after a successful summer initiative is set to run, the be months - a decisionextended over the coming that has left some munity members comvery unhappy.

The pop-up outdoor dining program originally developed was as a way for businesses to adapt to the ever-changing Covid ronment and saw temporary platformsenviseating areas quite and literally “pop up” Cardinia, with seating around spaces in many areas, taking over car parking including in Pakenham’s Main Street.

Whilst many people are enjoying making use of the new al fresco spaces, longtime enham local and Pakactive community Jack Mitchell said member that the lack of cleanliness and maintenance of the Main Street was “an absolute disgrace” and neededspaces addressed by the to be council.

“I travel all over the state and I have seen a main street never in as bad a shape Street, Pakenham,” as Main Mr Mitchell said.

“It’s just dreadful, everywhere, there’s there are cigarette butts bird and the street pavementspoo all over the place Outdoor dining spaces are falling apart. are proving quite “Why anybody divisive along Pakenham’s would want to Main Street now go to the Main Street. is beyond me,” Mr Mitchell said.

Picture: CARDINIA The other, less glamorous SHIRE COUNCIL view of the Main Street outdoor dining Mr Mitchell has be going anywhere lived in the area area. anytime soon, as since 2004 dinia Shire and said he has the Carraised Picture: JACK MITCHELL dinia Shire Council this issue with the Car- sions of Council are now calling for expres- dining spaces had proved popular interest for businesses mer and helped over many times, but avail. to support businesses sum- the shops - but it’s to no new, free “parklets” to apply mainly the dirtiness after a the problem,” - hoping to see more for difficult year. that’s “They told me porary outdoor he said. temthat they’ve got seating areas spring “Outdoor dining but it’s just getting big plans, Cardinia.

“We have this big, certainly brought up across the worse,” he said. low-hanging tree a buzz to and streets of the shire outside all these parrots following a tough “Taking away the Cardinia Mayor keep coming along year.

It’s great to see parking out the Brett Owen said making a mess. of the shops for and the community front a successful summer that after Cardinia some embrace venues and show trial of the parklets, unbelievable - most outdoor seating is just council Yesterday the council them some much the needed love,” were excited of the seats can’t came because she said. used.” complained to even be ing areas installed to see more outdoor dinwe them and they But the owner and throughout the area. said ‘yes, it’s very dirty’, but Mr Mitchell said “We trialled the they told us that Kebabs, Sam Bayraktar operator of Pakenham clean that the council parklet concept we should sending “someone should be mer in it up.” told over Star News that he sum- and other business Pakenham and we’re down there to clean as the council are owners on Main now on the look- that it up” out for new Mr Bayraktar said Street felt “accountable” for the restaurants, cafes that the area had the spaces are worthwhile ensuring the shire ly become “a dumping recentand bars across saster outdoor seating areas had been that would love to “a difor us”. ground” for people and usable if they are going to be taking leave rubbish and host a parklet from to March onwards,” Cr Owen unwanted junk as up car parking spots.

“It’s a total mess,” said. that he didn’t have well, and Mr Bayraktar said.

However, the pop-up Councillor Tammy the resources or “We can’t even use dining spaces won’t to be cleaning up the time the seating, it’s so highly of the concept, Radford also spoke less. the “ridiculous” point- side. mess outstating that the al fresco First of all we lost “It’s become more our car parks in of a dumping ground front of and an eyesore than something nice,” he said.

“About Children, Being Children”

Pick up your favourite local newspaper, the Pakenham Officer Star News from local outlets listed below or subscribe to our digital edition and have it sent to your device every week!

2021

pakenhamnews.starc

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munity Activation Grant’ scheme saw a record-breaking number of clubs apply across the state - with more than $1.1 million worth of submissions registered.

The director of the office for women in sport and recreation, Sarah Styles, said that the incredible amount of interest the scheme had seen just went to show how important and needed gender equality promotion is for community sporting clubs in Victoria.

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The Officer City Football Club is hoping to see more women and girls kick some goals and take to the field in the near future, after receiving a helping hand from the state government to promote gender equality in local sport.

The club was selected as one of the 86 community sporting organisations across the state that are set to receive the funding, as part of the government’s ‘Change Our Game’ initiative, which funds more than $430,000 worth of grants statewide.

The Officer City Football Club (or soccer club) will receive a $6500 grant to help bring together representatives from local sporting communities to share ideas, showcase achievements and brainstorm ways of improving female participation at the club.

Along with assistance from the Cardinia Shire Council, the club will also organise presentations from some inspirational female leaders in sport who will help promote best practices for inclusion, while simultaneously empowering clubs to improve gender equality.

Bass MP Jordan Crugnale pulled on her soccer boots and stopped by the local club (before lockdown) to congratulate the coaches and players on this welcome funding boost.

Ms Crugnale said it was great to see the football club, along with the Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club, be selected as recipients of this program.

“Such great news for the Officer City Football Club and Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club – congratulations to both clubs for their commitment and passion to being leaders in our community,” Ms Crugnale said.

“I look forward to seeing even more women and girls in our community get active and involved in grassroots sport.”

This round of the ‘Change Our Game Com-

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• Officer - The Timber Mill Cafe 4 Cotswold Crescent

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• Officer - 7-11 Service Station Outbound Officer 397 Princes Highway

• Pakenham - Tea for 2 Cafe 58 John Street

• Pakenham - Century 21 Real Estate - Pakenham 103 Main Street

• Pakenham - Pakenham Central Marketplace 50-54 John Street

• Pakenham - Vanille Bistro 116 Main Street

• Pakenham - Arena Cafe Shop 8 Princes Highway and Cardinia Road (Arena Shopping Centre)

• Officer - Officer Bakehouse 412 Princes Highway • Officer - Chelles Soulfood 20/445 Princes Highway

• Pakenham - O’Brien Real Estate - Pakenham Shop 3 & 4 /11 John Street

• Pakenham - Gerard Collins Real Estate - Pakenham 119 Main Street

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• Pakenham - Elders Real Estate - Pakenham 1140 Koo Wee Rup Road

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• Pakenham - Pakenham Heights Cafe & Milk Bar 3810/28B Ahern Road

• Pakenham - Gloria Jeans Shop 1/1280 Koo Wee Rup Road

• Pakenham - Lakeside Square Shopping Centre 9 Village Way

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• Pakenham - The Great Australian Bakehouse 137-145 Main Street

• Pakenham -Stockdale and Leggo Real Estate - Pakenham Shop 9, 22-26 Bald Hill Road

• Pakenham - Cardinia Cultural Centre Lakeside Boulevard

• Pakenham - Bendigo Bank 105 Main Street

• Pakenham - Pakenham Hills General Store 1 Leigh Drive

• Pakenham - Cardinia Lakes Shopping Centre Windermere Boulevard

• Pakenham - Deep Creek Reserve Cafe Cameron Way

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• Pakenham - Pakenham Place Shopping Centre 67-69 Main Street

• Pakenham - Cardinia Shire Council Office 2 Henty Way PAKENHAM OFFICER

• Pakenham - The Heritage Shopping Centre 1 Livingstone Boulevard

• Pakenham - Robert Gordon Pottery & Kitchen 114 Mulcahy Road • Pakenham - Pakenham YMCA 4 Olympic Way

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• Pakenham - Ray White Real Estate - Pakenham Lcl.1, 11 John Street

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• Pakenham - Urban Hype Cafe 9/140 Windermere Boulevard

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pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Winter bonus package Rawdon Hill Homes is a local family construction company who have built more than 5,000 dream homes in the South East for over 46 years.

Rawdon Hill is currently offering a winter bonus appliance package, valued up to $14,000 to all new customers who place a deposit on their new home build.

“That’s a kitchen appliance upgrade on oven, stove and range hood plus, we are giving you a new washing machine and dryer for your laundry absolutely free in addition to our LUXE and standard inclusions. So now is the time to build”, says Peter Grant General Manager.

New home customers receive bonus upgrades and appliances with Technika FRANKE and Belling premium products.

Rawdon Hill has four wonderful packages that cover all of our range of beautifully depakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

signed and built new homes.

Peter says “as a low volume builder our Rawdon Hill customers get luxury at an affordable price and excellent customer service with a personal home consultant and home build supervisor for every step of the build journey. We don’t compromise on quality and have a number of customers who have built multiple homes with us for each of their life stages.”

Rawdon Hill Homes has 5 display homes located at Cranbourne, Officer South, Berwick Waters.

Contact their home consultants today on 1800 314 737 and ask for more information on this amazing offer. Hurry, ends soon.

Phone us on 1800 314 737 and package inclusions* are available at https://rawdonhill.com.au/winter21/.

GROUP FUNCTION OR EVENT? Cardinia Cultural Centre CAN CATER AND HOLD YOUR NEXT BIG EVENT. • Weddings and Engagements • Corporate Functions • BIRTHDAYS • SCHOOL EVENTS • SPORTING CLUB EVENTS

AND MORE..

Speak to the friendly staff at the Vista Café to turn your plans into an event in one of Cardinia’s most prestige venues.

40 LAKESIDE BOULEVARD PAKENHAM (CARDINIA CULTURAL CENTRE) BOOKINGS/INQUIRIES:

5945 0015

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when we asked the community to help shape our Council Plan late last year,” Mayor Brett Owen said.

“Well designed and maintained reserves benefit our community in a number of ways.

They offer opportunities for incidental exercise and creative play, connect us with nature and foster a sense of community.

“Now is your chance to let us know how you use these reserves and playgrounds and what kind of improvements you’d like to see.“ Cardinia Shire playgrounds and reserves are audited on a regular basis and are upgraded and renewed based on condition, user data and a programmed cycle of maintenance.

Following the first round of consultation, Cardinia Council will develop concept plans before public exhibition for a further round of community feedback.

Consultation is now open at cardinia.vic. gov.au/haveyoursay.

Are you holding a

KINDNESS IS KEY - LOCAL FAVOURITE - BE KIND COMMUNITY - KINDNESS IS KEY - LOCAL FAVOURITE - BE KIND COMMUNITY - KINDNESS IS KEY

New playgrounds at Ray Canobie Reserve and Walnut Way Reserve in Pakenham are currently open for community consultation.

Cardinia Shire Council is investing a total of $600,000 in new playgrounds and reserve upgrades this financial year.

Playground renewals that also need community feedback are Dutton Place Reserve, Heritage Springs, Pakenham, Bayles Flora and Fauna Park, Bayles and Barker Road Reserve, Garfield.

A further two projects at Windemere Boulevard in Pakenham and Comely Banks in Officer will be open for community consultation later this year.

Users including community groups, local residents, kindergartens and schools will also be consulted to ensure the best outcome for the community in line with the Cardinia Shire Council’s budget.

“Maintaining and expanding parks and green spaces was one of the top five ideas

KINDNESS IS KEY - LOCAL FAVOURITE - BE KIND COMMUNITY - KINDNESS IS KEY - LOCAL FAVOURITE - BE KIND COMMUNITY - KINDNESS IS KEY

Have say on playgrounds

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Feedback for two new playgrounds is now being sought by Cardinia Council.

KINDNESS IS KEY - LOCAL FAVOURITE - BE KIND COMMUNITY - KINDNESS IS KEY - LOCAL FAVOURITE - BE KIND COMMUNITY - KINDNESS IS KEY

FOLLOW US @THEVISTACAFE - LEAVE A REVIEW - LOCAL FAVOURITE - FOLLOW US @THEVISTACAFE

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

|

STAR NEWS 11

THE LOWDOWN Q&A

with Sarah Litchfield, team leader at Casey Cardinia Libraries

THREE …

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

I trained as a reflexologist - which means I can tell from your feet if you have a sore throat or a bad back!

acts of kindness

What is your favourite cuisine?

I was born in England and we love a good curry over there. I don’t get to eat too many of them in Australia as my Australian husband isn’t keen. I only get to eat them when he’s out!

1

Check in with a neighbour Do you have a neighbour who could do with a little extra help to mow their lawns? Or maybe you have excess citrus fruit in your yard you could leave in go-bags for people in your street.

2

Pick up litter Within your 5km radius, litter could surely be found where it doesn’t belong. Perhaps a walk to pick up rubbish in your neck of the woods could be a nice thing to do for the environment and your town.

3

Pay it forward Why not surprise a stranger with a free coffee by giving an extra $5 to your local cafe next time you frequent it. Just let the barista know you want the next person who comes in to have their coffee shouted.

What has been your most memorable moment?

I have so many! But my four children being born would be the times that I treasure most.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

My mum! She’s no longer with us but I always look to her for guidance and think “what would she do in this situation?“ If you had to compete on MasterChef, what dish would you cook?

My children would laugh if they thought I could get anywhere near a MasterChef studio.

I’m not famous for my cooking skills but I’d probably cook something traditionally English like sausage Toad in the Hole!

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what would be the first thing you would do?

I would love to be able to do more for education. As an ex-teacher, I hate to see children losing that instinctive love of learning in favour of statistics and tests. Teachers know best how children learn - let them choose what and how to teach children!

What is your favourite holiday destination?

My husband’s family are from Crete and I visited it for the first time a couple of years ago.

Sarah Litchfield. 247535 It is the most stunningly beautiful island and a completely wonderful place to rest and recharge.

What are you most looking forward to when lockdown ends?

Seeing my children again. Getting them all together in the same room and enjoying a meal and a laugh will be a joy.

Why are local libraries so important?

Libraries are one of the few free spaces left where anyone can visit to sit, read, play or work without any expectations or judgement.

Where you can access resources, information

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS and assistance for free regardless of your age, beliefs or ability.

What do you love about the Casey community?

I love that the Casey community is so diverse and interesting. Working at the Doveton Library has allowed me to get to know the patrons individually in this small but close knit community and they are so happy to have a library that offers them such brilliant facilities and resources. I’ve also come to know the other community groups in Doveton really well and the common goal is to serve this community together which is wonderful.

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12 STAR NEWS

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Thursday, 19 August, 2021

pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

NEWS

The roadmap Those of you who are regular readers of this business column will already know my fondness for quotes since for me, very often a few, well-selected words can succinctly convey a very powerful message.

However, I also find that analogies can be very enlightening as well especially when they are taken further in a business context to see what else may be implied. One in particular that I often use is comparing the progress of a business with that of a significant journey and here’s why.

Imagine we are about to set off on a long trip to meet someone somewhere we have never been before and a specific time, how would we prepare? Well, to begin with we need to know the exact time and destination where to meet; arranging to ‘meet in Sydney’ within the next week is unlikely to be of much use.

In business, this is equivalent to defining what you want the business to have achieved at the end of a predefined timeframe and here, the same preciseness is required. Stating that you want the business to have ‘improved sales’ is simply not going to cut it seeing as there is a massive difference between making an extra $10 versus $100,000!

Sales and profit targets should be specific.

We will need to make sure that we properly prepare for the journey with the right people on board and sufficient resources to carry us the distance. We will also need the ability to check that we are moving in the right direction and at a pace that we will ensure we will arrive on (or ideally just before) the appointed time.

Continuing the business analogy further, this can be compared to having the right staff,

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS IAN ASH establishing a budget so that we have the means to purchase what the business needs to be successful and a way to compare how we are travelling with respect to our end goal(s).

We would not set off on a significant trip by car without knowing that we have the means to pay for the petrol to get us there (and back!) and for any other expected expenses such as meals and accommodation.

Unfortunately, however, this is often the case in many businesses - no budget to define the required monthly and end of year position and hence no way of comparing actual fiscal position with where we expected to be.

When I do see this done at all, I often see comparison against last year’s data which is a bit like saying are we going faster or slower now as compared to the trip last year but of limited value.

Sometimes the data simply shows if we did more or less in previous months (i.e. how does our speed with that of previous hours) and while this may be of interest, what really matters is how we are we going relative to where forecast that we need to be.

I have made some simple comparisons primarily with the financial side of things (sales and net profit), but while necessary, these are

Ian Ash’s new book From Passion to Profit. not sufficient considerations for a business to be successful.

There are multiple other factors such as determining how to market the business effectively, understanding how our customers perceive our products and services, staff engagement levels, systems and processes etc.

Without a proper structure, this may start to become overwhelming and so this is where defining a practical business strategy becomes important.

My passion is seeing businesses (especially local ones) succeed and after well over a decade of work in this space, I have just released a book called From Passion to Profit designed to help entrepreneurs, business start-ups and even established business owners achieve best business performance whilst at the same time preserving a reasonable work/life balance.

It is available online or from me directly if you would like to know more.

Ian Ash ACC, AInstIB

FOCUS ON … MEDICALLY SPEAKING

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Most of us love working from home - but new research suggests our feet are bearing the burden of our change in lifestyle.

Research commissioned by the Australian Podiatry Association late last year has uncovered a significant shift in footwear behaviour as more Australians find themselves working from home in 2020, resulting in discomfort, pain, and loss of mobility.

The research revealed that during lockdown, 70 percent of Australians had worn less supportive shoes (or went barefoot) and one in three people noticed an increase of pain or discomfort in their feet and lower limbs, resulting in (27 percent) reduced daily walking, (20 percent) no exercising, (18 percent) difficulty sleeping and (16 percent) not participating in leisurely activities such walking a dog or playing with their kids.

Commenting on the findings last year, Charlotte Bodell, podiatrist and member of the Australian Podiatry Association of Australia, noted that over the last few months patients had come to her with increased lower limb pain due to a change in footwear behaviour.

Charlotte says people need to be aware of the importance of wearing suitable footwear and understand the short- and long-term implications of neglecting your foot health.

“It’s important that patients are conscious to seek advice from their podiatrist not only when they are in pain and to look at their health holistically by considering visiting a podiatrist as regularly you would a dentist or optometrist,” Charlotte says.

80 Power Road Doveton 3177 | 03 9792 4060 www.dovetonmedicalcentre.com.au for online bookings.

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

|

STAR NEWS 13

NEWS

Releasing the beast

By Gabriella Payne

Simon and Ben with the MonstaTron truck. 247086

Jacqui and her kids Blake, Zali and Lily watch as the engine starts. 247086

Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

Simon makes some final touch ups. 247086

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There was a rumbling through the streets of Pakenham on a Wednesday morning, as a freshly done up monster truck revved its engine and got ready for its journey home to Korumburra, delighting passers-by and sending sound waves through the community in the process.

All those nearby had their hands firmly clasped over their ears as they watched the newest member of the South Coast Monster Truck fleet, ‘MonstaTron’ spring into action - having spent a few weeks being custom wrapped by the team at Pakenham’s Benher Signs.

The truck’s owner and founder of South Coast Monster Trucks, Simon O’Neill, said that Ben Hermon from Benher Signs had done an amazing job of designing the look and coming up with the theme for his latest vehicle.

“Ben has done a great job, he’s come up with all these ideas,” Mr O’Neill said.

“He’s wrapped three out of six of our trucks, and I think he’ll be doing the rest of them real soon!”

Mr O’Neill said his interest in monster trucks was sparked about five years ago, when he and a mate organised a monster truck event in Korumburra together and he had a chance to get behind the wheel of one of these epic vehicles.

“I had a drive and before you know it I was buying one, and I ended up buying two of them and it just grew from there,” Mr O’Neill said.

“So we’ve got six monster trucks now and they’re all 540 big box chevies, 871 blowers and they run on methanol, so they’re the real deal.”

Mr O’Neill said that compared to your average car, monster trucks were a hell of a lot more powerful.

“So this truck is around 1500 horsepower.

All of our monster trucks range from down to 1200 horsepower to 1800 horsepower - so they’ve got plenty of power!”

“They’re half car, half truck - they’ve basically got a drag car engine in them, same with the gearboxes, they’ve tricked up a number of turbo 400s and we have some two speed power glides.”

The truck looks pretty phenomenal! 247086 “The turbo 400s are a little stronger, and they last longer, but they’re all pretty well homebuilt,” he said.

“We do lots of events [with the trucks], so we’ve done about 50 events in the last five years around Australia, and we soon plan to have one in Pakenham too.”

Ben Hermon said that he and his team had had a great time working on the truck together and working to the theme of ‘MonstaTron’ which they had come up with themselves even creating three dimensional add ons like the guns and missiles from PVC piping.

“We’re always doing something different, but that’s what we’re all about,” Mr Hermon said.

“Just doing something custom and we came up with the ideas to really bring the whole truck together and make it work with the theme of ‘MonstaTron’,” he said.

“So yeah, I had to work out a way to do these guns on the side and do the missiles and try and keep it light weight, so that they’d still be able to stay on the truck when he’s jumping around - that’s the tricky bit.”

This MonstaTron truck may have made its way back home to Korumburra for now after being loaded onto the back of Mr O’Neill’s drop deck, but it will soon be taken around the country to different shows and events (Covid restrictions pending of course) - and will hopefully make another appearance in Pakenham some time soon!

“We’re hoping to do a show around Pakenham in March - depending on Covid of course, so we’ll see how it goes,” Mr O’Neill said.

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Stirring trouble

By Mitchell Clarke

Stirring trouble

By Mitchell Clarke It was the initiative that dished up smiles during lockdown, but now a decrepit looking Spoonville site in Pakenham is providing any-

It was the initiative that dished up smiles during lockdown, but now a decrepit looking Spoonville site in Pakenham is providing anything but joy.

During the one hour exercise limit - which is now a distant memory - Spoonville sites across Cardinia Shire were the most popular place to visit.

Despite the fad having died down entirely, the Cardinia Lakes community was understandably upset at news their local site appeared to have been targeted by cruel vandals.

Estate resident Laksika noticed the destroyed site during her daily walk on Sunday 24 January.

“I think someone has just walked over it or kicked them all over. It’s very sad to see it. We always used to stop there and have a look for new ones,” she wrote on Facebook.

The reaction from her neighbours was similar.

“Absolutely disgusting. The highlight of our walk is our toddler stopping to look and admire the spoons,” one local woman said.

“That’s so disappointing. My kids had spoons in there,” another woman added.

Pakenham Hills Ward councillor Jack Kowarzik said the news was “really frustrating”.

“Spoonville was created by locals for the enjoyment of local children and to see it vandalised is disappointing,” he said.

Cardinia Art Society president Jillian Ronald described Spoonville as an “amazing initiative” during Melbourne’s lengthy lockdown.

“It’s given joy and positivity in some very dark times and I just think it’s really disappointing that, when the community put together a project to support each other during a difficult time, that someone would take the trouble to destroy it. They’d be better off going home to create a spoon and putting it with

Blake, Lily and Zali came to see the truck in action. 247086

In happier times - Maci, Willow and Aubrey at a Pakenham Spoonville site. 214450 the rest,” she said.

“I’d suggest there’s much better things they could do with their time.”

The ‘Spoonville’ trend was born out of Winnersh, England, in an attempt to improve mental health by simply making people happy as they were out and about during daily exercise.

The quirky saga soon made its way to Cardinia - after Australia’s first ever site was constructed up the highway in Longwarry.

Within weeks, the site had spread to Pakenham, Officer, Garfield, Nar Nar Goon, Emerald and Beaconsfield.

Ms Ronald acknowledged the Spoonville craze had now hit a dead end.

“They’re getting a little bit tired, so maybe it’s time for the spoons to come home,” she said.

Ms Ronald, who commissioned the two local sites at Lakeside in Pakenham, encouraged community members to collect their spoons from their local sites.

She added that in mid-February she’d look to clean up all remaining Spoonville’s and relocate any leftover spoons to an “undisclosed location”.

The once popular Spoonville trend appears to have hit a dead end.

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Thursday, 19 August, 2021

It was a tricky manoeuvre getting the monster truck on the drop deck truck. 247086 pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

FOCUS ON … SENIORS ENJOYING LIFE

20 Years in the making for Lifestyle Meridian!

As the 20th lifestyle village launch for the group, Lifestyle Meridian has issued interested people the following invitation to an exclusive inside look.

They say practice makes perfect, and we’ve built enough homes to fill the MCG almost six times over.

In a little under 20 years, in a little over 20 downsize a community’s later, we’ve built close to 3000 homes for our 3987 happy homeowners.

Launching our latest community, Lifestyle Meridian where you’ll be able to find your perfect spot between the city and the sea.

More than just a pretty facade, Lifestyle homes are designed to provide terrific living experiences at every turn.

We understand it’s the personal touches that turn a house into a home and you’ll not only have the ability to choose from a wide range of functional floorplans to suite your lifestyle and budget, but you’ll also have the freedom to select finishes at reflect your unique style.

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Customisable on request, discounts for emergency service personnel and working towards an environmentally sustainable Australia are just some of the benefits MeaLeniYum offer.

Having been in business since October 2020, owner and founder Ben is always work-

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When it comes to MeaLeniYum Lifestyle Meals, the customer is the top priority, followed closely by waste reduction and the environment.

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STAR NEWS 15

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STAR NEWS 17

SPORT

Talent runs in the family

By David Nagel Pakenham trainer Peter Moody knows a thing or two about the family of his champion-mare Black Caviar – and will resist the temptation of pushing a close relation of the freak sprinter out to the mile journey this spring.

Moody claimed his fourth win in the $200,000 Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday when Gimmie Par ($2.70 fav) secured her first group victory at just her third race start.

Bred by Rick Jamieson and his team at Gilgai Farm in Nagambie – who also bred Black Caviar – Gimmie Par is a half-sister to last year’s Caulfield Guineas winner Ole Kirk.

She is the second foal and second winner out of the unraced mare Naturale, who is a fullsister to Black Caviar and a half-sister to 2012 Caulfield Guineas winner All Too Hard.

Despite appearing to have impeccable credentials to run out a strong mile, and being nominated for the event, Moody thinks it is too early to prepare the pint-sized filly for a crack at the $1million Thousand Guineas (1600m) to be run at Caulfield on Wednesday, 13 October.

“I haven’t set anything beyond today, the old adage, one at a time, but she’s not a big girl so she’s not going to be in for a busy spring,” Moody explained.

“She doesn’t strike me as a (Thousand) Guineas’ filly, the mile here might just test her at this point in time, so we’ll probably keep her at that five-and-a-half, six-furlong mark, and just pick our way carefully through them.

“There are no lofty targets at this point, we’ll just wait for her to mature a bit more.”

Sired by Not a Single Doubt, Gimmie Par began her career in the autumn with a closeup second in the Listed Talindert Stakes, behind Ingratiating, who also won at Caulfield on Saturday.

Gimmie Par then scored a narrow victory at Caulfield, also in the autumn, before heading to the paddock in preparation for the Quezette.

Moody said there was still plenty of room

Star jockey Jamie Kah boots home Gimmie Par for Peter Moody at Caulfield on Saturday. 247433 for improvement in his promising filly as she heads towards the spring.

“It was a good win, she came in soft, we didn’t trial her into the lead up, so she’s open to nice improvement which is pleasing,” he said.

“Thanks to Rick Jamieson and the team up there at Gilgai, she’s a lovely filly and now a very valuable little girl with a group win beside her name.”

Moody said he wasn’t overly concerned when jockey Jamie Kah drifted Gimmie Par into a three-wide running line midway through the race.

“I was happy to see a bit of fresh air in front of her and there’s only one turn, so unless you get a head-wind here you don’t worry about that here,” he explained.

Kah, who scored a double on the card, said

everything didn’t go according to plan.

“The race was going to plan out beautifully but then we got a bit of pressure from our inside,” Kah said.

“I was a bit wide in the end but she’s a little filly and you don’t want to get muddled up inside them, so I was not too fussed in the end when we were three wide, we had clean air and she gave me a really big kick.

“For a little horse she’s got a massive stride on her and a big motor.

“She’s having a good blow so the spring is looking bright for her.”

Saturday racing heads to The Valley this week for the Listed McKenzie and Carlyon Stakes, while Pakenham’s next meeting is scheduled for two days later on Monday, 23 August.

Pictures: PAT SCALA/RACING PHOTOS

Jamie Kah is all smiles after completing a winning double at Caulfield on Saturday. 247433

Leagues in finals limbo as impact of Covid hits hard

By David Nagel and Nick Creely Local football and netball leagues are scrambling to salvage a satisfactory and meaningful conclusion to the 2021 season after Monday’s extension of the most recent Covid-lockdown until 11.59pm on Thursday, 2 September.

The lockdown extension rules out any form of competition until Saturday, 4 September, resulting in seven missed weekends since the most previous round was played on Saturday, 10 July.

Under AFL Victoria’s Covid Functional Framework, the season can only recommence after a minimum 14-day training period if more than six-consecutive rounds have been lost.

If adhered to, that 14-day training period would mean that no play would be possible until Saturday, 18 September.

The News understands that the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition (WGFNC) has communicated with its finalists who are content to comply with a sevenday training period – instead of 14 - meaning play could recommence on Saturday, 11 September.

The WGFNC has, at this stage, left nothing off the table and may even consider an extension of the season, beyond AFL Grand Final Day on Saturday, 25 September.

This could only take place if restrictions were sufficiently eased and the governing bodies of both football and cricket – AFL Victoria and Cricket Victoria – could come to a similar agreement to that reached in 2020.

The 2020 agreement stated that finals fixtures for senior football were to conclude on or before Sunday, 18 October, with all senior cricket competitions to begin from Friday, 23 October.

If a similar agreement can be reached – 18 STAR NEWS

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Thursday, 19 August, 2021

The playing of a meaningful finals series this year is currently balancing on a knife’s edge.

235922 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS the football season could be extended, with or without crowds.

In AFL Outer East, attention will now turn to getting a finals series completed, with the home-and-away season now over.

The league released its roadmap for the remainder of the season publicly last Friday, where it stated that if lockdowns were still in place by 23 August it would move straight into finals.

With the next deadline on the roadmap, 30 August, also now passing after the Victorian State Government announced a two-week

lockdown extension until 2 September, the best case scenario is now a two-week finals series which would involve semi-finals and then grand finals.

It’s understood that the most likely scenario is that only a grand final will be played this season.

In the Eastern Football League, there are also significant implications for the latest lockdown extension.

If the lockdown is lifted in time for the weekend of 4 and 5 September, then the league will move straight into preliminary

finals and grand finals, however with clubs expecting at least two training sessions before playing again, the weekend of 11 and 12 September is more likely, which would be straight into grand finals.

The league also stated that if games are unable to resume before 18 September, then grand finals will not be held.

The Southern Football Netball League is still in talks regarding their approach to the finals after announcing on Monday that its home and away seasons has now come to a close.

“As previously advised we plan to run a finals series to get to a conclusion for season 2021, should we be permitted to play during September,” the league announced.

“The make-up of the finals and dates etc are currently being worked through and will be announced later this week.”

And the Ellinbank and District Football League (EDFL) will not play any finals fixtures unless a minimum 1000-capacity crowd can be in attendance.

The EDFL, which originally planned to have a five-team finals series, has already communicated with fifth-placed Lang Lang that it will not be part of this finals series if games do go ahead on Saturday, 11 September.

The EDFL will now have a top four, with Ellinbank, Trafalgar, Buln Buln and Longwarry set to battle it out for this year’s flag.

Adding further complications to an already difficult situation for leagues is the disparity in training opportunities for metropolitan and regional clubs.

At least two regional clubs played a practice match on Saturday in preparation for a potential finals series while those considered metropolitan clubs are still forced to sit through lockdown. pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

SPORT

Two-day return for WGCA

By Nick Creely The West Gippsland Cricket Association Board of Management has endorsed a return to a pre-pandemic, or a “normal“ cricket season, with the 2021/22 season moving closer by the day.

The 2021/22 season will see a return of seven one-dayers and seven two-dayers, with players agreeing to resume what has been the normal practice of the past.

Association president Rob Hansen said that it was important for a variety of reasons that this season is uncompromised despite the lingering impacts of Covid-19.

“I think there are many within the association, participants and administrators, who felt like we had to compromise last year to keep cricket up and going,“ he told the Gazette.

“And the overwhelming feedback we have received would indicate it is a real positive to revert to a combination of one and two-day cricket for this upcoming season, and for

many more seasons to come.

“Two-day cricket has always been synonymous with West Gippsland cricket and we’re certainly keen to keep it that way.”

The WGCA has also reiterated that if “Covid interrupts we will take on each challenge if it arises“, with the potential for outbreaks during the season to be taken into consideration if, or when they occur.

Hansen said that the WGCA is exploring the return of a one-day competition for the 2020/21 season, and is hoping to explore some other avenues for lower grades to help participation rates.

“We are still working through the process of ascertaining interest levels in a one-day competition for this season, and we will also be trialling - in one lower grade - a split-innings format where teams will swap batting with bowling after 35 overs of play,“ he said.

“Some of the demographic in the lower grades struggle to stay in the field for 70 overs, so it makes sense to trial a new format and assess the impact from there.”

The WGCA is hoping for a return to a pre-pandemic cricket season. 232583 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Cricket Victoria invest in bright future of local game Cricket Victoria is investing an additional $2 million to support community cricket across the state in 2021-22 with more staff set to deliver an improved service to the wider cricket community.

Grassroots cricket will benefit from the investment which supports the delivery of new and renewed cricket programs to support participation.

In addition to the investment, Cricket Victoria’s community structure has been improved while retaining existing roles.

General Manager – Community Cricket Daisy Brooke will oversee three consolidated areas of focus: Participation, Club Support and Customer Experience.

Cricket Victoria will also re-introduce resources to supporting umpire education and retention, junior programs and new

technology platforms.

The organisation will also invest $1.2 million in the Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund (ACIF) which supports the delivery of new and enhanced cricket facilities across the state in partnership with Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association.

Victoria has a proud history of strong results in cricket participation and the delivery of facilities and today’s announcements position the organisation to deliver on its vision to make cricket the favourite sport for all Victorians.

Cricket Victoria Interim CEO Nick Cummins said the investment was an important step in enhancing the breadth and nature of Cricket Victoria’s service to the cricket community.

“We have an opportunity to improve and re-establish areas of the support we provide to Victorian cricket,” Cummins said.

“That support will come in the form of more people in our field force, junior participation and roles which provide upskilling support to volunteers,” Cummins said.

“It’s not just about boots on the ground.

It’s also about a range of programs that weren’t able to be conducted last year that we were intent on restoring as soon as we could.

“We want to set ourselves up to capitalise on the opportunities of the season and years ahead.”

Incoming General Manager – Community Cricket Daisy Brooke, who commenced her appointment recently, said the changes provided a solid platform to build on.

“Victorian cricket has a fantastic opportunity this summer and into the future,” Brooke said.

“The game is fortunate to have extraordinary support from thousands and thousands of volunteers, clubs, families, communities and players.

“But we also know we need to provide the right support and nurture the grassroots cricket community to grow participation and increase retention.

“There are a number of major projects underway in community cricket with longterm benefits for our cricket family.

“I’m looking forward to supporting all of the mechanisms we have to make our support stronger, simpler and delivering the most impact for the game.”

Cash grants to help clubs with financial Covid impact Victorian sporting and recreation clubs forced to cancel or postpone events due to the current lockdown will be able to apply for cash grants to defray costs.

Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence announced that the application deadline for the Andrews Labor Government’s Sporting Club Grants Program has been extended to 27 August.

The current round of the program provides $2,000 grants for eligible clubs and community organisations impacted by the July lockdown or the current lockdown that will run until 11.59pm on Thursday, 2 September.

The grants are available to Victorian sport and active recreation organisations for irrecoverable costs due to cancelled events including cancellation fees for facilities and payments to coaches and officials, as well as the loss of perishable goods and booking fees.

Recent grant recipients under the program include Mount Eliza Football Club, Rochester Bowls Club and the Sale Tennis Club, which received grants towards the losses associated with coaching and perishable goods.

To date, the Labor Government has provided more than 230 sporting club grants under the events support category of the program to clubs across the state affected by lockdowns this year.

The Sporting Club Grants Program is part of the Government’s commitment to make sport more accessible and inclusive, stimulate local economies, build sustainable sport and recreation and volunteer opportunities, and increase local participation.

For more information on the grants program and to apply visit sport.vic.gov.au/ grants-and-funding.

Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence said sporting clubs had been hit hard by the pakenhamnews.starcommunity.com.au

Community sporting and recreation clubs can now apply for cash grants through to Friday, 27 August. 241241 pandemic and it was timely to offer support.

“This is a vital lifeline for our sports clubs hit hardest by the effects of the latest restric-

tions, that’s why we’re getting on with extending this support,” Ms Spence said.

“I encourage clubs left out of pocket to

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

take advantage of this initiative, which is supporting clubs through these difficult times and will help when sports can safely resume.”

Thursday, 19 August, 2021

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STAR NEWS 19

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20 STAR NEWS

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Thursday, 19 August, 2021

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