Mail - Lilydale Star Mail - 19th October 2021

Tuesday, 19 October, 2021

Lilydale

Mail

Kilsyth Coles to go

Coldstream Station on track for upgrades

Mt Ev Pavilion brick fundraiser

Families get into the spooky spirit

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A Star News Group Publication

Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808

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Millions for trio Three fast food giants will be coming to Chirnside Park, with a multi million dollar complex given the go ahead to start construction.

Yarra Ranges Council approved the planning application for the $15 million food and retail premise proposed for the vacant block of land located at 266-268 Maroondah Highway.

The site, situated between Fletcher Road and East Ridge Drive near Dan Murphy’s, will see the building of ten retail premises, three convenience restaurants including KFC, McDonald’s and Taco Bell, as well as five shops and a food and drink premise.

Troon Group purchased the three hectare property 12 months ago from German company Kaufland and submitted the original planning application in January this year.

Managing director Tom McInerney said he felt the whole process of working with the planning officers at the council had been a positive and collaborative experience to get the best outcome for Chirnside Park.

“We’re not a sit and wait developer, we’re a get in there and build developer. So if we’re successful, we’ll be looking to move straight on to construction,” he said.

During construction, Mr McInerney said the building of the site would employ 75 work-

Conditions apply

ers, with 160 full time retail positions expected to be available upon completion and a further 118 indirect jobs also created.

“So it’s a significant employment opportunity for the community,” he said.

Councillor Richard Higgins said he was quite impressed with how the design came together in the 12 month period, as well as the job creation and financial benefit this development will have.

“The additional employment that it’s going to generate, it’s a fantastic outcome for our local people,” he said.

“If this development were to go ahead, it’s estimated $19 million dollars will stay local, which has got to be good for the Yarra Ranges and our local communities.”

Cr Higgins said he did have some reservations about the reduction in parking. According to the planning requirements, the site should have had a total of 398 parking spaces but it fell short by 56.

“I’ve been able to work through that with staff and I’m happy in their knowledge that the way the parking is evaluated, that it’s allowing for everybody to be there at the same time.”

Over the course of the planning process, alterations of the original design have been made to address some of the council’s concerns.

Continued page 3

WHEN ALL SCHEDULED SERVICES ARE COMPLETED AT A MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP

Gladeville Primary School students Sienna and Ashley were super excited to see each other back at school as Prep students returned to onsite learning.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Welcome back students The excitement was rife as Preps returned to school on Monday 18 October. Students were overjoyed to see their friends and to get back to some normality, structure and hands-on learning. For these Gladesville Primary School students, even though face

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masks, air hi-fives and thumbs up were all part of the return, it didn’t stop them from having big smiles as they entered the school grounds.

Read the full story on page 4

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By Mikayla van Loon

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NEWS IN BRIEF The council will submit several project funding proposal for the State Government’s Growing Suburbs Funds.

The submissions will be for: (a) Yarra Valley Trail Stage 2A; (b) Wesburn Pump Track; (c) Sustainable Community Buildings; (d) Glenvalley Reserve Playspace; and (e) Carmen Reserve Playspace If the funding is successful, it will cover half the costs while council’s Capital Expenditure Programs or other funding sources will provide the other half.

Councillor Jim Child supported the motion and said they are great projects for the mental health and wellbeing of local communities.

“This is just fantastic projects to be deliver-

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ing to our communities, especially communities that have been locked up for a long time.

And not only that, to, to actually provides facilities on the ground to those visitors that will come to our region as well,” Councillor Jim Child said.

Eastern Region four year plan Councillors voted to note the Eastern Region Group of Councils Strategic Plan 2021-2025.

The Eastern Region Group (ERG) is made up of six councils (Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse and Yarra Ranges) who work together in partnership for collective advocacy approaches for eastern Melbourne.

Mayor Fiona McAllister identified some of the key projects ERG will advocate for, includ-

ing transport and movement infrastructure like the trails network, affordable housing, mental health services and economic recovery.

“The point of the group is around working collaboratively and having a collective voice on issues that are most important to us as a region,” Cr McAllister said.

“It’s about avoiding competition, duplication, amplifying our voice on issues that affect us all and very importantly, integration of key strategies and priorities for each council.”

Yarra Ranges Council has voted in favour to approve its Health and Wellbeing Plan 20212024 and it will now be sent to health minister Martin Foley for endorsement.

Health and Wellbeing Plan The plan outlines the seven key areas of focus

for the shire optimise health and wellbeing across the municipality.

Respond to public health emergencies Tackle climate change and its impact on health Increase healthy eating Increase active living Improve mental wellbeing and social connections Prevent violence against women and children Reduce harmful alcohol and drug use Several community members, partner organisations and an advisory group contributed to the plan.

Councillor Sophie Todorov said the plan addresses every part of the council’s work, “how we connect people, how we design and build infrastructure projects, our advocacy work, our role in community safety, grant programs and also community development.”

Councillors have approved special charges for works on Roma Avenue Group, Badger Creek, Old Gippsland Road (West of Hillside Court), Lilydale, Russell Road Group, Seville and Mont Vue, Lilydale.

Several consultations have been conducted and residents are aware of the additional costs they will face due to the works.

· · · · · ·

Join projects Before we can do the thing we want to do, there’s something we all need to do first.

Book your COVID-19 vaccination.

Visit Australia.gov.au or call 1800 020 080.

· · · · · · · · ·

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Council is calling on the local Lilydale community and surrounds to get involved with a number of upcoming projects within the township.

Falling under the title of ‘Shaping Lilydale’, these projects will help maximise the benefits of Lilydale and shape the town’s future like never before.

In total, nine projects have been earmarked for Lilydale over the next few years, with community engagement to begin individually on these projects at different times over the next six months.

The projects earmarked to date are: Lillydale Lake Masterplan Lilydale Structure Plan Beresford Road Trails Crossing Project Castella Streetscape Improvements Integrated Community Facility Options Study Cycle Centre Nodes - Design and Implementation Lilydale Street Art Lions Park Masterplan Lilydale Heritage Rail Station Precinct The projects have come about from a mixture of State Government and Council funding, with all projects, besides the Lillydale Lake Masterplan and Lilydale Structure Plan, coming under the State Government’s Suburban Revitalisation program.

Billanook Ward Councillor, Tim Heenan, and Melba Ward Councillor, Sophie Todorov, said that Lilydale had reached an important juncture in its history.

“Lilydale remains as the largest urban centre in our region and provides the rest of the Yarra Ranges and surrounds with a whole range of important services and facilities,” Cr Heenan said.

“A really strong sense of community still remains, along with beautiful tree-lined streets, heritage buildings and some spectacular views.

“But what we’ve seen and found over time is that the town lacks a meaningful focal point and its areas of activity are probably not as coordinated as what they could be.”

“With large scale projects such as the Lilydale quarry redevelopment and the level crossing removal, there’s a great opportunity here to implement some projects and initiatives to help shape a new Lilydale, while retaining its culture, history and community feel,” Cr Todorov said.

“I encourage everyone in the local community to keep an eye out in the near future for engagement opportunities for these projects, as we’d love to get your feedback.”

Council will promote engagement opportunities for the individually listed projects in the near future, however you can see an overview of these projects by visiting https://shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/lilydale. mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

IN BRIEF Floods and fallen trees

Freedom to arrive

The SES were out in full force once again over the weekend of 15, 16 and 17 October, as flood waters rose and trees fell throughout the Yarra Ranges.

Lilydale SES had received a total of 76 requests for assistance by 6pm on Saturday 16 October and Healesville SES had received 26.

Crews from Emerald SES were out all night responding to calls of trees and powerlines down on Friday 15 October.

Mount Dandenong Tourist Road between Browns Road and Five Ways was closed for some time with fallen trees and large rocks on the road. VicRoads were onsite to assess the damage.

VicRoads also attended calls to debris washed onto Belgrave/Gembrook Road between Avonsleigh and Cockatoo.

Flood waters also closed roads including Melba Highway between St Huberts Road and McIntyre Lane.

The Yarra River at Yarra Glen reached 4.35 metres on Sunday afternoon, meaning it was above the minor flood level of 4.10 metres. The river was expected to reach its peak of a moderate flood level on Monday.

Floodplains when entering Healesville from Coldstream were at very high levels on Monday 18 October, with more rain expected throughout the week.

By Mikayla van Loon

Takeaway coffees might be a thing of the past as cafes are allowed to slowly open their doors to customers on Friday 22 October but masks will remain for some time. Siobhan and Megan from Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS Posie Project Montrose. 251070 are fully vaccinated.

“The rate at which Victorians have been getting vaccinated is nothing short of incredible, but if we want to ensure our health system isn’t overwhelmed and our hospitalisation rates aren’t too high as we open up, we need to keep that momentum going. Today is the day to book that vaccine appointment,” health minister Martin Foley said.

Covid-19 cases have been slowly rising in the east, equating to six per cent of the total cases recorded in the 24 hours prior to Monday 18 October.

In those 24 hours, the Yarra Ranges Shire recorded 20 new cases, while Maroondah recorded 15 and Knox recorded 20.

The 20 new cases for the Yarra Ranges are from the following postcodes.

3140 - 5 3116 - 1 3138 - 3 3137 - 1 3766 - 2 3139 - 2 3777 - 3 3787 - 3 This brings the total number of active cases to 230 in the Yarra Ranges, 202 in Maroondah and 318 in Knox. KingKids Early Learning Centre and Kindergarten in Mooroolbark has had another date listed as a Tier 1 exposure site for 4 October from 8am to 1:30pm.

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Food giants get go ahead in Chirnside From page 1 Kate Foldi, who worked on the plan and spoke at the council meeting on behalf of the applicant, said she thinks they have “delivered a high quality, balanced design response” which will suit the Chirnside Park Activity Centre.

The council’s report stated that because the fast food outlets would be “the primary presentation to Maroondah Highway” it “has the potential to be a poor urban design outcome.”

To overcome this concern, Ms Foldi said the design now includes more landscaping, including canopy trees and a more definitive pedestrian path.

“We’ve had some challenges but we’ve made some significant alterations to those convenience restaurant pads across the front to remove the drive through windows and replace those frontages with highly activated and extensive glazing, internal dining and play spaces and outdoor dining opportunities and landscaping,” she said.

Inclusions of better pedestrian access on East Ridge Drive, as well as terraced areas with landscaping have all been welcome additions to ease some concerns about building designs and lack of parking spaces.

The council voted unanimously in favor of approving the application at the council meeting on Tuesday 12 October.

“Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes” Matthew 24:7

Highway Patrol Report Sunday 17th of October 2021 on Wellington Road, Belgrave South a 38-year-old male was detected speeding at 105 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

His licence was previously disqualified, vehicle unregistered, false plates and recorded a positive result for illicit drugs.

His vehicle was impounded, cost $1,030, and will face Court on all charges.

Sunday 17th of October 2021 on Melba Highway, Dixons Creek a 55-year-old male driver was detected speeding at 126 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

He tested positive for illicit drugs and will face Court on all matters.

The police warn urge drivers to adhere to the conditions and warn speedsters, drink or drug-drivers will be caught and potentially lose their vehicles and licences.

With school resuming across the Yarra Ranges Shire little people will be back walking and riding to and from school again.

Please take extra care on the roads, adhere to the 40km/h speed zones and slow down around kids and bicycles.

A multi million dollar complex has been approved for construction by Yarra Ranges Council for this 266-268 Maroondah Hwy block of land. Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

DELIVERING FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES & FAMILIES AS WE GROW.

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Christ’s return is drawing near!

Lilydale Police are seeking information relating to the theft of motor vehicle on the night of Sunday 10 October in O’Sullivans Road, Lilydale.

The vehicle is a 2017 Mazda BT-50 and was displaying the registration plate 1MG-8AN at the time of the theft.

If you have any information relating to the offence, or observe the vehicle, please contact Lilydale Police on 9739 2300.

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Metropolitan Melbourne is set to be released from lockdown should the vaccination target be reached by Thursday 21 October at 11.59pm.

With the first dose vaccination rate at almost 90 per cent, Victoria will hit a significant milestone on the Roadmap, with 70 per cent of Victorians 16 years and over having received both their vaccine doses by Friday.

“This is an amazing achievement. Some time ago we asked Victorians to get vaccinated and they have, in record numbers and record time, done exactly what we asked them to do,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

“I could not be more proud of our community coming forward, making these decisions to protect themselves to protect the people they love and to protect all of us against this global pandemic, to allow us to change the rules to open up, to normalise this, to get our freedoms back.”

Key Roadmap items include no more curfew or kilometre travel limit but Melbourne residents are still not allowed to travel into regional Victoria and must continue wearing masks indoors and outdoors.

Up to 10 people, including dependents, per day will be able to visit homes in both regional and metropolitan Melbourne.

Outdoor cafes, cinemas, and physical recreation facilities like pools will open with up to 50 people per venue but are subject to density limits and only for those fully vaccinated.

Indoor settings like restaurants and cafes will be able to reopen with up to 20 people indoors with density limits and only if all attendees – including workers – are fully vaccinated.

The work from home order still remains and anyone on the authorised workers list is required to have had at least one dose of the vaccine in order to work on site.

Religious gatherings, weddings and funerals will be able to take place with up to 50 people outdoors and 20 people indoors subject to density limits and only if all attendees

Learn what the Bible teaches about the changes Christ’s return will bring.

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MAIL 3

NEWS

Primary students return

By Mikayla van Loon Laughter filling the hallways, smiling faces, children playing on the playground at lunchtime and the excitement of learning is a luxury that has been missed by teachers and students alike.

But that all changed this week as primary schools were able to return to staggered onsite learning from Monday 18 October, starting with the Preps and Grade 1 students.

“I couldn’t wait to have the sounds of children just playing and walking around and just classrooms being filled again with that buzz of learning which is what it’s all about,” Gladesville Primary School principal Nicki Wood said.

“That’s why we became teachers. We didn’t become teachers to talk to people on a screen.

We became teachers to be in the classroom and feel that buzz of learning happening.”

This wasn’t the first time students have been brought back to school in a staggered manner, so Ms Wood felt confident that it would all run smoothly.

“We’ve done it before, we’ve got all of our processes and procedures in place and they’re, as always, really driven by deep guidelines and operation guidelines,” she said.

“The key to this time has just been really clear, up to date, timely communication with families, about what’s expected and laying it all out for them.

“So logistically, we’ll have our kiss and drop zone at the front of the school as we have for many other lockdowns and children will come onsite and be met by teachers in the morning.”

With sanitizing stations at every entry and classroom doorway, as well as Grade 3 to 6 students wearing masks when they return, Ms Wood said every precautionary measure has been taken to ensure the students are safe.

“So the general feeling from our own school community is the mask wearing is just another

Air hi-fives were being handed out all across Gladesville Primary School. precautionary measure to do the best that we can to make sure everyone’s safe and really no one has any problems with it.”

As much as the returning to onsite learning will be about restoring some structure, Ms Wood said the next two to three weeks will focus on reconnecting with friends and the school community.

“The focus will be on] lots of fun and lots of reassurance that school is the same place that was when you left it, with lots of fun and lots of learning.

“But student wellbeing will be the big focus for the next few weeks and pretty much for the rest of the foreseeable future while we settle back into our old routine.”

For the Prep students who have had a turbulent start to their schooling life, Ms Wood said teachers have been doing everything they can to keep students connected with their friends at home so that the transition back to school wouldn’t be too much of a challenge.

“I think the biggest change for them is that they’ll actually just be able to come back on-

site and play together, run around and play on the playground equipment and play with their imagination and interact with one another.

“There will be a few obstacles, we know that there’ll be a few tears here and there and things will pop up but for the most part, we feel pretty comfortable and confident.

“And that’s mainly through feedback from families as well and students that they’re feeling good about coming back and they don’t feel that they’ve lost connection so much, they feel like they’re just going to reconnect.”

Covid safe settings for senior VCE exams FlexiRide has arrived From Monday 4 October, the new on–demand bus service FlexiRide will help residents in Chirnside Park, Lilydale, Mooroolbark and Croydon get to and from work, local shopping centres and transport hubs. FlexiRide will replace Telebus routes 1,2,3 and 4 and Route 676.

FlexiRide has no fixed route and only operates when booked.

Passengers can book a trip from their nearest physical or virtual bus stop and travel to and from the designated travel hubs within the same zone.

PTVH5663/21

To find out what designated travels hubs are in your area visit ptv.vic.gov.au/flexiride

Department of Transport

Authorised by the Department of Transport, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne

The public health team is making important changes to the management of school exposures and students who become primary close contacts – ensuring Year 12s can sit their VCE exams with confidence, while keeping the broader community safe.

These changes have been made possible by the efforts of every single Victorian who has stepped up to get vaccinated – particularly final year students themselves, with more than 80 per cent of 17-18 year-olds already at least single-dosed, giving the public health team the confidence to enable students to complete their exams.

“Our final year students have shown incredible resilience throughout the pandemic on top of trying to finish their schooling – it’s only right that we ensure as many students as possible sit their exams and finish the year strongly,” education minister James Merlino said.

“While these changes will allow students who are close contacts into schools for exams, we’re taking every precaution to make sure all other VCE students and our hardworking school staff are kept safe.”

VCE students who become primary close contacts will now have permission to attend their exams, while otherwise complying with the isolation orders that apply – which will be 14 days for unvaccinated students, or seven days for those who are fully vaccinated.

These students will be able to sit exams in dedicated rooms with separate entrances either by themselves or safely distanced from other students who are also primary close contacts, depending on capacity. They will be supervised by staff wearing face shields and enhanced PPE in safely ventilated rooms that are cleaned between each use.

Each student who is a primary close contact will need to be tested every 48 hours in their first week after exposure, then again on

day 13 – with regular testing the key to ensuring any potential virus is picked up early and contact tracing can begin to prevent further spread at exam sites or in the community.

The process for students who test positive for coronavirus will not change – they cannot attend school or their VCE exams, and they will receive a Derived Examination Score for any assessments they are forced to miss, with the Consideration of Educational Disadvantage process also taking their situation into account.

All VCE exam rooms will keep a registration of students and a seating plan that can be accessed for easy contact tracing, helping to keep the number of students and staff forced to isolate minimal.

Alongside work to ensure every VCE student can sit their exams safely, the Department of Education and Training is working with the Department of Health to minimise the disruption to learning for all other students in the event of a confirmed case at a primary or secondary school.

When there is a confirmed case, the school will generally be closed for an initial 24 hours while cleaning of any affected areas takes place, and while Department of Education staff work with school leaders to identify primary close contacts – who will then be contacted by the Department of Health for the standard contact tracing process.

Meanwhile, all other students will be able to return to onsite learning – generally the next day, unless there are further cases immediately associated with a school, in which case further contact tracing may be required.

In addition to a trial of rapid home testing for school communities, the Department of Health is working with the Department of Education and Training on an additional, wider trial of the use of rapid antigen testing in school settings as part of the suite of Covid safe measures for schools.

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NEWS

Plans to replace Coles

By Mikayla van Loon Plans are in motion to replace Kilsyth Coles with a Dan Murphy’s, leaving other businesses in two minds about what it will do for the shopping complex.

The 2,183sqm property was sold to an investor in August last year for $4.25 million and plans have since been submitted to Yarra Ranges Council to use the land for the sale of packaged liquor.

Endeavour Drinks Group has also applied for a liquor licence from the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, which has been advertised on the side of the building.

Coles currently leases the space on 18/518 Mount Dandenong Road on a month to month basis and Savills real estate, who sold the property, noted the opportunity to redevelop the site.

As a flexible commercial zone one property, it does have the potential to be used for retail, commercial and/or residential purposes.

While social media comments suggest the majority of local residents would like to see a Dan Murphy’s move into the premises, local businesses say otherwise.

Karen and Shane from Alan’s Bakery said they would much prefer Coles to stay.

“We much prefer the idea of a supermarket and we use it every day basically to go there and get bits and pieces so we would much rather it be Coles,” Shane said.

As a bakery and cafe that services eldery people and families, Shane is worried about the different clientele a Dan Murphy’s would bring to the shopping strip, as it could mean less of those demographics would shop in the precinct.

“It could mean less customers probably here too because a lot of people are probably going to go to the Mooroolbark Coles and

The Coles in Kilsyth has been marked for redevelopment with a proposal on the cards for a Dan Murphy’s to move in.

Pictures: MIKAYLA VAN LOON not everyone drinks so they’d be over here wouldn’t they,” Karen said.

Sylvia from White Cockatoo Cafe, who has worked at various shops in the precinct for 20 years, said the shopping strip certainly needs a revamp but she would also prefer a supermarket.

“It needs a little bit of a revamp, it needs a little bit of tidying up of course. It’s old, you

only have to look around to see stuff falling down. It just needs a good tidy up and modernisation,” she said.

“I mean I know it’s not the best Coles in the world but it’s got bread, milk and a lot of older people go there.”

For Sylvia who does not drive and walks to and from work, as well as stands on her feet all day, having a supermarket so close to where

There are mixed feelings in the community about an alcohol outlet moving in but local businesses would like to see Coles stay. she works allows her to pop in and pick up her groceries after finishing for the day.

Sylvia also raised concerns about the demographic of people who would come to the area to shop at the Dan Murphy’s.

There is currently no timeline for when the application to Yarra Ranges Council will be out on advertising but the works of obtaining planning permission are in motion.

Online gambling habits double in a decade A two-year gambling study has revealed more Australians than ever are reaching for their phone to have a punt, with the number of online gamblers doubling in the past decade.

The Second National Study of Interactive Gambling in Australia surveyed more than 15,000 Australians and found 17.5 per cent of adults had gambled online in 2019, up from 8.1 per cent in 2010.

The study, funded by Gambling Research Australia, found that overall gambling participation decreased from 64.3 per cent in 2010, to 56.9 per cent in 2019.

Professor Nerilee Hing, from CQUniversity’s Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory said Australia’s most popular forms of online gambling were lotteries (10.1 per cent of adults), race betting (5.9 per cent) and sports betting (5.8 per cent).

“This growth in online gambling has been driven by faster internet speeds, the convenience of betting on smartphone apps, extensive advertising and inducements, and new betting options like multibets,” Professor Hing said.

“New online activities have also been introduced, including e-sports, fantasy sports, skin gambling, and loot boxes.”

The study found the average online gambler was likely to be a young male, better educated than the average Australian, in a de facto relationship, and to gamble across multiple activities.

The Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments are currently implementing the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering (the National Framework).

The intent of the National Framework is to bring Australian consumer protection measures up to date, to ensure they reflect best practice nationally, and are consistent across jurisdictions.

The National Framework consists of 10 mailcommunity.com.au

consumer protection measures that aim to reduce gambling harm.

This was also the first national study to examine the negative consequences of gambling for gamblers, their family and friends.

Overall, 9.1 per cent of Australian adults experienced some level of harm from their own gambling and 6.0 per cent from another person’s gambling. Online gamblers were twice as likely as land-based only gamblers to experience harm.

The findings from this study will further inform online gambling policy and consumer protection measures across Australia.

Gambling Research Australia is a national gambling research partnership between Commonwealth, State and Territory governments, and chaired by the NSW Government.

GRA funds projects of national significance and contributed more than $1 million towards the Second National Study of Interactive Gambling in Australia.

CQUniversity’s Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory is a research initiative to support understanding of games of chance, through experiment, simulation, and observation.

Second National Study of Interactive Gambling in Australia researchers included CQUniversity team members Dr Alex Russell, Professor Matthew Rockloff, Professor Matthew Browne, Nancy Greer and Vijay Rawat, International researcher Dr Anne Salonen (National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland), Associate Professor Nicki Dowling and Dr Stephanie Merkouris (Deakin University), Dr Matthew Stevens (Charles Darwin University), Associate Professor Daniel King (Flinders University), and Linda Woo (former Executive Director of Policy and Projects, Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General).

12-14 nov

Bringing Europe to the Yarra Valley!

A weekend of Bavarian-style celebration from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th November, sampling the full Matilda Bay range and our small batch, limited brew, Munich-style Oktoberbräu.

Tickets $40* * includes your limited edition stein glass and a beer. free entry for Kids under 10.

Entertainment all weekend including a traditional Oompa Band and local musicians.

Book via qr code → matildaBay.com or phone: (03) 5957 3200

336 Maroondah Hwy Healesville VIC 3777 follow us on 12510636-DL43-21

Tuesday, 19 October, 2021

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MAIL 5

COUGH OR COVID COUGH? The only way to be sure is with a test at the first sign of any symptom.

ONLY A TEST CAN TELL

For testing locations, visit CORONAVIRUS.vic.gov.au Authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne 12516500-DL43-21

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NEWS

Coldstream plan on track

By Renee Wood The million dollar revitalisation project for the former Coldstream Station is now a step closer to beginning after Yarra Ranges Councillors approved the draft master plan.

It comes as the Federal Government throws it’s support behind the project, fronting half the costs of $539,680 from it’s Building Better Regions Fund.

It’s now been fully funded, the State Government provided the other half earlier in the year through its Growing Suburbs fund.

Mayor Fiona McAllister is thrilled to see the project get underway to form part of the Yarra Valley Trail.

“This one is extremely important because it offers an opportunity not just for trail users, but more importantly to support residents of Coldstream and provide another opportunity to stop and enjoy and spend time in Coldstream,” Mayor Fiona McAllister said.

Councillor Tim Heenan also agreed residents will reap the benefits.

“This is going to be a great thing for them and I only wish the very best for the Coldstream community. I know they’ll be excited and it’s great to see that the funding has done all the checks and balances and it’s been put to bed and we can get on with building another great community asset for the people of Coldstream,” Councillor Tim Heenan said.

The 2.7 hectare site is where the railway station use to be along the Lilydale to Healesville train line, but it has mostly been unused since the 1990s until 2019 when the Yarra Valley trail connected to the site.

Works will deliver a 300 metre asphalt pump track, timed public toilets, picnic shelter, chairs and tables, landscaping and a larger 30 space car park.

However, Mayor McAllister did raise concerns that road upgrades needed to be completed on Maroondah Highway to ensure safe access for local residents.

“There is a Federal Government commitment of $20 million to upgrade the intersections that will allow for that safe crossing and we’re waiting,” Mayor McAllister said.

In February 2019 the Federal Government allocated the funds to duplicate part of Maroondah Highway in Coldstream and to in-

The Coldstream Station will soon be part of the Yarra Valley Trail with more than a million dollars going towards activating the space.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS stall traffic lights to make the Highway, Killara Road, Station Street and North Gateway intersections much safer.

Mayor McAllister said she will be advocating for works to begin.

“I foreshadow Councillors that I will bring a motion to a future council meeting for us to start an advocacy campaign towards Vicroads in particular, to get that project started.

“Once we activate this site it will be even more important than ever, and community

safety has to be front of mind.

“So I’m very thrilled to have the draft master plan come to us tonight and even more thrilled that we have a big bucket of money to bring it to life. But there are issues in relation to it that we need to have a pretty loud voice on.”

Casey MP Tony Smith said the State Government is responsible for the project’s planning and construction.

“Just like the residents of Coldstream and

the Yarra Valley, I look forward to the State Government getting on and completing this important project,” Tony Smith said.

The project is currently in the design phase and the community will be advised of any updates as investigations progress.

A Transport Department spokesperson said, “The Department of Transport is currently investigating options for upgrades along the Maroondah Highway in Coldstream between Melba Highway and Ingram Road.”

Calls for a national approach for fighting bushfires

By Philip Hopkins Former Victorian Chief Fire Officer, Ewan Waller, has called for an urgent national approach to fighting bushfires, labeling the three most recent bushfire inquiries conservative and inadequate.

“Bushfire is now a national issue and it’s got to be approached that way. What we need is really strong direction and policy, built largely around prevention, not response,” said Mr Waller, who has more than 40 years’ experience as a forester.

“What we wanted was table-thumping national direction and agreement on fire management, but we did not get it – just housekeeping and the status quo. Better communications, better equipment, will make a difference, but not the big difference we are looking for.”

Mr Waller, who lives near Dargo in East Gippsland, was giving an address via Zoom on Tuesday 12 October to the national conference of the Institute of Foresters of Australia/Australian Forest Growers in Launceston.

“There must be leadership across all fronts.

Nationally, the North and the West have got their act together, but we still have this chronic problem in the south-east,” he said.

Mr Waller said the report by the Forest Fire Management Group through COAG (Council of Australian Governments, now National Cabinet), was accepted by the states in 2014.

“That still stands. The principles have not changed one inch. It was unashamedly about prevention and preparedness That policy, which was adopted by the federal, all state and territories, has never been properly enacted,” he said.

“That’s what we were looking from the mailcommunity.com.au

A national conference has been held on Zoom for the Institute of Foresters of Australia/ Australian Forest Growers in Launceston.

(NSW, Victorian and federal) inquiries - to enact that policy. None of them did.”

Mr Waller said what was needed was a strong policy decision to break through the inaction, like Justice Stretton’s inquiry into the 1939 bushfires, and the big policy direction that former Prime Minister John Howard put in place for gun control. “There is a parallel needed for fire if we are going to make a difference,” he said.

Mr Waller acknowledged improvements on the interface between developed areas

and the bush. In Victoria and NSW, more money would go into such protective work.

“What worries me is the Back Country - all the country behind there, which is where the fires are coming from. These fires that came down the forest – most came from the remote country, from the parks and forests. Unless you treat that and manage that for fire, the problems will be ongoing,” he said.

“If you don’t get fire right, everything else is at risk – all the other good work such as recreation redevelopments, regenerating log-

ging coupes, all environmental values, our clean water, the stored carbon in the forest.”

How will the Back Country be handled?

“No one is answering that. It needs a sensible but large burning program. It has to happen fairly soon – the regrowth is happening now.

Within three-to-five years, there will be a massive fire scape that we have to manage, or we will be back to where we were. People have got the answer, but have we the fortitude to do it?”

He criticised academics who were “chasing logging” when fire had a far more damaging impact than timber harvesting ever did.

Science, which provides evidence-based answers, was being devalued by scientists who “cherry pick” arguments. “No wonder governments and the community are confused about which way to go,” he said.

Mr Waller said climate change was making fire-fighting more difficult.

It was becoming hotter and drier – the south-east was hotter now compared with the 1950s – but was a longer-term issue, he said.

Climate change was in fact a reason to do more fuel reduction burning to try and safeguard the forest.

Mr Waller said we were in a conservative, risk-averse era.

“That feeds into the politics. We have a stalemate, no action. Governments won’t move until pushed,” he said.

There was also a heightened anti-burning movement, with recent protests in East Gippsland.

“The workers thought they were helping the community, but these people were turning on them. It is a real concern,” he said.

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NEWS

Reconciliation in schools

By Mikayla van Loon The Victorian Youth Parliament has just finished up for another year but a team of six young people from the Yarra Ranges haven’t quite finished campaigning for their Bill.

Gunai-Monaro woman Chloe Baulch and her team put forward the Mandatory Reconciliation Action Plans in Schools Bill to help bridge the gap between First Nations Peoples and non-First Nations Peoples.

“A Reconciliation Action Plan is basically a set out document that is used in any organisation, so that can be schools, workplaces, really anyone can set one up for their business,” she said.

“And it’s just a structure that’s set out to implement, help and also make First Nations Australians or anyone really just feel comfortable and welcomed in the environment that they’re in.”

While there are set guidelines for what needs to be included in a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), Ms Baulch said schools can adapt RAP’s to suit its individual needs and cohort.

“One thing they say is optional but in the RAP my team has created, if it was a school that was having a RAP, we believe that cultural connection to the land should be involved within the school.

“My team believes that having something where it acknowledges the land that we’re on, so for instance, for myself out in the Yarra Rang-

Oonah Yarra Ranges Council Youth argued their case against Tarneit Senior College in the Youth Parliament.

Picture: SUPPLIED es on Wurundjeri land, all the schools out this way would have to have something to say, ‘we acknowledge that were on the Wurundjeri land’.

“And they would need to have it written or just said at the start of each session like you would in an acknowledgement of country.”

The majority of the Youth Parliament voted in favour of this Bill and it will now be placed in the hands of youth minister Ros Spence.

But for Ms Baulch and her team, the role they want to play in getting this Bill mandated by the State government is far from over.

“The really wonderful thing that I’ve seen from my other team members was as soon as

we had finished the program, they all turned around and said, ‘we don’t want this to be the end’.

“So one of the ladies who was helping us from the Yarra Ranges Council, she actually said, ‘Okay, let’s just keep advocating this topic and trying to set up meetings’.”

Every Thursday evening the team meets with a representative from an organisation they believe will be able to help further their advocacy or who would be interested in learning more about an RAP. “We had a meeting last week with Reconciliation Australia and they were really helpful with giving us tips and where to go from

there and then they’ve set us up with a couple of ministers and people to talk to,” Ms Baulch said.

“So hopefully with us talking to them, they can get an understanding of why we want it before they actually read our Bill [in parliament].

“Hopefully it helps get them on the yes side of it so that it can become approved and then compulsory.”

Only 22 primary and secondary schools have already implemented an RAP in Victoria and Ms Baulch said she would like to think even if the Bill doesn’t get passed in parliament, that schools will begin adding it to the curriculum because of the advocacy work her team hopes to do.

Ms Baulch said schools like Mount Lilydale Mercy College have already reached out to herself and the team to talk about how the school can use the information provided in the RAP to address the upcoming compulsory teaching of cultural connection to the land in science.

“Having these RAP’s isn’t trying to tell anyone ‘you need to have indigenous people at your school’,” Ms Baulch said.

“It’s just to make people feel more accepted and welcomed and even for the non Indigenous students just to learn about the culture and actually have that mandatory for them to actually learn.”

To learn more about RAP’s and how to set one up, go to https://www.narragunnawali. org.au/raps/what-is-a-rap.

Holy Fools finds funds for upcoming festive season

By Mikayla van Loon Christmas is a time of festivities, family and friends but for the most vulnerable groups in our community it can be a time of loneliness and disconnection.

For the last six years, Holy Fools CEO Neal Taylor has worked with other groups in Lilydale and surrounding areas to host a Christmas Day lunch for those who are homeless or have nowhere else to go.

But the ability to host this community meal relies on the financial position of charity organisations like Holy Fools.

“There’s no shortage of food donations that we’ve received and clothing and things like that. Financially though, we are probably down close to about 50 to 60 per cent of what we normally get,” Mr Taylor said.

While those funds don’t directly go to the Christmas lunch alone, it does pay rent, as well as expenses of transport including fuel costs and van upkeep and it replaces equipment to host events like the lunch.

Apart from the lunch itself, Holy Fools also puts together hampers to be handed out to people and different organisations in the area.

“Christmas in particular is a really expensive time. Besides the massive amount of organisation that goes into doing it there’s a lot of expenses from buying the boxes for the hampers to organising the the hamper packing and providing lunch for everyone and things like that.

“We found that with Covid, the community has been fantastic at giving us things like food, donations and clothing but the financial side of things have really struggled.”

In the lead up to Christmas, Mr Taylor is hoping to raise $20,000 which will see the not-for-profit through the festive season and into the first few months of 2022.

“We find at the beginning of the year, the period around January and February is financially the quietest time of the year for us,” he said.

“If we can raise a little bit of money now for that period of time, that’ll help us carry through, until things start picking up again usually around March.”

Knowing that during the pandemic people have been financially strained themselves, Mr Taylor is working to put things in place so that Holy Fools doesn’t have to rely on monetary donations as heavily in the future.

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Last year the Christmas lunch was hosted in Melba Park to allow for Covid-19 restrictions. ing money, Mr Taylor said items for the food hampers will need to be collected in coming weeks as well.

“Last year we had a fantastic response from the community and they gave us all the grocery items to help us pack over 200 hampers,” he said.

Everything from tinned fruit to coffee and cereal, even some sweet treats were packaged into boxes and handed out.

All 200 hampers were gone in a flash last year, so Mr Taylor said they are hoping to increase the hampers to 250 this year.

“We ran out really quickly last year. We handed it out to everyone that came to our Christmas lunch and we also shared it with other organisations that aren’t always able to do the same thing that we do.”

The Christmas lunch is about providing connection to people who may not have family or friends to share it with.

Mr Taylor said there are some people who go to the Holy Fools Street Angels lunch every Wednesday and others who are just regulars on Christmas Day. “One thing we know is that there are lots of people who are lonely. There are lots of people who might not have any family or friends that will come to our lunch.

Pictures: SUPPLIED

200 hampers boxed and handed out last year to see people through the Christmas period.

“And they’ll just get the sense of community and fellowship with each other, as well as enjoying a really good meal, they get to hang out with people and talk to people.”

Donations to help support the Christmas lunch can be made through the Holy Fools website https://www.holyfools.org.au/donate/.

“We’re over 12 years old now and we really rely on the general public and for us to make an impact as we have done, has really been

around because of the community supporting us,” Mr Taylor said.

“I know it’s tough for everyone at the moment and I just ask them to remember us and also know that we’re helping people who are a lot more disadvantaged than they are, there’s a lot more people worse off than they are.

“And particularly Covid has knocked a lot of people around and I just want people to realise that without organizations like ourselves, there’s going to be chaos around.” mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Building the foundation

By Mikayla van Loon For members of a sports club, whether a new or a lifelong member, being recognised for your contribution is an honour.

That’s why the Mount Evelyn Sports and Community Hub (MESCH) committee is selling ‘foundation bricks’ for the building of the new pavilion at Mount Evelyn Recreation Reserve.

MESCH vice president Mal Darke said the bricks are a great way of celebrating the various sports clubs and their members in Mount Evelyn but also a way of fundraising.

“The people and families that have had a contribution to the club over any period of time but also those people that have been part of the club for a long time, can have their name memorialised on the wall of the new club rooms as a founding member,” he said.

“So it gives that opportunity for people who, in the past, have contributed and also those people that are going to be part of the club moving forward for the next 10, 20 or 30 years, can have their name as a memorial on the wall in the club room for all their family and friends to see for years to come.”

Mr Darke said applications have also been received from the families of some club members who have died so they can be remembered for the next 50 or more years as the building stands in the reserve.

The bricks are $500 each but Mr Darke said he understands this may be too expensive for some people, so they have come up with ways to ensure everyone who wants a brick gets one.

“We also offer payment plans for people so they can pay them off over whatever period of time suits them because we don’t want anyone to miss out.

“And you can have up to two families on the brick, so you might want to go halves with someone.”

The bricks will be placed in prime position

for everyone to see - the foyer area outside the club rooms.

“So they’re going to be put on a wall or maybe two walls, depending on how many we sell, in that foyer area. They’ll be quite prominent and people will be able to see them as they walk in,” Mr Darke said.

So far around 60 bricks have been sold through the application process but Mr Darke said he hopes over 100 will sell in total. “[The delays have] really impacted our ability to sell these bricks because people are reluctant to commit financially, when they haven’t seen any progress.

“So the delays are really impacting sales, as have the Covid restrictions, not being able to sell them face to face and catch up with people down at the clubs at home games and stuff like that.”

Mr Darke said community organisations, charities and not-for-profits that have supported and been a part of the Mount Evelyn sports clubs are invited to make an application for a brick.

“Fundraising aside, it’s just a really nice way to acknowledge people that have been part of the club, who have contributed to that club and where it is now, to help put the club on the pathway to where it is.

“While we get going to have shiny new club rooms and great facilities for the community, we need to acknowledge the people that made the club what it is.”

On Friday 15 October, MESCH was advised Yarra Ranges Council had received the necessary planning approval and permit from the Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning to start demolition and construction of the Mount Evelyn Sports and Community Hub. To apply for a brick, go to https:// mesch3796.com.au/, click the tab ‘Buy a Brick’ and fill out the application form.

Mount Evelyn Sports and Community Hub vice president Mal Darke and president Bryan McCarthy are raising funds and asking people to be founding members of the Mount Evelyn pavilion by purchasing a foundation brick. 253180 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

In times of crisis, you can give

where it’s needed most Please donate now 1 3 S A LV O S S A LV O S . O R G . A U

12505731-SN31-21

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Tuesday, 19 October, 2021

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MAIL 9

OPINION

How our yearnings are affecting us Having been locked down for a world record time, we have been seriously looking for relief, so my head has been buzzing with this title for a few weeks now: ‘YEARNINGS.’ Granted some of our yearnings have been met and we have a measure of relief, but the length of time that we have been locked down is far longer than most thought we could have survived, if we had been asked if we could do it ahead of time.

So, many of us have been rendered ‘Eleanor Rigbys’, living in a dream to come true that we yearn for, Sadly we can’t even ‘pick up rice where the wedding has been’ as we are even left to dream that we might see a wedding this year.

I think that the four Liverpudlians must have had a prophetic insight to ’20 & ’21.

Without yearning for o/seas flights, caravaning around Australia and for those who can afford them, cruises - most of us are simply left to yearn for family gatherings, real weddings, the ability to farewell our deceased loved ones properly, and see our kids back in school full time.

And yes we can answer the question; ‘where ‘do’ all those lonely people come from ? - Victoria.

And poor old Father McKenzie is still writing sermons that no one will hear: in fact yours truly was supposed to deliver one on

Focal Point Graeme Dawson the 1st of August.

So, many of us feel, and it is most often true, that nobody visits therefore nobody cares.

Well, straight off the top I say “God cares” but most times He does His best work through a human door knock, with a ready meal or some flowers or whatever will lift spirits. And although Peter, Paul and Mary said that the ‘Answer was blowing in the wind’, the real answer, as I said, needs to be in the form of tangible flesh and blood.

Humor aside, the depth of loneliness in our community is having devastating effects. Calls to Triple 0 recently went up from 2000 to 3000 per day.

Many of the calls were from lonely and fearful people who really did not need that level of service. The 000 line has now got diversion lines for the cases that are not life threatening.

Other organizations can take them from there.

I often write about our created human need for relationships with other humans – companionship is vital.

The great Apostle James, brother of Jesus, wrote a broad letter to the churches scattered around the then known world, and although brother to Jesus, was he was humble in claiming that he was but a servant of his brother.

Can ‘we’ consider being humble enough to be a servant, so-to-speak, to some of the loneliest and shut in ones, and also as an antidote for dealing with our own trials? Because it follows that testing produces perseverance and that in its self leads to endurance and maturity.

And remember ‘he/she ain’t heavy, they are my brother or sister’ (Excuse my pollution of the great line).

Pertaining to what we have just said about being there for others in the human form, James was also famous for saying that faith without works was dead.

We also quote him saying, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

Father McKenzie and I might have our mouths closed for now, but we won’t stop caring.

(Feedback and need for care can be fielded to my email - csrsmokey@gmail.com) Graeme Dawson, Chaplain to Community

CARTOON

Wedding vow taken brutally literally Till Death Starring Megan Fox, Eoin Mackey and Callan Mulvey Rated MA15+ The directorial debut of S.K Dale, Till Death is a lean, enthralling and darkly funny thriller.

Emma Webster (Megan Fox) must survive a home invasion after waking up handcuffed to her dead husband Mark (Eoin Mackey).

Till Death is extremely well-paced: the first act steadily establishes Emma and Mark’s rocky relationship through subtle acts of secrecy, manipulation and boundary-pushing from Mark, and the second act keeps us on our toes as Mark’s abusive posthumous plan unfolds and the burglars begin hunting Emma.

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physical fatigue and important objects, making Emma’s struggle all the more immersive.

The friction between the burglar brothers – the fiercely-driven Bobby (Callan Mulvey) and the moral, more reserved Jimmy (Jack Roth) – pro-

vides another compelling layer of drama.

While Fox has some wooden moments, she has an engaging tenacious presence. The film derives some morbid amusement from Emma’s situation, as she drags her husband’s literal dead weight through the house, and has some clever symbolism of Emma taking what she needs from her past to survive and discarding the rest.

The only weak link in the film is Bobby. He’s an intimidating, layered antagonist, but his past connection to Emma is underdeveloped and rather redundant (save for a cool bit of call-back in the climax).

Till Death is one of the best-directed thrillers of 2021, and is available for streaming on Netflix.

- Seth Lukas Hynes

Hard to swallow PASSION FOR PROSE WITH CHRISTINE SUN Dead Letters, journalist Michael Brissenden’s second novel, is a hard-to-swallow thriller about politics, corruption and crime. It is one of the most difficult books this reviewer has ever read, perhaps because those who try so hard to suspend their disbelief often end up missing out on all the fun of reading a story.

There is no doubt that Dead Letters is a convincingly complex and captivating story, with the Chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security murdered in cold blood by Page 5. The police are under intense pressure to hunt down the killer(s), but everyone involved turns out to have a long-concealed dark side.

Worse, a federal election is coming up and the incumbent prime minister is desperate. With unemployment rising and house prices plummeting, consumption growth is weaker than ever and all economic trends are rapidly slowing. Voters have simply stopped listening, and no amount of campaign on national security can help the government survive.

As the prime minister and his chief of staff conveniently blame the aforementioned murder on terrorism, Sidney Allen, a veteran of Afghanistan now working with Australian Federal Police, suspects something else. The details are intriguing, circling around Sydney’s underground gangs, right-wing “patriots”, brothels, police misconducts, and power struggles among local community leaders and politicians. Everybody wants a lion’s share. It is every man for himself.

Then arrives a seemingly irrelevant sideline, a journalist named Zephyr Wilde whose mother was murdered some 20 years ago.

While a common technique to tackle crime writing is to delve into the lovehate relations between politicians, cops and reporters, this subplot in Dead Letters remains necessarily puzzling, with Zephyr’s mother sending her one letter each year from the grave. It is both frustrating and delightful that the puzzle is only solved at the very end of the book.

Brissenden’s background as a political reporter and foreign correspondent contributes a great deal to his capacity to create a compelling read. From the seedy streets of Sydney to the corridors of power in Canberra, the cynicism is obvious, that only money can buy status, influence and control.

Meanwhile, the story makes it clear that whether it is money laundering or collaborating with mobs, the rule is not to send everyone down. This “lesson” is well illustrated by a certain important character in the book: “You don’t f**k with the arrangement. You don’t threaten to throw everyone under a bus and not expect consequences. Politicians, lawyers, cops – it’s not f**king Sesame Street.”

This reviewer would recommend that readers enjoy the story without trying to explore how the author’s profession could have influenced his portrayal of politicians, the media and the police.

The Australia described in Dead Letters is very similar to ours, but ultimately it is not. Instead, why not enjoy this page-tuner and go down the rabbit hole of crime solving? The thrill is in the chase.and there are plenty of twists and turns ahead. Perhaps you, too, can guess the villain(s) and save the day. mailcommunity.com.au

THE LOWDOWN Q&A

THREE … volunteer opportunities at the SES

1

Volunteer as a crew member, who responds to emergency situations like storms and other severe weather events. Once your application has bee approved to volunteer with the Victorian SES, a training process will begin where you learn essential safety skills, rescue organisation and planning knowledge, as well as understanding communications equipment.

2

Volunteer positions are also available for members to help create awareness of emergencies and emergency preparedness in their local communities.

These roles include Community Education Facilitator, Media Liaison Officer and Social Media Officer.

3

Road Crash Rescue (RCR) is a critical service delivered on a daily basis by highly trained crews with a range of skills, which may include extricating a person from a vehicle or conducting emergency life support services to the trapped or injured.

Shaun Caulfield is the unit controller at Lilydale SES and it has been a family tradition dating back to his grandfather.

Picture: SUPPLIED What event, past, present, or future, would you like to witness?

I’d love to have witnessed a Saturn V Rocket launch from Cape Canaveral. The Apollo program is probably the single greatest feat of human exploration to this date.

Which four guests, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?

Neil Armstrong (or any of the Apollo Astronauts), Vin Scully (Dodgers Radio announcer for 60 years), Sir Jack Brabham, Mark Hamill

Who do you admire the most?

Apollo 13 Commander, Capt Jim Lovell. There is one dude who handled the pressure.

What are some of your hobbies?

Photography and Baseball – having played for 40 years!

What is your favourite book and/or film?

Book – Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy Film/s – Star Wars (at the risk of a controversial statement – ep 1-6 more so than 7-9)

· ·

12512388-NG38-21

What is something people don’t know about you?

I still have all the Lego Space (Now referred to as “Classic Space”) that I had as a kid.

Why did you join the SES? It was part of my childhood, my father (and grandfather) being involved, it was something that I saw as a way to “give” to my community, rather than just “take”; it seems a bit cliched– but I saw the satisfaction he got from the volunteer work he did. I met some amazing Role Models along the way, some of whom remain good friends to this day.

What do you enjoy most about being the unit controller in Lilydale?

To make an impact in people’s lives, whether that be the people we help in a time of crisis, but mostly the members who join our unit for their own reasons.. We have an amazing team at Lilydale SES, from young to old, across genders and demographics. It’s an absolute honour to lead such a dedicated and skilled group.

What have been some of your most memorable moments with the SES? Why? So many over the years, The North East 1993 floods was an adventure for younger me. Being awarded a Life Membership of VicSES in 2016 was an absolute honour. This year’s 9 June Storm was the single largest response I’ve been involved in. It was probably the scariest, being on the hill during the height of the winds, but also one where I got to respond with my son Sam – and see him getting the same reward from his contribution to the community.

What do you love most about the Yarra Ranges?

Having grown up here, it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else!! The diversity of the environment; along the Yarra up to Warburton as well as the hills, make it such a varied place. It just never gets old.

with Lilydale SES unit controller Shaun Caulfield

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Tuesday, 19 October, 2021

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MAIL 11

NEWS

Narelle Stillwell has posted on the Yarra Valley Haunters page how to make several of her display items.

Angel used opshops and cheap props offline for her pumpkin display at Mathers Avenue Launching Place. 253970

Narelle Stillwell’s display has many different areas, with the spider a big spinning hit.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Halloween house hunters

By Renee Wood A spell of spookiness is spreading through the region ahead of Halloween with several houses decorated in fantastically frightening displays.

This will be the second year in a row Healesville resident Narelle Stillwell has decorated her home, something she wanted to do for the kids stuck in lockdown.

“I was trying to think of things that might bring a bit of joy into their lives and so I thought - oh, Halloween is coming up. It’s not something we traditionally celebrate in Australia very much but it was an opportunity to give them something to look forward to,” Narelle Stillwell said.

And after a successful year last year with other families getting on board, Narelle launched a Facebook page this year called ‘Yarra Valley Haunters’ to encourage others to get into the spooky spirit.

“I thought if I created a separate Facebook page just for those that were interested they could just become members of that and get all the information a little bit easier.”

Families are able to find houses to visit with a map to be released closer to the day, until then homes in Chirnside Park, Healesville and Launching Place have all been shared on the page.

Second time decorator Angel Egginton has listed her Launching Place property on the page for families to visit.

“We have people slow down out the front to have a look. The kids get so excited to come see the decorations and we always invite people to come walk around the yard for a bit more of an experience between the different spooky scenes,” Angel Egginton said.

Most of the displays have been made using recycled items and arts and crafts.

“We made our scarecrows, one of our grim reapers and also the blood splatter curtains.

Most things though we brought from Lombards and Kmart and of course the Facebook buy, swap and sell bargains that have helped create the spooky scenes,” Angel said.

Narelle has been sharing her decorating tips on the page to help families create cost effective displays.

“We don’t have a lot of options in Australia, in comparison to where it’s bigger overseas and what we can find is usually really expensive, so I put a bit of effort into finding how to make props,” Narelle said.

“On Haunters I tried to demonstrate to others how you could make your own things relatively cheaply.”

Narelle hopes the decorating tips could also be repurposed for other festive occasions.

“Maybe it’ll give them an idea on how to make some things for Christmas holidays if they don’t celebrate Halloween.”

For more information visit the Yarra Valley Haunters Facebook page.

The ‘dead’ are rising at Mathers Avenue Launching Place. 253970

Families can come see the displays at the spookiest times in the dark at Narelle’s Healesville home.

Angel Egginton has gone all out with her decorations on Mathers Avenue in Launching Place.

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253970

Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

The clowns are out in Launching Place. 253970 mailcommunity.com.au

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Presenter Bonnie-Marie Hibbs (left) and Big Bouquet Owner Natalie Kerst (right) are being filmed during their interview inside the glasshouse.

Bonnie and Natalie setting up to create a wonderful wedding style bouquet.

Farm blooms on screen terms of breeding and what they’re bringing into Australia for the cut flower market.”

Another small piece of the upcoming show will be on using alpaca poo as fertiliser.

“The good thing is it doesn’t actually burn your plants. It is something that you don’t have to age down like other animal manures where you can use it right away, so it’s pretty handy,” Bonnie-Marie said.

It was a welcomed visit for the farm which is generally open to the public with visitors allowed to view the large glass house, meet the alpacas and dine at the cafe.

“We’ve been working really hard and lockdown has been quite difficult on a lot of us. Our team has been here five days a week together through the whole thing, so we are really looking towards opening again - we’ve missed the public being here,” Dana said.

The Gardening Gurus airs on Channel Nine but also has a strong following on social media, Dana said it’s great to be part of program that’s educational.

“They live stream on Facebook, and people can ask questions and they’ll answer, so it’s good people are really into gardening can see the way we do things to inspire them as well.

The episode is expected to air in the next couple of weeks.

By Renee Wood The Big Bouquet gerbera and alpaca farm will soon be blooming on screens after filming with The Garden Gurus crew on Saturday 9 October.

Presenter and horticulturalist Bonnie-Marie Hibbs visited the farm to meet with owner Natalie Kerst to learn all about the cut flower farm and it’s operations.

Dana Stoddart from the Big Bouquet said it’s a great opportunity to promote Australian grown flowers.

“We really just want to show people what we do, we’re not only a tourist attraction - we sell wholesale gerberas around the country on a large scale,” Dana Stoddart said.

Presenter Bonnie-Marie Hibbs said the main feature will be on making a flower bouquet to inspire watchers during the lockdown.

“It’s about being creative when maybe it is hard to be creative at the moment, when you can’t go out and you can’t go express yourself as easily. So using flowers and playing with them that way you can really have a lot of fun with it,” Bonnie-Marie Hibbs said.

“It can do a lot of good for people as well from a mental place but also just from creativity, I think it’s so important to stay as creative as you can through the lockdown.”

Natalie Kerst, Dana Stoddart and Bonnie-Marie Hibbs.

The horticulturist said she was very impressed with the varieties on display, many that she didn’t know of.

“They grow over 62,000 gerberas on the site

and they range in the most incredible colors, some that I actually didn’t know existed - and I have quite a long history in horticulture, so they’re doing some really amazing things in

A public art project to honour First Nations history

By Renee Wood Water tanks in the Yarra Ranges Shire will soon play a significant role in honouring local First Nations history and culture in the region.

The Yarra Ranges council has launched a public art project that will see seven tanks located on the Country of Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations decorated to build local indigenous pride and connect the community to Country.

Indigenous Advisory Committee Chair Lea Jones said the committee worked with council on the project to improve visibility of indigenous culture.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to showcase some of our talented artists out there and to also showcase our culture and our history,” Lea Jones said.

The idea stemmed from the regional silo art trail and hopes to inform visitors and local residents as conversation drivers.

“I think it will really elicit some conversations with people. Some of them can be viewed while going on walks, especially in the reserves, and hopefully it will strum up conversation between walkers and they’ll start becoming a little bit more aware of Australia’s history because it belongs to all of us.”

There’s currently an expressions of interest open for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists who’d like to submit a design to be part of creating the works. mailcommunity.com.au

The water tank located at Spadonis Reserve, Yering has been chosen part of the art project.

Picture: YARRA RANGES COUNCIL “They can exercise their creative juices and come up with something that is really synonymous with the region. We want them to think about the region where it is, we want them to tell a story as well.”

Each tank has a budget of $15,000 to cover the cost of artist fees, site preparation, materials, supplies and heights equipment.

Research was conducted to decide what sites would be best for the public art, looking

into the proximity to local community, visitor accessibility, graffiti risks, safety for the artists and connection to Country.

“We had a look at all of the water tanks in the shire and then we started whittling them down, looking at all of the logistics of high traffic areas and things like that.”

The following sites have been chosen: Spadonis Reserve, Yering (Ryrie Ward) Kalorama Recreation Reserve, Kalorama x 2 tanks (Chandler Ward) Killara Rd, Gruyere x 2 tanks (Ryrie Ward) McMahons Creek Rd, Reefton (O’Shannassay Ward) Ernest Lloyd Reserve, Gladysdale (O’Shannassay Ward) The artist EOI closes on November 5 and the first round of artworks are expected to be completed by June 2022 and following rounds will continue into 2022 and 2023.

For more information visit https://shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/watertank-art

· · · · ·

Tuesday, 19 October, 2021

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MAIL 13

OPINION Kangaroo welfare Dear Editor, Findings from the NSW parliamentary inquiry into Kangaroos have recently been released. It is largely transferrable to the Victorian context, though we desperately need our own inquiry to expose the overinflated population counts here that show biologically impossible increases even after drought and catastrophic bushfires.

One finding that rings very true in Victoria is that ‘the shooting of kangaroos has a profound impact on the mental health of some Aboriginal people, kangaroo carers and rescuers’. However, this falls far short of the impact on amenity, well-being and mental health of the broader community.

The Kangaroo industry shows no consideration for people who love and value Kangaroos, or for those who revere Kangaroos as Totem. They don’t care about residents’ heartache, or how businesses suffer that rely on Kangaroos for tourist appeal. Families often form strong emotional bonds with their local Kangaroos and must continually fight to protect them. Meanwhile, wildlife volunteers give their heart, time and money to care and advocate for the wounded and orphaned.

The constant stress of trying to defend beloved Kangaroos results in anxiety, depression, hopelessness, grief, despair, trauma and insomnia for many in the community.

This has been seen in abundance in the outer east with first the Kinley Kangas and then the Heritage Kangas facing slaughter. When these mobs were threatened the community fought so hard to save them and suffered greatly as a result of continued anxiety over their welfare. The suffering of communities has indeed been so widespread that Save the Kinley Kangas has rebranded as the Victorian Kangaroo Alliance to continue supporting those who are fighting for their local Kangaroos across the state.

By backing the grubby Kangaroo industry, the Labor government shows distain for Victorians who value animal welfare. This is a significant oversight given the government’s own market research recently showed animal welfare is important to 98 per cent of Victori-

LENSCAPE

This kookaburra was captured in mid flight by Star Mail’s photographer Stewart Chambers while he was out on the road. 254124

ans. The last thing we need is more demand for killing Kangaroos from the proposed processing facility in Inglewood. This nightmare must end.

Sincerely, Alyssa Wormald, Secretary, Victorian Kangaroo Alliance

Giselle’s articles Dear Editor, I would like to congratulate you on giving young hopeful writers such as Giselle Leonard a chance to express themselves in your paper.

Giselle’s writing is so refreshing in this difficult time. I enjoy reading her articles about normal everyday innocent events. It gives me hope for the future and our young.

Keep up the good work Star Mail.

Regular reader, Dianne

Local values Subscribe to any of the

By Sue Thompson, Lilydale and District Historical Society

Star Mail Digital Editions for

Yarra Ranges Council draft council plan for 2021-25 titled Safer, Stronger, Together should be adopted later this month.

From a heritage perspective, it is wonderful the draft plan now incorporates the Value of History Statement which has been endorsed by state and national heritage organisations, museums and many historical societies. Yarra Ranges is arguably the first municipality to do so. What will it mean to our community?

The Statement is short: Value of History We acknowledge that history shapes our identities, engages us as citizens, creates inclusive communities, is part of our economic wellbeing, teaches us to think critically and creatively, inspires leaders and is the foundation of our future generations.

When the Statement was released it was an inspiration to me because it summed up the importance of our history - First People’s and European– past, present and future.

I approached the Yarra Ranges Heritage Network (YRHN) which represents all heritage groups in Yarra Ranges and the representatives unanimously agreed to endorse the Statement and allow me to make a presentation on their behalf to the council.

Below is part of what I said to the councillors on November 26, 2019.

Everyone is different and special. Our identities have been moulded by our parents, siblings, where we were born, where we lived, where we went to school, our jobs, our husbands, wives and children.

In turn, we draw on these life stories, our personal histories when we participate in activities in the communities we live in – be it sports, schools, social organisations etc. We join them and become part of their story and in turn we help influence and shape these groups when we become involved in fund-raising, working bees, serving on the committees or simply selling hot dogs at the canteen on sports days.

This involvement adds to our knowledge and understanding of our community, what it

FREE Tuesday, 2 February, 2021

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Mail New Aussies welcomed

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PROPERTY GUIDE Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808

PROPERTY GUIDE Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808

Back to school!

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A Star News Group Publication

SPORT

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School students across Victoria made their return to school following summer holidays, while 2021’s preps got their first taste of primary school life. Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy conducted a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony for Badger Creek Primary School students and staff.

See page 7 for more back to school excitment.

Back to school!

School students across Victoria made their return to school following summer holidays, while 2021’s preps got their first taste of primary school life. Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy

By Jed Lanyon

Centre in the lead up to Christmas. Many locals far and wide were able to keep up their Christmas tradition in getting a family photo with ‘The Real Santa’ who they had grown to love.

The unlikely tandem tallied upwards of $30,000 from their family Christmas photos and then selected four charities to each receive

$8400 to help make the lives of children better.

The four recipients of the funds included: Backpacks 4 Vic Kids, A Better Life For Foster Kids, HeartKids and Chum Creek’s Good Life Farm. The organisations shared how the funds had already been put to good use.

Backpacks 4 Vic Kids CEO and founder Sally Beard told Star Mail the donation came as a “delightful surprise”.

“We’re very, very grateful on behalf of the children, whose lives that it will impact,” she said. “We have absolutely put that money to good use.”

Ms Beard shared that the $8400 donation from Branded is aiding 112 children in need with care packs filled with toiletries, spare changes of clothes, a toy and more.

Continued page 2 12477022-SN06-21

It’s February, but Santa Claus’ gifts keep on coming for several charity organisations who benefited from a partnership between Saint Nick and Seville’s Branded Burger Bar. The burger bar came to the rescue when they partnered with Santa, who had seen his role replaced at Chirnside Park Shopping

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A worthy brand

is, and who we are. We have become engaged citizens and in even just a small way, have helped shape and support our community to make it a better place for all of us. This is the value of history.

You may ask how does history foster economic growth? Often heritage groups are accused of trying to stop development and progress. History is not about stopping development, it is about setting that project or development into its community context. History tells us about the past. For example, why is Melba Park located where it is?

There are similar examples in every town in this municipality. Answering these questions lets us see what happened in the past and then make the judgement: do we keep it; do we still need it or can we put a modern interpretation on to it. We can put it into its context and through interpretation link the past, present and future together to provide a sense of identity in our community, a sense of place.

Through the council’s various projects you are not just building and planning for today, you are building for the future. The decisions you take today will be your lasting legacy to our community and will become part of our community’s history.

I concluded by making two requests: 1. The Value of History statement inserted in the council’s own Vision statement.

2. All council projects, big and small be referred to the local heritage group for its input so each project is put into its community context. Officers may reject the group’s suggestions but at least they can make informed decisions based on sound knowledge of place.

This procedure at the planning stages may save hours of angst and controversy later.

It is pleasing to see both the above requests have been implemented by council and staff.

Download the complete Value of History Statement at https://lilydalehistorical.com. au/news-events-lilydale-district-historicalsociety-inc/ Contact Sue Thompson, Lilydale & District Historical Society. Phone: 0475 319 884, email: info@lilydalehistorical.com.au website: lilydalehistorical.com.au mailcommunity.com.au

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MAIL 15

NEWS

Matilda Bay Brewery has reached on of it’s biggest goal’s to become carbon neutral.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Carbon cuts Matilda Bay Brewery has reached one of its biggest sustainability goals, after receiving the certification the business is carbon neutral.

James Aris from Matilda Bay said it’s been a goal for the business since it was founded in 2019.

“Beer is a natural product, it’s fundamentally water, malted barley, hops and yeast - that’s it. It follows that the better the environment around you, the better the quality the output is going to be,” James Aris said.

Last financial year the business generated 622 tonnes of emissions, equivalent to 15,700 coffee cups or 2.8 million road miles and this year that has all been offset.

“All food and beverage production is energy intensive and a resource intensive process, so it is our responsibility to try and be as efficient and effective at getting the best product for the best amount of energy that goes in.”

Becoming carbon neutral means to calculate your carbon emissions and offset them by 100 per cent through sustainable measures.

Matilda Bay achieved the certification through a whole ecosystem of practices, first starting with running off renewable energy with 248 solar panels on the roof and using a sustainable energy provider.

The business also received a small grant from the State Government to conduct an energy audit on their processes to learn more about their carbon footprint.

“Essentially we pulled all that together for South Pole to analyze and calculate what our emissions were over the past financial year and that gave us the amount that we needed to offset and we did that by purchasing some

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The Star Mail is published by Paul Thomas for Star News Group Pty Ltd ABN 98 238 557 339. All material is copyright to Star News Group Pty Ltd. All significant errors will be corrected as soon as possible. Distribution numbers, areas and coverage are estimates only. For terms and conditions please visit www.mailcommunity.com.au Print Post Number PP33445700014.

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Tuesday, 19 October, 2021

carbon credits in certain projects that are environmentally positive,” Paul O’Brien from Matilda Bay said.

The carbon credits were purchased for two projects, one in Victoria with EcoAustralia restoring the Annya State Forest in south-western Victoria and the other went to a hydro energy project in Cambodia.

Sourcing locally to reduce food miles and diverting waste are also part of how the business achieved the certification.

James and Paul said they see carbon neutrality as a normal practice that all businesses should aspire to achieve.

“We don’t want to really pat ourselves too much on the back about this process, it’s business as usual and now we’re looking ahead to what else we need to do to either reduce our emissions or influence our suppliers to try and reduce their emissions as well,” James said.

They’ve noticed sustainable practices are becoming highly sought after by consumers and dedicated wholesalers looking to purchase stock from environmentally conscious businesses.

“Retailers and the pub groups that we work with they’re increasingly interested in working with sustainable businesses. So I think we’re starting to see consumers and trade interest increase in doing sustainable business.”

Now the brewery will be looking to work with its suppliers to encourage similar practices where possible.

“We want it to become the norm for most of these businesses to have this certification, and the more businesses that get that the more acceptable it will be,” Paul said.

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CHIRNSIDE PARK Meadowgate Milk Bar 3 Meadowgate Drive CHIRNSIDE PARK Coles Supermarket 239-241 Maroondah Highway CHIRNSIDE PARK Woolworths Supermarket 239-241 Maroondah Highway CHIRNSIDE PARK 7 - Eleven 242 Maroondah Highway CROYDON NORTH Croydon Hills Milk Bar 158 Nangathan Way CROYDON NORTH Eastfield Milk Bar 11 The Mall KILSYTH Woolworths Supermarket Churinga SC, Russo Place KILSYTH Coles Supermarket 520-526 Mt Dandenong Road KILSYTH Kilsyth Laundrette87 Colchester Road KILSYTH Woolworths Supermarket Canterbury Road Kilsyth KILSYTH TSG Tobacco Churinga Shopping Centre Mt Dandenong Road LILYDALE Lilydale Marketplace SC 33-45 Hutchinson Street LILYDALE Lilydale Village SC 51-59 Anderson Street LILYDALE Coles Supermarket Lilydale Village Castella Street & Maroondah Highway LILYDALE Lilydale Community Centre 7 Hardy Street LILYDALE Eastern Laundries. 2/4 Williams Street East LILYDALE Lilydale Lakeside Conference and Events Centre 1 Jarlo Drive LILYDALE United Petrol Service Station 473 Maroondah Highway LILYDALE Caltex Lilydale 346 Main Street LILYDALE Caltex Woolworths 31 Hutchinson Street LILYDALE BP Service Station 87 Warburton Highway LILYDALE Shell Service Station 469 Maroondah Highway LILYDALE 7 - Eleven Lilydale Cnr Maroondah Highway & Cave Hill Road LILYDALE Coles Express 469 Maroondah Highway LILYDALE Hutch & Co Cafe 251 Main Street LILYDALE Round Bird Can’t Fly 170 Main Street LILYDALE The Lilydale General 110 Beresford Road LILYDALE Yarra Valley Smokery 96 Main Street LILYDALE Bee Seen Cafe 178 Main Street LILYDALE Blue Turtle Cafe 222 Main Street LILYDALE Gracious Grace Castella Street LILYDALE Melba Coffee House 33-45 Hutchinson Street LILYDALE Lilydale Munchies 7/75 Cave Hill Road LILYDALE The Mustard Tree Cafe 3/28 John Street LILYDALE Freda’s Cafe 2 Clarke Street LILYDALE Barry Plant Real Estate 88 Main Street LILYDALE Ray White Real Estate 164 Main Street LILYDALE Stockdale & Leggo Real Estate 281 Main Street LILYDALE Professionals Real Estate 111-113 Main Street LILYDALE Grubs Up 1 Industrial Park Drive LILYDALE Olinda Creek Hotel Maroondah Hwy LILYDALE Crown Hotel Maroondah Hwy LILYDALE Yarra Ranges Council 61 - 65 Anderson Street MONTROSE Montrose Authorised Newsagency 912 Mt Dandenong Road MONTROSE Bell Real Estate 896 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road MONTROSE IGA Supermarket 916 Mt Dandenong Road MOUNT EVELYN Fast Fuel 1 Hereford Road MOUNT EVELYN IGA Supermarket 38- 40 York Road MOUNT EVELYN Post Office 12 Station Street MOUNT EVELYN Authorised Newsagency 1A Wray Crescent MOUNT EVELYN Red Robin Milk Bar 35 Hereford Road MOUNT EVELYN Library 50 Wray Cresent MOUNT EVELYN Milkbar 28 Birmingham Road MOUNT EVELYN York on Lilydale 138 York Road MOOROOLBARK Coles Supermarket 15 Brice Avenue MOOROOLBARK Corner Milk Bar 38 Bellara Dive MOOROOLBARK Fang & Yaoxin Mini Mart 108 Hayrick Lane MOOROOLBARK BP Mooroolbark 103 Cardigan Road MOOROOLBARK Coles Express 2 Cambridge Road MOOROOLBARK Mooroolbark Coin Laundrette28 Manchester Road MOOROOLBARK Professionals Real Estate Brice Avenue MOOROOLBARK L J Hooker Brice Avenue MOOROOLBARK Fletchers Real Estate 1/14 Manchester Road MOOROOLBARK 7-Eleven Manchester Road

Matilda Bay Brewery opened in 2019 in Healesville. mailcommunity.com.au

PUZZLES SUDOKU

No. 051

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal rows and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

easy

8

5

7

7

1 5 4

8

5

3 2 1 7 6 9 5

1 3 8 7 8 1 2 9 8 5 6 3 5 7

QUICK CROSSWORD

28 29

9

1

5 4 1

2 6 7 5 6 9 4 2 9 6 9 7 3 5 8 9 2 8 4 6 7 2 1 4

Melody (5) Artworks (9) Lover (5) Relating to a specific discipline (9) Split apart (6) Over-learned (8) Child of one’s child (10) Watch (3) US tech company (1.1.1.)

Brightness (10) Painting of a person (8) Fisher (6) Garrulous (9) Sugary coating for a cake (5) Scottish clan (9) Arab state (5)

11 12 14 15 17 19 23 24 26 27

3

medium

2

ACROSS 1 4 9 10

3 4 5 6 7 8 13 16 18 19 20 21 22

25

No. 051

Reading or copying machine (7) Work restaurant (7) Places (4) Unbelievable (10) Drinking vessel (7) Cravat (7) Chosen (8) Exercises (10) Alacrity (8) — Monroe (7) River barrier (7) Reprieve (7) The essential constituent of bone, teeth and shell (7) Mythical monster (6) Unkind (4)

DOWN Manhandle (6)

DECODER

No. 051

hard

4 2 7 9 8 6 9 5

5 1 1

1 7 9

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

N X

8

T I D L V K RMCQY NX 19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once.

No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

A

Today’s Aim: 18 words: Good 27 words: Very good

N

D

T

G

F

8 2 5 6 1 7 4 9 3

5 1 8 7 4 9 3 2 6

4 2 3 5 6 1 7 8 9

R

E

E

3 LETTERS ALE AVO BAN BOA CHI DAM EKE ERA EVE FIR GAG GET GUY ICE ILL LEE NIP OKS ONE PER REV SEC SHE SOD TEE WAR 4 LETTERS ABET CLAN EARL ELSE GAYS GEAR GEED GELD GERM GIVE GNAT HYMN RIDE RISE SEWS

STUD TANK WOKE 5 LETTERS ABUSE ADMIT ADORE ALLAH ALPHA AMISS ARROW BRAGS COMET DENIM DIGIT EASED EASES EDGED ENEMA ENSUE

No. 051

FORUM GIRTH HEEDS HELMS HOURS KARAT LADLE LEAVE LIVID LOUSE NEARS OLIVE POLKA RIVAL SCOOT SEEMS SLEEK SPARS SPASM SPATE SPUDS

STERN STICK TASTE TENET THREE UNIFY URINE 6 LETTERS STEREO UNSAFE 7 LETTERS ERASURE EVASIVE

FATIGUE HOLIDAY LUNCHES TASSELS 8 LETTERS EVERMORE GARGOYLE MISTRESS SAFARIED 10 LETTERS BRASSIERES VENTILATED

after, daft, deaf, deafen, deafer, defeat, defer, deft, defter, draftee, engraft, ENGRAFTED, fade, fang, fanged, fare, fared, fate, fated, fear, feared, feat, feed, feet, fend, fender, fern, fete, feted, free, freed, fret, graft, grafted, raft, rafted, reef

7 9 6 2 8 3 4 1 5

2 6 9 1 3 4 8 5 7

8 7 5 6 9 2 1 4 3

1 3 4 8 5 7 9 6 2

6 4 7 9 1 5 2 3 8

3 5 2 4 7 8 6 9 1

9 8 1 3 2 6 5 7 4

4 1 9 5 3 2 7 8 6

3 7 6 9 4 8 2 1 5

5 6 7 4 8 1 9 3 2

2 8 4 3 7 9 6 5 1

9 3 1 2 6 5 8 4 7

7 9 3 1 2 4 5 6 8

6 5 2 8 9 3 1 7 4

1 4 8 7 5 6 3 2 9

7 5 8 2 9 3 6 1 4

1 3 6 4 5 7 2 9 8

4 2 9 8 1 6 5 7 3

8 7 1 5 2 9 3 4 6

3 9 5 6 4 1 7 8 2

2 6 4 3 7 8 9 5 1

9 4 2 1 3 5 8 6 7

5 8 3 7 6 4 1 2 9

6 1 7 9 8 2 4 3 5

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

1

9-LETTER WORD

37 words: Excellent

hard

18

medium

17

easy

16

8

15

1

F A Z U J B OH E S GWP

8 1 4 8 5 6 7

14

3 7 6

WORDFIT

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SPORT

Outer East’s new umpire

By Nick Creely The Outer East Football Netball League has announced the appointment of AFL umpire, John Howorth, to the role of Head of Umpiring for 2022.

Howorth, who has umpired 42 AFL games, will be employed in a part-time capacity alongside operations coordinator Sebastian Mueller-Schmuki to help develop and grow umpiring within the region, focusing specifically on coaching and fast tracking the development of all umpires, including fitness and match day techniques.

Howorth said the opportunity to work with the Outer East was exciting.

“I see this as a great opportunity to work with a highly motivated and dedicated group with outstanding group culture and aspire towards having a positive impact on the Yarra Ranges Umpires Association and the Outer East competitions over a number of years,” he said.

“My passion for umpiring the game also extends to the coaching side of things, with a specific focus towards motivating, mentoring and developing young umpires, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Howorth has extensive experience umpiring at a community sport level, with previous experience with the Bendigo Umpires Association and Northern Territory Football League

The Outer East has made a key appointment in its umpiring department. 238292 Picture: ROB CAREW holding him in good stead. He is also one of eight people in the world currently undertaking a degree in Masters in Sports Officiating.

After beginning his umpiring career in Bendigo in 2006, where he remained until 2013, Howorth moved to the VFL and umpired the TAC

Cup (now NAB League) grand final in 2016, as well as both the VFL and AFLW grand finals in 2018. He then made his AFL debut in a game between St Kilda and Adelaide in round 6 of the 2019 season.

Outer East region general manager Aaron Bailey said the league was thrilled to welcome Howorth, and believes with his extensive experience he will provide a great benefit for football in the region.

“A key focus for us coming out of Covid has been to invest and focus on umpiring, to both grow the number of participants who see umpiring as a pathway in our game, but to continue to improve and develop the match day standards and performance of our group,” he said.

“This is a significant appointment for our league, that will benefit all competitions.”

Peter Dixon, president of the Yarra Ranges Umpires Association, believes this is the most significant appointment for umpires in the region for many years.

“John is an exceptional individual with great passion and experience, and I am personally looking forward to working with him and his coaching panel to help them deliver positive outcomes to umpiring in our region,” Dixon said.

“Our team across all age groups and all disciplines will benefit greatly with John at the helm.”

Sport concussions research

Aquatic centres are one of the categories able to get funding from the Sports Infrastructure Fund.

Picture: UNSPLASH

State funding for local sport upgrades The Victorian Government is helping communities build and transform sports facilities, including female friendly change rooms, to encourage more participation and healthier lifestyles across the state.

Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence announced on Thursday 14 October that applications are now open for the 2021-22 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund.

“Investing in new and upgraded facilities means community clubs can support more players and host more events safely as we progressively re-open,” she said.

The fund will invest up to $27 million for new and improved sports facilities across Victoria, with a focus on providing facilities to encourage participation among women and girls.

“We’re creating a level playing field and urge councils and sporting organisations to think creatively about how they can support their communities with innovative and inclusive facilities.”

As sporting clubs, leagues and associations chart their path to reopening, the Government investment in infrastructure will help stimulate local economies while mailcommunity.com.au

encouraging people to stay active and healthy.

The Fund supports projects across five dedicated streams: Indoor Stadiums/ Aquatic Centres, Female Friendly Facilities, Community Sports Lighting, Community Facilities, and Planning.

The grant amount available to develop female friendly facilities has increased to up to $800,000 to support more women and girls getting involved in community sport.

The planning stream will support councils in developing projects to meet the changing needs of their communities. These grants are part of $1.1 billion invested by the Government in community sport and active recreation infrastructure since 2014.

A report by KPMG commissioned by Sport and Recreation Victoria last year put an annual value of $7 billion on the economic, social and health benefits of community sport and active recreation infrastructure in Victoria.

Clubs are advised to contact their local council to help with the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund application process. For more information or to apply online, visit sport.vic.gov.au.

Research comparing the brain health of retired athletes from collision and non-collision sports will be part of a comprehensive and collaborative concussion project being led by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

The AIS has welcomed $340,000 in Australian Government funding for The Concussion and Brain Health project 2021-24, which will contribute to the evidence and understanding of sport-related concussion and continue to prioritise the health of Australian sport participants.

The Concussion and Brain Health project will begin this year and be delivered by 2024, comprising two major components.

The AIS will work with medical experts and researchers to update the Concussion in Sport Australia: Position Statement, a concussion management resource launched in 2019 and endorsed by more than 50 leading medical and sporting organisations.

Additionally, the AIS is collaborating with the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), University of Newcastle and University of Canberra on a research program that will assess the brain health of retired elite level athletes.

AIS Chief Medical Officer Dr David Hughes said the project would improve the understanding of long-term brain health of retired elite athletes, in both collision and non-collision sports.

“This project will evaluate several domains of brain health in retired elite athletes including neuropsychological assessment, brain imaging, objective somatosensory assessment and potential involvement in a brain donor program,” Dr Hughes said.

“Associate Professor Andrew Gardner of HMRI and the University of Newcastle has been leading one of the largest and most comprehensive brain health research programs for retired athletes in the world, involving in-person evaluations of more than 150 retired elite level collision sport players. The AIS, HMRI, The University of Newcastle and University of Canberra are combining to take this further, recruiting a control group of retired non-collision elite athletes.

“We are aiming to collect data on the brain health of more than 40 retired athletes from non-collision sports every year. This study is available to former elite level men and women athletes who were not involved in contact or collision sport.”

The AIS launched the Concussion in Sport Australia: Position Statement is a collaboration with the Australian Medical Association, Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians, and Sports Medicine Australia. It will be updated by the start of 2023 and will address the latest evidence on concussion in female athletes, concussion in para-athletes, potential implications for long-term brain health and the utility of specific physiotherapy-guided rehabilitation in the management of concussion.

“This has proved to be a wonderful resource for sport, but we need to ensure it is continually updated to reflect the latest evidence and research, with enhanced educational tools that are easily accessible to all in Australian sport,” Dr Hughes said. “We want all Australians to be able to safely enjoy the many physical and mental health benefits sport can provide.”

The Australian Institute of Sport is delivering a major project to examine concussions in Australian sport.

Picture: ON FILE Tuesday, 19 October, 2021

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