Mail - Lilydale Star Mail - 11th January 2022

Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

Lilydale

Mail

Residents confronted by culled kangaroos

New police commanders at Lilydale Station

Looking back at 2021 top news stories

Sporting year in review

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PAGES 9 - 11

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A Star News Group Publication

Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808

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Lilydale SES volunteer Lauren Daykin, Deputy Controller of Operations Louise Andrews, volunteer Sam Caulfield, Unit Controller Shaun Caulfield and volunteer Robert Barker were just some of the volunteers to respond in June.

Picture: TAYLAH EASTWELL

Ron Haines, Stephen Fantin, Mitch Oake, Tony Brock, Kyle Willsher and Maddy Davis from Lilydale CFA struggled through the pandemic but have come out stronger as a brigade.

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

Crews stand tall While there were many unsung heroes in 2021 who helped keep people safe, fed and connected, it was perhaps the most significant year for local volunteer emergency service personnel as they navigated a pandemic and a one in at least two decade storm.

At times risking their own lives and wellbeing to cut their way into houses, remove trees from roads, putting out powerline fires and working 24/7 to ensure the safety of others as trees continued to fall in the Dandenong Ranges.

Lilydale SES responded to a record amount of calls in just one week, CFA crews banded together to help each other and throughout a pandemic, whenever they were needed, these crew members would show up.

This year we dedicate our People of the Year to all the emergency service volunteers who put in countless hours not only in June but throughout the entire year, whether on the ground or behind the scenes.

Mail PEOPLE OF THE YEAR

2021 In this special edition of the newspaper, we reflect on 2021, take a look back at the top stories of the year in both news and sport and congratulate the many people who responded on 9 June.

To read more about the triumphs and tribulations of our emergency service volunteers, turn to page 6 and 7

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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

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NEWS

IN BRIEF Pair charged with theft

A disturbing sight

By Mikayla van Loon A Chirnside Park resident was confronted with a very disturbing scene of culled kangaroos after her dog went missing just before Christmas.

Katarina Ivanovic was looking for her dog when she stumbled upon the discarded remains of approximately 20 kangaroos located just 500 metres from nearby homes on Victoria Road.

“I came across the most horrific scene of slaughter and what I thought was extreme acts of cruelty with kangaroo paws cut off, heads cut off, bodies cut off, innards everywhere and have since learnt this scene was more than likely what is described as an authorised kangaroo cull,” she said.

In photos supplied to Star Mail, that have been deemed too graphic to print, show the body parts of several kangaroos in a heap where the fur has been stripped and it does not appear that any effort was made to bury the remains.

A conservation regulator spokesperson from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has confirmed the culling of these kangaroos was issued under the Authority to Control Wildlife (ATCW) permit given to land owners.

“We have made inquiries in relation to the control of kangaroos and determined that authorisations have been provided to undertake kangaroo management in this area. No evidence was found of a breach,” the spokesperson said.

“Before authorisation is granted, applicants must provide sufficient evidence of damage or loss to property, farmland or the environment and an assessment of alternative control op-

Approximately 20 culled kangaroos have been found discarded in Chirnside Park causing distress to the woman who found them.

Picture: ON FILE tions, including non-lethal control must be provided.”

ATCW permits allow for appropriate on-site disposal of the animal’s remains and landholders are encouraged to consult with the EPA for specific requirements around burying animal carcasses.

This response has outraged local kangaroo protection activists from the Victorian Kangaroo Alliance.

Alliance secretary Alyssa Wormald said this was another act of kangaroos not being “meaningfully protected in Victoria”.

The Victorian Kangaroo Alliance don’t believe the culling of these kangaroos fell under

the ATCW but rather the Kangaroo Harvesting Program that allows registered harvesters to remove kangaroos from a property without any criteria needing to be met.

“The reason for the Victoria Road slaughter is not officially confirmed, but it shows obvious hallmarks of a commercial shoot,” Ms Wormwald said.

“The bodies were field dressed and apparently taken for processing, even down to the ears being removed as they garner a few cents as dog treats.”

The kangaroo harvesting program introduced by the Victorian Government in 2019 aimed to reduce the prolific culling that had been occurring by bringing in quotas across seven areas.

“The review showed the financial incentive increased numbers being targeted by 260 per cent and likely amplified waste,” Ms Wormwald said.

“The continual threat to kangaroos in the area is negatively impacting the wellbeing and peaceful amenity of residents.

“This is the case throughout Victoria with residents and businesses terrorised by kangaroo shooters. We are sick of the relentless killing of kangaroos and tormenting of communities that love them.”

As a resident of the area where the shooting happened, Ms Ivanovic said she had seen headlights in nearby paddocks and assumed silencers were used because otherwise local residents would have been outraged.

“One by the fact they were killing this mob, but two the scene made me physically ill, it was horrific. Please stop this from happening.

These animals deserve to live and certainly not be discarded in such a disgusting manner.”

CFA announces fire danger period Lilydale residents will need to be mindful of fire restrictions as they come into effect next week.

CFA has announced fire restrictions for Yarra Ranges Shire beginning 1am on Monday 10 January.

With a fire danger period being declared, fires cannot be lit in open air without a permit from CFA or a municipal fire prevention officer.

Victoria has received an above average amount of rainfall recently, which has led to greater growth of pastures around paddocks and roadsides.

The CFA said this is likely to increase the risk of grassfires throughout the summer period.

District 13 Assistant Fire Officer David Renkin said that even an average fire season can still be a bad one.

“Conditions through the last fire season were similar to what we’re expecting this year, and during those months we saw significant grass fires in the north and west of

the state,” he said.

“Once again we’ve had plenty of winter and spring rainfall and now as the grass and bush rapidly dry out across District 13, the warmer weather, increased yield and potential fuel will mean the fire potential is heightened.”

Grassland and drier forests including woodlands and heathlands have been assessed as normal, however, shorter-duration fires are still likely to occur on hot, dry and windy days.

Mr Renkin said any additional rainfall Victoria experiences will produce more growth, which could very easily result in an even higher fuel load throughout the summer season if not properly managed.

“Reducing fuel loads by residents around their properties in these areas will ensure if a fire does break out, it has less chance of taking hold or spreading,” he said.

“While CFA and our partner agencies Fire Rescue Victoria and Forest Fire Management Victoria are doing everything we

can to prepare for the bushfire season, we look to the community to use common sense and take responsibility for preventing fires.”

Fire danger periods are based on local conditions and take into account fuel moisture, fuel loads, weather and rainfall.

During a fire danger period a written permit is required to burn off grass, undergrowth, weeds or other vegetation.

ACFO Renkin said there is still an opportunity to clean up properties if that work hasn’t already been done.

“Out-of-control burn-offs and unregistered burn-offs have already caused unnecessary callouts to brigades,” he said.

“You should also check and monitor weather conditions and not burn off in windy conditions or if high winds are forecast – not only on the day of your burn but for the days afterwards, “More information about burn-off restrictions specific to your area can be found by consulting your local council.”

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Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit have charged a 42 year old Monbulk male and a 39 year old Rosebud woman with a series of alleged theft from motor vehicles in the Mooroolbark and Kilsyth area between 2 and 3 January.

The male was arrested on Monbulk Road, Monbulk at about 10.10am on Tuesday 4 January and the female presented to Lilydale Police Station a short time later.

The two have been remanded into custody to face the Ringwood Magistrates Court at a later date.

Croydon fatal collision Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are investigating following a fatal collision in Croydon on 5 January.

Emergency services were called to Dorset Road to reports of a collision involving a utility and a motorcycle about 6.45pm.

Investigators have been told the motorcycle was travelling south on Dorset Road and the Holden utility had turned right out of Leigh Road when the collision occurred.

Sadly the motorcyclist, a 20-year-old Croydon man, died at the scene.

The driver of the utility, a 63-year-old Belgrave South man, remained at the scene and is assisting police with their enquiries.

The exact circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be determined.

Investigators would like to speak with anyone who witnessed the collision or saw the vehicles in the lead up to the incident.

Any witnesses as well as anyone who has dash cam footage or other information that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Flooding in Lilydale Severe flooding occurred in Lilydale on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 January after heavy rain fell.

The car park outside Methven Professionals flooded with ankle deep water, causing the business to close and shut off power.

Covid-19 testing requirements Anyone who tests positive on a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) must now report it to the Department of Health as they will be regarded as a probable case.

Once a positive test has been obtained, the person must immediately isolate for seven days and notify their contacts.

The new system aims to have fewer Victorians waiting on the results of a PCR test, as well as reduce the pressure on testing sites across the state.

Victorians who test negative on a RAT are not considered a household contact will be able to resume their lives straight away instead of quarantining.

An online form or a phone call must be submitted, where nine questions relating to symptoms and vaccine status will be asked of the person.

Basic personal details such as name, gender, and date of birth will also be required.

You can log your positive RAT result online at coronavirus.vic.gov.au or via the Coronavirus Hotline 1800 675 398.

The Yarra Ranges recorded 267 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours prior to Monday 10 January, bringing the total to 1356 active cases in the shire.

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New faces at the station

By Mikayla van Loon Before the end of 2021, Lilydale Police Station welcomed some significant changes to its staffing roster with two senior sergeants joining the uniform policing branch.

Mel Woods and Mark Knight have moved into managerial roles at the station, taking on the positions of station commander and emergency management coordinator respectively.

Having known each other for 32 years from a family connection, the pair are looking forward to working together and putting their own twist on how things are done.

“We’re different managers than the other two managers that were here. We’re very different in our styles and the way we think,” Sen Sgt Knight said.

“That’s not to say they haven’t run a wonderful place because we’ve inherited a really good shop, a really great workplace that we just hope to improve and put our spin on.”

Originally from the Lilydale area when she went to high school, Sen Sgt Woods found herself working as a detective at Yarra Ranges CIU before heading to Knox Police Station where she held the position of sergeant for over seven years.

Sen Sgt Knight was previously the station commander at Monbulk Police Station before moving up the ranks at the police academy where he taught emergency management.

Now the two new commanders want to place a large focus on reconnecting with the broader community, while also building a strong and healthy workplace for their members.

“I’ve got a young family. I’ve got a two year old and a five year old just about to start school,” Sen Sgt Woods said.

“So making that connection, raising the kids and having a healthy work life is so important and that’s what we pass on to the crew that it is about family and if they’re happy here, they’re happy at home.”

As part of a Victoria Police initiative, sergeants and their crew will be assigned a spe-

Senior Sergeants Mark Knight and Mel Woods have joined the Lilydale uniform police as station commander and emergency management coordinator.

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON cific area to patrol as part of a neighbourhood policing centred approach to getting back out into the municipality.

“Our expectations will be that members actually can do foot patrols and speak to local traders. We are an intelligence led policing organisation now and our best intelligence comes from members of the public,” Sen Sgt Woods said.

“I really love the idea about getting police back in schools [for talks]. That’s one of my big things having come from a small station. You know your principals, you know the students, you know the staff, you have a great working relationship,” Sen Sgt Knight said.

“It will all flow in with the neighborhood policing. There’s schools within those areas that the sergeants will have, so that’ll be a big

part of their responsibilities as well.”

Part of the foot patrols will be doorknocking in a major event or to check on the welfare of people during a recovery and rehabilitation stage after a storm, fire or other emergency.

Sen Sgt Knight said unlike a small town such as Monbulk or Yarra Glen, Lilydale has a much larger population but his aim is to begin connecting with other services to ensure a tight knit community can be established particularly when responding to emergencies.

Although Lilydale is the main 24 hour station in the shire, with two other 24 hour stations being Mooroolbark and Belgrave, as well as seven 16 hour satellite stations, both Sen Sgt Woods and Knight want people to feel as though the whole area is being protected and covered by police.

But most of all Sen Sgt Woods and Knight would like the community to feel comfortable in reaching out should they need assistance.

“We would encourage the community if you see us out on the road, on foot patrol, on the bikes, say ‘hello’, have a chat. The members are always up for a chat because it’s something different,” Sen Sgt Woods said.

“It might be something small like an issue within their street but it could be the missing puzzle piece to something bigger that’s going on that we’re aware of. So always approach the members and have a chat. We’re here to help and support the community.

“If we’re not told about something we can’t fix it. So the more we know, the better we can become.”

Anthony McAleer reflects on milestones To say 2021 has been a rollercoaster ride is an understatement and much of it has been about learning to readjust and reassess. It began well, appreciating new freedoms after enduring months of lockdowns, restrictions and uncertainty in 2020, but hopes soon faded as the year progressed and on top of that we had to weather storms and long moments of power outages.

The local RSL sub-branches were greatly affected by restrictions this year, especially in regard to the limitations on their appeal sales and commemorative services.

Challenged by the requirements needed to host their annual Dawn Service, the Mt Evelyn RSL looked at other mediums this year

and filmed a service that was broadcast to the general public on the day.

Exciting though was the unveiling of the reconstructed ‘Digger’ statue on the Lilydale War Memorial, the Roger Boness memorial at Mt Evelyn and the creation of the magnificent Seville War Memorial at the Seville Water Play Park. On November 11th the Seville community held their first Remembrance Day service there - make sure you visit this extraordinary memorial this Summer, you will be impressed and moved by the personal stories it tells.

Like many, while I was locked down I made sure to support my local businesses and it was the coffees I got each morning

from the fellows at Passchendaele Cafe in Mt Evelyn that kept me going.

However, I did use my time in lockdown to complete three local history books – a history of the Lilydale RSL, 125 Stories for 125 Years for Mt Lilydale Mercy College and Home Front – The Impact of the First World War on the Shire of Lillydale.

A busy year full of challenges but still a productive one.

My thanks also to our retiring local federal member, the Hon Tony Smith MP, for all his support during his time as the member for Casey for local groups and projects. He leaves behind big shoes to fill.

Anthony McAleer reflects on a year of milestones.

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Plan ahead

By Sue Thompson Most of us were glad to see the end of 2020, felt good about 2021 and looked forward to return to some form of normal. How wrong we all were! 2021 was a year with open and shut, open and shut. Retail, businesses, schools and our many community venues suffered from continual lockdowns. changes.

Today, I look forward to 2022. We may have been in lockdown but things kept going forward via the technology of Zoom. Yarra Ranges Council staff beavered away working on the contentious heritage overlays for many of the historic buildings in Lilydale Main Street.

Without that heritage protection owners can bulldoze some of our oldest buildings overnight. Community outcry would be the only check and balance but even that failed with the destruction by neglect of the former Lilydale Fire Station. Something which is totally unacceptable.

Thankfully, the council staff are now finalizing the heritage overlays and will shortly introduce the necessary planning scheme amendment to protect our built heritage and so preserve the heart and soul of Lilydale for generations to come.

My hopes for 2022?

The planning scheme protection of our heritage buildings in Lilydale and surrounds; The adoption of the Lilydale Structure Plan; Protection of our wonderful historic street trees which are slowly being killed off by cars parking all day every day right next to their trunks and on top of their vital drip lines.

The preservation and enhancement of our town’s existing, iconic parks – Ron Noble Reserve, Melba Park, Lilydale Recreation Reserve, Lions Park and of course “the jewel in the crown” Lillydale Lake.

State and Federal funding for the building of the Lilydale Bypass as outlined in the Lily-

More to come in Kilsyth from local action group

By Mike O’Meara

Sue Thompson is looking forward to 2022.

200586

dale Structure Plan. I think waiting 50 years is long enough. Now we need action to save our town from being swallowed up by cars, trucks and fumes. It is after all an election year for both the state and federal governments.

I dream of the creation of a revitalized Lilydale township with a tree lined Main and John streets to keep us all cool as we wander around to shop and support our local businesses.

Wonderful pockets of green spaces are created where we can meet friends and family and wide footpaths where we can enjoy al fresco dining day and evening or just meet friends for a chat.

Lilydale is a town not a suburb. It is “where the city meets the country” and I hope that in 2022 the community and council can work side by side to lay the foundations for achieving the dreams and aspirations of so many Lilydale residents.

Given our experiences with the pandemic, storms, fire and flood, it’s tempting not to look in the rearview mirror at 2021, preferring to hurry on in hope of better things to come.

However, there were some positives. For one thing, I learned to master Zoom, sort of, and came to appreciate the tracky-dack freedom it gave me. I would much rather meet in-person, but as things loosened up the thought of having to dress up and jump in the car or train began to have less appeal. Still, I must admit I won’t miss hearing “you’re on mute” every five minutes.

When weather and restrictions permitted, it was also good to see families escaping their four walls and rediscovering the green outdoors. Around Kilsyth some of our marvellous assets like Elizabeth Bridge Reserve, Pinks Reserve, and local playgrounds like Balmoral Reserve were buzzing. It was heartening to see this enjoyment of our environment, and hopefully that will continue.

Without doubt the best feature of this difficult year was the persistence of the green shoots of community – the examples of selfless caring shown by individuals, traders, churches, schools and clubs to help those experiencing hardship. We are indeed fortunate to have such people among us. You get a fair idea of just how fortunate when you see the community projects that were awarded funding grants at the recent Yarra Ranges Council Community Grants celebration. Marvellous people committed to achieving marvellous things, all for the wellbeing of our residents.

Mike O’Meara reflects on the year that’s been.

The word ‘resilience’ might best sum up the grit displayed by people over the last twelve months. Turning back to the windscreen toward what lies ahead, maybe the word ‘energised’ will set the tone. With so many things put on hold in 2021, there is the hope that 2022 will be bigger, better and brighter.

For the Kilsyth Community Action Group, we are looking forward to a host of initiatives to help get things back up and running. There are substantial developments like the works in Bridge Reserve, and the major upgrades to facilities in Pinks Reserve. Our new Facebook page will help to build community support for our Heritage Walk project, local indigenous and European history and markers, working with our CALD communities, and more community events, including of course the fabulous Kilsyth Festival.

We’re up for it!

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2021 - THE YEAR THAT WAS ...

NEWSMAKERS

Thanking first responders

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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

Members from Lilydale SES Nigel Edwards, Matt Worlley, Steve Carter and Lisa Chandler had one of the biggest years on record for the unit Pictures: ROB CAREW when responding to the storm event. 237246 for me of 2021.”

Mr Caulfield said there were other storms and events after June with perhaps 100 jobs, something that in any other year would have been quite significant but now nothing will compare to the response required by SES members in the middle of the year.

“We’ve had one or two years where we’ve just tickled over 1000 requests in a year and that’s usually with two or three large events. We sit roughly in the seven to 800 requests for assistance every year. We did exactly 1800 for the calendar year of 2021.”

On top of the initial storm response, SES volunteers were still helping coordinate the recovery up until a month after the event itself where they helped organise donations to be delivered to residents in the Hills.

The storm event will go down in history as one of the worst and will have lasting effects on those who responded.

A challenging year takes its toll For first responders like those at the CFA and

Picture: SUPPLIED

Chirnside Park CFA captain Ben Cash was so proud of his members and there ability to shift direction whenever the pandemic through something new at them. From left, David Markham, Richard Moody, Fiona Moody, Angela Fleay, Jeff Forrest, James Gammell and Blake Hoare. 263878

SES navigating a pandemic for the second year in a row certainly had its challenges.

Lilydale CFA captain Warren Davis said 2021 was extremely challenging for his crew, with restrictions preventing full training sessions, imposing temperature checks before responding to a job and limiting the number of people per truck.

“It was right across the board. It was pretty challenging in this new age that you had to really be careful and very mindful of where you’d been and what you’d done,” he said.

But knowing that whenever the crew put on the uniform to help someone, Mr Davis said that is what kept his members connected and strong.

“Knowing that they were being of assistance and knowing that they were helping someone that was having a pretty bad time gave them satisfaction that they were able to help somebody in their time of need. So that’s what kept them going.”

Chirnside Park CFA captain Ben Cash said although the difficulties of the pandemic carried

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over from 2020, one thing that he was relieved about was the quiet bushfire year that was had.

“From our point of view, obviously 2021, much like 2020 really was full of challenges.

There was lots of stop/start as far as being able to conduct training, being involved with community events and fundraising,” he said.

“Then we mix that in with the storm response that we were supporting the SES with and it proved to be a very challenging and dynamic year.”

Even though the storms were the most significant event and a testing time for volunteers, crews had still been responding to jobs throughout the year, with Montrose CFA captain Rob Waters saying their response to fire calls was slightly higher than the year prior.

“It was a wide variety of fire calls. Everything from car accidents to rescues and assisting other agencies. We had a couple of grass and scrub fires very early in the piece and a lot of storm damage events throughout the year, so it’s been quite a variety of calls that we’ve attended this year,” he said.

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Reflecting on the biggest event of the year No one saw the events of 9 June coming, the prediction of a storm didn’t even come close to the experience of thousands of people who live in the Yarra Ranges.

Trees on roads, power outages, damaged homes and cars, thousands of fallen trees, flooding and freezing cold temperatures doesn’t begin to describe the nightmare storm that ripped through the Dandenongs in particular.

But as the winds eased, SES crews were just getting started, with Lilydale SES receiving over 1290 calls for assistance in the week after the storm, 900 of those made in the first five hours.

“From a workload perspective it’s one of the biggest years we’ve had in memory. We’ve got a member who celebrated 47 years of continuous service with our unit and he doesn’t recall having a single event that was really on the same scale as the 9 June events,” Lilydale SES unit controller Shaun Caulfield said.

“The level of destruction that we saw was on a scale that none of us have seen.”

Montrose CFA captain Rob Waters said while most events for the year blur into one, the storm stands out like nothing else.

“The storm event was quite significant for our community and they’re still recovering from that. Getting basic services back onto people’s houses took months and months to happen. Clearing up around properties and roadways and trees and removals,” he said.

“That’s quite significant for our community and for them to get back on their feet and navigating that through a pandemic too just added additional pressure to the households and families and communities.”

For Mount Evelyn CFA captain Rick Ventrella, he said his community is also still recovering from the storm event.

“We lost or had damaged or severely beyond repair in the vicinity between 12 to 15 homes, and then obviously power lines and communications within the township,” he said.

“After the events, the following morning, I did a tour of the surrounding areas and I truly believe there was not one street that wasn’t affected in some way.”

One of the most harrowing experiences for Lilydale SES members was a rescue of a man trapped under a tree in his house, which took bravery, courage, persistence and skill.

“One of the rescue calls we got on that night in Kalorama where three of our members spent close to an hour cutting their way in to rescue a guy who had a tree fall on his house and he was trapped under his house.

“We don’t see conspicuous acts of bravery happen all that often but in this case, I think certainly for the team from Lilydale SES and the team from Emerald SES that went to that job and there were some CFA members who were able to get there because they lived nearby. It is certainly one of the standout moments

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2021 - THE YEAR THAT WAS ...

Mr Waters said the experiences of 2020 helped prepare his crew for 2021 and he believed he was able to manage the crew a lot better based on that but the year brought with it personal obstacles for members.

“In saying that though, I do believe a lot of people have fatigue and when I say fatigue, their involvement is still very high but you can see that people need some time to recover in their own worlds before volunteering.”

Lilydale SES unit controller Shaun Caulfield said it did take a number of weeks for his unit to return to some sort of normal after the storms, on top of the pandemic.

“It’s been a challenging time for everyone.

And some of our members have been challenged by various aspects of either Covid or restrictions relating to it. It was very difficult for everyone to manage and negotiate,” he said.

“We all need to have a good understanding and appreciation and compassion that sometimes [a volunteer’s] head space is not always going to be responding to emergencies or doing community events but it’s going to be about putting food on their own table or managing their family life or home life,” Mr Waters said.

Working together as one One of the highlights of 2021 and the response to the June storm event was the unified front of emergency services.

“The storms were a real demonstration of the ability for all emergency services to work as one. It’s one of the first times where we’ve rallied behind our partners at SES to support them with a large campaign event,” Chirnside Park CFA captain Ben Cash said.

“It’s really one of the first times we’ve actually gone out and really tried to support them with something that they’ve had going on. SES are very quick to help us out during a fire in doing some of the background stuff but it was actually really nice to return that favor for them.”

Lilydale CFA captain Warren Davis said after responding to jobs where fallen powerlines were sparking and having helped on the mountain where they could, CFA members

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Mitch Oake, Tony Brock, Kyle Willsher, Stephen Fantin, Maddy Davis and Ron Haines are just some of the incredible volunteer firefighters that have been protecting people and responding to jobs all across the shire.

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON changed their focus.

“We had crews who were assisting the Australian Defence Force in distributing generators. So they were out for about a week distributing generators to homes that had been without power and some of them had been without power for five days or since the storm happened,” he said.

For Mount Evelyn CFA captain Rick Ventrella, the community really banded together to provide support to the volunteers and residents who needed a home cooked meal.

“Some of the shops within the community were absolutely fantastic to us, providing meals and coffee where they could,” he said.

“They did that out of the generosity of their own heart, I thank them very much for that and just the ongoing support.”

Even prior to and after the storms Lilydale SES unit controller Shaun Caulfield said throughout the year his members had responded to a number of jobs to assist Ambu-

lance Victoria (AV).

“We saw a real increase in the amount of jobs where we were assisting Ambulance Victoria with patient extrication in some interesting places, across the Dandenongs along the Warburton Trail and in Mount Evelyn and Silvan,” Mr Caulfield said.

Lilydale SES assisted another emergency service at something like 72 jobs over the year, an increase on previous years and had two members who upskilled to assist AV with the Covid response.

Looking forward to in 2022 Now that another year has passed and 2022 offers a little bit more optimism about the future, each of our emergency service crews and units are looking forward to getting back to normal.

Although Rob Waters said his crew at Montrose CFA had regular check-ins with 55 of their fellow active members, he hopes this year they can reconnect in person regularly.

“I just want to be very optimistic about this

year and about making sure that we can have some sort of reality back or perspective back in what we actually do. Making sure that we all still stay connected, and we stay together and we’re a tight knit group,” he said.

Mr Waters said he also hopes the summer bushfire season is a quiet one to give his crew a chance to recoup after a tumultuous year.

Warren Davis echoed Mr Waters’ sentiments about the bushfire season but most of all was looking forward to a time when things can be normal again.

“We’re hoping that there’s no more lockdowns, no more restrictions on members attending the station or training and hoping that all brigades can get back to normality as soon as possible.”

Regularity is Ben Cash’s hope for 2022 and he’s looking forward to the redevelopment of the station which the crew have been working towards.

“We’re looking forward to consistency.

Looking forward to getting our members back into more regular training. We’re looking forward to being back in our community a lot more,” Mr Cash said.

“I suppose every day we’re hoping for Covid to leave as quickly as it arrived but the reality is, it probably won’t,” Rick Ventrella said.

“This virus has changed the way. We always know it’s there but we do the best we can to keep moving forward.”

Mr Ventrella is also looking forward to welcoming a new forward control vehicle to the line up.

For the SES, the focus is a little different, with Shaun Caulfield saying he hopes the number of serious crashes reduces again this year.

“We’d love to see people maintaining their visual and surrounding road safety. Our numbers of serious crashes we attended were down slightly and we’d love that number to be going down every single year,” he said.

“As a unit we were looking forward to being able to be back together as a cohesive unit and not have to be training in small groups.”

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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!

TEST DRIVE NOW

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

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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www.lilydalemitsubishi.com.au Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

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MAIL 7

2021 - THE YEAR THAT WAS …

STORMS

Lillydale Lake flooded with the amount of rain that fell during the night of the storm. 240519 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Tree uprooted and fallen on a house in Montrose.

Picture: MONTROSE CFA

SES member stands in comparison to fallen trees.

Storms blow Covid over One of the most significant events of the year was the wild and destructive storms that occurred in June, wiping out power and felling thousands of trees across the Yarra Ranges Shire.

As of 10am on Thursday 10 June nearly 4400 calls had been made to the SES across the state, the highest number of calls for assistance in many years.

“We don’t often see the whole state being smashed,” Lilydale SES unit controller Shaun Caulfield said.

Due to the number of fallen trees and debris, it was taking crews between one and a half to two hours to get to people.

Power outages affected many traffic lights and over 10,000 homes in suburbs including in Mount Evelyn, Croydon, Chirnside Park, Mooroolbark, Lilydale, Ringwood and more.

Lilydale CFA attended a house fire in the early hours of the morning on Friday 11 June.

The blaze was allegedly caused by a burning candle on a bedside table on the second storey of the home.

Lilydale SES received over 1260 callouts in the week following the storm, with 900 of those jobs situated across Mount Dandenong communities.

“I drove around yesterday (13 June) and I was with another member who has been with the SES for over 45 years and I’ve been here for 30 plus years and we were both just going, neither of us have seen this much destruction, entire streets where every house has a tree on it, with varying degrees of damage but pretty much every house has a tree on it,” he said.

“I don’t think people are fully aware of the level of impact and destruction that a house with a 15 metre tree that’s two metres in diameter falling through it, makes the house just as destroyed and just as uninhabitable as if it has experienced a bushfire.”

A month on and crews were still working to clear trees, getting people back into homes where they could and assessing other trees that had the potential to fall.

“As far as work for the SES is concerned it’s gone back to business as usual but there’s still a lot of people who are displaced from their houses and it’s going to take quite some time before a lot of the premises up there are repaired and habitable again,” Mr Caulfield said.

Lilydale CFA compiled a list of statistics of affected properties and the numbers speak for themselves: 76 damaged and uninhabitable, 51 damaged but habitable and 41 affected but not structurally.

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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

A number of storage structures and poly houses had roofs removed from the heavy winds, leaving plants exposed to the frost at Yarra View Nursery.

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON Yarra View Nursery was also in July trying to repair damage that occurred at its Mount Evelyn property by raising funds.

Infrastructure damage and the clean up is estimated to total $150,000, while the cost of lost trade, production and stock is estimated at $50,000.

“As a not for profit and a charity providing employment opportunities to people with disability, we don’t have a lot of cash in the bank to buffer these sorts of things and it is an unusual situation,” CEO Scott Buckland said.

The effects of June are still rippling through the community and will go down in history as some of the worst and most widespread damage in at least two decades.

Trees cover a house in the Dandenongs.

Picture: LILYDALE SES

Tree fallen on truck Kookaburra Lane in Mount Evelyn after 9 June destruction. 240519 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS mailcommunity.com.au

2021 - TOP NEWS STORIES

Looking back at 2021 The unnamed soldier returns The soldier was returned to the top of the Lilydale Main Street War Memorial in March 2021 after Lilydale RSL members pushed to complete the project envisioned by late club presidents Don Parsons and Paul Payne.

Lilydale RSL’s president, Bill Dobson said Mr Parsons and Mr Payne, who both sadly passed away in 2020, had done “a lot of preliminary work” in getting the project happening.

“It’s in its place now and is really noticeable as you drive up the road from Lilydale. We have had a lot of fantastic replies from people that are delighted that it is finished which is wonderful,” Mr Dobson said.

“It was very important that we did this because those two blokes (Parsons and Payne) probably had 30 years experience with the RSL, plus a lot of great friendships. They were our two stalwarts of the club and revered mates, so we had to follow through and make sure this happened,” he said.

The original statue was unveiled in 1922 but removed in 1930.

Commemorating Anzac heroes Local historian Anthony McAleer, who spent 30 years researching the history of Lilydale RSL, compiled his findings in a book commemorating 100 years of the Lilydale sub-branch.

“It all started in the lead up to the club’s centenary, which was happening in 2019, they wanted to produce a history of the club seeing as 100 years is a significant event,” Mr McAleer said.

On Anzac Day, the feeling of relief to be able to commemorate the fallen soldiers of World War I and conflicts since, was something special.

“The reason we’re here today is because on this day in 1915 on the shores of Gallipoli, was the first major military campaign for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand,” Lilydale RSL Sub Branch president, Bill Dobson said.

“Ever since then for more than 100 years, the men and women, navy, army and airforce, have honoured the memory of our original Anzacs.”

It was the first service held with the returned soldier standing atop the cenotaph paying homage to the many soldiers who did not have gravesites.

“It’s great to have him up top there because it just reminds people of when they first came back, one of their aims was to build these cenotaphs out of respect and they thought if the community can keep honouring that day, Anzac Day, then they’d be very pleased,” Mr Dobson said.

“And we’re still here today. It’s just fantastic that people are still honouring that commitment.”

Community spaces hang in balance One of Lilydale’s hidden gems, the pub at the station came under threat in May, with officials from VicTrack to decide the future of the bar and refreshment room once the level crossing removal project was complete.

It was the only station on the network with

The former Lilydale fire station building was abandoned and boarded up for quite some time before it went up in flames in May. a licensed venue and had a deep-rooted history travelling back as far as 1914, when light refreshments were first served in the building.

Thousands of Kilsyth residents and business owners rallied together in May to protect the land at 150 Cambridge Road that was once the home to Pembroke High School’s Kilsyth campus.

A sea of ribbons lined the boundary to the lot, with community members tying over 2,100 ribbons to the front fence and 130 at the rear to show their support towards retaining the space as open parkland.

“We’re fighting to have it kept as a passive open space because it is really needed for

families and for kids to have somewhere to play and people to exercise,” Kilsyth local John Phillips said.

White Dog and culled kangaroos In June, the Star Mail presented the history of the White Dog Hotel over two weeks, reliving the life of the Bramich family and asking the question of what is to come of the once bustling pub.

The Heritage Golf and Country Club was forced to halt a planned cull of a mob of kangaroos in April this year following public outcry and a number of vigils staged by residents and activists.

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that a licenced shooter had been contracted to conduct a mass shooting at the club overnight on Tuesday 27 April.

In the face of mounting protests, golf course management announced that the shooting had been called off, but fresh evidence presented to Wildlife Victoria indicated there had been regular killings of kangaroos over those weeks to June. * “What we’re seeing is the result of a prolonged and sustained attack on the kangaroos living at the property. Someone is clearly attempting to reduce kangaroo numbers on the grounds by stealth,” Wildlife Victoria CEO Lisa Palma said.

Continued page 10

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MAIL 9

2021 - TOP NEWS STORIES

Father and son, Martin and David O’Connor came to enjoy the steam train at Lilydale station.

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 10 MAIL

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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON From page 9 Two types of smoke A part of Lilydale’s history was demolished last week as machinery moved in to bulldoze the former CFA building on Main Street.

In May, CFA crews were called to a fire at the building, which was deemed suspicious and caused internal damage to the structure.

Lilydale and District Historical Society president Sue Thompson said it was an example of demolition by neglect.

“This was Main Street’s only remaining example of a 1930s building and the council’s own Heritage Architect back in 2019 recommended its listing on the council’s heritage overlay but nothing happened.”

With the sound of the whistle and the puff of smoke, anticipation built as two steam engines rolled into Lilydale train station on Saturday 10 July.

The historic moment paid tribute and said farewell to the old Lilydale station building before it is replaced with the new skyrail station in coming weeks.

“We try to operate our steam engines around Victoria and we decided it was a good opportunity to go down and use the station prior to it all being changed,” member of Steamrail Victoria’s operations team Edward White said.

Two extraordinary children Lucy McAleer is a thriving eight-year-old, who loves green sea turtles, watching Harry Potter and playing basketball.

Lucy was diagnosed just three days after her eighth birthday with a rare form of brain cancer known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).

In as little as three weeks, two GoFundMe pages had been set up for the McAleer family and in that short amount of time over $50,000 had been donated to support them.

“It’s just a really nice reassurance that we’ll be ok and there’s so many people out there that care about our family and we know not everyone gets that level of support in situations like this, so we feel very grateful and very touched,” Brian McAleer said.

Many minds wonder what happens if you are pulled over while speeding to the hospital in labour, but for little Bonnie Petersen and her parents, that exact question will prompt one of the greatest 21st birthday stories imaginable.

When Jenae Petersen’s waters broke around 11.25pm on Saturday 14 August, her husband Paul knew he didn’t have time to waste. Ms Petersen had a history of short labours with their two young sons, and Paul wasn’t taking any chances on a last minute roadside birth.

“We saw the coppers chuck a u-turn behind us. We kept going, not as fast, but they pulled us over and my husband jumped out and said ‘my wife is in labour I’ve got to get her to hospital’,” Ms Petersen explained.

“They shone their torch in and had one look at me and just said ‘Angliss? Follow us’,” she said.

Making history here and away September brought with it the withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan after a two decade long war, something that was honoured at the Mount Evelyn cenotaph. Star Mail also covered the local loss of the legend known as The Walking Man, or Chirnside Park resident Joe Pulcin who died on Sunday 15 August, just shy of his 86th birthday.

During such unprecedented times with the pandemic, lockdowns and protests - Victorians added an earthquake to their already shaken up lives.

Geoscience Australia confirmed a 5.9 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 9.15am Wednesday 22 September at the epicentre near Mansfield at a depth of approximately 10kms.

Cameron Betts shared with Star Mail some incredible CCTV footage capturing his office shaking in Montrose.

“It’s amazing how much it actually shook, when I logged in and saw it I thought, wow that’s a lot bigger than I thought it was.”

Schools back scream and shout October saw the return to school for both primary and secondary school students.

For Year 12 students at Mount Lilydale Mercy College (MLMC), getting back to onsite learning on Wednesday 6 October was not only about having face to face contact but also about reviving their motivation.

School captains Melinda Virgona and Sam Green said had the lockdown only been a couple of weeks, they think their fellow classmates would have coped better but when it kept getting extended, that’s when motivation teetered off.

“I felt like I was really motivated through last year’s lockdown and early this year as well.

I was so productive and everything and happy with where I was at, unlike a lot of other people in our year level,” Sam said.

“But even myself towards the end of lockdown was just losing all motivation and not being able to complete any tasks properly or anything.”

Melinda said they do feel like missed out on some of those milestones that Year 12 offers.

“It’s nice to be back and I’m really happy that we even just get these few weeks to make up for it somehow,” Melinda said.

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.” mailcommunity.com.au

2021 - TOP NEWS STORIES Milestones meet remembrance With the flag at half mast, Mount Evelyn’s veterans and local community members gathered at the cenotaph for Remembrance Day on 11 November.

“Thank you all for making the effort to be here today. It is magnificent to see so many of our community back together again on such an occasion,” Mount Evelyn RSL vice president Roger Boness said.

Mount Evelyn RSL also honoured one of its own, by unveiling the Howitzer Gun plaques dedicated to Mr Boness himself.

Remembrance Day was plagued a little bit over in Lilydale, as a poppy donation tin thief emerged, taking a total of five tins from different locations.

“It’s only one individual, so we still have belief in the Lilydale community. There are really nice people in the area and it’s only one individual, so we can’t judge everyone by that,” RSL president Bill Dobson said.

“There’s a lot of good people out there and one guy who gave us $1000, we said ‘look, we didn’t lose that much. You don’t have to give as much as that’.”

The Breaker Morant story is a part of Australian history that has been controversial for 120 years but one Chirnside Park military lawyer has spent a decade trying to clear his name.

Although his work is not done yet, James Unkles helped the descendants of Lieutenants Harry ‘Breaker’ Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton receive long awaited service medals for their distant relatives.

“What the medals recognise is that these men served different colonial units in the Boer War and did so appropriately. Their service was unblemished and they never got their medals,” he said.

The long awaited stations at Lilydale and Mooroolbark were revealed on Friday 19 November after a construction shutdown delayed the project by a couple of weeks.

People of all ages were curious about the construction and being able to head inside the new stations for the first time.

Newcomers and regulars enjoy a drink at the Lilydale Station refreshment room.

Local Mooroolbark resident Peter said his son and his wife had been to the station earlier in the morning and they told him he had to head down to have a look.

“It’s been a long time coming and as I was just saying to one of the workmen, remembering how the station was prior to the works starting and after having a quick look just now,

there’s no comparison, it’s brought us into the 21st century actually,” he said.

Spirit of giving December was of course all about Christmas and The Rotary Club of Lilydale collected donations of toys throughout November for children in need with the help of local businesses.

Over 700 toys were donated and handed

Picture: TAYLAH EASTWELL out to families being supported by Anchor in social and transitional housing and to foster children as part of OzChild.

Gerry and Anne van Horick organised the donation drive for the first time and said it was overwhelming to see the support from the community, so much so it will become an annual tradition for the Rotary club.

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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

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MAIL 11

OPINION

I’d like to start this first column for the year by saying Happy New Year to each and every one of you. 2021 threw many, many challenges at all of us, but our community got through the year as we always have – together.

Of course, the new year doesn’t mean an end to those challenges – recovery is continuing for our areas and community members devastated by the June storms, and will continue for quite some time.

The pandemic, as we all know, is still difficult to navigate. Thankfully, an extremely high number of people in our community have received their vaccinations, to reduce the chance of the worst-case scenario.

I strongly encourage everyone reading this to check when they can receive their booster, book in as soon as possible, and continue to get tested if they are showing symptoms.

There is a significant amount of fatigue across the community as the pandemic approaches its third year. Despite this, it’s been really heartening to see the ways that our community has come together – lending a hand to one another, supporting local businesses and cherishing the small moments of connection we can have during the uncertainty of the last few years.

It’s easy to despair when seeing the rising case numbers and long waits for tests, and it’s understandable to feel uncertain about the year ahead. But the connections we have across our community – to our neighbours, to our volunteers and groups and businesses – will get us through, no matter what new chal-

I greet you as most of us have been greeting each other almost in an obligatory form, ‘Happy New Year’.

Here we are starting a new year with a sense of apprehension given that the last two started with optimism and subsequent disappointment.

I for one became so locked into ’21, that thinking of ’22 might well have been trying to think of 3000.

But here we are and before we could have a ‘Swaggies Breakfast’ = (A deep breath and a look around) on New Year’s Day, we were hit with a younger cousin of all the Covid family who moved in next door – ‘Flurovid’, flying in from Israel.

The new starts and second chances that we are promised every day in the media, many times are not fulfilled and further disappointment sets in.

It appears that our health departments are doing their best with this ever enlarging snowball as it rolls downhill, but tell that to the drivers of kilometer lines of cars waiting for hours in the hope of a Covid test or a booster jab.

What is the answer?

To start with we could put our problem to the human Virtue Test.

My Google’s dictionary defines a virtue as, ‘An abiding character trait that makes one a good friend and a good citizen’.

Before listing some, in general they are known as ‘the state or character or habits of a person - behavior showing high moral standards’.

Now I don’t want to cast aspersions on any person or person or of leaders of any group in various areas of authority, so I want to bring it home to us - whoever we are.

I will name a few virtues that might temper authority’s responses to community and our responses in return, and in general, be helpful ways to live in harmony in community.

Brave – authorities and media brave enough to disseminate the truth and not spin.

Temperate – in responses to instructions and to be willing to cooperate. Temperate

· · 12 MAIL

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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

From my

desk Jim Child lenges 2022 brings our way.

At Council, we’ll be here to listen and support, to raise local issues with our State and Federal counterparts, and to continue delivering more than 120 services to you, the residents of the Yarra Ranges.

It’ll be a busy year ahead. The Ridges and Rivers Initiatives – RidgeWalk, the Yarra Valley Trail and Warburton Mountain Bike Destinations – all have significant stages coming up this year.

We’ll also be working on countless local projects – from playgrounds to policies, sports grounds and strategies - and seeking your input and feedback along the way.

If you’d like to stay up to date, and be notified about new community engagements, I’d encourage you to sign up at shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au.

In the meantime, please stay safe and remember the messages of the last two years – it’s never been more important to be kind, to support local businesses and to lend a hand to others wherever you can.

Get a new start in 2022

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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 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

Happy New Year to all

Focal Point

Graeme Dawson

on the roads with other drivers.

– in responses to hard working · Friendly check out people when we have to wait in queues or have to wear masks etc.

Benevolent – preparedness to let some go before us, or pay forward the $5 an old lady in front of us is searching for in her purse.

I spoke at our church on the first Sunday of this year on this same topic, saying among other things that we all experience failures in our lives and the consequences that go with them. Sometimes unfortunately we may have to suffer, and live with the consequences of someone else’s failures – abuse in its many forms that many will know what I am talking about.

I also spoke about Grace – God’s idea, defined as unmerited favor – with that grace He can not only forgive us if required, but set us free into a new life – A Grace that we can then take with us into our communites.

The greater proportion of our New Year’s resolutions won’t last long unless they are in line with the plan He has for our lives.

He used another old prophet, Jeremiah, Isaiah’s contemporary, to bring another message.

“For I know the plans I have for you plans to prosper you and not harm you - to give you a hope and a good future”.

WOW what a book full of great instructions and promises – Hey? I genuinely wish you all a safe and Happy New Year, Many Blessings For contact, use my email first - csrsmokey@gmail.com Graeme Dawson, Chaplain to Community

·

mailcommunity.com.au

OPINION

Reader lost and found in translation

By Christine Yunn-Yu Sun A review of On the Rough Waves of Life by Mieczyslaw Drelich On May 8, 2021, Hobart-based ABC journalist Rachel Edwards reported on a son’s hardwork to bring his father’s life story to the anglophone readers. “[My father] said that he wanted people in 200 years’ time to know where the name Drelich came from in Tasmania,” said Leszek, who spent more than 20 years translating his father Mieczyslaw Drelich’s memoir from Polish to English.

The translation process had been highly challenging because Leszek could read very little Polish at the start of the project in 1996.

Yet he persevered.

“I thought if I don’t do it [then] my children and my grandchildren will not be able to read my father’s story. It will disappear,” said Leszek.

Published by the Polish Museum and Archives in Australia in 2021, On the Rough Waves of Life (originally published in 1995 as Na wzburzonych falach zycia) tells the fascinating true story of one of the renowned Rats of Tobruk.

The translation reveals Mieczyslaw (19182012) as a charismatic character who had al-

PASSION FOR PROSE WITH CHRISTINE SUN ways wanted to wear the uniform of Poland.

Having joined the army in 1937, he was forced to flee to Romania when the Germans invaded Poland in 1939.

When the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade was established in 1940 in French Syria, Mieczyslaw joined many other exiled Polish soldiers in Alexandria before landing in Palestine to fight along the British forces.

In July 1941, Mieczyslaw found himself in Tobruk In his words, as translated by Leszek:“Despite the fact that I spent one hundred and sixteen days and nights there, I had no idea about the surroundings or landscape, because we landed in Tobruk during a moonless night, and the patrolling and reconnaissance escapades took place in total darkness.

What then could a man see?”

“During the day we sat tight behind rocks or slept in our dug-outs after sleepless nights, carefully avoiding sticking out our heads or even moving around in the trenches. Otherwise one risked copping a stray bullet or a chip of artillery shell which were constantly exploding around us at random times and places.”

To make a long and amazing story brief, after Tobruk, Mieczyslaw fought in the Italian Campaign and was later stationed in England.

Then, thanks to the Rats of Tobruk Association in Australia, he was among about 300 Polish “Rats” invited to make a new life in Australia.

The translation sheds light on Mieczyslaw’s settlement in Tasmania in 1947, where he worked on the state’s hydroelectricity scheme.

In 1949 he married Marysia, a Polish woman whose whole family were sent to Siberia in cattle trucks by Russian soldiers and who had been living as a refugee in London after the war ended.

In short, Mieczyslaw Drelich’s fierce love for his country and fellow countrymen is truly admirable. A pillar of the Polish community in Tasmania, Mieczyslaw had an endearing sense of humour and his son Leszek’s translation very much captured the man’s lively spirit. The book well illustrates the courage, resilience and triumphs of Australia’s Polish migrants.

A message from Sophie Todorov My first 12 months of being the Councillor for Melba Ward has been full of achievements and challenges, and I want to take the opportunity to thank my fellow Councillors, Council staff and CEO Tammi Rose for warmly welcoming me into the role. I have already met so many passionate and wonderful community members and volunteers, who have given me such a sense of pride, purpose and validation.

As a Council Delegate who sits on the Health and Wellbeing Advisory committee, I was so chuffed when I received the oppor-

tunity to have breakfast with the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau, and had the time to address my concerns around mental health and social isolation in Yarra Ranges. These priority areas are part of the Health & Wellbeing action plan, even more so after the pandemic and storm event.

Despite the challenges, 2021 saw community highlights such as the Level Crossing Removal Projects in Lilydale and Mooroolbark, the opening of the first Lilydale Revitalisation Projects, ‘Bloom’ outside Bunnings, the official opening of Esther Park soccer pavilion,

the Youth Leadership celebration and being part of the Council Plan and storm recovery workshops.

I am looking forward to what 2022 brings… the opening of the new Council Civic Centre, the rollout of further Lilydale Revitalisation projects, the wonderful initiatives of the new Community Connector project in Mooroolbark based at Mooroolbark Terrace, community feedback on the Lilydale Structure Plan and planning for Lillydale Lake and McDermott Reserve – just to name a few!

Let’s ‘Grow Well Together’ in 2022!

On a brighter note.. my bike ride

By Giselle Leonard The wind whistles by, catching my hair and throwing it backward.

My hairband comes lose and tumbles freely through the sky behind me.

I pump the pedals faster, gaining speed, before standing up on my medium-sized blackand-green bike.

CARTOON

The ground is red dirt, stretching out in front of me, ready for my ideas and imagination.

I swoop over the rough terrain like a dragon, dodging the odd hole or pile of kangaroo droppings.

I’m alone except for my shadow, faithfully trailing me, like an obedient dog.

I stand on my pedals again and that’s when

I see the old gum ahead of me.

I dodge the trunk, but still off balance, I fail to regain enough momentum to swerve past the tangled roots.

My front wheel smashes into them and bounces backward, throwing me from my seat.

The world spins around me and I crash hard to the ground.

The Matrix Resurrections Starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Neil Patrick Harris Rated M The Matrix Resurrections is an entertaining adventure with some fascinating concepts, but is also easily the worst Matrix movie.

Thomas Anderson, aka Neo (Keanu Reeves), now a successful game developer, must escape the Matrix once again and, with the help of a plucky Resistance crew, rescue his lost love Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss).

The first act features a heavy metatextual layer that viewers may find cool or obnoxious. The Matrix trilogy exists within the Matrix as a series of video games, and the very self-aware dialogue conveys director Lana Wachowski’s frustration with demanding studio executives and overanalysing fans.

Resurrections reworks elements from the original trilogy in clever ways.

Jonathon Groff is fun as the new Agent Smith, conveying the venomous essence of the character without copying Hugo Weaving’s original performance.

Neil Patrick Harris clearly relishes playing the Analyst, the suave, cocky new villain. Reeves’ performance as Neo is poignant and funny, reflecting the actor’s growth since the trilogy.

Reeves and Moss still have great chemistry, and Neo and Trinity’s journey of escape and reawakening is very engaging, framed around a well-planted rooftop motif.

Unfortunately, Resurrections’ setpieces rarely carry a strong sense of risk or direction, and the action is unsatisfying. The one-on-one fights are somewhat well-done, but the brawls and gun-fights are poorly-framed and full of quick cuts, compared to the beautiful long takes and clear camerawork in the trilogy.

With compelling characters and concepts but limited suspense and sloppy action, The Matrix Resurrections is an underwhelming sequel.

- Seth Lukas Hynes

Returning to the theatre Welcome to 2022. Let us hope that 2022 will see more theatre than the previous two years.

So your correspondent has decided to remind the readers of this column as to what theatres there are covered by this column.

We commence with Ark theatre in Lilydale.

Athenaeum theatre Lilydale Contact number 9735 1777 Office hours Monday, Tuesday and Friday 19am – 2pm.

Bakery@1812 Ferntree Gully Contact number 9758 5964 The Basin Theatre The Basin Contact number 1300 784 668 CPP Community Theatre Croydon Contact Number 0417 014 534 The 1812 Theatre Ferntree Gully Contact Number 9758 5964 Fabnobs Theatre Bayswater Contact Number 0417 156 553 Gemco Players Emerald Contact Number 5948 2544

mailcommunity.com.au

Better left at three

Kemp’s

· ·

curtain call

· · · · · ·

· Stageworx Theatre Bayswater Contact Number 9729 8368. · Also in March each year the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Victoria hold several afternoon performances in Sassafras. As the time gets closer this column will keep you informed about each production.

Your correspondent has been advised that all the above theatres will be in full production for 2022.

Theatre lovers enjoy 2022 after the drought of the last two years.

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2021 - THE YEAR IN PICTURES

Korean War veteran Frank Cannon sits looking on as service men and women are honoured on Remembrance Day. Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS The first photos of the Kinley development from above wowed people.

Picture: DEL FIFE

Debbie Brasher loved sharing her passion and excitement for Melbourne Football Club with fellow Montrose residents like four year old Isaac in the lead up to the grand final.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Bethany took the first opportunity to take her children, Will and Annabelle, to Lillydale Lake on the first Friday playgrounds reopened in September to meet up with Nanna Sam and play on the swings.

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

Lilydale High School year 9 media students Summer, Zoe and Anelise were among those excited to hear their suburb was going to have a brand new weekly newspaper - the Lilydale Star Mail Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS when it first got up and running in May. 235678

Felix Tabone retired after more than 50 years on the railways and planned to spend time in his garden.

Montrose’s bollards and sign posts were yarn bombed to bring a bit of colour and joy to people in lockdown.

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Naomi Challenger worked for six years to build up her business called Blusha Beauty but in the height of the lockdown in August she was worried it wouldn’t survive without some relief soon.

The 350 tonne and 500 tonne cranes work together to lift the skyrail beams into position at the Mooroolbark Level Crossing project.

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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

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MAIL 15

PUZZLES SUDOKU

No. 063

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

4 6 2

9 8 6 4 4 5 9 3 8 1 5 9

1 8 3

7

7 7 9 6 3 9 2 5

QUICK CROSSWORD Police officer (3) Responsiveness (11) Erected once more (7) Word formed by letters of another (7) Armed forces (8) Dove-like bird (6) Televisions (abbrev) (3) Of, or relating to, Palestine (11) Differing strikingly (11) Hearing organ (3) Its capital is Moscow (6) Force (8) Decorate food with other food (7) Sickening (7) Reminding one of something (11) Used a seat (3)

1 3 9 10 11 12 14 15 17 19 20 21 24 25 26

2 8 9 5

3 4 5 6

ACROSS

27

7 8 13 15 16 18 19 20 22 23

No. 063

Rapid (5) Ecologist (10) Modern Persia (4) Forming a mental image of (9) Of, or relating to, Israel (7) Arab state (5) Aid (10) Divide into parts (9) Compass direction (9) Quack medicine (7) Absorb, immerse (7) Tennis player Federer (5) Kick out (tenants) (5) Therefore (4)

DOWN Pertaining to colour (9) Small smooth stones (7)

1 2

medium

8 7 1 2 6 4 2 5 3 7

DECODER

No. 063

3 3 8 5 4

1 9 8 4 7

4 2 8 6 1 8 3 2 3

9

hard

6 5

1

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4

3 4 3

1

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4

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9

10 11 12 13

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

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26

4

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9-LETTER WORD 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”.

B

Today’s Aim: 16 words: Good 24 words: Very good

9 7 1 4 8 3 5 6 2

6 5 4 7 1 8 3 9 2

3 7 2 5 9 4 1 6 8

32 words: Excellent

D

T

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4 LETTERS APES BEST CARD CLOT CYST FEET GEAR HACK MASK MEAT PATE RIDE TENS TEST

7 4 5 2 8 6 9 1 3

1 2 3 9 7 5 4 8 6

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

5 LETTERS AGAIN

2 8 7 1 6 9 5 3 4

4 9 6 3 5 7 8 2 1

5 3 1 8 4 2 6 7 9

4 5 8 9 2 6 7 3 1

6 2 3 1 7 5 8 9 4

3 1 6 5 4 7 9 2 8

7 9 4 2 1 8 6 5 3

2 8 5 3 6 9 4 1 7

1 6 2 7 5 4 3 8 9

8 4 9 6 3 2 1 7 5

5 3 7 8 9 1 2 4 6

7 3 4 6 8 9 5 2 1

8 5 2 1 4 3 9 6 7

5 6 8 7 1 2 4 3 9

4 1 7 9 3 8 6 5 2

9 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 8

6 8 1 3 9 7 2 4 5

3 4 9 5 2 1 8 7 6

2 7 5 8 6 4 1 9 3

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

AGENT AGILE AGLOW ASHEN ASIDE ASSET AVAIL BELIE BLISS CAPES CHIDE CHIRP COBRA DOGMA EASEL EAVES EDITS FABLE FICHE FRONT GLINT

No. 063

GOOFY GRABS HARMS ISLAM LEARN LOSES MARES MERES MIRED MUFFS OBESE RABBI READY ROOTS SENSE SHARE SKIMS SLATE SLEET SLEPT SOLAR

SPORT STACK STYLE SUITE SWEAR TENSE TERMS

7 LETTERS BESEECH BETTORS FLASHER LESSENS PEASANT PENSIVE

6 LETTERS CHEATS EMERGE ENSIGN WHILST

8 LETTERS DOMINOES ENDORSED FORTIETH HABITUAL

ante, anted, anti, band, bandit, bane, bean, behind, bend, bent, bind, dean, dent, detain, dine, dint, entia, hand, hind, hint, hinted, indite, inhabit, INHABITED, neat, tend, than, thane, then, thin, thine, tine

9 1 8 6 2 3 7 4 5

hard

3

medium

2

easy

1

9 3

7

17

4

3 LETTERS AGE AGO ASH AVO BEE BET CHI CPA DIP EKE EWE FEE GEE HER HES ILK INS LAD LEE MEN RAG RID TEE UGH

F P BMT DA K ROU J Z

5

16

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S C X E H V QWN L Y G I

3 2 4

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WORDFIT

14-01-22

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General Classifieds V For Sale

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ADVERTISERS in this section are qualified practitioners and offer nonsexual services.

BEST OFFER Uncollected Goods

ADVERTISERS PLEASE NOTE Anyone advertising a puppy, dog, kitten or cat in Victoria for sale or re-homing will need a source number from the Pet Exchange Register and a microchip identification number.

It is now an offence to advertise unless the source number and microchip identification number is included in the advertisement or notice.

For further information, call 136 186 or visit animalwelfare.vic.gov.au

Want to place an ad but not sure where to start?

CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria will be introducing fire restrictions (Fire Danger Period and Prohibited Period, respectively) for all private land within the municipalities listed below.

The Fire Restriction Period will commence at 0100 hours on the date shown and unless varied by a subsequent declaration, will end at 0100 hours on 1 May 2022.

Municipality City of Knox

Date of Commencement 10/01/2022

Shire of Yarra Ranges

10/01/2022

City of Maroondah

10/01/2022

City of Manningham

10/01/2022

Certain restrictions on the lighting of fires are in force during the Fire Restriction Period. Information about fire restrictions within the Country Area of Victoria can be obtained from www.cfa.vic.gov.au, your local CFA District Office or Municipal Fire Prevention Officer.

Craig McCracken, Murray Howlett and Glenn Crook with their Autumn Shield plaque for the handicap competition.

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Information about fire restrictions within the Fire Protected Area can be obtained from www.ffm.vic.gov.au, or your local Forest Fire Management Victoria Fire District Officer.

Jason Heffernan Chief Officer – CFA Chris Hardman Chief Fire Officer – Forest Fire Management Victoria

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DISCRIMINATION IN ADVERTISING IS UNLAWFUL The Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 1995 makes it unlawful for an advertiser to show any intention to discriminate on the basis of sex, pregnancy, race, age, marital status, political or religious belief or physical features, disability, lawful sexual activity/sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status or on the basis of being associated with a person with one of the above characteristics, unless covered by an exception under the Act. As Network Classifieds could be legally liable if an unlawful advertisement is printed, Network Classifieds will not accept advertisements that appear to break the law. For more information about discrimination in advertising, contact your legal advisers or the Equal Opportunity Commission.

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Sport greats Kicking goals for epilepsy Junior football teams from Mount Evelyn and Wandin helped raise awareness and funds for epilepsy in their Epilepsy Round on Sunday 23 May. In memory of Jai Reed, who died from complications of epilepsy in 2018, the two teams have made an annual event to continue raising awareness around the condition.

Former Mount Evelyn club president Anthony Burns said in June 2019 the two teams came together to honour the former Mount Evelyn under 16s player in what was the first annual game.

In 2021 the two teams faced each other at Wandin’s homeground, where the under 17s played for the Jai Reed Cup and the best on ground received the Jai Reed Medal. “[It’s about] bringing two clubs together, two rival clubs together because we’re so close together in proximity, Wandin and Mount Evelyn, there’s a bit of healthy rivalry there,” Mr Burns said.

“And just to have one day for all of us to get together and just have one aim, it’s not about winning football as much, it’s just all about getting together, sharing the awareness and remembering Jai.” Mount Evelyn ran away with a ten-point lead at quarter time and didn’t look back. They won 137 to 74 in what was a proud day for all who played.

As the sun set over Wandin Football Ground, Bridget Vallence presented the Jai Read Medal to Iliro Smit who was named best on ground for his tremendous performance and the Jai Reed Cup to Rovers captain Rian Sharp.

Mr Burns said over 500 people came all throughout the day and a couple of hundred people lined the boundary fences to watch

the under 17s.

Three decade trophy wait The Lilydale Croquet Club took home the Eastern Region series two Autumn Shield competition trophy.

The competition spanned over the three months of autumn, with a number of teams competing weekly both at their home court and away.

Lilydale Croquet Club captain Murray Howlett said their team comprised six players who played in the level play East Melbourne division against teams like Sandringham and Brunswick.

“We were able to win the B grade competition which we were very happy with because it was the first time in a long time that we’ve actually entered a team in the competition,” Mr Howlett said.

President of the club John Thomson said the last time the club played competitively was at least 27 years ago, although some players have combined with other clubs to enter.

Coming runners up in the Eastern Region competition, the team went on to play the winners of the Western Region being Brunswick in a semi-final.

Lilydale played Sandringham in the final the last day before Melbourne went into lockdown and Lilydale was able to make it count, winning the Autumn Shield for the Eastern Region.

“So we basically won the whole Melbourne metro competition in our first go at it for a long time, so we were pretty happy,” Mr Howlett said.

“And everyone knows about Lilydale croquet now. I think there are even more people within the club that are getting more interested.” mailcommunity.com.au

2021 - TOP SPORT STORIES

Harry Garside stands tall with his Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo.

Picture: BOXING AUSTRALIA/GETTY IMAGES

Bayley Fritsch starred with six goals on AFL Grand Final day.

Picture: MELBOURNE DEMONS

The men’s team pursuit cycling team, fronted by Kelland O’Brien, take a selfie with their bronze medals.

Picture: AUSCYCLING

shine bright at all levels Going for gold With the Olympics finally upon us, Australians will be watching with bated breath as our athletes take to the global stage – but no community will be watching with more anticipation than Lilydale High School.

Two past students, Kelland O’Brien, 23, and Harry Garside, 24, will be representing Australia in their respective sports, cycling and boxing.

In what was an amateur versus professional match up against boxing’s world number one Andy Cruz, Garside held his own, showing his passion and determination throughout every round of his lightweight semi final on Friday 6 August.

Unable to out-beat and out-move the two time world champion, Garside pocketed a bronze medal at his first Olympic Games and made history as the first Australian to win a boxing medal since 1988.

“Obviously bronze is still good but the gold medal is what I wanted but now hopefully I’ve inspired the next generation of boxers and young athletes leading into the 2032 games and lets hope it is our most successful games ever,” he told Channel 7 after the bout.

“I know I wanted a gold but I’m proud of myself, I showed up and I had a great preparation and I really gave it everything but he [Cruz] was just a bit too good today unfortunately.”

O’Brien’s first Olympic experience also landed him a bronze medal in a seesawing battle against our trans-tasman friends from New Zealand.

It wasn’t so smooth sailing for the Aussie team, with teammate Alex Porter thrown from his bike after the handlebars snapped in the qualifying round.

The drama didn’t end there in an incredibly tight race with only 0.048 of a second separating them at the halfway mark in favour of the Kiwis. mailcommunity.com.au

Mt Evelyn under 17s stand linked together after playing in the Jai Reed Cup. But not long after, New Zealand rider Aaron Gate crashed into the velodrome, sending the New Zealand team into disarray and saw them fall well behind the Aussies.

“It’s been a crazy few days and even more hectic five years. We’ve been through a lot together and we wanted gold, that’s what we came for but in some respects we can hold our heads high,” O’Brien said.

Fritsch fever The AFL Grand Final saw Coldstream boy Bayley Fritsch play in the big dance, as The Melbourne Demons and The Western Bulldogs battled it out for the 2021 premiership.

Bayley’s dad Scott Fritsch said he was thrilled his son’s dreams came true but it was bittersweet the family couldn’t be there in person to cheer him on.

Many Coldstream footy fans will be familiar with Bayley after he grew up playing juniors

Picture: SUPPLIED

and seniors for the Cougars in the EFNL. The Demons forward put in a stellar performance in the big game, leaving his family glued to the screen at home cheering for 31.

“It’s the most amazing thing to happen for our family, we’re unbelievably happy for him and the demons,” Mr Fritsch said.

Fritsch finished second in the Norm Smith Medal, booting 6.2 from 13 disposals, providing a menacing presence to kick the most goals in a grand final since Darren Jarman’s six in 1997 for Adelaide.

He was sublime in the air, mercurial at ground level and simply made things happen whenever he touched the ball.

His 2021 season yielded 59 goals - a brilliant effort in just his fourth season of AFL football.

If he wasn’t already a star of the competition, he is now.

“It’s crazy - surreal, I can’t really put it into

words,” Fritsch told Melbourne Media postmatch.

“We did it, a lot of hard work’s gone into it we had a mission from day one of pre-season, and for that to come true is unbelievable.”

Fritsch was modest when talking about his own profound impact on the contest.

“I got pretty lucky, I got on the end of a few cheeky ones early - it sort of went on from there,” he said.

“To play a small part in what was an unbelievable performance is pretty special, and something I’ll look back on for sure.”

Women take their mark In May Star Mail caught up with player and assistant coach of the newly formed Mooroolbark women’s veterans football team, Alison Fitzgerald.

By October Fitzgerald was looking for more recruits after a successful inaugural season that gave women an opportunity to play a sport they have grown up with.

“For our first season together, we had an absolute blast. We didn’t get a win on the board at all but I guarantee you every single game the girls came off the field so happy,” she said.

“We just improved so much from the start of the season to the last game basically and this was noted by the other teams in the competition too.”

For many women aged 35 and over, they weren’t able to play football past the age of 12, so getting the chance to play now is really special.

“To actually get an opportunity even though we’re in our mid forties, to actually get on a football field and play, it’s so exciting,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“For those of us who have grown up and loved the game of football it’s definitely about ‘our turn’, it’s about our chance to play the game that we love.”

Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022

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