Mail - Mt Evelyn Star Mail - 18th January 2022

Mount Evelyn

Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

Mail

Montrose roundabout to soon be traffic lights

CFA concerned over spate of hay bale fires

How to prepare for home isolation

Junior cricket stars compete in carnival

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Shopping standoff As supply chains struggle under isolation requirements, the effects are being felt right across the region, with supermarket shelves left empty of popular items.

The major supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths, have reassured people that the lack of stock has not been due to panic buying but rather a shortage of staff to pack and transport the goods to stores.

Once again limits on some items have been introduced to ensure everyone gets a fair share, giving some people a deja vu moment from 2020.

Star Mail’s cartoonist Danny Zemp drew this to depict the current standoff happening in supermarkets right now.

Read more on page 7 Supermarket stock shortages have left shelves bare across the region.

Picture: DANNY ZEMP

Staff shortages

By Mikayla van Loon Hospitality and healthcare workers have had it tough for the last two years but no one anticipated the Omicron case rise to the level it has reached in recent weeks.

With tens of thousands of cases being recorded daily, staff shortages across the board are wreaking havoc in both hospitality and healthcare sectors.

Numbers revealed last week show just how much pressure is being placed on paramedics, nurses and doctors as Covid cases send people

into seven days of home isolation.

The Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) said it is receiving unprecedented numbers of calls per day, matching that of an entire month in 2021.

Thousands of healthcare workers and professionals have had to isolate in the last two weeks after returning positive results or being a household contact.

On a different frontline, hospitality venues have been hit with another disruption to normal trading after two years of challenges.

Closures of cafes, restaurants and other food venues have been a common occurrence, with not enough staff to open to full capacity.

Lilydale’s Gracious Grace cafe owner Emma Ivany said she has no doubt closures of her cafe will be a regular thing over the next couple of weeks as staff continue to test positive for the virus.

“It’s just going to keep going. I think it’s just going to be the way it is for a little bit,” she said.

For Hutch and Co’s director and owner Liza Dellisola, one week of takeaway only trade was

enough after two years of challenges already faced by the popular cafe.

“I don’t know what business can afford to do it long term without any government support. So I don’t think that’s feasible, longer term without any assistance,” she said.

Something cafe owners are preaching right now is to be kind, with abuse of cafe staff on the rise in the local area.

Turn to pages 5 and 9 to read more about the impact Covid-19 is having on healthcare and hospitality

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Protect your child with the coronavirus vaccine for 5-11 year olds Throughout the pandemic, our kids have given up a lot to help keep their families, schools and friends safe.

And with children eligible for vaccination from January 10, now it’s their turn to feel safe.

The coronavirus vaccine for kids 5 - 11 will keep them protected from serious illness and will get you off to a safe start to the school year.

To find out where and how to book visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au

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NEWS

IN BRIEF

Roundabout to go

By Mikayla van Loon It’s been a notorious intersection for a number of years as traffic increased in the Montrose area but plans to upgrade a dangerous roundabout aims to reduce pedestrian and driver risk.

VicRoads has released an updated vision for the Canterbury Road, Mount Dandenong Tourist Road and Montrose Road intersection, replacing the roundabout with traffic lights.

This project is part of a $44.5 million upgrade to Canterbury Road between Bayswater and Montrose to improve traffic flow.

“The Montrose intersection upgrade will improve traffic flow and reduce travel time for more than 30,000 drivers who use Canterbury Road every day,” a Department of Transport spokesperson said.

“As part of this upgrade, we’re proposing to upgrade the Montrose roundabout to a signalised intersection, adding new lanes and providing dedicated turning lanes on all approaches,” the VicRoads website reads.

Longtime Montrose resident and member of the township group Eddie Tichelaar said he was initially sceptical about the proposal but has since come to accept the need for a traffic light controlled intersection.

“I have always believed the roundabout should stay and was totally opposed to the roundabout being removed,” he said.

“Having said that, I made the point of learning and understanding the new modeling regarding roadways and roundabouts that the DoT have presented that I have actually come to the conclusion that the roundabout needs to go.”

Mr Tichelaar said the dual lane roadway was installed in the early 1970s when the original Montrose General Store, Post Office and Richards Store were demolished.

Having grown up in Montrose, Mr Tichelaar can recall a high speed crash outside Montrose Primary School not long before the roundabout was constructed in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

“The traffic flowed then, not that dissimilar to today but there is much more traffic now.

Lilydale Primary School will host a pop up vaccination clinic for children aged five to 11 as part of an effort to get everyone vaccinated. The clinic is one of 30 pop ups across 18 local government areas and will be open to all, not just those who attend the school, in the coming weeks.

It comes as part of a push to get children vaccinated after they became eligible on Monday 10 January to receive a reduced dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

The Victorian Government also announced funding and grants packages to en-

The roundabout in Montrose is set to be changed to traffic lights with an update released on the VicRoads website.

Picture: VICROADS ARTIST IMPRESSION Through the years since the roundabout was installed there have been so many low impact crashes, too many to count.

“There have been two fatalities at the roundabout that I am aware of, one being a motorcyclist that fell off his bike going around the roundabout and unfortunately a pedestrian that was struck by a car crossing Montrose Road at the roundabout.”

With concern for pedestrian safety, the proposed upgrade was put together from feedback submitted by community members in 2020 but the initial consultation process began in 2017.

“The new traffic lights at this intersection will allow more vehicles to travel through, and make the access and journey pedestrians and cyclists safer,” a DoT spokesperson said.

“We received a strong response to these new designs, with over 40 people providing feedback via an online survey or our mailbox,” a VicRoads document read.

The community’s response highlighted their desire to keep as many trees as possible and to ensure the design suits the township.

“We’ve refined our design to reduce tree losses, improve local amenity and create a safer, more pedestrian friendly, Montrose township.”

Pedestrian crossings at Mount Dandenong Road, Montrose Road and Mount Dandenong Tourist Road are a priority, as well as an additional through lane in the inbound and outbound direction, improved turning lanes and slip lanes.

According to VicRoads data 33,000 vehicles use Canterbury Road each day and the current intersection layout does not meet the needs of the traffic demand any longer.

“As part of next steps, we’re now submitting an application to the Minister for Planning to exercise powers under Section 20(4) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to ‘fast track’ the planning process.”

“There will always be heavy traffic during peak times, morning and night. All over the world there is traffic congestion during peak times, don’t for one moment think that a traffic controlled intersection will fix everything and stop that,” Mr Tichelaar said.

“This current design in my opinion will work for Montrose and our community with a little tweaking.”

Construction is expected to start in late 2022. Feedback can still be provided by contacting the VicRoads team at canterburyroadupgrade@roads.vic.gov.au

able pharmacists and GPs to establish additional mini-vaccination clinics at schools in areas that need more uptake.

Four million dollars will be made available in the Primary Care Vaccinations in Schools program where applicants will nominate the local government areas and number of schools and students they can help vaccinate. Successful applicants will be matched with schools in priority areas and will receive grants of up to $6500 to cover staffing, travel and equipment costs.

An additional $5,000 clinic establishment fee per school is also available, plus additional loadings for specialist schools or

small, rural or regional schools.

“With 30 vaccination centres at schools, more than 35 vaccination centres in the community, plus grants for GPs and pharmacies to deliver more vaccines – we are doing all we can to get jabs into arms young and old,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

“Vaccination is the best thing you do to keep your children and family safe – get the kids vaccinated and your third dose at the same time.”

While these pop ups get set up, Premier Andrews encouraged parents to book in their children at a state-run centre or with a local GP.

A smoke warning was issued for residents living in the Croydon Hills area after a major structure fire occurred on Wednesday 12 January.

A house fire on Plymouth Road in Croydon Hills was videoed sending flames into the air, with the CFA notified around 2.24pm.

“Five CFA trucks and volunteer firefighters from Wonga Park, Chirnside Park and Yellingbo responded, supported by FRV,” a CFA spokesperson said.

Nine vehicles in total responded to the fire originally but seven trucks remained onsite to monitor the blaze.

The CFA declared the fire to be under control at 2.48pm, with a notice put out on the VicEmergency app telling residents to be mindful of a cloud of smoke.

A warning to residents living in Croydon, Croydon Hills, Ringwood and Warranwood was issued.

The CFA advised people sensitive to smoke to close windows and doors and to turn off heating or cooling systems to prevent the smoke entering your home.

Plymouth Road was closed in Croydon Hills for some time.

Public transport delays For people who rely on public transport in Lilydale, Chirnside Park, Mooroolbark and Kilsyth, major delays may begin appearing with some services being cancelled due to staff shortages.

With a large number of staff isolating, some services may be disrupted over the next few weeks as the Department of Transport (DoT) work to balance timetable requirements with staff availability.

“The Department of Transport continues to work closely with public transport operators to minimise the impact on passengers and to ensure the health and welfare of our staff and passengers,” a spokesperson said.

Passengers are advised to allow extra travel time and to check the departures schedule regularly or at least an hour before their expected travel time.

A CovidSafe plan is still being enacted by the DoT to ensure the safety of passengers and appropriate hygiene practices are being followed.

All passengers, eight years and over must wear a fitted face mask when travelling on public transport.

Public transport information and network status is available at ptv.vic.gov.au or the PTV mobile app.

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Police are investigating what is suspected to be a ram raid in Croydon that occurred early on Monday morning.

A car crashed in a shop front on Plymouth Road around 4.55am on Monday 17 January.

“It is believed the crash was an attempt to gain entry to the store and the shopfront was extensively damaged,” a police spokesperson said.

“It is not known if anything was taken and the investigation is ongoing.”

Anyone who has information, or was in the area and has dashcam footage, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Croydon structure fire

School to host kids vax pop up clinic

By Mikayla van Loon

Croydon ram raid

BridgetVallenceMP BridgetVallence.com.au 9735 3208 Authorised by Bridget Vallence MP. 143 Main Street, Lilydale VIC 3140. Funded from Parliamentary Budget.

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NEWS

Pushed to breaking point

By Parker McKenzie The rapid rise of omicron cases across the state has put immense pressure on ambulance, hospital and triple-zero services, and it’s only expected to get worse.

On 12 January acting Health Minister James Merlino said over 6600 hospital staff are currently isolating because of Covid-19 infection or are close contacts.

Among these thousands of isolating healthcare professionals are staff from Eastern Health, who runs the Anglis, Healesville, Maroondah and Box Hill hospitals, which all provide care to Yarra Ranges and Knox residents.

An Eastern Health spokesperson said the extreme demand in their emergency departments is the result of several different factors.

“These include many staff having to furlough for Covid related reasons and an increase in demand for Covid-specific activity,” the spokesperson said.

“Both of these factors put additional strain on the health service for both Covid and nonCovid care.”

Mr Merlino said a “code brown” response – where all leave for hospital workers would be cancelled – is currently under consideration.

This followed Ambulance Victoria activating a red escalation response in the metropolitan area, which includes Yarra Ranges, Knox City and Cardinia Council, and asked nonurgent emergencies to contact nurses on Call.

As of 11 January, 422 Ambulance Victoria employees were isolating and unable to work.

From 11.20pm on 10 January, some emergency calls for ambulances and paramedics were delayed because of the demand for emergency services. The code red escalation response ended at 3.35am 11 January.

“The global Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a significant and unprecedented impact on health systems including Ambulance Victoria and hospital emergency departments,” an Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said.

“Ambulance Victoria has a detailed Emergency Response Plan and escalation procedures to effectively manage a surge in workload and demand.”

This was the second time in a week a code red escalation response was declared by Ambulance Victoria. The government agency expects ambulances and hospitals will be even busier over the coming weeks with increasing Covid case numbers in the community.

CEO of the Victorian Healthcare Association Tom Symondson said the Victorian and Commonwealth governments must urgently act to secure the health workforce in coming weeks and months.

“The rapid rise of Covid-19 infections is causing a dire shortage of healthcare workers for testing, vaccination and other healthcare. It is also exacerbating a critical shortage of staff to care for people in supported accommodation and aged care,” he said.

“More than 6000 Victorian healthcare workers are currently unavailable to work due to Covid. This is about five per cent of Victoria’s health workforce and coincides with a peak period for annual leave.”

Eastern Health - who run the Angliss Hospital - are currently facing high demand in the Emergency Departments.

Mr Symondson said to help hospitals, community health centres and aged care providers maximise their workforce in February and beyond, the VHA wants the Commonwealth and Victorian government to prioritise supply of rapid antigen tests to healthcare and aged care facilities, with a clear timeframe on how many tests will be delivered and when they will arrive.

He also asks for the Victorian government to not only extend the commitment to pay surge allowances to frontline healthcare workers beyond the current end date of 10 February, but also expand the category of people who qualify for this payment to include all healthcare workers in patient facing roles.

“Healthcare workers are exhausted and need to be recognised for the extraordinary work they are doing during this public health crisis.”

“Many healthcare workers in community health centres are working in the High Risk Accommodation Response program which focuses on keeping high risk populations safe, and the Covid-19 Positive Pathways Program which cares for people at higher risk of serious illness. GPs are already reporting they’re overwhelmed. Victoria’s unique community health centre system is backing them up.”

Currently, healthcare professionals directly supporting face-to-face care are entitled to monetary payments known as surge payments, which were introduced in October 2021.

Patient facing roles aren’t the only ones affected, as the support systems of the healthcare system face challenges created by the growing case numbers.

The Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), the organisation responsible for emergency calls and dispatching ambulances, is currently experiencing an un-

precedented number of calls.

Currently they are receiving on average 3000 calls a day, compared with just 2400 calls for the entire month in August last year.

“Our triple zero operators care deeply about the service they provide and the community they serve; any delays are unacceptable and we understand callers facing delays could be incredibly distressed,” an ESTA spokesperson said.

“More than one-in-five calls to triple zero for an ambulance do not need an emergency ambulance response, and we ask the community to please save triple zero for emergencies and to use Nurse on Call where appropriate.”

The increase in calls was attributed by ETSA to several factors, including an increase in Covid-19 related cases needing an ambulance, the cumulative impact of people delaying medical assistance since the start of the pandemic, an increase in calls related to non-emergency situations and an increase in mental health related emergencies.

Following an additional $27.5 million in funding in the Victorian 2021/22 budget, ETSA is recruiting 43 new full-time employees for call-taking, dispatch and mental health support roles. While some of these roles have been filled, others will take weeks or months before they are operational.

ETSA has implemented a number of other measures to handle the huge increase in the volume of emergency calls including offering overtime shifts to workers, recalling employees seconded into other projects and using additional incentive payments to attract already trained potential staff, former employees and those on parental leave to return to work at ETSA. The Victorian State Government an-

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nounced on 12 January a drive to train up to 1000 new vaccinators, drawing from a pool of first-year health students, retired nurses and people with experience working in health or community service.

“Millions of Victorians will soon be eligible for their third dose, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure the community can access a vaccine as quickly and as safely as possible.”

Mr Merlino said.

The government said this will free up health professionals to return to their normal duties and ensure Victorians can receive their third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Mr Symondson said when the National Cabinet meets on Thursday 12 January, these issues must be prioritised.

“Our members are telling us about significant shortages that are hampering their ability to keep up with demand. This is likely to get worse in coming weeks,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter how many ambulances, hospital beds and aged care rooms we physically have in Victoria. Without staff, they won’t function, “Omicron is going to test Victoria’s health system like no other event in recent history.

Now is the time to invest in our health and aged care workers. We need to recognise the extraordinary work they are doing to help us all through this public health crisis.”

Mr Symondson also called for the Victorian and Commonwealth governments to priortise supply of Rapid Antigen Tests for healthcare workers within the state. On Monday 17 January three million tests, a portion of an order of 44 million made by the Victorian government, arrived to be distributed in critical work forces, including healthcare.

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Iso exempt

By Mikayla van Loon Relief may be felt for some struggling services in the Lilydale area with more industries being added to the exempted close contact worker list to ensure workplaces can continue operating as omicron spreads throughout the state.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Thursday 13 January after discussions at a National Cabinet meeting the day prior that emergency services, education, critical utilities, custodial facilities, transport and freight services will join the food sector in being exempt from household contacts.

“If they are playing a critical role, they will be exempt from having to do home iso, they will need to take a RAT test for five days and if that is negative they can proceed in doing that critical work,” Premier Andrews said.

The change comes after Health Minister Martin Foley made an announcement earlier in the week to remove home quarantine requirements for hospitality and healthcare workers who were living with a close contact.

Premier Andrews said this was a sensible and easy step to take to ensure staff shortages were minimised in all sectors but will only apply to the most essential workers in each of the industries.

“They’re important additions to ensure that whether it is waste or power, gas, all the way through to law enforcement, our prisons, all of those sectors, they need to continue regardless of the fact that we are in a global pandemic and we have this variant of concern,” he said.

“Exempting those [critical] workers is a common sense way we can keep those services, those important parts of our economy and important parts of our society as close to normal as possible.”

Those who fall into this category of exemption will only be exempt to attend work and will not be able to attend any other facility.

Workers must also follow the below rules to ensure they do not spread the virus at work.

The worker must undertake a daily Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for five days and return a negative result prior to attending work each day They must wear a face mask at all times, with exceptions in the case of eating or drinking, or safety reasons, and a P2/N95 respirator is preferred The worker cannot enter shared break areas and the employer must try and facilitate solo break time.

The employer must also take reasonable steps to deploy the worker in areas where transmission risk is lower If at any time the worker develops symptoms or tests positive on a RAT, the exemption no longer applies – they are a case, must isolate for seven days, and must notify others including their employer Premier Andrews also noted he had been in talks with major supermarket chains about distribution and other challenges they were having in getting food on the shelves.

The identified challenge has been a lack of truck drivers and transport to move stock from all over the country and state to fill shelves.

“We continue to work with them and the unions to do whatever we can to ease that pressure.”

The new exemptions come into effect at 11:59pm on Tuesday 18 January.

More information will be published on the website www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/isolation-exemptions when they come into effect.

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Combusting hay bales prompt warning from CFA Victorian farmers have enjoyed strong seasonal growth of pastures and crops, but CFA has warned them to exercise caution when cutting, baling and storing hay.

The seasonal outlook for summer, released in late November by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC), showed most of Victoria received average to above average rainfall during winter and spring, but it was followed by a mostly dry December.

CFA volunteer firefighters responded to dozens of haystack fires across the state last year and District 13 Assistant Chief Fire Officer David Renkin said there have already been local incidents in recent weeks as grass has dried out in the area.

Firefighters were called to respond to a grassfire in Macintyre Lane, Yering, as recently as Sunday 16 January after a hay bale spontaneously combusted.

Responding to the call about 4.30pm, volunteer firefighters from Gruyere, Lilydale, Coldstream, Yarra Glen, Chirnside Park and Wonga Park were able to quickly bring the fire under control and establish control lines around 20 large hay bales and a burnt area of about two hectares.

“The crews did a mighty job of stopping the spread of the fire into nearby uncut grass paddocks,” Assistant Chief Fire Officer David Renkin said.

“There is definitely a risk of spontaneous ignition in the area, usually caused by people baling hay too soon before it has dried properly.

“Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen more baling take place as grass dries out, but the intermittent rain is causing moisture.”

Local CFA crews responded to calls of self combusting haybales in Yering over the weekend. Picture: GRUYERE FIRE BRIGADE Spontaneous combustion can occur when hay has either not properly dried before baling, or has been exposed to rain or damp conditions, meaning moisture content in the bales is higher than the recommended levels.

“This can happen to any hay bales, regardless of size, and it is something farmers can help prevent,” ACFO Renkin said.

“After baling, make sure you check the heat and smell of the bales before stacking them into haysheds or large external stacks, and leave any suspect bales separate from the rest.

“By doing so, you’re not just protecting yourself from the financial impact of losing valuable fodder, you’ll also be helping your local brigade and community as haystack fires often occupy crucial firefighting resources during the season when CFA volunteer firefighters are required to monitor haystack fires for several days to make sure smouldering fires don’t spread.”

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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 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 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

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.

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Shop shelves stripped

By Gabriella Payne If you’ve been for your regular grocery shop recently, you may have noticed the shelves are looking a little more bare than usual.

It seems supermarkets throughout the Dandenong Ranges, like the rest of Australia and Victoria, are unfortunately feeling the effects of Covid once again - but this time, it’s not panic buying that’s causing the issue.

With the Omicron wave affecting supply chains throughout the country and a shortage of staff leading to empty shelves in a range of stores, some supermarkets reinstating customer limits on certain items, as was seen earlier in the pandemic.

In an email to customers on Thursday 6 January, Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci explained the current situation and urged shoppers not to panic, as there are still plenty of food products and supplies left to go around.

“When you’re shopping with us at the moment, you might unfortunately have noticed gaps on shelf, or substitutions in your online

Coles stores have imposed temporary limits on meat products due to supply chain issues, but Woolworths remains limit-free for now.

Picture: GABRIELLA PAYNE order,” Mr Banducci wrote.

“Unlike the surge buying of early 2020 (who could forget the toilet paper), this is because of the number of people in our supply chain in

isolation – from suppliers to truck drivers and distribution centre team members – which in turn is causing material delays to store deliveries.

“To give you a sense of the magnitude of the challenge, we are experiencing Covid-driven absences of 20 per cent plus in our distribution centres and 10 per cent plus in our stores,” he explained.

While Mr Banducci said that states like NSW were feeling the effects the most, he noted that this was a nationwide issue and it was “not yet clear how soon the system will come back into balance”.

A Coles spokesperson echoed Mr Banducci’s sentiments and said they were experiencing the same issues due to the Omicron wave.

“Recent increases in Covid case numbers in the community have required more people to isolate, which has impacted the availability of labour throughout the food supply chain,” the spokesperson said.

“At a time when inventory levels were already reduced in the post-Christmas period,

our distribution centres are receiving fewer inbound deliveries and we have fewer team members available to process and dispatch stock to our stores.

“Meanwhile demand is elevated as customers choose to eat more meals at home to reduce their exposure to the rest of the community.”

Coles supermarkets imposed temporary purchase limits across the state on selected meat products, in order to manage the demand for these grocery items. Woolworths stores continue to remain limit-free for now.

Both supermarket giants thanked customers for their understanding during these challenging times.

“We thank our customers for their patience as we work with our suppliers and transport partners to increase deliveries and return a full range of products to our stores over coming weeks,” the Coles spokesperson said.

“We ask that they continue to treat our team with kindness and respect, and to purchase only what they need.”

Council services may be impacted by staff availability

By Mikayla van Loon Some Lilydale residents who utilise council run services may see changes to how the services are delivered over the days and weeks to come.

Yarra Ranges Council, like many workplaces, is currently experiencing a reduced availability of staff due to the spread on Covid-19 and isolation requirements.

Director of Corporate Services Andrew Hilson said the council have created work

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times for some home support services for older adults in the community. We’re still working in this space and communicating with clients to update them as this changes,” Mr Hilson said.

“To reduce potential service disruptions and to reduce the spread of the virus, the majority of our staff have been instructed to work from home. All public services are still available, though some services are being delivered remotely to keep staff and the community safe.”

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Mr Hilson said some clients have cancelled some in home services to avoid unnecessary contact with people and to ensure their own safety.

“We’ll continue to support our community, and in particular the more vulnerable members, with our services, including meals, transport, social support groups and home support in a Covid-safe manner and we will update the community as our services continue to be impacted by the pandemic.”

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team ‘bubbles’ to limit the potential spread of the virus to both staff and community members but this is causing some limitations in services.

Earlier in the week, the council announced the temporary closure of the Upwey and Yarra Junction Community Links until the end of January but more services are expected to be impacted in some way.

“The impacts of the pandemic are also affecting other council services, with reduced staffing availability resulting in longer wait

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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MAIL 7

NEWS

Support after the storms

By Mikayla van Loon Mount Evelyn and Montrose residents who are still recovering from storm damage to their homes are being encouraged to ask for financial assistance.

EACH Yarra Ranges is one of five community organisations in different council areas to be given funding from the Victorian Government’s Storm and Flood Recovery Support Program to provide free financial counselling to communities most impacted by the disaster.

Financial counselling is a free and confidential service to help people experiencing or at risk of financial hardship regain control of their situation. Financial counsellors can help

people understand their options, rights and entitlements, and empower them to make informed choices.

Even six months on, it is normal for people to still be experiencing the economic aftermath of an emergency event – with some problems only emerging now.

Financial counselling is available for anyone impacted by disaster, not just people on low incomes or government payments, and there are no restrictions based on residency or visa-status. It is confidential and judgementfree.

“We see a lot of people who have never had to ask for help before,” EACH Yarra Ranges team leader Kim Hubber said.

“They are usually the ones doing the help-

ing, and for them, putting their hand up to seek assistance can often be the hardest step.”

It’s not too late to book a free consultation and get the assistance or guidance needed to rebuild your stability months after the storms ripped through the shire.

Yarra Ranges and Murrindindi resdients can contact EACH to organise a free financial consult by calling 03 9871 1817 or emailing fcintake@each.com.au.

For those still recovering from the storms, free financial counselling is available through EACH in the Yarra Ranges.

Picture: ON FILE

Insurance Council of Australia to host virtual consults The Insurance Council of Australia has announced it will host virtual one-on-one consultations with Yarra Ranges policyholders affected by the June 2021 storms.

Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) chief executive officer Andrew Hall said the decision to offer individual virtual consultations was based on the health and safety of all participants.

“Virtual face-to-face policyholder meetings are not practice and ICA representatives and insurers would prefer to meet in person with policyholders at community events,” he said.

“However, the current Covid environment has necessitated this move to meet the needs of those policyholders who need assistance with their insurance claim sooner rather than later.”

The 30 minute virtual video or phone consultation can be booked with ICA representatives or insurers and will take place on Thursday 20 January from 9am until 8pm.

Insurers have received more than 32,000 claims in the aftermath of the severe weather event that resulted in an insurance catastrophe being declared on 13 June 2021, with losses estimated at $281 million.

More than 90 per cent of claims were the result of household storm and water damage.

The June weather event caused huge damage throughout the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Don’t travel to high risk areas on Extreme Fire Danger Rating days.

If you plan to travel through Victoria, during fire season, it’s important to check the Fire Danger Rating every day.

If the rating is Extreme or above, avoid travelling to high risk areas, including to cities and towns.

Plan. Act. Survive. Go to emergency.vic.gov.au

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NEWS

Hutch & Co staff have had to move to takeaway only recently to combat a reduction in available staff. Pictured Brett Roessler and Geraldine Lizzi. 254880

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Toughest challenge yet

By Mikayla van Loon There’s no doubt hospitality workers have had a difficult run over the last two years and unfortunately the blows keep coming but this time in a different way.

As more and more people test positive to Covid-19 and are thrust into isolation, two popular cafes in Lilydale have had to close or change the way they operate because of dwindling available staff.

“I made the tough decision to move towards takeaway only because a number of key members of staff were having to isolate awaiting test results and I didn’t want to continue to run that business with a smaller number of people servicing the same number of patrons,” Hutch and Co director and owner Liza Dellisola said.

While the community support has remained strong, Ms Dellisola said she can tell patrons are growing tired of the continued disturbances to normal life and they are disappointed when they are not able to dine-in.

“This time around the community is growing tired of it themselves. They’re all now affected in one way or another by this. It’s not just somebody else who’s got it. They’re in the

same boat with us,” she said.

“So it kind of feels like it’s solidifying the sentiments but not in a great way because it’s just a lot of frustration.”

This kind of frustration has boiled to the surface for some members in the community and has sadly been taken out on cafe staff at Gracious Grace.

Owner Emma Ivany said her staff have encountered abuse throughout the entirety of the pandemic but nowhere near as bad as it has been in the last couple of weeks, with behaviour she described as “disgusting.”

“We had to close because I ran out of healthy staff and I also had Covid so I was sick in bed. A woman basically lost her mind at the kitchen window to my staff because it said on the internet that we were open,” Ms Ivany said.

“She was that aggressive towards them, the girls said she was spitting her words at them.”

Having not updated the website with a note about being closed because she was sick, Ms Ivany said she couldn’t believe the attitude some people have had during this time.

But unfortunately it didn’t come as a surprise to Ms Ivany having dealt with this kind of behaviour all throughout the pandemic.

“It has got progressively worse. After the first lockdown when we reopened people were so entitled and just wanted everything now.

People forgot how to speak to people. There was no please and thank you,” she said.

“I’ve been in this industry for 25 years now and in the last two years, I’ve had to kick people out of my cafe for poor behavior. I’ve never had to do that before.”

Already trying to cope with running a cafe with reduced staff to service what would normally be a busy January period, as well as stay financially stable, Ms Ivany said people just need to have some consideration for what is going on behind the scenes.

“I’ve got to do the right thing too, I can’t let myself work when they are sick, so I have to close. So basically, it’s like a lockdown but without financial support from anyone this time, so you’ve just got to get through it.”

While the situation has been different for Ms Dellisola, she too said the lack of support from governing bodies is making things difficult.

“I didn’t expect that once we were all vaccinated or 90 per cent of the population was vaccinated that we were going to still be in this

boat,” she said.

“It seems as though this is the worst it’s ever been to be frank. There is no government support. There’s more people at home not coming out because they’re in isolation or quarantining and on top of that, there’s a chronic shortage of human resources in this state.”

Although shutting down or doing takeaway only is not ideal, Ms Dellisola said she doesn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on her staff to service a full cafe or compromise the delivery of service because the cafe is understaffed.

A message that did come across strongly from both Ms Ivany and Ms Dellisola was to be kind to staff right across the board as they deal with a very challenging time.

“I think that we all need to remember we are in this together and a little bit of kindness towards a fellow human goes a very long way,” Ms Dellisola said.

“When people come to the cafe, just have some patience. We love our customers. Our customers are special, but you just need to have some patience at the moment and be nice to my staff because they’re nice to you,” Ms Ivany said.

Yarra Ranges asks public to be kind

By Parker McKenzie Yarra Ranges Council has asked the community to get on board with their Be Kind campaign, as businesses in the area struggle with staff-shortages and supply issues.

Mayor Jim Child said council wants the community to be kind to themselves, each other and to businesses facing challenges caused by the pandemic.

“We want people to really realise the stress that businesses are dealing with and the community is going through a lot,” he said.

“When you go into a business, whether it be hospitality, service, business, or whatever mailcommunity.com.au

it might be, be aware of the stress and pressure going on there as well.”

Yarra Ranges Council launched the Be Kind to business campaign in 2020 after lockdowns in Melbourne put immense strain on traders throughout the region.

Mayor Child said he hopes members of the community can put themselves in others shoes and think about others going forward.

“There’s so much movement in the community, going out shopping or going out and enjoying hospitality,” Mayor Child said.

“Venues providing those services are in demand, but they have a lot of constraints

as far as providing service back to the community.”

The campaign highlights that while businesses may be open, “it’s not quite business as usual” for those facing staff shortages as they do their best to keep customers, staff and their families safe, while keeping their business open to the public.

Mayor Child said council wants people to treat other community members with kindness.

“We just want people to look after themselves, their families and look after the people that are around them, whether they are in the community or in the business sector.”

Yarra Ranges are encouraging community members to Be Kind to businesses throughout the region.

Picture: YARRA RANGES COUNCIL Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

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MAIL 9

NEWS

How to prepare at home

By Mikayla van Loon Unless you’ve had Covid-19, it really is like facing the unknown, particularly when it comes to isolating at home and monitoring your symptoms.

That’s why Mooroolbark resident Rebecca Blowfield put the call out on social media to see how she could best prepare herself for isolating at home when the time came.

The response was largely consistent - prepare frozen meals for when you don’t feel like cooking, have some pain relief and lozenges on hand, disinfect everything and wear masks if there are other people in the house.

Ms Blowfield said having seen the rise in case numbers she felt as though she needed to prepare for the inevitable, particularly if her or her partner were too sick to look after their children.

“We don’t know how each of us will react to the virus and we don’t know whether we’re going to be able to look after the kids when we’re sick. That was my concern,” she said.

St John Ambulance has put together an at home quarantine guide for both the patient and carer with some top tips on how to stay CovidSafe while isolating with others in the house.

The main points were to keep away from others by staying in a bedroom and using a separate bathroom if possible, practice good hygiene and disinfect surfaces and linens regularly.

For those with Covid, staying hydrated is essential, opening windows to keep air flowing will help, have a thermometer close by, use cold compresses to reduce temperatures and take naps to boost the immune system.

Ms Blowfield said while she felt her family would mostly be ok in handling home isolation, she said not everyone in the community

Has preparing for getting Covid-19 been on your mind? You’re not alone. would be in the same position and she hopes by reaching out on social media it may have triggered others to prepare early.

“This whole let it rip strategy kind of gives the impression that we’re all okay and when we get it we’re going to be alright but I think that’s the wrong impression to have,” Ms Blowfield said.

“I think there will be some people who will have a bit of difficulty and I think by considering that early and being prepared for the worst helps us all.”

Ms Blowfield said she would love to see social media better utilised in times like this, so that people feel comfortable in reaching out to their community to ask for help or request a special delivery of items if they don’t have family or friends who can do it for them.

Shortly after putting the post out on social media, Ms Blowfield herself received a positive test result and said one of the most positive things, something she didn’t know prior, has been the regular check ins from a nurse.

Picture: UNSPLASH “Now that I’ve got it, I know there’s a little bit more assistance. So trying to deal with it at home, it’s not as if you’re just on your own. The medical system is still keeping in touch with you, making sure you’re okay while you’re recovering.”

Please contact your healthcare provider or GP for specialised medical advice, the information provided above is general advice and should be used as a guide only.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Youth exhibit on display

By Renee Wood YAVA Gallery has opened a new exhibition, highlighting the artistic talents of local primary and secondary students.

More than 70 artworks are on display for the show that opened Thursday 13 January for the Youth Art Exhibition (YAE) project.

16 year old Inica Smit was the brainchild of YAE after volunteering with her mum Wilani van Wyk-Smit at the gallery early last year.

Miss Smit said she wanted to create something that would bring younger people and families into the gallery.

“My mum always took me to galleries, so I got that experience but some kids that like art don’t have parents that are involved really,” Miss Smit said.

The project also aimed to inspire local youth and encourage their artistic nature by setting the challenge.

“You might not have experience like everyone else we exhibit, professionals who do it for a living, but your art still counts - it’s still something you can work on and be a part of.”

Yarra Valley Arts CEO Kate Baker mentored Miss Smit through the process last year.

“Inica had the idea for a competition for young people - that they should all be seen and have free expression and then that will bring in parents and grandparents, to make the gallery really accessible,” Ms Baker said.

Canson Art Supplies were also brought on board to sponsor the event, providing the schools with paper for students.

“The kids had to do it at school because we didn’t want to have kids going home to their parents and having some sort of unfair advantage.”

Miss Smit also created further guidelines to

Inica Smit, Founder of the exhibition at the children’s Art table. 264649 make fair and equal standards for all.

“It had to be done at school, with school supplies, in the class where you were with other students doing it, and it had to be on the Canson A3 piece of paper,” Miss Smit said.

Alongside the youth artwork, the exhibition will also have other interactive elements to entice more creativity from attendees; including a drawing station, interactive mural, postcards for a mini exhibit and digital drawing sessions.

Healesville, Upper Yarra and Worawa high schools were involved as well as Badger Creek,

St Brigid’s, Gruyere and Yarra Glen primary schools.

Three of the best primary and secondary students’ work have been chosen for awards, and an event will be held to congratulate the winners on Saturday 5 February.

“Our focus was to let them know that they don’t have to be doing art for 15 years to be in an exhibit, we want to encourage them to continue doing it so maybe in 15 years’ time they’re still exhibiting and still going to gallery.”

Pictures: ROB CAREW

Inica Smit with the winner of the “Founders Award”, a work by Isla Blossom from Badger Creek Primary School.

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MAIL 11

THE LOWDOWN Q&A What is something people don’t know about me?

I was born in Sydney but grew up in Melbourne, and I have spent almost 20 years living and working outside of Melbourne, interstate, and overseas in places like Edinburgh and New Zealand.

Why and when did I join the CFA? I am a newbie! I started as a recruit in Jan 2020. After returning to Melbourne, I wanted to meet new people and feel like part of a community. I have an interest in Emergency Management, learnt through the work I do in my day job, so I thought it would be really great to meet people and give back at the same time!

What do I enjoy most about my role and being a part of the CFA? I really enjoy learning new things and I feel that volunteering for the CFA gives me the opportunity to develop and build my skills. I also think the CFA really values the contribution of volunteers, and the leaders within the operation really deliver this message through their actions and support of their members.

What have been some of your most memorable moments with the CFA? Why? Most memorably, as a recruit last year, I learnt how to be a volunteer firefighter through a pandemic when everything around us was shutdown. It was a challenge to stay motivated and on point, but I got through it successfully.

To be able to respond this year to the storm event in the Dandenong’s marked the beginning of a new adventure with the CFA. What do I love most about the Yarra Ranges?

I love the landscape and the scenic adventures that are all available at my fingertips. The urban escape!

What event, past, present, or future, would I like to witness?

I would really like to witness another woman

with Montrose CFA volunteer Marlo Ferguson

Marlo Ferguson is a volunteer member of the Montrose Fire Brigade. become PM in Australia Which four guests, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?

Pink, Jacinda Ardern, Ru Paul, and my partner – that would be an incredible evening.

Who do I admire the most?

My grandmother, for being strong, steady and always kind.

Picture: SUPPLIED

What are some of your hobbies?

Aside from reading and home reno’s, I have a new hobby! I recently got an electric scooter, so I am scooting along the walking and bike trails in the Eastern suburbs at the moment.

What is your favourite book and/or film?

I really enjoy Scottish, Irish or Scandi crime series, both television and audiobooks.

THREE … beaches to visit this summer

1

Waratah Bay The town is near uninhabited, leaving a pristine beach where the rising mountains of Wilsons Promontory can be seen across the bay. The stunning coastline and serene outlook offers a return to nature. Not patrolled.

2

Inverloch Inverloch is a great destination for water activities - kite-surfing, boating, fishing, surfing and snorkelling, thriving with a holiday population and trendy shops. Patrolled surf beach.

3

Rosebud This popular swimming beach stretches nine kilometres and is protected by offshore sandbars.

It is a very safe beach for children with lots of sandbars at low tide.

Weekend patrols on weekends and public holidays during summer are run by the Rosebud and McCrae Life Saving Clubs.

NO ONE’S UNSINKABLE To all those Unsinkable Guys out there – You might think it’s safe to have a few drinks around water, skip the lifejacket when you’re out on the boat or go for a swim without checking the conditions.

But statistics prove that 4 out of 5 drownings are men.

Just remember that no one’s unsinkable.

UNSINKABLE GUY

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MAIL 13

OPINION

Importance of listening

By Christine Yunn-Yu Sun A review of ‘Boy’ by Phil Cummings and Shane Devries It’s often said that reading improves children’s emotional intelligence and increases empathy.

It helps kids better understand others, especially those who have different life stories.

Empathy starts early, and it starts by listening as a genuine attempt to make contact, to reach out across real and imagined barriers that separate “us” from “them”.

This is an important lesson from Boy, winner of the 2017 Children’s Peace Literature Award, an Australian literary prize awarded biennially by the Australian Psychological Society. The award encourages the dissemination of information related to “peaceful means of resolving conflict and promoting peace at the global, local and interpersonal level”.

Published by Scholastic Press, Boy is written by Phil Cummings and beautifully illustrated by Shane Devries, it tells the story of a

boy who is deaf.

Boy lives in silence: “He spoke with dancing hands and he drew pictures for people in the sand.” Boy’s parents understand him perfectly, but those in his village think he is “strange”.

Worse, near the village is a forest that has been burnt out by a dragon’s fiery breath. Angered by the loss of the forest, the King has fought many battles against the dragon. “Boy couldn’t

hear the battle cries, but he had seen the fear in his mother’s eyes and felt it in his father’s hands when he held him close.”

The war goes on until one day Boy unknowingly steps into the middle of it and writes in the sand: “WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING?” The finger-pointing begins as expected however, this is the first time the King and knights as well as the dragon stop what they’ve been do-

ing and listen to each other’s point of view and that changes everything.

The book has perhaps the cutest dragon in the world, and it’s full of special sound effects that will surely delight both children and adults. More importantly, the book is gentle and subtle about so many things. As observed

by Romi Sharp from Reading Time, children’s book news and reviews from The Children’s Book Council of Australia: “[Boy] connects with those around him using a variety of tools, including sign language, drawings, the written word, and a sense of emotion. It is these perceptive qualities that make him the perfect candidate for facilitating awareness, acceptance and community inclusion.”

In 2021, Boy was chosen by the International Board of Books for Young People as one of the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities – a well deserved honour. The book is highly recommended for children aged four and above.

Don’t Look Up - a look inside our warped reality Don’t Look Up Starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep Rated M Don’t Look Up is a clever, well-paced sci-fi dark comedy that holds a warped mirror on science and politics in our real world.

Astronomers Randall Mindy (Leonardo Dicaprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discover a gigantic comet on a collision course with Earth, but face a losing battle in their efforts to deflect the comet.

Don’t Look Up’s depiction of modern America is exaggerated and often funny but still feels disturbingly real.

The film is very well-structured, quickly establishing a dire threat, then presenting possible solutions and serious obstacles. Di-

First shows of 2022 Theatre is back!

The Basin Theatre is finally presenting Photograph 51 Anna Ziegler’s Photograph 51 takes us back to 1950s London where the discovery of DNA double helix structure would unlock the ‘secret of life’. And Rosalind Franklin’s contribution would be overlooked for decades. This delicate play puts her back in the picture and shares a light on the challenges she faced as a woman in a maledominated world and the price she paid.

Season: 24 February – 6 March. Which has a 2pm matinee.

The 1812 Theatre is presenting Dracula, the Bloody Truth Travelling across Europe, from the dark and sinister Transylvanian mountains to the charming seaside town of Whitby, Pro-

The wilful ignorance and political spin Randall and Kate struggle against feel all too familiar, reflecting the fraught discourse over climate change and the Covid pandemic.

The film has some abrupt editing and a strange reliance on freeze-frames and stock footage. The technology satire is less focused than the media and political satire, and the climax has a fanciful twist that clashes with the relatively grounded tone.

Despite some bizarre editing and some underdeveloped aspects in its satire, Don’t Look Up is a tense, well-directed and socially-relevant dark comedy, and is available for streaming on Netflix.

- Seth Lukas Hynes

CARTOON

Kemp’s curtain call fessor Van Helsing and his three amateur actors stage a life-changing theatrical production of Dracula – hoping to establish once and for all, the bloody truth.

The result is a delightfully silly, fast paced and faithful(ish) adaptation by John Nicholson of Bram Stoker’s novel. Performed by four actors playing 40 characters.

Season: 14 February – 19 March.

·

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·

rector Adam McKay thus does a brilliant job of building hope to counter the despair, then yanking it away.

Government apathy, social media-choked culture and the saccharine media downplaying the crisis for ratings all visibly weigh upon the main characters.

Randall is bewitched by the innovation and glamour of the industrial machine, driving away his friends as the comet draws closer.

Meryl Streep acts delightfully off-type as the vain, greedy President Orlean, who is the closest this film has to a villain.

Don’t Look Up shows admirable support for expert opinion and the scientific method.

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Ag show grants open The Lilydale Show may be able to recoup some funds from the cancelled 2021 event with the next round of a Federal Government grant program opening at the end of the month.

Lilydale Agricultural and Horticulture Society president Paul Tripp confirmed the committee would be submitting an application for the Federal funding once applications open on 28 January.

Funding will be given to society’s under round two of the Government’s Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days program.

Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days program is a way to give show societies a much-needed cash injection after the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Agricultural shows and field days generate over $1 billion in sales for small businesses every year,” Minister Littleproud said.

“For some communities and charities, agricultural shows or field days are the financial boost they need to get them through the year.

“Not only are they essential for business,

agricultural shows and field days provide a way for people to show off their latest innovations and technology, increasing productivity and profitability for all involved in the agriculture sector.”

Grants from $10,000 to $70,000, based on the 2018 or 2019 attendee numbers, will be available for eligible show societies and field days organisations to help provide the confidence and resilience they need to go ahead and plan their events in 2022 and beyond.

Applicants will be able to claim for eligible expenditure incurred for events cancelled in the period from 1 January to 31 December 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Economics aside, agricultural shows and field days are a great day out and provide the much needed opportunity for communities to come together, catch up and support each other,” Minister Littleproud said.

“These grants provide show societies and field days organisations with the confidence they need to go ahead and plan their events in 2022 and beyond.”

Applications for this program will close on 17 February.

The energy and water saver kit helps identify leaks and wasteful usage.

Picture: HARRY GROUT/UNSPLASHED

Councils collaborate on energy, water saving kits Knox City, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges Council have worked in partnership to develop an energy and water saver kit to help the local community improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

The kit consists of a thermal imaging camera, power meter, stopwatch, thermometer, Energy Freedom home book, CSIRO home energy saving handbook and an instruction guide.

“We worked in partnership with Maroondah and Yarra Ranges Council to develop these kits for our community,” Knox City Council said.

“These kits are designed to improve energy efficiency around the home, and help households reduce emissions to tackle climate change.”

The kits come with a step by step guide to check for water leaks, inefficient fixtures, high energy use items, costly energy consumption behaviors and building design flaws.

“Knox households account for 18% of mailcommunity.com.au

total greenhouse emissions in our community,” Knox City Council said.

“As part of our Climate Response Plan 2021-2031, we are providing a range of programs to help our community to lower emissions and reach net zero by 2040.”

There are currently three kits available for loan through Eastern Regional Libraries, who have branches in Belgrave, Ferntree Gully and Monbulk.

“Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges councils have partnered to develop and deliver this Energy and Water Saver Kit for loan through the local library system, managed by the Your Library Group,” the instruction guide reads.

“The library loan system enables members to freely borrow the toolkits, ensuring they are equitable and accessible to those in the local area.”

The energy and water saving kit aims to help the community understand where they are using power, measure usage and identify how they might increase usage efficiency.

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

Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

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12527815-CG51-21

NEWS

MAIL 15

PUZZLES SUDOKU

No. 064

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

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

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

4 8 5

medium

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

QUICK CROSSWORD 4 5 6 7 8 14

ACROSS Swiss currency (5) Clergyman (9) Breastbone (7) Made of fine clay (7) African country (7) News (7) Made dapper (7,2) Not bad (4) Admirers (4) Things that hinder (9) Jogging (7) Bravery (7) Hobby (7) Puts more bullets in (7) Mental disorder (9) Give way; surrender (5)

1 4 9 10 11 12 13 15 17 19 22 25 26 27 28 29

15 16 18 20 21 23 24

No. 064

Appear sporadically (4,3,2) Not edited (5) Healed (5) Keepsake (7) Most pleasant (6) Messages sent on holiday (9) Bit by bit (9) Appraised (8) Reprieve (7) Unauthorised disclosure (7) Support (4,2) From Dublin (5) Estimate (5)

DOWN Place protected by natural features (8) Vindicator (7) Binding agreements (9)

1 2 3

DECODER

No. 064

hard

6

1

8 9 5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12 13

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

4

7 2

G O

3 LETTERS AGO AND BOA CIA ERR EWE FOG GAG GEE GIN GOP ITS LAY LEV LIE NOD OAR ODE OIL OLD OWL ROD RUE SAD

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

E A Z R K I MC J B F V D 6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

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”.

V

C

Today’s Aim: 9 words: Good 13 words: Very good

7 3 5 9 8 1 6 4 2

8 5 7 1 2 9 6 3 4

2 1 4 6 8 3 5 9 7

18 words: Excellent

G

A

D

A I

N

N

4 LETTERS AWES BEAN COAT ERAS GEAR HAUL LYRE OKED PEAT POST SAGE SAKI TAGS TIDY

9 6 3 2 4 1 8 7 5

7 4 8 9 3 5 1 2 6

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

5 LETTERS ABOUT

5 9 6 3 7 2 4 8 1

4 7 2 8 1 6 3 5 9

3 8 1 5 9 4 7 6 2

6 9 2 3 5 4 7 8 1

8 1 4 6 2 7 3 9 5

1 4 8 2 3 6 5 7 9

9 5 6 4 7 8 2 1 3

3 2 7 1 9 5 8 6 4

2 6 9 7 1 3 4 5 8

5 7 1 8 4 2 9 3 6

4 8 3 5 6 9 1 2 7

1 3 9 7 2 6 8 5 4

8 5 6 4 9 1 2 7 3

3 2 1 8 6 4 7 9 5

5 6 8 9 1 7 3 4 2

4 9 7 5 3 2 6 1 8

6 8 3 1 5 9 4 2 7

9 4 5 2 7 8 1 3 6

7 1 2 6 4 3 5 8 9

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

ACTOR ADAPT AGILE ALOOF ANGER APRIL ARENA ARISE AWAIT BASES CEASE DRAMA DREAD EASED EERIE ENDER ENDOW ENEMA GLOAT GRADE GRASS

No. 064

HOOFS LEAST LOCAL MANIA MEALY MERGE MYTHS NAEVE ODDLY OUNCE OUTDO PIANO PRESS PSALM ROUGH SAFES SATAN SAUTE SCALE SEDAN SEMEN

SENDS SHAFT STARS STUCK TOOTH ULTRA WEEPS

7 LETTERS INSPECT MAGENTA OATMEAL RAPTURE ROLLING SEASICK

6 LETTERS ORGASM SLOGAN THROAT TREATS

8 LETTERS CARDIGAN EMPHATIC FIREARMS SEMESTER

acid, acing, ADVANCING, again, aida, angina, avian, avid, caning, canna, caving, dancing, diva, divan, gain, naiad, vain, viand

6 3 9 4 5 7 2 1 8

hard

5

medium

4

easy

3

9

2

3

1

1

19

4 5 7 1 3

5

18

6

4

17

9

3

S Q T HN Y L UWP X GO

8

2

2

16

2

15

3

6 7 8 4

14

2

WORDFIT

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Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

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MAIL 17

NEWS

Exposing the cruel trade

By Renee Wood The illegal capturing and trafficking of Australia’s native wildlife is a great concern for Victorian authorities, with thousands of animals taken yearly for the lucrative trade on home soil and overseas.

In 2019, a tourist Jeng Chiang was convicted of smuggling reptiles from Melbourne, sending six consignments through Australia Post with 40 eastern water dragons, 19 eastern blue-tongue lizards, and one black-headed monitor inside.

Chiang pleaded guilty to 67 charges and served a six month prison sentence before being deported to Taiwan.

This followed a 15 month investigation, Operation Sheffield, which exposed Chiang as the link in the illegal chain, picking up the poached animals to send off to Hong Kong.

Operation Sheffield was a collaboration between DELWP, Australian Border Force, the Department of Environment and Energy, Australia Post and RSPCA Victoria and uncovered 36 consignments picked up through the airport gateway carrying over 150 reptiles.

DELWP Chief Conservation Regulator Kate Gavans said sadly this illegal trade continues daily, which expected to increase in 2022 as the country opens up again.

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg, there’s regular cases where we’re picking up wildlife through those facilities or through inspections of premises where we’re finding the equipment and the means to be able to traffic wildlife internationally,” Kate Gavens said.

“We’ve seen a slowdown the last couple of years through the pandemic, but we certainly expect to see that trade pick up again in 2022.”

Poachers target animals across the country and Ms Gavens said the Yarra Ranges area is a target for the criminal activity.

“We certainly know that some of the illegal wildlife activity that we pick up, including through Operation Sheffield, that some of those animals will have been sourced from areas like the Yarra Ranges and surrounding forests.”

Illegal poaching is a huge issue for native wildlife, causing the disruption of local biodiversity and habitat destruction.

DELWP has found turned over rocks and broken hollows as signs of poaching behav-

A shingleback skink seized during Operation Sheffield. iour, which also permanently destroys habitat for other animals as well.

The animals then go through a horrific ordeal in attempts to smuggle them out of the country, suffering severely through the capture and containment.

“The animals that we’ve intercepted through the Australia Post network and the Australian Border Force are often bound with sticky tape, wrapped up in socks, hidden in rice cookers.

“This is a cruel trade and that’s why it is so important that we continue to focus on detecting and shutting down illegal trafficking of wildlife.”

The main driver behind the trafficking is high prices, seeing a wide range of animals sell for thousands of dollars on the black market and in the international pet trade.

“Shinglebacks can fetch up to $10,000 on the international market, where there might only attract $200 in Australia. But the other animal that is becoming an increasing target is our bird species, the red tail black cockatoo for example can get an asking price of up to $100,000.”

Crime Stoppers Victoria spokesperson Georgia Gallo said the charges and persecu-

Picture: DEWLP DOUG GIMESY

tion for the illegal activity is significant.

“The fines are in the 10s of 1000s of dollars for possessing illegal animals, so that can be a maximum of 10 years jail or fine up to $210,000,” Ms Gallo said.

The community’s support is of great value to the operations in identifying, investigating and convicting illegal poaching and smuggling.

Crime Stoppers has seen a 59 per cent increase in the past year of reports being made related to wildlife related concerns.

“It’s a really cruel business and the public are aware of the animal cruelty that’s involved in the trade.

“It’s also unusually because of Covid, people are so familiar with their areas where they walk every day that as soon as they see something that might be a little suspicious they’re going to report it because they want to keep each other safe.”

Yarra Ranges residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity in local forests, parks and reserves.

People with nets, buckets and egg cartons can be a sign of a wildlife traffickers at work, which can be confidentially reported to Crime Stoppers.

Traps left or changes in areas such as habitat being disturbed, rocks moved, hollows destroyed are also concerns, with reports made sent through to DEWLP investigators.

“It means that we’ve got a sense of where traffickers might be operating and we can then target those areas,” Ms Gavans said.

Those looking into purchase natives as pets in Victoria can also report suspicious local sellers, as strict licenses are needed to operate in the field.

“Make sure you’re buying from a licensed dealer or breeder, ask questions of the seller about the reptile’s history, request to look at the animal’s documentation, make sure the animal looks healthy, and check for obvious signs like ticks and lethargy in the animal.”

Crime Stoppers has noticed online sales are becoming attractive through Gumtree and Facebook marketplaces.

“Covid has really decreased face to face transactions and in illegal wildlife trade, like most criminals, they are going to find and evolve their ways of doing crime, so we’ve definitely seen more of an increase in social media and online buy and sell websites,” Ms Gallo said.

Last year a campaign was released called ‘Break the Chain’, profiling native and exotic pests while encouraging the community to report any information or suspicions.

Red-tailed black cockatoos and shingleback skinks were highlighted for being targeted by poachers, while African pygmy hedgehogs and red-eared slider turtles were exposed as animals being brought into Australia - posing a threat to biodiversity.

“Exotic pest animal are sometimes brought into Victoria by people that have it as a pet overseas, and once they come in they might realise that it’s actually illegal in Victoria and unfortunately dump it into the wild, which is an illegal offence.”

The public is encouraged to report any information relating to illegal wildlife trade to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

“The illegal wildlife trade is such a cruel business. These animals are tortured, some will die during transportation and at the end of the day, the people that are involved they’re all making money from it.

“There’s no care for the animals that are involved, the offenders have one thing in common and that’s unfortunately to make money.”

Join No Reason 4 Rubbish and become rubbish warrior

By Renee Wood The community is being encouraged to join a local litter group to help clean up the Yarra Ranges.

No Reason 4 Rubbish first started in 2020, with founder Cindy DeLuca wanting to start a movement that ‘everyone can do’.

The group has since grown on social media to include more than 400 members and there’s still room for more to join.

“Our commitment to our community is a long term investment. Myself, co-founder Kylie Shorter, committee members Michelle Zwagerman and Kath Holton have been invaluable in helping this group stay honest and grow,” Ms DeLuca said.

Ms DeLuca is hoping residents living in other areas throughout the Yarra Ranges will sign on to the Facebook group and become rubbish warriors.

“One member found about 800 bottles that have just been stashed in a bushed areas off one of the roads in Healesville, New Grove Road, so someone has been just a serial tosser.”

Roadsides, parks, reserves and local streets are areas group members look to pick up trash and Ms De Luca believes the amount of litter is only growing as the region becomes popular with more visitors.

“There’s coffee cups, there’s beer cans you name it - cigarette packets, slurpees.

“Healesville railway station, a tourist destination, there’s a lot of rubbish around there, there’s a lot of rubbish in the Queen’s Park area, and people pick up in that area all the time.

18 MAIL

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Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

NR4R group members and Bendigo Bank Board members came together for a clean up day in Healesville.

“Walking from Maroondah highway the Healesville entrance out towards the Yarra River and that area, we would come back and have eight to nine garbage bags and that’s just one clean up.”

Bendigo Bank has also sponsored the group, allowing NR4R to purchase logoed hivis, grabbers, gloves and other safety items.

Yarra Ranges Council has also supported the movement, providing insurance and rubbish pick ups.

A clean up event was held on Saturday 15 January in Healesville to do a sweep of the

area and to connect members.

There’s plans for more clean up events to be held in the future throughout the LGA as more residents come on board in the region.

Ms DeLuca said everyday walks are also a great opportunity for everyone to pick up rubbish in they’re own ‘patch’ on nature strips, streets and parks, which will go along way in assisting the group and the environment.

“It’s a good feeling once you clean up, you drive or walk back through it and think it looks so good now.”

Pictures: SUPPLIED

Several bags of rubbish were picked up at the clean up event in Healesville. mailcommunity.com.au

SPORT

Cricket carnival success

By Mikayla van Loon The Victorian Metropolitan Cricket Union wrapped up its 2022 representative cricket carnival over the weekend, seeing the Ringwood and District Cricket Association have a grand final win.

Ten teams took to the field on day one of the carnival on 5 January ranging from under 12 to under 18.

Although all played great cricket, it was the under 16 Keith Mackay boys and under 14 Russell Allen boys who managed to score themselves a spot in the grand final on Sunday 16 January.

In the Keith Mackay Shield, RDCA played the South East Cricket Association where they were able to take wickets early and run away with a winning score of 7/193 to take home the third premiership in three years.

The under 14’s didn’t have as much luck losing a tight match to the South East, falling 11 runs short of the title.

RDCA president Michael Finn said the association has always been quite successful in the summer carnival because it is a rather large playing organisation, particularly with the inclusion of the Yarra Valley sides last year.

“We always have a very, very large contingency because we want to give the kids right across the grades, the very best opportunity to participate in a representative pathway because it’s really really good fun,” he said.

While achieving premierships is a bonus, Mr Finn said the reward comes from these children and young adults being able to play with their peers and represent their association at a higher level.

“We measure the success of the carnival by how many teams we field, did the kids have a great time and are they going to be playing in the cricket landscape moving forward.

“And yes, you play to win at the representative level but winning in junior sports is not the only thing and particularly in this current Omicron environment, participation is the key.”

Players from all clubs across the RDCA came together to play the best of the best from other associations, something Mr Finn said would give any child a sense of pride particularly after two years of lockdowns and being unable to see their friends.

“All of these kids would have suffered significantly through lockdown over the last two years and the representative carnival would

The representative players were proud and excited to put on the RDCA colours and make new friends as they stepped out on the field.

Pictures: FIELD OF VIEW SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

RDCA player bowling in the under 16 Keith Mackay competition. actually help these kids in their mental health.

“It would help them with their enthusiasm, it would actually help them with their sense of

Players from the under 17 Mel Jones competition gave the thumbs up as they took the pitch against Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association.

self worth, if some of them are struggling.

“Getting out there and being deemed to be one of the best players in our competition does

wonders for those young minds to restore their faith and restore their excitement and their enthusiasm in life.”

RDCA cricket to continue under CovidSafe guidelines

By Mikayla van Loon As a sport relatively unaffected by Covid-19 in previous years, those at the Ringwood and District Cricket Association (RDCA) are moving into the second half of the season with caution.

RDCA president Michael Finn said the association is taking its advice from Sports Recreation Victoria and Cricket Victoria and will continue to move forward with the season based on those governing bodies’ approval.

“We made it quite clear to the clubs at the start of the season, we would always defer to state government guidelines because there is not a unique set of rules for a cricket association, we form part of the broader community,” Mr Finn said.

In order to continue playing cricket as usual, clubs within the association have had to reinstate their CovidSafe plans for both training and playing, particularly around usage of the clubrooms.

Mr Finn said it will be up to individual clubs to ensure the guidelines set out by Cricket Victoria are followed but most clubs have been quick to respond to the rules and regulations around playing community sport.

“The response from the clubs has been nothing short of magnificent. Our clubs last year, all of them did an unbelievable job in understanding they had a very large responmailcommunity.com.au

The Ringwood and District Cricket Association will continue with the second half of the cricket season under CovidSafe practices.

Picture: RDCA sibility both to themselves, their members, to the cricketing community but also to their local community,” he said.

“So for them coming back to this conversation now, it’s not a new thing to any of our clubs and they have been nothing short of magnificent in their ability to re-adopt [their CovidSafe plans].”

To make things easier, Mr Finn said in a usual season, clubs that need to forfeit matches close to the time of playing may incur a fine or penalty but because of the nature of the omicron variant, RDCA have scrapped fines for teams that don’t have enough players due to illness or isolation.

“We’ve removed a significant amount of either the penalties or the barriers relating to specific timelines or deadlines that things need to be done by and we’ve been as flexible as we can be,” Mr Finn said.

RDCA is already aware of some clubs that won’t be able to field teams due to players being in isolation but Mr Finn said there are clubs on both ends of the spectrum.

“Some clubs have got less than half a dozen players out and there are other clubs that have 30 to 40 people out of their playing group.

“As people come in and out of isolation, for the next eight weeks of the home and

away season, before we get into finals, we already know it’s going to be a moving target and clubs are going to be hit in a variety of different weeks, with a variety of different numbers.

“We’ve removed all those barriers just so the clubs, with whoever they’ve got, can actually get a team on the park and play cricket.”

Although safety of players and spectators is first and foremost the responsibility of the RDCA, Mr Finn said because clubs have been so responsive to the protocols, allowing clubs to play cricket is the second most important role of the association.

“Community sport, whether cricket, basketball, baseball or whatever, playing sport, in our view and in my personal view, it’s absolutely vital to get people out and active.

“It’s vital for the stimulation of people’s mental health. It’s vital for people to get around their friends or their colleagues or their mates, so they can actually have the interaction because we’ve spent two years in lockdown.”

As a summer sport, Mr Finn said cricket was very lucky to have been able to play a full season last year and what looks to be another full season this year should things remain the same.

The RDCA committee will continue to monitor changes to the rules and work alongside governing bodies to ensure the season can continue safely.

Tuesday, 18 January, 2022

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MAIL 19

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