Mail - Ferntree Gully Star Mail - 17th January 2023

Ferntree Gully Belgrave

Emergency services’ swift action to save fallen horse

Resident calls for road safety upgrades in Belgrave

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

Mail

A Star News Group Publication

Demand grows for rentals in the hills

Pharmacies experience medication shortages

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PAGE 8 Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808

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Clearing concerns

By Tyler Wright

Contracted by Victorian Government agency the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), VicForests is preparing to remove fallen debris from one larger spot near the Silvan Dam, and the other south near Fern Gully Track to use for commercial and community use.

Picture: ROB CAREW “I think it’s a mistake for people to think of them as waste trees or fire risks...that’s just not the case,” Mr Lindenmayer said.

“We have done quite a lot of work over a long time to indicate when you start to do

this...you make it more flammable, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen in this case as has happened in many parts of Victoria over the last 30 or 40 years.

Continued page 3

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be burnt,” he said. But ecology professor at the Australian National University (ANU), David Lindenmayer, said it is “totally inappropriate” to undertake what he calls a salvage logging operation in a national park.

12584630-JC03-22

Landcare groups are concerned over “unprecedented” plans to remove debris in two earmarked zones of the Dandenong Ranges National Park impacted by the June 2021 storm event.

Contracted by Victorian Government agency the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), VicForests is preparing to remove fallen debris from one larger spot near the Silvan Dam, and the other south near Fern Gully Track to use for commercial and community use.

Forest Fire Management Chief Fire Officer Chris Hardman said VicForests will “only be removing fallen debris from these two sites within the Bushfire Moderation Zone, with the combined size of these sites totalling an area roughly 50 hectares in size”.

“The vast majority of the areas impacted by the June 2021 storms will be left to decompose naturally,” Mr Hardman said.

“The high volume of debris within the two sites will increase the bushfire risk to unacceptable levels.

“The two identified sites provide protection to the Melbourne Water Silvan Treatment Plant, which provides 82 per cent of Melbourne’s drinking water, and provide critical protection to communities around the Kalorama and Silvan areas.”

Mr Hardman said as the two sites are within Bushfire Moderation Zones, they are subjected to regular fuel management operations including planned burning and mechanical treatment.

“Removing some of the large debris will minimise the need for planned burning in the area and provides an opportunity for community and commercial use that would otherwise

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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NEWS

IN BRIEF

Stolen heartbreak

By Parker McKenzie World War II medals, jewellery handcrafted by grandparents and a necklace marking the death of her baby son were some of the items stolen from Karen Elbourne’s family home in Ferntree Gully, after it was robbed on Sunday 8 January.

Ms Elbourne put out a call for help online asking for assistance in locating the stolen items, and she told the Star Mail several items of sentimental value were taken during the robbery, much to her and the family’s dismay.

“My grandfather was a signalman during World War Two and he was corresponding with my grandmother, they did romance through letters while was stationed,” she said.

“He spent his time while he was posted carving those little items out of pearl shells that he went diving for with a blunt butter knife.”

Other sentimental items taken during the robbery included war medals that belonged to her husband’s grandfather and a necklace marking the death of her son Ryan.

Ms Elbourne said the awful experience is made worse by the fact that while the items are precious and sentimental to her family, they have very little monetary value.

“To anyone else, it won’t have the same story and just heartbreaking to think that someone would just throw it out because they don’t know,” she said.

“I’ve learned not to store things of value with things that are just sentimental value if that’s helpful to anyone.”

She said if anyone knows any information or finds the items, they should contact Boronia Police Station, where she made the original report after the robbery.

Police are searching for the driver of a vehicle who allegedly failed to stop after a hit-and-run in The Patch on Saturday 7 January.

At around 9.23am, a 38-year-old man was riding his pushbike on Monbulk Road in The Patch, near the Picnic Ground, when a driver in a white car hit him from behind.

After the driver failed to stop following the collision, the cyclist was taken to the Angliss Hospital in Ferntree Gully with non-lifethreatening injuries by a driver of a different vehicle who stopped to assist him.

Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information should contact Leading Senior Constable Peter Edyvane at Monbulk Police Station on 9756 6266.

Statistics show drop in criminal incidents The pearl shell jewellery was hand carved by Karen Elbourne’s grandfather for her grandmother.

War medals belonging to the family were stolen.

A necklace marking the death of Karen Elbourne’s son Ryan was also stolen.

Picture: SUPPLIED

“Hopefully someone knows something or they might see something and get it returned,” she said. “They’re not worth anything. He wasn’t a jeweller or anything; they’re just spe-

cial because of the story behind the items.”

If anyone has any information regarding the stolen items, they can contact Boronia Police Station at 9760 6600.

Groups push for stop to debris clearing From page 1 “We know from the Black Summer fire that we went through in 2019-20 that logged forests always burnt at significantly higher severity than intact forest.”

Mr Lindenmayer is calling on the Victorian Government to “change the way it’s doing things”.

“We should not be logging national parks full stop. We should not be removing timber from national parks full stop.”

Southern Dandenongs Landcare Group President Robert Pergl said removing the debris has the has the potential to do more damage in a forest that is recovering and at a point of vulnerability.

“I think the commercial use of logs coming out of a national park for commercial incentive is completely inappropriate and it’s not something the local community expects, and they really want our park estate to be protected,” Mr Pergl said.

Parks Protection Advocate at the Victori-

From left, Ian, Meghan, Jane, Alex, Baeckea, Don, Rob Pergl (President of Southern Dandenongs Landcare Group), Jasmine, Eva, Judy, Sally, Eliza, Catherine are pushing for the Victorian Government to reconsider its planned operation in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. 315015 Picture: ROB CAREW an National Parks Association (VNPA), Jordan Crook, said national parks are meant to be protected through the National Parks Act.

“Even though the logs are on the ground, they still provide significant habitat to threatened species in the area, like the broad-toothed rat and the antechinus,” Mr Crook said.

“National parks are our highest level of protection of natural areas in Victoria, and they’re not areas to be logged, they’re areas to be looked after and protected for conservation and recreation.

“The logs should be left as habitat. Even if they are burnt, they still provide habitat to the threatened species and wildlife that call the national park home.”

Mr Hardman said DEECA’s Dandenong Ranges National Park operation is “not salvage logging”.

“DEECA has a legal obligation to manage bushfire risk in State Forests, National Parks and on protected public land. VicForests has been engaged by DEECA as its contractor to help manage the bushfire risk in the Dandenong Ranges National Park by removing excess fallen timber,” he said.

The Knox and Yarra Ranges local government areas both saw a drop in criminal incidents during the year up to September, according to new statistics released in December 2022.

The data, released on 15 December, covered the nine-month period from January to September 2022 and was produced by Crime Statistics Agency Victoria.

Knox saw a 13 per cent drop in criminal incidents compared to the first nine months of 2021, while Yarra Ranges saw a 7.6 per cent decrease.

Boronia saw a drop from 1381 criminal incidents to 1144, Ferntree Gully from 1306 to 1101 and Bayswater from 883 to 729 compared to 2021.

Mt Dandenong Motorcycle accident A motorcyclist was flown by helicopter to the Royal Melbourne Hospital after a crash in Mt Dandenong on Saturday 14 January.

At around 8.05am a man in his 20s left the road while riding his motorbike through Kalorama and Mt Dandenong, receiving multiple life-threatening injuries.

Paramedics treated the man and stabilized his injuries while nine members of Lilydale SES used a spine board, a basket stretcher a low-angle rope system to move the man back onto the road.

The man was then moved to a nearby oval, where he was flown by air ambulance to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in “a critical condition.”

Police seeking man who can assist with sexual assault inquiry Police detectives are appealing to the public to help identify a man following an alleged sexual assault at a Wantirna South Shopping Centre.

Police said a man entered a clothing store around 1pm before being approached by a woman employed by the business. After the man spoke to the woman, he allegedly sexually assaulted her and left.

The man appears to be aged in his 50s, around 152cm tall with dark hair and eyes. Police said he is “perceived to be of Indian subcontinental in appearance,” and was wearing a large blue coat, blue jeans and brown runners.

Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www. crimestoppersvic.com.au

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AVONSLEIGH Avonsleigh News & General Store 445 Belgrave Gembrook Road BELGRAVE Belgrave Newsagency 1704 Burwood Highway BELGRAVE Woolworths Supermarket 1629 Burwood Highway

EMERALD Bell Real Estate 313 Main Street FERNTREE GULLY Upper Ferntree Gully Newsagents, 1202 Burwood Highway FERNTREE GULLY Glenfern Road Milk Bar , 83 Glenfern Road

MONBULK Monbulk Newsagency & Officesmart 76 Main Street OLINDA Monbulk Bowling Club, 11 Moores Road OLINDA Olinda Cellars Shop 7/540 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road

BELGRAVE IGA 151 Belgrave-Hallam Road BELGRAVE Chandler & Co Real Estate 1689 Burwood Hwy

FERNTREE GULLY Coles Supermarket Mountain Gate SC Ferntree Gully Road FERNTREE GULLY Woolworths Supermarket Mountain Gate SC

OLINDA Ranges at Olinda 5 Old Main Road OLINDA IGA Supermarket 1526 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road

BELGRAVE First National Real Estate 1 Bayview Road BELGRAVE SOUTH Belgrave South Motors 138 Belgrave-Hallam Rd BORONIA Boronia Mall Newsagent Corner Floriston Road & Chandler Road

Ferntree Gully Road FERNTREE GULLY Mountain Gate Newsagency & Lotto Mountain Gate SC 9b Ferntree Gully Road FERNTREE GULLY Ferntree Gully Authorized Newsagency Shp 2/69 Station Street

OLINDA Bell Real Estate 11 Main Road SASSAFRAS Sassafras General Store 391 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road SILVAN Shell Princi Motors, 275 - 277 Monbulk Road TECOMA BP Service Station 1524 Burwood Highway TECOMA Bon Ton General Store 1537 Burwood Highway

EMERALD Kaye Charles RE 12a Kilvington Drive EMERALD Ritchies SUPA IGA 342 Belgrave-Gembrook Road EMERALD Emerald Village Newsagency 4 Kilvington Drive

FERNTREE GULLY Shell Service Station 1140 Burwood Highway FERNY CREEK Ferny Creek & Post Office 195 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road GEMBROOK Gembrook Post Office& Newsagent 72 Main Street GEMBROOK IGA Supermarket 83/85 Main Street

EMERALD Woolworths Supermarket Belgrave Gembrook Road EMERALD Auto Plus More Petrol Station 365 Main Street

KALORAMA Post Office 1209 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road MONBULK Best Repairs & Accessories Monbulk - 26 Main Road

TREMONT Caltex Service Station 100 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road UPWEY Newsagent 18 Main Street

EMERALD Shell Service Station 336 Main Street EMERALD Barry Plant Real Estate 1/ 321 Main Street

MONBULK Food Express 128 Main Road MONBULK Woolworths Supermarket Main Road & Moores Road

UPWEY IGA Supermarket 62-64 Main Street UPWEY Yarra Ranges Shire Council 40 Main Street

TECOMA O’Brien Real Estate 1567 Burwood Highway TECOMA McDonald’s Restaurant 1529 Burwood Highway THE PATCH The Patch Store and Post office 16 The Patch Road

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COCKATOO Ranges First National Shop 2, 24 McBride Street COCKATOO IGA Cockatoo 34 McBride Street

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NEWS

22-year-old Gelding, Jack, was resced after being found in a septic tank.

Pictures: SUPPLIED

Crews were able excavate Jack, who was at risk of death from drowning, from the tank.

Swift action to save Jack

By Tyler Wright Local brigades have come together to rescue a horse at risk of drowning on a Belgrave South property.

Jack, a 22-year-old Gelding, fell into a large septic tank on Thursday 12 January, with Belgrave South Fire Brigade, Narre Warren East Rural Fire Brigade, Fire Rescue Victoria called to assist alongside Macclesfield Fire Brigade.

With specialist equipment for large animal rescues, Macclesfield Fire Brigade was able to halter and lift the horse out of the tight space

after accompanying crews bucketed sewerage out of the tank.

“We had to get some straps underneath the horse. We use these big wide straps that don’t dig into them and then we hook that up to a spreader bar and then that goes on to an excavator,” Macclesfield Fire Brigade Captain Sharon Merritt said.

“We used an excavator that they had on site, and then we got the vet to sedate the horse because it’s very stressful for them, and we don’t want them thrashing around while we’re trying to get them out because it gets too dangerous.

“The horse was slightly sedated, and then we use the excavator to lift it out of the pit and onto the ground where I think it had one cut on its leg, which while it was sedated, the vet dressed and bandaged.”

Leaving the scene with Jack walking around with the vet and his owner by his said, Ms Merritt said the prognosis was “pretty good”.

“It’s very satisfying, we always like to see them recover” Ms Merritt said Macclesfield Fire Brigade is called out to around 15 large animal rescues a year, being one of the two brigades in the state

with the necessary equipment.

One of these rescues included 38-year-old gelding Kamir, which got stuck in a drain on a Monbulk property in June 2022.

“It varies a lot, and it’s not just horses... sometimes we do cows, we do alpacas, we’ve had camels, so pretty much any large animal,” Ms Merritt said.

“They get stuck in ditches, stuck in mud, in septic tanks.

“I like a successful one...they’re not always successful”

Spike in family incidents

By Parker McKenzie

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

The Yarra Ranges Local Government Area saw an increase in family incidents in the first nine months of 2022 compared to the previous year, despite a decrease in overall criminal incidents being reported.

According to data released by Crime Statistics Agency Victoria on 15 December, there were 2,048 family incidents in the Yarra Ranges from January to September 2022, an 18.8 per cent increase compared to the first nine months of 2021.

A family incident is an “incident attended

by Victoria Police where a Victoria Police Risk Assessment and Risk Management Report was completed.”

Of those 2,048 incidents, 1,440 of the affected family members were women and 600 were men.

Yarra Ranges Council Director of Communities Jane Price said violence against women continues to be one of the most serious issues in the community.

“Local government has an important role to play in influencing change through the delivery of our programs and services, setting behavioural and cultural standards, and working to change systems and structures that contribute to inequality,” she said.

She said preventing violence against women is one of the seven goals of the council’s Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021-2025 and the council works in partnership and provides funding for vital organisations like Orange Door, Eastern Legal Community Care and EDVOS. “In our prevention role, we work with key settings such as schools, early childhood centres and sporting clubs to promote gender equity,” she said. “We collaborate with community health, State Government, community and local domestic violence services, leading and partnering on programs to promote gender equity.”

Orange Door, a free service for adults, children and young people experiencing or have experienced family violence and for families needing support for children, is listed as the specialist family violence service in Melbourne’s Eastern Metropolitan Region

on Yarra Ranges Council’s website.

A Family Safety Victoria Spokesperson said Orange Door in Outer Eastern Melbourne provides much-needed family violence and well-being support for families when they need it close to home.

“Victoria is leading the nation with its work to end family violence, with more than $3.7 billion invested since the Royal Commission into Family Violence: more than every other state and territory combined,” the spokesperson said. “Local residents can access support by phone and email, or faceto-face in Croydon. We’re ensuring that help and support are available across the region no matter where you live.”

The rate of family incidents in the Yarra Ranges was 1,306.2 per 100,000 people, which was below the Victorian average of 1,387.9. Statewide, the statistics showed a decrease in overall family incidents around Victoria, despite the increase in the Yarra Ranges LGA. Ms Price said some of the previous council projects include e-safety social media defence seminars for women and girls in Yarra Ranges, the Men as Caregivers poster series, Creating a Place for Women in Sport tool, Rest and Rejuvenate spaces for women and the Taking it Step by Step Mentoring Women project. “Everyone in the community has a role to play in preventing violence against women: by examining our attitudes and behaviours, by treating others with respect and, importantly, by challenging unacceptable behaviour when we see or hear it - online, from friends and family members and from strangers.”

The Orange Door Outer Eastern Melbourne is open Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. For more information, visit orangedoor.vic.gov.au.

If you or someone you know is at risk of family violence, the following services can be contacted: EDVOS - 9259 4200; Orange Door - 1800 271 150; Eastern Community Legal Centre - 1300 325 200; Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre - 1800 015 188 (24hrs). mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Millions for sealing cut

By Tyler Wright The hopes of thousands of residents across the Yarra Ranges and Cardinia Shire have been “dashed” by the Federal government’s decision to cut funding in the October budget for longawaited road projects for locals.

Yarra Ranges Council confirmed it received verbal confirmation that more than $100 million would be cut from the local Roads for the Community program, with $150 million announced in 2019 by the liberal government to seal 187 kilometers of unsealed roads in the Yarra Ranges by 2029.

The council will receive $47.7 million of the original $150 million promised.

Cardinia Shire was expected to have 100 kilometres of unsealed roads in the municipality sealed through the Sealing the Hills program with $150 million from the Federal Government, but will only receive $41 million.

One road expected to be sealed in the 2022 to 2023 financial year was Gleghorn Road in Kallista.

A resident for 30 years, who chose not to be named, was “surprised” and “pleased” when the Federal Liberal government around four years ago committed funding to seal roads throughout the Yarra Ranges.

“Three years ago, [my husband] and I were talking... and we discussed this, and if we were to move it would be because of the road, because it’s a dangerous road from ingesting the road base as well as the condition on the road,” the resident said.

Now, after years of road incidents and dust, their hopes have been put into doubt.

“It’s such a shame we’re being denied a normal life that other people take for granted.

“It’s not just ‘oh we get dusty cars,’ it is part of our way of life that has become difficult to live with, and when it’s going to be further extended over who knows how many years, it is

A resident on Gleghorn Road in Kallista said the decision to cut funding for the Roads for the Community program will impact people thought “all the Hills”. Picture: TYLER WRIGHT going to impact on so many people’s lives in all the Hills.”

Cockatoo 21st Century Roads Action Group (CRAG21) undertook a survey 2017, consulting those on 1st and 2nd Avenue and some surrounding Garden State Reserve.

According to CRAG21 Chairperson Janice Crittenden, the survey found more than 80 per cent of people supported sealing the roads.

“It’s the relief of not having to deal with so many issues like the dust and the potholes and the physical impacts on us, that you can’t open the doors and enjoy the beautiful vista outside because you’ve got dust everywhere and it affects everything, including the pets and the residents,” Ms Crittenden said.

The announcement that the Federal government would be cutting its contribution to the Sealing the Hills program left Ms Crittenden “devastated”.

“This is not just half a dozen people this is affecting, because there are thousands of people who are going to be affected by this, and not to mention their dreams, hopes and wishes, they’re still going to have to put up with the dust after 100 years,” she said.

“Your hopes and wishes, they’ve been dashed.”

Yarra Ranges Council Mayor, Councillor Jim Child said the council is “very disappointed” the federal government will be cutting over $100 million in funding from the Roads for the Community Initiative.

“Sealing public roads, previously, came at significant cost to community members, due to the lack of government support,” Mr Child said.

“Roads for the Community heavily subsidised landowner contributions, and would have allowed us to complete almost 100 years’ worth of road sealing projects before 2030. It also provided the opportunity for power companies to consider undergrounding infrastructure while roads were under construction.”

Mr Child said most of the road projects planned for the community,”including all not currently tendered and contracted - will likely have to be abandoned”.

“Roads for the Community has already delivered significant local employment opportunities, and we believe the initiative would have a tremendous economic and social benefit for the entire municipality. It would have also improved community safety, access for emergency vehicles, and reduce road maintenance needs like dust suppressant, grading and pothole filling,” he said.

“We’ve already engaged with hundreds of community members, who have been overwhelmingly supportive of these projects, particularly the subsidy that the Federal funding provided to landowners - which had more than halved the cost to residents for con-

structing roads. “We urge the Federal Government to reconsider this decision, and we are extremely disappointed on behalf of our impacted communities.”

A Cardinia Shire Council spokesperson told the Star Mail the council is continuing to seek “urgent clarification” about the status of funding the Sealing the Hills program.

“Council is awaiting written confirmation regarding the status of the funding, and is working to clarify the potential impacts that this funding cut will have on projects that have been committed to and those already underway,” the spokesperson said.

“We will continue to keep project stakeholders and our community informed.”

A spokesperson for federal Transport Minister Catherine King said the Australian Government has provided $66.8 million to date to deliver a large number of projects to seal and upgrade roads across the Dandenong Ranges region.

“Following discussions between the Minister’s office and both councils’ mayors, the Australian Government will provide $47.7 million to the Yarra Ranges Council and $41 million to the Cardinia Shire Council to ensure these works can be delivered,” the spokesperson said.

“There are over 500 local government areas nationwide and this was a special carve out by the Coalition for just two councils in marginal electorates.

“The Australian Government was clear that all infrastructure projects would be reviewed line by line to ensure value for taxpayers money.”

CRAG21 is expected to present a petition to federal parliament in coming weeks to appeal for the Federal government to reinstate the original $150 million allocated to the Sealing the Hills program in the May 2023 budget.

Calls for upgrades after three crashes in nine months

By Tyler Wright A Dandenong Ranges resident is calling for action after three car accidents in the span of nine months have resulted in near collisions at her family’s property in Belgrave.

Natasha Ivanoff is calling for a railing to be installed along the strip which runs along the Belgrave-Hallam Road property, after three incidents in the past nine months with cars steering off the road and into her parents’ yard.

One incident occurred in April 2022, followed by another in September, with the most recent crash occurring on Wednesday 4 January 2023.

The latest incident occurred minutes after Natasha’s children had finished playing nearby.

“That area is where [my children] go to swim...we’ve got a creek going around the property...and it’s quite wide...It would only take a car to just come another five metres, and [the car] would be on top of them,” she said.

“I said to my kids ‘if you even hear any crash at all, just run.’

“They shouldn’t have to do that.”

One shed on the property has been “totally demolished” in an accident, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage, Natasha said.

According to Natasha, car accidents have been an issue for the around 50 years her parents have lived on Belgrave-Hallam Road, but the issue has escalated in the past five years.

“It’s the same spot every time; there’s a permanent path through the bush, over the embankment,” she said.

In 2021, the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) investigated the stretch of Belgrave-Hallam Road after listening to the concerns of the local community and found the site lines, guidepost and line marking were appropriate at the location.

But Natasha said the existing infrastrucmailcommunity.com.au

The most recent car accident on Wednesday 4 January.

A white ute crashed into the Belgrave property on 17 September 2022. ture isn’t enough; and is calling on the DTP to install a safety barrier to prevent more incidents.

“I’m outraged...we simply just want a safety barrier in that section,” she said.

A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson told the Star Mail that crews investigated Belgrave-Hallam Road in 2021

Pictures: SUPPLIED

after hearing the concerns of the local community, and “found roadside infrastructure along this stretch to be appropriate”.

“In light of the recent incident, DTP will review the 2021 investigation and, if necessary, identify any changes to the road environment,” the spokesperson said.

Considering requests for upgrades on a

The embankment from Belgrave Hallam Road onto the Ivanoff’s property. state-wide and case by case basis, the DTP takes various factors into account, including the number and type of vehicles using the stretch of road.

The historical safety record of the site and the impact the upgrading of the road would have on the performance of the surrounding road are also taken into consideration.

Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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MAIL 5

NEWS

Digital resources needed

By Parker McKenzie Trove — the National Library of Australia’s research portal —has been a valuable resource for historians, researchers, academics and journalists since it was first launched in 2009.

The digital platform gives free access to over 6 billion historical items from around 900 Australian institutions, from newspapers, birth and death records, magazines, books, letters, music, audio and more.

According to the 2022 Trove Strategy, produced by the National Library of Australia, without additional funds, the Library “will need to cease offering the Trove service entirely,” and only currently has the resources to maintain it until June 2023.

President of the Monbulk Historical Society Armin Richter said if this happened, it would “mean the loss of an incredible tool for searchers, historians, Historical Societies and individuals who want to quickly and conveniently look something up from wherever they may be.”

“The ease of use and the vast amount of digitised information on hand means that it has just about become the first port of call when checking up on a historical event or even just an individual name,” he said.

“Before Trove, it was necessary to go to the State Library and read through the microfilmed newspapers which were both timeconsuming and also made it easily possible to miss something obscure which the Trove digital word recognition picks up.”

Most of the newspapers digitised in Trove are from the 1830s to the 1950s, with newer papers often unavailable due to copyright restrictions.

Mr Richter said it isn’t just a governmentfunded resource, with many individuals and groups paying to digitize items to be made available for the wider public, free of charge.

“Wayne Hodges, in particular, has been a driving force in helping to get mountain district newspapers around the Ferntree Gully and Belgrave districts digitized,” he said.

Current Monbulk Historical Society President Armin Richter with former president Jill A’Vard.

Picture: ON FILE

Copies of the Ferntree Gully News — spanning 24 years — can be found on Trove.

“It would be a sad loss if that time, effort and money was spent for nothing.”

Some of the local newspapers digitised with the assistance of Mr Hodges, the Dandenong Ranges Historical Council, Eastern Regional Libraries, Knox City Council and the Knox Historical Society include the 1920-21 Mountaineer, 1921-22 The Pilot, 1923-47 Ferntree Gully News and the 1947-54 Free Press.

Mr Hodges, who runs the Digitise Knox and Dandenong Ranges’ News site, said care grants from Knox City and Yarra Ranges councils and the Public Records Office of Victoria alongside community fundraising have uploaded 35 years from five newspapers to be searchable on Trove.

Picture: TROVE

“The situation is that Federal Government funding for the Trove platform runs out in July,” he said.

“Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke has promised to end the cultural wars by addressing the needs of the National Library of Australia and Trove in a Federal Government Culture Plan due to be released on 30 January, although the funding allocated will not be revealed until the Federal Budget release in May.” Mr Burke was contacted for comment.

Mr Hodges said Trove benefits the local community and Australians in a range of ways.

“It allows people to locate library items in other libraries. The digitised newspapers also

benefit heritage tourism, historical societies, galleries, libraries, archives and museums, schools and universities, journalists and the publishing sector,” he said.

“If Trove is discontinued or not as accessible great benefits will be lost. For a small expense, great returns can be realised.”

Support from the local community benefits trove too. Mr Richter has corrected over 130,000 lines of text in Trove himself but said he wouldn’t be in the top 500 people who have helped the digital collection in this way.

“Over 70,000 individuals have now corrected over 450,000,000 lines of text which makes searches more definitive for the future,” he said.

“Many people who do genealogy can quickly find ancestors through the Births, Deaths and Marriages columns which would often have been near impossible before Trove.”

Funding for the platform has been uneven at best under the previous Coalition government. After cuts to funding in 2016, a campaign to save Trove helped secure a funding package for the National Library, however, without sustained and secure funding Trove’s future remains in doubt.

Don’t travel to bushland 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 Catastrophic, avoid travelling to high risk bush or grassfire areas. It’s safer to travel to cities or towns for the day.

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

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NEWS

Rental demand ongoing

By Tyler Wright Despite recent data reporting an increase in rental vacancy rates, real estate professionals are seeing an increase in demand for rental properties throughout the Dandenong Ranges with a vast amount of rentals now being snapped up off market.

Based in Belgrave, Ranges First National Real Estate has seen an increase in demand for rentals throughout the Belgrave, Emerald, Gembook, Ferny Creek areas and across the Dandenongs throughout the past couple of years, with around 30 rentals leased without advertising since March 2022.

“Tenants have been contacting us a lot more to try and get in before they think anyone else is,” Ranges First National Director Mick Dolphin said.

“Every time something came up, the rent was astronomical because we had eight people applying for it...so those rents went up during Covid and they’ve stayed up as we’ve gone back to normal,” Mr Dolphin said.

According to Business Development Manager Amy Carson, demand has not been able to meet supply.

“Too many people looking for houses and [there are] not enough houses, rental wise,” Ms Carson said.

“We’re still getting people coming out from the city, they’re looking for the lifestyle.

“We’re also finding existing renters in the area as well; wanting to stay in the area.”

According to CoreLogic’s most recent report on rentals in the country, published on Tuesday 10 January, the pace of rental value growth has slowed for the second consecutive month, sitting at 2.0 per cent in the December quarter compared to 2.3 per cent in the September quarter.

This is one per cent lower than the peak quarterly growth rate of 3.0 per cent in the three months to May. “The decline in quarterly rental growth

Real estate agents in the Dandenong Ranges are seeing an increased demand for rental properties despite a slight increase in vacancy rates in the December quarter. Picture: SUPPLIED rates observed in the December quarter was led by the capital cities where rents continued to increase but at a slightly slower rate than they have done in September and June quarters,” CoreLogic Head of Research and report

author Eliza Owen said.

But despite the drop in rent value growth and a slight jump in rental vacancy rates (1.05 per cent in November to 1.17 per cent) in December, Ms Owen said “it’s not great news for

tenants just yet”.

“Rents are still rising in most capital cities and regional areas with vacancy rates low,” Ms Owen said.

Mr Dolphin said the increased cost of rental properties is the “new normal”.

“20 per cent of our rent roll’s been sold, so there’s actually less houses available to rent because a lot of landlords cash in or just can’t be bothered doing other compliance checks and keeping things up to standard, because it can be a very expensive thing to do on some houses,” he said.

The median price for a rental property in Belgrave is $540 per week, with the median cost in Upwey slightly higher at $563 per week, according to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.

And the hunt for rentals isn’t expected to slow down in 2023.

“We don’t expect it to slow down, it’s probably gotten busier over the last fortnight...we’re picking up and taking a lot more owners coming into the market,” Ms Carson said.

According to the CoreLogic report, Melbourne is the cheapest capital city to rent in Australia with a median value of $507 per week, followed by Adelaide, Hobart, Perth and Brisbane at $518 per week, $552 per week, $553 per week and $588 per week respectively.

ABS population data has showed a weakening internal migration trend across Canberra and a strong return in net overseas migration for Sydney and Melbourne, the report said.

“Unlike Canberra, high levels of net overseas migration to NSW and Victoria has vastly offset negative net internal migration flows in the year to June 2022,” Ms Owen said.

“Prior to the pandemic, Sydney and Melbourne alone accounted for around two thirds of net overseas arrivals, with high density city centres being among the most popular destinations. This has likely contributed to unprecedented annual growth in unit rents over 2022, which was 15.5 per cent across Sydney and 14.2 per cent in Melbourne.”

Interest rates ‘hold people back’ from purchasing

By Mikayla van Loon With house prices seeing a record decline around the country, local real estate agents are seeing similar trends occur on their doorstep as interest rates push prices down.

The value of house prices has seen its largest decline on record in just nine months since peaking in May last year according to data released by CoreLogic on Monday 9 January.

The Australia-wide figure indicated an -8.4 per cent drop between 7 May 2022 and 7 January 2023, with Victoria showing the third highest downturn of -8.6 per cent.

This broke the previous record when home values fell -8.38 per cent between October 2017 and June 2019 countrywide.

Methven Professionals managing director Geoff Earney said within their group, figures show a five to seven per cent drop in house prices and a 10 to 12 per cent drop in unit prices with the most active prices leaning into the $600,000 to $800,000 range.

While price drops are bringing buyers in, the interest rates are curbing sales, with Mr Earney saying Professionals Real Estate sales have decreased by at least a third compared to the same time last year.

That’s despite seeing between 250 and 390 prospective buyers on average at inspections each week from August to early December in 2022.

“The buyers are out there. They’re just having their wings clipped by the amount of money they can afford to borrow from the bank,” Mr Earney said.

“Interest rates are just below five per cent at the moment and the banks are doing their homework on eight, maybe depending on which bank it is, eight and a half per cent to make sure that future interest rate rises are not going to put the buyers in trouble.”

Given the downward trend of house prices is being attributed to the 300 basis point increase of the cash rate made by the Reserve mailcommunity.com.au

House prices across the country have declined by record amounts as interests rates rise.

Picture: ON FILE Bank of Australia (RBA) over eight months, Mr Earney said it will depend on them whether prices fall further or plateau.

“It’ll take a little bit of time for this to settle. It depends on what the Reserve Bank does with the interest rates when they come back in February,” he said.

“The data that’s going to come out will be able to show whether the overall cost of living in the market is slowing and whether they’re trying to get this inflation under control… inflation is being fuelled by things which are beyond all of our control and house prices seem to be one of those ones that are caught up in it.”

Although not sure whether this will be the new normal for house prices, Mr Earney said he does expect interest rates between five and seven per cent to be the new standard

more so than the really low rate of three per cent.

“Interest rates were at the lowest they’ve been for years and years and years so people were expecting them to go up but I don’t think we’ve seen such a low base to come up from and then to have such a quick and probably very high amount of interest rate increases over a short period of time.

“If [the RBA] leave interest rates alone in February, it might give people a little bit of stability, to think ‘well, we must be getting near the end of the cycle of the interest rate rises’. If they increase again, I think that will just make people be ultra careful.”

Mr Earney said many people are re-evaluating what is important given the cost of living standards in place at the moment.

“The reality of the interest rates increas-

ing, the cost of living increasing, the cost of gas and electricity increasing, is really starting to take some toll on people.

“They’re now starting to reassess what is a necessity in their life, rather than what would be nice to be able to have and getting back to the basics.”

Alongside interest rate rises, Mr Earney said overall there is rather a limited stock of houses and units being put on the market in the local area and first home buyers are being hit the hardest yet again.

“It still comes down to supply and demand and there is not a lot of supply. People will only be selling if they have a need to sell.

In other words, they’re wanting to upgrade or downgrade,” he said.

“First time buyers are probably the ones struggling out there just with the changes of interest rates and what the banks are now prepared to lend them.”

While 12 months ago affordability of house prices was pushing people to the brink, Mr Earney said it is still the same just flipped.

“It was really only affordability that was stopping some people…beforehand, the prices were increasing more than what they could afford to pay and now it’s exactly the same. Instead of the prices increasing, interest rates are increasing, which is holding them back.”

Over his 50 years in real estate, Mr Earney said this is most likely the tenth or eleventh “boom and a bust or change in the market” he has experienced.

“What goes up, comes down but it will come back again. In the last 100 years, the average price of real estate has increased by eight per cent per annum and that’s gone for good times and bad times.

“It’s a general rule of thumb that the general prices of real estate have increased by 10 per cent every 10 years.”

The RBA returns on Tuesday 7 February.

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NEWS

Celebrating local citizens

By Tyler Wright

EACH staff Mandi, Alice and Ann-Maree at the GP Respiratory Clinic in Lilydale.

Picture: ON FILE

Changes to PCR testing

By Callum Ludwig Despite a national average of 8,950 daily cases in Australia over the first three days of 2023, the threat of Covid-19 seems to be less of a worry in 2023.

From the start of the year, the Federal Government decided to transition to the general population relying on RAT tests, with PCR testing available if necessary through GP-led Respiratory Clinics or where their GP or nurse practitioner requests a test, free of charge.

Free PCR tests without medical referrals will still be available from a number of state-run testing clinics, but the change in approach is aiming to prioritise high-risk people who may benefit from antiviral treatment if they tested positive.

“The National Plan provides clear guidance to the community and health care providers on how the Australian Government will play its part in managing Covid-19 into the future,” said Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler.

“We will continue to protect those most at risk, while ensuring we have the capacity to respond to future waves and variants.”

The changes are part of the National Covid-19 Health Management Plan for 2023 that was agreed upon by the National Cabinet on 30 September 2022.

EACH currently operates the only GP respiratory clinic in the Yarra Ranges in Lilydale and CEO Natalie Sullivan said they do not expect any significant impacts from the decision as rapid antigen tests are widely available in the community.

“Anyone experiencing Covid-19 symptoms should take a rapid antigen test and isolate for at least 5 days and until they don’t have symptoms. They can also see their GP if they are unwell,” she said.

“A GP can assess them and decide if they need a PCR test to check for Covid and other respiratory illnesses. Free RATs are available, and locations where they can be collected can be

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By Parker McKenzie

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Connecting Cockatoo Community’s 2019 Australia Day event.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Pharmacy shortages the norm for local chemists as antibiotics supply dries up

PROUDLY AUSTRALIAN OWNED & INDEPENDENT

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found at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au.”

The National Covid-19 Health Management Plan is aiming to: provide vaccine certainty, empower the community to make informed choices to protect themselves and their loved ones; take pressure off hospitals; to provide additional help for aged care, First Nations, disability and multicultural communities; support effective Covid-19 testing; and strengthen the National Medical Stockpile safety net and pandemic preparedness capability.

Funding was also extended for GP respiratory clinics likee those run by EACH and Ms Sullivan said they will remain an essential service as we experience further waves of Covid-19 through the coming months and into winter.

“The service helps to relieve pressure on our emergency departments and other primary health settings. GP Respiratory Clinics continue to provide free face-to-face assessment and support for people who are unwell with respiratory illnesses and cannot book in to see their regular GP,” she said.

“Anyone at high risk of severe illness and has Covid or Flu-like symptoms should speak to a GP about a PCR test even if they tested negative on a RAT. This ensures they can get any help they need, including Covid antiviral medicine, as quickly as possible.”

As well as GP Respiratory Clinics, hospitals and state and territory testing clinics will remain the only places low-risk individuals can access PCR testing without a referral.

Ms Sullivan said Covid-19 remains a global health risk, and cases are still present throughout the community.

“If it’s been more than 3 months since your last vaccination or since you had Covid, get a booster dose. People who receive a vaccination have a much lower chance of getting severely unwell,” she said.

“We also highly encourage wearing a mask indoors and practising physical distancing, and good hand hygiene as much as possible.”

Citizens in Cockatoo will be awarded on Australia Day in 2023 at a free event at the Almar Treloar Reserve Ampitheatre held by Connecting Cockatoo Communities with support from Cardinia Shire Council’s Festivals and Events Grants program.

Awards handed out on Thursday 26 January will include Citizen of the Year, Youth Citizen of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year, Event of the Year and Community Group of the Year.

“It’s something that we were able to maintain even during Covid... we were lucky that we didn’t miss any,” Connecting Cockatoo Communities Secretary Rachelle Mechielsen said.

“What’s so important is we have over 30 volunteer community groups in Cockatoo, so recognising the contribution that our residents make and that the volunteers make to the fabric of our town and what makes Cockatoo such a great place to live and play is really important.”

The awards will be presented from 9am on Thursday 26 January, with a morning tea held afterwards.

“We’ve recognised things like the CFA icy pole run that they do on Christmas

Eve, the RSL hosts a free Christmas lunch for those who don’t have anything to do on Christmas Day. The Cockatoo Country Market, which I’m an organiser of, has been recognised a couple of times, and then we recognise community groups as well,” Ms Mechielsen said.

“When we look at our Youth, Senior and Citizen of the Year, it’s people who’ve made a really big contribution to the community throughout their time, so we’ve had young people who volunteered with scouts or the CFA juniors at the Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre...young people who are really getting out there in community and making a difference.

“Likewise, with senior citizens we’ve had people from the Hills Men’s Shed, people from St. Luke’s church, so there’s a really diverse group of residents represented.”

Connecting Cockatoo Communities collects nominations for Australia Day awards from the community in around October or November the previous year.

The Alma Treloar Reserve Ampitheatre is located at 77 Pakenham Road in Cockatoo.

To learn about more Australia Day events across Cardinia Shire, visit https:// www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/AustraliaDay

After reports of shortages in antibiotics impacting pharmacies around Australia, local chemists said ongoing supply issues have become standard since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In December 2022, the Therapeutic Goods Administration released an alert warning of a shortage of antibiotics in Australia, including amoxicillin, cephalexin and metronidazole, which are used to treat a variety of bacterial infections. A staff member at a local Belgrave pharmacy said there have been on-and-offagain shortages of certain items for most of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It has mainly been stuff like the pain relief and cold and flu section in the past,” she said.

“It’s been happening for most of the Covid period and has been hard to manage at times.”

Another pharmacy in Ferntree Gully also reported seeing shortages of medications in recent times.

The TGA said most of the shortages are “caused by manufacturing issues or an unexpected increase in demand.”

“Importantly, many of these medicines have alternatives available,” the TGA said.

“Your pharmacist may be able to give you a different brand, or your doctor can prescribe a different strength or medicine with a similar spectrum of activity.”

Acting President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Victorian Branch Grace Chong said the guild is aware that there are some pharmacies experiencing shortages of some medicines.

“Where shortages do occur, pharmacists routinely work with prescribers and their pharmacy colleagues to ensure patients can access the treatment they need,” she said.

The TGA has issued two Serious Scarcity Substitution Instruments to assist with the shortage of oral amoxicillin and cephalexin antibiotics, meaning pharmacists can dispense a substitute product containing the same active ingredient to the patient when the prescribed product is unavailable, under certain conditions.

Amoxicillin is commonly used to treat issues like middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, skin infections and urinary tract infections, and cephalexin is used to treat pneumonia and other chest infections, skin infections and urinary tract infections. mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

CFAs welcome tankers

By Callum Ludwig Four world-class heavy tankers are set to arrive at Yarra Ranges fire brigades ready for the 2023-24 summer, courtesy of the State Government.

Seville, Olinda, The Basin and Gembrook CFA will all receive a new 4000-litre capacity tanker to add to their fleet.

Seville CFA Captain Stephen Crupi said it had been a long time coming and was great news to hear they will receive a new tanker.

“It’s a huge upgrade, ours will be replacing a 30-year-old truck, which has served the community well but is showing its age and lacks a lot of safety features like airbags,” he said.

“It will give us an enhanced firefighting capability with an increase in water capacity by 1000L, which is a lot when you are out there with no water, and the new trucks are electronic push buttons rather than mechanical and manual, which will be a lot easier and faster.”

The new tankers are dual-cab and are all replacing single-cab vehicles, meaning fewer firefighters will have to ride on the back out to incidents and emergencies.

Mr Crupi said the trucks will definitely make a difference to the Seville CFA’s firefighting abilities.

“They’ve got a lot of features on them and are very capable trucks which will save a lof of backbreaking labour and improve our ability to respond t incidents,” he said.

“It will be important for the brigade members who are very active in responding to fires and incidents in the area and supporting surrounding brigades, and it will complement the brigades existing fleet of a 3.4C tanker, salvage unit and Ultra-Light tanker.”

The Victorian-produced heavy tankers feature a multilayered crew protection system, ensuring the vehicle can withstand fire temperatures of more than 600 degrees Celsius, with other features including electronic moni-

Seville CFA’s old heavy tanker is set to bid farewell with a brand new truck coming son. tors, electric rewind hose reels, modern cab chassis enhancements and higher levels of emissions controls.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said tankers are a vital part of CFA’s fleet, with more than 1900 across the state.

“These new tankers are state-of-the-art firefighting vehicles,” he said.

“The Heavy Tankers feature a 15-tonne

crew-cab chassis with a 4,000-litre water tank, while their 4x4 capability and automatic transmission will help crews access fires in difficult terrain.”

The new appliances were funded through the Victorian Government’s $126m CFA Capability Funding package, announced in June 2020.

“Victoria is one of the most fire-prone areas

Picture: ON FILE in the world and these replacement tankers will provide better safety outcomes for both communities and firefighters,” said Acting Minister for Emergency Services Anthony Carbines.

“These heavy tankers aren’t just a valuable addition to volunteer fleets – they’re made right here in Victoria, supporting local manufacturing and jobs.”

Book tickets at zoo.org.au

*Children under 16 years of age receive free admission to Healesville Sanctuary, Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo on weekends, Victorian public holidays and Victorian Government school holidays.

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NEWS

The re-enactors pride themselves on their kit being historically accurate.

The group practices military formations and tactics accurate to the time period.

Residents in Ferntree Gully may have spotted the strange sight of Roman legionnaires marching around a nearby reserve. The Star Mail spoke to Ancient Roman Re-enactors Victoria to find out what they are training for.

Soldiers far from Rome

By Parker McKenzie The Roman legionnaire is weary after the long march, his lorica segmentata — the metal armour he carries across his chest — weighing him down as he puts one foot in front of the other.

With the southern sun beating down on him as he carries a bladed gladius and his shield in his hands, the vast green mass of the Dandenong Ranges is partially obscured by the visor of his helmet.

If you happen to find yourself behind the Ferntree Gully Bowls Club on a particular Sunday once a month, you too may see the Roman Legio X Fretensis, far from home.

Ancient Roman Re-Enactors Victoria President Christian Thomas said he has loved classical history since he was young, which attracted him to re-enacting.

“I came across the reenactment club a number of years back at a festival that they were participating in and I saw these guys in the full Roman kit, which was really authentic,” he said.

“I was really interested and I came over to have a chat and fell into it. I came along to a couple of sessions and then started picking up my own gear.”

According to the organisation’s secretary Aldo Schepis, the group are bought together by their shared love of ancient history.

“Exploring what may have happened 2000 years ago is what we are all about,” he said.

“Our group prides itself on being historically accurate and with that comes a lot of responsibility.”

Bearing javelins known as the pilum, two varieties of shields — the square Scutum and the round parma — and other historically accurate equipment, the group practices their formations as they march around Glenfern Reserve.

Mr Schepis said he enjoys the Roman military history part of the re-enactment, however, there are other aspects to it as well.

“I enjoy reading about it and this helps me bring the theory to life, reliving some of those elements from 2000 years ago,” he said.

“We don’t only do military stuff, we also do civilian stuff as well. We’ve got people who are interested in the cooking aspects, like when we put on an open day at Melbourne University.”

At the open day, members of the organisation fed attendees with Lucanian sausages — a dried and smoked delicacy from the period — and bread made from a recipe supplied by the British Museum. Partnerships with other organisations are a key part of the club, which put together displays of equipment and military tactics.

Mr Thomas said it is important to do the research and find the right equipment for your representation, to ensure it is accurate for the classical period.

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

The Ancient Roman Reenactors Victoria train behind the Ferntree Gully Bowls Club, once a month. there and there’s a whole thing in the media of what we call Hollywood Romans,” he said.

“It’s trying to see past that and get down into what the ancient world would really look like.

What were the colours like? What did it feel like? That’s something you get a good sense of when you do historical reenactment.”

Mr Schepis said there are challenges when trying to remain historically accurate.

“There are some elements of our kit or our representations that haven’t existed or haven’t survived,” he said.

“Were all Roman tunics red? We don’t know.

Yes some were red and it was a popular colour, but there’s no definitive answer.”

Other challenges stretch into military theory and the conditions where they can train.

“It’s experimental archeology. We say well that wouldn’t really work when you’re doing this sort of thing, or you’re in this sort of place,” Mr Schepis said.

“But was this the way the Romans actually did it? There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered, as far as that is concerned.”

Ancient Roman Re-Enactors Victoria was formed in 2016 and is an incorporated organisation featuring a hierarchy of officers, legionnaires and civilian members.

Mr Thomas said membership in the club is an opportunity to come together with like-

Picture: SUPPLIED minded people who enjoy ancient history.

“We have some really great conversations.

Sometimes people will go hunting around and discover a tidbit of information in archeological reporting, and it will actually tweak or amend their gear, so we will discuss that as a group,” he said.

“We’re a really welcoming, inclusive group and we are always on the lookout for anyone who’s interested in coming along.

“We do it to share with the public and the community. We attend community events to get out and have fun with our team.”

For more information about Ancient Roman Re-Enactors Victoria, visit www.ancientrrv.com mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

The signing reads “To Monbulk Soccer Club, good luck - Pele.”

Pictures: PARKER MCKENZIE

Monbulk Rangers President Beau Newman with the signed book.

Pele’s influence still felt

By Parker McKenzie With a record three World Cups, a world-record 1279 goals in 1363 games and a career that saw him become a national hero in Brazil, Pele was inarguably one of the greatest players to grace the beautiful game.

While his legacy was cemented long before his death at the age of 82 on 29 December 2022, even in the hills, you can find his influence. At Monbulk Rangers Soccer Club, a hand-signed autobiography is on display, with a message of support for the club inked by the great man himself.

The club’s life member Nick Eagle, who owns the book, said he won it in a club raffle when he was an under-11s player at Monbulk over 30 years ago.

“First-prize that year was the albums signed

by Pele and the second prize was the book. I won both first and second prize, but the decision was made to only let me keep one,” he said.

“Pele was at a signing in the city and they got them both signed. I was pretty excited by the prize.”

First published in 1990, The Pele Albums detail with illustrations how a man from Brazil became a global superstar beyond the footballing world.

Mr Eagle said it is great to have a connection between the club and someone who is “considered to be the greatest player of all time.”

“I’ve actually moved to Adelaide now, it’s too far to travel for training now,” he said.

“I’ve been involved in the club for a long time and I’ve done everything from the social and community sides to being Vice President and acting president for a period of time.”

When the club moved to new facilities, Mr Eagle was glad to learn the book had moved with it.

“I made an inquiry about six months ago with a friend of mine who is now on the committee, just to see if it’d actually moved,” he said.

“It’s still got a good presence at the club and I’m thankful people can enjoy it.”

Pele played most of his career in Brazil, playing 659 competitive games and scoring 643 goals for Santos from 1956 to 1974. He spent the final three seasons of his career, from 1975 to 1977, playing in the United States for

New York Cosmos.

Monbulk Rangers President Beau Newman said the club is incredibly lucky to have such a rich part of footballing history.

“What Pele did for football can’t be put into words, he transformed it from just a kick about the game to as he pointedly dubbed it, the beautiful game,” he said.

“We’ve now got plans in the works for former club players who have gone professional to add to the collection and create a where they’ve come from to where they are now wall.”

Some of those players include former Melbourne Victory players Danny Allsopp and Emily Hulbert, Ryan Scott at Western United and Chris Heckenberg, who plays for South Georgia Tormenta in the United States.

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MAIL 11

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Summer series launches

By Parker McKenzie The picturesque garden of Millers Homestead created the perfect stage for an African drumming and kora performance from local musicians on Friday 13 January, the first in a series of free summer performances at the historic building.

Super Mande African Percussion put on an afternoon of entertainment for the fully booked crowd of 100, while those in attendance relaxed and enjoyed the scenic garden with picnic rugs aplenty.

Eastern Regional Libraries officer Michelle Kemp said the first event was “absolutely delightful.”

“The weather was perfect and it was the right kind of music, we were really lucky to be able to host Super Mande Percussion because they’re very accomplished and well-known,” she said.

“The performance was made possible through a grant from Knox City Council.”

Mady Keita performed on the drums while Amadou Suso played the kora, a traditional west African stringed instrument.

Super Mande manager Sophie Pape said it was one of the more beautiful and relaxing settings for the Bayswater-based music academy and performers.

“We had everything we needed in terms of sound system with it being a small, contained area that didn’t need a huge amount of amplification to create the atmosphere that we did,” she said.

“Everyone was happy to chill out in their seats, enjoy the picnic and have a good afternoon out.”

Two more events will be held in the summer series at 12pm on Friday 20 and 27 of January, featuring two distinct flute performances, with Ensemble 451 Classic Flute and Vinod Prasanna on the Indian Classic Bansuri flute set to play at the homestead in the next two weeks.

Ms Kemp said while the two performances are fully booked at the moment, more tickets will be released if the weather holds enough to host guests outside.

“We kept the bookings at 40 so that if it happens to be raining on the day, we can move the concert inside to the lovely parlour in Millers,” she said.

“The Tuesday before the concert, we check the weather and if it’s looking good and okay for us to hold the event outside, then we release another 60 tickets.”

Super Mande African Percussion and Kora were the first performers in the series.

Future performances will be held on Friday 20 and 27 January.

She encouraged people to join the waiting list, as those on it would get the first chance to book tickets.

Ms Pape said the Super Mande African Percussion will be returning to the homestead for another performance on the 17 March.

“We’re based locally in Bayswater and we do group drumming classes several nights a week and all sorts of events like schools, parties, weddings, corporate workshops and team

Pictures: PARKER MCKENZIE

All 100 bookings were exhausted for the first performance in the series.

building,” she said.

“These guys are obviously professionals at what they do; it’s their livelihood, their life.

They’ve been doing it since Amadou was four, playing the kora, and Muddy since he was 14, playing the drums.”

After a successful pilot program, Eastern Regional Libraries has a licensing agreement to hold cultural and artistic events at the Homestead until 2027. Art exhibitions, book launches, family story time events, poetry

readings, group singing lessons and musical performances have all been held since the pilot program was announced.

For more information on future events at the Homestead, visit yourlibrary.com.au/locations/millers-homestead. For more information on Super Mande Percussion, visit supermandepercussion.com.au. Miller’s Homestead is located on the corner of Dorrigo Drive and Melrose Court, Boronia.

First Emerald art exhibit a surprise for grandmother

By Tyler Wright The Emerald Hills Hub is now home to the debut exhibition of 70-year-old Officer local Chris Russo, showcasing paintings of plants and the environment.

The Through My Eyes exhibition came about after Russo’s children decided to surprise their mother, who has been painting for around 40 years, with a surprise 70th birthday present she would never forget; her own exhibition.

“I wasn’t expecting that at all, of course, I’ve never had an exhibition and I painted in my own time when I’m not babysitting...

I was very surprised, but excited as well,” Russo said.

Russo said she began painting after experiencing an anxiety attack after the birth of her fifth child in 1981.

“I eventually went to the doctors and he said it’s time I did something for myself, ‘is there anything that I ever wanted to do? ‘ And I said, ‘I’ve always wanted to draw or paint...’ [and] a friend of mine from the primary school, I had heard that she had small classes at home; teaching or painting, and I contacted her and she took me on...and over a couple of years she was rocking babies because I had another two babies after that. So while I’m painting, she was nursing the baby.”

Since then, Russo has drawn inspiration from the environment around her; snapping 12 MAIL

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

Chris Russo at the opening night of her Through My Eyes exhibition with her oil painting ‘Pincushion Hakea’.

Pictures: SUPPLIED images for her to then create an artwork from.

“I like things that are a bit different, like not just an open rose, but a bud where the petals are going different ways... I think people need to know or realise what flower it is,” she said.

“Magnolia, for example; I like the odd shape of the flowers, they go their own way... the unusual sort of intersections of things that you don’t usually notice.

“Gum leaves...quite often they’ll have a bit eaten out of them or something, that’s what makes it a bit different.”

After 40 years of painting, around 27 of Russo’s works will be on display from Friday

14 January to Friday 27 January at the Hills Hub. While the pieces are not for sale, given most are owned by Russo’s own family and friends, she hopes visitors can enjoy her paintings.

“There’s quite a few flowers and scenery and a couple with buildings. I went for a trip to Miltenburg with my sister...I’ve painted this street scene in Miltenburg,,, all those old buildings that aren’t straight, but it turned out really well,” she said.

“I’m always taking photos of flowers and we go out in the desert...and I like painting

Around 80 people attended the opening night of Russo’s exhibition at the Emerald Hills Hub. brightly, I’m a fairly detailed painter.”

During the exhibition, Russo will be on location as an artist in residence; creating works while also answering questions from gallery visitors.

‘I’ve got two oil paintings started...I let them dry so that I could take them up there for this...so I’ll start doing the thicker paint in more detail now,” she said.

“It’s weird. I don’t know if I forgive my kids or not, but I think now that the paintings are up there...I feel better.”

The Hills Hub is located at 402 BelgraveGembrook Rd, Emerald VIC 3782. mailcommunity.com.au

Got a degree?

Start teaching in under two years.

Are you ready?

Visit vic.gov.au/teachthefuture Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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MAIL 13

NEWS

Getting kids bee friendly

By Tyler Wright A group of young children children aged three to late primary school age were able to create their own insect habitat for bees and insects alike to thrive in their gardens, in a workshop by a local beekeeper at Kalorama’s Karwarra Gardens.

Director of Holly’s Backyard Bees and Mount Evelyn resident, Holly Hale, hosted the session on Thursday 12 January to teach children aged three and above about sustainability and native bee species which find their home in Victoria.

“Most of our native bees of our solitary in nature; they raise their own young in hollows in bamboo and borer holes in wood and they don’t live in colonies like honeybees do, so teaching the kids about some of the different kinds of native bees that we have in Victoria as well, showing them some posters and pictures of what they might have seen in their garden and not realised might have been a native bee,” Holly said.

“And then we talked about their habitat, what kind of habitat they like and how we can actually create spaces in our gardens to accommodate native bees as well.”

Holly said bees found in the Yarra Ranges include the common honey bee, the “beautiful” blue-banded bee and the resin bee, among others. “I’ve recently been seeing resin bees buzzing around in the wild [on] noxious weed blackberries,” she said.

“Leaf-faced bees [have] been nesting at my place in some bamboo, but also I’ve got some bees that are nesting, building their little nests in between the bricks of my house.

“I’ve got leaf cutter bees which are really beautiful as well; I’ve not actually seen them in my garden but I know know that they’re local in Victoria and they’ve got this beautiful neon blue spots on their bodies.”

Holly has been educating children as young as kindergarten for eight years; a profession which began after making a trip to her own childrens’ kindergarten as a parent volunteer, and

Holly Hale, Director of Holly’s Backyard Bees, hosting a session at Karwarra Gardens teaching young children how to create their own insect habitat.

Picture: JESSE GRAHAM showing children an observation hive.

“I was so encouraged by the response of the teachers at the time that I started to branch out and do it a little bit as a hobby, because I run adult workshops as well,” Holly said.

Holly now hosts sessions at her own home in Mount Evelyn, teaching visitors goat whusbandry, cheese making and even cooking pastries for lunch.

“Often it’s harder to teach adults because we’ve all got our own preconceived ideas about

things...whereas with kids, if we can point them in the right direction about caring for nature and being observant and respectful of nature from a young age, I think ‘what a privilege to be able to teach them,’” she said.

“If I can help foster a love of nature, in insects and pollinators when they’re little and help them to move beyond feeling fearful of them...that’s a really great privilege.”

In her work in early childhood education, Holly hears varied questions about bees from

young learners. “When I go into kindergartens, often it’s usually the little girls in the group that might say ‘how come the queen bee doesn’t wear a crown? when we’re learning about honeybees,” she said.

“Because often the boys in the bee hive... don’t really do much of the jobs; their role is more really to provide genetics, sometimes [children] grapple with that.

“I help encourage them...every bee has a role to play, and every bee is important, and it’s the same in our society. Every one of us is different. Every one of us plays a different role, but if we didn’t do our role, the whole colony suffers.”

When visiting primary schools, teaching can turn toward the consequences of humans not having pollinators.

“I love helping kids make a connection between the food that we eat and how we care for the earth.” Holly said.

“Pollinators play such a significant role in that, and so if they can connect insects with food, I think that that’s really great too.”

Holly said Yarra Ranges locals can help the surrounding bee population thrive by avoiding sprays and pesticides in their gardens and allowing their grass to grow.

“A lot of gardens are planted more for foliage and drought tolerance, and they don’t have many flowers. So if you can plant some flowers in your garden, that’s good creating habitat for them,” she said.

“Whether it is making an insect hotel and you can make it out of anything..I showed the kids one [on Thursday] that I made in an old drawer that was on a hard rubbish pile, you can drill some deep holes in [wood logs] with a big drill bit and dot them around your garden in amongst the trees or bamboo, whatever you can get your hands on.

“Water sources are good, and not to spray things in your garden... any of those things will encourage native bees to visit.”

Need local staff?

Then give us the job...

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Need local staff?

Then give us the job... we will advertise it in our employment section and attract local staff

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OPINION

Starting the new year as a member I am so pleased to be writing my first State of Affairs column as your new State Member for Monbulk.

After a very busy campaign, it is now time to get started on the real work – representing you!

The 60th Parliament of Victoria was opened on Tuesday 20 December 2022 and I was lucky to be one of the new members of parliament to give my inaugural speech on that day. In that speech I addressed some of the key issues which I will advocate strongly for, namely education, our environment, energy resilience for Monbulk, small businesses and workers’ rights.

But the list doesn’t end there, and I will be listening to the needs of everyone in our community. The district of Monbulk changed at the election. It now stretches from Ferntree Gully all the way east to Gembrook, including 35 different towns and suburbs with their own proud histories. I’m honoured to represent this district and everyone within it.

The state of

affairs

Daniela de Martino MP Member for Monbulk

As your Member of Parliament, there are many services my office can provide, including: Making enquiries to help you engage with state government departments and agencies; Putting you in touch with the relevant services and organisations which can provide you with help and support; Advising of available funding grants to organisations;

· · ·

M3GAN a great thrill

with other levels of government to · Liaising represent Monbulk’s needs; representing the government at · Formally community events; formal recognition of milestones, · Providing including significant birthdays and anniversaries, for people and organisations If we can’t help you, we will do our best to put you in touch with someone who can.

Last year the Belgrave electorate office was severely flooded. Once it reopens by mid-February, you are welcome to visit us at 1635 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave. In the meantime, follow along for updates on my Facebook or Instagram pages, @DanielaDeMartinoMP. My email is Daniela.DeMartino@Parliament.vic.gov.au and the office phone number is 9754 5401. If you need any assistance with a state government matter, we look forward to helping you and doing what matters.

That’s why we’re here.

M3GAN Starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw and Amie Donald Rated M 4/5 M3GAN is a tense, funny and surprisingly nuanced sci-fi horror film.

After losing her parents in a car accident, a young girl named Cady (Violet McGraw) bonds with M3gan, an AI doll created by her roboticist aunt Gemma (Allison Williams).

M3GAN has solid, moving performances and a steady, rising sense of unease, as the title robot grows more defiant and unpredictable. The plot draws tension from multiple fronts: M3gan taking her directive of protecting Cady to violent extremes; Cady growing too attached to M3gan and not adequately dealing with the loss of her parents; business interests pushing an untested (and unsafe) M3gan to market.

M3GAN cleverly engages with themes of grief, responsibility and children maturing beyond their guardians’ control, but never takes itself too seriously, with witty dialogue and moments of campy carnage. The schlocky action sequences may put off some viewers, but these add to the film’s darkly humorous tone. The climax may be a little too silly, but it’s still viscerally and emotionally satisfying.

M3GAN is reminiscent of the 2019 Child’s Play reboot, as both films feature machine learning running amok through a seemingly wholesome children’s toy. M3gan herself nicely sidesteps the uncanny valley: with her synthetic look and eerie stillness, she is clearly non-human, but her behaviour causes us to warm to and then fear her.

M3GAN is a smart, amusing and extremely well-paced sci-fi horror film, and has a limited Victorian cinema release.

-Seth Lukas Hynes

Action-packed journey of self-discovery A review of We Who Hunt the Hollow by Kate Murray This is the fifth in a series of six reviews featuring the 2022 Readings Young Adult Book Prize.

If you like Disney’s animated musical fantasy Encanto (“We don’t talk about Bruno, no, no, no...”), then you will surely enjoy We Who Hunt the Hollow, debut YA novel by Melbourne-based New Zealand author Kate Murray. Like the Madrigals, Priscilla Daalman’s family members are gifted with special powers. As the 17-year-old protagonist explains, hers is a dystopian world suffering from eternal storms caused by climate change. Worse, evil monsters have arrived as invaders from another universe.

The entire Daalman Family are Hollow Warriors, legendary monster hunters as humanity’s last line of defence. Yet, like Mirabel, Priscilla sees herself as being inept and incompetent, her ability to sense the monsters hardly a match to those who can defeat and destroy them. In a desperate attempt to live up to her family’s legacy. Priscilla performs a ritual to increase her power, with devastating results. Not only can she now summon the monsters, but she tries to hide this dangerous power and ends up putting

CARTOON

PASSION FOR PROSE WITH CHRISTINE SUN her family in danger.

As can be expected, We Who Hunt the Hollow is a captivating story packed with thrilling actions, terrifying beasts, fierce warriors and highly intelligent animal familiars, and fascinating superpowers and cutting-edge gadgets. There is as much science fiction here as fantasy, with flying vehicles and magiclike teleporting and telekinetic powers side by side. Particularly awesome and authentic are depictions of Priscilla’s family life, which is chaotic yet comfortable, full of love, fun, and mutual understanding and support. In the author’s words: “I knew I wanted the story to be a feminist one, with a lot of female characters. I pulled inspiration from the Amazons of Themyscira and Wonder Woman, that

concept of fierce warrior women, and I also pulled inspiration from [Alice Huffman’s 1995 novel] Practical Magic for that cosy witchy family vibe.”

But, at least to this reviewer, there is also a fair bit of the X-Men and even American YA author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series in this book. Specifically, as Lord Acton famously said in 1887: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolutely power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Like Magneto and Scythe Goddard – and, evidently, like Lord Voldemort and Gellert Grindelwald before him – the Renegades in We Who Hunt the Hollow are convinced that those with superpowers should rule the world instead of serving it, and they will do everything to achieve this arrogant ambition.

The introduction of this “rebel” element makes the world of Hollow Warriors realistic and complex, adding a philosophical touch to an otherwise entertaining story. This subplot also has considerable impact on Priscilla’s journey of self-discovery, an example of how confidence and self-esteem needs to come from within. With that said, Priscilla is a highly relatable character who is honest and full of compassion. It is her devotion to family, not her superpower, that makes her a superhero in their eyes.

Starting the theatre season 1812 Theatre Rose St, Ferntree Gully Confusions Confusions consists of a series of five interconnected one act plays; Mother Figure, Drinking Companion, Between Mouthfuls, Gosforth’s Fete and A Talk in the Park.

First staged in 1976, the scenes are all loosely linked by characters or locations, but more subtly through the common underlying themes of obsession, isolation and human desire for companionship.

Ayckbourn shows his comedic genius with five stories that runs the gambit of comic technique from situation comedy to outright farce.

Season: February 9 – March 4. www.1812theatre.com.au ph. 9758 3964 Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre 38-41 Castella St, Lilydale Family Values A celebrated federal judge, his son, a born-again Christian. His daughter, a Border Force officer. Her partner, the captain of a Border force ship. His other daughter, a left-wing activist. His wife who has worked all her life to keep the family together. Saba, an asylum seeker on the run from Nauru.

On the eve of his birthday, is it too much to expect his wife and three children to celebrate with him?

Season: February 9 – 25. Bookings: www.lily-

· ·

· ·

mailcommunity.com.au

Kemp’s curtain call daletheatre.com or 9735 1777.

The Gem Community Theatre 9 Kilvington Dve, Emerald Play Reading – Heir and Grace by Will Mithen An exciting new, funny, proactive, au courant, locally written script makes its debut at Gemco Theatre. Gemco seeks actors, 3-4 women and 3-4 men to take part in this project.

The Plot: The most progressive family that never existed finds their usually harmonious relationships are thrown into discord when their sister proposes one of her four brothers could donate sperm so her partner can conceive a genetically related child – but who’s DNA would confer the best qualities?

Season: Saturday 11 February 8pm – 10.30pm.

For more info and to join the team to get this project off the ground, call Mandy McGarrigle on 0432 787 519.

· ·

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MAIL 15

PUZZLES

DOWN Fellow employee (2-6) US city known as ‘The Windy City’ (7)

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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”.

A

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Today’s Aim: 13 words: Good 19 words: Very good

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Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

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QUICK CROSSWORD

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20-01-23

William Matthews Funerals 24 HOUR SERVICE - ALL AREAS

9739 6868 45 Cave Hill Rd, Lilydale www.williammatthewsfunerals.com.au 12567433-SN37-22

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SUBLIME SETTING, STUNNING VIEWS AT the end of a no through road this unique 3 bedroom plus study (nursery) home is light, bright, open plan and positioned to capture the magical views from every window, on a generous block.

The lower level incorporates a spacious kitchen with excellent bench and storage space, stainless steel appliances, this adjoins the breakfast nook, ideal for busy mornings or even the perfect place for homework/hobbyist. Step down and entertain in style in the impressive ‘great room’ with cathedral ceilings and walls of glass doors and flyscreens that concertina for the inside/outside lifestyle we all appreciate. This area is warmed by the very latest efficient wood fire. There is also a goodsized laundry, powder room and under stair storage.

Upstairs has a luxurious main suite with double rainwater shower, handmade messmate vanity, a walk-in robe and ‘Juliette’ balcony. Off the second living space landing is also a study come nursery, two remaining double bedrooms with BIR’s and with access to the second balcony, wait till you see the view from here. These are serviced by a bathroom featuring a bath and separate shower.

Outdoors is fabulous the ¾ of an acre is fully fenced, easily accessible, a circular driveway, double carport, plenty of parking for the boat/ caravan, a wood store and garden shed. The gardens are beautiful and well established.

The lush green lawns are fantastic for children’s play, a great bonus is the cubby house and trampoline that are staying. You also have

several veggie gardens, barbecue area and away from the home a ‘forest’ section, lots of visiting birds and plenty of space for the dog to run around and chase a ball.

This property is the idyllic ‘hills’ retreat, quiet and peaceful. You are merely minutes to Cockatoo Township, shops, school, sporting clubs, cafes and much more. You will love living here. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 12 Carcoola Street, COCKATOO Description: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage Price: $960,000 - $1,050,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Mick Dolphin 0429 684 522 and Jane Mortimer 0457 620 542, RANGES FIRST NATIONAL - 9754 6111

SUBURBAN, COUNTRY & LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES ACROSS THE REGION mailcommunity.com.au

Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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MAIL 17

PROPERTY NEWS

Refinancing when your fixed rate ends.

Book in a time in with Gary, your local RAMS Home Loan Specialist.

REFINANCING WHEN YOUR FIXED RATE ENDS AS a growing number of home loan customers start rolling off fixed rate interest rates, we talk to Home Loan specialist and RAMS Franchise Principal, Gary Bandara for some refinancing tips.

As Gary explains “When refinancing, many borrowers aren’t just looking for the lowest repayment option, they’re also searching for loans with more flexible options or just plain better service”.

Refinancing could also be the time to consider consolidating any other debts. As Gary expands “By borrowing against the equity in your property you could consolidate debts such as credit card balances and car finances. The benefit here is loans secured against a property generally charge a lower interest rate than unsecured debts, meaning total monthly repayments could be reduced.

But - a loan secured by property is usually

over a longer term, so more interest is paid over the term.”

As for costs associated with refinancing, Gary explains “You’ll need to ask your current lender about what charges may be associated with terminating your loan contract. The good news is there are offers available to refinancers. At RAMS we currently offer a $4,000 rebate when you switch an eligible home loan to us.” You can find out more about this offer and read the full T&Cs by visiting rams.com.au/all-offers/ refi-rebate/ If it’s time to refinance you can chat to a home loan specialist. Book in a time in with Gary, your local RAMS Home Loan Specialist by calling 03 9026 1366 to discuss your options.

Credit criteria, charges and T&Cs apply. ●

Get $4,000 when you switch to us.

The grass is greener at RAMS.

12570363-KJ03-23

Apply by 28/02/23. Settle by 31/05/23. Min loan amount $250k, Owner Occupier with Principal and Interest repayments and Investment Loans. T&Cs apply.

RAMS Ferntree Gully | Gary Bandara 9026 1366 13A, 1880 Ferntree Gully Road, Ferntree Gully More Information: Credit criteria, fees and charges apply. RAMS home loans are not available for foreign borrowers residing outside Australia. Offer is current as at 1 November 2022 and may be varied or withdrawn at any time. For new refinance applications received between 1 November 2022 and 28 February 2023. Settle by 31 May 2023. Min Loan $250k per property refinanced. Limit of 1 $4,000 rebate per settled refinance application regardless of the number of loans involved. This offer is not available in conjunction with the New Purchase Buyer $1,000 Rebate. Excludes Owner Occupier Interest Only, Line of Credit Loans, residential lending originated under family or company trusts and switches and refinances of home loans within the Westpac Group (St.George, Westpac, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA). Split loans are counted as one settled home loan regardless of the number of splits. Rebate will be automatically deposited into the home loan account within 60 days after settlement. If the home loan has a fixed interest rate, the rebate will count towards the prepayment threshold. Tax consequences may arise from this promotion for investors and customers should seek independent advice on any taxation matters. RAMS Ferntree Gully is owned and operated by The Trustee for FTG Unit Trust ABN 90 365 698 052. RAMS Financial Group Pty Ltd ABN 30 105 207 538, AR 405465 Australian Credit Licence 388065. Credit Provider & issuer of RAMS Deposit Products: Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 AFSL and Australian credit licence 233714.

23062/1122

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Real Estate you can trust!

We ’ r e h e r e t o h e l p FOR SALE

35 Gleghorn Road, KALLISTA

$1,080,000 - $1,180,000

EXCEPTIONAL PROPERTY WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

4A2B4C

With an extensive list of lifestyle features, this fabulous property offers something special for every member of the family. With bonus elements including a stylish 1-bedroom studio, sealed drive with triple carport and double garage, fruit orchard, and paddock with picturesque Warburton Ranges views, this is an exceptional opportunity not to be missed, plan your viewing today.

FOR SALE

$550,000 - $600,000

31 Jeeves Avenue, KALORAMA

3A1B

PROMISING HOME WITH PICTURESQUE OUTLOOKS

This peaceful property situated between Kalorama Park and Kalorama Oval is the ideal investment for renovators or first homebuyers seeking a slice of the Dandenong Ranges lifestyle. With beautiful hillside views and a no through road location near bus transport, Central to many local walking tracks, parks and playgrounds this is an opportunity to live someplace special.

Brad Conder M 0422 639 115 | E brad@chandlerandco.com.au

Suzie Brannelly

Brad Conder

M 0490 506 910 | E suzie@chandlerandco.com.au

M 0422 639 115 | E brad@chandlerandco.com.au

FOR SALE

352 Glenfern Road, UPWEY FAMILY RESIDENCE ON HALF AN ACRE

$1,260,000 - $1,380,000 5A3B6C

A flawless fusion of space, style, and superb outdoor entertaining areas, this centrally situated residence in a prime Glenfern Rd location is ready to impress. Focused on providing premier family comfort in a prized lifestyle location only moments from public transport, schools, shopping, and restaurants, this is a top lifestyle property with all the trimmings.

FOR SALE

$685,000 - $750,000

30 Upper Coonara Road, OLINDA FAMILY STARTER WITH FILTERED VALLEY VIEWS

3A 2B 2C

Staring out over filtered views that take in the nearby Monbulk valley, this three bedroom home is spacious and positioned privately away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Set on a generous 1851m2, elevated block with a stunning array of mature trees, the home boasts an open plan design with an updated kitchen that includes a 900ml stainless steel upright oven plus excellent storage and bench space.

Sam Adamson M 0421 023 760 | E sam@chandlerandco.com.au

Daniel Steen

Sharyn Chandler

M 0434 979 142 | E daniel@chandlerandco.com.au

M 0439 882 442 | E sharyn@chandlerandco.com.au

9754 6888 1689 Burwood Highway, Belgrave VIC 3160 www.chandlerandco.com.au of fice@chandlerandco.com.au mailcommunity.com.au

Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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MAIL 19

HOME FOCUS

STYLISH SINGLE-LEVEL HOME IN QUIET COURT IN this quiet court position a wonderful way of life awaits, one of style and simplicity set over a single level of complete comfort.

Positioned in the coveted Mountain Gate Primary School zone near Cutler Close Playground, Westfield Knox, and Ferntree Gully Station, this property is the perfect investment in livability and location.

This move-in ready home is framed by meticulously presented, easy-care gardens and a double garage for convenience. Upon entry, the indoor-outdoor connection this home affords is immediately apparent in the generous, carpeted lounge with views through to the alfresco. The hub of this home is the gourmet kitchen, boasting Ariston stainless steel gas range, crisp white cabinetry, and black tapware, that branches to the family room and outdoor entertaining area. With a covered alfresco adorned a high gable roofline, a garden filled with fruiting ballerina apples, and the bonus of a sound insulated studio, this impressive property is home to many more high-end features than most.

Furthermore, there are also 3 spacious bedrooms provided, including the main bedroom with walk-in robe and modern ensuite. The family bathroom with separate WC is enhanced with a soaker tub and luxurious rain shower.

Additional highlights include evaporative cooling and ducted heating, ample laundry, and cost-saving solar power.

Prepared to impress, this move-in ready home offers an outstanding lifestyle. Plan your viewing today.

Landscaped 628sqm (approx.) allotment with bonus sound insulated studio, fruiting gardens, shed, raised veggie beds, and exceptional covered alfresco Beautiful single-level residence with double garage and cost-saving solar power Lounge with floor to ceiling windows and quality carpet Stylish kitchen with Ariston gas range and modern black tapware Comfortable bedrooms, modern bathroom, and enviable ensuite main bedroom with walk-in robe. ●

· · · · ·

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 2 Rulla Court, FERNTREE GULLY Description: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage Price: $900,000 - $990,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Brad Conder 0422 639 115 and Daniel Steen 0434 979 142, CHANDLER & CO REAL ESTATE 20 MAIL

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

mailcommunity.com.au

Ranges

We put you first

TWO HOMES ON A fLAT 1/3 ACRE bLOCK

6 ACRE PRIVATE COUNTRY ESCAPE

COCkATOO 147 WOORI YALLOCK ROAd SECOND DWELLING WITH TENANT IN PLACE!

GEmbrOOk 28 MORbEY ROAd STUDIO (unfinished) WITH VIEWS

$895,000-$980,000 5A 3B 3C

Set on one title, this property offers a range of options. The main home is character filled with recycled timber doors, stain-glass windows, high ceilings, a claw foot bath in main bathroom & two living areas. Outside features a cosy deck, a red brick paved courtyard under the oak tree, studio, workshop, double carport with storage & room for the caravan too! The second double-storey independent 2 bedroom dwelling features an undercover verandah with views of the rural scenery over the road, a single carport & tool shed.

mick Dolphin 0429 684 522

Jane mortimer 0457 620 542

HOME ANd UNIT IN PRIVATE SETTING

COCkATOO 39 VIEW HILL ROAd SHANGrILA - ‘A-FrAmE’ IN THE HILLS

9754 6111 rangesfn.com.au mailcommunity.com.au

Superbly positioned for privacy & a peaceful existence, this property has a mix of oldgrowth trees, grassed sections, tiers & filtered distant mountain views. The picturesque setting is perfect for your dream home, or the perfect place to park your tiny home STCA. On the property is a permitted agricultural building with a large viewing deck & includes 10,000litre water storage, a rock driveway to the rear of the property and electricity is available at top of the property. The location is idyllic with Gembrook Township nearby.

mick Dolphin 0429 684 522

Janet Hawkins 0409 117 432

SURPRISING ANd SPECTACULAR!

$670,000 - $720,000 4A 2B C

Unique Hills living perched high in the treetops, surrounded by quiet & private gardens.

Add your own touches & complete renovations to make this property shine! features a large living space, wood fire, built-in lounge/sofa & bar & a quaint study/desk area. There is also a small fully self-contained unit/studio space attached to the home. Outside offers under-unit storage space, garden shed, multiple options for parking at the top of the driveway, fenced back yard, established gardens and a small animal paddock.

Jane mortimer 0457 620 542

$650,000-$700,000

mick Dolphin 0429 684 522

UPWEy 33 HIGHCLIff ROAd SPACIOUS, VIEWS, GrEAT LOCATION!

$990,000-$1,089,000 5A 2B 3C 1E

Understated cottage frontage that is larger than seems and offers a welcoming waterfall & pond centered garden, stunning northerly views of the gardens & mountains at rear, a spacious study/6th bedroom, combustion fire, Jarrah flooring & cabinetry, hydronic heating, 6kW Solar Power system, under house workshop & storage, rainwater tanks, large decking, large parental retreat with a private deck & outdoor spa, downstairs features a massive living & rumpus, a bar & 4 bedrooms - ideal teenage or multi-generational living.

mick Dolphin 0429 684 522

“We Put You First”

Jane mortimer 0457 620 542

1 Bayview Rd, Belgrave Shop 2, 24 McBride Street, Cockatoo Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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MAIL 21

HOME FOCUS

CONTEMPORARY FAMILY HOME WITH STYLE POSITIONED beautifully on ½ an acre within walking distance to the Emerald township, this stunning, modern home is bursting with features and oozing with style.

Take in the spectacular view through the huge windows that frame your luxurious master suite which offers both a walk through robe and a sumptuous double showered ensuite, as well as a separate home office space. A further three large bedrooms, all containing built-in robes, are serviced by a modern and spacious family bathroom with free-standing bath and glass panel shower.

The home flows beautifully from your entry into the light filled family room and open plan kitchen featuring stone bench tops, stainless steel appliances, electric oven, gas stove and instant hot water.

Entertain guests or simply soak up the sunshine in the picturesque and tranquil surroundings when you step through the French doors onto the expansive deck.

Continue up the extra wide staircase and you are greeted with a second living space with doors opening out to the backyard.

Cleverly zoned to one side of this living space with built in TV and gas decorative fire is the master bedroom, while the other three bedrooms sit to the other side. The home also features reverse cycle air-conditioning and heating, as well as ducted gas heating and a further heat panel in the kitchen/ meals area.

Wander back towards the front of the home to the sealed asphalt driveway and expansive double lock up garage with generous workshop and workbench, ample storage space, additional pedestrian access door, water tank, power and concrete floor.

This is the one - time to move in, relax & enjoy. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 28 Poplar Crescent, EMERALD Description: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage Price: $1,150,000 - $1,250,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Samantha Scott 0438 680 032, BELL REAL ESTATE EMERALD 22 MAIL

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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P 5968 6222 311-313 Main Street Emerald

3 Luke Place, Guys Hill, Beaconsfield

$745,000 - $785,000

28 Poplar Crescent, Emerald

$1,150,000 - $1,250,000

Private & well positioned with a lovely view! 5 Mins to Berwick!

Immaculate & Contemporary Family Home with Gorgeous Views!

Beautifully and lovingly renovated 2 bedroom, 1 Bathroom home. Nestled opposite the golf course, with a gorgeous park like view, you will notice the welcoming entertaining deck and landscaped front garden. With slate floors and character filled exposed beams, a wood heater, two split system air conditioners, and bi-fold front window that opens up onto the front entertaining deck. There is a modern and stylish kitchen, and also barn-door features leading to each of the two generous bedrooms. This home contains a European laundry, is rendered, and has a landscaped and low maintenance secure rear yard. With a great flat area for children or pets to enjoy, there is also a handy garden shed, as well as having a separate rear access to the property.

On 1/2 an acre, this modern home has spectacular views, a master suite with walk through robe & a double showered ensuite, & a home office space. With a further 3 large bedrooms, all with BIRs, & a family bathroom with free-standing bath & shower. The open plan kitchen features stone bench tops, stainless steel appliances, electric oven, gas stove & instant hot water. The lounge room opens with French doors onto the expansive deck. Upstairs is a second living space with backyard access.

The home features reverse cycle air-conditioning/heating, ducted gas heating & a heat panel in the kitchen/meals area. The garden has gravel paths, a coffee nook, raised organic vegetable gardens, gardening shed, cubby house & sand pit area. There is a sealed asphalt driveway & DLUG with workshop & workbench & additional pedestrian access door, water tank, power & concrete floor.

Brennan Mileto M 0422 996 451

Aaron Day M 0407 365 994

Samantha Scott M 0438 680 032

2

5 Marks Lane, Emerald

A

1

B

2

C

$1,180,000 - $1,280,000

4

19 Gembrook-Launching Pl Rd, Gembrook

A

2

B

2

C

$780,000 - $850,000

Outstanding private family home with views and parklike surrounds!

Move in & relax with this gorgeous 4 bedroom family home!

3 bedroom plus study, 2 bathroom family home on 5 acres is bursting with features and stunning views and is located close to Emerald township. The home features front & rear deck/porch, light filled open plan lounge & dining room, built in fire-place, split system air conditioning, & doubleglazed windows. The kitchen has wooden bench tops, gas stovetop, electric oven, ceiling fan, a toaster nook & built-in pantry. The master bedroom has direct access to the rear deck, & has an ensuite & WIR. The other 2 bedrooms are serviced by the family bathroom with bath, shower & toilet.

Outside, there is a paddock, and childrens play area. There is a DLUG with concrete floor & power, a double carport, & an open sided roofed shed at the rear of the garage. This property features off grip water supply, bottle gas, 13.2kW 2 phase solar set up, generator inlet & change over switch.

This immaculately presented brick home with 4 bedrooms, & 2 bathrooms, offers a large lounge room with split system air conditioner & wood fire heater, that leads to the modern kitchen, with gas stove top, electric oven, & dishwasher. There is a light filled dining room with private views out onto the rear decking. The master bedroom is luxurious with plush carpet, a split system air conditioner, ensuite & WIR. The further three bedrooms all enjoy BIRs. Comfort is maintained throughout the home with evaporative ducted cooling, & gas ducted heating. The sunny entertaining rear deck offers a fantastic place to enjoy the tranquility & views across the private, fully fenced backyard. With two stair cases to the flat lawned area or to access the extensive under house storage which has lighting & power. This home has a septic treatment plant & mains electricity, water & gas.

Aaron Day M 0407 365 994

Brennan Mileto M 0422 996 451

Bethany Day M 0438 844 968

3

A

2

B

4

C

Aaron Day M 0407 365 994

4

A

2

B

C

bellrealestate.com.au mailcommunity.com.au

Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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MAIL 23

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NEWS

SNIPPETS

Clubs to fundraise

MAIL SNIPPETS

By Parker McKenzie

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE HILLS

Volunteer with Friends of Emerald Lake Looking for a volunteer opportunity in 2023?

Come to a “Meet and Greet” morning tea and meet members on Thursday 19 January at 10.30am.

Meet near the paddleboats.

Contact: friendsofemeraldlakepark@gmail. com.au

·

Lyrebird Quilters meeting

The clubrooms aren’t currently fit for purpose, according to representatives of two of the tenant clubs.

Picture: ROB CAREW development included completed netball courts, a new pavilion, new cricket nets and updated rooms for the Belgrave Men’s Shed.

Ms Davey said during the next few years, the cricket club will be calling on the local community to assist it with the fundraising efforts. “We’re going to try and come up with different things that we can do to try and get as much of that money as we can,” she said.

“We’re really going to have to be smart and on the front foot about it, which is why we’re trying to put a five-year plan in place and try and get as many ideas as we can possibly.”

Yarra Ranges Council was contacted for comment.

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Knox City Council is hosting a workshop to help students during the transition from primary school to high school on Monday 23 January 2023, from 9.30am to 12.30am at the Knox Civic Centre.

The free event, which includes morning tea, will help students learn about being prepared, behaviour, social media, friendships and brain booster chemicals and is led by Kate Wilde from the Human Development Workshop.

For more information, contact Michelle Pascoe, Community Youth Worker, Knox Youth Services on michelle.pascoe@knox.vic. gov.au.

Positions Vacant

We are seeking JOURNALIST

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An opportunity exists for a university graduate cadet journalist to join our independent newsmedia business serving the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. We are seeking a position for a cadet based in Healesville with an existing team of reporters.

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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

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The three tenants of Belgrave Recreational Reserve will be required to fundraise $300,000 for an upgrade to the sports ground.

Want to sit and knit, sew, quilt, crotchet etc. over a cuppa and a chat? Join Lyrebird Quilter Saturday 21 January at Belgrave Library Community Room.

Time -1:00-4:00 pm. Cost $5.

Contact: lyrebird.quilters@gmail.com

Star News Group produces a number of news media titles across Melbourne and interstate with weekly printed newspapers and digital content.

Star News Group focuses on the local news and information that affects the lives of our community, and broader issues that directly impact our regions.

The Company is operated by experienced independent publishers and a local team of experienced media professionals.

We are seeking: A reporter with the ability to display initiative in news-gathering to produce compelling and timely content for our readers. Duties will include general news reporting, producing editorial content to support advertising features and special publications, photography, covering local events across the region, including some after hours, the ability to file stories to meet production deadlines and to assist with weekly print production and proofing of editorial content. A current driver’s licence and a reliable vehicle are essential.

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Three sporting clubs based out of Belgrave Recreational Reserve will need to raise $300,000 between them to ensure a much-needed redevelopment is completed within the next decade. Belgrave Cricket Club, Belgrave Football Netball Club and Belgrave Junior Football Club all play at the ground and have formed a committee to ensure the proposed redevelopment is funded.

Secretary of Belgrave Cricket Club and its representative on the committee Melissa Davey said the facilities are currently not fit for purpose due to an increase in participation from women athletes.

“The aim is to put like a five-year plan together for the cricket club to try and fundraise as close to $100,000 as we can,” she said.

“We’ve got a meeting coming up and some information sessions coming up for our members and supporters, so we can start asking for ideas and we can start drawing upon contacts and things that people can provide us to fundraise the money.” Ms Davey said the three clubs had been informed by Yarra Ranges Council that there were at least six other facilities requiring upgrades before Belgrave Recreational Reserve and it would cost a $300,000 contribution between them.

Belgrave Football Netball Club’s representative Bernie Weisgerber said the current building was built in the 1950s.

“The council put a temporary change room in for the girls outside. We’ve got a senior girls’ side and there are no facilities for them,” he said.

“We’ve got one female toilet for the whole joint, the other one is inoperable.”

During the 2022 state election, the Liberal Party of Victoria made a $3.8 million commitment to upgrading the reserve if elected to government, which it failed to do. The proposed

Mail

PEST CONTROL

10.09.1934 – 11.01.2023 Loved husband of Dorothy, incredible father to Kerrie, Helen and Paul and father-in-law to Greg and Sarah.

Adored and loved Pa of Tom, Ben, Kate, Hannah, Simon, Will and Ollie and partners Bree, Alice, Sammy, Callum, Sienna and Sophie.

Ian devoted his life to his family, his garden, the community and the newspaper industry.

We all love and miss you already

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Must be suitably fit and healthy.

Must have a full manual licence.

A police check is mandatory.

Successful applicant will work in a team environment and enjoy excellent earnings.

Immediate start. Lilydale area.

Resumes to: frontlinetermite@bigpond.com

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12571038-AI40-22

THOMAS, Ian Herbert

12586378-DL03-23

FULL-TIME TRAINEE TECHNICIAN

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.

Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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MAIL 25

SPORT

Sweltering return Cricket returned to sweltering conditions on Saturday, as the competition was forced to invoke its Extreme Weather Policy. This saw Divisions 5 and below called off, leaving Divisions 1-4 to brave the heat.

Upwey-Tecoma’s 1st XI faced a tough task against the undefeated ladder leader Lysterfield at Upwey Recreation Reserve.

Lysterfield won the toss and elected to bat.

That decision looked a good one as the Beavers jumped out of the blocks to hammer 43 off the opening 3 overs. A Stephen Capon breakthrough stemmed the flow, as the Tigers began to claw their way back into the contest on the back of some tight bowling.

At the completion of their 40 overs, Lysterfield had managed a competitive total of 195, perhaps just below par for a smallish ground and a fast outfield. Capon was the best of the bowlers with 2/30 off of his 8 overs, while the evergreen Jay Colee claimed 2/48 with some expert bowling at the death.

It was an all-too-familiar start to UpweyTecoma’s run chase. Both openers fell cheaply, handing Lysterfield the early ascendancy and leaving the Tigers teetering at 2/20.

This brought skipper Jackson Waters and coach Julian Whetstone to the crease, with the two steadying the ship before going on the attack to put the pressure back on the Beaver bowlers.

Not long after passing 50, a wilting Whetstone was forced to retire hurt with the heat getting the better of the English import. Waters powered on to a half-century of his own and rarely looked troubled as he anchored the innings.

A couple of quick wickets gave Lysterfield hope but this was quickly snuffed out by a rapid 32 from Hunter Greenall. The Tigers passed the target for the loss of 5 wickets with 3 overs to spare, with Waters finishing with 67 not out.`

Junior players from Monbulk enjoying the Stars game.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Big day out for juniors

Cam Wheeler (right) with his Vic Country teammates.

The win sees the Tigers consolidate their position in the top 4 and will no doubt give them the belief that they can match it with the best at the pointy end of the season.

The 2nd XI travelled to Lysterfield and was asked to field after losing the toss.

A fiery opening spell from Daniel Wiles had the Beavers in trouble early at 2/12 but wickets were difficult to come by thereafter, with Lysterfield reaching 9/188 at the end of their innings. Wiles finished with figures of 3/28, with the crafty Chris Jewell capturing 2/27.

Picture: FACEBOOK

The Upwey-Tecoma innings never really got going, despite the best efforts of captain Damian Berenato. He was the only meaningful contributor with a sterling 81 as the Tigers fell 25 runs short of the target, finishing on 9/163.

In some other great news for Upwey-Tecoma, mercurial all-rounder Cameron Wheeler has made a blistering start to the Australian Country Cricket Championships, currently taking place in Canberra. Wheeler claimed 6/41 against South Australia Country to help Victoria Country to a big win.

Last Thursday night, Monbulk’s junior club enjoyed a fantastic night at the MCG to watch a Big Bash match as well as support last season’s U14 premiers who were lucky enough to do a lap of honour before the match. Thanks to junior co-ordinator Steve Hooper for organising the event and the Melbourne Stars memberships for each junior player and the 50-odd Monbulk juniors and families that attended the event.

This weekend sees the return of all Monbulk teams (seniors, vets and juniors) after the Christmas break. Unfortunately last weekend the 3rds, 4ths and 5ths did not get to play after the league abandoned these matches due to the extreme heat. The 1sts and 2nds did get to play which was highlighted by the 2nd XI winning an exciting match by 1 run on the last ball of the match. Scores: Monbulk 7/167 (J.Fenby 52, A.Gillard 34, B.Trinnick 22) defeated Knoxfield 8/166 (D.Cleary 2/25, K.Storey 2/35, C.Haworth-Hooker 2/38)

Little athletes were keen to jump back into the season Morrison Reserve in Mt Evelyn was once again a buzz of energy and excitement on Saturday morning with the return of Little Athletics competition. After a three week break for Christmas the athletes returned eager to improve on their 2022 performances. With a warm day forecast, athletes were keen to enjoy the sunshine and run, jump and throw with some outstanding performances.

Yarra Ranges Athletics’ relay teams continued to prepare for the State Relay Championships in three weeks, the same day the club will host many of Victoria’s promising athletes for round 9 of AVSL. Our senior team will head to Murrumbeena this weekend for round 8 of AVSL with the aim of holding our position at the top of the competition ladder.

Just prior to Christmas many of the club’s athletes competed at round 2 of Vic Milers with all athletes recording either a personal or season best. Results are: 800m: Women Kiara Flavel 2:10.97; Kristina Nackovski 2:29.54; Ciara Willey 2:32.64;

800m: Men Pete Nackovski 2:19.28; Mitchell Pointon 2:25.53; Craig Hewitson 2:28.90; 1500m: Women Olivia Twining 4:41.81; Zoe Clarke 4:55.02; Bonnie Morris 5:13.70; 1500m: Men Max Savill-Bentley 4:01.82; Angus Norman 4:14.45; Luke Hunter 4:17.05; Reminder that entries for Little Athletics Region Track and Field Championships close on 30 January. Athletics Victoria championship entries are also open now. Training is available to all club members on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5.30pm and continues throughout the Christmas period.

Yarra Ranges Athletics welcomes and encourages all athletes of any age or ability. If you, or someone you know, wants to join in the Little Athletics fun registration is at www.lavic. com.au. For information on training, how to join or trial, photos, results and updated news, visit the website at yarrarangesathletics.org. au or check us out on Facebook. Run, Jump, Throw…too easy!

Maisie running to the finish line.

Holly running in the 11-year-old age group.

By Jamie Strudley

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26 MAIL

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Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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Brookley makes a stunning shot put throw.

Pictures: SASKIA GRANGER mailcommunity.com.au

SPORT

Razor thin Monbulk win

By Jack Rollings Saturday pennant started up again this week after the Xmas break. It was hot and windy. So hot it had some bowlers reaching for the rulebook and others who should have reached for the rulebook.

Monbulk 1 played away against Boronia 1.

It was first versus second. The winner could claim the top spot. The Boronia main green has been top-dressed recently. It is greening up nicely but is not ready just yet. So, the match was played on the second green. It wasn’t as slow as predicted, but it did have a few runs that trapped the bowls into straight lines. At least they were traps for both teams.

Karen Rice’s team led throughout the front half. It wasn’t until the fourteenth end that they dropped a 3 to give up the lead. Boronia started hitting their targets towards the finish and making conversions that Monbulk couldn’t restore. Monbulk lost the rink 12 shots to 19.

Jim Bras’ team had a close game with level scores on several ends. There were no scores higher than a double for both teams. Then, after 10 shots all on the fourteenth end, Monbulk managed to grab five of the final ends with 3 doubles, whereas Boronia managed only two singles. Monbulk won the rink 18 shots to 12.

Brian Smith’s team trailed for most of the game, even though the number of ends won was fairly even. A couple of clangers in the front half hurt Monbulk on the scoreboard.

Then, with just three ends to go, Boronia had a lead of 11 shots. And that’s when Monbulk turned it on, with a 3, a 4, and another 3, to almost claim the rink, but more importantly to give the composite big board a crucial boost.

Monbulk lost the rink 20 shots to 21.

Eric Markham’s rink had level scores several times. The ends won were even and there were some clangers dropped by both teams. The lead seesawed towards the finish. By the second last end, the other rinks had finished and the composite board was looking very close.

With the other players looking on, the secondlast end went to Boronia with 2 shots. The pressure was then full on for the final end.

Monbulk needed a 2 to win the rink or a 4 to win the overall match and the top spot on the ladder. Monbulk steadied with solid draw bowling. Boronia tried to disrupt the head with weighted shots, but the desperation didn’t work. It came down to a measure, but, in the end, Monbulk picked up the 4 vital shots.

Monbulk won the rink 23 shots to 20.

Overall Monbulk won 73 shots to 72 with two rinks up, to stay on top of the ladder. Next week Monbulk plays away against Bayswater 1 who is sitting sixth on the ladder. But, be aware, Bayswater has won four matches this season, all on their home ground.

Monbulk 2 played at home against Pakenham 3 who are on top of the ladder with no losses for the season. It was always going to be

Kaye Lee playing for Monbulk. a tough assignment. And Pakenham wasn’t worried by the Monbulk synthetic surface – they have synthetic too, so the Monbulk home ground advantage was reduced. And Pakenham was just too good on the day.

Mike Harris’ team won nine ends, but the losses included a 6 and two 3s. With just four ends to go, Monbulk trailed by 16 shots. Monbulk then finished strongly and was able to reduce the margin by half. Monbulk lost the rink 16 shots to 24.

Peter Lee’s team copped a hammering this round from a very strong team. Monbulk did win seven ends but there were several clangers among the losses. Monbulk lost the rink 11 shots to 34.

Alan Hamilton’s team had a close match for most of the day, until the eighteenth end when they dropped a 3 and trailed by 4 shots. Then, in a thrilling finish, Monbulk won the final three ends with a total of 8 shots. Monbulk won the rink 25 shots to 21.

Jim Anderson’s team won nine ends, but the losses included three 3s and a 4, and that total of 13 turned out to be the losing margin. Monbulk lost the rink 10 shots to 23.

Pictures: SUPPLIED Overall Monbulk lost 62 shots to 102 with just one rink up. Monbulk remains third on the ladder with a win/loss ratio of 6/4. Next week Monbulk play at home against Ferntree Gully 4 who are sitting fifth on the ladder, but they are knocking on the door with only a handful of ladder points between third, fourth and fifth.

The Monbulk run home to the finals looks hopeful, with the final four matches scheduled against sides below them on the ladder. And a bit of luck wouldn’t hurt.

Cockatoo/Monbulk played at Cockatoo against Yarra Junction 1.

Mark Blythman’s team had a close match all day with the lead changing several times and no margin greater than 3 shots. They didn’t win as many ends, but the Cockatoo/Monbulk wins included a good 5 shotter. They forced a draw at 15 shots all.

Mark Coulter’s team took the lead on the seventh end with a 5 shotter and then took control of the game. They grew the margin and only dropped seven ends for the day with nothing worse than doubles, while the wins included a couple of good 3 shotters. Cockatoo/Monbulk won the rink with a healthy

Ian Rice bowls for Monbulk. margin 26 shots to 11.

Allan Brooke’s rink was fairly even in the number of ends won, and both teams picked up multiples to change the lead dramatically several times. They managed to contain the loss on the final end to a single shot and hang onto the lead. They won the rink 25 shots to 24.

Anthony Young’s team performed strongly in the heat, only dropping seven ends and all of those for minor scores. The wins included five 3s, one 4, and a 6. They won the rink 33 shots to 12.

Overall Cockatoo/Monbulk won 99 shots to 62 with three and a half rinks up. The ladder is incomplete but currently this side is sitting third. They also have the top score percentage on the ladder at 137.66, mainly due to the lowest shots against them of all the sides in this competition. Next week Cockatoo/Monbulk will play at Cockatoo against Mooroolbark 7 who are sixth on the ladder with only three wins. The combined side is now only eight ladder points below second. The wins are coming at the right time of the season if they can keep up the momentum.

Grants available for elite juniors in Casey electorate

By Parker McKenzie A federal grants program offering financial assistance for coaches, officials and players aged 12 to 18 who are participating in state, national or international level competitions is now open.

The Local Champions program gives successful applications between $500 and $750 towards the cost of attending their championships, depending on how far they have to travel, as long as the competition is recognised by either Sports Australia or School Sports Australia.

Casey MP Aaron Violi said if you’re good enough to play in a representative team, money shouldn’t stop you from participating.

“For us, as a government, to be able to provide grants to people that need and have the potential to play at an elite level, in a junior setting, it’s important that we help them do that,” he said.

“It’s a wonderful initiative and if you know someone you think is eligible, please share it with them.” mailcommunity.com.au

The program offers a base grant of $500 and a potential $100 for applicants travelling between 800km and 1999km, $200 for applicants travelling internationally or over 200km and $50 for people residing in a rural electorate.

Mr Violi said being involved in sports helped him learn some great skills.

“Things like discipline, hard work, working with others and getting feedback from coaches have been important life lessons,” he said.

“I grew up with a single mum and as one of five, and we didn’t have a lot of money but I was still able to play sport because the club was really flexible on the fees.”

Round four of the grants are open until 31 March 2023. Eligible competitions include state and national championships endorsed by the relevant Sport Australia recognized organisation or school sport Australia, or an international competition as a member of a team recognised by either organisation.

For more information and to apply for the grant, visit sportaus.gov.au/grants_and_ funding/local_sporting_champions

The Local Champions program gives successful applications between $500 and $750 towards the cost of attending their championships, depending on how far they have to travel, as long as the competition is recognised by either Sports Australia or School Sports Australia.

Picture: ON FILE Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

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MAIL 27

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