Mail - Ranges Trader Star Mail - 4th April 2023

Ranges Trader

Lantern festival receives funding through council

Belgrave CFA celebrates 100 years

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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A Star News Group Publication

Local author publishes with daughter

Local footy club receives Fairplay award

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In full bloom Fields of bright flowers have once again taken over Silvan’s Tesselaar farm as part of this year’s KaBloom festival, which kicked off on Saturday 25 March.

Around three million flowers - including marigolds, bright blue salvia and snapdragons - will accompany a troop of circus performers and fairy storytellers will fill the autumn festivities until 25 April.

Tesselaar KaBloom welcomed 70,000 visitors in 2022, with managing director Paul Tesselaar expecting even more in 2023.

Turn to page 11 for more

Isla at the Kabloom Festival.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Historic victory Mary Doyle will represent Bayswater, Boronia, Ferntree Gully and The Basin in federal parliament after a historic win in the Aston by-election on Saturday 1 April.

The soon-to-be Labor member is the first to represent the seat for the party since 1990, and

the result is the first time the government has won a seat from the opposition in a by-election in over a century.

In front of volunteers and supporters at Boronia Bowls Club on election night, Ms Doyle said “our most optimistic and true be-

lievers knew that I was the underdog for this campaign even after the excellent result at the election last year.”

“We were the underdog but boy have we shown that we have a big bite,” she said.

“This was an extraordinary endorsement of

the Albanese government, its positive plans for the country and a credit to all your hard work.”

The by-election was triggered by the retirement of long-serving member Alan Tudge, who was the member for Aston since 2010.

Turn to page 3 for more

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NEWS

Cockatoo IGA enjoys wins

By Tyler Wright Cockatoo IGA beat stores across the state at an award ceremony on Friday 24 March, winning Medium Delicatessen Department of the Year Award and Customer Service and Experience Award at the IGA Victorian Awards of Excellence at Crown Casino. Cockatoo IGA owner Nathan Pasco said it was “humbling” and “exciting” to win the awards after being nominated for eight different awards for two consecutive years.

“My message to my team... is that it’s actually a privilege to be nominated for all of those categories two years in a row,” Mr Pasco said.

“To win the two that we won this year was an extra bonus.”

The store was commended for its range of cut cheeses, antipasto and made-to-order deli platters, as well as carrying orders to customers cars, offering free home delivery and providing charging stations during power outages.

“When power is out, we’ve got our generator that runs the whole store. People can actually come somewhere and have a coffee from our cafe and talk to each other, or they can come and find a hot chicken to buy when their oven is not working at home,” Mr Pasco said.

“We view external things like awards as a great positive, but we measure ourselves more on what we get from our own customers, which is overwhelmingly positive feedback.”

Victorian IGA State Board Chairman Jeff Harper said said the awards acknowledge the “hard work, excellence and commitment to their local communities that Victorian IGA stores have demonstrated throughout the year”.

“The amazing deli offer and the commitment to customer service that the entire team at IGA Cockatoo have made them deserving winners of these two awards,” Mr Harper said.

“Nothing is too much for the team, who will do whatever they can to provide amazing service for their local shoppers. Congratulations to the entire team, this award is truly well-deserved.”

The Cockatoo IGA customer service team at the IGA Victorian Awards of Excellence at Crown Casino on Friday 24 March.

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IN BRIEF

Doyle resets records

By Parker McKenzie

Mary Doyle on election night.

Picture: JULIAN SMITH, AAP

Throughout the campaign, the Liberal Party focused on the rising cost of living and funding cuts to roads in Knox, however, its messaging failed to connect with voters.

Local Liberal Party members were left frustrated in February when a Victorian Liberal Party administration committee picked the Brunswick-based Ms Campbell, taking the decision away from local branch members by not holding a general plebiscite.

The Labor party, still riding a wave of support that saw swings towards it in Aston at last year’s federal election, successfully focused on Ms Campbell’s residence in inner-city Melbourne and tied the candidate to Peter Dutton’s leadership of the Liberal party.

The support of state MPs Jackson Taylor and Daniela De Martino also factored into

the victory, with the pair campaigning for Ms Doyle in the lead-up to election day.

The party in government had not won a seat from the opposition in a by-election in over 100 years. Ms Doyle will also be the first Labor member for Aston since 1990.

At the time of print, the Greens had 10.1 per cent of the first preference vote, a 2 per cent drop compared to last year’s federal election, while Independent Maya Tesa won 7 per cent and the FUSION Party candidate Owen Miller with 2.9 per cent.

The Aston electorate covers Bayswater, Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield, Rowville, Scoresby, The Basin, Wantirna and Wantirna South, and parts of Lysterfield, Sassafras and Upper Ferntree Gully.

SES called to Strawberry Corner smash

By Tyler Wright SES members have been busy attending call outs on Belgrave-Gembrook Road in Avonsleigh in March.

Emerald SES members were called out to an incident on Belgrave-Gembrook Road near the winding spur on Tuesday 28 March where a truck had driven off the road and hit a tree.

Deputy controller Neil Fisher said crews were initially paged at 9.37am for an initial clearance and then were called back at 11.45am, helping Victoria Police reopen Belgrave-Gembrook Road and clear the fallen tree.

“The Emerald unit’s understanding was the tree was already down when the truck hit it or the truck collided with it, and that’s what caused the truck to go off the road,” Mr Fisher said.

“That’s obviously pending Victoria Police’s investigation.”

There were no injuries.

A truck drove off Belgrave-Gembrook Road near Strawberry Corner on Tuesday 28 March.

Picture: SUPPLIED Stop-slow bats were used to manage traffic in the morning, with the road closed in the afternoon.

Mr Fisher said the stretch of BelgraveGembrook has not particularly been a hazard for motorists in the past, but heavy vehicles and motorists who are not familiar

Get Winter Ready!

with roads in the area may be involved in accidents.

Roaming cows have also been an issue on Strawberry Corner, Mr Fisher said, with a recent incident of a cow injuring itself after an attempted escape through a fence along the road on Thursday 9 March.

“They’ve somehow got through their fencing and they’re just grazing on the grass that is in the road corridor,” he said.

“The concern from SES is that a vehicle might collide with a cow, and then that vehicle would lose control and become and have passengers that are trapped driver or passengers that are trapped or indeed have a further vehicle collision with vehicles traversing the road,” he said.

Four CFA units from Macclesfield heavy animal rescue and Cockatoo attended the scene, with the cow needing to be euthanised after finding its way onto the road embankment.

Crews declared the scene safe by 12.37am on Friday 10 March.

Yarra Ranges residents will all be able to burn off once again from 1am on Tuesday 11 April as the fire danger period will be lifted for these areas.

Regardless of this, residents are asked to be mindful of the conditions as a small burn-off can still get out of control.

You can refer to the CFA brochure ‘Are you burning off safely?’ to ensure your burn remains safe and legal. Take care and make sure you have water available at all times and never leave your burn-off unattended.

Local CFAs can also provide advice on how to safely burn off and how to best prepare yourself and your property for the next fire season.

Before lighting a burn-off, residents are always urged to notify their neighbours and register their burn either online via firepermits. vic.gov.au or by calling the Burn-Off Notification Line on 1800 668 511.

Always check and adhere to your council’s local laws and regulations before burning off.

Pet rego due Yarra Ranges residents are reminded to get their pet registrations in by the Monday 10 April deadline.

Registering your pet with Council helps to locate them in case they get lost and can be done online, in person or via email.

All dogs and cats must be microchipped and registered with Council by the age of three months.

Pet owners that have registered a puppy prior to being desexed are eligible for a partial refund if proof of desexing is provided within 1 month of registration.

All cats being registered for the first time must be desexed unless the owner is eligible for an exemption.

Pension concession rates for pet registrations are only available to pensioner concession card or veteran card holders.

For more information or to register your pet online, visit: www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/ Environment/Pets-and-animals/Pet-registration/Register-your-pet fbclid=IwAR2K0Ne2Ki Ed3yPMbEDuxiRanElnCUOeyCtrHw5V8yjqkS RNmcu2sMoeYqQ

Ceres Organics Tahini products recalled A recall of Ceres Organics Organic Hulled Tahini 300g and Ceres Organics Organic Unhulled Tahini 300g sold at independent food retailers including iGA in Victoria has been ordered.

The recall is due to potential microbial (Salmonella) contamination and affects Hulled Tahini with a Best Before date of 25/05/2023, 22/08/2023 and 01/08/2024 and Unhulled Tahini with a Best Before date of 25/05/2023 and 22/08/2023.

Consumers should not eat this product.

Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund.

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Mary Doyle will represent Aston in federal parliament after a historic by-election win for the Labor Party on Saturday 1 April.

In front of volunteers and supporters at Boronia Bowls Club on election night, Ms Doyle said “our most optimistic and true believers knew that I was the underdog for this campaign even after the excellent result at the election last year.”

“We were the underdog but boy have we shown that we have a big bite,” she said.

“This was an extraordinary endorsement of the Albanese government, its positive plans for the country and a credit to all your hard work.”

The by-election, triggered by the retirement of Liberal Alan Tudge, was contested by five candidates: Ms Doyle, Liberal party candidate Roshena Campbell, Angelica Di Camillo from the Greens, Independent Maya Tesa and FUSION Party candidate Owen Miller.

At the time of print, the Labor party increased its first preference vote by over 8 per cent, while the Liberal party had a decrease of 3.91 per cent compared to Mr Tudge’s results at last year’s federal election. After preference counts, Ms Doyle had 53.6 per cent of the vote to Ms Campbell’s 46.4 per cent.

On election night, Ms Campbell said she had called Ms Doyle to congratulate her on her electoral victory.

“I want to give my profound thanks to the people of Aston, for the past five weeks I’ve had the privilege of listening to them and hearing their stories,” she said.

“Tonight was not our night but our democracy needs a strong opposition and the time will come, I think soon, when this country needs a strong Liberal government.”

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Sustaining news locally

A collection of the local Star Mail newspapers. 326415 ance on syndicated content, in print and digital, sourced from neighbouring areas or other parts of the country.”

The research team conducted two main national surveys – one with local news audiences and one with those who do not engage with local news.

There were 35 interviews with Australian news editors and proprietors and seven interpretive focus groups with editors, journalists and advertising managers within the Country Press Australia network.

One key finding was the strain on local mastheads hit with lost revenue from local, state and federal government advertising.

Advertising in recent years has prioritised social media and metropolitan news outlets with a larger digital reach.

“Our research found there is this obsession with digital reach,” Professor Hess said.

“That’s all well and good, but a local masthead, whether in print or online, isn’t designed to reach one million people.

“If we use the digital reach metric as an

Private e-scooter use OK’d

Picture: MIKAYLA VAN LOON

indicator as to which news outlets should get government advertising, these independent regional and rural outlets are going to lose out every time.

The report supports a recent Parliamentary Inquiry recommendation that stipulates 20 per cent of all Federal Government advertising expenditure be directed to regional and rural news organisations.

“Communities without a newspaper rarely have a platform that enables them to be fully informed,“ Mr Thomas said.

“They no longer have professionally trained journalists providing balance and seeking out the details.

“They become reliant on social media which has no balance, and most often simply coughs up someone else’s bias.“ Data from the study also showed government funding schemes for local news outlets were often tied to digital innovation.

Funding is often given to buy drones and other technologies.

The report describes a ‘digital shiny things

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Private e-scooters will now be legal on Victorian roads from Wednesday April 5, after the state government announced changes to their use. Minister for Roads and Safety Melissa Horne announced an extension of an ongoing e-scooter trial in Melbourne and Ballarat, alongside changes to private e-scooter use.

“We know e-scooters are popular with many Victorians, so we’re extending the trial in Victoria under these strict regulations to ensure people travel responsibly and safely,” she said in a statement.

“Riders should always wear a helmet, stick to the speed limit, only ride on roads under 60km/h and never ride on the footpath or with another person.”

Privately owned scooters can be legally ridden on shared-use paths and roads with mailcommunity.com.au

a speed limit of up to 60km/h, the rider is over 16 years old and is wearing a helmet, the rider isn’t under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the rider doesn’t exceed 20km/h and aren’t using a mobile phone of carrying a passenger and the scooter isn’t capable of exceeding 25km/h. According to the state government, “e-scooter share schemes will be able to operate with the approval of local councils.” Yarra Ranges Council and Knox City Council currently have no plans to enter an e-scooter rideshare agreement, meaning rentable e-scooters will not be available in the LGA anytime soon.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said the organisation has only just been provided detail about the extension of the Department of Transport and Planning’s e-scooter trial.

“We will now take the time to understand the changes before making any further comment.” the spokesperson said.

General Enquiries Tel: 5957 3700 Email: enquiries@mailcommunity.com.au Distribution Enquiries Tel: 1300 654 910 Advertising Group Advertising Manager – Tracey Aitken Email: advertising@mailcommunity.com.au Editorial Email: editor@mailcommunity.com.au Classifieds Advertising Phone: 1300 666 808 Email: sales@networkclassifieds.com.au Deadlines: Display Advertising: 4PM Wednesday Trades: 4PM Thursday Classifieds: 4PM Friday Sports Results: 9AM Monday Managing Director: Paul Thomas

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bias’ towards digital innovation at the expense of supporting initiatives that may be most beneficial to rural and regional audiences.

A greater appreciation for place-based public interest journalism and the need for collaboration among publishers were other key findings.

While what local news providers needed was financial support to upgrade print infrastructure or to hire more staff.

Professor Hess said print is not dead for many regional and rural communities.

“We need to remember there is a digital divide in Australia that means some communities still struggle with poor-quality and unreliable Internet connections.

“Some segments of the community, including older citizens, find it difficult to use newer technologies.

“Younger audiences also like the look of a printed newspaper.”

The report also recommends better incentives, including pay, to attract seasoned reporters to the regions. Governments are also urged to provide seed funding for journalistled news start-ups to counteract local “news deserts” developing in some parts of Australia.

“Our research shows people in these communities want more local news content, including stories on locals’ achievements, successes and milestones.

“They also want news on local events and more investigative-type pieces.”

Mr Manuel noted that regional newspapers are unique in their ability to give readers an insight into their close community.

“Our members continue to provide the local and civic news that readers crave more than ever, often as the only local media outlet serving a particular region,“ he said.

“Coming out of the pandemic, many publishers have reported a strong revival in their readership, underpinned by a focus on hyperlocal and unique news that has been a common denominator of country papers since their inception.“ The research also found there is more capacity for regional and rural news providers to develop collaborative advocacy and solutionsstyle reporting campaigns that address important rural and regional issues that span multiple communities.

Mr Thomas said the Victorian State Government is very supportive of the industry, ensuring important government communications are “provided to local communities through the local newspapers“.

However he stipulates that this dedication is not reflected in the Federal Government, who place their announcements solely online.

“Government messages can easily be misconstrued online or end up next to inappropriate material,“ he said.

“We call on the Federal Government to ensure that they provide information to local communities across appropriate platforms and commit to the recommendations of this report by Deakin.“ The report was launched at a national event in Melbourne on 23 March.

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

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Local print newspapers like Star Mail may survive the onslaught of online media.

A national report into local news sustainability is challenging the perception that print newspapers are dead.

The report is calling on governments to revise their advertising rules to help local news providers and better target regional and rural communities.

“Local and regional newspapers continue to play a significant role for local communities,“ Star News Group managing director Paul Thomas said.

“They provide a voice, an opportunity for informed public debate and hold the powerful to account.

“Star News Group is proud to continue to provide quality local news with balance and fairness but the conditions are tough.“ The report Media Innovation and the Civic Future of Australia’s Country Press made 22 recommendations.

The finding was the culmination of a threeyear Australian Research Council project, led

by Deakin University.

Deakin partnered with Country Press Australia, the nation’s peak local news lobby, and RMIT University.

Project lead Professor Kristy Hess, of Deakin’s School of Communications and Creative Arts, said the project’s aim was to examine the local media landscape to identify challenges and opportunities for sustainability and innovation.

“We wanted to examine the challenges facing small-town news providers given the commentary in recent years about the crisis they are facing in Australia and across the world,” she said.

This was the first comprehensive report of its kind in Australia and its recommendations provide a blueprint to preserve and grow rural and regional news for future generations.

Country Press Australia president Andrew Manuel said the Media Innovation and the Civic Future of Australia’s Country Press report should be seen as a beginning and not an end.

Mr Manuel said the report highlights the essential role local papers play in serving their communities and delivering civic journalism.

“This is arguably the most comprehensive study of our industry ever undertaken and the report stands as a beacon for government, for policy makers and for the community to take the appropriate and necessary actions to ensure newspapers can continue to play such a vital role,“ he said.

The study began at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic resulted in the temporary or permanent closure of dozens of local mastheads across Australia and a shift among some to digital-only platforms.

“The first thing we did was conduct a major national survey to find out what people valued about their local mastheads,” Professor Hess said.

“We found people in many regional and rural towns and cities were passionate about their local mastheads but rejected an over-reli-

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Road improvement plans

By Tyler Wright Yarra Ranges Councillors voted to approve final costings for two special charges schemes for roads in the Hills at the latest council meeting on Tuesday 28 March.

Final costs for construction on Martin Street in Belgrave were approved in the meeting, amounting to a $190,000 payment for residents.

The project will cost $711,406 in total; $197,626 more than the estimated $513,780.

Lyster Ward Councillor Johanna Skelton said there will be no adjustment to what the landowners and residents on the street contribute.

“It is disappointing to see cost over runs, but as previously stated, it is certainly something that we’re growing to see in many projects in road and construction,” Cr Skelton said.

“This one here, the cost overrun related to the area going along that council land, so thankfully the residents were not impacted by that increased cost related to some better drainage and some demands that we needed to meet from Melbourne Water.”

A road improvement scheme was initially declared in 2018 for the street from Merrigum Lane to number 26 Martin Street.

The street runs alongside Belgrave Recreation Reserve.

“It’s reasonably standard and its probably good the residents can have this done and dusted,” Cr Skelton said.

Chirnside Ward Councillor Richard Higgins said it was a “good outcome” for local residents.

“Hopefully they won’t see the dust from now on,” he said.

“That’s fantastic.”

The motion was carried unanimously.

The final cost of works associated with the special charge scheme for Jellicoe Avenue in

Final costings for works on Merrigum Lane through to number 26 Martin Street in Belgrave were approved at a Yarra Ranges Council meeting on Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS Tuesday 28 March. 326383 Monbulk was also approved at the meeting, with no variation in landowner apportionment costs.

Councillors also voted that landowners included in the special charge scheme be advised of the result of the final costing of the $700,000 project.

Chandler Ward Councillor David Eastham moved the recommendation.

“There was a saving of 77,000...that’s in comparison with the initial estimates, which is a great outcome especially if you consider the various price increases that we’ve seen across

all sectors since 2017,” Cr Eastham said.

“In regards to where that money, that 77,000, goes; that will allow council to invest that money back into other key roads projects that we’re delivering as well.”

Cr Hennan seconded the recommendation.

The total cost of works for Jellicoe Avenue are $1,240,252; $66,641 short of the $1,306,893 estimate.

The motion was carried unanimously.

The special charges scheme for the improvement of Jellicoe Avenue was initially declared in 2017.

Costings for works on Jellicoe Avenue in Monbulk were also approved. 326385

Accessing power saving bonus made easy at centre Accessing the power saving bonus initiative from the State government has never been more simple with Lilydale based Community Information and Support (CIS) Yarra Ranges offering easy assistance.

CIS Victoria executive officer Kate Wheller said ensuring vulnerable communities receive the support they need is essential to the services the organisation provides.

“Our day to day services are supporting people who are financially and personally in hardship. So it’s really important that within the scope of the work we do, we can offer this kind of support,” she said.

“Energy bills have long been a driver of financial hardship in the communities we work with, so the power saving bonus offers a real incentive for people to have a look at their energy bills to figure out if they’re on the

ed

Publish

y

Tuesda

The CIS Yarra Ranges team Jade Harris, chief executive Kate Wheller, Sarah Miller and Zoe encourage people to access the power saving bonus. 325749 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS best contracts, move providers if they need to while getting that cash incentive to do so.”

With 31 partner agencies across the sector delivering the $250 power saving bonus, Kate said within the first day 350 people had

signed up for the bonus and she expects hundreds of people have since.

Not only does Kate and the team at the CIS Yarra Ranges office in Lilydale hope the bonus can offer some quick relief for people, it can also show them what other supports CIS can provide.

“It’s a really important opportunity for us to have a conversation with someone about their bills, but also more broadly, what’s happening in their life, to look at ways we can support them with other aspects of their daily living as well, so it’s delivering a really practical support,” Kate said.

“There are already existing supports provided by the State government which are there to support people with utility hardship and not everyone is aware of utility relief grants or concessions and how often they can apply for those kinds of things,” Kate said.

“It’s really important that those elements are part of the conversation but then it’s that broader assessment of what is the person’s situation? Are they renting? Are they in sustainable housing? What income do they receive? Have they got dependent children and/or health issues?”

Coming into winter, Kate said often it’s a case of people deciding whether to “eat or heat” because as awful as it sounds, many “can’t afford to do both”.

To seek support from CIS Yarra Ranges, contact the office on 9735 1311 or visit Wednesday, Thursday or Friday between 10am and 3pm at 214 Main Street Lilydale.

The team will also be holding a community event on 26 April from 10am until 12pm where people can bring their power bills and enjoy some refreshments.

Where to pick up a FREE printed copy of your...

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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 1660 Burwood Highway Belgrave 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

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

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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By Mikayla van Loon

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NEWS

Funding deal is brilliant

By Tyler Wright The Belgrave Lantern Festival has been given a funding boost from Yarra Ranges Council, with $50,000 injected into the event over the next four years as part of the council’s partnership grant program.

Grant recipients in the 2023-27 Creative Communities stream were announced on Tuesday 28 March, with the lantern festival receiving $12,500 each year.

Festival organiser Jeremy Angerson said the council has continued to be a “real ally” for the community by supporting the annual event, which sees lanterns line the streets and businesses buzzing for a celebration of the winter solstice.

“It allows for things like lantern making workshops...and there’s a provision in there for local performers to be able to perform in different pop up precincts throughout the township,” Mr Angerson said.

“There’ll be some money there to be able to pay for a special lantern for the CFA this year as well, and for stages in AV and lighting and MCs...

“Everything is poured back into the event and thankfully, we’ve got ongoing partners like Bendigo Bank that provide some top up funding for the event as well.”

Mr Angerson said the festival is an “iconic” and “beloved” event not just for locals, but also for visitors.

“We had huge swell of numbers come up from the cities and using public transport to get to [last] year’s event…it was one of the biggest ones in memory, between 13 thousand and 16 thousand people came,” Mr Angerson said.

“We’ve had people come from Mildura, Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine, other festivals check us out as well that put on live events

The Belgrave Lantern Festival is “iconic” and “beloved” by both locals and visitors, organiser Jeremy Angerson said.

Picture: SUPPLIED within their own communities.”

2023’s festival - set to be held on Saturday 24 June from 5pm to 8pm - will see street performances, circus arts belly dancers, market stalls and workshops scattered around the town.

Inspiro will also open up its facilties and provide a new starting point for the lantern parade.

“Belgrave Arcade is going to be reactivated yet again...you might see some new activities in Blacksmith’s Way because there’s a new mu-

ral arts project that’s being rolled out in the laneway,” Mr Angerson said.

“We’re just hoping, fingers crossed, to be able to work again with the FReeZA committee, Defrosted Events in at council with their amazing new stage that they put on last year, and hoping to get those crews back to have a great live stage up in Hayes car park,” he said.

“We keep the streets safe through our traffic and transport protocols, so the whole of the township is quarantined for entertainment during those hours, which is just great, so we’re

going to have a great creative party.”

Yarra Ranges Council received 25 applications for the Creative Communities grants for the 2023-2027 period, alongside 27 applications for the Connected and Healthy Communities grants.

18 and 22 respective organisations were approved for consecutive yearly payments of varying amounts, including the Foothills Festival in Upwey and the Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service (DRERS).

An independent panel made the recommendations, tallying $558,000 for year one and a total of $2.2 million over the four years, an annual increase of $59,500 to better address the needs of the organisations.

In an online statement, Yarra Ranges Mayor, Jim Child, said the partnership funding supports programs that run long-term and have a significant benefit to the community.

“The events and services we’ve been able to fund through our Partnership Grants are highlights of the cultural calendar in the Yarra Ranges, or deliver incredible and measurable support for community members,” the mayor said.

“Annual events that draw people in their thousands, programs to help vulnerable people in our community and ideas that improve this beautiful area we live in – the funding available is significant, because the programs we fund deliver far more than their dollar amount back to our community. This is through volunteer time and leveraging other funds.

“I’m so glad to see this year’s list include a number of first-time recipients and so many of these are events and project that are far reaching because, we want everyone to benefit from the fantastic cultural opportunities on our doorstep, of which there are many.”

Council votes to apply for rec reserve lighting grant

By Tyler Wright Yarra Ranges Council has put forward applications in the Country Football and Netball funding program to help provide lighting upgrades to Belgrave Recreation Reserve.

The state government’s Sport and Recreation funding program matches council funding dollar for dollar of up to $250,000 per local government area to achieve improvement works at sports facilities.

Belgrave Cricket Club secretary and Belgrave senior football and netball club secretary Melissa Davey said some lights are not in working order, with parts of the ground unable to be used.

“It can be quite unsafe,” Ms Davey said.

“It doesn’t meet standard... and we have our women’s team who play 4.45[pm] competition on a Saturday night and [the lights are] not up to standard at the moment, so that’s been a bit of an issue the last year or so.

The state government funding would provide lighting upgrades at Belgrave Recreation Reserve to increase safety during twilight games. 315242 Picture: ROB CAREW “There’s been many times we’ve come to training to turn the lights on and they’ve blown or there’s weird noises coming from them.”

Ms Davey said having the lighting repaired would bring more opportunities for more teams and players to become part of

the community and train at the same time.

“It would mean that we’re meeting the league requirements and can host more night games or twilight games without any worries and it’ll just mean an overall security and sense of safety when it comes to the light towers for training and games,” she said.

“We’re just not being able to cater for everyone properly at the moment because we’re just quite limited in the time or the amount of space on the oval that we can use at every given one time.”

At a council meeting on Tuesday 28 March, Lyster Ward councillor Johanna Skelton said lighting improvements would be a cost saver to the club’s who use the reserve and for the broader community.

“Belgrave Recreation Reserve, the sports lighting upgrade is so needed, it’s not up to par at the moment and the club is spending a lot of money on lighting,” Cr Skelton said.

“They are going to be very happy if we are

successful in getting this money from the state government because it’s going to reduce the running costs for the club and enable them to do night games and some other uses of the space.”

Councillors voted to endorse netball court surface works, fencing and lighting upgrades at Morrison Reserve in Mount Evelyn.

Councillors also voted to endorse a contribution from the Capital Expenditure Program to fund the balance between estimated project cost and the Sport and Recreation Victoria funding should the projects be successful in submission to the Country Football Netball Program.

“I’ll have my fingers crossed to hope that both of these projects are successful at that level,” Cr Skelton said.

“They’re both enabling the council to make substantial savings.”

The motion was carried unanimously at the meeting.

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Past members who were part of the brigade running team.

Pictures: TANIA PENDLEBURY

Celebration of the century

By Parker McKenzie Belgrave CFA celebrated its 100th birthday this month, with the brigade hosting a celebratory function featuring life members and current firefighters coming together.

Brigade Captain Phil Keep said the event was held on Saturday 25 March at Mater Christi College.

“Each brigade member got a commemorative deal that says 100 years on it and engraved with the Puffing Billy trestle bridge, their names and their volunteer number,” he said.

“I presented all the life members with a commemorative medal and then I got the life members to present the medals to the firefighters and other members.”

Mr Keep has been captain of the brigade for 22 years and a member for over a quarter of Belgrave CFA’s existence.

Member of the Centenary Committee James Bakker said the function was a celebration of the brigade and a great night for all involved.

“We are very proud to be a part of the community, to serve the community and proud to reflect our community for over 100 years,” he said.

Mr Bakker said dignitaries, current brigade members and life members were all present at the event.

“We had around 140 people there, including local councillor Joanna Skelton, Daniella De Martino, Monbulk member and Aaron Violi, member for Casey,” he said.

“We also had Trevor Owen, Deputy Chief Officer, and nearly all our life members present, with only a couple who were away due to infirmity and distance.”

Mr Keep said Belgrave CFA, which was founded in 1923 and is one of the busiest brigades in the state, is like “a big family.”

“It can be a bit daunting, but I’d encourage anybody to join because if you ever need a hand, there’ll be someone there always,” he said.

“There’ll be a few more brigades celebrating 100 years in the next few years like us, some of which are older than the CFA itself.”

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Council, state and federal representatives at the celebration.

The brigade is completely comprised of volunteers, and its history was previously recorded in Our History: March 1923 to June 2002.

Mr Bakker said the brigade has several community engagement events planned throughout the year.

“We had a history book printed in 2002 and I’m currently working on an update on that, which will be coming out towards the end of the year,” he said.

“We’re going to have a mural installed, which has been prepared and developed with the help of Yarra Ranges Community Grants that was completed by local Artist Jackie Christians, and I believe we’re going to have an open day for the community later in the year.”

He thanked Mater Christi College for hosting the event for free and being so accommodating on the night.

Belgrave CFA Captain Phil Keep with the brigade’s youngest member Ari. mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Car show fills the streets

By Tyler Wright The Monbulk Car Show returned with a bang this year, with the event on the town’s main street on Sunday 26 March the most successful yet.

Monbulk Car Show committee member and Monbulk Fire Brigade 2nd lieutenant Glenn Hickingbotham said an estimated 4,000 people attended the show in 2023.

“Main street was packed, which is great to see...we were at capacity...our capacity is around 330, 340 cars,” Mr Hickingbotham said.

“Unfortunately, we can’t fit anymore in due to the size of our main street but we do want to keep the show at the main street due to the support for local traders and community to come together.”

The local CFA’s biggest annual fundraiser, the show saw bold Holdens, Chevvys and McLaren sports cars and modern customs lining Main Road and part of Mount Pleasant Road, a CFA demonstration and visits from revheads from around Victoria, with Macclesfield Fire Brigade members also volunteering from 6am to 4pm on the day.

“We decided to do a little competition, when we were doing presentation, we called to

ask people to call out where they came from, and we’ll give [the prize] to the furthest distance; the furthest one was from a small town near Sale,” Mr Hickingbotham said.

“There are locals, but there are a hell of a lot of people that come out of the area...I heard people saying they were driving off through Belgrave at the end, and there was a stream of classic cars, show cars heading out.

“That was incredible. That’s a long way to come for our little show.”

Trophies were also handed out for Best Panel and Paint, Best Original Restoration, Best Pre 1980 Vehicle and Best Post 1980 Vehicle.

Funds from the event’s entry fees are still being tallied, with the cash injection set to go towards general equipment for the Monbulk Fire Brigade, as well as a rescue support vehicle replacement, Mr Hickingbotham said.

“Volunteer fire brigades do still have to raise money to do different things, It’s not all covered by government,” he said.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to get heavily involved with the car show and built it to what it is now.”

The Monbulk Car Show raised $22,000 for firefighters in 2022.

An estimated 4,000 people visited Monbulk’s main street on Sunday 26 March for the Monbulk Car Show.

Picture: COREY EVERITT

Upper Yarra CFAs train with First small business expo specialist hose layer truck was a Skyhigh success

By Callum Ludwig

Upper Yarra CFAs made their way to Upper Yarra Secondary College over the weekend to participate in an important training exercise.

Scoresby CFA brought up their specialist Hose Layer truck for brigades to familiarise themselves with, a truck which has already been utilised at major fires this year such as at Big Watermelon Wholesale in Wantirna South and the Temple fire at Springvale South.

2nd Lieutenant and Training Officer at Yarra Junction Fire Brigade Steve Spoor organised the exercise alongside 3rd Lieutenant Adam Pelling and said it was about testing the brigade’s pre-action plans set in place for large infrastructure.

“The high school is one of our biggest assets so that’s why we did it there, so what we did was simulate that the water had failed inside the school grounds and to compensate for that we had Scoresby’s Hose Layer up,” he said.

“For instance, if there was a fire and the school has an internal ring main that failed, then we can call the hose layer up to lay some hose from a different spot, whether it be the dam that’s across the road or down at the river.”

During the exercise, brigades were acting as if they had to conduct an internal search and rescue for students during a fire at the school, and ran twin lines of 100mm hose down to the oval with ground monitors set up and ready.

Mr Spoor said it is fantastic to have brigades across the region with different specialist skills or equipment.

“Having those resources is such an asset, whether it comes from a brigade in the Yarra Valley group, Knox Group or Maroondah group and be it Scoresby’s Hose Layer or somewhere like Montrose with their gas flare-off equipment,” he said.

“It’s just great knowing that we can turn out to a job and if it turns south or if we need that specialist brigade, it’s just a matter of jumping onto the radio and asking for it.”

Mooroolbark Fire Brigade also turned out with their extra large pumper for brigades to be familiar with.

As well as Yarra Junction Fire Brigade, Wandin Fire Brigade, Hillcrest Fire Brigade, Seville Rural Fire Brigade, Gruyere Fire Brigade, Yellingbo Rural Fire Brigade, Little Yarra CFA, Hoddles Creek CFA, Wesburn / Millgrove CFA and Warburton CFA were all in attendance.

Over 40 small businesses participated in Yarra Ranges Council’s first Small Business Expo held at Skyhigh on Wednesday 29 March.

This was the first year the event had been held by the council with the event focusing on facilitating networking opportunities for local small business operators, as well as showcasing local products and services to the community.

“This event was really exciting and great to meet new people and businesses and see the community in one room. There was no competition, it was all collaboration,” Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Jim Child said.

Businesses sold a variety of items such as candles, clothing and accessories, and other small businesses held workshops to promote their services and provide and offer advice and support about starting a small business.

Kapi Art Space Managing director, Heather Bradbury said it was a great event and opened the door to connecting with other business.

“We have a business not far from SkyHigh so it’s really great to have an event like this where we can connect with people across the hills and swap our business information and what we offer.”

Because we offer trauma support

Yarra Ranges Council hosted its first small business expo on Wednesday 29 March.

Picture: YARRA RANGES COUNCIL

A range of products were on display for people to test and try. through painting classes and workshops, I’ve made some connections with other businesses and people today where we can cross pollinate and better help people in the local area.”

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CFA volunteers practice a search and rescue. mailcommunity.com.au

Picture: ROCHELLE POULTON

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Nuts about his produce

By Shelby Brooks

Yarra Ranges Council Community Recovery Officer Deb Sargentson, Belgrave Library customer service officer Jasmine Molders and Belgrave Men’s Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS Shed’s Dave Ashton with the rosella boxes at the Belgrave library. 326027

Shed making homes among the gumtrees

By Tyler Wright The Belgrave Men’s Shed has made a contribution to supporting local wildlife by creating rosella nesting boxes for locals to use in their own backyards.

With materials from storm damaged areas supplied by Yarra Ranges Council, men’s shed members manufactured 20 nesting boxes now on display at Belgrave Library for locals to use as a habitat for birds awaiting the re-growth of storm affected tree hollows.

Belgrave Men’s Shed secretary Dave Ashton said the nesting boxes took around three months for members to build, hampered slightly by a four-week closure of the shed due to flooding in October 2022.

“It’s a habitat for the rosellas and a habitat for the sugar gliders. If they’ve lost their current location in the trees or in the eaves, it gives them an opportunity to be rehoused at the same site so they don’t have to travel away from the site,” Mr Ashton said.

“It’s a really good concept for retaining the native animals and where they are currently located.”

Mr Ashton said the men’s shed believes

in helping the community, and being able to share the boxes with the community adds a special meaning to the makeshift habitats.

“We manufacture a number of different boxes for a number of different organisations, we make our own shed boxes, we make Wildlife Victoria boxes, and then we did the shire’s boxes for their program,” he said.

“The plus of their programme was the fact that they were going into the community, either sold or donated through the shire.”

As part of Yarra Ranges Council’s Healing in Our Gardens program, the Monbulk, Morrison, Montrose Yarra Glen and District, Mooroolbark, Croydon and Badger Creek and District men’s sheds also produced nesting boxes for native species made out of fallen timber sent to a mill in the Macedon Ranges, which have been gifted to storm affected residents.

Yarra Ranges’ Lyster Ward councillor Johanna Skelton said after the 2021 storm event, the council heard from a lot of people who had “lost trust” in the environment and also harboured “a lot of fear”.

“There was also the fact that so many trees came down... over 20,000 trees, and those are then trees that either had hollows, or they’re

unlikely to develop hollows in the next years because they’ve then fallen,” Cr Skelton said.

“Because it takes so long to make a hollow, 100 years approximately, it’s really important that in the meantime we put things like this up to provide habitat.

“From an environmental perspective and from a mental health and community connection perspective, it’s just a really lovely project.”

Cr Skelton said she expects the nesting boxes at Belgrave Library will be popular with residents.

“The idea was that storm affected residents mostly in the Hills could sign up for Healing in Our Gardens and the nest box program and be part of education or be part of monitoring the nest boxes...if you’re in the Hills, in Belgrave, you can get these free boxes that are made by the Belgrave Men’s Shed, which is even more delightful,” she said.

For more information on the Healing in Our Gardens program, and tips for how to provide habitat on your property, visit https://www. yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Environment/Sustainable-communities/Healing-in-our-Gardens/ About-the-Healing-In-Our-Gardens-program

A decade in the making, a hazelnut grove in a Gembrook valley is tantalising locals’ taste buds with fresh produce, and entertaining them with llama pronking.

David Nickell of Burnarlook Llamas and Hazelnuts, planted the first paddock of hazelnut trees in a valley on his Gembrook property in 2008.

It took seven years for the trees to start giving any reward to David’s care and hard work - hazelnut plants take between seven and 10 years to start producing fruit.

“It’s a decade-long gamble,” he said.

“Once you do it you’re locked in.”

But David knew hazelnuts were the right crop to plant into Gembrook’s red soil.

“I wanted to do something that could look after itself, could use the produce for heaps of things, have the opportunity to sell to boutique markets and have people come and interact with them,” David said.

“Australians only eat one year or more old hazelnuts that are mostly imported.

We don’t know what fresh hazelnuts taste like.”

The grove, which David estimates is home to about 1500 hazelnut plants, took three years to finalise.

The trees were grown from whips and have grown into their natural shape which is a multi-stem bush.

David said bigger commercial growers, particularly in America, are experimenting with growing hazelnuts as one trunk - the more classic tree shape.

“They grow a lot taller with a single trunk, so it’s easier to get machinery under it,” David explained.

“Here we’re going more for natural as the tree normally grows.”

The hazelnut trees have been producing nuts for a couple of years now, but this year they’re producing proper volumes, David said.

“It’s good enough now to open up to people to come and pick.”

David Nickell holds a hazelnut. 323964 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Call for driver mentors to gear up for L2P program Yarra Ranges Council is seeking mentor drivers to provide assistance to young learner drivers as part of the TAC L2P Program.

The free program has supported over 330 learners with their L2P hours and helped over 160 young drivers gain their licence.

Now in its 12th year, the L2P Program – Funded by the TAC, managed by the Department of Transport and Planning across the state, and delivered locally by Yarra Ranges Council – matches learner drivers aged 16 to 21 with a fully-licensed volunteer driver and practice vehicle to help them gain the 120 hours behind the wheel needed to apply for a probationary licence.

Graham Hutchins, a mentor with the L2P program for over five years said the benefits of the program go far beyond just learning to drive.

“Working with young people is a real buzz and the biggest buzz of all is helping them to get their license, but it’ also seeing them devel10 MAIL

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op their driving skills and setting them up for being a good and safe driver,” he said.

“For many young people, getting their driver’s license is a rite of passage - it represents a new level of independence and freedom, but learning to drive can also be a daunting and intimidating process, so we’re able to provide them with the guidance and support they need to navigate the learning process and gain the skills and confidence they need to become safe, responsible drivers.”

Johnny, an L2P learner driver, is aiming to get his licence soon after being supported by volunteer driver mentor Graham Hutchins.

“I’ve been working alongside Graham and putting into practice what he teaches me to do, and I’ve now got 61 hours and 40 minutes, which I’m really proud of,” Johnny said.

“For me, I wouldn’t have been able to get these hours without the program and it’s helped me to be able to know what to do and what not to do on the road and made

me more confident.”

The L2P program is open to young people in the Yarra Ranges area who have a learner’s permit but do not have access to a car or a licensed driver to supervise them.

Mayor Jim Child said it’s a win/win situation for our community and encouraged people to apply to become a mentor.

“The L2P Programs is an excellent program with incredibly kind and supportive staff and volunteers, and it provides a unique opportunity for young people to interact with positive adult role models, gain confidence, and move towards social independence,” Mayor Child said.

“We are always looking for both volunteer mentors and learners to take on the program.”

For more information about the L2P program, or to inquire about becoming a mentor, visit: www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/L2P

L2P learner driver Georgina, Mayor Jim Child, driver mentor Graham Hutchins, and L2P learner driver Johnny are calling for more mentors to get involved in the program.

Picture: YARRA RANGES COUNCIL mailcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Diana and Justine enjoying the flower fields. 326372

Glenn and Sarah with their daughter Isla at the KaBloom festival. 326372

Flowers brighten Silvan

By Tyler Wright Fields of bright flowers have once again taken over Silvan’s Tesselaar farm as part of this year’s KaBloom festival, which kicked off on Saturday 25 March.

Around three million flowers - including marigolds, bright blue salvia and snapdragons - will accompany a troop of circus performers and fairy storytellers will fill the autumn festivities until 25 April.

Tesselaar KaBloom welcomed 70,000 visitors in 2022, with managing director Paul Tesselaar expecting even more in 2023.

“There’s more flowers spread out further over the farm, second food court and toilet facilities and parking so that we can accommodate the expected larger crowds,” Mr Tesselaar said.

“Leading into the school holidays and Easter, we’re expecting some pretty large crowds this year.”

Organisers have also introduced new patterns in the farm’s paddock, with a newlyintroduced block of “spectacular” flowering miniature dahlias.

“Hopefully they delight the crowds,” Mr Tesselaar said.

Hula hoopers, contortionists, stool walkers, acrobats, jugglers will perform during the school holidays along with circus workshops, drumming workshops, and the usual tractor

Rebecca as a Fire Bird in the gift shop. 326372

Dahlias 326372 mailcommunity.com.au

ride around the flower fields.

Easter rabbit hunts, the flower crate maze, garden games, obstacle courses, face painting and the fairy shop are also set to entertain families.

“We have our mythical characters, a troop of circus performers on poles five metres in the air, and they’re bending and swaying at seemingly impossible angles to entertain the crowd,” Mr Tesselaar said.

There are 100,000 people expected to make the trip to the Dandenong Ranges for the festival, Mr Tesselaar said, with limited tickets available to ensure a relaxing day amongst the flowers.

“One item we do want to stress, because it’s quite a cultural change for us and our festival, is for people to secure their tickets online,” he said.

“My other hot tip would be when they visit is to bring some sturdy shoes that they don’t mind getting a little bit dirty and a plastic bag and a spare pair of shoes to change into when they’re leaving.”

Tesselaar’s doors are open from 10am to 5pm daily for the duration of the KaBloom Festival.

To choose what activities best suit you, and to book accordingly, visit https://kabloom. com.au/

Paul Tesselaar with the Bonfire (Salvia splendent) and Victoria Falls (Salvia farinacea). 326372 Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

Paul Tesselaar with Cleomes (Spider Lily) 326372 Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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Racing for a Good cause Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) is hoping to beat out last year’s record-breaking fundraiser for the Good Friday Appeal at its second annual Good Friday racing events this year. $126,101 was raised for the Royal Children’s Hospital in 2022 by GRV’s 13 clubs, including the Healesville Greyhound Racing Association, and the industry’s participants.

“The Healesville Greyhound Racing Association has led the way with supporting the Good Friday Appeal for many years and fundraises for the appeal all year round, including over $13,000 from it’s recent The Emerald meeting on March 12,” a GRV spokesperson said.

“The privilege of being able to race on such a special day for so many people is not lost on GRV and the clubs that race, with an acute understanding that the main focus of this day is to include and embrace people from local communities at our race tracks as well as raising money for the sick kids and their families that have unfortunately needed to utilise the cutting-edge facilities and the expertise of world-leading medical professionals.”

Good Friday racing in 2023 starts at Healesville from about 1pm and there will be a range of entertainment including a live performance from Rosie Conforto, Kelly Sports kids activities, a limited Albert the Greyhound storybook giveaways and raffles and prizes to win.

Gates are open from 12.30pm to 4pm with a gold coin donation entry.

Other events will also be held in Traralgon and Geelong as well as the Ballarat Cup.

Enjoy the Good Friday races at Healesville.

Picture: ON FILE

Young Sophie’s good will for the Good Friday Appeal

By Mikayla van Loon At just 12-years-old Sophie Degenhardt has already made a big contribution to the Good Friday Appeal ever since her own experience in needing the expert care at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

In 2016, when she was five-years-old, Sophie contracted bacterial meningitis, hospitalising her in the intensive care unit for many weeks.

“All of the nursing staff and people were really, really amazing,” Sophie said.

Ever since, she has been raising funds for the Good Friday Appeal, first participating in Run for the Kids in 2017, 2018 and 2019 but more recently by creating and selling handmade cards at the Lilydale Craft and Produce Market.

“It supports kids like me who are in the hospital for a while or not as long or longer.

It helps support all those kids,” Sophie said.

For her parents Lucille and Chris, they couldn’t be more proud of her efforts to raise much needed funds for the hospital that saved their daughter’s life.

“The care she received from the nursing staff and the doctors there was absolutely sensational and they really did, quite honestly, save her life,” Chris said.

“Sophie feels a strong sense of wanting to pay them back and do everything she can to thank them and to help other children that potentially fall into the same troubles that Sophie had.

“She’s a very passionate, young lady. She’s very motivated and very self driven. It’s definitely nothing that we’ve pushed her into, these are all her ideas.”

During the Covid pandemic, Sophie turned to her artistic skills to create handmade items and sell them at a stand.

This led to Sophie receiving a Fred Hollows Humanitarian Award in 2021 after she raised $2524.

With the help of her best friend Amelia, this year Sophie has been able to hand 12 MAIL

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paint gift cards and host regular stalls at the monthly Rotary market with the final fundraising market held on Sunday 2 April.

“Amelia and I both really like to make things and we found that painting cards was pretty easy for both of us, considering we both love to paint and we’ve found it’s something really fun to do.

“We do a lot of painting with acrylic paints. [The designs] honestly depend on what we feel like painting, sometimes we paint flowers, or sometimes we just paint cool patterns.”

Not only does card making give the girls a creative outlet but allows them to spend time together regularly each month.

Aiming to raise close to $2000 for the Good Friday Appeal, Sophie said people have been incredibly positive and supportive about her and Amelia’s efforts.

“Quite a few people have actually bought from us. We were really happy with that. A lot of people were supportive of the Good Friday Appeal and were really happy to be donating to them,” she said.

Although they won’t be fundraising throughout the year, Sophie and Amelia have plans to continue selling handmade items at the Lilydale Craft and Produce Market.

“We like to see all the different things other people are doing. We really like to talk to other people and share our stories with other people,” Sophie said.

To help Sophie and Amelia reach their $2000 target, donations can be made via www.fundraise.goodfridayappeal.com.au/ fundraisers/stand4sophie/gfa

Amelia and Sophie have been selling handmade cards at the Lilydale Craft and Produce market to raise funds for the Good Friday Appeal.

Picture: SUPPLIED mailcommunity.com.au

MEDICALLY SPEAKING

Footy feet in comfort With football starting up again we’ve caught up with local podiatrist Sikhie Samarasekera to talk about footy feet.

“For me, good footy starts with good boots,” Sikhie says. A member of your local podiatry team who knows what it’s like to strap on the wrong pair of boots, one of Sikhie’s colleagues Ryan suffered a stress fracture in his foot as a junior when he chose a footy boot that put more pressure under his big toe than what it could handle.

Here’s Ryan. “Back then I used to get so sore in my big toe after the first few games of the season. This was pre-podiatry for me so I had no idea what was happening, and like most teenagers I thought I knew everything and it would settle down eventually. It didn’t.”

So Sikhie and his fellow podiatrists from PridePlus Health in Emerald are on a mission.

“We’re here to keep everyone playing footy and not missing games with foot injuries.”

And his most important advice is to get your footy boots right for you. He has three main things to look out for.

“Make sure your boots fit properly, nowadays we have widths available from brands like Asics, New Balance and X-Blades. Don’t go jamming wide feet into narrow boots,” he says.

“Next, get the right midsole for your foot needs and position. If you’re covering a lot of ground like Paddy Dangerfield make sure your boots have a layer of cushioning and a thicker

sole under the heel.

“This takes load away from your calf muscles to allow you to go further without getting as tired.

“Finally, get the stud pattern right. Key position and rucks who jump and land should use smaller studs to reduce landing injuries.

Blades and molds work well here. The trade off is the risk of slipping over and getting a spray from the coach. But I’d rather slip than do my ACL” Sikhie is also first to admit that in the past podiatrists had struggled to fit orthotics into footy boots due to old style arch supports being big and chunky.

He’s proud to say that his team were one of the first in Melbourne to be 3D printing the thinnest and lightest modern orthotics that can fit comfortably inside footy boots to reduce injury risk.

“If I could have treated 16-year-old Ryan’s feet with what we know now as podiatrists, the old man could still be playing,” he says with a smile.

“I just want to keep footballers out there playing and loving the game.”

You can learn more about footy feet and how to keep you on the field and off the injury list from the team at prideplus.com.au PridePlus Podiatry’s Sikhie Samarasekera gives his advice on footy feet.

Picture: PRIDE PLUS PODIATRY

Emerald Podiatry Latest News Do you love playing footy but hate the idea of sitting out games injured?

Footy clubs average 34 new injuries every season but Sports Medicine Australia has a simple recommendation to help you stay safe?

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BOOK AN APPOINTMENT CALL 9758 8574 OR ONLINE VIA

PridePlus Health - Emerald | 9068 0966 | prideplus.com.au

www.mountaingateeyecare.com.au Shop 44, Mountain Gate Shopping Centre 1880 Ferntree Gully Rd • Ferntree Gully VIC 3156

Visit you footy loving podiatrists at Pride for your footy boot advice.

* Conditions apply. See in store for details.

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MAIL 13

NEWS

Joint effort for footy girls AFL Victoria and the Outer East Football Netball League joined forces to hold a free Junior Girls ‘Footy 4 Fun’ football clinic at Gembrook Recreation Reserve on Sunday 26 March.

AFL Victoria participation officer, William Macklin, said the impact of the two organisations working together has had a “tremendous impact on community football in the region”.

“We have run two girls-only Auskick intros one out of Monbulk and the other at Mt Evelyn,” Mr Macklin said.

“We have seen 15 new female participants play football for the first time in an inclusive and fun environment.” Mr Macklin said Mr Macklin said AFL Victoria is committed to providing an equal opportunity for girls to thrive in football and we are very excited to continue to grow the female pathway.

He also said the organisation has started conducting after-school all girls programs giving participants an opportunity to join a free one-hour clinic with girls from their school.

“We have done these at Wandin Yallock Ps, St Pauls Monbulk, Monbulk Ps, Emerald PS, menzies creek PS & The Patch PS. We have seen over 20 girls at each session enjoying learning new skills with their peers,” he said.

We have two other Roadshows approaching with one in Woori Yallock and one in Monbulk.

From this, we will be able to create a new under 10s girls competion in the Outer East.

Girls will no longer have to play up in the under-12s or play with the boys! They can represent their club in a fun and inclusive under girls football competition.

These girls will be transitioned from Auskick and our Footy 4 fun programs to the under-10 competitions

Picture: ON FILE

Upper Ferntree Gully Football Club president Craig Bridle is delighted to be back in the Kings Park clubrooms.

Picture: PARKER MCKENZIE

The repaired club rooms.

Delighted local footy club back in its club rooms

By Parker McKenzie A delighted Upper Ferntree Gully Football Club has been handed over the keys to its repaired clubrooms at Kings Park just in time for the new footy season, after over a season without access.

The club lost access to the club rooms on 16 June 2021 after a roof leak caused the facilities to be deemed hazardous by the Knox City Council.

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Knox City Council said the damage was caused by water leaking through the roof due to an old roof-mounted air conditioning unit and a leaking cool room.

The completion date for the repairs was repeatedly pushed back by the council, from December 2021 to October 2022, before finally being completed in March 2023.

“The repairs are taking longer than we expected. As we get on with the work we are finding more problems such as unsafe elec-

trical wires, which need to be fixed to make sure the building is safe,” the council said in 2022.

“The roof repairs were subject to weather conditions which caused some delays. We expect further delays in replacing the floor due to pressures in the construction industry including the availability of materials and contractors.”

The club estimated it would lose $75,000 during the 2022 season as it struggled with

player retention, having to run out of multiple marquees and shipping containers as they awaited repairs to the building.

In that time, the club battled cold weather, winds tearing down the temporary marquees and relegation from division one.

After hiring new coach Mark Fisher, the club will be hoping to make a splash in its first game at home against Heathmont on Saturday 1 April. mailcommunity.com.au

SNIPPETS Singularity Choir concert

MAIL SNIPPETS WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE HILLS

Sherbrooke U3A fundraiser Sherbrooke U3A is inviting people to an afternoon tea at the Seniors Hall (behind Upwey Shops) on Friday 28 April from 1.30pm to 3pm to raise funds for the Red Cross appeal for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.

The cost is $5 per person, with all welcome.

Singularity Choir presents Two Gilbert and Sullivan operettas (HMS Pinafore and Trial by Jury) in concert at Upwey Baptist Community Church on the corner of Darling Ave and Burwood Highway on Sunday 21 May at 2pm.

Tickets are $22 (including afternoon tea).

To book, visit https://www.trybooking.com/ CGZBI or phone or text Diana Little on 0424 617 081

Friends of Helmeted Honeyeater citizen science event Do you wonder what plants, animals or fungi you’re seeing or hearing in your garden, or when walking in the bush? Join in to learn new skills or share your knowledge with like-mind-

ed people in a Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater hosted citizen science event in Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area. We record the species we observe, but you don’t need to be able to identify species in order to participate. All eyes and ears contribute – everyone is welcome! Upcoming dates: Wednesday 12/04/23 (bird and frog survey) and Wednesday 19/04/23 (flora and fungi survey). More details and how to register here: https://www.helmetedhoneyeater. org.au/get-involved/come-to-an-event-2/

through government organisations, business assistance from expert advisers and financial business counselling through the rural financial counselling service.

For more information or to book a session, visit https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-andprograms/small-business-bus

Small business bus comes to Tecoma

Australian Journalist Andrew Rule, who specialises in crime, will visit Belgrave’s Micawber Tavern on Wednesday 12 April from 8pm.

Andrew has worked for The Age, The Herald Sun and at radio station 3AW since beginning his career at age 17.

Crime Night with Andrew Rule at Micawber Tavern

The Victorian Government’s Small Business Bus will be in Tecoma on Wednesday 31 May, Thursday 1 June and Thursday 22 June to deliver business advice and showcase local capabilities.

The Small Business Bus offers information

Tickets are $30 Micawber Tavern is located at 65/71 Monbulk Road in Belgrave.

Fun, free activities in Cardinia Shire this Easter break Cardinia Shire Council is hosting a range of fun, free activities during the April school holidays.

Emerald Lake Precinct Easter Egg Giveaway On Easter Sunday, 9 April, from 11am until stock runs out, free chocolate Easter eggs will be given away to customers visiting the following facilities: Emerald Museum Emerald Lake Park Cafe Model Railway Lakeside Paddleboats.

For more information about Emerald Lake Precinct, visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/ emeraldlakepark BMX Jam Council has partnered with the YMCA to deliver its first BMX event.

Date: Wednesday 12 April Time: 12pm – 2pm

· · · ·

· ·

Koo Wee Rup Skate Scooter Competition: Mum Beth with her boys Logan (left 3) and Lincoln (right 3).

Picture: SUPPLIED

· Location: Alma Treloar Reserve, Cockatoo

For more information about the great skate, BMX and scooter facilities in the shire, visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/skatebmx or call the Active and Connected team on 1300 787 624.

Footy Fun Day AFL is back! Come along dressed in your team’s colours for a session of free and fun ac-

tivities run by coaches from AFL South East.

If footy isn’t your thing, the Aligned Leisure Street Team will be there. The Jeep is fully equipped and boasts an awesome range of sports equipment.

Remember to bring hats, sunscreen, coats, and appropriate footwear.

Date: Thursday 13 April Time: 1pm – 2.30pm Location: James Bathe Reserve, Officer Aligned Leisure Street Team Cardinia Leisure is delivered by Aligned Leisure in partnership with Cardinia Shire Council.

The Aligned Leisure Street Team aims to take the Cardinia Leisure programs and services out to the wider community. The Street Team have a Jeep that is fully equipped with a variety of health and wellness pieces, including sporting and fitness equipment and games.

· · ·

· Date: Thursday 13 April · Time: 1pm - 2.30pm James Bathe Reserve, Multi Use · Location: Games Area, Officer For more information email parks@cardinia.vic.gov.au Exercise Class in the Park Aligned Leisure will bring fitness to the park in Active April. If you have ever wondered how to use the exercise equipment in parks, this is your chance to learn how to benefit from this free space with the expertise of a personal trainer.

A trainer will walk you through the correct process and use of equipment and run a short class afterwards. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Date: Tuesday 18 April Time: 11.00 – 12.30pm Location: Eastone Reserve – Cardinia Lakes Estate, Pakenham

· · ·

Need local staff?

Then give us the job...

Star Mail

Need local staff?

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

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 15

NEWS

Zoe’s got the write stuff

By Parker McKenzie Derek the Dingo meets the Spotted Quoll is a labour of love by Bayswater-based dad Glenn Clemann and his daughter Zoe ClemannSanta, finished across the globe over seven years. Mr Clemann said the book was a way to develop Zoe’s connection with his own home country of Australia while in Hungary, where she was born.

“To keep in touch with family, we travelled back and forth when Zoe was around four years old and I could tell she was feeling a bit displaced,” he said.

“While in Budapest, she was talking about Australia and its animals, so a lot of the time the bedtime stories would be about native animals.”

He said Zoe and her mother moved back to Hungary from Australia in 2019 and working on the book was a way to stay connected during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We had written the story down on a piece of paper back when she was four years old — it was very rough — and we fine-tuned it and turned it into a book,” Mr Clemann said.

“Every time I look at it, it makes me think about the hardship we went through during Covid-19. It gave me an excuse to ring her when she was seven and eight.

You know girls that age are more intere sted in doing other things than speaking to their dad on Skype.”

The story follows Derek the Dingo, a stoic and serious animal, on an adventure with a hungry young quoll as they search for food.

Mr Clemann said the story is focused on an endangered species and was inspired by his family’s close connection to nature.

“My brother is a herpetologist, he works for Zoos Victoria on a lot of threatened species programs and my sister also studied zoology,” he said.

Glenn Clemann, who authored Derek the Dingo meets the Spotted Quoll with his daughter Zoé Clemann-Santa.

“We’re all a little bit involved with Australian natives and preserving endangered species, and bringing their plight to the masses.”

The book is illustrated by Australian Emma Stuart, who Mr Clemann said is a brilliant and talented artist.

“I had an image of what I wanted, it was Derek being a little bit stoic but kindhearted, taking life seriously,” he said.

“I thought the people he met could add the character, and she just nailed it.”

Zoe, who is still based in Hungary, and Mr Clemann are already working on a follow-up

Picture: PARKER MCKENZIE

book based on the adventures of Derek the Dingo. “We’ve got a couple that we’ve roughed out, one of them is about a giant borrowing frog,” Mr Clemann said.

Derek the Dingo and the Spotted Quoll is available at bookstores and on Amazon and Booktopia.

Emerald Museum to host Australian Heritage event Cardinia Shire Council is inviting people to celebrate the Australian Heritage Festival at Emerald Museum.

The 2023 Australian Heritage Festival theme is Shared stories, inviting the community to uncover Australia’s layered history and build deeper connections by sharing their own rich and diverse stories.

Discover the rich histories of Emerald, home to a heritage-listed site of state significance, and surrounding districts. This includes the former Gembrook/C. A. Nobelius & Sons Nursery: once the largest fruit and ornamental tree exporter in the southern hemisphere.

The event will include a variety of free family-friendly activities, including: 10:30am – 11:30am: Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Meet the 100-year-old teddy living at the Emerald Museum. Registrations required. Food provided.

BYO rug (SOLD OUT) 1pm – 2pm: Nobelius Heritage Park Guided Walking Tour: traverse centuries of horticultural history with experienced landscape architect, Barrie Gallacher. Registrations recommended lucky door prize: guess the number of lollies in our jar to win a special family pass to the Puffing Billy Railway. No registration required colouring in: unwind by colouring in pictures inspired by the beautiful Nobelius plant catalogues. No registration required.

The Australian Heritage Festival will take place on Wednesday 19 April 2023 from 10.30am – 2.00pm at Emerald Museum.

The Emerald Museum is located at 5 Crichton Road in Emerald.

For more information, visit www.cardinia. vic.gov.au

Ranges Ward Councillor Jeff Springfield enjoyed a teddy bears’ picnic with his nephew, Leo, and Emerald Museum Officer, Natalie Bradvica, ahead of the Australian Heritage Festival this April.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Cardinia Council urges residents to register for kinder Cardinia Shire Council encourages residents to register for 2024 kindergarten places by 30 June 2023, to be considered for first-round offers.

Children who attend educational playbased kindergarten develop lifelong skills that build their confidence, enhance their social and language skills, expand their physical abilities, and prepare them for schooling.

Kindergarten is free at Cardinia Shire’s community kindergartens, following the State Government’s announcement of the expansion of the Best Start Best Life program.

Cardinia Shire Council provides a central registration portal for kindergarten programs offered in Council facilities.

Cardinia Shire Mayor, Councillor Tammy Radford said, “The changing landscape of early years education is a fantastic opportunity to offer our Cardinia Shire Council families a unique kindergarten experience, encompassing playbased, nurturing educational practices and ex16 MAIL

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periences that help shape their future.”

Three-year-old kindergarten: If a child turns 3 years of age by 30 April 2024, they are eligible to attend their first year of a funded kindergarten program. This is funded by the Victorian and Federal Governments for a minimum of 5 hours per week.

Currently, kindergartens across the Shire are offering between 5 to 15 hours per week.

Offers for 2024 places for 3-year-old kindergarten will be sent to residents from September 2023.

Four-year-old kindergarten: If a child turns 4 years of age by 30 April 2024, they are eligible to attend their second year of a funded kindergarten program. This is funded by the Victorian and Federal Governments, providing 15 hours per week of early years education for every child.

Offers for 2024 places for 4-year-old kindergarten will be sent to residents from August 2023.

·

· ·

·

Registrations: Register online using Council’s Central Registration Portal Online Kindergarten Registration Portal Registrations received from residents by 30 June 2023 will be included in first-round offers.

Registrations received from residents after 30 June 2023 will be processed in second, and later, offer rounds.

Registrations received from non-residents will be processed from mid-November 2023.

For more information about kindergarten registration, visit Council’s website at www. cardinia.vic.gov.au/kindergarten or call 1300 787 624

· · · ·

Residents are urged to apply by 30 June.

Picture: ON FILE mailcommunity.com.au

OPINION

The new round of Vic power subsidy It’s been just over 100 days since the election and my office and I have been hard at work speaking with residents of Monbulk, meeting local community leaders and representing the people of the hills in Parliament.

Through many conversations, people are telling me they’re paying too much to heat their homes – and I agree.

That’s why the Andrews Labor Government is stepping in to ease cost of living pressures.

Ahead of winter, we’ve brought back the hugely popular $250 Power Saving Bonus to help you get the best deal on your power bills.

Households which use the Victorian Energy Compare website to find a better deal will be eligible for another $250 payment. You don’t need to switch electricity providers to receive the payment, but thousands of Victorians are saving around $330 per year by making the change.

Keeping energy providers accountable

The state of

affairs

Daniela de Martino MP Member for Monbulk

helps keep prices lower.

The Power Saving Bonus is open right now, so head to https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/ to claim your $250!

If you need any help claiming the bonus or don’t have access to the internet, please contact my office to arrange a time for us to help submit an application for you. We are more than happy to help.

Make sure you check out our new Energy Assistance Program. It’s a fantastic initiative that will give those Victorians finding it hard to make ends meet, some one-on-one assistance to help navigate the energy market. The number is 1800 161 215.

Of course, there’s so much more to do to revive our energy sector after 30 years of privatisation.

That’s why we’re restoring the State Electricity Commission and bringing back government-owned renewable energy – to drive down energy costs and help create 59,000 jobs.

I’ve spoken to many former SEC workers heartened by its return and have been contacted by people across the hills wanting to be part of the next generation of state-owned power.

We’re putting people ahead of profits.

It’s all part of our plan to keep your home warm and your bills down.

CARTOON

Moving, emotional portrayal of desperation The 1812 Theatre A review of The Shoehorn Sonata The 1812 Theatre’s second production was John Misto’s The Shoehorn Sonata.

A story of the fall of Singapore during WWII and deals with the imprisonment of the women who were interned by the Japanese.

In this instance John Misto concentrates on two people. An Australian nurse in her late 20s and an English school girl as a 15 year old.

They come together after 40 odd years for a TV interview. A dramatic, moving and historical play and not one for the downhearted.

Bridie, the Australian nurse was played

by Genevieve Ryan and Sheila the schoolgirl was played by Stephanie King. Blake Stringer played the Interviewer.

A very moving production enhanced by the strength of the players. Genevieve Ryan captured the essence of the Australian nurse and Stephanie King gave a wonderful portrayal. A very taut experience of theatre with both actors capturing the feel of life in a POW camp. mailcommunity.com.au

Kemp’s curtain call A harrowing tale lightened with touches of humour. The actors really captured the anxiety, desperation, and feelings of women in such a position. For one to learn about some little known facts of history this is a show not to be missed The play was in the Bakery@1812 an intimate theatre most suitable for this threehander.

The set was that of a hotel room with a central entry door and walls on each side which acted as two screens where pictures from the relevant parts of the story were projected. The

space was also used as the interview room of a radio station complete with an On Air sign above the door and the interviewer, Blake Stringer. Stringer gave a good portrayal of the Interviewer.

The play was set in two parts, the interview and the hotel room.

A great evening of theatre and being in the Bakery@1812 gave the audience more feeling of the story.

Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Coming up: Barefoot in the Park Season: April 36 – May 6 Paul Bratter, a conservative lawyer, marries the vivacious Corie, but their highly passionate relationship descends into comical discord in a five flight New York apartment contending with a lack of heating, a leaking roof, several long flights of stairs, the oddball neighbour, telephone repairman and Corie’s well-meaning mother.

Bookings: 9735 1777

Elite event for writers PASSION FOR PROSE WITH CHRISTINE SUN The 2023 Melbourne Writers Festival will take place on May 4-7.

Some of the best Australian and international storytellers will join local readers in a wide range of presentations and workshops centred around the theme I’ve Been Away for a While.

We have all been away for a while from once-familiar relationships, routines and realities.

Festival organisers are still feeling and responding to the economic impact of the past few years, and have to cope with venue availabilities across Melbourne.

Hence this year’s program is more condensed – but “it still packs a punch”.

Two of the most exciting events are presented by beloved musician Paul Kelly, who will sing and recite poems that have delighted and inspired his life, and by celebrated actor Sam Neill, who will launch his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?

Other acclaimed Australian authors include Stan Grant, who will explore Australia’s path to become a republic, and Ellen van Neerven, who, via her new book Personal Score, will discuss sport, culture and identity.

Meanwhile, at the boldly-named event Frontier Fictions, Paul Daley, Fiona McFarlane and Tony Birch will share their approaches to writing Australia’s colonial past.

Memoirs and biographies are forever popular, with appearances by Australian authors Andre Dao, Nam Le, Heather Mitchell, Brigitta Olubas, Heather Rose, Grace Tame, Amy Thunig and Maria Tumarkin to be expected – just to name a few. They will be joined by British author Bernardine Evaristo, the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize with her novel Girl, Woman, Other. Evaristo will present her fierce memoir Manifesto: On Never Giving Up. Other international visitors include American literary and cultural expert Sarah Churchwell, bestselling American author Lev Grossman and Irish author Claire Keegan, and American food writer and chef Alison Roman.

Particularly noteworthy is Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka, whose novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida won the 2022 Booker Prize.

For those readers in the suburbs, Pip Williams will present her new novel The Bookbinder of Jericho at Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, while Richard Fidler will discuss his latest historical non-fiction The Book of roads and Kingdoms at Vision Australia Library in Kooyong.

Then there is Jane Harper’s endearing protagonist Aaron Falk, who will be farewelled in Exiles at Bunjil Place Theatre in Narre Warren.

Finally, as praised by Liane Moriarty and Annabel Crabb, two debut Australian novels worth exploring are Tracey Lien’s All That’s Left Unsaid and Nina Wan’s The Albatross. At the event Labours of Love, the authors will share their insight into themes such as family, love, duty and identity. Also, with Scarlett O’Hara and Annie the orphan in mind, this reviewer is intrigued by the event Like There’s No Tomorrow, where two American authors, Emma Straub and Gabrielle Zevin, will be discussing their novels This Time Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, respectively.

While tomorrow is another day, always a day away, the Festival’s 20 per cent early bird discount will end at 11:59pm, Thursday 6 April. Better book your tickets today!

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ADULT • Up to 8mm long • Reddish-brown body • Distinctive yellow markings • Narrow ‘waist’ between the thorax (the middle section of the body, between the head and the abdomen, with the legs and wings) and the abdomen • Transparent wings • Female has an obvious ‘ovipositer’ ‘sting’

EGGS • Usually not visible

LARVAE • 3 stages or ‘instars’ • Up to 10mm • White body • Difficult to distinguish from other fruit fly larvae

PUPAE • Brown shell • Usually in the ground (not seen)

LOOK OUT FOR • Puncture wounds • Rotting near wounds • Larvae in fruit

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• Adult flies

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MAIL 19

PUZZLES SUDOKU

No. 127

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

easy

3

2

7 4

8 1 4

5

9 3 8 5 1 3 9

6 1 1 3 2 8 9

7 5

1

8

9 9

2 4 6

10 11 12 14 15 19 20 24 25 27 28 29 30

7 8 13 16 17 18 21 22 23 26

Diaries (8) Old stringed instrument (4) Corridor (10) Anglo-saxon king, – the Great (6) Miscreant, malefactor (8) Inverted (8) Cheating on a spouse (9) From the menu (1,2,5) Convey from here to there (8) Travelling bag (8) Type of finch (6) Hose (6) Outer parts of loaves (6) Bitter quarrel (4)

Person who looks after children (6) Warnings (6)

1

6 medium

7

Surgical instrument (7) Tableland (7) Reference book of Roget (9) Mock assault (5) Dining (6) Table of days (8) Clear river bed (6) Dispense, allot (4) Skulk (4) Association (6) Ponder (8) Long-distance racehorse (6) Latin (5) Users (9) Manors (7) Garments (7)

DOWN

3 3 7

3 4 5 6

ACROSS 1 5 9

No. 127

3 4 7 5 2 6

2

DECODER

No. 127

1 3 4 7

9 7 6 2

1 9 6

6 7 8 9 2 9 3

7 hard

1 3

4

5

6

8

9

10 11 12 13

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

C X 15

16

17

18

19

20

21

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23

24

25

26

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

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13

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

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

C

A

Today’s Aim: 6 words: Good 9 words: Very good

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

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

13 words: Excellent

hard

7

3 LETTERS ADS BEE DEW DIE EGO ERA ERR EYE FLU FOE INK IRE ITS LAP LEE LYE MEW NEE NON ONE SON TRY WAD WAY

J Q S N P E H T BW I F D

medium

2

14

easy

1

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

WORDFIT

N

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4 LETTERS BEES BOOS DILL DOES ERAS FORT KISS LASS PANS PAWS RODE SACK TAGS TRAP

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

5 LETTERS ADORE

( $ 6 ( /

ALIBI ALLOT ARENA AROMA BASIC BASIL BONED BUFFS CYSTS DEATH DOILY DRESS EASEL EERIE ENDER ENEMA ERASE ERODE FLEES GRIPS HOSES

ally, call, clan, clay, cynical, CYNICALLY, inlay, lacy, laic, lain, lilac, lily, nail

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

No. 127

IGLOO KNIFE LLAMA LOINS OVERS PASTE PETAL PIANO PLANE RARER RATES RESET RUMPS SEEDS SLEWS SPATS STEEP STEER STRIP TAMED TENET

TEPEE TONES TREES TWEET ULTRA USERS VIPER

7 LETTERS POISONS RENEWAL REPLETE REREADS RESPOND TENDONS

6 LETTERS ADEPTS ADULTS CASINO STRINE

8 LETTERS EMPTIEST INTENSER REDEFINE TERMINAL

% 8 ) ) 6 6 7 5 , 3 ' ( $ 7 + $ / / 2 7 $ 5 ( 1 $ , * / 2 2 6 7 ( ( 5 & < 6 7 6 / 2 , 1 6 , 1 .

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5

QUICK CROSSWORD

07-04-23

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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FANTASTIC FAMILY HOME THIS Fabulous 5-bedroom rendered brick residence is the perfect family home and has a charming Mediterranean flavor inside and out. Superbly located on a corner block of a quiet, leafy, and highly soughtafter street between Upwey town center and Glenfern Valley Bushland Reserve, the house is within walking distance to Birdsland Reserve/Lysterfield, 1000-steps, local primary schools, and Upwey High School, trains to the city and the shops, gym/ wellbeing center, restaurants and cafes of the town. Located on a bus route, the house also has a strong, friendly, and supportive community in the immediate neighborhood.

This characterful house has been creatively extended over the years to contain multiple interior and exterior living areas. There are superb versatile outdoor entertaining areas on all sides of the residence, including a spacious sheltered outdoor decking area with built-in gas heating and offering a splendid swimming pool nestling among established tropical vegetation.

The light-filled home has a large modern kitchen equipped with a Smeg double oven and an extensive living/dining area with a beautiful open fire to ensure you can be cozy during those cold winter nights.

The master bedroom with a modernized ensuite bathroom has its own balcony with views over Lysterfield, and a second large bathroom features Italian stucco plastered

walls and a built-in steam shower to relax after a stressfull day or for your wellbeing.

All the bedrooms have picturesque garden outlooks and built-in robes. A laundry room, sunroom, and extra toilet are welcome additions and there are many storage

cupboards and space throughout the house.

The house is on split levels providing privacy to family members and guests when required and features a downstairs rumpus with fitted surround sound stereo cinema projection equipment, a large office or

reading space, and a gym – providing a great get-away area for the parents or kids alike.

There is a mix of ducted and gas heating in all the rooms of the home and it also contains a splendid storage room adjoining a large garage with a roller door. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 5 Griffiths Road, UPWEY Description: 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage Price: $1,190,000 - $1,290,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Brad Conder 0422 639 115, CHANDLER & CO REAL ESTATE

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

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 21

HOME FOCUS

QUALITY FAMILY LIVING ON OVER HALF AN ACRE OWNED, loved and beautifully maintained by the one family for over 50 years, this unique property showcases the true essence of quality family living. Sitting proudly on 2767m2, the surrounding established gardens and rolling lawns compliment this home, showing the high standard of care it has received over the years, both inside and out.

Behind the solid brick façade, you will discover spacious living over two levels, with a slate tiled entry foyer leading to a large ground floor billiards / rumpus room giving a wonderful space in which to entertain. This level also features a home office/bedroom, bathroom and a spacious laundry.

Upstairs, a meticulously detailed kitchen, featuring Meile appliances and handmade tiles, has been built with functionality in mind yet also boasts a classic design to suit the most discerning family chef.

The relaxed meals and family area is filled with natural light and looks out to the stunning pool and lush green gardens. The deck over the carport, accessible from the kitchen, is the perfect place to enjoy lovely views of the hills beyond.

For more formal occasions, a large lounge/dining room leads to another, even larger alfresco deck and BBQ patio.

Three bedrooms (inc. master with ensuite) plus home office/fourth bedroom provide plenty of space which, along with three sizeable bathrooms, create a floorplan to envy. The copious storage areas throughout the home will also delight.

Hydronic heating, a gas log fire and solid wood Jetmaster heater will keep you warm

through the cooler months while in the warmer weather, simply open the beautiful French doors to let the cool hills breeze filter through. There is also air conditioning in the kitchen/family area for those warmer days.

Outside, the solar heated pool creates a fun filled environment in the summer with its built in spa that can be enjoyed year round.

A sealed driveway leads to a large lockable garage with workshop & internal access plus a double carport and plenty of extra parking, making this property ideal for those looking for space for trailers, boats etc. With a colourful garden full of established trees and pretty pathways, there is plenty to love about this unique property.

Adjoining land of 2311m2 is also available for purchase. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 21 Maskells Hill Road, SELBY Description: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 garage Price: $1,220,000 - $1,350,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Sharyn Chandler 0439 882 442 and Glenn Chandler 0418 410 689, CHANDLER & CO REAL ESTATE

Not all banks offer 100% offset on their home loans.

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Our Complete Home Loan offers 100% offset on Þxed and variable home loans.

Which means you could own your home sooner.

Find out more. Search Bendigo Bank home loans.

Community Bank ¥ Upwey 9754 1200 ¥ Belgrave 9752 6606 ¥ Cockatoo-Gembrook 5968 8831

Terms and conditions, fees, charges and lending criteria apply. All information including interest rate is subject to change without notice. Full details available on application.. Full offset facility is available for Bendigo Complete Home Loan for both fixed and variable loans. Offset facility can only be linked to one loan at any one time. A maximum of 6 offset facilities can be linked per loan account. Linked offset facility must be in same customer name/number. Credit provided by Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited ABN 11 068 049 178 Australian Credit Licence 237879. (1728832–1767000) OUT_27537923, 17/01/2023 12592830-JC10-23

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Real Estate you can trust!

We ’ r e h e r e t o h e l p FOR SALE

18 Maskells Hill Road, SELBY

$1,050,000 - $1,150,000

YOUR CHARACTER HOME WITH SHEDDING GALORE!

4A2B7C

FOR SALE

$780,000 - $820,000

68 Morris Road, UPWEY LEVEL BLOCK, LOVELY HOME, LIFESTYLE LOCATION

3A1B4C

With an abundance of character throughout, this spacious, charming four bedroom, Hills home is elegant, timeless and exactly what you have been searching for. Perfectly presented both inside and out and offering a versatile floorplan that is suitable for any family’s needs, this property has it all.

This rare 987sqm (approx.) level allotment is ideally situated for a family-friendly lifestyle.

Home to a beautifully presented residence within walking distance of Dandenong Ranges Childcare Centre, Upwey South Primary School, Upwey High School, Upwey Station, pristine parklands, and thriving local cafés and shopping, this is an exclusive offering in an exceptional locale.

Sharyn Chandler

Brad Conder

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

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

FOR LEASE

142 Main Street, MONBULK

$55,000 per annum plus GST

PRIME POSITION – MAXIMUM CORNER EXPOSURE – BRAND NEW Perfectly positioned in the heart of Monbulk’s thriving shopping village, this brand new commercial property offers an outstanding opportunity to a wide range of possible uses (STCA) (already approved for a food and beverage premises). There is plenty of natural light that shines through from the floor to ceiling windows and gleaming, easy to maintain polished concrete floors that run throughout, providing a modern space with maximum exposure for your business. At the very top of the Main Street with excellent road visibility, parking and foot traffic this is prime corner frontage for your signage/ marketing space.

Glenn Chandler M 0418 410 689 | E glenn@chandlerandco.com.au

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

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 23

PROPERTY NEWS

RANGES REAL ESTATE AGENCY REAPS AWARDS RANGES First National Real Estate was recognised for outstanding achievement at the national network’s General Excellence and Marketing Awards, held at Grand Hyatt Melbourne on 18 March 2023.

The awards recognise the achievements of First National’s Victorian and Tasmanian agents throughout 2022, with winners now competing for national General Excellence and Marketing Awards, which will be announced at the network’s annual convention in Hobart this May. First National, principal, Mick Dolphin, says it was his team’s honour to receive 2023 General Excellence and Marketing Awards.

‘My team’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence have not gone unnoticed. I commend them on their exceptional performance, particularly given the unprecedented challenges we have all faced in recent times. Their success reflects not only their individual talent and expertise but also their resilience and adaptability.

They’ve shown what is possible when we push ourselves to be our best,’ Mick Dolphin said.

At the awards presentation, Ranges First National received the following Award:

· #9 First National Office in Victoria · Key staff members were also recognised for their individual performances: · Mick Dolphin received the Diamond Sales award & #5 Sales Agent for the 2022 year. · Jan Brewster received the Gold Sales award. · Grant Skipsey received the Gold Sales award · Amy Carson received the platinum award

& Elite (top 15 in Victoria) for her work in rentals.

Mick Dolphin said the First National General Excellence and Marketing Awards are an important event as they as they encourage First National’s agents to aspire to an ongoing process of performance improvement that benefits customers. ●

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Jan Brewster - Gold Sales Award Winner

Grant Skipsey - Gold Sales Award Winner

Mick Dolphin - Diamond Sales Award Winner & #5 Sales Agent for 2022 year

Ranges First National - #9 First National office in Victoria

Amy Carson - Platinum award Holly Rasmussen - Rotary Club of Emerald & & Elite (top 15 in Victoria) for District Pride of Workmanship Award 2023.

For exemplary service and for diplaying her work in rentals. outstanding qualities in attitude, work ethic, dedication and commitment.

12597597-ET14-23

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 25

HOME FOCUS

IMPRESSIVE LIFESTYLE OFFERED for sale for the first time in 22 years, this notable 25.74 acre lifestyle property is sure to impress. Driving up the shady tree lined driveway, it becomes quickly apparent that this is a special property. Set back from the road on a lovely elevated site, the property offers complete privacy whilst still taking full advantage of the 180-degree views with spectacular sunrises and sunsets from all aspects.

Designed for family living and entertaining, the home offers three spacious living zones. Stepping inside the home you are welcomed into the first formal living space; the spacious lounge room with the potential for a formal dining is ideal for the growing family who might require zoned living. Continuing through discover at the heart of the home the informal kitchen and lounge, a true entertainer’s dream this space features the loungeroom with a cosy Coonara for those cooler evenings and adjacent the chef’s kitchen that boasts stunning Caesarstone benchtops, stainless steel appliances, dishwasher, banks of cupboards, enormous island bench/ breakfast bar and separate dining room.

Host all of your friends and family with ease and enjoy the added bonus of sliding door access to the outdoor entertaining, a true image of indoor/outdoor living. A functional rumpus room creates the perfect third living space, whether you chose to create the coolest kids play room, teenagers hang out or parents’ retreat, this versatile

space can be enjoyed by the whole family.

The home has been cleverly designed with enormous windows in all the living spaces to take in the breathtaking panoramic views. There are four oversized bedrooms in total, the stunning master suite is complete with full ensuite bathroom and walk in wardrobe whilst the secondary bedrooms are all complete with built in robes and serviced by the modern family bathroom.

There is also a study which could be used as bedroom five if required. Special features include Caesarstone benchtops in all wet areas, split system heating and cooling, ceiling fans and a 6.6Kw Solar array.

Outside the embellishments continue, the enormous concrete outdoor entertaining enjoys the panoramic views across the rolling valleys and Warburton Ranges beyond. The cottage is complete with kitchenette, bathroom, spacious bedroom and study, this dual accommodation opportunity is ideal for the extended family, lucky teenager or guest house.

For the toys and tools there is quality shedding including a double carport under roofline and a high rise Colorbond shed with concrete floor, power and a hoist as well as excellent secure parking for Caravan, boat, trailer or all of the above. The balance of the property is gently sloping and mostly cleared.

This is a truly special property that needs to be seen to be appreciated, inspection is an absolute must. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Description: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage Price: $1,700,000 - $1,800,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Justin Barrot 0438 683 781 and Brittany Barry 0412 861 094, BARRY PLANT, EMERALD 26 MAIL

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6 Heroes Avenue, Gembrook

8 Paradise Grove, Emerald

4 Old Soldiers Road, Gembrook

COUNTRY CHARMER ON 1,036M2

CENTRAL EMERALD SWEETIE ON 1009m2

IMPRESSIVE LIFESTYLE PROPERTY WITH VIEWS

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FOR SALE.

FOR SALE.

FOR SALE.

GUIDE $900,000-$990,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Justin Barrot 0438 683 781 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

GUIDE $650,000-$695,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Gayle Barrot 0408 195 767 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

GUIDE $1,700,000 - $1,800,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Justin Barrot 0438683781 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

68 Beaconsfield Emerald Road, Emerald

15 Emerald Lake Road, Emerald

25 Edmunds Road, Cockatoo

FAMILY FAVOURITE WITH LOVELY VIEWS ON 1,154M2

THE ULTIMATE SETTING, LOCATION AND LIFESTYLE

COUNTRY CHARMER ON 1,005M2

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FOR SALE.

GUIDE $720,000 - $770,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Justin Barrot 0438 683 781 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

GUIDE $795,000 - $870,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Riley Nicholas 0488 501 218 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

GUIDE $700,000 - $770,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Justin Barrot 0438 683 781 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

Lot 4, 130 Gembrook Tonimbuk R Gembrook Tonimbuk Road, Gembrook

2980 Gembrook Launching Place Road, Gembrook

46 Westlands Road, Emerald

5 PICTURESQUE ACRES TO MAKE YOUR OWN

CHARMING BRICK GEM ON 5372M2!

PRESTIGE LOCATION AND A VIEW TO THRILL

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FOR SALE.

FOR SALE.

FOR SALE.

GUIDE $920,000 - $980,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Justin Barrot 0438 683 781 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

GUIDE $1,275,000 - $1,375,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Justin Barrot 0438 683 781 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

GUIDE $900,000-$990,000 INSPECT By Appointment CONTACT Riley Nicholas 0488 501 218 Barry Plant Emerald 5968 4522

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MAIL 27

HOME FOCUS

FAMILY HOME ON ALMOST AN ACRE THIS lovingly updated family home is absolutely move in ready. With a high attention to detail, unwind and relax with the modern colour palette and soft fresh carpet under your feet.

The cleverly designed home offers a master bedroom with ensuite at one end, central open plan living and dining area, through to 4 bedrooms and a second living/ entertaining area.

The master bedroom is spacious with ceiling fan, large built in robe and ensuite.

There is an office/bedroom with a pretty bay window to enjoy the treed and private view. The house then opens up with a great entertaining space. The kitchen is equipped with stainless steel dishwasher, electric oven and gas stove top. The detailed ceiling fans in the dining area and lounge area add character as do the hard wood floor boards that flow through this section. There is a lovely sitting area adjacent to the kitchen/ dining area to soak in the sunshine. Then continue to the first lounge room, complete with wood fire heater for cosy nights in.

There is also ducted heating throughout for year round comfort. Then there is a great family bathroom, complete with shower and bath, and separate toilet. Then through to the surprise entertaining/second lounge room. This large space is perfect for entertaining with a built in bar and direct access to the front decking.

With all mains services connected for added convenience, there is also an external generator plug.

This property has it all so don’t miss out call to arrange a private inspection today.

Please note: All property details shown are correct at time of publishing. Some properties may have been sold in the preceding 24 hours and we recommend that you confirm open for inspection times with the listing agent direct or the listing office. ●

HOME ESSENTIALS Address: 42 Mountain Road, COCKATOO Description: 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage Price: $1,080,000 - $1,180,000 Inspect: By appointment Contact: Aaron Day 0407 365 994 or Brennan Mileto 0422 996 451, BELL REAL ESTATE, EMERALD 28 MAIL

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P 5968 6222 311-313 Main Street Emerald

23 Pakenham Road, Cockatoo

$550,000 - $600,000

86 Beaconsfield-Emerald Road, Emerald

$1,200,000 - $1,320,000

Private cockatoo Gem!

Modern living with country charm on approx. 7 acres, with fantastic shedding!

Updated & move in ready, 3 bedroom family home within moments of Cockatoo amenities. With established vegetable gardens & a large chicken run awaiting. There is a covered front patio with brick paving, before you enter the single storey home. With open plan kitchen, dining & living. This home offers new flooring and is light & bright with a neutral colour palette & year around comfort provided with gas ducted heating & a consol heater in the dining room. There is a large master bedroom with BIRs & 2 further good sized rooms, one with BIRs & one without. There is a family bathroom with double vanities & an updated shower. As well as a separate toilet & laundry. To the rear of the home is a spacious mudroom. Externally there is a covered patio with brick paving & a garden shed, as well as the expansive private garden & chicken coop.

With 4 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms spread across 2 storey living. The covered breezeway leads to an open plan kitchen, dining, loungeroom with vaulted ceiling, split system AC, ceiling fan, & wood fire that doubles as a water heater. The kitchen has stainless steel appliances, with a butlers pantry & a second oven. The upstairs contains the master bedroom with BIRs, a family bathroom, a bedroom, laundry, & a study nook/play room. Downstairs are 2 bedrooms, a family bathroom, & a separate toilet, & a home theatre room. With a 6 car garage with concreted floor, split system AC, power & an adjoined office space with kitchenette & split system AC. There are flat grassed areas & natural bush, & a second huge shed with concreted floor & power & a second driveway entrance. This home has solar panels, solar hot water system, sprinkler system, & security system.

Aaron Day M 0407 365 994

Brennan Mileto M 0422 996 451

Aaron Day M 0407 365 994

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42 Mountain Road, Cockatoo

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

Beautifully updated 5 bedroom family home on almost an acre!

The home has a master bedroom with ensuite at one end, central open plan living & dining area, through to 4 bedrooms & a second living/entertaining area. The master bedroom is spacious with ceiling fan, large BIR & ensuite. There is an office/bedroom & then the house opens up with a great entertaining space. The first lounge room has a wood fire heater for cosy nights in & hard wood flooring. There is ducted heating throughout for year round comfort. There is a family bathroom, & separate toilet. Then through to the surprise entertaining/second lounge room with built in bar & direct access to the front decking. Externally is a DLUG with direct house access. There are established above ground vegetable gardens, orchard area of fruit trees & a wood shed & garden shed. With all mains services connected & an external generator plug.

Aaron Day M 0407 365 994

Brennan Mileto M 0422 996 451

Brennan Mileto M 0422 996 451

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56 Main Street, Gembrook

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B 10 C

$480,000 - $520,000

Rare Commercial / Potential B&B Opportunity (STCA) in this Gorgeous ‘Storybook’ Building with Main Street Exposure!

This property is bursting with opportunities! It offers a gorgeous and still practical design, with a location that ensures your business will be the first business noticed as you enter the heart of Gembrook. The building is a Storybrook design with beautiful details such as stone cladding, arch windows, wooden shutters, and vaulted ceilings. There are two large rooms downstairs as well as a spacious toilet with room for a bathroom conversion, a kitchenette, and a storage/utility room.

Upstairs is one large room with vaulted ceilings and views across Gembrook. Located close to Puffing Billy Railway, there is a high volume of car and foot traffic past this brilliant location, perfect as a B&B, hair salon, home based business, beauty salon or any small business you desire.

Samantha Scott M 0438 680 032

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MAIL 29

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0473 326 333

CLASSIFIEDS EARLY DEADLINES EASTER Classified deadlines for Tuesday, 11th April issue of the Ranges Trader Star Mail as follows:

Certain restrictions on the lighting of fires are in force during the Fire Danger Period.

Information about fire restrictions within the Country Area of Victoria can be obtained from www.cfa.vic. gov.au, your local CFA District Office or Municipal Fire Prevention Officer.

Jason Heffernan Chief Officer, CFA

THURSDAY 6th APRIL at 4pm 12597897-JW14-23

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• TREES PRUNED, LOPPED, FELLED AND REMOVED • WOODCHIPPING AND STUMPGRINDING • QUALIFIED ARBORIST FREE • PROMPT RELIABLE SERVICE QUOTES • EXCELLENT RATES

General Notices

*Does not include FRV response areas

BELGRAVE

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Municipality Date of Termination Knox City Council 11/04/2023 Manningham City Council 11/04/2023 Maroondah City Council 11/04/2023 Yarra Ranges Council 11/04/2023

V Public Notices and Event

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Fire Danger Period A reminder that the Fire Danger Period is scheduled to cease.

The Fire Danger Period will terminate at 0100 hours on the dates shown.

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ESCORTS R US Ladies Welcome.

Mention this ad for $10 discount New Ladies from 5pm www.escortsrus.com.au

Real Estate

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Employment V Positions Vacant

The role includes the below but not limited to: • Landlord and tenant liaison • Approving, arranging, and recording maintenance • Routine inspections • Rental reviews • Lease renewal negotiations • Rent payment supervision

12453512-RC29-20

Employment

section of Network Classifieds.

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

Commercial Industrial Property Manager

Call 1300 666 808

Find local work in the

Celebrations

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

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V Massage Therapists

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Trades & Services

An Agents Representative Certificate is a requirement, and we will support you if you are in the process of completing the certificate.

Some experience in either commercial industrial or residential property management would be an advantage.

Contact Geoff Earney today for a confidential chat on 9726 8888. methven.com.au 12596329-HC13-23 V Professional

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.

Motoring V Auto Services/ Repair

OCR

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Trades & Services section of Network Classifieds.

0425 702 776 12589182-FC06-23

LMCT 10227

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 31

SPORT

Lilydale-Montrose United dismantled It was a night to forget from Lilydale Montrose United, with both the firsts and the reserves suffering heavy defeats against Templestowe Wolves on Friday 31 March at Keith Hume Fraser Reserve.

In the first team game, Lilydale Montrose United defended resolutely for 25 minutes, before conceding three goals in a short space of time to head into the break 3-0 down.

Another three goals in the second half for Templestowe Wolves went unanswered, resulting in a final score of 6-0 against a strong side.

In the reserves, Templestowe put six past LMU in the first half, before an improved second-half performance saw Alex Whiting pull one back. The final score was a heavy 9-1 defeat.

After a break for Easter, Lilydale Montrose United will hit the road for three consecutive away games, the first against St Kevins Old Boys SC on Saturday 15 April.

Lilydale Montrose United’s Thirds also suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Mooroolbark in the Bayside and Vic Soccer South/East Division One, in an 8-1 home loss.

LMU will look to build back over the short break.

By Jamie Strudley

Lilydale-Montrose United suffered a humbling defeat to Templestowe Wolves. Picture: BRAD DYER

Horse Talk: Weather helps with practice

By Anita Prowse Fantastic weather for Upper Yarra Pony Club’s Riders Without Horses Rally on Sunday, members learning how to correctly lunge a horse and also practicing steering – on each other.

With a visit from the Easter Bunny to finish off.

The Northern Metropolitan Zone of PCV are holding their annual Horse Trials, formerly held at Yeringberg now over at Little Wandin and will be held on the 15 and 16 April, with

Athletes mix with Aussie best

Pony Club and EV sections. Great one to watch and entries are available at Event Secretary.

Hoogies have Worm count test drop-offs 14 to 17 April for anyone needing fecal counts done. Good time of year to utilise this service.

Monash Pony Club have their PC and Open Dressage and CT Day on 10 April.

Wandin Park RCA have HRCAV Showjumping on April 23 with entries closing 17 April.

Dandenong Ranges Horse and Pony Club

have a PC and Open Dressage Jackpot on 23 April, entries close 18 April.

Macclesfield ARC has a HRCAV Dressage Jackpot on 6 May with entries closing 29 April.

Shirley Heights have round 2 of their midweek Autumn Dressage Competition Training on 19th April, with the third instalment on the 10 May. UYPC have Dressage Jackpot 27th and 28May for Open and Pony Club riders, so plenty to keep everyone busy.

Yarra Ranges Athletics club athletes feature among a star-studded roster at the Australian Track and Field Championships held in Brisbane last week.

Australia’s best athletes were competing to earn selection for major global championships later in the year.

First up on Thursday afternoon was Sarah Ebbels in the Women’s U20 Hammer throw. Sarah threw the 4kg hammer a staggering 35.91m for a new PB and club record finishing 17th . Later on Thursday evening Ash Almond was part of a large field in the Open Men’s Javelin.

Ash had a very good series of throws with a best of 43.91m and an excellent 13th place finish.

Friday was the turn of Olivia Twining in the Open Women’s 3000m Steeple.

In very warm, humid conditions, Olivia ran a great race to finish 9th in a time of 11.05.13, just outside her PB and club record.

Saturday was time for Joseph Johnston and Rori Jones to compete. Joseph was part of a very competitive Para Open 100m field, running 13.32 in his heat just missing a new PB. Later in the day, Rori competed in the Women’s U20 400m Hurdles running a fantastic race, fading at the end to a record 72.38 seconds.

Sunday was a family fun day at a warm, windy QSAC athletics track. Harry Norman was part of a very even Open Mens 5000m race. After a solid start to the race, Harry drifted in the latter stages to finish 18th in 15.09.74. While disappointed with the result Harry and the rest of the team should be very proud of their performances against the best athletes in Australia.

Everyone now has an opportunity to draw breath and clean their shoes before the start of cross-country season in a few weeks. Before then club athletes Zoe Clarke and Brigette Rice will represent Victoria at the Australian Junior Track and Field Championships for U13 to U18 athletes.

Training continues for all club members on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5.30pm with the emphasis changing to preparing for cross country. Yarra Ranges Athletics welcomes and encourages all athletes of any age or ability.

If you, or someone you know, want 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!

Ash Almond competing in the Open Men’s Javelin.

Picture: YARRA RANGES ATHLETICS This week’s Horse Talk.

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

Picture: ON FILE mailcommunity.com.au

SPORT

Eastern suburbs pennant Eastwood Golf Club hosted this years’ final and the Golf gods heard our calls for ministrations as we had no wind or rain, only damp feet.

Several weeks of preparation were undone in the darkness of the early morning start.

Miners’ lamps, torches and flood lights were asked for to no avail.

The hundred and twenty golfers meandered in all directions not always finding their allocated tees, even with such chaos the games got underway.

Groups of four hit off as twos and threes and steady progress was made with only a few holdups.

The mix of green and gold group members achieved the social interaction desired as they don’t normally play together.

The Stableford team challenge ran in conjunction with the match play event and the team challenge saw three individuals score to their handicap.

Lionel Richard 49 and Angelo Gugleilmi 37 from Heritage green and Gary Dunkinson, 36 from Yering Meadows.

Two others scored 35 points, with the rest rans.

Eastwood gold with 254 points won the team challenge over Heritage green with 252 points.

They also had a dig at their green team who had 233 points, which was not good enough.

Yering Meadows teams scored in 240’s, Churchill/Waverley teams were in the 232’s, Box Hill and Eastern gold 220’s and the last three had 209.

Many good tee shots were undone by disastrous bunker play.

Three putting was on display frequently as shown by the multitude of individual scores between 28 and 31.

The match play final was interesting and unusual.

It was played between Box Hill green and Heritage gold, these teams were clearly the best in their groups and were very evenly matched.

After 18 holes each team had three wins and two halves.

The fightback by Brian Eddison to square with Ron Sankey in the last two holes had Ron shaking his head in disbelief.

A similar feeling by Wayne Reddaway when Colin Looker came back from 3 down to tie on the last.

With time constraints on presentations, and preparation time for players the unusual decision was taken to call the result a tie.

Both team managers agreed to the unusual decision as can be seen in the presentation photo.

Another season of great camaraderie and sportsmanship has concluded with friends made and tales told.

Lunch and drinks consumed, the catering and bar staff contributed to the enjoyment of the day.

Team managers from each club did a great job ensuring the season was a success.

Congratulations to all winners.

Happy golfing and good health till we meet again.

Paul Mulhlan accepting the team challenge trophy.

Paul Mulhlan accepting the team challenge trophy.

By David Waters

Colin Baker driving for home on the 14th tee.

Pictures: SUPPLIED

Good conduct award win for Olinda Ferny Creek club

By Tyler Wright The Olinda Ferny Creek Junior Football and Netball Club (OFCJFNC) has received the Outer East Football and Netball League’s Dorothy Moxham Award for Best Conduct in the 2022 season.

OFCJFNC accrued 14.90 average points per game throughout the season; consisting of umpire data rating the ground, club and lighting conditions.

OFCJFNC president Simon Gilson said the award is a good reflection of the community.

“It’s great to win it. We have a good, strong committee. It’s quite a large committee, so there’s plenty of people out there to help out on game days,” Mr Gilson said.

“We have a really committed bunch of families that make sure that they’re taking roles in cooking, barbeques and in the canteen and goal umpiring.”

Belgrave Junior Football Club took out second place for the Dorothy Moxham Award, scoring 14.85 average points, followed by the Yarra Junction Eagles with 14.83 average points.

Joint third place was awarded to Healesville Junior Football Club and Wandin Junior Football Club, which both managed to secure 14.83 average points, Upwey-Tecoma Junior Football Club mailcommunity.com.au

Simon Gilson accepting the award.

Olinda Ferny Creek Junior Football and Netball Club president Simon GIlson (left) and Olinda Ferny Creek Junior Football and Netball Club vice-president Sacha Sullivan (right) with the Donna Marxham Award.

Pictures: BH PHOTOGRAPHY came in with 14.73 average points, ending up fifth in the tally.

Mr Gilson said the club and its players are training furiously before the start of the 2023

season on Sunday 16 April.

“We’ve had practise matches, and we’ve seen some really good footy from our kids through all levels,” he said.

“We had a successful year last year…our under 13s won their flag, our under 10s won their Lightning Premiership, our under 15 boys got deep in their finals and our under 17 boys played off in the grand final, unfortunately didn’t win it.

“For a small club, we think we’re a pretty successful club, so we’re really looking forward to getting in playing some great footy as part of the ‘23 season.”

Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 33

12596960-AV14-23

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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MAIL 35

12596951-FC14-23

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Tuesday, 4 April, 2023

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