News - Berwick Star News - 18th January 2024

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

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Call for meeting time change

Band brings performances back home

Casey tops adoption

Brotherly bond drives Nelson

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SPORT

Speeding through holidays From Yoshi to Donkey Kong, visitors to Bunjil Place battled it out in the ultimate championship earlier this week: Mario Kart.

As part of Connected Libraries school holiday program, the Mario Kart championship pitted the young competitors against each other as they raced to the finish line.

Story page 10 Claire, 8, Christopher, 7, Hardy, 6, and Ollie, 7. 383399 Picture: LJUBICA VRANKOVIC

Waste backlash

By Violet Li Furious Casey communities are objecting to a planning application that would see a waste transfer station next to the controversial Hallam Road Landfill, and have voiced accompanying concerns about fire risks, midnight noise, and increased traffic, dust, and odour.

In July 2023, Casey Council endorsed a new Hampton Park Hill Development Plan that would facilitate future waste and resource recovery activities in the area, including the development of a waste transfer station.

The Draft Development Plan attracted more than 1000 objections in 2022 and residents were vocally against the potential waste transfer station proposed at the site of Hallam Road Landfill by its operator Veolia Australia.

Veolia officially lodged a planning permit application to Casey Council on 29 December 2023 to build a $27m commercial waste transfer station.

In its submitted proposal, the proposed infrastructure is to ‘support waste management needed in the region due to the impending

closure of the Hallam Road Landfill’.

Located approximately 250m from the nearest residential dwelling, the new facility would accept about 550,000 tonnes of municipal residual waste, construction and demolition waste, and commercial and industrial waste from Melbourne’s Southeast.

It would recover and recycle some waste streams and transfer residual waste to energy recovery facilities. Despite a webpage established by Veolia to address community concerns, residents have not been convinced that the neighbourhood would be free from negative environmental impacts by the new facility.

Hampton Park resident Tony O’Hara said his biggest worry was the potential fire risks the station might incur.

According to Veolia, waste will be visually inspected on the tipping floor, consolidated, packed into containers, and loaded into trucks.

The potential fire ‘should be able to be contained within individual containers which help with fire management’.

Mr O’Hara said incorrect disposal of batter-

ies in rubbish bins could easily be responsible for huge fires and it was too hard to put the fire out inside a closed vehicle.

“They [Veolia] get the waste. They compact it, and they put it in a squashed format inside the bigger trucks. It’s a squashing process, which is the biggest danger,” he said.

“You break open batteries, and you can cause sparks and cause violence.

“Now if it’s a normal fire of materials, it may not be so bad, but when batteries are involved, they seem to be able to generate still fire even with very minimal oxygen.”

Mr O’Hara did not believe Veolia’s visual inspection of waste would be sufficient to pick out all the batteries.

“If someone shows a laptop in there, they will see a laptop. They may see a phone, but they won’t necessarily see all the batteries,” he said.

“It would cause big damage for the community if there was a big fire.”

Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) issued a paper on the battery crisis last year,

stating that fires caused by batteries were widespread across material recycling facilities, in trucks, and depots, which echoed Mr O’Hara’s concern.

“Over the past year, there were over 1000 battery-related fire incidents reported in the waste and recycling sectors nationwide, amounting to over three a day,” ACOR chief executive officer Suzanne Toumbourou said.

“The cost of these incidents is being borne by the community through rising rates, by councils through truck fires and service disruption, and by the recycling industry in the loss of critical infrastructure and future risk.”

A Facebook post by Hampton Park Fire Brigade revealed ‘way too many fires due to the incorrect disposal of Lithium batteries over the past couple of months’, which added to the community’s concern.

Mr O’Hara also pointed out the noise issues as the station was set to operate from midnight until 6pm Monday to Friday, and midnight until 4pm on Saturday.

Continued page 6

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NEWS

IN BRIEF

Narre Warren local Stephen Matulec initiated a petition in June 2023, stating that working residents in the Casey were being excluded from current council meetings held at 4pm.

Picture: SUPPLIED

An officer’s report for December’s council meeting recommended the commencement time be changed to 5pm for all council meetings scheduled in 2024, but Casey administrator Cameron Boardman moved an alternative motion to change 5pm back to 4pm, which was unanimously voted for.

Council rejects plea

By Violet Li A petition with more than 200 supporters has failed to change the Casey Council meeting time from 4pm as administrators maintained the status quo for 2024 at a meeting on 12 December 2023.

Narre Warren local Stephen Matulec initiated the petition in June 2023, stating that working residents in the Casey were being excluded from current council meetings held at 4pm.

“The council refuses to review this until December, so workers will continue to be excluded for the rest of the year,” he put in the petition.

“Most councils hold meetings later in the evening so workers can attend. Nearby councils like the City of Greater Dandenong, the City of Monash, the City of Knox, and Cardinia Shire all hold their meetings at 7pm.

“There is no reason why Casey can’t do the same.”

Residents stated their reasons for signing the petitions.

“People in the community, ratepayers, taxpayers, must be given the chance to take part in having a say in what happens, what is done in our backyards so to speak. These council workers get our hard-earned money, they must be accountable to us, to our needs, and what’s good for us, our decisions, not theirs,” one local Erika Bartz submitted.

“I don’t get home from work until 6pm and having lived in Hampton Park for 30yrs I have an invested interest in what is happening with our landfill issues. I feel they have done this in-

tentionally so we can’t protest our grievances,” another local Kylie Davis submitted.

Within a month, the petition gained about 250 signatures and Mr Matulec submitted it to Casey Council in July.

In October’s council meeting last year, City of Casey chair of administrators Noelene Duff PSM responded to a resident’s submitted question on the outcome of the petition by saying the council would consider community feedback and other factors and set the time for 2024 in December.

An officer’s report for December’s council meeting recommended the commencement time be changed to 5pm for all council meetings scheduled in 2024, but Casey administrator Cameron Boardman moved an alternative motion to change 5pm back to 4pm, which was unanimously voted for.

Mr Boardman believed that there wasn’t significant community justification or expectation and moving the start time to 5pm would not result in any benefit to the administrators, the council, and the community as a whole.

“If council meetings started later, there would be a requirement to, under our EBA arrangements, potentially provide general meal allowance and overtime allowance to council staff who would be expected to participate in the meetings,” he said.

“It is certainly a matter that will be considered by a future council.”

Administrator Miguel Belmar added that technology had enabled people to participate in these meetings online.

Mr Matulec said he was disappointed at the outcome, and he found the administrators’ rationale for the time amendment “a complete nonsense” because having a 5pm meeting would benefit the community a lot.

“Everyone was united. No one says to me that 4pm is a good time,” he said.

“People pick their kids up from school at 4pm and a lot of people might just finish work.

It is a bit of a rush getting to the meeting at 4pm. If people are still working at 4pm, they can’t just go online and watch because they are still working.

“If it is 5pm, people who finish at 4pm can get there at 5pm. And people could also stay at their office and watch online.”

He said administrators did not care about what the community wanted.

“They’re saying that having a 4pm meeting meets their expectations to do their job. They don’t care about what people have to say or what people want because they don’t have to listen.”

Mr Matulec also questioned why the council meeting time could not be changed in the middle of the year.

He pointed out the meeting time was changed from 6pm to 4pm halfway through the year when administrators were appointed in 2020.

“They keep putting up rates to pay for their blowouts on budgets, but now all of a sudden, a little bit of meal allowance, overtime, is what they care about,“ he said.

“Now they care about spending.”

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Fourth fire at landfill Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) crews were called to a fire at the Stevensons Brothers Industries (SBI) landfill on Ballarto Road at Botanic Ridge at around 11pm on Sunday 14 January.

A pile of wood at the property was on fire.

A Community Advice alert was issued for smoke in the area.

The scene was under control at 11.27pm.

The fire is considered to be suspicious.

This has been the fourth fire incident at Cranbourne SBI landfill in recent years. The first one occurred on 14 February 2022, the second one on 2 November 2023, and the third one on 25 November 2023. Police investigations have been continuing with the second and the third fires, but it was advised the cause pointed to arson.

Cranbourne West shooting Casey Crime Investigation Unit detectives are investigating after shots were fired at a property in Cranbourne West on Monday 15 January.

It is understood a vehicle pulled up outside the Trueman Street residence before several shots were fired at about 4am.

Police were told shots went through a garage door and into two parked cars. Four people were inside the property at the time of the incident. There were no injuries.

Charges after large-scale cannabis crop discovered A man has been charged following a search warrant and drug seizure in Cranbourne West on Tuesday 16 January.

Officers from the Springvale Divisional Response Unit executed a search warrant at a factory on Futures Road just before 5pm on 16 January. Investigators allegedly discovered a sophisticated hydroponic cannabis cultivation set up and a commercial quantity of cannabis.

A 38-year-old St Albans man was arrested at the scene and has been charged with cultivate commercial quantity of cannabis, traffick commercial quantity of cannabis and resist police.

He was remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday, Wednesday 17 January.

Tyres and teens busted in car chase Police have arrested a 17-year-old Cranbourne North male, as well as four other males, following a lengthy car chase involving two stolen vehicles on Thursday 11 January.

The two stolen vehicles, a BMW and a Mercedes, were observed in Endeavour Hills at around 8.20am and were monitored by police.

The vehicles travelled through multiple suburbs, with police using stop sticks in Camberwell and Glen Waverley.

The occupants dumped the BMW on Sanday Street in Glen Waverley before getting into the Mercedes and fleeing.

Police followed the Mercedes to Heathmere Crescent in Endeavour Hills, with all five occupants exiting the car, which had blown its front driver-side tyre, and attempting to flee on foot.

Police quickly arrested all five occupants, who were assisting police with enquiries, authorities said last week. Police arrested an 18 year-old Doveton man, a 20-year-old Frankston man, a 17-year-old Narre Warren male, a 17-year-old Cranbourne North male and a 16-year-old Dandenong male. No one was injured during the pursuit. Police have begun investigating the exact circumstances surrounding the incidents.

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NEWS

Renewed MND hope Local help

By Violet Li A potentially life-changing treatment for familial motor neurone disease (MND) is being trialled in Berwick, offering renewed hope for those with the disease.

Monash Health has been trialling a new treatment for a form of familial MND which has the potential to reduce nerve damage and slow disease progression.

Tofersen gained accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2023, making it the first approved treatment for a genetic cause of MND. It has not been approved in Australia yet.

MND is also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

In collaboration with Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Monash Health is the first hospital in Victoria to offer access to medication as part of an Early Access Program in Dandenong and Casey.

Dr Yennie Lie, a neurologist leading the program that started in November 2023 said MND was a relentlessly progressive and fatal degenerative disease that caused the loss of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that were responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement.

“People with MND experience progressive muscle weakness and wasting, causing them to lose independence as they steadily lose the ability to move, speak, eat, and eventually breathe,” she said.

“Survival is only around two to five years from the onset of symptoms.”

Around 1500 people in Australia are living with MND. There is no cure for the disease and nearly 400 Australians die of it annually.

Current treatments aim to control symptoms, prevent complications, and improve quality of life.

Riluzole, an oral antiglutamate medication

In collaboration with Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Monash Health is the first hospital in Victoria to offer access to the medication as part of an Early Access Program in Dandenong and Casey. 139088 approved in Australia for MND, prolongs average survival by two to three months.

An infusion therapy called Edaravone (RADICAVA) may slow functional decline in people with MND by about 30 per cent. While it was approved in February 2023 by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), it is currently still unavailable in Australia.

One in 10 patients diagnosed with MND have what is known as familial MND, a condition in which there is more than one affected person in a family.

Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene mutations are among the inherited causes of MND. It causes the body to create a toxic form of the SOD1 protein, which causes protein misfolding and aggregation within motor neurons and astrocytes, contributing to the progression of the disease. Patients with familial MND may have neurodegeneration and muscle weakness as a result of cellular dysfunction brought on by an accumulation of mutant SOD1 proteins.

The new medication Tofersen from Biogen, an American multinational biotechnology company, is designed to reduce the toxic SOD1 protein in the body.

It is given as an injection into the spinal

fluid through lumbar puncture in three doses, once every two weeks, and then every month thereafter.

Dr Lie said Tofersen would bring a critical treatment option for families facing SOD1 MND, with the potential benefit of slowing disease progression, which might be associated with reduced symptoms and improved quality of life.

Tofersen belongs to antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), synthetic nucleic acids that have been identified as a novel therapy option for treating neurological diseases.

ASOs are currently in development for spinal muscular atrophy, familial ALS, Huntington’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Lie said one ASO, Nusinersen, was shown to improve symptoms in spinal muscular atrophy rather than just slowing the progression of the disease.

“Nusinersen is listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for use in children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy,” she said.

“The success of Nusinersen for spinal muscular atrophy, a leading cause of death in infants and toddlers, gives us hope for the use of antisense therapies, like Tofersen, to target and treat MND.” Tofersen has completed three phases of clinical trials in America and showed reduced neurofilament, a marker of nerve cell damage, and small trends of reduced decline in clinical function, muscle strength, breathing function, and quality of life.

Though it was approved in America, ongoing trials have still been investigating its clinical benefits as an accelerated approval process, different from the official FDA approval, does not conclusively prove a drug’s clinical benefits.

In Australia, the trial has been ongoing with Monash Health and Calvary Health Care Bethlehem to verify Tofersen’s clinical benefits.

Casey residents have donated more than $5000 worth of gifts and non-perishable food items to the Connected Libraries (CL) Deliver Joy Campaign in the leadup to Christmas in 2023.

Deliver Joy offered library members a way to pay it forward and help people doing it tough over Christmas.

The library also encouraged its members to donate to Deliver Joy instead of paying for existing charges on their library cards.

CL does not charge overdue fines but does recoup costs if a borrowed item is lost or damaged.

However, during Deliver Joy, if members donated to one of the five charities the library was supporting, any of these charges on their library cards were waived.

CL partnered with five local charities during the six-week campaign, including The Andre Centre, Cranbourne Information and Support Service (CISS), Transit Outreach Service, St Vincent De Paul Society-Berwick Soup Van, and Manna4Life.

The campaign raised over $120 in donations combined for the local charities.

More than $3429.53 in charges were waived as part of the program.

CL chief executive officer Beth Luppino said it was inspiring to witness the generosity of library members, even when the waiving of overdue fines was no longer an incentive.

“We were overwhelmed by the generosity of locals given the current economic climate,” she said.

“Public libraries contribute to stronger and more resilient communities in so many different ways.

“Libraries really do change lives.”

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

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STAR NEWS 3

THE LOWDOWN Q&A

with Australian Filipino Community Services service worker Emmanuel

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

There hasn’t been a day in 2024 that I haven’t had a Red Bull energy drink.

What do you love most about your job?

I love all the Filipino seniors and how they’re so welcoming, warm, funny and respectful.

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

An eagle.

THREE … ways to kick off a new year

1

Grab a notebook and write down New Year’s resolutions. It is not about ticking off. Attitude matters.

2

Review. Reflect. Restart.

3

Meet your friends and families in the backyard, or anywhere. The best people in life are free.

What was your most memorable moment?

Getting my first paycheck when I was 14 and working.

What were you like as a kid?

I was very active, always enjoying everyone’s company and full of fun.

What event, past or present, would you like to witness?

I would love to attend multiple music festivals in Europe.

Emmanuel (on the right) with 101-year-old Rosalina Manantan.

Which six dinner guests, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner?

My partner and my family.

What would you do on your perfect day off?

Three words to describe yourself!

Quite, ambitious and organised.

Where is your happy place?

Ride my motorbike.

Being with my partner.

Picture: ETHAN BENEDICTO

If you had to compete on MasterChef, what dish would you cook?

Fried rice and fish.

What is your dream holiday destination?

Europe.

NEWS

Call to protect wetlands After the Federal Government vetoed the wind turbine terminal planned for Port Hastings, the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) is calling for the State Government to urgently put in place strict environmental protections against off-shore energy project for wetlands such a Western Port Bay. Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek blocked the proposed terminal at Port Hastings because of “unacceptable” and “irreversible” risks to native endangered wildlife in Western Port Bay’s Ramsar-listed wetlands.

The terminal is critical to the State Government’s ambitious plan to develop an offshore wind energy industry for Victoria that would see operation wind farms off the coast of Gippsland.

The clean-energy proposal has garnered controversy as it is reported to require the dredging of 92ha of Western Port Bay’s international protected wetlands.

The VNPA welcomed the Federal Minister’s decision as it highlighted the need for the State

Mangrove forests along the coastlines in Western Port.

Picture: SUPPLIED Government to better protect Western Port Bay from the effects of risky developments.

“This project risked an internationally protected wetland and bird sanctuary critical for 65 per cent; of Victoria’s threatened bird spe-

cies,” VNPA’s nature campaigner Shannon Hurley said.

“The Federal Minister had no option other than blocking the proposal because of the threat of enormous environmental damage “While a fast transition from polluting to clean energy sources is necessary to avoid the extreme impacts of climate disruption, it cannot come at the cost of the marine environment.

“An environmentally responsible offshore renewables sector requires a plan for how marine habitats and Western Port Bay’s precious wetlands will be protected.

“Last year the State Government was presented with a proposal for a new plan for protecting Western Port Bay. “If they don’t adopt the proposal the future of this unique environment will continue to be at risk from further developments.”

Premier Jacinta Allan said the State Government was not pleased with the veto in the face of significant standards set on renewable energy.

“It’s fair to say we are unhappy with the decision, particularly because the federal government has set very strong renewable targets, we have very strong renewable energy targets,” Ms Allan said, as reported by the Financial Review.

“We need to make this transition to provide energy security through renewable sources and offshore wind is a big and important part of that.”

The Framework for Western Port Bay is a plan to protect the area’s precious wetlands and support sustainable marine and tourism industries developed by VNPA, Western Port Biosphere Foundation and Save Westernport with support from Traditional Custodians, local business, tourism and nature protection groups.

Jane Carnegie from Save Westernport said the veto, “demonstrates the Federal Minister using her powers to protect a Ramsar wetland - an area of international environmental significance and a major recreational and fishing area for all Victorians.”

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13 February

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STAR NEWS 5

NEWS

Locals oppose waste plans From page 1 “While there won’t be a lot of trucks in the night, there will still be trucks. And that means that people along Hallam Road and in Lynbrook will hear these trucks all the time overnight,” he said.

Resident Troy Van Gorp, who lives 200m away from the current landfill, found Veolia’s writing in the proposal contradictory regarding the traffic, odour, and dust impacts.

Veolia stated that the proposed transfer station was anticipated to ‘generate similar levels of traffic movements to the existing landfill operation with approximately 500 movements in and out of the facility’.

This will involve approximately 200-230 trucks per day delivering waste to the facility.

For every six trucks delivering waste to the facility, a single A-double truck will transport the waste from the facility.

Mr Van Gorp said the number game did not add up.

“A garbage truck is about 10 meters long.

An A-double truck is like three times the size of the garbage truck,” he said.

“They’re saying there won’t be an increase in the volume of trucks, but the size of them will be significantly larger. That would definitely add to an increase.”

In response to Veolia’s odour mitigation, Mr Van Gorp said he could not believe what he was reading.

Veolia said that the facility would have a best-practice air extraction system to minimise odour.

Fans will ‘extract air from the building at a rate of 14 times the building volume per hour’.

That will ‘significantly dilute the air that is then extracted through a high stack to maximise dispersal, while not impacting the amenity of the area’.

“We’ve lived for years with the smell from the landfill. It was supposed to stop because the landfill was supposed to be closed, so we were supposed to get open green space,” Mr Van Gorp said.

“The current rules are they need to contain the odour on their landfill site.

“But this is a license to just blow it wherever you want. They’re going to blow it up in the air.”

The location of the proposed new waste transfer station.

Picture: BACKGROUND REPORT HAMPTON PARK HILL DEVELOPMENT PLAN BY VEOLIA Mr Van Gorp said the ignorance of physics was obvious.

“We know that what goes up must come down. Where’s this going to come down?

Where’s the wind going to blow? Where’s it going to land? What’s it going to land on?” he said.

Mr Van Gorp also challenged Veolia’s claim that they would wash the truck’s wheels to prevent waste material from being transported out of the facility.

He did not foresee wheel washing coming.

“They just want to address everything and whitewash everyone’s concerns,” he said.

“Many other locations are much more suitable for this type of waste management.

“I support waste transfer station. I support sustainability, and I support recycling. I don’t support this type of facility being allowed to be built so close to people’s homes.”

When asked about the community’s concerns, a Veolia spokesperson said the company had drawn on its experience successfully managing transfer stations across Australia to develop a proposal that mitigated potential impacts on the community and provided a state-of-the-art facility to help manage the area’s waste into the future.

“We know the proposed facility is of interest to many and will continue to listen to and con-

sult the community, including a meeting with the community reference group in December 2023, as we work through the planning process over the coming months,” they said.

“The site is identified in the Victorian Government’s Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan (SWRRIP 2018), which recognises the necessity of strategically positioned waste management infrastructure to cater to the needs of a growing city.

“We are committed to following the highest standard of safety and environmental practices to ensure the health of the community, our workers, and the environment.”

Lynbrook Residents Association (LRA) spokesperson Viv Paine said on behalf of the residents of all five suburbs surrounding the landfill, LRA took the firm stand that any new waste transfer station in a densely populated urban area was completely inappropriate on many grounds.

“We owe that to those who live beside the landfill and beyond who have had to endure escaping putrid odour day and night for at least 10 years, not to mention concerns for their children’s long-term health from what those escaping gases might contain,” he said.

He said the community was shocked and disappointed when out of the blue in mid2022, the council announced a Development

Plan that would see a huge new waste transfer station installed.

“Over the years Casey Council promised that once full, the landfill would revert to public open space,” he said.

“Although Veolia’s current permit expires in 2040, the community is entitled to suspect this development would see the life of the landfill extended indefinitely.”

City of Casey chair of administrators Noelene Duff PSM said as a responsible authority, it was the role of the council to consider and decide on a Development Plan in accordance with State Government policy and the provisions of the Casey Planning Scheme.

“Prior to its endorsement, the Hampton Park Hill Development Plan underwent extensive community consultation and was modified to respond to the relevant land use planning matters raised within public submissions,” she said.

“We thank our community for their active role throughout this consultation. It is well understood that members of our community have concerns relating to the existing operations of the landfill.

“While this matter is beyond the scope of the Development Plan, council officers are in regular contact with the EPA regarding local issues including the Hampton Park landfill site with council representatives also attending the community consultative committee for the site to communicate our community’s concerns.”

Casey Council also noted submissions relating to a future waste transfer facility were also beyond the scope of the Development Plan.

An application for a future commercial waste transfer station on-site or land near the landfill operations requires separate planning, building, and EPA assessment, independent of the Development Plan.

Casey’s statutory planning team will take at least 60 days to consider the application. Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria will assess a Development Licence application

by Veolia.

EPA is not presently assessing the licence application and it will seek community feedback about an application via the Engage Victoria website.

OPINION THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN

LENSCAPE

Thumbs up For being able to return safely from our Japan holidays. Japan had a natural disaster, a plane crash landing and a stabbing at a station.

Thumbs up For Camms Road Fish and Chips’ opening for the first time in the year 2024!

Thumbs down To Bogan Coles (Cranbourne West) for not having any public toilets!

Thumbs up

Lang Lang’s One at a Time Pet Rescue helps care for abandoned, rescued or rehomed animals who find comfort and love from their foster families while they wait for their forever homes, with these kittens lounging away the day.

Picture: LJUBICA VRANKOVIC

To Amstel Club’s 13 amazing individuals who live with disability yet contribute greatly to the community.

Thumbs down

My three angels I went shopping on 14 December 2023.

I was waiting at the register when a woman behind me came up and said, ‘Do you mind if I pay for your groceries?’, which she did and I thanked her twice.

I went shopping on my mobility scooter.

On the way home, the scooter was stopping and starting all the time.

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

I was travelling along the South Gippsland Highway when it stopped again.

A woman pedestrian came up and asked if I needed help. I told her the trouble I was having with the scooter.

She opened her purse and gave me $50 which I did not expect.

A bit further up the highway it stopped again. A few minutes later a four-wheel-drive pulled up alongside me. The driver asked if I

was alright; I explained the problem. She rang for a taxi which never came, so she asked two teenagers skateboarding along if they would help to put the scooter in the boot, which they did, and she drove to my residence. I offered her money which she refused.

They were my three angels.

Peter Heywood, Cranbourne

To Casey Council not mowing the parks.

Thumbs down To the proposal to build a huge Waste Transfer Station at the Hallam Road Landfill, when we are seeing many waste facility fires affecting people. berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au

We’re building big road projects near you and there will be disruptions

As part of Victoria’s Big Build, we’re easing congestion by building better roads in Melbourne’s south east. While we work this summer, road disruptions may affect your travel.

What we’ve done Built new lanes and upgraded intersections on Narre Warren North Road Built a second connection to South Gippsland Highway as part of the Pound Road West Upgrade Built new lanes, new traffic signals and a new bridge over Peninsula Link to improve traffic flow and travel times on Lathams Road

Works in progress Over summer, we’re finishing new lanes on Hall Road.

In Cranbourne, we’re working to build new lanes and upgrade key intersections along Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road. Works are continuing at the intersection of Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Sladen and Cameron streets and South Gippsland Highway.

We’re starting the first stage of works to build the new Princes Freeway interchanges on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road. We’re also upgrading McGregor Road.

There are ongoing works in Beaconsfield as part of the Station Street Level Crossing Removal Project.

While we work, disruptions could affect your travel McCormicks Road and Hall Road, Skye

Until 19 Jan

Closed at the intersection

Hall, Evans and Cranbourne-Frankston roads, Cranbourne West

Until 22 Jan

Closed at the intersection

Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road, Pakenham

Until 25 Jan

Road closed between Southeast Boulevard and northern Princes Freeway roundabout

Princes Freeway, Pakenham

Until 25 Jan

Closed inbound entry and exit ramps at Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road

Cameron Street, Cranbourne

Until Closed south of Berwickearly 2024 Cranbourne Road

McGregor Road, Pakenham

29 Jan to Mar

Closed between Webster Way/ Henry Road and southern Princes Freeway roundabout

Princes Freeway, Pakenham

29 Jan to Mar

Closed outbound exit ramp at McGregor Road

Kenilworth Avenue, Beaconsfield

Until early Feb

Westbound detour between Station Street and Soldiers Road

Until Mar

Access to and from Brunt Road closed. Detour via Just Joey Drive or Wattle Crescent

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

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STAR NEWS 7

NEWS

Death cause ruled

By Violet Li The death of a man at the United Petroleum Service Station in Cranbourne while police were apprehending and handcuffing him was from toxic levels of methamphetamine and heart disease, a coroner report has found.

The autopsy identified amphetamine and methamphetamine at toxic levels and evidence of ischaemic heart disease in the body of 32-year-old Jarryd Robert Liddicoat.

He passed away on 27 April 2021 after police handcuffed him following concerns for his, theirs, and the safety of the public as he was walking into the traffic and acting erratically on High Street.

It was found that approximately 15 months before his passing, he started using ‘ice’ (methylamphetamine) and resultingly became “increasingly paranoid”, the report noted.

He was placed in custody before his death.

Mr Liddicoat was involved in a car collision on the night of his passing after he ran a red traffic control signal at the intersection of Sladen Street and High Street.

He then reported himself at the Cranbourne Police Station around the corner and his breath test was negative. A preliminary oral fluid test for illicit drugs was not undertaken.

Mr Liddicoat called his friend to pick him up on High Street between the Red Rooster restaurant and the United Petroleum Service Station as the police towed his car away.

He entered the service station at approximately 10.15pm and told the console operator to call the Dandenong police for a Cranbourne accident.

He was then spotted at around 11.30pm by First Constables Harris and Rollo, who were patrolling High Street at the time.

According to their statement, Mr Liddicoat was on the white edge line of the road and appeared drug-affected, aggressive, and armed

Forensic pathologist Dr Sarah Parsons who conducted the autopsy commented that the very high level of methamphetamine in the deceased’s blood likely led to him acting erratically prior to Picture: FILE police arrival. 171210 with a metal bottom of a road or street sign.

He was “swinging the metal pole around, mumbling, talking to himself”.

Unresponsive to the requests from two officers to remove himself from the road, he fell into a garden bed.

Acting out of the concern that Mr Liddicoat was a risk to himself and the public due to the way he was presenting to the public, police made a three-point hold on him, handcuffed him, and placed him in a recovery position to avoid positional asphyxia a few seconds after closing the handcuff.

At this point, they noticed his eyes appeared closed and his chest stopped moving.

Fire Rescue Victoria assisted with CPR a short time later, and Ambulance Victoria attempted defibrillation. Despite efforts, Mr Liddicoat was declared deceased at the scene.

The report by State Coroner Kate Despot stated that “the handcuffing of Jarryd was lawful, proportionate, and reasonable in all the circumstances” and “First Constables Harris and Rollo complied with the requirements of the Victoria Police Manual in respect of restraint techniques and positional asphyxia”.

Coroner Despot identified no concerns in

respect of their conduct managing Mr Liddicoat after the handcuffs were secured.

Forensic pathologist Dr Sarah Parsons who conducted the autopsy commented that the very high level of methamphetamine in the deceased’s blood likely led to him acting erratically prior to police arrival.

High concentrations possibly resulted in an irregular heart rate (arrhythmia) particularly on exertion or in times of stress.

With his medical condition of ischaemic heart disease, Mr Liddicoat was at an increased risk of sudden death due to cardiac arrhythmia.

Dr Parsons observed that prone positioning in police arrest could lead to cardiac arrest due to metabolic acidosis and a decrease in cardiac output.

However, given the short duration of the prone positioning in this case, she concluded that the toxic levels of methamphetamine in the blood and significant heart disease were the cause of the death.

There was no head injury or any other injury on Mr Liddicoat that would have contributed to his death.

Intersection closed The intersection of CranbourneFrankston Road, Evans Road, and Hall Road in Cranbourne West has closed, as crews place the final layer of asphalt as part of the Hall Road Upgrade.

Cranbourne-Frankston Road is closed in both directions between Willow Glen Boulevard and Ranfurlie Boulevard from 7pm Friday 12 January to 5am Monday 22 January. Hall Road is closed between Cranbourne-Frankston Road and just east of Banyan Drive, while Evans Road is closed south of Strathlea Drive.

Motorists travelling in the area are advised to allow up to 20 minutes extra for the detours that include the Western Port Highway, Thompsons Road, and the South Gippsland Highway. Buses on routes 982, 760, and 791 are detouring around the road closure via Snead, Everlasting, and Hayton Park Boulevards.

Buses on Route 863 will be escorted through the worksite.

During the closure, crews were set to prepare the road surface before placing the final layer of asphalt and paint permanent line markings.

Nightly closures of Hall Road are also taking place between the Western Port Highway and McCormicks Road in stages during January and February.

The Hall Road Upgrade is adding lanes in both directions between McCormicks Road and the Western Port Highway and upgrading four intersections between McCormicks Road and Cranbourne-Frankston Road to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.

Real-time traffic conditions are available at traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au

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NEWS

Helping out in Queensland

By Ethan Benedicto Braving harsh weather and turbulent situations, Mladen Krsman was part of the many Victorian SES personnel who assisted with the aftermath of cyclone Jasper which hit Queensland in December 2023.

Hailing from the Narre Warren SES branch, Mladen was deployed with 42 other emergency services officers in Task Force Alpha where 38 were volunteers and the remaining were supporting staff.

From 28 December 2023 to 3 January 2024, the day-to-day process began with intel being provided by the Queensland State Emergency Service, which the crew leader then briefs to the rest of the crew.

“We engage with stakeholders, helping people who requested our assistance through Queensland SES and then we also work with how many people are trying to rectify their emergency.

“Of course, we’re there to support local emergency services with the flood and storm recovery, whether that’s chopping trees that are blocking roads or setting up a SWAH system,” Mladen said.

SWAH, or a safe work-at-height system, is a crucial process that officers like Mladen implement to efficiently and safely tackle obstacles at certain heights, most commonly roofs.

Accompanying Task Force Alpha were two others, with Charlie being just personnel and Bravo being accompanied by a series of vehicles.

“If you’re able to do six to seven jobs a day, that’s considered a productive day, and if you

did less than that, but involved setting up SWAHs all the time, then you’re doing really good,” Mladen recalled.

However, there were times when the weather intervened with their emergency efforts, often piling onto their future responsibilities.

On Wednesday 3 January, the Gold Coast and surrounding area received around 300ml of rain in 24 hours, a testament to the state’s volatile weather.

“I think we were only supposed to get like 70ml of rain, and I thought ‘oh yeah that’s nothing’ and then we woke up on Tuesday and it just rained, and rained, and rained and kept on raining,” Mladen said.

Going into his fifth year with Narre Warren SES, he admitted that floods do come and go in Victoria, but cases, where entire suburbs are being flooded, were a very rare occasion.

“Of course, there’s localised flooding but what Queensland experienced for example, to be hit with cyclones, storms, floods and then heatwaves, it’s different and it took quite a bit for myself and my colleagues to get used to it,” Mladen said.

Victoria, in terms of natural disasters, is not prone to cyclones, and for Mladen, seeing as this expedition was also his first deployment out of state, it was an entirely new experience.

“The environmental factors were different and it was my first deployment out of state, it was eye-opening but also quite humbling at times to be able to work as one with others from a different state,” he said.

On a much lighter note, one of the other things that Mladen had a hard time getting

Mladen, on the right, conducting a safe work-atheight system with a CFA officer.

Picture: SUPPLIED used to was the shouts of thanks he and his peers received from the locals.

“It was quite often I’d get a job and somebody would come out, like one of the neighbours, and thank us, which was sometimes overwhelming.

“I think overall people were quite appreciative of the fact that we showed up to assist, whether they needed our services or not, they still were very appreciative of us being there,” he said.

Due to the nature of their roles, SES officers

and volunteers are provided with a wide range of support, with extensive measures for preparation.

But even then, mentally there are times and certain incidents where the amount of preparation one underwent beforehand is seemingly not enough.

“You can only be prepared so much – I mean you can go to work and think ‘oh yeah I’m prepared to report’ and whatnot and then you get into an incident and then it’s suddenly, whoa, it’s different,” Mladen said.

Peer support was an integral part of their process of deployment and was something that was always available to the emergency officers at any point during the deployment, and even after jobs.

“Psychological trauma can affect anybody at any point and it may not necessarily impact the person there and then, so that’s why there’s always that support network around.

“After every time we go out we always have a debrief session, you’re always encouraged to speak about what has happened and if you require further assistance then it’s always available,” Mladen said.

For Mladen, while he admitted that he doesn’t necessarily volunteer to be acknowledged it still felt amazing for him when he returned home and the airport announced their arrival and gave their thanks.

“When we landed in Melbourne it was being announced like ‘we would like to thank our CFA and SES volunteers for their efforts in the Gold Coast’, and that’s quite something,” he said.

FOCUS ON … DANCE, MUSIC AND DRAMA

Ready Set Dance kids More than 100 pre-school children enjoyed Ready Set Dance classes each week at CathyLea Studios in 2023 and classes are already filling for 2024.

Ready Set Dance is a multi-award-winning dance and performing arts program for 2-5 year olds that has been developed with educational experts and child psychologists.

The program’s bright, engaging music and props stimulate the imagination of young learners as they engage joyfully in the world of music and movement.

Confidence, co-ordination and creativity are the pillars of the program with early childhood experts testifying to its contribution to children’s physical, cognitive, language and social development.

But most of all – Reay Set Dance is lots of fun.

Teachers are all qualified in the Ready Set Dance program, have Working With Children Checks and are trained in Child Safe practices.

Cathy-Lea Studios offers classes in Ready Set Dance, which is a 1 hour combo class including Jazz, Tap, Singing and Hip Hop, as well as Ready Set Ballet which is a 30 minute magical introduction to Classical Ballet.

If your child is not yet ready for independent dance class, Cathy-Lea Studios also offer a Mums’n’Bubs class for children aged from 18 months, where a parent or special adult can accompany children in the class.

Beyond pre-school, Cathy-Lea Studios has a Dance and Performing Arts program that can train your child to professional standards and offer them a hobby that develops fitness and friendships.

Enrolments are now open for 2024 with classes catering for students of all ages and abilities aged 18 months to adult. With over 150 classes per week in Dance, Music and Drama, Cathy-Lea is sure to have a class that meets your needs. Enrol now or book a free trial at www.cathy-lea.com.

Children just love Ready Set Dance and Ready Set Ballet classes at Cathy-Lea Studios

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STAR NEWS 9

NEWS

Race to the finish line From Yoshi to Donkey Kong, visitors to Bunjil Place battled it out in the ultimate championship earlier this week: Mario Kart.

As part of Connected Libraries school holiday program, the Mario Kart championship pitted the young competitors against each other as they raced to the finish line.

Gazette photographer LJUBICA VRANKOVIC visited Bunjil Place Library to capture all of the fun.

For more information about future events, visit events.connectedlibraries.org.au

Nine-year-old Ira was focused on coming first.

Eight-year-old Claire was among the Mario Kart racers. 383399

Pictures: LJUBICA VRANKOVIC

383399

Bianca, 8, and Lucas, 11. 383399

The children enjoyed competing against each other in Mario Kart. 383399

Pets by the numbers Victorians have shown their love for man’s best friend, with the state’s first pet census highlighting 41 per cent of the state’s pets were dogs.

According to the pet census, the second most popular pet were cats, accounting for 24 per cent of the state’s pets, with the majority of cat owners adopting their cats from an animal or rescue shelter.

Among the preferred dog breeds were Cavoodle, Labrador, Greyhound, Border Collie, and Golden Retriever.

Thanks to more than 37,000 responses to the Victorian Pet Census, the information gathered would allow the State Government to better support Victorian pets, their owners and the animal welfare sector to access the services and support they need most.

The survey identified an estimated 4.3 million pets across Victoria, providing a greater understanding of the unique needs of a variety of animal species to help close the current knowledge gap on pet welfare and 10 STAR NEWS

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

owner priorities.

The census also highlighted the positive impact of pets on the lives of Victorians, with 79 per cent of respondents highlighting companionship and love as among the benefits, followed by improved mental health and emotional support at 57 per cent.

The data collected also reflected the diversity in pets found homes in Victorians households, including 83,000 reptiles and amphibians and 43,000 insects and spiders, chosen for their unique appeal and lowmaintenance care.

Acting Agriculture Minister Harriet Shing said the data would allow the government to cater to the needs of a diverse range of pet owners.

“The immense love and care Victorians have for our pets is reflected in the numerous responses to our first Pet Census, highlighting the vital role pets play in the lives of Victorians,” she said.

Picture: UNSPLASH/ANDREWS berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au

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STAR NEWS 11

NEWS

Rockin’ ahead in 2024

By Ethan Benedicto Echoing the likeness of bands such as Kings of Leon, The War on Drugs and Catfish and the Bottlemen according to Triple J, Social on the Veranda is keen on bringing their sound back home.

Also known as SOTV, all band members are Berwick locals and they have some big things planned for 2024, with a new EP releasing in the first half of the year.

Conor Bermingham, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist said that one of their other main goals is to broaden their horizons.

“We want to play more support gigs and broaden the reach of the people who know and might listen to us.

“We’re really keen on setting up another headline show after some support gigs, but we want to find somewhere local to do it because we’ve only played one gig this side of the city,” Conor said.

Formed in 2017, the band went through some changes before settling to their current day line-up, with most members, according to Conor, meeting through mutual friends and university.

“I was reaching out to people to start something, to start a band and a mutual friend of mine knew Michael, who is now in the band but at the time wasn’t.

“I’d asked him if he wanted to be part of something, and then asked him if he wanted to play bass but he didn’t want to, but he knew Ben and Jesse from school,” Conor said.

The other members include Jesse Porter, the band’s drummer, Ben Rohy, the band’s guitarist and also songwriter, and bassist Michael Cowled who took over from Damon Brammall in 2023.

In 2018, roughly a year after the band came to life, they rubbed shoulders with some of the early 2000s best alternative rock bands after releasing their single Breathe.

Performing as the supporting band for We The Kings at Arrow on Swanston was where Conor recalled that they were being recognised.

Filling the air with the euphoric familiarity of early 2000s alt-rock, SOTV roused crowds with their anthemic yet hard-hitting melodies.

“It was definitely that gig when we felt that, you don’t tend to feel it when you’re rehearsing or writing songs.

“When we finished the gig there were people who knew our names and knew the music and that kind of caught us off guard,” Conor said.

At that point, the band hadn’t played many gigs, and after their performance with We The Kings was when it really clicked for them that

SOTV band members, from left, Michael Cowled, Conor Bermingham, Jesse Porter and Ben Rohy. their pieces had potential.

That wasn’t the end of it, however, with SOTV supporting metalcore band Make Them Suffer and British India in the same year.

At the end of the year, they were also selected to tour with British India’s east coast portion for their Nic the Poet tour, an experience which Conor recalled was exhilarating.

“2018 was a big year, we just turned 18 or 19 and were still a bit younger so there were a lot of first experiences playing at bigger venues,” he said.

While there was never any delay in immediately accepting supporting performances, the band itself retained a fluctuating process, where there would be times that no gigs were booked or no recordings were being done.

For Conor, this served as one of the reasons for having more gigs in the southeast, the other being that previous audiences often commented on the distance they had to travel for a live show.

“You know you see the occasional band gig or bigger bands that are coming through, but I think there’s a gap in the market where you could get more up-and-coming bands playing and get that infrastructure I suppose.

“I know a lot of bands that pull decent crowds, but they and we all have to play in the inner-city like in Fitzroy and stuff.

“So the main thing I tend to hear is ‘oh I’d love it if this wasn’t an hour away, if this was local it’d be great’,” Conor said.

Loud and local is Conor’s goal, while aware of the power of social media and boosting songs’ popularity, he’s still a firm believer in live performances with a real and present audience.

As for himself, Conor described being deep in a writing flow, stringing words together with hopes of recording again soon.

“When I first started playing music it was more like Guns ‘N’ Roses, Nirvana and Foo Fighters, that ’80s and ’90s rock.

“Then stuff on the radio when I was growing up, like The Kooks and Razorlight, those sort of indie rock bands was where I was in between,” he said.

While Conor acknowledged that their initial songwriting was based on UK rock bands such as Catfish and the Bottlemen, his current angle is writing without any influences.

“Whether they come out in the music or not, when I think too much and I want to write

Picture: SUPPLIED a song like this or that, I get really frustrated really quickly.

“You get a result of either nothing because you’re just like ‘it’ll never be as good as that’, or you get something that’s derived from it and it’s just another version of what already exists.

“Even though you could argue that everything’s been done, I kind of just think to myself, ‘what would I do naturally’, and then whatever comes out, if it’s familiar to something then that’s just what it is,” he said.

SOTV played their last gig on 9 December 2023, at the Worker’s Club in Fitzroy where they performed their latest single Oblivion.

Conor is deep in the music industry, having studied audio and sound production at Box Hill Institute, and in addition to the band plays solo acoustic gigs from time to time.

He is also a freelancer, working at different venues as a live sound engineer, and post-production for previous TV gigs and also works as a studio technician at Box Hill Institute.

As it stands, SOTV is set on making 2024 a big year, not just for them but for their listeners as well.

The power of compounding and how to understand it TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS IAN ASH When I was a young boy, my granddad used to say to me “look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves”. It was a phrase that stayed with me ever since and is a simple reminder that great results can be achieved through incremental improvements and there is probably no better example of this than compound interest.

Let’s start by defining the different two types of interest rates: ‘Simple Interest’ and ‘Compound Interest’. In the case of simple interest, a fixed percentage is added to the original (principal) amount each year. So, if I invested $5000 invested for 1 year at 10 per cent simple interest, then at the end of the first year I would end up with: $5000 + $5000 x 10 per cent = $5,500 If I invested $5000 invested for 10 years at 10 percent simple interest, then after 2 years I would have: $5000 + 2 x $5000 x 10 per cent = $6,000 12 STAR NEWS

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

Compounding interest can turn a small amount into a huge return over time.

And at the end of 10 years, I would end up with: $5000 + 10 x $5000 x 10 per cent = $10,000 The beauty of compound interest is that the interest rate applies to the principal as well as the accumulated interest. So, if I invested $5000 invested for 1 year at 10 percent compound interest, assuming that the interest is only applied at the end of the term, the amount at the end of the first year would

still be $5,500, but the second year’s interest would include the first year’s interest as well.

Hence at the end of the second year I would end up with: $5,500 + $5,500 x 10 per cent = $6,050 This doesn’t look like much of a difference but over a period of 10 years I would end up with $12,969, almost $3,000 more than the simple interest example.

The actual formula used to calculate the

final amount achieved using compound interest is: P (1 + i)n Where P = the principal amount at the start i = the annual interest rate n = number of compounding periods Of course compounding does not only apply to financials and its power has multiple applications as Albert Einstein understood when he said: “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it… he who doesn’t… pays it.”

In his book ‘Atomic Habits’, James Clear also uses the power of compounding to illustrate how massive results can be achieved through small and regular incremental improvements. Specifically he cites the example that if you could make a 1 per cent improvement to something every day, then by the end of the year you would have made an overall improvement of 37 times the original performance. Conversely, if your performance decreased by 1 per cent every day, you would only be at just 0.03 times the original performance by the end of the year. Time to make those small incremental changes.

Ian Ash ACC, AInstIB Managing director OrgMent Business Solutions - www.ombs. com.au berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au

NEWS

Hundreds euthanised

By Violet Li Casey Council’s contracted animal shelter The Lost Dogs’ Home (LDH) Cranbourne euthanised 652 cats and 91 dogs in the first six months of 2023, according to the latest statistics published by Animal Welfare Victoria.

The shelter took in 2201 cats and 1227 dogs between 1 January and 30 June, resulting in euthanasia rates of 30 per cent for cats and 7 per cent for dogs.

The most common euthanasia reason was behaviour concerns with 277 cats and 67 dogs put down due to it.

Disease, age, and injury were among the other reasons for euthanasia.

Statewide, shelters and pounds admitted 25,913 cats and 14,178 dogs in the same period, leading to euthanasia rates of 25 per cent for cats and 8.4 per cent for dogs.

LDH Cranbourne’s spokesperson said the shelter was committed to providing behavioural care to rehome every adoptable animal regardless of the length of time it might take to do so, but it was also committed to making the right euthanasia decisions to prevent unnecessary suffering, as well as to protect the community and their animals.

“We achieve this with dogs. We are not achieving this with cats. The sheer numbers of unowned and wild cats coming into shelters, pounds, and rescues every year, and most especially during the consistently lengthening kitten season, makes this impossible,” they said.

“Although we are slowly reducing euthanasia rates for cats year on year, we must have

Casey Council’s contracted animal shelter The Lost Dogs’ Home (LDH) Cranbourne euthanised 652 cats and 91 dogs in the first six months of 2023, according to the latest statistics published by Animal Welfare Victoria. 225561 the support of the community and a far greater commitment from the State Government to be able to achieve this at a much faster rate.”

LDH Cranbourne rehomed 781 cats and 325 dogs in the reported period.

LDH, with its North Melbourne and Cranbourne sites, is the largest shelter in Victoria, caring for over 18,000 animals in 2022/2023.

It provides animal shelter services to 16 local councils, including Casey, Cardinia Shire, Frankston City Council, and Greater Dandenong.

In 2022, the State Government required shelters and pounds to mandatorily collect and report data on their management outcomes for every animal they take in.

To access the statistics by Animal Welfare Victoria, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestockand-animals/animal-welfare-victoria/domestic-animals-act/animal-fate-data-set

Cola, who used to be a resident at The Lost Dogs’ Home Cranbourne.

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Casey tops pet adoption Casey topped the highest number of overall adoptions in 2023, The Lost Dogs’ Home revealed.

With its expanding population, Casey recorded 824 adoptions, followed by the City of Melbourne and the City of Meri-Bek respectively.

Statistics from the agency also showed Victorians were prepared to travel far and wide to find their special companions with adopters coming as far as the Bass Coast and the Macedon Ranges.

In regional Victoria, the top three performing areas were the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, Yarra Ranges Shire Council, and the Greater Geelong

City Council.

With more than 8200 animals adopted so far this year, The Home’s spokesperson Suzana Talevski said the big adoption numbers were a clear indication that animals were playing a big part in our hearts and homes.

“Now more than ever Victorians are showing that we are a passionate community of animal lovers and we are extremely grateful for that,” she said.

“Our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who took in one of our beautiful animals and made a wonderful change in their lives, the impact can never be underestimated.”

Silvers Circus is coming to Pakenham from 9 Feb - 3 Mar, 2024 and Star News has 4 family tickets (5 tickets) to experience this spectacular show!

The show has the cherished and timeless Globe of Death and Wonder Dogs, but this year the audacious Wheel of Steel has returned.

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STAR NEWS 13

NEWS

Different summer in Casey Casey’s very own festival Summer Stage will land Bunjil Place on Saturday 20 January and fan out across January and February to bring an unforgettable summer to the locals.

For six glorious weeks from Saturday 20 January until Wednesday 28 February, the outdoor plaza will transform into a buzzing minifestival, and stage lively performances and events throughout the summer.

Shipping containers will be creatively repurposed into a cafe and bar. Comfy and inviting outdoor furniture will be available for locals to relax and soak up the sun. Cubbies for little explorers, giant games for some friendly competition, and water fountains are also at the site to help locals beat the heat.

City of Casey acting manager of creative communities Vicky Goodwin said the stage was set for a summer filled with events and entertainment to cater to all ages and interests with kids and family shows, comedy, and live music nights out for the adults, and health and wellness offerings.

“Children lead the charge in the first few weeks, with a curated selection of familyfriendly programming including circus workshops and performances, hip-hop classes and kids disco parties, and some awesome shows set to take to the Summer Stage including the captivating Emma Memma’s Twirly Tour performance and Team Dream’s electrifying live show Party Yeah!” she said.

“But the fun doesn’t end there; adults can let loose and indulge in live music events, comedy, trivia, film screenings, parties, and much more.

“We are proud and excited to offer the south-east community such a jam-packed program of free and affordable festivities and opportunities for our community to connect.

Join us at Bunjil Place for a summer to remember, right in your neighbourhood.”

Summer Stage program Opening night - Saturday 20 January Summer Stage kicks off with an opening night under the stars on Saturday 20 January from 5pm to 9pm, giving you a taste of what is to come. Experience a Kids Disco Party session, a magician and free face painting, plus live tunes by The Scrims and a DJ set from Sandra Majoka on the stage. Indulge in refreshments from the new summer menu.

Tickets $10 each.

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Film screenings at Bunjil Place Plaza during Summer Stage.

Families enjoy Summer Stage.

Kids and families A curated selection of family-friendly programming that will bring smiles to faces of all ages, from circus and after-school creative workshops, hip-hop classes and kids disco parties, to awesome shows set to take to the Summer Stage, including the captivating Emma Memma’s Twirly Tour performance and Team Dream’s electrifying live show Party Yeah!

The full line-up: Free Sunday sessions - Sunday 21 January – Sunday 25 February Emma Memma’s Twirly Tour - Monday 22 January Gravity Dolls circus workshops and LEVEL UP! performance - Tuesday 23 January Team Dream: Band for Kids - Wednesday 24 January Off the Street hip hop classes - Thursday 25 January Free kids disco parties - Thursday 25 January

· · · · · ·

Pictures: SUPPLIED after school workshops - various dates · Free across February Adults A variety of adult-oriented events, from live music to film screenings, comedy nights and parties that will make your summer nights sizzle.

The full line-up: Night MODE: Ripple Edition – Thursday 25 January Melbourne International Film Festival Summer Screenings 2024: Thicker Than Water – Cultural Connections – Thursday 1 February Melbourne International Film Festival Summer Screenings 2024: Australia’s Open – Friday 2 February Melbourne International Film Festival Summer Screenings 2024: Shayda – Saturday 3 February Melbourne International Film Festival Summer Screenings 2024: Ego – The Michael Gu-

· · · · ·

Summer Stage. dinski Story – Sunday 4 February Funny Mummies Cabaret Spectacular Thursday 8 February Glitter Grove: The South East’s Summer Queer Party! - Friday 9 February Summer K-Pop Party - Thursday 15 February Comedy Bites: Summer Stage Edition - Friday 16 February Quiz Meisters Trivia Night - Thursday 22 February Summer Sounds 2024 – Saturday 24 February Barn Yoga – Wednesday 31 January Free Summer Stage yoga - Friday 2 February – Friday 23 February Free Summer Stage pilates - Wednesday 7 February – Wednesday 28 February For more information and to book your tickets, visit bunjilplace.com.au/summerstage

· · · · · · · · ·

WHAT’S ON Casey Cardinia Life Activities Club Are you newly retired or new to the area or just wanting to enjoy your freedom or expand your social life?

Casey Cardinia Life Activities Club can offer you stimulating activities such as weekly social/ chat activities with low-key in line dancing if you want to tap your feet and enjoy an afternoon tea.

Day, short and long trips away via coach and flights, a weekly morning coffee club, monthly Saturday country pub lunches, monthly evening dineouts, weekly table tennis club, walking groups, seasonal daytime musical theatre outings and more.

The club is also hosting a formal Christmas lunch on Tuesday 5 December at Dandenong Club. Come along and get to know us by visiting us on a Thursday at 2pm at Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House or join us on a Wednesday at 10am for a Coffee at Little Sparrow Fountain Gate. For more information, contact enquiry officer Gloria on 0468 363 616.

Nature Play Cranbourne

·

·

Nature Play at Cranbourne Botanic Gardens.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Get creative, get crafty, get messy, and get immersed in a range of family-friendly, nature-based activities at Cranbourne Gardens these summer school holidays.

Join our experienced Learning Facilitators under the shade of the eucalypts in the Kids’ Backyard and learn more about the different plants and animals that call the Australian environment and our Gardens home through a range of nature-inspired play activities.

10am - 2pm, 23-25 January 2024 Location: Kids Backyard, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne Free, no booking required

Our website is u3acranbourne.org.au for more information.

Seated Movement Sessions (Chair Dancing)

Cranbourne U3A

Merinda Park Learning and Community Centre

We are resuming our classes next week with some exciting new programs this year. We will be continuing with Tai Chi which proved very popular last year and our Line Dancing class will resume next week also. We plan to commence some new craft classes, Resin making, Mixed media, and Ballroom dancing – (no partner required). Our rooms are in the Cranbourne Library building, entry is from the Casey Radio entrance.

Our usual art, music, calligraphy, knitting sewing/patchwor, table tennis, chess and Italian classes will also be running.

New members will be welcome to join us. We are open Monday to Friday from 10am – 3pm.

Merinda Park Learning and Community Centre is a not-for-profit community managed centre, with a volunteer Committee of Management that provides strategic direction and oversight.

For more than 30 years, the centre has provided a range of high-quality childcare, community services, educational classes and spaces for hire.

Explore diverse activities and engage with fellow community members at their open day this weekend. Lots of free family fun, sausage sizzle, animal nursery, popcorn, and fairy floss.

For more details, visit merindapark.com.au or facebook.com/MPLandCC

14 STAR NEWS

|

Thursday, 18 January, 2024

·

·· ·

Would you enjoy exercising from the comfort of your chair?

Join the Berwick Activities Group for some seated movement sessions including fun and uplifting songs and different styles and eras of music. An opportunity to get moving and enjoy the company of others.

Timbarra Community Centre, 20-26 Parkhill Drive, Timbarra Way, Berwick. $8 per session.

Contact admin@berwicknc.com.au or phone 9704 1863.

Wednesdays from 10.45am to 11.30am.

·

Craft Classes Do you enjoy craft making?

Join Berwick Activities Group’s Elizabeth to discover the world of papercraft and have a chat

with like minded people.

You will be introduced to a range of papercraft techniques through a new project each week.

Casual attendance is welcome.

Timbarra Community Centre 20-26 Parkhill Drive, Timbarra Way, Berwick $5 per class, all materials supplied.

Contact admin@berwicknc.com.au or phone 9704 1863.

Tuesdays from 10am to noon.

·Berwick Springs VIEW Club

Affiliated with The Smith Family, the Berwick Springs VIEW Club is a not for profit organisation, with the aim to fundraise to support Learning for Life students. The club currently supports seven students of varying ages with their education expenses and are about to take on an eighth student. Throughout the year, the club has a couple of special fundraisers, as well as casual morning tea and lunch for interested ladies. The club is always looking for new members in all age groups.

For more information, contact Shirley on 0419 878 481 or email berwicksprings.viewclub@ gmail.com The club meets on the first Monday of each month in the Berwick Springs Hotel function room from 11.30am, where members enjoy a lunch and then host a guest speaker.

·

DnD at Orana Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) is an inclusive tabletop, fantasy, role playing game. Second Saturday of each month, 1pm to 9pm, Orana Community Place, 16/18 Playwright St, Clyde North.

For enquiries and to book a spot at the table, reach out to Jonathan Whelan at thestoryweaver.dnd@gmail.com

·

berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

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STAR NEWS 15

NEWS

Tasty foods of the world The Dandenong Market’s World Fare Night kicked off on Thursday 11 January to a huge crowd of more than 7500.

The sun was shining and attendees enjoyed many flavours from around the world including Spanish Paella, Tibetan Momo’s, Italian Panzerotto and the very unique squid on a stick!

Entertainment ranged from Scottish Highland dancing, Bollywood dance, Japanese pop and finished with the crowd pumping DJ Ash. The next date will be on Thursday 18 January with extra food choices, special performance from the energetic African dance music band - Seben Brother’s and an amazing Huka dance.

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au

SPORT

Hodge creates huge buzz

By Jonty Ralphsmith Brad Hodge’s cameo appearance for Berwick Springs in the Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) T20 competition brought plenty of buzz and a full house despite the result going against his team.

The former Australian test cricketer and white ball master blaster was dismissed for 19, but showed shoots of class while batting and picked up 2/18 with the ball.

Batting at three with the Titans chasing 118, Hodge was at the crease in the first over after Jackson Marie was dismissed for a duck.

He got off the mark first ball with a forward push through forward square leg; Triyan De Silva the first Heinz Southern Districts bowler tasked with stopping him.

Hodge’s 46 games of international experience came to the fore fifth ball when he leant into a drive over extra cover which cleared the cones in front of the packed pavilion at Berwick Springs Recreation Reserve.

Four balls later he deposited offie Craig Hookey on to the marquee that shaded his teammates straight down the ground as he looked set to get his team across the line.

In between those two boundaries were a series of singles as he respected the good balls.

To the crowd’s disappointment he was eventually undone for 19 off 17 just prior to the midway point of the innings, trying to late cut leggie Jacob Hinds.

Berwick Springs still looked like getting home with Radomir Badzoka teeing off and Riley Hillman coming in down the order and lining up the quicks.

Ultimately, late striking from Jackson Philpin and Jett Kearney with the bat, and Philpin’s death bowling proved the difference as the Titans collapsed to be dismissed for 95.

Hodge: local clubs play key role Brad Hodge commended the Titans while pointing to the satisfaction of giving back to the community as he reflected on his stint.

Initially slated to play last week before rain postponed the fixture, Hodge was keen to ensure his Channel 7 commentary commitments still aligned to allow him to make an appearance.

A young cricket club securing the services of a cricketer with such an esteemed reputation has helped put them on the map, with Hodge appreciative of the role he has been able to play in that.

“There was a lot of support not only from the local team but the opposition as well, so I’m just really proud that I can still give back to the local community,” Hodge said.

“I don’t get a huge amount of opportunity now, my daughter plays cricket so I watch her a lot.

“To come back to a local club and see how much it means to everyone involved was quite important, you’ve got to remember where the fruits of your labour started - with a local cricket club.”

Captain Braydon Hillman lost the toss with HSD electing to bat, so Hodge’s first involvement came with the ball, controlling the middle overs with handy off-spin.

The 49-year-old has bowled in 86 of his topflight T20 games with an impressive economy rate of 7.80 and took 2/18 with the ball on Tuesday.

“The skipper asked me ‘are you keen for a bowl’ and I said ‘I’ve got a pretty good record in T20 cricket, I’ve got a good economy rate at the top level so I’m pretty sure it can be done here and it’s fun,” Hodge said.

“We’re all sportspeople, we want to get in there and contribute and have some fun batting and bowling.”

While livid that he was unable to guide his team to victory and see them through to the semi finals, Hodge held on to the fact that he hit a few out of the middle.

“I just wanted to hit a six to be honest,” Hodge said.

“All the crowd expects you to perform so you come here a little bit anxious because the expectation is to do well so I just wanted to hit a six and once you do that people will go ‘he’s still a good player.

“Job done there, but I would have liked to berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au

Pictures: RENAE WALKER

Berwick Springs pose for a photo before the game. 383956

Radomir Badzoka was down the other end when Hodge arrived and shared several overs at the crease with the former Australian cricketer. have got a 50-odd - it’s just the competitive nature in me.”

Hodge was giving of his time post game, enjoying conversations with club people and posing for photos with juniors.

Hillman: Thrill for club After working so hard to make a marquee signing to top off a season that has been a big step forward for the club, Berwick Springs captain Braydon Hilman was pleased with what the T20 symbolised, despite the result.

Hodge was a statement signing and brought hundreds of spectators, renewing interest among some and instigating intrigue among others.

“It’s huge,” Hillman said.

“I’ve never seen this many people at our club all at once for a cricket match - there’s guys I haven’t seen for 10 years who have come down which is awesome to see.”

Following Tuesday’s T20, Hillman said he enjoyed the experience of having Hodge to bounce ideas off while on the field despite the result not going their way.

“He was good, he helped with tactics especially with the spinners closing gaps, moving guys to one side, bowling one side of the wicket and that sort of thing,” Hillman said.

“He talked about whether we should go more pace on and he said to stick with the spinners.

“He was really good speaking about the wind and that sort of thing.”

Badzoka: “Surreal” batting with Hodge Experienced swashbuckling Titan Radomir Badzoka was the batter who got to stand at the other end throughout Hodge’s entire innings and reflects fondly on the experience.

While Hodge got a couple away, Badzoka

Brad Hodge setting a field.

found the boundaries on multiple occasions throughout the partnership to give Hodge the best chance of settling and make a big score.

While it didn’t materialise, it did little to dampen the spirit at the ground, Badzoka loving the experience of being in the middle with Hodge in front of a big crowd.

“It was pretty quiet to be honest,” Badzoka said of their time at the crease.

“I gave a few pointers in terms of what the ball was doing and that kind of stuff but it was quite surreal watching him come out to bat - I didn’t know what to say when he came out!

“It was great fun, seeing him hit the straight drives was amazing.

“Everyone’s been quite excited - there’s never been a crowd this big.”

Hinds: “My best dismissal” While Hodge was the marquee player on everyone’s lips at Berwick Springs Recreation Reserve, HSD was excited to see Richmond second XI cricketer Jacob Hinds.

While he missed out at the top of the order with the bat, he played a crucial role stymying Berwick Springs’ momentum through the middle overs with his legspin, turning the game when he dismissed Hodge.

“I think so,” he said, when asked if it was the best wicket of his career.

“It’s hard to top Brad Hodge.

“He walks out with his Rajasthan Royals helmet which shows the calibre of player he is so to dismiss him is pretty special.”

Hinds has bowled to top-flight cricketers including emerging South Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk in the nets but it didn’t equip him for the thrill of bowling to such a player in a match situation.

“It was okay coming out of the hand, it

wasn’t exactly where I wanted it,” he said of the dismissal ball.

“I wanted it a bit fuller bit I’ll take it - it looks alright when you’ve got Brad Hodge caught behind!”

Other results - DDCA T20 - Quarter Finals While Hodge was the drawcard of the DDCA T20 competition, there were three other matches on Tuesday night.

St Mary’s caused a stunning boilover against reigning T20 champions Berwick in a positive sign for a club that has been increasingly competitive, but so far unable to put a win on the board this season in Turf 1.

Led by an unbeaten 89 off 47 to Saveen Nanayakkara, St Mary’s’ aggressive batting lineup fired to chase down the Bears’ 3/153 in 14 overs.

Nanayakkara, who came so close to bowling his side to victory against Buckley Ridges on Saturday, only to go down in heartbreaking circumstances, shook-off the disappointment in an eye-catching performance.

Skipper Susantha Pradeep played an excellent supporting role to get his team off to a flyer with 29 off 12 after leading the way with 1/26 opening the bowling.

Brett Forsyth eased Springvale South to victory against Narre South with 70 off 58 in a chase of 115 after offie Jarryd Straker continued his wicket-taking ways with 3/16 off 4 to lead the bowling effort.

North Dandenong was a class above Fountain Gate at Lois Twohig, using the short square boundaries to its advantage in posting 193.

The Gators were in a reasonable position at 1/60 but then fell away quickly as the scoreboard pinch set in.

Fixtures for the next round of action are yet to be announced, at time of publication.

Thursday, 18 January, 2024

|

STAR NEWS 17

SPORT

Hancock anchors innings

By Marcus Uhe A low-scoring thriller between North Dandenong and Berwick saw the Bears move into outright third on the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 1 ladder, thanks to a two-wicket win at Lois Twohig Reserve.

With both sides tied on points, in second place, heading into the match-up, the result was going to prove critical in the race to put themselves in the best-possible position to secure a finals birth, as the season enters the home stretch.

Where the last contest between the two sides saw Berwick plunder 364 runs in a day at Arch Brown Reserve, just 145 runs in total were scored in the return one-day contest, Berwick successfully chasing 73 with just two wickets in hand.

Jake Hancock anchored the chase with an unbeaten 36, having survived a chaotic opening spell from Maroons’ all-rounder Javid Khan.

Khan’s dismissal of Mitch Shirt in the 15th ball of the innings reduced the visitors to 4/6, with Jordan Cleland, Jarryd Wills, Matt Robertson and Shirt all back in the pavilion early.

Khan, the all-rounder with claims to favouritism on the Wookey medal at this point in the season, got through the defences of Robertson and Cleland, had Wills caught by Imran Laghmani and Shirt judged LBW in a brilliant start to his side’s defence.

Hancock, the man who cashed-in last time the two sides met with an unbeaten 141, was the wicket North Dandenong would have wanted the most, but he remained resolute in the face of a crisis.

He formed short but important partnerships with Ash Henry, Toby Wills and Jarrod Goodes as the Maroons breached Berwick’s tail-end.

When Goodes departed for eight, 17 runs shy of the target, North Dandenong looked on the precipice of scoring an important and unlikely victory, having been dismissed for just 72 earlier in the day.

Elliot Matthews joined Hancock in the 18th over, and offered a pivotal anchoring role with sturdy defence.

Hancock unsurprisingly assumed the role of aggressor as the senior batter, hitting the dangerous Khan for six in the 20th over to inch the Bears closer.

The 21st over from left-arm quick Randeep Sahota saw Hancock defend the first five, before running a crucial three on the last ball of the over to ensure he maintained the strike for the beginning of the next over, with victory now just one stroke away.

The third ball from spinner Laghmani’s next over clattered into the fence for four, securing the Bears the six points.

Hancock and Matthews added 17 for the fi-

Jake Hancock was the steady head in Berwick’s run chase against North Dandenong. 374101 nal wicket partnership, of which Hancock contributed 16 runs.

Khan finished with 5/30 from eight overs in a marvellous bowling performance.

The Maroons will rue their performance with the bat, having shown limited resistance against the Berwick bowling attack.

Corey Bevan led the way with the ball, taking 5/31 from his 10 overs, including the first four of the innings to reduce the hosts to 4/44.

Only two of the home side’s batters in Khan (19) and Tahsinullah Sultani (16) reached double figures, the middle and lower order falling away rapidly.

Mitch Shirt finished the innings with three wickets in his only over.

A six off the final ball of the innings from Buckley Ridges veteran Michael Davies ensured his side’s undefeated streak remains intact, despite a spirited performance from bottom-placed St Mary’s on their home deck.

Scores were tied with one ball remaining and with the Bucks nine wickets down, after a rain delay reduced the contest to a 25-over per side match.

Having secured three points for a tie, at the very least, Davies, a former Wookey medal winner at Heinz Southern Districts, ensured his side walked away with the six points to move into third on the Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 1 ladder.

The Saints reached 6/91 before rain forced both sides from the field after 25 overs.

Four of the seven Saints batters reached double figures, led by Safaras Moahomad’s 28,

having moved down the order to number four.

Ishan Jayarathna and Hussain Ali each took two wickets while two run outs didn’t help the home side’s cause.

Rain forced a lengthy delay that brought St Mary’s’ innings to a close, and reduced the available number of overs for Buckley Ridges to face.

Openers Ben Wright and Jake Cronin made a solid start to the chase, but wickets fell rapidly once those two departed.

Davies was promoted to number three, and the decision appeared a master stroke as he watched eight teammates come and go from the other end.

Five combined runs from Roshane Silva (3), captain Jayson Hobbs (2), Jayarathna (0) and Troy Aust (0) ripped the heart out of Buckley Ridges’ middle order with Susantha Pradeep and Saveen Nanayakkara the architects of the demise.

But with the experienced Davies at the other end, the Bucks remained not-without hope.

Wickets fell around him but he kept his composure for much of the innings, the scores eventually locked on 91 with one delivery remaining and one Buckley Ridges wicket in hand.

Thankfully for the visitors, it was ‘Slick’ on strike, who belted a six to ensure a famous result.

Davies finished unbeaten on 49, one short of a half-century, but his contribution ensured pocketing the full quota of all-important match points.

Both Pradeep and Nanayyakara finished

Picture: ROB CAREW with three wickets each for St Mary’s, which has pushed two likely finals aspirants in the opening two weeks post the Christmas break, after a much-improved performance against Berwick in round nine.

At Springvale South, Beaconsfield became the third consecutive side to be dismissed for under 100 runs by the Bloods’ imposing bowling attack in a nine-wicket loss to the reigning champions.

A loss of four wickets with the score stuck on 47 in a withering 13-ball period, beginning with captain Mark Cooper, wiped out the Tigers’ middle order after a steady start.

Tyler Clark hit 20 off 23 but ducks to Jesse Busacca and Kevin Seth meant the opener’s score was a stand out on the batting card.

The Bloods shared the wickets, as has become their trademark in these recent nearflawless displays, Jackson Sketcher leading the way with 3/10 from three overs.

Springvale South wrapped-up the chase in the 20th over, thanks in large part to 45 from returning captain Ryan Quirk.

Narre South’s contest with Hallam Kalora Park at Strathaird Reserve was abandoned after 28 overs into the Lions’ first innings, due to rain.

The pause came at a good time for the Lions, battling at 5/99 with young pair Callum Nicholls and Riley McDonald leading a fightback.

The Hawks, led by 3/9 from Lauchlan Gregson, reduced the hosts to 5/47 in the 15th over before Nicholls and McDonald steadied the ship with an unbeaten 52-run stand.

Destanee’s dream dashed

By Jonty Ralphsmith Young Narre Warren tennis player Destanee Aiava fell short at the final hurdle in her quest to qualify for the Australian Open Women’s Singles main draw.

Aiava is currently ranked 208th in the world which sits outside automatic qualification for the grand slam tournament.

The 23-year-old won her first qualifying match in straight sets over world number 147 Chloe Paquet, before digging deep to come from a set and a break down to overcome Swiss world number 137 Jill Teichmann 2-6 7-5 6-1.

In the final round of qualifying, however,

she fell short in a tense battle with Renata Zarazua, going down 7-6 3-6 4-6.

Aiava was clinical when given break point opportunities but wasn’t able to match her higher-ranked opponent’s first serve throughout the day.

The exciting Australian burst on to the scene as a 16-year-old at the 2017 Australian Open, but has been unable to take the next step in her career, facing several challenges on and off the court in the intervening period.

A strong finish to 2023, which included titles at Aldershot, Cairns and Sydney on the ITF circuit, have primed Aiava for a big season.

Destanee Aiava fell short of reaching her fifth Australian Open women’s singles main draw.

Picture: AAP/JAMES ROSS

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

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Brotherly love drives Matt The youngest of five football-loving brothers has signed his first VFL contract, with Frankston hoping the Berwick Springs junior is the beginning of a trend in the South East region.

By Jonty Ralphsmith Berwick Springs’ Matt Nelson was running around in a diaper and going to kindergarten while his eldest brother Daniel was getting his licence.

14 years separate youngest to oldest, their love for each other outweighed by their competitive spirit when in their Narre South backyard.

There was always a seasonal buffet of sports on the menu.

“As soon as there’s some sort of talentmeasured competition, everyone wants to be the alpha and get one up on the other,” said middle brother Luke, who also has 53 games of VFL experience with Coburg and Richmond and plays at powerhouse Noble Park.

“We would split up (second-eldest) Aidan and myself, and Tom and Matt who were pretty little to be honest, and we probably set the bar pretty high for those two, but I think it really does set you up to deal with people being better than you sometimes.

“There’s always going to be guys who are taller, stronger, more athletic, even more naturally gifted - they might just have a better toolkit than you.”

After having Daniel and Aidan to guide him through his childhood, Luke, 26, has been an important asset in the Cranbourne North local’s footballing journey.

By age 15, the 2023 Dandenong Stingrays graduate was joining in with the former VFLlisted player’s sessions.

“I would do the running sessions and nearly die!” Matt exclaimed.

“Learning at that young age taught me how difficult it really is to get to the next stage - it doesn’t just come, it’s really, really hard mentally and physically.

“It was surreal seeing listed AFL players playing beside my brother, but from a young age doing the training and hard work with

him, I think I grew into it a little bit.

“Seeing how good he was and his achievements throughout VFL level and local really pushed me to thrive, and whenever I now train or do the running or gym work, I feel like mentally I’m getting stronger.“ In between his Stingrays commitments in 2022, Matt was a prominent player for Berwick Springs’ seniors before crossing to the Bullring ahead of last season to play a higher standard of footy.

Both Matt and Noble Park coach Steve Hughes expected him to have to work his way into the senior line-up, but after just one full session with the seniors, he pushed his case to debut at the first available opportunity.

That work ethic stood out to the seasoned Bulls coach immediately.

“What strikes me about Matt is he has excellent training habits,“ Hughes said.

“I’d go so far as to say it’s some of the best training habits I’ve seen for an 18-year-old his intensity, enthusiasm and professionalism leads the way.

“The way he trained got him his first game - it was so impressive we decided to pull the trigger and give him a go even though I’d never seen him before.

“I encourage some of our other players to watch the young fella train.

“At Eastern Premier level 18-year-olds don’t generally have a massive influence, but Matty well and truly held his own, so I’m really pleased to see him pursue the VFL path.“ After being presented with his jumper by Luke at Arch Brown Reserve, Berwick - ironically where Luke’s senior career started - Matt would play all nine of his Bulls games in the ones.

That included three games with brother, Luke, after playing with Tom and Aidan the previous year at the Titans.

“You’re in the game and in the mode of playing your best footy but sometimes the re-

Noble Park’s Matt Nelson is ready to embrace his VFL shot. 383346 Picture: JONTY RALPHSMITH alisation comes in that your brother’s on the same field, and you know he’s going to compete and you look upon that and you learn off it,” Matt said.

Luke: “I remember the first time we linked up, Matty got a one-two from (Jackson Sketcher) and hit me up on the wing.

“I was in the moment but once I took the mark and kicked the ball further down I thought ’that was pretty awesome to get the ball kicked to you from your brother’.

“Even though we hadn’t played together, we had done so much work together in preseasons ever since Matt was about 14.“ For a family who grew up recording backyard sporting battles to settle inevitable arguments, the big question still looms: which brother will finish their career as the best footballer?

“I used to watch him at about under-13 and thought he might be coming for the number one spot, I’ll have to keep an eye on him,” Luke quipped with a chuckle.

Matt is motivated by the carrot of an AFL list spot, and points to the 2022 Talent League grand final as a turning point for his confidence.

While it was a baptism of fire on Harry Sheezel, who went on to dominate the match, given the task of shutting down the would-be AFL rising star winner was something he held on to.

“There was the disappointment at not being talked about - I really wish I was there and got my name read out and family around me but at the same time it’s not the only way of getting in there,” Nelson noted.

“It’s probably the best way, but I was just thinking to myself, ’I’ve improved from last year, I look across my game play and stats - not just football ability wise, but as a character’.

“Mentally I’ve improved significantly from my 17s year, because I looked at some players in my 17th year and would think ’maybe I wasn’t good enough’ but when I got put on Harry Sheezel, I realised they trust me, they must think I’ve got some ability defensively.”

Two of Matt’s three strongest performances of his 2023 Stingrays campaign were fittingly at Frankston Park.

Having played across each line during his time at the Stingrays and at local level, Frankston coach Jackson Kornberg sees a clear role for the versatile teen in 2024.

“His ball use is his strength, he’s able to accumulate the ball, he’s got no trouble in knowing where to run and find the footy,” the Dolphins coach says.

“His foot skills have really impressed me and I think the wing/halfback is where I see him settling this year.”

Quality field set for Cranbourne Pacing Cup

By Michael Floyd The Cranbourne Harness Racing Club is gearing up for its biggest ever race day when the 2024 DECRON Cranbourne Pacing Cup is run on Saturday 10 February.

More than $250,000 in prize money is available across the nine race card, headlined by the $100,000 DECRON Cranbourne Pacing Cup and the $50,000 Bruce Skeggs Memorial Betavet Cranbourne Trotters Cup, both of which will be run at Group 2 level over 2555m.

The timing of the Inter Dominion series squeezed the DECRON Cranbourne Cup out of its traditional December timeslot and into February, a move that that Cranbourne Harness Race Club President David Scott believes is ideal in attracting the country’s best pacers.

“In consultation with Harness Racing Victoria, we’ve landed on the second weekend of February,” Scott said.

“It means our Cup will now be run one week after the Group 1 Hunter Cup and four weeks before the Group 1 Miracle Mile, so this new date should ensure another high quality DECRON Cranbourne Cup field.”

First run in 1965, the Cranbourne Cup has been won by some the country’s biggest stars including Paleface Adios, Gammalite, Tailamade Lombo, Golden Reign and Imthemightyquinn.

Hospitality packages are on sale now, contact the club on 5996 1300 or email cgallagher@trotscranbourne.com.au.

DECRON CRANBOURNE CUP NIGHT PROGRAM Saturday 10 February, 2024 $100,000 Group 2 DECRON Cranbourne Pacing Cup (2555m) berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au

Major Meister races away from Mach Dan and Rock n Roll Doo to win the 2022 edition of the Pictures: SUPPLIED DECRON Cranbourne Pacing Cup. 383534 $50,000 Group 2 Bruce Skeggs Memorial Betavet Cranbourne Trotters Cup (2555m) $20,000 3YO Pace (2080m) $17,500 NR 70-89 Pace (2080m) $17,500 NR 67-89 Mares Pace (1609m) $17,500 NR 70-85 Trot (2080m) $15,000 No Metro Wins Pace (1609m) $10,000 NR up to 60 Pace (2080m) $10,000 NR up to 50 Pace (1609m)

The 2024 DECRON Cranbourne Pacing Cup will now be run on Saturday 10 February. 383534

Major Meister with driver Cameron Hart after claiming the 2022 DECRON Cranbourne Pacing Cup. 383534 Thursday, 18 January, 2024

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Thursday, 18 January, 2024

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