Walkers were jumping for joy at Berwick’s Wilson Botanic Park, eager to raise money for local soup vans and kitchens in the St Patrick’s Day Charity Walk. The John Mc Foundation welcomed hundreds of locals in their finest green attire, spending the morning getting their steps up and enjoying the scenery.
Story page 8
Addressing the gender pay gap issue could be as deep as tackling foundational aspects of
society and culture, it’s been stated, following statistics revealed by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
Casey Council’s Safe and Equal Casey strategic plan began in 2022, with the local government pledging to continue creating a safe and equal community, with these statistics further bolstering resolve for their strategic plan
which is currently in its second phase.
According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), Australia’s average gender wage gap is at 21.7 per cent, which means for every $1 a man makes, women earn 78 cents.
As for the employer wage gap data, 30 per cent of employers have a median gender pay gap between the target range of negative five per cent and positive five per cent.
However, 62 per cent of median employer gender pay gaps are over five per cent in favour of men.
Dr Claire Charles, a sociology professor from Deakin University said that “it’s really a reflection that we do live in a patriarchal society that is structured by men, for men”.
“Part of the issue comes when you decide that you’re going to make those spaces available to women now, and we’re going to give them laws and policies that say that we need to pay them equally. In sociology, we call that add-women-and-stir approach, that in order to make things gender equal you admit women into spaces that were previously dominated
by men,” Dr Charles said.
While women are being integrated into male-dominated areas, Dr Charles added that historically, it has only been relatively recently that laws and policies relevant to gender equality have been put in place.
“What happens when you add women and stir, you’re still going to have the residual effect of all the cultures and practices, in the workplace that originally went with that patriarchal structure,” she said.
Continued page 8
Applications for the City of Casey’s 2024/25 Community Grants Program and the 2024-27 Community Service Organisation Funding Program are now open.
Not-for-profit community groups and organisations who provide services and programs for the Casey community are encouraged to apply for a community grant of up to $5,000.
Financial assistance of up to $40,000 for three years is also available to not-for-profit community service organisations who provide programs and services for the Casey community in the areas of health, wellbeing and safety.
Applications close at 5.00 pm on Friday 26 April.
For more information and to apply, please visit the ‘Grants for the Community’ page on our website.
Grants officers are also available to talk through application ideas and answer questions you may have. Please contact 9705 5200 or email communitygrants@casey.vic.gov.au
Our gardens provide us with an opportunity to support the unique plants and animals of our local environment.
As part of our 2024 Casey Plant Giveaway, we are inviting residents to register to collect three free plants from one of five participating indigenous nurseries.
Registrations for the voucher are now open until Sunday 31 March. There is a limit of one voucher per household, and all vouchers must be redeemed at your nominated nursery by Sunday 2 June 2024.
Terms and conditions apply. For more information and to register, please visit our website.
Do you own a heritage-listed property in the City of Casey?
You may be eligible for financial assistance for conservation works through the Casey Heritage Restoration Fund. For more information and to apply, please visit our website.
BeforeAfter
Did you know that we offer direct reporting of graffiti via the Snap, Send, Solve app?
Available from the App Store and Google Play, the app populates the location you are reporting from, helping our dedicated graffiti removal team to locate and remove the graffiti. You can also attach photos to your report. You can also submit a request via the Snap, Send Solve website or by contacting our Customer Service Team on 9705 5200.
Casey’s talented musicians and vibrant live music venues are encouraged to register for our brand new Live and Local program to gain access to workshops and professional development opportunities, networking, events and grant information. Please visit our website to find out how you can get involved.
Provide feedback on a number of consultations currently open on our community engagement platform, Casey Conversations.
• Berwick Village Activity Centre
• Endeavour Hills dog-friendly park
• Casey community events
• Council’s immunisation service
• Disability access and inclusion
• Safe Around Schools program
• Affordable and alternative housing for residents aged over 55
• 2024 Business Insights Survey
Head to the Casey Conversations website to find out more.
Services at a women’s health clinic in Hampton Park have been partially closed and a surgeon suspended following a Casey woman’s death after an abortion surgery.
Narre Warren South woman and mother of two Harjit Kaur died shortly after a pregnancy termination surgery in Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic on 12 January.
The Department of Health suspended the clinic’s registration as a day procedure centre on 29 February following two days of inspection. The suspension does not apply to general practices services.
On 15 March, the Medical Board of Australia suspended the registration of obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Rudolph Lopes, who performed the abortion surgery on Miss Kaur.
The reason behind the suspension has not been revealed and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is unable to comment further about individual practitioners, or any investigations being undertaken in relation to an individual practitioner, beyond the information already in the public domain.
In a statement, AHPRA said it had received a range of concerns about a number of practitioners associated with the clinic and some of these concerns were also before the Victorian Coroner.
“AHPRA has established a specialist team to lead a coordinated examination of these issues which involve multiple practitioners across a number of professions and a number of practice locations,” it stated.
“Our investigation will continue in paral-
lel with the coronial inquest into the death of a patient, respecting the integrity of the coroner’s critical work.”
A Coroners Court spokesperson said the death of Harjit Kaur was reported to the court and the coronial investigation was ongoing.
“As this is an active investigation, no further comment can be made,” they said.
The clinic’s medical director Dr Michelle Kenney said Miss Kaur’s death was very tragic, sudden, and unexpected, and nobody wanted to see that happen.
“My team had 30 seconds to respond to her heart stopping and they performed an excellent resuscitation which lasted for over 45 minutes,” she said.
Dr Kenney believed that the suspension of the day surgeries and Dr Lopes’ registration had no direct connection with the death of Miss Kaur.
“We are now being called murderers,” she said.
Dr Kenney said that Dr Lopes ordered a coroner’s inquest days after the death of Miss Kaur.
“He spoke with a forensic pathologist who had done the autopsy on Miss Kaur. The forensic pathologist was stumped. He didn’t know what had caused her death. He ruled out a surgical or anaesthetic cause and he was taking it to a group of senior pathologists,” she said.
“Last we heard, they were investigating congenital cardiac causes.
“What’s happened is the authorities have looked at everything else in the clinic, which was non-sinister, and turned it into something sinister to throw mud at us, whilst being totally uninterested in what happened on the day.”
She claimed that Dr Lopes’s suspension was due to a compliance issue regarding a supervision condition imposed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
According to the VCAT judgement on 19
October 2021, Dr Lopes was found to have engaged in professional misconduct.
He was reprimanded over alleged lewd remarks to a patient and long-term sexual harassment of a midwife.
VCAT stated that Dr Lopes must be required to work in a supervised environment under specific conditions.
“Regardless of our doctor’s history with AHPRA, they were and still are highly experienced registered specialists,” Dr Kenney said.
She also claimed that the suspension of the day surgeries in the clinic had something to do with past paperwork and administrative issues, instead of the death of Miss Kaur.
A spokesperson for the bereaved family Suresh Rajan: said: “What we want to be sure is that nobody else goes through the issues that we’ve had to go through.”
Mr Rajan said the husband was still in a complete state of shock, absolutely shattered.
The couple came to Australia about five years ago and was said to have worked very hard.
Before the tragedy, Miss Kaur had just started an IT executive position at Nike and she was going to buy a new house with her husband.
“All she’s done is to work hard to help everyone, help her family back home, help her children, just to make sure that everyone else is looked after,” Mr Rajan recalled.
Victoria Police confirmed it had received a report from the AHPRA and there would be no criminal investigation at this stage.
A Casey man has been jailed over an “extremely dangerous” glassing that cut a pubgoer’s throat and jugular vein.
Clint William Bellingham, 33, pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to recklessly causing serious injury over the incident at The Deck bar in Frankston in February 2023.
Attending his brother’s buck’s night, Bellingham acted out of “drug and alcohol fueled aggression”, sentencing judge Peter Lauritsen said on 19 March.
Earlier, he had got drunk in the afternoon, followed by cocaine cut with meth as well as about 15-20mL of GHB.
The victim, who was at the bar to celebrate his wife’s 30th birthday, got in a verbal dispute with some of Bellingham’s friends.
Soon afterwards, Bellingham approached with a beer glass.
A friend tried to restrain him but Bellingham shouted “you f***ing rat” and thrust the glass into the victim’s throat.
The glass broke, causing “horrific” and profuse bleeding from the victim’s lacerated left facial artery and right jugular vein.
It was an “extremely dangerous area” to strike, Lauritsen said.
A security guard wrapped towels around his neck and an ambulance was called.
The victim began to feel tired and wanted to go to sleep.
The father of now two children thought that he was going to die, Lauritsen noted.
Without surgery and multiple blood transfusions, the victim was likely to have succumbed, an expert told the court.
The victim has been scarred on his neck and jaw, with nerve damage preventing him from fully bringing his lips together.
He stated that he could no longer speak, sleep and eat comfortably and his social life is impaired.
An hour after the attack, Bellingham went to Casey Hospital emergency department to treat the glass injury to his right hand.
He was arrested at his home eight days later – having been using meth for the past
nine days.
Bellingham claimed to police at Narre Warren police station that the victim punched him and so he acted in self-defence.
“I definitely regret it, it’s nothing I am proud about,” Bellingham told police.
“I’m sorry for the bloke, I feel sorry for myself.”
Bellingham didn’t pursue the self-defence argument at court.
The father of four had been previously found guilty of 213 charges in 18 court matters including 13 acts of violence – including four times for reckless conduct causing serious injury.
He’d been jailed 11 times previously – the longest stint being 12 months.
Born and raised in Dandenong, Bellingham was a “product of your earlier life which was appalling but you seem incapable of change”, Lauritsen said.
His upbringing was said to be linked to his later drug abuse, his psychological state and his disproportionate response to perceived threats.
He was diagnosed with major depressive, panic and complex post-traumatic-stress disorders.
On the night of the glassing, he’d broken a two-year abstinence on a drug-and-alcoholtreatment court order.
The DTO was successfully completed three months beforehand.
“The order had so little lasting effect that you used methamphetamine consistently over a nine-day period before you were arrested as well as alcohol and drugs on the day of the offence,” the judge said.
Lauritsen rated a “genuinely remorseful” Bellingham’s rehabilitation prospects as “poor” and “not uncertain”.
Six previous community corrections orders including drug treatment were “all apparently to little avail”.
Bellingham was jailed for up to three years and nine months, with a two-and-a-half-year non-parole period. It was his longest ever sentence.
His term includes 400 days of pre-sentence detention.
Tuesday 12 March.
Tamara Bush, a firefighter from the Narre Warren North branch said that she, including her fellow firies, were “absolutely ecstatic” at the new tanker’s arrival.
“It’s something that is great for the brigade’s morale, it’s brought us closer in a way, through training for it and in a social sense as well,” she said.
With the previous truck being 23 years old, the new vehicle’s capabilities were something everyone in the brigade was in awe of.
As for the branch’s old truck, it was decommissioned from Narre Warren North and was given to the French Island CFA, whose truck Ms Bush recalled had an additional 20 years to its age.
“Our truck’s served us extremely well and it’s been to many local fires and some intestate fires.
“CFA trucks can go all over the state, and I know it’s been up to the northeast so it’s been to a lot of places,” she said.
Initial striking features of the new tanker include a dual cabin, which meant that all firefighters would be inside the vehicle instead of having two others in the back.
Robert Powell, the brigade’s first lieutenant, said that the truck is“the latest technology and it’s the most powerful tanker they’ve ever built”.
“It’s all-wheel-drive and a four-wheel-drive and from what I’ve just found out, this tanker will go into places that our old four-wheeldrive physically can’t do.
“Its capabilities are just phenomenal, yes it’s bigger, it’s got 4000 litres of water and it can really, really get in there and make a difference,” he said.
The previous tanker could only hold up to 3000 litres, and while that’s already a large amount, the extra thousand, Mr Powell said, could be the difference maker.
“It increases the effectiveness of what we do; we have the power to pump more and more water.
“We can also run what they call a mothership, so we can fill eight ultra-light tankers which hold 500 litres of water.
“We can also fill up two of the type of tankers that Hallam has, or we could fill up two of NarreWarren’s tankers and two ultra-lights before we go out and get more water,” he said.
While its main focus is on rural incidents, the new tanker can serve as an effective support vehicle to pumpers for urban-based emergencies.
Its firefighting capabilities are also an upgrade compared to the branch’s previous tanker, carrying breathing apparatus so firies can enter buildings.
“In addition to the amount go water it carries, it’s got a big pumping capacity on it,
which is driven by a four-cylinder Isuzu engine, meaning it can pump a lot of water.
“It also has a monitor in the cabin which our firefighters can use, and all these features will allow all the neighbouring trucks more time to come give us a hand.
“In the case if we were to go down to Clyde, we could pump water directly to other trucks’ pumpers, supplying them since we carry an extra thousand litres compared to their trucks, to gives them more time,” Mr Powell said.
The Narre Warren North branch also underwent three months’ worth of training that began in late 2023 before they could use the vehicle.
In addition to that, new methods of maintenance and care have also been considered
with additional procedures in place.
“Things are different on it, it’s a hell of a lot more powerful,” Mr Powell said.
While both Ms Bush and Mr Powell will miss their old truck, they are more than grateful for the new addition, while it improves morale, it serves as a major boost to safety as well.
Ms Bush is excited for Narre Warren and its surrounds to see their new truck in action, saying that “it would be good for the community to see it out and about as well”.
As for Mr Powell, he said that “while the old girl was good in its time, this is a lot more powerful and safer to drive, use and operate - this is the future”.
Michele Lovett will be ticking off 30 years as she continues to take part in the State Firefighter Championships.
The CFA Hallam captain has been involved since she was just 11 years old and competed in the juniors division, with Michele saying that “it’s always been part of our family”.
“My brother and sister were also part of juniors and my dad has been involved in the CFA for 55 years or something ridiculous!” she said.
However, it’s not just the family aspect that Michele enjoys about the championships, but also the camaraderie and friendships that she’s made over the years.
“You go up there and you see people that you only see once a year but you know their name and they know you, some people I’ve known since juniors,” she said.
Although some time off was needed in recent years due to injury, Michele continues the championship tradition by helping to marshal the brigades off at the competitions.
“I make sure all the brigades are lined up in the order set out in the program, it’s like a roll call,” she said.
Just last year, Michele competed in the trial of the female-only event, something she described was “a dry work event so there was no
water”.
“Each competitor needed to connect certain hoses together and you have to do it as fast as you can within certain rules.
“It can be quite a challenge particularly when everyone is watching you,” she said.
Michele is also quick to encourage anyone thinking of taking part in champs to “give it a go”.
“If you’re a competitive type of person, you can challenge yourself as much as you want either individually or as part of a team,” she said.
For those who aren’t looking to compete however, there are also other options where the event showcases a variety of aspects of the
CFA, while allowing teams the opportunity to meet face to face.
“They’ve got all the different areas of CFA, last year the Aviation and the Personal Protective Clothing (PPC) teams were up there.
“Pretty much all of us that were up there for fitted out with the new Wildfire PPC and it was a good opportunity to speak to people in person rather than always over the phone,” Michele said.
TheVictorian Fire Brigade and Country Fire Authority 2024 State Firefighter Championships were set to be held this month.
The Lost Dogs Home Cranbourne is pleading for “consistent and ongoing” funding for cat desexing programs as the shelter has seen its cat intake for Casey increase by 88 per cent in the last two years.
The Cranbourne facility took in 739 cats from 2020 to 2021, 1093 from 2021 to 2022, and 1393 from 2022 to 2023 in the City of Casey area.
Spokesperson Suzana Talevski said there had been a steady increase and it was a quite staggering number.
“There are just not enough animals that are being desexed,” she said.
“As much as we’ve tried over the years to educate and inform the community about the importance of desexing your pets, it has worked to a degree, but not enough to stop those numbers getting higher and higher.
“What we need to do is to work together with the community, the local government, and the State Government to make sure we’ve got programs that provide low-cost desexing alternatives because we know that the cost of living does bite, and there are a lot of families doing it tough.”
Casey Council currently has 8439 registered cats, and the majority are desexed except those with exemptions.
The State Government has recently committed $300,000 to run a trial program to in-
crease cat desexing rates, address cat overpopulation, and support vulnerable cat owners.
Councils can now apply for grants of up to $25,000 to deliver targeted cat desexing programs within their community.
The council-run programs will focus on people who care for semi-owned and unowned cats and help them take full ownership of these cats. The program will also provide free and low-cost desexing services to cats owned by Victorians who may be experiencing financial hardship in the program’s target areas.
Executive director of animal welfare Victoria Dr Trevor Pisciotta said desexing cats
helped reduce the burden of over-population on Victoria’s domestic animal services.
“Although 95 per cent of registered cats are desexed by the age of two, cats can have multiple litters in this time. This can sadly result in thousands of cats entering the Victorian pound and shelter system each year,” he said.
Ms Talevski said the recent program was a great start, which the shelter welcomed.
“But when you think about the fact that it will be divided between councils in Victoria, then that means it’s probably not going to have the impact that we need to really make a substantial difference in reducing the number of
cats that are out there,” she said.
She pointed out the cat population issue was likely the number one issue facing the shelter.
“And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better,” she said.
“We really need support from the State Government to provide adequate funding for those initiatives.”
City of Casey’s manager connected communities Callum Pattie said Casey had a 24hour cat curfew in place since 1999 to address cat issues in the community.
“Uncontrolled cats can have a significant impact on local wildlife and by containing cats to their owner’s property, it not only reduces the impact on the wildlife but helps keep the cat itself safe from other stray animals, disease, and harm from vehicles,” he said.
“It is important that pet owners practice responsible pet ownership by ensuring their cat is contained to their property, microchipped, registered with council, and wearing a registration tag at all times.
“Should a cat be found wandering outside their owner’s property and if registered with the council, the cat is returned home, and the owner is given a warning on the first occurrence. If the wandering cat is found and is unregistered, they are taken to the pound and the owner will be issued with an infringement penalty.”
AFL great Brendan ‘Fev’ Fevola has been immortalised in copper form, with a statue of the popular radio host now at Narre Warren’s Webb Street.
Whether they were there for the statue’s unveiling or for the performance from Australian musical legend Shannon Noll, an excited crowd welcomed Fev at Bunjil Place for the statue’s unveiling on Friday 15 March.
Also joining in on the festivities were cohosts Fifi and Nick, as the team ventured to Fev’s home turf for Brekky in the Burbs.
“This is a big moment for the show as Brendan Fevola stands here in front of his home people in Narre Warren,” co-host Fifi Box said.
“Let’s talk about what this man has achieved. Six-hundred-and-twenty-three career goals. 204 AFL games. Three-time
All Australian. Two-time Coleman Medallist. Italian Team of the Century. King of the Jungle 2016. Two Guinness World Records. It’s the great build-up… NarreWarren, here is your statue of the great man himself… Brendan Fevola!”
And Fev, who was simply relieved the statue actually looked like him, also relished the honour.
“Oh my God, this is like a mirror!” he said.
“What an amazing honour because dead people normally get this, and I’m not dead yet.
“Please don’t wreck it, make sure you look after it. If people poo on it, clean it. If other people want to get around it… I reckon we should be roping it off.
“People have been bronzed around the world and it doesn’t look like them… I think I look amazing!”
Thumbs down
On the engineering marvel who designed the roundabout on the Camms Rd rail overpass.
Thumbs up
To the magnificent Pakenham Show. Something for everyone to enjoy and perfect weather.
Thumbs down
To the arrogant people that think it is okay to dump their junk along the Princes Highway between Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon roundabout. Clean up your act, people. What a disgrace. Book a hard rubbish pick up - two a year for free.
Thumbs up
To turning McGregor Road into an airport runway with LED reflectors - can see the whole road light up in your mirrors at 4.30am.
going towards local soup kitchens and vans. Foundation founder John McGreal said the event was a popular place to be on Sunday.
Founded eight years ago, the Berwick-based foundation has hosted a number of non-profit fundraising events for local soup kitchens and vans.
And the St Patty’s day walk is another successful event in a long list of fundraising endeavours, from their recent Christmas lunch for people alone or doing it tough during the holiday, to their bustling 80s themed New Year’s Eve party.
More than 200 walkers enjoyed the sunny conditions on Sunday 17 March, with proceeds
“The turnout was great,” he said.
“The weather turned it on, bringing everyone out.
“I would like to thank everyone who got involved and those who donated and wished us the best.”
People of all ages got involved, along with families, and local businesses like Snap Fitness and Glow Berwick who provided goods and prizes on the day.
Dogs and other pets also enjoyed the festivities.
From page 1
Callum Pattie, Casey’s connected communities manager said that the council is in its second year of implementing the Safe and Equal Casey strategic plan, which has a focus on gender equality and prevention against women.
With an end goal of 2032, the plan was “developed in consultation with local residents, community organisations and sector experts”.
“It outlines how council will deliver on its commitment to gender equality and prevent family violence by addressing the underlying drivers of violence,” he said.
While the council’s focus may be on violence, putting together a strong sense of togetherness through its eventual outcome echoes Dr Charles’ sentiments of targeting the foundations behind the gender pay gap.
Mr Pattie said that a focus of the first and second phases is building the foundations to apply an intersectional lens, which also be-
gan as an internal council campaign in 2022 called the Gender Equality Action Plan.
Another factor that needs to be considered, according to Dr Charles, is the cultural and social practices in our current society.
“There is significant pressure on people to sort of perform their gender ‘correctly’, so when you’ve got a culture that says women are more suited to nurturing or caring rolessince that’s the role of women in a patriarchal structure - they’re more likely to feel that’s how they need to act subconsciously.
“Often there are more women in jobs that are lower paid, jobs that are more caring and nurturing, such as teaching, nursing, aged care and also the lower levels of hospitality.
“As people grow up they might feel that they gravitate towards those roles, it’s not simply just a matter of choice, we’re choosing in a system we didn’t create and that puts us in positions and certain ways from the beginning,” she said.
Overcoming these aspects is a slow and tedious journey according to Dr Charles, but progress can begin in the workplace through continued support, where a primary example could be more help on child-caring responsibilities.
“Sometimes these things operate on an unconscious level, so they really need to be pulled out through programs around raising awareness in workplaces around these issues.
“There can be a bit of a club mentality in workplaces, and you can see that being talked about even in our Federal Parliament, and if that’s a safe space for women to work.
“It’s a slow process, but the only way to challenge that is to raise awareness around it,” Dr Charles said.
Casey’s second phase of its strategic plan sees them further connecting with the community regarding the overarching issue and also would potentially have the gender equality plan progress into the council’s internal policies, procedures and systems.
An IBAC recommendation to ban property developers from making political donations remains up in the air.
The State Government has announced it will accept most of IBAC’s 34 recommendations arising from its Operation Sandon inquiry into Casey Council and property developers.
On 20 March, Premier Jacinta Allan announced the government would accept 32 of them in full or in-principle.
However, IBAC’s recommended ban on political donations from “high-risk groups” such as property-developers is still being considered.
It follows a recently-released report by the state’s Electoral Review Expert Panel which found prohibiting donations by property developers was “unnecessary”.
“Victoria’s disclosure requirements and low general cap on political donations make it unnecessary to introduce bans on donations from particular industries,” the Panel stated.
It found there were “significant policy and administrative challenges” to such a ban, such as the cost and burden of doing background checks of donors and determining what industries an organisation belonged to.
“At the moment, there does not appear to be a clear, established policy rationale for determining which industries a ban should apply to,” the panel stated.
“Industry-specific bans may unreasonably slur or stigmatise an industry.”
Meanwhile, the government partially accepted the proposed creation of an interdepartmental taskforce to oversee the recommendations’ implementation.
It didn’t support the taskforce making quarterly progress reports to IBAC, stating it was “not appropriate”.
“Significant policy development and legis-
lative change is ordinarily subject to Cabinet consideration.”
The taskforce will report back to the public within 18 months.
Many recommendations were accepted by the government as part of its Housing Statement, which will shake up the state’s planning system.
As recommended by IBAC, it will look at taking planning decisions out of councillors’ hands.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the government was“strengthening planning and local government as part of our once-in-a-generation reform to build more homes”.
Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said: “Victorians deserve to have trust in the state’s planning system, and we’re accepting these recommendations as part of our work to make sure good decisions are made faster – and more transparently.”
The government has already announced reforms at local councils, including mandatory training for councillors, a uniform councillor code of conduct and more powers for the Local Government Minister against errant councillors.
As part of Operation Sandon, former Casey mayors Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett were especially highlighted for accepting more than $1.15 million in payments and in-kind support from developer John Woodman.
They were found to promote Woodman’s interests in several key planning decisions at Casey without declaring their conflict of interest.
Woodman was also found to cultivate influence at state government level, paying lobbyists and donating generously to Labor and Liberal party coffers.
He’d also funded 11 ‘friendly’ candidates’ campaigns in the Casey elections in 2016, and was linked to a community residents action group funded by developer Leightons.
It’s yet to be seen whether Aziz and Ablett will face criminal charges. IBAC has powers to refer alleged criminality to the Office of Public Prosecutions to make that call.
Both councillors and Woodman have denied wrong-doing.
Tell us about yourself and your organisation!
I relocated to Australia from Singapore in 2018 (via China where I spent 10 years living and working). I wanted to contribute to Australia, my new home country, in some ways. Australia has a lot of nature parks and reserves with a large number of old trees. I decided to focus on the conservation of old trees. I therefore started the Friends of the Tulliallan Elms, Inc., a small community volunteer group to protect and conserve an avenue of 124 years old Elm trees in the Tulliallan area.
What do you love the most about working for your organisation?
I am an organisational change manager by profession. I love being able use my change expertise to bring about positive change in the community in terms of mindset and behaviour change towards conserving old trees.
What was your most memorable moment during your current role in your organization?
We organised a large community event last year called “Christmas Under the Elms”. I have over 20 years of communications and event management experience, but I was terribly under resourced for this event. As the day came nearer, I struggled to find volunteers for the actual day. When the day did come, volunteers started coming from all directions. They picked up the tasks and made the event a huge success. For the first time, I witnessed the power of the people.
If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
I am an early riser and so I think I would like to be a rooster. So that I can crow in the morning to wake everyone up. Get off your bed now! Start your day! Go and make a difference to your life, the people around you and the community! Wake up!
What were you like as a kid?
I dreamt a lot. One day my best friend in primary school and I both heard a rumour that
with Raavenan Jayaraman, Friends of the Tulliallan Elms president
a small street snack stall in front of our school was able to fit you with a bionic arm at a small cost. Apparently a secret backdoor business. We were both excited as we were fans of the Six Million Dollar Man and we have seen what he could do with that arm. So we took a few months to save some money and finally went to the stall. The stall owner looked at us and we looked back.We knew instantly that he was the one who was going to perform the bionic arm surgery. For a second, we stood there wondering if we really wanted our arms to be chopped off first. We chickened out. We dropped the idea and ran back home looking back all the time to see if the bionic arm vendor was chasing us.
What event, past or present, would you like to witness?
I wish I was present during the world wars. In fact, all the wars that mankind has ever fought. But I just don’t want to witness them. I want to be able to stop them. Why war when we have the potential to reach the stars?
Which six dinner guests, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner?
My mum and dad whom I miss very much. I hope they could come and see me living in
Hosted by Brad Battin MP
Saturday 23rd March
10am - 12pm
Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House
Eddie Baron Reserve
21A Bemersyde Drive Berwick
Register at: https://events.humanitix.com/family-easter-egg-hunt
Supported by
Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House
21A Bemersyde Drive, Berwick
03 8743 0671 www.bpnh.org.au
Australia. Elvis Presley. He died at 42 and I wish he could live a little longer and sing a little bit more. Steve Jobs died prematurely. If this great mind could live a little longer, he would have transformed a few more industries and brought even more progress to mankind. Elon Musk, who I think is the new Steve Jobs, and is similarly misunderstood and over criticised. Last, but not least, Hong Kong’s action super star Jackie Chan, for his humility and laughter. What three words would your friends use to describe you?
Positive. Progressive. Perfectionist.
What would you do on your perfect day off?
A perfect day for me is a simple day with my loved ones. Wake up early for an hour of yoga and quiet time followed by an hour of writing. Then going for breakfast to the Dandenong mountains and then roam around the curiosity shops there looking for old books and LPs. Then having a coffee before heading to the grocery shops and on the way, grab a bottle of wine. Then coming back home and taking the time to cook a fabulous dinner.
Where is your happy place?
Happy place is where I am with my loved ones.
If you had to compete on MasterChef, what dish would you cook?
That’s an interesting question because I do love cooking. I cook mainly Singaporean, Chinese, Indian and Malay dishes. After coming to Australia, I am also trying to learn some Australian dishes. That’s one of the reasons I signed up for a part-time TAFE course on commercial cookery. For MasterChef I think I will cook mee hoon goreng, a Malay-style fried vermicelli noodle dish which is popular in Singapore and Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.
Where is your dream holiday destination?
My dream holiday destination is Australia. I am living it.
1
Try your luck at homemade hot cross buns
While store-bought hot cross buns never disappoint, nothing says holiday spirit like a home cooked meal. So grab your best pastel coloured apron, pop on your favourite festive film, and head to the kitchen.
2 Track the Easter Bunny
Unlike Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny’s travelling efforts often go underappreciated. Download an Easter Bunny tracker app or head online to do your part in marvelling at the speedy hopping of this four-legged hero.
3 Decorate your Easter eggs with edible paint
If you can resist the urge to eat all your eggs straight away, decorating chocolate eggs with edible paint is a great way to make your treats look even tastier. Whether it’s an Easter-themed design or something entirely different, decorating your eggs ensures no one can ‘accidentally’ mistake your eggs for one of theirs.
The Inner Wheel Club of Narre Warren weaved a vintage fashion show and fundraising together on Saturday 2 March to celebrate International Women’s Day.
More than 180 women attended the celebration with many of them coming all the way from Geelong, Bairnsdale, Wendouree, and Mornington Peninsula.
They were entertained with a three-part parade: a teaser of garments from the earlier years, a main parade, and a finale showcasing wedding and evening garments.
The day ended with a raffle with gifts donated by the communities and the club raised $5800, which all went to Foodbank Victoria. Club member and fashion show coordinator Margaret Sansom said it was a celebration of their era, in old wedding dresses and what women wore in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s.
“It was a bit of fun celebration of us as women, and with all the fashion,” she said.
Margaret said many women had still kept their mothers’ wedding dresses and fur jackets, so they just borrowed most of the dresses for the show.
“I know you can pay a lot of money and have a professional fashion parade to come in. But no, we did our own. We borrowed all the clothes and everything,” she said.
“You can really laugh at yourself when you get dressed up in some of the outfits.
“It was just incredible how many people still have those hidden treasures.”
Margaret said it was the club’s first big event ever since the pandemic.
“We were just so thrilled to think that we were able to get back and do something like that and have so many women come,” she said.
InnerWheel Club of NarreWarren members are going to Manchester in the United Kingdom to celebrate 100 years of the worldwide InnerWheel organisation in late April this year.
By Emma Xerri
The
Attendees brought a plate of food to share, expanding their palettes and their empathy
The Southeast Monash Legal Service is shining more light on advocacy against sexual harassment in the workplace, encouraging victims, no matter how tough it may be, to speak to someone as soon as they can.
The community legal centre has been running a program called Advocacy Against Sexual Harassment for roughly three to four years, aiming to support and provide services for victims and highlighting the next steps to take.
Ariz Ansari, a lawyer who has been with the SMLS for the last year and a half, advises clients on these next essential steps, whether that be compensation, going through tribunals and so on.
Mr Ansari said: “This has been in the works for a while, but there’s always been a needfrom what I know - for clients experiencing sexual harassment in workplaces.
“The main thing is it usually comes in through other claims when they’re talking about other topics such as underpayment, or unfair treatment, sexual discrimination, discrimination based on race.
“Very often people don’t think what they experienced is sexual harassment, it might be a joke or something but it’s still unwelcome and still causes them harm,” he said.
According to the Australian Human Rights Commission in November 2022, one in three people have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the last five years since then.
In the same survey, which is the AHRC’s fifth on the topic of workplace sexual harassment, it is highlighted that half of the incidents are repeated and half are also ongoing for more than a year.
At the same time, reporting of these incidents remained low in 2022, with only 18 per cent of them being reported.
Mr Ansari said that the first step depends on the type of harassment, and if it were physical at any point to contact the police as soon as possible.
If the harassment was verbal, and targeted the victim’s body, appearance, gender, or even against a generalisation of a person’s particular sexual characteristics, then recording events and submitting a witness testimony is a key step for further action.
“Sexual harassment is any form of unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, and legally it’s a bit tricky to determine since there is an objective and subjective component.
“It’s good to speak to a lawyer so we can assess if there is a reasonably arguable claim, what other steps you can take and so on.
“It’s important that after you speak to the police and relevant parties, it’s good to speak to a psychologist as well.
“Not only is that good for you in terms of assisting to deal with that you experienced, but it’s also going to be helpful in conversation, with calculating if you’ve mitigated your loss.”
An article published by the SMLS in August 2023 highlights that the legal centre has an internal program that guides and empowers their support workers to navigate the multijurisdictional waters of workplace sexual harassment.
It also highlighted that young women and women from culturally diverse backgrounds are more prone to sexual harassment in the workplace.
Furthermore, those aged 18 to 29 experienced the highest rates of workplace sexual harassment out of all age groups at 45 per cent.
In a corporate setting, dealing with the issue immediately by getting in contact with the HR department is what Mr Ansari recommended.
Furthermore, he also advised to not only make a complaint against the individual harasser, but the company as a whole seeing as that they could be “vicariously liable depending on the steps they have taken to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace”.
“Even if you haven’t taken these steps, and it’s historical, even if it’s been three or five years, still speak to a lawyer.
“Limits on sexual harassment matters are discretionary for a reason, they recognise that
this is a very difficult thing to unpack.
“In the moment you may try and tell yourself that this didn’t happen and then you realise it much later on,” Mr Ansari said.
While Mr Ansari knows that it’s easier said than done, he wants victims to be “gentle with themselves [and] to stop blaming themselves for what happened”.
“Even though there’s a more progressive discourse around right now it’s very much ingrained for victims to think how they contributed to the situation.
“You can withdraw consent at any time, even if you consented to something a minute ago and something else happens that you didn’t consent to, it doesn’t make it okay because you said so earlier,” he said.
As for organisations and employers, Mr Ansari highlights that a harassment and discrimination policy should be mandatory.
“Very often you’d have this code of conduct, ethics and all these things, so you need to have a good policy that has proper procedures for reporting based on the size of the company.
“For example, what happens when someone makes a complaint, what are the next steps you take; you also need to provide training for the employees, especially at the managerial level,” he said.
Mr Ansari also clarified that these pieces of training he mentioned should be more than
just a short seminar with a piece of paper to sign at the end.
“That’s the minimum approach, but the best kind is to be interactive with discussions and questions.
“People may not really agree or understand but at least they know what this is what would be expected of them in the workplace,” he said.
The SMLS provides free legal assistance for those who have experienced workplace sexual harassment, with the availability subject to eligibility criteria and capacity.
For Mr Ansari, he applauds not just those who have decided to speak out, but also those who have gone through the experience.
“I think everyone is incredibly brave for just going through that experience, whether vocally or quietly.
“All we’re saying is if you speak out about it to someone that could help, it would set in motion a chain of events that could help yourself and the people.
“It may bring some form of closure, it may not make all the pain go away but it’s a start,” he said.
If you or someone you know requires legal aid related to workplace sexual harassment, the SMLS can be contacted through 9545 7400 or 9038 8002 for an appointment.
For any additional information, you can visit their website at smls.com.au/contact-us
More than 100 Harkaway residents have connected to a smart pressure sewer system, eliminating the risk of groundwater, waterway and environment pollution from ageing septic tanks.
On Friday 15 March, South Eastern Metropolitan MP Lee Tarlamis met with Harkaway residents who have been connected to South East Water’s $3.9 million Harkaway Pressure System Scheme, after construction of a new 2.75 kilometre sewer main pipeline was recently completed.
Septic tanks require ongoing maintenance to ensure they are operating correctly, and if they’re not working properly or wellmaintained, dangerous bacteria and chemicals can seep into the groundwater and then into waterways, bays and beaches.
South East Water worked in partnership with Casey Council, under its Domestic Wastewater Management Plan, in identifying Harkaway as an area where failing septic tanks were polluting the groundwater and the environment.
Residents who wished to opt into the scheme are connected to a smart pressure sewer system managed by South East Water, which means there is no more maintenance
involved with the sewer system for the customer, and a healthier environment is maintained for the community.
Properties that are eligible to connect under the scheme include lots of land under 0.4 hectares within the designation backlog area which is currently on septic tank systems.
Mr Tarlamis said the project would ensure Harkaway residents would no longer have to rely on ageing septic tanks.
“Clean waterways, bays and beaches are essential for our health and wellbeing, and the Harkaway Pressure Sewer Scheme is helping eliminate septic pollution,” he said.
“This project will provide tangible benefits to Harkaway residents.”
South East Water liveable water solutions acting general manager Matthew Snell said the project would create a better environment for all residents.
“When eligible Harkaway residents connect, they’re not only getting a healthier system but one that’s safer too,” he said.
To schedule a connection day or arrange a free site visit from South East Water’s Connections Team, phone 1800 720 613 or email peninsulaeco@sew.com.au
Large swathes of the aged care workforce will receive wage rises of between seven and 28 per cent delivering justice and dignity to them and the elderly residents they devote themselves to, a union says.
“This is an historic improvement that will usher in a new era of decency and dignity in our aged care homes,” HSU National president, Gerard Hayes said.
“For the last decade aged care has been held together by the goodwill and commitment of a severely underpaid, insecurely employed workforce. Today those workers have won wage justice.”
The aged care work value case was lodged by the Health Services Union in the Fair Work Commission in November 2020. It sought a 25 per cent increase to wages for all employees arguing that work had been undervalued because of its increasing complexity and its overwhelmingly feminised workforce.
At the end of 2022, the Fair Work Commission awarded an interim 15 per cent pay rise to approximately 240,000 direct care employees. Last Friday that decision was updated.
The improvement to pay will have a stark, material impact. The hourly wage for direct care workers will increase between 18 and 28 per cent (inclusive of the previous 15 per cent).
Support services workers such as laundry hands, cleaners and food services assistants will increase by 6.8 per cent through a combination of increased wages and reclassification. Work remains to lift the wages of support
workers in areas such as admin and maintenance.
“These are life changing improvements,” Hayes said. “They will allow the industry to retain workers which, as the Royal Commission noted, is absolutely essential to delivering continuity of care. When someone is dealing with a condition such as dementia, it is deeply reassuring for them and their family to see the same carer.
“We acknowledge that people in adminis-
tration and maintenance have not received the wage increase we pushed for. We will keep pushing and fighting to lift their wages.
“Most of the aged care workforce itself can now imagine and plan for fully fledged careers, where people can plan a life around their work and really commit to it. Many workers have subjected themselves to the edges of poverty and homelessness to work in this industry. Now they can care for the elderly and also provide for themselves and their family.”
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A Cranbourne banker has saved a local woman from losing $2000 by stopping a six-monthlong romance scam, amid a rise in similar scams.
In late February this year, Maxine (not her real name), a local in her 60s, came into the Cranbourne NAB branch to deposit $2000 into an account.
She didn’t know the recipient’s surname when asked by the customer advisor Dilan Pathirannahalage, so she showed Dilan the surname in a text message on her phone and Dilan accidentally noticed very affectionate language in the previous messages.
He continued to ask Maxine the purpose of the transaction as routine, but she could not give any direct answers.
All these triggered a red flag for the banker, so he started to probe into what was going on. It was found out that Maxine was adamant that the money was to help her boyfriend who was sick and needed the money for treatment.
“She told me her boyfriend, who she met on social media, lived in Turkey and needed to fly to the UK for treatment, but his account had been frozen so was unable to receive the funds from her,” Dilan said.
“He told her to instead send the money to his friend in Sydney who could then transfer him the money.The reason she didn’t know who she was transferring the funds to was because she had never met the person on the other end of the line who she thought was her boyfriend, and so didn’t know their friends either.
“Even though the holes in the scammer’s
story were clear to me, she was blinded by her love for him. These criminals are cunning and will prey on people’s kindness to
steal their money.”
Dilan noticed the photo of the boyfriend could be taken from the internet or a magazine.
“This guy is wearing like a full suit, a waistcoat. I asked, have you seen any other photos?” he recalled.
“Just none. So, only one photo in six months.”
Dilan then spent time with Maxine explaining why this was a scam.
“It’s very hard to convince. I spoke to her for quite a bit of time,” he said.
“They were actually calling her three times when she was in the branch.
“I said to her if I will give you some money, do you call me every time to get the money till you get the money? Normal people won’t do that.”
Dilan said the lady was thankful later for him intervening with the transaction, which had saved her from losing a whole paycheque.
He also pointed out that according to NAB’s latest statistics, reports of romance scams increased by 29 per cent last year.
“For me as a banker, we have so many customers lined up and we want to help them as quickly as possible. I was glad to be able to spend the extra time with Maxine to stop her from falling victim to a romance scam,” he said.
“I want everyone to know that if you’re not sure, just ask someone. We’re here to help.”
NAB is continuing to fight against scammers as part of a bank-wide strategy. It is running ads about romance scams across dating websites and apps and introducing more payment alerts across Internet Banking and in the NAB app, which will help customers spot potential romance scam red flags.
husband always jokes that she would be the world’s oldest library worker, and if not, she could be the City of Casey’s longest-serving one, unverified.
The Connected Libraries customer experience officer has come a long way since 2009, constantly adapting her pace to the rapid change in the library industry.
“In the digital age, we had to move with the times, which is exactly what we’ve done,” she said.
“The library is always evolving to keep up with demand.”
Starting at Endeavour Hills Library 15 years ago, Janine was first a customer service officer for a number of years.
She later picked up more responsibilities to help with adult programs, like author events and all sorts of interest classes.
When the pandemic hit and everything had to shut down, she came up with the idea of starting a podcast: Book Matters podcast.
Never intending to make it this big, Janine was stunned by how the chatter turned
overseas authors as well. It’s been gorgeous.
“We’re actually enlisted in the top 12 library podcasts in Australia.”
In retrospect, interest and enthusiasm are the catalysts for her voluntary exploration into a wider path of the library career.
“At the end of the day, I’m basically a reader. That’s the thing. And I believe you have to be a reader to work in the library. You’ve got to have a passion, and you’ve got to have an interest in it,” she said.
“I just sort of stuck my hand up for whatever was going, and it just makes my working life so much more interesting when you have projects to do.”
“She gave me a promotion and made me the branch manager in the book called Janine,” she said.
“I was very flattered to be named as a character in the book and then to be acknowledged in the back of the book as well.”
One and a half decades into her library world, Janine has still been loving her job as if it is her first day of work.
“I often say it took me 52 years to find my perfect job,” she said.
Before that, Janine was a merchandiser and in her very early life, she was a secretary, and then she moved into marketing.
out this popular.
“We’re in our fifth season now. And we never knew whether anyone would ever listen to us, but we’ve had some really good feedback on it,” she said.
“I’ve built up a really good relationship with publishers, and we have all the top-selling authors come on to our podcast and even
A dedicated reader herself, Janine could not help but share her anecdote with Australian women’s fiction romance author Rachael Johns.
“Rachael was the first person that we interviewed for the podcast going back five years ago. And we’ve always sort of kept in touch ever since,” Janine said.
After giving some advice to the author, Janine was told a character was named after her in a new book called The Other Bridget.
“I’d always been a library member in Endeavour Hills Library, and I got to know the branch manager there quite well at the time. I said I’d love to work here. And she said, oh, just keep on applying,” she recalled.
“So I did. It was actually the third time I applied I was successful. And I was absolutely wrapped. Just been great ever since.
“I have no intention of giving up my job at the moment because it’s too much fun.While it’s still fun, I’ll keep on working.”
Based in Berwick and St Kilda, Neal Collin Lawyers are the experienced Melbourne lawyers you can rely on.
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A Will prescribes how you distribute your estate after your death to ensure your assets are allocated in the way you decide.
Usually of course, you would include your spouse and children and sometimes make provision for friends, carers or charities, allowing your assets to be distributed strictly in accordance with your wishes.
In the absence of a Will properly prepared and executed in accordance with the formalities of the Wills Act 1997 (Vic), your estate would be distributed according to legislation. (i.e. what the government thinks is fair, and this is usually contrary to how you would want your estate distributed).
Neal will personally interview you and take instructions, advise the best course of action when in doubt, and draw your Will to ensure there is no conflict in the family after your death.
If you already have a Will, Neal will review it without charge and advise you on whether or not you need to take further steps to ensure your wishes will be complied with after your death.
DECEASED ESTATES (PROBATE)
Your Will must appoint an Executor, whose duty it is to apply to the Supreme Court of Victoria for a Grant of Probate. After this is approved, the Executor’sdutyistofirstlycollecttheassetsoftheestate, pay any bills and funeral expenses and then distribute the net proceeds strictly according to thetermsoftheWill.Iftherearebeneficiarieswho are minors (i.e. under 18 years), then the share of that person must be held on trust until they reach the age of 18 years.
Neal Collin is highly experienced in the preparation of the application to the court for the Grant of Probate and will ensure that the application is made as speedily as possible, and then assist the Executor to distribute the funds to beneficiaries without undue delay. As is required by law, Neal will provide you with a Cost Agreement and Disclosure Statement which will estimate the legal costs and disbursements involved in the administration of the estate.
PotentialclaimantsareinvitedtocallNealdirectly on 0419 993 800 for an initial discussion in relation to the merits of your claim.
· Phone: 0419 993 800
· Email: admin@nealcollinlawyers.com.au
· Address: Suite 3/94 High Street, Berwick VIC 3806
· Address: 181 Fitzroy Street, St KildaVIC 3182
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The burial service includes pick up, administration, burial preparation, and burial for a single, one-time fee of $3750 (including GST) - for Melbourne metropolitan area. There is an additional per kilometre charge for all other areas. Please contact us for further details.
If you intend to pre-plan and use our service for an upright burial, please register your details.
Each site is secure forever.
As Kurweeton Road Cemetery is kept in a natural state, there are no individual headstones or grave markers.
Details of the deceased are recorded on a memorial wall at the cemetery’s entrance.
Family and friends are provided with the exact location of the grave and are welcome to visit at any time.
Traditional funeral services
For those who wish to have a traditional funeral service but still want an eco-friendly and economical burial, we can work with your nominated Funeral Director to fit in with the service that they provide and still have the burial at the Kurweeton Road Cemetery using Upright Burials method.
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You have a great business with fantastic products and/or services, but how do you get people to want to find out more if you only have a short time to talk to them?
This is the essence of what is known as an ‘Elevator Pitch’, the word ‘elevator’ here relating to the American word for a lift.
The idea is that you are at the top of a tall building and as you step into the elevator, another person also walks in and asks you “what do you do?”.
An Elevator Pitch is intended to ensure that by the time the lift reaches the ground floor, the other person in the lift wants to find out more about your business and hence potentially engage.
These days, when attention spans are notoriously short, finding a way to grab someone’s attention quickly so that they want to find out more about your products or services is pretty important especially if you are likely to be at-
Holi Festival by The Bright Events
All day live DJ, amusement rides, kids activities, variety of food, all-day entertainment.
Free entry and free parking.
Register yourself: premiertickets.co/event/holifestival-2024-melbourne
· 24 March from 12pm - 6pm at Berwick Springs Reserve, Narre Warren South.
Songs from Around the World
A Voices of Casey concert will be held on Saturday 23 March, 2.30pm, Hallam Senior College, 74-84 Frawley Road, Hallam.
Tickets: $20 adults; $5 under 12; $40 for a family of four, afternoon tea included. Door sales are cash only.
tending networking events or similar.
So how do you create a great Elevator Pitch?
Here is my recommended approach:
· Step 1: Determine your USP (Unique Selling Proposition/Point).
· Step 2: Create a single, simple statement using the following structure:
1. What you do
2. For whom
3. Results that are created
4. Apply your USP to the above
· Saturday 23 March.
Mental Health Peer Support Program Cranbourne Group - Free
The program is based on a 12-step program of personal growth, mutual help, and support. Participants share challenges and solutions in a supportive and structured peer-to-peer format within a confidential, caring, and sharing community.
· The meetings are weekly and go for about two hours. 10.30am to 12.30pm Thursday, excluding school holidays, 7/9 Selandra Boulevard (Balla Balla Community Centre), Clyde North. For any enquires contact Grow Victoria on 9528 2977/1800 558 268.
Your USP is simply a statement that highlights what makes your business special or unique, i.e. what you do better/faster/cheaper than your competition. This statement is necessarily very short and succinct and captures the key aspect(s) that you want to stand out. Some examples for larger companies include:
· Canva – “Empowering the world to design”
· Hubspot - “Grow better with HubSpot”
· Starbucks – “Expect more than a coffee.”
To illustrate the process, I am going to use a local business (‘Funky Cakes’ based in Pakenham) to show how a possible Elevator Pitch could be derived. Funky Cakes’ USP is “if you can imagine it, I can cake it”.
Using the above process:
1. What you do – I bake cakes
2. For whom – anyone with a special occasion
3. Results that are created – cakes that look amazing and taste fantastic.
Located in Clyde North, the centre has vacancies in the following classes: Introduction to Creative Writing, Conversational English, Yoga, Zumba, Playgroup, Balla Balla Bubs (0-12 months).
Morning Melodies is back! Share a morning of music, enjoy a cuppa, or scones with jam and cream, and make new friends along the way.
· Enrolments can be made online at ballaballa. com.au/programs or by phoning 5990 0900.
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
4. Apply your USP to the above
Now when applying the USP to the above statements, some crafting may be required to make sure that the final result reads correctly so in this case a possible Elevator Pitch might be:
“I bake imaginative and unique cakes for anyone with a special occasion that look amazing and taste fantastic.”
The ideal outcome is that the statement grabs the listener’s attention and prompts them to ask open-ended questions such as ‘how do you do that?’ or ‘where does the imagination come from?’ etc. Once this occurs, a conversation has started on the business from which hopefully new opportunities will be derived.
Ian Ash ACC, AInstIB Managing Director OrgMent Business Solutionswww.ombs.com.austimulating 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.
· 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.
Families are welcome to come and take part in the inaugural Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House family Easter egg hunt, running the weekend before Easter!
Brentwood Park have partnered with Berwick MP Brad Battin, to host this free Easter event for families in Eddie Baron Reserve, the grounds around Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House.
The hunt will take place on Saturday 23 March, 10am -12pm, at 21A Bemersyde Drive Berwick.
“The season of Easter brings with it the joy of newness across our community,” Manager of BPNH, Jo Davey said. “We hope this new event for our community will be a fun-filled morning for families.”
Around the reserve there will be a craft tent, face painting, the easter egg hunting and a jumping castle as a part of the free event, and then there will be a coffee van and sausage sizzle, for those who need more than chocolate to function to purchase from.
The event is for children aged from tinies (under three) to teenagers, with separate hunting areas for each age group. Families are encouraged to pre-register so that enough eggs can be hidden for hunting!
Sponsored by Community Bank Beaconsfield District and O’Brien Real Estate Berwick and Pakenham, the centre and Brad are very thankful for their partnership in support of the Berwick community.
Park Neighbourhood House manager Jo Davey and Berwick MP Brad Battin are excited about the inaugural Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House family Easter egg hunt, running the weekend before Easter.
Akoonah Park became a colourful kaleidoscope on Saturday 16 March as part of the Casey Festival of Colours celebrating the Indian festival of Holi.
About 2000 people from a range of nationalities attended the event, with participants enjoying live stage entertainment, jumping castles, face painting, henna tattoos, vedic card reading and a variety of food including both vegan and vegetarian options.
Dignitaries such as Consulate General of India Dr Sushil Kumar, Cranbourne MP Cassandra Fernando MP, La Trobe MP Jason Wood, Berwick MP Brad Battin, and Opposition Leader John Pesutto also attended.
Star News photographer ROB CAREW was outandaboutcapturingallcoloursoftherainbow.
Cricket Club committee member Ben White described the club’s Special General Meeting on Thursday night as a “galvanising show of unity” that he hopes will be a springboard into a bright future.
A motion on a potential move to the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association was not even moved to the voting stage, so staunch was the support to remain in the Dandenong District Cricket Association from those in attendance.
Coming off a season in which the club battled for volunteer support and ran a smaller committee by comparison to its contemporaries, the talk of a potential move has rallied members and supporters, leavingWhite excited for what’s to come.
“The club presented on the night last Thursday and I think we had three times as many people show up to that special general meeting than we’ve had at the last couple of AGMs,” he said.
“People have come out over the last three weeks especially since we floated what the pinch-points are for us as a club, and the level of support of people saying, ‘get me involved, I’d love to do fundraising ’ or ‘get me involved, I’d love to do the merchandise’ or ‘ill be junior coordinator.’
“The number of people putting their hand to contribute to the club has been, I wouldn’t say overwhelming, but pretty close to it.
“I think we’ve got a strong base now and my push will be to bring those people together, set them on the clear pathway and really work hard during the offseason to build that level of support that we need as a Turf 1 club.”
The step up to Turf 1 level proved challenging for the club in an off-field capacity with requirements such as needing a scorer catching them off-guard.
At junior levels and lower grades, however, the club enjoyed a successful summer, with premierships in the under 12s, 14s and 16s, to
go with a Turf 5 premiership two weekends ago.
The pathway between the senior and junior clubs will remain a priority for White and the committee, while moving down the grades to Turf 2 was not considered as an option or alternative to staying in Turf 1, despite White conceding that the topic was “something we probably need to discuss.”
“I think they’re all a priority in my opinion but the connection for us between our junior club and senior club has been one of the most important strategic positions since I’ve been involved, because that is our pathway,” he said.
“It needs to be local talent and how we develop those people into solid senior cricketers.
“We’ve found that this year and competing against teams that have got deeper pockets has been a challenge.
“They’re just things that as a club we need to navigate and work on what our model is, how we make that model sustainable, how we grow that model, how do we focus in on our core strengths, which I think has been and always has been, junior development, junior cricketers and developing them into senior cricketers.
“We had three junior sides win age group premierships the weekend before last, 12s 14s and 16s and the Turf 5 premiership we won had 8 members in the 13-man squad that were under the age of 20.
“…to have the club galvanise and that unified mindset that they want to stay and compete in the DDCA, and that’s the best thing for both our junior development, the best thing for competing at a higher standard of senior cricket in Turf 1, and the best thing for our off-field culture is setting up a sustainable model for success in those areas.”
A heroic performance from all-rounder Ruwantha Kellapotha inspired Casey South Melbourne’s 36-run preliminary final win in Victorian Premier Cricket against Ringwood on Sunday.
Kellapotha embodied the ‘never say die’ attitude that has carried the Swans to the grand final, hitting 73 in the first innings and taking playing 3/94 in 28 overs while playing through the pain of a broken toe, injured in the lead-up to their qualifying final win over Prahran.
Swans skipper Luke Shelton was glowing in his praise for Kellapotha and the sacrifice he made for his teammates.
“While it’s expected, it’s still very brave and tough of ‘Ruw’ and to push through and not once try and pull the pin even though you could see he was in pain, he was willing to keep going and it was all worth it in the end,” Shelton said.
“(His toe is) still broken so he did everything he could to play, and for him to go out there and bat the way he did with Ash and get the control back into our hands for the middle period of day one, and back up the next day to bowl 25 or 26 overs, with a limp pretty much the whole time, was huge for us on the weekend and so important for us.
“We definitely got a lot of inspiration out of not just him, but we fought all the way through.”
The Swans were sent in by Ringwood and posted 7/345 in 106 overs, before dismissing the visitors for 309.
They lost lost Yash Pednekar early, bringing Kellapotha to the crease at number three. He and Ash Chandrasinghe put on 147 for the second wicket before Kellapotha was dismissed, and they suffered a minor wobble in the middle order in the aftermath, losing 5/43.
Michael Wallace survived the turbu-
lence with 82 and Shelton hit 53, with the home side batting the maximum 106 overs available.
As the lower ranked side, Ringwood was forced to chase the game, with a draw being enough to see the Swans qualify for the decider.
They scored at nearly five runs per over for the first half of the innings but their approach brought risks and opportunities for
the Swans, with no partnership lasting more than 80 runs.
David King was the rock in the middle order and hit 127 but his wicket at 6/239 signalled the beginning of the end, bar a 56-run ninth-wicket stand, as Casey South Melbourne punched their ticket to this weekend’s decider, beginning on Friday at Essendon’s Windy Hill.
In Carlton, they’ll face the side that broke
their hearts two summers ago, while the Blues will be eager to right the wrongs of 12 months ago, when they fell short against Melbourne.
“They’re a good side, they have class players across the board with bat and ball and a lot of dangerous players, Mackenzie Harvey being one of them,” Shelton said.
“The Smyth brothers are very good, Gulbis is destructive with bat and ball and obviously Cam Stephenson.
“We always seem to have really good battles against Carlton, it’s very close, a lot of ebbs and flows and we match-up well against them.”
“We had a chance a couple of years ago and fell short so there are still a few wounds for a few of our guys and we’re just looking forward to taking it on.
Carlton snuck home in a one-day contest at Princes Park when the two sides met in January, but the three-day contest will be a different kettle of fish.
It will be the resilience and dogged determination displayed throughout the season and in the finals series that will be the key to the Swans tasting premiership success, in the eyes of Shelton.
“If we play the way we’ve been playing and stay really aggressive and take that to them for three days, it gives us the best chance of getting a result,” he said.
“We’ve been down in the dumps at different stages of these two finals and fought ourselves out of a hole and just really come back and threw a couple of quick punches ourselves to get ourselves on top, so we’ve got no fear and know we’re never out of the game.
“Guys are willing to keep pushing through tough and good times so if we bring that mindset, that’s our best chance to win the game.”
The Victorian Premier Cricket final begins at 10.30 on Friday afternoon.
TheVictorian Netball League witnessed an enthralling showdown in Round 3 as the Casey Demons ventured to Boroondara for a doubleheader against formidable opponents.
The Championship clash saw Boroondara, last year’s Championship runners up, locking horns with the resilient Casey Demons.
Meanwhile, the spotlight also shone on the burgeoning talents of the Express 23 and Under side as they faced off against the determined Demons.
In a tightly contested Championship game, Boroondara seized an early lead, showcasing their prowess on court.
However, the Casey Demons demonstrated their adaptability, with a diverse array of players stepping up to the challenge.
Emma Ryde emerged as a reliable target, exhibiting pinpoint accuracy throughout the match.
Notably, Poppy Douglass, Sinead Lumsden, and Sacha McDonald showcased their versatility at Goal Attack, sharing the offensive load effectively.
Despite facing a 10-goal deficit and enduring some erratic passing in the third quarter, the Casey Demons refused to falter.
Rallying together after regrouping at the final break, they mounted a spirited comeback, narrowing the margin to a mere four goals.
However, Boroondara’s composed performance in the closing stages secured them a hard-fought seven-goal victory at the final whistle.
Meanwhile, the Casey Demons’ 23 and Under side encountered a challenging start to their 2024 campaign, facing off against powerhouse teams including Geelong, Melbourne University, and the impressive Boroondara unit.
Undeterred by their tough opponents, the young Demons showcased tenacity and determination, staying within striking distance of the youthful Express side throughout the match.
With players like Holly Stephens, Piuti Laban, and Kaylah Loulanting rotating through the goal circle, and Mollie Helmot’s command-
ing presence in the centre, the Demons displayed promising signs of growth and cohesion.
As the Casey Demons look ahead to Round 4, they are set to clash against the Western Warriors, newcomers to the VNL, at the State Netball Centre on Wednesday, 27 March.
It promises to be another exciting encounter as the Demons aim to secure their first 23U win of the season.
Furthermore, Round Five presents a spe-
cial occasion for the Casey Community as they gather at Casey Stadium for ‘Girls Night In’.
In collaboration with Hawks Netball, both clubs are set to raise awareness for Share the Dignity and collect essential items to combat period poverty.
Fans are encouraged to secure their tickets via TryBooking and show their support for this worthy cause while enjoying an evening of thrilling netball action.
-Rebekah BogosComfortably the biggest cheer of the afternoon in the aftermath of Buckley Ridges’ Dandenong District Cricket Association was reserved for Michael Davies.
The man commonly known as ‘Slick’ in local cricket circles was gunning for his first Turf 1 premiership from seven attempts, and with sand plummeting from his career hourglass, time was running out.
His laid-back personality combined with undeniable talent, with a Wookey Medal and multiple Turf 1 Team of the Year selections to show for it, made him one of the competition’s more popular players.
But for all the personal achievements, he lacked the one that mattered most to him.
He’d come so close the prior two years, and in 2022 he was unfortunately in the middle when the final wicket fell in Buckley’s chase of 226.
When his partner,Westley Nicholas was run out with a direct hit from the boundary, Davies, having reached the Striker’s end and seen his opponents sprinting past him to initiate chaotic celebrations, slapped the stumps with his bat, contrasting the frenzy of victory with the heartbreak of defeat.
Two years on, as he reached the centre of the pitch to join celebrations on Sunday, he quickly found himself in the centre of a huddle as his teammates mobbed him like a popstar in a crowd.
“All I wanted in the DDCA was to win a Turf 1 flag and now I’ve finally got it,” Davies said.
“I’ve been on the sad side for six years and finally I’m on the winning side.
Picture: ROB CAREW
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“This one’s going to go down really well.”
On Saturday, he put his big shots away and ground out a tough 29 from 67 deliveries late in the innings, and grabbed the wickets of Brayden Sharp and Jordan Mackenzie in the defence 24 hours later.
When he beat Mackenzie’s defences to grab his second scalp, he turned to cover and embraced Jayson Hobbs in a mighty hug before teammates converged.
Later, when Hobbs called him forward to collect his premiership medallion, he gave his eyes a quick wipe before the two repeated the hearty embrace.
When he walked back to the group, and his
Upper Beaconsfield is peaking at the right time in the CCCA District competition, playing close to a complete game to win its way through to the decider against Officer.
Forced to absorb a series of partnerships from Cranbourne Meadows, skipper Will Haines was pleased with the bowling performance, Nick Pastras, Kyle Gibbs, and Andrew McDonald all picking up multiple wickets to bowl Cranbourne out for 172.
Star number three batter Imesh Jayasekara led the way with the bat, scoring an enterprising unbeaten 113, after Josh Westra survived a tricky period late on day one.
Pastras also contributed a punchy 38 with the bat.
“It was really pleasing from a bowling perspective that the boys ground it out all day,” Haines said.
“I think everyone contributed in one way or another and we fielded well so it was good to keep them to 170 on a ground that is fairly small and quick.”
The skipper was particularly full of praise for Jayasekara, who has now scored two centuries and two half-centuries for the season, though most of the damage came before Christmas, highlighting the significance of Sunday’s innings.
“It was a classy innings,” Haines said.
“He was very patient and waited for the bad balls to cash in on.
“He kept them out when he needed to because there were several periods where they bowled a few maidens in a row bowling tight to a good field but he stuck it out through that.
“It was the perfect innings really.”
Despite coming into the game having lost the two games between themselves and Officer, Haines is confident.
“It’s completely different this time around,” Haines said.
devoted children in Buckley Ridges tops with their dads’ name on the back, he gripped the medal tight, as if it would somehow be taken away, as the enormity of the achievement began to take hold.
As Jordan Wyatt rode his luck with the bat, surviving multiple dropped chances, Davies feared the worst, that the triumph would be cruelly stripped from him at the final hurdle once again.
But this occasion was different.
Former skipper Ben Wright said the players used Slick’s hunger for success as motivation, saying,“We take the hurt that Slicks had in previous years, not at the club, and we wanted to win trophies for him.”
Davies found words difficult to come by as he was showered with good will, but reinforced his gratitude.
“It means a lot, I’ve got a lot of mates that play for different clubs and I’ve been hard on the ground for 10-15 years,” he said.
“Everyone saying that they really want me to get one, and I finally got it.”
His contributions with bat and ball will be long remembered in Buckley blue, no matter what his playing future looked like.
“The mind thinks that I can go until I’m 50 but the body, getting older now with two kids, we’ll see how we go,” he said when asked about his playing future.
“I got a lot of stick for going there (To Buckley Ridges) but they’ve been so successful over the years and all I wanted was a Turf 1 flag, and I’ve finally got it.
“You can always keep going and going, but flags are very hard to come by.”
“You just have to put those games behind you and know we played poorly in those games so we’ll approach it as a new game where everyone is in the same boat feeling the same amount of pressure.
“We’re basically back at square one so we’ll approach it from that angle I think.
“We picked up a few things about a few of their batters and ways to approach them – we’ve got some tactics in mind for a few of their guys and we’ll approach our bowling innings a bit better too.
“The batting we didn’t make many runs but it was just one of those days where it all goes wrong so I don’t think you take too much out of it.”
There were no match-winning hundreds in the Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 1 grand final over the weekend despite a playing surface that appeared suited for having a stick.
Ryan Quirk won the toss and made the tactical choice to bowl, gifting the Bucks first crack at the best of the batting conditions in warm conditions, as their attack went to work with the new ball.
In a stacked batting card, the Bucks have been blessed with players stepping up here and there whenever the situation required someone throughout the campaign.
Be it Josh Holden’s hundred in round 12, Jake Cronin’s 97 and Roshane Silva’s 73 in the preliminary final, Michael Davies’ match-winning 49 against St Mary’s in round 10, such was the depth and spread of talent in the squad, the Bucks had contributors at every turn.
On Saturday, it BenWright’s turn, with his 55 as crucial as any hundred you could possibly ask for, recognised with the Fleming Medal as the player of the final.
“We’ve always been a club that, hasn’t relied on just one or two players,”Wright said.
“The addition of‘Roshy’ (Silva) into our team helped us massively, because being honest, he has really stood out in terms of his batting, and he’s given the opportunity for a few of us to bat around him, and take a bit of pressure off us.
“But we’ve always been a team that, there’s been situations where everyone can say they’ve won a game this year.
“What we’ve struggled with in the last two years is bringing that to a grand final, which I felt like, today, we actually showed how good we are as a team.
“Everyone contributed with runs, everyone contributed with wickets and that’s probably what got us over the line today and yesterday.”
The manner in which he took the attack to Springvale South shifted the contest.
Jarryd Straker has been a thorn in everyone’s side in the Turf 1 in recent years with his ability to control the tempo of a contest, and finished well-clear of the next-highest wicket taker in Turf 1 cricket in 2023/24.
Honing-in around the wicket to left-handers, Straker varies his pace and his lengths to trap batters infront and leave them with no
room to move when pinned on the crease. His first over to Wright was a maiden, and the events of two weeks ago when he bowled unchanged for 23 overs, began to loom.
Wright, a right-hander, however, was not going to play his game.
On the second ball of his third over, he advanced down the wicket and put him into the sheltered area underneath the tennis club at Arch Brown Reserve.
Later in the over, Straker dropped short, and Wright cut him to the square boundary for four
on the off side.
Wright revealed this was no accident, following the blueprint that worked so successfully for the Bucks back in round 12.
“I feel like when we played him at Springvale, the conditions have been in his favour, and I think we made a conscious effort when we played him at Park and played him today when maybe the conditions weren’t in his favour that we weren’t going to let him dictate,”Wright said.
“He’s obviously a real big cog in their bowling attack and if you let him bowl, it brings everyone else in their bowling attack into the game and (if) you can kind of try to take him out of the game a little bit, it brings bowlers back on early, doesn’t give them a chance to settle with the likes of Baxter and him bowling in-tandem for a long period of time.
“It was definitely a ploy of ours to take them on a little bit yesterday.
“What helped us as well was we got off to a pretty decent start and by the time we came on, we were probably slightly ahead in the game, so it gave us the opportunity to do that.”
Straker would have the last laugh in the oneon-one, trapping Wright attempting to sweep for 55 just before lunch.
Little did anyone know that that would be the highest individual score of the grand final.
Silva hit 24, Jayarathna 30 and Hobbs 34, while Jordan Wyatt made 30 and Ryan Quirk 36. ForWright, the innings and the result meant plenty, having brought into the club as much as anyone in his three seasons since moving from the UK.
“It was a big move for me and my family,” he said.
“I think one of the things that made it so easy for us is Buckley Ridges - it’s such a family-orientated club (with) such great people, supporters, players, families.
“Seeing the crowd today and the amount of Buckley people here today, it means a lot to a lot of people, not just the 11 that played.
“The amount of supporters we have that come and watch us every single week.
“Then ‘Hobba’ (Hobbs) and ‘Slicky’ (Davies) as well, the amount of times they’ve fallen short, I’m really really pleased for those guys that they’ve had the opportunity and they now know what it feels like to win a medal.”
Casey Demons VFL coach Taylor Whitford is not viewing the upcomingVFL season as a‘reset’ year despite the loss of a wealth of experience at the club over the off-season.
In addition to James Munro’s and Luke Dunstan’s retirements, key contributors at state league level in recent years, in James Jordon and James Harmes, were traded to rival AFL clubs, while Jake Melksham will miss the bulk of the year after undergoing a knee reconstruction late last season, and Joel Smith’s playing future remains unclear, provisionally suspended by the AFL after failing a drug test last season.
George Grey, meanwhile, has made the switch to Frankston, and 2023 Best-and-Fairest winner Deakyn Smith has joined North Melbourne’s VFL program, having been delisted by the Demons.
Rather than bemoan who is not there, Whitford is buoyed by the opportunities on offer for the squad’s younger talent who have put their names forward for early selection after strong practice match performances.
“We’ve had a bit of list turnover and it is a bit of that in the VFL, where you’ve got a cycle every one-two years that you get a new crop of young boys through and that’s probably what we’ve had this year,”Whitford said.
“We’ve been pretty lucky with ‘Moose’ (Munro), who was on our list, Luke Dunstan and James Jordon as well, ‘Harmsy’ (Harmes), they’ve been great but it probably hasn’t given the opportunity for some of our VFL boys, so that’s exciting.
“It’s exciting and probably gives other teams a little bit of an unknown because you have known what to expect when you come up against Casey in the last couple of years with those types of players.”
Former Saint, Leo Connolly has signed for the VFL season, as has Campbell Hustwaite, who captained Collingwood’s VFL side the past three seasons, and Beaconsfield product, Mitch Szybkowski.
Cranbourne’s Andrew Green has impressed, as has former Dandenong Stingray Ziggy Toledo-Glasman, expected to be one to fill the void left by the senior players in his second year in the program.
While in Kobe Shipp and Brayden La Planche, the Demons have replenished with
local talent eager to impress fresh out of the Coates Talent League.
Last season finished poorly for the Demons, fading as the season went on and thrashed by Footscray in an elimination final, having battled for consistency in performance.
Without setting expectations, Whitford is adamant that he wants his side competing in September.
“We want to play finals footy, we’re not here to make up the numbers,” he said.
“We want to be playing deep into finals and that’s our goal.
“We can’t look too far forward because we don’t know what this week will bring.
“We’ve got Box Hill at home, they showed some really good signs last year of improvement and they’ll be better again this year.”
The Demons’ VFL season kicks off on Sunday at Casey Fields at 2.05pm, with a VFLW contest proceeding them at 11.05am.
LOCAL VFL/VFLW LISTED PLAYERS
· Callum Porter – Officer/Box Hill
· Seb Amoroso – Drouin/Box Hill
· Luke Nelson – Noble Park/Carlton
· Bailey Lambert – Noble Park/Carlton
· Tyson Sruk – Rowville/Carlton
· Charlie Muley – Beaconsfield/Casey
· Mitch Sybkowski – Beaconsfield/Casey
· Andrew Green – Cranbourne/Casey
· Brayden La Planche – Rowville/Casey
· Kobe Shipp – Beaconsfield/Casey
· Riak Andrew – Berwick/Dandenong Stingrays/Casey
· Paddy Cross – Nar Nar Goon/Casey
· Liam Serong – Warragul/Coburg
· Cooper Macdonald – Rowville/Collingwood
· George Grey – Cranbourne/Frankston
· Harrison Coe – Beaconsfield/Frankston
· Kyle Stainthorpe – Rowville/Frankston
· Matt Johnson – Beaconsfield/Frankston
· Blake O’Leary – Noble Park/Frankston
· Matt Nelson – Noble Park/Frankston
· Josh Mounter – Beaconsfield/Frankston
· Deakyn Smith – Doveton/North Melbourne
· Lachie Wynd – North Melbourne/Rowville
· Kade De La Rue – Beaconsfield/North Melbourne
· Liam Coghlan – Rowville/Port Melbourne
· Joel Garner – Wandin/Richmond
· Sam Frangalas – Berwick/Richmond
· Tom Bower – Noble Park/Richmond
· Luke Ryan – Cora Lynn/Sandringham
· Logan Young – Noble Park/Sandringham
· Tarkyn O’Leary – Noble Park/Sandringham
· Pierce Roseby – Rowville/Sydney
· Wardell Lual – Noble Park/Werribee
· Corey Ellison – Cranbourne/Williamstown
· Jack Toner – Narre Warren/Williamstown
· Riley Collier Dawkins – Springvale Districts/Williamstown
VFLW
· Matilda Van Berkel – Warragul Industrials/ Box Hill
· Chloe Bailey – Warragul Industrials/Box Hill
· Alisha Molesworth – Warragul Industrials/ Box Hill
· Shree Fairchild – Warragul Industrials/ Casey
· India Makai – Warragul Industrials/Casey
· Ashleigh Russell – Endeavour Hills/Southern Saints
· Ahlee Penry – Warragul/Southern Saints
For more information please contact our College office on 9704 2744 or visit our website www.timbarrap9.vic.edu.au
