Mail - Lilydale Star Mail - 18th June 2024

Treasuring expansion on the horizon

For Treasuring Our Trees founder David Ferrier the vision of creating an educational hub was always part of the plan.

Now three years after the devastating storm that ripped through the Yarra Ranges, this is the reality and then some.

And with more growth in the pipeline, an intention to salvage more trees and a dream of spreading across the country, the stories and lessons from this patch of earth in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges may be the key to more environmentally sustainable solutions.

Commemorating and celebrating the anniversary of the storm with an open day was just a another way to heal.

To read more, turn to page 8

Treasuring Our Trees founder Dave Ferrier in the Lilydale workshop. 412967

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Care gaps upset

By Mikayla van Loon

As Australia’s ageing population grows and more people elect to remain at home longer, concern over the ability to provide essential services has been raised.

The outer east is not immune to this trend, with Casey MP Aaron Violi outlining in a private member’s motion in parliament on Mon-

day 3 June multiple cases of residents being unable to access in-home care.

Referencing four different stories in his address to the House of Representatives, MrVioli said “these aren’t ‘nice to have’ packages; these are necessities for older Australians”.

“I’ll begin with John, who is 92, from Lilydale and needs garden maintenance and

Offering local knowledge for all your Real State requirements. We pride ourselves on our professional and friendly service. Specialising in Sale and Rental properties in and beyond the Yarra Valley area.

Please contact us today on (03) 9727 5300 or visit us at our new office at 227-229 Main Street, Lilydale.

mowing. John is unable to even get on the waitlist, with all providers saying their waitlists are full,” he said.

“Majorie, who is 99 and from Chirnside Park, needs additional respite hours for her family, who are her full-time carers, as well as a wheelchair, a walker and podiatry services. She recently had her two hours per week cut back to one and half hours.

“There’s John, who is 80 and from Montrose, who has muscular dystrophy and is no longer able to do his garden maintenance. John required new assessments but had to wait five weeks for that assessment to happen, wait for the package to be provided and then wait again for services to become available for him.

Continued page 3

NEWS Keep kids safe from burns

Kidsafe Victoria has called on families to take action to reduce the risk of burn and scald injuries for children this winter, as part of their National Burns Awareness Month campaign.

New data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand (BRANZ) reveals that burns and scalds remain a significant cause of injury for children, with 735 children under 16 years of age admitted to burns units across Australia and New Zealand in 2022/23.

The home is the most common location where childhood burn injuries occur, accounting for 76 per cent of all incidents.

General Manager of Kidsafe Victoria Jason Chambers highlighted the importance of fam-

ilies taking steps to prevent burns and scalds, especially during winter which is a time of increased risk.

“Burns and scalds commonly occur when children are near someone who is preparing hot foods or drinks,” he said.

“As the cold winter weather sets in and families look for ways to keep warm, it’s important that parents and carers take steps to prevent burns and scalds. Along with active adult supervision, this can include keeping children out of the kitchen – especially when food and drinks are being prepared – and placing hot food and drinks out of reach.”

Kidsafe Victoria is also raising awareness of

some of the lesser-known causes of burns and scalds, including backyard fire pits and pizza ovens, which have increased in popularity.

“Open flames and heating elements such as gas and electric stove elements, matches, fireplaces, barbecues, fire pits, candles, and incense can cause fires and burns. To help keep kids safe, always supervise open flames and other heat sources, and keep children away from them,” Mr Chambers said.

Data from the BRANZ report shows that in 2022/23, just over one quarter of children did not receive the ‘gold standard’ first aid treatment (20 minutes of cool running water within three hours of their burn injury) before they received hospital care, highlighting the need

for continued first aid education.

Emergcare director and Montrose resident Hendrik Gutwirth stressed the importance of families knowing the correct first aid measures to treat a burn or scald.

“If a burn happens, it’s critical that cool running water is applied to the burn area for 20 minutes. Items such as ice, oil or butter should never be used, as these can make the burn worse,” he said.

“This is regarded as the ‘gold standard’ for burns first aid and can make a significant difference in the long-term outcome of the injury.”

As part of their National Burns Awareness Campaign, Kidsafe Victoria emphasised the importance of using the Remove, Cool, Cover and Seek method for treating burns and scalds:

· Remove – remove the child from danger. Remove any clothing, jewellery, or nappies from the burn area unless stuck to the skin.

· Cool – place the burn under cool running water for twenty minutes. Never place ice, oil, or butter on the burn as these can make it worse.

· Cover – cover the burn with a clean dressing. Seek – seek medical attention if the burn or scald is on the face, hands, lap, or feet, is bigger than a 20-cent piece, or is blistered.

For more information about National Burns Awareness Month and resources on burns prevention and first aid for children, please visit www.kidsafevic.com.au/home-safety/firesafety-burns-and-scalds/

Parents and carers can book into one of Kidsafe and Emergcare’s first aid courses by visiting www.kidsafevic.com.au/new-parenthub/first-aid-courses/

Aged care concerns raised by MP Violi

From page 1

“There’s Lorraine, who is 89 and from Chirnside Park. She needs assistance with shopping and home and garden maintenance but has been told that ‘no-one is available to help at the moment’ and to keep checking in with the service provider.”

The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) understands that recent senate estimates show that 68,000 people are currently on the waiting list for home care packages.

“Access to home care packages has decreased over the past six months and we expect further pressure on the system as the population ages,” OPAN chief executive officer Craig Gear said.

“Some older people and families have reported to us that they have been waiting nine to 12 months to access a level 3 package.

“Others have said they have waited more than 12 months for Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) services, particularly in regional and remote areas.That is completely unacceptable.”

Mr Gear said it is not uncommon for OPAN to hear of service providers closing their waiting lists completely and in some “extreme cases”, older people have died before accessing the support they needed.

Because of this, OPAN has called for services to be delivered within 30 days of application in its joint submission to the Aged Care Act Exposure Draft and Mr Gear said it was that early intervention which prevented unnecessary, premature entry into aged care homes for elderly residents.

“Older people consistently tell us that they want to remain at home for as long as possible. Early intervention is key,” he said.

“Providing older people with low cost, highimpact services – such as domestic assistance, community transport and meals – enables them to maintain their independence and social connections.”

However, Mr Gear said because funding and the workforce availability have not kept up with the ageing population it has become increasingly difficult to ensure these services are catering to the needs of the older generation.

A Federal Government department of health and aged care spokesperson confirmed a further $530 million was allocated to provide an additional 24,100 Home Care Packages in the 2024-25 budget.

“By 30 June 2025, this will equate to a record 300,000 older Australians accessing in-home care supports through the Home Care Packages Program,” they said.

Mr Violi said this did not equate to the previous Liberal government’s “last two budgets [which] released an additional 80,000 home care packages”.

“Supporting elderly Australians through aged care supports is one of the key roles of a

Older Australian’s wanting to remain at home and independent are finding it incredibly difficult to access care.

federal government in Australia,” he said.

“It acknowledges the invaluable contributions that Australians have made in their working lives, as carers, in their personal lives and in building communities.”

The department spokesperson said to make further headway in addressing the growing need, the Australian government would be rolling out the new Support at Home program come 1 July 2025.

“The government acknowledges there are concerns being raised by older people in Australia who are waiting to access supports that will help them live in their own homes,” the spokesperson said.

“The Support at Home program is being designed to better support older people to remain independent, in their home and community for longer.

“The Government is also making significant investments to the workforce in aged care including to lift the wages of workers to attract and retain staff in the aged care sector.”

Picture: UNSPLASH

Mr Gear said the new program is meant to “integrate and streamline services” but OPAN would be looking to work with other national bodies to advocate and ensure it “enables people to exercise choice and control in the planning and delivery of their aged care”.

In his motion, Mr Violi called on the government to address the shortfalls and do more to protect older Australians.

“This doesn’t just impact the lives of the clients; it impacts their families and carers, who have no choice but to follow up with these providers and departments. It’s simply not good enough,” he said.

“The Albanese Labor government is failing to address this shortfall in aged-care packages, and elderly Australians are paying the price every day.”

Anyone with concerns or issues surrounding an aged care service, can contact OPAN’s free, confidential and independent Aged Care Advocacy Line on 1800 700 600.

IN BRIEF

Pedestrian death

A pedestrian has died following a collision in Croydon on Sunday morning.

It is believed that a man, who is yet to be formally identified, was fatally struck by a vehicle on Dorset Road, near the intersection of Leigh Road, about 10.45am on 16 June.

The driver of the vehicle stopped at the scene.

The exact circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be determined and investigations remain ongoing.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or has information or CCTV/dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppers. com.au.

Man tracked by Airwing

A 29-year-old Hampton Park man was arrested in Lilydale at about 3.30pm on Wednesday 12 June after first being observed driving a stolen Toyota Corolla in Gembrook.

Police with support from the Airwing were able to track the vehicle as it drove from Gembrook into Woori Yallock, Seville and subsequently Lilydale.

The male abandoned the vehicle in Lilydale and was observed entering a residential yard where he was arrested by Victoria Police.

The male has been charged and will front the Magistrates Court at a later date.

Teen joy ride ends

A Mooroolbark teen was just one of multiple to be arrested in the Kmart carpark in Boronia in the early hours of Thursday morning on 13 June.

Four male youths in their teens were spotted by police entering the carpark in a car stolen from Inverloch a few nights earlier.

PolAir and police officers attended the scene and the youths were arrested after a chase across multiple suburbs.

Police media said via a statement released to Eyewatch on Thursday 13 June the youth have been arrested after a stolen Audi evaded Police at Boronia at about 2.20am this morning.

“Police observed a 2021 Audi, stolen from an aggravated burglary at Inverloch on the 11 June enter the Kmart carpark at Boronia - upon Police attempting to intercept the vehicle the driver decamped at a fast rate of speed,” it read.

The car was monitored by PolAir and Police said that they successfully deployed a tyre deflation device on the vehicle.

Later, one male alighted from the vehicle in Rowville and was arrested.

The car was then was abandoned in Dandenong and another three males were promptly arrested leaving the vehicle.

A 15-year-old from Baxter, 15-year-old from Cowes, 16-year-old from Mooroolbark and a 17-year-old from Ferntree Gully are currently assisting police with their enquiries.

Missing mini Jeep

Between 9.30pm on Tuesday 11 June and 7.10am on Wednesday 12 June, a four-stroke replica Mini-Willys Jeep was stolen from a front yard in Holmes Road Mooroolbark.

Any person with information about the whereabouts of the Jeep, or information about the offence is urged to contact Mooroolbark Police on 9725 9999.

Tick of second approval

By Mikayla van Loon

A planning application for a second dwelling in Chirnside Park sparked quite the debate among Yarra Ranges councillors, with two citing it as the first of its kind they had seen.

The application to subdivide the land at 7 Huntingdale Drive and build a second house went before the council at its meeting on Tuesday 11 June.

Despite being a normal build, its front facing entrance to Simmons Court made the proposal unusual in the eyes of the councillors.

Receiving more than 10 objections to the proposal because of its unique positioning in the Cloverlea estate, it brought up questions of access and planning not seen before.

Objector and owner of the neighbouring property Matthew Stone said one of his main concerns was the driveway access point which could impede secondary access to his property, something that was being decided by the council also.

“The most notable character that does impact us greatly is a driveway that will traverse the frontage of our property across the nature strip approximately eight metres,” he said.

“The application also seeks to restrict access to the side yard of our home with the potential of needing a retaining wall to support the driveway going into that property.”

Mr Stone said if it was found that the housing application met all the requirements of the Yarra Ranges planning scheme, then he hoped a solution could be found to ensure “all parties can at least be appeased”.

“We don’t disagree with the applicant’s right to build a property at the rear of the existing. We understand that there is a need for housing,” he said.

“What we object to is what we see as a perfectly reasonable option which we believed at the time of purchasing our land and building

our home that that block was subdivided and would be using access to 7 Huntingdale drive out the existing driveway.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we think there would be a driveway shooting out back of that property across the front of ours.”

Wanting to store a caravan or boat at the rear of his property using a second driveway, Mr Stone said he had a current vehicle access permit application before the council but that it “cannot be assessed until the decision has been made on the current planning applica-

tion”.

Glossop Town Planning representative Hew Gerrard spoke on behalf of the applicant and said he believed the application ticked all the boxes in the planning scheme and the Cloverlea neighbourhood character guidelines, despite not needing to adhere to them.

In regards to the second access point for the neighbouring property, Mr Gerrard said he didn’t think his “client has any objection to an offshoot if you like from their driveway” to support an additional driveway into 22 Sim-

mons Court.

The council’s planning department confirmed on Tuesday night that the specifications regarding the crossover design would be addressed post-approval and via the engineering team.

It was also stated that “there’s many examples of shared crossovers between two properties” so there would be no restriction or inability to allow this to occur at the two properties in question.

Based on this information, councillor Richard Higgins said the application met all the requirements of the planning scheme and could, therefore, not be refused or delayed.

“I do, however, feel for the occupants of number 22 with an application for a crossover that is obviously extremely important to them,” he said.

“If both the applicant and the objector are in the same opinion to get this second crossover happening, hopefully this will be the case down the track when that second application is actually looked at in its entirety by itself.”

Cr Higgins said he hoped that all parties would be able to achieve the desired outcome through the council imposed design conditions.

Supporting the motion as a seconder, Cr Johanna Skelton said as far as planning applications go, she felt as though “they’d taken a good deal of care” to match the style of Cloverlea estate and ensure the house wouldn’t be out of place.

“This somewhat stands out as a development that really is incremental change, which is what we’ve asked for in this region. I don’t feel that they’ve really pushed the envelope as far as going beyond the neighbourhood character,” she said.

The motion was carried unanimously to approve the application.

The back of 7 Huntingdale Drive, Chirnside Park from Simmons Court, which has just been approved for a second dwelling. 413210 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

NEWS Speak up on flood plan

By Mikayla van Loon

After months of vocal petitions from the community calling for action on flooding and drainage improvements across the shire, Yarra Ranges Council has responded with its management plan.

The draft stormwater management plan and draft policy were accepted to be released to the community for feedback and consultation at the Tuesday 11 June meeting.

Having stated on many occasions that the plan would inform the council’s response to drainage and water management it was cited as the cornerstone piece in a much larger puzzle.

The 10 year plan looks to not only mitigate the flood risk but “protect and maintain the natural water cycle and health of waterways from urban development impacts” across the whole municipality.

Community consultation will run for six weeks, with those directly affected by flooding to be invited to specific workshops and sessions with council officers, as well as Melbourne Water’s staff.

Councillor Andrew Fullagar put forward the motion to approve the draft plans for community consultation.

“There’s been a definite shift in the council’s thinking around the importance of drainage and flooding over the past 12 months,” he said.

“We’ve had many heartfelt pleas from our residents directly affected by various flooding events and giving a very strong and appropriate message that we do something and we are. It’s never fast enough, but we do wish to initiate change.”

Divided into two documents, the policy outlines the roles and responsibilities of the council to inform the scope it can work within, as well as its relationships with other key bodies like Melbourne Water and Vicroads.

The management plan itself addresses the need for flood mapping, using stormwater as a resource, infrastructure upgrades, Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) and Integrated Water Management (IWM) strategies, climate modelling and funding streams.

Cr Fullagar said the 31 specific actions that have been incorporated in the plan “underscores the complexity” of stormwater management but shows a “proactive approach rather than traditional reactive”.

“We need to respond to future impacts of climate change but in order to plan we need data and a logical prioritisation process.

“One key component of this is mapping all our catchments, and modelling various parameters. We must understand the different types of flooding, the existing network, the pinch points downstream and upstream and understanding of the flood extent and hazards including underground flow paths which are often overlooked.”

Seconding the motion, Cr Johanna Skelton

said she was “glad we’re at this point” and was interested to learn from the community the priorities they see to be the most important.

“Should it be the areas with the largest number of people? Should it be the areas that are the worst affected by flooding? Should it be areas where we might need water retention and can save money by retaining the water?” she said.

“There are so many different ways we can do this…But it really is up to us as a community to determine what we think is the fairest and best way to move forward for action in this area.”

Cr Skelton said she appreciated the transparency taken by the officers in looking at various funding options given that “funding is an issue”.

Despite the $16 million put towards drainage over six years in the 2024-25 budget and a further portion of the $23 million infrastructure budget going to drainage, the shire would require grants or other funding to complete

the scale of works needed.

Also looking from a sustainability perspective, Cr Skelton said the health of the waterways and the ability to cater to both flood and potential drought was just as important as mitigating the overflow of water.

“It hasn’t been forgotten that water is a resource… we’re looking at the dry times as well as the wet times,” she said.

“It’s not just about how to get rid of that water as fast as possible. It’s looking at ways to mitigate issues along the way.

“We still absolutely need to make sure that our waterways, which are so unique and precious and largely a lot more habitat rich and clean and full of life than so many other waterways around metropolitan Melbourne, we do need to really value their health as well.”

The motion was carried unanimously. Community consultation will be open until 24 July. To find out more, visit shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/draft-stormwater-managementplan-2024-2034

WHAT’S ON AT THE YORK WHAT’S ON AT THE YORK

Yarra Junction Medical Centre’s Alison out the front after flooding in 2022. 306415

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS Chapel Street flooded with drains unable to cope with the excess water.

Picture: MARLENE QUIGG

Housing strategy adopted

By Callum Ludwig

Yarra Ranges Council has adopted a slightly amended Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Character Study at the Tuesday 11 June Council meeting which will guide the location, intensity and designs of new residential areas, goals and developments in the region for the next 15 years.

A speaker in opposition and in support were invited to speak to the item while Streeton Ward Councillor Andrew Fullagar excused himself from the chamber due to a conflict of interest.

Duncan van Rooyen from Millar Merrigan Land Development Consultants spoke in opposition and said their concern is that in some instances, the strategy is far too restrictive and will unintentionally reduce the ability to provide much-needed and appropriate housing in some fully serviced residential areas.

“Currently there are 528 new dwellings being constructed annually in Yarra Ranges and over the next 15 years the prediction is the need for 11,000 new dwellings, this equates to 730 new dwellings per year which is an increase of 40 per cent on current levels,” he said.

“In our view, the mandatory site coverage controls and building setbacks in many cases are counterproductive to good planning and building design principles and don’t take into consideration each site’s unique opportunities and constraints such as the width of the site, the slope of the site, the shape of the site, its orientation, slope across the site, trees both within a site and adjacent to a site.”

Mr van Rooyen mentioned a number of requirements on general residential zones as examples of restriction, including the 35 per cent mandatory garden requirement, 40 per cent maxim site coverage, mandatory 2m side setback and minimum 4m rear setback. Mr van Rooyen mentioned outcomes he had seen in neighbouring LGAs like Maroondah (mandatory 5m rear setback) and Knox (no mandatory rear setback) where open space requirements are more flexible than each other.

Mr van Rooyen said if adopted, the policy can’t consider any site’s unique characteristics and ultimately could lead to poor design and further decrease the possibility of housing opportunities in those areas.

“While this may appear to be a mechanism

to promote low-scale development, the reality is that it would simply encourage two-storey dwellings which we know are far more costly to build and don’t cater for the changing needs of an ageing population,” he said.

“To be clear, we have no in principle objection to minimum open space areas or widths but believe that far better outcomes could be achieved by allowing open space areas to be sited within a lot and not confined to pre-determined areas,”

“We believe that this one size fits all broad brush approach across all sites needs to be reconsidered and a more flexible model will result in much better amenity and liveability outcomes for future residents and the community as a whole.”

After a question from Lyster Ward Councillor Johanna Skelton, MrVan Rooyen and Millar Merrigan had not contributed to the feedback on the draft Housing Strategy. O’Shannassy Ward Councillor Jim Child later asked the executive team if they had been contacted to provide a submission. Director of Built Environment and Infrastructure Hjalmar Phillip confirmed Millar Merrigan was invited to participate in a focus group but did not submit.

Intrapac Property, the developer behind the Kinley Estate, CEO Maxwell Shifman spoke in support of the strategy and said the critical part of a good strategy is its implementation.

“I think it’s overdue that you’ve got a strategy that sort of talks to affordability and diversity because that’s going to be something that we’re really trying to do,” he said.

“It’s one of the things we were really trying to push for on the site of that scale, the opportunity to do something a little bit different in terms of density, scale, topologies on that site,”

“You can have all the sort of good words around wanting to deliver certain things, but if it’s not coupled with the right resourcing and the right processes, then it’s not going to succeed the way you’d like.”

Mr Shifman mentioned not being able to release land for about three years on the Kinley Estate due to zoning and planning issues that they have faced, which they have estimated could have cost residents about $20,000 over the last 12 to 18 months.

A number of actions have been taken based on the feedback received in the submission process:

Council will undertake a review of the Low Density Residential Zone areas in Monbulk that may be suitable for rezoning the Neighbourhood Residential Zone

Council will seek further legal advice on regulating tiny homes in the planning system

Commit to undertaking a Housing Design and Diversity Strategy

Consider the need for planning at a precinct level rather than site-by-site

Monitor the impact of Clause 15.01-2L Environmentally Sustainable Development on planning approval timeframes and planning application costs with a view to further amendments

Added further explanation in Chapter 7 on bushfire policy

Ryrie Ward Councillor Fiona McAllister spoke to the motion and said it’s critical not just from a statutory and planning perspective, but also in terms of housing affordability and availability, shaping the look, feel and experience of theYarra Ranges and the impact on the quality of life for residents.

“We’re not a high growth council, but even a growth rate of 0.7 per cent which does not sound huge actually needs to be met and met well to maintain the character and the liveability of the place that’s so important to all of us who choose to live in the Yarra Ranges,” she said.

“Whilst I know there will be continued conversations as planning scheme amendments start to roll out and clearly as issues emerge and the way that we had anticipated some of these actions and things will play out and the reality may be different, I’m so pleased to see these documents come to us tonight.”

In the draft strategy, Yarra Ranges Council identified Lilydale, Mooroolbark and Chirnside Park as target townships for higher-density housing as well as suitable medium-density development in the townships of Mount Evelyn, Healesville, Yarra Glen and Yarra Junction, aiming to cater to an expected growth of about 23,000 people by 2041.

Diverse housing like tiny houses, cohousing, secondary dwellings and relocatable buildings will be investigated, while shop-top housing and high-rise living (maximum of six storeys) is proposed for areas like Lilydale, Chirnside Park and Mooroolbark.

Planning scheme amendment to correct anomalies

By Callum Ludwig

Yarra Ranges Council is seeking an amendment to the planning scheme to address a few minor inaccuracies and anomalies that have cropped up in recent planning applications.

Amendment C223 was discussed at the Tuesday 11 June Council meeting and will be the most recent change to the planning scheme since 2022 if approved by the Minister for Planning.

StreetonWard Councillor Andrew Fullagar spoke to the motion and said these anomalies come up every now and then and they’ve discovered a number in recent months.

“The key issues tonight really are adjustments to some of the current provisions, extensions of exemptions to allow current uses to continue and rezoning some, sometimes part, properties to make sense of their current uses as well,” he said.

“As can be seen by the report, a lot of work’s been done behind the scenes to bring this to us and it’s just a matter of making these changes and to make sense of some of our provisions.”

As well as establishing new provisions for future applications and preventing further anomalies, six particular properties across the shire will have their concerns addressed if the amendment is approved:

150 Cambridge Road, Kilsyth - The former Yarra Hills Secondary College site purchased by Yarra Ranges Council in 2022 is to be retained as open space following community consultation.

261 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Ferny Creek - Occupier Proserpina Bake-

Yarra Ranges Council is seeking an amendment to the planning scheme to address some anomalies around the region. Picture: ON FILE

house asked that the incorporated document ‘Development and Use of Land for a Food and Drink Premise and a Caretaker’s House’ be amended to reflect the hours of operation for a bakery

72A Milners Road, Yarra Junction - Landowner Melbourne Water requested the nowexpired site-specific control be extended for another 10 years

435-437 Maroondah Highway, LilydaleLandowner Swinburne Children’s Centre requested in a submission on the draft Lilydale Structure Plan that the part of the site that is zoned Residential Growth Zone (RGZ1) be rezoned to include all land within the Commercial 2 Zone (C2Z).

441A Maroondah Highway, Lilydale - The landowner JD’s Sound and Lighting asked that the part of the site that is currently zoned RGZ1 be included in the C2Z as this portion

is in the process of being acquired by 439 Maroondah Highway, Lilydale (Yarra Valley Ag) for further business expansion, in which a boundary realignment has been already granted.

1 St Benedict’s Drive, Gladysdale - A prospective purchaser notified Council that the site is included in the Public Conservation and Resource Zone despite being privately owned with a dwelling on the property, and suggested the site should be rezoned to Rural Conservation Zone 3 to reflect its use and the surrounding zoning.

Lyster Ward Councillor Johanna Skelton said she was in complete agreement with the amendment and that we do need these updates to remain accurate.

“Of course, the big item on here probably for this term of council is the rezoning of 150 Cambridge Road, which is in here, proposing to rezone it from a neighbourhood residential zone, which it was zoned of course after it was a school, to be a public park and recreation zone, which is just another exciting stage in that journey to move forward with that project,” she said.

Walling Ward Councillor Len Cox OAM is also excited about the 150 Cambridge Road plans moving forward.

“It is exciting that that wonderful block of 3.6 hectares of land which was the old secondary school has been rezoned to parkland zoning and as said, will stay for the rest of time hopefully and it will make a wonderful park for the people of Kilsyth,” he said.

Overall, Yarra Ranges Council are proposing to correct seven key issues with the amendment:

Mapping Corrections - to rezone or partially rezone properties to be consistent with current or future land use for the sites, as well as address instances where zone boundaries on properties covered by multiple zones did not match property boundaries.

Remove Development Plan Overlay 10 – For the former Yarra Hills Secondary College site 150 Cambridge Road, Kilsyth which facilitated housing

Removing Specific Control Overlays (SCOs) from several sites and changes to associated incorporated documents - will delete the incorporated document ‘Document Incorporated under the Schedule to Clause 52.03 (Specific Sites and Exclusions) of the Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, March 2017’ which outlined requirements for sitespecifics developments which have since been completed or long expired. Three sites will need to have their exemption and expiry dates extended.

Update Schedule 2 to Clause 37.01 Special Use Zone (SUZ2) - update with accurate property addresses for all relevant sites as some don’t align with the actual addresses of each site or do not include the full street address.

Delete outdated references to Environmentally Sustainable Design - Several DDOs in the planning scheme have references that are inconsistent and have now been addressed in the Environmentally Sustainable Development local policy at Clause 15.01-2L in another amendment

Minor correction to Erosion Management Overlay - Correcting a minor grammatical error

Yarra Ranges Council has adopted its new Housing Strategy.

Picture: ON FILE

Access that misses mark

By Dongyun Kwon

Yarra Ranges Council (YRC) will endorse the success and achievements of its Equity, Access, and Inclusion Strategy (EAIS) 2013-2023 and its Disability Advisory Committee.

YRC will share three reports (Final Report, Summary Report and Disability Advisory Committee Highlights 2023 with the community via YRC’s website.

The Final Report and The Summary Report are to share examples of completed projects and initiatives implemented throughout the lifecycle of the previous EAIS, as well as key reflections.

The Disability Advisory Committee Highlights 2023 is included to align Council Strategy with key Advisory Committee functions and to streamline annual reporting processes for YRC.

Walling Ward councillor Len Cox said EAIS was “such an important strategy”.“

This has been drawn up by some very enlightened and wonderful staff that we’ve got and they’ve been working on this for quite some time,” he said.

“They’ve also had some help from the Disability Advisory Committee which is full of people with understanding about disabilities and very sympathetic towards them.

“The committee includes a couple of people in wheelchairs. The rest of them have either got a disability, or they work for people with a disability or someone in their family.”

Lyster Ward councillor Johanna Skelton said she was proud of the involvement of the different people from YRC.

“It’s important to reflect and to look from strengths-based and asset-based, where we can go from here and try to build on what we’ve done well and the people who’ve embedded it in their groups,” she said.

“The moments that I’m proud of are the things where it’s been other parts of the organisation who have embedded those things without always the involvement of a disability inclusion officer.”

Almost 20 per cent ofYarra Ranges residents have a disability and over 5 per cent need daily

Goodbye to Mangana after 44 years of being a hills icon

As the sun sets on an incredible 44-year journey, we bid a fond farewell to Mangana Olinda, a beloved hills icon. Since 1980, Mangana has been more than just a shop, it’s been a place where ‘just browsing’ takes you on a journey across the globe with the thousands of specially curated pieces.

From first opening in Lilydale, to Ferny Creek in 1982 and finally Olinda in 1983, what started as a local endeavour soon blossomed into a global adventure. Judy and John Ischia ventured far and wide to discover treasures from India, Thailand, and America, bringing back exotic pieces to the delight of its ever-growing group of loyal customers.

“In 1983 we purchased the store in Olinda, which was a private home with a solicitor’s office on the side. One of the oldest buildings in Olinda it was originally the Mission Hall. In 1993 we purchased the shop next door and in 2002 we joined the two stores together with a walkway which created a huge space for us to fill.” said Judy

The result was a sprawling emporium of wonders. Whether browsing the aisles for unique treasures or simply soaking in the ambiance, Mangana, often referred to as ‘that gorgeous shop in Olinda’ has been a special place to so many people, locally and around the world and will be sadly missed.

support with core activities due to age, chronic illness or profound disability.

About 15 per cent of residents provide unpaid care to a person due to disability, health condition or age.

“There is 20 per cent of our population with disabilities, but as well as that, the help needed by their carers is enormous,” Cr Cox said.

“If you’ve got someone in your family that is severely disabled, the carer does enormous work to look out, mostly unpaid work.

“And they do it just out of love. Those people also need to be remembered. They are very important people.”

The community members will be able to watch the snapshot video of the previous EAIS achievements on YRC’s special media channels and via YRC’s online newsletter.

At the same council meeting, Yarra Ranges resident Ivor Wolstencroft presented a proposal for change, with more projects in Yarra Ranges focusing on connectivity for the disabled.

Mr Wolstencroft’s wife has a mitochondrial disease and said although the big projects that YRC has done are fantastic when they stand alone, they fail to connect with other parts of the community.

“Because I do work at Mount Dandenong, I had the pleasure of seeing the relatively new Chelsea Garden. The disability access is fantastic once you’re in the garden but if you try to get from the front entrance to the garden, it’s just impossible if you are in a wheelchair,” he said.

“You could see the connectivity that was missing between the disabled toilet and the Warburton wharf. You just can’t get there in a wheelchair.

“I think each individual project satisfies planning regulations but the building regulations can be behind what’s actually happening in the community.”

Yarra Ranges councillors promised to connect Mr Wolstencroft to the YRC’s Disability Advisory Committee to talk about the issues that he has found.

“For us, Mangana has been more than just a store; it has been a cherished part of our lives, a place where memories were made and friendships forged, but now it’s time to hang up our retail boots and spend more time with our family.”

As the torch passes to new stewards, ‘Tea Leaves’, who will relocate from Sassafras in 2025, we eagerly await the next chapter for the building that is such a huge part of Olinda’s history.

“We want to thank all our customers who supported Mangana over the years. You are why it was a success and why we loved doing it for so long. We’re having our first (and last) sale with 20% off everything. Drop in and say goodbye and grab some final bargains on those pieces you’ve always wanted. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!”

Mangana may be closing its doors, but its legacy will live on in the hearts of all who have had the privilege of being part of its journey. Drop in and take a piece of Mangana home with you today.

20% OFF UNTIL SOLD OUT!

Mangana, 29 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda

Open Daily 10am – 5.30pm

“Thank

you for your 40 years of loyalty. We can’t go without saying good-bye.”

YRC will share three reports with the community via YRC’s website. Picture: UNSPLASH

Past to guide tree future

By Mikayla van Loon

What started as a reaction to the devastation of the 2021 storms has turned into a sustainable education venture, allowing people to heal and learn about regenerative practices.

Three years later, the expansion of Treasuring Our Trees (TOT) continues with big plans on the horizon for its founder David Ferrier.

But reflection, commemoration and celebration of what the community endured was not forgotten at the anniversary of the storm and TOT Lilydale open day on 8 June.

“The event on Saturday was a catch up community day. A chance to share the story, talking about what we’ve achieved so far in the last 12 months, especially because it’s the third anniversary since the big event,” Mr Ferrier said.

“I’ve never forgotten the stories and the characters and the families and people still to this day, who were struggling before the storm happened. People who have mental health issues, financial issues, disabilities, the elderly.

“We made some beautiful relationships, and I spoke about them at the end of my little talk on Saturday up on the stage and how we feel a crazy responsibility and obligation to represent all those beautiful people and our whole community.”

It’s that responsibility Mr Ferrier has carried with him recently to Canberra to meet and speak with Australia’s politicians, to tell the story of the Yarra Ranges during the storm and the outcomes that have occurred since.

“There’s lots of wonderful community groups around Australia that get together and

support the community after these events but what we did differently was we took it to another level by essentially building partnerships with local, state and federal government to salvage materials and then transform them into what we now call educational tools.

“So by building kitchen gardens, indoor furniture, graduation pens, everything we do, children learn about sustainability, about caring for the environment, about our program, how to care for the community and so it’s really evolved over the last two or three years.”

Native timber support available now

Native timber harvesting has ended in Victoria but support is still available.

Native timber businesses, workers and communities can continue to access a range of support including:

• The Victorian Forestry Worker Support Program –including payments and training, 1:1 case management, employment services, health and wellbeing support.

• Business support

– including exit packages and funding to help diversify.

• Community support

– health and wellbeing services and community development planning and funding.

For more information:

• Forestry Transition hotline1800 318 182

• Victorian Forestry Worker Support Program - 1800 122 001 vic.gov.au/forestry

Having completed around 13 school projects across the Yarra Ranges, working with the Department of Transport in Montrose to salvage majority of the trees set for removal at the new intersection and delivering workshops in the educational hub in Lilydale, TOT only intends to grow.

From discussions with Traditional Owners in Cape York to working with some of Victoria’s biggest build projects, Mr Ferrier said the idea of rejuvenating areas with salvaged trees is catching on.

“My vision in the beginning was to replicate our program around Australia,” Mr Ferrier said.

The impact of TOT has not only reached interstate but Mr Ferrier said he has been invited to join an international conference in New Zealand next year.

“Sometimes I stop and I get shivers thinking about the social impact we’re making,” he said.

“Through our program and then with our collaborations with others through the community projects, you think about the tens of thousands of people we are reaching.

“In the schools alone, it’s tens of thousands of students, then you’ve got parents and you’ve got the teachers, the staff, the families and the wider community around the schools.”

Eventually the goal is to establish a training centre to expand that educational purpose even further for not only schools but teachers, professionals and community groups.

It’s with that vision in mind too that Mr Ferrier said TOT is on the path to becoming a social enterprise.

“We always wanted to set it up so we could show people what we do because we’ve learned over three years the power of improving the mental health and well being of the community through our work.

“And we thought, ‘hey, how cool would it be if we can actually get people on the tools if they want to learn’.

“We’re not quite there yet but that’s where it’s heading.”

The Lilydale factory space known as the educational hub adds to the learning experience of schools and community. 412967

The mill is an important aspect of the educational hub to show the full process of salvaging the timber for use. 412967

Darren Wandin conducted the welcome to Country and smoking ceremony.

Picture: SUPPLIED

Treasuring Our Trees founder Dave Ferrier’s most recent project was creating the recognition plaques for the Koorie Student Showcase. 412967 Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

NEWS Migration Bill in committee

By Gabriella Vukman

Introduced by the government and passed in the House of Representatives on March 26, the Migration Amendment (Removals and Other Measures) Bill 2024, is currently going through a committee process.

This Committee process entails dissecting the bill section by section, suggesting amendments and voting on each individual clause.

Upon its original introduction, the Bill proposed three amendments with the aim of the first to encourage the cooperation of non-refugees and other peoples who ‘have no right to be in Australia’ with their ‘lawful removal from Australia’ should they not voluntarily choose to leave.

Maintaining that “other countries should cooperate with Australia to facilitate the lawful return of their citizens,” the second section of the bill is centred around diplomatic relations with other nations.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson said in an SBS interview, “We recognise there is a public policy problem here.”

“When there are people who are found not to be refugees who refuse to cooperate with their own removal and that means they can languish in Australia for many years longer than they should, then the government does need powers to deal with that,” Mr Patterson said.

The final section of the bill offers the Minister for Immigration “a new power to designate a country as a removal concern country.” People from these ‘removal concern countries’ will not be able to make new visa applications so long as this ‘removal concern’ remains in place.

The Bill suggests that countries that refuse “to accept returns of their own citizens,” will be designated as ‘removal concern countries.’

Currently, Coalition and Labor Senators

have made 19 recommendations to improve the Government’s Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024, with the committee publishing 118 different submissions during the inquiry.

Casey MP Aaron Violi said “Labor has flagrantly disregarded the submissions of multicultural communities and legal experts by failing to address their legitimate concerns throughout the inquiry process.”

“As a result, the Coalition has proposed a range of sensible recommendations to put safeguards on the powers proposed by the bill,” Violi said.

Labor was contacted but did not provide a comment.

Member of the Healesville group Regional Australians for Refugees and former refugee Bob Rich said, “I was only a kid when I came and I was accompanying my uncle but if this bill had been in action in Australia when I

came, we would no doubt have chosen another country.”

“If you commit a crime you are sent to jail and that is the lawful process where everybody understands what is going on. Here we have people sent to places like Naru or New Guinea or imprisoned within Australia without being afforded a trial and with no end in sight,” Mr Rich said.

“This Bill was rushed through with quite insufficient debate allowed.”

The proposed bill’s swift introduction is said to have been intended to beat the High Court Ruling of Iranian man ASF17, who has been detained in Australia after refusing to cooperate with his own deportation back to Iran.

Yarra Junction Local and former refugee Rahmat Ali Zadah said, “People and Government might think refugees just want to arrive and have Centrelink, or maybe they think that it’s not safe for Australia to accept more

refugees but in my experience, the refugees I shared accommodation with, all wanted a safe and happy life for them and their families.”

“The majority are skilled people who want to work hard and contribute to Australia. If they are accepted in Australia they are happy to adjust their life to fit in easily here,” Rahmat said.

“I am working very hard and have now applied to be reunited with my family who are living in Afghanistan where it is not safe for them. I have a wife and children who I have not seen in more than a decade. I hope to have them safe and happy with me here in Australia.”

Titled as a refugee and waiting in Indonesia for over a decade before becoming a permanent resident of Australia, Rahmat maintains that his own personal journey would not have been affected by this Bill.

“My personal journey would not have been different as I waited in refugee accommodation for more than 10 years and I arrived with a humanitarian visa but these amendments will affect other refugees who are in danger and deserve a life of protection in Australia unless they commit a serious crime then they will get sent back,” Rahmat said.

“Also the refugees left in Indonesia respect the border rules and want to arrive in Australia legally, however the government closed the access to Australia.”

“The Government thinks refugees in Indonesia are in a good condition, however more than 16 people committed suicide over the duration of my stay there due to the situation they are in,” Rahmat said.

Minister for Immigration Giles Scullin presented the bill and said “The Migration Amendment (Removals and Other Measures) Bill 2024 will provide the government with necessary tools to strengthen our immigration compliance framework, including to better manage immigration detention.”

Mt Evelyn Bendigo Bank

Better banking support schools.

The Mt Evelyn Bendigo Community Bank is committed to helping create stronger, more connected communities.

Banking locally with our branch in Mt Evelyn means projects like the upgrade to the façade of Yarra Hills Secondary College are possible. As Principal Leighton O’Donnell continues his work improving the programs and facilities at the school, we were delighted to be able to fund a refresh of the building’s external walls with a bright and bold mural, created by local artist David Monks.

“The Yarra Hills Mt Evelyn Campus has formed a special relationship with the Mt Evelyn Bendigo Community Bank over many years. Our campus has undergone significant changes inside and out and we cannot thank the bank enough for their support,” said Principal O’Donnell.

The Mt Evelyn Bendigo Community Bank supports local schools in many ways, supporting arts, sports, and development programs, and we also support other groups within the Yarra Hills College campus area including soccer, netball, kinder and the Yara Ranges SDS.

John Stroud, Chair of the bank said “there are great things happening at Yarra Hills Secondary College, and right around our communities here in Mt Evelyn, Montrose and beyond. We know how important it is to be able to provide additional funds to undertake projects that make a real difference to the lives of our community.”

We thank every person who banks with us as it is your banking that makes this possible.

If you’d like to find out more about how you can do better banking to have a big impact, contact our team on 9737 1833 or visit us at 2/35-39 Wray Crescent, Mt Evelyn.

Mt Evelyn Bendigo Community Bank: Find us at Shop 2, 35-39 Wray Crescent, Mt Evelyn, call on 9737 1833, or send us an email at mtevelynmailbox@bendigoadelaide.com.au

Annual Girls’ Day Out fun

By Mikayla van Loon

The second annual Montrose Girls Day Out event is scheduled for this week, looking to champion women and girls in sport and bringing the broader community together.

To say the event has grown since its inaugural debut last year, Montrose senior women’s coach Shilette Baker would say is an understatement.

With the support of the Eastern Football Netball League, the junior girls and senior women’s games were all scheduled to be played on the day of the event being Sunday 23 June.

Baker said she was incredibly grateful to see the event garnering so much support from the league and the Waverley Blues senior women’s team who agreed to play on Sunday.

“This has been a challenge for the EFNL to not only coordinate our womens/girls games at the same location, but with one of the biggest junior clubs in the league, to coordinate all of our boys teams offsite, has been a huge undertaking,” she said.

Receiving such incredible feedback, not only from within the Montrose Football Netball Club but from community members who attended in 2023, Baker said the idea of celebrating women and girls in sport, business owners and female leaders really resonated with everyone.

“We’ve gone along with the same thoughts of what our Girls Day Out has been about all along, and that is to give a platform to promote and support local girls/womens programs, whilst gathering a crowd to increase our profile as a women’s team at Montrose, but with more time up our sleeves, market stalls and other businesses have been able to jump on board and be present on the day,” she said.

Being able to coordinate more speakers, including Yarra Ranges Council chief executive officer Tammi Rose, Bridge Builders director Beck Mitchell and Zae and Co founder Bonnie Davey, as well as AFLW players Mia Austin and Delany Madigan, Baker said touches on all aspects of health and wellbeing, business and community.

“All of the speakers we approached were on board straight away and could see it as a chance to tell their stories and to inspire women and girls on how we can connect, grow and support each other to achieve our individual or community goals.”

This year’s event will also be raising funds for the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation, something Baker said was an important crossover with the demographics of women and girls potentially attending or participat-

ing in Girls Day Out.

“By raising awareness of regular Cervical Screening Tests, (formerly referred to as the Pap test), and the availability of the HPV vaccine, ACCF is making enormous strides towards keeping Australia on track to make cervical cancer a thing of the past, and is on track to effectively eliminate cervical cancer by 2035.

“We are proud that 100 per cent of profits from our donations, raffles and morning tea will be donated directly to the ACCF. Giving the ACCF a platform on a day celebrating girls and women, we can encourage more regular Cervical Screening Tests that can help save lives.”

Wanting the event to be all inclusive, Baker said she was also proud to have two All Abilities Netball clubs running some clinics and games on the day.

And while all of the junior boys games have been scheduled to be played offsite for the day, Baker said it was important to remember that men and boys were welcome to join the festivities.

“This isn’t just a day for women and girls to support each other, we need and welcome support from men and boys - fathers, sons, brothers, friends, for not only these special days, but every game, every business, every charity on a day to day basis,” she said.

“The main message I would like everyone to take away from the day, is that it doesn’t need to be a special day for us to continue to see, recognise and support women and girls in all of these fields.”

With a full day planned, it all gets underway at 9am with a wellbeing morning tea before showcasing the talents of the women’s and girls football and netball teams, as well as local creators, artisans and traders.

Girls Day Out 2023 saw netball teams display their skills. Pictures: T.E.W PHOTOGRAPHY

Girls Day Out is a celebration of women and girls in sport.

Richard faces Yarra trek

By Callum Ludwig

One man is set to show his support for Alfred Health with a herculean effort to swim and trek the length of the Yarra River on 1 February 2025.

Richard Payne will be 70 years old when he takes on the challenge and has been training extensively for the feat of endurance.

Mr Payne said the year before Covid he decided he felt like he could do it, having walked a bit in his time and swam the English Channel back in 2010.

“It’s my 70th birthday present to myself, six mates and a bottle of wine won’t cut it this year, but I’m also doing it for the cause of the Alfred Hospital who have looked after me brilliantly for the last ten years,” he said.

“I now have emphysema and have also been looked after by the melanoma department of the hospital and if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Mr Payne will be either swimming or walking 242km along theYarra River, starting out in Reefton and finishing on Williamstown Beach.

Mr Payne said he won’t let his illness define who he is.

“It will be a struggle because I don’t have high cardio anymore, like when I did the channel, I spent over a day doing it but I don’t have that type of cardio anyone, so I will be doing 15 minutes of activity, five minutes of rest,” he said.

“I was born deaf and have two hearing aids, had broken lungs from asthma all my life, dropped out of school at 14 and didn’t enter the university system, another big hard knock I had was when I was 18 and my first fiance was smacked up in a car accident, then my first wife died of cancer at 30, and I’ve had bowel cancer, melanoma and now emphysema,”

“But I kept telling myself that, I’m not that diseased or uneducated person, I’m not that

deaf person or I’m not that asthmatic, I have all that and it does wear me out but I always find a way to bounce back again.”

MrPaynehasbeentrainingforover15hours a week including three months of walking back and forth in shallow waters and uneven terrain, three months of weekly yoga classes and

six months of weight training, flexibility and agility with his personal trainer so far. He also has engaged a regional hunter to assist him in trekking parts of the terrain alongside theYarra River in the Upper Yarra region.

Mr Payne said he’s split the event up into a few parts.

“The first route from Reefton into Warburton is a combination of swimming and walking because of the rapids, then I’ll be swimming about 50km of the way from Warburton to Dight’s Falls [in Abbottsford] though there are some rapids along the way, wearing one type of wetsuit, helmet and visor for that,” he said.

“From Dight’s Falls to Port Melbourne which is the dirty part of theYarra, I’ll be wearing an entirely different wetsuit, very thick and sealed from top to toe and a full face mask with two air tubes at the top, so I don’t have to breathe any water on the freestyle and then I can swim across to Williamstown Beach.”

Mr Payne is hoping to get in touch with any local schools in the Upper Yarra who would like to interview or speak to him along the first leg of his journey through the local area as well as for any locals to share pictures or their knowledge of the Yarra River locally to help him better understand parts of the river he’s not yet familiar with.

Anyone interested in donating to Mr Payne’s cause can do so at fundraising.alfredfoundation.org.au/richard-payne.

Richard Payne has been training hard this year in preparation.

Richard Payne is setting out on a feat of endurance to fundraise for Alfred Health. Pictures: SUPPLIED

Where to pick up your FREE Star Mail

CHIRNSIDE PARK Meadowgate Milk Bar3 Meadowgate Drive

CHIRNSIDE PARK Coles Supermarket239-241 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK Woolworths Supermarket239-241 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK Caltex Safeway239-241 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK EG Fuelco Service StationChirnside Park Shopping Cr Little

Chipping Drive, 241 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK 7 - Eleven 242 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK Chirnside Park Country Club 68 Kingswood Drive

CROYDON NORTH Croydon Hills Milk Bar158 Nangathan Way

CROYDON NORTH Eastfield Milk Bar11 The Mall

KILSYTH Woolworths SupermarketChuringa SC, Russo Place

KILSYTH Woolworths SupermarketCanterbury Road Kilsyth

KILSYTH Kilsyth Laundrette Unit 7/87 Colchester Road

LILYDALE Lilydale Marketplace SC33-45 Hutchinson Street

LILYDALE Lilydale Village SC51-59 Anderson Street

LILYDALE Woolworths SupermarketMarketplace, 33 Hutchinson Street

LILYDALE Coles Supermarket Lilydale VillageCastella Street & Maroondah Highway

LILYDALE Lilydale Community Centre7 Hardy Street

LILYDALE Lilydale Lakeside Conference and Events Centre1 Jarlo Drive

LILYDALE United Petrol Service Station473 Maroondah Highway

LILYDALE Caltex Lilydale346 Main Street

LILYDALE Caltex Woolworths31 Hutchinson Street

LILYDALE BP Service Station87 Warburton Highway

LILYDALE Shell Service Station469 Maroondah Highway

LILYDALE 7 - Eleven LilydaleCnr Maroondah Highway & Cave Hill Road

LILYDALE Coles Express469 Maroondah Highway

LILYDALE Hutch & Co Cafe251 Main Street

LILYDALE Round Bird Can't Fly170 Main Street

LILYDALE The Lilydale General110 Beresford Road

LILYDALE Yarra Valley Smokery96 Main Street

LILYDALE Bee Seen Cafe178 Main Street

LILYDALE Blue Turtle Cafe222 Main Street

LILYDALE Gracious GraceCastella Street

LILYDALE Melba Coffee House33-45 Hutchinson Street

LILYDALE Lilydale Munchies7/75 Cave Hill Road

LILYDALE Point of View CafeLilydale Lakeside - Jarlo Drive

LILYDALE Freda's Cafe2 Clarke Street

LILYDALE Barry Plant Real Estate88 Main Street

LILYDALE Ray White Real Estate164 Main Street

LILYDALE Hello Harry245 Main Street

LILYDALE Noel Jones Real Estate 281 Main Street

LILYDALE Professionals Real Estate111-113 Main Street

LILYDALE Grubs Up1 Industrial Park Drive

LILYDALE Mc Donalds RestaurantMaroondah Highway

LILYDALE Olinda Creek HotelMaroondah Hwy

LILYDALE Crown HotelMaroondah Hwy

LILYDALE Yarra Ranges Council 61 - 65 Anderson Street

MONTROSE Montrose Authorised Newsagency 912 Mt Dandenong Road

MONTROSE IGA Supermarket Mt Dandenong Road

MONTROSE Bell Real Estate 896 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road

MOUNT EVELYN Fast Fuel 1 Hereford Road

MOUNT EVELYN IGA Supermarket 38- 40 York Road

MOUNT EVELYN Post Office 12 Station Street

MOUNT EVELYN Authorised Newsagency 1A Wray Crescent

MOUNT EVELYN Red Robyn Milk Bar 35 Hereford Road

MOUNT EVELYN Library 50 Wray Cresent

MOUNT EVELYN Milkbar 28 Birmingham Road

MOUNT EVELYN Bendigo Bank 2/35-39 Wray Cres

MONTROSE IGA Supermarket916 Mt Dandenong Road

MOOROOLBARK Coles Supermarket15 Brice Avenue

MOOROOLBARK Bendigo BankUnit 19/66 - 74 Brice Ave

MOOROOLBARK Corner Milk Bar38 Bellara Dive

MOOROOLBARK Fang & Yaoxin Mini Mart108 Hayrick Lane

MOOROOLBARK BP Mooroolbark103 Cardigan Road

MOOROOLBARK Coles Express2 Cambridge Road

MOOROOLBARK Professionals Real EstateBrice Avenue

MOOROOLBARK L J HookerBrice Avenue

MOOROOLBARK Fletchers Real Estate 1/14 Manchester Road

MOOROOLBARK Mc Donalds RestaurantManchester Road

MOOROOLBARK 7-Eleven Manchester Road

MOUNT EVELYN York on Lilydale138 York Road

WANDIN NORTH Wandin Newsagency Shop 2 /18 Union Road

Music and merriment

By Mikayla van Loon

A long-held fundraising partnership will return next week as the Singularity Choir and St Margaret’s Uniting Church come together bringing music and joy to support disadvantaged Ugandan young people.

The Choir will once again perform one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most credited plays, The Gondoliers, at the church in Mooroolbark on Sunday 23 June.

The performance, which starts at 2pm, is in support of RubagaYouth Development Association (RYDA), a not-for-profit founded in 1992.

“It is dedicated to providing vocational and life skill training for orphaned and vulnerable youths aged 12 to 18, male and female,” RYDA support coordinator Doug Wiliams said.

“They continue to accommodate, teach, feed and care for 100-200 young people at their Kampala live-in campus.”

St Margaret’s Uniting Church has been supporting the Ugandan association since 1996 and the concerts are just one of the ways it fundraises for the continuation of the program, which receives no government funding.

The Singularity Choir will donate their time to put on a display of incredible talent and song.

Presenting The Gondoliers, a story of two men, Marco and Giuseppe, raised as brothers, despite one being a prince and the other a commoner, set in the ancient city of Venice.

Which one is which however, is the plot

twist - their father, King of Barataria, could not remember and died before being able to reveal who was who.

Add in a love interest who seeks her husband with catchy, lyrical, harmonious music, fabulous period costumes and an enthusiastic choir, Mr Williams said “the outcome must surely be an afternoon of music and merriment not to be missed”.

Everyone is welcome to join the day. Tickets at the door: $10 per person (eftpos available) including afternoon tea. All proceeds go towards RYDA.

Community voices needed

Yarra Ranges has put a call out to help set their agenda over the next few years.

The Yarra Ranges Council is calling on interested people within the community to have in-depth conversations about some of the opportunities and difficult decisions the region will face over the coming years as part of the development of the Council Plan for 2025-2029. Yarra Ranges Mayor, Cr Sophie Todorov, said that this was a great opportunity for community members to have a more ‘in-depth’ look at the role of Council and to offer further input into future planning for the region. “We’ve had a fantastic amount of input and feedback from the community into our next Council Plan so far, so the next step now is to form a community panel to hold the microscope over what we’ve heard in more detail,” she said.

The Community Panel will meet on four different occasions between July and August to ask questions and provide input into the direction of Council, what Council’s priorities should be and discuss some of the more difficult challenges and decisions that Council faces moving forward.

Cr Todorov said they are reaching out to as many people as possible to be part of the panel so we can have representatives from the many facets ofYarra Ranges life.

“We’re looking for around 30-40 commu-

nity members who reflect our community including diverse ages, backgrounds, where you live and your life experiences,” she said.

“You don’t need to have expert knowledge, just a willingness to contribute in a group setting, learn from others and have an open mind to finding solutions and be interested in helping create a better future for the Yarra Ranges.” “Whilst being part of the Panel will be a time commitment, there is compensation available for the time it takes and more information on that can be found at www.shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au.”

“This is a great opportunity to have some meaningful conversations and share ideas with fellow community members to help inform our Council Plan, which is one of the most important pieces of work we do in each four-year cycle,” said Cr Todorov.

All sessions will take place on Saturdays¸ 9.30am-3.30pm, at the Lilydale Civic Centre on 20 July, 3 August and 17 August, plus an online introductory session on Wednesday 17 July. For more information or to register your interest in becoming a part of the panel, visit https://shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov. au/yarra-ranges-shape-your-future/community-panel-deliberative-engagement or call Council on 1300 368 333.

Applications for the Community Panel close 30 June.

Council is calling on interested people within our community to have in-depth conversations about some of the opportunities and difficult decisions we will face over the coming years as part of the development of the Council Plan 2025-2029.

Picture: ON FILE

Marco and Giuseppe look forward to meeting you at St Margaret’s for a performance of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers.

Picture: MARGARET TYSON

Showcasing Koorie works

By Mikayla van Loon

Another cohort of new and returning students from across the Yarra Valley passed through the Koorie Student Program for 2024 producing an impressive collection of work.

TheYarra Ranges Tech School (YRTS) based program introduces First Nations students to various technologies, inviting them to produce a project of their own, telling of their connection to Country if they choose.

Given the creative freedom to use the variety of technologies available to them, from laser cutting machines to 3D printers, the final projects were put on display on Thursday 13 June.

For YRTS chief executive officer Travis Burroughs, who oversaw his first Koorie Student Program since joining the school late last year, it was incredible to see the growth of the cohort.

“You see the growth and it’s a really positive thing and you see the kids take ownership of the space,” he said.

But he said seeing the showcase and the excitement of the students to present their work to their school teachers and YRTS staff was the best part of the program.

“The kids being proud of their work and having that ability to speak about it, wanting to speak about it. It says a lot about the growth they’ve had and seeing that is pretty inspirational,” Travis said.

First time participant from Lilydale Heights College, Spencer, said only discovering he was Aboriginal a year ago led to his desire to participate in the program this year and he now intends on returning next year.

Producing a laser cut welcome to Country sign, Spencer said began with a few trial runs using the engraver, as well as the standard wording for a traditional welcome.

“So for the first one, I made the design and then put the wording in, I copied that directly from Google, but then I decided I wanted to change the wording and personalise it more towards me and make it my wording so it meant more to who I was,” he said.

In a surprise addition, Spencer’s design was also used on the recognition plaques made by Treasuring Our Trees founder Dave Ferrier, which are handed out to each of the schools as a congratulations for participating in the program.

“I hadn’t actually seen that until they handed them out this morning,” Spencer said on Thursday.

With “tons of new and different skills”, Spencer said he was grateful to have had so many opportunities through the program to explore a range of techniques.

Similarly for UpperYarra Secondary College students Charlotte, Year 8, and Margherita, Year 10, exploring new skills, outside of their normal interests, was surprisingly enjoyable.

Working with some other students, Margherita helped research and design a computer game intended for young people aged 12 to 15.

“I was helping create a game that’s based on the Frontier Wars. So I was collecting information about what happened so we could add realistic elements into it and informative parts,” she said.

“We chose to do the game because we thought it’d be a good, light hearted way to

present information on what happened even though it’s quite a dark topic.”

Margherita said she enjoyed being able to “use creative aspects in our work but still being able to do something that’s going to teach people about Indigenous culture”.

Although taking a different path for her project designing a collection of earrings, sports tops and a totem pole, Charlotte said the tech tasters really helped her narrow down what she wanted to do and “you don’t realise how much you like it until you try it”.

“I liked all the different opportunities, and all the different schools collaborating together, making new friends, and learning of all the different cultural experiences,” she said.

Lilydale District and Yarra Valley Education Plan project manager Brooke Kogelman said this year she andYRTS really wanted the showcase to be student-led, to match the external aims of the education department of giving students a voice.

“It’s all about the students and hearing from them, hearing what they have to say about education and what they want to be seen and what they want to see in their schools,” she said.

“Outside of this program, we run a lot of opportunities for the students to have their voice heard, and give feedback. It can be daunting to share your experiences and to share what you think but we really are proud of them, that they have the courage to do that.”

Seeing the variety year after year and the individuality that is expressed through each design, Brooke said, was incredibly rewarding as someone who was a teacher for 17 years.

“For me having this opportunity to encourage and empower them to come and seeing them come year after year, some are already talking about their projects for next year, which is exciting. It just puts everything back into perspective about why we do what we do,” Brooke said.

Cire featured in Vasili’s Garden to Kitchen magazine

By Callum Ludwig

Cire Services is celebrating a partnership that has lasted over six years and has given Cire Training (Registered Training Organisation RTO) and Community School students a platform to show off their culinary creations.

Students have been featured in a regular Cire Community Kids feature in the quarterly Vasili’s Garden to Kitchen magazine headed by celebrity gardener Vasili Kanidiadis of the Vasili’s Garden show after he was impressed by their Community Cookbook at the Cire AGM in 2018.

Manager of communications and content at Cire Services Kinnear Miller said Cire is delighted to have a long-standing relationship with Vasili.

“It is an exciting opportunity for Cire to feature students’ work in the magazine, the recognition and celebration of their work benefits them and engages readers,” she said.

“Students are at the heart of the story, and their learning is shared with Vasili’s audience, seeing themselves in the magazine boosts their pride, and they eagerly share it with others.”

Themed dishes and crafted recipes have been made by Cire students over the years for the magazine, first by Middle Years students and now prominently by the VET Delivered to Secondary Students (VETDSS) who are completing their Certificate II in Cookery.

Ms Miller said Cire students have recently completed the Winter edition and are gearing up for the Spring issue.

“The upcoming steps involve brainstorming the theme, developing recipes, and plan-

ning the project to meet deadlines collectively,” she said.

“Being part of the magazine allows us to showcase the community school and engage students and staff in the entire process, from theme selection to the photo shoot,” she said.

Cre has participated in 25 editions of the magazine to date, with the latest seeing VETDSS from Cire Training pairing up with Cire Community School students and focusing on sustainable food. Students learnt how

to make the most out of an animal, boning and then portioning out a whole chicken to reduce food waste.

Ms Miller said cooking and gardening offer students valuable learning experiences, social interactions, and potential career paths.

“Cooking fosters creativity and supports core subjects like numeracy,” she said.

“Additionally, tending to the community garden is a favourite activity among students,

where they learn about herbs, composting, and sustainability.”

The community garden at the Yarra Junction Community School campus, the purpose-built kitchen and the help of head chef and teacher Ian Sepping have been heavily involved in the partnership while Cire has also welcomed qualified chef Emily Sullivan who trains cookery and tourism at the Lilydale Training campus. Students from Cire campuses across the Outer East have participated.

L-R: Qualified Chef Emily Sullivan (right) offers some hands-on help. Pictures: SUPPLIEDZahlia keeping a keen eye on the pot.

Year 9 student Spencer from Lilydale Heights College with his laser cut design. 412963 Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

Upper Yarra Secondary College Year 8 student Charlotte and Year 10 student Margherita. 412963

Tori from Mooroolbark College showcasing their virtual reality technology. 412963

Helping to ease pressure

Cost of living pressures are hitting people in our community hard, which is why the 202425 Allan Labor Government State Budget is dedicated to helping Victorians.

We’re providing a one-off School Saving Bonus at the start of 2025 to help cover the cost of school-related expenses for all students in state schools and students at non-Government schools from low-income families. This program will ensure that the cost of learning essentials and the extracurricular activities which children enjoy will be covered by our State Government.

This budget is giving children the tools they need to be their best in the classroom and beyond by tripling our free Glasses for Kids program. This program has already helped

Comedy, circus fun Kemp’s curtain call

Gemco Players Night Watch

Two types of people laugh at the law, those that break it and those that make it.

Set in Ankj-Morpork, one of the most thoroughly imagined cities in fantasy, Night Watch is the story of Sam Vims, running hero of the Guards sequence, who finds himself cast back in time to the Anks0Morpork of his youth. With a psychopath from his own time rising in the vile ranks of the Cable Street Unmentionables complication things, Vimes has to ensure that history takes its course so that he will have the right future to go back to and keep his younger self alive. Season opens July 12 and Bookings at 598 2844.

Burrinja Circus Festival

Children are Stinky – all ages

Packed with lots of fun, lightning fast Hula Hooping, daredevil balances, incredible acrobats, and loads of comedy. Children are Stinky will have both adults and kids with their jaws on the floor wanting to see more.

Season: Sunday June 30 at 4pm. Venue Burrinja Theatre. Running time approximately 50 minutes no intermission. Circus Mix – Kids: 5 – 132 years

Try a little of everything in Circus Mix! These classes are the perfect place to explore general circus skills like juggling, tumbling, hula hoops, trapeze and more.

July 2 11.15am. 2.45pm. July 3, 11.15am, 3.24pm. July 4. 11.15am , 2.45pm.

The Woman in Black

Britain’s second longest running play after The Mousetrap, The Woman in Black tells the story of a lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over him and his family by the spectre of a Woman in Black. He engages a sceptical young actor to help him tell his terrifying story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul. It all begins innocently enough, but then, as they reach further into his darkest memories, they find themselves caught up in a world of eerie marshes and moaning winds.

John Waers is Arthur Kipps the solicitor and Daniel Macpherson is the actor. but throughout the story they change places and Daniel becomes the young Arthur Kipps. When they are portraying each other at the site of the story John Waters plays all the locals. A wonderful evening of theatre and one had shivers running up and down one’s spine.

The state affairs

of

Daniela De Martino MP Member for Monbulk

over 34,000 children across our state and this investment will help 74,000 more by providing free vision screening and prescription glasses for students who need it.

Glasses for Kids compliments our Smile

CARTOON

Squad Program – providing free dental care in government schools. Smile Squad has already provided care to more than 82,000 students and handed out more than 350,000 oral health packs.

An investment of $21.1 million will expand the School Breakfast Club Program to provide free nutritious breakfast to every government school. This expansion will see 150 additional schools invited to join the program at the beginning of next year before rolling out to remaining schools from June 2025, making sure no student starts the day hungry.

The popular Get Active Kids vouchers are being funded once again. We’re investing $6 million to provide up to $200 to help eligible families with the cost of sporting club registra-

Promoting a reading habit

Warm Winter Read (#WWR2024 #WarmWinterRead) is a campaign by Public Libraries Victoria, to encourage readers aged 16+ across the State to develop long-lasting reading habits. Whether it’s books, magazines, ebooks, or eAudiobooks – reading is highly beneficial for our physical and mental wellbeing.

As Warm Winter Read explains: “Engaging in reading for pleasure can help reduce depression, loneliness, and dementia, while enhancing empathy, self-esteem, and cultural awareness.”Your Library Ltd (formerly Eastern Regional Libraries) says it even better: “Reading is vital to a healthier, happier, more connected nation.”

The campaign helps readers track the days that they read over June, July and August 2024. By registering with Warm Winter Rea (https:// vic.readbooks.com.au/wwr), readers can create their own account by selecting their local library service. They are then challenged to read for at least 60 days – whether it is five minutes or five hours each day.

Readers are further challenged to complete six activities during the three-month period. These are not compulsory – but you can receive reward points and badges that eventually give you a chance to win some bookish prizes.

For example, readers can create a cosy reading spot, “complete with blankets, pillows, and your favourite hot beverage”. They can start reading a new series of books OR the next book in a series. They can also get out and about with an audiobook, “on your commute to work, walking the dog, or while completing household chores”.

The other challenges include “Literary pair or share” (whip up a recipe from the pages of a book or pair a meal or drink with your latest read), “Discover worlds” (read a title that transports your mind), and “Recommend or review a title”.

Indeed, as of the writing of this article, readers on Warm Winter Read have already re-

PASSION FOR PROSE

WITH CHRISTINE SUN

viewed books such as Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick, and A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas.

For those looking for reading inspirations, the campaign engaged eight Australian authors as ambassadors with fantastic book recommendations. Their own latest titles are also worth reading. These authors are: PipWilliams for the theme of “Time & Place”, Garry Disher for “Crime Fiction”, Shelly Parker-Chan for “Other Worlds”, Matt Preston for “Foodies”, Melissa Lucashenko for “Literary Fiction”, Alison Goodman for “Cosy Reads”, Ahona Guha for “Balance”, and Michael Earp for “Young Adults”.

This reviewer finds it easy to participate in Warm Winter Read. While some may think the campaign website a bit basic, it’s an excellent start, and there’s something special about sharing a space online with fellow bookworms across Victoria.

As British author Joanna Cannon said via The Guardian:“The human brain loves a game. Scratch the surface and you’ll find that most people are very goal-focused, because reaching a specific target releases a healthy dollop of dopamine into our system and we start to become very pleased with ourselves.”

Well, if it can encourage more people to start reading, then why not?

tion, uniforms and equipment.

In addition, we have provided funding to local food charities: the Philanthropic Collective, Foothills Community Care and Knox Infolink, so they can continue to provide food relief and crisis support to those across our community who need their help the most.

I encourage all veterans and seniors to apply for the Veterans Card and/or Seniors Card which provide discounts and benefits across the state. In addition, concession card holders may be eligible for energy, council rates and stamp duty concessions from the Victorian Government. Please don’t hesitate to contact my office on (03) 9754 5401 to learn more about these programs.

Vibrant and charming

Inside Out 2

Starring Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke Rated PG 4.5/5

As with the first Inside Out from 2015, Inside Out 2 is a vibrant, charming and deeply affecting adventure about being a well-rounded human being.

Inside the head of young teenager Riley (Kensington Tallman), her original team of five emotions, led by Joy (Amy Poehler), is thrown into turmoil by a new gaggle of emotions led by Anxiety (Maya Hawke).

Riley’s personified emotions are still incredibly likeable, and Anxiety, played to neurotic perfection by Hawke, is a prime illustration of the difference between an antagonist and a villain.

Anxiety is a disruptive, usurping presence in Riley’s head, but driven by intense care and protectiveness toward Riley; even very young children will understand that Anxiety needs to be stopped but won’t hate her.

The brisk, funny plot draws strong tension from Joy’s quest to restore order to Riley’s mind, interwoven with Riley’s efforts to succeed and gain new friends at a hockey camp.

I normally don’t like Macguffins as a dramatic motivator, but Riley’s Sense of Self is a crystal-clear goal with a tangible effect on her as a person.

Both Inside Out and this sequel stress the importance of emotional nuance and accepting the good and bad as formative, but Inside Out 2 has more of a focus on memory than feeling.

As with the cast of emotions, Riley’s mind has been expanded with new features and locations (including Riley’s imagination ingeniously portrayed as a kind of cartoon sweatshop), but some of these new visual metaphors feel slightly forced.

I also find it a little contrived that Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui (aka Boredom) only appear once Riley begins puberty.

An outstanding sequel that innovates but stays true to its predecessor, Inside Out 2 is playing in mostVictorian cinemas.

SPACE, STYLE, AND PARKLAND SURROUNDS

SPACE, STYLE, AND SPECTACULAR VIEWS

WITH plenty of space and style, picturesque parkland surrounds, and finishes designed for discerning homeowners, this idyllic 2,350sqm (approx.) property reads like the pages of a lifestyle magazine. Primed for new owners to move straight in, this is an incredible opportunity live somewhere special.

On the entry level, polished timber floors, vaulted ceilings, skylights, and access to the sprawling deck with glass balustrade are featured in the living area with wood fire, dining area, and contemporary kitchen. The chefs of the family will appreciate dual ovens, a gas cooktop, glass splashback, and abundant storage including a bonus cellar/ storeroom. With a large laundry also on this level, this home blends form and function with precision.

Upstairs, the mezzanine study with clerestory windows is the ideal place for working from home. The clever inclusion of dual ensuite bedrooms, including the main with private parents’ retreat, opens options for growing families and multi-generational living.

Additional highlights include gas ducted heating, a double carport with roller door, and a sweeping sealed drive with ample off-street parking and manicured box hedge. This property has it all.

Guaranteed to impress, this outstanding home requires prompt inspection to make it your own. Plan your viewing today.

•฀ Spectacular 2,350sqm (approx.) property with landscaped gardens

•฀ Magnificent 5-bedroom plus study home with dual ensuite bedrooms

•฀ Entry level living area with wood fire and kitchen with quality appliances

•฀ Covered deck with glass balustrade and upper level paved patio

•฀ Picturesque location in park-like surrounds. ●

HOME FOCUS

HOME WITH SUB DIVISION POTENTIAL STCA

LOCATED in a quiet leafy street in a soughtafter foothills suburb between Belgrave and Upwey and positioned on a massive block of 1,617 sqm, this character timber home is only a short stroll to Tecoma train station, shops, cafe, schools and reserves, and - a rarity for the hills - boasts the potential to subdivide (subject to council approval). The home offers a split-level floorplan with vehicle access to both levels.

The lower level comprises a generous lounge room with cathedral ceilings and a feature copper wood fireplace, as well as a master bedroom with walk-in robe and ensuite.

On the upper level there is a fully equipped timber kitchen overlooking the dining and family room, which open onto a spacious covered deck. There are also two additional bedrooms with built-in robes, main bathroom with separate powder room and a large laundry. Complete with the comfort of gas ducted heating and split system air conditioning, this home also boasts solar panels, a separate teenage bedroom, studio or home office, garden sheds, and ample off-street parking including double carport, single carport and double garage. Council zoning allows for a range of development options. What will you do with this magnificent site? Enjoy the comfortable family home and large leafy block? Add a second large residence in the back? Develop the site for multiple townhouses? There’s endless potential! A selection of concept plans have been drawn up by a design consultant. Contact us for copies of the plans! ●

ESCAPE TO YOUR RIVERSIDE PARADISE!

NESTLED on over 1 & 1/2 acres of lush land, and enjoying adjacent river reserve, this enchanting property offers a lifestyle of tranquility and leisure rarely found. Picture yourself basking in the warmth of summer, lounging on the sprawling park-like grassland beside the gently cascading waters, while your children playfully dip their toes in the refreshing river.

As the day fades into evening, retreat to your expansive rear veranda, where relaxation awaits. Here, you can unwind amidst nature’s beauty, perhaps indulging in a soothing soak in the outdoor clawfoot bath. Inside, a cozy ambiance beckons, courtesy of the slow combustion wood fire and split system, ensuring year-round comfort for your family in the cosy living spaces. The warmth of a lovely timber kitchen provides ample space to cook up a feast for the many family and friends who will no doubt be wanting to spend countless days sharing your company at this

special spot.

This property fulfills the dreams of many seeking a harmonious blend of nature and homely comfort. With two inviting bedrooms and an additional private studio or guest room, complete with its own little deck, the property offers versatility and seclusion. Invite all your family and friends to come and enjoy this blissful space as there is ample room for camping, and enjoying family activities.

Safety and security are paramount, thanks to the fenced backyard, providing peace of mind for both children and pets alike. And ample off-street parking, along with abundant shedding, and a secure shipping container that would be ideal to store motorbikes and the likes, further enhance the appeal of this idyllic retreat.

Don’t miss out on the chance to embrace a lifestyle of serenity and natural splendor. Your riverside paradise awaits! ●

UniquelyWarburtonVibeonover1/2acre

Stepinsidetodiscover ahavenofcharmandcharacter.Multiplelivingzonesofferendless possibilitiesforrelaxationandentertainment,fromthecozywarmthofthewoodfiretothecharm ofanopenfireplace.Whetheryou’reinneedof 3or4bedrooms,thishomeadaptstoyourlifestyle withease.Ascendtotheupstairsloftroomandbecaptivatedbypanoramicviewsfromthepicture windowandenjoyfreshairfromtheJulietbalcony.Downstairs,twogenerouslysizedbedroomsand twobathroomsawait,completewithpedestalbasins,baths,andtoilets.Themasterbedroomenjoys awalkthroughrobetotheensuite,lovelysashwindowsandviewsofyourgarden.Theversatile layoutoffersendlessoptions-astudy,library,formaldining,orsimplyleaveitopenforextraliving spacethechoiceisyours!Don’tmissthechancetomakethisextraordinaryhomeyours.

CharmingFamilyHomeclosetotown

Boastinggreatspace,convenienceandeasycarelivingforthegrowingfamily,ina quietand picturesquelocationclosetoallfacilities.Offering 4bedroomsallwithbuiltinrobesandwith3 separatebathroomsincludinganensuiteandwalkinrobeinthemainbedroom.A flexiblefloorplan withfamilyspaceinmindandconvenientlyspreadover 2levels,multiplelivingareaswithseparate lounge/livingandfamilyroomsofferthegrowingorextendedfamilyamplespacetospread out.Beautifulkitchenloadsofbenchandcupboardspacewithqualityappliancesandfittings throughout,outsideofferslowmaintenanceestablishedgardensanda lockupgarage.A superb familyhomeconvenientlysituatedjusta shortstrolltoYarraJunctionsbusyshoppingprecinct,local schools,transportandtheYarraCentre.

DavidCarroll M 0419539320

CharacterlivinginParkroad,thelocationtobe! Thischarmingweatherboardhomeisanidealchoiceforweekendgetawaysordownsizing. Boasting 2bedroomsplusa study/ 3rdbedroom,itoffersflexibilitytosuityourlifestyle.Theopen plankitchenfeaturesamplenaturallight,a spaciousgasoven, acozywoodfire,andceilingfans throughoutforyearroundcomfort.Themainbedroomoffersgenerousstorage,whiletheupdated bathroomincludes avanity,showerandtoilet.Thecharacterhomecomeswiththecomfortof recentrenovationsincludingnewroof,weatherboardsreplacedjusttoname afewofthemajor improvements.Outside,thehighlightisthedeckwithcafeblindsandbreathtakingmountainviews. With afullyfenced,lowmaintenanceyardandconvenientaccesstothemainstreet,waterpark, Yarrariverwalk,andallthedelightsofWarburton,thishomeoffersbothcomfortandconvenience. 6ParkRoad,Warburton$580,000-$630,000

RebeccaDoolan M 0401832068

kitchen,completewith astunningwoodburningstove,ensureswarmthandcomfort,complemented byaninvitingopenfireandefficientwoodheater.Additionalhighlightsinclude aspaciouslaundry area,a quaintbathroomwithshoweroverbath,and alargeundercoverentertaining/storagespace attherearofthehome.ThehighlightisundoubtedlythebreathtakingviewofMcMahonsCreek, whetheradmiredthroughtheexpansivewindowswhilerelaxingbythetoastyopenfireorsavoured fromtheshadeofthefrontveranda.Seizetheopportunitytoownyourownsliceofparadise!

PRIVATE TRANQUILLITY ON ½ AN ACRE

THE moment you drive down the private concrete circular driveway you realise that this property is unique and very special!

Backing onto crown land, the Cockatoo Creek and surrounded by nature, suddenly this ½ acre property seems more like 10 acres but without the burden of maintaining acreage! North facing ensures plenty of sunshine to embrace nature from almost every room or enjoy a daily cuppa from the decking and watch the beautiful sunrises and enjoy the tranquillity and the daily song of the many species of birds that come to visit.

Home Features:

· High vaulted ceilings with exposed trusses in the living room and master bedroom Light and airy throughout with views to the gardens from almost every room

Modern kitchen with predominantly drawer cabinetry and an upright gas stove/oven Wooden floorboards throughout

· Large 11.8m x 4.5m studio/living with separate entry, ideal for many uses such as yoga/pilates studio, music, teenage retreat, office etc

Ducted gas heating with a brand-new heating unit

Slow combustion radiant heat wood fireplaces in living and studio

Economical Heat Pump electric hot water system

· Reverse cycle air-conditioning in dining and

fans in living and bedroom 2

· Dry, under-house storage with concrete flooring and lockable storeroom

Outdoor Features:

· Private and hidden from street view

Concrete circular driveway with excellent drainage

Single garage, single carport and plenty of off-street parking

Merbau decking, perfect for that morning cuppa or entertaining

· Established gardens, fruit trees and mature trees for privacy

· Six raised ‘Vege Pod’ style 2m x 1m garden beds and flat usable terraced

areas

Location Features:

Short drive (1.1km) or walk to Cockatoo Township which includes the new IGA, eateries, Post Office, Pharmacy, Community Centre, Sporting Facilities, Off-leash dog park, Skate Park & Bowl, BMX track, bus 695 & 695F and Cockatoo Primary School.

Wright Forest walking tracks that also lead to Emerald Lake and surrounds

Hear the famous Puffing Billy train in the distance

· 17-minute drive to Pakenham, Wellington Road access only a 10-minute drive which takes you to the M1 freeway

Come and enjoy the tranquil lifestyle this beautiful home and property has to offer. ●

AREYOUREADYTOROLLUPYOURSLEEVES?

Isittimetoenjoya quieter paceoflife?set on a sloping partcleared mostlybushblock of richsoiland originallyset uptobesemi-self-sufficient withmanynut& fruit trees The main 4 bedroomresidence offers a covered outdoor diningspace withviews&a 3-car carport. The private2 bedroomunitincludes a study& interioraccesstothe garage The office has several multi-purpose rooms, a balcony withparking for4 carsunderneath Includes a studio, tractor shed, pergola,greenhouse,chookpens, igloosand off-streetparking.

GrantSkipsey 0418528102 MickDolphin 0429684522

Thisdream ‘Getaway’ offersyou completeprivacy and stunningsunsets onthe horizon. The earthymudbrickhomesitson3,591sqmand has beencompletelyupdated/ renovated and featurestwo livingrooms,modernbathrooms,quality kitchen appliances central combustion woodfire&splitsystem.Hugeterracedoutdoor livingspaces,veggie garden, doublecarport and three storage sheds.Only a minute’swalktothe bus stop,7 minutedrive toUpperFerntreeGullytrain,shoppingcentre&the ‘1000steps’ walk.

GrantSkipsey 0418528102

The perfect blend ofheritage1920’s architecture & contemporarystyle on1051m2. Featuringa spacious & private master luxurious mainbathroom ‘stateofthe art’ kitchen, a fabulousattic areaideal asgaming/theatreroomoryoga/meditation etc, oak laminate flooring,new carpets,NBN,datanetworked wood fire ductedheating, splitsystem, established gardens,superb 4 car garagewithrear & interioraccess,sealed driveway, front porch,spaciouscovered reardeck, shedwithpower& woodstore.

$980,000-$1,065,000

Wallsofglass,timber & beams are all partofthis stunningcontemporaryhomethatstands proud inits own quiet enclave.sound proportionsofspaceflowthrough a cleveropenplandesignthatisasfunctionalasitispractical.The attentiontodetail,maintenance and spotlesspresentationis a truecredittotheowner.Includesductedheating,splitsystem cooling,lushestablished gardens on a 979sqm block,brilliantentertainingdeck, atrium style glass entry tothe secondstorey, large remotegarage &a securerearbackyard 3 A 2 B 1 C

GrantSkipsey 0418528102

HOME FOCUS

BRILLIANTLY LOCATED IMMACULATE HOME

THIS fantastic 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home is move in ready. Come and enjoy the fantastic lifestyle Gembrook has to offer, walk to the main street with the IGA, cafes, restaurants and Puffing Billy Station.

Situated on approx. ½ an acre, this great property offers views to Redwood Park. The driveway is asphalted for year around convenience and there is a DLUG. Be welcomed with the manicured front garden and picturesque porch before discovering spacious living.

There is a master bedroom with a bay window, walk in wardrobe and ensuite, and an office located to the front of the home. The house then opens to a sitting area and then flows onto the open plan kitchen/dining area. The kitchen offers a gas cooktop and electric oven, dishwasher and walk in pantry. Enjoy the warm summers with meals in the covered outdoor entertaining area or unwind in the spa. Further conveniences include gas ducted heating, and ducted vacuum.

This property has handy dual access allowing easy access to stroll to town along the walking track from the rear of the property.

This property has it all so don’t miss outcall to arrange a private inspection today. Please note: All property details shown are correct at time of publishing. Some properties may have been sold in the preceding 24 hours and we recommend that you confirm open for inspection times with the listing agent direct or the listing office. ●

StylishlyRenovatedHomewithEquineInfrastructureonNearly20acres! Featuringa 40m*20msandmenage,dayyards,electricfencedpaddocks,hotwash,tack room,floatstorage,hayshed, a3-baybarn,cross-countrycourse,mainswater &a comfortable 4-bedroom,2 bathroom,‘Hamptons’stylehomewithviews &zonedheating& cooling.Thehome has2 loungeareas, adiningarea& entertainingdeck.Themasterbedroomhasa walk-through robe,ceilingfan &ensuite.Theopenplankitchen/dining/livingareahas awoodfire &a 900mmgas stove& anelectricoven,& thelaundryhasa dryingcupboard.Thereare 3furtherbedroomswith BIRs &a familybathroom.Thestockyardshaveloadingramps,thereare5 paddockswithwater,day yards,tackroom,feedshed,hotwashbay,haystorage &machinerystorage.Thereis apermanent creek,a Springfeddam,a chickenrun,anall-weathergraveldriveway, &lockupgarage.

With 3bedrooms&2bathroomsinthemainhome,thereisalsothepotentialfora teenageretreat intherenovatedstudiowithupdatedensuite.Thelovelyresidencehas awelcomingdoublefront doorthatopenstotheneutralpaletteofthehome.Thekitchenisequippedwitha 900mmcooktop, 2stainlesssteelovens,anabundanceofstorage &a walkinpantry.Therearetwolivingareas,& a cutelowmaintenance &establishedflatyardtopotterin.Thishomealsofeaturesornateceilings, timbersashwindows,afireplaceinthefrontloungeroom &a baywindowtoenjoyyourfavourite bookon.Thehomealsohaspolishedhardwoodfloors& anairconditioningunit.Thereisalsoa doublelockupgarage, &a covereddeckareaforentertaining.

BethanySullivan M 0438844968

ThismixedzoningpropertylocatedontheGembrookMainStreetisdirectlyoppositetheGembrook PrimarySchool &offersviewstotheWarburtonRanges.Renovatethe2 bedroom,1 bathroomminers cottagewithwelcomingfrontverandah,ordemolish& buildyourdreamhomeorbusiness(STCA)on this1051sqmallotment.Situatedbehind amaintainedhedge,therearetwodriveways,allowingfor plentyofoff-streetparking.Thehomeitselfhas acosyfrontverandah& leadlightfeaturefrontdoor. Enterthehometodiscoverthefrontloungeroomwithopenwoodfire.Thereis amasterbedroom andthenflowthroughtothekitchenwithfreestandingwoodfireandelectricstove/oven.Then discover asecondbedroom.Totherearofthehomeisa generouslaundry,bathroomwith ashower overbath,andmudroom/secondsittingarea.Externallythereisa shedinthefullyfencedrearyard.

&RailPaddocks! Thispropertyfeatures:2 fantastichomes,greatviews,plentyofundercovercarparking,fantastic workshopwithhoist& rackingina4carlockupgarage,10post& railedfencedpaddocks,a roundyard, 2covereddayyards,a leanto,& alllocatedon aquietnothroughroad.Theprimary homehasa anopenplanlayoutwithpolishedhardwoodfloorsinthelivingareas.Thereisanopen plankitchenwithgasstove/oven &a dishwasher.Thediningarea &loungeroomenjoytheinbuilt woodfire &splitsystemAC.Themasterbedroomhasa walkthroughwardrobe& ensuiteandthe further2 bedroomshaveBIRs.Thesecondhomewhichisseparatelymeteredhasit’sowndriveway& anopenplandesignfeaturing2 bedrooms &a modernbathroom.Thekitchenisopenplanwiththe lounge/diningareawhichhasa splitsystemAC.Thereisanexpansivedeck&aseparatelaundry. 190HarvieRoad,UpperPakenham$1,680,000

HOME FOCUS

PANORAMIC VIEWS SO CLOSE TO TOWN

OVERLOOKING the stunning views across the Upper Gully Ridge and out towards the city lights, this beautifully presented, open plan home is full of natural light and comes complete with all the essentials for the ideal Hills lifestyle.

Split level in design, the home boasts striking cathedral ceilings, elevated even more over the kitchen, giving an instant wow factor upon arrival. There are three bedrooms, the master with updated ensuite whilst the other two rooms are ideal for children, guests or work from home set up. Spacious in both size and ceiling height, the living room connects easily with both the dining area and the kitchen whilst allowing you to stare out through floor to ceiling windows at the views beyond. Ducted heating runs throughout and along with evaporative cooling and a cosy wood fire, gives perfect temperature control no matter what the weather is like outside.

Spanning the full length of the house, the front balcony is a special place to enjoy the golden sunsets and spend time with family and friends. A double, end to end garage plus car parking bay for four cars and a sealed driveway makes parking easy and although being on an elevated block, there is room for a trampoline, swing set or the like. Within an easy walk to Upwey’s main street, train station and local schools, there is nothing else to do here except move in, relax and enjoy the panoramic views. ●

PUZZLES

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

ACROSS

1 Ribbons (5)

4 Enchanted (9)

9 Sooner (7)

10 Burdensome (7)

11 Illicitly distilled liquor (9)

12 Buffalo (5)

13 US tech company (1,1,1)

14 Body of water to the east of Italy (8,3)

16 A baptism (11)

19 Hint (3)

20 Varnish (5)

22 Broadening (9)

25 Wayne –, head coach of the Dolphins (7)

26 First (7)

27 Substances discharged (9)

28 Opponent (5)

DOWN

1 Load-bearing bar structure (1,4)

2 Actor (9)

3 Hides, pelts (5)

4 Obstacle (7)

5 Aboriginal spear-throwing device (7)

6 Quivering (9)

7 Rings (5)

8 Release (9)

13 Terminal (illness) (9)

14 Yes-men (9)

15 Offering (9)

17 Prefix with 'magnetic' (7)

18 Suggests (7)

21 Egyptian peninsula (5)

23 Din (5)

24 Expression of surprise (5)

3

Briar Keyser on fire at XCR

By Jamie Strudley

Briar Keyser was the standout athlete from Yarra Ranges Athletics at round 4 of the Athletics Victoria XCR season. Cross country running on a deceptively tough course at St Anne’s Winery near Bendigo provided a challenge to all athletes.

Briar, competing in the U20 Women 4km event, started fast and held her rhythm throughout the tough 4km lap to finish in third place, a continuation of her form so far this season.

The other highlight from the day was a third place to our young Under 14 women team. Lily Clarke had her best race at an XCR event finishing 12th, followed by Bree Coffey (15th) and Adele Ellis (16th) to secure the team bronze medal.

Olivia Twining showed she is not far away from a top 10 finish, staying in the mix with the leading pack throughout her 8km event, eventually finishing 12th. Olivia led the team to another second place team result.

Top finisher in the open mens race was Tynan Mims, fresh off a 30 second PB over 10km two weeks ago. Tynan stayed close to the lead group to finish in 13th place. Tynan was closely followed in by team mates Max SavillBentley (24th) and James Laven (26th) to set up a third place team result.

Full results are:

Results

· Female Open 8km: OliviaTwining 12th 31:06; Katrina Winger 35th 33:50; Bonnie Morris 60th 36:18; Georgia Laven 78th 37:27; Erica Purcell 144th 52:54;

· Female 20 4km: Briar Keyser 3rd 15:30; Madeline Laven 11th 16:25;

· Female 16 3km: Zoe Clarke 18th 13:01;

· Female 14 4km: Lily Clarke 12th 18:38; Brienna Coffey 15th 19:32; Adele Ellis 16th 20:01;

· Male Open 8km: Tynan Mims 13th 25:38; Max Savill-Bentley 24th 26:24; James Laven 26th 26:29; Reuben Johnson 84th 28:28; Daniel Groves 136th 30:06; Sam Arnold 149th 30:32; Luke Hunter 163rd 31:10; Matthew Morrison 196th 32:35; Michael Clarke 259th 34:52; Bryan Ackerly 320th 39:20; Craig Hewitson 364th 47:19;

· Male 16 3km: Mitchell Pointon 17th 10:40; Blake Saloyedoff 31st 12:26

Our Saturday morning cross country continued with round 8 at Morrison Reserve, Mt Evelyn. Very cold but sunny conditions (eventually) kept the huge turnout of athletes and supporters enthusiasm high. Results will be posted next week but we are sure there were a lot of PB runs this week. Nearly ran out of choccie frogs!

Next Saturday is round 9 at Lilydale Lake. See you there from 8.45 for warm ups! Anyone wanting to help set up please arrive earlier.

Results from round 7 at Elizabeth Bridge, Kilsyth are:

500m

· River Farmilo 2.20; Kylan Milne 2.24; Tarlee Lewis 2.48; Rowan Coffey 2.57; Maisie McLeod 2.59; Pippa Stark 3.51 1000m

· Ivy Ingle 5.05; Angus Clarke 5.18; Angus Congreve 5.18; Noah Hewatt 6.11; Jasper Dean 6.12; Lola Farmilo 6.26; Willliam Hastewell 7.30 1500m

· Riley Yorke 6.04; Lucas Pauly 6.12; Milly Hall 6.20; Victoria James 6.36; Brock Peel 7.09; Indi Budin 7.20; Levi Jones-Palazzolo 7.23; Etta Thoma 7.25; Tillie Sommers 7.25; Sadie Hewatt 7.26; Amelia Sketchley 7.33; Georgia Cooke 7.38; Delia Coffey 7.39; Fletcher Norman 7.52; Iola MacKay 7.53; Winter Anderson-Bonsor 8.23; Cody Buckland 8.24; Spen-

cer Norman 8.35; Byron Stark 8.42

2000m

· Samuel Thomas 6.59; Theodore Lewis 7.42; Holly Yorke 7.55; Xander Sommers 8.09; Lexi Aders 8.11; Pippa Congreve 8.16; Caitlyn McKerlie 8.17; Hugo Gibbs 8.21; Dominic Nealon 8.42; Tess Hewatt 8.45; Kirsten Mcerlie 9.26; Arizona Peel 9.30; Hugh Richardson 9.56; Jake Buckland 10.08; Alice Sabo 10.23; Eamon MacKay 10.32; Meadow AndersonBonsor 10.38; Olivia Cox 10.39; Ashleigh Christian 10.47

3000m

· James Crome-Smith 10.26; Archie Budin 11.02; CameronYorke 11.05; Hamish Mcerlie 11.23; Tim Anderson-Bonsor 11.33; Daniel Gibbs 11.59; Ilikimi Tove 12.16; Lily Clarke 12.41; Bryan Ackerly 12.42; Mackenzie Graham 13.11;Victoria James 13.12; Tori Kincaid 13.17; Toby James 13.41; Elise Hall 14.51;

Cross country training for all club members is at Morrison Reserve on Tuesday evenings from 5.30pm and Thursdays from 5.30pm at the Victoria Road Primary School gym. Yarra Ranges Athletics welcomes and encourages all athletes of any age or ability. New members and anyone interested in trialling are always welcome Go to www.lavic.com.au or www.athsvic. org.au or email info@yarrarangesathletics.org. au for information about events and registration.

For information on training, how to join or trial, photos, results and updated news, visit the website at yarrarangesathletics.org. au or check us out on Facebook. Run, Jump, Throw…too easy!

Competitive matches meet Lilydale Tennis Club

By Joanna Campe

Round 7 results for Lilydale Tennis Club in the Eastern Region Tennis Competition. Junior Open Singles Doubles 1 Lilydale v Emerald

After round 6 Lilydale was sitting outside the top four without a win yet for the season.

Lilydale was represented by Joshua Jamieson, Ari Marappan and Ryan Taylor.

Lilydale played away this week against second placed team Emerald. It was a tough outing for Lilydale who fought hard but were outplayed on the day. Emerald won the day 6 sets to 0 – winning 36 games to Lilydale 13.

Result: 6-3, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1

Junior Open Singles Doubles 8 Lilydale v Mooroolbark Heights

After round 6 Lilydale was sitting just outside the top four on the ladder.

Lilydale was represented by Olivia Mason, Brodie Manger and Haady Aziz.

Lilydale played at home this week against Mooroolbark Heights. Lilydale played well but Mooroolbark won the day 4 sets to 2 –

winning 33 games to Lilydale 23.

Result: 1-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 2-6

Open Rubbers 20 v Doncaster

After round 6 Lilydale was sitting just outside the top four on the ladder.

Lilydale was represented by Levi Daly and

at home this week against third placed Doncaster. In a very competitive

was

away with the win 3

to 2– winning 24 games to Lilydale 22.

Result: 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 2-6

Lilydale Tennis club welcomes all players of any age and ability. For information on how to join Lilydale Tennis Club please visit play.tennis.com.au/lilydaletennisclub.

Tim Bassett. Lilydale played

match it

Doncaster who came

sets

Levi Daly and Tim Bassett faced a tough opponent on the court in Doncaster.

Pictures: SUPPLIED Olivia Mason, Brodie Manger and Haady Aziz played at home against Mooroolbark Heights.

Adele Ellis 15.38; Hayley Corrigan 15.41; Rori Jones 15.41; Acacia Anderson-Bonsor 17.46; Katie Clarke 17.47

Briar Keyser in the Under 20 women’s 4km event.

Pictures: SUPPLIED Olivia Twining in the Open women’s 8km.

Tynan Mims in the Open men’s 8km race.

Burrows lines up for 400th

By Callum Ludwig

From the wet, cold and mud in theYarraValley to the hallowed turf of the MCG, Ian Burrows has seen it all in his storied career as a boundary umpire.

Burrows celebrated his 400th AFL match umpired on Saturday 15 June, running the boundary line as Richmond took on Hawthorn at the MCG in Round 14.

Prior to the game, Burrows said he was very excited for the weekend.

“I’ll be umpiring with a few of my good mates, it’s shaping up to be a good match, and a lot of my family and friends are going to come along,” he said.

“The AFL does a really good job helping us celebrate these kinds of milestones and although the week has been a little bit overwhelming, it’s very exciting.”

Growing up in Launching Place and playing footy for Seville as a junior, it wasn’t until the age of 15 or 16 that Burrows swapped his mouthguard for a whistle and took up running the boundary with the then-Yarra Valley Umpires Association.

Burrows said he never really thought he’d be an umpire growing up.

“I didn’t continue on to play senior footy but I was keen to stay involved in sport and keep fit and healthy so I ended up joining the local league and umpired a couple of years in theYarraValley which was really enjoyable,” he said.

“It was just a nice atmosphere being around a footy club or a netball club and after a couple of years there I was doing pretty well and I got a nomination to try out theVFL and then started moving on from there,”

“I never really had any ambitions until I got going and then realised it was quite fun and that there was a career path, so I started getting reasonably serious about it and working hard on the craft to see if I could get better and better.”

Better and better Burrows did get, with his nearly 20-year AFL career starting in 2006 now including 10 AFL Grand Finals, being named an All Australian Umpire three times and an estimated 1280km run backwards, about the distance from Melbourne to Brisbane.

Burrows tried to recall any particular favourite memories of his time umpiring in theYarra Valley but admitted it was very hard to remember back that far.

“I remember all the different grounds and have very fond memories of being at some of the picturesque places like Warburton and Olinda, as well as Seville where I played and Woori Yallock which was just down the road

from where I lived in Launching Place,” he said.

“I’m pretty sure I might have done a game or two when Nicky Winmar was playing at Warburton and I remember in my first year getting the Division Two Senior Grand Final at Gembrook and the next year doing the Division One Senior Grand Final at Healesville which at that point in my career was the pinnacle of what you could do.”

Burrows’ achievements consist of:

· AFL Grand Final umpire – 2008, 2010 and 2010 replay, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2023

· Murray Williams Shield (Boundary Umpire of the Year) – 2014 and 2016

· All Australian Umpire – 2010, 2012 and 2015

· Yarra Valley Grand Final – 2000 (Division Two), 2001 (Division One)

· TAC Cup Grand Finals – 2002, 2003

· VFL Reserves Grand Final – 2004

· Interstate Match, VFL v SANFL – 2005

· VFL Grand Final – 2005

· Bill Sutton Medallion (Best First or Second Year Boundary Umpire) – 2007.

Burrows said any time you are selected for an AFL Grand Final is a massive moment.

“Last year was one of the epic grand finals of the last couple of decades, I was also lucky enough to do 2010, which feels like ages ago now, and was a draw so that was pretty extraordinary, the feeling at the end of that match to realise that everyone was going to be back again the following week,” he said.

“There’s been heaps of other good ones but one of the big highlights obviously is getting out there and umpiring with your mates and enjoying that.”

The record for most AFL games by a boundary umpire is currently held by Mark Thomson with 438. Burrows sits in fourth overall, with Adam Coote (414 games, second overall) the only active boundary umpire with more.

Burrows said he has no plans yet to give up as he’s still performing well and still enjoys it.

“I would encourage anyone to get into it, there are so many benefits to umpiring, whether you’re a young person or if you’re not a young person, at the very least, it’s a great way to get a little bit of pocket money and an excellent way to keep fit and healthy,” he said.

“It’s got the feeling of a sporting club in being around the umpiring association as well as it teaches you really good life skills around decision-making, communication, teamwork, conflict management, all those kinds of things,”

“There are really great pathways now, probably a lot more so than when I was back there, where talented young umpires are identified and helped to develop to reach their potential and if you make it to the top and are able to walk out in front of a packed MCG, there are not many better sporting feelings than that.”

AFL chief executive officer Andrew Dillon and general manager of football Laura Kane commended Burrows on the achievement.

“Ian’s dedication to Umpiring at the highest level is outstanding. To reach 400 games is an incredible milestone. His peers and the broader umpiring and football industry is thrilled to be celebrating him this Saturday,” Mr Dillon said said.

“This weekend, I’m looking forward to applauding Ian and his work in our umpiring team. It truly is an amazing accomplishment and we thank him for his contribution to our game thus far,” Ms Kane said.

Barkerettes sparkle against Monash City Villareal

By Peter Stephenson

Barkerettes (first) hosted their first meeting with Monash City Villarreal (fourth). Having scored enough goals to just overhaul Collingwood and go top last week, this would be a different challenge, given that Monash had lost to only Collingwood this season.

Having a fancy foreign name does you no good when you’re up against Barkers, and within a minute, a shot was deflected into the path of Alizah Jones, who shot home for 1-0 Barkers. Four minutes later, Monash’s Alejandra Martinez was all over Alexis Sketchley, who still managed to pass the ball down the right despite being fouled.

On the quarter hour, Barkers doubled their lead when they worked the ball down the right wing. The cross was missed by the defence and ran through to the far side of the box, where Jones was waiting to hit the ball into the net from 10 yards for her and Barkers’ second – 2-0.

Monash continued to try to intimidate Barkers, including a sneaky kick from the goalkeeper behind play. On the occasions Monash did threaten, the Barkers defence was solid, with Sketchley absolutely everywhere and Ashleigh Fraraccio acting as a very handy sweeper-keeper. On 21 minutes, Monash’s Phoebe Page was in on goal, but a

poor shot dragged wide. Then another attack was thwarted by a superb block from Sketchley.

Barkers had a couple of chances before the break, with Kelly Butera hitting a long shot just over, then Matilda Steele hitting a good ball in from the right which was cut

out by the keeper. Half-time: Barkers 2-0 Monash. Monash looked decent early on, but Barkers soon began to play their football. The defence was solid, and up front, Steele wasn’t scared to get stuck in – useful when you play a side for whom football is an excuse for bullying.

The second half began quietly, then after 57 minutes, good interplay between Jones, Amy D’Ortenzio and Butera saw the latter hit a first-time shot just wide. The next attack brought an excellent double save from the Monash keeper, but her teammates were continuing to dish out the rough stuff. It was no surprise, therefore, when a blatant foul won Barkers a penalty, which was calmly put away by Butera to make it 3-0 Barkers. With the next attack, Barkers crossed from the left to the far post, where the lurking Eleanor Ridley shot point blank, but the keeper blocked superbly. Then on 69 minutes, the ball was played out to Hannah Turnbull, whose goalbound shot brought another good block from the Monash keeper. Inevitably, Barkers found the net again. With 17 minutes left, Jones ran on to a through ball and grabbed her second hattrick of the season to make it 4-0. The final chance of the game saw Butera hit a long lazy chip from 25 yards against the bar, and Charlotte McCullough put the rebound wide. Barkers played Monash off the park in one of their best displays of the season, and now Collingwood must outscore them by one goal on Sunday to regain top spot. Then next week it’s the match of the season as the Pies host the Barkers.

Ian Burrows in action in the 2016 AFL Grand Final between the Western Bulldogs and the Sydney Swans. Picture: ADAM TRAFFORD

Esther Park was lit up ready for a clash between the Barkers and Monash. 235677

Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

They are successful in local business... but what do our Tip-Stars know about Footy? Follow them every week and give them the feedback they deserve...