Mail - Ferntree Gully Star Mail - 17th June 2025

Hills Celts rock again

By Tanya Steele

Celtic musicians, bands, dancers and more flocked to the frosty and windy shores of Portarlington to perform, learn and collaborate across many stages at the annual National Celtic Festival last week.

The Mast Gully Fellers from Upwey joined the festival this year for the third time.

“It’s certainly one of our favourite festivals to play, the people, the culture, the music... It’s just so much fun,” said band member Freo Freeman.

Bringing their beautiful trio of voices to the event were the multi-talented Nightingales which saw members Tracey Roberts, Maria Forde and Claire Patti perform original and trad pieces on an array of instruments several times over the weekend.

Read more on page 14

Landslides threat

By Oliver Winn

New mapping showed threat of landslides in the Yarra Ranges is a lot higher than previously thought.

The recent revelation prompted the Yarra Ranges Council to rush through interim erosion management overlays (EMO) while an amendment to the Planning Scheme is finalised.

A report commissioned by the council after the June 2021 storms was delivered in late April, replacing the hand-drawn mapping from the 1990s.

It’s an increase of just under 2000 at risk properties and the new EMOs would restrict developments to minimise unnecessary land disturbance.

“There are no certainties about when the next significant rainfall event or landslide could occur. However, given recent weather patterns and high instance of emergencies in Yarra Ranges it is reasonable to consider this likely and imminent,” the report warned.

Yarra Ranges Council mayor Jim Child addressed the council meeting with grave concern

in his voice.

“Councillors, this is a big one. This is something that’s happening that we need to really pay some serious attention to,” Cr Child said.

The emergency EMOs now require the approval of state Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny, but, at the time of publication the council is yet to formally submit a planning scheme amendment request.

The Yarra Ranges has a history of landslides and the towns with the highest landslide threat are Warburton, Monbulk, Mount Dandenong,

Montrose and Belgrave.

The July 2024 landslide on Mount Dandenong Tourist Road in Ferny Creek, which was approximately 40 metres wide and 70 metres long, saw the road closed to a single lane and repairs are expected to finish in July.

Other significant landslides on Monbulk-Seville Road in 2023 and Acheron Way in Warburton East have seen major delays and months of repair works, though these are only a few of many to have occurred.

Turn to page 3 to read more

The Mast Gully Fellers from Upwey returned to the National Celtic Festival for the third year. (Tanya Steele)

Maroondah fears grow

By Tanya Steele

Eastern Health’s Maroondah Hospital was the subject of leaked information to the media and a number of reports from The Age last week, bringing a swift response by the State Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas.

A major public hospital’s service provision has been brought into the limelight, with medical staff raising concerns that changes would compromise care, with leaked information stating specialist paediatric and surgery services would be moving out of the premises.

On 10 June, The Age reported that from November this year, there would be no paediatricians working at the Maroondah Hospital and stated that staff at Maroondah Hospital were recently told that speciality paediatric services were being relocated to another Eastern Health Hospital, Box Hill.

Following the report exposing the cost-cutting plan, the state government intervened on Wednesday, stalling Eastern Health’s leaked proposal to move paediatric staff from Maroondah Hospital to Box Hill.

Minister Thomas told ABC Radio on Wednesday 11 June, that her department hadn’t been told of Maroondah Hospital’s plans to move paediatrics admissions to the Box Hill Hospital.

“I have not received a formal proposal from

Eastern Health regarding any of these changes, but I can be very clear with you and your listeners that I will not support any plans that would remove paediatricians from one of Melbourne’s biggest public hospitals in their servicing our eastern suburbs,” Minister Thomas told Raf Epstein.

Funded by Australian and state and territory governments, as well as non-government funders such as private health insurers and individuals, the health system in Victoria has been given a $31 billion investment in healthcare in the latest budget.

The news of the budgets was welcomed by many health organisations, and Victorian Health Care Association CEO Leigh Clarke said in a press release on 20 May that this funding would provide a good foundation for the health system to deliver highquality care right across the Victorian community.

“While the Victorian State Budget increases funding for healthcare, we would like to see more detail on how this will flow through to the individual hospital budgets. Services across the state, including metropolitan, regional and small rural services, have slightly different funding arrangements, and we expect clarity on this in the weeks ahead,” she said.

The news of these potential major changes in major public health sites raises questions on how this recent budget delivery will help the outer east specifically - with recent issues across ICU staffing

at Angliss Hospital earlier this year while construction takes place and a question mark remains on upgrades due to the Maroondah site.

“Mystery still surrounds the Maroondah Hospital upgrades despite this being promised by Labor since 2018 it has remained stuck in the planning phase for four years now,” MP Bridget Vallence, who was talking State Budget with Star Mail, said on 28 May.

Maroondah Hospital had upgrades announced as part of the State Budget in May 2021 - including a dedicated children’s emergency department, new operating theatres and day procedure units and a new mental health hub. As the major and closest hospital for the outer east, upgrades would directly

impact residents of the Yarra Ranges.

A Victorian Government spokesperson told Star Mail on Friday 13 June, that the state department will not support any plans that would remove paediatricians from one of the biggest public hospitals in Melbourne’s east.

“We’ve just delivered the biggest investment ever in frontline care to ensure Victorians get the care they need, when and where they need it,” they said.

A spokesperson from Eastern Health has stated that they are currently working with the Minister’s Office and the Department of Health.

“We have no further comment at this time,” they said.

Maroondah Hospital staff have flagged concerns with a major news outlet about specialty services moving away from the site. (Stewart Chambers)

Homicide death was ‘entirely avoidable’

By Callum Ludwig

A finding has been handed down in relation to the homicide of Belgrave man Maxwell ‘Max’ Lawson on 10 March 2024.

Max was 35 when he died, worked as a plasterer, lived with his partner Samantha Shaw and had a daughter with his ex-wife, Stephanie.

Ms Shaw, Max’s best friend Roxanne Hatfield, Max’s mother Jane Willis, Max’s sister Darian Jones and Max’s daughter all gave impact statements as part of an inquest.

“Max worked so hard to get his life in order so that he was able to see more of her (his daughter) and was working tirelessly to set up the spare room so that she had a room of her own when she came to stay,” Ms Shaw said.

“My best friend Max, is gone — taken from this world in a violent, senseless act he should never have been caught up in. Every single day, I feel the weight of his absence,” Ms Hatfield said.

On 11 March 2024, Max’s death was ruled by forensic pathologist Dr Victoria Francis to have been caused by a stab wound to the back inflicted by Luke Blanchfield, the partner of Max’s friend Breannan Ploeg.

Mr Blanchfield was arrested at the scene of the altercation, having made the Triple Zero call after stabbing Max. Mr Blanchfield was not criminally prosecuted, with the Office of Public Prosecutions deciding in December 2024 that there were ‘no reasonable prospects’ of charging Mr Blanchfield with murder due to difficulties proving Mr Blanchfield’s intent and a lesser charge of manslaughter was also unlikely to be successful as the prosecution would struggle to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Blanchfield hadn’t acted in self-defence.

“Max was my son force. My first born. He was complex, yes, but also vibrant, tender and unforgettable. I miss his hugs. I miss his voice. I missed the future he should have had. The loss of Max has left a hole in our lives that can never be filled,” Ms Willis said.

“Maxy continues to be loved, remembered and missed every single day. He was as easy going as it gets. He loved having a good time, alcohol, laughter, partying, x-box and camping. The simple things in life made him happy,” Ms Jones said.

“I feel angry, heartbroken, confused… and sometimes just numb. No matter how hard I try to stay strong, the pain’s still there. I’ll never stop missing him. I’ll never stop loving him. And I’ll never stop hoping that one day, there’s justice — for my dad, for everyone who loved him, and for me. Because I still need him. So much,” Max’s daughter said.

Max had also been close friends with Cameron Ploeg, who had previously been married and had children with Breannan, describing both as ‘his best friends and his family.’

Breannan and Cameron were back in contact in early 2024 to facilitate contact with their children, which put strain on the relationship between Breannan and Mr Blanchfield. Cameron was also in a relationship with another woman,

Emily, at the time. Mr Blanchfield and Max had never met, but according to his stepmother who had heard him speaking about it, Max had developed a hatred for him.

In the afternoon of 10 March 2024, Mr Blanchfield and Breannan had an argument after Mr Blanchfield accused her of trying to look good for Cameron. At 3.14pm, Max, Ms Shaw, Cameron and Emily had all set off to visit Breannan at the Belgrave address, with Emily and Cameron arguing over the state of their own relationship with Cameron on and off the phone with Breannan that morning. At 3.43pm, Breannan left the home with the children, leaving Mr Blanchfield, later asking him via text if he had left the home which he fought back against, questioning why he would leave his ‘supposed house’ and to get her ‘partner’ to remove him because he was ‘ready to fight again’.

Breannan and her children met up with the others at 4.15pm at Burrinja Cultural Centre in Upwey where they decided they would take the kids to Cameron’s house for a swim, with Max offering to go pick up bathers from the Belgrave address that Breannan had previously had ready for the next day. According to the finding, Breannan told police at the scene that ‘Max took my car and said I’ll sort him out, though he was intoxicated.’

At 4.36pm, Max arrived at the Belgrave home and is captured on motion-detection CCTV walking towards the side of the house, with the evidence suggesting he entered through the unlocked rear door and confronted Mr Blanchfield was laying on the bed in the master bedroom and told him to leave, which he refused.

The CCTV captured Max returning to the vehicle and retrieving a telescopic vacuum cleaner pipe, which he extended to a larger length before returning to the house. During this time, Mr Blanchfield said he grabbed a large kitchen knife and placed it in the back of his shorts, fearing Max would return with a weapon, and went outside where he saw Max who lunged at him with the pipe.

Mr Blanchfield said he blocked the strike with his left arm, with Max then placing him in a headlock with his left arm and attempting to pull him to the ground. CCTV audio at 4.38pm captured

‘indistinct but raised and aggressive male voices’ before cutting out, recommencing with a ‘banging metallic noise and male voices’ about a minute later. A dent found in the pipe was likely to have been caused by Max’s initial strike.

Mr Blanchfield said he did not lock the back door after Max left to retrieve the pipe as he did not have enough time, with the door only being able to be locked with a key which he believed was in his car in the driveway. Mr Blanchfield later told police after his arrest that fearing for his life, with Max almost a foot taller at six foot, seven inches tall compared to himself at five foot, eight inches tall, he stabbed Max but didn’t know how many times. The autopsy revealed four penetrating wounds caused to Max, likely by the knife, as well as a force injury to his left forearm that was comparable with offence/defence injuries.

Max’s autopsy also identified a slight presence of methamphetamines and cocaine in his system, as well as a blood alcohol level (BAC) of 0.14 and a vitreuos humour alcohol level (VAC) of 0.21.

In the conclusion, Coroner Sarah Gebert found that the case does not deal with systemic issues but Max’s death was clearly preventable and his death was entirely avoidable.

“The incident involved aggression and the use of force to resolve a domestic situation. However having made that observation, Max and Mr Blanchfield had not met before. On this occasion Max appears to have acted to help out close friends who he regarded as family,” the finding reads.

“Toxicological analysis of Max’s blood showed the presence of methylamphetamine, cocaine and a high level of alcohol which may have contributed to his decision to confront Mr Blanchfield and retrieve the weapon from the vehicle. It also appears the Max had not slept on the night before the incident. There is no doubt that the presence of weapons, and in particular a large knife, during the incident significantly increased the risk that someone would be injured or killed and that risk tragically eventuated. However, Mr Blanchfield said he responded to a threat, which was largely unknown, and feared for his safety and his life. In addition, he said that it was not his intention to have ended Max’s life.”

IN BRIEF

Knox police are seeking public help

Knox Detectives are seeking assistance from the public in order to identify a person who may be able to assist police with an investigation for the discharge of firearms at Scoresby Recreation Reserve at 6pm, on Friday, 11 October, 2024. A number of shots were fired between two groups at the time. Nobody was injured, however police would appreciate any assistance from the public to identify this person. Please contact Crime Stoppers with any information on ph. 1800 333 000 - Ref # 240406283.

Knox Police call on CCTV owners to help fight crime

Victoria Police is calling on Knox Municipality residents with CCTV cameras to register their systems as part of a growing effort to solve crimes and identify persons of interest.

By mapping local CCTV networks, police can respond faster and more effectively when incidents occur.

Residents and business owners are encouraged to email their camera details to [eyewatch-knox-mgr@police.vic.gov.au](mailto:eyewatch-knox-mgr@police.vic.gov.au) with the following information:

■Camera owner’s name.

■Contact phone number and email.

■Business name (if applicable).

■Camera address

■ CCTV location and coverage (e.g., Cam 1: driveway, facing street north-west).

■Storage time (how long footage is saved).

Local officers will also be door-knocking in the coming weeks to collect this information. Police say community support is vital in helping keep Knox safe.

Community message from Olinda Police

Olinda Police Station has updated its public access hours, with the reception counter now open every Wednesday from 9am to 5pm.

Officer in Charge Sergeant Cottrell advised that while police may be on duty at other times, they could be out on patrol.

Residents are encouraged to call ahead before attending outside of the new set hours.

CFA reminds all to stay safe in winter

Temperatures have dropped and if you are using a heater this winter, we have some of our top tips here. On average, there are 3,000 house fires in Victoria each year. Most could be prevented by taking simple precautions.

Top home fire safety tips:

■ Book a licensed gas-fitter to check your gas heater.

■ Check chimneys, flues and fire boxes for cracks, rust and debris.

■Check electric blankets for kinks in the wiring.

■ Clean the lint filter in your dryer (and continue to do this after every use).

■ Check appliances for visibly frayed or damaged wiring.

■ Complete the Home Fire Safety Checklist to see if you’ve done everything you can to protect you and your family.

■ Prepare a home fire escape plan and practice escaping quickly and safely.

More on preventing housefires this winter here: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/.../fires-in.../ about-house-fires.

Coroner Sarah Gebert found the stabbing death of Belgrave’s Max Lawson was ‘clearly preventable’. (On File: 141445)

New cross-council tourism partnership is endorsed

Yarra Ranges Council has partnered with Nillumbik and Cardinia Councils to create a new Visitor Economy Partnership, spreading tourism funding and initiatives across the outer-east.

Aligning with the direction of the Victorian Government’s Visitor Economy 2021 Recovery and Reform Plan, this will see the transfer of Council’s current agreement with Yarra Ranges Tourism across to the new Visitor Economy Partnership (VEP) on 1 July. All three Councils have now committed to the VEP.

Yarra Ranges Mayor, Jim Child, said the change would mean enhanced partnerships with nearby Councils, better opportunities to access State and Federal funding and increased tourism support for the wider region.

“Tourism is one of our most significant economic backbones here in the outer east,” Cr Child said. “We have millions of visitors coming to the region every year, with numbers expected to increase upon completion of our flagship tourism projects such as the Warburton Bike

Park, ngurrak-barring (Ridge Walk) in the Dandenongs and the Yarra Valley Trail. Our neighbours in Cardinia and Nillumbik Shires are also active in growing tourism visitation and the fact is that many people travelling through will often enjoy what our regions offer collectively.

“This new partnership will be the voice of our visitor economy in the outer east. It will support our tourism industry to grow and become more resilient, help attract investment, advocate for our three regions, all of which ex-

perience similar challenges and have similar opportunities, and, of course, help bring more visitors to our unique part of the world.

“Yarra Ranges Tourism has represented the industry and the region well for the past few years, and I think this partnership will take the best parts of what’s been done and bring on board our neighbours to band together to strengthen the visitor economy even further. I’m really excited about this, and I look forward to working with our Cardinia and Nillumbik counterparts going forward.”

Nillumbik Shire Council Mayor, Cr John Dumaresq said: “Tourism provides a major boost for Nillumbik, delivering 381,000 visitors to our Shire each year and contributing $107 million to our local economy. We are so lucky to have such an amazing backyard to share with people from outside our area and also fortunate to be part of a broader tourism region that is unique and diverse.

“The visitor economy partnership provides an opportunity for all three of our councils, in-

dustry and the Victorian Government to join together and promote our region as a ‘must see’ place to visit.”

Cardinia Shire Mayor, Cr Jack Kowarzik, said: “This partnership has been a long time coming and we’re delighted to be working with the shires of Yarra Ranges and Nillumbik to support and grow the tourism industry across the region. By working together, we will be better placed to support tourism operators across the region, attract greater investment and showcase our beautiful region as a popular tourist destination.”

The Visitor Economy Partnership, to be named Tourism East until the new Board has developed the brand post 1 July, would include an independent chair, representatives of each Council, industry representatives, skill-based positions and an advisory committee. The partnership and its legal structure have been co-designed by representatives from each Council, along with the State Government and the chair of Yarra Ranges Tourism.

Row over Council’s flag call

By Oliver Winn

The Yarra Ranges Council added the Australian flag to its internal digital and printed communications alongside the already existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at the 10 June council meeting.

But some community members and councillors were unhappy with the order of the flags, as the Australian flag would come after the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

It comes after local RSLs and community members called for the addition of the national flag to acknowledge the personal sacrifice of those who served the country underneath the one flag.

Yarra Ranges mayor Jim Child emphasised that the updated flag policy addressed the inclusion of the Australian flag alongside the council’s Acknowledgement of Country.

“We proudly display our flags at the civic centre, and in the chamber, and council believes this now needs to be reflected in some of our printed and digital material to ensure that we are creating an inclusive community which values the strength of our diversity and rich heritage with respect and acceptance,” Cr Child said.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags sit next to the Acknowledgement of Country as the statement acknowledges the Indigenous Australians who lived on and with the land prior to European colonisation in 1788.

But registered speaker Belinda Bernadini spoke to the item and claimed positioning the Australian flag after the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags was “simply exploitation disguised as advocacy”.

“It’s time Australians called it out for what it is, a corruption of purpose that serves the elite, not the people,” she said.

She said the decision would further entrench division among the Australian people and that

the council “can’t claim to honour one history while attempting to erase or disregard another.”

Cr Tim Heenan said the council acted on advice from its Indigenous Advisory Committee after the original request to include the flag was made, which was to include the national flag after the first two flags.

CrJeffMarriottalsopointedoutthatthechoice to include the Australian flag after the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags was a step forward as he hadn’t seen the Australian flag located next to an Acknowledgement of Country in Australia.

“I think it’s actually quite fitting in terms of, if we’re acknowledging the traditional owners, their flags are first. Then through history the Australian flag has been developed, and I think from that point of view, it’s actually a step forward,” Cr Marriott said.

Not all councillors were on board with the positioning of the flag however, as Cr Mitch Mazzarella attempted to move an alternate motion

which would put the Australian flag first before those representing Indigenous Australians.

He said the original motion was at odds with advice from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in regards to appropriate display of national flags and that it “take the rule books and rip it in half.”

The Australian Flags booklet states the Australian flag should be flown with precedence over other flags from left to right.

“Not putting the Australian flag there is a slap in the face to the rule book, to our veterans and to all those who fought under our national flag,” Cr Mazzarella said.

But director of corporate services Vincenzo Lombardi said the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet confirmed there was no specific advice, legislation or policy for the ordering of the flags.

“In the absence of such advice, they had recommended replicating the order of precedence,

as described in the Australian Flags booklet. However, this recommendation doesn’t take into consideration council’s Acknowledgement of Country statement or council’s ongoing efforts to support reconciliation,” Mr Lombadi said.

As the council had sought specific advice from the Indigenous Advisory Committee, this advice took precedence over the generalised advice given by the Australian Flags booklet.

The meaning behind the Australian flag is dependent on the person and Cr Peter Mcilwain said this meant strict guidelines which ignored context was dangerous.

He warned of “jingoism”, a word to describe an aggressive form of patriotism, when referring to the meaning of the national flag.

“The Australian flag can mean many things to many people. It can be a flag of gathering to rightwing extremists, as well as it can be a unifying symbol.

“If we make strict guidelines around what flag we should have and shouldn’t have, and what order it should be, and who’s more important than somebody else, we’re not actually understanding that the flag means different things in different contexts to different people.”

“We do need a policy on the flags, that’s important, and we do need to have a decision about how we present the flags, I agree with that. But I think we need to have a little bit of reality injected into this because the flag means so many different things in so many different contexts,” Cr Mcilwain said.

Cr Child closed the discussion and said to have the Australian flag next to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags should be celebrated as a source of immense national pride.

“We were officially approached by the Lilydale RSL as well for this inclusion and here we are tonight taking that course on as a council but also with the approval of the Indigenous Advisory Council as well.”

The new flag policy was adopted at the June 10 council meeting. (File)

Yarra Ranges Mayor Jim Child, Cardinia Mayor Jack Kowarzik and Nillumbik Mayor John Dumaresq. (Mikayla van Loon: 484319)

Hills landslide risk ‘imminent’

By Oliver Winn

New mapping has revealed the risk for landslides in the Yarra Ranges is much higher than previously thought and has prompted the council to rush to adopt new erosion management overlays (EMO).

Commissioned by the Yarra Ranges Council after the June 2021 storms, the “concerning” report was delivered in late April 2025 and identified a whopping 13,400 landslide-prone properties.

It’s an increase of 2000 at risk properties from the old, hand-drawn maps which were commissioned in the 1990s.

“There are no certainties about when the next significant rainfall event or landslide could occur. However, given recent weather patterns and high instance of emergencies in Yarra Ranges it is reasonable to consider this likely and imminent,” the report warned..

Yarra Ranges Council mayor Jim Child addressed the council meeting with grave concern in his voice.

“Councillors, this is a big one. This is something that’s happening that we need to really pay some serious attention to,” Cr Child said.

The council voted to pass emergency EMOs while the current planning scheme amendment is exhibited to avoid liability in the event a landslide occurred before the new overlays were implemented.

The emergency EMOs now require the approval of state Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny, but, at the time of publication the council is yet to formally submit a planning scheme amendment request.

State Member for Monbulk Daniela De Martino said as climate change continues to threaten the Yarra Ranges, we continually have to improve how we plan for and adapt to these events.

”I encourage Yarra Ranges Council to progress their planning scheme amendment, to provide certainty to our community on where it is appropriate to build more homes,” Ms De Martino said.

The Yarra Ranges has a history of landslides and the towns with the highest landslide threat are Warburton, Monbulk, Mount Dandenong, Montrose and Belgrave.

The July 2024 landslide on Mount Dandenong Tourist Road in Ferny Creek, which was approximately 40 metres wide and 70 metres long, saw the road closed to a single lane and repairs are expected to finish in July.

Other significant landslides on Monbulk-Seville Road in 2023 and Acheron Way in Warburton East have seen major delays and months of repair works.

Councillors warned if no action was taken there’d be a repeat of the McCrae landslide in Mornington Peninsula, in which a house was destroyed and a man injured in an area with no erosion management overlay.

Cr Mitch Mazzarella said the interim EMOs were not a “knee-jerk reaction” to the McCrae landslide and rather were informed by the new mapping and a long history of severe weather events in the Yarra Ranges.

The new report also stated as climate change impacts the country, severe weather

events will become more common and intense.

“Climate change forecasts suggest that whilst rainfall totals in Victoria might reduce … the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather and climate events is expected to increase. Accordingly, landslide frequency is expected to increase in response to the predicted climate trends,” the report said.

Climate Council’s Too Close to Home report stated Yarra Ranges was the second most impacted local government area by natural disasters in the country.

Cr Tim Heenan recalled the June 2021 storms and cautioned the likelihood of such an event to occur again as climate change dials up severe weather event risk.

“We were in lockdown. The storms were so bad. It was freezing cold. Many people lost their homes or they had significant damage done on their homes. And I presume with climate change, we’re going to see a lot more of this in the future,” Cr Heenan said.

The landslide on Acheron Way near Warburton. (File)

The Ferny Creek landslide occurred in July 2024 and still hasn’t been fully repaired. (Stewart Chambers: 420079)

How YRC fees and charges will change after budget

By Callum Ludwig

With the adoption of the Yarra Ranges Council budget, 38 per cent of the council’s fees and charges will increase at a similar rate to the 3.0 per cent rate cap, with 12 per cent of fees and charges having no increase or being decreased and four per cent being discontinued due to closures or changed services. 30 per cent of fees and charges have had ‘market corrections’ applied and some new fees have been introduced to align with the capacity to pay model at Customer Links facilities.

One of the big changes is a simplification of waste management charges, with the eight different options for residential and non-residential properties and additional bin charges being replaced by standard fees:

The minimum base charge (which covers hard waste and bundled branches collection, community bin services and illegally dumped rubbish among other things) for non-residential properties is $48 and $128 for residential properties

An 80L general waste bin service will be $126, $155 for 120L and $242 for 240L

An 80L recycling bin service is $51, 120L is $55 and 240L is $69

An 80L FOGO bin service is $142, 120L is $157 and 240L is $201

For example, in comparison to 2024/2025, a residential landowner will now pay $553 for a 240L FOGO bin, 240L recycling bin, 120L rubbish bin with base charge included instead of $507 for the equivalent service in the last financial year, representing a price increase (just over 9 per cent) but improving clarity and flexibility for landowners to pick a service that suits them and contributing to the council’s other waste management services.

Here are other fees and charges that have significantly increased or decreased (over 10 per cent change) or been introduced/discontinued this year:

Getting written advice on the confirmation of a general permit requirement will rise from $172.82 to $205 (18.62 per cent increase). Getting copies of residential permits and plans will rise from $173 to

$220 (27.17 per cent).

Fees for permits for places of public entertainment (including two inspections) will rise significantly; up to $1,110 from $615.22 (80.42 per cent) for 500m squaed – 1,000m squared spaces, up to $2200 from $1231.50 (78.64 per cent) for 1,001m squared – 5,000m squared spaces, up to $3330 from $1837.77 (80.22 per cent) for 5,001m squared – 10,000m squared spaces, up to $4440 from $2464.04 (80.19 per cent) for spaces greater than 10,001m squared and additional inspections (per inspection) costing $260, up from $202.07 (28.67 per cent).

Registration fees for non-desexed dogs have risen to $192 from $165 (16.36 per cent) while those whose owners with a pensioner concession have had their fees rise to $69 from $58 (18.97 per cent). Dog registrations with reduced fees have risen from $55 to $64 (16.36 per cent), except for dogs kept by foster carers whose rates only rose by three per cent and those with a pensioner concession whose fees climbed from $19 to $23 (21.05 per

cent).

Dangerous dogs as guard dogs for non-residential premises and those who have undergone protective training have decreased significantly, down to $192 from $320 (40 per cent) and now even lower than this time last year, when the fee was $261.

Owners of non-desexed cats (with a vet exemption) have had their fees rise from $150 to $180 (20 per cent) and from $52 to $62 (19.23 per cent) for those with a pensioner concession.

Reduced fees for desexed cats, cats over 10 years old, registered breeding cats and cats and owners registered with the same applicable organisation have had their fees rise from $50 to $60 (20 per cent) and those with pensioner concessions have risen from $16 to $22 (25 per cent).

Impound and release fees for aheavy haulage tow/skip bins/bulk waste/shipping containers or other large items have increased from $800 to $880 (10 per cent), but the fee for vehicles has decreased to $693 from $800 (13.38 per cent).

Single admission fees at the pool facilities in

Healesville, Monbulk, Lilydale, Olinda and Belgrave for concession card holders, children, pensioners and school groups (per head) have all risen by 50 cents.

There have been changes to environmental stewardship charges, with only General Habitat Units (up from $148,500 to $195,800, 31.85 per cent) and Species Habitat Units (up from $160,600 to $195,800, 21.92 per cent) remaining. The monthly $121 charge for horse agistment at the Birdsland facility has been dropped.

Some fees for services at the Rolling Hills Early Years Centre have increased: one-hourly and two-hourly use of the Community Playgroup Room 1 and 2 are up from S7 to $8 (14.29 per cent). Flu immunisation services for private businesses are up to $30 from $27 (11.11 per cent). The after-hours and weekends additional rates, exhibition-space-gallery hourly rate and Operations Officer hourly fees at Community Links have been discontinued. The licensee rates for use of the Healesville Hub at the Healesville Community Link have been discontinued.

The hourly rate for commercial/private use of the Healesville Community Link’s Multipurpose room has risen from $5 to $46.50 (830 per cent), while a half-day rate of $139.50 and full-day rate of $279 have been introduced.

New commercial/private, organisation and community rates for use of the Healesville Community Link’s kitchen and meeting rooms have also been introduced, with full day, half day and hourly rates available. Fees for use of some facilities, such as the data projector and screen or provision of tea, coffee and biscuits at the Monbulk Living and Learning Centre have been discontinued. Hourly, half day and full day rates for commercial/private use of the Upper Yarra Family Centre meeting rooms have all been reduced by around 10 per cent, fees for use of the community kitchen and maternal child health have been scrapped and new fees have been introduced for use of the large meeting rooms (rooms four and six) and meeting room eight. Fees for the Youth Holiday Program and Freeza program have been scrapped.

Expect ’25-26 council deficit

By Callum Ludwig

Alongside the 2025-2026 Yarra Ranges Council Budget passed at the Tuesday 10 June council meeting, the council also passed its 2025-2026 Revenue and Ratings Plan.

At the meeting, an amended motion for the Revenue and Ratings Plan was put forward to alter the date by which council rates could be paid in full from 30 September out to 28 February and after some disruption from the gallery, the motion was carried unanimously.

Here’s an overview of the financial position of the council ahead of the next financial year and what changes they have made to the fees and charges ratepayers can face.

Yarra Ranges Council is forecasting total Revenue of $258 million and total expenditure of $242.8 million with rates ($190.728 million) by far the greatest source of revenue and materials and services ($107.021 million) and employee costs ($82.761 million) the most significant expenses.

Yarra Ranges Council chose to adopt the three per cent maximum rate increase in line with the state government-imposed cap back when the draft budget was released in March.

The council’s Total Comprehensive Result is subsequently a $15.2 million surplus, which includes funding related to the capital works program but not its capital expenditure. The $58.3 million Capital Works Program will have $31 million funded by rates, $8 million through borrowings, $1.6 million through community contributions (eg: sporting clubs) and $17.7 million through external grants.

Yarra Ranges Council has allowed for a $2.5 million underlying operating deficit this year due to their future projections predicting a positive result in future years and has a cash balance of $27.6 million.

One question was put to council at the meeting about the decision to operate at a deficit by Sebastian Quezada, asking why the councils chooses to fund more than it can afford, which was answered by Yarra Ranges Council’s corporate services director Vince Lombardi.

“Council continues to assess the levels of service delivered and maintenance undertaken

across the Shire on an annual basis, this approach has been taken to maintain levels of service and maintenance infrastructure for the upcoming 25/26 year, despite the financially constrained environment Council is facing,” Mr Lombardi said.

“Operational efficiencies will continue to be explored and, where necessary, leveraged to ensure service levels and maintenance infrastructure are not impacted.”

Per $100 of rates income this financial year, the council predicts it will spend:

$18.16 on Capital Works renewal projects

$12.24 on roads, drains and footpath maintenance

$10.59 on parks, gardens and recreation

$9.52 on customer and corporate support

$7.43 on new Capital Works projects

$6.78 on property and facility management

$6.17 on health, aged and family services

$5.87 on environment projects

$5 on community recovery

$4.78 on animal management, community safety, public health and compliance,

$4.71 on planning

$2.80 on Creative Communities projects

$2.34 on community partnerships, development and engagement

$1.96 on libraries

$0.88 on vibrant communities and tourism

$0.77 on civic governance Kallista resident Ray Lister also asked a question about rates, asking for an audit of all the rates he has paid since 1981 when he became a local ratepayer against the services he has received, believing the only return he gets is the regrading

of his road, with Mr Lombardi responding again.

“Council is responsible for maintaining and delivering services and infrastructure for the entire community, rates are collected to fund the overall services and infrastructure provided by Yarra Ranges Council and not tied to individual usage,” Mr Lombardi said.

“While some specific services and facilities may have additional charges, paying rates is not dependent on personal use, this system ensures that we can continue to provide essential services and maintenance and maintain infrastructure for the benefit of our large and diverse community now and into the future,”

“For completeness, council isn’t able to provide an individualised audit of council services that one individual or a ratepayer has accessed over the last 44 years.”

Yarra Ranges Council has accepted an underlying deficit in the 2025-26 budget. (Supplied)

Yarra Ranges Council’s waste management fees have been simplified with the adoption of the 2025/26 budget. (File: 364181)

Changes for the Ranges: What YRC budget delivered for you

By Tanya Steele

The latest budget has been formally adopted by the Yarra Ranges Council as of 10 June, bringing with it a slew of works planned for the Dandenong Ranges.

Drains, roads, infrastructure, and more were in focus, with many projects listed for the Hills area.

The 2025/ 2026 budget details Yarra Ranges Council’s plans for the upcoming year and provides a financial forecast for the next four years.

“In developing this year’s budget, I must acknowledge the current economic challenges and emphasise the need for financial stability whilst meeting the diverse needs of the local community,” said Mayor Jim Child at the recent meeting.

“In listening to our community, we recognise the need to focus on essential infrastructure such as roads, drains, footpaths and well-maintained townships, which is why, first and foremost, this budget prioritises investment and maintenance of existing infrastructure to ensure our community runs smoothly,” he said.

This year’s budget will also see the completion of the ngurrak barring / RidgeWalk in the Dandenongs, with a budget set to the tune of $2.1 million.

Continuing its planned 39 kilometre trail through the Dandenong Ranges that will establish new spaces for education, cultural expression and social gathering.

Mayor Child said he was confident that this is a financially responsible and sustainable budget.

“It allows us to continue to provide quality infrastructure and essential services to our 165,000-plus community members, positively impacting on their daily lives,” he said.

In the 2025-26 year, $46.2 million is expected

to be spent on infrastructure projects throughout the Yarra Ranges. The road sealing program will put $1.3 million into Belgrave Heights, while a total of $3.9 million will be expended on drainage projects across the region.

Arbor Avenue and Dalkeith Crescent, Belgrave, along with Main Street in Upwey and

Ridge Road in Mount Dandenong, are listed for drainage projects.

Pathway improvement projects in the hills will include 230,000 for the Belgrave Rail Trail, $350,000 for the Kalista missing links and $200,000 for the School Road in Menzies Creek.

The Upwey Recreation Reserve main oval has a total of $725,000 in funds marked for rehab and

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Footpaths in Best Street, Belgrave, Sophia Grove, Tecoma and Kallista-Emerald Road, The Patch are also listed for capital works, with some works carried forward from the previous year, including $200,000 for Cedar Court Road Group in Monbulk and building improvements for public toilet renewal in Sassafras.

Lyster ward councillor Peter Mcilwain said this budget demonstrates what good local government looks like, transparent, efficient and strategically focused on outcomes that are important to our community.

“We know from research that for every dollar the council invests, two to three dollars of economic activity is generated in our local economy,” he said.

“Nearly 80 per cent of our local workforce are in low to medium income brackets, and this budget supports them by stimulating the local economy, driving up wage growth and creating employment opportunities.”

In the environmental sector, the council plans to continue the Ribbons of Green and Gardens for Wildlife programs, which help residents transform their properties to support biodiversity.

Therearealsoplanstoexpandthegrant-funded program to protect the platypus in the Monbulk Creek catchment and develop a new Green Wedge Management Plan.

The council document stated that the plan is to ‘develop a new, contemporary Green Wedge Management Plan that addresses emerging agricultural practices and industry needs related to land use.’

Ultimately, after much discussion, the budget was passed, with Cr Heenan and Cr Mazzarella in opposition.

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Kirrae Whurrong artist Fiona Clarke painted the water tanks at the Kalorama pavilion in 2023 with the help of husband Ken McKean. (Picture: Supplied).

Dandenongs group seeks fix to underlying energy costs

By Shamsiya Hussainpoor

While a modest electricity price rise raised concerns across Victoria, a community group in the Dandenongs said the real issue was being overlooked - what’s actually making energy bills so high.

A grassroots group advocating for affordable and sustainable energy in the Dandenong Ranges, Repower The Dandenongs said the modest increase in the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) was not what’s hurting households most. Instead, it pointed to rising gas prices and draughty, inefficient homes as the real culprits behind energy stress in the region.

In late May 2025, the Essential Services Commission announced the VDO will increase by just $20 a year for the average household, bringing the typical bill to $1675. The 1.2 per cent rise is mostly due to network costs, not the cost of electricity generation.

But Repower The Dandenongs secretary, Daniel Wurm, said the spotlight was on the wrong part of the energy system.

“Let’s be clear, this isn’t a renewables problem,” Mr Wurm said. “In fact, solar, batteries and supporting technologies are the key to bringing energy costs down permanently.”

The group called on the Victorian Government to ramp up long-term support measures, especially for renters and low-income households, including:

■ Helping households move away from expensive gas appliances.

■ Expanding access to solar panels, batteries, and

efficient electric heating and cooling.

■ Investing in retrofitting old, energy-hungry homes.

Mr Wurm said many households in the Hills were stuck with outdated heating and insulation, forcing them to rely on expensive gas to stay warm.

“Without structural change, people will keep feeling the pinch every winter,” he said. “We support bill relief for vulnerable households, but we also need to fix the underlying issues that make bills unaffordable in the first place.”

The Consumer Action Law Centre repeated that sentiment in a statement welcoming the VDO decision, but warned that high energy costs continued to put pressure on people in hardship.

Consumer Action chief executive officer, Stephanie Tonkin urged energy retailers to step up support for customers in debt and called for the introduction of a social electricity tariff to assist low-income households.

“The structural hardship we observe on our frontlines means that many people on low incomes are simply unable to afford the cost of energy,” she said.

Mr Wurm said those struggling with power bills could find free, practical advice on Repower

The Dandenongs website or Facebook group. “We help people cut their energy use and bills permanently - while reducing emissions too,” Mr Wurm said. With the coldest months still ahead, the message from Victorians is clear, real energy relief won’t come from capping price rises alone - it’ll come from warmer homes, cleaner power, and a shift away from expensive gas.

Solar rebate raises hopes

By Shamsiya Hussainpoor

Power bills could soon be a thing of the past for thousands of Australian households, thanks to the Federal Government’s new solar battery rebate –and for many families feeling the pinch, it couldn’t come at a better time.

From 1 July 2025, the Cheaper Home Batteries Program will offer eligible homeowners a 30 per cent upfront discount on the cost of installing a home battery. When combined with state-level rebates and other environmental incentives, the rebate is set to make battery storage more affordable and more accessible than ever before.

Chief executive officer of Solar Battery Group, James Hetherington said this is a turning point for households looking to gain control over their energy bills.

“We’ve installed thousands of batteries in homes across Australia since 2016 and many of those families are already enjoying bill-free energy,” Mr Hetherington said. “For some, when coupled with the existing rebate offer for their state, becoming bill free can happen even quicker. The modelling exists to say that this is the best lever that can be pulled to help Australians save money on their energy costs.”

Mr Hetherington said the demand for battery storage has always been there, but for many families, the price has simply been out of reach. With energy prices continuing to rise, battery storage is no longer a luxury but a vital part of a home’s energy system.

“Solar panels on their own only help while the sun is shining,” he said. “A battery lets you store that energy and use it at night – when prices peak. It’s the key to real, long-term savings.”

With more than 26,000 battery systems already installed across the country, Solar Battery Group is preparing for a surge in demand, particularly in regional communities like Victoria’s Yarra Ranges.

Mr Hetherington said the Yarra Ranges is wellequipped to manage the expected interest.

“Greater Melbourne already has a deep pool of accredited installers – with dozens based in or regularly servicing the Yarra Ranges,” he said.

“We’ve secured increased stock to meet the demand and will field dedicated crews servicing the region through our in-house customer service team.”

Mr Hetherington said that upfront costs might remain a challenge for some – especially those in rural or bushland parts of the region.

“The 30 per cent federal discount can be paired with green-energy loans from lenders, which Solar Battery Group can organise directly for you,” he said. “There is other support included when sign-

ing up to participate in the virtual power plant and council sustainability grants, ensuring rural owners are not excluded.”

Beyond the household savings, Mr Hetherington believes this shift toward solar storage will have lasting benefits for the broader energy system.

“Every battery is like a personal reservoir,” he said.

“It captures unused solar energy and releases it during the evening peak. A few thousand batteries across the Ranges could shave megawatts off the grid’s demand.”

With more batteries linked through virtual power plant platforms, communities could soon operate like small-scale power grids – making energy cleaner, cheaper, and more stable for everyone.

For homeowners considering making the switch, Mr Hetherington offered some practical advice.

“Start by looking at your overnight usage – most families fall between 8kWh and 15kWh,” he said.

“Choose lithium-iron-phosphate batteries with at least 6000 charge cycles and a 10-year warranty that covers both time and energy throughput. Make sure the brand is on the Clean Energy Council approved list and installed by an SAA-accredited technician.”

He also warned against going too small or chasing the lowest quote.

“Avoid buying too small to cover winter evenings, and resist the temptation to chase the cheapest quote without checking local service support,” he said. “This rebate is a one-time offer per household, so there is some sense in getting the biggest you can afford – do it once, and do it properly.”

For solar battery advocate Brian Wallis, the benefits have already been life-changing. He installed his first battery in 2020 to help manage soaring power bills. Since then, he’s added three more, and his energy costs have dropped from $400 a month to just $12.

“It’s been a life-changer,” he said. “Not just for our bills, but for how we think about energy. It feels good knowing we’re generating and storing our own power.”

With the Federal Government’s rebate just around the corner, Mr Hetherington encourages households to start preparing now.

“We’ve got the tech, we’ve got the support systems, and we’ve got the modelling to show this works,” he said.

“For many families, this is the pathway to finally breaking free from the energy bill cycle – and doing something positive for the planet in the process.”

For more information or to find out how the rebate works in your area, visit www.solarbatterygroup.com.au.

Repower the Dandenongs is calling for long-term energy solutions like solar and home upgrades to tackle rising bills and energy stress in the Hills. (File)

Cardinia won’t join levy boycott

By Afraa Kori

While the City of Yarra is calling for a council-led revolt, Cardinia Shire Council has ruled out joining any boycott or legal challenge against the controversial Emergency Services Levy.

City of Yarra Mayor Stephen Jolly has publicly advocated for a council-led revolt against the levy, including potential legal challenges and boycotts. The proposal is expected to be debated by Yarra councillors on June 17.

In contrast, Cardinia Shire Council welcomes the Victorian Government’s decision to hold the variable rate for primary production properties

at 2024–25 levels for the coming financial year.

They previously expressed concerns about the impact the new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) would have on the community and local farmers, following recent legislation passed in parliament.

“We’re pleased that the Victorian Government has listened to concerns from the community and the local government sector and has not increased the variable rate for primary production properties for the coming financial year,” Cardinia Shire Council’s Mayor Cr Jack Kowarzik said.

“As Council will be required to collect the levy

on behalf of the Victorian Government through the annual rates notice, we are continuing to seek clarification from the government on the level of financial support it will provide to councils to administer the increased levy.

“We look forward to seeing what support will be provided to administer and collect this levy and to help us respond to increased community questions, concerns and enquiries.”

Mayor Kowarzik said Council would be responsible for collecting the levy on behalf of the State Government, and that it would appear in rates notices for the 2025–26 year.

“While this levy will be collected by Coun-

cil on behalf of the State Government, we remind our community that this is not a Council charge,” he said.

“Even though State Government charges and Council charges are listed separately on our rates notices, payments made to Council are allocated equally across all charges, regardless of whether they are State or Council charges.”

Council reminds ratepayers that they do not have the option to select which charges on their rates notice they wish to pay or withhold. Council encourages members of the community to contact them if they are experiencing financial hardship.

Knox Council votes to formally oppose contentious levy

Tuesday 10 June saw a local outer east council formally oppose the recent changes to the emergency services levy.

Knox City Council has come out in opposition of the state government’s decision to double the emergency services levy, which all councils are legally required to collect with rates.

The state government has announced that from 1 July 2025, the Fire Services Property Levy will be replaced with the much higher Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, commonly known as the emergency services levy.

Knox Mayor, Cr Lisa Cooper said the council opposed the state government’s approach to collecting and implementing this levy.

“Knox Council, like all Victorian councils, is legally required to collect this state government levy,” she said. “Council supports the position of the Municipal Association of Victoria in opposing local government being a collector on behalf of the state government. We all support our hardworking emergency services personnel and recognise that these essential services

require funding. But it should not come at the expense of increasing the burden on our ratepayers.”

Overall, the levy will roughly double for residential ratepayers based on property value, with fees rising from $4.86 million in 2024-25 to $9.77 million in 2025-26 across Knox.

“Council is writing to Victorian MPs, includ-

ing local members and all crossbenchers, to place pressure on the state government to fund costs associated with the levy,” Cr Cooper said.

“Knox ratepayers should not bear the financial burden of setting up or administering this new levy. If we are legally required to collect the levy, the state government should fully fund the costs. They should not be passed on to Knox

ratepayers. We estimate it will cost an extra $196,000 to implement the new levy in 2025-26, while ongoing costs are unknown.”

If local government is to administer the levy, Knox Council has said that they will support the MAV in calling on the state government to:

■Fund the cost of administering the levy.

■ Undertake community engagement directly with communities.

■ Transfer responsibility to the SRO for collecting the levy for principal place of residence, to ensure streamlined and efficient collection.

■ Continue efforts to reduce the levy burden on all Victorian ratepayers, especially in rural areas and primary producers, reflecting adjustments already made.

■ Clarify the levy’s purpose, allocation and impact on ratepayers, and provide a public statement including justification for any fee increases.

■ Conduct ongoing economic impact assessment and release findings.

■Ensure equitable fund distribution.

2025FusionFestival

Join us as we celebrate World Refugee Week and explore the theme; ‘Community as

This

come together to celebrate the superpower of our multicultural community!

The 2025 Fusion Festival takes place on Friday 20 June, from 3.30pm to 6pm at the Cardinia Cultural Centre, Pakenham. Council acknowledges the Victorian Government’s funding support to deliver this year’s Fusion

Knox City Council has opposed the changes. (File).

Monbulk CFA duo to take on stair climb

By Tanya Steele

Two community firefighters have stepped forward for this year’s 12th annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, a gruelling challenge which supports cancer research and crisis support services.

Alex Scukovic and Josh Leigh from Monbulk CFA will don their gear and climb 28 floors of the Crown Metropol on Saturday, 6 September, raising funds for Lifeline, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation and the 000Foundation.

Monbulk CFA Lieutenant Josh Leigh said the climb will be a first for him and Alex.

“It’s the first time our brigade has had a member do it in roughly around 10 years,” he said. The duo decided to participate in the climb this year in support of their CFA’s local members and community.

“We’ve had a few health challenges for members and their families, so I think from our side,

we’ve all been touched by those causes at many points in our lives,” Josh said.

“It was an opportunity to use what we do in the fire brigade and firefighting to raise some awareness and funds for some really important charities,” he said.

Alex said on his donation page that he’s excited to participate in this year’s Firefighter Stair Climb.

“I’m keen to represent the Monbulk brigade, but also see the 000 foundation as an important cause that is close to my heart,” he said.

The pair are currently in planning mode, preparing a schedule to get their fundraising across social media and to get fit to give the event their best on the day.

“We’ll be doing a lot of gym work and walking and all of that, but to train ahead of the actual event, we’re going to put on our firefighting gear in town, and probably tackle some of the larger hills in the full kit,” said Josh.

The event will see participants climb 28 floors of the Crown Metropol, wearing up to 25kg of firefighting gear, breathing apparatus, or similarly weighted equipment from their emergency service.

Some will also complete the climb ‘on air’ using self-contained breathing apparatus, symbolising the heavy physical and mental burden faced daily by first responders and their families.

The event aims to raise $1 million for Lifeline, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation, and the 000Foundation.

Climbers will be supported every step of the way by dedicated volunteers and medical teams, creating an electric atmosphere for one of the toughest stair climb challenges in the country.

To get involved or show your support, residents can visit Alex and Josh’s page on the official event website.

Dandenongs men urged to prioritise mental health

June 9 to 15 is Men’s Health Week and with the month itself also Men’s Mental Health Month, it’s an opportune time to have some important conversations.

Eastern Health Consultant Psychiatrist Jonathan Starke said Suicide is a major issue for men’s mental health in Australia and is the leading cause of death for men aged 15 to 44.

“Look out for symptoms like persistent low mood, sleep disturbance, ruminative thoughts, and a loss of interest or motivation, especially when these last for weeks and affect daily life. It becomes more concerning when someone can no longer enjoy things they used to love, struggles to function at work or home, appearing more irritable and experiences low energy, libido, or appetite,” he said.

“Mental health is something we each have a responsibility to nurture, and while there are common themes like social connection, purpose and feeling valued, what works best is often very individual, it’s not about doing it all yourself but being willing to explore what keeps you mentally well, knowing there are supports and services around you.”

In the Outer East, there a number of free local options that can provide an easy and accessible start to seeking mental health help:

■ headspace Lilydale and Knox provide free mental support for those aged 12 to 25.

■ The Mental Health and Wellbeing Local in Lilydale run by Wellways Australia is free and open to anyone over the age of 26.

Tony Vallance of allied health clinic Building Better Brains in Croydon has been working with the Yarra Ranges and Maroondah City councils to run the Dads Chat project, a series of free workshops focused on the wellbeing of local dads and male carers

Team Leader of intake and brief intervention at headspace Knox Chris Morley said it’s important every year, but it’s getting more and more important as they’re seeing a lot of young men with mental health issues and hearing a lot of stories.

“It’s relationships, friendships, online bullying, in-person bullying, anxiety, depression, family breakdown, a lot of people are doing it pretty hard financially at the moment, that’s having a big impact as well and so day-to-day survival is a big thing which causes a lot of depression and anxiety,” he said.

“If we don’t name our emotions and start dealing with them and talking about them, they just build up and we need to learn strategies of dealing with them otherwise, we can find coping strategies that maybe aren’t so helpful like alcohol and drug use or risky behaviours, things like that,”

“We need to be aware of the impact of social media, but it can be a really positive impact too, kids who are feeling isolated can still reach out and connect with friends through social media and that can be a wonderful thing and the more

we talk about it, the more we’re aware of the traps and the dangers but also the really important connections people can make.”

The local headspace centres can be found at 216 Main Street, Lilydale and 2 Capital City Boulevard, Wantirna South.

Enfys Jones is a local volunteer for headspace’s Youth Action Force (YAF) and said blokes are doing it tough and thinking they’re alone or ‘gotta push through it alone’.

“We need to keep up the convo, doing it tough with mental health can cause tension with mates and family, asking for a hand takes the pressure off and it keeps you around for more good times,” he said.

Getting help is strong, it’s bloody hard, especially after you’ve been fighting solo for so long but we gotta do the right thing,”

“People are there and you deserve not to be in mental pain.”

The Yarra Ranges Mental Health and Wellbeing Local will be making the permanent move into its new home on 16 June at the lower ground floor at 61-65 Anderson Street, Lilydale (Entry via the Coles outdoor car park) and can also be contacted via 1300 000 252 or online at wellways.org/ localservices.

Building Community Capacity Team Leader at the Mental Health and Wellbeing Local in Yarra Ranges Matt Riley said to remember it’s not weak to speak and that taking care of your mental health is one of the strongest things you can do for yourself and those who care about you. “Start by checking in with yourself. Be honest and kind. Ask, ‘How am I really doing?’ Feeling flat, avoiding people, or constantly exhausted are signs you might need support, and that’s okay,” he said.

“Next, reach out to your mates. It doesn’t have to be a deep conversation- sometimes, the

smallest gestures make the biggest difference, asimple message, a shared laugh, or an invite to grab coffee or watch the footy can show your mates they’re not alone and that someone cares, it’s about showing up and reminding them they matter,”

“It’s vital to keep men’s mental health in focus. Unfortunately, so many men feel they must ‘tough it out’, by raising awareness, we break that stigma and show that seeking support is a sign of strength.”

Mr Vallance said all of his clients are males and it can really hard for them as they might not have had a lot of ways shown to them growing up in how to have certain conversations and hold space for someone.

“When it comes to those invisible challenges with what we carry mentally, what’s in our own backyard, then it’s very hard to talk about, it’s very hard to know if a fellow mate is really struggling or doing it tough and often it’s the guys who are making life look easy who in some cases can be the most at risk,” he said.

“When we look at behaviours that happen to us blokes when things get too tough and things get too challenging, when we might be feeling so angry, so frustrated and so lost, we might punch a wall or in some cases, do violent things with the people that we love the most, so it’s so important to have these conversations and discuss these challenges,”

“That’s why I’m so proud of these groups of guys that have come through Dad’s Chat, we have laughed, we’ve shared tears, we’ve shared hilarious things going on in our lives with our children and our lives and also we’ve shared some real genuine challenge and some real struggles that come with that journey.”

The Dad’s Chat project is set to resume in

Term Three of the school year. Journalist and 2022 South Australian Young Achiever of the Year Cal MacPherson started the ‘Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health’ video podcast after losing his friend James to suicide in 2019 and urged men to hold on, because pain ends and no matter how unlikely it seems, the storm will pass eventually if you give it enough time and take all the positive action you can.

“Building self-awareness and consciously tending to your mental health, as you would your physical health, isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, it’s an absolute necessity,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter how tough you are, or how much you think you can carry on your own, everyone needs help sometimes and finding the courage to be honest and put your hand up is the strongest thing you can do for yourself and those who love you,”

“I’ve interviewed hundreds of young men about their experiences with mental health and suicide, they all agree on this, the voice in your head that tells you you’re a burden that people would be better off without, is lying to you.”

If you or someone you know is seriously injured or at risk of harm right now, call Triple Zero (000). For support for men’s family, emotional or relationship challenges, call MensLine Australia at 1300 78 99 78. You can call Lifeline at 13 11 14 for 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis support anywhere in Australia.

There is also free 24/7 telephone counselling support through the Suicide Call Back Service at 1300 659 467 if you are at risk of or affected by suicide, delivered by Lifeline’s trained counsellors. There is also 24/7, free and private counselling available from Beyond Blue by calling 1300 22 4636 or starting a webchat at beyondblue.org. au/get-support/talk-to-a-counsellor/chat.

L-R: Jas, Jake and Chris at headspace Lilydale. (Stewart Chambers: 483730)

By Callum Ludwig

Alex (left ) and Josh (right) will tackle the climb in September. (Online).

Posties set to fight back

By Mikayla van Loon

Cited as “a last-line-of-defence” as dog attacks continue to plague Australia’s posties, every post delivery employee will now be equipped with citronella spray.

Australia Post announced earlier this month that it would be rolling out the preventative measure after an “alarming number” of dog-related incidents in the last six months.

New statistics show that more than 44 posties a week fall victim to a threatening dog – an average of nine per day – with Mooroolbark again ranking in the top three worst offending suburbs in Victoria.

Overall, Victoria ranked fourth out of all states and territories for the most number of incidents between 15 November and 15 May, totalling 138 incidents.

Australia Post general manager safety Russell Munro said the organisation is constantly looking for ways to better protect frontline team members.

“The safety of our team members is a core value at Australia Post. Despite public awareness efforts and rigorous safety protocols, we continue to see alarming rates of dog-related incidents,” he said.

“The best way to avoid dog attacks is to ensure your dog is safely secured behind a locked door or gate when your postie arrives with your parcel.

“We’ve identified a safe citronella spray deterrent that has proven largely effective in de-escalating incidents. When our people continue to end up in hospital, we have a responsibility to act and this is a last resort measure.”

Seeing overseas success in the use of a non-harmful, water-based citronella spray, Australia Post conducted a trial in the worst-affected areas, finding the spray was 80 per cent effective in causing dogs to retreat, leaving posties unharmed or giving them time to move away and call the owner for help.

In the lead up to the peak delivery period over Christmas, and at the release of the previous six months data where Mooroolbark first appeared in the top three, Star Mail spoke with Melbourne based postie of 26-years, Jamie Perri.

At the time, Mr Perri said he’d experienced nearly all kinds of incidents, from being chased to cornered, which “can be quite scary”, telling stories of dogs jumping through windows and over fences in an attempt to chase.

Aside from physical and attempted attacks,

Working together to help platypus thrive in our region

The federal and state governments are investing in game changing environmental projects that will restore critical habitat for our beloved platypus and threatened frogs and native fish species.

The landmark $24 million Platy Patch project will work to improve critical habitat at 14 sites across Victoria over the next four years under the guidance of Victoria’s leading ecological research centre, the Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI).

The project is jointly funded by the federal government’s Natural Heritage Trust under the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, the Victorian government and Melbourne Water. Platypus are considered vulnerable in Victoria, with evidence of a population decline across the state.

The species requires stable river and stream banks to burrow, as well as plenty of riverbank vegetation and woody habitat to provide food.

Rehabilitation works funded by the Platy Patch project will include extensive revegetation, weed control and replanting of woody habitat in waterways.

Smart water rain tanks will also be installed and used along Monbulk Creek to ensure creek flows are appropriate throughout the year.

Catchment Management Authorities, Melbourne Water, Coliban Water, One Tree

Planted, Zoos Victoria, the Australian Platypus Conservancy, various local governments, Parks Victoria, Landcare and DEECA will work together with ARI on the restorative project.

The project is one of 11 in Victoria to share in $44.3 million of grant funding from the federal government’s Natural Heritage Trust under Round Two of the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program.

This includes two projects with Melbourne Water, receiving almost $20 million in federal government funding and matching funding from the state government, that will ‘daylight’ approximately 1.7 kilometres of underground drains.

The Reimagining Eumemmerring Creek and Reimagining Tarralla Creek projects will bring water back to the surface, recreating natural, meandering waterways. The works will restore and preserve the habitats for a range of native mammals, waterbirds, fish and frog species, while also providing green spaces for the community to enjoy.

This complements the more than $609 million the Victorian government has invested since 2014 in biodiversity and the natural environment under Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037, Victoria’s plan to stop the decline of our native plants and animals and improve our natural environment.

port letter,” he said. Australia Post’s data highlights that almost 40 per cent of dog incidents take place on a customer’s property – half of those when a front door is opened for a parcel delivery.

Dog incidents occurring on the street account for 57 per cent of all cases. Roaming dogs are a particular concern, accounting for 39 per cent of all street incidents. Half of all other cases on the street were unrestrained dogs escaping a property to attack a postie.

It is common practice for Australia Post to report aggressive or dangerous dogs to local councils.

Yarra Ranges Council communities director Leanne Hurst told Star Mail in November reports that are investigated “can range from biting, rushing and attacking” and follow the Victorian Domestic Animals Act 1994.

Ms Hurst said Yarra Ranges residents are urged to check gates, fences and accessible areas to ensure an animal can be properly contained, especially if they are unsure how their dog will react to delivery drivers.

“All workers and passers-by should feel safe from dogs when out and about,” she said.

The citronella spray should only be used by posties and delivery drivers as a last resort, encouraging dog owners to instead adopt the steps of sit, stay, secure.

Australia Post identified 35,000 active dog-related hazards flagged in handheld devices carried by team members – a 20 per cent increase since November last year. These hazards are reported as a warning for potential escalation.

Increased interactions with dogs, Mr Perri put down to the rise in parcel delivery.

“Since the online shopping boom dog interactions with posties, particularly in front yards, have skyrocketed. Back in the day, 20 years ago, we never delivered parcels unless we had a pass-

Mr Perri said in his view “owners need to take ownership” and asked people to put themselves in a postie’s shoes to understand what it’s like when delivering between 50 and 70 parcels a day.

The citronella spray program will prioritise high-risk regions first, with all posties to be equipped with the spray by the end of July.

The program will then be extended to Parcel Delivery Drivers, and all team members will be trained on how to use the spray safely.

Australia Post will continue to analyse incident data and conduct regular reviews of risk management practices.

Cardinia Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

Cardinia Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

We’re looking for passionate and committed community volunteers to be part of the Cardinia Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee to represent the interests of people with disability in Cardinia Shire.

We’re looking for passionate and committed community volunteers to be part of the Cardinia Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee to represent the interests of people with disability in Cardinia Shire.

The Cardinia Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee

welcoming, accessible and inclusive Cardinia Shire. The CAIAC provides information and advocates to Council on issues impacting people

The Cardinia Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee (CAIAC) aims to create a welcoming, accessible and inclusive Cardinia Shire. The CAIAC provides information and advocates to Council on issues impacting people with disability.

Eligibility is open to locals with disability, carers, family members, disability advocates and disability organisations.

Eligibility is open to locals with disability, carers, family disability advocates and disability organisations.

The committee meets six times a year at the Cardinia Cultural Centre.

The committee meets six a year at the Cultural Centre.

S ubmit your interest online via the application form at g go cardinia

Mooroolbark again ranked in the top three worst offending suburbs in Victoria for dog-related incidents. (Stewart Chambers: 442256)

The landmark $24 million Platy Patch project will work to improve critical habitat at 14 sites across Victoria over the next four years. (Zoos Victoria)

Mount Donna Buang snow brings prospect of play time

By Oliver Winn

Mount Donna Buang received some of its first notable snowfall on the weekend.

The Mountain Tucker Van Facebook page provided snow reports as the weekend progressed.

While a slight amount of snow was forecast for Saturday 7 June, the Mountain Tucker page reported a change in weather conditions which resulted in no snow making it low enough.

Finally, snow was reported on Sunday 8 June, though it wasn’t enough for tobogganing.

On Monday, rain washed the remaining snow away.

“Thanks to everyone that came and said G’day yesterday - We will keep you updated throughout the snow season,” the Mountain Tucker Van said in a Facebook post.

The June full moon, known as the Strawberry Moon, was captured in Emerald by a local photographer, TRACY DASLER, at 7.02pm on Wednesday 11 June.

June’s Strawberry Moon shows its beauty in Hills

Belgrave harpists string along

By Tanya Steele

The ‘lovely’ village of Belgrave was paid a visit by a group of Harpists from all over Australia who descended into the hills over the weekend to workshop and collaborate.

Thursday 12 June to Saturday 14 June saw over 40 Harpists from the Australian Therapeutic Harpists Association (ATHA) travel to the Masonic Hall in Belgrave to share and learn from one another while enjoying the wintery delights of the hills.

ATHA Committee member Christine Middleton said the Harp Gathering in Belgrave was an outstanding success.

“Everyone who attended was totally engaged with all the workshops, the merchandise holders were well patronised and the venue was perfect for the event,” she said.

The Australian Therapeutic Harpists Association (ATHA) was formed in 2018 to promote and support therapeutic harp services throughout Australia.

Therapeutic Harp Practitioners can be found in a wide and diverse range of areas, from hospitals, aged care facilities, hospice and palliative care, disability services and even wildlife shelters

“Their professional role uses the elements of live harp music and sound in a variety of settings to assist healing and wellbeing,” said Ms Middleton.

The two-day event featured workshops from some of Australia’s leading therapeutic harp practitioners and topics ranged from ‘Using the Harp to create Sound Baths’ to ‘Writing Harp Novels’.

Ms Middleton said the presentations were professional, engaging, interactive, varied, interesting and inspiring.

The group dined out at the

The harpists watched a screening of ‘From Music into Silence’ – a documentary featuring the deeply moving personal story of Peter Roberts from Geelong

a

to those at the end of their lives.

“The film and the accompanying soundtrack captured his story beautifully and sensitively,” said Ms Middleton.

Ms Middleton said the group is looking forward to coming back again next year.

“Another harp gathering in 2026 is planned and will be held once

Belgrave,” she said.

Snowfall began on Sunday. (Supplied)

The road up from Warburton was open but the gate to the summit was shut.

local Blacksmith Cafe in Belgrave on the Friday evening and also visited the Cameo Theatre.

on his journey to become

thanatologist (someone who studies death and grief) and his ongoing career to bring comfort and ease

again in the lovely village of

Committee member Christine Middleton said the event was a great success. (Supplied)

Catherine Lyons-Nash taking the group through a workshop on Crafting a sound bath.

The group popped into the Cameo to see a screening of ‘From Music into Silence’.

The June full moon, known as the Strawberry Moon, was captured in Emerald by a local photographer, Tracy Dasler, at 7.02pm on Wednesday 11 June. (Tracy Dasler)

Call for community leaders

Residents of Olinda and Mount Dandenong are encouraged to connect with fellow community members and help shape the future of the local area through discussions starting at the Olinda Community House.

Local residents Karen Steele and Joe Azzopardi, together with local artist Emma Jennings saw a need and were inspired by the formation of the recent township group in Sassafras and Ferny Creek.

They applied to Yarra Ranges Council for a grant to start the process of trying to form a township group with the funds being used to employ a facilitator to find out if others are also interested.

“We know there are so many groups offering a range of things including sporting, recreation, senior’s activities, conservation, creative and social programs but imagine what we could do if we all worked together for the ‘hill top’ region,” Karen said.

“We’d love to see opportunities for people to meet their neighbours and have some activities during the foggy winter months in the Dandenong’s, because we know that loneliness impacts all age groups and correlates to significant health issues.” Joe said.

Yarra Ranges mayor Jim Child said the council hopes there will be people within the community interested in forming a group and taking on a leadership role.

“Council works closely with our local township groups, providing insurance, mentoring and quarterly networking opportunities. By forming groups this provides opportunities for our community to apply for grants to run local projects and respond to local needs,” he said.

“Sassafras and Ferny Creek recently formed a township group, which subsequently ran a successful Easter event. This group is already moving from strength to strength, meeting monthly and helping residents and traders to share ideas and make plans together.”

Streeton Ward councillor Jeff Marriott said he

would help support an Olinda and Mount Dandenong Township Group.

“Over the past six months, it’s been great watching the neighbouring Sassafras-Ferny Creek Community Group start and deliver such a successful inaugural event over the Easter weekend and it was a great success,” he said.

“Olinda has several focal points and it will be interesting to see like-minded stakeholders that live and/or work in the area develop initiatives that will foster community growth. Kudos to community members for being awarded a Yarra Ranges Community Monthly Grant to start the facilitation process.”

Chandler Ward councillor Gareth Ward said

he was heartened to see community leaders working together in township groups across the region.

“I wish Joe and Karen every success and I encourage people to come along to the event and take part in what I am sure will be some really rich and insightful conversations,” Cr Ward said.

The session is a chance to connect with neighbours and traders, build a sense of community, discover what locals care about and identify what brings the community together.

The meeting will also discuss the possibility of forming an Olinda/Mount Dandenong Township Group, if community members elect. This group, if formed, could help advocate for local issues,

Portable long service leave that moves

Victoria’s

or

share information, lead community projects, and apply for grants.

It will also enable the community to celebrate local stories, discuss what makes Olinda and Mount Dandenong unique, share ideas and have a say in shaping the future of the local neighbourhood.

Event details:

• Date - Monday 23 June.

• Time - 6.30pm.

• Location - Olinda Community House, 79-81 Olinda-Monbulk Road, Olinda.

• Supper will be provided from 6.30pm before the meeting formally commences at 7pm.

The event will start at 6.30pm on Monday 23 June at the Olinda Community House. (File: 384340)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Celtic performers deliver

By Tanya Steele

Performers across the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley are still recovering from the epic three-day National Celtic Festival in Portarlington, held last week over the long weekend from 6 - 9 June.

Celtic musicians, bands, dancers and more flocked to the frosty and windy shores of Portarlington to perform, learn and collaborate across many performance stages at the annual celtic affair.

Artist Barry James Gilson and Wadawurrung man opened the weekend and also performed with shadow artist Mary French to share a Wadawurrung Dreaming story under the stars.

“Barry’s Welcome to Country, accompanied by the cleansing smoke of the smoking ceremony, filled the air with warmth, reflection and deep cultural significance, the smoke carried with it a sense of healing, connection and welcome - setting the tone for a weekend of community, music and shared stories,” said the festival’s social media spokesperson on Facebook.

The Mast Gully Fellers from Upwey are known for their unique, but familiar ‘Australiana BarRoom Folk’ sound and joined the festival this year for the third time.

Band member Freo Freeman said they were so grateful to have been given the opportunity by Una and the organisers of the National Celtic Festival to play for another year.

“It’s certainly one of our favourite festivals to play, the people, the culture, the music... It’s just so much fun,” he said.

The Mast Gully Fellers featured among many well-known bands, from the international act Boxing Banjo from the West Coast of Ireland, to the well-loved Claymore, and the Queensland band Amaidi.

This year, the Fellers played three shows, and Freeman said all of which were different in the way they played out.

“Friday night, we opened the proceedings as the first act on in the coveted Celtic Club, Saturday we played there again for a matinee session, and on Sunday night we were the last band on the Village Tavern stage, so we got to open one stage and close another,” said Freeman.

“The shows were well received with people dancing and singing along, the highlights were when folks joined us in some chanting at the start of our song ‘Dig Boys Dig’, and when the Irish dance troupe VIDA hit the dancefloor during our Sunday night set in the Village Tavern,” he said.

Bringing their beautiful trio of voices to the event were the multi-talented Nightingales, who live all over the hills and are made up by musicians Tracey Roberts, Maria Forde and Claire Patti.

The Nightingales performed original and trad pieces on a bevy of instruments several times over the weekend.

“It was a beautiful festival – a wonderful atmosphere and had great events,” Roberts said.

“We had full houses and beautiful concerts,” she said.

The Nightingales were previously made up of Roberts, Ford and fellow musician Janette Geriwho sadly passed away a few years ago.

Ms Roberts said the Nightingales began reforming last year, after they had begun to make connections with another local Hills artist Claire Patty, having seen her perform several times.

“We knew her actually as a friend, and we decided to ask her if she’d be interested in joining up with us to reinstate the Nightingales – So Nightingales version two, if you like,” she said.

“Claire is such a beautiful musician - she plays the harp and French horn.”

Although a keen jazz musician herself for many years, Ms Roberts said that working around Celtic harmony was a key reason for the group’s reform.

“You don’t often have harmony singing in jazz because it’s so free – I love the freedom of jazz, but I love harmony, so we decided to pull it together again, and we’ve done a few festivals,” she said.

“We’ve got a nice sort of combination of instrumentation, and the vocals were all really strong singers, and we all understand harmony and how to work together with harmonies.”

The trio also got up at Portarlington for an event known as ‘Hush for the Singers’, which involves some audience participation.

“We get the audience involved in singing along with a lot of well-known Celtic tunes,”

said Roberts.

“Maria hosts that, and she has a few other musicians come up and join her from different bands and groups come up and do two or three songs each,” she said.

“It’s quite an entertaining concert, Claire, Maria and I got up and did a couple of songs with that, and Willie Hutton from Claymore and his guitarist, Ben, that was really great.”

Every year, the Celtic festival gains atmosphere and strength from its organic feel and the way musicians and performers come together and collaborate, often quite naturally, performing with one another across the weekend.

Ms Roberts said the Nightingales also joined up at another concert and did a couple of songs with Bahn Tre, who are another well-known Celtic trio.

“A lot of them collaborate together as well and jump up and play in each other’s sets – that’s really fun for them and for the audience alike,” said Roberts.

Irish and Scottish dancers from all over Victoria were seen dancing at the event, performing traditional and sometimes newer and creative routines to the festival crowds.

Victorian Irish Dance Academy (VIDA) teacher Kate Bilton said she also wanted to thank organisers Una, Amanda and the incredible team at the festival.

“What a phenomenal festival this year, the venues, stages, music and atmosphere were the

best,” she said.

“Through rain, wind and shine, we delivered our biggest and best festival yet — with 55 dancers, eight performances, two workshops, four different costumes, and nine brooms (including two borrowed from the side stage).”

VIDA took a huge group of kids and adults to Portarlington who live all across the outer east of Melbourne, where they showcased their latest routines – including a new collaboration with the adults and teens, a traditional broom dance and a beautiful hard shoe dance set to a tune by the band Green Lads.

“Huge congratulations to the One Beat performers who had the courage to dance under extremely tough conditions on Sunday night,” said Bilton later in a social media post.

After the official performances finished at night, the festival would wind on inside the Session bar, a place where the musicians and festivalgoers gathered to play on into the winter nights.

“It’s a really lovely festival like that,” said Roberts.

“Everybody’s very in the zone of just being joyful and making really great music happen,” she said.

Freeman said for the Mast Gully Fellers as a band, and as a group of friends who live music, the festival is the highlight of their winter.

“So glad to have been a part of such a special event,” he said.

The Nightingales Maria, Tracey and Claire performed this year (Supplied).

Headliners from West Ireland - Boxing Banjo amped up the crowds. (Tanya Steele)

The three-day event opens with Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony at the lighting of the hearth fire. (Tanya Steele)

Irish dancers performed all weekend. (Supplied)

VIDA dancers perform to the crowd. (Liv Dingfelder)

Attendees can step into workshops and try out some of the instruments. (Tanya Steele)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Art gives Milie will to go on

By Mikayla van Loon

Breaking free of the confines set around her, Milie Woods always knew art was a calling she couldn’t resist, little did she know one day it would also provide immense comfort in hardship.

“For me, it’s just who I am. I’ve always been creative. I always wanted to paint. I taught myself to paint under the bed at night as a kid. And look, it’s always been in me,” she said.

Unable to explore her creative side as a child growing up in a conservative household, Milie said after facing adversity and moving to Tasmania, the first thing she did was enroll in art school.

Exploring graphic design initially, discovering this wasn’t for her, Milie turned her attention to a Masters in art therapy.

Working in Tasmania in a mental health ward at a hospital, she helped young people under the age of 30 find stability, using art as a key element.

But when her sister fell ill, Milie moved to Healesville to care for her and has remained ever since.

Finding inspiration from the natural environments that have surrounded her, particularly the 40-odd years in Tasmania, Milie said this too inspired her colour palettes.

“A lot of my work is memories from that time and basically from all the places I’ve lived in Australia. So I draw from those experiences,” she said.

“If you look at the work, you can see the progression, (starting with) more earthy colours, and then I’ve gone into the brighter colours.”

Using ink on watercolor paper as her preferred modality after exploring oils, acrylic and watercolour, she said the versatility of ink allows her to create vibrancy but also a more subtle hue if she so desires.

As someone who paints everyday, Milie said her collection of works is extensive, with roughly

200 pieces accumulated over time.

So when Milie was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in December last year, it felt like the perfect opportunity to present her art and raise funds while doing so.

“I never painted to make money, it was just for me. It was therapy for myself. So from that aspect, I always really wanted to just donate the work,” she said.

“When I was diagnosed with MND, I thought, ‘well this is obviously for a reason’.”

Launching A Retrospective in Ink at Round Bird Artspace in Lilydale on 1 June, Milie’s exhibition has so far raised $6000 for MND Victoria, with another six weeks of showing remaining.

“This whole thing is about donating to a cause

that desperately needs it. For instance, Neale Daniher, he is basically fundraising for research,” she said.

“MND Victoria, their function is different in the fact that they offer care, they offer counselling, end of life care, all that sort of stuff. Research is fantastic because hopefully we can find a cure, but until we do MND Victoria is the main body needing funds.”

Having been quite shocked by her diagnosis not knowing all that much about MND, Milie said awareness is crucial to understanding what and how this disease comes about.

Milie’s path to a diagnosis began when she started experiencing drop foot in one of her legs, with her muscles becoming weak.

Sent to a neurologist and eventually the Austin

Hospital for further tests, it was all showing signs of MND.

But because of the difficulty to pinpoint symptoms specifically as MND, Milie said it can take up to six months to have a complete diagnosis.

“There’s still questions around my diagnosis and yet I am losing a lot of my functions. So even though I have a diagnosis, there’s also several different kinds of MND, there’s four different varieties, they’re still testing, and they’re still working out which one I’ve got.”

For Milie, her muscles are getting weaker, she has difficulty swallowing at night and her fine motor skills are deteriorating.

“I drop a lot of things because my hands are getting weaker. My voice is changing. I have spasms in my legs. (One) leg actually aches consistently.

“But what can you do? I mean, if that’s what it is, that’s what it is and you’ve just got to push on.”

Despite losing her ability to paint the intricate details she is used to, Milie said if she wasn’t able to create art at all, she wouldn’t be as positive as she is.

“What I’m trying to do at the moment is to adapt my artwork to what’s happening to my body.

“It keeps my mind busy. It keeps my mind occupied. It is something I love…If I couldn’t paint, I think I’d just go down hill. It just gives me the will to keep going.

“If you give up, then it just lets the disease take over. When you’re given a diagnosis that is life threatening if you give up, it only progresses further.”

Milie’s exhibition is showing until 29 July, with 50 per cent of the sale price of any artwork being donated to MND Victoria.

Find Round Bird Artspace at 170 Main Street Lilydale, above the cafe.

Artist Milie Woods with her artwork titled ‘Banksia pods and Spots’ and ‘Wattle, gumnuts and spots’. (Stewart Chambers: 483734)

Luck, fate — maybe destiny?

By Maria Millers

At the time of writing no one has as yet come forward to claim last Thursday’s $100 million Powerball prize.

On the same day a single passenger, Viswash Kumar Ramish walked away from the fiery crash of a London bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad where along with his brother Ajay 241passengears and crew died.

The plane after failing to take off came down in a highly built up area so there were significant on ground injuries and deaths, particularly at a nearby hostel for medical personnel.

At the time of writing there had been 270, bodies so far recovered.

An Australian reporter commenting on the tragedy rather unthinkingly made the insensitive remark that the sole survivor should now buy a lottery ticket.

Winning the lottery is purely random, based on chance, and doesn’t depend on any set path or purpose.

It’s all about the odds, and even the most careful planners or the most deserving people don’t have any control over it.

Luck is seen as a random or chance occurrence, something that happens without any predetermined cause or influence.

It’s usually associated with good or bad fortune that seems outside of your control.

Luck then seems the more appropriate word to speak about lottery winnings rather than about a tragedy?

The origins of the word go back to Middle Dutch in the 1400s, probably through gambling and trade, meaning good fortune chance and happiness.

Edna St. Vincent Millay is known for writing about love, fate, and the human condition.

In her poem “Luck”, she considers the randomness of fortune and the roles of chance and

luck in life.

WOORILLA WORDS

I shall not ask for luck,

That I may get the things I want,

But only for the skill to take

What I have been given, unafraid.”

Millay suggests that luck is an external force, but our true power lies in how we react to it—accepting what comes our way with grace, whether it’s good or bad.

So if not luck, how can we account for this one man surviving when everybody else including his brother perished? Rather than calling it luck, some may prefer to describe it as fate.

Emily Dickinson often wrote about life’s mysteries and the role of fate.

In ‘The Fates,’ she explores the idea that our lives are governed by forces beyond our control, represented by the mythical goddesses, the Fates of Greek mythology, who ‘spin, measure, and cut the thread of life.’

The Fates are with us – no matter what,

We cannot know but do what we must,

And, as they are, so we shall be.”

Here fate is portrayed as an inevitable, almost silent force that shapes our lives.

We must go on, regardless of how little control we may have.

Some people see fate as leading to specific

HaveYourSay

Shape our future waste services

Have your say on the future of our waste services in Cardinia Shire, including:

• household bins

• the proposed glass-only service

• hard waste collection

• green waste disposal options

Your feedback will help us renew our Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy. This strategy serves as a roadmap for the future direction of Council’s waste services, education and advocacy.

You will also have the opportunity to share your thoughts on the draft, before the strategy is finalised.

Consultation closes on Wednesday 9 July. To have your say, head to one of our pop-up sessions or complete the online survey at www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay

outcomes regardless of choices, while others think fate just steers you toward certain events but still leaves room for personal action.

At the moment the reasons for this tragic event are in the first stages of investigation.

Vital information has to be gathered from the black box, final voice recordings from the pilots and a forensic examination of the remains of the aircraft.

But the fact that one man was able to walk away with minor injuries does beg answers.

Whether by choice or allocation Viswash had been seated in 11A, which was at the window of the emergency exit at the front.

His brother, Ajay, was in the same row but on the other side of the aircraft away from the exit.

Is it this what could have given Viswash the advantage to escape and survive?

And yet research suggests that, in general, the seats at the back of the plane are the safest place to be in a crash.

Reports say the plane ‘broke in half’, and he found himself in the front half while the rear caught fire.

He then staggered from the wreckage and was found by rescuers.

So was it fate?

When Viswash returns to home and family it can never be a totally joyous reunion.

There will always be that ‘missing chair at the family table.

And as he recovers he may experience what is sometimes called Survivor’s Guilt: the inevitable self- questioning of why me?

Was it fate that I survived?

Some survivors often feel burdened to live well for those who didn’t make it and in this case it being a brother there may be even more pressure to accomplish something.

Or perhaps even feel compelled to do so.

He could even feel that his survival was des-

tiny Ada Limon ‘s poem explores how life can be embraced when it is filled with uncertainty or fated to be hard but still find joy and meaning in those fleeting moments of life.

You don’t have to be good.

You don’t have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”

Perhaps in time Viswash may be able to put his feelings into words.

While there are few publicly available poems from plane crash survivors, one poignant piece that captures the surreal and haunting aftermath of such an event is an excerpt from Jo Matsaeff’s a Plane Crash Survivor’s Diary.

“We must have crashed into a forest. It’s a lovely place if you don’t pay attention to the clothes hanging from the smashed windows. If you don’t pay attention to the human shapes hanging from the trees. Yes, it is a plane crash; but there are still bushes, leaves, damp grass, pretty rocks; burrows, branches and careful not to trip! Birds and clouds looking like things they’re not.”

So luck, fate and destiny though often used interchangeably play out differently in real life situations.

For Tracy K Smith fate suggests that even though there may be larger cosmic forces we are ultimately responsible for our direction.

The universe asks us to set our own goals, to put our hand to the plough, to build our own world from whatever material we can find, and if we look up for a moment and see the moon—we don’t know if it’s fate or luck, or just the moon.

As yet no one has claimed the Powerball $100 million prize.

We can only conjecture whether the winner will regard it as luck, fate or destiny and act accordingly.

Small acts

Putting recycling in the bin loose and not in plastic bags means more of it can be turned into new things.

Recycling in plastic bags cannot be sorted because the bags can damage equipment at sorting facilities and present a safety risk to staff. Visit www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/waste

SCAN ME

A complex world for China women

By Megan Wallens

Christine Sun’s Note: Many thanks to author Megan Wallens, of Warburton, for sharing her reading experiences and insights.

Pearl Buck and Han Suyin, who knew China well from the inside, wrote at length about the country prior to the Communist takeover in 1949.

Both women were exceptional observers of Chinese life.

Having read several of their books, by the time I went to China to live, I thought I had a general idea of the experiences of rural Chinese women, and that their conditions had improved.

Then a friend gave me a copy of Xinran’s The Good Women of China (2002) – a collection of true stories and “an unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a modern woman in China”.

It opened my eyes to what I was not seeing – that, generally, the reality of day-today life for rural Chinese women remained unchanged in a millennia-old patriarchal society.

As well, through small publications by Chinese women, I came to better understand the cultural practices I was observing, and saw the happier side of female communal life.

I bought Jung Chung’s marvellous Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who launched Modern China (2013).

Cixi ruled China from Beijing over a century earlier.

Several times I visited her homes in the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace.

Cixi’s life seemed one of extraordinary indulgence in the face of terrible national poverty and political factions, until I began to appreciate how this woman of humble origins had risen to power in a centuriesold, male, Confucian court rampant with intrigue, betrayal and murder.

I was further enriched by Anchee Min’s and Amy Tan’s books, which are well known in the West.

These take us into the complex world of Chinese women, but with a Western flavour.

As a trained nurse, I was fascinated by Traditional Chinese Medicine, and saw it in action, but material in English proved to be scarce.

Then recently l read Lisa See’s beautifully researched Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (2023), based on the life of one of China’s first female doctors, Tan Yunxian.

With great insights, See has written other fascinating novels about the lives of Asian women, including The Island of Sea Women (2019), set on the island of Jeju off Korea.

I briefly worked in Xinjiang Province in China’s far west.

Dissected by several Silk Road trade routes connecting China to Europe, it is a harsh land of forbidding snow-capped mountains and arid deserts, north of Tibet.

This is where Guy Gavriel Kay has set two evocative, powerful, semi-fantasy novels based on the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Both Under Heaven (2010) and River of Stars (2013) felt real, gripping and familiar to me.

But perhaps you need context first, so please read Linda Jaivin’s excellent The Shortest History of China (2021).

Our libraries hold books by all of these authors.

They provide a rich entry into China’s history and culture, and the role of women – important observations that help us to better understand our changing world.

Our community across the Monbulk District is set to benefit from a Victorian Budget that offers real, tangible support where it’s most needed.

Budget boon The state affairs

In a time when many households are feeling cost of living pressures, the 2025/26 Budget from the Victorian Government brings welcome relief, with a strong focus on easing those pressures and investing in the places and people that make our community special.

Easing the pressures on households

With winter very much here, eligible concession card holders will receive a $100 Power Saving Bonus to help with energy bills, and for those looking to make their homes more energy-efficient, rebates for heat pumps and solar hot water systems could save households up to $400 a year.

But perhaps the biggest smile will come from our youngest residents.

From 1 January 2026, public transport will be free for all Victorians under 18 — saving families up to $755 per child each year.

Seniors will also benefit from free weekend travel across the state, making it easier to stay connected with loved ones or enjoy a day out in our beautiful region.

Supporting our kids, backing our community Sport is more than just a pastime in Monbulk - it’s where friendships are formed and community spirit shines.

That’s why the Budget includes over 65,000 additional Get Active Kids vouchers, worth up to $200 each, to help cover the cost of uniforms, equipment, and memberships for eligible families.

A local club is also receiving a boost.

The Monbulk Rangers Soccer Club will receive up to $200,000 to upgrade lighting at their ground, which will ensure safer, more accessible facilities for players and spectators alike.

We are also providing funding to Knox Council to help with upgrades to The Basin Triangle Park to make this much-loved space even more welcoming. Investing in learning and wellbeing

Education remains a cornerstone of this Budget, with funding to kick-start planning on brand new facilities at Sherbrooke Community School, including a new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering,

CARTOON

ArtsandMathematics)learningfacilitytoinspirethe next generation of scientists, artists, and innovators.

The Free Kinder program will continue, saving families up to $2600 per child and supporting over 150,000 families across Victoria.

It’s a commitment to giving our littlest learners the best start in life.

Healthcare access is also getting a boost.

With $18 million invested in pharmacy care, local pharmacists will be able to treat more everyday conditions, like allergies and high blood pressure, without the need for a GP visit.

And the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, will now become a permanent and expanded service.

It has already helped 83 per cent of patients avoid unnecessary hospital trips, delivering care from the comfort of their home.

Strengthening our emergency services

In times of crisis, our SES and CFA volunteers are the first to respond.

This Budget recognises their vital role, with $150,000 allocated for essential equipment to keep the lights on and communications ongoing when the power and mobile towers go down.

This will help ensure our emergency services remain strong, connected, and ready to protect us when we need them most.

If you would like further information on other ways the Budget is helping households with cost of living relief, please visit my website and feel free to sign up for my monthly newsletter if you wish – danielademartino.com.au

The Round My Fair Lady presented by Babirra Music Theatre

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.

A play about a young flower girl from Convent Garden who wishes to improve herself and with the aid of Professor Henry Higgins does so but!

Babirra produced a wonderful musical of My Fair Lady which your reviewer could not fault. The settings caught the feel of the story, the costuming was excellent especially at the races.

The artists were excellent. Eliza Doolittle was given a superb performance added to by a wonderful voice particularly from the cockney to the upper class added to by a lovely singing voice by Siobhan Judge. Siobhan really caught the essence of the character and was a delight to see.

Henry Higgins, the voice expert, was played by Mark Monroe. A good performer capturing the character as envisaged, and a good balance to Siobhan. They both worked well together, and one feels they made the production.

Love wins over ticking of boxes

Materialists

Starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal

M

4.5/5

The second film from Past Lives writer-director Celine Song, Materialists is a tightlywritten delight of enthralling dialogue and low-impact but deeply moving drama.

Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a professional matchmaker in New York, begins a relationship with wealthy financier Harry (Pedro Pascal), but also reconnects with her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans).

Johnson plays Lucy as a victim of her own success: an outwardly classy, discerning woman whose love life is stifled by her own matchmaking instincts.

The dialogue is intricate and literary but still feels natural (once again highlighting Song’s playwright roots), and has a clever subversive layer of taking desirability and market value, terms so often used misogynistically against women, and turning them on men through Lucy’s agency.

The plot has several well-seeded details that return in satisfying ways, and the major threads of Lucy’s glamorous but passionless relationship with Harry, her deeper bond with John and a match turned abusive weave together to show how simple, undefinable love is more important than partners ticking boxes on a clinical list of criteria.

The naturalistic performances, scant use of non-diegetic music (music played outside of the film’s world) and the beautiful cinematography, which captures the style and grunge of New York, come together to make an immersive, cozy but profound experience.

Materialists is like the inverse of the 2017 New Zealand comedy The BreakerUpperers, in which the protagonists specialise in ending relationships instead of starting them, and could easily be taken as a prelude to Yorgos Lanthimos’ 2015 sci-fi satire The Lobster, which takes compatible partnerships to a dystopian extreme.

An outstanding romantic drama from a filmmaker who excels at conveying the joyful messiness of human existence, Materialists is playing in most Victorian cinemas.

Colonel Pickering was given a great performance by Tim Murphy. Tim really captured the character and was kind to Eliza as Henry was very demanding. Tim Murphy is an asset to Babirra Music Theatre and his performance added to the production.

Tim Malone was Eliza’s father Alfred Doolittle, a dustman who had definite views on life as he saw it.

This added to his future. Tim caught the role beautifully giving a wonderful interpretation of the character.

Mrs Higgins, Henry’s mother, was given a great interpretation by Patricia McCracken. An under-

standing woman who at first was upset that Henry was out with a common flower girl but when she grew to know Eliza, her attitude changed. Patricia was superb in the role and her feelings towards Eliza come across as very natural.

Henry Higgin’s housekeeper, Mrs Pearce was played by Fiona Carter. A well performed character who sympathised with Eliza and stood up for her when Henry got a little obstreperous. Another good performance.

Freddy, who fell in love with Eliza, was performed by Charley Conwey who gave a a great performance of a young man in love. His only song was masterfully delivered and was a delight for the audience. The Hungarian ex pupil of Henry Higgins, Zoltan Karpathy, was given a great performance by Matthew Davies. Compliments must go to the director, Alan Burrows for a wonderful production and a good night of theatre. The cast added to the high standard of the production and Babirra Music Theatre is not one to be missed.

Daniela De Martino MP Member for Monbulk of

DREAMING OF A FEW ACRES WITH A FAMILY SIZE HOME?

DREAMING OF A FEW ACRES WITH FAMILY HOME?

HERE is your chance to make it come true! With ease of access via the long sweeping driveway you arrive at a massive under house garage with the four-bedroom home above that has been well positioned for the sunny aspect over Sassafras Creek Reserve.

The second driveway rises to a massive level area of approx. one acre that would ideally suit a hobby farmer, contractor (with plant and machinery) or if you just want a big piece of privacy.

Open lawns for kids to play, dogs to run and a fenced vegie garden with orchard, hot house and chicken pen.

The land area is 1.45 ha or 3.6 acres so ample room for trucks, excavators (loop drive) and a high set machinery shed 10.8mtr x 9mtr includes container workshop and storage.

Stepping into the home from the beautiful alfresco area you are greeted with a brilliant open plan living that includes kitchen with stone bench tops, dishwasher and 900 wide SS gas cooker, family size dining, TV lounge area and study /home office workspace.

All kept comfortable with a cosy wood fire, ducted heating and split system. From the floor plan you will see four large bedrooms with full ensuite and walk in robe to master. The whole property is well presented and offers that true “Hills Lifestyle” opportunity. Is it now time to stop dreaming and make your TREE CHANGE a reality? ●

MODERN COMFORT IN THE HEART OF FERNTREE

WELCOME to this stylish and lowmaintenance two-bedroom apartment-an ideal opportunity for first home buyers, savvy investors, or those looking to downsize without compromise.

Step inside to a generous entryway, complete with study nook, European-style laundry and ample storage. The open-plan living and dining area is the heart of the home, seamlessly connecting a sleek kitchen fitted with a gas cooktop and electric oven and dishwasher -perfect for everyday living or entertaining. A private balcony extends from the living space, offering effortless indooroutdoor flow all year round and also offers some magnificent sunsets.

Enjoy year-round temperature control with split-system heating and cooling and brand-

new hybrid flooring throughout. Both bedrooms include built-in robes, and the master bedroom opens directly onto the balcony, welcoming natural light. The bathroom is well-appointed with a large shower, vanity, and toilet. Complex features include a secure, fob entrance, lift and underground secure carpark with a storage cage.

Perfectly positioned in the vibrant hub of Mountain Gate, this apartment is just moments from Mountain Gate Shopping Centre, local cafes, parks, public transport, and schools including Mountain Gate Primary and Kent Park Primary. 114/9 Mountain Gate Drive delivers convenience, lifestyle, and a prime address in one smart package. Please note: Study desk is not permanent.

A VERSATILE FAMILY HOME WITH TREETOP VIEWS

POSITIONED in one of Ferny Creek’s most coveted locations, this expansive family home offers exceptional space, comfort, and versatility for modern living. Boasting 5 spacious bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a thoughtfully designed floor plan, this residence is perfect for large families, those seeking multi-generational living, or anyone in need of extra flexibility.

Set on a generous 3973m² (approx.) block, the home offers a remarkable outdoor lifestyle, with huge wraparound terraces that provide breathtaking views Through the trees and an ideal setting for outdoor entertaining. Whether hosting family gatherings, enjoying a quiet morning coffee, or simply soaking in the natural beauty, these terraces enhance the home’s connection to its serene surroundings.

Key Features Include:

• Five large bedrooms, offering ample space for the entire family.

Three bathrooms, including a master ensuite, for convenience and privacy.

• Multiple living areas that offer flexible spaces to suit a variety of needs.

• Large wraparound terraces that take in stunning views of the national park, providing additional room for outdoor

entertaining or relaxing.

Self-contained parents’ retreat or potential for multi-generational living-with separate living areas and facilities to accommodate extended family members or guests.

• Double garage/workshop with ample space for vehicles, tools, and hobbies.

• Huge under-house storage area, ideal for storing belongings or converting into additional living space (STCA).

Expansive 3973m² (approx.) block, offering space for outdoor activities, such as gardening.

This home blends privacy, comfort, and breathtaking natural beauty in a highly soughtafter part of Ferny Creek. With filtered treetop views, easy access to local amenities, schools, parks, and public transport, it provides the perfect balance of peaceful living and convenience.

If you’re looking for a versatile, spacious home that offers potential for multigenerational living or the opportunity to create your dream retreat, don’t miss out on this unique opportunity. Contact us today to arrange an inspection and explore the many possibilities this stunning property has to offer!

MUDBRICK HOME WITH MULTI-GENERATIONAL LIVING AND EQUINE FACILITIES

AT the end of a peaceful court, this beautifully crafted mudbrick farmhouse offers the perfect blend of rustic charm, comfort, and lifestyle versatility. Just a short 7-minute ride to the Cockatoo Pony Club and surrounded by scenic horse trails, it is an ideal setting for horse lovers, hobby farmers, or families looking for a relaxed rural lifestyle.

Full of character, the home features reclaimed timber, leadlight church windows, and a central dormer window that fills the interior with natural light. The spacious blackwood kitchen includes slate flooring, a Vulcan wood-fired stove, and flows into a large mudroom/laundry with easy access to garages, sheds, and paddocks. The open-plan living space is warm and inviting with spotted gum floors, two fireplaces, and French doors that open to multiple entertaining areas— perfect for all seasons.

The main residence offers four generous bedrooms, including a master with walk-in robe and ensuite, and a beautifully styled main bathroom with natural stone finishes. A separate, fully self-contained two-bedroom flat with its own entrance, ensuites, and walkin robes adds incredible flexibility—ideal for extended family, guests, or Airbnb potential (subject to council approval).

Outdoors, on 3.78 acres (approx) the property delivers on every level with fully equipped horse paddocks, an all-weather round yard, stables, pony paddock, and thoughtful pasture flow design. Entertain around the fire pit, host gatherings on the north-facing deck, or enjoy peaceful moments under the orchard trees.

This is more than a home—it is a lifestyle retreat with heart, space, and endless possibilities. ●

Contact: Mick Dolphin 0429 684 522 and Margie Lawn 0494 175 410, RANGES FIRST NATIONAL, 9754 6111 HOME ESSENTIALS

Address: 3 Woodrow Court, COCKATOO Description: 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 garage Price: $1,300,000 - $1,430,000 Inspect: By appointment

Tworareleaseopportunities intheDandenongRanges.

Bring your vision tolifeinoneof Victoria’smostvisiteddestinations.

ParksVictoriaisseekingexperiencedoperatorsfor twouniquelong-termleaseopportunitiesinthisiconic location.Welcoming5.8millionvisitorsannually,the DandenongRangesisoneofVictoria’smostvisited destinations.

Expressionsofinterestarenowopenforthesetwo locations:

GrantsPicnicGroundCafé-EOIcloses18June2025

MountDandenongObservatory-EOIclose4July2025

ScanQRformore information

GrantsPicnicGroundCafé

MountDandenongObservatory

FIRST HOME OR INVESTMENT PROPERTY

PROVIDING the perfect entry point into the desirable Dandenong Ranges lifestye, this 1,140sqm (approx.) property will delight first homebuyers and investors.

Situated within walking distance from thriving Upwey township, Upwey train station, and plenty of picturesque parklands, a slice of paradise awaits here. From the made road and a sloping block the home is set well back to capture enviable valley outlooks and a level side lawn for entertaining and a list of features that is certain to impress.

The generously proportioned interior centres around the open plan kitchen with freestanding gas range and large peninsula that overlooks the living and dining area leading out to the deck. A gas fireplace and new split system heating/cooling keep the home temperate year-round while 2 comfortable bedrooms plus a study/ storeroom , spacious new bathroom with separate powder room, and an oversize laundry complete this bright and inviting home.

If you’re dreaming of an affordable treechange in a top location, this true “hills” property is the perfect place to start.

&EFFORTLESSCOMFORT

Charming &elegant homewithhighceilings,polishedtimberfloors,light-filledspaces, openplanliving& diningarea,contemporarykitchenwithstonebenchtops &premium europeanstainless-steelappliances.secondlivingspace,dedicated home office travertinebathroom,well-equippedlaundry,second toilet& ductedheating. Covered alfresco deckwith outdoorkitchen,lush,tropicalgardenswithsandstone-framed saltwaterpool,cubbyhouse, firepit,chookshed, doublecarport& securefencing

MickDolphin 0429684522 DavidStewart 0411655611

YOURFAMILYWILLWANTTOCALLTHISONEHOME!

Contemporaryhomeon alarge1,479sqmblock,withrakedceilings,privatepicture windows,modernkitchenwithislandbar,gashob& underbenchoven,dishwasher& slideout pantry.Cosycombustion wood fire &year-roundcomfort with splitsystem& ductedgasheating.Newbathroom,threebedroomsonthemainlevel.rumpusroom twomorebedrooms, laundry& secondtoilet downstairs.Bitumendrivewayoff asecond roadfrontage -Broadway, ample parking,secure,singlelock-up brickgarage/workshop.

Peaceful,privatesanctuaryona sereneno-throughroad.Characterbeams,spotted gumflooring,wrought ironhandrailin thelivingarea,enclosedoutsidekitchen &skylights with retractable solar shutters, zenmastersuitewith calmingbath &own deck,several living spaces, &acustomfitted well-appointed kitchen.splitsystem, ducted heating, woodfire, outdoor entertainingarea with blinds& aheater,plunge pool,huge barn with sound-proof room,chickencoup, greenhouse,fruittrees& vegetable/berry gardens.

MickDolphin 0429684522

MargieLawn 0494175410

Nestledin apeacefulvalleycloseto Pakenham,thelight-filled,modernresidence featuresfour generousbedrooms,incl.masterretreatwith bi-folddoors that openonto thedeck.The open-plan kitchen& livingareashowcasestriking timber&stainless-steel finishes&expansive windows.A second livingspacecomplete withexposedtimber beams &ambient rafter lighting.BessieCreek ensuresgreenpaddocksyear-round, makingthis an ideal settingfor hobbyfarming,horses, or enjoying wide openspaces.

MickDolphin 0429684522

MargieLawn 0494175410

VERSATILE LIVING IN THE HEART OF BELGRAVE

PERFECTLY positioned just a short stroll from the vibrant Belgrave Main Street, this unique and flexible home is bursting with potential for families, creatives, or savvy investors. Whether you’re a musician looking for a private studio, a growing family needing room to spread out, or housemates seeking shared yet separate spaces, this property ticks every box.

Step inside and discover a light-filled residence boasting a clever layout and serene treetop views. Choose between five spacious bedrooms or four bedrooms plus an acoustically treated studio – ideal for music production, podcasting, or a private retreat.

The heart of the home is the bright, airy kitchen, perfectly positioned to overlook leafy surroundings, flowing into a generous openplan living and dining area with floor-to-ceiling glass that draws nature in. Step out onto the upper and lower decks, made for relaxed entertaining or quiet reflection among the trees.

Downstairs, this retreat features a bathroom, study, and its own entrance – ideal for teens, guests, or as a home office.

Key Features:

Flexible floorplan: 5 bedrooms or 4 + music studio

• Light-filled kitchen with treetop outlook

• Expansive living area with floor-to-ceiling windows

• Indoor-outdoor dining with deck access

• Two well-appointed bathrooms

Dual-level decks perfect for entertaining Downstairs Teenagers retreat

Tiered, low-maintenance gardens

• Ducted heating and split system cooling

• Garden shed and off-street parking for two cars

Set in a highly sought-after location, just minutes from shops, cafes, schools, public transport and all that Belgrave has to offer, this home is ready to suit your lifestyle –however you define it. ●

HOME FOCUS

A PRIVATE COUNTRY ESCAPE WITH BIG VIEWS

JUST minutes from the heart of Gembrook, this beautifully presented three-bedroom, two-bathroom weatherboard home offers the perfect balance of serene country living and modern convenience — all set on a picturesque acre with breathtaking views.

A winding driveway leads to a spacious undercover parking area, complete with an adjoining storage shed, welcoming you into a property that feels both private and practical from the very first glance.

Inside, polished timber floors and soft natural light set a warm and inviting tone. The open dining area flows down into the carpeted lounge, where a slow combustion woodfire, split system cooling, and gas ducted heating ensure comfort in every season. Expansive windows showcase the stunning rural outlook, inviting the outside in and framing every day in beauty.

The kitchen is well-equipped, featuring abundant storage, a corner pantry, dishwasher, and ceiling fan — all with easy access to the living spaces.

Down the hall, two bedrooms include builtin robes and ceiling fans, while the private master retreat at the rear of the home offers true sanctuary. A generous walk-in robe leads to a spacious carpeted suite with built-in cabinetry, updated ensuite, and sliding doors opening to the undercover area — a peaceful escape with leafy views.

Step outside and you’ll find a serious bonus for tradies, hobbyists or anyone dreaming of a little extra space— a huge 9m x 9m barn-style garage with power, plumbing, and a mezzanine level, plus a separate high-clearance carport ideal for caravans, floats or hay storage. Add to that a 3.5kW solar system and you’ve got comfort, character, and capability in one irresistible rural package.

Whether you’re dreaming of a treechange, a place to grow, or simply a space to breathe — this Gembrook hideaway has the heart, space, and soul to make it yours.

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

Oneofa KindCommercialOpportunityintheHeartofGembrook Setonapprox.½ acrewithdualstreetfrontage,this350m²landmarkintheheartofGembrookoffers unmatchedcharacter &versatility.OverlookingPuffingBilly,currentlystyledas aglamorousdance studiowithluxerearaccommodation,thepossibilitiesareendless(STCA).Thinkrestaurant,gallery, B&B,functionvenueorcreativebusiness.ZonedCommercial1 withlandscapedgardens,rearyard &spaceforupto14cars.Insidefeatures agrandstagehall,lounge,soundproofed‘great’room, commercialsound &lighting &a fullyfittedresidencewith 2bedrooms,kitchen,woodfirelounge& bathroom.DualaccessfromMainSt &StationSt &circulardriveway.

APrivateCountryEscapewithBigViews& EvenBiggerPotential. This3bedroom,2bathroomhomeofferstheperfectbalanceofserenecountryliving& modern convenience. Adrivewayleadstoundercoverparking,completewithadjoiningstorageshed. Inside,polishedtimberfloors& naturallightseta warm &invitingtone.Theopendiningareaflows intothelounge,wherea slowcombustionwoodfire,s/scooling& GDHensurecomfortinevery season.Expansivewindowsshowcasethestunningruraloutlook.Thekitcheniswell-equipped, featuringabundantstorage,a cornerpantry &D/W.2 bedroomsincludeBIR,whiletheprivate masterretreatofferstruesanctuary. AgenerousWIRleadstoa spacioussuitewithbuilt-incabinetry &updatedensuite.Stepoutside& you’llfind aseriousbonus, ahuge9mx 9mgaragewithpower, plumbing &mezzaninelevel, ahigh-clearancecarportidealforcaravans/haystorage &3.5kWsolar.

AaronDay M 0407365994

BrennanMileto M 0422996451

SpaciousCedarHomeon3,889sqm,WalktoTown& PrimarySchool. Nestledina peacefullocation,thisspaciouscedarhomesitsonnearlyanacre,offeringtheperfect balanceofcomfort &lifestyle.A sealeddrivewayleadstotheundercoverentrance,welcomingyou into awell-equippedkitchenfeaturinggenerousbenchspace,integratedovenwith agascooktop &largepantry.Overlookingtheopen-planlounge/diningarea,thisinvitingspaceiswarmedbya strikingopenfireplacewitha stonesurround,a splitsystem &GDHthroughout.Slidingdoorsopen to alargereardeck.ThemasterbedroomwithdoubleBIR,while 3additionalwell-sizedbedrooms, eachwithBIR. Acentrallylocatedfamilybathroomincludes aseparateshower& toilet. Aspacious deckextendsalongtherearofthehomeoverlookingthefullyfencedbackyard,idealforchildren& pets.A doublecarport& smallgardenshedcompletestheoutdoorspace.

ACROSS 1 Squirm (7)

5 Progress (7)

9 Provider of information (9)

10 Pliant (5)

11 Resulted from (6)

12 Aircraft pilots (8)

14 Say or do again (6)

15 Intend (4)

19 Electrical unit (4)

20 Vigour (6)

24 Income streams (8)

25 Motorcycle brand (6)

27 Passenger ship (5)

28 Accept reluctantly (9)

29 Noisy dispute (7)

30 Reprieve (7)

Composes (6)

Brew; steep (6) 3 Accumulated (8) 4 Web auction site (4)

5 Exercises (10)

6 Country houses (6)

7 Gas that makes up 78 per cent of the Earth’s atmosphere (8)

8 Evening prayer (8)

13 Grow worse (10)

16 Flood (8)

17 European country (8)

18 Relating to cultivated land (8)

21 As snug as a bug

22 US state (6)

23 Just (6) 26 Prefix meaning water (4)

Gembrook late surge fails

By Steve Ebbels

Healesville and Gembrook faced off both on the field and on the court in this week’s round of the Outer East Football Netball league.

Up the hill at Gembrook, it was Healesville U18’s taking on Gembrook.

Healesville’s boys looked good from the first bounce and took control of the first half to go into the main break with a strong lead 7.7.49 to Gembrook 2.1.13.

The third quarter and Gembrook rallied to stem the flow and managed to outscore Healesville and slightly reduce the margin at three quarter time to 31 points.

Into the fourth quarter and Healesville once again took hold of the game holding Gemebrook scoreless for the term whilst putting on 5.5 themselves to run away convincing winners.

Final score Healesville 12.14.86 to Gembrook 3.2.20.

First up on the netball front was Healesville B Grade taking on Gembrook.

Another tough day on court for Healesville’s girls with Gembrook controlling the game from the start but once again Healesville girls battled it out the very end.

Final score Gembrook 86 to Healesville 14.

Back on the oval and it was Healesville’s reserves looking to bounce back from the big loss at the hands of Officer two weeks prior.

Once again though the Bloods reserves were really struggling for numbers and they had nine of the U18’s backing up again just to make sure they could field a team.

As is quite often the norm at Gembrook as the wind picked up scoring at road end was becoming increasingly difficult but at quarter time Healesville had managed to score a goal at this end but Gembrook took advantage of the breeze putting on three to lead 3.4 to 1.1 at the first break.

The second quarter and Gembrook bucked the trend kicking three goals against the wind

Trades & Services

Healesville failing to use the advantage only managing one major.

Score at half time Gembrook 6.6.42 to Healesville 2.3.15.

The third quarter and Gembrook once again took advantage of the scoring end kicking six goals to stretch their lead to 63 points.

Last quarter and the Healesville boys where really starting tire with the U18 lads starting to feel the effect of having played seven quarters of football.

Gembrook running away victors 14.11.95 to Healesville 3.6.24.

Back to the netball and Healesville A Grade team were looking continue the momentum from their win last round.

Healesville took control of the first quarter outscoring Gembrook 17 goals to seven to have quite a commanding lead at first break.

Second quarter was a much close contest with Healesville only managing to increase their lead by a single goal to go to the main break with an 11-goal lead.

Third quarter and Healesville once again took ascendancy of the game putting on 13 goals whilst holding Gembrook to eight.

Last quarter went much the same way with

Healesville going on to win 60 – 40.

Another great win for Healesville girls who continue to consistently perform every week.

Last up for the day and not having sung the team song since round five Healesville’s seniors were looking to get back on track.

Kicking to the scoring end and Healesville boys got of to a flyer dominating play and kicking the first six goals of the game before Gembrook got their first major late in the quarter.

First break and Healesville leading 6.2.38 to Gembrook 1.1.7.

Heading into the second quarter and Healesville were looking to consolidate this early lead and not let Gembrook take advantage of kicking with breeze.

They managed to achieve with both sides scoring two majors each for the quarter.

Score at the main break Healesville 8.4.52 to Gembrook 3.4.22.

Third quarter and again Healesville made the most of the scoring end of the ground putting on five goals and holding Gembrook to two to have a commanding lead going into the last. Healesville 13.7.85 to Gembrook 5.5.35.

Into the last and Gembrook came out firing leaving Healesville well and truly on the back foot and desperately trying to stem Gembrook’s ascendancy.

Healesville had more than their share of centre clearances but really struggled to get pass Gembrook’s half back line with the ball coming back very quickly putting Healesville’s defenders under enormous pressure.

Healesville did mange to get the ball deeper into their forward line on a few occasions but only managed to score two points while Gembrook put on six goals.

In the end Healesville managed to hold on to take the four points.

Final score Healesville 13.9.87 to Gembrook 11.10.76.

Tensions rising between Healesville and Gembrook. (Stewart Chambers: 484516)

SPORT

Monny too good for Officer

By Armin Richter FOOTBALL Seniors

Saturday’s matches were played in cool but fine conditions at Monbulk to wrap up the first half of the home and away series. The Hawks were looking to bounce back against Officer after their narrow loss to Mt. Evelyn and put in a four quarter performance. Monbulk’s backline was a fine cohesive unit that repelled any attacks on their citadel. The Kangaroos scored their only two goals in the final term as Monbulk had the game in their control all afternoon.

The match was to be the 10th clash between these sides since Officer joined Outer East in 2019 and the win takes Monbulk to an 8-2 head to head win-loss record while Officer’s score of 2.8.20 is their lowest ever against the Hawks. Monbulk find themselves sitting in fifth place and half a game behind Healesville but six points ahead of sixth placed Mt. Evelyn. Triple Best & Fairest Lochlan Beecroft (2021, 2023, 2024 winner) has been named in the Hawk’s best players for the last 30 consecutive weeks, the current League record and possibly an all-time club record.

Monbulk 15.10.100 def Officer 2.8.20

Best: Campbell Evans, Nicholas Wall, Ben Hughson, Lachlan Sheppard, Lochlan Beecroft, Kai Linde

Goals: Ben Hughson 3, Nicholas Wall 3, Ryan Burleigh 2, Mitchell Dekker 2, Lochlan Beecroft 1, Kai Linde 1, Pat Barge 1, Bailey Rutherford 1, Lachlan Sheppard 1 Reserves

The second placed Officer Reserves and fifth placed Monbulk were very evenly matched and little separated the sides over the course of the game. A tricky breeze that was blowing caused some relatively easy goals to be missed as Officer was able to scrape out a narrow win in a low scoring encounter.

Monbulk 4.10.34 def by Officer 6.7.43

Best: Cameron Griffiths, Dylan Werts, William Mutschler, Brodie Emmett, Nicholas Heron, Kieren Galloway

Goals: Johnathon Hevern 2, Brodie Emmett 1, Thomas Berman 1

Under 18s

While the end result was a bit of a blowout, the match itself had been well contested but the bigger and more experienced Officer players made the most of their opportunities. Monbulk are putting together some good passages of play and will look to exact revenge on Gembrook-Cockatoo

next week for their opening round loss.

Monbulk 1.4.10 def by Officer 13.16.94

Best: Jed Fraser, Brock Downey, Finn Horsfall, Cohen Mitchell, Arley Gray, Blake Nicholson

Goal: William Hughson

NETBALL A Grade

TheHawksremaininthehuntforadoublechance in the finals with a dominant display against ROC. Up to date Monbulk sit fourth with 6 wins and 3 losses, and look set to finish amongst the leaders as the top teams jostle for positions. As with the senior footballers, the win takes the Hawks to an 8-2 head to head record against the Kangaroos. The match set a new club record score against their opponents and Peri Reid surpassed her 42 goal game against ROC last year with 47 on the weekend.

Monbulk 78 def ROC 40

Best: Paige Whitworth, Peri Reid, Sophie Stubbs

Goals: Peri Reid 47, Stephanie Ferguson 31

B Grade

ROC are undefeated in B Grade and went into the game two wins ahead of Monbulk. In a match that never had the sides more than a few goals apart, it looked as if the Hawks would cause an upset when they held a two goal lead at the final change. Unfortunately they were unable to hold on, going down by the narrowest of margins but knowing they can take it up to anyone.

Monbulk 47 def by ROC 48

Best: Dayna Walsham, Tiana Mancarella, Olivia

Goals: Jorjs Wragg 29, Olivia Crook 9, Dayna Walsham 9 C Grade

This team has battled hard all season without the results to show for it. Coming up against a finals bound ROC side, the Hawks worked hard but were outplayed by a better team.

Monbulk 23 def by ROC 45

Best: Hayley Donald, Maddy Buckland, Courtney Witt

Goals: Maddy Buckland 18, Chloe Carmichael 4, Grace Sands 1

D Grade

Monbulk’s D Grade team played their match of the season. Having lost captain Tasha Selby to a season ending knee injury and coming up against ladder leaders ROC had the potential to curtail expectations. This was only the fifth time that these clubs had met in D Grade as Monbulk has not always been able to field a side. Previous results in 2021 (51-1 and 45-5) and 2024 (52-12 and 43-8) were all heavy defeats for the Hawks. Katrina Wragg replaced Selby and returned for her first match of the year. After trailing through the first half the Hawks drew level at three-quarter time. In a thrilling finish Monbulk triumphed by a single goal.

Monbulk 27 def ROC 26

Best: Katrina Wragg, Macy Giling, Beth Sands

Goals: Jamie Sands 17, Macy Giling 10 Under 17s

ROC Blue and Monbulk are at opposite ends of the ladder with 8-0 and 0-8 records respectively. It was a tough day for the Hawks as ROC showed why they are premiership favourites.

Monbulk 8 def by ROC Blue 50

Best: Isabelle Cross, Maddison Bedet, Kaitlyn Summers

Goals: Kaitlyn Summers 4, Ella Flynn 2, Maddison Bedet 1, Amelia Magarry 1 Under 15s

At the halfway mark of the season both Monbulk sides are in the Top 4. Monbulk Maroon met Pakenham Gold at the Toomuc Reserve and proved too strong, comfortably winning each quarter. Isla Stubbs is leading the competition goal shooting with 128, ahead of Monbulk Gold’s Eden Murphy on 118.

Monbulk Maroon 46 def Pakenham Gold 20

Best: Isla Stubbs, Stella Dunstan, Bridie McCormick

Goals: Stella Dunstan 21, Isla Stubbs 20, Bridie McCormick 5

Monbulk Gold were at home to third placed Pakenham Maroon. A superb second quarter had the young Hawks leading 15-7 but they were unable to maintain the momentum and eventually lost in a nail-biter by a solitary goal.

Monbulk Gold 21 def by Pakenham Maroon 22

Best: Daphne Mitchell, Amelia Magarry, Ria Greenaway

Goals: Eden Murphy 11, Amelia Magarry 8, Ria Greenaway 2

Around the region’s football ovals and netball courts

By Armin Richter

Football Premier Division

Seniors: Monbulk 15.10.100 def Officer 2.8.20; Healesville 13.9.87 def Gembrook-Cockatoo 11.10.76; Wandin 19.11.125 def Upwey-Tecoma

9.9.63; Olinda-Ferny Creek 16.10.106 def Emerald 6.8.44; Woori Yallock 8.14.62 def Mt. Evelyn 7.8.50

Reserves: Officer 6.7.43 def Monbulk 4.10.34; Gembrook-Cockatoo 14.11.95 def Healesville 3.6.24; Upwey-Tecoma 5.12.42 def Wandin 6.4.40; Emerald 9.9.63 def Olinda-Ferny Creek

6.12.48; Mt. Evelyn 15.16.106 def Woori Yallock

1.2.8

Under 18: Officer 13.16.94 def Monbulk 1.4.10; Healesville 12.14.86 def Gembrook-Cockatoo 3.2.20; Wandin 11.7.73 def Upwey-Tecoma 8.11.59; Mt. Evelyn 17.23.125 def Woori Yallock 1.0.6; Olinda-Ferny Creek bye Division 1

Seniors: Warburton-Millgrove 19.19.133 def Yarra Glen 6.6.42; Yea 16.13.109 def Powelltown 9.5.59; Pakenham 12.7.79 def Seville 7.8.50; Alexandra 18.7.115 def Belgrave 14.9.93; Yarra Junction bye

Reserves: Warburton-Millgrove 21.14.140 def Yarra Glen 1.0.6; Yea 14.20.104 def Powelltown 1.4.10; Seville 11.13.79 def Pakenham 6.2.38; Alexandra 9.12.66 def Belgrave 5.7.37; Yarra Junction bye Under 18: Warburton-Millgrove 14.8.92 def

Yarra Glen 2.7.19; Pakenham 9.11.65 def Seville 5.8.38; Alexandra 12.13.85 def Yea 3.2.20

Women (Div 1): Healesville 8.7.55 def Pakenham 2.3.15; Olinda-Ferny Creek 6.3.39 def Upwey-Tecoma 3.1.19; Mt. Evelyn 21.10.136 def Woori Yallock 0.0.0; Belgrave bye

Women (Div 2): Wandin 6.13.49 def Seville 1.4.10; Warburton-Wesburn 12.14.86 def Yea 0.1.1; Thornton-Eildon 2.3.15 def drew Emerald 2.3.15; Officer bye

Veterans Over 35: Belgrave 8.10.58 def Mt. Evelyn 6.6.42; Yarra Glen 10.17.77 def Officer 2.6.18; Gembrook-Cockatoo bye

Netball

Premier Division

A Grade: Monbulk 78 def ROC 40; Healesville 60 def Gembrook-Cockatoo 40; Wandin 68 def Upwey-Tecoma 51; Emerald 41 def Olinda-Ferny Creek 35; Mt. Evelyn 66 def Woori Yallock 33

B Grade: ROC 48 def Monbulk 47; GembrookCockatoo 86 def Healesville 14; Wandin 57 def Upwey-Tecoma 21; Emerald 44 def UpweyTecoma 28; Mt. Evelyn 66 def Woori Yallock 50

C Grade: ROC 45 def Monbulk 23; Wandin 50 def Upwey-Tecoma 25; Emerald 29 def OlindaFerny Creek 23; Mt. Evelyn 52 def Woori Yallock

20; Gembrook-Cockatoo bye

D Grade: Monbulk 27 def ROC 26; Wandin 36 def Upwey-Tecoma 18; Olinda-Ferny Creek 37 def Emerald 26; Mt. Evelyn 36 def Woori Yallock 27; Gembrook-Cockatoo bye Under 17: ROC white 33 def Emerald 13; ROC Blue 50 def Monbulk 8; Mt. Evelyn 42 def Woori Yallock 27; Wandin bye

Under 15: ROC White def Woori Yallock (forfeit); Monbulk Maroon 46 def Pakenham Gold 20; Pakenham Maroon 22 def Monbulk 21; ROC Blue bye Division 1

A Grade: Warburton-Millgrove 49 def Yarra Glen 41; Powelltown 37 def Yea 35; Seville 47 def Pakenham 43; Alexandra 58 def Belgrave 48; Yarra Junction bye

B Grade: Warburton-Millgrove 51 def Yarra Glen 42; Yea 82 def Powelltown 27; Seville 44 def Pakenham 37; Belgrave 43 def Alexandra 36; Yarra Junction bye

C Grade: Warburton-Millgrove 47 def Yarra Glen 29; Yea 39 def Powelltown 15; Seville 45 def Pakenham 24; Alexandra 40 def Belgrave 34; Yarra Junction bye

D Grade: Warburton-Millgrove 34 def Yarra

Monbulk players celebrate one of their 15 goals for the afternoon. (Anthea Heagney)

Crook

Monbulk captain Stephanie Ferguson proved too agile for ROC. (Armin Richter)

FOOTY TIPSTERS Q&A

Micah Calheiros

1. What made you barrack for the AFL team you follow today?

I follow the same team that my father did growing up. West Coast Eagles.

2. What’s your favourite way to spend a weekend?

I enjoy spending time with my family and kids getting out to the park or beach.

3. Do you enjoy what you do for a living?

I enjoy what I do for a living and is a very rewarding career.

4. What’s your favourite type of cuisine? Greek

5. What are 3 words that describe you best?

Grounded, compassionate, adaptive

6. When you were little, what did you think you were going to be? Train Driver

7. Who would you like to have dinner with and why (could be anyone, dead or alive)?

Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki, Because it would be a very interesting dinner conversation and I love learning weird and interesting facts.

8. What advice would you offer to your younger self?

Time is your most valuable asset –Spend it wisely on things that truly matter to you.