Mail - Mt Evelyn Star Mail - 29th July 2025

Icon left to decay

By Mikayla van Loon

After more than a decade of closure, the White Dog Hotel has returned to the public dialogue, with renewed calls for action as the facade begins to crumble.

The heritage-listed facade of the iconic, affectionately termed White Dog on Lilydale’s Main Street continues to show signs of decay, with the supporting pillars of the balcony starting to crack, causing concern for the safety of passers-by.

Since 2013, Friends of the White Dog Hotel Facebook group founder Rob Hall has been leading the advocacy for greater action to be taken to protect the building.

Addressing Yarra Ranges Council on Tuesday 22 July, he claimed the heritage overlay makes a “mockery of our local heritage laws” given the inability for the council to enforce anything sub-

stantial that would see the building refurbished or reopened.

Similar worries have been shared by residents and the Lilydale CFA, who have been watching on as the much-loved building falls into disrepair and becomes a target for break-ins.

Planning and building manager Amanda Kern said council officers were “actively” trying to engage discussions around the protection of the building and ensure that make safe works are completed under the building act responsibilities.

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Lucas with Ralph the blue tongue lizard. (Stewart Chambers: 491679)

Racially targeted graffiti

By Mikayla van Loon

Racially derogatory graffiti targeting two Asianoperated restaurants, a healing centre, and a Hindu temple across Boronia has been condemned as hateful and cowardly.

Red spray-painted slurs with the words ‘go home’ defaced the shopfront windows of Kingsland Chinese Restaurant and Shree Swaminarayan Temple.

Police confirmed it is believed these incidents are connected to similar graffiti being plastered on a healing centre on Mountain Highway and a second restaurant on Boronia Road on 21 July. It was later confirmed the healing centre targeted was the Boorndawan Willam Aboriginal Healing Service located in Bayswater. The Lilydale site was also attacked.

A spokesperson said an investigation was underway but “there is absolutely no place at all in our society for hate-based and racist behaviour”.

Kingsland Chinese Restaurant owner Graham Tran spoke with ABC Radio Melbourne host Justin Smith on Thursday 24 July and said his “heart dropped” as he saw the words.

“What made it worse was my son asking ‘what’s this?’ The hardest part was trying to explain to my son exactly what’s going on,” he said.

Mr Tran said he arrived like normal to his restaurant with his six-year-old son in tow to discover the hateful words written across the shopfront.

“I told him it’s just dirty graffiti because I don’t want to break his innocence, I don’t want to expose him to how silly some people can be,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

As a migrant family, establishing themselves in Boronia in the 1970s, Mr Tran said, for the most part, racism has been minimal, aside from a comment here or there, but that the Boronia community has been welcoming.

“(Our customers) are nothing but pleasant. Because we’ve been there so long, a lot of them we see more like family-friends than customers most of the time.”

Visiting the Temple on Thursday 24 July, alongside multicultural affairs minister Ingrid Stitt, Bayswater MP Jackson Taylor said he wanted to make it clear that he, the State Government and the community stand with every member of

the multicultural and multifaith community.

“It should go without saying – but it’s important that I make this very clear: Hate has zero place in our community,” he said.

“And the disgraceful actions we’ve seen, taken by individuals who simply do not get what our community is about, aren’t just criminal – they are cowardly. My message to them is simple: Your hate has no home here. This is not who we are.”

In a letter to Shree Swaminarayan Temple, and posted by the Victorian Council of Churches in a release on Wednesday 23 July, Premier Jacinta Allan stood in strong solidarity with the community.

“What happened this week was hateful, racist

and deeply disturbing. It wasn’t just vandalism - it was a deliberate act of hate, designed to intimidate, isolate and spread fear,” she wrote.

“It was an attack on your right to feel safe and to belong, and on the values that bind us together. There’s no place for it anywhere in Victoria. And it must be called out for what it is.”

Mr Tran said the incident had been made easier to deal with because of the support of the community in the days following the attack.

Mr Taylor’s sentiments echoed this, saying that the support of the community is behind those directly targeted.

“Everybody, no matter their background, has the right to practice their faith and be a part of our

community without looking over their shoulder in fear. You are, rightly, proud of who you are. Of your contribution to our community. Of what you bring that makes Knox the best place to live in,” he said.

“We are always at our very best when we embrace every member of our community – because multiculturalism isn’t just a phrase. It’s something we live.”

Anyone with information that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at crimestoppersvic.com.au

Local dismayed at discovery of animal remains

By Oliver Winn

A Woori Yallock resident’s disturbing discovery of plastic bags stuffed with kangaroo and deer remains has shocked authorities.

Tracey Frazer was walking along Haggards Lane in Woori Yallock on 18 July when she came across the shocking sight of kangaroo and deer legs sprawled across the ground and in plastic bags.

She said she’d never seen anything like it before.

“I’m 52 now and I’ve seen a lot of stuff, but never seen that. I built this house here when I was 18, so I’ve lived here a long time,” she said.

Immediately she called Wildlife Victoria and the phone operator also expressed dismay at the discovery.

“It’s right behind where our primary school is. I know it was school holidays, but all the kids were coming here, riding bikes on the trail. So I didn’t want a child to see it.”

She alerted Yarra Ranges Council staff working nearby who then called on workers to dispose of the remains.

“A community member contacted Council on 18 July, with a distressing report after finding animal remains dumped on public property,” a council spokesperson said.

“Our teams were able to attend and dispose of the remains in the early afternoon. The community member was contacted to let them know that the remains had been removed.”

Dumping animal remains on public property is illegal and is also extremely distressing for community members.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1300 333 000.

Victorian Kangaroo Alliance president Alyssa Wormald was shocked at the news and said it was horrifying to know that someone in the community could be responsible for it.

“Kangaroos are such gentle, family-oriented beings, and it’s horrifying to know that people in

our community are treating them with such abhorrent cruelty.”

Ms Wormald said while it wasn’t uncommon for people to find butchered remains in a field after a commercial shoot, it was “baffling” that it was found in a public area.

“I suspect it was a result of illegal shooting as presumably if they had permits and permission to shoot from the landholder they would have disposed of remains on the property where the

animals were killed.”

The Conservation Regulator received the report and is investigating the issue.

“All wildlife is protected in Victoria under the Wildlife Act 1975. It is illegal to hunt, take, destroy, injure, or interfere with wildlife without authorisation,” a conservation regulator spokesperson said.

Kangaroos are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975 and it’s illegal to harm them except when approved by an Authority to Control Wildlife, or as part of the Kangaroo Harvesting Program (KHP).

The Victorian Government’s KHP enables the authorisation of commercial kangaroo harvesting in Victoria in order to manage population numbers and provide economic benefits.

Only professional harvesters are allowed to

manage kangaroo populations and they must process carcasses and not leave them on properties.

The Yarra Ranges is included within the program, despite the council having requested to be exempt from the program.

Ms Wormald was concerned that programs such as the KHP could possibly be contributing towards entrenched attitudes of disregard toward kangaroos.

This entrenched attitude is reflected in the disturbing actions of individuals who view kangaroos merely as target practice.

The Game Management Authority also states on its website that all deer carcasses must be disposed of thoughtfully and should never be left at a campsite, in or near a waterway, on, or near, a track, road or someone’s dwelling.

Businesses and a Hindu temple were targeted in racially motivated graffiti attacks. (AAP Image/Morgan Hancock)

The remains were found off Haggards Lane, Woori Yallock. (Supplied)

It included kangaroo and deer legs. (Supplied)

Police take down local drug syndicate

A drug trafficking and crime syndicate has been dismantled in the east after properties across Lilydale, Croydon and Ringwood, among others, were raided by police.

The five-month joint investigation into an alleged organised crime syndicate saw the arrests of six people, the seizure of imitation firearms, and the uncovering of approximately $350,000 worth of illicit drugs along with more than $60,000 in cash on Tuesday 22 July.

Ten simultaneous warrants were executed at residential and commercial properties in Croydon, Lilydale, Ashburton, Glen Iris, Huntingdale, Vermont, and Ringwood.

The crime syndicate was allegedly involved in trafficking large quantities of methylamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA throughout metropolitan Melbourne.

Two men, including a 47-year-old from Croydon and a 22-year-old from Ashburton were arrested by the Special Operations Group in Glen Iris. Both have since been charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of cocaine - a serious offence that carries a maximum penalty of

life imprisonment.

Both men were also charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine. The 47-year-old Croydon man was additionally charged with possessing a traffickable quantity of firearms. They were both remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

A 20-year-old Glen Iris man was also arrested, with police later seizing 1kg of cocaine. He was charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of cocaine. He was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

A 35-year-old Ringwood man was arrested following a warrant in Ringwood. He was charged with trafficking methylamphetamine. He was remanded to appear at Ringwood Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

A 52-year-old Vermont man was arrested and charged with permitting premises to be used for trafficking drugs, possessing a drug of dependence, including cannabis, methylamphetamine, MDMA, 1,4 Butanediol, and possession of 15 imitation firearms. He was bailed to appear at Ringwood Magistrates Court on 26 August.

A 23-year-old man was arrested in Glen Iris and charged with failing to comply with direction and possessing methylamphetamine. He was bailed to appear at Moorabbin Magistrates Court on 23 September.

The operation was led by detectives from the Croydon Divisional Response Unit, Eastern Region Crime Squad, Eastern Region officers, with support from the Special Operations Group and Dog Squad, and Australian Border Force (ABF).

Eastern Region Division Two Detective Inspector Glen Cruse said this outcome was the result of months of “dedicated work”.

“The seizure of 1kg of illicit drugs, along with firearms, is a great result for our local community,” he said.

“This operation is about more than just shutting down an alleged drug trafficking networkit’s about reducing the broader ripple effect these substances have on families, road users, and the wider community.

“Disrupting the supply chain at the source is one of the most effective ways we can reduce this harm and keep our communities safe.”

IN BRIEF

Off-duty officer alleged drink driving

An off-duty Protective Services Officer (PSO) was allegedly detected drink driving in Mooroolbark on Thursday evening.

The officer from Transit Safety division entered a booze bus site on Manchester Road about 11.45pm on Thursday 24 July.

The 40-year-old underwent a preliminary breath test, returning a positive result. He underwent an evidentiary breath test, returning an alleged reading of .094.

He was issued a penalty notice and has had his licence suspended for six months.

Professional Standards Command have been notified as is standard practice.

Man charged with 17 offences

Knox Sexual Offence and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT) detectives have charged a man following multiple incidents at shopping centres in Ringwood and Glen Waverley.

Police will allege the man followed and captured images of women using a mobile phone at the shopping centres, as well as at a motor event in Melbourne’s CBD.

It will be further alleged the images were then uploaded online.

It is understood images were taken between March and July.

Detectives executed a search warrant at an address in Mitcham, where they located and seized a number of mobile phones, laptops and storage devices.

A 37-year-old Mitcham man was arrested and has since been charged with 17 offences, including produce intimate image and distribute intimate image.

He was bailed to appear before Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on 2 September.

Car wreckers robbed of parts

Police are investigating after two people cut their way into a car wreckers in Kilsyth, helping themselves to parts.

Between 9 and 9.30pm on Sunday 6 July unknown persons have cut the wire fence to Pick A Part in Fussell Road, Kilsyth.

These persons have then made their way through the yard taking batteries and parts.

Police are interested in hearing from anyone who may be able to identify the male and female depicted in the photos, as they believe they may be able to assist us in enquiries.

Any information regarding this matter can be directed to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, quoting incident reference number 250285631.

Six people across the eastern suburbs have been arrested after a drug trafficking syndicate was dismantled. (File) Police

to

this individual to help with enquiries about a potential theft in Kilsyth.

Heritage ‘mockery’, they say

By Mikayla van Loon

A renewed push to protect Lilydale’s “cornerstone of the community” from further disrepair and dilapidation has been touted again due to increasing safety fears.

Concerns for Lilydale’s famed White Dog Hotel, also known as Duke’s Saloon and formerly Lilydale Hotel, have reverberated through the community for more than a decade.

The current crumbling state of the building’s front verandah has reignited calls for Yarra Ranges Council to enact make-safe works to ensure the structural integrity of the heritage-listed facade.

Friends of The White Dog Facebook group founder Rob Hall made a submission at the 22 July council meeting requesting action to fix the facade or fine the owner for neglect.

“The White Dog is 160 years old and needs our help. So far, the heritage overlay protection isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on and continues to make a mockery of our local heritage laws,” he said.

The original iteration of the White Dog was built in 1862, expanding from a single storey to double after several years, and then requiring refurbishment following a fire in 1902.

For 70 years, the Connelly-Bramich family owned and operated the hotel, where it affectionately received its name, the White Dog, because of a burly bull mastiff brought in to guard its owner, Joanna Connelly, during the height of the Silvan Dam construction in the 1920s.

Questioning the council on its ability to double the fines for damage to heritage properties and whether fines in general have been enforced, Mr Hall’s returned response from Amanda Kern stated that “council officers cannot discuss or disclose individual cases and actions that have been taken”.

“I ask, would any other buildings in the Main Street Lilydale be allowed to let fall into such disrepair without repercussions. If not, then why not?” Mr Hall said.

“It’s because the White Dog’s doors are currently closed, but the owner gets a reprieve.”

Examples like Bell’s Plumbing in South Australia, which “was gutted by suspicious fire,” resulted in the “landmark case against the owner who was charged and found guilty of neglecting a heritage-listed building,” and the Corkman Pub in Carlton, which was illegally demolished in 2016, seeing the developers fined over $1 million, jailed for a month and having to pay legal costs.

“Thankfully, in this case, the White Dog is still standing,” Mr Hall said.

But the state of the heritage facade has been called “a hazard” by two long-time Lilydale residents, who are now in their seventies and eighties and can’t believe the site has been allowed to decay as it has.

“It’s dangerous…It looks like it’s going to fall down,” they said.

“The concrete is breaking apart. The steel is all rusty. And we said to the council, either get it demolished or get the owner to put a barricade around it for safety reasons.

“If it was laying out in the middle of nowhere, even then it should still be looked at but to be in the centre of Lilydale, an eyesore and people walking past it, and no one cares how Lilydale looks?”

Lilydale CFA has long held concerns for the White Dog as well, running crucial pre-fire planning exercises in case of fire, a growing possibility according to captain Warren Davis.

“Kids, they’re treating (the White Dog) now like it’s a haunted house, breaking into it constantly and our concern is that someone’s going to set fire to it,” he told Star Mail in March.

Councillor Tim Heenan said, unfortunately, heritage laws and trusts “in some ways, are a toothless tiger” and “local government…can only do so much”.

“We have had conversations with the owner many times. We’ve tried to engage on many different levels over many different years, and we’ve had to go in there and take care of some of the security arrangements,” he said.

“We continue to be disappointed, though I must confess that I believe our patience is running really thin now because of the current state of the front facade and the fact that Yarra Ranges Council might have to take on board its responsibility for the public health and safety of people walking along that footpath.

“It breaks my heart to know that a building built in 1862 is not sitting there in its former glory, or at least in some part looked after till it gets back to that.”

The council put forward an updated state-

ment of significance for the White Dog Hotel in 2022 as part of a raft of heritage overlay amendments.

Although unable to change current heritage protections, it sought to amend the outdated statement and make suggestions on conservation measures like the restoration or replacement of original elements of the building.

Approval for the amendment was granted by the planning minister and came into effect on 5 June this year, the date the notice was published in the Victorian Government Gazette.

Local law provides Yarra Ranges Council with two avenues to enforce private owners to act on dilapidated buildings or neglect of buildings, as confirmed in 2022 after a community question.

The first of those being the use of a building emergency order “when there are life, health or safety issues such as structural concerns or where the building is being accessed or occupied by squatters or rough sleepers.”

Under this, the council can evict the occupants and instruct the owner to complete ‘make

safe’ works.

The second option would be to issue a ‘notice of comply’ under the Yarra Ranges Neighbourhood Amenity Local Law 2020, sections 12.6 unsightly land and 12.7 dilapidated buildings.

If owners do not comply with the notice given, financial penalties can apply.

“Council officers are actively trying to engage to see whether or not there is the willingness to, at least, have a conversation with regards to the future opportunities to protect the building,” planning and building manager Amanda Kern said.

“We are certainly monitoring it closely with regards to the current state of that facade and we do have the ability, while that facade is showing signs of some decay, to at least make safe that front verandah area, and will pursue it and make those approaches with fairly determined activity to make sure at least that make safe work is completed through our building act responsibilities.”

To read a full history of the

and understand the push for protection, read Star Mail’s articles here: lilydale.mailcommunity.com.au/news/2021/06/08/see-you-at-thewhite-dog/ and here: lilydale.mailcommunity. com.au/news/2021/06/16/whats-to-becomeof-the-white-dog/

White Dog Hotel

Concerns about the decaying front facade of the beloved White Dog Hotel have been raised. (Stewart Chambers: 491906)

The exterior of the verandah is beginning to crumble. (491906)

The supporting pillars are cracking, leaving people fearful that it will collapse. (491906)

The Lilydale Hotel in all its glory in the late 1920s. (Lilydale and District Historical Society)

Data reveals bullying rise

By Callum Ludwig

Concerning data released by yourtown, the operator of Kids Helpline, has highlighted an increase in young Australians who express that they are victims of bullying are also experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Released as part of the Kids Helpline Impact Report 2024, the rise is most prevalent among children of late primary-school to early secondary-school age.

yourtown Virtual Service Manager Tony FitzGerald, who manages Kids Helpline, said over three and a half thousand Kids Helpline counselling sessions were directly related to bullying, a figure on its own has been relatively steady over a period of time.

“What has stood out for us is that we’ve noticed that one in seven contacts of kids aged 10 to 14 who sought support around that issue also reported current thoughts of suicide and those figures have increased,” he said.

“When we go back and have a look at the last five years and even the last 10 years, those figures have gone from one in 20 10 years ago to about one in seven now, so the prevalence of young people reaching out for support around bullying has remained relatively constant over the years but the severity and impact of this issue has become more and more acute clearly,

“It’s starting to impact children who are of a younger age as well and that’s a very deep concern for us.”

This figure worsens for 12-year-olds in particular, with as many as one in six kids of that age who contacted Kids Helpline and spoke to counsellors about bullying reporting current thoughts of suicide.

Mr FitzGerald said while the general online environment for our young people contains many, many positives, there are also harms online that are starting to increase and starting to exacerbate that impact of bullying on our young people.

“The way bullying occurs in the lives of our children and young people has evolved over the years, a long time ago it only occurred in the schoolyard and then we saw the advent of mobile phones and social media and we started to see the spread of that online,” he said.

“But what we’re now starting to see is the further prevalence of tools and online AI being used to further weaponise bullying in a way that is quite insidious, such as using AI to generate deepfakes, and using those tools has only made this issue evolve even further,”

“We can’t stand still in this space, we all have a responsibility, whether it’s services like Kids Helpline, whether it’s our education sector, or even whether it’s parents and carers of young people and young people themselves, we’ve got to stay on top of some of the advances in technology that are being used in a harmful way, just as we would stay on top of general harms for our young people in the broader community.”

A further 208,000 people also accessed bullying support content through the Kids Helpline website.

headspace operates mental health centres for young people across Australia, including two centres in Lilydale and Knox for young people in the Outer East and a spokesperson for headspace Lilydale and Knox said according to headspace’s national figures, rates for cyberbullying have been increasing since 2015.

“Bullying is a common concern for young people and it can take many different forms, people can experience a range of emotions; anger, stress, anxiety and a sense of isolation and it can impact on how you work and study, and on your friendships,” they said.

“There are different things that people can do, depending on the circumstances; we’d encourage anyone experiencing support to reach out to a trusted adult for support and to talk through their options,”

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“Or, reach out to a school counsellor or your closest Headspace Centre.”

If young people want to talk to someone, they can call Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800, 24 hours a day, seven days a week or use WebChat or email services at kidshelpline.com.au.

Mr FitzGerald said it’s important that young people understand that if they are being bullied that they’re not alone, there are options for them and they should look to speak to a trusted adult or service.

“Early intervention is key and when we talk about early intervention we’re also talking

about teaching our young people, our children, what a respectful relationship and what respectful behaviour looks like so that we’re trying to break that cycle of bullying and that also means role modelling that behaviour as adults as well,”

“It’s important that if a young person or a child has experienced bullying that we try and get them to the support that they need early before it escalates to a long-standing and highly impactful event on their mental health because we know that the impacts of bullying can be long-lasting and in some cases life-lasting.”

Kids Helpline has identified a worrying trend where children reporting bullying are increasingly experiencing suicidal thoughts. (Phil Williams: 469833)

Most vulnerable at risk

By Callum Ludwig

Homelessness support services are crying out for more support and reform ahead of Homelessness Week, starting Monday 4 August.

Analysis from Homelessness Australia has highlighted a rise in women and children experiencing homelessness, Everybody’s Home has shone a light on drastically increasing rental pressures and the Council to Homeless Persons is continually concerned by a lack of social and affordable housing in Victoria.

These pressures and concerns are being felt on a local level too by local homelessness support services Anchor, Holy Fools and Stable One.

Anchor chief executive officer Heidi Tucker said the statistics and experiences raised by homelessness peak bodies provide a stark reminder that far more urgency and funding are required to address this national emergency.

“Despite an ambitious and considered housing strategy, the Albanese Government’s efforts are still being outpaced by the severity and scale of the homelessness crisis, rental affordability and accessibility are beyond the reach of most Australians and social housing stock is minimal with unmanageable waitlists in Victoria,” she said.

“What is troubling is the number of families seeking support where there are two full-time working parents, who are still falling into experiences of homelessness,”

“In the Yarra Ranges, there are very few emergency accommodation options because rental affordability and availability have gotten so challenging. It’s driving more people to seek help, while at the same time, organisations like ours have less ability to connect them with options for stable accommodation.

Homelessness Australia’s recent snapshot analysis found that the number of women and children experiencing homelessness in Australia has risen 20 per cent (from 24,517 to 29,449) between May 2022 and March 2025, with those at risk of homelessness up by 8 per cent. 45 per cent have also experienced domestic and family violence.

Stable One chief executive Katherine Kirkwood said they are so saddened by the recent statistics released, and through walking alongside their guests at the Yarra Valley Winter Shelter, are acutely aware of the difficulties faced by those without stable accommodation.

“The lack of social and affordable housing leaves people with no safe options- whether it be returning to a violent home, sleeping in a car, or living in a tent,” she said.

“We would love to see bold, intentional action from all levels of government to increase the supply of affordable housing, invest in wraparound support services, and prioritise long-term, person-centred solutions that restore dignity and hope,”

“We are certainly hearing stories from our guests that reflect growing need in our region, our partners at Anchor - who manage all guest assessments - are well-placed to see these trends more clearly, and they’ve noted increasing complexity and pressure across the homelessness sector locally.”

Everybody’s Home’s Out of Reach report high-

lighted that rents for houses and units have risen a combined 56.8 per cent nationally over the last 10 years, including 33.5 per cent in the last three years and 2.5 per cent in the last year.

Ms Tucker said the Yarra Ranges urgently requires more social housing options, particularly for young people.

“With over 45,000 children in the Victorian care system and more than 28,000 young Australians experiencing homelessness on any given night, this is a national crisis that we believe doesn’t get the attention it demands,” she said.

“The difference for the Eastern region is that it is not a growth corridor, so we are not seeing a similar level of new social and affordable housing builds being allocated to this region. A lot of the planned social housing builds in the outer-east only come out as far as Box Hill,”

“We are advocating for long term housing and homelessness policies that shift away from crisis response into prevention and early intervention – like Housing First programs, it is much more expensive to work in the crisis space than prevention and early intervention.”

One positive piece of news in the sector was recently confirmed by the Council to Homeless Persons, with 18 homelessness programs renewed in the State Government’s May budget set to be fully indeed to keep up with inflation and wage increases.

Ms Kirkwood said building projects take time, so one of the most urgent actions needed is for governments to cut through the red tape that currently makes it difficult to provide simple, safe

housing options - particularly tiny homes, caravans, and other movable dwellings.

“There also needs to be greater flexibility and clearer provisions for homeowners who have a bungalow or granny flat and are willing to informally house someone experiencing or at risk of homelessness,” she said.

“At present, the legal and regulatory barriers can discourage people from stepping in to help, even when they have the space and the heart to do so,”

“Stable One is currently working on developing a new initiative that seeks to support homeowners willing to offer their accommodation spaces to individuals or families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, in our recent experience, many people are open to sharing their accommodation but are unsure how to do so.”

Anyone interested in Stable One’s proposal can express their interest by contacting info@ stableone.org. If the project gets off the ground, Stable One will aim to properly equip property owners with the tools and support to offer accommodation to people experiencing housing insecurity.

Holy Fools founder Neal Taylor said he’s very concerned that the situation is getting drastic here in Australia.

“We seem to have a lot of words about it from not only the government but also the sector and no one seems to want to admit that we’re struggling and we need to do better,” he said.

“We’re seeing people who are on the verge of homelessness because of rental stress and also food stress, asking do they pay rent or do they buy food, we’ve referred a lot of people to Anchor for

help because they’re in danger of being evicted,”

“I would encourage if anyone is wanting to do something, if they don’t want to get involved locally, there is always the campaigns that Homelessness Victoria and Homelessness Australia are running about advocating the government for changes… orthey could make donations because we’re always struggling to keep this place going, but the need for our place is phenomenal.”

Some upcoming events for Homelessness Week include:

The Homeward Bound Walk held by the Eastern Homelessness Network on Tuesday 5 August at Ringwood Lake from 10am-12pm.

A fundraising barbecue at Holy Fool’s Felix House, 19 Hutchinson Street in Lilydale on Monday 4 August with more details to be confirmed.

Mr Taylor said he thinks addressing the issue is a community effort, not just an effort from the government or agencies.

“It affects everyone from the fact that it costs the government, it costs the society, it’s a health issue and we need to be doing something more about it than we are,” he said.

“Short-term there needs to be a freeze on rent increases,particularly since we’re supposed to be in an economic crisis, because it just seems unfair that people who are struggling already and then suddenly they get their rent increased, it just seems ludicrous,”

“In the next 10 to 20 years, we need some more of the Big Build out this way, considering that the Yarra Ranges has no crisis accommodation or even short or long-term affordable accommodation, it just makes sense that we need something out here.”

‘Sickening’ allegations against doctor over recordings

By Rachael Ward, AAP

A junior doctor has been hit with fresh charges over a recording device found in a staff toilet at a major hospital, as other medical facilities he worked at were placed on alert.

Ryan Cho, 28, was arrested on Friday 25 July at a property at Croydon in Melbourne’s east.

He was interviewed and charged with three counts of producing an intimate image, one of using optical surveillance device and one of failing to comply with a direction to assist.

Cho was charged with other offences, including stalking, a fortnight earlier.

Police allege a phone was found at a restricted toilet for staff inside the Austin Hospital in Melbourne’s northeast on 3 July.

Investigators believe it was there for “for some time” before workers became aware of the device and reported it to police.

Several other hospitals he worked at in Melbourne and regional Victoria from 2020 to 2025 were identified as “workplaces of interest” by police and put on alert over the allegations.

Police said they had started contacting the additional hospitals and those potentially affected, but warned the process could take some time.

Austin Health chief executive Jodie Geissler said the hospital’s focus was on caring for its staff and they have been working closely with Victoria Police to support the investigation.

“This has been an incredibly distressing situation for our staff, and their safety and wellbeing is our absolute priority,” Ms Geissler said in a statement.

“We have comprehensive support services in place and are doing everything we can to help them through this challenging time.”

On Friday evening, Cho faced court and unsuccessfully applied for bail.

Victoria Police Senior Constable Neral Baykur told the court the majority of the alleged victims appeared to be female doctors, nurses and paramedics, while some videos looked to be in a residential setting.

Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill described the allegations as “beyond sickening”.

he said.

A rough sleeper’s campsite set up near a township. (Supplied)

A 27-year-old man was arrested at a property in Croydon on Friday 25 July. (Victoria Police)

Disease risk for YR roos

By Dongyun Kwon

Eastern Golf Club in Yering confirmed it is experiencing phalaris staggers, which is impacting the kangaroo population.

Star Mail delved into what phalaris staggers is and how it affects kangaroos through an interview with Dr Tian Chen.

Dr Chen is a wildlife veterinarian in Victoria who studied phalaris staggers for his PhD at the University of Melbourne’s Veterinary School, and has been working on the disease for the past four years.

He said phalaris staggers is a neurological disease of animals caused by ingesting an introduced pasture grass used for agriculture called phalaris aquatica.

“During certain seasons (autumn and winter), the grass produces neurotoxins from a chemical group known as tryptamine alkaloids. The toxins are slow to build up, often requiring the animal to be consuming phalaris for over several weeks before developing notable disease. Multiple macropod species are known to be susceptible to the disease, including several kangaroo and wallaby species,” the wildlife veterinarian said.

“Initially, kangaroos may be seen with head wobbles with ears pointing downwards instead of straight up. This will then develop into incoordination when hopping, where they are often described as being drunk, with zigzag hopping, tail swaying in all directions, and sometimes even circling to keep balance.

“At the final stage of disease, animals are often seen with muscle tremors causing them to fall repeatedly when disturbed and being mentally obtunded (depressed look), they may allow people to get very close to them due to their reduced awareness of surroundings, but can still be incredibly dangerous when agitated.”

According to Dr Chen’s explanation, there are currently no treatment options available for phalaris staggers.

“Cobalt, sprayed onto pasture or used as a

drench for sheep and cattle, is known to be a preventative treatment for the disease, but it must be done before the autumn and winter season,” he said.

“This has been shown to be unsuccessful in preventing the disease in kangaroos. We are still working on finding out why this is the case, but differences in gastrointestinal tract anatomy and gut bacteria may be the reason.”

Although not yet backed by scientific literature, Dr Chen shared some of his theories and recommendations for controlling staggers.

1. Removal of the grass (can be in stages, as long as there is progressive reduction): Herbi-

cides, physical removal, especially during its dormancy stage and planting plants that can compete and prevent it from coming back. For detailed methods, the golf club should consult a horticulture professional.

2. Exclusion: If there are small areas of concentrated phalaris, barriers can be built to prevent kangaroos from grazing in those areas. This can be costly, may need ongoing maintenance and could be unsightly.

“The staggers can be seasonal and vary greatly in severity year to year due to weather patterns also affecting how toxic the grass can become,” Dr Chen said.

“If the golf club is only seeing cases on occasional years, a more sustainable method could also be: 1. Put up signs to advise visitors of the current condition and ask them to stay away from kangaroos during the high-risk season for their safety, and report any suspected cases to the club. 2. Contact local wildlife rescuers and report any incidents to them so they can maintain animal welfare during the high-risk season (possibly for three to four months).

“Unfortunately, some animals may require humane euthanasia if their welfare is compromised, but often this is in a small number of cases.”

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Phalaris staggers is a neurological disease of animals caused by ingesting an introduced pasture grass used for agriculture called phalaris aquatica. (File)

Artist’s Impression

Paddle club proposal is on

By Matilda McDermott and Mikayla van Loon

A brand new paddle club could land at Lillydale Lake following an expression of interest and growing local demand.

Paddle Victoria is exploring the possibility of opening a new club at the Lake to expand opportunities in the east.

“There’s definitely potential in the area. We just happen to have some funding at the moment to build new clubs,” Paddle Victoria education administration officer Roz Manester said.

“We’ve identified Lilydale for a long time as an area for growth because we don’t have anything else out there… It’s long been a mission of ours to have a club out there.”

The closest of the 33 established clubs are Fairfield and Templestowe, with other paddle clubs situated in Melbourne and further around the state.

Paddle Victoria has held both social and competitive events at Lillydale Lake in the past, however, a club hasn’t been proposed before.

In order for the club to begin, Paddle Victoria is looking for at least five members to pick it up. However, the ideal figure would be from 10 to 20 people.

“You need a core of people who will be on a committee to run the everyday events of the club. So obviously, the more people the better, because otherwise you’re going to get volunteer burnout,” Ms Manester said.

If the club is to form, it would be open to all ages but there is an aim to garner younger paddlers to join.

“It’s really good to try and include younger paddlers. It’s a great sport…We take kids as young as six as long as their parents are members as well,” Ms Manester said.

The club is also open to all abilities, with Lillydale Lake being the perfect place to learn and develop skills.

“It’s quite good because it’s very gentle on your joints and that type of thing…it’s actually a great form of exercise if you’ve got knee or hip issues,” Ms Manester said.

Lillydale Lake is also a complimentary setting for beginners who would like to get their start in kayaking, canoeing, or rowing because

of the flat water and easy access.

“It’s an amazing facility, I feel sad that you can’t utilise it a bit more with having a permanent club there,” Ms Manester said.

Once set up, the club will initially run without a clubhouse. However, there is an opportunity for Paddle Victoria to supply the club

with a trailer of boats for members to use. From there, it would be up to members when and what time they would like to meet. Interest can also be registered through the following link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/ 1FAIpQLSdlWzRxMAjL_xPfqSp-7f6xl3vW5NnXnv4V5pD_cU6Du84_8g/viewform

Box Hill Institute has announced that three finalists have been selected for 2025 Victorian Training Awards by the Victorian Skills Authority.

The nominees were part of a rigorous selection process of the highest excellence.

“We are proud to have our work recognized by the Victorian Skills Authority. The dedication of our teachers and the strong connections we maintain with industry partners are essential to delivering transformative education for our students,” Box Hill Institute chief executive officer Grant Radford said.

“These efforts empower students to build successful futures, and we are honoured to see that reflected in these nominations.”

The first finalist is for the Koorie Student of the Year. Zelman Wilkinson was the nominated student after completing a Certificate III in electronics and communications.

Mr Wilkinson has a passion for using his skills in telecommunications to help Indigenous Australians living in remote communities feel connected, which garnered industry recognition.

The other student nominated is Matilda McDonald for Trainee of the Year. After completing a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2024, Ms McDonald is now a qualified vet nurse at Monash Veterinary Clinic.

The third finalist is for the Industry Collaboration award, in which their Improving Pathways for Deaf students in the Adult Migrant English Program was nominated.

The program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, which teaches deaf migrants functional language skills in English and Auslan to help them settle into life in Australia.

Mr Radford is hoping the finalists will inspire Victorians to pursue vocational education through TAFE.

“The Victorian Training Awards showcase outstanding contributions the vocational education sector makes to our community,” Mr Radford said.

“We’re incredibly proud of all of our finalists.”

The winners of each category will be announced on 19 September.

Lillydale Lake has been cited by Paddle Victoria as a potential location for a new club. (Stewart Chambers: 331739)

Matilda McDonald studied a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and is a finalist in the 2025 Victorian Training Awards in the Trainee of the Year category. (Supplied)

Karen’s a proud finalist

By Matilda McDermott and Mikayla van Loon

The owner of Kilsyth’s Positive Healing Therapies, Karen Roberts, has been named as a finalist for the AusMumpreneur Awards in the People’s Choice service business category.

Which, for Ms Roberts, is nothing short of a proud achievement.

“It feels like such an honour to be named a finalist. I’m so thankful to my two amazing mentors, Laura and Emma from My Mummy Australia, for their nomination and for the support and guidance they’ve given me over the years,” Ms Roberts said.

Positive Healing Therapies has been offering remedial services since 2022, created by Ms Roberts, who has over ten years of experience under her belt.

“I’ve always been drawn to the service and hospitality industries for helping others. Over time, I wanted to make a deeper impact on people’s health and wellbeing. That led me to study massage, Reiki healing and personal training, so I could help people move better, feel better, and build a stronger mindset,” Ms Roberts said.

The AusMumpreneur Awards were created to celebrate the achievements of Australian mums, who balance owning businesses and motherhood.

With many categories at the awards, ranging from customer service to product development.

“There are so many incredible women right across Australia balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, and these awards are a chance to share their stories and celebrate their success,” co-founder of the awards Katy Garner said.

“It means so much. To be recognised alongside other mums who are running businesses and making a difference in their communities—it’s very special,” Ms Roberts said.

Ms Roberts was named a finalist for the People’s Choice Service Business category for her expansion of Positive Healing Therapies, something she is proud of.

“I’m proud of the strong woman, mother and business owner I’ve become. There have been setbacks, as there are for everyone, but they’ve

shaped me and helped me grow,” Ms Roberts said.

The welcoming of new team members and introduction of new treatments means they’ve been able to have more clients than ever.

“I started out completely on my own. Over time, the business has grown to now include two newly qualified Myotherapists, a massage therapist, two healing therapists and an acupuncturist specialising in Chinese medicine. I’m so proud of the team we’ve built,” Ms Roberts said.

“I’m proud of the business I’ve created and incredibly proud of our team and our shared goal to help as many people as possible live pain-free lives.”

For Ms Roberts, there is something empowering about being a mum and a business owner that supports the local community.

“It’s had its challenges. But for me it’s about building something that will one day allow me to step back and spend even more time with my son,” said Ms Roberts.

“I feel so grateful to do this work and to help people in our community find better solutions for pain and live healthier, happier lives.”

The award winners will be announced in a Gala at the AusMumpreneur conference on 11-12 August.

Be part of a vibrant Community and enjoy the Facilities

Positive Healing Therapies business owner Karen Roberts has been nominated for an AusMumpreneur Award 2025. (Stewart Chambers: 490391)

Ms Roberts and her son Arjun. (490391)

Korean war remembered

By Dongyun Kwon

Mt Evelyn RSL once again brought to light the Australian heroes who sacrificed their youth for world peace.

At 11am on the Korean War Veterans Day, 27 July, the local RSL sub-branch held a short wreath laying service, commemorating the Australian soldiers who flew over to the Korean Peninsula to fight against the dictatorship attacking South Korea.

Mt Evelyn RSL conducts many services that other RSL sub-branches don’t normally host, including Korean War Veterans Day Service and National Servicemen’s Day Service.

President Matthew Crymble said commemoration is one of the core responsibilities of the RSL.

“Today’s service is about commemorating all those Australian men and women who served in the Korean War,” he said.

“A core duty of the RSL is to commemorate all those that have preceded us in Australia’s defence, especially those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“Mt Evelyn RSL last year conducted 13 such services. No matter where Australia has fought or served in operations, we will remember them. Lest we forget.”

The Korean War broke out when North Korea invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950.

Within a few days, South Korea lost its capital, Seoul.

With hope looking to disappear for South Korea, soldiers from all around the world flew to support South Korea as the United Nations Security Council declared North Korea the aggressor and set up the United Nations Command.

Australia was one of 21 members of the United Nations to send military forces to help South Korea.

Fighting formally ended on 27 July 1953 when

an armistice was signed by officials from the United States, North Korea and China.

Of almost 18,000 Australian Navy, Army and Air Force personnel who served in Korea, 340 lost their lives, over 1216 were wounded, and 29 became prisoners of war.

More than 150 Australian nursing sisters served both in Korea and Japan during the war. They treated the wounded and sick in hospitals, aboard hospital trains and on aeromedical evacuation flights.

Mr Crymble said sadly, Mt Evelyn RSL’s last Korean War veteran passed away in 2023 at the age of 92.

“Frank Cannon served with the Royal Australian Navy and saw active service in the Korean War on HMAS Anzac,” he said.

“Frank was a gunnery sailor and once shared with me stories of shelling enemy positions in the war.”

A South Korean who attended the service said South Koreans really appreciate the sacrifice of soldiers from all around the world to protect their country.

“Thank you, Mt Evelyn RSL, Matt and everyone, for organising this special service. It means a lot to all Koreans, including myself,” the South Korean said.

“In school, we learnt about the history of the Korean War as well as the support from other countries to protect us from the North Korean dictator.

“Without all those veterans who sacrificed their time and life to come over to fight for peace in a country that they’d never heard of, I would never have been able to get opportunities to study abroad, come to Australia, make new friends and learn many things.

“Thinking of your sacrifice, I cannot complain about any small stuff, but I just am grateful for everything that I’ve got. I really would like to say thank you to all those veterans and their families.”

Mt Evelyn RSL conducted the Korean War Veterans Day Service on Sunday 27 July, (L-R) Tom Steele, Iain Townsley, Matthew Crymble. (Dongyun Kwon: 492426)

Mr Crymble read an introduction to the conflict, Mr Townsley laid the wreath and recited the Ode of Remembrance. (Dongyun Kwon: 492426)

Bugler Tom Steele played The Last Post. (Dongyun Kwon: 492426)

Mr Crymble spoke of Australian soldiers’ involvement in the Korean War. (Dongyun Kwon: 492426)

Two wreaths were laid, one by Mt Evelyn RSL and the other by a South Korean attendee. (Dongyun Kwon: 492426)

A South Korean attendee laid the wreath. (Joy Phillips)

Excellence and innovation

Nestled in the heart of Lilydale, AG Automotive has been a cornerstone of the community for over three decades.

Established in the 1980s, this family-run business began humbly in a Wandin home garage, specialising in fitting LPG systems imported from Holland.

The high standards and exceptional quality of their installations quickly earned them a stellar reputation, necessitating a move to a larger facility at 21 Industry Court in Lilydale.

Today, AG Automotive stands as a beacon of excellence in the automotive industry, offering a comprehensive range of services including automotive repairs, Vicroads inspections and certificates, and specialised services for EV/Hybrid vehicles, LPG systems, and automotive air-conditioning systems.

Their commitment to quality is evident in their use of the latest specialist equipment and employment of highly trained and skilled technicians.

One of the most respected names in the LPG industry, AG Autogas has a rich history of innovation and customer satisfaction. After a brief hiatus, the business was rejuvenated in 2006 when John, the original founder, returned to the LPG industry.

In 2017, John entrusted the leadership to David, a longtime employee, ensuring that the same high standards and dedication to excellence would continue.

AG Automotive is committed to providing great value for money, a tradition that continues with their latest offer: a 10 per cent discount for readers who mention this article. This gesture reflects their ongoing dedication to serving the community and providing topnotch automotive services.

For all your servicing and customising needs, AG Automotive remains your trusted one-stop shop, delivering unparalleled service and expertise.

Budding zookeepers

By Mikayla van Loon

From stick insects to lizards, Birmingham Primary School is creating a cohort of budding zookeepers eager to learn and look after an array of creatures.

In honour of National Zookeeper Week, Star Mail visited some of the youngest but most passionate zookeepers at the Mount Evelyn school.

Currently housing frogs, stick insects, a lizard and fish, with room to grow and more animals on the way, the zoology program forms part of STEM and has now seen the school partner with Lilydale High School.

“It kind of happened by accident. We had an ant, and we were learning about ants as part of STEM last year. We had butterflies, and then some stick insects came along, and then some frogs, and then some more stick insects and then we got a lizard, and fish,” STEM teacher Natalie Darvell said.

“We realised we had a bit of a budding zoology programme. So Lilydale High School has the largest school-based zoology programme in Australia and they had some enclosures for us, and we started working with them, chatting with them, and we’ve actually developed a partnership with them.”

With six head keepers, Nerys specialises in looking after the frogs, Lucas the lizard named Ralph and Thomas the fish, while Courtney, Ariah and Eleanor are general keepers, overseeing the health of all the animals, they have become experts in a short amount of time.

Since going on an incursion to Lilydale High School, the students have implemented what they learned about each species they house, ensuring the habitat and conditions are up to standard.

“We learned more about the animals that we were taking care of. For example, our blue tongue lizard, before we were moving his enclosure around when we cleaned it, to try to give him an adventure,” Courtney said.

“But we learned that it’s better to add things instead so he always knows where his food and water is.”

Ensuring the program is sustainable, the animals aren’t the only thing the students look after, also producing a food source for the animals.

“We can breed cockroaches as a food source for all of our animals. So the students take care of everything from developing the animals’ food, looking at the different size cockroaches and who needs to have what, to feeding all of the different animals,” Ms Darvell said.

Modelling what Lilydale High School does but on a smaller scale, Lucas also takes care of the cockroaches.

“Lilydale High had, at one point, a cockroach farm. They had about 120 food tubs at one time. They can freeze some so they last longer,” Lucas said.

“And for some reason, I don’t know how this happens, but the males have wings and the females so they actually can’t climb.”

When it comes to caring for the fish, Thomas has the job of testing the water quality, looking at the nitrate levels and whether water needs to be changed over.

Aside from the learning though, Thomas said, one of the best parts about taking care of the fish is just being able to watch them, especially on a bad day.

“I just like looking at them. They’re so graceful and if you’re having a bad day, it’s really nice to watch them swimming around,” he said.

For Courtney and Nerys, their favourite time is the holidays but for different reasons.

“My favourite time that I get to do is when I get to move (the frogs) back in after the holidays. You get to sit them, and you get to hold them and they’re really cute,” Nerys said.

“We moved them back in, and that was probably the worst time we did it, because they were jumping on the floor. They were jumping everywhere.”

“One thing I really do like about it is, over the holidays, especially for the stick insects, we’re allowed to bring them home with us,” Courtney said.

Ms Darvell said the next stage of the zoology program is to build in the enclosures at the back of the STEM room, creating dedicated space and more room for more animals but the program has already caught on.

“We have about 40 students now across Grades 5 and 6 who come in. These guys teach them about basic care of the animals, but also things like how to tell when they’re stressed, how to correctly handle them and they’re doing an amazing job. We’re very proud of them all,” she said.

“We have kids in before school. I had a queue this morning (24 July) of you guys waiting to get in when I arrive. We have kids before school, recess, lunch, and after school. So we realise that we’re really onto something here, that a lot of kids are very, very passionate.”

Head keepers Thomas, Courtney, Eleanor, Lucas, Nerys and Ariah. (Stewart Chambers: 491679)

Courtney with Ralph the blue tongue lizard. (491679)

The students love the Spiny Leaf Insects. (491679)

Lucas looks after the cockroach farm to ensure there is a food source for the animals. (491679)

Partnership for youth

By Dongyun Kwon

The partnership between two local boxing clubs not only provides free sport opportunities but also a space to learn about First Nations culture for children.

Coldstream Boxing Club (CBC) and Healesville-based Warrior Christopher Hume Boxing (WCBH) celebrated NAIDOC Week together on Saturday 19 July despite the week officially taking place between 6 and 13 July.

The cultural ceremony, including a smoking ceremony and a welcome to country, was led by WCHB coach Chris Hume, an Aboriginal elder who is the senior cultural educator for Wurundjeri Woiwurrung at University of Melbourne.

“The smoking ceremony was to bring the two gyms together and to celebrate that coming together so that you get more opportunities for the kids in the eastern metropolitan region,” Hume said.

“We’re bringing the kids together to bridge the gap between Aboriginal kids and non-Indigenous kids to bring everyone on the same level together and to close that gap in health and well-being as well.”

Hume, the 2023 Victorian Masters Boxing Champion, has offered free boxing classes to children and youth under the age of 18 in Healesville since 2022.

“That’s basically to give the kids something to do while they’re around town and take them away from the influence of belonging to the cultures of society like spray painting, drugs, alcohol and all that sort of stuff,” Hume said.

CBC coach Hayden Wright, who won the Victorian Heavyweight Championship last year, has also donated his boxing talent to the local children for free in Coldstream since March 2024.

After the cultural ceremony, the two gyms had a training session and sausage sizzles.

“We met a lot of new people and kids, and talked about what we’re about, what we aim to do in the future, and how we can benefit the youth as free boxing gyms,” Wright said.

The collaboration between two gyms started about a month ago when Hume contacted Wright after seeing CBC’s great works for the children.

“We’ve been working together for the last month to bring the youth of the eastern metropolitan region together for health, fitness and cultural engagement,” Hume said. They have delivered free training sessions together ever since and finally had a special event for cultural engagement.

“Chris also provides free boxing classes to the youth in the community. We set some times where we could do a training session together to see if we had the same goals and the same beliefs,” Wright said.

“We had a number of training sessions together, then we started to think about the future, what we’d like to do for the Yarra Valley, what is

good for the kids and what we believe in.

“And a lot of those goals were very similar, so we proposed the idea.”

Vital grant for growing Coldstream Netball Club

By Dongyun Kwon

Coldstream Netball Club continues to improve its brand and make a positive impact in the local community, thanks to the state government’s support.

The club received $1000 as part of the Sporting Club Grants Program.

President Felicity Green said the club is grateful for the opportunity to support all of its volunteer coaches, who are a vital part of the club.

“It feels great for our small community club to be acknowledged by the government. Receiving some funding is a big boost,” Ms Green said.

“As a small club with nine teams entered into the LYVNA (Lilydale and Yarra Valley Netball Association) winter competition, it can be challenging to compete with the larger clubs that field 20 or more teams. That’s why this grant means so much.

“It allows us to provide our coaches with new polo shirts and coaching bags as a token of appreciation. We’ve also recently updated our merchandise through Icon Sports to help raise our profile and stay on trend. Any opportunity to get our name out there and showcase what our club has to offer is amazing for our Coldstream community.”

Coldstream Netball Club is located at 35 South Gateway.

Ms Green is inviting local residents to join the club and be part of the community sport.

“We are a smaller club located a little further out in Coldstream, but the community we’ve built at the netball club is truly magnificent,” the Coldstream Netball Club president said.

“We have grown this amazing little club from three teams in 2021 to nine competitive teams in this 2025 season. Our players and coaches share a strong passion for the game, focusing on developing skills, having fun, and fostering a love for netball.

“For us, it’s all about creating a safe and supportive space where players can learn, grow, and feel like they belong to an amazing community. We’re always welcoming new players, so if you’re

interested, come down and have a look.”

improve its brand and make a positive impact in the local community with the state government’s grant.

“There are so many clubs across Eastern Victoria that bring people of all ages and abilities together, and this is another way we’re supporting communities to get involved in the sports they love,” Eastern Victoria MP Harriet Shing said.

Both gyms are looking forward to providing more opportunities for the younger generations in the region through the partnership.

CBC and WCBH celebrated NAIDOC Week together a week later on Saturday 19 July. (Supplied)

Lilydale Cricket Club, Lilydale Lions Roller Hockey Club, Montrose Football Club, Mt Evelyn Netball Football Club, and Yarra Ranges Athletics have also been named as recipients of this grants program.

Coldstream Netball Club is excited to continue to

(Supplied)

The smoking ceremony and a welcome to country, was led by WCHB coach Chris Hume. (Supplied)

Where

Star is still expanding

SA Today has continued its growth across regional Australia with the acquisition of five historic mastheads from the Lanyon family Mildura, marking a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to strong, independent local journalism.

From 1 September 2025, SA Today will take ownership of the Sunraysia Daily, Swan Hill Guardian, Gannawarra Times, Broken Hill Times and North West Farmer, all titles with deep roots in their communities and a proud heritage shaped over more than a century by four generations of the Lanyon family.

The acquisition builds on SA Today’s momentum over the past five years, which has seen it emerge as one of Australia’s most ambitious regional media companies. The group has started and revitalised historic publications across South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory, including The Port Lincoln Times and The Border Watch in South Australia, Hamilton Spectator and Portland Observer in Victoria, and The Centralian Today and Tennant Creek Today in the Northern Territory.

“This is another important step in SA Today’s mission to rebuild regional journalism from the ground up,” said Paul Thomas, managing director of Star News Group and SA Today.

Mr Thomas said the Lanyon family’s legacy would be respected and built upon.

“The Lanyons have nurtured some of the best regional publications in the country. We feel a real responsibility to honour that tradition and carry it forward,” he said.

“We believe in the value of public interest journalism - not just in the capital cities, but in the places where it’s most under threat. These are communities that need a strong local voice and deserve professional, well-resourced reporting on the issues that affect them.”

SA Today, backed by Thomas and media strategist Damian Morgan, now oversees 59 news-

paper titles nationally - all with a focus on hyperlocal news, public accountability, and digital transformation.

Mr Thomas said the company’s success lay in a belief that regional media matters.

“Good journalism connects people. It strengthens civic life, keeps decision-makers accountable, and tells the stories no one else will,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure every one of these newspapers remains rooted in its community, with reporters who live locally, understand their patch, and put the people first.”

Ross Lanyon said the sale was about ensuring continuity of purpose.

“We’ve always seen ourselves as custodians, not just owners,” Mr Lanyon said. “This decision ensures these newspapers will continue to serve their communities with purpose and integrity. We believe SA Today shares those values.”

Mr Thomas added that SA Today’s approach was deliberately different from the consolidation seen elsewhere in the media.

“Local journalism is under threat with the traditional revenues being stripped by the world’s largest digital platforms,” he said.

“Sadly, smaller independent owners are finding it more and more difficult.

“We have a scale and strong backend that provides benefit but we are determined to keep local public interest journalism across regional Australia alive. There has never been a more important time for the government to step up and keep the digital platforms to account and move forward with the digital incentive urgently.”

CHIRNSIDE PARK Meadowgate Milk Bar3 Meadowgate Drive

CHIRNSIDE PARK Coles Supermarket239-241 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK Woolworths Supermarket239-241 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK Caltex Safeway239-241 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK EG Fuelco Service Station Chirnside Park Shopping

CHIRNSIDE PARK 7 - Eleven 242 Maroondah Highway

CHIRNSIDE PARK Chirnside Park Country Club 68 Kingswood Drive

CROYDON NORTH Croydon Hills Milk Bar158 Nangathan Way

CROYDON NORTH Eastfield Milk Bar11 The Mall

KILSYTH Woolworths SupermarketChuringa SC, Russo Place

KILSYTH Woolworths SupermarketCanterbury Road Kilsyth

KILSYTH Kilsyth Laundrette Unit 7/87 Colchester Road

LILYDALE Yarra Valley Soul Cafe 8 William Street East

LILYDALE Aaron Violi MP Office 110 Main Street

LILYDALE Lilydale Marketplace SC33-45 Hutchinson Street

LILYDALE Lilydale Village SC51-59 Anderson Street

LILYDALE Woolworths SupermarketMarketplace, 33 Hutchinson Street

LILYDALE Coles Supermarket Lilydale VillageCastella Street & Maroondah Highway

LILYDALE Lilydale Community Centre7 Hardy Street

LILYDALE Lilydale Lakeside Conference and Events Centre1 Jarlo Drive

LILYDALE United Petrol Service Station473 Maroondah Highway

LILYDALE Caltex Lilydale346 Main Street

LILYDALE Caltex Woolworths31 Hutchinson Street

LILYDALE BP Service Station87 Warburton Highway

LILYDALE Shell Service Station469 Maroondah Highway

LILYDALE 7 - Eleven LilydaleCnr Maroondah Highway & Cave Hill Road

LILYDALE Coles Express469 Maroondah Highway

LILYDALE Hutch & Co Cafe251 Main Street

LILYDALE Round Bird Can't Fly170 Main Street

LILYDALE The Lilydale General110 Beresford Road

LILYDALE Yarra Valley Smokery96 Main Street

LILYDALE Bee Seen Cafe178 Main Street

LILYDALE Blue Turtle Cafe222 Main Street

LILYDALE Gracious GraceCastella Street

LILYDALE Melba Coffee House33-45 Hutchinson Street

LILYDALE Lilydale Munchies7/75 Cave Hill Road

LILYDALE Point of View CafeLilydale Lakeside - Jarlo Drive

LILYDALE Freda's Cafe2 Clarke Street

LILYDALE Barry Plant Real Estate88 Main Street

LILYDALE Ray White Real Estate164 Main Street

LILYDALE Hello Harry245 Main Street

LILYDALE Noel Jones Real Estate 281 Main Street

LILYDALE Professionals Real Estate111-113 Main Street

LILYDALE Grubs Up1 Industrial Park Drive

LILYDALE Mc Donalds RestaurantMaroondah Highway

LILYDALE Olinda Creek HotelMaroondah Hwy

LILYDALE Crown HotelMaroondah Hwy

LILYDALE Yarra Ranges Council 61 - 65 Anderson Street

MONTROSE Montrose Authorised Newsagency 912 Mt Dandenong Road

MONTROSE IGA Supermarket Mt Dandenong Road

MONTROSE Bell Real Estate 896 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road

MOUNT EVELYN Fast Fuel 1 Hereford Road

MOUNT EVELYN IGA Supermarket 38- 40 York Road

MOUNT EVELYN Post Office 12 Station Street

MOUNT EVELYN Authorised Newsagency 1A Wray Crescent

MOUNT EVELYN Red Robyn Milk Bar 35 Hereford Road

MOUNT EVELYN Library 50 Wray Cresent

MOUNT EVELYN Milkbar 28 Birmingham Road

MOUNT EVELYN Bendigo Bank 2/35-39 Wray Cres

MONTROSE IGA Supermarket916 Mt Dandenong Road

MOOROOLBARK Coles Supermarket15 Brice Avenue

MOOROOLBARK Bendigo BankUnit 19/66 - 74 Brice Ave

MOOROOLBARK Corner Milk Bar38 Bellara Dive

MOOROOLBARK Fang & Yaoxin Mini Mart108 Hayrick Lane

MOOROOLBARK BP Mooroolbark103 Cardigan Road

MOOROOLBARK Coles Express2 Cambridge Road

MOOROOLBARK Professionals Real EstateBrice Avenue

MOOROOLBARK L J HookerBrice Avenue

MOOROOLBARK Fletchers Real Estate 1/14 Manchester Road

MOOROOLBARK Mc Donalds RestaurantManchester Road

MOOROOLBARK 7-Eleven Manchester Road

MOUNT EVELYN York on Lilydale138 York Road

WANDIN NORTH Wandin Newsagency Shop 2 /18 Union Road

Fourth generation Mildura-based publishers Jamie and Ross Lanyon with Paul Thomas, managing director of Star News Group and SA Today.

Splashing home for platypus

Stage one of a new state-of-the-art Australian Platypus Conservation Centre (APCC) has opened at Healesville Sanctuary bolstering capacity to care for the iconic native species.

With the mission to rehabilitate and return sick or injured Platypus to the wild, this $1 million centre includes nine connecting ponds of various depths and water flows, banks for burrowing and crystal clear water. Everything is specifically designed with platypus in mind, so they maintain physical fitness while mimicking wild conditions to encourage natural behaviours.

A four-tied pool can be separated into shallow areas catering for platypuses with a range of health conditions.

The sheltered area includes nest boxes for additional warmth and healing while the ponds are climate-controlled at 18 degrees.

All the internal electrical wiring has been placed up high and shielded to account for electric dipole moment function (EDMF) because platypus locate their prey using a unique sensory system in their bills.

They have two types of receptors in the bill.

Electro which detects tiny electrical currents emitted from muscle contractions from their prey (like a heartbeat), and mechano which can detect movements, vibrations and potentially water pressure.

Researchers are still studying what else their bills can do.

Healesville Sanctuary platypus specialist Dr Jessica Thomas said the centre will allow for lifesaving work and continue important research, admitting there is still so much to learn about this elusive monotreme.

“The dedicated research hub is fitted with cameras which means we can observe their behaviour and make sure they are physically fit for the wild,” Dr Thomas said.

“We’ve been testing the waters with one of our resident platypuses called millsom. He came to us 23 years ago as an orphaned nestling and rehabilitation ponds like these could have helped him greatly.”

Recently, the sanctuary has seen a heartbreaking spike in injured platypuses, mainly due to lit-

OPINION

ter entanglement and dog attacks.

“We had five injured wild plats brought to us in one week. We managed to successfully treat four of them which were released back to the wild, but one which was entangled in litter, sadly didn’t make it,” Dr Thomas said.

“I’d encourage anyone who sees rubbish to pick it up, so it doesn’t end up in the creek. Platypuses are naturally curious, so when they check it out, they run into trouble. You can also snip plastic bottle rings, hair ties and rubber bands so they become less of a hazard.

“By being mindful around waterways at dawn and dusk, and walking dogs on a lead can also protect the species.”

Stage two of development will see the visitor experience space completely transformed into a

full immersive world of platypus, so people will connect with the species and conserve them into the future.

This project is anticipated to be completed in 2026.

The Australian Platypus Conservation Centre on Wurundjeri Country received $5 million in funding from the Victorian Government in 2022.

Zoos Victoria is grateful to the generous philanthropic donors also supporting this project.

Better childcare for our future is essential

By Maria Millers

Whenever I have worked and needed someone to care for my children, there always seemed to be someone in my area looking for some work, happy to come into my home to care for my preschoolers and earn some money.

There was no pulling sleepy kids out of warm beds on chilly winter mornings, no rushed breakfasts and clinging, crying goodbyes.

My children remember these women with affection.

Two stand out: Mrs Kafka who looked like she had just stepped out of a Raold Dahl story and cooked nutritious treats and Mrs Biesnick, once a ballet dancer, a warm and imaginative carer.

I would come home to happy children who had spent the day in their home environment.

These kind of informal childcare arrangements no longer exist as childcare is now big business.

It is evident that today families increasingly need both parents bringing in an income to cope with the costs of raising a family.

The wrench of leaving a baby in childcare is captured by Hollie McNish in Nobody Told Me

“I handed her over / to the arms of a stranger and she cried and I cried / and I smiled through the glass…”

But childcare is not simply childcare.

It is, as the federal government tells us a vital building block in the way modern Australian families live, and it underpins our economy.

Treasury and productivity reports show that better access to child care lifts GDP by improving workforce participation, especially among women.

Pressures also comes from a society that no longer values a stay at home mother and the skills of fulltime homemaking and nurturing.

As of June 2022, only 20 per cent of families

WOORILLA WORDS

had a stay-at-home mum.

Already I hear the outrage at signalling out women as bearing the brunt of homemaking.

And though men are capable of nurturing and caring and even house cleaning, there are still areas such as breastfeeding which obviously is the mother’s exclusive domain.

Many mothers would prefer to remain home longer or at least to balance work and family, often through part-time or flexible arrangements.

Since the disturbing revelations about Joshua Dale Brown, charged with alleged sexual acts against children in his care.

There has been much outrage and understandably parents whose children have been affected must be suffering a range of very human feelings: from anger, disgust to guilt for having put their children in dangerous situations.

Governments, both State and Federal have sprung into action with promises of more and stricter regulations and threats of withdrawing subsidies from providers, increasing regulations and installing more CCTVs

The industry has become a honey pot for investors, its worth an estimated $22.3 billion with around 1.45 million children using the service last year, the majority in the zero to four age group.

Currently, 50-60 per cent are private for profit

providers: individual owners, corporate chains and private equity backed groups.

The small remaining group of non profit providers are mission driven organizations or local government run.

But have we stopped to think of the kind of adult that will emerge after spending so much of early years in a structured controlled setting?

Wordsworth’s famous line The Child is Father of the Man reflects on how our childhood shapes who we become as adults.

The child’s experiences and emotions carry into maturity, framing who we are at our core.

Rarely do I agree with Parnell McGuiness but recently writing in the Age, she has had the courage to call out that it is not regulation that is the problem but the system itself.

Tightening regulations is of course a necessity when childcare has morphed into an industrial scale industry but is the system in the best interests of our children?

A favourite argument in support of child care is that early childhood education will give these children a head start academically and socially.

Not everyone agrees and much hangs on the quality of the care received and as we have seen from investigations such as those by ABC’s Adele Ferguson many fail to give the care children need.

Sometimes we forget the benefits unstructured play in a child’s development.

Mothers are less interested in the early learning offerings prioritising warmth of care-giving, location, and cost, followed by flexible hours of care.

The toll is not just on children but on the parents as well.

As poet Adrienne Rich reflecting on the conflicted expectations on women, particularly those with very young children wrote on how the need to be two people—mother and worker—is real and tearing.

They say / you chose this as you look for somewhere to cry / where no one will find you.

And later in an essay, Of Women Born she suggests the invisible suffering of leaving a child in paid care: The conflict is not between children and work, but between love and enforced absence.

Reforming the childcare system can play a crucial role in improving wellbeing of both mothers and fathers and most importantly the children.

Rather than concentrate on supporting the for profit players, Government should look to promoting and supporting alternatives to the current model.

With tech companies leading the way, more and more employers are announcing that employees will have the option of working from home full or part-time.

Families will now find the rigid long-day care offering distinctly out of step with the greater flexibility their reconfigured work week permits.

Tightening regulations, installing more CCTVs and threatening a cut in subsidies to providers who do not meet the required standards is not going to solve the problem.

Maybe there are still Mrs Kafkas and Mrs Biesnicks around to add to the mix.

So instead of propping up a flawed system it’s time to look at what’s best for our children and their parents. And ultimately for our society. These children are our future.

Baby’s World” by Tracy K. Smith

A baby is all eyes.

It studies the world with a gaze

That can pierce the hushed distance Between what is seen and what is known

The Woorilla Poetry Prize is now open for submissions: woorilla.org.au

Stage one of a new state-of-the-art Australian Platypus Conservation Centre has opened at Healesville Sanctuary.

Platypus Millsom tests the new ponds. (Rick Hammond, Zoos Victoria)

Who was David Mitchell?

By Joy Gothe

Have you ever noticed the gold letters on the gates at Melba Park?

Right in the centre — a D and an M.

Most people walk by without giving them a second thought, but those letters have a story behind them that shaped not just Lilydale, but parts of Melbourne as well.

The gates were put erected by Dame Nellie Melba in 1928.

But this isn’t her story.

This is about the man she built those gates in honour of, her father, David Mitchell.

David didn’t start out with much.

But he had big ideas and the drive to make

CARTOON

things happen.

He moved to Lilydale and quickly became involved in local life.

By 1875, he was on the Shire Council, and a few years later, he was elected Shire President.

While serving on council, David heard mention of land with limestone at Cave Hill.

He bought the property, not just to build, but to supply the materials for building.

In 1878, he opened the Marble and Limestone Quarries at Cave Hill and on the farm started a dairy, made cheese, butter, and milk, ran a piggery, and even sold Cave Hill brand soap.

His stone and lime went into some of Melbourne’s iconic buildings, including Scots

Book review of I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

I Am Not Jessica Chen is the fifth book by Ann Liang, a bestselling and critically acclaimed Australian fiction author for both adults and young adults.

A fierce, passionate read PASSION FOR PROSE

It is a prime example that highlights the author’s strengths in (a) knowing who her readers are and what they want, and (b) writing stories that make them feel “seen”.

The novel follows 17-year-old Jenna Chen, whose application to every Ivy League university is rejected, much to her own and her family’s disappointment. In contrast, her cousin Jessica Chen is infinitely smarter and much more sophisticated and successful, a perfect student that is every top-ranking university’s dream recruit, especially Harvard. Jenna loves her cousin, but she cannot help feeling inferior, envious and jealous whenever praises for Jessica’s brilliance and multiple achievements feel like reminders of her own mediocrity.

Bitter and desperately needing a breakthrough, Jenna wishes she could become Jessica – only for that wish to come true overnight.

This“bodyswap”tropeseesJennatentatively experimenting and then fully embracing Jessica’s life. However, she soon realises being the top student in a highly-competitive academic institution is not quite what she imagined: “You have to prove yourself over and over, and when the glory for your most recent achievement expires, as it must, as it always will, you have to start again, but with more eyes trained on you, more people waiting for the day when your talent withers, and your discipline weakens, and your charm wears away.”

“Success is only meant to be rented out, borrowed in small doses at a time, never to be owned completely, no matter what price you’re willing to pay for it.”

Further complicating Jenna’s situation is her shocking discovery that people around her

WITH CHRISTINE SUN

– including her parents and especially her love interest Aaron – are slowly but surely forgetting who Jenna Chen is.

In a clever twist from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), Jenna finds her self-portrait increasingly erased, “as if painted over with dark acrylic... It’s a self-portrait of a stranger, someone unrecognisable, someone who might not even exist anymore”.

What makes this story outstanding is its indepth investigation of a young person’s raw but fierce ambition for power, fame and glory.

Set against a deliberately universal background, Jenna’s frustration and despair at her own seemingly lack of talents is felt by anyone and everyone who has ever wished they could be someone else. Relentlessly and ruthlessly, the story explores what success means and what sacrifices one is willing to make to achieve it. More importantly, it examines the nature and significance of jealousy and its profound impact on young people’s perception of themselves and others.

Combining these and interlacing them with a desperate yearning for love – another universal theme – the author presents an intense and urgent sense of morality concerning right vs wrong, consideration vs indifference, selfishness vs selflessness, and desire vs self-preservation.

Highly recommended.

Church, the Law Courts and the Menzies Hotel, the Presbyterian Ladies College in East Melbourne, even St Patrick’s Church right here in Lilydale.

His grandest accomplishment was the construction of the Royal Exhibition Building, which became the first Australian building to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.

His other business interests included a property on Steel’s Flats outside of Lilydale, St Hubert’s Winery and farm and a sugar plantation in Queensland.

He worked hard, hired the right people, and never cut corners, he built an Empire.

By 1856, he was one of the colony’s top contractors, actively supporting the Eight Hours

Movement, a pretty radical idea back then: eight hours work, eight hours recreation, and eight hours sleep.

David Mitchell died in 1916, but his mark is still here. In his buildings and right there on the gates of Melba Park.

So next time you walk through those gates, take a second to look at those golden letters — D.M. They don’t just mark an entrance.

They mark the legacy of a man who built more than buildings. He built our future.

If you are interested in discovering more about the Lilydale’s past, visit our website at lilydalehistorical.com.au or email: info@lilydalehistorical. com.au

Stage shows set

Karralyka Theatre

Moonwalker – Michael Jackson’s History

This is the world’s most comprehensive Michael Jackson tribute production.

Celebrating 30 years in 2025, this unique show features a live band, live vocals, a professional dance team, visual displays, special effects, covers over 40 songs spanning 40 years and is fronted by the three-time undefeated Michael Jackson Dance Off champion, Paul Rizzo.

Moonwalker’s mission statement is to entertain, educate and elevate through the enduring legacy of the greatest entertainer of all time.

The man.

The moves.

The music.

The truth.

This is Moonwalker - Michael Jackson’s History Season: Friday 17 October at 8pm.

CLOC Musical Theatre & Juliet

The secret’s out – Juliet’s rewriting her story.

CLOC Musical Theatre proudly presents the non-professional Victoria premiere of &Juliet, which will burst onto

to dazzle Kemp’s curtain call

the stage of the National Theatre for a strictly limited season from 10 to 25 October.

Bookings opened to the general public on Monday 21 July.

This bold and electrifying musical flips the script on Shakespeare’s classic, asking what if Juliet chooses her own fate instead of Romeo’s.

Packed with chart-topping hits and a whole lot of heart, &Juliet is a celebration of female empowerment, love, second chances, and rewriting the rules.

Think Shakespeare meets Britney… Romeo who?

Don’t miss the show that has taken the world by storm & Juliet is here and she is not asking permission!

Fantastic 4.5 out of 5

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Ralph Ineson M 4.5/5

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a smart, exciting and deeply affecting superhero drama, and the best MCU film by far in a strong year for comic-book movies.

The Fantastic Four, a group of astronauts who gained superpowers after a cosmic accident, must contend with the world-ending foe Galactus.

Set in a vibrant retrofuturistic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is equal parts sweet, sad and triumphant, drawing much of its conflict from the Four struggling to remain strong as a family under impossible odds and public expectations.

The film still has a healthy serving of action spectacle, however, with the centrepiece being an incredibly cool secondact chase sequence with elements of Interstellar, H.R. Giger and the first Star Trek film.

The tightly-written plot wields several clever pulp sci-fi concepts, and unlike some superhero ensemble pieces (including a couple of the Avengers films), every member of the core quartet is well-developed and has an active role to play.

Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) is the team’s analytical but kind leader, his wife Sue Storm/Invisible Woman is the emotional anchor, her brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) is a hot-head skilled in languages, and Ben

Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is the team’s rocky muscle but with an aura of lonely sensitivity.

Julia Garner brings a tragic note to Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, Galactus’s subtly-conflicted herald, and the towering, boomingvoiced Galactus himself (Ralph Ineson) is a truly scary antagonist.

Like Superman, First Steps is another piece in a vast comic-book movie franchise, but both films are very self-contained and can be enjoyed with no prior experience. Unlike Superman, which had slightly obtrusive humour, First Steps’ humour is more restrained.

A thrilling superhero film full of heart and brilliant ideas, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is playing in most Victorian cinemas.

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

ACROSS

1 Common carbohydrate (6)

4 One to whom money is owed (8)

9 Andrew Lloyd Webber

musical (5)

10 Water fowl (9)

11 Electronic read (1-4)

12 Yellowish-green colour (4,5)

13 Astonishment (8)

15 Roma is its capital (6)

16 Equestrians (6)

18 Ovine insecticide (5,3)

23 Infectious disease (9)

24 Body organ (5)

26 Comparisons based on similarities (9)

27 Might (5)

28 Hated intensely (8)

29 Varied mixure (6)

DOWN

1 Equal; even – (7)

2 Type of acid (5)

3 Savoury biscuit (7)

5 Seldom (6)

6 Dry spell (7)

7 Journeyed (9)

8 Domed building (7)

10 Components of a dollar (5)

14 Superfluous (9)

16 First given name of Ringo Starr (7)

17 Bases (7)

19 Tips (5)

20 Overshadow (7)

21 Depict (7)

22 Separate into parts (6)

25 Sound pronounced with an open vocal tract (5)

Using

MODERN CHARACTER HOME ON A FLAT SUNNY ACRE

MODERN CHARACTER HOME ON A FLAT ACRE

SITTING proudly in the middle of the block and set amongst a sublime acre (approx) of exquisite gardens, lawns and Manna gums, this residence offers the charm of yesteryear but with the reassurance of contemporary inclusions throughout.

Enjoying a wonderful series of garden outlooks from every room, the living spaces offer both casual and formal settings, the stylish lounge with fireplace, family dining and living areas with French doors to the covered deck. Indoor and outdoor spaces combine here for absolute lifestyle pleasure.

True to the owners’ intentions, the home is an entertainer’s delight, with the gourmet kitchen appointed with an oversize engineered stone island bench, decorative tiles, abundant storage, 2 Smeg ovens, gas hob, Siemens dishwasher, also a Butler’s pantry with sink and extra prep space.

The bedrooms all have built in robes, the main bedroom with an ensuite, and a family bathroom servicing the remaining two. There is a further option for a 4th bedroom/teenager space – or a ‘work from home’ scenario with separate access.

Relax with your favourite beverage on the verandah and look across the gardens, with beautiful visiting birds and wildlife mixing with the bursts of colour seasonally changing before your eyes. Enjoy the sounds of the pond with waterfall to sooth your nerves at the end of a hard day – come home to paradise.

The rear yard is perfect for a spot of cricket or kick to kick – you may even like the idea of a swimming pool here. Ample off-street parking, a double carport, and oversized garage with excellent storage. Plenty of room for all the toys.

Locally you have easy access to a bus stop nearby, kindergarten, Bam Bam restaurant, General Store, with Primary and High Schools in nearby Emerald. Rail connections in Belgrave and Wellington Road accessibility to M1.

This property truly is your piece of paradise in the hills – and only around an hour from central Melbourne – so be quick, this one won’t last. Call Mick Dolphin 0429 684 522 or Caiti Ellis 0493 136 937 to arrange an appointment.

UNIQUE LIMESTONE COTTAGE IN A QUIET COURT

THIS well maintained and appealing home is move in ready and set in one of the best locations in Berwick, close to parklands, Parkhill shopping precinct, community centre and schools.

The home features 3 robed bedrooms, the primary bedroom with ensuite and walk in robe. The further two bedrooms are a generous size and are serviced by a bathroom with soaking tub, a shower, and a separate toilet. With two living areas including the dining area with plantation shutters which adjoins the well-appointed kitchen with a stainlesssteel wall oven, gas hob and dishwasher plus excellent storage and double sink. You will also enjoy the separate lounge offering an opportunity for your own space. The Limestone is the perfect year-round insulator; you also have a gas wall furnace and split system for added comfort.

Outdoors is wonderful, fully fenced, with a large, covered deck area, ideal for gatherings. A comfortable block of 530m3 (approx.), offering flat lawn areas with vegie boxes (the current owner has not used sprays) and a producing orange tree. There is a water tank to help look after the garden during summer, and two garden sheds. Parking is catered for with a single garage plus additional parking. Minutes to everything, a convenient location, and a perfect home to start in or downsize to.

Call Mick Dolphin 0429 684 522 or Caiti Ellis 0493 136 937 to arrange a viewing as this will not last!

HOME FOCUS

YOUR OWN RESORT WITH VIEWS TO DIE FOR

PRIVATELY located at the end of a quiet street, this property affords you a lifestyle that many can only dream of. Unparalleled for location and with amazing views, the infrastructure for this property is almost an endless list. A magnificent offering for both family and those with equine pursuits. Built and maintained to an exacting standard, the property is an entertainers’ paradise and great for family living.

• The Residence: 4 bedrooms, 1 study, 2 bathrooms.

A quality finished home that includes a luxurious master suite with fitted walk in robe and ensuite. All rooms are positioned perfectly to take advantage of the stunning surrounds and picturesque views. Finished to a high standard you will be impressed CBUS system throughout and the automated everyday items, floor heating to the marble bathrooms, the jarrah cabinetry in the kitchen showcasing the Glem double ovens, Miele induction cook tops, new microwave and Caesar Stone benches. The library is, in the agents opinion, the best room in the house (and there are so many choices!), featuring leather inlaid jarrah desk and a secret passageway. Multiple living zones offer choices with one offering a local stone wall and new wood heater.

• Entertain in Style: Indoors and Out.

The lower level of the home is all about entertaining and enjoyment with an inbuilt bar, dishwasher, games room and a home cinema that will put gold class to shame. Outside features a huge undercover decking featuring automated blinds, from where you can access the inground pool, change room, toilet and outdoor shower, and a separate sauna. You can have fabulous BBQs all year round from the large decking - ideal for parties and another opportunity to take in the incredible view!

• Equine Infastructure:

Full sized arena 60 x 20 with viewing platform. 4 stables. Hot and cold water. Designated shed with washing machine, tack store and food store. Washing line. Tractor and Hay shed. 10 paddocks, many with post and rail fencing, all watered from spring fed dam.

• Notable Features:

20 glorious acres with beautiful established gardens and trees offering 3 sealed driveways offering not only ample parking but the opportunity to turn your truck or float around without having to back up, automated gates (one gate does not work), 3 car garage with interior access, huge workshop, shed, solar, generator, wood store, 2 dams and a Billabong and neighbouring creek along a boundary, basketball area, CCTV, aluminium windows, steel and concrete stumps, attic ladder roof accessibility, refrigerated cooling, ducted heating, a split system, and a wood fire. Come and see this magnificent property for yourself, you will be impressed. If you think 11 Brodrick Road, Macclesfield ticks all your boxes on paper, wait until you view it in person. We are proud to show you. Please contact Mick Dolphin 0429 684 522 or Anthony Iorlano 0494 142 438 to arrange your inspection today. ●

OffersClosingTuesday14thAugust@ 4pm(unlesssoldprior) Highceilings,timberfloors,light-filledopenplanliving& dining,contemporarykitchenwith stonebenchtops &Europeanstainless-steelappliances.Secondlivingspace,dedicated home office,travertinebathroom,well-equippedlaundry,second toilet& gDH. Covered alfresco deckwith outdoorkitchen,lush,tropicalgardens,sandstone-framedsaltwater pool,cubbyhouse, firepit,chookshed, doublecarport& securefencing

MickDolphin 0429684522

AnthonyIorlano 0494142438

DavidStewart 0411655611 CHARMINGCHARACTERHOMEONOVER½ ACRE

Nestledona tieredblockwithviewstotreedvistas &beautifulsunsets,thishomeoffers warmth,space &undeniablecharm.Timberfloorboards& aninviting open fireplace create acosyambiance,plus asplitsystemforconvenience.Featuring astylish renovatedkitchen &bathroomwhichincorporatestheEuropeanlaundry.generous windowsbathetheinteriorsinnaturallight &framethelush,leafyoutlook.ClosetoSelby PrimarySchool,parks& tenniscourts, &onlya five-minutedriveintoBelgrave. 3 A 1 B 5 C

JanBrewster 0409558805

SPACIOUS FAMILY LIVING WITH STUDIO

SET on a generous 1,214sqm (approx.) and nestled between the vibrant townships of Emerald and Monbulk, this versatile and immaculate four-bedroom home delivers family-friendly living just a three-minute stroll to beautiful Butterfield Park.

A concrete driveway wraps around to the rear, offering easy access to the full-length verandah, while guests can park out front and enter this character home from the full width front verandah. Step inside to soaring ceilings, vinyl plank flooring, and the comfort of gas ducted heating throughout. The open plan kitchen and dining area is well-equipped with gas cooking, an integrated wall oven, large pantry, and excellent bench and storage space — perfect for busy households and home cooks alike.

A sunken lounge with a bay window bathes the space in natural light and features a wood fire, split system, and ceiling fan for year-round comfort. The master bedroom enjoys a walk-in robe, updated ensuite, and garden outlook,

while two additional bedrooms with built-in robes and a separate study or fourth bedroom are serviced by a central family bathroom and separate toilet.

Outside, the full-length rear verandah overlooks the securely fenced backyard—ideal for children and pets—with a cubby house, garden shed, woodshed, and a single lockup garage with workshop. A separate studio includes a soundproof room, perfect for creatives, musicians, or a private workspace. With plenty of off-street parking for 3 plus cars at the rear and a peaceful setting just minutes from local shops, schools, and parkland, this property ticks all the right boxes.

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

Impressive4-BedroomFamilyHomewithSpectacularViewsinGembrook. Thisstunning4-bedroom,2-bathroomhomeinGembrookissetona 4939sqmblock,offeringprivacy andconveniencejust ashortwalkfromthetownship.Thehomefeaturesa spaciousmastersuite with aluxuriousensuite,freestandingbath,andwalk-inwardrobe,plusthreeadditionalbedrooms. Theopen-planlivingareawithpolishedtimberfloors,baywindowswithscenicviews,anda woodfire,complementedbyhydronicandsplitsystemheating.Thegourmetkitchenincludesstone benchtops, alargepantry,and a900mmgasstove.Outside,enjoya fullyfencedpropertywith twosinglegarages,a workshop,and a6kWsolarsystem.Thepropertyalsoofferstwohothouses, anestablishedvegetablepatch,anda chickenarea.Ampleoff-streetparkingaddstoitsappeal, makingitanidealfamilyhomewithmoderncomfortsin apeacefulsetting. 9BeenakEastRoadGembrook

CharmingCottagewithRoomtoLive,Work& Play! Tuckedawayon a¼ acreblock,thischaracter-filledcottageofferstheperfectblendofcharm, space& versatilityforfamiliesoranyonecraving alittleextrabreathingroom.With4 bedrooms &2 bathrooms,thehome’slayouthasbeenthoughtfullydesignedforbotheverydayliving& entertaining.Warmth& personalityshinethrougheverycorner—fromthecharmingcottagefacade &highceilingsthroughouttothe2 ambientlivingareas,1 withanopenfire &theotherwitha wood fire,whereyoucanunwindorhostfamilymovienights.Outside, aseparatestudio,idealforartists, remoteworkersorweekendhobbies,while apoweredworkshop &a gamesroommeanthere’s somethingforeveryone.Thefullyfencedblockisprivate& secure,withplentyofspaceforpets, gardens,orsimplyenjoyingthefreshair. Adoublecarportcompletesthepackage.

SpaciousFamilyLivingwithStudio &CentralConvenience. Seton1,214sqm(approx.)betweenEmerald& Monbulk,thisimmaculatefour-bedroomhomeoffers flexible,family-friendlylivingjusta three-minutewalktoButterfieldPark. Aconcretedrivewaywraps totherearwitha full-lengthverandah,while acharmingfrontentrywelcomesguests.Inside,soaring ceilings,vinylplankflooring,GDH& s/scoolingensureyear-roundcomfort.Theopen-plankitchen featuresgascooking,walloven,largepantry &excellentbenchspace.A sunkenloungewithbay window &woodfireoffers acosyretreat.Themasterincludes aWIR &ensuite,withtwofurther bedrooms, astudy/fourthbedroom,bathroom &separatetoilet.Outdoorsoffers asecurebackyard, cubby,sheds,garagewithworkshop &separatestudiowithsoundproofroom.

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Senior coach calls time

By Matilda McDermott

After a well loved seven year tenure as coach of the senior women’s team at Montrose, Shilette Baker will step down following the 2025 season.

Baker’s time at Montrose began in 2016 where she coached Auskick for two years, then three with the junior girls then finished off her time with four years at the senior women’s level.

“Shilette has played a pivotal role in building and guiding the club’s female football program. Shilette’s journey began with a clear focus on player development, game understanding, instilling strong fundamentals in younger players while fostering a supportive, disciplined and team-first culture,” Montrose Football Netball Club said in a statement.

The announcement came at a great loss for the

Montrose Football Club, with many taking to social media to express their heartfelt remarks.

“An incredible advocate for women and girls at the club, you’ve helped shape a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone. The club has some very big shoes to fill,” one user said.

“Very sad news for the club and the women’s team, it leaves behind huge boots to fill. Shilette has been a fierce advocate for women’s footy, and no one can truly replace the incredible work she’s done over the years. She’s an outstanding role model, and the program and culture they have built is something really special,” another user said.

The Montrose Senior Women’s made their way to the Grand Final in 2024, and are sitting second on the ladder in 2025, expecting to play finals.

The club attributes their success to Baker.

“As the girls progressed through the ranks, Shilette ensured continuity and growth, helping to create a structured pathway from junior to senior football that has seen players thrive both on and off the field.

“At the senior level, Shilette and her team have driven competitive improvement while maintaining a strong emphasis on inclusivity and player wellbeing. Their leadership has not only enhanced individual skills and game sense but also built a cohesive and resilient team culture.”

Montrose Football Netball Club are currently looking for Baker’s replacement for the 2026 season, alongside a new senior men’s coach after Gary Ayres announced his resignation from the role last month.

Mullett eyes premiership after 100 goals

By Oliver Winn

Wandin’s wonder boy Aaron Mullett has kicked 100 goals this season in a massive feat that could see the club go on for a premiership.

The ex-North Melbourne and Carlton AFL player kicked the century marking goal against second-placed Olinda Ferny Creek on 19 July.

Capitalising on a poor pass from Olinda’s Seymour, Mullett accelerated centre-bound, fended off two Bloods players before firing off a cracking shot that saw the ball float perfectly in the middle of the big sticks.

When Mullett sealed the deal, he said it was a moment he’ll “never forget”.

“I remember kicking that goal and just going on the run and kind of getting swarmed by all my teammates and a lot of friends and family came running out too,” he said.

As he got mobbed by all his supporters, beers were poured and hugs were aplenty.

“It was very overwhelming, the amount of people that came out.”

“Got to spend it with some close friends and family on Saturday night and celebrated with all my teammates, it was a really special day.”

When asked about his top supporters, Mullett pointed to his family as having been along for the whole journey.

“Definitely my wife and my two girls and I’ll definitely say my dad and my father-in-law, I reckon they’ve come to every game this year.

“They’ve definitely rode the journey with me today,” he said.

With 103 goals in 13 games under his belt for the 2025 season, Mullett averages just under eight goals per game.

He kicked 12 goals in a single game on two occasions, against both Olinda Ferny Creek and Gembrook Cockatoo.

With 10 Best Player awards this season, he’s also only three more off his century for that award too.

But Mullett’s focus remained on securing the premiership rather than individual awards.

“I just want to win more premierships.

Wandin backs out from EFNL transfer

By Oliver Winn

Wandin Football Netball Club has withdrawn its application to transfer from the Outer East Football Netball League (OEFN) to the Eastern Football Netball League (EFNL).

The club announced the decision in a statement on 18 July and said the decision “was not made lightly”.

It came after Wandin’s committee met with OEFN board and management, where the parties discussed and explored proposed actions to strengthen and stabilise the OEFN.

“Following this positive and constructive meeting, Wandin FNC has formally withdrawn its application to transfer leagues for 2026,” the statement read.

Earlier in the year the club submitted an intention to transfer request due to concerns surrounding the long term viability of a two-division senior football and netball model in the league.

“Survey data from the league revealed an unusually high number of clubs also exploring potential league changes for the 2026 season.

“Based on this, our committee believed a potential single division senior football competition in the outer east would not offer the competitive balance required for a viable future,” the statement read.

According to the statement, three senior clubs and three junior clubs had also lodged transfer requests which influenced Wandin’s initial decision to transfer leagues.

But, the EFNL’s netball offerings swayed Wandin into withdrawing its transfer - in a Herald Sun article, OEFN chief executive officer Brett Connell said the EFNL “doesn’t fit them in netball, it’s as simple as that’’.

The statement emphasised Wandin’s strong netball roots and said its decision was conditional on the EFNL being able to support a viable Saturday netball competition.

“Netball is central to our club’s identity and community spirit, as such any potential move had to reflect that.”

In the OEFN, football and netball games are played on the same day at the same ground, so its essential clubs have adequate netball facilities.

But not all clubs in the EFNL have the netball facilities to host games, resulting in the league’s netball being played at a separate location to its football games.

Netball games are played at centres such as the HE Parker Netball Complex or the Knox Regional Netball Centre.

Pakenham Football Netball Club were also eyeing a transfer to West Gippsland Football Netball League but its application was knocked back.

Pakenham Football Netball Club announced the news on its Facebook page on 24 July and said the news was “disappointing”.

Officer Football Club also announced on 23 July its bid to join the West Gippsland Football Netball League was unsuccessful.

Upwey Tecoma Football Netball Club have applied to transfer to the EFNL after a club meeting on 26 June, where 121 of the 138 members present voted for the change.

Wandin said it was dedicated to playing an active role in shaping a strong future of football and netball in the region.

“We extend our sincere thanks to both OEFN and EFNL for their professionalism and support throughout this process.”

“The 100 goals is nice and it was a bit about me for that day and that moment, but the bigger picture is, they got me up there to help win premierships.”

Montrose senior women’s coach Shilette Baker will step down at the end of this season. (Supplied)

With Wandin sitting on the top of the ladder with 52 points, they’re certainly on

Aaron Mullett celebrating his 100th goal. (Stacey Sullivan)

Wandin will stay in the OEFN after discussions with the league’s board. (File)

Barkers are in hot form

By Peter Stephenson

On Saturday, Bentleigh’s Victory Park was dull and blustery as Barkers (sixth) visited Bentleigh United Cobras (eleventh). The venue was wellnamed – if you’re the away team. Yes, Cobras had a Bond-esque 0-0-7 home record this season. Coach David Stack made two changes to the side which beat Doncaster 2-0, with Ross Clark and Tristan Walker replacing John-Paul Cooper and Anthony Di Crea.

It soon became clear that, despite the bombsite of a pitch, Barkers had the measure of Cobras, whose only real threat was Miguel Anderson on the left wing. On five minutes, Clark hit a high snapshot, which was comfortably caught by keeper Samuel Dabinett. Then Marcus Watson broke free of the defence and shot over, before James Barber crossed from the right for Danny Aye, who hit his shot over.

All this pressure was accompanied by some nice football on the bumpy surface, and an early breakthrough was no surprise. A ball was put through to Clark, who turned, beat his man and toe-poked the ball into the corner of the net to make it 1-0 Barkers. Two minutes later, a long punt from keeper Vladi Velikin saw Aye hit a dangerous shot on the turn, which Dabinett did well to palm round the post.

On the half hour, a corner from the right saw Walker smash a first-time shot wide, but we didn’t have to wait long for the next goal. Within a minute, Clark was through on goal, but his shot was blocked, then rebounded out to Watson, who tucked the ball home to make it 2-0 Barkers.

Eight minutes before the break, the Cobras had their best chance of the half. A long ball was instantly brought under control by Anderson, who turned and shot narrowly wide. Barkers regained the upper hand in the last five minutes. Walker put a lovely ball through to Clark, who shot wide. Then right on half-time, a slick Barkers

move saw Aye shoot over. Half-time: Cobras 0-2 Barkers, with the visitors well in control.

The first five minutes of the second half saw Barkers pile on the pressure. On 51 minutes, a swarming attack saw a shot from Aye take a wicked deflection, but Dabinett did brilliantly to get a hand to the ball.

A rare Cobras attack five minutes later saw a ball played in from the left for Anderson. He was pulled down, but the free kick from Nicholas

Tsamis saw Velikin get down well to hold. Just before the hour, Barkers struck again. A patient build-up from Clark and Walker saw the latter square the ball to an unmarked Watson, who made no mistake to score his second and Barkers third. Barkers slackened off after that, but Cobras never really threatened Velikin as Barkers defended soundly. With two minutes left, Cooper crossed for Aye, whose shot was blocked. In stop-

page time, Barkers had a shout for a penalty denied when Mario Rivera was unceremoniously put on the deck. Full-time: Cobras 0-3 Barkers. Barkers looked in cruise control today against a limited Cobras. That’s four wins in a row and three clean sheets in a row, but have Barkers left their run too late? Next is a tricky Friday night trip to Noble Park United. The last meeting of these two produced a crazy 5-5 draw, so it should be fun.

Barkerettes battle for the win against Skye

By Peter Stephenson

Esther Park saw Barkerettes (fifth) take on bottom-side Skye on Friday night. Barkers were in hot form, unbeaten in four games. Skye had only one win to their name, but that was against Barkers. Also, Skye had the dubious distinction of having received all three red cards in this league. This was going to be interesting. Keeper Ash Fraraccio was making her 150th senior appearance.

The player of the moment was called upon to make a double save early on, as Skye began to stretch the Barkers’ defence. Then calamity – Skye scored – 1-0. But no, the linesman had flagged offside and Barkers could breathe again.

Barkers’ first real threat came on seven minutes when the ball was cut back from the left and allowed to run through to Emily Stokes, who shot wide. Predictably, the game was scrappy and physical, punctuated by fouls and players going to ground.

On 23 minutes a Skye forward ran down the right and shot just past the far post, too close for comfort. Barkers were inexplicably making the bottom side look good. Four minutes later, Barkers sent the ball in from the left to Amy D’Ortenzio. She turned and shot, but keeper Cadence Vakacavu had it covered. Then an identical move saw Charlotte Martin hit a good first-time shot just over. Half-time 0-0 with Skye more interested in playing the man than the ball.

The second half was similar to last week’s second half at Endeavour, in that Barkers mounted attack after attack, occasionally allowing Skye to break forward to no effect. Eight minutes in, Martin reached the byline and cut the ball back, but Vakacavu somehow scrambled the ball to safety.

Barkers were piling on the pressure, and on the hour, Alysha Barrueto hit a low shot wide, before a cross from the left saw a D’Ortenzio shot saved. Then on 68 minutes, Alizah Jones did well to force Skye into conceding a corner. Martin hit the ball low towards the near post, and Kelly Butera volleyed the ball home through a crowd of players to put Barkers 1-0 up. A minute later, Martin was at it again. Another good corner from the right found D’Ortenzio, whose shot was cleared off the line. Then Martin again, this time her corner saw Butera shoot wide.

The last five minutes saw a cross from the left leading to a shot by Jones. Then, a corner from the left saw a Jones header (yes, really!) saved by the keeper. There were a couple of late challenges

– one by Skye’s Amba Tennant on Barrueto, and another nasty one on Charlotte McCullough, that don’t belong on a football pitch. Full-time: Barkers 1-0 Skye.

There will be some sore Barkers after this match. The referee was too easy-going for this fixture, which demanded an official who could establish control early on before things got out of hand. As for Barkers, they continue to try to close the gap on the top four, and that’s 16 points from the last 21.

Next – the league leaders, Seaford, away from home.

The Barkers scored their fourth win in a row against Bentleigh. (Mooroolbark Soccer Club)

It was a night of fierce play at the home of the Barkers. (Rob Carew: 235677)

The Barkerettes battled for the win over Skye United. (Mooroolbark Soccer Club)

SPORT

Big win for Lilydale Eagles

By Callum Ludwig

The Lilydale Eagles were back after an extended hiatus due to the postponement of their matches last week against Maroondah United, this week taking on Croydon Ranges at home.

The Reserves got off to a blistering start when, in the eighth minute, a nice move down the left wing resulted in a nice ball across the box by Trent Scott-Elsley being finished off by his opposite winger Tarin Cooper.

In windy conditions, things then got tighter as the players tried to adjust and it was Croydon who did first, with a couple of balls over the top that held up in the wind calling Lilydale keeper Callum Ludwig into a couple of one-on-one saves.

Eventually, the Eagles got back on top and it was Cooper who struck again in the 34th minute, managing to bundle the ball home after despite the desperate efforts of a scrambling Croydon defence.

Despite Lilydale’s dominance, this remained the scoreline at halftime.

After the break, the first big chance came when Cooper was brought down in the box and awarded a penalty, stepping up to take it with a hatrick on the line, only to place his shot down the middle and skimming off the bar.

The Eagles took some time to extend their lead but the dam wall broke when they did.

First Byron Loveless made it 3-0 in the 71st minute, denying Cooper another chance to complete his hatrick, after he got to a scrappy ball in the box first.

Five minutes later Mark Vanderkolk made it four after he skipped past multiple Croydon players and placing a shot that the keeper couldn’t keep up despite getting a touch to it.

Then Scott-Elsley got in on the action with a quick fire brace within a minute of each other to the Eagles up by six by the 83rd minute mark.

The rout was then completed by Daniel ‘Dicko’ Dickson who scored an Olympico goal directly from a corner to make it 7-0. An Olympdicko if you will.

The Seniors were up next and looking to get back on the winner’s list.

Things got off to a poor start when in the sixth minute, Croydon’s Sai Cung was played through on the left wing and managed to poke home his finish into the bottom corner.

Getting back to business, Lilydale came close when Leo Blair rose highest from a cor-

ner but his glancing header was just off target.

From then on, the Eagles got on top and were rewarded when Bailey Hone was tripped up in the box and a penalty was awarded.

Connor Hartman stepped up and cooly buried his finish into the top left corner to level the scores.

Lilydale, playing with the wind in the first half, were finding plenty of joy on the wings, particularly the right-hand side where Jake ‘Digga’ Dioguardi had the Croydon left back on toast in the first half.

Digga was at the forefront in the 36th minute when he found in himself with time and space aplenty on the right wing, calmly found

Hartman at the edge of the box who whipped a sweeping finish into the bottom left corner to give Lilydale the lead which they held to halftime.

Playing against the win in the second half, Lilydale found themselves under more pressure.

The Eagles struggled to create many attacks of substance and found themselves facing more pressure as Croydon pushed onward.

Croydon came close when a cutback made it to the edge of the box and the ensuing sot was kept out by a diving Ludwig.

Lilydale’s efforts to get forward would repeatedly peter out without getting deep into

their opposition’s half but did manage to prevent Croydon from getting many clear cut opportunities.

That was until the 84th minute, where a throw by Ludwig after coming to claim a ball was cut out and Croydon countered. The Eagles did well to drop back and cover but the ball found its way to the feet of Croydon midfielder Mang Siakhel who turned and fired home into the bottom corner with his weaker foot to equalise.

The game would end 2-2 and the Eagles will recoup to take on Monbulk away next week.

A round of big losses and solid wins for the Mustangs

By Geoff ‘Joffa’ Newstead

The Senior Women kicked off proceedings for the Mooroolbark Mustangs on the weekend when they took on Montrose.

These sides played a draw the first time around so it was always going to be a dangerous game for the Mustangs.

However, the girls jumped out of the blocks with a solid first term and continued to dominate for the first three quarters, taking a 35-point lead into the final term.

The Montrose girls then stepped up a gear and booted four goals to one in the last quarter but it wasn’t enough to overrun the Mustangs, who went on to record a solid 20-point win.

The Haberfield girls were again in the best, with Ruby getting the nod as best player.

Bella McMaster was the only multiple-goal scorer with two majors.

FinalScore:Mooroolbark6-13–49dMontrose4–5–29

Goals: McMaster 2, Carrucan, Brown, R. Haberfield, Maki 1 each

Best Players: R. Haberfield, S. Haberfield, McMaster, Batten, Beer, Delaney.

Next to pull on the Green and Gold was the Vets Women who hosted top side, South Belgrave, at Kiloran Park. Both sides found it difficult to score until the South Belgrave girls slotted through two goals in the second term and another three in the final quarter while keeping the Mustangs goalless for the entire game.

The 26-point loss saw the Mustang girls slide down to fourth on the ladder, and they will have to take on the South Belgrave girls again in the semi-final in two weeks.

FinalScore:SthBelgrave5–1–31dMooroolbark0–5–5

The Seniors and Reserves men's teams took the long trek to Holm Park to take on the strong Beaconsfield Eagles in what turned out to be two very one-sided games.

The Mustangs welcomed another Under 17 boy in Ollie Arthur, who stepped up to help make up the numbers.

Unfortunately, the Mustangs were held scoreless for the first three quarters.

They saved some face with two majors in the final term but were completely outclassed by the Eagles.

Cooper Rouget pulled on the boots again and was judged as best, while Max Batten and Kynan Kowalski continued their solid form.

Final Score: Beaconsfield 19 – 14 – 128 d Mooroolbark 2 – 0 – 12

Goals: Kowalski, Spicer 1 each

Best Players: Rouget, M. Batten, Josh Kist, Kowalski, Harbinson, T. Batten

Things didn’t get much better when the Seniors ran out in very blustery conditions with the Eagles jumping to an early lead and never looking in danger for the entire game, running out convincing 83-point winners.

For the Mustangs, Jon Egan and Connor Riley battled hard in defence, while Kane Noonan tried to lead by example, but it wasn’t enough to stop the rampaging Eagles.

Final Score: Beaconsfield 16 – 14 – 110 d Mooroolbark 4 – 3 – 27

Goals: Noonan 2, Gebert, Wright 1 each

Best Players: Egan, Noonan, Riley

Sunday saw the top of the ladder Men's Vets take on second-placed North Ringwood in front of a large crowd at Heights Reserve. Mustangs coach Bernie Ryan hasn’t had to raise his voice much this season but a quarter-time deficit soon changed that.

The blast had the desired effect as the Mustangs stepped up a gear in the second term, booting five goals to one, to take a handy 17-point lead into the main break.

The third term was fairly even and the Mustangs came home strongly in the last to maintain their position on top of the ladder with a 29-point win.

Skipper, Matt Polkinghorne, led by example and he was well supported by Michael Cardamone and Jeremy Neumann.

Ruby Haberfield was named best on ground for her outstanding performance against Montrose. (Supplied)

The win now sets up a home semi-final for the Mustangs in a fortnight.

Final Score: Mooroolbark 10 – 6 – 66 d Nth Ringwood 5 – 7 – 37.

Goals: Williams 2, Cultrera 2, M. Polkinghorne, Cardamone, Dimitriou, Neumann, Benson Singer 1 each Best Players: M. Polkinghorne, Cardamone, Neumann, Singer, Mollica, Williams

Callum Ludwig saves the opponent’s one on one chance. (Dongyun Kwon: 492425)

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