Chol, from Dandenong, is leaping into a US college basketball scholarship from this week.
The 19-year-old, along with Red Roo Sports teammate Mangok Gach, are also products of a Brothers for Brothers program that creates positive social connection for young people in the South East.
More on the story, turn to page 13
The State Government’s pokies-card trial in Greater Dandenong has been labelled a “sham” due to not including mandatory pre-commitment, say advocates.
The trial rolling out in September will introduce mandatory account-based card play on pokie machines, but gamblers are given the option of whether or not to pre-set loss limits.
The ‘watering-down’ move was signalled by the Government altering its original media release on 21 July by adding that gamblers “can” set loss limits on the YourPlay card.
A disappointed Greater Dandenong Council is raising its concerns in a letter to Gambling Minister Enver Erdogan.
“Gambling has a significant impact on our community, with $138 million lost to electronic gaming machines in the City of Greater Dandenong in 2024/24,” Greater Dandenong deputy mayor Sophie Tan said.
“Wecontinuetoadvocateforstrongergambling reform, including the implementation of mandatory pre-set loss limits on the YourPlay card.”
The Minister’s office for Gaming, Casino and Liquor Regulation stated the change was made because its first release was not clear enough.
Chief advocate at the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Tim Costello says he is 100 per cent confident this is the result of the gambling industry’s influence.
“They’ve always opposed a mandatory trial.
“We always understood it was mandatory (pre-commitment) - it’s a waste of trial, it’s not even a trial, it’s a cosmetic sham to fool the public they are doing something but all they’re doing is deceiving the public.”
The purpose of the trial was now limited to merely testing the software changes for mandatory account based carded play on EGMs.
“Truth is, they don’t need to do a trial of YourPlay, we know the technology can work…”
A consultation was undertaken with industry and stakeholders for the gambling trial, including Alliance for Gambling Reform’s Rebecca Paterson.
According to her, there were no red flags during the consultation phase that it’d be an optional pre-commitment for players.
“There was no indication that we were talking about anything other than it being precisely binding limits, they didn’t say anything about it being different.”
More on the story, turn to page 5
By Cam Lucadou-Wells and Violet Li
Casey Residents and Ratepayers Association has criticised Casey Council placing mother-ofthree Jillian Nambu on “an orchestrated ‘resident naughty list’ after she sent five emails to council managers and councillors in a week .
“(The register) should be reserved for only the most extreme and overly persistent complainants,” CRRA vice-president Anthony Tassone said.
“On the one hand we have individual councillors inviting residents to contact them directly to hear their concerns and queries, and on the other hand we have Council management demanding residents go through central Customer Service and not contact councillors directly.
“It’s a reasonable expectation that residents can engage with their ward Councillor directly in the appropriate way, and the council’s use of the ‘unreasonable complainant’ register appears unreasonable.
“The council should also offer to reach out to residents directly and guide them through the best way to engage with the City of Casey to have queries resolved rather than just red-flagging them and putting them on a list.”
Ms Nambu told Star News last week that she was “just there trying to bring up issues that I think are important, that the community cares about, and I care about”.
“And then it made me feel like I had done something so horrible that I must be put on a register.”
Meanwhile, the neighbouring Greater Dandenong Council has confirmed it does not have any resident complainants on an exclusion list “at the moment”.
Greater Dandenong chief executive Jacqui Weatherill told a council meeting on 11 August that she didn’t want to comment on Casey’s approach.
“It’s fair to say that City of Greater Dandenong being the most multicultural municipality in Australia, we do try really hard with our residents to understand their concerns.
“We do encourage residents with repeated
concerns to use the Ombudsman.
“I think the team has done an excellent job because we haven’t had anyone that we’ve had to undertake any restrictions with.”
Under Greater Dandenong’s complaints policy, the council can exclude complainants from having access to staff in “rare instances” of “unreasonable persistence or demands”.
This includes behaviour that’s “inappropriate” and “unacceptable” which raises health, safety, resource and equity issues.
The policy is due for renewal by January 2026.
In a notification letter to Ms Nambu on 20 June, a Casey council officer notified her that her conduct had been found to be “unreasonable” under the following two categories:
• Unreasonable persistence – directly emailing the executive leadership team and councillors on numerous different occasions, rather than directing communication to Customer Service for processing
• Unreasonable demands – making demands for council staff to change processes or expectations around council operations, such as the council meeting registration process or public questions
The council advised her to contact Casey via its customer service department, and not to contact executives and all of the councillors directly.
“Failure to cease these behaviours may result in Council implementing additional measures in line with our Unreasonable Complainant Con-
duct Policy, such as taking more direct action regarding any further communications you have with Council.”
Casey’s communications and corporate governance manager Chloe Casey said the council’s UCC policy endorsed in 2015 aimed to reduce impact of “unreasonable” behaviour from complainants on staff and resources.
“Each case is looked at carefully. People are told in writing if any restrictions are placed on them, why it’s happening, and how they can ask for a review. Being on the register usually lasts for a year and is reviewed annually.”
When asked how many people are placed under the UCC Register, Casey did not share the number.
By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Melbourne Water says it has “confirmed” its support for a modified development plan for the flood-prone former Kingswood Golf Course at Dingley Village.
Chris Brace, service futures executive general manager at Melbourne Water, said the modifications included “additional drainage infrastructure”.
“Following an extensive engineering review, Melbourne Water has confirmed the modified Kingswood Development Plan appropriately addresses flood risk management and reduces existing flooding impacts for neighbouring properties.”
However, details on the modified plan are not yet public.
The modified plan is not listed on the State Government’s website, which details the planning process and submissions for the controversial 941-dwelling estate.
It still lists a now-outdated hydrology-and-stormwater report from late 2024.
Melbourne Water had long held out from supporting the plan, calling for more information on how developer Satterley would mitigate flooding risks for homes on the site and downstream.
Residents, MPs and Kingston Council, in opposition to the project, had long cited past extreme events that inundated homes and roads.
Most of the 1400 community submissions to the State Government were opposed to the plan.
A disappointed Save Kingswood Group president Kevin Poulter said residents had lobbied Melbourne Water with a report of 60 pages and 300 photographs compiled from 10 years of research.
“Our information is proven by previous events, unlike developer’s consultants who dream up computer modelling.”
“When Save Kingswood finally had a single meeting, our 60 pages of information was ignored and a single engineer said that the retarding dam would be dug deeper,” Poulter said.
“Melbourne Water said Satterley consultants met with them fortnightly, yet we lobbied for a very long time for one meeting.”
He said residents weren’t told of Melbourne
Water’s approval until they requested a further meeting.
“Melbourne Water has not responded to our request for their report.”
Currently, without development, more than 80 homes downstream of the golf course are at
risk of flooding in a 1-in-100 event.
Prior to the latest modifications, Satterley last year submitted a plan for an estimated 80-90 megalitres of storage to mitigate flooding.
This would be achieved by expanding the Melbourne Water retarding basin from 19 megalitres to 65 megalitres, and buliding two other retarding basins totalling about 24 megalitres.
Citing a potential repeat of the “Maribyrnong disaster”, Poulter was skeptical of the plan that he says is “more than half a billion litres short of the necessary drainage”.
The plan included “destruction of existing flood control measures including hundreds of kilometres of drains, the greens soak, pumping stations, sprinklers, an immense aquifer and some dams”.
“And then replacing them with water collec-
tors like roofs, roads and footpaths.
“When the retarding dam fills, it will be like it is not there and overflows will cause mass destruction.”
Kingston Council has called for a more “balanced and better thought-out plan” for the estate.
Among its concerns was “drainage and flooding risks, especially due to reduced permeable surfaces”.
There were also “unresolved questions around ownership, maintenance and design standards” of drainage. Its other issues included loss of trees and open space, small lot sizes, increased traffic congestion, a lack of schools, childcare, medical facilities and public transport.
Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny is expected to decide on the development plan this year.
By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Cranbourne high-school teacher and motherof-two who had a sexual affair with a 15-year-old student has been jailed.
Laura Ann Hill, 38, pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to five counts of sexually penetrating a child under 16, as well as sexual assault and persistently breaching an intervention order.
She and the student were said to have developed a close friendship, which furnished four occasions of sexual offending in a month.
In October 2024, Hill and the teenager took the day off school and met in the girl’s garage where they smoked cannabis.
They moved into the bedroom, with an undressed Hill hiding in a closet when the child’s grandmother arrived home.
On a later night, Hill drove the girl to Hill’s home. Despite Hill saying “this isn’t a good idea”, they proceeded to have sex.
Soon after, Hill revealed the relationship to her school’s assistant principal.
The girl was interviewed by police, while Hill was issued a family violence interim intervention order banning any contact or communication with the child.
However while on bail – and in breach of the intervention order – Hill again met with the child in November and they had sex in a playground in Hastings.
After this incident, the teen’s mum directed the girl to stay at her grandparent’s house. Nonetheless, the pair later had sex in the teen’s bedroom.
In breach of the intervention order, Hill also called and left numerous voicemails and texts to the teen’s phone.
After the teen’s mum provided her daughter’s phones to police, Hill was arrested, interviewed and has been since remanded in custody.
In sentencing, judge Claire Quin noted the significant upheaval for the teen and family.
On 15 August, the teen read a victim impact statement to the court saying that “legally I am the victim so why do I feel punished?”
She said she was struggling to see Hill as the “criminal that (Hill) is”, and had lost an “understanding” teacher that made her look forward to school.
As a result of the offences, she and the family had left the school, and they had moved a long distance away.
The teen’s parents were angered by the breach of trust, her mother felt guilty for not being able to protect her, Judge Quin noted.
Hill had endured a difficult, disrupted childhood, with separation and a lack of care and “emotional validation” from her parents.
At the time of offending, her judgement was clouded by borderline personality disorder with avoidant features.
It was said to be a factor in her getting over-involved with her students and her relationship difficulties.
Judge Quin also noted the severe impact of public opprobrium and incarceration on Hill, who was currently restricted from any video calls or visits from her two young children. Her early guilty plea, remorse, insight, her disclosure of the relationship to the school and her lack of criminal priors were also noted.
Hill’s rehabilitation prospects were “good” if she continues to engage with sex offender treatment, Judge Quin said.
But the offending was serious, aggravated by Hill’s position of trust, the age disparity, and breach of bail and intervention orders.
Weighing up the factors, Judge Quin opted to impose a sentence less than the standard six years for sexual penetration of a child under 16. Hill was jailed for five years and two months, with a non-parole period of 28 months. Her term includes 259 days of pre-sentence remand.
Hill will report as a registered sexual offender for life.
By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A ground-breaking program to disrupt child sexual exploitation in Melbourne’s South East has marked its first decade.
In 2015, the Young Women’s Program (YWP) run by St Kilda Gatehouse was launched in Dandenong to target disadvantaged children and young people who were relying on street sexwork or in sexually exploitative relationships with adults in exchange for drugs, money and favours.
Often in the background are childhood trauma and abuse, family breakdown, poverty and a lack of traditional supports and connection.
The program runs with just 2.5 full-time equivalent staff, but has an outsized impact, SKG chief executive Nickie Gyomber says.
In the past year, 60 young people were helped on a weekly or fortnightly basis by YWP outreach workers.
About 65 per cent of them reportedly had improved protective factors.
Without YMP intervention, the usual trajectory would be a decrease due to risks and behaviours becoming normalized and entrenched, Gyomber said.
“YWP is a program that works. Sadly we always have a waiting list and there remains unmet need.
“We are limited by funding, not need.”
Referrals come mainly from Child Protection and case management services and schools, but can be received from anywhere.
A further 63 attend early-intervention group work sessions based at eight schools. Also 64 young people get indirect support from SKG’s secondary-consultation expert advice service.
The YWP has evolved through feedback from clients and staff, as well as informed by research.
“The one thing that has not changed is our relational approach to care: a cornerstone of all St Kilda Gatehouse supports,” Gyomber told a 10year anniversary event on 12 August.
“Providing the experience of a healthy relationship that balances unconditional care with boundaries offers our young people a model for
other relationships.
“This trauma-informed principle is lived out every day.”
During the event, actors read the feedback of young people in the program.
“I’m not the same person I was eight months ago,” one of them said.
“They definitely helped me in some amazing ways I didn’t even know were possible”
Another said the group had made them stronger and able to overcome challenges.
“I have learnt in the group that I am enough”
The service was supported by a grant from
of Greater Dandenong.
Greater Dandenong deputy mayor Sophie Tan said she was proud of the council’s contribution to the program’s success.
“This is more than just a financial investment – it’s an investment in our community, in the protection and dignity of young women and in building safer, more inclusive spaces for everyone.”
Chisholm Institute youth-work students are also benefiting from placements in the program.
“Our students love the culture of this place,” Claire Kerr from Chisholm said. “The team is so welcoming.”
By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Springvale South man’s role in a home-garage break-in has led police to a stash of nearly 8 kilograms of heroin in his bedroom, a court has heard.
Justin McFarland, 31, pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to trafficking a large commercial quantity of heroin as well as to an aggravated home burglary and theft.
In September 2022, McFarland and an armed co-offender broke into a home garage in Corrigan Road, Noble Park.
They were captured on CCTV with the cooffender apparently stealing garden gloves.
It led to police raiding McFarland’s home, where a bag of 11 packages of a heroin mixture was found in his bedroom wardrobe and linked to his DNA.
The 7.9 kilograms of mixture contained between 1012 and 1085 grams of pure heroin –more than twice the threshold for a large commercial traffickable quantity.
Judge Duncan Allen noted that McFarland was facing a serious drug offence, with a standard sentence of 16 years’ jail.
But despite the drug quantity, his case was “just below” mid-range in seriousness for the offence.
In mitigation, Judge Allen noted McFarland’s role – described by his defence lawyer as a ‘patsy’ - could not be proven to more than “holding” the drugs for a short time.
There was no evidence of financial gain, nor of any previous drug convictions.
Rather, a lonely, isolated McFarland was motivated to please his friendship group, the judge stated.
He was afflicted with substance addiction, borderline personality disorder and pervasive depression.
Speaking on friendships, McFarland told a psychologist that he felt like a “loser” begging people to be around him.
McFarland had said he’d met his co-offender on the day of the agg burg, did drugs with him and had little recollection of the breakin.
As for the trafficking, McFarland described himself as an “idiot”.
He didn’t use heroin but kept the drugs for others because he was “trying to fit in” and he didn’t have anything else “good” going on in his life.
Breaching several CCOs previously, he’d long resisted help for his depression, borderline personality disorder and relapsed into drug abuse and crime.
Judge Allen said McFarland had good rehabilitation prospects if he could take advantage of “tremendous” family and family-friend supports and engage with treatment.
Hence, he gave McFarland the opportunity for a lengthy parole period.
McFarland was jailed for 10-and-a-half years, with a six-year non-parole period.
His term includes 1007 days of pre-sentence detention.
By Sahar Foladi
A group of pro-Palestine protestors gathered at the steps of Dandenong Market on Saturday 9 August demanding the Federal Government to sanction Israel and recognise the Palestinian statehood.
Two days later, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia’s support for the Palestinian state, with his hope for a twostate solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and release of hostages.
At the protest organised by the Free Palestine Dandenong, more than 200 kids, youth, families, elderly, activists marched to Bruce MP Julian Hill’s office to Harmony Square and back to Dandenong Market.
A young Palestinian survivor, Leyan spoke of experiencing Israel’s assaults and killings of Palestinians in Gaza, along with Dr Mohammad Mainul Khan a rural generalist medical practitioner who recently volunteered in the few remaining hospitals in Gaza.
Sean Stebbings, a member of the Victorian Socialists political party, also attended the protest as a representative.
“Israel’s genocide in Gaza has been one of the defining political issues of recent years. We have been shocked by scenes of men, women and children being bombed to oblivion for 21 months, with well over 60,000 people killed so far.
“Those lucky enough to survive have been sent on repeated forced marches through the rubble, faced artificial famines imposed by the Israelis, and being operated on without anaesthetics,” Mr Stebbings says.
“These atrocities, and many more, are a searing indictment on the international capitalist system, where countries and corporations thrive on war and destruction.
“We particularly blame the US and its allies, including Australia, who continue to back Israel despite its well-documented war crimes.
“Approaching two years into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, it’s heartening to see our community stand for peace and justice.”
He says everyone in Australia and around the world have an important role to play in achieving justice in Palestine.
Along with others, he calls onto the federal government to end all political, military and economic ties with Israel, place sanctions on Israel “as well as on a range of Israeli institutions and figures.”
The group spilled onto the busy weekend roads of central Dandenong holding banners and placards that read, “Stop Genocide,” “Stop Israel Now” and “End the Occupation.”
Several Victoria Police officers on standby observed the protest to ensure public safety but there were no issues or arrests made, according to Victoria Police.
A Springvale woman is among 19 arrested over what Victoria Police says is one of the largest organised retail theft syndicates dismantled in recent years.
Operation Supanova say that the group stole more than $10 million of baby formula, medicines, vitamins, skincare products, electric toothbrushes and toiletries were stolen across Melbourne.
Most of the arrested group were Indian nationals on temporary, student, or bridging visas.
They are alleged to be working in a coordinated network to supply stolen goods to ‘receivers’, who then on-sell the products to end users for profit, police say.
On 12 August, Greater Dandenong CIU, supported by Box Hill Divisional Response Unit detectives arrested an alleged ‘receiver’ during a raid in Springvale Police allegedly recovered more than $25,000 worth of stolen goods.
A 54-year-old Springvale woman was charged with 30 counts of handlng stolen goods.
She was bailed to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 4 December.
In other arrests in July and August, six men of
no fixed addresses were each accused of over stealing more than $37,000 of items.
Several faced dozens of charges, allegedly stealing more than $100,000 worth of goods each.
Further arrests are expected, police say.
“This has been one of the most significant operations we’ve undertaken in recent times to target organised retail theft,” Detective Acting Inspector Rachele Ciavarella of Victoria Police’s eastern region said.
“We will allege this syndicate are not only stealing for themselves, but they are part of a coordinated criminal enterprise profiting from stolen goods.
“By working with major retailers, we’ve been able to identify alleged offenders quickly and build a strong intelligence picture, allowing us to target the right people at the right time.”
Retail theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Victoria, with 41,270 offences recorded in the past year - a 38 per cent increase state-wide, police say.
Any information on organised shop theft or the on-selling of stolen goods to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au
By Sahar Foladi
Gambling advocates have shared their disappointment after learning the State Government’s gambling trial doesn’t include mandatory pre-commitment.
The new trial for Greater Dandenong, Monash and Ballarat set to roll out from September will introduce a mandatory account-based carded play but as an option, gamblers “can set loss limits,” according to a Government media release on 23 July.
This was also reportedly confirmed at a meeting hosted by Gaming and Liquor team at the Department of Justice and attended by City of Greater Dandenong’s executive staff.
It comes as a shock after Council and gambling advocates including Tim Costello initially embraced what they believed would be a mandatory pre-commitment not an option as announced in an early press release on 21 July.
Greater Dandenong Council deputy mayor Sophie Tan says they have drafted a letter to the Minister for Casino, Gambling and Liquor Regulation expressing their disappointment that pre-set loss limits are optional.
“Since the government’s announcement we have been working with the Department of Justice and Community Safety, who are running the trial, to understand further details.
“Gambling has a significant impact on our community, with $138 million lost to electronic gaming machines in the City of Greater Dandenong in 2024/24.
“We continue to advocate for stronger gambling reform, including the implementation of mandatory pre-set loss limits on the YourPlay card.”
The information was communicated to councillors at a Councillors Briefing Session (CBS) meeting on Monday 4 August.
A shocked councillor Rhonda Garad is questioning whether they were lied to by the state government.
“My reaction was we have to put out a release to say what we passed in the motion was incorrect and ask why this was changed? Were we lied to?
“It’s just very puzzling but if it’s true, its deeply disturbing to be told one thing and accounted another.
“My question is, has gambling industry interfered with this?”
After the initial announcement of the trial, the council had sent out a media release embracing the “pre-commitment” trial.
Chief advocate at the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Tim Costello says he is 100 per cent confident this is the result of the gambling industry’s influence.
“They’ve always opposed a mandatory trial.
“We always understood it was mandatory (pre-commitment) - it’s a waste of trial, it’s not even a trial, it’s a cosmetic sham to fool the public they are doing something but all they’re doing is deceiving the public.
“That’s ridiculous if there’s no limits. It’s effectively going - you bought a car without a brake, you don’t need to do anything.”
The purpose of the trial is to merely test the software changes needed to implement mandatory account based carded play on EGMs.
“It’s of no use whatsoever because it’s to test whether the technology allows mandatory card to be used on all of the pokies beyond the Crown-if its optional it’s got no use,” Mr Costello says.
“Truth is, they don’t need to do a trial of YourPlay, we know the technology can work…”
A consultation was undertaken with industry and stakeholders for the gambling trial.
Alliance for Gambling Reform director of policy, leaderships council and government engagement, Rebecca Paterson was also part of that consultation phase.
She was also at the meeting with the Great-
By Sahar Foladi
Greater Dandenong Council will write to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong in the hope of a lasting peace betweem Cambodia and Thailand.
The notice of motion authored by councillor Melinda Yim was passed unanimously at a council meeting on Monday 11 August, after a recent ceasefire in a border conflict between the two nations.
She described it as a “heartfelt show of care and solidarity”.
“Bypassingthismotiontogetherwesendaclear message when our community faces challenges we stand side-by-side.”
Cr Phillip Danh said as leaders themselves, councillors had a “responsibility to rise above divisions and bring people together”.
“We’re Australians first and foremost. Diversity is our greatest strength.”
Deputy mayor Sophie Tan, who chaired the meeting, translated the motion for a gallery including local Buddhist monks and Cambodian-Australian community leaders.
While the motion doesn’t solve the international conflict or resolve the direct impacts to family and friends in Greater Dandenong with ties to the region, the council recognises the emotional and cultural impacts of the conflict on the Thai and Cambodian populations in Greater Dandenong.
As part of the motion, council will also connect with local Thai and Cambodian communities through existing engagement channels to understand how it can be responsive to the needs and experiences of the residents impacted.
Greater Dandenong also welcomed the recent ceasing of hostilities on the Thai-Cambodian border.
Duringpublicquestiontimebeforehand,prominent Cambodian leaders in the community urged the council to take a “strong” stance.
They demanded an immediate end to the torture of Cambodian civilians, and the safe release of 18 captive Cambodian soldiers.
Speakers included Thay-Horn Yim, uncle of Cr
er Dandenong Council and the department, where the news dawned on her.
According to her, there were no red flags during the consultation phase that it’d be an optional pre-commitment for players.
“There was no indication that we were talking about anything other than it being precisely binding limits, they didn’t say anything about it being different.
“We want there to be mandatory carded play with limits across all venues in Victoria.
“If we don’t test that during this trial than we may miss an opportunity to ensure a wider rollout is considered that might come rom the complete reform.”
Ms Paterson plays multiple roles also a
Yim, and Youhorn Chea, who served as the first Cambodian-born councillor to be elected in Australia in 1997 and the first Asian mayor in 2001.
Both shared their own experience as Cambodian refugees. Mr Yim urged Council to strongly lobby to the Federal Government to pressurise Thai government to “stop the violence and injustice to Cambodians” despite the ceasefire.
Afterthemeeting,MrYim–alsopublicrelations manager for Cambodian Buddhist Monks Counci –welcomed the motion as a “victory for humanity”.
“Tonight, Greater Dandenong stood with us, proving that when a community speaks together with one voice, change is possible.”
Springvale South-based monks Sovann Srey and Sudhep Nan also praised the motion.
BothMrYimandMrCheaarechampionsfordiversity and refugee and asylum seeker rights.
Mr Chea also played a key role in the development of Council’s People Seeking Asylum and Refugee Action Plan.
councillor at City of Monash.
She says it’s worthwhile advocating to include the pre-commitment in this trial but it’ll be “challenging if they’ve already spoken to the industry that loss limits won’t be mandatory.”
“I almost thought it must’ve been a mistake because it doesn’t accord with the media release.
“Without mandatory loss limits we don’t get a sense of how effective it could be to reduce gambling harm on a larger scale.”
In the two media releases that were released in July, one mentioned people “can set loss limits” and the other without the word “can,”. The latter was released first.
The Minister’s office for Gaming, Casino and Liquor Regulation responded saying its first release was not clear enough hence the second release with the word people “can set loss limits.”
“People gambling at these venues will need to use a YourPlay card to play electronic gaming machines and set loss limits – helping put the power back into the hands of patrons and prevent money laundering,” it initially read.
Without a mandatory pre-commitment card play, players can easily feed their gambling addiction making it to be much dangerous and worse than the use of cash which has a $500 withdrawal per card in 24 hours.
This new gambling trial comes after a delay, originally set to roll out by mid-2025 underpinned by the Gambling Legislation Amendment (Pre-commitment and Carded Play) Bill 2024.
As is in the name, it was widely reported and published as a ‘mandatory pre-commitment system’ including by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.
YourPlay is not new, its already implemented in Crown Casino from 14 December 2023 making it mandatory for players to set time and loss limits on their YourPlay cards.
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By Sahar Foladi
A new national training program for long day care services will help staff respond to food allergies potentially saving lives.
The free online course provides specific information on specific types of food allergens in 11 short practical modules tailored for cooks, chefs and educators in early childhood education and care.
Dr Sandra Vale, the chief executive officer of the National Allergy Council, says currently there are no requirements or regulations for long day childcare services to have food allergen management training.
“This training will give long day care services the tools they need to prevent life-threatening allergic reactions and provide safe, inclusive food for all children.”
“Currently, the regulations require them to undertake anaphylaxis training.
“But they don’t have to do food allergen management training, which is really important because that’s how you recognise and respond to an allergic reaction.”
A Dandenong family told Star Journal that a childcare centre poorly handled an incident with their anaphylactic daughter but worked with the family to place measures in place afterwards.
Their experience is an insight into the lack of awareness, practical skills of managing food allergens and lack of resources in childcare centres.
The family’s mother, *Sarah, wishes to remain anonymous.
“Her room was upstairs they had her downstairs near the office sitting on the chair and had just given her EpiPen, everyone was panicking running around,” she says
“She was screaming and crying.”
The educator had moved the child from the room to near the office as she was on the landline phone with Triple Zero but moving anyone experiencing anaphylaxis causes a sudden drop in blood pressure worsening their condition.
“They (childcare service) were really trauma-
tised. They did the training but it’s one thing to do the training online compared to being in the moment in an emergency.
“They were scared to do it (use the EpiPen),. One person didn’t know how to open the lid in the moment - if you haven’t practised and watched a
video, it’s different.
“That awareness of what anaphylaxis looks like - it’s not just always a swollen face and tongue. It’s quite subtle especially in kids who can’t communicate accurately what they’re feeling.”
The childcare centre has since organised an
annual practical test where a real anaphylaxis situation is simulated and the child’s action plan is now documented in simple words for all to understand.
Sarah, who has worked as a pharmacist, says action plans can be generally difficult to read and understand as a document full of clinical terms.
Her daughter with multiple food allergies first had an anaphylactic incident at the age of two when she was given cow’s milk instead of coconut milk by an educator at a previous long day care centre.
The child is allergic to dairy products, cow’s milk or any other animals’ milk, peanut walnut, pecan, hazelnut and eggs.
The family and the chef knew of the child’s allergies, but it was only after that incident they found out she was anaphylactic.
“When she’s with me I know I am in control because I know what to do if she’s having a reaction,” *Sarah said.
“But when she attends childcare or later she attends school, you don’t have that control and you’re trusting that the people looking after her know what to do and follow policies and procedures. So, it’s a constant worry.
“Food is such as social element as well so it’s really hard at birthday parties or any kind of social events it’s just this added layer of worry every time you leave your house pretty much.”
The online free training is developed by the National Nutrition Foundation’s Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS) in partnership with the National Allergy Council.
While the training was developed with support from the Victorian Department of Health, it is available nationally and aligns with the Victorian Government’s Menu planning guidelines for long day care and National Quality Standard for food provision in early education and care.
The course is designed to complement National Allergy Council’s All About Allergens for Children’s Education and Care training developed for all cooks, chefs and educators working in this sector.
By Sahar Foladi
In a rare move, Greater Dandenong Council has cancelled an upcoming council meeting on 8 September due to “insufficient agenda items” according to a council report.
The cancellation was approved at a council meeting on Monday 11 August.
Answering a query from Cr Rhonda Garad, the council’s CEO Jacqui Weatherill confirmed a lack of meeting business due to the planning laws.
“Some of the changes to planning laws has meant we don’t get as many items to council meetings and rather than have a meeting which has - say one or two items of business - we felt it more appropriate to carry it forward and that councillors could undertake in some training instead.”
Normally, Greater Dandenong holds two public meetings a month. The next meeting will now be on 22 September.
In response to whether it is interested to transition from fortnightly to monthly council meetings like neighbouring City of Casey, the council’s executive strategic growth and advocacy manager Marjan Hajjari said council meeting dates for 2026 will be adopted on Thursday 13 November 2025.
“Public questions and Councillor reports planned for 8 September will be held over until the next scheduled meeting on 22 September 2025.
“Greater Dandenong City Council is considering the most efficient way to conduct business in 2026, while maintaining transparency.”
By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong Council is reviewing ways to make nominations for its annual community awards more culturally inclusive.
Councillor Sean O’Reilly, in successfully moving for the review on 11 August, said the aim was for fewer barriers for all residents to be eligible and to nominate for the Australia Day Awards.
The award categories will also be reviewed to ensure they reflected Greater Dandenong’s diverse community, he said.
For the 2025 awards, the council received 41 nominations – rebounding from a sizeable dip to 30 nominees in 2023.
The young-leader and sustainability categories garnered the most interest.
Living Treasure, volunteer of the year, arts, sportsperson and corporate citzen awards were the least popular for nominations.
CrRhondaGaradsaidworthyawardeesshould be judged on “demonstrated impact”, rather than excluded for not having ties with formal organisations or having long periods of service. There were also skills not currently recognised such as entrepreneurship, digital and the ability to bring a community together, she noted.
The review will look at multilingual nomination forms and submissions.
It was also proposed to defer police and Working With Children checks on nominees until the end of the selection process, and for the council to pay for the checks.
Greater Dandenong’s annual community awards ceremony on 26 January will also be open to the public next year after strong “feedback”. It will be combined with a citizenship ceremony. Any changes as a result of the review are expected to be introduced in 2027.
By Sahar Foladi
A Dandenong business enormously impacted by the State Government’s land tax is considering a class action lawsuit against the State Revenue Office.
Already reeling from a 2300 per cent land tax rise in 10 years, Angie Romas also recently realised his Dandenong South sandblasting industrial business DH Corrosions will be charged at least $1889 in Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) according to the state’s levy calculator for 2024-25.
The amount is set to be higher as the levy will roughly double next year.
In the past decade, his firm’s land tax bill has soared from $8703 in 2015 to $203,600, prompting him to take the legal stance.
Mr Romas says he’s in the process of securing a solicitor who can take up the legal battle.
He may be forced to shut down his business next year due to the pile of ‘tax grabs’. saying the state is a “financial mess.”
“If things get tough in your home, you don’t keep spending, but not this government.
“They’re dragging all these businesses down to subsidise their disgraceful spending.
“We have become a socialist society… This government is a disgrace.”
The sandblasting, steelwork and painting business has remained in Dandenong South on the 1.7-hectare site since 1973 - a prime location.
The site receives offers almost monthly with Mr Romas saying selling it off is in his best interest due to the soaring taxes, which would put his 14 employees out of work.
“The (Government) get a bonus by getting me
to shut down - they get a stamp duty charge, that’s why they don’t care. They’re trying to get as much money.
“The other workers - they can’t retire, where will they go?
“Young people aren’t getting into business anywhere in Victoria. Why would you get into business and give your profit to the government?”
Residents and business (industrial and commercial) will soon receive their council rates notice which will clearly highlight the amount based on the capital improved value of their property.
In Greater Dandenong, council rates bills are estimated to collect a massive $57 million on behalf of the state government’s ESVF.
This is a $22 million increase on the $35 million collected under the state’s former Fire Services Property Levy (FSPL) in 2024-’25.
Managing director of South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA), Peter Angeli-
Cornish College is delighted to announce that the Principal, Nicola Forrest, has been named one of the Most Influential Educators in Australia for 2025, by The Educator, Australia.
This follows Cornish College’s recognition in 2024 as a recipient of The Educator’s 5-Star Innovative Schools award for our pioneering Design Futures program.
The Educator recognises that ‘today’s most impactful educators are systems thinkers’ who ‘work across institutional boundaries, mobilise evidence into practice, challenge outdated assumptions and bring others along’.
Nicola is one of only fourteen principals across the country, and one of just five in Victoria, to receive this honour.
This award celebrates educators who go beyond traditional measures of success to lead transformational change in their schools and across the wider education system.
Professor Glenn Savage, Professor of Education Futures from The University of Melbourne insightfully states:
‘Forward-thinking educators are not waiting for permission. They are experimenting with new models of learning, engaging students as co-designers, and building networks that allow innovation to spread across schools and systems.’
Nicola exemplifies this forward-thinking approach. She works alongside staff, students and our broader community to challenge the status quo, reimagine what’s possible in schools, and place sustainability and innovation at the heart of learning.
As Nicola acknowledges, ‘you can only receive recognition such as this when you work with a courageous community and committed educators who truly believe in a better education that is different by design.
This is an honour that our entire community can be proud of and call their own.’
It is a proud moment not only for her, but for
co says Greater Dandenong’s large industrial sector “undoubtedly” contributes to that $57 million.
“The increased levy represents yet another tax grab that exacerbates the financial strain on manufacturers who already contribute heavily to government coffers through various taxes, including payroll, land, and corporate taxes.
“These businesses are not just economic engines; they are major employers, supporting thousands of jobs in Greater Dandenong and beyond.
“SEMMA is deeply troubled by wasteful government spending, which this levy appears to perpetuate under the guise of funding emergency services.”
The alliance has previously called to attribute land tax rates to economic output not the land size and value.
While they say it acknowledges the importance of supporting Fire Rescue Victoria and oth-
er services, the increase in levy “feels like a blunt instrument to address state budget issues.”
SEMMA argues the impact of ESVF and other existing rising costs such as input costs and the cost-of-living crisis, will have a “ripple through the local economy, impacting families and communities”
It would result in reduced investment in innovation, deferred expansion plans, job cuts and more.
Managing Director of TM STRATA and a former councillor of Greater Dandenong Council, Tim Dark says a accumulation of various taxes coupled with ESVF and land tax add up and “start to bite.”
“There’s no question that the high levels of land tax are affecting the market quite significantly.
“It’s one thing to say that businesses are making money in those positions, but the amount of taxes that are coming out to be paid - not just land tax but payroll tax, GST and PAYG tax, fringe benefits tax - we start to become the biggest-taxing state.
“People start to look at whether it’s still feasible to operate a business in Melbourne or whether you cross the border to New South Wales or South Australia and transport from there.
“You can’t tax your way to prosperity.”
Dandenong hosts almost 1,400 manufacturing businesses and more than 21,000 workers.
The South East manufacturing sector employs more than 232,000 people, and generates $54 billion in gross regional product, according to SEMMA.
The State Government was contacted for comment.
Cornish College, our award-winning Design Futures program encourages students to identify problems and seek out solutions, cultivating their creativity as well as their entrepreneurial spirit.
People suffering from sleep apnoea can learn more about the condition and get their machines and equipment checked when Pharmacy 777 Springvale holds its service day on Tuesday 12 August.
Sleep apnoea is a disorder characterised by shortness of breath or pauses in breathing while a person is asleep, with snoring as one of the most common symptoms.
Pharmacy 777 pharmacist Heba labelled the condition a “silent killer”, with eight out of 10 people not realising they have the condition.
“What happens is your body actually stops breathing overnight — it puts an incredible amount of pressure on your heart,” she said.
“A patient with untreated sleep apnoea, not only are they tired, fatigued and at a higher risk of workplace accidents, they’re at a significantly increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.”
Ms Heba said anyone with concerns over energy levels, fatigue or who had diabetes could have sleep apnoea.
The risks of sleep apnoea are also present when it is inadequately treated.
At the service days, patients will be able to get their sleep apnoea machines and equipment checked to ensure it is it functioning correctly and as effectively as possible.
“Often people buy machines to treat sleep apnoea but they never have them checked,” Ms Heba said.
“It’s really important to get machines checked to ensure they are on the correct settings so they’re working as therapeutically intended, that the mask is well fitted and overall the patient is
comfortable.”
The service day will include full checks on machines and masks to ensure commonly encountered issues can be rectified.
This includes a full data download, motor function check, filters, humidifier function, mask and hosing seals.
“We commonly encounter minor issues which can really impact on the quality of the therapy and sleep of our patients, which can be easily fixed.”
Ms Heba stresses that, “Often patients will go years without a review of the data or a service and this can mean optimal therapy is not being provided, and the patient may find that they aren’t feeling as good as they did at the start of therapy. It’s important to note, as your body changes, so does the required therapy provided by your CPAP machine”
Pharmacy 777 will have all the newest and latest machines and masks on display and available for at home trial.
There have been some advancements in therapy and changes to mask design over the last few years which have led to quieter, more efficient machines and more comfortable masks for sufferers, making treatment more user friendly.
Anyone who is unhappy with their sleep quality or wants to find out more about the condition are also encouraged to attend.
The service day is by booking only with limited time slots available between 10am and 5pm. To book call 9547 6687.
Head pharmacist Heba - Pharmacy 777 Springvale.
NEW Zealand’s winter season kicked off with a bang, with lots of early snowfall setting the stage for an exciting few months on the slopes.
This year, Cardrona Alpine Resort has been at the centre of the buzz, launching its muchanticipated Soho Basin expansion and officially becoming New Zealand’s largest ski resort.
On 14 June, Cardrona’s 2025 ski season began with perfect conditions: a stunning sunrise above the clouds, crisp temperatures, and no wind in sight.
Snowmaking guns fired at full blast as the resort team worked to open even more terrain and lifts in the coming weeks. Eager skiers and snowboarders wasted no time - some lined up at the bottom of Cardrona’s access road from 1am, hoping to snag the coveted “First Chair” t-shirts. By 5:30 am, when the road opened, it was a race to the McDougall’s Chondola lift line, where six lucky riders earned bragging rights as the first to ride up for the season.
While experienced skiers carved their first turns down McDougall’s, newcomers and families made the most of the Beginners’ Area, soaking up the fresh snow and bluebird day.
“It’s incredible to kick off the 2025 season and see so many happy people out there,” Chief Mountains Officer for Cardrona and Treble Cone Laura Hedley said.
This year’s Opening Day also marked the culmination of one of the biggest development summers in modern New Zealand ski history.
The resort’s transformation includes the new Soho Basin and Soho Express lift, adding 150 hectares of terrain for guests to explore. Opening at the start of July, the new Soho Basin saw its first excited riders test untouched slopes, mostly ungroomed and recommended for advanced skiers and boarders.
The “Soho It Begins” t-shirts were claimed by the first six to load the new lift, marking the start of an exciting new era.
“It’s a huge milestone for the Aotearoa ski in-
dustry,” Hedley said.
“To open this terrain after decades of dreaming is a pretty emotional moment for our team.”
Alongside the new terrain, Cardrona has unveiled a new base building with an atrium, expanded dining and retail options, a new t-bar for
world-class training facilities, upgraded snowmaking, sealed lower access road sections, and improved carparking.
“It was down to the wire,” said Hedley.
“Our team worked late into the night to have the new spaces ready. We’re so stoked with how
it’s turned out and can’t wait for everyone to enjoy these new facilities.”
With winter now well underway, Aotearoa New Zealand’s long ski season, typically through to spring, has been primed for one of its biggest yet.
Full-Board River Cruise
3 night Murray River cruise on board PS Murray Princess with all meals and sightseeing
Tour of Murray River Bridge and historic Roundhouse
Guided nature walk of Salt Bush Flat
Taste Riverland food and wine
Dragon-Fly flat-bottomed boat wildlife tour
Hotel Stays
3 nights four-star hotel stay in Adelaide with breakfast
1 night four-star hotel stay in Kangaroo Island with breakfast, lunch and dinner
Fully Escorted Barossa Valley Tours
Full day Barossa Valley tour with lunch and wine tastings including:
Saltram wine estate, lunch and wine tasting at Lambert Estate, visit to Barossa Valley Chocolate Company, photo stop at Menglers Hill Lookout, vineyard tour & wine tasting at Jacob’s Creek visitor centre, stop at Beerenberg Farm, and free time in Hahndorf to explore the historic German settlement
Fully Escorted Kangaroo Island Tours
2 day Kangaroo Island tour including: Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery, Clifford’s Honey Farm, In-Flight Birds of Prey Display at Raptor Domain, Seal Bay Conservation Park guided beach walk, lunch at Emu Bay Lavender Farm, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, and Flinders Chase National Park
All Flights, Taxes & Transfers
By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A new-formed South East Homelessness and Housing Alliance will focus on early intervention and the region’s “unique needs”, according to Greater Dandenong Council.
The group, which includes Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia councils and community agencies, was launched on 31 July in the midst of what’s termed a national housing crisis.
Greater Dandenong is one of the most impacted areas – with one in four children living below the poverty line, according to a 2025 advocacy paper by the council.
Affordable rentals for low-income renters had dropped to 6 per cent in 2023.
Besides the alliance, Greater Dandenong has partnered with Launch Housing since 2022 with a goal of ‘functional zero’ people sleeping rough.
This year, the numbers of actively homeless in Greater Dandenong have risen 21 per cent from 61 in February to 74 in July.
Of them, 46 were ‘sleeping rough’ this winter.
Greater Dandenong community strengthening executive director Peta Gillies said Australia’s housing crisis was “amplified” in the South East due to a lower socio-economic and faster-growing population.
Wooranna Park Primary School celebrated Friendship Day on Friday 1 August with URSTRONG program.
The well regarded program is well regarded social, emotional wellbeing program designed to empower children with skills,
language, self-confidence to foster healthy friendships.
Friendship day at the school put those skills into practical test as students divulged into engaging student-led activities strengthening positive relationships and inclusivity.
“There is a need for increased and more tailored support services and diverse housing options that meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.”
The council hopes the alliance will align services across the region with a “focus on prevention and intervention”, Gillies said.
It also aimed for a greater variety of housing stock for the diverse community.
“(Council aims to) develop community understanding of the challenges facing people experiencing homelessness or housing security, centring the voices of those with lived experience, to garner support for change.”
Three of the council’s officers attended the launch, along with Casey and Cardinia councillors and groups such as Wayss, Casey North CISS, Wayss, Launch Housing, Ermha 365, Southeast Community Links, and Southern Homelessness Services Network.
Ahead of the recent federal election, Greater Dandenong lobbied for federal funding for a pilot scheme requiring 10 per cent affordable housing on all new developments. It also requested $5 million for putting a council car park underground at 32-34 Warwick Avenue, paving the way for a mix of affordable and market-value housing.
By Dr Jamel Kaur-Singh and Dya Singh
We had to laugh.
A reporter on the evening news excitedly announced that Australian architects are now “innovatively incorporating multigenerational living into their home designs” - as if this were the invention of electricity.
The reason? The rising cost of living.
Welcome to 2025. And welcome to the rest of the world.
Because for many cultural communities, from Italians to Indians, Greeks to Ghanaians, Malays to Middle Easterners, multigenerational living is not a new trend.
It is not a “response to the economic crisis.”
It’s just… life.
Take us, for example. When Jamel was a young chook, she did the “Aussie thing” - moved out, went to uni, partied a bit, got married, had kids.
But for the last 20 years, her parents (that is me, Dya) have lived with her and the kids.
In the early years, we helped with school pick-ups, cooking, housework, the odd lecture on values.
These days, the kids, now 23 and 24 - are driving us to medical appointments, helping with groceries, and keeping us updated on how to use the bloody phone and pronounce Gen Z slang. (Spoiler: we still struggle).
Yes, it is noisy. Yes, opinions clash. But we have something that makes it work - respect, responsibility, and the occasional well-timed deep breath.
Why the stigma?
For years, Jamel hesitated to tell people she lived with her parents.
It was always phrased delicately, “My parents are staying with us for a bit…”
But now? She owns it.
Because somewhere along the way, we have convinced ourselves that success means moving out, renting a shoebox, eating two-minute noodles, and FaceTiming Mum while asking how to cook rice.
Let’s face it, we have made multigenerational living look like a failure, when in truth, it is a cultural goldmine.
We talk, we cook together, we take care of each other, we plan for ageing. we talk openly about finances, health, roles and expectations.
We are each other’s safety net.
So what is the root cause?
Is it just the cost of living? Or has white Australia only now realised that Nonna, Dadi, Yai-ya and Tía had it right all along?
Maybe it is time we questioned why we ever thought living apart from those we love was “normal.”
And let’s not romanticise it either.
It is hard work. You have got clashing personalities, strong opinions, and the occasional Cold War over kitchen bench space. But when grounded in values like respect, reciprocity, and shared responsibility - it works.
And it builds something that is sorely missing right now - purpose. Because when young people know they matter to their family, when elders feel useful, and when everyone contributes to something greater than themselves - mental health outcomes im-
prove.
Isolation drops. Purpose rises.
So what do we need to do?
Let’s spell it out.
1. Normalise multigenerational living. It is not a sign of failure. It is not “mooching.” It is called family.
2. Stop designing homes for imaginary households.
As a buyer’s agent, Jamel has seen her fair share of architectural nonsense.
•Master bedrooms that rival airport hangars, but no downstairs bathroom for ageing knees.
•Tiny rooms you could not swing a cat in, unless it is a kitten with arthritis.
•Kitchens upstairs, with no lift access for grandparents.
•Double garages turned into makeshift bedrooms, because “where else is Uncle going to sleep?”
3. Talk to town planners about cars. We have six adults in our house. And guess what? Six cars. If developers are not considering that, they are dreaming. Garages become bedrooms. Cars spill onto roads. Neighbours get grumpy.
4. Respect works both ways.
Yes, ethnic families, we are calling ourselves out too. If you are having a birthday party with 60 guests, 37 cars and a goat on the spit - tell your neighbours. Better still, invite them.
If we want understanding, we have to build relationships.
And to our Anglo-Aussie friends: ignorance is no longer acceptable.
Multiculturalism is not new. We are not exotic. We are your neighbours. Your teachers. Your team mates.
So when you hear the laughter next door and see the driveway full - maybe knock on the door. Ask about the food. Stay for dessert. You will be invited in!
Multigenerational living is not just an economic solution, it is a cultural philosophy. It is about belonging, purpose, and interdependence.
And whether you are a migrant, a millennial, or a meat-and-three-veg Aussie from down the road, it is time we all grew up and started living together better.
So here is our call:
Let’s design homes with all generations in mind. Let’s raise kids with shared values, not shame.
Let’s teach each other what family really means. And let’s talk - with each other, not about each other. Because the real house of the future - it is already here. It is noisy, it is full, and it is home.
By Sahar Foladi
Two young South East basketball player buddies are making their way to the USA on two-year basketball scholarships.
Kuirowl Chol and Mangok Gach, players at the success-story Red Roo Sports, are excited to begin their US college basketball journeys.
Both, at the age of 19, will make the big leap on 19 August, with Mangok at the Garden City Community College in Kansas and Kuirowl at Dawson Community College.
Kuirowl Chol, from Dandenong and who goes by the nick-name KC, has overcome a leg injury with an incredible comeback.
“It makes me feel accomplished even though the job’s not really done.
“I started basketball late so it tells me I can do much more with the right people and guidance.
“My friends are very proud of me because they started before me and were much better. Now I am the best out of the group.”
The Brothers4Brothers (B4B) program as part of the community support group through Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) has played a massive role in getting the boys to where they are now.
KC first got involved with the program during Covid, where it rolled out online games for youths of South Sudanese backgrounds and remained connected through school holiday programs after Covid.
“Some of my friends were far from me so this gave us an opportunity to meet up, such as they took us to Luna Park.
“It would bring some fun whenever I was bored and really brings the community together.”
The program is an eight-week school term initiative to empower South Sudanese youth personally and professionally with programs on mental health, education, employment among many more.
Multicultural youth worker at CMY, Reath Tot came up with the B4B program after seeing a demand in the community.
“The program was designed in partnership with young people, that targets young males aged between 12-18 and the idea of the program came to us because we started to see young males disengaging from school.
“Also, getting in anti-social behaviours around shopping centres, young people were struggling by being on the police radar.”
He has seen the boys grow professionally and personally excited to see what’s next to come.
“Knowing these kids from an early age, they weren’t involved with the wrong people but were in and out of circles which would’ve been easy for them to go (astray) with one of their friendse.
“It’s a credit to them for choosing to go down the sports route and realise there’s other avenues to take.
“I’m super proud being the person to create the program. These young people come through it and now you see these awesome opportunities.
“They worked hard to get it, you see the growth - it is really awesome.
“The boys took basketball more seriously, they are massive now, they started to see there’s potential - that’s where Red Roo came in and showed them the way.”
The program collaborates with other community organisations and bodies such as AFL Victoria, Chisholm Tafe, YSAS, Monash Health and Melbourne United to strengthen their community connection and provide the best.
It was through the social connections, positive environments and guidance that let the boys to Red Roo Sports and take part in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball tournaments across Australia.
AAU is America’s youth basketball league known for its role in college basketball recruitment and KC and Manjok were among the cho-
sen ones.
Upon the completion of his two-year accounting studies, KC would like to secure a four-year basketball scholarship continuing his studies but all that depends on both his academic and athletic performance.
The program is funded by the State Government who has committed a $20 million investment over two years through the Investing early in young Victorians package which includes continuation of critical and well-established programs and initiatives supporting young people.
These programs include six Community Support Groups, the Le Mana Pasifika Project and alcohol and other drug outreach support to engage and support young people from vulnerable communities.
By Cam Lucadou-Wells
For the past decade, inTouch Womens Legal Centre has been partnering with Monash Health to provide holistic support for domestic violence victims attending hospitals.
Migrant women experiencing domestic violence are given legal advice, and linked to inTouch case managers, recovery groups, housing, refuges and financial support.
Yasmin Ildes, managing lawyer at inTouch Womens Legal Centre, says potentially the only time a patient client is alone is when they’re at what the perpetrator partner thinks is a health appointment.
“The Health Justice Partnership model creates a trusted bridge to legal help.
“It reaches clients who may never walk into a legal service.”
The multilingual and culturally-safe service provides early intervention for vulnerable communities – the vast majority (91 per cent) speaking a language other than English, she says.
Migrant and refugee women face complex challenges such as isolation, fear of deportation, stigma, cultural pressure and a lack of legal rights as well as pregnancy and children.
Most of their clients are between 25-49 years old, endure financial disadvantage and are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
They also experience higher rates of mental illness or disability.
Ildes gave an example of how the partnership helped a heavily pregnant woman Suzanna, who was on a temporary visa with no family support in Australia.
Suzanna told her hospital social worker about experiences of family violence, who in turn gets in touch with an inTouch lawyer.
With advice from inTouch, the social worker was guided on targeted questions to ask about the patient’s visa status and eligibility for perma-
nent residency as a victim of family violence.
A lawyer helped Suzanna lodge an application for permanent residency.
She was offered a case manager from the same background and who spoke the same language.
The lawyer and case manager worked together on child protection and housing support issues.
The 10-year milestone of the partnership was marked with Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams at Dandenong Hospital on Friday 15 August.
In that time, referrals have risen from 18 per year to 65. The importance of early intervention became more apparent, and trust built with multicultural communities.
The partnership is looking to expand within Monash Health, and to educate more health professionals on how to spot “legal risk”, Ildes says.
“Mainstream systems often fail to meet the needs of migrant women.
“Real change happens when services meet women where they are — not where the system expects them to be.”
St John’s Old Collegians Football Club is set to switch from amateurs to the Southern Football Netball League.
A spokesperson said the move by the Dandenong-based club was mainly motivated by geography.
“The epicentre of the SFNL is in Berwick, which is much closer to our heartland and will help us in retaining players.”
The club is also launching into netball in 2026.
Players, members, officials and sponsors gathered at a sponsors lunch at Thomas Carroll Reserve on 19 July.
They were joined by guest speakers Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams and AFL club Essendon’s business development manager Alex Kater.
100 years ago
20 August 1925
“LEG PULLING”
In the Melbourne “Sun” a ridiculous account of an episode at the Boomerang Theatre, Dandenong. Sensational details were given of what was described as a serious fire at the theatre. A panic was alleged to have occurred, with the usual mad rush and frantic struggles, hysterical and fainting women, and cool, resourceful, and brave men. The Dandenong Fire Brigade had to be brought in, also medical attendants and so on. No loss of life was reported. Mr Temple, manager of the theatre, was credited with having boldly and heroically faced the roaring flames, dense masses of smoke and falling walls, persuading the audience to “keep calm”. As a cold fact, nothing of any consequence happened. A few feet of film flared up in the flame-proof operating box, but the “conflagration” was settled by a fire extinguisher in two seconds and little or no harm was done.
50 years ago
18 August 1975
BEARS BOMBED!
Miller leads rampage
Dandenong scored a convincing win over Caulfield yesterday in a display highlighted for once
What sort of dystopian world are we living in when our local Casey Council has an Unreasonable Complainant Conduct Register! (Star News, “Treated unfairly”, 12 August).
I read with alarm the article about the treatment of Jillian, a concerned citizen trying to raise issues with Casey Council.
She was placed under this UCC register after having the temerity to contact the councillors and council executive five times in a week.
Perhaps her repeated emails (which appear to have been perfectly reasonable) indicate a lack of response from her elected representatives and staff.
I can sympathise with her frustration.
After all, don’t we all want to be heard!
I served as a local councillor in the 90s in another area of Melbourne.
I constantly received, and responded to calls and requests from local constituents.
That was what I had signed up for.
In those days we received a stipend of $2000. It’s a lot more now and local councillors should be available and responsive, and council meetings should be a forum for listening to local resident’s concerns in a respectful and democratic manner.
Jillian, I share your frustration and on your behalf feel outraged by this Unreasonable Revolting Register.
Margaret Edwards, Berwick
by accurate kicking. Leading all day, the Redlegs cruised to a 55-point win, 25.16 (166) to 6.15 (111) The game was yet another triumph for full-forward Jim Miller who followed his 12 goals against Oakleigh with another 12 yesterday.
20 years ago 22 August 2005
Noble Park structure plan to set priorities
The Noble Park structure plan is shaping up amid residents’ concerns and a vision for the future. The Journal attended a meeting last week at which community members outlined a vision of a thriving and vibrant Noble Park that was safe, with a local village atmosphere and an active community with a committed council. Michelle Lee, of the Greater Dandenong strategic planning department, said Noble Park had been identified by the State Government as a major activity centre under the Melbourne 2030 plan. The structure plan will set priorities for business, housing, transport, environment and community spaces in Noble Park. Public transport and the impact of EastLink on Noble Park were concerns for those at the meeting. Residents fear the already-congested Heatherton and Chandler roads intersection will become worse after EastLink is completed. They
I’m writing in response to your recent article, “The lie you’re being sold about housing” (Star News, 12 August).
With respect, this piece completely misses the mark—and comes across as elitist and out of touch with reality.
Yes—the system can be gamed.
But that’s not a minor flaw. It’s the very heart of the problem.
Our housing crisis is the result of multiple governments over decades failing to put working Australians first.
Instead, they’ve propped up a system that rewards speculation, protects investors, and prioritises foreign money over local stability.
Let’s talk about a key turning point.
In late 2008, the Rudd Government relaxed foreign investment rules, allowing temporary residents to buy Australian property without needing government approval.
This opened the floodgates.
By 2009, foreign investment in residential real estate doubled, jumping from $2.9 billion in 2008–09 to $5.9 billion in 2009–10 (FIRB Annual Reports).
The effect was so severe that public backlash forced a partial rollback in 2010.
That was the beginning of an upward spiral.
Foreign demand—especially in major cities like Sydney and Melbourne—contributed to skyrocketing prices.
Between 2008 and 2015, house prices rose
were also concerned that the $2million allocated by the State Government to improve Noble Park railway station would not be spent the way the community wanted.
5 years ago
18 August 2020
Insider’s view of aged-care lockdown
A Greater Dandenong Living Treasure has given powerful testimony that she is simply waiting to die in aged care. Merle Mitchell, a community leader in Springvale and nationally – appeared at the Federal Royal Commission into Aged Care. The 85-year-old was asked about her experience of Covid-19 lockdown in Waverley Aged Care – where visitors have been banned due to health precautions. The Commission heard that Ms Mitchell had only seen her daughter twice since February – and only from behind glass. “But I understand why we’re in this situation and that we have to put up with it until things change.” “I know I’m here until I die, so every morning when I wake up I think –“Damn, I’ve woken up.” Aged care staff “growl” at Ms Mitchell for saying such things. “Well, they’re my thoughts and, you know, I own my own thoughts” Ms Mitchell told the Commission.
In a time when the news is filled with war, climate change, and other disasters, beginning an article with the words “I am hopeful for the future” might prompt many to respond with scepticism:
“Be realistic — how can anyone speak of hope in times like these?”
Some might even go further and say:
“You’re burying your head in the sand, ignoring the world’s real problems, and behaving irresponsibly.”
But history tells a different story.
It shows us that hope is not an unrealistic dream.
In fact, it is neither a luxury nor a naïve emotion — it is a necessity, and more importantly, a powerful reality.
Dr. Chan Hellman, founding director of the Hope Research Center at the University of Oklahoma, explains:
“Our definition of hope is actually quite simple:
“Hope is the belief that the future can be better than today, and that we have the power to make it so.
“That’s why it’s important to understand that hope is a cognitive process — not just a feeling or emotion, but a way of thinking.”
over 40 per cent nationally, while wages barely kept up.
And now in 2025, many Aussies need a combined household income of nearly $200,000 just to enter the market in metro areas.
That’s not a myth. That’s the cold, hard truth.
So when someone brags about their children owning three properties, it doesn’t sound motivational—it sounds detached and in bad taste.
Most Australians are struggling to get into their first home.
The suggestion that “you’re being lied to” ignores how deeply flawed and unequal this housing system is.
Of course we should teach our kids not to give up.
But let’s not ignore that the game is rigged. A housing market warped by tax loopholes, investor incentives, and overseas demand isn’t a fair contest.
It’s a system designed by—and for—the already well-off.
And to be blunt: when doctors or high-income professionals try to speak on behalf of the everyday Aussie battler, it just doesn’t land.
You may mean well, but you don’t live in the same world.
Please don’t lecture those doing it tough from the comfort of multi-property privilege.
Ragnarr Rasmusson, Dandenong
This definition highlights three key pillars of hope: belief, cognitive process, and mindset.
If we look at the people who have shaped human civilisation throughout history, we see that these same three elements were present in them.
Belief has always been the vital force that carried humanity forward.
Without belief, knowledge and logic are like a tree with no roots — fragile and unsustainable.
The same applies to thought and action: these elements are interconnected, and one cannot stand without the others.
Together, they form the essential foundation of hope.
So when we speak of hope, we are not talking about blind optimism.
We are talking about a process that is built on intention, structure, and action — a path guided by faith, knowledge, and perseverance.
Now more than ever, what we need is the courage to keep walking this path — step by step — with patience, clarity, and commitment.
May your heart be filled with hope, and your life with meaning and joy.
• Enquiries regarding the Interfaith Network, City of Greater Dandenong: administration@interfaithnetwork.org.au or 8774 7662.
• Visit - interfaithnetwork.org.au
By Sahar Foladi
An active Casey resident and Facebook page admin has filed a complaint against a Greater Dandenong councillor’s social media activism on Palestine.
Amanjit Gill who is the admin of City of Casey Transparency Advocate Facebook page accuses councillor Rhonda Garad of “sharing antisemitic” content on her X account (formerly Twitter).
“To be clear, I agree with Cr Garad that a genocide is being perpetrated against the Palestinian people of Gaza,” she says, however she believes Cr Garad shares content that “targets Israeli people in general, everyday Jews and Jewish public figures.”
“I scrolled down and the first thing that absolutely shocked me was how long it took to scroll - there’s days where she reposts so much, it could take an hour.
“Her re-posting and posting are prolific.
“I agree that it is a century defining moment, she’s right there’s a genocide happening and if not blocked then the next generation of kids will learn about how Palestinian people used to exist. That would be tragic.
“(But) it’s social media junk food, for example analysing different celebrities and whether they support the genocide or not.”
Her page advocates for good governance, posting about council news, any news related to the
municipality and also made a few posts expressing her independent views on Cr Garad’s social media activity backed by numerous numbered screenshots.
Ms Gill says she was prompted to lodge the complaint to City of Greater Dandenong after Cr Garad’s post about the wealthy Rothschild Jewish family.
It referred to a ‘conspiracy theory’ that the Rothschild and Rockefeller families funded scientific research into musical frequencies to prepare the masses for war.
However, councillor Garad says the post was to mock, not promote the conspiracy theory referenced in her post dissecting her use of language to indicate the “laughable” conspiracy.
“The tweet I reposted clearly ridicules the claim…”
While Ms Gill says the information Cr Garad shares is not factual, councillor Garad asserts her posts and reshares are factually correct.
“I’m so over being called anti-semitic. I accepted this is the treatment when you try to stop babies being slaughtered.
“This is not the first time Council’s received this complaint about me.
“It means I’m doing the right thing, having an impact and will keep doing it until they stop slaughtering human beings.”
Ms Gill would like to see Cr Garad provide an
“unconditional apology.”
“I’m not confident that would happen because she’s so gown down this rabbit hole that she can see how unproductive her brand of activism is.
“I don’t want to call for people to be sacked, suspended but that musical note wasn’t the only thing that has crossed the line and if she can’t see that, I genuinely wonder if she’s fit for office.”
Councillor Garad says she’ll be more than happy to further discuss this with Ms Gill.
The two first interacted on Messenger during the federal election when Cr Garad ran for the seat of Bruce as a Greens candidate.
Ms Gill who was “seriously considering voting for her” changed her mind after she felt Cr Garad was “leaning into ethnic politics in ways”’ Ms Gill was uncomfortable with on the Thomas Street renaming.
Ms Gill is not the first or the last person to criticise Cr Garad’s posts on X.
She has been under great scrutiny and became subject to a number of news reports which cited her vocal stance on the eminent issue.
Recently, she said she was exploring her legal options after the Greater Dandenong Council released a statement that her social-media retweets “support anti-semitic language”. This was in response to an enquiry from another media outlet.
In response to the complaint, Greater Dande-
nong Council CEO Jacqui Weatherill says council does not endorse any of the posts.
“Council notes that a member of the public has concerns about specific posts on X by Cr Garad.
“They are being considered in line with the relevant provisions of the Local Government Act 2020 and the Model Councillor Code of Conduct.
“Our community is one of the most culturallyand faith-diverse in Australia.
“We are committed to fostering and supporting a tolerant and respectful environment for everyone.”
Cr Garad, who has been a strong voice for the plight of the Palestinians, was also forced to leave her position as a researcher at the Monash University after prolonged pressure.
In a recent article by Paul Gregoire, she opens up about the price she had to pay for her stance.
A Greens Party member, she exited the party after seven years to stay away from the “pretty cooked” politics, which was no shade to the Greens party whom she praised.
Councillor Garad has publicly attended proPalestinian protests including outside the Dandenong South manufacturer AW Bell, which was accused of providing military-production supply to Israel. The company had rejected those claims.
She says nothing will stop her from speaking out against the genocide of Palestinians.
By Ethan Benedicto
The proposal to review Victoria’s current self-defence laws did not go through after a close vote in parliament on Wednesday, 13 August.
It was almost a tie, sitting at 18 in opposition and 17 for the review, which Libertarian MP David Limbrick first put forward last week.
Following the no-vote, he said that “we had overwhelming support from the community for this proposal to empower people to protect themselves”.
“In fact, it feels like the only people in Victoria to oppose it were the 18 MPs from the government, the Greens and the Animal Justice Party,” he said.
According to the Hansard, the majority of south-eastern metropolitan MPs, who were Limbrick, Ann-Marie Hermans, and Rachel Payne, voted in support of the review.
Those who voted against it were Michael Galea and Lee Tarlamis; extending to the eastern
metropolitan region also included Tom McIntosh, who was against, and Melina Bath and Renee Heath, who were for it.
Local Berwick MP and state Opposition leader, Brad Battin, said during a conference on Thursday, 14 August, that he was disappointed that the vote had been blocked by members of the Labor, Greens and the Animal Justice Party.
He added that the “only reason” the discussion has been brought up in Victoria “is because the number of home invasions happening in this state is at record levels”.
“We’re seeing home invasions once every hour across this state, [and] no wonder people are genuinely concerned.
“I think it’s disappointing that any party would not want to have a review of what people can do to protect themselves in their own homes,” he said.
According to the Crime Statistics Agency, the City of Casey, in the year ending March 2025, re-
corded 2155 offences related to burglaries and breaking and entering, a 26.17 per cent increase from 2024’s figure of 1708.
Private residential dwellings were also on a steady rise on the most common incident locations, recording 11,893 offences, up 10.3 per cent from the previous year’s figure of 10,777 offences.
When asked if residents “need more rights when it comes to self-defence”, Battin didn’t outright agree nor disagree; instead, he said that a review would be essential, especially when it comes to people having that understanding of their rights and also building awareness around it.
“The best thing to do is to ensure we have a review so people can find out, ‘what can I do?’,” he said.
“What can you do if someone breaks into your home? What rights do you have to protect your own property? I think a review would make sure that we can get all that out to the public.”
By Violet Li
Amazon has opened Victoria’s third fulfilment centre in Cranbourne West, its second in Melbourne’s south east since Dandenong South in 2017.
The new 52,000 sqm Cranbourne West facility, known as AVV2 Logistics Centre at 95 Whitfield Bvd, dominates the landscape and features a vast façade clad in sleek grey panels accented with Amazon’s signature smile log. The site can allegedly fit two and a half AFL fields.
Inside, towering rows of shelves rise toward the high ceiling, ready to be stacked with a variety of products to be picked, packed, and shipped.
The air carries a constant hum from conveyor belts, scanners, and the soft whir of machinery.
The facility is one of two new, purpose-built sites Amazon has opened in Victoria this month, with the retailer also opening a logistics site in Melbourne’s northwest. Together, these represent an investment of $200 million in Victoria.
With a capacity to store up to four million products like electronics, beauty products, furniture, and books, the new Cranbourne West fulfilment centre will support more small and medium-sized businesses to use the Amazon delivery platform to sell their products to more customers.
The 500 jobs created at the Cranborne West site range from entry-level roles with on-the-job training to skilled roles in areas such as Operations, Human Resources, Engineering and Workplace Health and Safety.
According to Amazon Australia, the majority of jobs will be permanent full-time roles, with leading pay and comprehensive benefits such as subsidised private healthcare and up to 20 weeks of paid
parental leave.
Cranbourne local Atakura Michael, who started working as an LO picker at the site about four weeks ago, said the experience was good.
“I think Amazon is amazing. People are great. Our supervisors and our operators, they’re awesome,” she said.
“I think the system is very organised. They’re very sensitive in terms of safety, and I love that.”
Ms Michael said she originally planned to move to Perth, but Covid got in her way. She was glad that she stayed in Cranbourne and now got to work at Amazon.
Casey Mayor Cr Stefan Koomen, Deputy Mayor
Cr Melinda Ambros, Cr Carolyn Eaves, Cr Gary Rowe, Cr Scott Dowling and Cr Shane Taylor attended the official opening, alongside Minister for Finance and Economic Growth and Jobs The Hon. Danny Pearson and Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards, on Friday 15 August, to welcome the boost to local employment opportunities.
Amazon Australia Country Manager Janet Menzies said these new sites strengthen their ability to meet these commitments for Victorian customers.
“Prime members in Melbourne are already able to enjoy the convenience of next-day delivery, and these facilities will significantly expand the range of products available for swift local
Battin then reiterated the reason for the discussion of review, emphasising the high rates of crime in Victoria, and that it is “at a rate these communities have never seen before in their life”. He also added that he would not “dictate” what people should and should not do during an incident that calls for self-defence, saying that calling Triple 0 would be his personal first preference.
“I may handle it differently from how my daughters would handle it if someone broke into the house,” he said.
“But the most important part is you need to make sure people are protected in their own home.
“You should have the right to protect yourself… and a review would make sure that we can find uot exactly what level that would be.”
This story is developing, and Star News is sourcing comments from legal and criminology experts for added information.
delivery,” she said.
Mayor Cr Koomen emphasised that the impact of these new jobs goes beyond economic growth.
“More than 65 per cent of our residents travel to work by car. Every minute that they save on their journey from work means more time spent with those they love or doing activities that bring joy to their everyday lives,” he said.
Mayor Cr Koomen also highlighted the broader significance of Amazon’s investment.
“Casey is a great place for global businesses to grow, thanks to our convenient location, fastgrowing community and business-friendly Council,” he said.
“Plus, our city offers an affordable alternative to industrial land in neighbouring areas like Dandenong. There’s never been a better time to invest in Casey.”
Real asset owner and manager ESR Australia & New Zealand’s head of development Simon Sayers said the company is thrilled to welcome Amazon to Greenlink, a key destination for premium logistics and industrial spaces in the thriving south east.
“Cranbourne West was a deliberate choice of location to develop Greenlink, our flagship estate in Victoria, thanks to its prime position with direct access to key arterial roads, including the Western Port Highway,” he said.
“From day one, demand for industrial space in the area has been exceptionally strong. ESR is extremely proud to have developed this worldclass facility in close collaboration with Amazon and deeply appreciates the close support of Casey Council and our contracting partner for this project, Qanstruct.”
A unique 3D-dining experience is lighting up tables at Hyatt Place in Caribbean Park, Scoresby.
In an exclusive Victorian season, Le Petit Chef & Friends combines animation projected on plates and tables, with live theatre and tasty fourcourse dining.
The global production features a six-centimetre Le Petit Chef from France, along with animated rivals from Spain, Italy and Japan in an interactive cooking competition.
Behind the visual magic is Belgian art collective Skullmapping, who pioneered the concept in 2015.
Since then, Le Petit Chef has toured in over
Author talk
Bestselling author Christian White discusses his latest thriller, The Ledge - a gripping, character-driven story of friendship, secrets and the dark side of loyalty.
· Wednesday 20 August, 2.30pm-3.30pm at Springvale Library, 5 Hillcrest Grove, Springvale. Free event, registration required at trybooking.com/ DDGZU
Cultural Sketch
Featuring artists Carla Gottgens, Maroulla Radisavic and Ali Dad Afzali, this Cultural Sketch session is a unique evening of art and storytelling. Sketch and draw the presenters, their favourite objects, the music, or respond creatively to the stories being shared. Two of the artists feature in the HOME 25: Invisible Cities exhibition.
· Thursday 21 August, 6pm-8pm at The Castle, 61 Princes Highway, Dandenong. Free event, registrations essential at greaterdandenong-events.bookable.net.au/#!/event-detail/ev_8d776d8fb9f448 cab3b023aa67309cc5
Reuse and Recycle Drop Off Day
The event gives you the opportunity to get rid of any
50 cities worldwide — now making its return to Melbourne.
Hyatt Place head chef Trevor Jenkins said the four dishes were “thoughtfully designed to match the journey unfolding on the table – blending fantasy with flavour”.
The plates are a homage to the four animated chef’s homelands:
• Spain: marinated tomato with vibrant green sauce, Jamón, toasted pine nuts, and Manchego.
• Italy: hand-crafted mushroom ravioli with truffled cream, crispy speck, and parmesan crumb.
• France: grilled entrecote steak, pommes frites,
larger unwanted household goods suitable for donating or electronic and household goods suitable for recycling. To avoid missing out, it is highly recommended for resident to attend as early as possible.
· Saturday 23 August 8am-1pm at Greaves Reserve, 20 Bennet Street, Dandenong. Free event. Details: 8571 1000 or greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/recycle-day
Reworlding Dandenong
Join artist and academic Troy Innocent for an immersive role-playing game on the streets of Dandenong in 2050. Join a three-hour guided, interactive experience in public spaces, culminating in a collective world building workshop. Part of the HOME 25 Invisible Cities roving exhibition. Children under 16 need to be accompanied by an adult.
· Saturdays 23 and 30 August, 10am-1pm at Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, cnr Walker and Robinson streets, Dandenong. Free event, register at greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/greater-dandenongcouncil/events/reworlding-dandenong-troy-innocent
HOME 25 lunchtime tour
Bearnaise, and butter lettuce.
• Japan: a dessert of rum and white chocolate cremeux, praline, and brown sugar plum wine.
Hyatt Place general manager Nicole Pasqual said: “This is more than a meal — it’s a cinematic dining adventure.
“We’re incredibly proud to be the only venue in Victoria offering this global phenomenon.”
Classic and vegetarian menus are available at $155 per person, premium menus at $185, and children’s menus at $85.
Guests may also select optional wine pairings for $45 per person.
• Detals: lepetitchef.com/melbourne/
Take a tour of the unique exhibition HOME 25: Invisible Cities through Dandenong’s streets and spaces. Tour starts at Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, and spans Heritage Hill Museum and Historic Gardens, Drum Theatre, Dandenong Library, Harmony Square, Garnar Lane Lightboxes, Drum Facade and Palm Plaza.
· Thursday 28 August, 12pm-1pm. Free event. Register at greaterdandenong-events.bookable.net. au/#!/event-detail/ev_6e8333331fc84626a33a 2a89aa2e8cdd
Hub celebration
Celebrate the opening of Keysborough Community Hub. Live performances, arts and craft activities, stalls, sport games, food trucks, circus skills workshop.
· Saturday 6 September, 10am-2pm at Keysborough Community Hub, 10 Villiers Road, Keysborough; free event.
Dinner dance
Fundraising dinner dance for Noble Park Community Centre. Features silent and live auctions, performances, music, food and dancing.
· Saturday 6 September, 6.30pm at Noble Park Community Centre, Memorial Drive, Noble Park $45pp/$320 table of 8. Details: socialplanet.com. au/activity/view?id=36150
Sports Club at the Hub
Join in small-sided soccer games at Springvale Community Hub. For young people 12+.
· Fridays until 12 September at Springvale Library, 5 Hillcrest Grove, Springvale. Free event. Details: Greater Dandenong Libraries, 1300 630 920 or cgdlibraries@cgd.vic.gov.au
Enchanting Kirtan
A sacred world music and meditation experience, weaving together melody, music and mantra. A special feature of the evening will be a guided “Journey to Forgiveness” meditation, designed to open the heart and foster healing. Hosted by The Australian School of Meditation and Yoga, and The Mantra Room
· Friday 12 September 7pm-9pm at Menzies Hall, 41 Menzies Ave, Dandenong North. Free event. Donations welcome. Bookings: collections.humanitix. com/enchanting-kirtan-victoria-tour
By Justin Schwarze
Dandenong Thunder continued its impressive run of form by thrashing St Albans 5-1 at Churchill Reserve in round 25 of the NPL.
Thunder struck first as the visiting side when a corner was flicked on by Saints captain Michael Grgic for an own goal.
This put Dandenong 1-0 up in the 17th minute.
Thunder doubled its lead through some brilliant play from Kyle Taylor, who dribbled down the left side and played in Daniel Clark.
Clark squared it to Hassan Jalloh but Jalloh couldn’t make a connection, leaving it for Ben Djiba to smash it into the roof of the net.
Seven minutes later, Clark and Wade Dekker combined for one of the goals of the season, with Dekker receiving the ball outside the box and playing a short pass into Clark.
Clark’s first touch chipped the entire defence, leading Dekker into space who calmly slotted his shot into the bottom right corner.
At halftime, Dandenong led 3-0 from five shots on target to St Albans’ three.
The hosts pulled one back through a miracle goal in the 75th minute.
The Saints were awarded a corner and Alexander Cepiviroski was the taker.
He fired it in with curl, but it ended up bending all the way in directly from the corner spot to make the score 3-1.
However, any hope of a comeback was dashed when the ball was played into Dante Avian who finished clinically.
In added time, Michael Domfeh added his name to the scoresheet when he was found in space and he utilised a brilliant chip over the keeper to place the ball into the back of the net and push the score to 5-1.
Dandenong and St Albans both had nine shots on target for the game, while the Saints actually had more shots with 18 to Thunder’s 12.
Dandenong remains in third on the table with 16 wins, five draws and four losses.
In round 26, Thunder will visit Genis Steel Stadium to face the fifth-placed Preston Lions.
Daniel Clark’s play was important for the victory. (Supplied)
By Justin Schwarze
It was a Dandenong demolition at Frank Holohan Soccer Complex as Dandenong City thrashed Melbourne Knights 7-1 in round 25 of the NPL.
But it all wasn’t according to plan, with the visitors snagging the first goal of what would become a great evening for the Dandenong-based team.
In the 37th minute a cross came in from a Melbourne freekick and a City defender inadvertently skied it.
Ciaran Bramwell was first to react and headed it home to go 1-0 up.
Dandenong responded almost immediately when Will Bower made a good run with the ball down the left and squared it to Kenjok Athiu in the middle of the box.
Athiu was challenged by the keeper but kept his footing and snuck his shot home to knot the score.
Four minutes later, City was awarded a penalty after a challenge on Timothy Atherinos was judged illegal and Athiu netted his second goal for the game from the spot.
Dandenong City was not right on top and continued to pepper its attacking half of the ground.
A third consecutive goal came for Dandenong in the second half when Bower took it on the left wing and finished clinically into the top right corner, celebrating in style with a cartwheel into a backflip.
It started to rain City goals when Jamie Latham added another via a beautifully executed half volley at the top of the box, making it 4-1
in the 63rd minute, with the promise of plenty more to come.
Athiu completed his hattrick five minutes later and brought five on the board for the hosts when he made no mistakes from close range to send the Dandenong crowd into raptures.
The sixth Dandenong goal was very similar to Latham’s, with Brad Plant volleying a cross into the bottom right corner to defeat a Melbourne Knights keeper that was working overtime..
Finally, Malik Abuusba had the exclamation point for City, finding the back of the net on a leak out in the 84th minute to capitalise on a day out for the hosts.
The result saw the club climb a spot on the table, moving into sixth place with a record of nine wins, 10 draws and six losses.
Dandenong travels to face Melbourne Victory on Saturday for round 26.
Ladder: Avondale 58, Heidelberg United 56, Dandenong Thunder 53, Oakleaigh Cannons 46, Preston Lions 44, Dandenong City 37, Hume City 35, Green Gully 31, South Melbourne 28, St Albans Saints 27, Altona Magic 24, Melbourne Victory 18, Port Melbourne 16, Melbourne Knights 15.
Fixture R26: Avondale v Green Gully, St Albans v Hume City, Preston Lions v Dandenong Thunder, Melbourne Victory v Dandenong City, Port Melbourne v Heidelberg, Oakleigh v South Melbourne, Melbourne Knights v Altons Magic.
By Blair Burns
There was just one match decided by less than 10 goals in round 17 of Southern Division 1 football with plenty of late-season thrashings.
The closest match was between Springvale Districts and Bentleigh, two sides who are more than likely to face-off again in the first week of finals.
It was the battle of the Demons and Springy proved it was too good, sending a message to Bentleigh and the rest of the competition with a 31-point victory.
Hudson Thomas had plenty of the ball for the winning side, while Matt Wetering (five goals) and Jeremy Dang (three goals) led the way in attack.
Ross Barlas continued his form for Bentleigh, kicking three goals to make it 13 in his past four weeks.
Dingley was the destroyer as it made light work of Cranbourne to boost its percentage and win by 101 points with Scanlan Lynch booted five majors.
Mitch Gent, Tom Morecroft (both three goals) and Jack Ferraro (two goals) were the other multiple goal scorers, while young defender Liam Foggo was the Eagles’ best on a tough day.
After losing five consecutive games, East Brighton snapped its losing streak to defeat Port Melbourne in a big way, to the tune of 70 points.
Despite a terribly inaccurate first half where the Vampires kicked 5.15, they found the middle of the big sticks to run away to a big win as former AFL player Alex Keath kicked four goals, along with Jacob Sandman who also bagged four.
A dominant second half from Cheltenham saw the Rosellas defeat Murrumbeena by 65 points at Jack Barker Oval, as Max and Tom Davis combined for seven goals.
Daniel Vaughan played a brilliant game for the Rosellas, being named best on ground, while Nathan Scollo (three goals) provided a spark for the Lions.
Narre Warren suffered its worst loss of the season; completely outplayed by a formidable St Paul’s McKinnon side, which will be eyeing off premiership success next month.
The margin was just 14 points at half time but blew out to 65 as Brayden O’Toole (four goals)
and Matthew O’Brien dominated – Will Howe (four goals) continued what has been a stellar three-week patch, yielding 16 goals for the Magpies.
In Division 2, Mordialloc claimed a huge 126-point win over Endeavour Hills to secure fifth spot on the ladder, edging out Frankston Dolphins, Caulfield Bears and Keysborough who all missed finals by one win.
It was a clinical performance from the Bloods
who put the Falcons to the sword after quarter time, with William Avery and Cameron Debruin (four goals each) leading a long list of goalkickers.
Chelsea Heights lost its first game in almost two months with a shock loss against Highett in a three-point thriller.
After trailing 29-51 at three-quarter time with 3.11 on the board, the Bulldogs roared in the fourth as they doubled their score and kicked the final four goals of the match to win – Jacob Apted was named Highett’s best player.
An inaccurate East Malvern cost itself a chance to boost its percentage and finish a couple of spots higher on the ladder after a 32-point win over Doveton.
The Panthers kicked 7.21 which included 0.9 in the second term but three goals from Isaac Morrisby helped them secure the win – Max Sheppard kicked three of the Doves’ four goals.
Hampton Park has claimed the minor premiership after defeating Keysborough by 31 points, despite the margin being as close as 10 early in the final term.
Liam Scott played one of the best games of his season, booting six goals for the Redbacks, while young gun Kyden Vella kicked four for the Burras – who missed out on finals by one win and a considerable percentage.
Despite a brilliant five-goal performance from Frankston Dolphins’ Jordan Waite, it was Caulfield Bears who took the points as they won by 19 points – making it 2-0 against the Dolphins in 2025.
Both teams won eight games this season and fell narrowly short of playing finals in sixth and seventh positions respectively.
Division 2 turns its focus towards finals, while the top division has one more round of the homeand-away season.
By David Nagel
Bill and Chris Richardson stole the spotlight in round five of the Mountain Dart League on Friday night with the husband-and-wife combination both throwing stunning 180s in Division 1.
Bill also threw a magnificent 110-pegout to lead Noble Park (1) to a dominant 17-4 victory over Out Casts.
Greg Rondinella also had the radar dialled in, throwing a maximum 180 for Redbacks (1), who went down 15-6 to Bullseyes.
The Bullseyes were once again well served by James Johnson, who threw a rock-solid 106 pegout to give his team the upper hand.
The game between Rebels and The Chiefs went down to the wire with Rebels holding on 11-10 in the closest match of the night.
Brian Pacey filled the treble-20 for the Rebels, but Troy Gray guided The Chiefs to victory with a maximum 180 and a quality 97 finish.
And High 5’s maintained its perfect start to the season, winning 16-5 against Check Out, despite Ngametua Tangatakino throwing his second 180 for the season.
MOUNTAIN DART LEAGUE
DIVISION 1
• Results R5: High 5’s def Check Out 16-5, Noble Park 1 def Outcasts 17-4, Rebels def The Chiefs 11-10, Bullseyes def Redbacks (1) 15-6.
• Ladder: High 5’s 20, The Chiefs 12, MDDA Bullseyes 12, Rebels 12, Noble Park (1) 8, Check Out 8, Out Casts 4, Redbacks (1) 4.
• Tons: Brendan Simmonds 37, James Johnson 33, Dean Gibbs 32, Mick Cloutter 31.
• 180s: James Johnson 2, Bill Richardson 2, Ngametua Tangatakino 2, Gary Warner, Paul Tune, Steve Brown, Stewart Taylor, Brian Pacey, Chris Richardson, Troy Gray.
• Highest Score: Tokoa Lazaro 154, Harry Pearce 142.
• Highest Peg: James Johnson 134.
• Fixture R6: Rebels v MDDA Bullseyes, Noble Park (1) v High 5’s, Redbacks (1) v The Chiefs, Out Casts v Check Out.
DIVISION 2
• Results R5: Spectrum def MDDA Black Bulls 11-10, The Bandits def The Night Trawlers 156. Bye: Redbacks (2).
• Ladder: The Bandits 16, MDDA Black Bulls 12, The Night Trawlers 8, Spectrum 4, Redbacks (2) 0.
• Tons: Shane Taylor 18, Chris Riddle 16.
• 180s: Ash Canfor, Shane Taylor, Bernie Vaughan, Andrew Sherriff, Keith McIlverna.
• Highest Score: Shane Hammond 160.
• Highest Peg: Aaron Kirkmoe 110, David Kirkmoe 110.
• Fixture R6: Redbacks (2) v The Night Trawlers, MDDA Black Bulls v The Bandits. Bye: Spectrum.
DIVISION 3
• Results R5: The Goodies def Vales (3) 15-6, Stingrays def Stingers 15-6. Bye: Madarras.
• Ladder: The Goodies 16, Madarras 12, Stingrays 8, Vales (3) 4, Stingers 0.
• Tons: Steve Clarke 14, Jordan Russell 13, Brad Brooks 11.
• 180s: Brent Wright, Brad Brooks, Ian Cole.
• Highest Score: Joyce Grigg 171.
• Highest Peg: Steve Clarke 108.
• Fixture R6: Madarras v The Goodies, Stingers v Vales 3. Bye: Stingrays.
By Jonty Ralphsmith
Noble Park based cricket club Parkfield won a thrilling grand final last weekend against Victoria Vikings to seal the 2025 Mid-Year Cricket Association.
Parkfield got up by one wicket in the final over of a 35-over-per-team contest at Tatterson Reserve, chasing 9/191.
Fourteen-year-old emerging talent Dihain Lokubalasuriya hit the winning runs off the third last ball of the contest, leaving the Vikings to rue two missed run out opportunities earlier in a chaotic final over.
After slumping to 5/102, and missing gun batter Jumin Shaiju for the match due to unavailability, player-of-the-match Nadun Karunarathne
and Madurawalage Jayasundara combined for a 66-run partnership to get Parkfield back into the game.
But Jayasundara’s wicket was quickly followed by the downfall of Shaun Fear, captain David Swierzbiolek and Gerard Mirando which swung momentum back in favour of the Vikings, before Lokubalasuriya’s magic.
That Parkfield was chasing just 192 for victory was a testament to the death bowling efforts led by Mirando, with the Vikings giving themselves a sensational platform at 3/170, before losing 6/14. Mirando was the best of Parkfield’s bowlers with 3/14.
The stunning finish followed a last-ball tie between the two standout teams of the competition during the home and away season.
Do you know someone who is making a difference and deserves to be celebrated?
The Greater Dandenong Australia Day Awards 2026 is a chance to recognise individuals, groups, or organisations that have made a positive difference for the Greater Dandenong community.
Nominate now www.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/australia-day-awards
Email austday@cgd.vic.gov.au or phone 8571 1000 to find out more. Nominations close on Monday 15 September 2025.