Mail - Mountain Views Star Mail - 18th November 2025

Finding connection on Country

members from across the Upper

Valley participated in a Connection on Country event at the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station.

Led by Wurundjeri Woiwurrung elder Jacqui Wandin, attendees learned the deep history of the station and its instrumental figures, including William Barak, Simon Wonga, and Robert Wandoon.

Ms Wandin detailed their decades-long fight for self-sufficiency and governance, highlighting the successful 1881 Inquiry as the nation’s first land rights movement.

She stressed the importance of sharing these stories and truths, insisting that Aboriginal life must be understood beyond mere statistics.

To read the full story, turn to page 10

By Mikayla van Loon

Police command met with the Yarra Ranges community on Wednesday 12 November, for a Neighbourhood Policing Forum to provide a candid overview of policing challenges and reforms in the Yarra Ranges.

Eastern Division Two Superintendent Steve White, who oversees 660 officers across Knox, Maroondah, and Yarra Ranges, highlighted staffing shortages as a key concern. With approximately 60 personnel off work in his division, often

due to mental health, he stated that police are “running on minimum resources.”

In response, Superintendent White supports Chief Commissioner Mike Bush’s announced reforms to shift officers from station reception duties onto the streets, potentially leading to station closures. He argues this is a necessary step to boost police visibility and get officers where they can best deter and respond to crime.

A significant topic was the rising number of family violence reports, which police view as a positive indicator of increased community confi-

dence in reporting.

Superintendent White noted that police success is measured by this rise in reports, which helps them hold perpetrators accountable. Detective Inspector Troy Andrews, who manages the Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit, confirmed the unit’s “victim-focused” approach, aiming to disrupt high-risk offenders through “pro arrest, pro remand” tactics.

Youth crime was also identified as a major priority, with a notable increase in offenders aged 10 to 17 this year.

Superintendent White confirmed that police are actively targeting groups like the Mooroolbark-based Burmese youth gang, ABZ38, known for aggravated burglaries and stealing high-end cars for “street cred” on social media but that youth networks are also forming across the region.

Detective Inspector Andrews noted that these young people are “a different style of offender” who exploit the justice system, often starting with serious crimes like armed robbery.

To read more, turn to pages 2-4

Community

Yarra

Wurundjeri elder Jacqui Wandin led the event. (Stewart Chambers: 517185)

Police sharing challenges

By Mikayla van Loon

Police and the community came together on Wednesday, 12 November, in Mooroolbark to discuss all things crime and prevention in the Yarra Ranges.

Hosting the Neighbourhood Policing Forum, the Eastern Division’s highest-ranking officers provided an update and overview of the key challenges facing the police service area.

Eastern Division Two Superintendent Steve White oversees three local government areas, including Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges.

Based at Knox, he manages a roster of 660 police officers.

Staffing was one of the first challenges he mentioned, highlighting the “resource-strapped” workforce within Victoria Police.

“I’ll mention it just the once during this forum, VicPol has got 16 or 17,000 sworn police members, and we’re supported by two or 3000 VPS public servants who do awesome work,” he said.

“Right now, in Victoria Police, we’ve probably got eight or 900 people off work, and mostly that’s for mental health. I’m not going to be using that as an excuse, but the reality is we are short of staff, and it impacts us in the outer east division as much as it does anywhere else.

“At any given time, we’ve got about 60 people off work, so forget about the people who go sick every now and again, or people who are on leave…We’re not running on empty, but we’re running on minimum resources.

“From my perspective, our division does an awesome job for the people who are at work to keep the community safe as best as we possibly can. It’s not perfect. We’re the first ones to admit that.”

Superintendent White said from a leadership perspective, he has so far been encouraged by the changes Chief Commissioner Mike Bush has announced in how policing is done and resourced.

The focus will shift to reducing serious crime, like aggravated burglary, while still ensuring road safety and all other aspects of policing are a priority.

In October, Chief Commissioner Bush announced major reforms to the organisational structure of Victoria Police by slimming down the executive team and trialling the release of sworn officers from police station reception counter duties.

“Right now, police spend more than 4000 hours per day – or 1.4 million hours per yearstaffing reception counters in police stations. This is poor use of their invaluable skills and it’s not

what they want to be doing,” he said.

“We must get more police – your police – out of their stations and onto the streets where they can respond to and deter crimes.

“What is important to me is that our members on the frontline know that help is coming – and it is coming soon.”

Earlier this month, news outlets also reported that minimum staffing standards for police stations would be scrapped, potentially closing stations to the public, to get more officers on the roads.

“The chief is talking about closing down stations. I support that, because in reality, we just

don’t have the staff to be sitting at the counter waiting for someone to come in and get a document signed. That’s the reality,” Superintendent White said.

“So the more people we can have out on the road going to whether it’s Lilydale Marketplace, Chirnside Park, Main Street, Croydon, I know it’s just outside of the patch, but those sorts of areas, that’s what I want our police to do, because that’s where the perceptions of safety skyrocket.”

Among the reforms Superintendent White supports is the inclusion of two new values for Victoria Police as an organisation.

“I like the fact that he’s putting compassion in in terms of the values because, as a 38-year veteran, what really grates on me the most is not providing compassion. So treat people the way you would like to be treated. I really find that to be a key value,” he said.

“And courage, having the courage of our convictions, it doesn’t mean running into a burning house necessarily. Often, we talk about the courage to call out bad behaviour.”

Topics for the day included crime trends and crime prevention, family violence, young people, road policing and emergency management. Star Mail will provide stories on each topic.

Family violence reports on the rise, a positive for police

By Mikayla van Loon

The rise in the number of family violence reports in the Yarra Ranges may come as a shock to the community, but for police, it’s actually a positive step forward.

“Victoria Police measure family violence on reports, and we’re deemed to be successful if the reports are going up,” Eastern Division Two Superintendent Steve White told the gathered community members at the Neighbourhood Policing Forum on Wednesday 12 November.

“So the more people are reporting family violence, the better we are, the more breaches of intervention orders that the police make, when someone reports that a perpetrator is on the property when they shouldn’t be. That is deemed to be a good statistic.

“We actually want people to report family violence, and we want to breach people, which sometimes means they’re remanded in custody if they breach the family violence order.”

For the last financial year, the Yarra Ranges recorded 2041 family incidents, up from 2018 the year previous, and 1237 breaches of family vio-

lence orders, up from 1010 the year before.

Detective Inspector Troy Andrews, who was in charge of the Croydon Family Violence Unit for seven years, now manages the Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit.

The family violence unit, Det Inspector Andrews said, has a specific focus on higher-risk perpetrators “to prevent serious injury or death”.

“The goal is to disrupt high to extreme risk offenders, pro arrest, pro remand,” he said.

The team of three detectives, a detective senior sergeant, three detective sergeants and 12 detective senior constables, on average, deal with and assess 400 family violence reports each month.

Uniform officers respond to and manage the majority of family violence incidents, but these cases can be escalated to the specialised unit should that be required.

For low to medium risk offenders, Det Inspector Andrews said police officers engage key stakeholders and support services for intensive case management to “reduce the recidivism”.

“Victoria Police’s response to family violence has evolved faster than anything else has in our organisation’s 160-year history,” he said.

“Everything is victim-focused. Everything’s about supporting AFM, who is the victim or affected family member, and holding the perpetrators accountable.”

Det Inspector Andrews said when charges cannot be laid for several reasons, whether because of insufficient evidence or a victim doesn’t wish to, police will use other means to ensure the affected person is safe.

“The very nature of family violence means often there’s not an ability to charge someone, but we still have the ownership of keeping them safe,” he said.

“So we do that by certain tactics, such as we might get an intervention order that bans them from a local government area.

“For matters where we know people are committing high-end family violence, and a victim may not want to press charges, we essentially will start intensive monitoring of those people using overt and covert methodologies…we find other ways to hold them accountable for their actions.”

Someone who is regarded as high-risk will be managed by the Family Violence Investigation Unit for a minimum of three months, sometimes for up to 12 months, or until the risk is mitigated. When other factors may be contributing to the violence, like mental health, alcohol or drug use, or, as one community member addressed, gambling, Det Inspector Andrews said the appropriate service would be engaged to help both the perpetrator and the victim.

“We also make sure we focus on the people who vicariously live the trauma of that, so the support agencies, and where we can, we provide support for extended family and friends, who also bear the brunt of what’s going on when they support them.”

Eastern Division Two Superintendent Steve White. (Mikayla van Loon: 517662)

Snr Sgt Cass Forbes, Acting Snr Sgt Luke Schroder, Inspector Lee Coultard-Clarke, Snr Sgt Mark Knight, Snr Sgt Brendon de Schwartz, Sgt Cal Cunningham and Snr Sgt Tim Evans manage the stations around the Yarra Ranges. (Mikayla van Loon: 517662)

Deterring youth crime

Managing and preventing youth offenders in the Yarra Ranges has fast become one of the top priorities for police as organised networks and gangs rear their head in the region.

In recent years, Eastern Division Two Superintendent Steve White said police officers have had to turn their attention more fully to youth offending, creating a shift in the hierarchy of crime and the required response.

Not only is it the number of children and young people committing crimes but the types and seriousness of these crimes that concerns police.

Last year, 520 alleged offenders were children aged 10 to 17. That figure increased to 568 alleged offenders aged 10 to 17 this year, according to the Crime Statistics Agency.

One of the leading offender groups in the Yarra Ranges are a Burmese youth gang who go by the name ABZ38, referencing the postcode of Mooroolbark.

“There’s probably three tiers of this gang, so we’re talking about the kids that do high end offending, so that’s aggravated burglaries,” Superintendent White said.

“They sneak in the middle of the night, stealing keys for your car, usually high end cars, drive it really quickly in the streets, potentially engage with the police in a pursuit with the air wing above and most often not they’re doing that for likes on their social media, not for any financial gain.

“We do have a team of people working out of the Croydon Police Station who are actively targeting them. So when they commit an offence, they’re following up and making significant regular arrests. At the moment, some of them are locked up.”

Superintendent White said there are around 30 people in the gang, from the leaders to those at risk of becoming fully fledged members, many aged around 13 to 14 years old.

Working with leaders from the Burmese community and parents, Superintendent White

said “we are working hard to try and get that issue under control as best as we can”.

“We know we have a problem and we’re well aware that they do impact your perception of safety,” he said.

“It’s probably our most significant issue in this outer east division at the moment.”

The Proactive Policing Unit also frequently engages with schools to help ensure those who may be recruited to the gang can see a different path for themselves.

On a lesser scale, but still hugely concerning, are the youth networks across the region who are known for theft and burglaries within shopping centres, as well as stealing cars.

“We have network youth offenders who act in concert for certain styles of offending, whether that be street level robberies or aggravated burglaries,” Detective Inspector Troy Andrews said.

“The Crime Investigation Unit late last year, identified that there was a spike in aggravated burglaries where high end cars were being stolen.

“They were not operating as we would call a gang, but they were networked, and they were operating for street cred on Instagram.

“Six or seven of them would break into people’s houses, and they’d go as far as Williamstown and down to Cows. They all lived here. They were dumping cars here.

“So we put together a mini task force to identify who was involved. There were 46 persons of interest, ultimately, that were working together at varying levels. There were 90 persons that were charged multiple times with over 1500 charges laid, multitudes of offences across the state. We stopped it pretty much in its tracks, eventually.”

Det Inspector Andrews said, unfortunately, these youth offenders know the system and the lack of consequences for committing crimes of this nature, meaning they usually reoffend.

“A lot of these youth cohorts know between themselves that as an adult if they do these offences, they’ll be locked up six, 12, 18 months or more,” he said.

“As a child, often they don’t even get remand-

ed. They’re aware of the system. They exploit the system, and they do it with impunity. That’s an added layer for us.

“When there’s emerging spikes of crime, such as that outside of our gangs, we jump at it pretty quick and when we identify the people involved, they get actively targeted. If we can’t charge them, we actively work on them and make their life very complicated.”

New laws announced by Premier Jacinta Allen on Wednesday 12 November will see “adult time for violent crime”.

Under the legislation, children 14 and over who commit home invasions, aggravated home invasion, recklessly or intentionally causing injury and aggravated carjacking must be dealt with in the County Court.

Kids as young as 14 convicted of aggravated home invasion and aggravated carjacking would face a maximum sentence of life in prison under the plan.

The principle of jail as a last resort for children would also be dumped and judges obliged to prioritise community safety in their sentencing decisions.

Lawyers, human rights leaders and Aboriginal advocates queued up to condemn the move, declaring it wasn’t backed by evidence.

“We can’t just lock children and young people away and hope for a safer community,” acting Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People Argiri Alisandratos said.

One thing Det Inspector Andrews said was that in his 30 years in the job, primarily as an investigator, young people are now “a different style of offender”.

“Once upon a time, kids were involved in very minor offending, shoplifting, and theft of money. These people are opening their accounts with very serious crimes. Their first time offending might be an armed robbery or carjacking. And they’re learning and exploiting the system. They know about social media. They know about technology. It’s all fun.

“They’re anything but innocent. They know what they’re doing, and they’re dangerous.”

CCTV call

Police in Yarra Ranges are asking CCTV owners to contribute to its CCTV network database.

Victoria Police have the capacity to map community CCTV camera locations and utilise this network to assist in solving crimes and identifying person/s of interest.

Contact details of CCTV owners are only available to police.

Police may give CCTV owners a call when an incident happens in their area in order to check if there is anything relevant captured.

If you have CCTV cameras installed and are willing to assist police when required, please email the below details to EYEWATCH-YARRARANGES-MGR@police.vic.gov.au.

Name of camera owner

Contact phone number

Email address

Business name (if applicable)

Camera address

CCTV Location/Coverage ie: Cam 1, driveway, facing street north-west

Storage time (how long video stays on the system)

Any assistance from our community is greatly appreciated

Warrant out for Woori woman

Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate Tracey Boyce.

The 55-year-old frequents the Woori Yallock area and she is wanted on warrant for failing to answer summons, drive whilst disqualified and drive vehicle whilst exceeding PCD, among other charges.

Investigators have released an image of Tracey in the hope that someone may be able to provide information on her current whereabouts.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report atcrimestoppersvic.com.au

Branch collection

Households in the Yarra Ranges will be able to put out bundled branches for collection in late November, as part of their bushfire season preparation.

From mid-November, properties in the Yarra Ranges will have a scheduled bundled branches collection, where up to three cubic metres of branches can be collected free of charge.

Branches must be tied with non-plastic string, with no more than 20 bundles of branches. Each limb or log should be no longer than 1.5 metres, and no wider than 200mm (20cm). This is to ensure they can be mulched effectively.

Yarra Ranges O’Shannassy Ward councillor Jim Child, said the bundled branches collection was an easy way for properties to get rid of limbs, sticks and branches that pose a risk in a bushfire.

“The bundled branches collection means that we can get rid of some of the fine fuels that pose a risk if a fire starts. It’s simple to tie up your bundles and get one big item ticked off your prep list.

Council will not collect timber, stumps or roots, soil or earth, untied branches, loose garden material, branches containing wires or nails, bamboo or vines. Hard waste collections will begin in January and run until March, with each property having a scheduled collection week. Find out your collection week at yarraranges.vic.gov.au/bundledbranches, and yarraranges.vic.gov.au/hardwaste.

Youth crime in the Yarra Ranges has become one of the main priorities for police. (AAP Image/James Ross)

By Mikayla van Loon, with AAP

Driving for cut in trauma

By Mikayla van Loon

Eastern Region Division Two Highway Patrol is increasing its focus on high-risk driving behaviours in the Yarra Ranges through intelligence-led operations, a dedicated road crime team, and expanded educational programs.

Senior Sergeant Brendon de Schwartz, who leads the unit of 37 members and seven sergeants, detailed the initiatives at a recent community forum.

Changing driver behaviour, improving road user safety and educating young drivers has been adopted as the philosophy of the highway patrol unit.

A key tool is the Road Crime Tasking Team (RCTT), which focuses on extreme speeding through red lights, and dangerous activities like hoon meets and burnouts, using intelligence from traffic cameras and other sources.

“We also have a drone operator, and we use the drone in a lot of our specialist operations to try and reduce road trauma,” Snr Sgt de Schwartz said.

One such operation, Operation Aero, dedicates eight members to one of five high-risk feeder roads identified as having a high rate of motorcycle fatalities, especially during the warmer motorbike season from October to March. This is currently operational.

Snr Sgt de Schwartz said specific and targeted operations are coupled with the state based initiatives, focusing on four risky driver behaviours being speed, distraction, seat belts and fatigue.

“Hopefully we’re changing driver behaviour by saturating certain areas at certain times of the day and week,” he said.

“We’re trying to modify and change driver behaviour for everybody. We’re driving towards these intelligence-led rostering and policing, because we get a lot of intelligence that tells us when we are hurting the most.”

Something Snr Sgt de Schwartz said he is pushing within the unit is education of young learner drivers and also their parents “to try and educate our younger drivers and younger learners how to survive on the roads, how to actually be safe and not become a statistic”.

A sergeant from the Yarra Ranges group is now embedded with L2P (learner driver) programs at METEC to teach both learners and their parents how to be safer drivers.

“P-plate drivers, especially male P-plate drivers, are one of the highest risk categories of persons on the road for collisions, fatalities and being injured.

“I want to go into that educational sphere because it is important that we get the safety messaging out to the people that are going to be our future drivers.”

Two area-specific concerns were raised by the community at the forum, which were noted for action.

Following a complaint about heavy vehicle drivers ignoring temporary 40km/h roadwork signs on the Melba Highway and forcing other

Yarra Ranges Highway Patrol use everything in their arsenal to prevent road trauma.

(Stewart Chambers: 508662)

drivers off the road between Yarra Glen and Yea, police confirmed they would take action and liaise with the Department of Transport and Planning (DoTP).

While Snr Sgt de Schwartz said speed signs and setting of speeds are under the jurisdiction of either DoTP or the council, police can influence change and assessments.

This was most recently actioned on Melba Highway in Yering after the speed limit was reduced from 80km/hour to 70km/hour.

“That is a direct result after we were having significant road trauma out there and as a result of the engagement that I had with the DoTP and our stakeholders.

“There was a whole process around the review of that stretch of road, and ultimately, DoTP deemed it prudent to reduce the speed zone. So we gave a recommendation that we’d like to see a speed restriction changed to actually try and save more lives.

“They reviewed it, and then they acknowledged it, and they put in the appropriate speed restriction zone, which is now 70km.”

The issue of cyclists on mountain roads riding two or three abreast, particularly in the single-carriageway areas near Sassafras, was also raised. It was also connected to the risk on high fire danger days and emergency vehicle response.

Snr Sgt de Schwartz acknowledged the challenge and highway patrol would look to action greater messaging and enforcement to keep cyclists and drivers safe.

Highlighting that it’s everyone’s responsibility to help keep each other safe on the roads, Snr Sgt de Schwartz’s message was that driving is a privilege that can be taken away.

“It’s important as a community we understand that driving is not a right, it’s a privilege, and to keep our privilege and be able to go to work, feed our family, pay our bills, go on a holiday and earn the money that we do, we need to drive safely,” he said.

“Because if we don’t drive safely, then there’s consequences to not doing that, which has compounding effects depending on the circumstances.”

Young drivers learn safety

By Callum Ludwig

A cohort of Year 10 students at a Yarra Valley school received an important lesson in road safety that will hold them in good stead behind the wheel.

Lilydale Heights College students headed to Box Hill Institute in Lilydale to take part in the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program, run by Road Safety Education Limited (RSE) and supported by Rotarians, on Monday 15 November.

Local RYDA facilitator Andrea Bigham said she has been part of the RYDA program for 10 years and is very passionate about it, having attended many car crashes volunteering for her local fire brigade.

“RYDA helps young drivers to prevent crashes before they occur as both drivers and passengers…it’s definitely not about shocking or scaring students, we’re actually about empowering them with the right information to make the right choices,” she said.

“It’s about introducing them to what I call the basic building blocks of staying safe on our roads as a driver and passenger.”

The schedule for the day consisted of a rotation of six workshops that taught students the impacts of road trauma on our communities, practical advice and tips about how to stay safe on our roads and how to support themselves and their friends to make smart decisions.

Year 10 Learning Leader at Lilydale Heights College Jane Scobie said the RYDA program is a fantastic initiative that greatly benefits Year 10 students at the important stage of becoming the next generation of drivers on our roads.

“It offers students a holistic overview of road safety and encourages students to see themselves as part of a broader community of road users,” she said.

“It was important for students to work with each other and ask themselves what kind of friend they think they are and how they can be supportive of others to make the right choice.

“Students had the opportunity to speak with people with lived experience of road trauma and discuss the ongoing impact of this on their lives.”

Workshops provided students with the opportunities to do role plays, take part in debates, hear from people with lived experiences and watch demonstrations, including a presentation on speed and stopping where professional driving instructors show just how long it takes to stop when driving at speed.

Ms Bigham said education for young drivers is vital.

“Let’s face it, we’re all young once and totally felt invincible at that age group but unfortunately, as you get older, you see the con-

sequences of things going wrong in life and we need to get through to the young that they must prevent that crash from occurring in the first place,” she said.

“You can’t rewind or scroll back to change the outcome of any crash.”

Three Rotarians from each of the Lilydale and Nunawading rotary clubs volunteered on the day to assist with the program.

Lilydale Rotary Club President Des Shiel said he believes that all student should attend this course or a similar course to prepare them for the responsibility they gain when they get their license.

“As the course shows, they’re at their most vulnerable in the first very short time after they receive their P-plate license and the statistics shows just how dangerous it is,” he said.

“One person in the car doing the right thing can change what the outcome is for the whole car load of people if it’s handled correctly.”

Funding from Yarra Ranges Council and the Rotary Club of Lilydale supported the program.

Ms Scobie said it is vital for young people to be aware of the rights and responsibilities of road use.

“We want to educate and empower them to feel confident to make the right decisions about how they drive and who they drive with, many of the teaching team lamented not having a similar experience in their secondary school years,” she said.

“The program offers students a mix of lecture-style, workshop and practical advice ranging from safe breaking speeds, blind spots, decision making and the potential impacts of peer pressure. “Thank you to the wonderful RYDA staff and Rotary volunteers for their professionalism and organisation, we had a fantastic day.”

Billanook College students are also set to take part in the program at the start of December.

Ms Bigham said she encouraged young drivers to remember they have one chance at life and huge potential in front of them.

“You know the difference between right and wrong, but you need to have the strength to stay with that conviction, especially when peer pressure is going the wrong way, you need to have the strength to speak up and protect your life and the lives of loved ones around you by making the right choices because you know what the right choices are,” she said.

“Unfortunately, our road statistics are appalling, people, I think, are complacent and apathy is high about our roads until someone that they love near is involved in road trauma, then whole worlds shatter and people’s lives are never the same again, but that is too late.”

Lilydale Heights Colle students with motorbike crash survivor Scott Harris. (Supplied)

Members of the Rotary Clubs of Lilydale and Nunawading volunteered to help the program run smoothly.

A series of six workshops helped students understand how to stay safe on the road.

Higgins, Ward lead council

By Callum Ludwig

The Tuesday 11 November Yarra Ranges Council meeting was set aside for a mayoral election, with two new faces in the role of mayor and deputy mayor.

Chirnside Ward councillor Richard Higgins is stepping up from the deputy role to sit in the mayor’s seat, while Chandler Ward councillor Gareth Ward will be his right-hand man.

Cr Higgins said it was an honour to be up in the mayor’s seat and to be elected by his peers. “The role, for me, is to look after you guys, look after the staff and look after everything we do in this wonderful place,” he said.

“Coming down the hill to Lilydale tonight and for the first time in, I don’t know how long, there was a full-blown rainbow across the whole of Lilydale and the Yarra Ranges and I thought that’s the first time I’ve ever seen that looking down into the valley.

“And I thought how appropriate, when I’m trying to think up words of what it’s like to be looking after this wonderful place, it’s like a pot of gold, it’s a fortune, a treasure and that’s what we all do when we’re here.”

Both Cr Higgins and Cr Ward ran unopposed for their selected role, with Yarra Ranges councillors traditionally understanding who they wish to elect to the role prior to the meeting each year.

Cr Higgins said there are nine councillors who’ve each got different attributes, different systems, different knowledge and different abilities.

“All of us have something in this room to give to our council, which makes it very unique but the one thing we all have in common is that we’re looking after our community and where we live,” he said.

“I’m not going to go on about the budget and how hard it is to make it balanced and how all those things are, we’ve got some real challenges here at Yarra Ranges, we’ve got both urban and rural and we’ve got natural disasters that are coming our way, whether we like it or not.

But I believe that I’m up to the challenge, I will strive to my best to rise to that occasion but I’m sure I’ll be able to because I’ll have you along with me, which is really nice.”

Cr Higgins also took the time to thank outgoing mayor O’Shannassy Ward councillor Jim Child, listing the multitude of roles, responsibilities and achievements he managed during the previous 12 months.

Cr Child said he just wanted to thank them all for their support.

“Along that journey, there’s been a few health issues as well and every time that there’s been that challenge for me, there’s always been a team here behind me as well, so I thank you sincerely for that,” he said.

“To you Richard, I couldn’t ask for much more from a deputy and that’s why it was my pleasure

to nominate you here tonight so I look forward to working with you and again, of course, with all my fellow councillors and the officers.”

Cr Higgins was first elected in 2008 and previously held the role of mayor in 2019–2020.

Cr Gareth Ward, who was elected last year, said he wanted to thank everybody for the opportunity, for which he is truly honoured, and he looks forward to doing his very best.

“I wanted to begin by acknowledging and thanking our outgoing Mayor, Cr Jim Child, over the past year, your leadership has guided this Council through some challenging and defining moments, you’ve set a high bar in professionalism and commitment to our community, and I wanted to thank you for the example you’ve set for us all,” he said.

“To our newly elected mayor, congratulations. I think it’s going to be a really great year ahead. I’m genuinely looking forward to working alongside you and I know that we share the same commitment to serving our residents with transparency, respect and a genuine drive to make our community stronger, you have my full support every step of the way.

Cr Higgins and Cr Ward will each serve in their roles for a year before the next mayoral election.

Cr Ward concluded the election and said he also wanted to thanks his fellow councillors and his family.

“To my fellow Councillors, thank you for placing your trust and confidence in me, and I give you my word that I’ll tackle this role with humility, hard work and integrity, and I’ll do my very best not to let you down and to be a Deputy who represents us all fairly and responsibly,” he said.

“Lastly, I would also like to thank my wife, Rachel, and my kids who are in attendance tonight, you’ve put up with countless meetings, late nights and weekends where I’ve been elsewhere in the community instead of at home, your patience and encouragement have not gone unnoticed.”

L-R: Mayor Richard Higgins and Deputy Mayor Gareth Ward. (Supplied)

Kinders left ‘hamstrung’

By Oliver Winn

Parents claim Yarra Ranges’ kindergartens have been financially “hamstrung” by the State Government’s fee-free kinder under the Best Start, Best Life reforms, placing the quality of kinder services at risk.

But in a response from Yarra Ranges Kinders’ interim chief executive officer, Juliette Hammond, she iterated that changes to session times and potential composite classes were not based on funding challenges.

“Decisions regarding session structures and age groupings are based on educational quality, enrolment demand, workforce availability, and sustainable service delivery—not on the operating deficit,” she said.

Launching Place Kinder Parent Support Group (PSG) president Emily Arnold told Star Mail that free enrolments meant kinders were losing their main source of income, which has resulted in cost-cutting measures from senior management.

Ms Hammond also disputed this, stating that while fee-free kinder changes the funding model, every Early Years Manager in Victoria now operates under the same system.

“While we absolutely listen to parent and educator feedback, we must also balance enrolment demand, the rights of all families to access kindergarten, and the viability of each program,” she said.

Yarra Ranges Kinders (YRK) is an Early Years Manager (EYM) that manages Launching Place Kinder alongside 22 others in the Yarra Ranges.

In its 2024 annual report, YRK recorded an operating deficit of over $850,000.

This deficit, Ms Hammond put down to several reasons, citing it as a “temporary operating deficit”.

“2024 reflects a period of significant investment in payroll, IT, facilities management, compliance, and the foundational reforms required under Best Start, Best Life,” she said.

“These investments were necessary to ensure long-term organisational stability and improved services for children and families.

“We continue to operate within our funding requirements and remain committed to providing high-quality kindergarten programs without compromising educational or safety standards.”

Ms Arnold said, however, it felt like YRK was attempting to make up for the deficit by increasing session times, combining three and four-yearold classes and drawing on teachers to ask parents for fundraiser donations.

“We’ve gone from the standard three five-hour

area in order for “increased

sessions to two seven-and-a-half sessions per week, and this was dropped on us last year with no consultation.”

Ms Hammond said the mixed-aged groupings were a “well-established model” used by many community kindergartens in Victoria.

Kinders are funded on a per child basis, with the standard rate being $3831 per child.

In an email between YRK and Launching Place Kinder PSG, YRK asked parents to fundraise $5000 to renovate an outdoor area in order for “increased program capacity”.

Ms Arnold said the main purpose of the project was to increase the program capacity, which she claimed would put teachers under more

stress and compromise child safety.

Ms Hammond confirmed the improvement at Launching Place was “not a required safety or compliance upgrade” and that it was “a long-standing and common practice” to “enhance kinder environments through fundraising”.

“No staff member or family was obligated to fund it,” she said.

The State Government provides funding for EYMs in addition to per-child funding streams, which have increased by 45 per cent since 2021 to meet operational costs.

This means kindergartens receive core funding at a rate of $3831 per child, and then EYMs such as YRK receive an additional $18,963 in

funding.

A Department of Education spokesperson said EYMs play a critical role in the delivery of early years services in Victoria.

“Early Years Managers engage directly with families and local communities in managing their kindergarten services to strengthen participation and make sure children succeed.”

Frustrations between parents and YRK have risen after other kinders under its management have spoken out.

Parents from Lancaster Preschool in Mooroolbark started a petition demanding Ms Hammond resign after similar changes were made.

Public safety is bolstered with two new defibs at Lilydale

By Oliver Winn

The Lilydale Police have more ways to save lives after receiving two Automated External Defibrillator AEDs.

Valued at $4645, the two defibs were sponsored by the Community Bank Wandin-Seville and will contribute to public safety.. Community Bank Wandin-Seville executive officer Leah Thompson said the Lilydale Police had approached the bank for the sponsorship.

“We had them delivered over to us, and we went down and presented them to the police.

“They were super grateful,” she said.

One AED will be installed on a police response van while the other will be located at the Lilydale Police Station for public use.

AEDs are automated devices that are used during a cardiac arrest to shock the patient’s heart back into normal function.

They are designed to be used by anyone regardless of medical training as they provide simple, step-by-step instructions.

Ms Thompson said it was crucial for the police to have AEDs on hand when responding to emergencies.

“They were saying that a lot of the time when there’s emergencies or accidents they’re usually their first on the scene and they beat the ambulance and CFA.

“They’re always the first ones to know when something’s wrong and when something’s happening, so it’s super important,” she said.

The two AEDs for Lilydale Police Station are the most recent additions to recent AED sponsorships by Community Bank Wandin-Seville.

Community Bank Wandin-Seville have also donated defibs to Mont De Lancey Historical Homestead, Seville CFA and Seville Preschool.

sergeant Samuel

Ambulance Victoria medical director associate professor David Anderson said it is essential to know CPR, how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and where your closest defibrillator is located.

“We are urging the community to refresh their knowledge about CPR and how to use a defibrillator. For every minute CPR is delayed, survival decreases by 10 per cent.”

Mr Anderson said the Call, Push and Shock phrase was a good way to remember how to act in an emergency.

“Our message is simple – you don’t need to be a paramedic to save a life, just remember to Call (Triple Zero 000), Push (perform CPR) and Shock (use an AED).”

If you want to find out the closest AED to you, then you can check out the map at the link: goodsamapp.org/locatorMap

In an email between YRK and Launching Place Kinder PSG, YRK asked parents to fundraise $5000 to renovate an outdoor

program capacity”. (Stewart Chambers: 517192)

There are many defibs stationed around the Upper Yarra for the public to access in an emergency.

Ambulance Victoria’s latest data showed that Victoria has the best cardiac survival rates in Australia, and the third best anywhere in the world.

The two defibs were priced at $4645 and fully funded by the sponsorship. (Supplied)

Acting

Hobden standing with one of the new AEDs. (Supplied)

National gong for museum

By Callum Ludwig

A decade-long project at the TarraWarra Museum of Art has recently been recognised on a national scale for its architecture.

The new Eva and Marc Besen Centre was awarded the 2025 National Award for Public Architecture at Architecture Australia’s 2025 National Architecture Awards, having already received a Victorian equivalent, the William Wardell Award.

Museum director Dr Victoria Lynn said that since the museum opened in 2003, they had two things on their minds.

“We always thought we would need a space for education and free access for school groups and the other thing we had in the back of our mind was that on the passing of Eva and Marc Besen, their entire collection would be gifted to the museum,” she said.

“So the idea was born to create a building that would provide free access to the collection in the form of visible art storage and combine that with a multi-purpose space.

“Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) had previously designed the cellar door here so we approached them to see what they might design for us, it’s been a 10-year project and a two-year build and it finally opened in March of this year which is fantastic.”

KTA were contacted for comment.

The building is built into the hillside on the TarraWarra site, with a minimal exterior and an interior that is split almost in two. One side contains a multipurpose space, the reception and other rooms and the other half is a temperature and humidity-controlled visible storage space, which can be toured from within or viewed from the other side of the glass.

Dr Lynn said they are utterly thrilled that the building received the award.

“It really puts TarraWarra and the Eva and Marc Besen Centre on a national platform and I hope it will attract people from all over Australia now to come and see the building and then also explore our activities, our programs and our collections,” she said.

“Visible storage is a relatively new concept, there are some really fantastic examples overseas, there’s a place called the Depot in Rotterdam and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London has recently opened a visible storage.

“This is the only one of its kind in Australia, so we’re very unique and even just that in itself makes it a destination for lovers of art.”

The multipurpose space has also already hosted school groups, workshops for adults and children, lectures, forums and dance and musical performances, including one by the Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Dr Lynn said there were so many iterations in the design process, but when she looks back at Kerstin’s original sketch, it hasn’t changed.

“We managed with all the challenges to preserve the original intentions of the design and

the project, challenges included the weather and also getting trades out here is not always the easiest thing and sometimes we were importing materials so that got caught up,” she said.

“The biggest challenge was the pandemic because that meant there was a delay in the design process and also in starting the build, but it is better than what we thought it would be.

“You don’t know on paper how beautiful the light is going to be in a space until you’ve experienced it, I think Kerstin’s genius is that she can visualise light and surfaces in advance of them being built, so it’s a very calming space, very gentle and it’s just better than we imagined.”

The centre is named after Eva and Marc Besen, the founders of TarraWarra Estate, who also donated an expansive collection of artworks they had been collecting since 1952 to the collection after their deaths. Marc, who died aged 99 in November 2023, was alive to see the start of the build before his death.

Dr Lynn said Marc would come and look at the build in his wheelchair and was just so happy.

“He always loved the idea that children would be exposed to art at an early age and he was so thrilled that children would be in this space that he had donated the funds to build,” she said.

“It utterly honours the legacy of their collecting and the calibre of work that they collected, they were one of the most generous families in

VCAT backs council ruling

By Tracey Matthies

The Victorian Civil Administration Tribunal has upheld a Yarra Ranges Council decision to refuse a permit for a double storey home in a Green Wedge zone at Yarra Junction.

Council initially refused Paul and Tamara Cochrane’s application for a permit to use and develop the land on Settlement Road in September 2024, despite Council being generally supportive of the proposal.

Melbourne Water objected to the application, initially saying the flood hazard of the site made it unsafe from flood risk, particularly accessway and the local road network.

The authority maintained its concerns despite amended plans being provided by the Cochranes.

The land is vacant apart from shedding.

It is currently farmed for cropping with 20 per cent used for conservation purposes associated with the Little Yarra River which runs along its southern boundary.

The amended plans included a double-storey dwelling with a maximum overall height of 8.8 metres, removal of the originally proposed septic tank system and effluent disposal envelopment, and replacement with connection to reticulated sewerage services via a sewerage outfall.

No vegetation was to be removed in the proposal.

VCAT Member Christopher Harty’s ruling noted that flooding was the threshold issue “because it is the hazard posed by flooding of Little Yarra River to the south and the Yarra River to the north on safety associated with a one per cent Annual Exceedance Probability flood event.

“This extends to both the dwelling location and the accessway from it, across the site, and onto the local road network including timing and duration of flooding”.

The ruling included a detailed breakdown of the Member’s considerations.

“Overall, I do not consider the flood risk acceptable,” Mr Harty wrote in his report.

Melbourne for the arts, so it was really obvious to us from the start that we should dedicate the building to their name.”

The Eva and Marc Besen Centre is open to the public from 11am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday, with tours behind the glass available on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The jury’s citation, who decided the award winner, can be read here: architectureau.com/ articles/2025-National-Award-for-Public-Architecture.

The Eva and Marc Besen Centre at TarraWarra Estate. (Stewart Chambers: 517193)

The multipurpose room in the centre is ready for use at all times. (Stewart Chambers: 517193)

VCAT has upheld a Yarra Ranges Council decision to refuse a permit on Settlement Road, Yarra Junction. (Stewart Chambers: 517228)

Selfless Stretch wins vollie award

By Oliver Winn

One of Wandin Football Netball Club’s (FNC) favourite members has won a volunteer award at local MP Aaron Violi’s Casey Volunteer and Community Awards.

Stephen Pollock, better known as Stretch, received the coveted award for his complete dedication to Wandin, being an all round solid bloke, and the club’s “go-to guy”.

The federal member for Casey hosted the popular awards night on Saturday 8 November where 70 individuals and three community groups were awarded for their contribution to the electorate.

Wandin Football Netball Club vice president Stretch said it felt great to receive the award and was grateful for being nominated by the club’s chef, Melissa Hor.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d won one or whether I got to runner up or whatever,” Stretch said.

Though Stretch had won an award - and for good reason, considering the extent of his work at the club - he immediately turned to focus on the other winners in the room.

It was an insight into his selfless and humble nature.

“Obviously there’s a lot of people there that won awards and a lot of people that have done a lot of things.

“They’re all winners in that room,” he said.

Mr Violi said it was an honour to celebrate the heart of our community and provide some well-deserved recognition.

“Local volunteers are the people who continuously show up and dedicate their time to make our community the strong, connected place we’re so proud to call home.

“Our volunteers and community groups give so much without ever asking a thing in return,” Mr Violi said.

Stretch lives and breathes Wandin and has been a part of the club for roughly 15 years, where he’s been involved in practically everything.

From handling manual labor, manning the bar, writing sponsorship applications, recruiting members and helping out in the kitchen, he really is the

club’s “go-to guy”.

“Whatever else has to be done, I’ll just do it,” Stretch said.

Earlier this year, Stretch helped install two electronic scoreboards for the football and netball grounds, which was funded by Community Bank Wandin-Seville.

“We virtually built it and fitted it all out and wired it.

“I’ve done a new scoreboard for netball too.

Same thing - excavated, put conduits, fiber links and everything in, did all that. So that was another project.

“I do a lot with sponsors, I do a little bit of recruiting, I do everything - anything needs to be done, I’ll do it,” he said.

His prolific nature stems from his love for the

club.

“I love talking to the locals. I love talking to the players. I love talking to all the people we deal with. I open the bar on a Friday night. I love talking to all those people. I just love the job.”

At the awards night, Stretch said he was surrounded by a room full of good people.

“There’s firefighters, volunteers, a lot of people who really put their heart and soul on the line

“I do it for a footy club, which is basically a community situation, but there’s a lot of people that just roll up their sleeves and get into it,” he said.

Looking forward, he has no plans to stop doing what he does best.

“There’s always something that needs attention.”

Koha Community Cafe trio is lauded by MP

By Oliver Winn

The efforts of three young volunteers at Koha Community Cafe were recognised at local MP Aaron Violi’s Casey Volunteer and Community Awards.

Angus Mellet, Darcie Ball and Keira Osborne received the award for the countless hours they’ve poured into the Warburton-based cafe, which offers low cost meals for those in need.

The federal member for Casey hosted the popular awards night on Saturday 8 November where 70 individuals and three community groups were awarded for their contribution to the electorate.

As volunteer Mr Mellet stood alongside Ms Ball and Ms Osborne, he said he felt nervous to be receiving an award in front of the large crowd.

But under the surface, he beamed with pride as he represented the cafe alongside his fellow volunteers.

“Honestly, it was pretty nerve-racking, but it was nice to have my work recognised and it was good to have attention on the cafe. I care a lot about the cafe,” he said.

While he has volunteered for six years now, Ms Ball and Ms Osborne are still relatively new and are currently in the middle of their year 12 VCE exams.

Mr Mellet said he was proud of Ms Ball and Ms Osborne.

“I’m just really proud of Keira and Darcie. They’re two young girls and it’s really nice to see them also get an award alongside me.”

Based off a popular Melbourne restaurant Lentil as Anything which used a “pay what you feel” model, Koha Community Cafe’s aim is to promote inclusion, and community self reliance.

It runs a food pantry every Monday and Friday, and hands out free meals on Monday and Thursday.

Those who are interested in volunteering at the cafe are encouraged to email contactkohacommunitycafe@gmail.com.

Mr Violi said it was an honour to celebrate the heart of our community and provide some well-deserved recognition.

“Local volunteers are the people who continuously show up and dedicate their time to make our community the strong, connected place we’re so proud to call home.

“Our volunteers and community groups give so much without ever asking a thing in return,” Mr Violi said.

Mr Mellet started volunteering at Koha Community Cafe when he was in year 11, where after school he’d go with his friends to socialise and help the community.

He started out on Thursday nights helping out with the dinner service. Now, he’s involved with occasionally preparing food alongside the chef and picking up leftovers from local grocery stores for the cafe to use.

Santa cans for animals

By Oliver Winn

Santa has arrived early at the Forever Friends Animal Rescue (FFAR) to help the organisation turn cans into cash while saving the environment. Father and Mother Christmas were reportedly seen by Star Mail reporter OLIVER WINN walking the hills of the FFAR farm in Gladysdale, carrying large sacks of recyclable cans to raise money for the volunteer-run rescue.

FFAR maintenance manager Robert Pike (who is rumoured to be Father Christmas) said they’d raised $5000 in the two years the cash for cans fundraiser has been running.

“It started off fairly slowly, but our main contributor is volunteers at the sanctuary.

“So far, we’ve just cracked the $5000 mark, which is 50,000 containers, and from our point of view, it’s 50,000 containers that haven’t gone to landfill,” Mr Pike said.

In November 2023, the rescue started collecting recyclable containers to drop off at one of the Victorian Government’s Container Deposit Scheme (SDC) locations.

The reverse vending machines let users deposit recyclable containers and earn a 10c refund for every container they deposit.

“It’s just a good feeling, the way the world’s going, we’ve got to try and save whatever we can.

“But my biggest aim is giving valuable funds to the sanctuary,” Mr Pike said.

FFAR is a volunteer-run not for profit animal rescue which houses 80 species of animals and is run by over 700 volunteers.

It rescues and rehabilitates the most vulnerable animals in the community, having successfully rescued and rehabilitated over 10,000 animals since its inception in 2011.

Despite being one of the largest animal welfare organisations in the state, FFAR is a registered charity which sometimes only barely scrapes by financially.

“We’re always on the limit, which is always a worry because you’ve got to feed the animals. But at least the cash for cans do help a little bit,” Mr Pike said.

FFAR founder Saskia Adams said medical costs for animals was the biggest impact on the rescue’s finances.

“The biggest cost for any rescue group, any shelter, is the cost of medical care for the thousand plus animals that come in at any given time of the year for us.”

Ms Adams said the average cost per animal for her shelter was roughly $400 each.

“So if we’re saving over 1,000 lives a year, we’re very quickly heading to half a million dollars’ worth of medical costs [per year],” she said.

“I’ll pick up leftover food from grocery stores and we’ll sort through what we can use and prepare for Wednesday and Thursday,” he said.

Having graduated from a bachelor of psychology last year, he said his interest in sociology and how humans think played a part in his want to help out the community.

Despite winning the award, Mr Mellet said there were a lot of others at Koha Community Cafe who were more deserving.

“There’s a lot of other people who work harder than I do, so it’s good that at least we’re being recognised in some sense.”

For Mr Mellet, the best part is knowing he can help out the community and make people’s lives better.

“I really just appreciate being able to help out my community when I can.”

Forever Friends Animal Rescue are always looking for more volunteers to help the organisation run.

Those interested in signing up are encouraged to visit their website: foreverfriends.org.au.

Mr Pike takes it upon himself to handle the process of collecting the containers.

“I take all the cans and bottles from the sanctuary home, separate them into bottles, cans and plastics, put them in black plastic bags and take them to Tommy Finn’s Trout Farm because he’s a bulk depot, as well as an over-the-counter depot.”

Mr Pike said businesses and clubs could help support FFAR by donating their recyclable containers to the rescue, and if any were interested, they can contact him on his email: robert.p@foreverfriends.org.au.

“It doesn’t seem much but every 10 cents helps,” he said.

Stephen Pollock, better known as Stretch, standing next to Aaron Violi as he receives his award. (Supplied)

L-R: Angus Mellet, Darcie Ball, Aaron Violi and Keira Osborne at the awards show. (Supplied)

Father and Mother Christmas show off their sacks of recycled cans alongside their little helpers. (Oliver Winn: 517667)

Connections on Country

By Callum Ludwig

Community members from across the Upper Yarra Valley took up an opportunity to develop Connection on Country on Thursday 13 November.

Attendees visited the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, where Wurundjeri Woiwurrung elder and director at Wandoon Estate Aboriginal Corporation Jacqui Wandin led the event.

Ms Wandin said she would start by giving a timeline of the history of Coranderrk and some of the significant people behind it, something which wasn’t often given in the public realm in the past.

“This is William Barak, we know him as Uncle Barak, but he was given the first name because when colonisation happened I think people couldn’t understand that we didn’t have a second name,” she said.

“We were just given our birth name and where we come from, from that earth, and the gift of that name…and this is Borate, my great-great grandmother and they had given her the name Annie and this is Simon Wonga, who was older than Barak and is why there’s the place named Wonga Park.

“This beautiful man, all of the Wurundjeri people descend from this particular man, Robert Wandoon,that name actually means spirit in the water… if there was any strife out here at Coranderrk, it would be sorted out quick-smart by the presence of this man.”

All of these people were instrumental in the establishment and continued existence of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station when it was opened in 1863, having closed in 1924 after continued pressure from the Board for the Protection of Aborigines (the Board) who attempted to undermine the way of life there. They were also involved in the 1881 Inquiry into Conditions at Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, where 22 residents of Coranderrk called for support to live a self-sufficient and self-governed life at the site.

Ms Wandin said this place is truly the home of all Kulin Nation people at the time of colonisation, at the time when they were trying to fight for their rights.

“In Barak’s words, ‘Just let us have this place to bring our children up strong and in a healthy way’,” she said.

“All we hear about Aboriginal people is the sta-

tistics, but we’re real human people with stories and truths, and I don’t think you’re ever going to get the depth of Aboriginal life until you’ve read something like this (an excerpt of ‘We will show the Country’, a historical reenactment of the inquiry).

“I’m so fondly talking about my great-grandfather, but do you know it wasn’t until that play I realised who this person was… that was in 2010, the first time I found out about this beautiful man.”

Throughout the early history of Coranderrk, sympathetic white supporters of the First Nations people at Coranderrk attempted to help support and allow space for the continuation of their language, traditions and culture. These included Coranderrk’s first superintendent John Green (who was ousted by the Board) and his wife Mary as well as the wealthy Anne Bon, who helped the people of Coranderrk to lobby for better living conditions.

In the 1881 inquiry, Coranderrk residents complained about the lack of medical attention and warm clothing, the inadequacy of the houses, the enforced labour in the hops fields which left them with no time to produce their own crops or maintain fences and buildings, the lack of food and provisions and the lack of wages to purchase food with.

Ms Wandin said the 1881 inquiry was the first land rights movement that had happened and it was successful.

“Our people got to speak and we got to give evidence over the mistreatment of our people and that just was not heard of back then, we weren’t allowed to ever speak,” she said.

“They weren’t just Wurundjeri people, they are filled up with Taungurung, Dja Dja Wurrung, all of the mobs were there represented and they were not young fellows…Barak walked into parliament with a hardly-healed broken leg.

“He never stopped walking for our people and that’s the drive that I continue to have because I feel like it’s a waste if I don’t do something.”

Attendees of the event were later taken outside to view a number of panels by Ms Wandin and her niece Tahlia, which told more of the history of life at Coranderrk before returning to read from the submissions in the 1881 enquiry.

Anyone interested in the visitor program at Coranderrk can find out more at coranderrk. com/visitor-program.

Wurundjeri elder Jacqui Wandin led the event. (Stewart Chambers: 517185)

Attendees circled up to tune in to Jacqui Wandin. (Stewart Chambers: 517185)

Tahlia (front) explains some of the history of Coranderrk to a group. (Stewart Chambers: 517185)

Looking for a Tawny Frogmouth. (Stewart Chambers: 517185)

Helper dog Charlie gets some attention. (Stewart Chambers: 517185)

Creating connection on Country. (Stewart Chambers: 517185)

Glenda’s back!

lenda and Simon’s journey began in Echuca back in 2004 when they opened their very first candle and gift shop. While that original store is still running today, Glenda and Simon have long since followed their hearts to open their store in the Yarra Valley. In 2011, they opened Glenda’s Candles and Gifts in Healesville, and over the years their beautiful shop has grown right along with the community.

Now in their third and largest location on the main street – in the space once home to Grandma’s Gift Shoppe – Glenda and Simon finally have the room to truly showcase their stunning range of candles and unique gifts. From handcrafted fragrances to charming homewares and thoughtful treasures, every corner of the shop offers something special.

Glenda and Simon are thrilled to be back and are deeply grateful for the warm welcome and continued support from locals and visitors alike. Be sure to stop in and see their beautifully expanded store – it’s a place where scent, style and heartfelt hospitality meet.

Aurora dazzles Healesville

An aurora australis braced the night sky on Wednesday 12 November and local photographers managed to capture the phenomenon.

Laura Madigan’s beautiful pictures show off the enchanting hues emitted by the aurora

over Healesville.

Meanwhile, Tim Helpenstein climbed to the top of Mount

New building as school grows

By Oliver Winn

The launch of purpose-built education buildings for Cire Community School Yarra Junction was celebrated on 12 November.

Senior staff from Cire and community school teachers cut the ribbon at the event to mark the success of the opening.

Cire Community School Yarra Junction Campus principal Tom Sword said the rooms were designed to enable children to flourish and feel safe.

“A big part of what we do here at Cire is understanding that everybody is different, whether that be taking on kids who are neurodivergent, kids with mental health conditions or kids who just need a different space.

“We have four new classrooms that we can bring those kids in… that means we can have kids that go out and we can regulate them and get them into a space where they can thrive, which has been fantastic to see.”

The new building will hold junior and middle school children and have been made with inclusivity in mind.

Break out rooms with non-obtrusive lighting, spaces that encourage learning and a kitchen, a sick bay, staff office and meeting room will all contribute to the wellbeing of children.

Meanwhile, the outdoor learning zones have also been revitalised with extended verandahs that support regulation and engagement for adolescent students.

Mr Sword said it was the work of all teachers and staff which had made the project flourish.

“I’m only one part of what we do here, we’ve got some fantastic staff here that love what they do and we have to make sure that we’re giving kids opportunities to learn.”

The buildings were funded by the Victorian Independent Schools Block Grant Authority (VISBGA).

Mr Sword said the outdoor area was originally quite a dangerous place and not suitable for children, but it now is considered a safe spot for children.

“It’s a real easy level appealing area where kids can easily come outside, they can access this area and it’s purpose built for juniors so it’s just a junior area,” he said.

He mentioned the popular sandpit at the school, saying they had to build another to solve demands.

“Over and the sandpit’s been a really popular area which we’ve had to build another one to avoid some things.”

“We can have kids that go out and we can regulate them and get them into a space where they can calm them down, which has been fantastic to see,” Mr Sword said.

“It’s good to just say that a bunch of people who love what they do and love supporting our kids because that’s what we’re here for.”

The red ribbon was cut near the end of the event.

Donna Buang to snap his gorgeous picture.

The photos were taken looking over Healesville/Tarrawarra. (Laura Madigan)

A stunning array of colours lit the night sky. (517679)

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was met with plenty of smiles. (Oliver Winn: 517454)

Signalling of a centenary

By Callum Ludwig

The Royal Australian Corps of Signals (RASigs), the army faction responsible for communications and cyber capability, chose the Yarra Valley to celebrate its 100-year anniversary in 2025.

Former service members of the RASigs picked out Healesville for the occasion, spending a week in town before a formal dinner at Rochford Wines on Saturday 15 November, as well as spending time with the Princess Royal (Anne), who visited Australia and Simpson’s Barracks in Watsonia as the Signals Corps’ Colonel-in-Chief for the anniversary.

Healesville resident and former member of the RASigs Michael ‘Shane’ Porter said he hadn’t see a lot of attendees for w hile and a lot of them he met 40 years ago.

“They’ve all changed, we’ve all got older, a bit grayer, but just to see them again and make contact with some of them after we lived together, fought together or trained together has been really nice,” he said.

“To welcome them here to Healesville is magnificent, they’ve all been having a really good time, we’ve been down at the Terminus Hotel, they’re all supporting local.

“There’s been over 250 people here for this one week and they’re all staying in all the BnBs, the hotels, they’re out shopping today with their wives, so it’s really nice to showcase what we call the Yarra Valley has got.”

Mr Porter served for nine years from the age of 25 with the RASigs before two cerebral hemorrhages forced him to be discharged after spending three years at Simpsons Barracks in Watsonia, before spending some time up in Queensland and then stationed back in Melbourne.

Mr Porter said one of the biggest things he took from his time in the military was the importance of camaraderie.

“We all learn to live with people because we’re living with each other 24/7, you learn to learn the different skills of living together and building up

team institutions that have been going for a long time, but it was really nice to meet a lot of different people, different ages and different backgrounds,” he said.

“Some of these people have been in the military for over 35 years, the longest serving person we’ve got in our corps has been a non-stop serving member for 47 years and he’s here visiting from Queensland this year.

“A lot of them are from Queensland, a lot of them have done Vietnam tours or tours to Afghanistan or Iraq, most of them now are retired but we still live and breathe what we learnt in the military.”

Mr Porter joined the military after being inspired by his father-in-law, who served for 25 years, including in Korea.

The Healesville reunion was organised by Bruce Long, who has served as the President of the RASigs Association in South Australia and is a board member of the RASigs official charity the

Certa Cito Foundation.

Mr Long said they’d been to Healesville for a reunion before, back in 2016.

There’s a lot of people here who are not well and have still tried to do their best to get here though a lot have pulled out sadly as we’ve got so many people with cancers and all sorts of sickness,” he said.

“The last one we did was in Townsville in 2021, and we had a really good turnout for that, a couple hundred or so, but it’s always good to catch up with mates and there’s a couple of people here, I haven’t seen for 40 years.

“When you catch up, and especially when you spend your military life with a lot of them, it’s just exceptional and I think it gives everybody a few extra years of life because you get a bit of a purpose if you know what I mean.”

Mr Long fulfilled a lifelong dream when he joined the army in 1073, following in his father’s footsteps who was a Korean War veteran, and al-

ways wanted to be a signaller.

Mr Long said the friendships were what meant the most to him about his time in the military.

“After 20 years, I basically got out of the regular service and then kept in touch through the reserves and then moved into the other areas, it’s been pretty good but everybody here has got similar stories where they’re still involved and trying to bring people like the veterans together,” he said.

“When you’re in the services, you are on forever as a friend, that’s why it’s so great to catch up with these people.

“You’re digging holes and firing bullets and all sorts of stuff with people and then you don’t see them for 20 or 30 years but all of a sudden, here they are, though they don’t look the same, they look very old though I’m sure that’s something they’d be saying about me too.”

The Australian Army’s signallers also gathered at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance on 14 February this year to mark the 100th anniversary to the day of its formation.

Head of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals Brigadier Deane Limmer CSM said at the time that it had been a century of rapid change.

“For more than a century, the corps has been developing and responding to emerging technology, giving the ADF a competitive edge,” he said.

“Army signallers have been keeping the Australian Army and the ADF connected over the last century, leading the way in technology adoption and advancement at every turn.

“For a century, families have supported us and made sacrifices, making this year’s celebrations a show of gratitude for their part in serving alongside us. In 2025, we will celebrate, commemorate and connect.”

More than 100,000 signallers have served in the Corps since the First World War and today, the Corps has a workforce of approximately 3000 trained personnel, with an average of 300 personnel joining each year.

A better retirement lifestyle from $590k

Be part of a vibrant Community and enjoy

• Close to all amenities - health professionals, supermarkets, public transport

• Village volunteers can assist you around the house

• Monthly calendar of events

• 24 Hour Emergency Assistance

• Fully equipped gym

• Heated indoor pool

• Hairdresser, Massage & Podiatry services

the Facilities

• 4-rink Bowling Green

• Entertainment Lounge

• Library and Computer Room

Signallers were generously hosted by the Healesville Bowling Club on Wednesday 12 November. (Callum Ludwig: 517214)

Paddy turns back pages

By Gabriella Vukman

You’d never peg Healesville resident Paddy Green for 100. With a shock of thick white hair and bold round glasses framing her steely blue eyes, she looks more like someone who might invite you in for tea and end up telling the best story you’ll hear all week.

Once you get past grappling with the concept of what someone having witnessed 100 years worth of Australian history should look like, Paddy will take you by surprise once more when she whips out her dry, yet killer sense of humour.

And don’t think you will get away with not paying your utmost attention when visiting Paddy. She will be the first to call you out (good naturedly) on any slip up in sentence structure or misunderstanding.

Now that you have, I hope, some understanding of what kind of person Paddy Green is, I will move on to describing my delightful, insightful encounter with her.

As I alighted the stairs of the retirement home, past the many skeletons and ghouls that adorned the walls for Halloween, I had no idea what to expect from my interview with Paddy Green. Would she be able to remember her time with her husband and children? Would she be receptive and up to the task of engaging with my questions?

Of course, not five minutes later, I quickly realised my fears were completely unfounded.

Upon entering Paddy’s residence, I was immediately asked who I was and what I was doing there. After establishing that I was the journalist ‘here to interview her about her son’s book,’ I was promptly offered to take a seat next to her and begin my ‘questioning.’

A Mouse at Moresby

At 100, Paddy Green has lived long enough to see her family’s history come back to her in a way few do. This time, it arrived between two covers.

The freshly published book A Mouse at Moresby was a recent gift to Paddy from her stepson who is also the book’s author, Tony Green.

Tony wrote about his father, and the man Paddy (somewhat controversially at the time) married in her 50s, a wartime photographer named Irvine whose lens captured both the chaos and the quiet of World War II.

Though Irvine died in 1997, the Mouse at Moresby book has brought him back to life for Paddy.

From attending basic training in freezing Ballarat to photographing air raids in Port Moresby, Irvine and his photography played a large role in reconnaissance efforts during the war.

Along with capturing much of his World War II experience through the lens of his camera, Irvine also left behind a series of memoirs and

diary entries, depicting his inner thoughts and personal encounters.

These memoirs are featured in A Mouse at Moresby, a copy of which now rests in the hands of Paddy Green.

Seeing as Paddy was not married to Irvine

during the war, her step-son’s book gave her an understanding of Irvine’s experiences for the first time.

“He never talked about the war. I never knew that side of him. Probably because of the trauma,” Paddy said.

“This book brings him back to life. It really does. But I didn’t know him then,” she said.

“I miss him so much. Every day, you know, I think about him.”

Paddy’s first encounter with Irvine was arranged by a friend of hers.

“When I first met him I thought, ‘oh, he seemed nice, but he’s plain as a pig,’” Paddy said.

“Not that I’m one that worried about that, but when he rang me again I said ‘I am sorry but there will not be a second date,’” she said.

“Anyhow, I went to work and I was thinking about him all day. I realised that I really liked him so I rang him and it went from there.”

Paddy married Irvine after a few months.

“He asked me to marry him but he said he didn’t have much money,” Paddy said.

“I said, ‘well, money is not everything’….But I didn’t realise he was absolutely broke!”

Describing her first marriage, before Irvine, as toxic, Paddy noted how paradoxically loving and wonderful her marriage with Irvine was.

“I left my first husband despite my parents advising against it. It wasn’t what was done back in the day,” Paddy said.

“I am so lucky to have had the years I did with Irvine. They were just wonderful.

“Losing him has left a hole in my life. I know he wouldn’t be alive now because I am so ancient. But I still get teary when I think of him.”

According to Paddy, Irvine was quite reserved.

“He wasn’t much of a smiler, but when he did, it was just lovely.

“He had a great sense of humour and we did laugh together,” she said.

Paddy noted that Irvine died peacefully and with a smile on his face.

“We had just had breakfast and he wasn’t feeling to flash so I said, ‘go back to bed love.’ I’ll do the washing up.”

“I came in to him in bed and I threw the tea towel across my shoulder and said, ‘I suppose I have got to do the washing up myself.’ He laughed,” Paddy said.

“I went out to do some gardening and when I came back, Irvine was dead. Our dog was sitting on his chest and he had a smile on his face. He died happy.”

As Paddy closed A Mouse at Moresby, she wiped a tear from her eye.

“We had a wonderful relationship. Just absolutely marvellous,” she said as she dipped a biscuit into her coffee.

After a moment’s pause, she turned to face me, and clutched my hand.

“Well Gabriella thank you for coming, it has been lovely meeting you, but now I would like to drink my coffee.”

You are most welcome Paddy. It was lovely to meet you.

Honouring the fallen in Healesville with laying of wreaths

By Callum Ludwig

At 11am on 11 November, veterans, service members and people from the Healesville community gathered to honour those who have served in conflict.

Sheltering from the rain inside the Healesville RSL, attendees reflected on the sacrifice of those who have fought in world wars and other conflicts.

Healesville RSL president Colette Shaw led the service and said it is an important day of reflection and remembrance.

“The first World War was in its time the most destructive conflict yet ever experienced by humanity, when it began in August 1914, few imagined the course that it would take or foresaw its terrible toll,” she said.

“From a population of just under five million, more than 400,000 Australians enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces (the AIF) and more than 330,000 served overseas… more than 60,000 Australians lost their lives, a devastating toll for a small country, yet there were relatively few.

“Around the world, some 10 million military personnel died in what was then called the Great War, families and communities everywhere were affected by the enormous loss and when an armistice ended the fighting on the 11th of November 1918, celebrations in the victorious nations were tempered by grief and sorrow.”

Wreaths were laid at the front of the room by or on behalf of the Healesville RSL, Casey MP Aaron Violi, Eildon MP Cindy McLeish, Yarra Ranges Council, Healesville Rotary Club, Heales-

ville High School, Healesville Primary School and St Brigid’s Primary School.

Ms Shaw shared the story of Healesville’s Lance Corporal Vivian George Taylor and said he was born in 1891 and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces alongside his brother Jack on 7 July 1915.

“At the time, Vivian was 24 years and two months old, single, working as a laborer who stood at 170 centimeters tall with brown eyes and brown hair, initially assigned to the 58th Battalion, Vivian and Jack trained at Tel el Kebir in Egypt, a major military camp during World War I, especially for the AIF,” she said.

“On the 23rd of February 1916, Vivian was officially taken on strength by the 23rd Battalion, meaning he was formally counted as part of its personnel. Vivian arrived in France on the 25th of July 1916, and joined the 23rd Battalion Second Division at the front lines on the 7th of August 1916 during the Battle of Poziers.

“Though a small village, Poziers held strategic

importance due to its elevated terrain, Vivian was wounded twice in August, but showed remarkable resilience, rejoining his unit swiftly.”

Bugler John Stanhope OAM played The Last Post and The Ode to the Fallen was read by Lieutenant Christie Olney of the 3rd Health Battalion, Operational Support Company, for the platoon commander.

The Healesville High School played Abide with Me.

Ms Shaw said the Battle of Poziers was to become one of the most devastating for the AIF, with over 23,000 casualties, including 6,800 deaths, figures comparable to the entire Gallipoli campaign.

“It was the Battle of Hamel on the 4th of July, 1918, that Vivian paid the ultimate price, under the command of General Sir John Monash, the battle aimed to straighten the front line and capture the village of Hamel and the surrounding high ground,” she said.

“Monash’s meticulous planning integrated infantry, artillery, tanks, and aircraft in a coordinated assault, the battle lasted just 93 minutes and was hailed as a tactical triumph and although Vivian survived the main engagement, he was tragically killed the following day as his battalion advanced to a more defensible position near Hamel, he was 27 years old.

“For nearly a century, Vivian lay in an unmarked grave near Villers-Bretonneux, his headstone at the Australian National War Memorial Cemetery simplu read ‘an Australian soldier of the Great War’ and it would take until 2015, when researcher Dennis Frank identified Vivian’s grave by cross-referencing his death location, battalion

number, and service history while eliminating some 15 other Lance Corporal Taylors.”

Dennis Frank founded Fallen Diggers after visiting Potijze Burial Ground Cemetery in Belgium during his honeymoon and to date, they have identified 48 Australian, New Zealand, and British soldiers.

In 2017, Lance Corporal Vivian Taylor was honoured with a re-dedication ceremony at Villers-Bretonneux, where he was posthumously awarded the 1914 Star Medal, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Vivian’s brother, Lance Corporal Jack Taylor served in the 14th Battalion and he was wounded twice, once by gunshot to the hand on April 17 1917 and again by gas exposure in February 1918 and he returned home safely on 14 June 1919, having received the Victory Medal and the British War Medal before was officially discharged on the 2 September, 1919.

To conclude the service, Healesville High School’s school captains Kailee and Erica read the poems ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae and ‘Remembrance’ by Frederick George Scott.

Healesville resident Paddy Green, 100, with the book A Mouse at Moresby and a photo of her husband Irvine. (Gabriella Vukman: 517440)

Poppies planted by attendees. (Callum Ludwig: 516934)

Wreaths laid in honour of those who served. (Callum Ludwig: 516934)

Solemn service at Wandin’s cenotaph

By Oliver Winn

Members of the community weathered the rain to gather at the Wandin North cenotaph on 11 November, where they commemorated Remembrance Day and acknowledged the sacrifice of those who served in war.

Though the morning had been sodden, the rain held off for the half hour service, as if the clouds themselves partook in the ceremony to offer reprieve from the rain.

The service was led by Rotary Club of Wandin foundation chair Brian Hodgson who reflected on what the sombre day meant for all those who served in war, no matter their alliance.

“This week commemorates a hundred years since the Royal Australian Army Signals Corps was established. There’s a lot to remember and to reflect on,” he said.

Veterans and other members of the community laid their wreaths at the cenotaph and paid their respects to the fallen.

Wandin Yallock Primary School students William and Clay read the poem, We Shall Keep the Faith, with dignity and honour as the crowd listened in silence.

They were shortly followed by Wandin North Primary School students Kaylie, Lewis, Matilda and Ryan who read The Ode to the Fallen.

The clock hit 11am, where only the sounds of birds and the wind could be heard as everyone observed the minute of silence.

Mr Hogdson invited people to offer a comment on what Remembrance Day meant to them,

and a lady spoke of her husband’s uncle, Harold Manders.

“He was in the first World War at Gallipoli. He did return and he actually built the house that we live in today, which is just down the road here from the primary school at 105 Quayle Road,” she said.

It was an example of how those who served aren’t only valued for their efforts at war, but also for the contributions they had back at home.

Just over 103,000 Australian soldiers died in war according to the Australian War Memorial, and millions more died worldwide.

Mr Hodgson spoke of the role Indigenous Australians played in World War Two and acknowl-

Remembrance reverberates throughout Seville school

By Oliver Winn

An unexpected change in location for Remembrance Day in Seville saw the service end up in Seville Primary School, where the next generation were taught the importance of reflection, remembrance and respect.

Crowds initially gathered at the Seville War Memorial on Tuesday 11 November to reflect on the soldiers who sacrificed their lives protecting their country.

When the weather turned sour, the crowd made their way to Seville Primary School where the ceremony was met with a sombre sense of enthusiasm by the entire school.

Seville War Memorial Committee chair Anthony McAleer OAM led the ceremony and said the 50-person strong crowd bore the icy weather for the ceremony.

“Traditionally we will continue to do a Remembrance Day service, it doesn’t matter what the weather conditions are. We’re lucky at the fact that we’ve got an undercover area if it’s raining,” he said.

Initially, students from Seville Primary School were supposed to arrive at the ceremony to learn about the memorial’s history with the school, but the weather prevented it.

“So we all headed up to the school afterwards in their undercover area… and we held another ceremony. The kids were very enthusiastic and they embraced the whole thing,” Mr McAleer said.

Initially marking the armistice of World War One, Remembrance Day took on greater meaning after World War Two to include all wars and conflicts.

Just over 103,000 Australian soldiers have died in war according to the Australian War Memorial, and millions more died worldwide.

Numbers often minimise the sense of humanity accompanying each loss, but the war memorial’s stories of four soldiers who went to Seville Primary School ensured their legacy lives on.

edged the troubled history of colonial Australia.

“In my first year of teaching I worked at Robinvale alongside many veterans awarded soldier settlement blocks at the state of World War Two.

“This may sound like it’s unrelated but in the 1940 census it was recorded that there were 50,000 adult Aboriginal people living in Australia.

He said despite regulations prohibiting Aboriginal people from serving in the war, 4000 of them fought for the country alongside other Australians.

“I thought it was very interesting, but what interested me just as much was the fact that on their return from the war not one of them was awarded a soldier settlement placement in Robinvale,” Mr Hogdson said.

Rotary Club of Wandin president Peter Johnson spoke of Remembrance Day’s origin, where it was originally called Armistice Day before World War Two.

“Around the world, some 10 million military personnel died in what was then called the Great War. Families and communities everywhere were affected by the enormous loss.

“Two decades after the First World War ended, the world was plunged into a second global conflict. No longer could Armistice Day remain a day only to remember the dead of the First World War.”

“When we pause at 11am on the 11th of November, we reflect on the price that Australia and countries around the world have paid through more than a century of war and conflict,” Mr Johnson said.

“There’s a strong connection with their [Seville Primary] school and the figures that are represented on the memorial. In fact the four figures all went to Seville Primary School.

“They [Seville Primary School students] also read out the role of honour. Remembrance day is one of those ones where we like to get the schools involved as part of the ceremony, because it certainly helps establish in their mind what it’s all about, but it also becomes a bit of a rite of passage too,” Mr McAleer said.

Lilydale RSL member Peter Paterson read the Ode to the Fallen poem while Ian Douglas delivered a beautifully sombre rendition of the Last Post.

Then, the clock struck 11, and for sixty seconds, silence hung in the air as people took the time to acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers in all conflicts, no matter their alliance.

At the end of the ceremony, floral tributes were scattered at the foot of the war memorial, representing how the lives of the fallen still bloom in our thoughts.

The rain paused briefly for the ceremony before starting promptly after. (Oliver Winn: 516801)

Rotary Club of Wandin foundation chair Brian Hodgson speaks at the Remembrance Day ceremony. (516801) Wreaths were laid from members of the community. (516801)

Wandin Yallock and Wandin North primary school students reflect at the cenotaph. (516801)

The entire school gathered to participate in the service and reflect on the sacrifice of those who lost their lives in war. (Supplied)

The wet weather meant the service was held undercover. (Supplied)

VAN’s art is From the Heart

By Oliver Winn

The Warburton Waterwheel’s art exhibition this November is hosting an array of art carefully crafted by the Valley Arts Network (VAN).

Titled From the Heart, the aptly named exhibition showcases work from 16 different artists which emanate with emotion and individuality.

VAN member Di King it was the group’s fifth exhibition together and while it didn’t have any particular theme, the art surrounds things each artist is individually passionate about.

“It’s been a free way of putting together what they wanted to display. So they’re all hung in groups of the individual artist,” Ms King said.

All 16 artists have their own spot where a variety of subjects and styles are depicted.

From brilliant birds to picturesque paintings of pastoral landscapes, the exhibition has something for everyone.

Ms King started painting in 1980 after she spontaneously quit her job to take up art lessons - now she lives in Healesville, where she takes inspiration from the world around her.

“It was scary but I took it on with such a passion, and I still love it,” she said.

Using oil paints as her main medium, her works depict detailed landscapes of the high country and evocative portraits of her daughter - though she said there’s not a particular subject she focuses on.

“It’s a very difficult question when people say, ‘What’s my favourite subject’, it depends.”

“I guess I’m more of a GP, and not a specialist,” Ms King said.

Denise Smith is another artist from the Yarra Valley whose works are characterised by a vibrant, yet realistic style, which mostly features birds.

Having volunteered at the Healesville Sanctuary for 12 years, she spent a lot of time observing many species of birds.

“That was great because the more you sit still, the more they come out, and you can see them up close and see what they do,” Ms Smith said.

She hasn’t studied art, rather her skill comes from experience, having drawn since she was a child.

“I haven’t got any formal pieces of paper. It’s just been an ongoing learning all through my life, so it’s just evolved as I got older.”

Other mediums of art such as pottery and metalwork were on display.

VAN member Bev Hardridge showcased her range of pottery works from various styles at the exhibition.

She likes to switch up subjects and styles frequently in an effort to find fresh and exciting ideas.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

“I don’t stick with one style, I like to try different things and new things. So I get bored with doing the same style all the time,” she said.

She often collaborates with her husband where they combine metalworking with pottery to create innovative works.

“Since I’ve done pottery we’ve sort of worked out that we can join the two mediums together and in different ways so it’s been a bit of a fun journey,” Ms Hardridge said.

One of the more recent members of VAN is Healesville-based Mary Anderson who is known for her diverse style.

Her works are eclectic and varied, ranging from quirky, cartoonish renditions of a bird be-

fore its morning coffee, impressionistic and textured seascapes and logical, geometric assortments.

“I’m known for my diversity, so I don’t want to be known as the bird lady or the flower lady.”

“I like to paint what I like in whatever medium I want to use, depending on what I’m thinking about or feeling about,” Ms Anderson said.

She also likes to use an array of techniques such as gelli printing and creating surface texture to capture the mood of her subjects.

VAN member Julie Ricketts specialises in pastel and oils with the majority of her paintings taking inspiration from traditional styles.

She started painting 35 years ago to keep

herself occupied when she lost her job due to a health condition.

“I wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing so I taught myself to paint at home,” Ms Ricketts said.

Looking to make more of an impact with her art, she completed a diploma in holistic creative art therapies, and now she runs a 10-week program to help people with expressing emotions through art.

“I used art as a therapy when I lost my job. And if not for that, I don’t know where I’d be right now, so I understand the benefit,” Ms Ricketts said.

The exhibition is on until 30 November.

Remembering Father Charles Cerini, Warburton priest

By Robert Windsor

As a former parishgoer of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church Warburton, I wish to express my concern, and also that of quite a number of locals, at the cluster of the 100 year old historic church.

Of all the pastors serving the church, was Father Charles Cerini leaving an indelible impression on all whom he served.

“The judgement of everyone who knew him was that he was unique, and irreplaceable; and very likely possessed of that type of greatness which becomes immortal” (Author Niall Brennan, Yarra Valley News Sep 17, 1968).

Fr Cerini was a country boy born in Victoria’s western district of Colac in 1932.

When he finished school, he demonstrated his budding talent by erecting a much needed sporting pavilion.

He was tall at six-foot-three and gangly and had a loud distinctive laugh. He was always cheerful and supportive and caring.

His main characteristic was that he was a man of faith and it was his belief that inspired and led his social outlook.

If anything was given to him, it would be given to someone else in need.

One local said of Fr Cerini: “He was the best bloke I’ve ever met.”

In 1944 he served as chaplain, attended many executions and founded a half-way home for exprisoners.

For the rest of his life, ex-prisoners would drop in to see him, knowing they would always be welcome.

The archdiocese sent Fr Cerini to Warburton to become their Parish Priest.

The Sacred Heart Parish was based in Warburton, covered a large area, but was relatively poor.

There was no Catholic school.

Fr Cerini’s solution to every problem was to roll up his sleeves and get to work!

The parish needed a school, so he built one.

The nuns needed a convent, so he built one.

The Warburton School is now called the Cerini centre.

Any large building needs additional labour.

Fr Cerini inspired people to help, this was not limited to Catholics, many Seventh Day Adventists gave assistance, and many workers from the dam would travel down to Warburton on the weekends to help out.

Skilled tradesmen, labourers, families and children all donated their time and labour to construct the school and convent.

When the high school moved from Warburton to Yarra Junction, the school bus was expected to

carry the Catholic children.

When the Victorian Education Department did not allow this to happen, Fr Cerini acquired a bus to drive the children to and from school every school day.

Fr Cerini marched the children between Yarra Junction and Warburton twice a day for two weeks.

The Melbourne Age newspaper published about the week.

As a result, the Education Department relented and allowed the children to travel on the bus.

In September 1968, Fr Cerini died suddenly from leukaemia.

In the central hall of St Joseph’s Catholic School, members of society, professional people, labourers, locals, outsiders, Catholics and many others gathered for the funeral.

It was often said Fr Cerini was central to the development of the Sacred Heart Parish in Warburton.

The Church of Warburton was opened and blessed by Archbishop Daniel Mannix in 2025.

Father Cerini died in 1968, but his impact is still remembered by many. (Cerini Centre)

L-R: VAN members Julie Ricketts, Bev Hardidge, Mary Anderson, Di King, Denise Smith. (Oliver Winn: 517438)

It is located at the Warburton Waterwheel and is on until 30 November. (517438)

The exhibition showcases all 16 VAN members’ art. (517438)

Richard Higgins is mayor

On Tuesday, 11 November, I had the privilege of being elected as Mayor of Yarra Ranges by my peers, along with Chandler Ward Councillor, Gareth Ward, who was elected Deputy Mayor.

For the coming year, I’ll be working with my Deputy and my fellow Councillors to maintain and improve the things we all love about the Yarra Ranges – the environment, our local infrastructure, and our programs that service more than 150,000 community members.

Though my ward is in the urban area of the municipality, I’m keenly aware of the opportunities and issues that impact our regional areas, such as the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges – both through my time at council and through

the passionate advocates that are my fellow councillors.

This will be my second term leading the Yarra Ranges, having been Mayor through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, lock downs

and restrictions.

I’m proud of how Council and its staff led the community during this time, and though this coming year will surely have its own unique challenges, we’ll rise to meet it as we always have – together.

As I step into the Mayor’s role, I’m mindful that we’re facing the potential of an extraordinarily warm summer. I’d like to start my term by asking every community member to think of their emergency plans and make sure they’re up to scratch before the weather heats up.

Just make sure that, as we head into the summer months, you have an emergency plan in the event of a bushfire or natural disaster. It’s easy to do when you don’t need it, but it’s crucial to have

Terrific acting garners rave review

The 1812 Theatre

Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica

A romantic story written by David Williamson.

A story of love between two very different people Gary, a trasdie and Monica a retired violinist with tendonitis in her shoulder.

Miss Monica was played by Angeline Thompson.

A wonderful performance and worked well with Gary.

Some of her scenes were a sheer delight with a change of heart from classical music to understanding Country and Western Music.

Actually, she didn’t really like Country and Western but her tradie, Gary did.

Monica was a violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and some of her scenes while listening to classical music were delightful.

Gary, played by Nigel Leslie was a tradie bought in by Miss Monica to redo her kitchen.

But Gary turned out to be a Country and Western singer called Rhinestone Rex and has a spot on the local community radio.

Gary started work in the kitchen then asked Monica what she was playing. He was not impressed.

Nigel gave the character a great performance working well with Angeline.

They worked well together and some of their scenes were remarkable.

A good performance from both characters.

The 1812 Theatre had a great set, Miss Monica’s apartment the lounge room with a door to the audience’s right to the kitchen where Gary was working.

This changed into a bar at the local pub by swinging the audience right wall out and the pub

scene indicated by two chairs and a table.

Aneline’s performance in this scene was terrific, a contrast to how she played her role previously. Nigel balanced her performance with expertise and left the audience wondering what they were up to.

A wonderful evening by the 1812 Theatre and a shoe worth seeing.

Maho Magic Bar Direct from Japan Australia’s favourite Japanese magic bar delighted and stunned Melbourne audiences in 2023 with rave reviews.

With new and astonishing illusions, Maho Magic bar by Broad Encounters is returning to Melbourne as part of the brand new Spiegel Haus Melbourne, ready to astound afresh.

With fresh tricks and even fresher cocktails, Maho Magic Bar jets audiences straight to a neonlit Tokyo night, with all the mischief, mayhem, cocktails, and laughter you could wish for.

To enter Maho Magic Bar is to find yourself an intimate, bespoken space in which your every sense will be stimulated.

Take a seat, elect a drink and be ready to be wowed in disbelief as the very best of Japan’s superstar sleight-of-hand specialists perform exclusive magic shows at our table.

Audiences will see these masters at work at

it, if the worst occurs.

Factor in meeting places, when to leave early, and what happens with animals, and make sure everyone in your family is across your plan.

We’ll be working to prepare the region in our parks, gardens and reserves, with our bundled branches and hard waste collections coming up over summer.

Now, and year-round, we’ll continue to work hand in hand with our community to make the Yarra Ranges the best place to live, work and play in.

I’m honoured to be your Mayor for the coming year, and I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming year.

best of the year of king

The Running Man Starring Glenn Powell, Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin M

3.75/5

Based on the 1982 novel by Stephen King (previously adapted in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger), The Running Man is a decently entertaining time but the weakest of this year’s many King movies.

In a totalitarian future United States, Ben Richards (Glenn Powell) signs up for The Running Man, a deadly game show in which contestants must survive on the run for thirty days.

point blank range, putting a wild contemporary spin on magic traditions which date back to Japan’s Edo period.

• Where: Spiegel Haus 217 Lonsdale St Melbourne.

• Season: 25 November – 15 February 2026. Eltham Little Theatre Whodunnit?

This Broadway success by the author of Sleuth takes audiences to Agatha Christie’s England.

Six strangers and a butler have gathered for a black tie dinner in a wealthy lawyer’s mansion during a thunderstorm.

The guests include an aged rear admiral, a bitchy aristocrat, a doddering old archaeologist, a dashing young cad and other Chistie types.

One of the guests is an unscrupulous bounder, who tells the others (each in private) that he has the goods to blackmail them.

He’s ripe for murder and so it happens. Whodunnit?

This is the company’s dinner table seating event.

BYO Food and Beverages.

• Season: Friday 21 November – Saturday 6 December

• Bookings: 0411 713 095

The Roud Theatre Flop Fresh from a hit season at The Edinburgh Fringe, Arthur Hull brings us his best songs from the worst musicals ever written.

The neon lights aren’t always bright on Broadway.

This show is a love letter to the rollercoaster world of musicals and the people who make them.

Powell is an ever-likeable lead as Ben, and Colman Domingo is a supernova of charisma as Bobby T, the exuberant host of the Running Man show. The film’s bombastic first act establishes the severe poverty of much of the population and the miasma of commercialism and junky reality TV that keeps them in check, and the crass, gaudy atmosphere reminds me of Night City in the video game Cyberpunk 2077. The film’s highlight is a funny sequence of plucky revolutionary Elton Parrakis (Michael Cera) repelling Network troops with Home Alone-style traps, but the rest of the action is unmemorable.

The Running Man has a big problem managing time and magnitude. Ben lasts more than two weeks before striking back at the show’s organisers; this long timespan, which often jumps forward several days, drains the urgency somewhat. Josh Brolin is compelling as Dan Killian, the unassailably confident producer of the Running Man show, but Ben is effectively ordained for success as Dan exerts a Machiavellian control over every aspect of his journey. On some level, Ben is a pawn of the media machine even as he wins, but he has limited agency and the threats he faces have little to no impact anymore.

The Running Man has fun characters and intoxicating satire (especially in the first act), but never quite comes together as an action movie, and is playing in most Victorian cinemas.

- Seth Lukas Hynes

PUZZLES

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

South American carnivorous fish (7)

Small egg-shaped wind instrument (7)

Decorative display (11)

Wet weather wear (8)

Mendicant monk (5)

Loop with running knot (5)

Admits (coll) (6,2)

Bunch (3)

Determinants (11)

Form of sugar (7)

Sports ground (7)

Logical whole (8)

Alliance (6)

Compromises (coll) (5,4)

Manipulating (5)

Written versions of speeches (11)

10 Attractiveness (6)

12 In date order (11)

15 Threatening actions of persuasion (9)

17 Uplifting (9)

18 People who abstain from all animal products (6)

21 Man’s formal evening suit (6)

23 Verity (5)

25 Effigy (5)

28 French term for a married woman (abbr) (3)

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four

A REFINED HILLSIDE RETREAT WITH ENDLESS POSSIBILITY

HILLSIDE RETREAT WITH ENDLESS POSSIBILITY

PERFECTLY positioned at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, this elegant and expansive family home captures the essence of refined Hills living - sweeping forest and mountain views, tranquil surrounds, and the luxury of serenity without the upkeep.

Set in a peaceful, community-minded enclave at the base of the 1000 Steps, the home offers the best of both worlds - a private retreat just moments from Upper Ferntree Gully Station, shops, schools, cafes, restaurants, Angliss Hospital, and beautiful walking trails.

Designed for effortless family living and entertaining, the home unfolds across two spacious levels showcasing light-filled interiors, multiple living zones, and seamless indoor–outdoor connection.

Downstairs – A Private Parents’ Sanctuary

The lower level offers the ultimate parents’ retreat, featuring a king-sized master bedroom with ensuite, a generous living area with garage access, and private garden viewsperfect for multi-generational living or a selfcontained space (STCA).

Upstairs – Family Functionality and Views

Upstairs, the updated kitchen with breakfast bar forms the heart of the home, surrounded by four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a study. The open-plan living and dining area flows effortlessly onto a north-facing entertaining deck - a breathtaking spot to soak in panoramic views across the mountains and treetops.

Outdoor Lifestyle & Sustainability

Set on a beautifully tiered, landscaped block,

the property has been thoughtfully designed for practicality and sustainability. With solar power and Tesla battery storage, three separate driveways, and ample off-street parking, there’s space for a caravan, boat, or future shed (STCA). The secure, usable yard provides plenty of room for children, pets, and outdoor gatherings.

Crafted with care and designed for versatility, this property offers endless potential - whether for large families, multigenerational living, or those seeking a peaceful hillside retreat with exceptional convenience.

Highlights

• Picturesque elevated setting with panoramic mountain and forest views

• 5–6 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | study | multiple living zones

• Downstairs parents’ retreat with ensuite and private living area

• Updated kitchen with breakfast bar and open-plan living

• Expansive entertaining deck with sweeping views

• 13.82kW solar system with Tesla battery for energy efficiency

• Tiered gardens, three driveways & ample off-street parking

• Potential for caravan/boat parking, large shed or second dwelling (STCA)

• Ducted heating, split-system cooling & ceiling fans

• Moments from Upper Gully Station, shops, cafes & the 1000 Steps ●

HOME FOCUS

TRI-LEVEL, ARCHITECTURALLY DESIGNED, VIEWS

THIS western red cedar home, inspired by mid-century modernist architecture, welcomes you into its generous open spaces - finished to a high standard - both inside and out. Elevated to appreciate the wondrous views incorporating the bay, city, and national park, you need to spend time here to find your favourite place to just ‘be.’

Sunsets, misty mountain vistas, native birds, as well as storms rolling in across the city and the bay are all experienced through the seasons from various angles and aspects.

The house sits proudly, architecturally designed with functionality for both connection and privacy, the floorplan has the versatility to be multi-generational, support working remotely or invite multiple spaces for the family and guests to have their own spaces.

The top two levels host most of the day-to-day areas of the home, a designer kitchen with both walk-in pantry and separate butler’s pantry, polished stone bench tops, Smeg 2 x oven, grill and six burner stove, Asko dishwasher, coffee bar, clean lines, and functional bespoke cabinetry with LED lights. The expansive living spaces, where family and friends gather to share meals and stories whilst being surrounded by nature are comfortable, warm and flexible and include bespoke cabinets and storage areas. An indoor/outdoor flow, is offered seamlessly through floor to ceiling windows and Lift-andGlide Binq hardwood doors, with invisible pull-out fly screens.

Downstairs offers adaptability for a variety of needs, presently the primary suite, with sitting room, bedroom, and contemporary ensuite. It can easily transform into a separate

HOME ESSENTIALS

accommodation scenario with a kitchenette and laundry, large living space or extra bedroom (currently utilised as an artist’s studio), private deck access, and the same amazing views.

The house sits proudly on a 1/3 of an acre of established and landscaped terraced gardens with fruit trees.

Upon inspection you will be able to feel the sense of tranquility, beauty and character of this extraordinary home. You will notice the quality of materials and finishes throughout;

hardwood floors, Binq designer double glazed windows and doors (some with Tilt and Turn technology for security and sustainability), commissioned and customised timber fittings, wool carpets throughout – the attention to detail is exceptional.

There are also unseen upgrades, 6.3KW solar, fibre to the curb NBN, underfloor insulation, heating and cooling options including a Coonara wood fired stove, a house alarm, self-watering raised garden beds – a list of everything will be available.

Address: 29 Hughes Street, UPWEY Description: 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garage Price: $1,400,000 - $1,540,000 Inspect: By appointment

Contact: Janet Hawkins 0409 117 432 and Mick Dolphin 0429 684 522, RANGES FIRST NATIONAL REAL ESTATE 9754 6111

The residence is approximately one hour from Melbourne CBD, easily accessible by rail at nearby Upwey township. Here you will find a supermarket, dentist and pilates studio, restaurants, cafes, specialty stores, also bus connections, pre, primary and secondary schools. Visit local wineries, berry farms, local markets and national park walks including the famous 1000 steps, as well as the spectacular vistas from Mount Dandenong – all a short trip from your doorstep. ●

EMBRACE THE LIFESTYLE AT ‘MAPLE COTTAGE’

A true gem ready for its next chapter, ‘Maple Cottage’ radiates character and charm, all wrapped up in a delightful little package. The cottage is wonderfully cosy, featuring polished floorboards throughout, high ceilings, sash windows. The master bedroom includes an updated ensuite, while the second bedroom is a generous size, the third bedroom, is bathed in natural light and offers a serene garden outlook.

Open plan lounge, complete with a cosy fireplace, flows seamlessly into the kitchen and out to a gorgeous patio area, creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere with a divine aspect to sit back and enjoy.

Outside, you’ll find a studio, garden shed, and a garage with concrete floor, carport and multiple sitting areas where you can soak up the tranquility, and enjoy your garden with abundant fruit trees. Additional bonuses include solar panels and solar hot water, adding to the property’s appeal.

If you’ve been considering investing in the booming Warburton area, now is the time. With the highly anticipated Warburton Mountain Bike Destination opening up and several exciting new projects, this could be the property you’ve been waiting for.

Set on an approx. 800sqm block, this delightful cottage would suit a peaceful weekender or a charming home in a truly great location all just minutes from the picturesque walking trails and Yarra River, perfect for those refreshing summer dips. ●

RiversideLivingMadeEasy

Discoverthisneatandinvitinghomesetonaflat,lowmaintenanceblockdirectlyacrossfromthe picturesqueYarraRiver.Featuringthreebedroomsplusa study,thishomehasbeenthoughtfully updatedwitha modernkitchenandbathroom—readyforyoutomovestraightinandenjoy.The light-filledinteriorflowseffortlesslytoanoutdoorentertainingareacompletewithafirepit,idealfor relaxedeveningswithfamilyandfriends.Outside,you’llfind adoublecarport,plentyofadditional parking,anda super-tidyyardcompletewithlockupgardenshed,and afrontverandahideal forthemorningcuppa’s.Situatedjuststepsfromriverwalkingtracksandonlyminutestopublic transport,thispropertywillappealto awiderangeofbuyers—first-homeseekers,downsizers,orthose lookingforaneasy-carelifestylein abeautifulriversidesetting.

RebeccaDoolan M 0401832068

FamilyLivingatitsBestwithLoadsofExtras SittingonoverhalfanacreofflatusablelandandbackingontothepicturesqueHoddlesCreekthis locationissuperb.Thelargefamilyhomeboasts 4bedrooms, 3bathroomsand 2living/loungeareas with afunctionalandflexiblefloorplantosuitthegrowingfamily,thefreshmodernkitchenboasts qualityappliancesandfittingsthroughoutwithamplebenchandcupboardspace.Headoutside andenjoythefantasticoutdoorsanytimeoftheyearfromthecoveredentertainingBBQareato theingroundpool.Plentyofcaraccommodationwith ahugelockupgarage/workshopplusloads ofextraspacefortrucks,trailersandcaravans, aseparatebungalow/studioistheidealspotfor teenagers,weekendguestsorthedependentrelatives.A sensationalpropertyina gloriouslocation withjustminutesawaytolocalschools,shopsandtransport.

FamilySpaceandConvenienceina GreatLocation

Situatedinanideallocationjustminutesstrolltolocalschools,transportandWesburn’sever popularfoodandcoffeeoutlets -it’sa greatplacetobe.Thelargefamilyhomeoffersgreatvalue in afantasticlocationandoffering 4bedroomswitha largeopenkitchenwithamplebenchand cupboardspaceanda separatemeals/diningareaplus alargefamilysizelounge/livingroom.A greatsizeblockofapprox.790sqmwithsecurefencingforthekidsandpets. Alargeextrahigh carportidealforlargecars,trailersorcaravans,plusa gardenshedanda greatsizebackyardwith distantmountainviews.A superbpropertyin afantastic,convenientlocation- just afewminutes walktotheWarburtontrailandWesburnparksmountainbiketrailhubandsportingcomplex.

GloriousAcreswitha FantasticFamilyLifestyle Arareopportunitytosecurea beautifullypresentedsmallacreagepropertywithcommanding viewsinpeacefulsurroundings.Sittingonjustunder 7sensationalacreswith2 separateresidences andofferingtheidealrelaxedlifestyle.Themainhomeisspacious,beautifullypresentedandoffers 4goodsizebedroomsallwithbuiltinrobesincluding akingsizemasterbedroomwith awalkin robe,ensuiteandparentsretreat.Inadditiontothemainhomethereis aseparatewellpresented 3bedroomhomewithmultiplelivingandfamilyrooms,spaciouskitchenandmealsareait’sthe idealplaceforextrafamilymembersortheextendedfamily.Everyonewilllovetheoutdoorswith beautifulestablishedgardens,doublecarportplus atrueclassicoldstylebarnwithamplecar accommodationandworkshopspacewithupstairsgamesroomorextraaccommodation.

DavidCarroll M

24RiverRoad,Millgrove

HOME FOCUS

GRAND FAMILY ESTATE WITH DUAL LIVING ON 12.25 ACRES OF SCENIC EMERALD LAND

SET in one of Emerald’s most exclusive pockets, this stately, fully rendered brick residence delivers space, style, and flexibility on a grand scale. Melbourne, CBD is an easy hour away—yet here, you’ll feel a world apart.

From its elevated position, the home captures sweeping views across 12.25 acres of beautifully cleared land. Inside, the main residence offers four spacious bedrooms (all with WIRs), including a luxurious master suite with a superb ensuite. Multiple living zones— formal lounge and dining, family, meals, and rumpus—ensure comfort and room for the largest of families.

The gourmet timber kitchen is a chef’s delight, featuring granite benchtops and quality stainless steel appliances. Large, lightfilled windows frame the countryside views, while ducted gas heating and reverse-cycle air conditioning ensure year-round comfort.

A triple garage links the main home to the second, fully self-contained residence—ideal for extended family, guests, or even as an Airbnb income stream. Designed for complete independence, it offers two bedrooms (BIRs), a spacious living area, central kitchen, and large bathroom—all with separate utilities for ultimate privacy.

For the equestrian or hobby farmer, the property features eight fully fenced paddocks, each with water and electric fencing, plus a huge six-bay powered shed with lockable storage and hay bays. An extra-height 15m x 9m powered shed with drive-through access is perfect for trades, storage, or serious hobbies.

Outdoors, relax or entertain in the covered alfresco area, surrounded by immaculate gardens and sweeping lawns—ideal for summer cricket or family gatherings.

This is a rare opportunity to secure a premium lifestyle property just 4km from Emerald’s charming township. Grand, flexible, and beautifully maintained—homes of this calibre seldom come to market. ●

12MERVyNRoAD

IMMACULATELIFESTYLEPROPERTY

$1,495,000-$1,644,000

Proudlypositionedona beautifullylandscapedandfullyusable4,901m²(approx.) allotment,thisimmaculatelymaintainedhomeexudeswarmth,space,andtimeless character.With aversatile floorplandesignedformodernfamily living,thispropertyoffers exceptionalcomfortandlifestyle flexibility —allwithinminutesofWellingtonRoadand BelgraveCentral.

JanBrewster 0409558805

GrandFamilyEstateon12.5acres

Fromitselevatedposition,thehomecapturessweepingviewsacross12.25acresof beautifullyclearedland.Inside,themainresidenceoffersfourspaciousbedrooms(allwith WIRs),includinga luxuriousmastersuitewith asuperbensuite.Multiplelivingzones—formal loungeanddining,family,meals,andrumpus—ensurecomfortandroomforthelargest offamilies.

Large,light-filledwindowsframethecountrysideviews

MickDolphin 0429684522 CaitiEllis 0493136937

ClassicHillsHavenwithValleyViews

Stepintothecharmandcharacterofthisclassichillshome,perfectlypoisedtocapture beautifulviewsacrossthevalleytotherollinghillsbeyond Withhighceilingsanda warm,invitingatmosphere,thishomeoffers asunroom,also spaciouslivingzones,bothfeaturingcosy fires— idealforrelaxingorentertainingthrough theseasons.Thereardeckisperfectlypositionedtotakeinthestunningscenery,making ittheultimatespotformorningcoffeeoreveningsunsets.

MickDolphin 0429684522 CaitiEllis

Nestledina peacefulsettingwithleafyviews,thisbeautifullypresentedfour-bedroom homeofferstheperfectblendofcomfort,style,andpracticality— allwithinwalking distancetotown

Stepinsidetodiscoverlight-filledlivingspaces,includinga cozyloungewith awood fireanda contemporarykitchenfeaturing aporcelainsink,900mmstainlesssteel freestandingoven,anddishwasher.

MickDolphin 0429684522

CaitiEllis 0493136937

BINDAREE - A SCENIC HILLS ESTATE WITH VIEWS

PERCHED proudly along the ridge of Emerald's most scenic stretch, "Bindaree" is one of the region's most iconic properties - a timeless sanctuary where panoramic vistas sweep from the tranquil waters of Cardinia Reservoir to Arthur's Seat on the Mornington Peninsula, and across to French Island in Western Port Bay.

From its origins as a charming 1930s Art Deco cottage, this residence has gracefully evolved into a magnificent family estate, crowned with a distinctive turret and surrounded by magnificent established gardens. Every corner of Bindaree reflects a devotion to craftsmanship and a reverence for its history - a home where past and present coexist in perfect harmony.

Step beyond the original fretwork porch and into an entrance hall featuring a pressed tin ceiling, a fitting introduction to the home's rich character and well-preserved period detail. The master suite is a private retreat with walk-in wardrobes, a separate toilet, and a stately en suite complete with a deep bath and elegant shower.

A cosy lounge beckons with its original fireplace adorned with rose-blush deco tiles and bay windows framing the garden's seasonal blooms. The heart of the home, however, is the stunning kitchen - a seamless blend of tradition and modern luxury, featuring white subway tiles, Victorian Ash benchtops, brass fittings, and premium stainless-steel appliances including a 6-burner gas stove, double oven, and twin-drawer dishwasher. From here, meals can be served in the beautifully wood-panelled dining room, or out on the wide veranda where sunsets paint the

horizon in breathtaking colour.

The family room, framed by expansive picture windows and fitted with automated blinds, provides a spectacular vantage point for enjoying the ever-changing scenery - from morning light to twilight hues.

Downstairs, discover three additional bedrooms with walk-in robes, a bright sunroom opening to a private courtyard, and a newly renovated bathroom and laundry in crisp whites. The thoughtful layout ensures comfort with ducted heating, evaporative cooling, and split-system air conditioning throughout.

Outdoor living is every bit as enchanting. The under-veranda terrace, tiled in terracotta and edged by Sasanqua Camellias, creates a tranquil garden gallery. The double garage offers ample storage for vehicles and leisure equipment, while the grounds are a true horticultural delight - a mature orchard boasting fig, apple, mandarin, grapefruit, tangelo, lime, lemon, guava, quince, orange, plum, peach, and pomegranate trees. Complementing this are a fully fenced vegetable garden, 22,000 litres of tank water, an olive arbour leading to a picturesque pergola, and even a croquet lawn for leisurely afternoons outdoors.

Set on nearly two acres, Bindaree is a place where life's most memorable moments unfold. Within minutes of Emerald Village, local schools, and public transport, this extraordinary property offers privacy, beauty, and a sense of permanence rarely found.

An inspection is essential to experience the soul and splendour of this once-in-a-lifetime home.

Boronia gets bowled over

By Garry Lewis

The weather was superb for the weekend pennant matches with a mixed bag of results for the Warburton Bowls Club.

Warburton One hosted Boronia One at home in brilliant conditions for bowls.

Warburton’s upward momentum continued with a solid win, 90 shots to 67.

After a shaky start, the Burras got into gear and two rinks in particular, Chris Lord and Greg Walsh, powered away from the opposition.

Chris Neale’s rink fought back from a sizable deficit to win but Steve Lord’s rink struggled despite not giving up.

On the back of this win, Warburton One moves to third on the ladder.

Rink scores were S. Lord 10/ 21; C. Lord 30/ 17; G. Walsh 30/ 13 and C. Neale 20/ 16. They next play Croydon Two away.

Warburton Two travelled away playing Monbulk Two on their slick, wide green.

For many of the new players, it was unfamiliar territory, but they handled the conditions quite well.

However, the home side managed to settle when it was needed to hold onto a seven-shot victory, 78 shots to 71, two rinks each.

Rink scores were D. Nisbet 14/ 17; D. Fahy 15/ 30; P. Summers 26/ 18 and P. Woods 16/ 13.

They play Mooroolbark Four at home this weekend.

Unfortunately, the Midweek side’s game against Boronia One away on Tuesday was

washed out. Eight points each.

They play Croydon Two away on Tuesday this week.

Hopefully, the weather gods will allow a game to be played.

The Jack Attack Triples Competition continued on Wednesday with the highlight being three of the new teams recording their first victory.

Well done to Hit the Jack, Stirling Effort and

Huge weekend of equestrian activities

By Anita Prowse

A massive weekend of equestrian events around this weekend, with event secretary alone assisting 32 separate competitions.

The 70th Lilydale Agricultural Show was run on both days, with the organising committee doing a brilliant job under trying circumstances, due to the Yarra Ranges Shire not allowing proper ground usage and allocation.

Perhaps we all need to contact our local MPs

and Councillors to remind them of the unparalleled economic benefits our local equestrian sport participation brings to their region, and that claiming sporting inclusivity with one hand, while stifling and reducing capacity with the other certainly doesn’t make an ounce of sense.

Nevertheless, lovely to see so many smiling faces enjoying their furry friends and continuing on with the great tradition that is the Lily-

Agricultural Show. Well done to committee, volunteers, competitors and sponsors.

SHEC midweek dressage results were -

• Medium - Mandy Edwards and San Sassy.

• Elementary - Sophie Fox and Kandoo.

• Novice - Melissa Wheeler and Hollands Blend Formidable.

• Prelim - Jessica Bolt and Ruby.

• Prep - Roz Lugton and Murphy.

Bowl Controllers.

Even at this early stage, great improvement has already been displayed across most teams.

The laughter and friendly atmosphere are great to witness as the more experienced teams continue to assist the new teams.

Lachie Pitman, from the Sheep Assist team, won the prize for being the first person to hit the jack.

Results were Stirling Effort d Sheep Assist; La La’s d Wessie Wonders; Pensioners d Gunners; Bowl Controllers d Bowled and the Beautiful; Can’t Remember d Lawn Rangers; Bowls to the Wall d T.B.C; Hit the Jack d Giddy Gout and Thomos d Bowl Movement.

The Warburton Bowls Club will be commencing Barefoot Bowls evenings from Friday 21 November from 6pm to 9pm.

The Barefoot Bowls are free and a BBQ sausage sizzle and raffle will be available throughout the evening at a small cost.

The bar will be open for drinks.

Social bowls continues each Monday from 12 midday. For more information contact the club.

dale

The 70th Lilydale Agricultural Show took place on 15-16 November. (Supplied)

Warburton One’s victory against Boronia One places them at third on the ladder. (Supplied)

It was a match of stopping and starting for Healesville against Croydon. (Supplied)

Bowlers battle weather

By Ian Milgate

Tuesday’s First Side played at home against Croydon under extreme weather conditions.

We had a late start due to rain, had to stop a couple of times due to rain and then stop again for hail before finishing off in sunshine.

We sure do get four seasons in one day.

But the rain, hail and shine didn’t help us and we went down by 27 shots, 44/71.

Tuesday’s Second Side was to play away at Chirnside Park, but the team managers got together and said you may as well stay in bed, giving both sides eight points. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Saturday’s First Side played away at Ring-

wood who were lavishing on the bottom of the ladder, so it was a must win for us to keep our fifth spot.

Two rinks were doing really well while two rinks were struggling.

It came down to the wire but wish Woosha’s rink and Adrian’s rink we got home with a win by five shots 78/73.

Gerda Otto, Mick Featherstone, Robyn Turville, Adrian Beales - 22/18.

Col Jarvis, Steve Graham, Rita Featherstone, Mark Ward - 31/4.

Russell Smith, Ian Milgate, Steve Bulled, Robert Ayres - 15/31.

Bob Brown, Anne Knibbs, Rob Broadhurst, Gary Broussard - 10/20.

Saturday’s Second Side played Yarra Junction at Yarra Junction.

The green is renowned for its pace so it was going to be a challenge for our team, even though we were sitting on top of the ladder with Yarra Junction in second Place.

Yarra Junction gained the upper hand early in the piece and we didn’t have any momentum all day going down by 75 shots, 98/23.

Jim Viggers, Karl Tok, Glenda Graham, John Howard - 8/37.

John Allen, Barry parker, Sarah Gallacher, Mike Adams - 6/39.

Judy Wallace, John McMillan, Kenny Gallacher, Bernard Godde - 9/22.

History made at Yarra Junction Bowling Club

By Elly Byrne

Round Three of midweek pennant continued with the recent trend of bad weather and a washout for all teams in the section saw no change to the overall standings as points were equally shared.

18 November they play Yarra Glen at the Junction, so it’s fingers crossed for good weather and a positive result for the Division four team.

Having gone up a division this year the Eagles have the desire and commitment to do well.

A very significant milestone was reached at the Junction at the weekend.

For the first time in 30 plus years Yarra Junction Bowling club had all rinks full for the weekend pennant game.

The two Eagles teams played at home hosting both Healesville and Mooroolbark.

Three clubs, of 56 players battled it out.

The YJ Division Eight team led from the start as Healesville adjusted to the different green and to their credit the eagles continued to strengthen

their lead as the game progressed.

With three rink wins and a final score of 98/23 the eagles sit on the top rung of the ladder after four rounds. A great spot to be early in the season and a lot to be proud of.

The Division Six team had a harder battle against Mooroolbark and at the break with the scoreboard at 39/32, with Junction leading it was anyone’s game.

Mitcham victorious against Yarra Glen

By Rodney Bates

Following on from another wet weekend, Tuesday also had plenty of rain, and this was too much for the Yarra Glen home green, with Side Two not getting a single bowl delivered.

Side One headed to Upwey-Tecoma, similarly not expecting to get a game in.

Upwey Tecoma has two greens, one flooded, and the other with patches of water, but draining very quickly.

After a delayed start, the game got underway under some light showers, bit then cleared and a full game was able to be completed.

However two rink wins was not enough to get the game points and we went down 54-65 (4 points).

P. Leonard 22/17; A. James 21/18; C. Boland 11/30.

On Saturday, a triple header beckoned for the club, with all three teams playing Mitcham, Sides One and Two playing away, and Side Three at home.

Side One scheduled a twighlight fixture, enabling a good sized crowd to watch on after the regular 1pm games had finished.

After Yarra Glen won a thrilling last bowl win in last seasons finals, it was expected to be another close encounter.

Three of the rinks remained very close, but with one rink well down, Mitcham came away with a solid win 64-84 (3 points).

Beau Simmons 16/19; G. Senior 18/14; Ben Simmons 11/32; M. Gardner 19/19.

Side Two had mixed results across the rinks, and despite some solid comeback efforts, only managed one rink win to go down 66-83 (2 points).

R. Thurkle 14/30; S. Smith 17/20; B. Grund 13/18; A. Thurkle 22/15.

The shining light for Yarra Glen was Side Three, who came away with a big winning result at home with three rinks up 102-52 (16 points). M. Ramage 21/11; P. Ramage 35/10; L. Baker 32/10; D. McMenaman 14/21.

With two rinks up and two down for most of the remainder of the game it was tight overall but the eagles clawed back with some exciting ends to take the win in three rinks and by 98 / 69 overall.

Two wins by two teams of 98 points each added to the historical day for the club.

To top off the day along with many other clubs in the Eastern Ranges Bowls Region, The Yarra Junction Bowling Club also took part in the round four “Head Above The Rest Brain Awareness Round” helping to raise the profile of and raise funds for the Walter and Eliza Institute and Dementia Australia.

All money from green fees and raffles on the day were donated to and divided between these organisations.

It is hoped that this will become a yearly event and grow further than the Eastern Ranges Clubs.

Many thanks to both Healesville and Mooroolbark clubs for a great day played in good spirit and their generosity in support of the brain awareness round.

Yarra Junction Bowling Club, for the first time ever, had enough members to field two Saturday teams on the weekend. (Supplied)

Paul Caneva studying the head during the Twilight Division One game at Mitcham. (Supplied)

Lyn Baker performing a caliper measure as umpire at Yarra Glen. (Supplied)

Third XI remain undefeated

By Mitch Wynd

First XI v Heathwood at Heathmont Reserve.

The First XI travelled to Heathwood looking to maintain their place in the top four of Stuart Newey Plate against the seventh-placed hosts.

Heathwood won the toss and sent Seville in to bat, and it looked to be the right decision early on with a wicket in the first over of the game - Aaron Bermingham edging behind for four from the bowling of Robert Cranmer.

Before long, the Seville top order wobbled and lost 3/32 to find themselves at 4/64 in the 32nd over.

But a great comeback from Seville saw Jones and Saurine piling on a 186-run partnership for the fifth wicket in contrasting styles.

Jones taking the attack back to the bowlers with hard hitting and plenty of boundaries scored, while Saurine looked set to bat all day long and grind the Heathwood attack into the dirt.

Seville finished their 80 overs with an imposing total of 290 on the board - now the job falls to the bowling attack to claim the ten wickets needed for victory next week.

Seville 7/290 (80) - Kane Jones 140, Finn Saurine 71, Jack Woodford 18. Match in progress.

Second XI v Mt Evelyn at Seville North Oval. Entering the round in fourth place on the ladder and having lost the previous two matches, the Second XI were keen to bounce back at home against second-placed Mt Evelyn.

Winning the toss and batting first, the Seville top order were consistently making starts but just as they looked to really get going, a wicket would fall.

Jared Caroll fell for 91, nine short of what would have been a fantastic century.

However, it was enough to help the team post 253 on the board.

Seville 253 all out (79.1) - Jared Carroll 91, Liam McGookin 35, Ned Macdonald 31. Match in progress.

Third XI v Vermont at Seville South Oval.

Undefeated so far in the 2025/26 season, the

Parker’s four sends Lusatia women’s first XI to victory

By Kieran Cantwell

First XI

The First XI hiked out to Templestowe to face Wonga Park in a two-dayer.

Batting first, it was a rocky start to say the least; seven of the top eight batsmen were dismissed for single figures, and at 7-37 it looked to be a grim day indeed.

A massive 101 run partnership for the seventh wicket between new captain Matt Robinson (73) and Tyson Gaskett (56), saw us save some face, and then continued with Terry Bennett (28*), to get the score to a respectable 218 from 64 overs. Wonga Park faced 16 overs in the late afternoon and were 0-15 at the close of play. Women’s First XI

In a rain affected outing at Woori Yallock, our Women’s team took on St Andrews.

Once the rain cleared, the game was now 20 overs each.

St Andrews batted first, and we bowled and fielded well, restricting their free scoring runs somewhat.

St. Andrews ended with 6-101 with two wickets to Amelia English, and one to Lucy Pritchard whose three overs saw her end with figures of 1-5, in a high scoring affair this was excellent economy. In the batting innings there was contributions all down the order; Sam Maryanto strong early with 20 off 21.

It came down to the wire, when Lucy Pritchard came to the crease, we still needed 33 of five overs to win.

Lucy along with Caitlyn Parker’s excellent 36* off 33 steered the ship home with a four from Caity off the second last ball for their first win of the season.

Second XI

Back at Woori Yallock Reserve, our Second XI are taking on Chirnside Park.

Bowling first, openers Luke Thomas bowled brilliantly but unluckily while Jai Gupta took 2-21 from his first 10 overs.

Matt McConnell came on and swung the game, with 4-32, including three wickets in one particularly memorable over.

Jackson Wright’s return to Lusatia Park was fruitful as his blistering pace off 4 steps saw him nab three wickets of his own.

At 8-74, things were looking very good, unfortunately a late couple of late partnerships and powerful hitting saw the score get to 190, before Luke Thomas finally broke through in his second

spell.

With 20 overs to bat, we lost opener Dean Sharman early, but some incredibly resilient batting from young Flynn Pritchard, and not so young Michael Dwyer in tricky conditions saw us through to stumps at 1-33.

Third XI

Our Third’s first two-dayer of the season saw them take on Wonga Park at Wickhams Road Reserve.

We sent Wonga Park in to bat, and their openers were strong from the outset; giving very few chances in a massive 179 unbeaten partnership off their first 36 over innings.

Our batters had less luck; although a strong 56 from Dan Madsen ably supported by Stuart Parker (35*) saw us rescue the innings a bit to be 4-115 after our own 36 overs.

Fourth XI

Finally getting to take the field, our Fourth XI took on Healesville at Margaret Lewis Reserve in the modified L grade.

In a team made up mostly of juniors and their dads; it was a very respectable first effort.

Skipper Paul Broussard supported the youngsters as they batted around him, scoring a 50 and retiring.

Down the order Stacey Mercuri hit a solid 21, proudly outscoring many at the club for the weekend.

Paul Broussard came back in to bat towards the end of innings, but unprepared, came in without pads and with an U-14 bat.

The final total 119.

The ball was shared around when it came time for our turn; 11 bowlers used and everyone had a crack.

Healesville came away with a comfortable win, scoring 2-122 off 23 overs.

Third XI hosted third-placed Vermont after last week’s first v second undefeated clash with Bayswater Park was abandoned along with all other senior matches due to rain.

Seville captain Jamie Hamilton won the toss and bowled first, and he could not have asked for a better start when he took a wicket with the first ball of the match.

Opening bowler Ryan Vassallo did most of

the damage with the ball, taking the outstanding figures of 4/9 in five overs to have Vermont’s top order reeling.

Ten bowlers were used in total, and wickets to Darcy TIlney, Dale Treller, Brody Urquhart and Manoj Beri wrapped up the Vermont innings for 88 in the 26th over.

Now two games clear in second place, the Third XI remain at home next week to face fourthplaced Templeton.

Vermont 88 all out (25.2) - Ryan Vassallo 4/9 (5), Manoj Beri 1/0 (1.2), Jamie Hamilton 1/2 (2). Seville 4/89 (28) - Archie Graham 40*, Jake Troyahn 10, Manoj Beri 6*. Seville won by six wickets.

Fourth XI v Yarra Glen at Yarra Glen Reserve. Due to a combination of byes, rain, and the Melbourne Cup long weekend, the Fourth XI travelled to Yarra Glen to play their first match since October 18. Once again, the Fourth XI featured plenty of father-son combinations in the side, including two sets of brothers: Marcus, Nate and Bodhi Smith, Nathan, Bailey and Max O’Keefe, Greg and Josh Oliver.

the standout was none other than 12 year-old Nate Smith who took 5/10 off his six overs, claiming a five-wicket haul in senior cricket. Five wickets in any match is an achievement, but to do so in a senior match at 12 years old is even more impressive, and with your dad and brother playing alongside as well.

Seville 9/168 (36) - Marcus Smith 34, Rod Pearse 33*, Josh Oliver 29. Yarra Glen 8/79 (36) - Nate Smith 5/10 (6), Bailey O’Keefe 1/4 (3), Andrew Cummins 1/7 (3). Seville won by 89 runs.

Cracking Chloe stuns at state shooting competition

By Callum Ludwig

A young Yarra Valley shooter has shown off her skills to the rest of the state at the recent 2025 Victorian State Trap Carnival in Echuca hosted by the Victorian Clay Target Association (VCTA).

14-year-old Lilydale High School student and Melbourne Gun Club junior member Chloe Hughes-Gage finished first in an astonishing five categories at the event.

Chloe said it was just a really good weekend and she was feeling lucky.

“I went into the event knowing that I would be up against some pretty good competition, but I guess things just happened to be on the right side,” she said.

“I was really in my zone when I was shooting.”

Chloe’s luck seemed to be accompanied by plenty of skill too as she claimed the titles of overall Ladies State Single Barrel Champion (total score of 46/50), C-grade Single Barrel Champion (46/50), Sub Junior Single Barrel Champion (46/50), C-grade Double Barrel Champion (50/52) and C-grade Champion of Champions (120/125).

Chloe said she started shooting in high school after her older brother went through the

school’s program.

“I looked forward to joining that when I got into high school, the way I got to the championships was mostly because my brother had made the Victorian team last year, and I didn’t get to participate in that event but I did this year,” she said.

“I know he (her older brother) will always help me if I have any questions, I’m sure he’d be able to answer them for me, so he always helps me out.

“I hope one day to get into the Victorian team for a discipline, and maybe even one day, one of my biggest goals, is shooting for Australia.”

“The first thing I’d say (to anyone interested in shooting) is to give everything a crack… it’s a great sport and a great community and although you may have ups and downs with it, just never give up.”

Chloe signed up as a member at the Melbourne Gun Club last year and practices at the range on Wednesdays, some Fridays and has started shooting in competitions on Saturdays after an ankle injury ruled her out of netball.

Both the Melbourne Gun Club and Lilydale High School congratulated Chloe on her achievements on Facebook.

L-R: Seville Fourth XI players Rod Pearse, Bodhi Smith, Nate Smith, Andrew Cummins. (Supplied)

Lusatia Park’s Lucy Pritchard and Caitlyn Parker was the deciding factor in the Women’s First XI victory. (Supplied)

Chloe Hughes-Gage took the chocolates in five categories of the 2025 Victorian State Trap Carnival. (Supplied)

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