Star Weekly - Brimbank North West - 10th January 2023

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Brimbank residents Nicole Power and Marian Pham outside the Barro Group’s Kealba Landfill.

(Damjan Janevski). 301111_02

A year for community Brimbank roared back to life in 2022 after two years of COVID lockdowns.

Community events, stage shows and school art shows were held across the municipality for the first time since 2020, as the pandemic slowly began to fade from the headlines.

But the year was not without its troubles with as residents rallied against Melbourne Airport’s planned third runway and shared their disappoint that spot fires at the Sunshine Landfill were still burning.

We look back at how 2022 unfolded in Brimbank.

As we welcomed 2022, several businesses

“unreasonable and unacceptable health risks” to the community.

The council’s frustrations continued with the federal government’s decision to approve the master plan. Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King said while she approved the master plan, she has concerns regarding some aspects of the proposal, including changes to the existing runways and noise sharing and mitigation arrangements.

The third runway wasn’t the only airport issue getting people talking in Brimbank, with the Melbourne Airport rail and Sunshine station master plan continuing to attract attention.

Many residents were up in arms about the masterplan and the plans for a flyer over at Albion.

A new station at Keilor East was announced in September as part of the project, with the station set to be built by 2029.

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The following month it was announced that Albion station would get a much-needed upgrade as part of the works.

The masterplan for Sunshine station was revealed later in October. The announcement, which was welcomed by the council, will include a new bus interchange and station entrance, shared user paths, open spaces and upgrades around the area.

Burning in the background throughout 2022 was one of Brimbank’s biggest issues of the last couple of years – the underground fires at the Barro Group’s Kealba site.

In June, the Barro Group admitted that the future of the site was uncertain, while in October residents said they wanted it shut down. The Environmental Protection Authority took legal action in October, with charges laid against the group and its directors later in the month as the fires continued to burn.

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and council services had to shut their doors for a number of days as the state’s latest COVID-19 wave left thousands of people in isolation.

But by early February it was all a distant memory as people hit the streets to watch as Lunar New Year festivals light up St Albans and Sunshine.

Also in February, Melbourne Airport released its plan for its third runway. The runway plan continued to make headlines throughout the year.

While the plan would have many benefits for the airport and the area, the impact to residents, especially in the Keilor area, had many worried. Community groups and Brimbank council were up in arms, with more flights set to fly over houses in the area.

The council launched a campaign in September calling for an independent investigation into the potential health impacts of the proposed third runway. The council stated the plans for the runway posed

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Sunshine masterplan released November 1 A new bus interchange will be created at Sunshine train station and the station entrance revamped under the state government’s Sunshine Precinct Masterplan.

The masterplan was released by the government on Sunday, October 30.

The government will spend $143 million on the first stage of the masterplan as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail project, now known as SRL Airport Line.

The first stage of the masterplan includes a new bus interchange as well as new station plaza and entrance, shared user paths and

open space, pick up and drop off areas and intersection upgrades around the bus interchange.

Development sites will be created, which the government said will make it easier to deliver further stage of the masterplan in the years to come.

Council welcomed the masterplan and funding, with mayor Jasmine Nguyen describing Sunday’s announcement as the result of significant advocacy by council and the community.

“This is a significant step towards the transformation of the working class area of Sunshine into the powerhouse of Melbourne’s

west through leveraging the Melbourne Airport Rail and other mega infrastructure investment,” she said.

“The transformation of the Sunshine Precinct has the potential to break the cycle of inter-generational unemployment and disadvantage by maximising the benefits the airport rail can provide for the local community.

“The Sunshine Station upgrade will give the entire precinct a facelift, with modern facilities and better access bringing this busy local hub up to the standard commuters in Melbourne’s west expect and deserve.”

Council estimates about $500 million

will be needed to fund the Sunshine Station Masterplan in full.

St Albans MP Natalie Sulyeman said the government looked forward to seeing works begin at Sunshine and to the delivery of further stages of the masterplan in the years to come.

On Sunday, the government also announcedworks on the airport rail link were under way at Keilor East.

The first tranche of works works will include the removal and relocation of six AusNe telectricity transmission towers between the Western Ring Road and the existing Albion-Jacana freight corridor.

Barro landfill decision looms December 20

Brimbank mayor Jasmine Nguyen with councillors Virginia Tachos, Trung Luu and Jae Papalia, at Keilor’s Solomon Drive Reserve, which would be affected by third runway. (Damjan Janevski) 297284_01anevski. 297284_01

Campaign calling for runway ‘facts’ September 13 Brimbank council has launched a campaign calling for an independent investigation into the potential health impacts of the proposed third runway at Melbourne Airport.

The ‘Know the facts on the third runway’ campaign was launched on Wednesday, September 7, and calls for the federal government to commission the investigation before it makes a decision on Melbourne Airport’s proposal.

Melbourne Airport released its draft Master Plan and draft Major Development Plan (MDP) in February, outlining the future direction of the airport. The plans include a proposal for a third runway, which will run north-south.

Council is opposed to the plans, stating that the runway poses “unreasonable and unacceptable health risks” to the community.

Council is calling for Melbourne Airport to make public the full health impacts report

that informed its proposal and to identify appropriate measures to mitigate the impact of aircraft noises on the community.

It also wants the government to not make a decision on the runway proposal until these actions are done.

As reported by Star Weekly, councillors endorsed the campaign last month after a council-commissioned assessment of the health risks associated with the Master Plan and MDP found people living in Keilor, Keilor Park, Kealba and Sunshine North will potentially experience increases in sleep disturbances; likely increases in cardiovascular disease and anxiety and depression; and cognitive delays in children in the most impacted areas, including a delay in reading and oral comprehension compared to children in lower noise areas.

According to council, there will be more than 200 flights over Brimbank each day if the third runway is approved, with predicted aircraft noise to exceed the health

impact guidance in the World Health Organisation Noise Guidelines that informs the development of best practice international airports.

Mayor Jasmine Nguyen urged the community to back the campaign.

“Melbourne Airport’s proposal for a third runway does not fully explain the significant health impacts this third runway will have,” she said.

“I strongly urge our Brimbank community and communities in the west who would be impacted to support this call to get the facts.

“The economic benefits of a third runway should not be at the expense of the health of people living in Melbourne’s west.”

Melbourne Airport has previously reassured the community it has “devoted extensive effort to exploring the health impacts of the new runway as part of the Major Development Plan process”, and understood the concerns of the community.

The Environment Protection Authority will make a decision before the end of January about whether Barro Group’s operating licence for the Sunshine Landfill in Kealba will be revoked.

In a letter to residents, EPA regional manager west metro regional manager Steve Lansdell said officers were considering the matter.

Underground fires at Barro have been burning for more than three years, with residents complaining about the smell and the impact on their lives.

“In October, the company was issued a notice to show cause as to why their licence to operate the landfill should not be revoked,” Mr Lansdell said.

“An initial response was received on 14 November, with an extension to provide more information by 13 December granted.

“All submissions from the company have now been received. EPA will make its decision before the end of January, prior to the end date of the current license suspension.”

Mr Lansdell said the EPA would share the details with the community as soon as they are known.

In October, the EPA charged the Barro Group and its three directors with breaches of the General Environmental Duty (GED) under the Environment Protection Act 2017.

A committal mention hearing is set for March 31.

A separate Supreme Court hearing is set for October 3 regarding Barro Group’s request for a judicial review of EPA’s decision to refuse an extension of the environmental action notice requirement to extinguish the final hotspot by August 22, 2022.

Rail boost for Keilor East included in airport rail link plan September 29 A new train station is proposed in Keilor East as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail Link project.

The state and federal governments released the business case for the project on Wednesday, September 21, which will result in trains running between Sunshine and the airport.

The business case revealed new details about the rail link, including plans for a new station.

Moonee Valley, Brimbank and Hume councils had all called for a station to help the growing populations in the area access public

transport. The business case considered possible locations in Sunshine North, the Melbourne Airport Business Park and Keilor Park Drive for the new station as well as Keilor East.

While the station has been included in the business case, there are no immediate plans to build the station, rather just ‘future-proofing’.

Brimbank mayor Jasmine Nyguen recently met with Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll about the construction of a new station.

Speaking before the announcement of the proposed station, Cr Nyguen said the new railway station would provide a

massive economic benefit to the north-west metropolitan region and a drawcard for future business investment and employment.”

The business case also reveals details about the Melbourne Airport train station.

The business case assesses a new elevated station at Melbourne Airport as the best solution for passengers as it will better integrate with the precinct and have fewer impacts on planned future developments at the airport.

Melbourne Airport’s ground transport chief Jai McDermott said they had been working with the state government but were yet to agree on a station location or design.

He said Melbourne Airport’s preference has been and remains an underground station, which provides a superior passenger experience, safeguards for future connectivity and is appropriate for Victoria’s international gateway.

Mr McDermott said they backed the plans for a new station to be built in Keilor East saying that adding an extra station in Keilor East would help maximise the benefits of the new link for the local community.

“Despite being one of the largest employment hubs in the state, Melbourne Airport lacks good public transport connections to its neighbouring communities,” he said.

Tuesday, 10 January, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 3

YEAR IN REVIEW ... PEOPLE

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Mel goes the extra mile August 9 Social worker Mel Walters loves making a difference for clients every day.

Not only does the Ravenhall Bolton Clarke employee help avert family crisis, but she also helps people access secure housing, travels up to 300 kilometres a day to make visits and helps people navigate the aged care system.

Speaking ahead of Aged Care Employee Day on August 7, Mel said the satisfaction of helping people access services and get back on their feet is all in a day’s work.

“I often liaise with clients who have no family who can help them, so I assist them to gain the additional supports they need,” she said.

“I’ve been a social worker for over 40 years in a community setting and I love the variety, the privilege of hearing peoples’ stories and working with them to put in place preventative methods based on their preferences.

“Social workers are there to work with people – everyone is equal and entitled to respect and care.”

Mel’s duties include helping people make decisions about future care planning so their wishes are understood if their needs change.

“I also help make informed choices about their accommodation, elder abuse, family conflict, deal with risk management surrounding the clients’ safety at home and develop networks to find creative solutions to peoples’ issues identified at the time,” she said.

To keep clients safe and connected, Mel continued with phone consultations during COVID-19 restrictions.

“I also linked people into projects in the west like a telephone chat program,“ she said.

She said helping people with social issues, like adequate housing, supports their overall health and wellbeing.

“I had a gentleman who was living in a community housing complex which had security risks for him, and he had undergone chemotherapy and treatment for cancer,” she said.

“He was completely alone in the world and we worked with him to relocate to a more

Mel Walters.

(Supplied)

secure form of shared accommodation which met his needs. Within three months he went into remission and his wellbeing was greatly improved.”

Mel has worked at Bolton Clarke for three years, supporting clients in the west.

“What do I love about the westies? The diversity,” she said.

“We have lots of cultural groups and immigrants and mostly clients haven’t been into contact with services before. You are really making a difference.”

Nerves turned to Illness and adverse reactions: Trapped in COVID hell joy at VCE results January 25 December 20 Peter Thomson is a shell of his former self.

Having contracted COVID-19 in August 2020, the Brimbank resident’s life has been turned upside down.

He spent months in hospital and feared at one point he would die after being put in a coma and on a ventilator.

While Peter was released from hospital in March, he has found himself readmitted on a regular basis due to the ongoing effects of COVID. The virus has also made some of his existing medical conditions worse.

One hospital admission came after a reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine and he’s been told not to have a second dose, meaning he’s not fully vaccinated.

That throws up more challenges.

“I came home from the hospital at the end of March after seven and half months in the hospital,” he said.

“I’ve got fatigue. My short-term memory is deplorable. I’m still getting headaches, I had never had headaches before.

“I’m pretty much living on painkillers.

I’m in and out of hospital, what sort of life is that?” Peter said the last 17 months had been a mixture of emotions.

He said it has been a never ending cycle of going between home and hospital.

His most recent admittance in January was for breathing and lung problems.

The fear of what lies ahead scares the hell out of him.

With rising incidents of people getting COVID-19 for a second time, he fears what will happen to him if he gets it again.

“I was told to get the vaccine and I had the first dose and was back in the hospital for nine days and had a really severe reaction.

“The doctor said the first one put me in hospital for nine days, the second one could

Peter Thomson has been in and out of hospital since getting COVID-19.

kill me. I have an exemption but that runs out this week, I don’t know if they’ll give me another one.

“I’m frightened to go out of the house. I’ve said that if I get it again there’s a fair chance they’ll be signing my death certificate.

“I’m scared.”

And then there’s the anger about the lack of support for long-term COVID sufferers.

He said governments had done nothing and were way behind in research compared to countries like England.

“The government doesn’t seem to care,’’ he said.

“It’s in the too hard basket and it gets me down and makes me angry. There’s a lot of other people who are feeling the same.

“More people are going to be diagnosed

(Damjan Janevski) 229489

and have long-term effects. But there’s nothing for them.”

Peter had tried to set up a support group for long-term sufferers, but had little success. He has found one group on social media, which has been useful.

“It’s pretty much the only place that I have been able to find,” he said.

“It’s wonderful but one group isn’t enough. It’s sad that I get the most comfort from a Facebook group.”

While struggling with his own symptoms, Peter has a clear message for anybody who thinks COVID-19 is nothing but a mild illness.

“It’s not a walk in the park,” he said.

“Believe me. I say that with tears in my eyes.”

St Albans Secondary College is celebrating strong VCE results, with close to 40 per cent of year 12 students achieving an ATAR above 80.

St Albans Secondary college assistant principal Craig Jennings said the school was thrilled with the scores achieved by students.

“We are very pleased to say that this year we have received the best results ever This is a big achievement for the school and especially for the students. This clearly shows the hard work of all our staff and all the hard work done by the students which has very clearly paid off,” Mr Jennings said.

“Year 12 student Anthony Tran received the highest score with a very impressive 99.85 per cent and perfect study scores in specialist maths, further maths and chemistry.”

Victoria University Secondary College’s year 12 students also did exceptionally well despite the many disruptions they faced, recording the school’s highest-ever ATAR results. Ten students received ATARs in the high 90s, with the school’s dux scoring 97.7. Marian College dux Ferina Ulku achieved an ATAR of 97.75. In all 10 per cent of Marion College’s graduating cohort gained an ATAR of 90 or over.

“For many of our students the journey to this successful culmination to their years at Marian College has been particularly impressive given the challenges posed over the past years,“ a school spokesperson said.

“Many of our students had to contend with periods of remote learning that extended beyond those mandated by the state. For some students, during the extensive periods of lockdown and remote learning, access to optimum spaces, resources and to their peers was limited. These impacts lingered into 2022 and so this has made us even prouder of the resilience demonstrated by these young people.”

Bantering with the best as Brandan casts his net May 24 Young podcaster Brandan Muhtari has grown the popularity of his podcast, ‘Banter with Brandan’ to the point where he has a waitlist for the St Albans footballers wanting to be interviewed.

“A few boys have been coming up to me

and saying, ‘When am I going to be able to podcast?’ It’s a pretty huge wait list,” Brandan said.

The 12-year-old, who is in his second season at St Albans, began his podcast in 2021 through the club’s Facebook page.

The podcast has since featured club players, including former AFL footballers Josh Hill

4 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 10 January, 2023

and Sam Butler.

Brandan’s podcast has featured interviews as well as a post-match ‘Roaming Brandan’ segment inspired by AFL commentator Brian Taylor.

He put down his impressive communication skills to his personality.

“I think it’s just because I’m a big talker. A

lot of people say that I’ve swallowed a radio most of the time,” he said. “So I think it’s just come naturally for me.”

Brandan’s next step for the podcast is to grow and interview players from other clubs.

“And I hope to one day get some AFL players on or some big people on.”

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Albion man charged An 18-year-old Albion man has been charged over a fatal stabbing in St Kilda on December 4. He was arrested

by Gang Crime Squad detectives at a bus stop in Deer Park on January 5. He has been charged with violent disorder and affray and will appear at a children’s court at a later date.

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EDITORIAL

There was plenty of action at the St Albans Gift.

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There was plenty of fun and colour when the annual St Albans Gift was run on Saturday, January 7.

The St Albans Sports Club, in conjunction with the Victorian Athletics League organised the gift, which is held in the lead up to the popular Stawell Gift.

It was the 15th running of the St Albans Gift.

Speaking before the event, club manager Jonathan Halliday said he was looking forward to it.

“This is my first time working towards a gift in my time as manager at St Albans Sports Club and I am very excited for the day,” he said.

“We have undertaken an explosion of works over the past year to improve the sports

ground facilities and have put a lot of hard work into this year’s gift.

“We are expecting this to be one of our biggest gifts, and the weather is to be good as well - which will add to the enjoyment of the day. “As a non-for-profit club we always do the most we can to give back to the club and our community in the best way possible.”

The main races on the day were the men’s and women’s 120-metre events.

Sunbury’s Ellie Keratianos won the women’s event.

There was also under-14 and under-18, and masters’ 120 metre events, while there is open 70 metre, 300 metre, 800 metre and 1600 metre events.

A nine-year-old boy with autism, who travelled from Braybrook to Avondale Heights, was rescued from the the banks of the Maribyrnong River on Monday, January 2. The boy was found swimming in the river by a member of the public near Peerless Court about 7.30pm. When police arrived a short time later, the boy appeared to be lost, exhausted on the river embankment, and struggling to communicate. Police jumped down the river embankment to rescue the child, who was unable to walk as his legs were so numb from the cold. They carried him about 1.5 kilometres up a steep hill to Peerless Court, where he was treated by paramedics.

New number plates A new in-built security feature to reduce crime and number plate theft is rolling out across the state. New security markings will appear on about 430,000 new number plates per year.

FOR BREAKING NEWS, VISIT Web: starweekly.com.au Brimbank & North West Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly

Jordan Doherty

Plan ahead for summer works From Wednesday 11 January to Monday 27 February 2023

This summer, crews are completing a series of works across the West Gate Tunnel Project that affects how you’ll move to and from the city.

There are 24/7 lane, road and ramp closures in place across the network. These works are part of delivering a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge.

Locations • Footscray Road (continues to June) • West Gate Freeway lanes • Williamstown Road outbound entry ramp • Williamstown Road interchange • Hyde Street, Douglas Parade and Simcock Avenue

We understand that these closures are disruptive and thank you for your ongoing patience as we work as quickly and safely as possible to get the job done. Major delays are expected—please plan ahead.

Please note there may be other works happening across the network during this time. Visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au for more information.

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne 12581457-DL02-23

Tuesday, 10 January, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 5

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Joining forces for food security February 8 Five neighbourhood houses across Brimbank and Maribyrnong have joined forces in response to food security in the two municipalities.

Each of the houses had been doing their own food relief programs throughout the pandemic, so they decided to join forces to provide more support to those who need it.

The houses have formed the Nourish Project which aims to rescue surplus food from landfill and transform it into healthy and nutritious meals which are then delivered and provided for free to people doing it tough.

Duke Street Community House’s Kat

Day said each of the houses had been seeing between 20 and 50 people each week seeking food.

The Duke Street house had been giving out food hampers every week and were now handing them out at the Nourish Program’s new home in Braybrook.

“We’ve been doing food relief since August 2020,” she said.

“The last six months we’ve partnered up with five other neighbourhood houses.

“The Nourish program has moved into a new space at Central West Shopping Centre.

“Some families with larger households we’re seeing every week, some families we see every two weeks.”

The other houses part of the project are Yarraville Community Centre, Angliss Neighbourhood House, West Footscray Neighbourhood House and Braybrook Maidstone Neighbourhood.

Ms Day said the houses continue to provide other support, not just food relief.

She said that more people have inquired about the project since it moved into Central West.

Ms Day said they were looking for volunteers to help with a number of roles.

“We’re definitely going to need some volunteers to help us meet the demand,” she said.

“We are most desperate for people to drive

to the various businesses to get the items.

“We’re after people who want to help pick hampers and we’re possibly looking to have a booking service.

“Anyone who feels like they want to give some time to the community, we will find a role.”

Ms Day said the food relief program continued to flow onto other parts of the house’s programs.

She said many of the programs they’ve introduced recently have come about after meeting people through those programs.

Crossing over into retirement March 22

role to enjoy her retirement. She first saw the job advertised in a newspaper in 1999.

She had just moved into a home in Hillside at the time located across the road from the school, and thought it was the perfect opportunity.

“I rang and I got the job straight away,” she said. “My grandkids went to that school and now my great grandkids go to that school. I get to see him everyday.”

She said she had loved the job, but was looking forward to her next chapter.

“The school’s so great, I love being around kids, they keep you young,” she said.

In her 23 years as a crossing supervisor at Sydenham-Hillside Primary School, Paula Borg has witnessed generations of families grow up before her eyes.

“I say about one thousand good mornings every single morning,” Ms Borg said. “They all call me by my name. they’re gorgeous kids.

There are kids that were in their mum’s tummy who have since graduated and started work.”

On April 8, Ms Borg will retire from the

Paula Borg is retiring from her position as crossing supervisor at Sydenham-Hillside Primary after 23 years. (Damjan Janevski) 272667

Community leaders recognised as top citizens February 1 Two Brimbank community leaders have been named joint Brimbank citizen of the year.

Marion DeLeon and Tara Tran were named the winners of Brimbank council’s top honour as a ceremony on Australia Day. Mr DeLeon, who is the president of the Filipino Community Council of Victoria, has worked to lead transformational services for the Filipino-Australian and wider community.

His vision is to build a strong Filipino-Australian community in Victoria.

Mr DeLeon has led the organisation to provide essential support for the Filipino-Australian community.

This included social, wellbeing, economic and cultural support for the community, which is especially important during the ongoing pandemic situation.

He is also a digital mentor and helps provide emergency response help through the Victorian Council of Social Services.

Mr DeLeon’s achievements in the area of community services have secured $114 million worth of grants, for a range of projects to benefit the community. This includes funding for emergency food relief, for support to international students, for training and capacity building programs and to support digital learning for people aged 50 and above.

Mr DeLeon said that once you start getting involved in the community, you just naturally keep getting involved.

He said he accidentally got involved in volunteering, and now his heart belongs to the community.

“It’s addictive and you don’t realise you are doing so much,” he said.

“It feels surreal, I didn’t expect this.

“This really reflects on how it is to become an Australian and be involved in so many community events.

“This recognises the hard work we’ve done in the community.”

When the pandemic started, Ms Tran and a group of friends started Vietlove, which is now one of the biggest non-profit community organisations in Brimbank.

The VietLove community group has been supporting more than 3000 community members. The work involves providing English classes, mental support for the vulnerable, especially victims of domestic violence, legal support, including for domestic violence victims, and interpreting and online administrative assistance during the COVID pandemic.

Ms Tran said the award was totally unexpected.

“It’s very valuable to me when I’m doing this work,” she said. “When the community came [needing help] we just did what we could, I couldn’t expect it to be so big.”

“We have 20,000 supporters and followers of the group now.”

Ms Tran said one of the major things they were looking to achieve, was ensuring that everyone had equal rights in their workplace and across the country.

She said they were willing to help anyone who needed it.

“This award is not just for me the whole community. For Australia, Brimbank City Council and any other person who had supported me.”

Brimbank councillor Jasmine Nguyen congratulated all the winners.

“I would also like to congratulate all of the nominees for their contributions to our great city, and to thank them for their commitment and valued work in the community.

“These awards are an opportunity for us as a community to celebrate the individuals who, through their outstanding efforts, help strengthen the Brimbank community.”

6 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 10 January, 2023

Tara Tran and Marion DeLeon with councillor Jasmine Nguyen

(Tara Murray)

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Too many workers face this every day It’s never ok

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Tuesday, 10 January, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 7

YEAR IN REVIEW ... IN PICTURES

Tishya Del Rosario was a Top Model contestant in July. (Damjan Janevski) 313601_10

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The Wiggles performed at Wyndham Cultural Centre in June. (Damjan Janevski)

Srimathumitha released a yoga album in May. (Damjan Janevski)

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2022 through Star Weekly’s lens Star Weekly photographer Damjan Janveski shares his favourite pictures from 2022.

Sarah Harvey, owner of Cafe 500 at the Melton airfield posed with her goat for this photo in January. (Damjan Janevski) 313601_07

In April, Star Weekly showcased John Warren’s ‘crazy caravan’ that he built from scratch. (Damjan Janevski) 313601_06

Robin Bootle posed for this pictured ahead of the Sunbury Model Railway Club exhibition in October. (Damjan Janevski) 313601_03

Phung Thanh Nguyen’s animal-shaped hedges caught our eye in August. (Damjan Janevski) 313601_09

This picture of Bilal, 5, praying at the Melbourne Grand Mosque was taken in March. (Damjan Janevski) 313601_16

This photo of Daisy was captured in September to promote Lort Smith Campbellfield’s Mission Adoptable campaign. (Damjan Janevski) 313601_01 8 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 10 January, 2023

James Liotta and Piero Viavatene hit the road with their new show featuring their characters Pasquale Pappagallo and Pippo Siciliano in February. (Damjan Janevski) 313601_08

YEAR IN REVIEW ... HEALTH

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Judy stuck in COVID-19 limbo February 1 Judy Ingram just wants to give her sister a hug.

She wants to be able to invite friends over and be able to celebrate Christmas with her family, go to weddings and celebrate birthdays in-person.

But instead the St Albans resident has been stuck in her house for 700 days.

Judy went into voluntary lockdown in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. With cases still high and no end in sight, Judy has remained at home ever since.

“It’s coming up two years,” she said.

“March 1 is two years.

“They told me it would be three months, then October and then I could see my family for Christmas.

“Then they said Easter. Now they haven’t given me a get out of jail date yet.”

Judy admits at times it’s been hard and she feels sorry for herself. She’s then quick to remember it could be worse.

She said there were thousands of other people in the same situation, many of whom live alone. She’s comforted that she’s got her husband, Ian, at home.

Ian, who at times during the two years had been able to go out into the community for small trips, is staying at home too.

“My immune system is too low to get the vaccine the doctors have said,” she said.

“Ian can’t get vaccinated either. If he gets a reaction [like the flu] he could give it to me.

Even a mild case of the flu normally gives me pneumonia.

“I’m so cautious with this vaccine.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Judy’s visitors have been limited. She saw her sister three times last year and gets care services to help with some of the day-to-day stuff.

Judy said even for her sister to visit is not

Judy Ingram has spent the last two years at home. (Supplied)

straightforward.

“Wendy has to go and get tested before she comes,” she says of her sister.

“Once she is tested, she has to isolate or she drives straight down.

“She doesn’t stay the night. She either stays at a motel or drives straight back home. I’m still not able to cuddle her.”

Judy said in recent times, things had been made difficult, with growing case numbers

meaning care services can’t attend the house.

The cleaner hasn’t been in six weeks, the physiotherapist and other support staff have had to cancel appointments, sometimes on the day.

“This time around it is really affecting everybody providing house support for us,” she said.

While she’s been in lockdown, Judy has continued her work with the Brimbank

community register and the Friends of Maribyrnong Valley.

She knows while the lockdown has been tough, there’s no alternative.

“COVID will actually kill me, even in a mild form.

“There is no end in sight until the doctor will finally allow me to get vaccinated.

“I don’t want to go to the pub or anything, I just want to be able to have people over.”

RISK E R I F YOURODAY IS T

12580859-SN02-23

ON ACTI E K A T

Take action now to protect your life and property.

On Extreme rated days, fires will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous.

Leaving bushfire risk areas early in the day is your safest option.

Plan. Act. Survive. Go to emergency.vic.gov.au

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

Tuesday, 10 January, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 9

SECTION STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

ANNIE Ryman Resident

VISIT US AT OUR

OPEN DAYS SATURDAY TH & SUNDAY TH JANUARY FROM AM – PM

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Our open days will be covid safe. Bookings are essential.

To schedule a visit at a time that suits, scan the QR code or call our team.

12584509-JC02-22

10 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 10 January, 2023

YEAR IN REVIEW ... BUSINESS

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Businesses hit by COVID close January 18 Key services in Brimbank have temporarily shut their doors due to staff shortages caused by people having to isolate because of COVID-19.

At least three Brimbank bank branches were closed last week, along with two post offices. Multiple restaurants have returned to takeaway only or closed their kitchens, while Brimbank council has reduced the operating hours of its libraries.

The post offices in Brimbank Central and Cairnlea have been temporarily closed due to team members in self-isolation.

An Australia Post spokesperson said they

were seeing more than 1500 of their our team in necessary self-isolation on any given day.

“We are working on minimising future network disruption as vaccination rates continue to rise, including using technology in our major facilities to assist with social distancing and contact tracing, and in our post offices we continue to have protective screens, social distancing markers and masks worn where required to help keep our team members and customers safe,” the spokesperson said.

“We know that disruptions can be frustrating, but we kindly ask our customers for their patience and to treat our dedicated team members with respect as they work hard

under difficult circumstances to get mail and parcels to their destination as quickly and safely as possible.”

The ANZ’s Brimbank Central branch, the Westpac St Albans branch and the Commonwealth Bank branch at Keilor Downs were also closed. The CBA branch was set to reopen on January 17, while the others will be opened as soon as safe.

Spokespeople for all three banks said banks, like a number of other industries, were having to alter their operating hours due to staff shortages due to people who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or are close contacts.

The banks all said they had other branches

or ATMs open in the municipality which residents could access in the meantime.

The staff shortages and safety concerns have also seen restaurants change their services.

The Dragon Express in Sunshine has returned to takeaway only.

“Unfortunately due to rising local cases, we are once again concerned for the health of our valuable staff members and will temporarily not be offering dine-in,” a social media post said.

“However, we will remain open for pick up and delivery only so that you can all still get your Dragon Express fix.”

The Derrimut Hotel said on its social media it had closed its kitchen due to staff shortages.

Local leaders: Sunshine businesses celebrated August 16 The inaugural Sunshine Business Awards made quite the impression on Wednesday, August 10, as businesses from across Sunshine were celebrated and $42,000 in prizes were awarded.

Organised by the Sunshine Business Association, the awards were celebrated at a gala event at Peony House, attended by 120 people.

SBA said 470 businesses and organisations were in the running for the awards, with 12 winners across categories including fashion and jewellery, business service, cafe and hair and beauty.

The awards aimed to recognise small businesses that survived the COVID-19

Community services award winner, WCIG’s Kylie Weeks, Tania Mitchell and Ashlee Moxon.

lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 and are now “battling” through recovery.

SBA president Vu Du said the association

(Supplied)

wanted to recognise and reward Sunshine’s “best and brightest” businesses.

“Win or lose, our businesses were

happy to celebrate with the best, network and collaborate in our first ever business awards.

“The 12 winners have demonstrated exceptional leadership in their respective categories and more importantly made a positive impact within the community.

“In light on our current inflation and struggles of many business during COVID we hope that with this promotion will not only provide recognition to the businesses/ community leaders for a job well done, but to also share their insights on their success stories so that other businesses can feel empowered to do the same.”

The community was able to vote for their favourite businesses between Wednesday, June 1 and Sunday, July 31.

We’re building big near you and there will be transport disruptions As part of Victoria’s Big Build, we’re building the West Gate Tunnel to create better connections across our city and take thousands of trucks off local roads.

We’re also upgrading the City Loop.

Train disruptions: No City Loop trains City Loop

Until 15 January

Parliament, Flagstaff and Melbourne Central stations closed

Freeway disruptions: Closed lanes and ramps West Gate Freeway, Williamstown Road

Until 27 February

Outbound entry ramp and one outbound lane closed

Road disruptions: Closed roads From 8pm 11 January to early April

Eastbound from Dock Link Road to Appleton Dock Road

Check before you travel at bigbuild.vic.gov.au Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

12585669-JC02-22

Footscray Road, West Melbourne

Tuesday, 10 January, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 11

COMMUNITY STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

COMMUNITY CALENDAR WANT YOUR EVENT LISTED? Community Calendar is made available free of charge to not-for-profit organisations to keep the public informed of special events and activities. Send item details to Star Weekly Community Calendar, Corner Thomsons Road and Keilor Park Drive, Keilor Park, 3042, or email to westeditorial@starweekly.com.au by 9am Wednesday the week prior to publication

Deer Park Lions Club Deer Park Lions Club is looking for new members. It holds dinner meetings on the first Wednesday of every month at the Deer Park Senior Citizens Club, 119 Station Road, Deer Park.

■ Michael, 0417 307 572

Sunshine Community Brass Sunshine Community Brass is looking for trumpet and percussion players to join its vibrant band of musicians. With more than 90 years of history, the band rehearses at 45 Furlong Road, North Sunshine, on Tuesdays from 7.30pm.

■ Andrew, 0419 444 620

Diabetes support group The Westgate diabetes support group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at the Altona Bowling Club at 10am.

■ Elaine, 0415 030 996

Musicians welcome Do you play trumpet, flute or lower brass instruments? The Hobsons Bay City Band is seeking musicians to join its community band. Rehearsals are held Mondays from 7.30pm at the Newport Lakes Primary School, Elizabeth Street, Newport.

■ Roger Lewis, hbcityband@gmail.com, or www.hbcb.org.au

Altona North Combined Probus The Altona North Combined Probus Club meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Altona Sports Club. Includes a speaker, organised trips and outings, and a friendly atmosphere.

■ Lesley, 0414 481 442

Point Gellibrand Rotary Club Rotary Club of Point Gellibrand meets at Customs House Hotel, 161 Nelson Place, Williamstown, on the first and third Tuesday of the month from 6pm for a 6.30pm dinner meeting. The club has some great speakers and need new, energetic, enthusiastic members who want to make a difference in their community.

■ www.rotarypointgellibrand.com.au, Pam, 0418 347 691, or rotarypointgellibrand@ gmail.com

Mouth organ band The Yarraville Mouth Organ Band meets Friday evenings at 203 Williamstown Road, Yarraville. Great music, friendly atmosphere.

New members welcome.

■ Heather, 9399 2190, or ymob1933@yahoo. com.au

St Albans senior citizens St Albans Senior Citizens group meets at the centre at the corner of Alfrieda and William streets, St Albans, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9am-1.30pm.

Annual membership: $10. Cost: $1 entry on attendance day.

■ Roma, 9338 3815

The Gap on Graham The Gap provides a place for Melton youth to hang out, socialise, play games and learn new skills. The centre holds a night for girls aged 10 to 18 years at 5 Graham Street, Melton, on Wednesday evenings. There is also a drop-in night for anyone aged 12 to 25 years old.

■ Val, 0414 769 605.

Melton Men’s Group Melton Men’s Group meets every Thursday from 5-8pm at The Gap on Graham, 5 Graham Street, Melton. Focusing on Senior Men’s mental and physical wellbeing. The group invites new members to come for a cuppa and a chat, listen to guest speakers and participate in activities including carpet bowls, pool and table tennis.

■ https://meltonmensgroup.home.blog/

If you love playing chess, cards or a game of Scrabble in an informal and fun setting, visit Braybrook Community Centre on Tuesdays, from noon to 2.30pm. (iStock)

Bacchus Marsh Market Bacchus Marsh rejoice! There will be a monthly market at the gorgeous location of Maddingley Park. On the second Saturday of every month there will be a lovely variety of stallholders and food trucks. Bring a picnic blanket and invite your friends and family for a lovely market day out.

Take weight off naturally Struggling to lose weight? Struggling to get motivated? Want to try and do it in a friendly and less stressful atmosphere?

Come and join TOWN (Take Weight Off Naturally) every Tuesday at 6pm at the Darlingsford Barn, Darlingsford Boulevard, Melton.

■ Catherine, 0416 612 517, or Bob, 0411 824 739

Parkinson’s support group The Melton Parkinson’s Support Group meets on the second Thursday of the month 10.30am–12.30pm at Kurunjang Community Centre, 33-35 Mowbray Crescent, Kurunjang.

New members and carers welcome.

■ Helen, 0409 186 576

Melton Bridge Club The Melton Bridge Club has recommenced weekly social Bridge sessions at the Melton Library on Fridays from 10am-noon. Come along to play an exciting, social card game and have loads of fun. Bridge offers the suspense of poker, the cerebral qualities of chess and the excitement of athletic sports, all in a relaxed and social setting. If you like playing cards this is for you.

■ Rosemary, 0407 894 817

Melton Friendship Group.

Join the Melton Friendship Group for singles 55 and older. Meet fortnightly

12 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 18 October, 2022

for coffee and chat nights and organised affordable outings and events.

■ 0406 493 734

Melton Valley Ladies Probus Club The Melton Valley Ladies Probus Club meets at 10am on the second Tuesday of each month at the Melton Country Club. The group is open to everyone, new and old members, to get together and discover the social aspects of the group.

■ Ann, 0425 705 150

Melton South Knit & Natter All are welcome to join this social crafting group, running at the Melton South Community Centre each Monday from 10am-noon. Bring along any knitting or crochet projects and work on them while sharing tips, learning skills and catching up over a cuppa.

■ 9747 8576

Zonta club meets Zonta is an international organisation bringing women together to support other women. The Zonta Club of Melton meets on the first Monday of each month at Melton Country Club, Reserve Road, Melton.

■ Suzanne, 0417 512 420

U3A Melton U3A Melton offers among its activities a Book Group, Australian History and a gentle exercise class for those 55 and over who are retired or semi-retired who wish to stay mentally and physically active.

■ 0419 563 016

Melton Combined Probus Club The Melton Probus Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at the Melton Dart Club, 63a Reserve Road, from 9.45am.

■ 9746 0271

Rose Carers Of Maddingley Park The Rose Carers meet Wednesdays from 10am-noon at Maddingley Park, corner of Grant and Taverner streets, Bacchus Marsh, to maintain two beautiful rose gardens. New volunteers are always welcome – with or without experience.

■ Elaine Greenhall, 0418 171 119, or 0400 052 857

Melton Cycling Club Melton Cycling club meets for regular Sunday rides. There are three different riding groups to cater for different abilities starting at 7.30am. The rides finish at Lazy Moe’s for a cuppa.

■ 0403 057 003

Community singing group If you love to sing, come join the Melton Singers. The group rehearses regularly and also performs at aged care facilities. The group is very relaxed and sings songs mainly from the 60’s and 70’s. It meets Tuesdays at 10am.

■ Val, 0418 667 150

Rotary Club of Melton The Rotary Club of Melton invites new guests to join its meetings, held on the first and third Tuesday of every month, 6pm at Tabcorp Park in Melton.

■ meltonrotary@gmail.com

Melton Trauma Teddies Melton Trauma Teddies are seeking volunteers to assist with knitting, stuffing, or stitching teddy-bears that go to children in their time of need.

■ Jean 0412 931 498

PUZZLES

16

No. 115

4 7 8 3

7 1 3 6 9 9 1 7 5 8 3 1 8 9 hard

7 9 3 6 9

2 1

8 7 8 1

3

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

H 18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

8 5 3 7 4 9 6 1 2

4 9 2 3 8 5 6 7 1

3 1 5 4 6 7 9 2 8

7 6 8 9 2 1 3 4 5

8 2 7 6 9 4 1 5 3

Today’s Aim: 23 words: Good 34 words: Very good

I

I

T

No. 115

5 LETTERS ACORN ANGST ANKLE ANTIC AORTA APRON

PROBE RAISE REARS RISER SABRE SCENE SCOOT SEEDS SKATE SLEDS SOLED STAFF STAID STEAL STYLE SWEET TOAST TREED URINE WASPS

WORDY WRATH

IMPENDS ORDERLY STIRRED

6 LETTERS ACORNS APPEAL MALTED MEREST SCARCE SEDATE

8 LETTERS ACREAGES ASSENTED ASTEROID CONCOCTS 10 LETTERS EVERYWHERE REFLECTORS

7 LETTERS ADVERSE CLAMPED ENTWINE

QUICK QUIZ

1

Who plays Eve Polastri in the UK spy series Killing Eve?

7

What type of tea is processed the least?

Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down.

2

And what book series is Killing Eve based on?

8

Who is the author behind the Red Rising trilogy?

3

In fan fiction, AU stands for what?

9

NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

The Oort cloud is named after which Dutch astronomer?

4

Ariana Grande (pictured) released what album in 2020?

10 The study of mosses and liverworts is called what?

5

What three main ingredients are used to make arrabbiata sauce?

6

In what decade was the National Heart Foundation of Australia established?

E R S

T H E R

O

O N E D R I T Y A C H E

T A C

S

T

BASER BASKS CIRCA EMAIL ENDED ENDER ENEMA ERROR GENIE GLOAT LANES LASER LASTS LOUSE MANES NIECE OCTAL ONION POISE POLAR

4 LETTERS DOGS EARN EARS ERAS NEAT SALE SLED STEM TONE TYRE

13-01-23

E

1 5 3 7 4 6 2 8 9 7 6 4 9 5 8 2 3 1

E

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S

5 4 6 1 7 3 8 9 2 3 5 8 6 2 1 9 7 4

E

E

R

6 . $ 7 (

attire, earn, entrain, entrant, inert, inertia, inner, inter, intern, intra, irate, ITINERANT, natter, nattier, near, nitrate, nitre, nitrite, rain, rani, rant, rate, ratite, rein, rent, retain, retina, rite, tanner, tare, tarn, tart, tear, tern, tertian, tetra, tier, tinier, tinnier, titre, train, trait, treat, triennia, trine, trite

9 3 1 2 5 8 7 6 4

T

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2

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2 7 4 8 1 9 5 3 6

6 8 9 5 3 2 4 1 7

9 2 1 7 3 4 6 8 5

1 9 2 3 4 7 5 6 8

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C

1

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9 6 1 5 3 2 8 4 7

4 7 2 6 1 8 3 5 9

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4 7 5 8 6 2 1 9 3

5 8 7 1 9 3 4 2 6

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T

N

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2 8 7 1 9 6 5 3 4

1 9 4 8 5 3 7 2 6

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7 1 9 4 8 5 2 6 3

5 4 6 3 2 7 1 9 8

2 1 9 4 8 6 3 5 7

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

R

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once.

No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

46 words: Excellent

hard

S

17

medium

C

16

easy

T

15

9-LETTER WORD

6 9

5x5

14

Z N R O P X B E I WUMK

7 4

5

V S Y F GDQC A T L H J

4 7 2 6 7 8 4

J

3 LETTERS ANT ARE DIE ELF ERR GEE GYM ICE KIT LYE MAN NEE NOR ODD ODE OIL ORE PLY RAP TAN TIP TOO

No. 115

ANSWERS: 1. Sandra Oh 2. The Villanelle series

by Luke Jennings 3. Alternate Universe 4. Positions 5. Garlic, tomato and dried red chilli peppers 6. 1950s 7. White tea 8. Pierce Brown 9. Jan Oort 10. Bryology

8

WORDFIT

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19 20 22 25

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3 6 8 2 1 5 7 4 1 8 3 9 1 6 5

14 15 17 18 21 23 24

/ $ 6 7 6

2 5 5 6 4 3 1 9 9

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4 6

Matchmaker (5) Workers (9) Lift (7) Of sufficient quality (2,2,3) Thinks deeply (9) Edgar – Poe (5) Weapon (3) Body of water to the East of Italy (8,3) Conspicuously oldfashioned thing (11) Male sheep (3) Follow in order (5) Speed of pulse (5,4) Avoiding contact with others (7) Print process (7) Complementary item (9) Meditators (5)

. 6 , & 7 ( 1 / ( $ 6 ( ( $ 5 5 1 ' , 0 ( $ / $ 7 5 ( ( '

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Inflammation of the lung (9) Empty; use up (5) Voter (7) Former German state (7) Social exclusion (9) Force out (5) Bully (9) Republic in Central America (9) Track and field (9) Flowing (9) Shakespeare character (7) Visuals (7) Unmoved (5) Sticky (5) Rims (5)

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13

ACROSS 1 4 9 10 11 12 13 14

No. 115

3 5 2 % (

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.

QUICK CROSSWORD

3 2 / $ 5

No. 115

$ 1 * 6 7

SUDOKU

Tuesday, 10 January, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 13

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Pajero Sport proves versatile

By Ewan Kennedy, Marque Motoring Mitsubishi Pajero is a large vehicle that’s been a major player in the Australian 4WD / SUV field for many years. It’s sold as a five-seat GLX, and seven-seat GLS, Exceed and GSR. Our test vehicle for the past week has been the GSR.

Styling

Interior The Pajero’s seats are large and comfortable and the steering wheel is adjustable for both height and reach. We found it easy to set everything up to the way we like it. This adds to the safety of the vehicle because the driver never feels the need to fiddle with settings that never feel quite right.

The centre console has a modern shape.

There are lower trays in the dashboard forward of the gear lever and more under the floor console, allowing access from both sides, giving improved utility and convenience.

There’s plenty of headroom in all seats and second row legroom is reasonable. Unusually, the second-row seatback can also be tilted to give occupants the choice of which angle suits them best. Third row seats are best suited for

Pajero Sport has Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield which gives it an excellent look. (Supplied)

young children as there’s not enough space for adults. Besides, the kids prefer to be as far away from mum and dad as possible …

It’s hardly a surprise that rear storage space in the seven-seat Pajero Sport is minimal with the third-row seats in place. The base can by folded back to make for floor that’s almost completely flat. This expands the space up to 673 litres depending on the variant tested.

There’s also a shallow compartment in the floor at the back with a lid to hide smaller items from view.

Engines / transmissions All Pajero Sport models are powered by a 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine with outputs of 133 kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm at 2500 revs.

The GLX and GLS come with the choice

of two-or-four-wheel drive, Exceed and GSR are 4WD only. Transmission is through an eight-speed automatic.

All Pajero Sport 4WD models come with four drive modes: 2WD high range, full Time 4WD and high and low range 4WD with locked centre differential.

Off-Road modes are: gravel, mud/snow, sand or rock.

Driving Pajero Sport is a large vehicle so getting into it can be a task for smaller occupants. However, the side steps and grab handles make it simpler.

Variants above the Pajero GLX come with a powered tailgate and a kick-motion sensor.

I found the sensors worked most of the time,

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Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is equally at home carrying out family duties in the urban environment where it’s likely to spend most of its time.

It also works well in harsh off-road situations that would stop most of its softer rivals.

Pajero is well-priced and comes with Mitsubishi’s very impressive 10-year warranty – provided that its always serviced at a dealership and doesn’t travel more than 200,000 kilometres in that period.

Otherwise, it drops to five years and 100,000 km.

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Pajero Sport has Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield styling. The grille features a black honeycomb design with projector headlamps positioned outside of the daytime running lights in a continuation of the grille.

Depending on the model there are up to seven body colour options Black Mica and White Diamond are exclusive to the GSR. Our test Pajero Sport had the White Diamond and it certainly looked great.

There are black exterior and interior accents, front and rear bumper garnish, on the radiator grille and roof rails. The Black Mica GSR also gets a black roof.

not always the case in some other vehicles we’ve tested.

Pajero Sport isn’t designed from the ground up as an SUV, rather it’s built on a Mitsubishi utility platform, in this case the Mitsubishi Triton.

There’s plenty of grunt when needed and semi-serious off-road credentials but still smooth and comfortable on the bitumen.

Towing capacity is very good, at 3100kg.

Around town it has a tight – for its class – turning circle of 11.0 metres.

Power assist has been calibrated to reduce steering effort when stationary or at low speeds while providing greater feedback at higher speeds.

The Pajero Sport offers an easy, relatively refined drive with a nice blend of power and control.

Given its real off-road capability it is not as compliant or gentle as those bitumen-only SUVs but it’s certainly comfortable enough.

Fuel consumption is listed at 8.0 litres per 100 kilometres. We averaged 9.3 litres per hundred on our usual test course which includes motorway, flat and hill country roads as well as boring driving around the suburbs.

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Western United celebrate its first championship.

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(Supplied/Getty Images)

United makes A-League history May 31 In just three short years, Western United has become the kings of the A-League men’s competition. Often criticised both on and off the park, United has continued to build and prove their critics wrong. They did exactly that on Saturday, May 28 in the A-League grand final. Under first-year coach John Aloisi, United beat Melbourne City 2-0.

Aleksandar Prijovic was the key man as he flicked on a header that ended in a Nuno Reis own goal in the first two minutes before scoring a second goal on the half hour mark.

Neither team would score in the second half, with United able to celebrate a significant achievement that not many people predicted.

There were heroes all around the ground.

Prijovic would win the Joe Marston Medal, but Neil Kilkenny in the midfield and captain on the day Josh Risdon coming up big when needed. Chants of John Aloisi rang out around the ground and even by players gatecrashing the after game press conference as the former Socceroo star’s return to coaching was capped off with his first A-League title as a coach.

“The club is only three years old, so to be able to do that, what we did, not only tonight, from the beginning of the season is amazing,” he said. “It’s an amazing feeling, amazing night so happy for the football club as a whole.”

All season Aloisi and the playing group spoke about belief and the feeling that they could create something special. While they believed it, not many others did, with United going in as the underdog against both other Melbourne teams in the finals.

“We never spoke about nobody believing us, we spoke about us believing in ourselves more and about us working towards something,” Aloisi said.“Mindset, process, preparation.

We didn’t care what others were saying, if we did I don’t think we would be in that position now.

Having opened the scoring with the quickest goal in grand final history, Aloisi was weary of how the game would play out. He need not worry, with his side doing as they had so many times this season after scoring early. Aloisi said they looked dangerous goingforward, while also limiting City’s chances.

Prijovic, who signed with the club on amulti-season deal, said there was a real belief in the squad right from the start. “I would say

Aleksandar Prijovic tries to get past Connor Metcalfe.

individual awards are always important as they are achieved as a team,” he said.

“The team has been amazing from thecoaching staff to everyone to the fans.“Everything went our way, we believed init from the very beginning. ““As soon as we reached the final it’s going to be tough but we have to take it. Not many believed in us. But this is life we believed and it has been a very long way a long year, the game went in our favour.

“We did a fantastic job today and I think everyone today in the stadium agrees we fully deserve this victory.”

Kilkenny got to share the victory with his family. He had only seen them three weeks in the last six months.

16 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 10 January, 2023

(AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

Took Imai.

(AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

“It’s been a hard slog,” he said on the broadcast. “A lot of sacrifice but we are glad to be here now and to win it.

“To share it with your family it’s one of those things. “The club wants to improve, they’re a club that wants to invest … it’s one of the best clubs I’ve been at.”

For Aloisi, there was a sense of joy and relief at getting the victory. He admitted that he had his doubts it would ever happen.

“I was sitting in my hospital bed nearly three years ago saying I want to coach, I need to coach, I have a lot more in me,” he said.

“I believed that. I was waiting for the right opportunity and someone giving me that opportunity to coach. “Once you’re in a job then it’s not about you, it’s about the team, the

club and where we are going as a club.

“It’s more satisfying when I see all the hardwork that goes into a new club. It’s not easy.”

While the celebrations will last for a fewweeks, Aloisi said a win like this will only help in the journey of the club. “What I loved about the players we signed this year, it wasn’t just because they didn’t have anywhere else to go, it’s because theywanted to create history.

“They wanted to come and felt that we were going to build something special and we were going challenge and create history and they are their reason we were ableto do that.

“Now it might be easier, people will see that we mean business we don’t want to be here just to make up numbers.”

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St Albans, Deer Park join EDFL December 13 St Albans and Deer Park are officially Essendon District Football League clubs.

The league announced on Friday, December 9 that an AFL Victoria appeal hearing into the move of the two clubs had been concluded and dismissed.

The hearing took place after the Western Region Football League, where the clubs had been playing, appealed the decision made by AFL Victoria at an earlier hearing rejecting the WRFL’s objection to the move.

In a statement, the EDFL confirmed AFL Victoria had made a final decision on the

move.

“The Essendon District Football League is delighted to welcome the Deer Park and St Albans Football Clubs as the League’s two newest clubs,” the statement said.

“AFL Victoria confirmed the outcome to the EDFL following a final appeal hearing with the WRFL earlier this week.”

League chairman Bernie Shinners said both clubs would be welcome additions to the league.

“Given the calibre of these clubs, our competition will be significantly strengthened and enriched and we look forward to embracing both as member clubs of the

EDFL,” he said.

The WRFL also released a statement saying it had been made aware that its appeal had been unsuccessful “Although we are disappointed to be farewelling two-long standing WRFL clubs, we are looking forward to continuing the growth of football and netball across the western suburbs of Melbourne,” it said.

Deer Park and St Albans will play in the EDFL division 1 competition in 2023, with the division set to comprise 12 teams.

Further details surrounding the admission of Deer Park and St Albans as well as the division 1 fixture will be finalised in the near

future. On social media, Deer Park said they are glad this process is now completed and they can get on with season 2023 and joining the EDFL as planned.

St Albans president James Perkin took to the club’s social media to thank the people behind the scenes that had done a lot of hard work to get the club to this position “It has been a roller coaster of emotions from the highs of being accepted, the lows of the unknown, with the appeal of the WRFL, but finally, we gained acceptance into a league that our club sees a bright future in,” he said.

“This is the start of a momentous change in our club’s history.”

Four locals in World Cup squad November 15

Damien Cavka was one of the standouts for Keilor Park. (Jamie Morey Photography)

Fairytale finish for Keilor Park Devils September 6 Keilor Park’s rags to riches story is complete with the Devils claiming the Essendon District Football League division 2 premiership on Saturday, September 3.

The premiership and the celebrations are a long way from 2018 when the club announced it wouldn’t field a senior side that year.

The Devils would get one back in 2019, which was thrashed week in, week out. Then COVID-19 hit.

But come Saturday afternoon, that meant little as the Devils claimed just their third senior premiership, beating Oak Park, 14.11 (95)-10.4 (64).

The Devils controlled the match throughout the first half, but weren’t able to fully convert, leading by 18 points at the main break.

They call the third quarter the premiership quarter and it was exactly that. The Devils kicked 8.1 to lead by 54 at the last break.

The sting went out of the game in the last quarter, with the result beyond doubt.

Devils coach Paul Guicas was left stunned after the game as the realisation of what they had achieved hit home “I can’t explain it,” he said. “This is three years of hard work and you’re never sure when you go to a grand final.

“I’m numb inside. To see all the supporters who came. There were people coming to me saying thank you and crying all that sort of thing.

“This means so much to everyone.”

The Devils entered the grand final as favourites, having lost just one game this season, all the way back in round one.

While they were favourites, the Devils were in an unusual position; being on the main stage at Windy Hill was something they had not done for years.

Their last finals appearance was in 2016.

The last time they won a grand final was back in 2001, with Guicas saying that they believed it was the last time they played on Windy Hill.

Guicas said they were confident that what they had done all year would hold them in good stead.

“We would have liked to have converted a little bit better,” he said of the first half.

“I knew there was a bit of breeze going at the end we were going in the third quarter and if we got our game going, which we did, we could kick four or five goals.

“We got eight.”

Having trailed against Oak Park in the first week of finals, Guicas knew they couldn’t let the foot off the pedal. They would go defensively in the last quarter, but the game was already over.

Rhys Deacon kicked six goals in the win, including three in the first quarter. Damien Cavka kicked three goals all in the third quarter.

Co-captain Daylan Kempster was awarded the best on ground medal, but there were a number of players that would have been

worthy winners.

Guicas was quick to point to his backline that have been the unsung heroes of the side all year.

“Krissy Thomas who hurt his nose, he was magnificent,” he said. “It was very well spread out throughout the whole team.

“Our backline has been really strong for the whole year. Cav [Cavka] did some great things.

“We put him at half forward as fifth onballer and that worked for us in the third quarter. When those moves work, it’s a good feeling.”

The win was special for the two co-captains in Kempster and Robbie Castello.

Both played their junior football at the club, before returning to help the club taste some success.

For Castello, it’s his first senior premiership after so many near misses.

“When I signed Rob, I said to him I want to see you hold that cup with me,” Guicas said.

“Those sort of things you dream about and it happened.”

If the day wasn’t already good, the club’s reserves side claimed the division 2 reserves premiership earlier in the day. Guicas said it had been the perfect day. While the premiership success will be celebrated for days to come, Guicas is already thinking about next year and playing indivision 1.

“We have a base now,” he said.

“I think we have a decent side and will look to add a few more players.”

Three former Green Gully players and a former Brimbank Stallions star have been named in Australia’s World Cup squad.

Last week, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold announced a 26-man squad for the event that starts on November 22 in Qatar.

Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, who has been selected for his third World Cup, will lead the squad after being named captain.

Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren will again pull on the green and gold.

Maclaren grew up in Sunbury and started his career there, before playing with Green Gully.

It’s his second World Cup. He has been dangerous up forward for City this season, scoring seven goals in the first five games of the A-League season.

Aziz Behich is also playing in his second World Cup, having played 53 games for the Socceroos.

He started his career at Meadow Park in Gladstone Park, before moving to Green Gully, while also playing a season at Hume City.

He is currently playing for Dundee United in Scotland.

Thomas Deng will make his World Cup debut. Deng, who spent time at the Western Eagles and Green Gully, has played two games for Australia since his debut in 2018.

He is currently playing with Albirex Niigata.

Mathew Leckie, who grew up in Melton and played his junior soccer with the Brimbank Stallions, has also been named in his third World Cup team.

He has played 73 games for the Socceroos since making his debut in 2012.

He currently plays with Melbourne City.

Arnold said the Socceroos go to Qatar full of pride and belief after a challenging four years.

“It’s been a unique and difficult qualification campaign and we now arrive in Qatar with an exciting squad which will do everything to make Australia proud on the world stage,” he said.

Tuesday, 10 January, 2023 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY 17

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Hat-trick wins for Calder United September 13 Calder United remains the undisputed champions of the National Premier League Women’s competition as they made it three titles for the season.

Having won the Nike F.C Cup and then the title for finishing on top of the NPLW ladder, Calder faced the Bulleen Lions in the NPLW grand final on Sunday, September 11.

They would put the icing on the cake of their season, winning 2-0.

Calder coach Mark Torcaso said after the game he was in disbelief at what they had been able to achieve.

“I’m still trying to work out if we had won it or if it was a dream,” he said.

“I just told them to take it in their stride and focus on the opportunity to play in a grand final.”

Calder United claim the NPL Women’s Victoria Championship. (Supplied)

Calder came out the better of the two teams and hit the lead in the 16th minute through Alana Crene.

After a quiet 10 minutes heading into half-time, they stepped it up in the second half. A second goal to Mel Taranto in the 75th minute was enough to seal the win for Calder.

Torcaso said the margin could have easily

been a lot larger.

“We deserved to win,” he said. “We hit the crossbar and the post.

“We just ran away with it in the second half.”

The nature of the win meant that many of their youngsters got another opportunity to step out on the big stage, which was their focus this year.

He said some of the experienced players like Aleks Sinclair, Natasha Dakic, and Taranto stood out, while Julia Sardo was another one to play well and was named player of the final.

For Torcaso, to have the season they had was not what they expected pre-season despite the recent success of the club.

The club decided to promote a number of younger players this season and it was a move that paid off in spades.

“I’m eating my words now,” he said having said they weren’t aiming high this season.

“We lost three really important front players,

Lions pounce on cricket premiership March 29 Deer Park capped off an almost perfect season in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association, with the division 1 premiership on Sunday, March 20.

The Lions lost just one game across the one-day and T20 competitions this season, and even that was by just one run. So entering the best-of-three grand final series with St Francis de Sales, coach Mick Andriadis was confident they could get the job done.

The Lions needed just two games to seal the premiership.

“It’s good we don’t have to come back next week,” said.

“The boys were terrific and led by our captain Ricky Suvada and vice-captain Angelo Emmanuel. They were brilliant.

“Ange’s batting. He batted for 70 of our 80 overs. He made himself the big finals player we thought he could be.”

In game one, the Lions batted first making 201. Emmanuel top scored with 83 at the top of the order.

Deer Park’s premiership side.

Andriadis said it wasn’t the easiest batting conditions.

“It was a bit of a tough wicket for the first 15 overs,” he said.

“Had we lost a few more wickets we would have been hamstrung, but we were alright.

“The last 20 overs we batted fantastically and scored up to 200. It was psychological advantage to get to 200.”

Andriadis said St Francis was always a chance as long as Aaron Maynard remained at the crease.

He was out for 88 with another 31 runs still needed. St Francis was bowled out for 183.

The Lions lost the toss on day two, which Andriadis said it wasn’t a bad result as they weren’t sure whether they wanted to bat or bowl.

Having to bowl first, the Lions restricted St Francis is just 134.

“Roshon Primus had a brilliant opening spell getting a couple of wickets including Aaron.

“We had then at 9-104, before they put on an extra 30 runs.”

(Supplied)

18 BRIMBANK & NORTHWEST STAR WEEKLY Tuesday, 10 January, 2023

Primus finished with four wickets.

Andriadis was full of praise for 15-year-old Lachie Fiztgerald, who had his best bowling spell of the season, finishing with 1-10 off eight overs.

Deer Park finished with 5-135. Emmanuel, who scored 66 not out, was named player of the grand final.

Andriadis said he always knew that the side could have a season like this when he came to the club ahead of this season.

“I always aim pretty high,” he said.

“I said to the president I don’t expect to lose a game including the T20s.

“I was disappointed we lost that one game as we made enough runs.

“We always wanted to get into the senior division as quickly as we could.”

Next season will be the first time that Deer Park has been in the senior division, having made its way through the ranks.

Andriadis said they were looking forward to finding out the player points situation, and were hoping to add another big name recruit if possible.

which meant we changed the way that we needed to play.

“We didn’t concede many goals at all. We adjusted our tactics and we looked to protect the younger ones and give them the opportunity when it was there.”

While the Calder season has come to an end, Torcaso doesn’t have long to rest.

As Western United’s first A-League Women’s coach, he and several of the playing group, who have signed with Western United, will be back in action in a couple of weeks time.

Torcaso said he hopes this isn’t the last of his involvement at Calder.

“I want to stay involved,” he said.

“There are bigger fish to fry but the aim is to stay involved.

“There is a bit of an overlap between the two seasons. I would like to coach, but we’ll see what happens.”

Female dream team a reality May 17 Western United’s vision for a female team in the A-League women’s competition is a reality with the side being granted a licence. United announced on Thursday, May 12 that it had been granted a licence to compete in the 2022-23 season.

The club has done a mountain of work the last couple of years on its female program, including having a development squad.

Western United chairman Jason Sourasis said this was a special day for female soccer in Melbourne’s west.

“This is a special day in the history of our club,” he said.

“This is one of those days that will stick out on the timeline when you look back 10, 20, 30 years from now.

“To be a truly equal, inclusive club and to represent all people in the west, it was a non-negotiable from the start that Western United needed to have a women’s team.

“Everyone at the club is excited about this next step in our journey and we are all committed to bringing success on the pitch with our women’s pathway.”

United chief executive Chris Pehlivanis said this was another step in the club’s continued ambition to grow the game for all people in the west.

He said there were a lot of people who had worked tirelessly to be ready for this moment.

“We dream big for our people in the west and we want to unite the west through football,” he said. “That is exactly what we’re doing by opening up opportunities for women to shine in an elite sporting environment at Western United.

“I’m so excited to see our girls representing Western United and witness all of the subsequent milestones that we will be able to celebrate.”

Western United women’s football integration manager Amanda Stella said this moment has been a long time coming with the work the Club has done in partnership with Calder United.

Stella is also president of Calder United, the only National Premier League Women’s side in the west.

“It’s been a long journey but one that I am so proud to have been a part of, and now I am just so happy that we finally have this opportunity that we can give to our girls of the west,” she said.

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