Star Weekly - Wyndham - 20th December 2023

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20 DECEMBER, 2023

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Merry Christmas, everyone!

As excited kids across the west eagerly count down the days until Santa visits, preps from Braybrook’s Dinjerra Primary School are soaking up the last days of their first year of school by enjoying Christmas themed activities, inattentive to the rush of last-minute preparations as the holiday draws closer. As the end of 2023 draws near, the team at Star Weekly would like to wish our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and safe and happy 2024.

The first edition of the new year will be published on January 10. The office will reopen on January 2.

Dinjerra Primary School preps: Florencia, Marianne and Tobias.

(Damjan Janevski) 378530_02

Weston-Turner number one

By Harper Sercombe Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner is staying in the west with the Western Bulldogs selecting the Western Jets’ gun with pick one of Monday’s AFLW draft.

The 18-year-old known for her explosive speed, impressive aerial abilities and booming right boot said she didn’t expect to find herself in the position she is in.

While injuries riddled the athletic forwardmidfielders’ Coates Talent League season, her late season Vic Metro return reminded many

of her raw talent and potential.

Weston-Turner unfortunately suffered a broken wrist after just two games of the Talent League season which saw her miss the next 12 weeks of footy.

“It feels unreal, I don’t even know what to say.

It’s surreal,” she said on the draft’s broadcast.

“I’m just so thankful and fortunate to be in the position I’m in. I wouldn’t have thought that I’d be in this position knowing that I had a broken wrist and missed so much footy.

“I wouldn’t have thought that I’d be in this position, no way. I think it’s just a credit to

myself and my resilience really, I am proud of myself.

“I wouldn’t have thought [I would go] pick one but I’m just so glad it’s the Doggies, the team I have barracked for my whole life and I know that there’s someone looking down on me tonight, my grandfather, he’d be so happy.”

She said this feat would have not been possible without the support from her family, her “army.”

“I’ve got some of my family here and it really does go to show how many people I’ve got behind me,” she said. “I’ve got a whole army of

people supporting me and my phone’s about to blow up with all the messages and stuff, but just a massive thank you to everyone really.

“They’ve been there for me my whole life and they’ve put so much effort in for me, both my mum and my dad and my step dad.

“It just means the world to me, it really does, they put so much effort in for me and I wouldn’t be the person I am or the footballer I am without them.”

Weston-Turner was one of three Western Jets selected, with Kiera Whiley and Tamara Henry also hitting the big-time.

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Thank you for all the support in 2023 and we look forward to continuing to improve the health of our wonderful community in 2024!

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NEWS

Container plant permit approved

By Cade Lucas A proposed container deposit centre in Point Cook narrowly passed a meeting of Wyndham council on Tuesday night, despite objections about its potential impact on animals at the neighbouring pound.

Wyndham council’s planning committee voted 5-4 in favour of awarding a planning permit for the centre which will be in the same building and share the same roof as the council run pound and animal adoption centre.

In August, council voted to lease the property in Wallace Avenue, Point Cook, to not-for-profit, Recycle4Change, which is the

Wyndham network operator for Victoria’s new Container Deposit Scheme.

Under the lease, Recyle4Change will use half the property for its container deposit facility and the pound and animal adoption centre will continue to occupy the other half.

However council received seven written objections to the proposal, most in relation to animal welfare.

Speaking on behalf objectors at the planning meeting, Wyndham vet, Dr Karen Davies, said while the container deposit facility was an admirable project, it was not suited to sharing a building with an animal shelter.

“Animals particularly dogs and cats are

highly sensitive to noise crowding and stress and the proposed refuse disposal facility with its associated machinery and potential for elevated noise and vibration pose a serious threat to the wellbeing of animals under council’s care,” Dr Davies told the chamber.

Speaking on behalf of Recycle4Change, Henry Wallace from urban planning firm Ethos Urban, said the facility would be subject to stringent conditions including restricted operating hours, a site management plan and additional noise, vibration and acoustic testing, to avoid causing the animals harm.

He said the company’s existing facility in Geelong proved this could be done.

“That site (North Geelong) is just 50m from

a residential zone and cannot be felt or heard in the residential area and there have been no concerns raised,” Mr Wallace said.

Deputy mayor Josh Gilligan said the strict conditions placed on the facility meant he would support the awarding of a planning permit that he would otherwise have opposed.

However, Cr Robert Szatkowski said even with the conditions “the potential risk to these animals outweighs the potential benefit for having this facility at that location.”

Mayor Jennie Barrera cast the deciding vote, joining councillors Glligan, Hegedich, Maynard and McIntyre in support, with councillors Szatkowski, Marcus, Shaw and Ramesh against.

More carers needed for seeing eye dog puppies For Marilyn and David Scott of Hoppers Crossing, it was the end of one life that gave rise to another.

“We were looking to get another puppy because our own puppy had died, but we didn’t really want to take another dog to the vet for the final time,” said Ms Scott of the sad moment a decade ago that had she and her husband questioning whether to continue as pet owners.

Fortunately, a solution was at hand.

“We were looking to see what was around and we’d listed ourselves with border security and seeing eyes dogs and we got meetings with both on the same day,” said Ms Scott of their inquiries about becoming puppy carers for either organisation.

“Seeing eye dogs contacted first.”

And with that, the Scott’s lifelong relationship with dogs changed.

Rather than owning a dog for the duration of its life, the Scotts now look after labrador and golden retriever puppies that are earmarked to become seeing eye dogs.

“We get them at eight weeks because they’re born in seeing eye dogs kennels and we usually have them until they’re approximately 12 months old when they go on for further training,” said Ms Scott of the arrangement which she contrasts with normal dog ownership .

“It is quite different, because rather than just being a pet, there’s a certain amount of things they must do and experience, like stairs, public transport, sudden noises, other dogs and people,” she said. “It’s not difficult, but it’s still a lot of work. It involves a lot of time but then again it’s good fun” The amount of time and work involved may explain why the Scott’s are among of a diminishing breed of puppy carers, something that threatens the amount of available seeing eye dogs too.

Being retirees, time isn’t an issue for she and her husband, but Ms Scott had another theory

Marilyn and David Scott at their Hoppers Crossing home with the current seeing eye dog puppy they’re caring for. (Damjan Janevski) 378258_03

as to why carer numbers were low.

“I think people don’t realise there’s the opportunity to do this,” she said, pointing out that carers don’t need to be retirees with a spacious home and a history of dog ownership.

“We’ve got people puppy caring who are in flats or units. You can have them high rise, small houses, farms, it really doesn’t matter.

It can be a single person, a couple, a family.

They can have cats, quite often it’s good that they have cats.”

Prospective puppy carers just need to have a police and working with children check, while all training and equipment such as leads, harnesses and food, is supplied free of charge.

“It really is a lovely thing to do” said Ms

Scott though she cautioned there was one downside.

“It is difficult sometimes to hand back a puppy because you put a lot of work into it, but that’s what you’ve got to do,” she said.

“And then you get another one.”

Visit: sed.visionaustralia.org/ Cade Lucas

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© Shashwat Harish Wednesday, 20 December, 2023 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 3

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Pub crash driver bailed

By Karen Sweeny, AAP A driver accused of killing five people by crashing into a pub beer garden after allegedly ignoring alerts about his low glucose levels has been freed on bail with a $250,000 surety and a condition he not drive.

William Swale, 66, was charged with culpable driving causing death, negligently causing serious injury and reckless conduct endangering lives over the November 5 crash.

Swale’s SUV mounted the kerb and hit several patrons seated on the front lawn of the Royal Daylesford Hotel just after 6pm.

Pratibha Sharma, 44, her daughter Anvi, 9, and partner Jatin Kumar, 30, and their friend Vivek Bhatia, 38, and his son Vihaan, 11, all died.

Prosecutors took a neutral position on Swale’s application for bail, telling the court the Mount Macedon man had been returning from a clay shooting tournament in Clunes when he stopped in Daylesford.

Swale, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1994, was wearing a blood glucose

monitoring device which sends an alert to his phone when his glucose levels are outside the normal range.

It is alleged the 66-year-old retiree scanned his blood glucose levels at 5.17pm on the day which returned a low reading and an alarm sounded one minute later indicating he should check his levels.

CCTV footage showed him entering a restaurant opposite the pub a few minutes later asking for a table but he returned to his car as there were none available, Sergeant Peter Romanis told the court.

Swale was then seen on CCTV at 5.42pm driving his car around the area, performing a U-turn to drive down another street, before it crashed into the pub patrons about 6pm.

Prosecutors alleged he received and ignored nine alerts in the lead-up.

Swale’s barrister Dermot Dann told Magistrate Brett Sonnet there were more than a dozen compelling reasons supporting Swale’s release on bail.

Among them were Swale’s lack of criminal history, his family support, the lack of risk alleged by police, and his vulnerability in

custody because of his medical condition and publicity surrounding the case.

Mr Dann said there had never been a case like this one, prosecuted on the basis of a person’s blood glucose levels.

A medical report from Swale’s endocrinologist described him as an excellent patient who he saw three to four times a year, and who had missed just one appointment in 29 years.

He said Swale had, until now, avoided severe hypoglycaemia.

Mr Sonnet described the case as akin to someone driving while fatigued, and said he had formed the opposite view about its strength.

He also pointed out Swale had received a significant number of traffic tickets, but Mr Dann said the most serious was a one-month loss of licence in a 40-year driving career.

Swale was granted bail on conditions including that he not drive and that a $250,000 surety be made available to ensure his attendance at the next court hearing.

He’s due to face Ballarat Magistrates Court for a case conference on April 18, 2024.

Summit fires Howard’s Olympic spirit School kids regularly compete in national youth sporting championships, but Point Cook’s Howard Chang participated in a different type of national sporting event.

The Homestead Secondary College student travelled to Canberra earlier this month as one of 26 students from across Australia selected to attend the Australian Olympic Change-Maker Summit.

Running from December 5 to 8, the summit involved students from years 10 to 12, who were selected by a panel of Olympians, meeting to collaborate and discuss the future of the Olympic movement in Australia.

Speaking from Canberra prior to the start of the summit, Howard said his selection was a pleasant surprise.

“When I found out that I was selected for the 2023 national summit, I was shocked but excited,” he said. “Excited not in the sense that the Olympic organisation recognised me, but in the sense that I was able to travel to share my experiences and ways in which I help develop my community by driving change and innovation.”

A quick glance at Howard’s resume shows he has plenty of experience to share.

Howard is not only the sport captain at Homestead, but established an after school sports academy, is a Wyndam Student Representative, has worked with the Huddle program for under privileged youth and with his father established the Melbourne Volleyball Club, raising $4000 to support it.

He hopes the summit will lead to even great involvement in sport and community.

Homestead Secondary College student Howard Chang at the Olympic Change-Maker National Summit in Canberra. (Supplied)

“Not only will it motivate me to continue pushing for more significant improvements in my community through sports, but it will also provide me with important knowledge and skills that will help me to do so.”

With the Brisbane Olympic Games now less than a decade away, it’s unlikely this will be the last Olympic gathering Howard is involved in.

Cade Lucas.

ARIA-nominated, award-winning Indigenous singer and songwriter, Emma Donovan, will perform at Wyndham Cultural Centre on April 6. (Supplied)

A full cultural calendar in ‘24 It might still be 2023 but at the Wyndham Cultural Centre, the new year has begun early with the launch of its 2024 theatre program.

The program features a wide array of entertainment including comedy, music, dance, theatre and shows that cater for all ages and tastes.

“There is something for everyone,” said Wyndham councillor Marcel Mahfoud of the program which kicks off in February.

“It features some of Australia’s newest creative artists, starting with three of Australia’s most in-demand comedians, Dave Thornton, Dilruk Jayasinha and Lizzy Hoo, who are teaming up to bring a fun-filled night of laughs to Werribee,” he said.

“For musical enthusiasts, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra returns to mesmerise audiences on Friday 8 March at 7.30pm with Marvellous Mozart. Australian National Academy of Music’s Artistic Director Paavali Jumppanen leads the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra from the piano for this vivid insight into Mozart’s brilliance.“ Other program highlights include Kylie Minogue and Queen tribute shows on February 10 and March 16, celebrated indigenous singer Emma Donovan on April 6 and The Ultimate Elvis Dinner Show on Saturday September 14.

The Wyndham Cultural Centre foyer will undergo a transformation in the second half of 2024 meaning various venues throughout Wyndham will be utilised to deliver the program.

The refurbished foyer will reopen in 2025.

Details: www.wyncc.com.au/

MP petitions own colleagues over Truganina road safety A western suburbs MP has taken to publicly lobbying her own colleagues in an attempt to improve safety at a notorious Truganina intersection.

Laverton MP Sarah Connolly has launched an e-petition and will write to Police Minister Anthony Carbines demanding road safety cameras be installed at the intersection of Leakes Road and Clearwood Drive in Truganina.

The intersection is close to Truganina P-9 College and is frequently used by students and parents coming to and from the school.

The Legislative Assembly petition launched last week calls the intersection ‘dangerous’ and demands the following action – “The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Assembly of Victoria calls on the 4 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

Minister for Police and Crime Prevention and the Government to have the Road Safety Camera Site Selection Committee assess the potential installation of a speed camera and red light camera at the intersection of Leakes Road and Clearwood Drive in Truganina.”

Ms Connolly said the petition and letter calling for speed and red light cameras at the intersection was a response to community demand.

“This will provide better protection for our Truganina P-9 school community,” she said “Every student deserves to be safe when walking or riding to and from school.”

While the petition and letter will be sent to the police minister, the placement of road safety cameras is decided by the Fixed Camera Site Selection Committee (FCSSC) and based

on factors including crash statistics, data on driver behaviour, site suitability, traffic patterns and existing road rules.

The FCSSC is chaired by Victoria Police and includes representatives from the Department of Transport and Planning and the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

Police Minister Anthony Carbines was contacted for comment.

Some safety measures have already been put in place, including the speed limit on Leakes Road approaching Clearwood Drive being halved from 80km/h to 40km/h.

Signalisation times at the intersection have also been lengthened from eight to 21 seconds, giving children and parents more time to cross the road.

Laverton MP Sarah Connolly (second from right) with members of the Truganina P-9 College community at the intersection of Leakes Road and Clearwood Drive. (Supplied)

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NEWS

ovals New group wants peace Sports are all lit up

By Cade Lucas

It might be a long way from Melbourne’s outer-west to the Middle East, but for a new pressure group, the distance is irrelevant.

“It’s not something that I can ignore” said Wyndham Vale’s Fatimah Measham, of the conflict in Gaza.

Ms Measham and fellow Wyndham residents Mehak Sheikh, Alisha Saiyed and Jazeer Nijamudeen are co-founders of Wyndham for Palestine, an organisation established to ensure Wyndham council doesn’t ignore the conflict either.

Instead, they want Wyndham to join the likes of Merri-bek, Maribyrnong and Greater Dandenong councils in calling for a ceasefire and will table a petition with over a thousand signatures, urging councillors to do just that at the final council meeting of the year.

While such motions are often criticised for distracting local governments from core responsibilities like rates and rubbish collection, Ms Measham said the response to their online petition showed the conflict in Gaza was a big issue in the municipality.

“We remind the councillors of their obligation under the Local Government Act not only to represent our concerns but to also be responsive to our needs. Right now we need them to demonstrate their sense of humanity and solidarity. Representatives at all levels of government cannot remain silent when there is a strong desire in the community for them to advocate.”

Fellow Wyndham for Palestine co-founder Mehak Sheikh concurred.

“It may for a moment feel geographically far away, but Wyndham is home to members of the Palestinian community. Our social media accounts are showing us the truth of this situation, and it can’t be denied that this is an

Wyndham for Palestine are a new campaign group urging Wyndham council to support a ceasefire in Gaza. From left: Alisha Saiyed, Jess Fairfax, Mehak Sheikh, Fatima Measham, Rachel Morley, Sasha Ramahi and Brenda Paraha. (Damjan Janevski) 379508_01

abuse of power and settler-colonialism from the state of Israel.“ Pro-Palestinian protests and ceasefire demands have steadily grown since Israel began it’s military campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.

As the protests have grown so to have accusations from Israel and some Jewish groups that they’re motivated by anti-semitism and support for Hamas, claims Fatima Measham categorically rejects.

“We take our cue from our anti-zionist Jewish friends who reject the equivalence

between Judaism and Zionism,” she said. “It’s is not anti-semitic to criticise Israel.”

As for whether they support Hamas and their attacks on October 7, she was equally clear.

“Because we’re fighting for Palestinian lives it should be a given that we are against violence.”

Ms Measham said Wyndham for Palestine was a multi-faith, intercultural organisation and like the struggle for Palestinian freedom, not tied to any religion.

“Palestinian aspirations are actually secular, they want equal rights like any human being and that’s not possible at the moment.”

Four Wyndham sporting facilities are now officially lit, with two more lighting projects either underway or being designed.

Lighting has been installed and is now operational at Williams Landing Boulevard Reserve oval one, Saltwater Reserve tennis court five to eight in Point Cook, and Price Reserve in Werribee South.

The new lights will allow tenant clubs, including Williams Landing Soccer Club, tennis academy DNTA, and Werribee Districts Football Club to grow their membership base and train or play after dark.

Meanwhile, work on an LED lighting upgrade at Galvin Park Oval one in Werribee is also complete.

The new lights at Williams Landing Reserve, home to the Williams Landing Soccer Club were jointly funded by Wyndham council and the state government and will ensure that the venue meets Football Victoria’s competition standards.

“These new lights are a game-changer,” Laverton MP Sarah Connolly said.

“Williams Landing FC can now use more of their fields day and night.”

Lighting and scoreboard upgrades at Goddard Street Reserve and Wooten Road Reserve in Tarneit and Mainview Boulevard Reserve in Truganina, are currently being designed.

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Wyndham VCE scores on the up

By Cade Lucas Schools across Wyndham recorded improved results in VCE data released earlier last week.

Werribee’s selective entry Suzanne Cory High School, received the best results in the municipality and was among the top performers in the state, with a median VCE score of 35, up one from 2022.

Principal Martha Goodrich Kelly said they were the best results in the school’s 13 year history and were exemplified by the performance of its student leaders.

“One thing that I’m incredibly proud of is all four of our school captains got a study score over 90,” Ms Goodrich Kelly said.

“The reason I’m really proud of that is because it shows that students who engage in a lot of extracurricular activities are highly involved in student leadership are also able to perform academically so they don’t need to give up on their passions.”

‘‘

It is a tribute to the commitment and resilience of our students

’’

- Mohammad Hallak Westbourne Grammar in Truganina was Wyndham’s next best performer, with a median score of 33, the second best in school history.

Another four schools, Al Taqwa College in Truganina, the Islamic College of Melbourne in Tarneit, Heathdale Christian College and Mackillop Regional Catholic College in Werribee, all scored 31.

In total six Wyndham schools finished with a score above 30, considered the benchmark for academic achievement.

Wyndham’s two Islamic schools, Al Taqwa College and the Islamic College of Melbourne both improved from 30 to 31.

Al Taqwa vice-principal Mohammad Hallak said the results were all the more impressive given the challenges, such as the COVID pandemic, that his students had to overcome.

“It is a tribute to the commitment and resilience of our students, and the support of their families,” Mr Hallak said.

Werribee’s Heathdale Christian College also improved from 30 to 31, with Rithica Srinivasan named dux, achieving an ATAR score of 98.1, while another 11 students had scores of 95 or above.

Emmanuel College maintained a median score of 28, with Lily McColl named dux with an ATAR of 98.85.

Good News Lutheran College in Tarneit and The Grange P-12 College in Hoppers Crossing both recorded their best ever results, with Ishan Deshpande (98.05) and Amara Spiteri (96.7) their top achievers.

Point Cook’s Homestead Secondary College had the best results for non-selective government schools, with a media score of 29, improving by one from 2022, while Werribee Secondary College was next on 28.

Wyndham Secondary College had 150 students complete VCE this year, with four scoring 94 or above.

Wyndham Secondary College’s top VCE performers Aditi Muthukumar, Thomas Truong, Manu Malempati and Badrinath Madhusudhan.

Left to right: Heathdale Christian College dux, Rithica Srinivasan, achieved an ATAR score of 98.1.

Westbourne Grammar dux, Xinyu (Stephanie) Yang, who achieved a score of 99.15.

Suzanne Cory High School captain, Taha Kamran, was among the 57 per cent of the school’s VCE students who achieved an ATAR score of 90 or above.

Above: Good News Lutheran College dux, Ishan Deshpande and proxime accessit, Shay Jenkins Du Preez.

Right: The Grange P-12 College dux, Amara Spiteri (centre) who achieved an ATAR score of 96.7. (Pictures: Supplied)

Advice for leaving school with a healthy headspace The end of year 12 is an exciting time of new beginnings, however, it is also a time where young people have been through stressful periods and are being asked to make important choices in their life.

More than 40 per cent of year 12 students report symptoms of anxiety and depression higher than the normal range for their age group, according to The Black Dog Institute. headspace community awareness officer Melissa O’Neill said although the end of school can be an exciting time, this time of year can bring increased feelings of stress and uncertainty for many young people.

“It can be confusing to feel anxious, 6 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

overwhelmed or stressed during what is considered an exciting and joyous time, but it is a completely normal response to such a momentous life change,” she said.

“Many young people may worry at this time about how their performance in exams will impact future goals, transitioning out of school life, deciding what to do next and managing the expectations of others, including parents and teachers.

“Whether young people are feeling pressured by internal or external factors, there are ways to manage these feelings and circumstances.”

Ms O’Neill said young people should consider the seven tips for a healthy headspace,

which are doing things you enjoy, keeping active, getting good sleep, maintaining social connections, eating well, learning stress management and cutting back on alcohol and other drugs.

“While these things might seem simple, incorporating these into your daily life will give you a good basis to manage the pressure that year 12 can throw at you,” she said.

Ms O’Neill also offered advice to people who may not have got the end of year results they were hoping for. “We encourage young people to be kind to themselves at this time of year, regardless of the results they achieve,“ she said.

“Young people should take the time and space

they need to recharge.

“Celebrate what you’ve achieved – regardless of results, you’ve done a lot of hard work.

Avoid the frenzy of discussing results if you’re not comfy doing so - it’s totally okay to set a boundary and say you’d rather not share.

“We also want to acknowledge that people graduating this year experienced additional challenges due to cost-of-living, natural disaster and COVID-19.

“Young people having a tough time should also reach out for support. That might mean talking to their family, a close friend, or a trusted teacher. There are also professional services available, like headspace.”

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Park New year training focus Galvin pavilion is go

By Cade Lucas

With a rise in cases of sexual assault and family violence across Melbourne’s western suburbs and Australia as a whole, the Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault (WestCASA) is gearing up for a big year of training local organisations about how to create a safe and respectful environment for everyone and reduce sexual assault and family violence.

In order to do this the organisation has welcomed two new trainers who WestCASA head of operations Karen Woolford said will bolster its advocacy and education efforts in the western suburbs.

“The targeted investment in this area will assist us in reaching, and providing safe, culturally appropriate accessibility to all members of our very diverse five local government areas, whilst also supporting other workers and community organisations to be well informed and educated about their role and contribution to the prevention of sexual and family violence,” Ms Woolford said.

The new trainers are Warde McIntosh, who has worked extensively with multicultural, migrant and refugee communities and will take on the role of lead program development and community education.

Also joining is Adrian Wilson from Cricket Victoria who has extensive experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTIQ+ communities and people living with disability.

Both have now commenced their new roles and Ms Woolford invited schools, sporting clubs, businesses and local associations to get involved and educate their members of all ages and ethnicities on consent, what defines sexual assault and how to safely respond to the disclosure of sexual assault.

WestCASA trainers Adrian Smith and Warde Macintosh. (Damjan Janevski) 378341_01

“Our training covers essential topics in an inclusive tailored manner as which will make learning enlightening and enjoyable,” she said.

“We understand the sensitivity of the subject, so we’ve crafted sessions that are

approachable yet impactful. Let’s do our part and work together to create an environment where everyone feels heard, respected, and safe.”

Details: training@westcasa.org.au or call (03) 9216 0444 to find out more.

The redevelopment of Werribee’s Galvin Park sporting pavilion is underway, after the first sod was turned yesterday.

Federal, state and local government representatives were on hand for the ceremony at the site of the new pavilion which will accommodate local cricket, football and netball clubs, including Werribee Centrals and Werribee City Soccer Club.

The upgraded two-storey pavilion will feature accessible spaces including female friendly change rooms, a community room, kitchenette, shower rooms and umpire change rooms.

The pavilion is located near the Galvin Park Soccer Reserve which was recently upgraded in order to host the Moroccan team during the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The new pavilion has received $3 million in funding from the state government and $1.6 million from Wyndham council.

Victorian Treasurer and Werribee MP Tim Pallas, participated in the sod turning yesterday and said the redeveloped pavilion will be a an asset for the Wyndham community.

“These upgrades will ensure that the local community is supported with a high quality space that provides a new avenue for physical activity particularly with girls and women’s sport participation,” he said.

“From cricket to netball, sport is at the heart of so many of our communities and this redevelopment will go above and beyond to help our community stay active and achieve their goals.”

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The National Wool Museum in Geelong is giving the public the chance to see some of the year’s best wildlife photography from around the world thanks to an internationallyrenowned exhibition.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum London, will be on display at the Geelong museum from December 8 until May 19 next year.

The National Wool Museum is the only Victorian venue taking part in the exhibition’s world tour, which features stunning images of animals in their natural environment.

First launched in 1965 and attracting 361 entries, the competition has grown to become the most prestigious of its kind, now receiving more than 50,000 entries each year from around the globe.

National Wool Museum director Padraic Fisher said the exhibition was “right up there with the best” the museum had ever hosted.

“Along with an exciting schedule of activities, tours and learning programs, Wildlife Photographer of the Year features alongside the playful, immersive and interactive installation WaVE/WeaVE by the Slow Art Collective,” Mr Fisher said. “Please come along and visit your museum this summer, there truly is something for everyone.”

Geelong councillor Melissa Cadwell said she was confident of a strong turnout.

“Entries for this competition have come from 95 different countries across the world,” she said. “It speaks to the significance of our museum that an exhibition that has been on display in London, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, New Zealand and Singapore is coming to Geelong.”

Tickets are available at the door and includes entry to all exhibition galleries.

Visit the National Wool Museum website for more information nwm.vic.gov.au for more information.

A man who allegedly bit two police officers and assaulted a security guard, was arrested at Manor Lakes Shopping Centre. It’s believed a man, who was allegedly drug affected, assaulted a security guard inside the Ballan Road complex just after 10.30pm on December 12. Police responding to the incident were forced to deploy OC spray as the offender became aggressive and bit two police officers whilst they were trying to arrest him. Once arrested the man was taken to hospital for assessment, while both police officers and the security guard were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Extortion charges A Hoppers Crossing man is one of two males charged by detectives as part of an investigation into an alleged extortion and aggravated burglary in Morwell last month. Two warrants were executed shortly after 9am on Monday December 18 at residential addresses in Hoppers Crossing and Hillside.

The 18-year-old from Hoppers Crossing was charged with aggravated burglary, theft and assault related charges.

A 17-year-old Hillside boy was charged with aggravated burglary, extortion, theft and assault related charges.

The charges follow two incidents at the same Morwell tobacco store on November 24 and 25.

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Operation Roadwise targets main causes of crashes During the 2023 Christmas Holiday break Victoria Police will be conducting road policing Operation Roadwise from Friday December 15 2023 to Monday January 1 2024 The operation aims to increase driver awareness and journey planning, while reducing road trauma during this high-risk time on our roads Road Policing Adviser Acting Senior Sergeant Kristy Briffa from Westgate Highway Patrol said, “During this Road Policing Operation, Victoria Police will implement a strategically co-ordinated and tactically focused approach targeting the key contributing factors to road trauma”.

Police will be targeting the main causes of fatalities and serious injuries in crashes which are: • Speed • Driver distraction and vulnerable road users (cyclists, solos and pedestrians) • Restraint and seat belt non-compliance • Fatigue • Impaired driving (alcohol and/or drug) Police will be out in force both to educate drivers and to enforce road rules, with a view to preventing lives lost and serious injuries.

We’re watching your speed. Are you?

Motorists will see numerous police units on the major arterial roads during this holiday period and speed cameras will be set up in identified speed and high collision locations throughout the state. Those planning to travel during this period can expect to see an increase in vehicles travelling on major freeways and highways.

Police will be targeting drivers who attend end of year work functions as it has been identified that there is a risk that some drivers will take risks whilst they are impaired by alcohol and drugs.

Drivers should plan their trips, be patient and ensure that they have frequent breaks

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when driving long distances.

Road trauma isn’t just about the lives that are lost – it’s about the enormous impact on the community from family members to the emergency service workers who must deal with these tragedies on a daily basis and to the police who deliver devastating news to loved ones.

The whole community has a responsibility and a role to play in reducing road trauma.

Remember, travel so that you arrive at your destination safely and enjoy your Christmas/ New Year holiday.

RoadSafe Westgate Community Road Safety

Council Chairman Mr Jim Giddings said it has been demonstrated time after time that speed is a contributing factor in most road crashes.

Therefore, stay within the speed limit and drive to suit the conditions you face.

Speeding increases both the risk of a crash happening, and the severity of injuries sustained when a crash does happen.

Mr Giddings said the work of his group along with initiatives like the Operation Roadwise during the 2023 Christmas Holiday period would hopefully reduce the number of serious road crashes on our roads.

Road safety is not everyone else’s responsibility. It is yours. If you plan to have a drink, then plan not to drive.

The risk of drinking and driving is just not worth endangering your life or those other road users.

Before embarking on any driving trips drivers should check their tyres, windscreen washers, indicators, brakes, and lights.

So, make sure you and your vehicle are fit for the road.

He asked the community to report speeding drivers to Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000

DRIVING IS NOT A GAME! SPEED KILLS! Don’t make a Grave Mistake Speed is the largest single factor in fatal road crashes on our roads.

RoadSafe Westgate and your local council support reporting speeding drivers to Crime Stoppers.

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1800 333 000 RoadSafe Westgate Community Road Safety Council is a road safety advocacy group that implements road safety programs and is supported by the municipalities of Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham.

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Calls grow for big bus overhaul

By Hannah Hammoud Western suburbs advocacy alliance LeadWest has joined in the chorus of calls urging the state government to conduct a major overhaul of Victoria’s bus network.

LeadWest is pressing the state government to prioritise Melbourne’s west with improvements needed to address the ‘chronic undersupply’ of public transport in existing growth areas.

LeadWest is an advocacy alliance comprising Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham councils.

LeadWest said buses play a crucial role in offering fast, frequent, and direct services,

particularly in outer suburbs and growth areas currently underserved by existing public transport infrastructure.

The demand for bus reform stems from a recent report released by Infrastructure Victoria titled, which details how reforms to Melbourne’s bus network would significantly improve access to jobs and recreation for thousands of people.

The report lists 10 recommendations for improvements, including increasing the frequency of bus services, beginning with outer and growth area suburbs as well as optimising the bus network through fast and direct routes.

LeadWest said it supports each of the 10

recommendations in the report and said benefits from transforming Melbourne’s bus network are comparable to any one of Victoria’s big road and rail projects – and at much less cost.

LeadWest is urging the state government to prioritise the delivery of new bus rapid transit services identified in the report that would serve Melbourne’s west including the TarneitMaribyrnong, Melton-Broadmeadows and Point Cook-Watergardens routes.

LeadWest chair and Melton councillor Sophie Ramsey said rapid growth in Melbourne’s west has left communities without adequate bus services.

“Where there are bus services, peak

Student teacher a role model youth A former refugee who is now studying to become a teacher, has been named Wyndham’s young person of the month for December.

Ruth Tangbau came to Australia as a refugee from Myanmar’s Kachin State in 2015 and has since gone on to become the first member of Wyndham’s Kachin community to complete a university degree.

Ms Tangbau graduated with a bachelor of science last year after being awarded a swag of scholarships for academic achievement.

Throughout her studies she still found the time to help the less fortunate, advocating and raising awareness of victims of child sexual abuse and conducting science workshops at disadvantaged schools.

The latter experience clearly rubbed off on Ms Tangbau as she is now undertaking a masters of teaching in the hope of one day returning to her homeland to educate young people affected by the military coup.

Wyndham mayor Jennie Barrera said Ms Tangbau was a deserving recipient of the final young person of the month award for 2023.

“She is an exemplary role model for young people from refugee backgrounds and shows how with determination and hard work you can make a difference and make your dreams come true,” Cr Barrera said.

“Wyndham City thanks and appreciates the important contribution Ruth has made and continues to make in Wyndham.”

frequency is about 30 minutes and travel time can often take close to twice as long as travelling by car,” she said.

“Some new suburbs in Brimbank, Melton and Wyndham have no bus services including Eynesbury, Brookfield and Mount Atkinson.

This will get much worse as more people make these suburbs home.

A state government spokesperson said the state government ‘welcomes’ the research conducted by Infrastructure Victoria.

“We know buses play a significant role in our public transport network - particularly across the suburbs, which is why we’re focused on reforming the bus network across the state,” the spokesperson said.

Grants to get Wyndham schools active The sporting dreams of students at two Wyndham primary schools are a little closer to being realised thanks to grants recently awarded by the state government.

Iramoo and Wyndham Park primary schools each received a $30,000 Active Schools grant as part of the latest round of the funding for the initiative which aims to get local students physically active.

Education Minister Ben Carroll said anything that got school kids up and moving was beneficial.

“Even 15 minutes of physical activity can be all it takes to boost the overall wellbeing of our children, which can help improve how students learn ,“ he said.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate Active Schools funding recipients and congratulate the successful schools involved for their contributions to keeping young Victorians active, healthy and engaged.”

Werribee MP Tim Pallas said the program wasn’t just about getting children into competitive sport.

“The Active Schools Program is a fabulous way to help young people find an activity they love.”

Schools that have previously been awarded grants have used them to upskill PE teachers, purchase sports and fitness equipment, implement programs such as bicycle education, circus and dance, build outdoor learning spaces, make upgrades to playgrounds, install sensory play areas and cover costs associated with sports and physical activities.

Cade Lucas.

Ruth Tangbau is Wyndham’s Young Person of the Month for December. (Supplied)

‘Significant step’: Free fertility care launches in the west Residents in Melbourne’s west will now have access to free, comprehensive fertility care closer to home.

Officially launched on December 11, the new Public Care Fertility Service at Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s (JKWC) at Sunshine Hospital includes infertility assessment clinics, IVF cycle management, pathology services, ultrasound capability and pregnancy testing.

Delivered in partnership with the Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH), the service is available to individuals and couples of all genders.

GPs and specialists can now send referrals 10 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

for triaging to the RWH, which is leading Victoria’s Public Fertility Care Service.

People who live in the Western Health catchment will attend their appointments at Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s and travel to the RWH for procedures.

Obstetrics and Gynaecology director Dr Lauren DeLuca said the Western Health team is excited to provide public fertility care at the JKWC. “People who have been trying to conceive naturally but have been unsuccessful and those people whose situation or health may prevent or impair fertility can access the service,” she

said.

Western Health chief operating officer John Ferraro said Western Health said in the last year almost 7,000 babies were born at Western Health.

“The availability of affordable and accessible fertility treatment closer to home is a significant step forward to ensuring health equity, particularly for those people facing financial and geographical barriers to care,” he said. “... our clinical staff are looking forward to working with the RWH to enable more people to start or grow their family.”

Western Health said the state’s now fertility service is expected to give up to 5,000 Victorians access to public fertility care.

To be eligible, people must be Victorian residents with Medicare cards and have the appropriate tests and a GP referral.

Fertility services will also be offered at Mildura Base Public Hospital, Bendigo Health, Northern Health, Southwest Health, Mercy Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Barwon Health and Grampians Health.

Information: https://www.thewomens. org.au/patients-visitors/clinics-and-services/ fertility-genetics/public-fertility-services

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Rotary rewards Wyndham writers The Wyndham Harbour Rotary Club has announced the winners of its annual Peace Essay/Story Competition for grade five and six students.

Attracting entries from across Wyndham, as well as from interstate, the competition called for 500 word essays on the question ‘Can Rotary’s four-way test be a basis for peace?’

Rotary’s four way test assesses the truth, fairness, goodwill and benefit to all of a particular subject.

Wyndham Harbour Rotary’s Peace Projects coordinator, Swati Baindur, said given the turmoil and unrest affecting many parts of the world, it was an important and valuable topic

for students to address.

“The purpose of the competition was to increase the awareness of issues surrounding peace in young children,” Ms Baindur said.

Approximately 35 entries were received for the year’s competition and Ms Baidur said the five member judging panel was impressed.

“The judges determined the quality to be excellent and made comments like ‘surprisingly mature, reflective and imaginative’.”

The winners were announced in a virtual awards ceremony on December 5, with two Wyndham students finishing on the podium.

Anjola Ogunleye from Heathdale Christian College in Point Cook took out first prize,

while Emma Sun from Alamanda K-9 College, also in Point Cook, finished third.

Samarth Patel from (St. Mary’s Parish School in Hay, NSW came second.

The three placegetters received gift vouchers worth $250, $150 and $100 respectively.

Cade Lucas.

Anjola Ogunleye from Heathdale Christian College won Wyndham Harbour Rotary’s peace essay writing competition. (Supplied)

Holiday road warning

The Wyndham Netball Association president Phil Morely with members Rebecca Johnstone, Sarah Girnx, Nikita (10), Tash Piccolo and her daughter Santina and Hannah and Julie Morley. (Damjan Janevski) 379632_01

Inclusive club rewarded

By Cade Lucas “Certainly very proud. Quite chuffed, got a big smile on my face.”

Wyndham Netball Association president Phil Morley has every reason to be happy.

A year after taking a chance and introducing walking and all-abilities netball programs in an attempt to expand access to the sport, the Wyndham Netball Association has been recognised for doing just that, being named inclusive club of the year at the recent Netball Victoria Community Awards.

The association received $500 for winning the award, but Mr Morely said the recognition and validation of what they were trying to do was the most gratifying part and that it wouldn’t have been possible with support from the whole organisation.

“When you go down a path of trying to broaden the access of netball to the community, it takes quite a bit of conviction and commitment from the board to step away from day to day competition and what we’ve always done and take on something quite new.”

Encouraging people to take on something new is what the association’s inclusion program has been all about.

After a short trial at the end of 2022, the weekly walking netball competition has proven especially popular.

“Walking netball is an adult market, said Mr Morely of the slower version of the sport which has no running or jumping.

“We’ve had a really big uptake in mums 35 and above, quite a few whose knees and ankles aren’t up to the rigours of competitive netball anymore, but who still wanna play.”

All-abilities netball - aimed at players with physical, intellectual and social disabilities came about even more quickly, only starting in July and already attracting 15 players, with the hope of even more in the new year.

“We’re hosting the central west zone association championships next year and we really want to get an all-abilities team up for that,” said Mr Morely, adding that a dedicated school’s program also proved popular, introducing 900 students to the sport.

“We know that at least one club gained an entire team from the school program,” he said.

Wyndham Netball Association is already on summer recess, but Phil Morely said it will return in February with inclusion once again the main goal.

“It’s all about the fun, being active, being around other people.”

Police are pleading with motorists to take extra care on the roads during the high-risk Christmas period as Operation Roadwise commences.

The state wide road policing operation will kick off on Friday, December 15, and conclude on January 1.

The state has seen the highest number of lives lost this year in 15 years, surging to 279, surpassing the 241 total for all of last year.

Police said this year’s operation is running for an extra six days to cover the New Year period with police providing highly visible enforcement on major arterial roads and highways.

Alcohol and drug testing will be a focus, with police intelligence showing there is an increase in the number of drivers recording low-range drink driving readings (0.05 – 0.069 BAC) in December.

With Operation Roadwise extended to 18 days this year, police are anticipating thousands more motorists will undergo roadside alcohol and drug testing.

Motorists are being urged to separate drinking and driving by planning ahead, arranging a designated driver or arranging alternative transport.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said, “we’re urging everyone to make road safety a priority during the festive period, the last place you want to end up this Christmas is in a hospital, or worse, as a result of road trauma.”

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A school cleaners rally took place on December 6, with more than 100 people in attendance. (Pictures: Supplied)

Cleaners dirty over contracts

By Zoe Moffatt with AAP School cleaners are warning that teachers across Melbourne’s north-west may have to vacuum their own classroom floors following a new deal which could slash cleaning contract hours by more than 50 per cent.

In a major shake-up of cleaning contracts, the state government has awarded school cleaning contracts to Serco and Tradeflex for 2024.

The new contracts will run from January 15 to Christmas Day 2024 and will replace ISS Facility Services, whose contract formally ends on December 22, according to the United Workers Union (UWU).

‘‘

The children and the teachers ... might have to finish up vacuuming their own floors, that’s how bad this is going to get

’’

- Mick Lynch

Star Weekly has been told many existing cleaners have not yet been offered contracts, been told their hours will be reduced or have been offered only verbal contracts following the change of providers.

On Monday the United Workers Union issued the state government with an ultimatum, ensure the workers keep the same pay and conditions or go to court.

In a letter to Education Minister Ben Carroll, the union accuses the government of having being “aware of, directed in and participated in” contraventions of Occupational Health and Safety laws and the Fair Work Act. Penalties are up to $187,800 for each breach.

Mick Lynch has been a leading hand cleaner at a western suburbs school for three years and received his new contract from Serco on December 11, cutting his hours in half.

“I’ve got seven days to sign… accept or decline,“ he said. “I do six hours a day and they’ve cut it back to three hours a day.

“I’m a leading hand, they’ve taken that off… and they’ve turned around and said you’re going back to a level one [from a level two].

We’ve got a massive school we’ve got to try 12 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

The school cleaners rally from the start of December.

and clean.

“The ones that are going to suffer are going to be the children and the teachers in the classrooms.

“They might have to finish up vacuuming their own floors, that’s how bad this is going to get.”

Not only are the cleaners facing having their hours being cut in half, but Mr Lynch said they will lose income from the public holidays during this period due to the gap in the contract changeover. “[The new contractors] are not starting anybody until after the New Year,” he said.

“Which means that nobody gets their Christmas holidays or New Year holidays.

They’re basically starting straight off from January 15.

“They are putting a lot of pressure on these cleaners just before Christmas and it’s… doing some serious damage. People are stressing big time.”

UWU property service organiser Corey Matthews said the contract change from ISS to Serco in the west will affect 104 schools and 290 cleaners by UWU’s count, in the federal electoral divisions of Lalor, Gellibrand and Maribyrnong.

In the north, the change to Tradeflex covers 118 schools and 286 cleaners by the UWU’s count in Jagajaga, Scullin, McEwen and Cooper, he said.

“Serco has only put out the contracts and given hours to people after we’ve been pushing

them,” he said. “At about 5pm [Monday] they started sending out people hours.

“This is where Mick’s story comes in.

Currently [Mick] is earning $1024 before tax, working 48 weeks a year. His new wage would be $469.35 a week, 42 weeks paid.

“He’s taken a cut from $49,000 a year to $19,000, [which equates to] losing 60 per cent of his wage.

“For people like him, it’s more than a job.

He’s clearly a member of the school community and he’s well loved.

“Mick can’t continue at this wage, which is a similar story we’re hearing from all of our members that are contacting us.”

Mr Matthews said UWU is not aware of any cleaners being offered more than four hours of work a day for Serco. He agreed with Mr Lynch that cutting back these hours will affect the cleanliness of the school.

“Even before ISS left, we were already dealing with workload issues at these sites,“ he said.

“Most cleaners have four hours as it is and to be cut back further than that, it can’t be done.

It’s impossible.

“Already a lot of these cleaners stay back extra hours… not because they feel forced to but because they want their school to be clean.

It’s their community.”

For Tradeflex, Mr Matthews said the main problems are that cleaners have not been offered contracts yet or they have been offered verbal agreements.

“We are still seeing cuts across the board

[but] not as serious as Serco,’ he said. “Some are getting more hours, but they’d be responsible for multiple schools instead of one.

“The UWU’s advice has been that the department’s expectations to Serco and Tradeflex were for a smooth transition, no reduction in hours or levels of pay, nor services.“ Mr Matthews said public school cleaners have been outsourced since the Kennett government in the 1990s and the current situation is evident of the inherent flaws with the contractor system.

“Essentially going into the last election, the government promised that they will be doing a review into school cleaning. [This is] from the union’s ask to directly employ the school cleaners.

“That review (the School Cleaning Review Working Group) came out with only one recommendation. That the current contractor model is broken.

“The only solution would be to bring all the cleaners in house directly employed by the government.”

He said this direct employment model is currently in place in Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and Queensland.

“It’s ended up being cheaper for the Queensland government, and with better outcomes,” he said. “Victoria is lagging behind.”

A Department of Education spokesperson said the department is exploring opportunities to further strengthen the delivery of cleaning services in government schools.

“We are facilitating the transition and actively working with the service providers to ensure a smooth process for schools and cleaning staff, which will be in place until late December 2024,” they said.

A spokesperson for Tradeflex said they have actively reached out to ISS employees to offer the opportunity to meet and discuss working with Tradeflex. “[Tradeflex] is offering all candidates, including these former ISS workers, a range of permanent full time and part-time work, based on the shift requirement per school and the level of experience required,” they said.

“Recruitment remains in progress and we hope to complete this process by the end of December.”

Serco was contacted for comment.

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United back on the winners list

By Tara Murray

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“Take away a couple of poor performances, out of the six games we’ve played that we’ve lost, we deserve to win four of them,” he said.

“We got what we deserved tonight, excellent performance. We created a lot of chances especially in that first half, we opened them up quite a few times.

“They create a lot of chances… and we restricted them, they had hardly any chances.

“We defended well, we attacked well.

Aloisi admits it has been hard for the group having had little success this season despite

having played some good soccer.

He said the changes they made were only small ones as they wanted to try some things which did pay off.

Aloisi said he didn’t think he deserved the second yellow card, saying that he was only showing emotion at what he thought was a goal.

He said he was unsure whether he would be suspended for this week’s match against Sydney FC. United now sit in 11th spot with two wins.

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Another minute later and yet more drama as United had two shouts for handball, the second saw Jack Hingert penalised and a penalty awarded after a VAR review.

Daniel Penha converted to level the scores.

The final twist came, with Lachie Wales whipping in a corner which Risdon flew courageously into traffic to meet, clipping his header into the back of the net to give his side a 2-1 lead and ultimately the win.

Aloisi had definitely deserved to get a result like that.

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Josh Risdon. (Supplied)

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Western United returned to the winners in the A-League Men’s competition for the first time since round one of Friday night against the Brisbane Roar.

In the battle of the Aloisi brothers, with United coach John Aloisi coaching against his brother Ross Aloisi for the first time, it was John that got the last laugh despite being sent from the field.

The match was a classic with United captain Josh Risdon scoring the winner in stoppage time, with United winning 2-1.

There was plenty of drama in the first half, with both sides having shots on goal and United was awarded a penalty when Ben Garuccio was called to have been felled in the box.

The penalty was overturned by VAR much to the displeasure of United fans.

United had opportunities early in the second half but couldn’t convert.

Roar on the other hand was able to take the ball up the end and get a penalty. While the shot missed, a spot kick from the resulting play resulted in the Roar scoring and taking the lead.

United thought it had an equaliser in double quick time but a late offside call mean the goal was disallowed.

Amidst all that, John Aloisi, who had just been yellow carded in the aftermath of the Brisbane penalty, was shown a second yellow and send from the ground.

The assumption was the second caution came after the manager’s exuberant celebrations, which included kicking one of the advertising bolsters in his technical area.

United was then denied another goal when Michael Ruhs then put the ball in the net, but the ball bounced onto his arm as he controlled it and the referee promptly whistled for a handball.

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We will remain open over the Festive season, only closing on Public Holidays.

We welcome new families, please don’t hesitate to book a tour We offer Funded 3 and 4 year old kinder programs that are run by our Bachelor qualified Kinder teachers

Wallaby Childcare Sanctuary Lakes | 80 Sanctuary Lakes North Boulevard Point Cook 3030 | 03 7036 6209 12659983-ET51-23 Wednesday, 20 December, 2023 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 13

BEHIND THE NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Carolling for the community Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It is an opportunity to spend time with loved ones and reflect on the year that was. But for Maribyrnong councillor Michael Clarke and others who like to sing, Christmas is a time to get together and carol as Jennifer Pittorino discovered.

T

his year marks 20 years of Kingsville Carols, a community event made possible by the coming together of three schools – Wembley Primary School, Yarraville West Primary School and Kingsville Primary School.

In 2003 Michael Clarke and his wife Janine decided to start the event to give their kids a taste of carolling at Christmas.

“We started the event because we wanted our daughter Hannah, and our newly arrived son Lachlan to have a community Christmas experience,” Michael said.

With Hannah only three-years-old at the time and Lachlan only a few months old, getting the family anywhere was a challenge.

“To get to the nearest carols you had to pack up the car and everything else, we knew there wasn’t one in Kingsville so I said, come on let’s put our own little carols group together.

“I went to ask Kingsville (Primary School) if they would come sing and they were delighted.

I asked Wembley because I had parents asking what about us, and that is how it expanded.”

Each year the three schools choose 50 kids to sing Christmas classics at the annual event held at Beevers Reserve, in Wales Street, Kingsville.

‘‘

It’s good to know that there’s a meaningful opportunity to refocus, and the refocus here is on joy, the joy of Christmas

’’

- Michael Clarke This year’s event was staged on December 7, complete with a night market and performances by Rebecca Barnard, Shane O’Mara, Richard Lewis and Debbie Lavell.

In the 20 years since the event started, Michael said there have been numerous highlights, but the best is always watching the kids have fun.

“Every year my favourite part is watching the kids get lollies when Santa arrives on the fire truck. Just watching all those kids run to Santa is the best,” he said.

“The parents love to see their kids sing and the kids love getting up to sing.

“We don’t care if each school sings the same songs and there are double ups. Sing ’Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’, ’Silent Night’ and ’Jingle Bells’ as any many times as you like.

“It’s an opportunity for the kids to engage in a communications process, they get to sit with each other and talk with each other, in singing together they are sharing a moment.”

For Michael, Christmas is all about family and friends.

“It is a real coming together and an opportunity to step away from the day to day and the mundane, whether it’s work or the troubles of the world, you can come together in fellowship in love and peace,” he said.

“Over the years the community spirit has really crystallised.

“The community really expect the carols to go ahead. It is a joyous expectation that they really want to see go ahead.”

Like Michael, Sue Weaver from the Deer Park Lions Club carols group said that Christmas carols bring the community together.

“The atmosphere is always fantastic and the spirit is always so high,” she said.

“Christmas is about family and getting together, all our families come down to support us on the night, it is a real family event and great for everyone.”

For 43 years, Deer Park Lions Club members have carolled their way through December.

This year was Sue’s 14th year singing for the 14 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

Michael Clarke, Kerri Stewart, Santa, Fred Maddern and Mary Dowling. (Damjan Janevski) 377877_04

Left: Michael Clarke and Sue Weaver. Right: Michael Clarke, Norm Beck, Mali Devi, Sue Weaver, MaryAnn Brincat, Xavier and Bill Brincat.

(Pictures: Jacob Pattison) 378306

community.

“I love it. I do it purely to give back to the community. I love volunteering as I get so much out of volunteering,” she said.

“Giving back to the community during this time means so much. I do it for the community and to help people.”

The group has 11 members which Sue is hoping to grow in time for next year’s festive season.

“We are a very small group but we are slowly building up as we have a few new members

which are fantastic,” she said.

The group hosted its carols event on December 9, with the help of the Sunshine Community Brass.

“It was fantastic. We are always just so happy when people turn up and this year we had 200 people there.

“Our treasurer dresses up as Santa, so when he comes out all of the kids come out and make it so much fun.

“They get lollies and run around, that is the part I love the most.”

Regardless of race or religion, Michael believes Christmas carols events unite the community.

“I think it brings us together, it doesn’t matter Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Jew, Hindu or Sikh, we’re all in it together,” he said.

“The Christmas carols bring all together regardless of background, and particularly at a time where things are very difficult.

“It’s good to know that there’s a meaningful opportunity to refocus, and the refocus here is on joy, the joy of Christmas.”

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

COMMENT

Safari magic as trio steps out A trio of charismatic young giraffes have trotted their way onto Werribee Open Range Zoo’s Savannah for the very first time, generating a wave of excitement among visitors.

One-year-old male giraffes David and Wayo, and two-year-old Jesse galloped gracefully across the Zoo’s 30-hectare Savannah as they became acquainted with a bachelor herd of four adult giraffes and other species including Southern white rhino, ostrich, Plains zebra and antelope.

The three sub-adult giraffes completed their quarantine this week after arriving from Australia Zoo in Queensland and Taronga Western Plains Zoo in New South Wales last month.

Werribee Open Range Zoo Savannah life science manager Dominic Moss said the young arrivals are instantly recognisable because they are much smaller than their adult counterparts.

“David, Wayo and Jesse are still growing and measure just three to four metres in height and weigh between 550 and 630 kilograms,” he said. “That may seem big in isolation, but this pales in comparison to our five-and-a-half, 1500-kilogram fully-grown adult giraffe.”

Werribee Open Range Zoo cares for a bachelor herd of giraffes as part of its commitment to the Australasian zoo breeding and conservation program for this species that is classified as vulnerable. The trio have moved as they have reached an age where giraffes leave their natal group to join a bachelor herd, replicating what occurs in the wild.

Werribee Zoo has welcomed some new giraffes. (Supplied)

“The young males will learn important life skills from Werribee Open Range Zoo’s giraffe herd, including new feeding, drinking and sleeping locations and how to build relationships with the various species they will encounter on the Savannah,” Mr Moss said.

Mr Moss said David, Wayo and Jesse each had their own interesting, individual personalities.

“David is very gentle and likes engaging with his keepers. He’s more confident when around other giraffes but he can often be seen laying

down and enjoying some quiet time on his own.

Wayo is calm and contemplative and likes to stand back and assess situations. He also loves carrots and solving enrichment puzzles. Jesse is confident and inquisitive and is very food motivated, which means he loves participating in training sessions. He is a natural leader and generally very relaxed.”

Wayo, which means footprint in Swahili, was named because he had wobbly legs and needed a gentle nudge from his mother’s hooves to help him stand after birth. Both

David and Jesse were named at Australia Zoo in honour of generous philanthropic donors to the international charity Wildlife Warriors.

Giraffes are native to Africa, however their wild populations are in decline and fewer than 70,000 remain in the wild due to habitat destruction and illegal poaching.

Werribee Open Range Zoo visitors have the opportunity to see the new arrivals on a savannah bus tour that run throughout the day and are included with entry.

SUMMER 2023

Parents wake up

To sleep support Why Hamish Blake is

Our top dad

12654298-RR49-23

Wednesday, 20 December, 2023 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 15

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.

Live Well for Life Do you want to improve your health? Or learn how to reduce your risk of future health problems? Live Well for Life is a free five-week program that provides support and information on: •฀Making฀healthy฀behaviour฀changes •฀Heart฀disease,฀diabetes฀and฀stroke •฀Healthy฀eating฀(including฀label฀reading) •฀Physical฀activity •฀Sleep฀and฀ways฀to฀relax Live Well for Life provides free support for people aged 18 and over living in Wyndham. This group is also suitable for anyone living with or at risk of diabetes or heart disease. Location฀is฀IPC฀Health,฀ 117-129฀Warringa฀Court,฀Hoppers฀Crossing,฀ 10am฀-฀12pm,฀every฀Thursday฀from฀1฀-฀29฀ February 2024.

Free parking is available on campus.

■ Email livingwell@ipchealth.com.au or call IPC฀Health฀on฀1300฀472฀432฀and฀ask฀to฀ speak to the Living Well team.

This฀week’s฀ photographer’s฀ choice picture is of fans at the Werribee Cup฀patting฀the฀ steward’s฀horse.฀ (Ljubica฀Vrankovic)฀ 379743_01

Point Cook VIEW The฀Point฀Cook฀Day฀VIEW฀Club฀meets฀on฀ the fourth Wednesday of the month at the Point฀Cook฀Library฀1-21฀Cheetham฀Street,฀ Point฀Cook.฀New฀members฀welcome.฀฀ ■฀Catherine,฀0407฀726฀852

Watton Group A support group providing a social space for carers to get together in a safe and compassionate environment. Gives carers an฀opportunity฀to฀connect,฀share฀their฀ experiences฀and฀offers฀emotional฀and฀ practical support. The group meets at the Eco-Living฀Centre฀at฀10am฀every฀fourth฀ Tuesday of the month.

■฀Patricia,฀0434฀487฀360,฀or฀ wattongroup131@ gmail.com.

All Abilities Netball All฀Abilities฀Netball฀for฀10฀to฀25-year–olds฀ is฀run฀by฀Wyndham฀Netball฀Association฀ every฀Saturday฀morning฀during฀school฀ terms฀from฀10.30am฀on฀outside฀court฀14฀ at฀Eagle฀Stadium,฀Ballan฀Road,฀Werribee.฀฀ Intellectual,฀physical฀and฀social฀disabilities฀ are catered for in a fun and supported group.฀Come฀and฀try฀your฀first฀session฀for฀ free,฀with฀stadium฀entry฀$2.

■฀Phil,฀0437฀078฀739฀

Centre,฀260-280฀Hogans฀Road,฀Hoppers฀ Crossing.

■฀Vanessa,฀8742฀8000฀or enquires@grangecommunity.org.au

Friends of Presidents Park The฀Friends฀of฀Presidents฀Park฀meets฀from฀ 10am-noon on the first Thursday of the month,฀to฀undertake฀Landcare฀activities฀ along฀the฀Werribee฀River฀through฀the฀park฀ and฀surrounding฀areas.฀Bring฀your฀own฀ gloves฀and฀water.฀Morning฀tea฀provided.฀ Meeting฀at฀the฀carpark฀near฀the฀Shaws฀ Road฀Bridge,฀Heaths฀Road,฀near฀the฀fenced฀ dog park.

■ admin@werribeeriver.org.au

Wyndham฀Rotary฀welcomes฀people฀ interested in helping people in need in the community. Interested in finding out more,฀come฀to฀the฀Italian฀Sports฀Club฀each฀ Wednesday฀at฀6.30pm฀for฀a฀meal,฀to฀share฀ ideas and to work for a common cause.

■฀Julie,฀0406฀196฀630

Seniors club The฀Werribee฀Senior฀Citizens฀Club฀meets฀at฀ 80฀Lonsdale฀Circuit,฀Hoppers฀Crossing.฀The฀ group฀is฀open฀to฀all฀people฀55-plus฀and฀it฀ runs฀on฀Wednesdays,฀10am-฀noon.

Entry:฀$2,฀includes฀morning฀tea.

■฀0403฀041฀499

Seniors House of Fun The฀Grange฀Community฀Centre฀would฀ like to invite the seniors of Wyndham to its฀weekly฀Seniors฀House฀of฀Fun.฀This฀ is a free program running every Friday 11am-12.30pm,฀at฀The฀Grange฀Community฀ 16 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

Lions Club Lions฀Club฀of฀Werribee฀meets฀at฀the฀RSL฀ Club,฀2a฀Synnot฀Street,฀Werribee฀on฀the฀ first and third Wednesday of the month at 6.30pm.

■฀Jorge,฀0433฀566฀575

Bingo for all Diabetes Support Group

The Werribee Diabetes support group has been active in our community for more than 18฀years฀providing฀advice,฀information฀and฀ Walking Netball Walking฀Netball฀is฀a฀low฀impact,฀no฀running,฀ support for members of the group. The support group provides an opportunity to no jumping version for those that love the hear฀from฀experts฀on฀how฀to฀manage฀your฀ fun,฀friendship฀and฀activity฀of฀a฀weekly฀ diabetes,฀to฀share฀information฀on฀diabetes฀ game฀of฀netball.฀฀Sessions฀are฀run฀every฀ and฀to฀engage฀with฀other฀diabetics฀Meetings฀ Thursday during school terms from 8pm are at the old council shire buildings at at฀Eagle฀Stadium,฀Ballan฀Road,฀Werribee.฀ 10am every second Friday of the month.

Come฀and฀try฀your฀first฀session฀for฀free,฀ with฀stadium฀entry฀$2.

■฀Bob,฀0409฀252฀872 ■฀Phil,฀0437฀078฀739

Wyndham Rotary

of classes-activities specifically designed for฀seniors,฀including,฀light฀physical฀and฀ mental฀wellbeing฀sessions,฀arts,฀games฀and฀ craft,฀and฀general฀classes฀such฀as฀current฀ affairs,฀history฀and฀lunch฀groups.฀Most฀ classes-activities are held at Wyndham community centres.

■฀Rick,฀0402฀299฀220.

The฀Werribee฀RSL฀hosts฀Bingo฀every฀ Monday.฀Eyes฀down฀from฀12.30-2.30pm.฀ ■฀9741฀5525

Western Budgerigar Club The฀Western฀Suburbs฀Budgerigar฀Club฀ meets฀at฀7.30pm฀on฀the฀third฀Thursday฀of฀ each฀month฀at฀Masonic฀Hall,฀223฀Watton฀ Street,฀Werribee.฀Meet฀other฀members฀ who are also passionate about breeding Budgerigars.

■฀Don,฀0414฀975฀862฀

Hoppers Crossing Ladies Probus

Wyndham Ladies Probus

The friendly and vibrant group meet at Hotel฀520฀on฀the฀second฀Wednesday฀of฀ each month from 10am. They have a guest speaker each month as well as social lunches,฀outings฀and฀theatre฀trips.฀ ■฀0408฀123฀669฀

Are you recently retired or semi-retired?

Looking฀for฀fun,฀fellowship฀and฀to฀increase฀ your฀social฀networks.฀The฀Ladies฀Probus฀ Club฀of฀Wyndham฀meets฀on฀the฀first฀ Wednesday฀of฀each฀month฀at฀Hotel520,฀ Sayers฀Road,฀Tarneit,฀and฀normally฀has฀an฀ outing or event on the third Wednesday of each month.

■฀Rosa฀Sanderson,฀0410฀303฀046

Sunrise Social Groups GenWest฀Sunrise฀Social฀Groups฀are฀ currently seeking new members for their Melton,฀Brimbank฀and฀Wyndham฀programs.฀ The free groups are organised by Genwest and฀provide฀a฀social฀space฀for฀women,฀ gender฀diverse฀and฀nonbinary฀people,฀who฀ have฀a฀disability,฀chronic฀health฀issues฀and/ or mental health challenges.

■฀https://genwest.org.au/what-we-do/ health-wellbeing-programs/

U3A Werribee The group is a not-for-profit community organisation for semi-retired and retired Wyndham residents. They hold a variety

Wyn FM Wyn฀FM฀is฀Wyndham’s฀community฀radio฀ station,฀broadcasting฀on฀88.9฀and฀online฀ from฀its฀studios฀at฀the฀Victoria฀University฀ campus in Werribee. It offers a wide range฀of฀programming฀including฀music,฀ sport,฀news฀and฀lifestyle฀shows฀as฀well฀as฀ broadcasts in languages other than English.

New฀broadcasters,฀volunteers,฀members฀ and sponsors are always welcome.

■ 9919 8089 or wynfm.org.au

Classic Car & Bike Show Preparations฀are฀well฀underway฀with฀the฀ organisation฀of฀the฀11th฀Annual฀Custom,฀ Classic฀Car฀&฀Bike฀Show฀scheduled฀to฀be฀ held฀on฀25฀February฀2024฀at฀Apex฀Park฀in฀ Queen฀Street฀Altona.฀As฀well฀as฀featuring฀ a wonderful collection of various cars and motorbikes,฀there฀will฀be฀coffee,฀drinks,฀ food฀vans,฀live฀bands,฀as฀well฀as฀face฀ painting฀and฀a฀petting฀zoo.

■฀Lou฀Artz,฀0417฀531฀670

Musicians welcome Hobsons฀Bay฀City฀Band฀is฀seeking฀ musicians to join their community band.

Rehearsals฀are฀held฀under฀the฀directorship฀ of฀Wayne฀Bowden฀OAM฀every฀Monday฀ evening฀from฀7.30pm฀at฀the฀Newport฀Lakes฀ Primary฀School,฀Elizabeth฀Street,฀Newport.฀ Visitors฀and฀interested฀musicians฀any฀age฀ most welcome.

■฀Hannah฀Prouse,฀hbcityband@ gmail.com฀ or www.hbcb.org.au

Boxing New฀and฀former฀members฀of฀the฀ Maribyrnong฀Community฀Youth฀Club฀are฀ welcome to attend training sessions on Monday฀6pm-8pm,฀Thursday฀6.45-7.45pm฀ and฀Sunday,฀10-11am.฀Boxing฀for฀fitness฀ classes,฀beginners,฀youth,฀adults฀and฀also฀ competition available. The club premises are located under the Grandstand on Maribyrnong฀Reserve,฀on฀the฀corner฀ of฀Hortense฀Street฀and฀Middle฀Road,฀ Maribyrnong ■฀nugara.david@hotmail.com,฀or 0413฀495฀836

Laverton Community Choir Laverton฀Community฀Choir฀is฀looking฀for฀ people to join them as they start rehearsing Christmas฀Carols,฀as฀well฀as฀other฀popular฀ songs฀in฀their฀repertoire.฀฀No฀experience฀ necessary and no auditions. The group meets on Thursday evenings during school term฀from฀7-9฀pm฀at฀Laverton฀P12฀College,฀ Gate฀1-91฀Bladin฀Street,฀Laverton.

■฀Sue,฀0418฀386฀147

PUZZLES Slump (6) Support (4,2) Purchaser (5) Everyday people – literally ‘the many’ in Greek (3,6) Spaciousness (9) Bumbling (5) Habitations (6) Stopper (4) Show sullenness (4) Large monkey (6) Beautiful maiden in Muslim paradise (5) Competitor (9) Heights (9) Happen (5) Guarantee (6) Knowledgeable (6)

easy

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

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9-LETTER WORD 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”.

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Today’s Aim: 18 words: Good 27 words: Very good

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No. 164 Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down.

NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

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No. 164

3 2 1 & + 2

ANTIC ARMED AROMA AVERT AWARD AWOKE BEARS CACAO CADET CARED COCOA EDGED EJECT ENROL FEAST FRUIT GAITS GLINT GOATS HIKER IDEAL

4 LETTERS ACTS DRUM ERAS HAND KISS NECK OGRE RAIN SASH STAB 5 LETTERS ACTED ADOBE ALIBI ALOFT

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TALES UPSET 6 LETTERS BEAGLE CEASES GRAPES PLEATS PONCHO REAPER 7 LETTERS KEELING NEAREST

OPPOSES PERFUME SECTION STUTTER 8 LETTERS ANTENNAS AVOCADOS RESPONSE RETURNED 10 LETTERS DETERRENTS SEPARATING

22-12-23

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Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

R

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No. 164

1

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DECODER

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Residential (8) Contradictory or incongruous phrase (8)

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3

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No. 164

QUICK QUIZ

1

In what city would you find the world’s deepest swimming pool?

7

In which year did King Edward VIII abdicate the British throne?

2

How many Lisbon sisters are there in Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel The Virgin Suicides?

8

Sana’a is the capital of which country?

9

3

And who directed the film adaptation released in 2000?

What food is made by coagulating soy milk?

4

The face of which 1980s movie character was supposedly modelled after poet Carl Sandburg, Albert Einstein and a pug dog?

5

Which musician released the single Starman in 1972?

6

What is the longest-serving lighthouse in Australia?

10 In the original Knight Rider TV series starring David Hasselhoff (pictured), what did the car’s name, KITT, stand for?

ANSWERS: 1. Dubai 2. Five 3. Sofia Coppola 4. E.T. 5. David Bowie 6. The Macquarie Lighthouse 7. 1936 8. Yemen 9. Tofu 10. Knight Industries Two Thousand

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

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No. 164

14

SUDOKU

Wednesday, 20 December, 2023 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 17

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THE CLASSIFIEDS DEPARTMENT WILL BE CLOSING ON FRIDAY 22ND DECEMBER 2023 AND WILL RE -OPEN TUESDAY 2ND JANUARY 2024.

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Management and Staff at Network Classifieds would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

SPORTS QUIZ 1. What nationality is tennis champion Maria Sharapova?

4. The first chess boxing competition took place in which European capital in 2003?

2. Name the four throwing events that feature in regular outdoor track and field competitions.

3. Which year was the inaugural Roller Derby World Cup held?

11. Which two NFL teams play out of Los Angeles?

Maria Sharapova

5. In which sport might you perform a tumble turn?

12. How many players are allowed on the ice for one team during a game of ice hockey?

6. Australian basketballer Josh Giddey plays for which NBA team?

13. What is the name of the first round of the 2024 AFL season?

7. Which marathon swimmer does Annette Bening play in the 2023 biopic?

14. And what is special about it?

8. Former Socceroos star Harry Kewell has been rumoured to replace the coach of which Japanese football team?

9. What is the sport Schwingen also known as?

10. How old was Yulia Lipnitskaya when she became the youngest female figure skater to win a gold medal at the Olympics?

LeBron James

15. Australian soccer player Andrew Redmayne plays for which A-Leagues club?

16. The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is approximately how many kilometres?

20.Who is the captain of the Melbourne United basketball team?

26.Which team has the first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft?

21. Which team won the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament?

27. Daisy Pearce is coach of which AFLW club?

22.And which team did they defeat?

17. Chloe Covell represents Australia in which sport?

23.Connor Rozee is captain of which AFL club?

18. In Gaelic football, kicking or punching the ball into the other team’s net is worth how many points?

24.LeBron James’ son, Bronny, plays basketball for which US college?

29. Caitlin Clark plays basketball for which US college?

30.Which city held the BBL match between the Renegades and Scorchers that was abandoned due to the state of the pitch?

25.Eddie Jones has been announced as coach of which national men's rugby union team?

19. The Goodall Cup is the trophy awarded to the champions in which league?

28.Sydney Roosters recruit Mark Nawaqanitawase last played for which Super Rugby club?

1. Russian 2. Hammer throw, shot put, javelin and discus throw 3. 2011 4. Berlin 5. Swimming 6. Oklahoma City Thunder 7. Diana Nyad 8. Yokohama F. Marinos 9. Swiss wrestling 10. 15 11. Rams and Chargers 12. Six (five + goaltender)13. Opening Round 14. None of the four games are being played in Victoria 15. Sydney FC 16. 1,170kms 17. Skateboarding 18. Three 19. Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) 20. Chris Goulding 21. Los Angeles Lakers 22. Indiana Pacers 23. Port Adelaide 24. University of Southern California 25. Japan 26. Indiana Fever 27. West Coast 28. New South Wales Waratahs 29. University of Iowa 30. Geelong, Victoria

2212

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Anyone advertising a puppy, dog, kitten or cat in Victoria for sale or re-homing will need a source number from the Pet Exchange Register and a microchip identification number.

It is now an offence to advertise unless the source number and microchip identification number is included in the advertisement or notice.

For further information, call 136 186 or visit animalwelfare.vic.gov.au

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MOTOR STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Volvo XC60, there’s plenty to like

By Derek Ogden, Marque Motoring What’s in a name? Plenty for Volvo, the Sino-Swedish car maker with its new mid-size luxury SUV, the XC60, tagged with a string of descriptors to separate each model from one another.

Take, for example, our test vehicle, the Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright: phew!

And that mouthful comes without mentioning vital specifications such as the powertrain – in this case 2-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine, plus eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

‘Ultimate’ relates to the trim level, B5 to the engine, a turbocharged petrol motor enhanced by a standard 48V mild hybrid system to achieve higher fuel economy and lower emissions, while ‘Bright’ (or ‘Dark’) refers to core design elements.

While Volvo is now owned by Geely Automobile, a major automotive brand based in China, the XC60 exhibits sleek Scandinavian styling, efficient four-cylinder engines and quality cabin ambiance.

Range-topping Ultimate trim gets matrix LED headlights, 20in alloy wheels, adaptive dampers, air suspension, a head-up display, a powered passenger’s seat, power-folding rear headrests and a panoramic roof.

While Volvo was initially slow to catch up, a move to a longer five-year warranty and fixed-price servicing puts the XC60 on a par with the opposition.

Styling Apart from the Volvo front grille and Thor’s Hammer headlamp display, the XC60 Ultimate is pretty much out of the standard premium SUV catalogue design-wise. For example, the vehicle shows off pleasing, if not striking, dimensions from all directions.

The Bright theme of the test vehicle is standard, keeping the same exterior elements as the core model while the Dark theme, offered at no extra cost, gives new Volvo vehicles a sportier appearance inspired by the former R-Design model by replacing the chrome accents with black elements and making way for a more aggressive stance.

The refreshed Volvo XC60 continues to hold its place high in the mid-size premium SUV market. (Pictures: Supplied)

Interior With its ‘driftwood decor’ inlay inspired by the natural forces of water, wind and waves, the XC60 is a genuine five-seater, with optional Nappa leather accented front seats including seat ventilation and optional ten-point massage.

A panoramic sunroof allows natural light to flood in, creating a feeling of space for everyone in the cabin.

A word about the gearshift. Situated on the centre console it’s hard to ignore this genuine work of art. A product of Swedish crystal glass manufacturer Orrefors, according to Volvo, it’s all about capturing light to produce a warm feeling for the user more used to freezing weather conditions. Verdict: Tactile and easy to operate, it also works well in the Aussie subtropical environment.

Infotainment Those out of touch with the latest tablet-style automobile info systems, may find the XC60 set-up a little testing to start with. In keeping with the minimalist theme of the cabin the centrally positioned touchscreen is the key to control – buttons, knobs and dials are few and far between. Persevere, people. The upside is easy access to no-nonsense voice commands.

With Google on hand to supply helpful features, the star of the show is undoubtedly an optional Bowers and Wilkins 1410W hi-fi audio system with 15 speakers and subwoofer tuned to cabin architecture to deliver impressive surround sound for all occupants.

What’s more, the space can be transformed into varying room modes, including Studio, Individual Stage, Concert Hall or Jazz Club, via advanced acoustic technology.

Engines/transmissions Since 2013, Volvo Cars petrol and diesel engines for most markets around the world 20 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

AT A GLANCE MODEL RANGE Volvo XC60 Plus B5: $72,990 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright: $79,990 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B6 Dark: $86,990 Volvo XC60 Ultimate T8 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid: $101,990 SPECIFICATIONS Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder petrol, 8sp automatic, AWD SUV

have been made at their Skövde, Sweden, facility. Asian-market Volvo cars have had their engines produced at the Zhangjiakou, China, plant since 2016.

The latter is the case for the XC60 in Australia with a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 183 kW of peak power at 5400 rpm and 350 Nm of torque at 1800 rpm via an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels.

Safety Volvo has built its brand on being a leader in vehicle safety – it developed the three-point lap/sash seat belt and shared it around, for example – so it’s no surprise that XC60 safety is five stars. Features include assisted cruise control, auto braking and parking, lane assist, blind spot alert and rear parking camera.

A head-up display delivers speed, turn-by-turn navigation, and more. The brightness of the display adapts automatically to light conditions and can be set to suit personal preferences.

Driving Settling into any of the five seats on offer in the Volvo XC60 can be achieved with the minimum of fuss, none requiring a tall step up as in some SUVs. Shoulder space and leg room also are up in class.

Firing the engine requires a turn of a centre-console situated switch, and it’s the same process for shutting it down. It’s a repeat to shut off the motor.

Typically, of a Volvo, the XC60 offers comfortable, quiet and smooth riding, from the stop/start city commute to motorway cruising.

The mild hybrid system unnoticeably doing its bit for added performance. Expect the XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright MHEV to use close to 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres of premium unleaded petrol in the combined urban/highway cycle while putting out 174g of carbon dioxide.

The car’s active chassis with air suspension constantly adjusts ride height and adapts the shock absorbers to enhance stability and deliver a dynamic and refined ride with maximum energy efficiency at high speeds.

Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Volvo dealer for drive-away prices.

And on demand, Off Road mode can increase ground clearance.

Steering, especially, provided positive feedback, while braking – ventilated disc front and rear – chipped in with the benefit of ‘B’ mode, harnessing engine braking to feed off kinetic energy produced when the foot is off the brake.

Additionally, creep feature can help at low speed, for example in traffic queues or car parks. When active, the car moves slowly without use of the accelerator pedal.

Summary While the XC60 is well advanced with present-day automotive technology, it’s worth remembering that Volvo aims to go fully electric in Australia by 2026, four years before it does in the rest of the world. While the award-winning luxury mid-size SUV deserves a look now, it may be worth waiting to greet the new era.

STARWEEKLY.COM.AU

Bears find good form Bellbridge has hit the mid-season break in strong form after defeating Footscray Angliss in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association division 4 season on Saturday.

After winning the toss and bowling the Bears were set just 164 for victory in 40 overs.

“It was a really good decision [to bowl first].

I was pretty happy with it,” skipper Dillon Hinge said.

“Winning the toss and bowling puts a bit of pressure on the batsman to do the run chase but our bowlers really set the tone, I think their 170 or so was about 20 short.”

With the bat the Bears were solid, getting away to a nice start, making just shy of 50 without loss.

“Our openers got us off to a good start which relieved some pressure and through the middle order Daniel Spencer was terrific and our young opener Nirav [Dhaliwal] made a 50 again and continued on with his good form from the start of the season,” Hinge said.

While Spencer made an unbeaten 54, Dhaliwal top scored for the Bears with 56.

Dhaliwal has had a great start to the season with this half century getting him to 610 runs from his 19 matches across all competitions at an average of 43.57.

Bellbridge heads into the break at equal top of the division 4 ladder, with four wins and three loses.

“I said to the team after the game that it’s the first time in a while that we’ve gone in [to the mid-season break] with a positive win-loss ratio,” Hinge said.

“We’re just playing the right brand of cricket and want to keep that momentum going into Christmas.

“We’ve got a few injuries and we’ve got a few players coming back just after Christmas so looking after Christmas is when we hopefully hit our straps which hopefully leads into a

SPORT

Sports shorts VTCA Bellbridge made a winning start to the Victorian Turf Cricket Association T20 competition against Seabrook.

Bellbridge made 4-141 with Amari Ebbin top scoring with 45 not out Callum Hands took two wickets for Seabrook. Seabrook was soon in trouble in the run chase at 4-33.

It wasn’t able to recover as it was restricted to 6-96. Zach Wilson top scored with 23. Daniel Spencer took 2-12 off his four overs.

VFL Werribee has added Angus Hicks to its list for next year’s Victorian Football League season. Hicks, arrives at the club from Richmond’s VFL side, having come through the Murray Bushrangers pathway. Hicks had his best VFL season this year, playing 17 games, kicking eight goals.

Basketball Wyndham’s Maddison Rocci has been named in the Australian Opals 20-payer squad ahead of the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament. A 12-player team will be picked from the extended squad for the tournament where Australia will face host nation Brazil as well as Germany and Serbia from February 8 to 11. Rocci was part of the Opals team that won bronze this year at the Asia Cup. FOR MORE SPORT, VISIT

Nirav Dhaliwal. (Ljubica Vrankovic)

finals series for us.

“At the start of the season we set ourselves to play finals and we said we would reassess at Christmas and looking at it now I’ve still got

our pass mark as playing finals this year.

“Hopefully we can go deeper than just playing finals and bring the club some success that they are really striving for.”

Web: starweekly.com.au Wyndham Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly

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Werribee’s coaching panel for 2024. (Supplied)

Strong coaching lineup Werribee has finalised its coaching line-up that will assist new coach Jimmy Allan.

Allan, who played 27 games for the club, before heading to the South Australian National Football League, will be assisted by fellow Werribee alums Kyle Hartigan and Jarrod Young with Matt Dowling promoted from his role as a development coach.

Assuming the position of backline coach is Hartigan who after three years at Werribee went on to play 135 games with Adelaide and Hawthorn. The former AFL defender isn’t unfamiliar with the current Werribee playing group after providing specialist coaching with the team during the 2023 season.

Young, a former teammate to Allan, has been appointed midfield coach and is back at Werribee for the first time since a four-year stint as a player from 2005-08.

After a decade of football in the VFL, SANFL and Northern Terrority Football League, Young has been an assistant coach at Grovedale and a playing coach at Geelong Amateur.

He wrapped up his playing days by leading Inverleigh to a Geelong and District Football League premiership this year.

Meanwhile, Dowling has been elevated and will now oversee the forwards following an outstanding first 12 months working with the line as a development coach.

The club’s development manager remains Hamish MacInnes who heads up the position for a third straight year, while Mario Mathuranayagam resumes his role as a development coach with the defenders.

Joining the club as a development coach is Mark Hanson who arrives following a successful playing career and more recently coaching roles with Point Cook Centrals.

Werribee football manager Ash Collins said the club was delighted with its coaches for the upcoming campaign.

“We’re really happy with the support we’ve put around Jimmy as he prepares for his first season. With 10 years in the AFL system Kyle will be an invaluable resource for all of us and will be huge for not only the defenders but the entire playing list,” he said.

“Youngy returns to the place he started his senior career and brings a wealth of experience from his time playing and coaching, so he’ll be great for our midfielders. We’re excited to see Matt step-up as he is an impressive young coach. He’s eager to improve his coaching skill set and will continue to provide great guidance to our forwards. Hamish will continue to play a key role with the young and emerging talent at the club and has already played a big part this preseason leading training while Jimmy made the move from Adelaide.

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Wednesday, 20 December, 2023 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 21

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Rising stars take on the world

By Tara Murray Some of the most talented athletes in the western suburbs will be vying for the prestigious 2023 Don Deeble Sports Star award next month.

The Deeble committee will reveal the name of this year’s champion athlete at an awards dinner on the last Wednesday in January.

The first nominee was rising volleyball star Luella Greer.

Greer, a year 12 student at the Maribyrnong Sports Academy, combined her burgeoning volleyball career and her final year of school, and had no plans to step back from either.

Greer took up a scholarship with MSA in year seven after playing soccer and netball in primary school.

After testing at MSA they suggested that Greer should consider rowing, athletics, or volleyball and the rest is history.

Basketballer Jack Innella was the second nominee for the year.

Innella wants to break the glass ceiling

by becoming the first intellectually disabled basketballer to make it in mainstream basketball.

He became the first Boomerangs player to be invited to the AIS in Canberra for a camp of under-20 basketballers.

Another MSA student, Emily Mifsud, was nominated in April for her achievements in athletics.

Misfud results resulted in her representing Victoria at the 2022 Australian Cross Country Championships and competing at the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships.

Mifsud was then selected to represent Australia at the annual Simplot Games held in Salt Lake City in February.

It’s been a big year for Bridget Mihulk on the tennis court.

She has a WTA singles ranking of about 900 and a junior ranking of 400, but she still classifies herself as pretty average, with always more to do.

The hard work continues to pay off for Jacob

Cassar who is a boxing devotee.

Cassar has had 22 fights with a 22-0 record.

He said his strength is in my ability to change my tactics mid fight.

The next nominee again is part of the next generation being inspired by the Matildas.

Alana Cortellino was part of the Junior Matildas that won the under-18 Asean Football Federation Championship last year.

She is playing with the FV Emerging team in the National Premier League Women’s competition, having captained Calder United’s successful under-19 team last year.

August nominee Amelie Guziak has a voracious appetite for competition and the need to test herself against the best in the world.

She reckons she was born on a squash court.

Being selected to represent Australia in the World Junior Squash Championships in July is the pinnacle of her career to date.

September nominee, Theodore Kaing, returned from Bosnia as any thirteen-year-old teenager would, excited about what he has

seen, talking about the fun that he had and the experiences he had.

The difference between Kaing, who is also known as Teddy, and other tourists was that he had just represented Australia in the 2023 Cadet World Taekwondo Championships.

Shrey Dhand was the October nominee, He represented Australia at the under-19 World Junior Badminton Tournament in September.

Among the many titles Dhand has won, one stands alone. In June this year he competed in and won the Protech Elite Series Open Men’s singles as a 15-year-old. This win stamped his credentials in the sport.

The final nominee of the year was Rosie Bilszta.

The 15-year-old competes in artistic swimming, which is formerly known as synchronised swimming, and recently returned from Greece after competing in the 2023 FINA Youth Artistic Swimming Championships where Australia finished 14th out of 36 teams.

Introducing the 2023 Don Deeble Sports Star finalists Luella Greer School: Maribyrnong Sports Academy Sport: Volleyball Achievements: Victorian and Australian indoor volleyball team, Victorian beach volleyball team and was MVP in 2021, attended the 2022 AIS Volleyball camp, MVP at national title.

Quote: “We gelled together in an amazing way, much like we did in the Victorian team.

It was certainly an eye opener. We didn’t win a game but we came home so much stronger and better for the experience.”

FEBRUARY

MARCH

JULY

Amelie Guziak

Team: Australian Boomerangs Sport: Basketball Achievements: First Boomerangs player to be invited to the AIS, made the state men’s squad as a 14-year-old, a part of the Virtus Asian Games held in Brisbane, Quote: “My parents made it simple for me, see ball get ball. So, I did.”

Club: RACV Club Sport: Squash Achievements: Scholarship to the Victorian Institute of Sport, represented Australia in the World Junior Squash Championships, ranked number one in Australia in the under 17’s and number two in the female junior rankings overall.

Quote: “I am just the most competitive person! My strengths are my fitness and work ethic. I am skilful and disciplined.

My focus and mental strength are also critical for me.”

School: Maribyrnong Sports Academy Sport: Running Achievements: Victoria at the 2022 Australian Cross Country Championships and competing at the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships, selected to represent Australia at the annual Simplot Games held in Salt Lake City, finishing 4th in the 3200 meter event.

Quote: “From a very early age I just loved to run around, run everywhere, whenever I got a chance to get outside, I ran.”

AUGUST

Theodore Kaing

SEPTEMBER

Bridget Mihulk School: Maribyrnong Sports Academy Sport: Tennis Achievements: Played Junior ITF tournaments in New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand, semi final in the ITF Canberra tournament, WTA singles ranking about 900 and a junior ranking of 400.

Quote: “It brings out the best in me. I’m very competitive and love the challenge of working out my opponent and how to win.”

MAY

Jacob Cassar

(Archivist Media)

JUNE

22 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

Club-school: Calder United and Maribyrnong Sports Academy Sport: Soccer Achievements: Junior Matildas, Football Victoria National Training Centre program, at Melbourne Victory, Calder United captain.

Quote: “I suppose I just loved to compete and was a very determined person.”

Jack Innella

Emily Mifsud

APRIL

Alana Cortellino

Club: Lionsden Boxing Academy Sport: Boxing Achievements: Victorian captain, 28-0 record, 2 Australian titles, as a featherweight he is ranked number one in Australia and the Commonwealth in his age group and 16th in the world, best male boxer of the tournament in the under-19 Australian Championships, in the AIS. Quote: “What I love about boxing is the dedication it demands of you if you are going to succeed. It’s not easy to get up every day and train three times.”

Club-School: Notorious Martial Arts and Maribyrnong Sports Academy Sport: Taekwondo Achievements: Represented Australia in the 2023 Cadet World Taekwondo Championships coming third, number one in Victoria, black belt with one dan.

Quote: “Right now, I love everything about my sport… I am very grateful for everyone who supports me. I won’t let them down.”

Shrey Dhand

OCTOBER

School: Maribyrnong Sports Academy Sport: Badminton Achievements: Represented Australia three times, won many Victorian and Australian junior titles, won the Protech Elite Series Open Men’s singles as a 15-year-old.

Quote: “I still have much to learn, I need to work on playing under pressure and my shuttle movement.”

Rosie Bilszta

NOVEMBER

School: Maribyrnong Sports Academy Sport: Artistic Swimming Achievements: Represented Australia at the2023 FINA Youth Artistic Swimming Championships, her team has won state and national titles in the various forms of artistic swimming.

Quote: “It was an amazing experience, one that I will build on to fulfil my dream of representing Australia at the Olympics.”

Excited United is back on the winners list Western United returned to the winners in the A-League Men’s competition for the first time since round one on Friday night against the Brisbane Roar.

In the battle of the Aloisi brothers, with United coach John Aloisi coaching against his brother Ross Aloisi for the first time, it was John who got the last laugh despite being sent from the field.

The match was a classic with United captain Josh Risdon scoring the winner in stoppage time, with United winning 2-1.

There was plenty of drama in the first half, with both sides having shots on goal and United was awarded a penalty when Ben Garuccio was called to have been felled in the box.

The penalty was overturned by VAR much to the displeasure of United fans.

United had opportunities early in the

second half but couldn’t convert.

Roar on the other hand was able to take the ball up the end and get a penalty. While the shot missed, a spot kick from the resulting play resulted in the Roar scoring and taking the lead.

United thought it had an equaliser in double quick time but a late offside call mean the goal was disallowed.

Amidst all that, John Aloisi, who had just been yellow carded in the aftermath of the Brisbane penalty, was shown a second yellow and send from the ground.

The assumption was the second caution and came after the manager’s exuberant celebrations, which included kicking one of the advertising bolsters in his technical area.

United was then denied another goal when Michael Ruhs put the ball in the net, but the ball bounced onto his arm as he controlled

it and the referee promptly whistled for a handball.

Another minute later and yet more drama as United had two shouts for handball, the second saw Jack Hingert penalised and a penalty awarded after a VAR review.

Daniel Penha converted to level the scores.

The final twist came, with Lachie Wales whipping in a corner which Risdon flew courageously into traffic to meet, clipping his header into the back of the net to give his side a 2-1 lead and ultimately the win.

Aloisi had definitely deserved to get a result like that.

“Take away a couple of poor performances, out of the six games we’ve played that we’ve lost, we deserved to win four of them,” he said.

“We got what we deserved tonight, excellent performance. We created a lot of chances especially in that first half, we opened them

up quite a few times.

“They create a lot of chances… and we restricted them, they had hardly any chances.

“We defended well, we attacked well.

Aloisi admits it has been hard for the group having had little success this season despite having played some good soccer.

He said the changes they made were only small ones as they wanted to try some things which did pay off.

Aloisi said he didn’t think he deserved the second yellow card, saying that he was only showing emotion at what he thought was a goal.

He said he was unsure whether he would be suspended for this week’s match against Sydney FC. United now sit in 11th spot with two wins.

Tara Murray

WRFL fixture released

Kaushik Jagannathan. (Ljubica Vrankovic)

Four on the trot for Cats

By Harper Sercombe After a lacklustre start to the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association season, Hoppers Crossing is on a roll, winning its fourth game in a row on Saturday.

The Cats took on Plenty Valley and batted first putting on a strong score of 8-211 at Hogans Road Reserve, with Brett Smith leading the scorers with 63.

The Bats weren’t able to get anywhere near the Cats, being dismissed for 128 after just 42 of their 45 overs.

“We’re going well now, things are starting to come together,” Cats’ captain-coach Simon Lambert said.

“We know we’ve got the squad and the ability it’s just about putting it together and finally things are starting to click a little bit, we’ve been bowling really well since round two and the batting is starting to step up a little bit more now which has been a crucial factor and it’s shown in the last four rounds.

“We were really pleased to get over 200

considering we were 4-60 at halfway and we could have easily been all out for 140, so it’s a real sign of a good team, a team that can fight back from a losing position to really get into a position of strength.

“It easy for our bowlers when you’ve got 210 on the board it releases the pressure from the bowlers and puts a lot of pressure on their batters and they’re a side that’s a little bit down on confidence with the bat, so we were able to apply good pressure early, take a few early wickets and from there it was always going to be an uphill battle.”

While Smith top scored, Fawad Ahmed was potentially the most damaging putting on a quickfire 49 from just 30 falls, including five fours and three majors.

“It was a time in the game where it was stick or twist. We needed to try and find some quick runs to get the game moving, and fortunately he was able to come off and hit a few clean blows and get 49 in quick time which really helped us kick on,” Lambert said.

“I’m really pleased that he could put a score

together and you know that if he comes off he can be pretty destructive and it was good he could come off on the weekend and hopefully he can do it a few more times before the end of the season.”

Even though Lambert is pleased with the batting side of his team’s game coming together, the bowling remains their strength with quality bowlers across their team.

“I think we’re bowling with real discipline at the moment, and we’re applying a lot of pressure on the opposition and it’s been supported in the field as well which is really important,” he said.

“When you’ve got a score like that on the board teams have got to come at you from bowl one and if they don’t execute well there are chances for us and fortunately we’ve been able to take those chances and put the opposition behind the eight ball pretty early in the last few rounds so hopefully we can continue to keep doing that.”

Werribee also got a win on Saturday, beating Strathmore.

The Western Region Football League released the fixtures for its new look men’s division 1 and division 2 competitions last week.

Braybrook will host Laverton in a Good Friday fixture on March 29, opening the 2024 season.

Sunshine face Albion on April 6 as a stand-alone game on the Saturday before all other teams in division 1 and 2 kick their seasons off the next Saturday.

The opening round of division 1 will see Werribee Districts unfurl its premiership flag against Point Cook Centrals while newly promoted Parkside battles it out against last year’s runners up, Point Cook.

Newcomers Western Rams will kick off their WRFL campaign against the Suns during round one, while a returning team Glen Orden will start with a home match against Albanvale.

Hoppers Crossing and Werribee Districts will renew their rivalry on Anzac Day, with new traditions formed in division 2 with Braybrook hosting Albion and Sunshine playing North Footscray.

Parkside will unfurl its division 2 premiership flag in round two, when it goes head-to-head with Spotswood at Merv Hughes Oval.

The Suns will unfurl its division 3 premiership flag in round one, when they battle it out against the newly joined Western Rams.

Another marquee match in 2024 will be between Point Cook and the Yarraville Seddon Eagles as they continue their King’s Birthday weekend tradition. The two teams are scheduled to play on June 8 at Saltwater Reserve.

As division 1 becomes a nine-team competition, the finals system will revert back to a top-five finals system from a top-four finals system in 2023 with the grand final scheduled for Saturday, September 21.

The division 2 competition will become a top six-finals system played over four weeks with the grand final scheduled for Saturday, September 14.

Fixtures for the women’s competitions are set to be released once team numbers have been finalised.

Wednesday, 20 December, 2023 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY 23

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