Connecting people & communities BERWICK
Incorporating South-East Star Real Estate
Thursday, 1 May, 2014
A Star News Group publication Phone: 5945 0666
Berwick
Connecting people
40c inc. GST and communities www.
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.com.au Thursday, 1 May,
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Anzac Day wrap-up
Curbing prescription addiction
Black and white brave heartss
PAGES 4, 5 & 30
PAGE 7
SPORT
2014 Page 1
Propertyy Lift out
HISTORIC
Trading up at expo THE South East Try a Trade and Careers Expo took a hands-on approach, giving students a taste of a vast range of career paths. Held on Tuesday at the Cranbourne Turf Club, more than 1650 students from Casey, Cardinia and Greater Dandenong visited the expo. The 55 exhibits all had something interactive for the students to try, from bricklaying and glazing to cake decorating and ice-cream making. Berwick College student Lauren tried her hand at airbrushing at the stall from Airbrush Venturi. For more information and photos from the day, turn to page 14. Picture: ROB CAREW
Rani mattered By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
STOP THE VIOLENCE
WHATEVER the circumstances surrounding her death, Rani Featherston was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s friend. While the murders of mother of four Fiona Warzywoda in Sunshine and young Luke Batty at Tyabb attract- her head and upper body in the attack. ed an avalanche of media coverage and But as the Homicide Squad invesan outpouring of community grief, the tigation into her death continues, little equally violent death of a young wom- is known of Rani, other than she was an in Doveton’s industrial neighbour- known to have family ties in Doveton. hood has been largely forgotten. Dr Andy Ruddock, a senior lecturer Rani Featherston, 34, was as- in media and journalism at Monash UniOVER CARSinTO CHOOSE saulted200 andUSED murdered Lace Street FROM versity, said the seeming absence of inoff Eumemmering Creek earlier this formation surrounding Rani’s death and month. Her body was discovered by a lack of media resources could be the employees from a nearby factory reason the murder had not gained trac$6,990 $7,990 $12,990 15,990 as $16,990 around 7am on Wednesday 2 $April, tion in the public imagination. they made their way to work. Dr Ruddock said there was signifiShe sustained significant injuries to cantly less information surrounding
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dia in some way – making your grief public has become an expectation.” A spokesperson for White Ribbon, the campaign against violence against women, said being respectful of the family’s wishes in these cases was paramount. “We find that family, friends and colleagues of the victim come to us and ask us how they can work as part of preventing this violence by actively raising awareness through events that also fund-raise and provide the opportunity to donate to the cause in memory of the person,” the spokesperson said. For more on the White Ribbon cause, visit www.whiteribbon.org.au The News does not want Rani’s death to become just another statistic. If you knew Rani, contact lachlan. moorhead@starnewsgroup.com.au or phone 5945 0666.
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“The media faces the pressure of trying to keep the story current but they don’t always have the time and resources to do so,” Dr Ruddock said. “It makes it appear that some people matter more than others, when really it’s not the fault of anybody but rather a fault of the system.” Dr Ruddock said it was now deemed strange when mourning wasn’t made public. “Social media has changed the way that we mourn. Mourning was a very private thing but now it’s a very public thing,” he said. “You have people reacting in a way that 10 years ago was totally appropriate - you close ranks. “It’s weird that that now seems unusual, it’s a comment on using the me-
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Rani’s death on which the media could build a story, unlike the Brunswick murder of Jill Meagher in 2012. “It is a matter of resourcing. The thing about the Jill Meagher case, the reason it was so horrible was really clear. It was clearly tragic, there were a number of elements you could use to indicate why it was tragic,” he said. “There was stuff to make the story, CCTV footage, you had the family willing to speak out and a march through the streets. “Whereas with this (Rani’s death) you have something happening in an anonymous suburban space to a woman no-one knows.” He said that due to mounting time pressures in the digital age, the media could ill afford to spend time on a case like Rani’s where information was not forthcoming.