Ranges Trader
Hills projects get capital works funding
Lunar halo spotted in The Basin
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Tuesday, 13 June, 2023
A Star News Group Publication
Inspiro CEO to take part in Vinnies Sleepout
Entries open for Emerald’s Woorilla Poetry Prize
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Onwards through music The Dandenong Ranges Music Council is extending an open invitation to creatives throughout the hills and beyond to have a say in its future direction. On Sunday 25 June 2pm, a Question and Answer session with a panel made up of music experts will be held at 1451 Burwood Highway, in an effort to “share ideas, connect and engage in informal discussions about the future of music and possibilities to collaborate, create and promote musical projects.” Turn to page 16 for more The Dandenong Ranges Music Council New Horizons band practising at the Tecoma Uniting Church. Picture: PARKER MCKENZIE
Storm is recalled On the evening of Wednesday 9 June 2021, damaging winds swept through the Dandenong Ranges. Emerald SES Unit Controller Ben Owen remembers the weather conditions being “worse than ever”. “You probably really didn’t get a grasp of what was going on around you because it was dark and black and you saw the headlights in the vehicle where you were driving, but you didn’t see the whole pitch until daybreak,” Mr Owen said. “But you could certainly hear in the dark-
ness of the night with the wind howling, that the branch is breaking and the trees falling either close or in a distance... not knowing your fate.” At least 25,000 trees fall and 200 properties damaged; 81 of which were left uninhabitable. The fallen trees blocked roads and bought down telephone and power lines, leaving thousands without heating and phone or internet connection for weeks. In the 24 months since the event, insurance has proven a difficult hurdle for residents, with some landowners receiving planning permits,
but none having yet rebuilt their homes. The Kallista Village Township Group is set to hold a community event for locals to reflect on the June 2021 storm two years after the event ravaged the area. ‘Rainbow after the Storm’ will bring together people from Kallista, The Patch and Sherbrooke on Friday 16 June to share stories and plan ahead for future emergencies. Kallista Village Inc secretary and local GP Dr Miki Schwartzbord said recovery in the area mostly come down to “neighbourly acts of kindness”.
“There were definitely parents from the schools running around, making meals, dropping off stove-top meals,” Dr Schwartzbord said. A newly-formed branch of the Kallista Village Township Group, Kallista Emergency Group (KEG), will introduce a potential model for our community to respond to future emergencies and also invite participation in its development. Read more coverage on the second anniversary of the June 2021 storm on pages 10, 11
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