Thursday, 6 March, 2025
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New home for war medals
Cooling down our suburbs
Club cries out for help
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SPORT
1000 km in 100 days When Layla Kelly’s partner Damien was diagnosed with brain cancer, she laced up her running shoes and took on an incredible challenge: running 10km every day for 100 days. Her mission? To raise funds for his costly treatment and give hope to
their fight. The community rallied behind the Casey local, donating over $200,000. On her final run last month, more than 200 supporters cheered her on. Story page 20
Damien and Layla Kelly at their last fundraising run at Casey Fields. (Gary Sissons: 459645)
Panda mayhem The grand opening of Australia’s first Panda Mart in Cranbourne turned into chaos over the weekend, with massive crowds, long queues, fights, vandalism, and a police callout forcing an early shutdown. The international discount retailer launched on Thursday 27 February, offering a 20 per cent discount for four days.
On Saturday 1 March, queues stretched from the store to Bunnings, with traffic congestion clogging nearby roads. Store owner John Chen estimated over 10,000 daily shoppers, five times more than expected. The overwhelming turnout led to frustration, as customers waited over one hour and a half to check out, and tensions esca-
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lated into verbal abuse and physical altercations. Inside the store, fights broke out as shoppers attempted to jump queues. Some vandalised goods, while outside, an impatient crowd pushed against the glass doors after staff halted entry due to overcrowding. Police arrived at 5pm to restore order, prompting an early closure.
In response, Panda Mart later apologised for the inconvenience and pledged to improve safety measures. The store implemented stricter crowd control the next day, limiting entry and hiring additional security. Full story page 4
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