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1 JULY, 2025
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By Georgia Tacey A man has been charged with murder after human remains were found as part of the search for missing Sunbury man Joshua Bishop. The remains were discovered following the execution of a warrant at a home in Erinbank Crescent in Westmeadows on Saturday. Brandon Watts, a 27-year-old Westmeadows man, was arrested at the scene. He was charged with murder on Sunday night and faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday morning. Watts was remanded to appear in court in September. Joshua’s family released a statement on Sunday through a GoFundMe page set up to support them. “With the heaviest hearts, we share that our beloved Joshua Bishop has been found – but sadly, not in the way we had hoped,” the family said. “We are devastated and struggling to find the words.” The news has rocked the Sunbury community, with messages of support for the 23-year-old’s family flooding social media. Posts of the news have been shared far and wide, with one poster saying “we all in Sunbury had such high hopes he would be found safe and sound”.
One person shared on the ‘Find Joshua Bishop’ Facebook page that they hoped his family felt the Sunbury community standing beside them, with another sharing their “heart breaks for his family”. Through the dedicated Facebook campaign, awareness of Joshua was shared thousands of times, with the ‘Find Joshua Bishop’ page gaining over 13,000 followers. Joshua was last seen on May 27 about 9.30pm by his housemates at Lalor Crescent, Sunbury. He was reported missing two days later by his mother. His phone was last tracked to Broadmeadows Valley Park at 11.30am on May 27. Police searched the park on June 4 and June 16. His disappearance was completely out of character, prompting the wide search for the Sunbury man and social media campaign. On June 6, Joshua’s family spoke to the media and gave an emotional plea for their son to come home. “We just want him to know we love him,” his father, Travis Bishop said. The GoFundMe page for the family is still running, with people able to now make donations to help assist the family with costs during this time of mourning. Since the GoFundMe was set up last week, it has raised almost $20,000 for the family. To donate to Joshua’s family, visit: gofundme.com/f/find-joshua-bishop
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Murder charge Arts and crafts tutor Penelope Cato (front) and yoga instructor Sarah Connell. (Damjan Janevski)
Winter school holiday fun School holidays are fast approaching, and the Woodend Neighbourhood House is ready to bring the fun. The house will host a number of workshops for kids of all ages over the holidays, with something for everyone. The first program will be held on Wednesday, July 9, designed for prep-grade four students. The arts and craft activity will be Make Your Own Sausage Dog for $35. There will be two Bricks4Kidz sessions, with a Mining and Crafting Workshop for preps to grade four, and
a junior robotics workshop for grades three to six. These will cost $65. There will be yoga sessions for all year levels on Tuesday, July 15. Bendy buddies is designed for pre-schoolers for $10. The two older sessions will cost $15, with Creative Yoga for Kids for primary-aged students and Warming Yoga for Teens for highschoolers. The last session will be a Storyboard Drama Workshop for primary-aged students on Wednesday, July 16, at $35. Bookings are essential. Book online at woodendnh.org.au/whats-on
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