Star Weekly - Sunbury Macedon Ranges - 19th August 2025

Macedon’s crowning glory

Decision deadlocked

By Georgia Tacey

Hume council will consider taking on maintenance of median strips along the municipality’s arterial roads, but only after the mayor used his casting vote to back the proposal.

At the August 11 council meeting, councillors were in a dead five to five split on whether they should take on the maintenance of median strips on state-managedarterialroads.

The original motion put to council, that was ultimately lost, sought to acknowledge the responsibility of maintenance for

median strips on arterial roads was the responsibility of the Department of Transport and Planning, not local governments.

Cr Daniel English said ratepayers should not have to pay to keep grass lengths in checkbecausetheDepartmentofTransport and Planning (DTP) had reduced its maintenance schedule for arterial road medianstrips.

“What we see on our arterial roads is not just overgrown grass, it is a visual sign of stategovernmentneglect,”hesaid.

“This neglect hurts our image, our communitypride,andevenourroadsafety.

“We demand that the state government restore proper maintenance funding and standardsforourarterialroads.Wedeserve clean, safe and welcoming streets, not budgetcutsandbrokenpromises.”

Cr Kate Hamley was against the motion and instead proposed that council enter into a minor maintenance agreement with DTP which would result in council taking on the maintenance of arterial roads from 2026-27.

“We get so many complaints about our arterial roads, but they aren’t managed by council … DTP’s maintenance schedule hasdecreasedfromsixcutsperyeararound

2021-22tonowonlythreeperyear,”shesaid.

“That’s why the grass is up to knee high in height and blocking divers visibility on some of our main thoroughfare roads and ourroundabouts.That’swhythere’sgarbage along every arterial road and rampant graffitieverywhere.

“DTP told us they don’t have the funding to fix this. Whatever advocacy we do, if it involvesfunding,itwillfallondeafears.”

With only 10 councillors in attendance at the meeting, Cr Bell used his casting vote to break the deadlock to pass Cr Hamley’s motion. DTPwascontactedforcomment.

Paramedics busy in Hume

Hume recorded one of the highest number of code one ambulance callouts in the state in the three months to June 30, new AmbulanceVictoriadatareveals.

Paramedics responded 4706 code one callouts–thoserequiringurgentparamedic and hospital care deploying lights and sirens–inHumebetweenAprilandJune.

Only Greater Geelong (4991) and Casey (4983) recorded more code one calls during thatperiod.

The number of code one calls responded to in Hume rose from 4513 between January and March, and coincided with a

four-secondincreaseinresponsetimes.

Ambulance Victoria data shows the average code one response time in Hume was 16:04 minutes between April and June, upfrom16minutes.

Paramedics responded to 59.2 per cent of code one calls within the state government-set benchmark of 15 minutes or less, down from 60.1 per cent during the previousthreemonths.

In Sunbury alone, there was 641 code one ambulance callouts. In the Macedon Ranges, paramedics responded to 777 code onecalloutsinthesameperiod.

Responsetimeswerekeptatanaverageof 16:44 minutes, with 53.9 per cent of callouts reaching the targeted response time of under15minutes.

In the previous quarter, response times wereslightlyclosertotargetwithanaverage response time of 16:05, and there were also less reported code one callouts with 601 acrosstheMacedonRanges.

AmbulanceVictorianregionaloperations acting executive director Michael Georgiou saideveryday,therearemorethan500calls to triple-0 that don’t need an emergency ambulance.

Community house supports art classes

Kyneton Community House will soon become the town’s new art hub.

Chief executive Claire Rawlinson said thehousealreadyrunsmultipleartclasses, but with more people wanting to engage with art through the house, it is ready to expand and host artist’s own classes.

“We have four classes running that are always full to capacity, so we thought that with the new space we’re creating … we really thought we could activate that space in a really creative way and give local artists the opportunity to run classes in it as a startup and potentially make it a

dedicated art space,” she said.

Thenewartspacesitswherethechildcare spaceusedtobe,whichwillberefurbished andwillallowthehousetorunsixsessions.

The project is also funded through Macedon Ranges council’s Community Funding scheme, which awarded Kyneton Community House with $10,000.

“We’ve had lots of people approach us and lots of artists approaching us all the time and we’re kind of a capacity for our classes in terms of running them ourselves so it’s really good to be able to facilitate local startups and people looking to get

into running more classes,” Ms Rawlinson said. “We’re really grateful for getting the opportunity to roll this project out through MacedonRangesShireCouncil,itwould’ve been hard for us to refurbish the space without the funding.”

She said she hopes by term four some new classes will be added to the line up, and will continue adding more into the new year.

To stay up to date, go to www. kynetoncommunityhouse.org.au/

Word festival returns to warm up the end of winter

The Words in Winter Festival is returning to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs this August.

Now in its 24th year, the iconic festival will be illuminating the towns with the theme ‘Light in the Dark’ – a thoughtful reflection of the festival’s commitment to creativity, hope, and the transformative powerofstorytelling.

Across multiple locations like Hotel Bellinzona, Daylesford Hotel, Radius Art, Paradise Bookshop, Daylesford Library, Stony Creek Gallery, Spade to Bade and YandoitCultureCentre,therewillbeplenty toseeanddoacrossthetwoweekends.

Expect 45 events and over 80 artists involved over the two weekends, with local talent and visiting artists – emerging and established – offering literary events, performances, conversations, art installations and free events, storytelling,

“There are many options people can access when they need timely medical care and health advice but don’t need an emergency ambulance, including the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department andUrgentCareClinics,“hesaid.

Ambulance Victoria said it is working closely with hospitals, emergency services and government partners to keep ambulances on the road and patients movingthroughthesystem.

“We’re grateful to our hospital partners for their efforts– it’s helping us reach more patients,faster,“MrGeorgiousaid.

Two groups in the Macedon Ranges have benefited in the latest round of theQantasRegionalGrantsProgram.

Across Australia, nearly 50 community groups received a grant, sharing in $2 million worth of funding, flights and marketing support.

Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network received a grant to launch the first specialist kangaroo rescue training program in the Ranges.

This will go towards training more volunteers, providing essential rescue equipment, and strengthening the group’s ability to respond to the growing challenge of wildlife roadstrike in the Macedon Ranges.

Clarkefield CFA has also received funding to purchase equipment to identify areas of fire that may still be burning but can’t be seen.

QantasLink chief executive officer Rachel Yangoyan said the grants program continues to highlight the importance of community groups across the country.

“We were blown away by the number of applications this year, which shows just how many incredible organisations are out there, often quietly making a huge difference in their communities,” she said. “It made the judging process tougher, but it also made us more proud to support this year’s recipients, who are doing inspiring work across the country.”

Now in its fourth year, Qantas’ Regional Grants program has awarded $7 million in grants to nearly 130 not-for-profit groups and projects.

workshopsandchildren’sprograms.

Festival producer Devon Taylor said there’splentytoseeanddo.

“Whether you want gala glamour or casual bookshop chats, there’s a perfect spaceforeverystorylover,”hesaid.

“We’ve carefully curated each venue’s atmosphere – from Bellinzona’s sophisticated literary salons to Yandiot’s grassrootsopenmicenergy.”

Morgan Williams from Radius art said thefestivalisatruehighlightoftheregion.

“It’s a wonderful chance for our community to come together, celebrate creativity, and be inspired by the stories thatshapeourlives,”shesaid.

WordsinWinterwillreturntoDaylesford and Hepburn Springs over two weekends from Friday, August 22 until Sunday, August31.

Details:wordsinwinter.com/

Hume facility audit launched

By Georgia Tacey

Hume council will conduct an audit of all community halls and centres within the municipality to see how these services can be better utilised.

Councillor Sam Misho successfully forwarded the notice of motion at the August 11 council meeting, in an effort to get the most out of Hume’s 47 community spaces and reduce social isolation within the community.

“A lot of these spaces, especially the unstaffed ones, are sitting underused, at a time when the cost of living is biting and

social isolation is increasing,” he said.

“Particularly for our older residents, we have opportunities to make better use of what we already have.”

Thelackoffreespacefortheoldercommunity members was a big concern for Cr Misho, who he said some have come to him to say they have nowhere free, warm or welcoming to go to.

“Yes, there are cafes and shopping centres, but they can be expensive and not always inclusive,” he said. “Parks are great, but they depend on the weather and don’t suit everyone.

“We have buildings already paid for by

our community. Let’s make them truly work for the community.”

As part of the motion, the council will audit each community hall and centre on the current activation hours and days of operation, facilities available at each site, whether walk-in access is available of if bookings are required, and whether the centres are staffed or unstaffed.

The audit will identify underutilised andunstaffedfacilitiesthatcouldbebetter activated and accessible to the community, explore the feasibility of supervised activation of currently unstaffed spaces, and will also investigate operational and

Donations needed to extend the caring

Woodend Neighbourhood House is seeking donations for the Woodend Food Bank.

The community service is available for anyone to stop by and access food, household and personal hygiene items.

But the food bank relies on the community’s support to help support those in need.

Manager of the Woodend Neighbourhood House Melissa Baker said the food bank was opened two years ago to create a closer to home option for Woodend residents.

“The food bank was developed … due to the demand and increasing need lo-

cally for people with food insecurity,” she said.

“We are currently supporting approximately 50 people a week, all Macedon Ranges based.”

Ms Baker said the community helps make it all possible, from donating goods to volunteering time.

“The difficulty for us is there is no ongoing funding for food banks available, so we are very reliant on donations, either through the donation bins at Coles and IGA (in Woodend) or through monetary donations directly to the neighbourhood house,” she said.

Pantry donations including shelf-sta-

Hume mayor Jarrod Bell

Hume council mayor Jarrod Bell will head to Canberra to advocate alongside six other mayors in a joint advocacy push for Melbourne’s north.

The travel request was endorsed at the August 11 council meeting, with Cr Bell set to visit Canberra from August 26 until August 28 as council’s delegate to the Northern Council Alliance’s advocacy efforts.

The travel will cost approximately $1700, accommodated through council’s 2025-26 budget.

Joining mayors from Whittlesea, Ban-

financial considerations including staffing or volunteering.

Council officers will prepare a feasibility study for councillors.

A communications strategy will also be developed to promote the services on offer.

Councillor Carly Moore said the review was a significant piece of work.

“I think it’s really important that we’ve got a really detailed understanding of what facilities we do have, how they are currently used, and how we make sure we get the best outcomes for the community and use them in the best way that we can,” she said.

Hume outlines financial roadmap

Hume council will need to spend more than $1 billion in the next 10 years on capital works according to the council’s 10 year financial plan to meet the growing community demand.

Two plans detailing the financial situation of Hume council for the next 10 years were adopted at the August 11 council meeting.

The financial plan details council’s current and projected financial situation, which outlines a $1.48 billion investment over 10 years, averaging $148 million per year in capital works, and includes a focus on asset renewal and growth-related infrastructure. No new borrowings are forecast over the 10 years.

The recent 2025-26 council budget passed with a $149 million capital works program after significant community consultation and feedback.

The new plan was also developed to address the challenges of supporting a rapidly growing population in the municipality while maintaining a strong financial position.

ble items like tined soups, tuna, cereals, instant coffee and long-life milk can be donated at Coles and IGA in Woodend, or brought directly to the neighbourhood house.

Household items can also be donated at the drop-off points, however anything refrigerated should be taken directly to the house. The Woodend Food Bank is open Mondays and Thursdays from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, and is located in the undercroft of the Woodend Neighbourhood House.

To find out more, or to enquire about volunteering, go to woodendnh.org.au/ or call 5427 1845.

to advocate for the north in Canberra

yule, Darebin, Merri-bek, Mitchell and Nillumbik the group will participate in regional advocacy efforts to seek federal government funding support for key projects in the north.

These projects will include a new hospital in Melbourne’s north, the Hume Freeway and the Outer Metropolitan Ring Road, as well as mental health and family violence prevention and support services.

A public question at the council meeting helped reveal exactly what has been locked in for Cr Bell over the trip, which includes meeting with the federal minis-

ters for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government.

Cr Karen Sherry moved the motion, calling it an important advocacy trip.

“It’s very important for him and the rest of the group to go along and discuss our strategic priorities for Melbourne’s north, our roads, our public transport, health, family violence prevention and the allocation of funding to local government,” she said.

All councillors were supportive of the move, except Cr Bell who declared a conflict of interest.

Other challenges outlined in the plan include rate-capping, cost shifting, rising costs from inflation, labour shortages and supply chain pressures, and the growing and aging infrastructure asset base which continues to require increasing investment in renewal and maintenance.

The revenue and rating plan outlines how the council generates income through streams like rates, user fees, chargers and grants for the next council term.

The council said the plans demonstrate how it will maintain financial sustainability, meet infrastructure and service delivery needs, and fairly distribute the cost of services across the municipality.

Cr Sam Misho said the two plans form a robust integrated financial framework ensuring fairness in revenue generation and discipline in resource allocation.

“They support the council plan for 2025-2029 and the Community Vision 2045, enabling sustainable delivery of infrastructure and service while adopting economic policy and community changes.”

Both plans were developed through a range of community consultation and feedback, including a 47-member community panel which provided input on strategic direction, priorities and financial trade-offs.

The council also said they will look to explore a notice of motion in the future to explore the introduction of differential rates, which may be considered as part of future budget processes.

Healthy refurbishment

By Georgia Tacey

The newly renovated child and youth health wing and reception area have been unveiled at Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health’s Macedon Street location.

Sunbury MP Josh Bull opened the new wing on Monday, August 4, which was made possible through a $3 million state government grant.

Chief executive David Wild said the works took six months to complete.

“We’ve launched our refurbishment, (which includes) new offices that are specifically designed to engage young people, families, and communities to better deliver services to the Sunbury and surrounds area,” he said.

“It’s a real celebration of community health services around growing and stabilising its impact for the community in which we serve.”

Designed and constructed by Melbourne-based ODC Design, features of the new space includes a family-friendly waitingareawithafishtank,engagingplay equipment with a large felt tree, as well as a new carer’s room and a quiet space for those wanting a private room for prayer or mediation.

The design also includes new colourful play therapy spaces, a new open plan office for program staff, and telephone rooms for clinicians to conduct telehealth appointments.

“Our aim was to create a welcoming and warmentrypointforcommunitymembers visiting our service where everyone feels valued,” Mr Wild said.

“We have received lots of positive

feedback from clients, especially our younger cohort who have loved exploring the new space.”

Mr Bull cut the ribbon on the new space, alongside staff and board members, and tookatourofthenewfacilitiestomeetwith clients and staff who are benefiting from the project.

“Sunbury Cobaw Community Health is an organisation that has served our community with passion, dedication and

care for many years,” he said.

“I am so proud to have been given the opportunitytoadvocatefor,andultimately provide this well-deserved funding, to ensure that Sunbury Cobaw’s service delivery will continue to benefit local families for years to come.

“Thank you for the incredible team at Sunbury Cobaw for their vision, and their patience, transforming this significant community space.”

Chance to view draft asset plan

Hume council will release its draft asset plan for community information.

The plan was endorsed to be made available for the public to read at the August 11 council meeting.

The asset plan details all the council-owned assets across the city, with the portfolio including $2697 million of roads, footpaths and bike paths; $732.7 million of buildings; $1153 million of drainage, and $339.8 million of open space.

The new plan was formed through the findings from council’s Financial Sustainability Interim Assessment Report, undertaken by AEC Group, to understand the full scope of the assets council holds.

Cr Karen Sherry said the plan will help support council’s community vision and council plan objectives.

She highlighted the amount of assets across the city, and how this plan will continue to support the management of them.

“Although our assets are in good condition with less than one per cent below desired performance level … this won’t be the case some years from now as we add to our asset base and deal with competing demands from our aging stock, particularly of buildings and roads,” she said.

Thedraftassetplanwillbeadopted at a future council meeting, before October 31, with a copy of the draft plan available on council’s website.

Go on a reading adventure

Schools, kindergartens, childcare centres and libraries across Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs are celebrating Children’s Book Week. The annual week, which this year runs from August 16-23, celebrates children’s literature. The theme for this year’s celebrations is ‘book an adventure’. Librarians from across Melbourne’s north-west have shared their must-read children’s books to mark the week.

I have a few favourites but the children’s book I enjoy reading and sharing with our storytime families the most is ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle, which is what inspired my book week costume this year.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a fun, colourful story with a good message behind it; embracing transformation and change is an exciting opportunity even when it feels scary, as well as making better choices when it comes to what we

eat when we’re hungry (gorging ourselves on junk food will give you a tummy ache!). I’ve always liked this quote by Erice Carle, sharing his thoughts on the book’s popularity: “I believe most children can identify with the helpless, small, insignificant caterpillar, and they rejoice with it when it turns into a beautiful butterfly. It is an affirmation to all children. It says: I too can grow up. I, too, can unfold my wings and fly into the world. I think it’s this message of hope”.

Karen MadsenWoodend librarian

One Little Duck - Katrina Germein. I really love this book because it is a lovely take on five littleducks.Ithaslotsofrepetition and brings in lots opportunity for interaction and noisy fun as a whole gang of different animals follow the duckling home.

Ducks Away! By Mem Fox. Another duck book I love to read aloud. Lots of fun and suspense as the ducklings all end up in the river,leavingmotherduckbehind.

Tram LeSunshine librarian

The Singing Mermaid. I enjoy reading this book for the children and talk about life lessons behind the story narrative.

Michelle SanahonSunshine librarian

It would have to be The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis - not just for its storyline, but it was also the first novel I read as a kid, which makes it very memorable.

Christian Arjona - Sunshine librarian

My favourite book has to be The Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. I’ve read it over 10 times.Acomedicstoryaboutovercomingtheodds,thestrugglesofsurvivalandfinding ultimatesuccessandhappiness.Alightandenjoyablereadforanyagegrouporaudience.

Rosie TurnerWhittlesea librarian

My favourite children’s book is Hairy Maclary’s Caterwaul Caper by Lynley Dodd. It’s pure fun, brilliantly illustrated, and almost impossible to read without doing the voices (which is half the joy, right?). I can’t help but get right into the characters when I read this book and it’s chaotic, cheeky and hilarious.

Helping paw for students

KismetParkPrimarySchoolhaswelcomed anewfurrymembertotheirstaff.

Ziggy, an eight-year-old Golden Retriever, is the newest member of the school’swellbeingteam,lendingahelping pawtostudents.

Ziggy is assistant principal Louisa Beckenham’s dog, who oversees the school’swellbeingdogprogram.

“Ziggy is a gentle and friendly Golden Retriever who is here to support the wellbeing of our students and staff,” she said. “As a wellbeing dog, Ziggy’s role is to provide comfort, companionship, and a senseofcalmduringtheschoolday.”

The top dog can help reduce stress, increase happiness and improve focus for students, and has already become a very valuablepartoftheschoolcommunity.

“Our students are learning to demonstrate the school’s values of kindness, resilience, respect and be your best around Ziggy, so that he can learn themtoo,”MrsBeckenhamsaid.

The school has also installed a letterbox for Ziggy, with students encouraged to writeandmailletterstoZiggy.

“Some of the things students have already written to Ziggy include sharing a worry or something that’s been on their mind, something that has made them happy, ideas or suggestions for school improvements, as well as simply saying hello and drawing pictures,” Mrs Beckenhamsaid.

“With the help of the wellbeing team, Ziggy will read each letter and may even writebackwithafriendlyreply.”

Briefs

Overdose stats released Hume was the state’s fourth highest local government area for fatal overdoses in 2024, a new Coroners Court of Victoria report reveals. The data comes as Victoria recorded its highest number of fatal overdoses in a decade in 2024. The report stated that 22 deaths related to drug overdose were reported in Hume, rising from 13 in 2023. The Macedon Ranges recorded two fatal overdoses, holding steady for the past four years. Coroner Judge John Cain said, “Overdose deaths occur all across Victoria and no community escapes their impact - ensuring that Victorians can access supports, treatment and education is vital”.

Appeal for information

Riddells Creek police observed three youths riding dirt bikes at the intersection of Gap Road and Bolithos Road in Riddells Creek, on Monday, August 11 about 4.45pm. When they became aware of the police vehicle, the youth sped up and fled from police, police said. Police said witnesses walking nearby observed the youths travelling at excessive and dangerous speeds. Police are appealing for anyone with any information that may lead to the identity of these youths to contact the Riddells Creek Police Station.

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Book for the Bulldog faithful

To celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary in the VFL/AFL, ‘Bulldogs Through and Through: The history of the Western Bulldogs’ was recently published. Cade Lucas spoke to co-authors Darren Arthur and Andrew Gigacz about their own history with the Bulldogs and how they went from the outer at the Western Oval, to writing the official account of the club they love.

As most football fans would now be well aware, the Western Bulldogs, along with North Melbourne and Hawthorn, are celebrating centenaries this year.

But as somewhat less football fans seem to be aware, or care, these centenary celebrations come with an important caveat: all three clubs are well over 100 years old.

Rather,2025marksthe100thanniversary of the Bulldogs, Kangaroos and Hawks being admitted into the then Victoria Football League from the rival Victoria Football Association (VFA) in 1925.

Of course, it’s still a significant milestone and given the VFA no longer exists (ironically now known as the VFL) and there’sbarelyanyonealivewhoremembers when these three clubs were part of it, it’s understandable that the pre-VFL history of each club has been largely overlooked.

Fortunately, the recently updated official history of the Western Bulldogs is an exception.

While published to mark 100 years in the VFL/AFL,‘BulldogsThroughandThroughThe history of the Western Bulldogs’ covers every year of the club’s existence, going all the way back to its founding in 1870 ... something.

“If you go right back it’s probably 140 plus,” said club historian and co-writer Darren Arthur of how many years the Bulldogs have been in existence.

Arthur tackled the club’s murky origins in the book’s aptly titled first chapter “Shrouded in Mystery.”

“It may well have been 1876 or 1880, not the currently believed 1883. We may never know,” he writes in the sub-heading.

Opposite is a full-page black and white photo of two Footscray footballers – the Bont and Libba of the 1870’s – clad in blue, red and white striped lace-up guernseys, full length pants and hooped socks, with oneofcarryingafootballunderhisarmthe size of a balloon.

It’s one of dozens of striking images filtered throughout the book alongside an era-by-era breakdown of the club’s history, profiles of on-field and off-field greats, quirky facts and figures, the origin of its colours, name and jumper and a complete list of every player to have ever pulled one on.

It’s an exhaustive work that is at once a handsome coffee table book, a potted history Melbourne’s west and absolute a must for all Bulldogs tragics, which is unsurprising given it was written by two of them.

Despite growing up in Glen Waverley, ArthurwasbornintoaFootscraysupporting family and trips with his father across the West Gate Bridge to the Western Oval cemented his love for the club he’s been official historian of since 1992, wrote his masters thesis about and whose museum and heritage committee he’s involved in.

It’s through the latter than he met freelance writer Andrew Gigacz, who was born in the Bulldog heartland of Sunshine, but who scandalously spent his early years barracking for the Bombers.

“The truth is I didn’t become a proper Bulldogs support until my teenage years,” said Gigacz who blames his Bomber blasphemy on an Essendon supporting big brother.

“When I was nine I went to my first game at the Whitten Oval as an Essendon fan and the Bombers got smashed and from that point we started going to Footscray games every two weeks and it became like a second home.”

By the early 80’s Gigacz’s allegiance had crossed the Maribyrnong River. where it’s remained ever since. It made him the logical choice to write the chapters on the club’s most recent decades.

As the club historian, Arthur took charge of writing the rest, including a 1924 match against his co-author’s former team that might just be the most important in the club’s history.

“There was a championship of Victoria charity game played between the VFA and VFL premiers in 1924,“ he said.

“We defeated Essendon and that was crucialtoourentrytotheVFLcompetition.”

Upon joining the VFL the following year, Arthur said Footscray soon developed a large following and benefited from being the only club west of the Yarra.

“It (the western suburbs) was quite isolated at the time and had a huge area and a population that took their football seriously.”

Despite this, the club had to wait nearly 30 years until they beat Norm Smith’s all conquering Melbourne in the 1954 Grand Final, for its first VFL flag.

It would wait more than twice as long for its second.

The team featuring club and western suburbs icons, E.J ‘Ted’ Whitten and captain coach, Charlie Sutton, achieved only a fleeting greatness.

The Footscray made another Grand Final in 1961, where they lost to fellow VFA alumni Hawthorn, but even with Whitten, the man who’d become known as ‘Mr Football’ and who was recently named the club’s greatest ever player, the Bulldogs’ fortunes slowly declined.

The club were still able to recruit champions, but they were increasingly players who shone brightly but briefly.

Among the brightest was Kelvin Templeton, a lanky kid from Gippsland who grew into a dynamic key forward that dominated the VFL in the late 1970’s.

“Probably the most brilliant I’ve seen,” said Arthur of Templeton, who won a Brownlow Medal, kicked more than 100 goals in a season and once scored an an astonishing 15.9 at the Western Oval.

Champions like Doug Hawkins, Christ Grant, Brad Johnson, Scott West and Scott Wyndplayedfortheclubduringthisera,in teams that were sometimes very good, but never great.

But as Gigacz takes over the story as the club heads towards the new millennium, it’s clear two most significant Bulldogs of the time were off-field: Gordon and Smorgon.

“Its fair to say without both of them the club would not exist today,” said Gigacz who interviewed both men.

“Both acknowledge the other the same way. They’ve had a lot of disagreements over the years, but despite that they were glowing of their praise of the other.”

“I was only a young kid and I was doing the paper round,” said Arthur of why he missed the momentous feat.

“Someonetoldmehekicked15andIsaid “oh rubbish, no one kicks 15.”

Templeton injured his knee soon after and then joined the likes of Barry Round and Bernie Quinlan on the growing list of champs the Bulldogs sold to other clubs to balance the books.

Money problems reached a crescendo in 1989 when clandestine attempts to merge the club with Fitzroy were discovered on thenightoftheclubbestandfairest.Allhell broke loose and then so did an uprising: Fightback.

The story of how Footscray supporters campaigned to save their club has been well documented, but Arthur said it’s too pivotal to not detail again.

“Fightback was hugely significant because we may not have existed,” said Arthur of the campaign led by a young FootscraybornlawyercalledPeterGordon.

GordonassumedtheBulldogspresidency post-Fightback as the 80’s became the 90’s and the VFL became the AFL. A few years later, Footscray became the Western Bulldogs as Gordon handed over the presidencytobusinessmanDavidSmorgon in 1997.

After 16 years at the helm, Smorgon handed the presidency back to Gordon in 2012 as the club embarked on what has become its greatest era, culminating in the drought breaking 2016 premiership.

Gigacz, who was at the MCG the day the Bulldogs defeated Sydney, said he could sense something was different once Luke Beveridge was appointed coach the previous year.

“It was the first time in my life as a supporter that I had the belief that this was a side that should win a premiership,” he said.

Equally as significant was the establishment of the Bulldogs AFLW team a year later, who then won a then a premiership of their own in 2018.

Women’s football has a whole chapter devoted to it, while there is a profile on Ellie Blackburn, the only female included in the club’s 25 greatest players which was announcedata100thanniversaryfunction in July.

Gigacz still shakes his head at being invited.

“I thought this is totally surreal, having been a nine year old kid attending his first game in 1974 having no concept he might one day be writing a history of the club and sharing a room with the greats.”

‘Bulldogs Through and Through - The HistoryoftheWesternBulldogs’,byDarren Arthur and Andrew Gigacz is out now through Slattery Books.

New name for seniors’ hub

By Georgia Tacey

The Sunbury Senior Citizens Centre will have a fresh new name when works finish.

The new name, Sunbury Seniors Hub, was adopted at Hume council’s August 11 meeting, to reflect the site’s transformation into a modern, inclusive and multipurpose facility for the older generation.

Cr Kate Hamley said it was a very exciting time for Sunbury’s oldest residents.

“The redevelopment presents council with a unique opportunity to consider a new name for the centre, one that honours the community’s long-standing con-

nection to the facility while also aligning to its renewed identity purpose, and the evolving aspirations of elder residents today and beyond,” she said.

“Through the redevelopment of the project, user groups of the Sunbury Senior Citizens Centre have been actively engaged.

“The proposed name was decided in close consultation with these groups who are supportive of the new name for our new centre.”

Cr Naim Kurt said the new centre would set a new standard across the city.

“I think there is probably more work to

do on a couple of our other senior citizen centre as well and this is going to be the shining light in the example for other senior centres to follow,” he said.

The Sunbury Seniors Hub is currently under construction, with the $4.3 million project to deliver a new and modern community facility. The project is being delivered through council’s 2025-26 budget, as well as state government funding.

Cr Hamley said it will deliver a range of services and spaces for Sunbury’s seniors.

“This exciting redevelopment will deliver a modern, purpose-built, multi-use

Country Sunbury gets ready to go on show

Entries into the Sunbury Show are open now.

Ahead of show day on Saturday, October 11, the Sunbury Agricultural Society is opening up entries for the show pavilion, with a special addition this year.

“The classes are free for the exhibitors, which means you can put in your cakes, your preserves, arts, craft, sowing, poultry,” Sunbury Agricultural Society president Narelle Reino said.

“The kids can enter the pet parade, even the horses, the classes are free this year,

which has never happened … it is just trying to get people back to have an amazing day out and have fun.”

This year, the society wants to keep that country charm within the Sunbury community, and hopes to have lots of people exhibiting through animals to cakemakers.

“It’s important to honour the agricultural heritage of Sunbury and the surrounding areas because we are losing that a bit now with development and how everything’s progressing and changing, and we just want to have a touch of that in our how to remind

people that’s where we’re from,” Sunbury Agricultural Society president Kate George said.

“We’re trying to do our best to make it a really great day for everyone who comes along.”

Ms Reino said entries will be open online until October 8, and on October 1, anyone struggling with the online process can head down to the Sunbury Social Club from 6.30pmto8pmwithpeopleavailabletohelp you navigate the process.

Details: https://sunburyshow.au/

facility in the heart of Sunbury that’s responsive to the needs of our elderly residents today and into the future,” she said.

“Once completed, the new centre will continue to serve as a vital space for residents in Sunbury and surrounding areas, offering a welcoming central space for social connection, community activities and support services.

“These spaces are increasingly important, especially as Sunbury’s population will continue to grow over the next 20 years.”

The new Sunbury Seniors Hub is expected to be completed by late 2025.

Works complete

Works are now complete on TyldenWoodend Road.

The works finished up in July, and included the major rebuild and rehabilitation along two stretches of the road in Tylden, as part of the state government’s road maintenance blitz.

Crews have finished rebuilding a two-kilometre section of Tylden-Woodend Road between Caddys Lane and Maxwell Street and an over one-kilometre section from Harpers Road to the railway crossing.

The existing road surface has been removed, and the road foundations have been rebuilt to create an improved journey for everyone who travels between Tylden and Woodend each day.

Crews have also completed new line-markings on the newly rebuilt roads.

Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas welcomed the news of the completed works.

“This means safer journeys for drivers in the area, who will see resurfaced roads and new markings – meaning a smoother journey for all,” she said.

According to the Department of Transport, crews will need to return in warmer weather to apply the final asphalt seal to the new road.

A reduced speed of 60km will be in place in the interim the ensure safety for all road users.

DTP expects crews to return in October to complete the last of the works, with more details available soon.

WEHAVEAWINNER

Garden fires spark anger

By Georgia Tacey

Members of the Friends of the Gisborne Botanic Gardens are outraged after two deliberately lit fires at the gardens.

Group secretary Nakeshia Mason said thediscoveryofdamageonFriday,August 8 wasn’t the first time the group had been alerted to vandalism in the gardens.

“One of our members found the burnt area initially on July 19 … and then we as a widergroupbecameawareofitacoupleof weeks back and upon going to investigate the site a bit more two of our members found that some caterpillars and grubs have been pretty much destroyed and burnt in the area,” she said.

“Unfortunately just over the weekend, we’ve found a second area in the garden so there’s been a few bushes and things burnt behind the pavilion.”

Reports were made to both Macedon Ranges council and Victoria Police about the incidents.

Mayor Dom Bonanno said council was disappointed to hear about the damage.

“This reckless behaviour has caused unnecessarydamagetooneofourregion’s most cherished public spaces and had the potential to spread further and endanger properties and lives,” he said.

“While we hope these recent fires are isolated incidents, council will continue

to work closely with Victoria Police and the Friends of Gisborne Botanic Gardens to regenerate the affected areas where possible, and on potential practical improvements to further improve safety in the gardens.”

Ms Mason said the damage to the gardens will be ongoing, especially to the native wildlife.

Police confirmed they are investigating the fires.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage, or anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www. crimestoppersvic.com.au

Diggers Rest Primary School students for their Walk For Prems Day. (Supplied)

Diggers students smash fundraising goals

Diggers Rest Primary School students have dug deep once again for their student-led fundraiser.

This year, the student leadership team has organised a school-wide fundraiser for Joan Kirner Newborn Services at Western Health.

After the big success of the snuggle heart drive earlier this year, the students have now organised a school-wide Walk For Prems,raisingover$1700.

The funds raised will then go towards purchasing bilingual children’s books for the services in languages like Vietnamese,

Burmese, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Tamil andPunjabi.

“The families that use the newborn services at Joan Kirner come from a range of different backgrounds, so the idea is to createachildren’slibraryintheJoanKirner Newborn Services that has books in all the languages of the community that’s using thatservice,”principalBradKempsaid.

On Friday, August 8, students dressed up in purple and ran or walked 1.6 kilometres for the 1600 premature babies born at Joan KirnerNewbornServiceseveryyear.

Studentsalsogottoenjoyasausagesizzle

and guess the lollie jar as well, which all contributedtotheirfundraisinggoal.

Mr Kemp said it was a great opportunity for students to get involved, with the team ecstaticbytheresultstheyachieved.

“Being able to see the efforts they put in through planning an event like this for the community, and connecting with the newborn services themselves and then actuallyseeingtheimpactofraisingmoney that directly goes to supporting families … this has been probably the best teaching point they’re going to experience all year,” hesaid.

New study hub for the

north

Tertiary students in Melbourne’s outer north now have access to greater education with the opening of the Northern Study Hub in Broadmeadows.

Launched by Education Minister JasonClareonWednesday,August13, the hub is led by La Trobe University with the support of the federal government, Hume and Whittlesea councils, Melbourne Polytechnic, WhittleseaCommunityConnections, BroadmeadowsKanganInstituteand NORTHLink.

“Almost one in two young people in their 20s and their 30s have a university degree today. But not everywhere.Notinouroutersuburbs and not in regional Australia. That’s why we are doubling the number of University Study Hubs, to bring university closer to them,” Mr Clare said. “I want this to change, and that means bringing university closer to where people live such as in Broadmeadows.”

LaTrobeUniversityvicechancellor Theo Farrell highlighting a need for thestudyhubinthearea.

“The federal government launched this suburban study hub scheme to basically open these hubs for people studying at university and TAFE to come to a place and do their studies,“ he said. “The essence of the idea is to bring learning opportunities to those people. It’s going to limit their travel timeandbringdownthecosts.”

La Trobe university student Tori Foster has been using the new study hub for two weeks. She said it helps withherconcentration.

“I know why I’m here and it can help me easily set goals to study,” she said. “Because La Trobe has opened a study hub in Broadmeadows, they’re acknowledging that there are students here. It feels like my universitywantsmetostudy.”

Sunbury’s newest football team is ready to kick off in season 2026

Sunbury will soon get its first women’s masters football team.

The new team will be entering the 2026 AFL Masters Metro competition, and Sunbury Lions Masters Football Club general committee member Cassandra Hadson said they’ve already got 25 women committed, with more welcome.

“Women’s football has just grown enormously over the past 10 years which

is really exciting and in Sunbury its grown a lot here too but there aren’t places for women to play masters when they get a bit older,” she said.

“There are no teams within a 45km radius, I think the closest team we have to us is Werribee and so what we’re finding is that a lot of the women who are playing senior footy at any of the clubs in Sunbury or surrounds, they generally start to retire

when they hit about the 30 to 35 age mark.

“We really want to provide that opportunity for them to prolong their playing careers for as long as possible.”

Ms Hudson said they would love to have a team of about 40 players.

Costs are the biggest issue for starting up the team, with entry fees, jumpers and equipment all costly for them.

“It ends up being quite a costly exercise

sowe’relookingforsponsorsatthemoment who really want to support women’s sport and support our team,” Ms Hudson said. The club will host a trivia night on September 20 at the Sunbury Memorial Hall to kickstart and celebrate the new team but also raise some much-needed funds.

Details: www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=61578021067167

Bands battle for attention

By Georgia Tacey

Bands across the Ranges have battled it out to be crowned the winning group.

The Battle of the Bands took over Kyneton’s Town Hall on Friday, August 1, with The Mods, Thunderchief, Electric Eels, Felonys, Mousie Coco and Elysium all performing to a sold out crowd of 250 youth.

The six acts comprise of 23 young musicians all from the Macedon Ranges, for a great display of home-grown talent.

The grand prize of the night went to The Mods,whowereawardeda$1500recording studio package at Field Day Studios by the three judges, who were stoked to receive to winthebigprizewithalltheirfriendsthere to see them.

“It feels like we’ve put in 100,000 hours of work into this event. This opportunity means heaps to us,” The Mods said.

“We can absolutely see a career in music for ourselves.”

The People’s Choice Award went to The Electric Eels, who were awarded a $500 Manny’s Music Store voucher.

They said it was the biggest crowd they had ever performed in front of.

“This opportunity means so much to us. It means that we get more experience performing in larger spaces and to bigger crowds, which is special to our band. I can really see a career in music,” they said.

“Listening to music as little kids and thinking ‘wow, I want to do that someday!’ really inspired us to be musicians. We have our music teacher to thank and all the amazing artists that we listen to on the radio and at home for inspiring us as musicians.”

Macedon Ranges council mayor Dom Bonanno congratulated all the acts.

“It’sreallyimportanttoprovideplatforms and opportunities for our creative young people in the

Macedon Ranges to further their passions, and I’m proud that Council is doing exactly that through the Battle of the Bands 2025 event and the broader Music in the Sticks program,” he said.

“Congratulations to all those local artists who embraced the moment and performed on the night, and thank you to everyone who turned out in support to make it a night for them to remember.”

West residents don’t feel safe

Residents of Melbourne’s west feel less safe in their homes than in any other part of the state.

That’s one of the findings of a new study conducted by the RACV and Neighbourhood Watch examining how safe Victorians feel in their homes.

The Victorian Community Safety Perception report analysed 8021 responses to Neighbourhood Watch Victoria’s ’How Safe Is My House’ quiz collected between 2021 and 2024 - the first Victoria-wide review focused not just on crime data, but on how safe people feel in their homes and what protective actions they take.

Residents of Melbourne’s western

metropolitan region, which takes in the Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay, Wyndham, Brimbank, Melton and Moonee Ponds council areas, recorded the state’s lowest safety rating of 7.29.

Western regional, which takes in all council areas west of Melbourne, including Moorabool and Macedon Ranges, recorded the state’s highest safety rating of 7.87.

Northern metropolitan, which includes Hume and Whittlesea council areas, recorded 7.56.

The statewide average was 7.66.

Western metropolitan residents also adopted safety measures at a higher rate

than those elsewhere, with home security system use increasing from 53 per cent of respondents in 2021, to 63 per cent in 2024.

The percentage of residents installing home security in northern metropolitan increased from 53 to 59 per cent over the same period.

Western regional residents bucked the trend, with the proportion adopting home security systems dropping from 45 per cent in 2021, to 43 per cent in 2024.

Neighbourhood Watch chief executive Bambi Gordon said the research was important as it revealed how Victorians actually felt about their home safety.

Construction starts for new tech school

Broadmeadows Kangan Institute campus will soon have a new tech school in Hume as construction begins marking a major milestone.

Aimed to serve as a dynamic hub for innovation, talent development and industry collaboration, the new tech school was planned in response to the Hume municipality being one of Australia’s fastest-growing communities, with population growth projected at nearly 50 per cent more the next two decades.

The Hume Tech School will offer hightech science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs (STEM), to local

secondary school students with Kangan Institute as tertiary partner.

The future-ready programs will cover areas like advanced manufacturing, automation, healthcare, renewable energy, construction, transport and logistics, and data analytics.

“Students in Broadmeadows and the neighbouring suburbs will have the chance to explore future career and industry pathways that have never been more important.”

Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ben Carroll said

“All Victorian students, no matter their location, deserve access to the best learn-

ing facilities. Victoria’s Tech Schools provide high-tech, hands-on STEM programs to secondary school students in their local area.”

Once up and running, the school will provide programs to more than 28,000 students from 28 secondary schools in Hume annually.

Kangan Institute chief executive Sally Curtain celebrated the start of construction on the new tech school.

“Starting construction of this innovative Tech School marks a bold step towards inspiring the next generation in STEM and preparing Hume’s young people for the jobs of tomorrow,” she said.

“The data shows that while crime statistics are important, people’s perceptions of safety are shaped by many factors including their environment, community connections, and personal experiences,“ Ms Gordon said.

“Understanding how residents perceive their safety is crucial for developing effective community safety strategies.“

The full Victorian Community Safety Perception Report is available at www. nhw.com.au.

Hume tackles homelessness

Hume council has hosted a community event bringing together residents, service providers, and advocates to shine a light on the growing issue of homelessness, with the region recording a 25 per cent increase in people sleeping rough since 2016.

The event was held in the Hume Global Learning Centre in Broadmeadows on Thursday, August 7, as part of a national campaign which aimed to build community support and government commitment to end homelessness.

The event focused on this year’s Homelessness Week theme of ‘Homelessness Action Now’. Conversations raised awareness about the urgent need for investment from state and federal government in the establishment of multiple service access points, with a focus on Sunbury and other growth areas.

Mayor Jarrod Bell said everyone in Hume deserves dignity, stability, and access to basic human rights.

Ideas to flow from the event include culturally responsive homelessness services tailored to migrant communities and youth, assertive outreach to connect rough sleepers with healthcare and housing, and the development of best-practice crisis accommodation facilities offering short-term emergency housing and wraparound support to help residents transition into stable homes.

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.

ACROSS

1 Electric guitar accessory (3)

3 Generous or forgiving (11)

9 Affable (7)

10 Silhouette (7)

11 Examines (8)

12 Drawer (6)

14 Long fish (3)

15 Scandalous (11)

17 Semi-transparent (11)

19 A can (3)

20 Solution (6)

21 Interpret (8)

24 Passivity (7)

25 Resident of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv (7)

26 Treacherously (11)

27 Miniature (3)

DOWN

1 Designer of buildings (9)

2 Sunshade (7)

3 Corn (5)

4 Jelly-like (10)

5 Behave uncontrollably, run – (4)

6 Forbid (9)

7 Perspective (7)

8 Pleasing taste (5)

13 Distinct classes (11)

15 Possibly guilty (9)

16 Long life (9)

18 Pustule (7)

19 Flood (7)

20 Excuse (5)

22 Grouchy (5)

23 Holy aura (4)

1 Celine Dion appears in which 2023 rom-com?

2 What three colours appear on the Armenian flag? 3 Lydia Tár, played by Cate Blanchett, was the chief conductor of which orchestra?

4 Who played Atticus Finch in ToKillaMockingbird?

5 Is the maximum length of a male or female orca larger?

6 US television personality Michael Strahan (pictured) played which sport professionally?

7 In what year did a structural fire break out at the Notre Dame?

8 Which country borders Nicaragua to the north?

9 Where was the 1976 Summer Olympics held?

10 In which century was the British Museum established?

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

One Voice Sunbury

The WOV Sunbury community choir is changing the world one voice at a time by providing an opportunity for people to meet and experience the joy of singing, often making friends through the shared experiences of singing and performing; although performing is not required.

One Voice Sunbury community choir rehearses each Tuesday, from 6.30pm, at Goonawarra Neighbourhood House. A fun and welcoming choir, new members are welcome – just join in on the fun.

 sunbury@withonevoice.org.au

Farmers and Makers Market

Locals and people from afar get along to the wonderful Malmsbury Farmers and Makers Market. Always the third Sunday of the month….fresh produce, wine, hot food, coffee, plants, artisan foods and crafts that are special. Musical entertainment whilst you shop and catch up with friends. Located at the picturesque Malmsbury Cricket Ground 9am-1pm.

 Amy, 0423 726 695

Sunbury Men’s Probus Club

Join the Probus Club of Sunbury on the first Wednesday of the month at the Sunbury Bowling club at 10am. It’s a friendly men’s group open to visitors and new members, with a number of great events held each month.

 Lindsay Brown, 0405 177 478

Ladies Probus Club

The Woodlands Ladies Probus Club of Sunbury meets on the 4th Monday of the month at the Sunbury Bowling Club (Club Sunbury). Meetings now start at 10.30am for 2 hours. We have guest speakers each month, also outings, and theatre regularly. New Members and visitors welcomed.

 Jessie, 0458 190 254

Messy Play in Sunbury

Join in the Messy Play fun with this toddler-focused program, including messy and sensory child-led play. The program will run from 10–11.30am on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays.

 www.sunburyhouse.com.au or 9740 6978

Young Voices of Macedon

A community choir for children of the Macedon Ranges and beyond, Young Voices of Macedon rehearses at the House of the Rock, 247 Station Road, New Gisborne. The choir has separate programs for young children aged five to eight and older children. Rehearsals assist children in developing vocal technique, part singing skills, and general musicianship, across popular, classical, folk and music theatre styles. Rehearsals run on Thursdays, from 4.15pm, with afternoon tea and play time.

 yvmacedon.org.au

Hume Men’s Shed

The Hume Men’s Shed (Sunbury) is a non for profit organisation, meeting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 158 Evans Street, Sunbury. The group caters for men be it carpentry, welding, metal work, gardening or just to chat.

 sunburymensshed.com, or 0438 677 425

Macedon Ranges Photographic Society

Are you into photography, just starting out, or a fully fledged professional? The Macedon Ranges Photographic Society is your local camera club for friendship, photographic outings, workshops, guest presenters, competitions and more. Come along to a meeting on the first and second Monday of the month. Doors open at

7pm and the meeting starts at 7.30pm at Jubilee Hall, 52 Smith Street, Macedon.  www.macedon-ranges-photography.org. au, or info@macedon-ranges-photography. org.au

Insync Entertainment

Insync Entertainment is an all-female community choir, providing the opportunity to meet others who enjoy singing. The group is seeking new members to join the friendly choir. No auditions required. They rehearse at the Sunbury Baptist Church Hall every Monday from 7.15–9.30pm.  insyncentertainment@gmail.com

North Western District Pipe Band

The newly formed North Western District Pipe Band meets every Wednesday at 7.30pm at the Diggers Rest Bowls Club. It is seeking experienced pipers and drummers to join the band and is also offering tuition for learners of all ages.

 Hank, 0412 160 576, nwd.pipeband@gmail.com, or www.facebook.com/NorthWesternDistri ctPipeBand?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Toastmasters

Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Toastmasters helps its members develop their public speaking, communication and leadership skills. The group meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month, from 7.20–9.30pm, at the Sunbury Community Centre, 531 Elizabeth Drive, Sunbury.  vpm-4185@toastmastersclubs.org

Sunbury Seniors

Sunbury Seniors (55 or older) meet on Mondays and Fridays from 10am–3pm. The club is temporarily located at 531 Elizabeth Drive, Sunbury while

construction on a new venue is underway.

A variety of activities are offered – indoor bowls, cards, snooker, guest speakers, day excursions, subsidised lunches or just a cup of coffee and a chat.

 0434 400 754

Sunbury Art Society

The Sunbury Art Society meets every Friday and Saturday, from 10am-3pm, at the Boilerhouse, Jacksons Hill, to paint or draw over a cuppa with other like minded people. New members welcome.

 Ken, 0407 062 568, or Yvonne, 0429 994 828

Yoga in Sunbury

Yoga classes at Sunbury Neighbourhood House focus on supporting participants to slow down and move well. Special attention is given to mindful awareness of movement that builds strength in a healthy and safe way, Monday mornings, Thursday evenings and Friday mornings

 www.sunburyhouse.com.au or 9740 6978.

Art group

The Woodend Art Group holds classes and workshops in the studios in the Woodend railway station complex. It also has a social Tuesday where members and interested people can come along in the morning, have a coffee and paint together in a social environment.

 Colin Robinson, 0407 426 252

Craft and conversation

Head down to the Sunbury Library on Mondays at 1pm to 3pm for the craft and conversation group. The program is free and open to people aged 15 years and older.

 tinyurl.com/yfwtmhdh

Pernaperna Women’s Group

The group is currently knitting and crocheting blankets for First Nations peoples in palliative care across Australia. Pernaperna is a friendly group who meet fortnightly at Sunbury Neighbourhood House, 531 Elizabeth Drive, Sunbury, on a Thursday, from 1-3pm. It has established a bush tucker garden at Sunbury Neighbourhood House. New members warmly welcomed. If you don’t knit or garden but would just like to drop in for a chat, the group would love to meet you.

 Joan, 0418 302 676

Jacksons Creek Combined Probus Jackson’s Creek Combined Probus Club meets the second Monday of the month at Club Sunbury, Riddell Road, Sunbury. Meetings commence at 10.30am. New members are welcome to join our friendly group of men and women. We have monthly speakers, outings and twice yearly trips away staying in cabins or caravans.

 Doug, 5428 3317, or Teresa, 0417 373 006

Chill Out Sunbury

Chill Out Sunbury is a free event for 12 and 18 years old to participate in activities such as trivia, games, and more. Happening every Wednesday, 3.30-5.30pm, at the Sunbury Youth Centre, 51-53 Evans Street.

 bit.ly/3lmVgVhv

CWA Woodend Eves

The CWA Woodend Eves Branch is part of the Central Highlands group and meets every third Tuesday at 7pm at the Woodend Golf Club. All women are welcome.

 cwawoodendeves@gmail.com

Pride film festival is a first

The Melbourne International Film Festival mightbeunderwaynow,buttheinner-west will soon play host to a unique film festival all of its own.

The inaugural Pride Short Film Fest will take place on August 28, September 3 and September 10 at the eponymous Footscray bar on Barkly Street.

As the name suggests, the Pride Short Film Fest will be a celebration of local queer filmmakers, with six movies shown each night and introduced by the director or a member of the cast and crew.

Festival director Tom Nguyen said the

idea for the festival was inspired by the regularfilmnightsheldatthebarfeaturing Hollywood movies popular with queer people.

“I’ve worked on movie projects around Melbourne and I know that there’s a community of people that not only love watching movies, but making them as well and a lot of them are gay and queer,” Mr Nguyen said.

“My Idea was to find local queer films and filmmakers and show their work to the audience we already have and also create a spaceforthemtomeeteachotherandmeet

the audience.”

Pride of Our Footscray manager Mat O’Keefe said the festival would feature a broad range of films.

“It’s got everything from camp horror to social commentary on Melbourne’s fascination with cool cafes,” Mr O’Keefe said.

“It’s rare to have a film festival in a bar such as this and you get to meet the directors so it’s more personal than going to Hoyts.”

Details and bookings: https://www. trybooking.com/events/landing/1416708

495084_02

Students bring Spamalot to the stage

Do you like to look on the bright side of life? If so, you should see St Albans Secondary College’s production of Monty Python’s Spamalot.

Spamalot takes the classic story of King Arthur and his knights and turns it on its head. The quest for the grail is a series of hilariously chaotic events which highlight the absurdity of epic journeys.

St Albans Secondary College musical appreciation club director Melissa Tamraz said students have poured their hearts into rehearsals for the show.

“They are bravely uncovering their

comedictalents,ignitingtheirinnerjoy,and unlockinghiddendanceabilitiestheynever knew they possessed,” Ms Tamaraz said.

She said the production is sure to make people of all ages laugh.

“Inspired by Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot is full of funny one-liners, silly situations, and hilarious parody,” Ms Tamraz said.

“The show pokes fun at musical theatre, with exaggerated songs, sparkling costumes, and even knights dancing tap. It makes fun of the genre in a loving way, while also showing what makes it special.

“Beneath all the silly moments, the show is really about friendship, never giving up, and following your dreams, your own ‘holy grail.’ It’s funny, but also warm and full of heart.”

Just beware of any killer rabbits.

Monty Python’s Spamalot, performed by St Albans Secondary College, will be showing at the Bowery Theatre from Wednesday, August 20 to Friday, August 22 at 7pm each evening.

Tickets are $15 for adults and children. Family tickets are $55.

Details: creativebrimbank.com.au

The Addams Family prove to be spookier than ever

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, they’re mysterious and spooky.

They’re all together ooky, so clap twice and welcome Point Cook P-9 College’s performance of The Addams Family.

Fresh on the acting scene, Irene is embracing life as Morticia the macabre queen.

“This is my introduction to acting, and the character I am playing is very distinct from my natural character,” Irene said.

“I have a very bubbly personality and Morticia is super dark.”

Morticia’s husband Gomez is no stranger to romance, but Dylan, who plays him, is.

“He is a very passionate person I would say, perhaps a little too romantic–especially for me,” Dylan said.

“Simply when Gomez talks to Morticia, words like darling get me. It is very hard to be romantic at 14.”

Abigail has no intention of fixing what isn’t broken when she transforms into Wednesday Addams.

“I have tried to mostly keep it the same, I have read about the character and stayed mostly on track with being Wednesday, because I am the opposite.

“I am always laughing and smiling, so I struggle with keeping the deadpan look.

Go back in

time

Travel back in time and experience film in a whole new way with The Sounds of Silent.

Back by popular demand, the Lancefield Mechanics Institute will bring back The Sounds of Silent for a vibrant and entertaining musical andmovieeventforthewholefamily.

On the night, catch a 1920’s classic silent film alongside a live jazz performance from The Sounds of Silent.

This time the institute will be showing the 1926 silent comedy The General, starring Buster Keaton. The film was inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, which happened in 1862 in America, and filmed towards the end of the silent era.

Also on the night, catch a Laurel and Hardy short for a fun night out in yesteryear.

Lancefield Mechanics Institute committee of management president John Sevenson encouraged the community to come on down.

“Come along to a family friendly night and enjoy how entertainment used to be in the 1920s enhanced with a modern jazz band, The Sound of Silent,“ he said.

The Sounds of Silent is a five piece ensemble, featuring some of Melbourne’s most versatile and accomplished musicians. Recreating the silent movie experience all over Melbourne, they’re once again coming back to Lancefield and bringing another classic experience with them.

The Sounds of Silent will be performing on Saturday, August 23, at the Lancefield Mechanics Institute. Doors will open at 6pm, for a 7pm start. The night is BYO drinks and nibbles, however popcorn, choc tops and drinks will be available to purchase.

Tickets will be $10, and are available online at https://tinyurl. com/599u8d5w

“My favourite part is how my friends have been helping me, and it has basically just been a staring showdown.”

The youngest of the bunch, Geronimo was the right man to channel Pugsley.

Pugsleyhasbeenagreatwaytofindinner strength and empathise with a character’s sibling rivalry.

“He has different ways of being himself, and I mean, yes he does have lots of problems with his sister,“ Geronimo said.

“But if his sister went away, he’d miss her.”

Place, date and tickets: https://www. trybooking.com/events/landing/1395423

Winslow Constructors has been engaged by Macedon Ranges Shire Council to complete the road reconstruction of Swinburne Avenue. In order to enable the works, Swinburne Avenue will need to be closed north of the Swinburne Avenue Children’s Centre all the way up to Ross Watt Road, noting access to the Children’s Centre will be maintained inclusive of the carpark along Swinburne Avenue.

The closure will commence from Wednesday, the 13th of August 2025, and will be in place until the 14th of October 2025.

We understand the inconvenience this will cause, noting we will strive to minimise any disruptions and disturbances during these works. We will be endeavouring to deliver a quality finished product for the area. Should you require a copy of the Traffic Management Plan for this road closure, or have any queries or concerns with the above, we urge you to please contact the undersigned on;

Project Manager Nick Carter

SPORTS QUIZ

1. Which swimmer recently equalled Ian Thorpe’s record of 11 World Championship golds?

2. What song plays at the Gabba when Charlie Cameron kicks a goal?

3. Who scored the most points in the 2024–25 NBA season?

4. For the first time, the final stage of the Tour de France this year included a climb of which Parisian landmark before the regular sprint finish at the Champs-Élysées?

5. Known for his big smile, AFL umpire David Rodan played for which three AFL clubs between 2002 and 2013?

British athlete Ellie Kildunne was named World Player of the Year in which sport?

Actor Jason Statham was a member of Britain’s national team competing in which water sport?

What is signalled by a cricket umpire raising both hands above their head?

Which former Melbourne Storm player has been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame?

Sunisa Lee is an Olympic gymnastic gold medallist from which country?

In November, six exceptional athletes will be inducted into which prestigious Australian institution?

12. Australian golfer Marc Leishman won a LIV Golf tournament in April in which US city?

13. Which AFL coach was sacked in early August, despite winning the premiership just fours ago?

14. Jen Pawol is the first woman to umpire in which major US sporting league?

15. In cricket, India defeated England by how many runs in an epic finish to the fifth Test?

16. And which English batsman was named player of the series with 481 runs?

17. Which horse won last year’s Melbourne Cup?

18. Vietnamese-Australian Jayden Nguyen debuted for which AFL team in Round 21?

19. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won which major cycling event in July–August?

20. What does the word ‘hundred’ refer to in England’s T20-inspired The Hundred cricket competition?

21. Who is the current caretaker coach of the Melbourne AFL team?

22. NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch recently broke what part of his body while celebrating a race win?

23. Which A-League club was recently stripped of its licence due to financial issues?

24. Which canoeist won more Olympic medals at the Paris 2024 Summer Games: Jess or Noémie Fox?

25. Which soon-to-retire AFL player has played the most career games without reaching 400 total games?

26. The City2Surf is a running event held in which city?

27. The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup is being hosted by which country?

28. And how many teams will be competing in this year’s tournament?

29. Which NRL team recently had one of their trainers banned and received a $50,000 fine?

30. Which Collingwood AFL legend recently signed to play on for a 21st season?

Star Weekly seeks an enthusiastic Full or Part time Sales Executive to work across our print, digital, social and online platforms.

Star Weekly is an independently owned company which prides itself on its long history of community experience but also its investment in the future.

The successful applicant will need to possess good people skills to enable them to meet with local businesses to sell solutions through our advertising platforms to help promote their business.

Applicants will need their own reliable vehicle for which we will provide an allowance. The position is salaried, plus we offer an open ended commission scheme.

Send your application letter and resume to: Advertising Sales Manager, Mandy Clark mandy.clark@starnewsgroup.com.au

GR has premium pedigree

By Derek Ogden, Marque Motoring

The GR Corolla is not something cobbled togetherfromoldracecarremnants.

Its roots may lie in the Celica GT-Four WorldRallycarfromtheendoflastcentury, as far as pedigree is concerned, it is among today’sgenuinehothatches.

Back in the day, with Carlos Sainz Sr behind the wheel, the Celica was crowned world champion in 1990 and 1992. Five years later the Celica turbo ST205 was shuntedinfavouroftheCorolla,withSainz taking up with Toyota Team Europe to win the Monte Carlo Rally; the GR Corolla followedupwithitsfirstWRCvictoryinthe RallyofNewZealand.Apremiumpedigree, indeed.

Fast forward to 2023 when Toyota Gazoo Racing had the GR Corolla GTS joining the GR 86, GR Supra and GR Yaris in its high-performanceroad-goingstable.Based on the Corolla Hatch the GR is blessed with theTNGA-Cplatform,boostedbyrace-style dynamics, setting the car well apart from therestofthefamily.

Featuring the same super-power 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine as the GR Yaris the GR Corolla six-speed manual is tuned to develop 221kW of power at a high-end 6500rpm and 370Nm of torque overawide3000-to-5550revspread.

Now, Gazoo has added the option of a race-bred eight-speed automatic transmission and upgraded the 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine, boosting the torque by30Nmto400Nm.Thisisfedtogroundvia a GR Four all-wheel drive set-up. On test was the latter, which sells for $67,990, plus ORCs, as opposed to the new Auto, costing $70,490.

Further design features include wider track front and rear, a completely overhauled suspension and styling enhancements.

Asafootnote:25luckyownerscangoone better with the special edition GR Corolla Morizo priced at $77,800 – a lightened, more torque from the turbo 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine, and track-honed hardware including semi-bucket seats and grippyMichelinPilotSportCup2tyres.

The GR Corolla comes under the Toyota Warranty Advantage, offering up to five years unlimited kilometre coverage, extending to seven years on engine and driveline.

Capped-price servicing applies to the first three years or 60,000 kilometres and each six-month/10,000km service costing $300.

Styling

Both variants are enhanced by unique front and rear bumpers accommodating the wider track, more air ducts to improve aerodynamics (0.35Cd) and cooling, raised bonnet and unique 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in high-performance Yokohama tyres.

The GR Corolla also features a new wider front lower grille which provides improved airflow to the radiator, intercooler, brake ducts, sub-radiator and automatic transmissionfluidcooler.

Triple exhaust tips leave more than a farewell sign to other road users in the wake of the GR Corolla sprinting past. They reduce exhaust back pressure and a tendencytoholdupthehothatch.

Interior

Changes to the inside reflect the body’s sharp looks, while not at the expense of comfort., with creature comforts including heated front seats and steering wheel, wirelessphonecharging,dual-zoneclimate

control and eight-speaker premium JBL soundsystem.

Back in the performance mood, gains include dedicated gearshift, and centre console, aluminium pedals, manual parking brake and leather-bound steering wheelpluckedfromtheGRYaris.

With room for five, front seats provide good lateral support under spirited driving, with suede and synthetic leather upholstery and contrasting silver stitching. Luggage volume of the GTS is a slim 213 litres.

Infotainment

Connectivity has gone up a notch with an 8-inch touchscreen displaying the latest Toyota multimedia system including Toyota Connected Services, paired with a digital 12.3-inch multi-information set-up andcolourhead-updisplay.

Other updates for the GR Corolla include full wireless Apple CarPlay and wired AndroidAuto,mirroringforthemultimedia system, and the inclusion of Active Noise Control which guards against unwanted disturbancethroughthecabin.

Engines/transmissions

The new powertrain pairs an eight-speed Gazoo Racing automatic transmission tuned to high-performance shifting on the racetrack with an upgraded version of the turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder motor.

Maxpowerisunchangedat221kW,while the high-revving engine is gifted with an added 30Nm of torque (400Nm), feeding all four wheels via GR Four with an auto transmission tuned to the track through sharp-shifting paddles on the steering wheel. A larger, higher-output cooling fan hasreducedtransmissiontemperatures.

Safety

The GR Corolla features a full bag of Toyota Safety Sense active safety tech to help with optimum occupant safety. These include intersectionturnassist,thankstoimproved camera and radar sensors, which pick up object and 3D motion, while extending the rangeofthesystemsused.

Automaticvariantsgainadditionalsafety technology through parking support brake with object and vehicle detection and all-speed adaptive cruise control. Seven airbagstakepassivecontrol.

Driving

With a ‘zero to 100’ time of 5.29 seconds on the way to a top speed of 230kmlh, it’s undeniable the Toyota R Corolla GTS has a lot to offer. Fuel consumption (premium unleaded) is put by the maker at 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres over the combined urban/highwaycycle.

Drivers of the GR Corolla are treated to exceptional handling and cornering, courtesy of the GR-Four all-wheel drive system supported by Torsen limited-slip

differentials front and rear for optimal torquedistribution.

And an optimised suspension set-up, major chassis reinforcements, weight reduction and ventilated disc brakes all contributetoputtingasmileonthedriver’s face.

Lastly,onthe‘southern’endofthecentre consoleliestheGR-FourDriveModerotary controller. A default mode splits torque 60:40 front/rear for stability and cornering performance.

For those who prefer a rear-biased driving experience, spin the wheel to the second mode, which offers a 30:70 torque split perfect for winding roads and linear steeringinput.

Press for Track mode for evenly split front/rear torque distribution to optimise traction where vehicle load regularly shifts betweenthefrontandrearaxles.Thisisbest suited for driving on dirt or low-traction roads.

Summary

There’s no getting over the fact that Aussie roads, generally, are not made for the GR Corolla GTS. Even the smoother surfacestreattheoccupantstosomejarring stuff that only gets worse as the journey goeson.

Better to leg it down to a dedicated race day at the local circuit to get the best out of arace-bred‘Academyperformance’.Onthe ‘meanstreets’,suckitup,son.

Final spots are on the line

It’s shaping up to be a thrilling final round of football, with several clubs still needing towintocementtheirplaceinthetopeight – and others fighting to secure a coveted top four double chance.

The 2025 AFL season has delivered a brilliant run into September, full of twists, high-quality contests, and dramatic finishes. Round 24 promises more of the same, with a true marathon of must-win clashes that will decide the fate of multiple clubs.

Below is my snapshot of the weekend’s match-ups – the merry-go-round of who wins, who loses, and where they are likely to finish in the top eight.

Round 24 Match Stakes –

One Week Out from Finals Essendon (15th) vs Carlton (12th): Both eliminated. No finals implications. Carlton wins.

Collingwood (4th) vs Melbourne (14th): Pies must win to lock in top four. Collingwood wins.

Port Adelaide (13th) vs Gold Coast Suns (9th): Sunsmustwintojumpintotopeight and stay alive. Gold Coast Suns wins.

North Melbourne (16th) vs Adelaide (1st): If the Crows win they are minor premiers. North Melbourne wins – upset of the round.

Richmond (17th) vs Geelong (2nd): CatsmustwintokeeppressureonAdelaide for top spot and secure top two. Geelong wins.

West Coast (18th) vs Sydney (10th): Swans cannot reach finals. Sydney wins.

GWS (6th) vs St Kilda (11th): Giants still a top four chance if they win and percentage swings. GWS wins.

Western Bulldogs (8th) vs Fremantle (7th): Dogs win = finals secured. Dockers win = possible top four finish. A real elimination-style clash. Western Bulldogs wins.

Brisbane (3rd) vs Hawthorn (5th): Both fighting for top four-top two. Winner could move into top two; loser may slide into elimination bracket. Brisbane wins.

Gold Coast (9th) vs Essendon (15th) –midweek: If Suns beat Port, this becomes a win-and-in finals decider. Gold Coast Suns wins.

Key One-Week – Out Finals Scenarios Adelaide: Win and finish minor premiers. Geelong: Locked in top two if it beats Richmond.

Brisbane v Hawthorn: Could shape the top two-top four order.

Collingwood: Win over Melbourne = top four guaranteed.

GWS / Fremantle: Win plus results its way could lift them into top four.

Western Bulldogs: Win and stay in. Lose and Gold Coast can pinch their spot. Gold Coast: Winbothround24games(Port and Essendon) = first ever finals berth.

Final Word –

The Countdown to September Round 24 isn’t just the end of the home-and-away season – it’s effectively the first week of finals in disguise. With so much still on the line, every contest carries weight, from the Bulldogs fighting for survival, to the Suns chasing history, to Adelaide and Geelong battling for the minor premiership. The rare Wednesday nightclashbetweentheSunsandBombers – a hangover from the opening round schedulingdisaster–meansthefinalsrace won’t be officially settled until the very last bounce of the season. After 23 weeks of twists and turns, it all comes down to this: one last stop before finals – and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Bright future ahead for Kangaroos says former captain

Former North Melbourne captain Anthony Stevens has seen the highs and lows over the years at his beloved Kangaroos. Now supporting the Roos on the sidelines, Stevens is positive about what the future holds for his former club.

I can say with absolute conviction, North Melbourne are not far away from success.

Just as in the 1970s and 1990s, when premiership glory united our club, the building blocks are there.

After 16 years as a player for North Melbourne,followedby12yearsawayfrom the club, I returned to contribute through the NMFC Past Players Association before serving a further three years on the board until mid-2024. Across this timeparticularly during my board tenure - I have developed a deep understanding of our football department under Todd Viney and Alastair Clarkson, from the playing list and coaching set-up to the unwavering passion of our diehard supporters.

A recent media article by Collingwood and Carlton great Mick McGuane, one of the most astute football minds in the AFL,

Success isn’t far away for the Kangaroos, believes former great Anthony Stevens.

(AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

struck a chord with me. In his article Mick was spot-on: the modern game is built on processes and structures. If players don’t buy into them and execute with discipline, the side is on the back foot from the

opening bounce.

No coach - even a four-time premiership coach like Clarkson - can succeed without that on-field commitment. Yet in today’s commentary climate, it’s the coach who often wears the brunt of the criticism.

From watching the 2025 season unfold, I believe our leadership group must take greater accountability. Leadership isn’t just about a title or an armband - it’s about setting and upholding standards every single day, both on and off the field. It’s about ensuring that our structures are more than diagrams on a whiteboard; they are lived, executed, and reinforced until they become second nature.

Can you blame our senior boys in the leadership group? No - they’ve remained loyal and committed to the club through some of its most challenging years,

enduring multiple coaching changes and significant shifts within the football department. But when I watch them of late, especially with several senior players sidelined through injury, I see a tendency to slip back into old survival-mode habits. Inthosemoments,theystartchasingkicks, believing it’s what’s best for them and the team - but in reality, it’s not.

We’ve seen what North Melbourne can achieve when everyone is aligned and committed. The pathway back to the top is clear: embrace the processes, lift our standards, back our coaching team, and demand accountability from within.

To our loyal fans - keep the faith. The climb is tough, but with unity, discipline, and a fierce commitment to our values, we can return to the level of success that defines our great club.

Cats make it back-to-back

Macedon made it back-to-back premierships on Saturday night as the Riddell District Football League women’s took centre stage. Star Weekly photographer LJUBICA VRANKOVIC was there to take in all the action as the Cats beat Riddell.

Bombers fall short after an impressive debut season

A disappointing end to a promising debut seasonhasleftRiddellwantingmoreinthe Riddell District Football League women’s competition.

The Bombers exceeded all expectations this season as they made it through to the grand final despite half their side never playing before.

They came up against a red hot Macedon side in the grand final on Saturday night, which was seeking back-to-back premierships.

The Cats’ class showed through as they came away with a 6.12 (48)-1.3 (9) win and the premiership.

Bombers coach Rob Bretherton is so proud of what his group has been able to achieve this year.

“We started just wanting to play footy and make a team and we got to the big dance,” he said. “Macedon showed their experience and great play.

“They are what we are aiming to be over the next few years. We’ll be back this year,

in the same big game we’re hoping.

“With a different result.”

The Bombers started their season against Macedon back in round one, when they were quickly shown what the standard was.

The margin decreased from that occasion to the final game of the season, but the result was still the same.

Bretherton said they probably gave the Cats a bit too much score on Saturday night but that is the thrill of grand final football.

He said there might have been some nerves.

“Girls change the way they play,” he said. “They were experienced and came out hard. They were red hot.”

While the Bombers were outplayed, they won the final quarter to take some positives out of it.

Ruby Taranto was the goalkicker for the Bombers.

Lauren Nolan was named their best

after a really good battle with Charlotte Noonan.

Breanna Tarczon and Jessica Sproule were others named among the best for the Bombers.

Bretherton said the group which included a number of netballers who had never played before had taken massive steps this season.

“They will be scary next season,” he said. “I’m looking forward to that.

“We will celebrate the year that we’ve had,whichisarecordbreakingfromaclub andleagueperspectiveforafirsteverteam.

“We will celebrate that and come back prepared for next year. I’ll be struggling to push players away.”

As well as having their women’s side in the grand final, the Bombers junior girls had also made the grand final in their first season.

The under-14s lost to Melton, 3.9 (27)-2.1 (13) on Sunday.

Jubilant Cats secure flag

By Tara Murray

Macedonhelditscomposureandshowedits class to make it back-to-back premierships in the Riddell District Football League women’s competition.

The best team all the season, all the pressure was on the Cats heading into Saturday night’s grand final with Riddell. The Cats last loss came back in the 2023 grand final.

The Bombers in their first season had beenthesurprisepacketofthecompetition and had nothing to lose heading into the grand final.

It was the Cats’ night on Saturday night as they led from start to finish in the 6.12 (48)-1.3 (9) win.

Co-coachChrisNolansaiditwasapretty special moment for the group.

“It was good, hopefully a good spectacle for the Riddell league as well,” he said. “We spoke about it during the week, we knew that Riddell and Lancefield and everyone comes pretty hard at us.

“It was more about how we absorb that and how we turn that into enough to hold sway and we felt that we did in the first half.

“Tenminutescampedinourfronthalfin quarter one before it crossed the middle, quarter two similar amount of time.

“That is what we set our game up on, field position and time in front half and tonight [Saturday] the girls did it again.”

The Cats dominated the first half and with 10 scoring shots to two at half time probably should have been more than 28 points ahead.

Nolan said goalkicking had been an issue at times during the season but they were pretty happy with how it was tracking.

“We have an indicator of four to five scores a quarter roughly,” he said. “We generally know that if we hit the scoreboard enough and own the front half, we can hold sway.

“We were inaccurate again… but general play and all the things that matter outside of the scoreboard we probably dominated.”

The margin got out to 45 points at the final break with the Cats having secured their second straight premiership with a quarter to go.

After last season’s grand final against Kyneton was a thriller, Nolan and he and co-coach Bevan Uren wanted to make suretherewouldbenofinalquarterjitters this time.

While the Bombers won the final quarter, the Cats were never in danger.

“At three quarter time we wanted to make sure they were making memories and have some fun,” Nolan said.

“We got some people on the ground and enjoyed the last 10 minutes as they had done the work.

“We speak about doing the hard stuff early; it gets easier at the back end.”

Charlotte Noonan kicked three goals for the Cats much to the delight of Cats fans who followed the forward line from one end to the other.

Shakira Parker was the other multiple goal kicker with two goals.

Midfielder Ruby Watts was awarded the best on ground medal by the umpires.

Nolan said he felt Watts, who won last

year’s league best and fairest award, had got better this season.

“She is a ripper Ruby,” he said. “She went to half back every quarter and it’s something we’ve tried to help holistically as a squad.

“She’sgettingalotoftouchesinpositions on the field that she never once did.”

Taya Konias and Lilli Collins were others named in the best. Both are part of the next generation for the club.

While many players were celebrating back-to-back premierships, one who was playing in her first premiership was Tamara Collins.

Collins gave up her spot in last year’s grand final for someone else having

played in 2023.

“She tried again to sit out for someone this week,” Nolan said. “She was also reluctant to go back on there.

“Macedon women’s doesn’t happen without Tamara Collins.

“It was important for us to, one have her playandtwohaveheroutthereatthefinal siren.”

Nolan said while the side capped off a perfect season it hadn’t been an easy one with him and Uren also involved in the men’s program.

He said it’s taken a lot of people to get where they are and the playing group deserves a lot of recognition.

Bombers ready to fire on all cylinders during the finals

Riddell feels like it has timed things perfectly to have another good crack at the Riddell District Football League finals series.

Last season’s premiers have again been one of the teams to beat this season and lockedinatoptwospotanumberofweeks ago along with Diggers Rest.

Whilethefinalracehasgonedeepforthe final three spots, the top three, including Wallan, have watched the battle.

Coach Aron Bray admits they have been juggling things to ensure they are good to go for finals and keep the squad playing some good football.

He said it had been a bit tricky the last few weeks with their ladder position and opening round finals opponent settled.

“The last few weeks it has been a bit like that,” he said.

“We could not lose second spot.

“We want to take some good form into finals but you naturally go into a bit of self

preservation mode.”

Bray said they don’t think they’ve been playing the same sort of footy as they played last year heading into finals.

He said they felt like that was still to come in the next couple of weeks.

“From round one we’ve had four players in and four players out for pretty much all of the season,” he said.

“We haven’t had great consistency but by the first final with Diggers Rest we will be chasing our best.”

The Bombers had the bye on the weekend in the final round.

Bray said he didn’t really worry about having the bye or not at this time of year and thought it was a good opportunity to rest some sore bodies before a big finals series.

Their last match of the regular season was a loss to Woodend-Hesket, not something that really worried Bray.

It was just their third loss of the season.

“It was one of those things,” he said.

“There was nothing really to take out of the game so we rested four or five guys.

“We’d jagged together eight or nine matches straight.

“Wewerestillinthegame,butWoodend bought the heat and thoroughly deserved the win.”

Bray said they will welcome four or five players back into the side for the first week of finals in a big boost for the side.

The Bombers will face Diggers Rest in a qualifying final.

TheBurrasaretheonlysidetheBombers haven’t beaten this season.

“We’ve played some good footy and we’reprettyconfidentwewillhaveourfull list against them and it will be a different beat.”

Lions sitting pretty

By Tara Murray

The Sunbury Lions feel they’ve had the perfect warm up to the Ballarat Football League finals.

Having sat in the top four all season, the Lions have had some big tests in the last few weeks.

They will finish off the season against Melton on Saturday.

CoachMattWhitesaidtheyfelttheywere inagoodplaceheadingintothepointyend oftheseason. Lastseasontheylimpedinto finals.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to finish off the season,” he said.

“Sebastopol has been fighting for finals, Lakers had nothing to lose and Bacchus Marsh is playing for a finals position as well.

“Now we get Melton at Melton. We are a lot healthier than last year. We don’t have Cody Bramble and Josh Guthrie, but we’ve found some replacements and guys like Zachary Stevens, have come in and shown they can play a role.

The Lions got the job done against Bacchus Marsh on Saturday but were pushed all the way.

Sunbury started strongly and led at quarter time.

The margin was brought back to just two points at half time, before the Cobrasledbyapointheadingintothefinal break.

The Lions scored early in the quarter to lock in the 14.13 (97)-12.8 (78) win.

“It was trying conditions and half way through the second quarter it looked like we would run away with,” White said.

“Bacchus Marsh stuck fat and changed things a little around.

“It became an arm wrestle. We would get momentum and they would get momentum.

“In the final quarter we knuckled down and had accuracy in front of goal which helps.

“We got out to a two goal lead and were able to hold on.”

Jake Sutton kicked four goals for the Lions, while Brock Landt kicked three

Roos knocked out

The Sunbury Kangaroos grand final hopes came to an end after a slow start against Taylors Lakes in the Essendon District Football League women’s division 2 preliminary final.

Both sides entered Saturday’s preliminary final looking to lock in their first women’s grand final appearance.

It was the Lions that got the jump early as they kicked three first quarter goals to none.

They would maintain that lead at half time before kicking two goals to one in the third quarter to hold a 28 point lead at the final break.

That left the Kangaroos with a massive challenge, having never come from that far behind before.

The Kangaroos kept the Lions goalless in the final quarter but it wasn’t enough as they lost 6.5 (41)-4.4 (28).

Kat Haifa and Fiona Pazsa were the goalkickers for the Kangaroos.

Tylah Bell and Lisa Kirby were named the Kangaroos best.

Taylors Lakes will now face Gisborne-Kyneton United in the grand final on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Kangaroos announced that coach Carly Blythe has signed on for next season.

It will be her second season in charge of the program.

“Carly has been an outstanding leader for women’s football at our club over many years,” Kangaroos president Marc Bullows said.

goals.

Fraser Ampulski, Tyson Lever and Jake Egan were named the Lions best.

The Lions sit in third spot heading into the final match against the Bloods.

White said having not beaten Melton thisseason,itwouldbegoodtopickupone right before finals.

“We pushed Darley at home and got over EastPointathome,butMeltonwehavenot been able to beat,” he said. “Whoever wins is likely to finish third.

“Wecan’tdothatifwedon’tplayourbest footy. We want to take that confidence into the finals series.

“We’re more worried about what we are doing than what might happen.”

The Lions netballers have locked up the minor premiership with a big win against the Cobras on Saturday.

There were no issues at all for the Lions on the way to an 86-33 win.

RebeccaHicksshot78goalsfortheLions.

The Lions will face Darley in the first week of finals, no matter the results in the final round.

“Asoneofthefoundationmembers of our women’s program, seeing her take the reins this year and commit again for 2026 is fantastic news.

“Shehasourclubrunningthrough her veins, and I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to see what she and the team can achieve next year.”

Saddington headed to Milan for World Championships

Gisborne South isn’t the place you would expect to find one of Australia’s best water skiers, but it hasn’t stopped Corey Saddington reaching the world stage.

Saddington has been named in his first Australian open age waterski team to compete at the World Championships in Milan later this month.

Waterskichampionshipsarewherewater skiers participate in various disciplines to showcase their skills and compete for titles.

Saddington,whowassettoflightoutthis week, said it’s a pretty exciting experience to have made that team.

“It should be good,” he said. “I represented Australia at the under-21s world championships and this the first time in the open world championships.

“This event is like the Olympics of water sports. It’s really special and has been a long time coming.

“It’s good for me to finally get selected in the team.”

Saddington said last season was one of the best seasons that he’d had on the water which included winning most improved skier in all events in Victoria.

He then had strong performances at the national titles over the Easter break to seal his spot in the Australian squad.

He finished fifth in the open jump, seventh in the open slalom and second in the over 21 tricks categories.

It came after Saddington won a medal of each colour the Victorian water ski championships in March.

Saddington said he wants to continue that form in Milan where he will compete in the salem, trick and jump categories.

“I’ve just been training hard in Darwin and was looking to get similar scores as what I was getting up there,” he said.

“Putmybestfootforward.Theexperience

attheunder-21worldswillhelpaswelland hold me in good stead.

“It’s something that I want to hopefully do for a long time.”

Now one of the best in the country, the question is how does someone from Gisborne South take up a sport like water skiing when there’s not a lot of places to waterski in the Macedon Ranges

“I’ve been water skiing for many years,” he said. “It’s a bit of an unusual sport in the area.

“There’s water skiing at Lake Eppalock and Echuca.

“I was about 14 and wanted to do competitions and started at Bridgewater Ski Club in Bendigo.

“I started with local tournaments then state titles and then going all the way to national titles.”

Tara Murray

Clubs vote on move

By Tara Murray

Gisborne is a step closer to joining the Ballarat Football Netball League after clubs voted in overwhelmingly in favour of the club making the move.

Ballarat clubs voted on Wednesday night as Gisborne considers a move from the Bendigo Football Netball League.

The final vote was 46-6 in favour of the move. Gisborne will vote this week on whether it will aim to make the move official.

Ballarat board chairman Robert Simmons said they had expected the existing clubs to support the move.

He said it was a credit to the existing clubs that a club like Gisborne wanted to join the competition.

“We were hoping to get a unanimous or close to unanimous vote,” he said. “It is importantwithsuchabigdecisiontogetas many members on board.

“We are very pleased with the results.

“Gisborne will further strengthen our league, in both our football and netball competitions.

“It will also assist with the financial stability of our league. Our aim is to be the strongest country football netball league.

“The possible inclusion assists in this aim.”

Sullivan said Gisborne’s great club culture and the equality between their football and netball was one of the main things that stood out during the process so far.

“It wasn’t just the strength of on ground and court performance, it is about their club philosophies that stood out,” he said.

“I would say there is still a lot of water to go under the bridge before this is signed off by AFL Vic, but this is a step in the right direction.”

Bulldogs president Tony Brancatisano said it was pleasing to see the support from the Ballarat clubs.

“Wehadafeelingwemightgetacrossthe line, but you never know with a vote,” he said. “The vote outcome is quite good and the majority of clubs want us.

“You don’t want to go to a competition where you have just got over the line.

“You want to feel that bit of love.”

The Bulldogs club members will now vote this week.

Brancatisano said the committee has a rough idea of how they expect the vote will go. He said for the committee it was providing all the information possible for everyone to make an informed vote.

Brancatisano said while the league decision was going on in the background, theyweremakingsurethattheycontinued to perform on field and court.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs senior footballers accounted for Strathfieldsaye, 10.13 (73)-8.8 (56).

Zachary Vescovi, Bradley Bernacki and Jack Reaper were named the Bulldogs best.

The Bulldogs sit second heading into the final round against Sandhurst which is a top of the table clash.

Onthenetballcourt,Gisbornewillfinish the regular season in third spot.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs beat Strathfieldsaye, 58-17.

They will face ladder leaders Sandhurst in the final round.

RDFL

Macedon has locked in Al Meldrum as coach for next year’s Riddell District Football League season. The Cats said the Meldrum name and Macedon football sharea proud history spanning many years. “With plenty of footy still to play in 2025, Al’s passion for success, attention to detail, and the relentless drive of his team mean there’s still everything to play for as we continue our hunt for ultimate success,’ the club said.

EDFL

A final round win wasn’t enough for Rupertswood to get the week off in the first week of finals in the Essendon District Football League division 2 competition. The Sharks finished the regular season with a 12.6 (78)-7.14 (56) win against ladder leaders Glenroy on Saturday. Aaron West and Lachlan Shore were named the Sharks best. With Keilor Park sneaking home against the Sunbury Kangaroos, it means the Sharks finished the regular season in fourth spot. They will now face Coburg Districts in an elimination final on Sunday.

RDNL

The Riddell District Netball League six is locked in, but not without some upset results in the final round on Saturday. The top five had secured their spots, with the final spot on the line to either go to Wallan or Melton Centrals. The Magpies upset win against the Gisborne Giants, 45-42, ensured it finished sixth. In other results, Romsey knocked off ladder leaders Woodend-Hesket, 53-40, in one of the shocks of the season. In the opening week of finals, Woodend-Hesket and Riddell will play a qualifying final, the Giants and Wallan, along with Lancefield and Macedon will play in elimination finals.

FV

Sunbury United is up to second on the FV state league 3 north-west ladder with a 2-0 win against Epping City on Saturday after Surf Coast lost in the top of the table clash.