Tuesday, 7 October, 2025
Bushfire survivor’s plea to ‘get ready’
Knox strengthens support for homeless
Four local clubs go undefeated in season
Real estate liftout inside
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A Star News Group Publication
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Art that hits right chord By Shamsiya Hussainpoor A chance encounter on a sunny day in Emerald has turned into something truly special for 90-year-old Garry Simmons. Clematis artist Merryn Emms spotted Garry playing his banjo-ukulele outside the chemist and felt drawn to him. That moment sparked a connection that would lead to a portrait titled ‘The Musician’, a joyful, expressive painting which later won the People’s Choice Award at the 2025 John Dudley Portrait Prize. Mr Simmons didn’t see the finished piece until it hung in the gallery. “I thought I’d just faded into the background,” he said. “But seeing that…it meant the world.” The visual artist gifted the painting to Mr Simmons, because for her, the real reward was seeing the light it brought back to him. “It gave him a spark again and that gave me one too,” Ms Emms said. The portrait now hanging in Mr Simmons’s room. To read the full story, turn to page 17
Artist Merryn Emms with Emerald Glades resident Garry Simmons. (Stewart Chambers: 507713)
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The Coroner called for urgent government action on housing and income support, warning that too many are being left behind in a system that’s already stretched thin. For his family, his death is a painful loss, but they hope his story starts a conversation about how we care for our most vulnerable. Read more on page 3
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“He chose to sleep outside the Boronia Library,” he said. “It was just 30 metres from my office.” The Coroner found the man died from a mix of heroin, amphetamines and prescribed medications, a tragic reflection of a life worn down by systemic gaps and personal pain. His story is deeply personal, but sadly not uncommon.
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A man was just 47 when he died alone in a Malvern East motel room in November 2023, at the time, he was living rough on the streets of Boronia, his life shaped by years of mental illness, addiction and the daily struggle of homelessness. Once, he had a stable life, a job, a home, a wife and three children, but after his marriage ended
in 2014, everything slowly began to fall apart. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, faced mounting financial stress, and turned to drugs to cope and by 2021, he had nowhere left to go. Despite the best efforts of mental health and outreach services, the 47-year-old often found it difficult to accept help. His brother remembered watching him fade further into hardship.
12330988-RC46-16
By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
chandlerandco.com.au