Tuesday, 18 November, 2025
Road safety education for students
Animal rescue receives a gift from Santa
Remembrance Day across the Valley
See Real Estate liftout inside
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Finding connection on Country Community members from across the Upper Yarra Valley participated in a Connection on Country event at the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station. Led by Wurundjeri Woiwurrung elder Jacqui Wandin, attendees learned the deep history of the station and its instrumental figures, including William Barak, Simon Wonga, and Robert Wandoon. Ms Wandin detailed their decades-long fight for self-sufficiency and governance, highlighting the successful 1881 Inquiry as the nation’s first land rights movement. She stressed the importance of sharing these stories and truths, insisting that Aboriginal life must be understood beyond mere statistics. To read the full story, turn to page 10
Wurundjeri elder Jacqui Wandin led the event. (Stewart Chambers: 517185)
Policing changes Police command met with the Yarra Ranges community on Wednesday 12 November, for a Neighbourhood Policing Forum to provide a candid overview of policing challenges and reforms in the Yarra Ranges. Eastern Division Two Superintendent Steve White, who oversees 660 officers across Knox, Maroondah, and Yarra Ranges, highlighted staffing shortages as a key concern. With approximately 60 personnel off work in his division, often
due to mental health, he stated that police are “running on minimum resources.” In response, Superintendent White supports Chief Commissioner Mike Bush’s announced reforms to shift officers from station reception duties onto the streets, potentially leading to station closures. He argues this is a necessary step to boost police visibility and get officers where they can best deter and respond to crime. A significant topic was the rising number of family violence reports, which police view as a positive indicator of increased community confi-
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Superintendent White confirmed that police are actively targeting groups like the Mooroolbark-based Burmese youth gang, ABZ38, known for aggravated burglaries and stealing high-end cars for “street cred” on social media but that youth networks are also forming across the region. Detective Inspector Andrews noted that these young people are “a different style of offender” who exploit the justice system, often starting with serious crimes like armed robbery. To read more, turn to pages 2-4
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dence in reporting. Superintendent White noted that police success is measured by this rise in reports, which helps them hold perpetrators accountable. Detective Inspector Troy Andrews, who manages the Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit, confirmed the unit’s “victim-focused” approach, aiming to disrupt high-risk offenders through “pro arrest, pro remand” tactics. Youth crime was also identified as a major priority, with a notable increase in offenders aged 10 to 17 this year.
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