Mail - Mt Evelyn Star Mail - 17th February 2026

By Callum Ludwig

Despite the Kilysth community continuing to campaign hard to have an aquatic facility reinstated, another urban Yarra Ranges town is ramping up its efforts to host a future pool.

The urban area of the Yarra Ranges has lacked an easily-accessible aquatic facility ever since the closure of the Kilsyth Centenary Pool at the end of 2023.

The Lilydale Township Action Group (LTAG) is

keen to have a say on any future leisure facility for the region and president Frank Whelan said they are very firm on Lilydale being the ideal place for it. “We are the activity centre of the whole of the Yarra Valley and have excellent public transport access, we think it’s going to benefit people in the whole of the Yarra Valley shire,” he said.

“Unfortunately, Kilsyth was closed, which was certainly not supported by many of the residents, I don’t think but Lilydale is in the centre of a whole bunch of towns that have no facilities at all.”

Since the Kilsyth pool was closed, a petition tabled to the council received over 2300 signatures and a petition to deliver a pool for Lilydale has gained over 300 signatures in a week. Director of Built Environment and Infrastructure at Yarra Ranges Council Vincenzo Lombardi said the council’s Aquatic and Leisure Strategy 202333 incorporated extensive feedback from the community and expert analysis on how Council should manage pools going forward.

Who’s who in the zoo

By Callum Ludwig

Birmingham Primary School’s zoology program has continued to come on in leaps and bounds.

The school’s partnership with Lilydale High School’s zoology program has continued to flourishwhiletheyhavealsobeguntoworkwith local rescue and education program, Wandering Wildlife.

STEM specialist Natalie Darvell said it has exploded since the point they had more children than animals to care for.

“We started off with insects, we had the chance to watch butterflies emerge and the stick insects grow and shed and all those amazing things...since then, we’ve just acquired, adopted or fostered various other animals, we’ve got a whole marvellous menagerie of animals here,” she said.

“To watch some of these kids even just come out of their shells and have an incredible learning experience and for school to be such a positive place and a place they want to be, I can’t ask more than that.”

Turn to page 10 for more

“This strategy confirms that Lilydale is Council’s preferred location for a new aquatic facility based on population growth, catchment data including residents’ access to existing facilities, and choosing a location which is visible and accessible with close proximity to public transport and other key infrastructure,” he said.

“If a suitable site cannot be identified in Lilydale, other locations in the urban area will be considered.”

Turn to page 6 for more

IN BRIEF

More police, arrests

Rail commuters may have noticed an increase in Police and Protective Services officers (PSOs) on their regular travels as an initiative of the Eastern Local Area Command begins to yield results along the Lilydale, Belgrave, Glen Waverley and Alamein train lines.

More than 120 people have been arrested and close to 50 weapons seized in a summer safety blitz on train lines across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, and the effort sees police and PSOs rove the network to keep troublemakers on their toes on top of their usual static patrols.

Acting Sen-Sgt Jonathan Allie, Transit East Local Area Command, said that this operation is all about making sure their police and PSOs leave no stone unturned in detecting and deterring crime.

“It’s mobile, it’s agile, and it’s keeping crooks on their toes,” he said.

Police media have said in a release on Thursday 12 February, that it’s proving so successful that criminals have been complaining to each other on social media about the strong enforcement presence.

Operation Solstice, which began in November, is an initiative of Victoria Police’s Transit East Local Area Command and over one hundred arrests have been made.

The 123 arrests so far include a 28-year-old woman who had six kitchen knives and was in possession of several drugs of dependence, a 54-year-old man who allegedly stole a $5700 bike, which was later returned to the owner, a 16-yearold boy charged with robbery, and a 31-year-old caught scrawling graffiti at a train station.

Police and PSOs - also patrolling with authorised officers- have issued 119 penalty notices for issues like anti-social behaviour and referred more than 30 people to support services.

Police and PSO used their powers under the Control of Weapons Act to seize 47 weapons.

More than 10,000 people have been spoken with while they have been working.

The highly visible presence has received widespread support from commuters, while police say online complaints from crooks show it’s actively altering offender behaviour and deterring criminal activity.

Additional resources, such as the dog squad, have been brought in to further boost safety, while police and PSOs are also helping people fit one-way screws to their vehicles to thwart thieves.

PSOs continue to have a dedicated daily presence at train stations and perform targeted, intelligence-led operations around-the-clock.

Operation Solstice will run until the end of March, and Acting Sen-Sgt Allie said that there’s no doubt our rail network is safer for this enforcement effort.

“We’ll continue doing all we can so people can travel in safety,” he said.

Ambo response times still lag in region

Yarra Ranges paramedics failed to meet official response time targets responding to 53.9 per cent of Code 1 emergencies within 15 minutes with an average response time of 17.40 minutes.

But they were 48 seconds faster than the previous quarter.

This is according to the latest ambulance performance data for October to December 2025, with Yarra Ranges responding to 2031 cases.

The previous quarter saw 2065 cases with an average response of 18:28 minutes with 49.2 per cent of cases met within the Code 1 target.

Ambulance Victoria’s (AV) response time targets for Code 1 incidents, cases that require urgent paramedic and hospital care, is within 15 minutes for 85 per cent of incidents statewide, and 90 per cent for populations greater than 7500.

Nearby Local Government Areas such as Cardinia saw similar response times, meeting the Code 1 target for 53.4 per cent of cases with an average time of 17.25 and 1671 responses.

Maroondah saw 71.8 per cent of Code 1 cases met within 15 minutes and an average time of 14.50, with Knox reaching 69.3 per cent of incidents within 15 minutes, averaging 14.41. However, Yarra Ranges is significantly larger

in size and distance.

Overall, the region has largely had average response times of 17-18 minutes over the previous four quarters and a similar number of cases.

AV noted that in the metro region response times improved due to a “significant drop” in hospital clearing times, the duration between a crew completing their patient handover before attending another case.

Introduced last year, the Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care (the Standards) are improving handover times across the state, AV highlighted.

Metropolitan regional director Vanessa Gor-

man said in the Metropolitan Region, the average hospital clearing times dropped by nearly three minutes last year.

“Every small improvement – from more efficient hospital handovers to quicker clearing times – adds up to better care for all Victorians,” Ms Gorman said.

“We are extremely proud of our crews who through dedication and teamwork have made remarkable improvements to hospital clearing times and are returning to the community faster.”

The Metropolitan Region average clearing time has dropped from 33 minutes between January and March 2025 to 30.2 minutes between October and December 2025.

During the October to December quarter across Victoria, AV crews responded to 65.1 per cent of Code 1 cases within the state-wide target of 15 minutes – up from 64.1 per cent in the previous quarter.

The state-wide average response time to Code 1 emergencies was 15 minutes and 40 seconds – six seconds faster than the previous quarter.

AV responded to 100,292 Code 1 emergencies across Victoria during the October to December quarter – slightly down on the previous quarter but still the third highest on record.

Porch pirates pinching Mooroolbark parcels

Police are investigating an increase in parcel thefts in the Mooroolbark area.

If you’re expecting a delivery, reduce the risk of parcel theft by considering the following strategies:

Arrange for your parcel to be delivered to a trusted neighbour or family member who will be home.

Safe Places: If you opt for a “safe place” delivery, ensure it is a secure location that is not easily accessible to passersby.

Home Security: Invest in home security measures, such as cameras or motion-sensor lights.

Secure Deliveries: Use parcel lockers, ship items to your workplace, or require a signature.

Monitor Activity: Regularly check your front door and install motion-sensor lights or cameras.

Report Theft: If a parcel is stolen, report it to the Police Assistance Line at 131 444 or online.

Secure Mailbox: Install a lock on your letterbox.

Suspicious activity should be reported to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or by calling 000 in an emergency.

Police stations hours reduced in Mooroolbark

Victoria Police will temporarily reduce reception counter hours at Mooroolbark Police Station.

Reception will now be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 10am to 6pm.

This is being done as Victoria Police prioritises releasing available police from desk duties to bolster the number of officers in the community preventing and responding to crime.

Outside of times when the reception counter is closed, we will maintain 24/7 police patrols/be serviced by police from neighbouring Police Service Areas such.

The updated reception hours reflect times when the community is most likely to attend a police station. This is during the day for assistance with administrative matters, including signing statutory declarations.

In an emergency, the community is always directed to call Triple Zero (000) or for non-urgent reports call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444. Duck hunting limit set

The Victorian Government has set a daily bag limit of nine ducks per hunter for the 2026 duck hunting season.

The season length, as set out in the Victorian Government’s Wildlife (Game) Regulations 2024, remains unchanged – opening at 8.00am on Wednesday 18 March 2026 and closing 30 minutes after sunset on Monday 8 June 2026.

The daily hunting times are from 8.00am until 30 minutes after sunset for the first five days, then from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset for the remainder of the season.

Seven game duck species can be hunted. They are Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Wood Duck, Mountain Duck, Hardhead and Pink-eared Duck.

The nine-bird bag limit has been informed by modelling undertaken as part of Adaptive Harvest Management for game ducks in Victoria, which is now being used to inform sustainable duck hunting arrangements each year.

All hunters must have a valid Game Licence and Firearms Licence before hunting ducks in Victoria.

Second silver for Scotty

By

Warrandyte’s snowboard superstar Scotty James looked to have stamped his authority on the men’s Olympic halfpipe competition, the Australian great smashing the qualification round at the Milan-Cortina Games.

Declaring the gold medal was his “north star” after winning silver in Beijing and bronze in PyeongChang, James has set himself as the boarder to beat in Livigno.

The 31-year-old scored 94.00 in his opening run in the pipe, delivering a switch backside double cork 1440 which he performed for the first time in a competition Switzerland last month.

He dragged his hand and then bailed on his second run, but it didn’t matter with his first score the best of the night, followed by Yuto Totsuka (91.25) and another Japanese rider Ryusei Yamada (90.25).

Reigning Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano was seventh into the 12-man final with a top score of 85.50.

Australian teammate Valentino Guseli qualified in sixth place and said that Friday’s final (which will be held at 5.30am Saturday AEDT) was going to be epic with James the title favourite.

“That quallies was like a finals and so finals is just going to be insane - it’s going to be the biggest show ever,” the 20-year-old said.

“Scotty’s got some stuff that’s pretty insane and pretty hard to beat.”

James said he achieved what he set out to do.

“I was really happy ... I wanted to come out and put my best foot forward to try and qualify first as I feel like being in that position in the finals is a really good place to be,” the Victorian said.

“You can be a little bit more mindful and strategic in the approach and, when it comes to the competition on Friday.

“I’ve pushed it a little bit more in quality than I usually would with the switchback 14 and I was really happy to execute it all and put it together and it’s going to be exciting on Friday.”

A gold at his fifth Olympics would have made him Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympian, eclipsing freestyle skier Dale Begg-Smith and women’s snowboarder Torah Bright, who have each won gold and silver.

After watching Australia’s moguls gold medal favourite Jakara Anthony stumble in the final earlier in the day, James said nothing was assured.

“I think from a competitive standpoint, halfpipe riding’s probably in the Olympics is the most competitive it’s ever been,” he said.

“I think the top six ... can win, so I don’t think that’s been the case before.

“It’s going to be an amazing battle and a really good showing for halfpipe riding for the men, and that’s why you’ve got to bring your best on Friday, and I look forward to being a part of it.”

Unfortunately it was not to be but the snowboard great says he will be back for a sixth Olympics after his high-risk bid for an elusive gold medal failed at the Milan-Cortina Games.

James was looking to complete his medal collection but was left in tears after he finished with silver for the second straight Olympics.

With three medals to his name, he became Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympian and he was also part of the country’s most successful single day - his second place coming after Josie

Baff clinched gold in the snowboard cross earlier in Livigno.

But it was mostly disappointment with James shedding tears and being comforted by Australia’s canoe great Jessica Fox when she presented his medal.

He then broke down in the press conference when asked what was his “why”.

Leading into the Olympics he had openly declared gold was his “north star”.

“My ‘why’ ‘would be I want to leave my footprint on the sport and the industry - that will be something I strive for every single day and what I get up for,” the 31-year-old said.

“The next 24 hours I’ll probably have a bit of a cry, but I’ll be happy as well because representing the country and winning a medal is unbelievable,

and I’m really proud of that.

“I can go to bed at night knowing I didn’t win because of me. I can chin that, and it was mine to win there at the end and I couldn’t win the run - it is what it is.”

That drive for a statement victory brought James undone.

The last rider into the halfpipe, he needed to improve on his second run score of 93.50 after scoring 48.75 on the first run despite a fall.

He had already locked in the silver medal with the second trip down the pipe that included a switch backside 1440 directly into a backside 1440 combination - the only rider ever to complete the sequence.

But instead of trying to better execute that run, he attempted a new trick - a backside double-cork 1620 - for the first time in competition and fell again.

That handed the gold medal to Japan’s world No.1 Yuto Totsuka, who scored a whopping 95.00 on his second run while his countryman Ryusei Yamada bagged bronze with 92.00.

James had no regrets despite the gold going begging.

“Potentially I could have done it with a 14, but for myself, I had to do the 16,” the Victorian said.

“I wanted to push it and that’s what I was here to do regardless of the result.”

James said he intended hanging around “like a bad smell” until the next Olympics in France in 2030.

“I’m going to be that bad smell for four years - I hate losing, this has motivated me now,” he said.

“I look forward to many more battles in the halfpipe against the guys I was competing against tonight.”

Australia’s other competitor in the Livigno final, Valentino Guseli, also crashed twice but showed his immense talent on his last run, scoring 88.00 to finish fifth.

It improved his position in the final one spot from Beijing with the 20-year-old recovering from a ruptured ACL in December 2024 to compete in Italy.

“Well, on the first two runs I sucked, but I landed my last one and I got one place better than I did in the last Olympics, so we’re going up, which is cool,” Guseli said.

“I wanted to land that run that I did last perfectly on my first run and then keep upping it and I had some ideas of how I was going to do that.

“It didn’t end up happening, and yeah, that’s life.”

Two down, two to go

Mount Evelyn’s Bree Walker fought back on the second run of the Women’s Monobob to keep herself in contention for a medal after day one of competition.

After only setting the 11th fastest time on the opening run, Walker remain composed and was far cleaner her second time down the course.

Walker’s second run was nearly two-tenths of a second faster than her first and saw her move four spots up the rankings and into seventh position.

“I made some notoriously unexpected mistakes in the first heat so I was really happy to be able to come down and lay it down in the second heat and move up a few spots,” said Walker.

“It’s a really tight race and it’s four heats so you’ve just got to keep going.”

The Aussie’s aggregate time after two runs currently sits 0.77 off the provisional podium, but with many of the top 10 having issues on at least one of their runs on Sunday, the medallists are from settled.

“I know what I can produce and I’ve just got to keep going,” said Walker. “World Championships and Olympics are four heats, it’s a marathon, so you’ve just got to keep going, keep going, keep going.

Walker will rest up over the next 24 hours before athletes return on Monday night for their final two runs.

“Tomorrow’s a new day – I’ve just got to go back and reset, focus on my cues, my race, what I need to do in order to be able to execute.”

Bree Walker will contest the Runs three and four of the Women’s Monobob from 5am AEDT on Tuesday 17 February - watch the Winter Olympics on Channel 9, 9Now and Stan Sport.

Laura Nolte surged to the top of the Milano Cortina 2026 women’s monobob standings after the first two heats.

The German finished the first day of bob-

sleigh’s single athlete competition at the Cortina Sliding Centre with a combined time of 1:59.12, ahead of the USA duo of Beijing 2022 silver medallist Elana Meyers Taylor (1:59.34) and reigning Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries (1:59.43).

“It’s a very good feeling,” a confident Nolte said after her runs. “I had two good runs and one tiny mistake per run but everyone is making mistakes here in the monobob. So I’m very, very happy that I improved my start time in the second run and I can’t wait to go down again tomorrow.”

The USA team are in an excellent position to secure multiple medal podium finishes, with three of the top five hailing from the nation. Kaysha Love enters the final day in fifth position, just 0.11 seconds behind fourthplace Melanie Hasler of Switzerland.

“I feel pretty good,” said second-place Meyers Taylor. “I’m really excited about my push, I wasn’t so excited about the second drive, but it’s a tricky track and things happen.”

Humphries, who is currently in the bronze medal position, said she is looking forward to the final day of competition, where the experience of the three-time Olympic gold medallist is expected to show.

“We’re only halfway done,” she said. “As we can see, a lot can happen on any given run on this track. You’ve got to stay focused.

“The drive is my asset, so we’re going to use that to every advantage humanly possible and keep trying to track them down at the start.”

Bree Walker of Australia speeds down the track during the women’s monobob race at the

Risk of feeding horses

By Callum Ludwig

A Mooroolbark horse owner wants to help educate local passersby that feeding horses might do more harm than good.

While it may seem like any old grass clipping will do, horses can become gravely ill if they eat the wrong thing, even if it’s grass growing nearby on the other side of a paddock.

Sarah Perry said her and her partner Markus have had their horses in this particular paddock for close to a year and only recently is it the first time they’ve had any problems.

“That’s a good thing but this is a common issue, though with people in general not even knowing that it can be potentially harmful to feed people’s horses, it seems counter-intuitive when you see them grazing grass all day,” she said.

“It’s something that’s quite well known within the horse community, I’ve been around horses since I was five and it just becomes second nature but we always forget that people outside of the horse world don’t know this information.

“As horse owners, we do try and keep an eye on what they’re eating because their dietary needs are so complex, each individual horse has different requirements… we can’t generally say you can feed them all this because for some horses it works and some horses it doesn’t.”

The horses are in a paddock alongside a popular walking trail and when the grass on the other side of the path has been mowed, people have been feeding Ms Perry’s horses the clippings left behind.

Ms Perry said her suggestion would be that you don’t feed any horse that you don’t own.

“If you did want to say hello to a horse that is along the trail, it’s always best to speak to the own-

er if they are at the paddock at some stage…they (horses) can be quite unpredictable at times and they’re a big animal,” she said.

“It’s usually best to admire them from afar, (feeding them) is a bit like somebody coming and feeding your dog chocolate at your house.

“If there’s an animal that you’re wanting to interact with, I think it’s very important to know exactly about that animal and to try and educate yourself through many different ways, there’s a lot of rescue volunteer opportunities that people don’t know about.”

To help prevent feeding, Ms Perry has put up signs advising people of the dangers, which can include choke (obstruction of the esophagus), colic (any abdominal pain, including fatal blockages or poisoning) or laminitis (inflammation of the soft

Pool problems posed as calls for urban aquatic facility

By Callum Ludwig

The urban area of the Yarra Ranges has lacked an easily-accessible aquatic facility ever since the closure of the Kilsyth Centenary Pool at the end of 2023.

Despite objections from community members and Walling Ward Councillor Len Cox OAM, an alternative motion was passed and the ‘Dome’ was deflated.

The Lilydale Township Action Group (LTAG) is keen to have a say on any future leisure facility for the region and president Frank Whelan said they are very firm on Lilydale being the ideal place for it.

“We are the activity centre of the whole of the Yarra Valley and have excellent public transport access, we think it’s going to benefit people in the whole of the Yarra Valley shire,” he said.

“Unfortunately, Kilsyth was closed, which was certainly not supported by many of the residents, I don’t think but Lilydale is in the centre of a whole bunch of towns that have no facilities at all.

“We’ve got three very large schools in Lilydale that service the whole of this area from Yarra Glen right around through Mount Evelyn, Chirnside Park, Lilydale and even over to Wonga Park, probably, it could be used all the time for school sports.”

Following an initial petition in 2024, Janis Floyd made another submission at the 9 December council meeting, campaigning for a new urban pool facility to be rebuilt at Kiloran Park. In the submission, Ms Floyd argued that Kiloran Park was closer to the geographic centre of the urban area and more aligned with the council’s own estimates for population and housing growth in the region.

Ms Floyd was contacted for comment.

Director of Built Environment and Infrastructure at Yarra Ranges Council Vincenzo Lombardi said the council recognises that the urban region needs a new, built-for-purpose, aquatic facility where community members can enjoy health and wellbeing, education, fitness, leisure and play experiences.

“In 2024, Council endorsed its Aquatic and Leisure Strategy, 2023-33, which incorporated extensive feedback from the community and expert analysis on how Council should manage pools going forward,” he said.

“This strategy confirms that Lilydale is Council’s preferred location for a new aquatic facility based on population growth, catchment data including residents’ access to existing facilities, and choosing a location which is visible and accessi-

ble with close proximity to public transport and other key infrastructure.

“If a suitable site cannot be identified in Lilydale, other locations in the urban area will be considered.”

Since the Kilsyth pool was closed, a petition tabled to the council received over 2300 signatures and a petition to deliver a pool for Lilydale has gained over 300 signatures in a week.

Mr Whelan said LTAG has been pushing for an aquatic facility in Lilydale for four or five years, and they want the facility to be more than just a place to swim.

“What we need is a larger setup than that, we certainly very desperately need an aquatic centre but we also need a community evacuation area for Lilydale, when the Longwood fires happened, people evacuated from all the way up there to here because of the way the fire was travelling… and we had to house them in the basketball court,” he said.

“Lilydale is a major centre where you would be evacuated in the Yarra Ranges because of its location, which is not totally on the rural fringe, so it’s a much safer area to be evacuated too. “We should be looking at enlarging on the aquatic centre and add a community facility into the bargain as well…the Yarra Junction facility (the Yarra Centre) is an excellent centre, but that’s also one of the areas that would be evacuated with a major fire running up through that area.”

To sign LTAG’s petition, visit c.org/CmX96RYRGz.

Mr Lombardi said they understand the interest in the community about potential sites for a new facility, however no site locations have been confirmed to date.

“With any project of this magnitude and importance, as progress is made engagement and feedback opportunities will be provided to community.”

tissue connecting to the hoof).

In particular, grass clippings ferment quickly once cut and can cause gases to build up in the stomach of a horse to the point the stomach can rupture.

Ms Perry said she knows it is just about people wanting to say hi to the horses.

“Me and my partner are both very approachable people, we have a lot of people that come by and admire the horses along the trail here and we love the fact that so many people love our horses, we just want to keep them safe,” she said.

“They’re beautiful animals and most of the time they’re wanting to be admired and interacted with, but it’s just safest to always ask the owner if you can.”

Horses also can’t vomit so can choke on food

if they can’t chew it, particularly for elderly horses with few teeth like one of Ms Perry’s horses, who is turning an astonishing 43 years old this year.

Questions raised on retirement village progress

By Callum Ludwig

An anonymous resident wrote in to Yarra Ranges Council for the Tuesday 10 February council meeting with a query about a local development.

The resident queried whether there were any delays to the retirement village approved for 375 Swansea Road Lilydale, adjacent to the Bellbird Park car park, as well as whether councillors are considering allowing other multi-dwelling sites onSwanseaRoadsimilartootherpartsofLilydale.

Director of Planning, Design and Development at Yarra Ranges Council Kath McClusky responded to the question and said the planning permit was approved on the 17 June 2024. “The permit allows three years to commence buildings and five years to complete the development,” she said.

“The permit remains active and the landowner is still within the approved time frame so at this stage, there are no delays from a planning perspective.

“Swansea Road is mostly zoned low-density residential, which is intended to support the lowest intensity of housing development, smaller sections near Swansea Road and Hereford Road roundabout are zoned neighbourhood residential.”

An application for 50-lot retirement village was approved by councillors Tuesday 14 May 2024, after a similar application having been sub-

mitted in 2018, which was ultimately refused in May 2020 and then taken to VCAT by the applicant, where it was also denied permit approval.

The VCAT committee, chaired by Tim Hellsten and supported by Geoffrey Carruthers, foundtheoriginalproposal“inappropriatewithin the Rural Living Zone” and “inconsistent with the Planning Policy Framework” based on the “scale and extent” of the build of 72 dwellings.

Ms McClusky said Swansea Road differs from areas of Lilydale which are zoned for residential growth, where high-density development is encouraged.

“Council has adopted the Yarra Ranges Housing Strategy in June 2024,” she said.

“Council officers are currently reviewing planning controls to ensure they align with the strategy, which will guide future consideration of housing density changes across the municipality.”

Despite the opposition of a resident, councillors were satisfied with the proactive measures taken by the applicant, Lilydale Development, at the time. These included a 30-metre buffer zone between the creek and the built structures, native flora rehabilitation works, environmental management of pollutants through improved stormwater drainage and a reduction of site coverage from 25.8 per cent to 18 per cent, while impervioussurfaceshadbeenreducedfrom38.7percent to 26.3 per cent.

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A splash for a cause

By Callum Ludwig

Anchor Community Care chief executive Heidi Tucker is combining two of her greatest passions by fundraising through an upcoming event in Tasmania.

Later this month, Ms Tucker is completing the Derwent River Big Swim, the final leg of the Australian Triple Crown of Ultramarathon Swimming, while raising money to prevent youth homelessness in the process.

Ms Tucker said she has been swimming fairly seriously since she was about eight years old, even becoming one of the first female surf lifesavers in Australia.

“A little bit later on in life, I guess probably more into my 40s, I met a group of people here in Melbourne who all love the cold water and they’ll swim all year round, and more of my friends than not have done the English Channel,” she said.

“We just have a community of people, no one’s a super duper champion or anything like that, they’re just people who like to challenge themselves and I guess I got the bug for it.

“Back in 2017, I did my first long swim and I didn’t know whether I’d be able to do it or not, that was to swim from Cottesloe to Rottnest Island, that’s quite a piece of water and it’s a very big event with lots of swimmers, lots of boats and I just loved it.”

The Triple Crown consists of the 25km Euroz Hartleys Port to Pub channel swim in Western Australia, the 24km Palm Beach to Shelly Beach ocean swim in Sydney and the 34km Derwent River Big Swim in Tasmania.

In preparation, Ms Tucker said she swam the first 15km of the event from New Norfolk to Bridgewater.

“I felt quite comfortable in that so that gave me a lot of confidence because I’d never swam in rivers before and it’s very different swimming in freshwater because you don’t have the buoyancy,” she said.

“When you’re in the sea, yes you’ve got all the waves and the sharks andwhatever, but you

actually get very buoyant because of the sal so I just wanted to know what it was like.

“At times it’s quite shallow, then it’s deep and then it’s it’s curving and it’s quite different, but I had a lot of fun, so I think I’m ready for it.”

Ms Tucker will be taking on the swim on Friday 27 February.

Ms Tucker said she is honoured to be dedicating the swim to Anchor.

“Anchor has in the last five years developed a service where we work with kids from 16 to 18 in the last couple of years of being in state care, to be able to transition out into the world more successfully,” she said.

“Unfortunately for kids with a care experience, 35 per cent of them become homeless in the first year Australia-wide, so the statistics are not good.

“We’ve had about 70 kids through in the five years, and not one of them has exited to homelessness, which is really quite extraordinary.”

Anchor’s MyLife Project provides accommodation, mentoring, long-term support and positive experiences for children as they prepare to and eventually leave state care, and a fundraising goal of $10,000 has been set.

Ms Tucker said she wants to see young people to leave their care experience in a positive manner, instead of being flung out into the world as if they aren’t wanted anymore.

“If you want us to remove these kids, as we should to protect them, it’s a long journey for them to grow up and we’ve got to get we’ve got to grow them up as the best way we can, because it wasn’t their fault that they couldn’t stay with their parents,” she said.

“This $10,000 would really assist us to do those really bespoke things like perhaps pay for driver’s lessons…or it might be that they’ve never been on a holiday or been to the theme parks.

“We’ll give them some of those extras, some of those things that we want to give our kids and that these kids never get or never experience so it will make a massive difference.”

To donate, visit anchor.org.au/heidis-derwent-river-swim-fundraiser/.

Darwin bombing anniversary to be remembered

By Callum Ludwig

19 February is the anniversary of the bombing of Darwin, the first and largest attack on Australian soil during World War Two, and one Yarra Ranges resident can remember.

Lorraine Thwaites, who now lives in Chirnside Park, was only six years old back in 1942 and was living in the remote town of Larrimah in the Northern Territoty at the time.

Ms Thwaites said it was very isolated and they were camped on the side of the road.

“My father was a motor mechanic keeping the convoys on the road between Alice Springs and Darwin, we couldn’t go shopping or anything like that most days,” she said.

“One day he came back to the camp, and had a talk to Mum and he piled us kids into the army truck, and he was babbling a lot about this, that and the other to Mum while he was driving off-road avoiding anthills (sand dunes).

“What he was doing was following a plume of smoke in the distance and as we approached where the plume of smoke was coming from, he got out of the truck and I followed him.”

This was before the bombing of Darwin, but with all of Australia well aware of the ongoing war overseas.

Ms Thwaites said as they followed the smoke, she knew there was a war going on, but they didn’t have radio in the camp that we were in.

“Knowing that there was a war going on, I understood what had happened… a Japanese plane had been shot down and my father said ‘Come no further’ but from where I was standing I could see the pilot smouldering,” she said.

“After that, things got worse with the bombing of Darwin, and mum and us kids were evacuated out by a troop train through South Australia to Adelaide, where we had to go to the Salvation Army to be clothed in something warm, because we only had clothes on from the Northern Territory.

said they spent some time there before eventually moving to her grandmother’s house in Melbourne and later to New Zealand and Queensland later in life, among other places.

188 Japanese planes attacked Darwin in two separate raids on 19 February 1942, targeting the harbour and the two airfields in the town due to their strategic importance for Australia.

After getting to Adelaide, Ms Thwaites

“In those days, we saw very little of him (her father), he wasn’t with us when we went to the Northern Territory and he wasn’t with us when we left the Northern Territory and I don’t know how he got from one place to another.”

“I think it’s going to be three years here (living in Chirnside Park) in April. Though I’m not sure, the reason for leaving Queensland was because of my age, things can change at anytime and it was a bit difficult for my kids to be fixing up my estate so I’m renting one of my grandson’s houses to help pay the mortgage off.

“I’ve never felt lonely in my life, but I am a bit at the moment because when I walk the dog, there’s no one else walking the dog, because they’re all at work, but when I was in Queensland, I knew this one, I knew that one, and the RSL club, and all that sort of thing.

“But nothing lasts forever, and I’m not unhappy, and I paint every day, oil paint. and I walk my dog every morning without fail, I get up and have a shower, put my face on, and take the dog for a walk, and then do the housework afterwards.”

Govt strips organisations

By Oliver Winn

Outer east volunteer organisations have struggled amid inadequate funding and changing volunteer behaviours, though some organisations are adapting to the change.

Over the past 30 years, the State Government eroded support infrastructure for volunteer organisations through blow-by-blow hits to funding for place-based volunteer resource centres (VRCs).

EV Strengthening Communities chief executive officer Viv Cunningham-Smith said the State Government has “resoundingly refused” to fund support infrastructure for volunteer organisations.

“We were already running pretty thin in the services. Some are finding it extraordinarily difficult to continue to deliver services and as we go on into the future,” she said.

Meanwhile, people are shifting to informal styles of volunteering - more spontaneous, project-based volunteering rather than committed roles.

This is the landscape the Millgrove Residents Action Group (MRAG) and many other organisations have navigated carefully as they adapt to a historically low level of governmental support and changing volunteer behaviours.

MRAG member Janice Burney said the organisation advertised roles which focused on a single event, and the results were looking positive so far.

“We’ve been able to put a call out for people who would like to do a particular role and have had some really good responses and it’s been obviously positive to get somebody to help out with the job, but also the gains that current members have had just by listening to a person’s different view on something is huge.”

EV Strengthening Communities was a VRC which would provide volunteer support infrastructure to the outer east. This included guiding organisations to provide volunteering opportunities and helping people find oppor-

tunities to volunteer themselves.

“We were supporting their boards, we were helping them design their volunteer programs, we were helping them adapt, but we were also helping people into volunteering and that averaged between 1500 and 2000 people a year,” Ms Cunningham-Smith said.

But in 2020, the Federal Government stopped funding VRCs, which stripped EV Strengthening Communities’s ability to sup-

600 outer east volunteer networks.

Many neighbourhood houses across the state could close as the State Government refused to raise funding to meet operational funding requirements.

Community houses in Seville, Lilydale and Mt Evelyn signed hundreds of postcards written by locals about the impact of the programs provided by community houses and sent them to Parliament.

State Evelyn MP Bridget Vallence delivered the postcards to Parliament on behalf of the organisations, some of which have been around for decades.

What was previously seen as a decline in volunteering is now recognised as a result of a lack of infrastructure support not capable of adapting to changing needs in volunteers.

Small to medium sized volunteer organisations today struggle with adapting to the shift from formal volunteering styles to informal volunteering, and without appropriate volunteer infrastructure, VRCs aren’t able to help guide these organisations either.

“How they want to volunteer is very different… people want shorter-term, project-based volunteering. But the main thing is the way volunteering opportunities are being offered, and that requires the organisations who are utilising volunteer workforces to really think hard about what opportunities they are offering,” Ms Cunningham-Smith said.

An ABC article reported 92 Rotary clubs to have closed between 2020 and 2025 with an average membership at 22 members.

But it’s also seen 21 “new-style” clubs open in the past five years attracting younger members and offering informal or special interest volunteer opportunities.

Despite being proactive in changing its approach to recruiting volunteers, it’s still undoubtedly a struggle for groups like MRAG, which already run a tight ship as it is, having won Yarra Ranges community group of the year award in 2024.

But there’s only so much volunteer organisations can optimise for.

Without support from key volunteer support infrastructure that used to be provided by EV Strengthening Communities, it’s only getting harder.

In the end, Ms Cunningham-Smith said the State Government needed to provide consistent funding into infrastructure rather than haphazardly funding through grants.

Young zookeepers thrive at Birmingham Primary

By Callum Ludwig

Birmingham Primary School’s zoology program has continued to come on in leaps and bounds, providing new opportunities for students to learn about a variety of exotic creatures.

The school’s partnership with Lilydale High School’s zoology program has continued to flourish while they have also begun to work with local rescue and education program, Wandering Wildlife.

STEM specialist Natalie Darvell said it has exploded since the point they had more children than animals to care for.

“We started off with insects, we had the chance to watch butterflies emerge and the stick insects grow and shed and all those amazing things and we got Ralph, our blue-tongued lizard,” she said.

“Since then, we’ve just acquired, adopted or fostered various other animals, we’ve got a whole marvellous menagerie of animals here.

“To watch some of these kids even just come out of their shells and have an incredible learning experience and for school to be such a positive place and a place they want to be, I can’t ask more than that.”

Since the Star Mail last visited in July 2025, Birmingham Primary School has added a bearded dragon called Crumpet, green tree frogs, a rescue turtle by the name of Oogwei, axolotls and three different species of stick insects to their zoo.

Ms Darvell said last year it got to the point where kids would be waiting at the car park to look after creatures.

“As kids gradually developed skills, welevelled up and went to more complex creatures, creatures that need different feeding techniques or different animal husbandry,” she said.

“The older kids we train as zookeepers, they learn animal husbandry, how to detect any signs of stress, maintaining animals, checking their weight and their wellbeing, ensuring they have enrichment programs.

“We also have a whole bunch of other opportunities for different kids, the zookeepers run lunchtime zoos where they’ll take animals outside and give other children the opportunity to handle or interact with them, depending on

the animal and learn about them and wehave in-class learning, with lots of different opportunities for the kids to see animals in class, talk about nature and biology, and it really builds our early years STEM program.”

Lilydale High School helped set up the enclosures at Birmingham Primary School as well as giving them classes at their Zoology Centre, while through Wandering Wildlife, the school will be able to foster animals that have been rescued, such as four new blue-tongued lizards.

Ms Darvell said she knows for some kids, the zoology program was the reason they would come to school earlier, so they can be with the animals for longer.

“I think it really drives a passion to be at school, it’s real-life learning opportunities, rather than to sit and do reptiles as a subject or mini-beasts as a subject in a classroom and research, compared to actually having them there

where children can interact and see them and watch them grow,” she said. “It builds more of those long-term under-

Next generation of science

By Gabriella Vukman

Wednesday 11 February marked the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, with Healesville’s own conservation and science community taking the opportunity to come to the fore.

For the second year in a row, six members of Zoos Victoria’s Youth Advisory Committee came from across Victoria to celebrate women in STEM and experience life as scientists and zookeepers at Healesville Sanctuary.

The day’s events included platypus encounters, behind-the-scenes vet visits, and honest conversations with a range of mentors about career pathways.

Healesville Sanctuary Platypus Specialist Dr Jessica Thomas, sits on Zoos Victoria’s Gender Equity Committee and was instrumental in initiating the Healesville Sanctuary event.

“Each year the Committee goes through the annual calendar of all the important days across the year and the International Day of Women and Girls in Science stood out for me because I am quite passionate about it myself”, Ms Thomas said.

Having completed a masters degree and a PhD in the sciences, Ms Thomas noted that some guidance would have been helpful during the formative years of her career.

“It would have meant a lot to me when I was younger to have some mentorship and support, and someone to help guide me and tell me what sort of subjects I should do and what courses were available to me”, Ms Thomas said.

“I’m hoping that these girls that are coming through today will get some support and some of that guidance from us,” she said.

“If we can help guide even one of these girls towards a pathway they might not have known was possible, then the day has done its job.”

According to Ms Thomas, there is no one way to go about a career in science.

“Here at the Sanctuary, we all have different degrees from different universities, and different work experiences”, Ms Thomas said.

“Even after working together for years, I’m still learning about people’s backgrounds.”

“One of our vets actually did an arts degree before becoming a vet so she was a bit older when she decided to change direction,” Ms Thomas said.

“I think it’s really good for the girls to hear that, and know that there isn’t just one pathway.”

Education Innovation Leader Cheryl Laks, who oversees Zoos Victoria’s youth programs, said the event continues to grow in impact.

“We know that traditionally you don’t see as many young women in these types of roles,” Ms Laks said.

“It’s important to celebrate that this is changing. Women play such a huge role in science, and when young people can see those role models and the opportunities ahead of them, that’s powerful,” she said.

The six Youth Advisory Committee members who took part this year, ranged from newcomers to those who have served on the committee for almost four years.

Their role includes advising the zoo on how to better engage young people and ensure youth voices are represented in decision-making.

Zookeeper and Free Flight Bird presenter at Healesville Sanctuary Jessica Ratcliffe took part as a mentor for the day.

Ms Ratcliffe said, “I volunteered to be a mentor because I like the opportunity of being able to inspire the next generation.”

“I would have loved that kind of mentorship when I was growing up. And it seems like a nice initiative,” she said.

For Ms Ratcliffe, mentoring is about authenticity as much as leadership.

“I guess for me it’s about being an appropriate role model, but also just being myself because it lets people know that there’s all kinds of different people who can go into different pathways and just kind of set one example out of many,” Ms Ratcliffe said.

Reflecting on her own journey into zoology and zookeeping, Ms Ratcliffe noted that women are not the minority her industry.

“In the sciences that I studied, which were zoology, there are definitely more women, even at

university level,” Ms Ratfliffe said.

“Being part of the majority, I definitely feel like you fit in and you’re capable,” she said.

“I also think Inclusion, accessibility and equal opportunity is something that’s just getting greater in a lot of different areas and gender equality and inclusion is part of that growth too.”

Despite being a part of the majority in her field, Ms Ratfliffe noted there were still some significant challenges within the industry.

“There were some cases early on in field work where there were things like sexual harassment,” Ms Ratcliffe said.

“It is a part of life for most women.”

When it comes to making her field a safer place for women, Ms Ratcliffe noted that a focus on teaching women how to be assertive and set boundaries is the wrong approach.

“It is actually the wrong direction to ask the woman how to overcome oppression or harassment,” Ms Ratcliffe said.

“That’s a question for the harassers to take on. It is a broader responsibility for parents of boys, and men in general, to step up.”

Among the youth advisors were sisters Gracie, 13, and Georgia, 15, who travelled from Tarragon for the event.

“I really love conservation and I want a future in the zoo and I love learning about animals and

protecting them,” Gracie said.

Seeing a platypus for the first time was a highlight.

“They’re adorable,” Gracie said. Ruby, from Mentone, said her passion for conservation began early.

“I’ve always been really passionate about animals,” she said.

“I want to learn what it’s like behind the scenes and what a day in the life of a zookeeper is actually like.”

Whilst it is early days, Ruby is considering a future in conservation biology or wildlife biology.

Across the board, the six youth advisors found it encouraging to see so many women working across veterinary and animal care roles.

“I’ve been with the vets today and there are actually more female vets than male,” Ruby said.

“It’s really inspiring to be around other women who are interested in the same thing,” she said.

While the students and mentors alike acknowledged that gender imbalances and bias still exist in the field of science, celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at the Sanctuary highlighted the progress being made across the sector, as well as the work that still lies ahead.

New e-bike regulations fall short due to loophole

By Oliver Winn

The reintroduction of industry-leading safety standards for e-bike imports into Australia has a crucial loophole enabling unsafe and illegal e-motorbikes into the outer east and the rest of the country, industry experts warned.

It came after the Federal Minister for Transport brought back the European standard on e-bikes known as EN-15194 - a move celebrated by e-bike enthusiasts and fire-concerned communities alike.

But while EN-15194 imposes much stricter conditions on e-bikes being imported into the country, Bicycle Industries Australia general manager Peter Bourke said there’s a “massive, massive loophole”.

“It’s a voluntary application, so you literally can bring an e-bike in without filling out an application to say that it meets the standards,” Mr Bourke said.

“It’s effectively a self-declaration by the brands and then customs in there somehow must manage that.”

EN-15194 requires imported e-bikes to have a motor that cuts off at 25 kilometres per hour, a 250-watt limit on power, and for the motor to only assist when pedalling rather than relying on a throttle.

It also requires e-bikes to meet manufacturing standards and anti-tamper conditions.

Local groups such as the Yarra Ranges Mountain Biking Club (YRMBC) have moved to formalise a policy outlawing the use of any e-bike which doesn’t meet the EN-15194 standard.

“I think what’s important to make clear is that this is the formalisation of what was an existing policy really,” YRMBC vice president Paul Larkin said.

He said the fire along the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail spurred the group to put the rule into writing in order to make its rules crystal clear.

“I think a lot of that is people are invested in the communities and no one wants a fire or any kind of risk.”

Australian Greens senator Steph HodginsMay raised questions about the lack of mandatory advisory notice during Senate Estimates on Monday 9 February.

“I guess what I’m asking is this: If they’re not legitimate e-bikes, is the department aware that these bikes exceed the 250-watt power limit, allow speed and power unlocking through consumer codes and can be operated without pedalling,” Ms Hodgins-May questioned during senate estimates on Monday 9 February.

Australia used to have the EN-15194 standard but it was removed in 2021 by the Morrison government.

The result was an e-bike boom, with companies cashing in on relaxed regulations and selling illegal e-motorbikes as e-bikes.

According to an ABC article, industry figures suggest the number of e-bikes imported into Australia rose from 9,000 e-bikes in 2017 to 200,000 in 2021.

Mr Bourke said this was the reason for the

onslaught of illegal e-motorbikes being sold as e-bikes in Australia.

“What that did is it effectively removed the safeguards and opened the door for poor quality products that didn’t meet minimum standards for speed and power,” he said.

Another problem surrounding e-bike regulation is a lack of product safety standards for the sale of e-bikes under Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

This means that while EN-15194 regulates the importation of e-bikes into Australia, once the bikes themselves are in the country,

e-bikes and e-scooters can be sold in Australia without meeting any safety benchmarks.

But, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) participated in a cross-jurisdictional working group to address this.

“This working group concluded in November 2025 and its recommendations to improve the safe use of lithium-ion battery powered e-micromobility vehicles, have been provided to consumer ministers,” an ACCC spokesperson said.

Mr Bourke said making import advisory notices (a notice that a vehicle is not a road vehicle) mandatory was essential for the EN-15194 standard to actually have an impact.

“The Federal Government needs to make that a mandatory process.

“So customs, like all government departments, is challenged by the volume of products at which it must assess on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis.

“It is a challenge for them to undertake it, especially considering the application for an import advisory notice is voluntary.”

Mr Bourke said Bicycle Industries Australia supported the reintroduction of EN-15194, but more work was still needed to ensure only legally compliant e-bikes were entering the country.

The Federal Minister for Transport was contacted for comment.

Think retirement redefined

Life at Summerset Chirnside Park is about feeling at home from the moment you arrive. It’s a community designed for comfort and connection, where every detail supports the life you want to lead, today and in the years ahead.

Residents will enjoy a range of resort-style facilities once construction is complete. These include a pool, spa, cafe, recreational bowling green and so much more.*

Once complete, the village will offer a range of living options so, whether you prefer to live independently or need support, you can enjoy

each day with confidence knowing our dedicated and professional team is available to help you at any stage.

What makes Summerset special is our unique continuum of care, which means if your needs change, you can continue living in the place you know and love, surrounded by familiar faces and the community you call home.^

Life doesn’t stop when you move into a Summerset village. It just gets better.

Book an appointment today to secure your preferred home.

Book an appointment today

Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm Summerset Chirnside Park Sales Suite: 273 Manchester Road, Chirnside Park 03 8777 4242 | chirnsidepark.sales@summerset.com.au

Intense start to the year

This summer, Victoria has suffered devastating bushfires in all corners of our state.

I extend my deepest sympathies to people that have lost homes, pets, livestock, crops, wildlife, small businesses, and livelihoods.

Despite the ferocity of the fires, our emergency services courageously went to the danger. We thank them for their tremendous effort – Forest Fire Management, FRV, Police, Ambulance and of course volunteers of the CFA and SES.

We’ve been fortunate in the Yarra Ranges with only a few fires contained swiftly.

Whilst ensuring trucks and volunteers have been on standby and monitoring local risks in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, many volunteer firefighters of Yarra Valley and Maroondah Groups were deployed on strike teams to help fight fires across the state, including at Longwood, Alexandra, Walwa, Cudgewa and the Otways.

State of Affairs

Bridget Vallence Evelyn MP

dra to help evacuate people in danger, to Gruyere CFA volunteers giving respite to the Terip Terip CFA by washing their trucks, to Montrose CFA delivering food supplies to the Acheron community, or Lilydale CFA delivering petfood to Yark, Ruffy, and Gellibrand communities – our volunteers are the best of us.

million in real terms since 2020 by the Allan Labor Government, leaving Victorians paying the price.

Victorians impacted by the bushfires deserve a voice.

They deserve to know why communication radios failed and why they’re still in 30-year-old trucks.

Let’s remember it’s not just fighting fires or tackling floods.

Extra effort happens behind the scenes – from Wandin CFA volunteers doorknocking in Alexan-

This includes Evelyn Electorate CFA Brigades at Gruyere, Coldstream, Lilydale, Mt Evelyn, Silvan, Seville, Wandin, Montrose, Mooroolbark, and Chirnside Park. Astonishingly, the Otways were impacted by bushfires and floods, and we thank Lilydale SES volunteers deployed to help after flash floods at Wye River.

It’s why they deserve greater respect and support from their government. It’s why the Victorian Liberals and Nationals pushed hard to secure a Parliamentary Inquiry into the summer bushfires despite the Labor Government initially refusing to do so.

Volunteers, firefighters, farmers, emergency management personnel, and communities affected by fires are rightly concerned about preparation, resourcing of emergency services agencies and management of the fires.

Especially after the 2024-25 CFA Annual Report exposed funding to the CFA was cut by $55

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Melbourne Writers Festival.

The MWF Team is currently “gathering memories from the incredible community who has helped to build, shape and sustain MWF”.

Quoting the Festival’s e-newsletter: “Did you meet, or discover, your favourite author at MWF? Was there an unforgettable moment that you shared with a loved one? Or is there a thought provoking conversation you still think about today?”

My fond memories started in 2015 as a MWF Audience Advocate.

In the words of Lisa Dempster, that year’s artistic director: “Each year MWF audiences bring the Festival to life by responding passionately to the ideas and writing at the heart of our events… Our ongoing dialogue with the readers of Melbourne informs so much of what we do – the style of events we deliver, the writers we invite to the Festival, the themes we cover, and even how we facilitate audience questions at events.”

Thus with the establishment of “a direct line to the Festival” for readers across Melbourne to share their ideas, I was among the lucky dozen of applicants “with diverse reading passions and a love for the Festival” selected as MWF 2015’s Audience Advocates.

PASSION FOR PROSE

In the process of what Lisa referred to as “audience-driven programming”, we met with the MWF Team regularly to discuss our views and opinions, and to contribute to the Festival’s programming and planning by bouncing around all sorts of (crazy) ideas.

Curiously, these ideas were often quite different from those proposed by MWF’s industry partners.

The Festival that year turned out to be full of surprises.

As Jo Case, that year’s program manager, recently recalled: “Mark Latham was polite, even pleasant, when I spoke to him in the Melbourne Writers Festival green room. But minutes later, he was on stage calling his interviewer, Jonathan

Green, an ‘ABC wanker’, and swearing at the audience. It was headline news back in 2015.”

I also remember attending the “Writing and Censorship” session at the Festival that year, where Chinese author Sheng Keyi fiercely declared: “A writer’s job is to offend, and [my book Death Fugue] was not published in China because it offended some people.”

Imagine my shock when the official interpreter (mistakenly?) turned Sheng’s words from “to OFFEND” to “to DEFEND”.

I alerted the MWF Team afterwards, but the damage was done.

MWF 2017 was an equally interesting experience, where I attended not just a session but also a translation workshop featuring Taiwanese author Wu Ming-Yi and Darryl Sterk, translator of Wu’s The Stolen Bicycle, an awesome book longlisted for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize.

That year also marked Lisa’s last year as the Festival’s artistic director.

I served as an Audience Advocate again for MWF 2018, and have been helping to promote the Festival ever since.

As readers, perhaps we don’t get to attend the Festival every year.

But we can all do our small bit to support this iconic literary festival.

Further, we deserve to know why the Yarra Ranges Police Fire Patrol Unit was disbanded as a result of Government budget cuts in the middle of the fire danger period – a proactive policing unit that helped manage risk monitoring known arsonists or responding to illegal burn-offs on total fire ban days.

As we support fire ravaged communities to rebuild, the Inquiry will allow Victorians to have their say and help learn the lessons of these recent fires to better equip our emergency services and communities for future challenges.

Wuthering Heights

Starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi M 3.5/5

In writer-director Emerald Fennell’s loose adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic 1847 novel, Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie), a young aristocrat woman, marries nobleman Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif) but remains drawn to her old love Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi).

Wuthering Heights is full of jaw-droppingly beautiful cinematography from Linus Sandgren and lavish sets and costumes. The film’s anachronistic art direction is topped off by a score with electronic elements and songs by Charli XCX. Robbie and Elordi deliver strong performances (as selfish, terrible, thinlydeveloped characters), and Hong Chau is the stand-out actor as Nelly, a servant who looks out for Catherine in a coldly pragmatic fashion. Despite several tender or steamy scenes, the romantic tension between Catherine and Heathcliff is offset by slow, listless pacing and large time-jumps. Wuthering Heights explores themes of passionless comfort versus risky excitement and unrequited love boiling over into resentment, but feels uncharacteristically tame for Fennell. Her first two films are about a feminist avenging angel (Promising Young Woman) and a workingclass sociopath who infiltrates a gormless wealthy family (Saltburn). They’re smarter, sexier and seedier than Wuthering Heights, which only shows some of Fennell’s subversive spirit in the third act, when Heathcliff treats his new wife Isabella (Alison Oliver) so degradingly that you lose all sympathy for him. The uncomfortable fact that Heathcliff and Catherine are basically siblings – Heathcliff was adopted by Catherine’s alcoholic father – was a fatal roadblock in my engagement with the film, but if Fennell had leaned into (or just acknowledged) this fact, the film would be grosser but much more interesting.

Playing in most Victorian cinemas, Wuthering Heights is well-acted and visually staggering but let down by limp pacing and bland, unlikeable characters who are a little too close for comfort, if you know what I mean.

EDUCATION - OPEN DAYS

A shared vision for all

Change can sometimes bring uncertainty. It invites questions, reflection and adjustment. Yet change also creates space for growth.

It sharpens our focus, strengthens our purpose and opens the door for fresh vision.

As we moved through the changes of 2025, our community responded with faith, resilience and a shared commitment to what matters most.

At Edinburgh College, our foundation remains unchanged.

We are a Christ-centred school family, dedicated to nurturing character through nurture, learning and service.

It is with great joy that we begin 2026 under the leadership of our newly appointed Principal, Tanya Pascoe.

We are delighted to confirm Ms Pascoe’s appointment as principal of Edinburgh College.

Having served as acting principal, Ms Pascoe provided exceptional leadership, care and stability during a season of transition.

With more than 30 years of experience in education across New Zealand, New South Wales and Victoria, Ms Pascoe brings a wealth of knowledge, a love of learning and a deep passion for sharing Jesus.

Her journey has included roles as classroom teacher, ELC director, head of primary and acting principal.

She is known for her heart for students, her pursuit of excellence and her ability to bring teams together with warmth and purpose.

Under her leadership, our direction is clear.

Everything we do is being carefully aligned with our values, our mission and our calling as a Christ-centred learning community.

We are already seeing this renewed focus across the College.

Our VCE program continues to grow in strength, supported by an exceptional team com-

mitted to helping every student achieve their personal best.

We offer a broad range of subjects, allowing students to tailor their studies to their strengths, passions and future aspirations.

Whether their pathway leads to university, vocational training or the workforce, our goal is to equip them with the skills, confidence and support they need to thrive and step into the future with purpose.

Our Basketball Academy has also been thoughtfully revitalised, with a stronger emphasis on student wellbeing alongside performance.

The program now focuses on developing the whole student, building resilience, character and healthy habits both on and off the court.

Across every campus, from Early Learning to Secondary, programs, spaces and practices are being reviewed to ensure they reflect who we are and what we value.

This is a season of alignment, clarity and growth.

As Scripture reminds us, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,” Matthew 20:26-28

Servant leadership sits at the heart of our school.

It is seen in our staff, our students and in the vision guiding our next chapter.

We warmly invite families and our wider community to experience this exciting season at our upcoming Open Night.

Come and explore our classrooms and learning spaces.

Meet our passionate teachers. Discover our facilities and co-curricular opportunities.

Learn more about the Adventist education system from our Chaplains and the faith foundation that shapes our school culture.

The evening will conclude with a special celebration, including fireworks to mark the 20th Anniversary of our Early Learning Centre.

At Edinburgh College, we believe the future is bright when it is built on faith, guided by purpose and strengthened through community.

We look forward to welcoming you and walking this next chapter together.

EDUCATION - OPEN DAYS

Discover the difference

Choosing a secondary school is about more than just finding a classroom; it is about finding a community where your child feels seen, supported and inspired.

At Mount Lilydale Mercy College (MLMC), we believe that an exceptional education is defined by the “Mercy spirit” – a distinct culture of values and excellence that has been our cornerstone since the beginning.

We warmly invite families to experience this spirit firsthand at our upcoming Open Day on Sunday, 1 March.

A Vibrant Learning Community

Our Open Day is more than a tour; it is a vibrant, hands-on window into life at MLMC.

From interactive displays and student performances to exploring our expansive grounds and facilities, you will see how we ignite curiosity in every student.

Principal Mr Philip Morison emphasises that our mission is to develop the innate talents of every child, ensuring they graduate with the “resilience and confidence to live their best lives and be the difference in the lives of those around them.”

A Seamless Transition

We understand that the leap from primary to secondary school can feel daunting for both students and parents.

That is why MLMC has pioneered a comprehensive transition framework designed to replace anxiety with excitement.

Before they even step into a Year 7 classroom, students are welcomed through our Flying Solo program and Orientation Day.

Once they arrive, the Stepping Forward program and Year 7 Camp help forge immediate bonds with peers and staff.

Perhaps most importantly, our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders act as mentors, providing a friendly, familiar face in the hallways. By attending Year 7 classes weekly, these student leaders help younger peers navigate new routines and academic expectations, fostering a deep sense of belonging from day one.

ues - compassion, justice, respect, courage, service and hospitality - provide a compass for our students.

Come and see for yourself why so many families choose Mount Lilydale Mercy College.

Values for a Complex World In an increasingly complex world, our Mercy Val-

This Catholic identity is woven into the fabric of College life, ensuring that as your child navigates their teenage years, they are grounded in integrity and kindness.

Whether you are interested in our diverse cocurricular opportunities or our robust academic programs, we look forward to welcoming you into our community.

Cruise North America

By Lee Mccarthy

TAKE in historic cities and rugged shores with Viking’s 15-day Canada and East Coast Explorer voyage from Toronto, Ontario to Fort Lauderdale, Florida or vice versa.

Fifteen days, seven guided tours, two countries and countless meals and experiences ensure this is the perfect once in a lifetime cruise. Start the cruise in Toronto savouring the diversity of Toronto’s food scene and explore some of the city’s treasures.

On day two, guests can experience the series of locks, canals and channels that comprise the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Day three, those who wish to can be immersed in the religious heritage of Trois-Rivieres during a trip to a historic shrine to the Virgin Mary.

Guests can explore the rugged beauty of the Canadian Shield during an exhilarating Zodiac ride or take to the water in a kayak and explore the surrounding with a member of the Viking Expedition Team.

For the culinary lovers enjoy a selection of local favourites as you explore the city’s culinary roots during a walk around Trois-Rivières.

Travellers will step back in time to explore the intriguing history of Quebec City during an excursion through its old town or explore the contrasting landscapes that form the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area during a hiking excursion.

Experience the world’s largest naval base in Norfolk, travel Nova Scotia’s shores and rugged landscapes and visit Quebec’s National Parks.

Viking’s inclusive value includes everything you need, such as a guided excursion in every port, all onboard meals including alternative dining venues, wine and beer with lunch and dinner, unlimited Wi-Fi, 24-hour specialty tea, coffee, and bottled water, access to the stateof-the-art Nordic spa, self-service laundry, and all tipping. With no children, no casinos, fewer than 1,000 guests, and all veranda staterooms, Viking’s award-winning ships take you as close as possible to each destination.

Guests can go underground in Cape Breton and get a glimpse of what life was like digging coal at the Cape Breton Miners Museum.

One treat guaranteed to please is a visit to Peggy’s Cove to enjoy a delicious lobster lunch in the picture-perfect postcard seaside village or discover distinctly Nova Scotian wines during a visit to Petit Rivière Vineyards in the Lahave River Valley or sample a selection of local beer in Nova Scotia’s picturesque South Shore district.

Enjoy Charleston’s southern charm and colonial homes and embark on a guided exploration by motor coach or experience the natural beauty of the low country during a visit to one of the only team farms in the United States.

Learn how to prepare typical Charleston dishes during an interactive cooking demonstration and explore the streets of Charleston during a walking tour as guests are invited to step inside one of the city’s historic homes.

The cruise arrives in Ft. Lauderdale Florida, with many guests taking advantage of the Post Cruise Extension to enjoy additional days exploring. A two-night extension in Ft Lauderdale costs from $1499 and is a stunning end to a truly stunning fifteen days.

While sailing, guests can attend lectures, watch a film in the eight thousand laser-projected panoramic screen in The Aula or focus on wining and dining, whatever the choice, Viking offers an unbeatable holiday in understated elegance.

Right now, the cruise is priced from $12,295 per person for a Nordic Balcony saving up to $2500 per booking with Viking’s “Fly free, flight upgrade credit”.

Book before 31 March 2026.

Unrivalled luxury is here

For over 30 years, Regent Seven Seas Cruises® has set the benchmark for ultra-luxury ocean travel, inviting guests to Experience the Unrivalled™ aboard The World’s Most Luxurious Fleet®. Carrying between 496 and no more than 822 guests, the line’s Spacious All-Suite Ships™ create an intimate atmosphere complemented by exceptional space to explore more than 550 destinations across all seven continents.

At the very heart of the Regent experience is their promise of Unrivalled Space at Sea®, with luxurious all-suite accommodation that ranges from 28–413 sq m in size, the vast majority of which are complemented by private, furnished balconies. A spacious sitting area is enhanced by soothing colours and rich textures, while marbledetailed bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes further elevate the space.

On every journey, Regent’s Heartfelt Hospitality™ shines through personalised service, delivered by one of the highest crew-to-guest ratios at sea. Expansive pool decks, inviting lounges and bars, elegant speciality restaurants and alfresco dining venues create a sense of generous luxury. Relax in the spa and sauna, enjoy a craft cocktail on your private balcony or attend an enrichment lecture.

Regent’s hallmark inclusion of unlimited shore excursions offers their guests thousands of opportunities to immerse deeply in the culture and surroundings in every port of call. Thanks to carefully planned itineraries, you could be wine tasting in Bordeaux, meeting Sámi communities in northern Norway or reflecting at a Japanese shrine in the shadow of Mount Fuji.

Regent invites you to Cruise in All-Inclusive, Unrivalled Luxury™, truly elevating every element of your journey. Guests can enjoy exquisite cuisine, fine wines and premium spir-

all-inclusive,

its, entertainment, Starlink Wi-Fi, unlimited valet laundry, pre-paid gratuities, and even a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay for Conciergelevel suites and higher, or a Personal Butler in Penthouse Suites and above. All of which is included as part of Regent’s All-Inclusive Cruise Fare.

Featured Voyage: Amsterdam to Barcelona Embark on an ultra-luxury voyage across Europe on Seven Seas Grandeur®, from Amsterdam’s ca-

nals to an immersive overnight stay in Bordeaux, home to the world’s most prestigious wines. Continue through the Iberian Peninsula with calls in Oporto, Lisbon, Seville (Cádiz) and Málaga, before concluding in the passionate ambience of Barcelona.

Vineyard Walk & Tasting With Nathalie –Included Shore Excursion Tour a merlot vineyard in the company of one of the owners, who will share insights into the daily

operations of the estate, the challenges of achieving organic wine certification and the philosophy behind their winemaking. During your visit, enjoy a guided tasting paired with tapas, and discover the three exclusively crafted wines from merlot grapes.

Plan your ultra-luxury voyage today.

For more information, contact Julie at Exclusively Cruising on 03 9762 2799 or email cruise@ exclusivelycruising.com.au

7 Nights

Dec 2026 - Mar 2027

Iconic Experiences, Expertly Escorted

Full day Barossa Valley tour with lunch and wine tastings including: Saltram wine estate, lunch and wine tasting at Lambert Estate, visit to Barossa Valley Chocolate Company, photo stop at Menglers Hill Lookout, vineyard tour & wine tasting at Jacob’s Creek visitor centre, stop at Beerenberg Farm, and free time in Hahndorf to explore the historic German settlement

2 day Kangaroo Island tour including: Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery, Clifford’s Honey Farm, In-Flight Birds of Prey Display at Raptor Domain, Seal Bay Conservation Park guided beach walk, lunch at Emu Bay Lavender Farm, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, and Flinders Chase National Park

Full-Board River Elegance

3 night Murray River cruise on board PS Murray Princess with all meals and sightseeing

Tour of Murray River Bridge and historic Roundhouse

Guided nature walk of Salt Bush Flat

Taste Riverland food and wine

Dragon-Fly flat-bottomed boat wildlife tour

Hand-Picked Hotel Stays

3 nights four-star hotel stay in Adelaide with breakfast

1 night four-star hotel stay in Kangaroo Island with breakfast, lunch and dinner

All Flights, Taxes & Transfers

12 DAYS • 1 COUNTRY 11 GUIDED TOURS

SET SAIL • MAY, AUG-DEC 2026; JAN-JUN, AUG-DEC 2027; 2028

Step into the land of pharaohs and timeless wonders. Viking invites you to experience Egypt like never before. Sail the legendary Nile on a 12-day cruisetour through Egypt and enjoy an included shore excursion to the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum — the world’s largest archaeological museum and home to Tutankhamun’s treasures. Witness history in the making while indulging in the comfort and elegance of Viking’s award-winning river ships.

From $11,395pp in Standard Stateroom From $13,695pp in Veranda Stateroom

Nostalgia’s lies...

WOORILLA WORDS

By Maria Millers

When the newly minted Liberal leader, Angus Taylor fronted his first press conference last Friday he immediately announced that his priorities were to restore our standard of living and protect our way of life and put what he called Australian values at the centre of policy, especially on immigration.

He was tapping into the increasing discontent among many Australians who face the everyday challenges dominating daily life: mortgages, rent, food and other costs of modern living.

Add to this the deep social divides that surfaced post the Voice referendum: on climate, immigration, indigenous rights

What Taylor is doing is tapping into a rampant, powerful but rarely examined force behind today’s discontent, what can best be described as misguided nostalgia.

A belief that there was once a stable, prosperous, socially cohesive ‘golden age’ (often imagined as the 1950s) that we have somehow lost.

Many psychologists and philosophers argue that nostalgia is an intrinsic part of human nature.

In uncertain times nostalgia often intensifies and helps us cope with change.

And that is nothing new.

English Romantic 19th century poet Wordsworth in Ode: Intimations of Immortality (1807) mourns that fading wonder of childhood.

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,

The earth, and every common sight,

To me did seem

Apparelled in celestial light…

Humans are deeply sensitive to change and uncertainty.

When the present feels unstable, we often romanticise the past because it feels familiar, certain and emotionally safe.

This doesn’t mean the past was always better — just that it feels coherent and known.

For some as in war torn areas or in abusive situations or neglect memories will not be as positive.

However, our brains tend to remember positive aspects more vividly than negative ones.

This cognitive bias makes the past seem better than it likely was.

In Australia, this myth shapes debates about housing, crime, immigration, gender roles, education, and national identity.

It feeds frustration not just because things feel harder now—but because they’re measured

against a version of the past that never fully existed.

Back in the fifties Australians were fed a constant diet of programs from the USA such as Leave it to Beaver, Father knows Best, The Waltons which celebrated what appeared on the surface to be a simpler, safer life.

Undoubtedly the post war period was a time of reconstruction and is remembered for affordable homes, secure jobs, strong communities and clear values.

In Australia this view shapes debates about housing, immigration, gender roles, education, and national identity.

True the 50s was the golden age of capitalism and reconstruction and catching up after the war and economic growth was buoyed by unique post-war conditions unlikely to be repeated.

However it was paradise only for some and not for all.

Alcoholism was rife with the six o’clock closing evidenced by the often vomit strewn pavements outside hotels and high incidence of domestic violence. Many women were excluded from economic independence and if pregnant faced the horrors of backyard abortions, social ostracism and a life of penury if they were brave enough to keep their babies.

Women’s health problems were ignored with many addicted to over the counter products such Bex often resulting in kidney disease.

Migration policies were racially restrictive and the White Australia Policy was in full force.

Indigenous Australians faced systemic discrimination (pre-1967 referendum rights).

And for anyone with cultural aspirations Australia was a cultural backwater and the only the way forward was to go overseas.

So the 1950s weren’t paradise.

But believing they were may be shaping today’s politics more than we admit as longing for a simplified past prevents us from designing a realistic future.

And when today’s Australians compare their lives to that simplified memory, modern realities feel like decline—even if they’re seen through unrealistic rose coloured lenses.

Younger Australians facing high rents and insecure work feel they are denied the stability previous generations enjoyed.

Older Australians may feel accused of hoarding advantages and indeed there’s a case that older Australians have been prioritised over the needs of youth.

The 1950s myth becomes a wedge between generations rather than a shared story.

But it’s the political simplification of today’s problems that is dangerous and deepens generational tensions.

The myth encourages the idea that restoring old attitudes could restore all the negatives we face today.

And politicians shamelessly exploit this misguided view.

And nostalgia makes complex problems look like moral decline rather than the result of structural change.

Housing affordability is one example.

In the 1950s, one wage bought a house and the post war government invested in social housing

All the theatre action coming up

The 1812 Theatre

Clue on Stage

Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount, movie which was inspired by the classic Hasboro board game, Clue is an hilarious farce-meetsmurder mystery.

The take begins at a remote mansion where six mysterious guests each disguised as characters from the board game, assemble for an unusual dinner party; only to find themselves embroiled in murder, blackmail, and mayhem, as they try to uncover the killer amongst them.

Season: February 18 – March 14. Karralyka

Melbourne Celtic Festival

Following the runaway success of the Melbourne Celtic Festival on Tour 2025, the tour returns to Karralyka in March 2026 with the best St Patricks Day craic!

Join for an afternoon of live Celtic music fea-

turing acclaimed local and international acts.

Direct from Dublin, Ghosts of Erin Oliver traditional folk rock, blending gritty ballads with fast-paced tunes.

Austral Australian Folk Bans of the Year, return with their high-energy fusion of Celtic dance music, digeridoo, fiddles, pipes, guitar and percussion.

Melbourne trio Apolline bring intricate harmonies and Celtic-inspired arrangements.

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day in true Celtic style.

Season: Saturday 14 March at 3pm.

Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre

The Female of the Species A Dark Comedy

Margot Mason is a feminist writer suffering from writer’s block.

Molly Rivers, her former student, arrives unexpectedly at her country home with a gun, blaming Margot for raping her mother’s mind with her best-selling book.

Margot’s daughter, her son-on-law, her publisher and a taxi driver also arrive to comment on Margot’s feminist failings and the expectations placed on female public figures.

The plot is loosely based on an incident that happened to Germaine Greeer.

Season: April 23 – May 8.

Gemco Players

Open Stage Nights 2026

Welcome one and all to ongoing Open Stage Night.

Hosted by Carol, our popular open stage has

and opening up land in outer suburbs.

Today two wages are needed.

But what has to be taken into account is urbanisation, population growth, financial deregulation and global capital flows.

Of course those looking back would zero in on population intake and ignore the many areas where our society would fall apart without input of migrant workers.

Today’s globalised, finance-driven housing market bears little resemblance to that past era.

Yet politicians routinely invoke the past without acknowledging how structurally different the economy now is.

Then governments promise to ‘restore the dream’ they are often selling emotional memory, not replicable conditions.

The myth encourages the idea that restoring old attitudes could restore old outcomes.

Nostalgia adds to discontent by creating unrealistic benchmarks, social media adds to this by amplifying issues

And as algorithms reward anger, many become addicted to outrage without looking at the reasons behind their discontent.

There are many issues facing us today that we should have national conversations about.

But regrettably we are losing the forums for this to take place.

Such as: Should billionaires (now more likely trillionaires) have the political power they are exerting, pushing us into a modern version of feudalism?

Are liberal democracies up to solving global problems?

Is patriotism in a globalised world still relevant or possible?

And are we really more divided or just appear to be so online?

When the future feels unclear, the past feels safe—even if it’s selectively remembered.

Australia isn’t declining it’s transforming.

But if we keep comparing ourselves to a past that never fully existed, we will mistake change for decay.

Hopefully the new leader will bear that in mind.

“Tropical Death” by Claude McKay: Bananas ripe and green, and ginger-root, Cocoa in pods and alligator pears, And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit, Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs; Set in the window, bringing memories Of fruit-trees laden by low-singing rills, And dewy dawns, and mystical blue skies In benediction over nun-like hills.

My eyes grew dim, and I could no more gaze; A wave of longing through my body swept, And, hungry for the old, familiar ways, I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.

been running for many decades.

Held in the cosy hall, you are welcome to perform anything you like or just come for the lovely entertainment.

Enjoy music, poetry. singing, monologues to show.

Running the first Saturday of every month now starting at 7pm.

Bring your own nibbles.

Season: March 7 from 7pm – 10.30pm.

Eltha, Little Theatre

Bondi Legall – Sun, Surf and Solicitors

An anxiety prone locum conveyancing lawyer, Brad Pitth (no relation) turns up to a Bondi Legal Practice and finds himself thrust into taking on a courtroom for the first time, taking on a Corporate Chemical Company for a single mother seeing justice for her daughter’s show pony after it was savaged by one of its grooming products.

He doesn’t stand a chance … does he? What could possibly go wrong.

A LANDMARK ARCHITECTURAL RESIDENCE WITH VIEWS

A LANDMARK ARCHITECTURAL RESIDENCE WITH BREATHTAKING VIEWS

POSITIONED to capture sweeping vistas across the treetops, this exceptional custombuilt residence is one of Upwey’s most striking contemporary homes. Designed by renowned local architect Allan Pearson of Yarra Architects, the home has been masterfully created to embrace the unique multi-level landscape while maximising natural light, elevation and outlook.

Only a few years young, this high-end residence showcases a refined architectural presence, combining James Hardie cladding, recycled red brick and Colorbond to create a bold yet resilient exterior perfectly suited to hills living.

Inside, soaring 6-metre cathedral ceilings and expansive commercial-grade doubleglazed windows frame the views and flood the interiors with light. Every element has been thoughtfully curated to deliver luxury, comfort and timeless design.

Accommodation and Layout:

• 4 spacious bedrooms with custom built-in cabinetry

• 2 designer bathrooms

1 powder room

Two separate living areas

Open-plan office/study space

2-car carport plus electric-door enclosed garage

• Extensive under-house storage

The heart of the home is a beautifully appointed kitchen featuring Caesarstone benchtops, premium 2pac joinery, a Westinghouse pyrolytic oven and gas cooktop, and a seamless connection to outdoor entertaining. A built-in BBQ and gas connection for a pizza oven make hosting effortless.

Premium Features:

• Velux skylights with remote-controlled blinds Hydronic heating (zoned per room) – the ultimate in clean, comfortable warmth

Zoned ducted heating and cooling with mobile Bluetooth connectivity

• Engineered timber flooring

• Terrazzo stone tiles for a bold and enduring finish

• Heated bathroom floors

Custom cabinetry throughout bedrooms, living and study areas

Rainwater tank servicing toilets and garden

Designed to maximise comfort year-round, the home’s hydronic heating, zoned climate control, and superior glazing ensure energy efficiency and quiet luxury in every season. This is not simply a home - it is an architectural statement, thoughtfully crafted for modern hills living. A rare opportunity to secure one of the suburb’s most impressive and recently completed residences.

An extraordinary lifestyle awaits at 288 Glenfern Road, Upwey. ●

SPACIOUS FAMILY LIVING ON 3/4 ACRE WITH DUAL ACCESS

SET on a generous three-quarter acre allotment, this well-presented home offers a practical and versatile layout suited to families, professionals, and those seeking space both inside and out.

The residence comprises four bedrooms plus a separate office, with the master suite privately positioned and featuring a walk-in robe and ensuite. Three additional bedrooms are grouped together and serviced by a central family bathroom, providing a functional and family-friendly configuration.

Two substantial living areas deliver excellent separation, with a large family room connecting seamlessly to the dining area and centrally positioned kitchen. The kitchen is well appointed with stone benchtops, quality appliances and ample storage, flowing directly to the covered outdoor deck - ideal for everyday living and entertaining.

Outdoors, the property continues to impress with a private outdoor spa, positioned to enjoy the surrounding garden setting and offering a relaxed space to unwind year-round. Split system heating and cooling in the master bedroom ensures seasonal comfort, while solar panels contribute to improved energy efficiency & the ease of ducted vacuum.

The property also offers exceptional infrastructure with dual access, a double garage, plus a separate extra-height lock-up garage, ideal for trades, storage, caravans or recreational vehicles.

A well-rounded property offering space, flexibility and lifestyle appeal, all within a private and established setting. ●

NEST OR INVEST - TWO DWELLINGS ON 1167M2

TUCKED away on a peaceful no-through road and surrounded by lush, established gardens, this property offers an idyllic blend of tranquillity and privacy.

The property offers two dwellings, the primary residence currently rented, boasts a spacious light filled lounge with relaxing leafy outlook. The adjoining kitchen and meals area features the roomy kitchen with stainless steel oven, gas cooktop and dishwasher.

There are three bedrooms all serviced by the family bathroom. For your comfort, there is ducted heating and evaporative cooling throughout the home. Outside, the decked and enclosed outdoor entertaining space is tucked away from the weather and ideal for yearround enjoyment. On warmer days, enjoy the sunshine on the front verandah.

The secure side yard is perfect for the fourlegged family members.

Also on the property is a 2 bedroom selfcontained unit, with a fully fenced front and back yard with driveway access.

The charming cottage boasts a spacious central lounge with split system heating and cooling, a functional kitchen with a freestanding oven, two comfortable bedrooms (one with built-in robes), and a well-sized bathroom with space for laundry facilities.

Enjoy privacy and relaxation decked and covered front verandah.

The cottage is separately fenced, offering a true sense of independence. Conveniently located near major arterial roads and just a short drive to Emerald township, schools, sporting facilities and medical facilities, this property offers a fantastic opportunity you will enjoy for years to come. ●

HIGH-VISIBILITY POSITION WITH DUAL ACCESS AND FLEXIBLE FUTURE USE

OFFERING a combined return of approximately $41,000 per annum and significant future upside, this versatile property presents a rare opportunity in the heart of Monbulk. With 23 metres of Main Road frontage, two crossovers, rear laneway access, and connection to mains sewerage, the property lends itself to a wide range of potential uses.

These include future subdivision (STCA) under the forthcoming Monbulk Housing Strategy, or alternative options such as professional suites or further redevelopment, subject to council approval.

The main residence is a tastefully renovated two-bedroom home plus study, featuring a large kitchen, spacious lounge room, and a full-length sunroom that doubles perfectly as additional living or workspace.

Comfort is assured year-round with gas heating, split-system air conditioning, and a double carport.

The separate studio is well-appointed with split-system heating and cooling, an updated kitchen and bathroom, and the added benefit of separate rear laneway access, enhancing flexibility and privacy.

Currently comprising four lots on one title, the long-term redevelopment potential is substantial.

All of this is complemented by an excellent location, just a short walk to Monbulk township, shops, cafes, and local amenities. A compelling opportunity to secure strong income today while positioning for future growth.

Enquire now to add a high-potential asset to your property portfolio. ●

RELAXED HILLS LIVING IN A PEACEFUL LOCATION

SET on a generous 1,003sqm in a quiet Cockatoo setting, this well-designed threebedroom, two-bathroom home delivers space, comfort, and a relaxed Hills lifestyle just moments from town and local schools.

An undercover entry welcomes you inside to an open-plan kitchen and dining zone finished with timber flooring and designed for easy everyday living. The kitchen is both practical and stylish, featuring stone benchtops, gas cooking, dishwasher, and an abundance of storage, while the laundry is conveniently positioned just off the dining area.

Privately located at the end of the home, the carpeted master bedroom offers a peaceful retreat with a split system, ceiling fan, walk-in robe, and ensuite. At the front of the home, a central family bathroom is complemented by a separate powder room.

A few steps down to the inviting lounge room, where a woodfire creates a warm focal point, supported by gas ducted heating, a split system, and ceiling fan for year-round comfort. Two further carpeted bedrooms—one with built-in robes and a split system, the other with a walk-in robe or ideal study space. Doors open to the undercover entertaining area with merbau decking, ceiling fan, speakers, and TV—perfect for relaxed gatherings in any season.

Outside, the generous yard provides room to move, with a cubby house ready for little adventurers, plenty of space for play, and a double garage with concrete floor, power, and its own woodfire. With ample off-street parking and a peaceful setting, this is a home designed to suit real life—comfortable, practical, and quietly positioned where it counts.

This property has it all so don’t miss outcall to arrange a private inspection today.

Please note: All property details shown are correct at time of publishing. Some properties may have been sold in the preceding 24 hours and we recommend that you confirm open for inspection times with the listing agent direct or the listing office. ●

AOne-of-a-KindOff-GridHaveninGembrook!

Seton5 privateacreswithtwospring-fedcreeks,thisremarkablefour-bedroomhomeisanoff-grid retreatlikenoother.A horseshoedrivewayleadsto awideverandahembracingsweepingviews. Inside,soaringceilings,exposedbeamsandtimberfloorsframetheopen-planloungeanddining withwoodfire,ceilingfanandbararea.Thekitchenblendsrusticcharmwithfunction,offering mahoganyandblackwoodbenches,walk-inpantry,hiddenfridge,dishwasher,gas/electriccooking andanIrishStanleyslowcombustionstove.Themasterincludes awalk-throughrobeandensuitestylebathroom,whileupstairstwofurtherbedroomsandduallivingzonescapturetreetopviews. Sustainabilityshineswitha 48vsolarsystem,generatorbackupandmultipleheating/coolingoptions. Withunder-housestorage,a 6m x6mcarportandtotalprivacy,thisisnotjusta home—it’sa lifestyle.

ABotanicalWonderlandSurrounding aTrulyUniqueHome. Thisextraordinaryresidenceis araremasterpiece,shapedbydecadesofcraftsmanshipandset withinbreathtakingstorybookgardensonnearly1.5acres.Everydetailreflectstimelessartistry— fromcorbelsandtessellatedtilestoleadlight,bluestonefeatures,andsoaringceilings.Atitsheart, acircularbluestone-and-glassconservatoryinvitesyoutopauseandtakeinthelushgardenviews. Twoprivatewingsinclude amainsuitewithwalk-inrobe,ensuite,anddeck,plus aguestsuitewithits ownensuite.A formalloungewithopenfireplace,elegantdiningroom,officewithJarrahcabinetry, anda granite-toppedkitchencaterbeautifullytodailylivingandentertaining.Additionalspaces includea rumpus,cellar/workshop,studio,secondgarage,and5kWsolar.Despiteitsserenesetting, thehomeisjustmomentsfromEmerald’scharmingvillageandPuffingBilly.

CharmingHomein aTranquilGardenSetting. Setonalmostone-thirdofanacre,thischarmingdouble-storeybrickhomeofferspeacefulliving surroundedbybeautiful,bird-filledgardens.A wideundercoververandahwrapsaroundthreesides, creatinginvitingoutdoorspacestosit,relax& enjoythenaturalsetting.Inside,9ftceilings,polished floorboards,gasductedheating& double-hungwindowsenhancethehome’swelcomingfeel. Thecentraltimberkitchenincludesanislandbench,greatstorage,a dishwasher,walloven& gas stovetop,flowingtobothformal& informallivingareas.Upstairs,theprivatemastersuitefeaturesa walk-inrobe,ensuite& studynook,whiletwoadditionalbedroomswithtriplerobessharea central bathroom.Outside,thefullyfencedyardisidealforchildren& pets,withanundercoverentertaining area,circulardriveway,remotedoublegarage &highcarportperfectfor acaravanorboat.

BethanySullivan M 0438844968

AaronDay M 0407365994

ARare40-AcreHoldingwithWater,Views &EndlessPotential. Spanning40gentlyundulatingacres,thissun-filledruralholdingdeliversspace,watersecurity& seriouspotential.A windingcreek,3 dams &a valuable2-megalitrewaterlicenceprovide arocksolidfoundationforlifestyleliving,livestockorfuturevision.Elevatedpointsacrossthelandcapture sweeping360-degreeviews,creatingthosepostcardmomentswherethecountrysiderollsawayin everydirection.Atthecentresits aneat& original2-bedroomhome,comfortablenow& readyfor renovation,extensionorreinventionovertime.Practicalinfrastructureincludesa machineryshed, garage &establishedcattlerace& yards,makingthepropertyimmediatelyusableforfarmingor hobbystock.Withsunnypaddocks,naturalwatersources& multipleaccesspoints,everythingisin placeforeasyruralliving.

PUZZLES

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 Supplicates (5)

4 Provider of information (9)

9 Belittle (5)

10 Middle Age armour (5,4)

11 For blinking (6)

12 Formal request signed by many people (8)

14 Choice (10)

15 Exclamation of surprise (3)

17 Tentacle (3)

19 Public estimation (10)

23 Slow (8)

24 Skilfully produces (6)

26 Purifying (9)

27 Greenish (5)

28 Game birds (9)

29 Frozen shower (5)

1 Heavenly body (6)

2 Non-professional (7)

3 Local law enforcer (7)

4 Measure of length (imp) (4)

5 Brotherhood (10)

6 Length of a film (7)

7 Miraculous (7)

8 Masterful (8)

13 Relative dimensions or size (10)

16 Disability (8)

18 People of Malta (7)

19 Viewing figures (7)

20 Fears (7)

21 Disconnected (7)

22 Appearance (6)

25 Ova (4)

1.Telstra is proposing to upgrade an existing telecommunications mobile base station located at 20 Hardy Street, Lilydale VIC 3140. (RFNSA: 3140001)

2.This upgrade of equipment will consist of:

•The removal of three (3) existing panel antennas (<1m in length) from the existing 25m monopole at an elevation of 25.4m.

•The installation of three (3) new panel antennas (<1m in length) on the existing 25m monopole at an elevation of 26.2m.

•The installation of three (3) new panel antennas (1m in length) on the existing 25m monopole at an elevation of 24.7m; and

•The removal and installation of ancillary equipment including, but not limited to, electrical works in the existing equipment shelter and compound area.

3. Station Deployment, we invite you to make comments about the proposal. 4. Ltd.) at telstra.submissions@servicestream.com.au or by post to

Stream Ltd., Level 7, 2 King Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006 by 5pm Friday 27 February

Mixed results for Mt Evelyn Cricket

A cracking day greeted cricketers across the Ringwood and District Cricket Association and there was a sniff of finals in the air as the penultimate regular season game came to a close on the weekend. For the Mounters, it was a mixed bag of results, but when the dust settled four of the six senior teams are a realistic chance of featuring in finals action.

A wearying season is starting to show for the Community Bank - Mt Evelyn 1st XI as they were finally consigned to relegation after a difficult season where the team never really took flight. After conceding first innings points last week to Wonga Park, it was a matter of pride on the line for the Mounters as they entered the day in a bid to stave off outright defeat and salvage some pride.

Resuming at 0/22, openers Adam Smith and Bead Westaway needed to start well if the team were to pass Wonga Park’s first innings total, then build a comfortable buffer. Unfortunately for the visitors, the in-form Smith was back in the sheds in the second over injecting the Parkers with some early enthusiasm. Alex Brisbane-Flynn would join Westaway at the wicket and the pair would knuckle down showing some much needed grit. Runs wouldn’t fly off the bat, but the resistance shown would’ve buoyed the rest of the batting line up.

Westaway’s resistance would end and so too seemingly would that of the team. Brisbane-Flynn would be the mainstay, but the floodgates opened and the Mounters would proceed to lose a dismal seven wickets for eleven runs and it looked as though Wonga Park may not need to bat again. A stoic rearguard performance from Bohdie Jones and Aussie Leonard would save some face and force Wonga to bat again pushing the score to 113, a lead of 29 runs.

Opening bowlers Dasun Senevirathna (2/12) and Jones (1/14) would gain some retribution for the poor performance taking three wickets, but it was all academic as the Mounters would fall to a seven wicket outright defeat.

The Professionals Outer East 2nd XI have been loitering around the edge of the top four and have recorded some strong wins, but have coughed up some disappointing losses along the way. The team were in a commanding position after day one against Bayswater Park after restricting the visitors to a score of 228. A score that needed to be chased but short of a par score. Mt Evelyn always looked in front of the run chase with crucial contributions throughout the top order. Runs were scored at a brisk rate, but to the Sharks credit, they would continually take wickets. A sixty run fourth wicket partnership between Mike Mawson and Brad Jones seemed to have clinched the game pushing the score to 3/166 in the 31st over. Wickets in hand and plenty of time, it seemed to be a formality.

Upon the resumption of play after the tea interval, Bayswater Park would give the game a big shake and with four wickets in quick succession things tightened up for the Mounters. Captain Joseph Chamberlin would join young gun Billie Laird and calm heads would prevail as the pair would knock off the remaining 36 runs to clinch an important three-wicket victory.

Like the 2nd XI, the Rhead Group 3rd XI have battled desperately to remain in the hunt for finals action and have their destiny in their own hands over the closing rounds of the season. After week one splits, Mt Evelyn (4/168) held a slight advantage against Kilsyth (3/145), but the points were certainly up for grabs entering day two. Kilsyth would continue their innings, and once the Mounters secured the breakthrough, they were able to quickly take advantage of the game. Captain Graeme Foster (3/44) would lead his side with crucial middle-order wickets as the Redbacks couldn’t quite capitalise on a rock-solid start.

Eventually, they would be bowled out for 225, with plenty of overs up their sleeves. On the surface, a strong score, but in reality it could’ve amounted to so much more. Mt Evelyn still had to make the runs and when Dickie Hearn and Sam Van Hoogstraten made early exits, it was game on. In tough times, experience matters, and for the Mounters, it came in the form of Ian Hawkey. A calm and composed unbeaten knock of 42, complimented with some fireworks from Alex Whiting saw the nerves eased as the Mounters would quickly arrive at their destination with three wickets in hand.

The Hop Hen Brewing 4th XI secured the biggest win of the day and in a classic encounter with Wonga Park that would go down to the wire. Day one saw a real ying and yang approach to the game with Mt Evelyn blasting 170 runs, but at the cost of five wickets, whilst Wonga Park would cautiously keep wickets in hand finishing at 2/95.

The Parkers would continue their innings and would fully capitalise on the foundations laid in week one. Wonga Park’s middle order took full toll on the Mt Evelyn attack, blitzing over 200 runs in the back half of their innings. No bowler would be spared as they would extend their total beyond 300. Luke Thomson would be the pick of the Mounter’s bowlers taking 3/64. Mt Evelyn left with a tricky chase of 132 with their top order back in the sheds.

What followed was a gripping finish to the game. Captain Chris Doyle would methodically progress the score with a fast-paced half-century, to give the Mounters the ideal start to the chase. Unfortunately, his knock ended to soon, and the arm wrestle between bat and ball ensued. Lachie Robertson would anchor the remainder of the innings with young stars Mason Jones and Thomson holding their own at the other end. Meanwhile, the Wonga Park bowlers wouldn’t give them an inch. What transpired was a classic finish whereby the final pairing of Robertson and Mike Leonard needed 14 runs for victory in the shadows of stumps.

Not to be consigned to a gut-wrenching final wicket loss for the second round in a row, the Mounters would clinch victory in the penultimate over along with being the first Mt Evelyn team to clinch a place in this season’s finals.

The Lilydale Tyres 5th XI were consigned to a tough match up against the high-flying Boronia Hawks, and when the Hawks smashed 1/206 off their first split, the challenge was set for the Mounters to get them to bat again. At 5/92, that looked to be a tough task. Paul Flavel would put together his best performance with the bat for Mt Evelyn scoring 64 in a virtual lone hand at the wicket with the tail, including his son Amos, offering some support at the other end to see the Mounters show some fight and pride in the contest. Despite being bowled out for 189, captain Jason Dunstone would be well pleased with the fight his team showed against a formidable opponent.

The Flowtec 6th XI hosted Croydon Ranges and after a dismal showing two weeks ago, the team were keen to continue their progress to redemption. Mt Evelyn would ask the visitors to bat first and again found their inexperience a tough hurdle to overcome. Despite that, two early wickets to Jacob Glover in the face of another brutal onslaught would give the host some much-needed early enthusiasm and despite the runs coming freely, the hosts were able to take regular wickets, firstly through a brace of wickets to captain Chris Anderson, and followed with a couple to Jamie Lee-Archer. To have their opponents six wickets down at the break was uncharted waters and a much-needed boost.

The Mounters would continue to struggle to contain the run rate, but for the first time this season they would capture the full ten wickets and restrict the score to under 300. Glover would be the pick of the bowlers taking 3/64, whilst his brother Liam would lead the young fielding team with enthusiasm.

The task would eventually be too much for the hosts, but they would continue their stoic performance. Anderson would give the innings a quick start scoring a brisk 41, whilst contributions from Bruce Smith (51 not out) and Lee-Archer (21) gave the innings some substance. The kids would do their bit, holding the fort at the other end and the Mounters would muster a score of 180. Yes, a long way from victory, but also a long way from the dismal 28 scored just two rounds ago.

Topsy-turvy for golf day

By David Waters

A topsy turvy day for Eastern Suburbs plus 55 Senior Pennant.

The rolling hills and gentle morning light made a treat for the golfers entering the Heritage.

The Heritage was the host club for round three of the Eastern Suburbs plus 55 Senior Pennant.

The many kangaroos adorning the hilly slopes and some mobs beside fairways provided a spectacle for the visitors coming up the drive.

As the day progressed the kangaroo gallery watched unperturbed and unimpressed as the dumb golfers paraded around their home paddocks.

This is not a piece on wildlife but one on a golf contest, so let’s get to it.

As managers did registrations, many with coffee in hand those players registered and without coffee hit the practice greens.

Luckilythispracticeareaislargeenoughto have 90 players putting without bumping into each other.

A 7.30 am start was achieved despite a setup problem.

A light dew and a chill in the air at start of play soon dissipated.

The mild temperature and lack of wind made walking the course a pleasure.

The fairways were plush and green.

Therough,asexpectedforthistimeofyear was littered with twigs and leaves.

Of course, those conditions made stray balls a little difficult to find. The kangaroo onlookers must have been amused.

This week there were no teams that tied. Therewerehowever,eightindividualmatches squared and thirteen others decided on the eighteenth hole.

So, the competition was very close and interesting, especially between individuals.

There were many excellent tee shots, the course suited big hitters.

Accuracy was also needed to avoid the many fairway bunkers and set up a good approach to the greens.

On the green a new battle was waged.

Described by home club players they were slow and “a bit furry”.

Notmanyoneputtgreensweretalkedofin the rooms. A good green meant a reasonable first putt and a gimme by a gentleman opponent. The greenside bunkers caused many problems. The extra stroke playing out resulted in losing the hole.

There were plenty of water hazards. Not really a problem unless expectation was not matched by ability to execute. In several cases execution was poor, or the distance was measured incorrectly. Eitherwaytheballswerelost,addingtothe scenery for the fish. As stated earlier it was a topsy turvy day. Good form last round no indicatorforthisone. Churchill/Waverleygreen thumped last week triumphant this time, the gold team after winning last week defeated this time. Yering green winner last time loser now. Yering gold losers both weeks and the sameforGardinersRungreen. Eastwoodgold win after losing last time. Box Hill gold continues with wins both weeks. Full results for round three. Gold group: Gardiners Run 5 1/2defHeritage21/2,BoxHill61/2defYering 1 1/2, Eastwood 5 1/2 def Churchill/Waverley 2 1/2. Green group: Churchill/Waverley 4 1/2 def Eastwood 3 1/2, Heritage 4 1/2def Gardiners Run 3 1/2, Box Hill 5 1/2 def Yering 2 1/2. Watch for the next instalment from Churchill/Waverley next Friday 20 February. Read well, play well.

Major milestones at Kilsyth

By Les Hutchings

The First XI resumed their two-day match Bayswater Park at Guy Turner Reserve in the Wilkins Cup competition. At the start of Day 2, Bayswater Park were 2/66 off 31 overs in reply to Kilsyth’s 163, with Troy Gstrein on 34* and Jordan Rutherford 8*. On the first ball of the 45th over, with the score on 90, Jordan Rutherford was run out for 16 off 105 balls (1 four), after a brilliant direct hit throw from Nuwan Sampath to the bowler’s end. It was soon 4/91 in the next over when Troy Gstrein was well caught by Mackenzie Scott- Thomas at first slip off the bowling of Nuwan Sampath for 49 off 124 balls (6 fours). Medium pacer Jack Childs claimed the fifth wicket, caught by Mackenzie Scott-Thomas at slip, and Bayswater Park were now 5/102 after 49 overs. Not long after, with his first ball of the match, spinner Pasan Ganegoda had Spencer Petrie stumped by ‘keeper Chris Pahi for 24 off 65 balls (3 fours), and the Sharks had slumped to 6/125 off 58 overs. However, at the tea break, Bayswater Park had reached 6/186 off 66 overs with Justin Laughlin 35* and Kade Perkins 28*. After tea, the Sharks accelerated the run rate with a view to declaring. With the score on 246, Kade Perkins was caught behind by ‘keeper Chris Pahi off the bowling of Dylan Smith for an enterprising 54 off 46 balls (6 fours and 2 sixes), thus ending a seventh wicket partnership of 121. At that stage, after 73 overs, Justin Laughlin was on 71*. Then, in the next 3 overs, Bayswater Park added another 37 runs with Laughlin bringing up his century (100*) off 85 balls, including 9 fours and 5 sixes. It was at this point that Bayswater Park declared on 7/283 off 76 overs, with a lead of 120, and Jack Zilinskas remained on 8*. For Kilsyth, Isuru Umesh bowled tirelessly and finished with 2/77 off 21 overs (5 maidens), with single wickets to Nuwan Sampath, 1/52 off 15 overs (4 maidens), Dylan Smith 1/31 off 6 overs (2 maidens), Jack Childs 1/18 off 5 overs (2 maidens), and Pasan Ganegoda 1/32 off 4 overs.

Trailing by 120 on the first innings, Kilsyth had to negotiate the remaining 35 overs to avoid outright defeat. It didn’t start well for the Redbacks who were 3/10 after the first 3.5 overs. However, Jack Childs and Pasan Ganegoda then added 75 for the fourth wicket before Ganegoda was bowled by Troy Gstrein in the 23 rd over for an attractive 35 off 56 balls, including seven fours. This brought Andy Solomons to the crease, and he was striking the ball well before being caught by Troy Gstrein off the bowling of Devon Gabri-

el-Brown for 19 off 16 balls (4 fours), with Kilsyth now 5/123 off 28 overs. The loss of another two wickets saw the score on 6/130 after 30.3 overs, and then 7/143 off 33 overs. Jack Childs was the seventh wicket to fall for an impressive 72 off 88 balls (10 fours and 2 sixes), after a diving catch by Justin Laughlin off the bowling of Troy Gstrein. At stumps Kilsyth were 7/144 off 35 overs. For Bayswater Park, opening bowlers Troy Gstrein, 4/47 off 14 overs (4 maidens), and Devon Gabriel-Brown 3/22 off 8 overs (3 maidens), shared the bowling honours.

The Second XI scored 9/280cc last week in their two-day match against Croydon Ranges at Alan Smith Oval, Pinks Reserve. On the second day it was Croydon Ranges turn to bat and in an exciting finish, the game went down to the wire. Croydon Ranges top six batsmen all got good starts and the runs built up steadily throughout the day: 1/48, 2/93, 3/126, 4/197, and 5/213 off 57.3 overs. The equation at that stage was Croydon Ranges needed 68 runs to win off 22.3 overs. Then, Kilsyth Captain and experienced spinner, Justin Smith, picked up three wickets to see Ranges 6/223, 7/235 and 8/242 off 66.5 overs. So, they now needed 39 runs off 13.1 overs with two wickets in hand. Angus Younger and Nicholas Schulties then took the score to 8/275 off 76.1 overs, with only 6 more runs needed to win off 3.5 overs and they seemed to be in the box seat to claim victory. However, it was then that leg spinner Kyan Harper bowled Schulties. In the next over, pace bowler Tim Asbury took the last wicket, caught behind by ‘keeper Jake Powell, to see Croydon Ranges all out for 276 after 77.3 overs, giving Kilsyth a narrow victory by four runs. Angus Younger was unbeaten on 26* off 38 balls (3 fours). Other batsmen to make useful contributions were opener Amos Redfern, 45 off 79 balls (8 fours), Tanner Bell 37 off 60 balls (6 fours), Daniel Woodrow 37 off 83 balls (2 fours), Aston Buffey 33 off 64 balls (2 fours), Chris Whittaker 30 off 52 balls (2 fours), and David Payne 20 off 40 balls (3 fours). As mentioned earlier, Justin Smith captured 4/83, whilst Daniel Caton took 2/33 off 14 overs (2 maidens), Tim Asbury 2/50 off 11.3 overs, and Kyan Harper 2/54 off 12 overs. The Third XI resumed their match against Ainslie Park chasing the mammoth score of 2/431cc at Gracedale Park. The Redbacks lost early wickets to be 1/30, 2/35, 3/47 and 4/50 after 19.2 overs with opener Anthony Cook the best of the batsmen dismissed with 19 off 26 balls (3 fours). At this point, Andrew Woolhouse joined

Mark Unternahrer at the crease. Unternahrer had been in stellar form peeling off three consecutive centuries in his previous three innings. In short, he continued his form with aplomb and shared a fifth wicket partnership of 156 with Andrew Woolhouse, who was dismissed in the 64th over for 56 off 131 balls (4 fours). At that stage, Unternahrer was on 77* with Kilsyth 5/206. The runs continued to flow with “Unters” adding a further 66 for the sixth wicket with Shaun Goodwin, who was caught and bowled by Leigh Walles for 18 off 47 balls (2 fours) in the last over of the day. Thus, Kilsyth finished on a respectable 6/274cc off the 80 allotted overs with Mark Unternahrer batting superbly to finish on 123* (16 fours). The multiple wicket taker for Ainslie Prak was Jack Simpson, 2/35 off 12 overs (2 maidens), with single wickets to Darren Walles, 1/22 off 11 overs (2 maidens), Leigh Walles 1/31 off 6 overs (1 maiden), Archie Tymensen 1/44 off 11 overs (2 maidens), and Archie Croot 1/53 off 14 overs (2 maidens).

In B Grade, the Fourth XI continued their split innings match against Mount Evelyn Third XI at Roy Baldwin Oval, Pinks Reserve. At the end of the first split on Day 1, Mount Evelyn had scored 4/168cc off 36 overs and Kilsyth replied with 3/145cc. On Day 2, Kilsyth resumed their innings and totalled 9/225 (all out) off 59.3 overs with Tyron Paspa unable to bat due to an injury. The top scorers on Saturday were Geoff Kennedy, 22 off 60 balls (1 four), Dan Beard 26 off 21 balls (6 fours), Greg Gommers 24 off 30 balls (6 fours), and Matt Burgess 13* off 29 balls (2 fours). For Mount Evelyn, the wicket takers were Graeme Foster, who took 3/44 off 15 overs (4 maidens), Alex Whiting 2/52 off 18.4 overs (3 maidens), Samuel Vanhoogstraten 1/21 off 4 overs, Andrew White 1/37 off 6 overs, and Jamie Shaw 1/52 off 13 overs (2 maidens). Mount Evelyn comfortably chased down the target, finishing on 7/230 off 49.4 overs with Ian Hawkey 42* of 70 balls (6 fours), whilst Alex Whiting contributed 20 off 22 balls (1 four and 2 sixes). For Kilsyth, Ryan Kaal took 2/30 off 10 overs (2 maidens), Jordan Relf 2/39 off 13 overs (2 maidens), Josh McPhee 1/14 off 2 overs, Jarrod McPhee 1/15 off 7 overs (1 maiden), and Greg Gommers 1/39 off 6 overs (1 maiden).

The Fifth XI played Vermont’s Fourth XI at East Burwood Reserve, Number 2 Oval – North. Vermont won the toss and elected to bowl. After the allotted 36 overs, Kilsyth compiled 3/134cc. The top scorers were Ryan Coppens, playing his

first game for the season, 38* off 65 balls (4 fours and 2 sixes), Captain Shane Smith, 34 off 30 balls (6 fours), Pat Moilanen 22 off 66 balls (1 four), and Daniel Coppens 20 off 55 balls (2 fours). The single wicket takers for Vermont were Bayley Logan 1/8 off 4 overs, and Will Taylor 1/17 off 2 overs, and there was one run out. In reply, Vermont, cruised to a good win, scoring 1/135 off 23.4 overs with Matthew Sevior retiring on 50 not out off 56 balls (4 fours and 2 sixes), Will Taylor 24* off 32 balls (1 four), and Alex Hogan 22* off 35 balls (2 fours).

On Sunday, the Women’s First XI (third) played Mountain Gate (second) at Alan Smith Oval, Pinks Reserve in the B Grade competition. Mountain Gate won the toss and elected to bowl. Kilsyth lost a wicket in the third over (1/9) but by the first drinks break had reached 1/42 off 12 overs with Belinda Hutchings 23* and Tegan Unternahrer 8*. After scoring 32 off 66 balls (4 fours), Hutchings was the second wicket to fall, bowled by Lucy Searle in her first over. At that stage, Kilsyth were 2/68 after 19.5 overs. At the second drinks break after 24 overs, the Redbacks were 2/77 with Tegan Unternahrer 21*. In the second over after drinks, the third wicket fell and this brought Stephanie Gibbs to the crease to join Tegan Unternahrer. They took the score to 4/116 after 34.2 overs when Gibbs was stumped for 23 off 29 balls (4 fours) to give Lucy Searle her second wicket. After the allotted 40 overs, Kilsyth finished on 4/125cc with Tegan Unternahrer 37* off 87 balls (3 fours), and Sarah Gibbs 4*. The wicket takers for Mountain Gate were Lucy Searle, 2/15 off 5 overs (1 maiden), F. Amiri 1/2 off 2 overs, and Humaira Afghan 1/11 off 4 overs (1 maiden). In the run chase, Mountain Gate had an opening partnership of 32 from 8 overs when Molly McCoy was bowled by Stephanie Gibbs for 22 off 32 balls (3 fours). It was soon 2/35 when Stephanie Gibbs struck again in her next over, following a great catch by her sister Sarah at deepish midoff. At the first drinks break, Mountain Gate were 2/43 off 12 overs. The third wicket fell with the score on 96 after 23.3 overs when Lucy Searle was trapped LBW by Serena Gibbs for 22 off 45 balls. Serena then took a wicket with her next ball to be on a hat-trick. From there, Mountain Gate progressed to 4/126 off 28.3 overs to win the match. Miah Beardshaw finished on a fine 56* off 74

(8 fours), whilst Firooza

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