Mail - Mt Evelyn Star Mail - 3rd March 2026

Hope to all

By Callum Ludwig

The Rotary Club of Lilydale’s Wishing Tree continues to extend its branches year by year to bring Christmas cheer to more families in need.

Supporters gathered for a celebratory dinner at The Sporting Globe in Chirnside Park on Tuesday 24 February, including the chance to hear from guest speakers who helped distribute gifts near and far.

Anchor and the Lilydale Proactive Policing Unit have been long-time recipients of the gifts from The Wishing Tree but as the initiative has grown, more and more organisations have become involved, whether helping gather gifts or distribute them

The 2025 Wishing Tree is a bittersweet one as Anne and Gerry van Horick are set to step down from leading the initiative for the first time since its inception, though they were awarded a certificate of recognition for their efforts. They will still be involved, but it won’t be their garage stocked to the brim with presents in 2026.

More on page 16

Sentence appeal

By Callum Ludwig

The County Court of Victoria has heard an appeal for a lesser sentence from Mark Martinaj, the man convicted of beating ‘Millie’ , the Maltese Shih Tzu belonging to his neighbours, the Wood family.

Judge Diana Manova presided over the case, acknowledging the significant community interest and highly emotional nature of the case.

Mr Martinaj was appealing a total effective sentence of two months imprisonment.

A 13-minute excerpt of CCTV was played for the court, while victim impact statements, which had to be redacted, were not read aloud and instead read privately by Judge Manova.

Mr Martinaj is recorded attacking Millie and the Wood family’s golden retriever Brinny after they entered his property for a period of five minutes, striking them at least 16 times, with the majority of strikes directed at Millie.

Judge Manova considered the five-minute attack to be a ‘very significant time to be adminis-

tering blows’ and asked whether there are prospects for rehabilitation through a community corrections order, such as for anger management support or animal welfare work.

The defence argued the retribution faced by Mr Martinaj has consisted of 24 events of ‘extracurial punishment’ over the space of the year.

These have included multiple attacks on vehicles on his property, an arson attack on his fence, spray painting, physical and verbal threats, a threatening sign erected on the Wood property

facing his home and online commentary threatening the lives of him and his family.

Judge Manova said both parties are reminded every day of this terrible tragedy and expressed concern that without a resolution to the case, there might be escalation in the neighbourhood and wants to ‘put out the fire’ before that occurs. An assessment for a community corrections order (CCO) will be carried out on Tuesday 3 March before sentencing on Wednesday 4 March. Turn to page 3 for more

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Martinaj appeals animal abuse case

By Callum Ludwig

The County Court of Victoria has heard an appeal for a lesser sentence from Mark Martinaj, the man convicted of beating ‘Millie’ , the Maltese Shih Tzu belonging to his neighbours, the Wood family.

Judge Diana Manova presided over the case, acknowledging the significant community interest and highly emotional nature of the case.

Members of the public were allowed to attend the hearing in-person as ‘justice must be seen to be done’ but despite requests from members of the public, only journalists were provided access via video link due to the ‘unacceptable risk’ of a breach of suppression order.

Mr Martinaj was appealing a total effective sentence of two months imprisonment and the summary as agreed previously in the Ringwood Magistrates Court was tendered again with no amendments.

A 13-minute excerpt of CCTV was played for the court, while victim impact statements, which had to be redacted, were not read aloud and instead read privately by Judge Manova.

Martinaj is recorded attacking Millie and the Wood family’s golden retriever Brinny after they entered his property for a period of five minutes, striking them at least 16 times, with the majority of strikes directed at Millie.

Mr Martinaj had been alerted to the dogs by CCTV in his backyard, returned home and put out chicken wire fencing which effectively trapped the dogs and prevented them going further than his driveway. Despite the dogs making multiple attempts to escape past the chicken

wire, Mr Martinaj made no effort to move it to and shoo them out.

Millie has never been seen since the incident.

The Wood family’s golden retriever Brinny eventually escaped with no physical injuries but was distressed when assessed by a vet the next day, and Judge Manova pointed out that ‘no animal that has been abused is ever the same’.

Judge Manova considered the five-minute attack to be a ‘very significant time to be administering blows’ and asked whether there are prospects for rehabilitation through a community corrections order, such as for anger management support or animal welfare work.

While Mr Martinaj’s charges only pertain to the beating of the dog, Judge Manova said it could be considered that his beating of the dog is responsible for the loss of Millie, despite the dog’s whereabouts being unknown to the court, and that ‘it does not look like it ever left the property.’

Victim impact statements were requested to be read by the judge in private.

When confronted by Marcus Wood and a friend on the day of the incident, after they reviewed the CCTV footage and saw the attack, Mr Martinaj said he didn’t have the dog and that he would ‘buy you one or two’ . A daughter of the Wood family observed a dead chicken and the defence argued at least one other was killed.

Mr Martinaj provided a no comment interview to police. His defence said he is ‘remorseful for, ashamed of and deeply sorry for’ the offences he plead guilty to, whereas the prosecution argued other than the comments about buying another dog on the day of the incident and the statement

read in the County Court, Mr Martinaj had not expressed any remorse.

The incident occurred on 3 December 2024 and a full no-contact intervention order was in place against the Wood family by 8 January due to various cases of ‘extracurial punishment’ , beginning from 24 December, including breaches of the order.

As recently as two weeks before the hearing, Mr Wood erected in his front yard a sign facing Mr Martinaj’s house that referred to the latter as a ‘dog’ with a photo of his face on it.

The defence argued the retribution faced by Mr Martinaj has not been limited to one event, with more than 24 events over the space of the year.

These have included multiple attacks on vehicles on his property, an arson attack on his fence, spray painting, physical and verbal threats and online commentary threatening the lives of him and his family.

Judge Manova asked if the defence’s request of a fine with no conviction would increase the ‘vigilante’ justice inflicted upon Mr Martinaj, referring to the culpable driving case of Brenton Chaplin which resulted in his mother being attacked and killed as an example.

Judge Manova said both parties are reminded every day of this terrible tragedy and expressed concern that without a resolution to the case, there might be escalation in the neighbourhood and wants to ‘put out the fire’ before that occurs.

An assessment for a community corrections order (CCO) will be carried out on Tuesday 3 March before sentencing on Wednesday 4 March.

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IN BRIEF

Star Mail IT issue

The Star Mail to readers who were hoping to pick up a copy of the Tuesday 24 February editions on the day after an IT issue caused a delay in newspapers going to print.

Corrupted files on the Star Mail server caused issues with a large number of images and ads during the Monday 23 February deadline.

The Star Mail apologises for any inconvenience caused.

Missing

Riley

Police are continuing to appeal to anyone who may have seen14-year-old Riley, who was last seen in Chirnside Park on 22 January.

Riley was last seen wearing a black jumper, black puffer vest, black pants, and black slide with white stripes.

Police and family have concerns for Riley’s welfare due to his age and a medical condition.

Riley is known to frequent the Lilydale and Chirnside Park areas and use public transport.

Anyone with information on Riley’s whereabouts is urged to contact Lilydale Police on (03) 9739 2300.

Asha is missing

The 15-year-old Lilydale girl was last seen on Manchester Road, Mooroolbark about 8.30pm on 27 February.

Asha is Caucasian, about 140cm tall, with a thin build and long, dark hair.

She was last seen wearing a black hoody, black tracksuit pants and carrying a laptop.

Asha is known to frequent the Yarra Ranges and Maroondah areas.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to contact Lilydale Police Station on (03) 9739 2300.

Croydon motor vehicle theft

Police have arrested one man following an alleged theft of motor vehicle in Croydon on 4 February.

Two offenders allegedly attended a Croydon address and stole a white Toyota Rav 4.

A 23-year-old Noble Park man has since been arrested and released pending further enquiries.

Investigations into the incident continue. Investigators have released an image of a man who may be able to assist with enquiries.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at crimestoppersvic.com.au

Students left behind...

By Callum Ludwig

The start of the school year has seen students stuck with the teething problems of a new government initiative.

The new Youth myki which provides free public transport for those under 18 years old has seen an uptick in kids on buses, but the service is struggling under the added strain.

Evelyn MP Bridget Vallence said since the start of the school year, students in our community have been left stranded as a result of a complete lack of school bus services to Lilydale and Mooroolbark schools.

“Parents, students and school principals have contacted me distressed about the situation that has caused students to be squashed and unsafe on overcrowded buses, left stranded at bus stops unable to get to school, or forced to disembark because bus doors won’t close,” she said.

“I’ve spoken to a number of secondary school students who have told me how crammed and unsafe the buses are – the situation the government has created here putting young students at risk is totally unacceptable.

“We should be doing more to encourage students to take public transport, not less. The government’s free travel on public transport for under 18s can only work if the government also ensures there’s sufficient services, otherwise it is a hollow promise.”

One Lilydale school confirmed to the Star Mail that they had experienced some issues, including a ‘Mexican stand-off’ with a bus driver who insisted some students disembark before he left the school bus bays.

Ms Vallence said Ventura tried adding additional services only to be told by Transport Victoria to withdraw them due to a lack of funding.

“The Allan Labor Government simply has not planned properly and it’s inexcusable that their Department of Transport is

refusing to rectify the situation or fund more bus services to ensure children can get to and from school safely,” she said.

“Students and families have every rea-

sonable expectation that there will be enough school buses to meet demand.

“Students have told me they’re worried the government just won’t bother to put on

more buses that are needed. The situation has left many children distressed and anxious, which hinders their learning for the day.”

The Lilydale school also reported some students being late as buses that had hit capacity would skip their stop.

Ms Vallence said she has written to the Minister for Public Transport twice but has not received a response.

“I’ve also asked a question on the floor of Parliament, for which the Minister is required to respond by mid-March,” she said.

“After a decade of financial mismanagement, the Allan Labor Government’s promise of free travel for students is hollow because they cannot afford enough bus services.

“This is a situation the government must fix now, and I’ll keep calling on them to put on more urgently required bus services for our local students.”

The circumstances at the Lilydale school have somewhat settled, potentially due to affected families organising alternative arrangements.

A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said they undertake regular reviews of school bus services to monitor demand from students attending their zoned school and make improvements.

“We will continue to work with schools to identify and provide students with transport options to get to school,” they said.

School bus services are provided for students who are attending their zoned school and live too far from school to walk or ride to school, and have no access to public transport. Families are also advised to use the Journey Planner on the PTV app to identify other transport options, including local buses on the public transport network.

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Sprinkler system trialled

By Oliver Winn

Seven outer east CFA brigades went on the defensive in Woods Point on 21-22 February to protect the town from a threatening fire in Gaffneys Creek.

Wandin CFA joined the asset protection strike team, where they drew battle lines around the town with strategically placed sprinkler systems.

Luckily, conditions were milder than expected and brigades travelled back home on Sunday afternoon.

Wandin CFA fourth lieutenant Phil Smith bolstered the strike team and said locals were reassured at the CFA’s presence in town.

“It was mostly about providing that protection in case it did go wrong, and for the peace of mind of the locals,” Mr Smith said.

With the nearest town some 55 kilometres away, Woods Point residents are quite isolated and they rely on the support from other towns.

“Knowing that they’re not forgotten and people are willing to come out and make sure they’re safe and they’ve got somewhere to sleep tomorrow night is really important for residents.”

Mr Smith estimated roughly $60,000 of hose was laid around the town to set up the sprinkler defence system, which was a first time for the CFA.

The system was set up by the strike team which arrived earlier on the Saturday, which comprised brigades from Rowville, Mooroolbark, Chirnside Park, Ferntree Gully, Kallista and The Basin.

“From my point of view as a firefighter, it [the sprinkler system] was really good.

“I just don’t want to be the guy that has to go pack up all the hoses,” Mr Smith joked.

The brigades were briefed on the system and were told of a potential ember attack that could occur in the early morning.

“There was nothing much happening when we got there so we retired and had the arrangements in place that if shit hit the fan we’d be woken up and told where to go and what to do.”

Generous locals opened up their doors to the firefighters on Saturday night, providing a roof over their heads as they rested up for the next day.

“The people opening up their homes - it’s the first time I’ve seen that happen. It was really nice to have a home basically to live in, even if it was only for one night.

“Which was always very much appreciated, because often on these things you sort of get... a nice flat bit of ground there [to sleep on],” Mr Smith said.

The Sunday was spent stationing the trucks around the town’s edge, splitting it into two sections.

“Hanging around, talking to the locals, seeing what their fire preparations were like, how defendable their properties and everything were in case the fire turned bad,” Mr Smith said.

He said the deployment went well and the brigades were sent back home at 4pm.

“There was a couple of unique things up there and they worked out really well and everything worked out best for the town,” Mr Smith said.

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Faster responses

By Callum Ludwig

The Mt Evelyn CFA has joined the swathe of local brigades putting their hands up to help paramedics through the Fire Medical Response (FMR) program.

Over 50 brigades have had members trained by Ambulance Victoria (AV) and CFA to respond to some medical emergencies, and in particular, cardiac arrests.

Mt Evelyn CFA captain Rick Ventrella said he

thought it was a great thing that the brigade voted to take it on after being approached about it in the middle of last year.

“In total was approximately 60 hours of online training and three full days of training with AV and CFA with their paramedic and MICA units to obviously bring us up to speed to meet their standards… the equipment that we actually trained on is the same equipment that Ambulance Victoria uses,” he said.

“We have 15 members currently doing FMR and hoping to extend that…, I think a real benefit for both AV and the community, given that AV is stretched sometimes and that’s where we come in.

“Predominantly our calls are cardiac arrest, but we have been trained in other areas depending on the call…we would go start the process or if AV are already there and we respond, we support them through the CPR progress and by us doing the CPR, that then allows them to do medication and any other items that may be required from their expertise.”

Since going live on 8 December, Mt Evelyn CFA has attended three callouts for medical emergencies to date.

Mr Ventrella said he thinks it’s very important for the community, as CFAs might be best placed to respond close to home.

“We can also go into parts of Lilydale, Wandin, Mooroolbark, Kalorama and Montrose as we can help improve that response time… any chances that local communities can be supported by emergency services, I think it just works,” he said.

“I think it’s been a great asset to the community from that point of view and also for a loved one knowing that emergency service workers are there and providing the care for their loved one in their area of need, I think that’s super important.

“I think the more that this is exposed to the communities, the better the understanding of it will be.”

Anyone facing a medical emergency is advised to always call Triple Zero (000) and request an ambulance. If an FMR-participating brigade is nearby, firefighters may be able to respond quicker than an ambulance, helping shave off valuable time that could be critical in saving lives.

Mr Ventrella said for other brigades wanting to get involved, FMR enhances the skill sets of the firefighters but is also another tool that they can use to support their communities.

“Before brigades may choose take it, it’s important to have the conversation with their members to make sure that everyone’s on board because not all people may choose to have it but it is important that the entire brigade jumps on board or that those that don’t want to do it, support those that do,” he said.

“Obviously, not everything’s pretty that we go to, but there’s a very good help system afterwards, we debrief with AV after every job, they’re very good at that and we support each other.

“The last job we actually received a really nice message from one of the paramedics, who it was their first time working with us, and he said if this is the benchmark, this is a fantastic program not only for AV but also for the community.”

Advocacy priorities listed

By Callum Ludwig

Yarra Ranges Council has endorsed the motions they will take to the next meetings of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).

At the Tuesday 24 February council meeting, councillors approved five motions for the ALGA’s national general assembly for 2026 and three for MAV’s State Council in May.

To the ALGA, Yarra Ranges Council wants to campaign for improved housing options for older people, a national climate initiative called One Million Trees, a federal fund for small plant transitioning to support the push for Net Zero, to implement traditional owner organisation involvement in emergency management and disaster recovery and to introduce an ASIC regulatory mechanism activation to ensure insurance affordability.

To the MAV, the council is advocating for funding for youth community inclusion services and initiatives to improve youth mental health and prevent youth crime, help clarify the role of councils in water resilience from non-water authority managed assets and to progress the South-East Metropolitan Advanced Waste Processing Project to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by 95 per cent, while also generating energy from waste (a joint motion, led by Bayside City Council).

Councillors were invited to speak to the motion after Mayor and Chirnside Ward councillor Richard Higgins put them in ‘layman’s terms’ O’Shannassy Ward Councillor Jim Child and Ryrie Ward Councillor Fiona McAllister highlighted the issue of youth mental health.

“There is a horrific statistic that is out there at present, youth suicide rates in the Yarra Ranges are significantly higher, 50 per cent higher, than our neighbouring councils, why, that is so important and is why we have to address this problem, we have to advocate in the strongest possible way that this has to stop,” Cr Child said.

“We can’t lose our young people, we just cannot.”

“In Yarra Ranges, it can take up to six months, if not more, to get an appointment with a psychologist who specialises in working with young people…if you were in a crisis state with suicidal thoughts, that’s not acceptable,” Cr McAllister said.

With youth crime also on the rise, Yarra Ranges Council believes ‘prevention-focused, place-based connection programs and infra-

Stay prepared for Autumn

By Tanya Steele

The Yarra Ranges community should stay prepared for bushfires well into autumn this year, as the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC ) released their nationwide bushfire outlook last week.

The outlook for autumn released on 26 February has forecast the months ahead will spell higher risk of fire large parts of Victoria, extending to parts of southeast South Australia, parts of southern WA and southern, central, and eastern NSW.

AFAC chief executive officer Rob Webb said that the increased bushfire risk is driven by increased long-term dryness and persistent soil moisture deficits.

“For many parts of southern Australia, autumn sees the gradual reduction in fire risk and opportunities for prescribed burning can increase,” he said.

“However, these programs may be delayed in some areas because of the underlying conditions.”

According to the outlook, the long-term drought, along with a dry and warm summer and autumn, will reinforce severe dryness across Victoria, so the increased bushfire risk is predicted for all of Victoria except for East Gippsland and the Mallee in autumn.

Fire authorities will continue to monitor conditions for any changes in fire risk, and across the Yarra Ranges, CFA brigades are staying alert and ready.

Macclesfield CFA Captain Sharon Merritt said the underlying soil dryness and warm temperatures will dry out the vegetation in the bush, which means it will remain very flammable.

“Locally, the grass is starting to green up, but there are still many paddocks with quite dead and dry grass, “ she said.

“Fire will easily travel in these paddocks in autumn, and the fire risk is still with us.”

Released quarterly, the report identifies areas of increased risk of fire to help people prepare and take action.

While spring rainfall was generally average to above-average, particularly across southern Victoria, it was very much below average across Victoria through summer and Mel-

bourne water have reported that water storage levels have dropped significantly over the past year, following low rainfall, record-low streamflows and higher household water use.

Ferntree Gully CFA Captain Seamus Smith said that while the community is still obviously operating in a high-risk environment for summer, the fire season still has some time ahead for it.

“Remembering back to last year, our firefighting efforts, because of the underlying dryness and drought factors, pushed us into a fire season that went right through to almost April,” he said.

The ongoing low rainfall across all of Victoria, except for East Gippsland affected Melbourne’s annual water outlook for 2026.

Upper Ferntree Gully Captain Peter Smith said some of the parks are very dry this year and the seasons have been longer, and while they are very much still in summer mode, they are now dealing with autumnal issues.

In his unit, the volunteers are looking at action plans for the change of season, advising residents to slow down on the roads and leave room on the busy streets for the CFA trucks to get through in emergencies.

“The first few days of rain, the drains block up on Burwood Highway, and the oils come to the surface of the asphalt road; the road becomes slippery,” he said.

across because I think they presume that we’re either whinging or complaining and then they’ll fire back a tirade of comments to say that local government gets this and local government gets that,” he said.

“Things are getting much more difficult now from a local government perspective and we need the support of our state government and our federal government in many different ways, both from a financial point of view, but a greater degree of understanding, because I don’t think that is being played out in politics at the moment.

“I can’t understand why, because we are the closest form of government to the people… we need their help, and it has to be ongoing.”

The nine councils involved in the South-East Metropolitan Advanced Waste Processing Project, want MAV to note that the project is currently being held-up as a result of an EPA decision regarding a proposed transfer station being appealed at VCAT and want them to call the State Government to intervene to expedite the process of approving the proposed waste transfer facility.

Lyster Ward Councillor Peter McIlwain said he believes local government is the spearhead of economic development in our country.

“It’s a great underexplored or at least under-commented aspect of the Australian economy that the coalface of where economic development happens is actually at the local level, we know that investment in local council has a multiplier effect many times greater than other forms of government investment and I’ve seen reports of two to three times more,” he said.

structure’ are the key, with improved youth mental health funding to support the many different kinds of at-risk children in the communities.

Billanook Ward councillor Tim Heenan said they need state and federal governments to understand that there are many aspects of things that they can’t do on their own in local government.

“Sometimes I don’t think that message gets

“This is a very substantial and very overlooked element of economic development and these motions are indicating what potential is out there within local council.

“The money that the federal government takes in taxation would be very well spent within the local government sector and we’re terribly underinvested, and if you look at it from an international perspective, Australia is a very, very poor performer in terms of supporting local government.”

HEALTH & WELLNESS

All female dental clinic

Valley Dental Family Clinic is an all female clinic based in Lilydale.

The clinic is owned by Dr Rupali Prabhu and Dr Sonali Prabhu.

Rupali graduated from dental school in 1999. She has worked in private and public community clinics both in, and around Melbourne.

She has also lived out of the city, spending a period of time in Benalla in rural Victoria.

Rupali is passionate about providing high quality dental care and takes pleasure in sharing a story and a laugh with her patients. She enjoys all aspects of dentistry and always strives to provide dental treatment in a relaxing and comfortable environment.

Rupali believes her practice and approach to dentistry creates an experience that will change your notion of what a trip to the dentist is.

Outside of work she loves to spend time with family and her young children, sharing her passion for reading and travelling with them at every opportunity.

Sonali graduated from dental school in 2003. She has worked as a dentist in both community and private practices. She has also worked various roles within the dental industry.

Sonali believes that your mouth is the gateway to better wellbeing, and that a great healthy smile will leave a great lasting impression on people.

Sonali loves interacting with patients and ensuring they are comfortable and at-ease.

She enjoys all aspects of dentistry. She particularly loves working with older clients.

In her spare time, she loves cooking delicious Indian dishes and enjoying time with her family and friends.

The third dentist joined the Valley Dental team two years ago and has been an integral part of the team ever since.

With over 10 years of experience, Merhaz be-

lieves that world-class dentistry should be delivered to each and every patient. Mehraz has a keen interest in aesthetic dentistry and is studying a certificate of Cosmetic Dentistry to introduce lip and cheek fillers to the clinic for Valley Dental patients.

Rupali said being an all-female team, patients were treated with care and compassion.

“Staff are very approachable and compassionate making everyone feel at ease coming to the dentist,“ she said.

The clinic offers a wide range of dental services, including general dentistry, fillings, crowns, bridges and veneers.

Take advantage of current specials, including a check-up, clean and two x-rays for $195, and inchair whitening $450.

For an appointment phone 9737 6453 Get the best

Specialist Care Close to Home

Funding increase demand

By Oliver Winn

The Seville Community House joined roughly 200 other groups across the state at Parliament house for the Keep Our Doors Open campaign, demanding a crucial funding increase from the State Government.

The campaign, led by Neighbourhood Houses Victoria (NHVic), started in October 2025 after analysis showed that without additional funding of $11.7m per year, hundreds of houses across the state could shut down.

NHVic chief executive officer Keir Paterson said the State Government must commit to an increase in funding before the state budget in May, or risk widespread closure of the state’s crucial community infrastructure.

“Without urgent action, communities risk losing the safe, inclusive spaces thousands of Victorians rely on every week,” Ms Paterson said.

Seville Community House manager Stacie Adams said a lack of funding left her community house short of cash and under pressure.

“It creates pressure to work unpaid hours, it creates pressure to be constantly searching for funding and resources above what is supplied.”

But a Victorian Government spokesperson said it was proud to contribute $43 million to community and neighbourhood houses every year.

“We continue to work with Neighbourhood Houses Victoria to support the sector which provide a space for local communities to access critical support.”

The Keep Our Doors Open campaign argues the current funding isn’t enough and Ms Adams said the arrangement is making it hard for the Seville Community House to provide its basic services.

“Instead of looking for funds, we would have the funds so we could just run the program. We could do things for cheaper, we could do more things, we could have more staffing hours, all of that kind of stuff,” Ms Adams said.

Ms Paterson echoed the sentiment, which is being felt by over 400 community and neighbourhood houses in Victoria.

“Rising costs, growing community demand,

and eroded core funding are forcing houses across the state to cut hours, staff, and programs.”

“Years of underfunding has pushed almost half into deficit, leaving them at risk of closure,” Ms Paterson said.

According to a survey by NHVic, community houses in Seville, Lilydale and Mount Evelyn delivered just over 1700 sessions in 2024, providing an estimated community value of $1.1m.

Every week, more than 185,000 Victorians access community support and local services through the 400 neighbourhood houses in the state.

Evelyn MP Bridget Vallence said community and neighbourhood houses are vital and that a Victorian Liberal government would increase funding if elected.

“Community Houses are vital, providing safe places to connect and learn new skills – whether playgroup for babies and new mums, activities for older or vulnerable residents and families, or support programs,” Ms Vallence said.

“It is now up to the current Labor Government to confirm ahead of the state budget in May this year that Community Houses will receive the funding they need to ensure their doors remain open.”

Ms Adams said the benefit to community outweighs the cost of investing in community and neighbourhood houses.

“One dollar in doesn’t equal one dollar out for neighbourhood houses. It’s so much more than that,” Ms Adams said.

Newly merged Tourism East still in its infancy, report shows

By Oliver Winn

The merger between Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism East is still in its infancy as it navigates its first year, a report at the 24 February Yarra Ranges Council meeting has shown.

The Tourism East Partnership Activity Report noted the highlights of Yarra Ranges Tourism’s (YRT) and Tourism East’s (TE) highlights for the 2024-25 period prior to its merger, while focusing on key priorities for the next year.

Councillor Fiona McAllister was “pleased” with the report, noting the increase in market reach.

“This report’s interesting in that it shows quite a significant moment in time of transitioning from Yarra Ranges Tourism to the new Tourism East Partnership,” Cr McAllister said.

“This is really reflecting on achievement both in the previous entity Yarra Ranges Tourism, but also Tourism East, and the data is quite compelling around an increase in marketing reach, industry engagement and a whole range of other activities.”

The Yarra Ranges Council merged YRT with TE in July 2025, establishing a new state-driven Visitor Economy Partnership (VEP) which saw them combine forces with Cardinia and Nillumbik Shire Councils.

Cr McAllister said strong figures surrounding online engagement and visitation to the region proved the tourism industry was growing in the Yarra Ranges.

International spend in the region up was by 26 per cent to 47 million, while international nights stayed saw an 84 per cent increase.

“That is the evidence that the work that’s being done is actually having traction and impact on the ground,” Cr McAllister said.

“The flow and effects of tourism both from a primary perspective, a first tier of impact on direct employment, on the vibrancy of our townships right across the Yarra Ranges are also supported by second tier impacts which actually strengthens many local businesses and many other aspects that are critical in our community.”

The merger wasn’t without controversy -

concerns surrounding a rushed process and lack of consultation arose when it was endorsed in April 2025.

In an April 2025 Star Mail article, Warburton Advancement League (WAL) vice president David Pratt raised concerns the merger was rushed and without proper consultation.

“In my assessment, based on this report, it is being rushed, reliant on untested assumptions, lacking structural clarity, including even a defined constitution at this point for the entity in question, and the structure of the report with missing data,” Mr Pratt said in April 2025.

But, the State Government was going to cease

funding for Yarra Ranges Tourism in June 2025, and the merger was seen as a necessity.

The funding numbers and the rushed feel of the report were attributed to timing and the need to hold onto State Government funds.

“We don’t really have much opportunity and while we can go out on our own, we won’t have access to State Government funding, and we won’t have a voice at the table… the reason for the relative rush is that State Government funding for YRT ends on 30th of June…” Ms Blakeway said.

Cr Child was also happy with the activity report and said it was a good indication of what

was to come.

“I believe [this document] really is showing us what this body is doing, as far as promoting our region, and doing it I believe so well,” Cr Child said.

The report noted there had been some challenges since the merger. It mentioned limitations on data reporting, economic impact on partnership renewals and the council’s financial position as being some of the difficulties experienced since the merger. Changes to privacy settings on mobile devices (Apple and Google) had hindered the ability to track full digital results, the report stated.

While unique users increased to from roughly 650,000 to just over 800,000, metrics such as “time on page” had decreased, partly due to AI search behaviours driving visitors to specific pages rather than the home page.

The report noted a struggling economy had influenced industry uptake, with the current business partner amount sitting 12 below its target at 322. This was still regarded as an “impressive achievement” considering cost-of-living pressures on local businesses.

Workout equipment boost

As part of the Lillydale Lake Masterplan, residents are encouraged to have their on the lake’s exercise equipment.

The masterplan will deliver changes to the lake over the next 15 years, with a focus on connecting the area to parts of Lilydale to encourage ‘active transport’.

New features for the recreation hub include a new rope climbing structure, aulti-purpose half court, with line markings for various activities, new dynamic fitness equipment, which move to perform a range of exercise options, new static fitness equipment, fixed position to perform a range of exercise options, etaining the existing gravel pathways and retaining the existing picnic table.

Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Richard Higgins said they’re asking community members for their feedback about improvements to the exercise equipment at Lillydale Lake, as part of the Lillydale Lake Master Plan.

“Council received funding through the Federal Government’s Thriving Suburbs grant program to redevelop the space with new, upgraded equipment,” he said.

“The engagement, which is due to finish on 17 March, will assist in informing the design for the redevelopment. Once a detailed design is completed it will be presented back to the community.

“Once completed, this project will aim to be a vibrant and inclusive space for community members and encourage everyone to be active in the outdoors.”

Residents interested in having their say can visit shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au to look at the designs and share any thoughts they have.

Veterans for Fishing Family Day returns in March

By Callum Ludwig

The Veterans for Fishing free Family Day is back soon to provide a fun day out for defence personnel and first responders.

Hosted at Lillydale Lake, the event has been an easygoing and positive way to bring together people in the community and spend some much-needed quality time with their families.

Veterans for Fishing president Chris McAleer saidit’s great to be hoisting it to start off the years again.

“The weather’s usually still pretty good around March so we have our fingers crossed and hopefully the lake puts it on for us but it’s really good to get get the day up and running,” he said.

“We usually get or anything from 30 (attendees) right up to 130, it all varies on the day to be honest with you but we’ve worked out as time goes on to, it’s better to hold them on a Saturday as most of the kids who still play sport with their families are playing sport on a Sunday.

“We’re learning every year, we do something a little bit different so we’re going to kick it off again on a Saturday this time and we’re ready to go.”

A complimentary barbecue lunch and refreshments will be provided, and fishing equipment will be available for use by those who do not have their own, with people with fishing experience on hand to help set anyone up who needs help or has any questions.

Mr McAleer said one new thing they will be bringing on board this year is some fly fishing.

“It’s been something that everybody’s been wanting to give a go so I’ve gotten hold of some veterans who do fly fishing and anybody that wants to come along and have a little bit of a tutorial on how to cast a fly for trout, that will be on for free as well,” he said.

“Fishing is something that’s a little bit old school and that it doesn’t matter how young you are or how old you are, anyone can go fishing, i’s something that a family can do as a family network and it can be a core memory for younger kids.

“It’s an opportunity for parents to learn a skill if they don’t know about it or if they already do it, just add something else into the memory for their family to go away and do, and be in a safe environment where they’re surrounded by other like-minded people.”

The Family Fun Day will be held on Saturday 28 March from 9am until the early afternoon.

Mr McAleer said he highly encourages all ex-defence, current serving defence members as well as the first responder community to pop in and say g’day.

“You might surprise yourself, you might bump into an old friend, you will get the opportunity to talk to other veterans as well as their family members,” he said.

“If there are issues at home with ex-defence or our first responder community, it’s their families that are dealing with it as well so it’s an opportunity for that family network to reach out and have a chat to others and realise that you may not be the only one, you may be able to chat and get ideas from somebody else but also create new friendships as well.

“They can come down for half an hour, they can come down for the whole day, it’s entirely up to them… it’s pet-friendly and our lake as we know has got fantastic facilities, so even if the kids get a bit bored, they can go up to the playground and have a play around.”

Anyone interested in attending is asked tor eserve their place via eventbrite.com.au/e/ veterans-for-fishing-family-fun-day-tickets-1984020452582?.

SENIOR LIVING Retirement living with heart

Where the Yarra Valley meets the Dandenong Ranges, Lilydale Valley Views offers more than a place to live, it’s a vibrant community where retirement is enjoyed to the fullest.

For over 15 years, the village has grown into a welcoming environment where residents feel at home. With 139 residences, including semi attached two and three bedroom units and cosy terraces, there is a style to suit every preference.

Whether it’s sweeping valley views or the ease of low maintenance living, each home is

designed for comfort and connection.

Lifestyle is at the heart of Lilydale Valley Views. A heated indoor pool and spa provide year round relaxation, while Tai Chi, dancercise, and other group activities keep minds and bodies active. The village bus makes shopping stress free with convenient door to door service.

A strong sense of community sets the village apart. The resident social committee organises a calendar filled with outings, celebrations, and casual get togethers, ensuring there are always opportunities to connect. Friendships form

quickly and newcomers are warmly welcomed, making it easy to feel part of the community from day one.

The location adds to the appeal. Doctors, supermarkets, and the train station are all within walking distance, while the nearby Warburton Trail offers scenic walks and bike rides. On site, a thriving veggie and flower garden brings people together in the simple pleasure of growing and sharing.

It is this blend of convenience, activity, and companionship that makes Lilydale Valley

Views such a special place. Here, retirement is not about slowing down, but about enjoying life surrounded by people who value the same. We invite you to experience it for yourself. Discover the comfort of terrace living, the beauty of the views, and the warmth of a truly connected community.

For more information, visit us at 471 Maroondah Highway, Lilydale, email manager@ lilydalevalleyviews.com.au, or call 03 9735 5944 to speak with our manager, Rosemary Seymour. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm.

SENIOR LIVING

Generous sponsorship

The Tudor Village Men’s Shed committee members recently celebrated five years of sponsorship from the Heritage Auto Group Lilydale.

In recognition of the generous support from Heritage Auto Group, the Men’s Shed presented a handcrafted wall clock, made from Mountain Ash.

Accepting on behalf of Heritage Auto Group, manager Kia Lilydale, Greg Ekfeld acknowledged the vital role groups like the Tudor Village Men’s Shed play in our community.

“By supporting a space where skills are shared, connections are built, and men support one another, we’re investing in the people and traditions that keep our local community strong,” Mr Ekfeld said.

“It’s a partnership that aligns with our respect for hands-on expertise, Heritage’s values, and long-term local involvement. It is about giving back to the community that supports us either through purchasing of vehicles or ongoing service and maintenance. We are thrilled to be giving back to the community that supports us as a business.”

The Tudor Village Men’s Shed continues to grow, currently with 95 members of which 60 are inducted to be able to fully use all the equipment in the Residents Workshop.

Paul Jones, secretary of the Tudor Village Men’s Shed, says a number of new members have commented that ‘the shed group and workshop’ convinced them to move into Tudor Village over other villages.

“We believe that the Workshop now presents a ‘wow’ factor to everyone that enters it for the first time.

We’ve made a lot of important layout changes over the Christmas period to improve the comfort for members and residents by

upgrading our dust extraction and air filtering equipment as well as the fitting of an air conditioner (thanks to Tudor Village management).

All of this was achieved solely because of the generous Heritage Auto Group sponsorship.

We have found that running a facility such as we now have is an expensive operation and we have a Men’s Shed committee that ensures that this sponsorship meets all the requirements to run a safe and operational Residents Workshop.

We’re very proud to be able to present Heritage Auto Group with this hand-made clock.

It took about three hours for one of our members, Rod, to shape it on the bandsaw and lathe and hand polish it.

Another hour was spent applying the numbers which is time consuming due to having to meticulously arrange the numbers in the exact positions.

The mechanism, which we are able to source on-line, is then fitted, the clock tested over 24hrs and finally the plaque attached.

Just prior to Christmas The Men’s Shed group ran its first Residents Workshop pottery class for seven Tudor Village ladies and plans are to make this a regular activity now they have learnt to use the potters wheel.

The Men’s Shed members also recently completed a ‘relaxing area’ outside the Workshop where residents can sit and enjoy a coffee or have a barbecue.

Demand is high!

PROPERTIES ARE SELLING FAST AT TUDOR VILLAGE AND WE HAVE BUYERS ON OUR WAITLIST FOR UPCOMING PROPERTIES!

To be first to know even before properties are listed, please ensure you have registered your details with our friendly sales manager, Kate Abdulovski. Simply register your details on our website, tudorvillage.com.au and you will be first to hear about new listings.

$690,000 – $759,000 Set proudly on a corner allotment, this charming home showcases leadlight windows, a peaked Tudor roofline and a generous grassed front courtyard. Inside offers a formal lounge and dining room, spacious family room and central timber kitchen. e extra-large master features a walk-through robe, complemented by additional well-proportioned bedrooms. Fresh paint, new carpets and an updated kitchen make it move-in ready, with split system heating and cooling plus a ceiling fan for comfort. An undercover pergola, beautiful backyard and single-plus garage complete this inviting opportunity.

$950,000 – $1,045,000 is spacious Grange home features three generous bedrooms, including a master with walk-through robes and two with mirrored built-ins. A central bathroom, separate powder room and well-appointed laundry add practicality. Ducted heating, cooling and ceiling fans ensure year-round comfort, complemented by new carpet and fresh paint. e modern kitchen with gas cooking and stainless steel appliances flows to open-plan living and dining, plus a separate front lounge. Outdoors offers a covered pergola, landscaped courtyard and extra-large double garage.

Wonderful Wishing Tree effort

The Rotary Club of Lilydale’s Wishing Tree continues to extend its branches year by year to bring Christmas cheer to more families in need.

Supporters gathered for a celebratory dinner at The Sporting Globe in Chirnside Park on Tuesday 24 February, including the chance to hear from guest speakers who helped distribute gifts near and far.

After welcomes from the MC for the night, Rotarian Arun Marappan, Rotary Club of Lilydale President Cheryl Mackay opened the evening and said in 2025, they ran the Wishing Tree for the fifth consecutive year and it has grown into something that genuinely changes lives.

“Because of you, your customers and people connected to your businesses donated new gifts and gift cards throughout the month and because of that generosity, rotary was able to collect an extraordinary number of gifts and pass them to organisations to support children in foster care, families experiencing financial hardship and simply could not afford Christmas presents, people experiencing homelessness and those doing it tough in our community,” she said.

“Without your support, this appeal would not exist, it’s that simple, the vast majority of you have been with us since the very first year and the level of loyalty and commitment says so much about the kind of businesses you run and the values you stand for, you don’t just operate with this community, you actually actively care for it.

“What makes this appeal so powerful is that it is a truly community effort, Rotary coordinates it but you make it visible, you give it credibility, you give your customers and people in your community the opportunity to give, every gift placed in those boxes represents a moment of kindness, you make those moments possible.”

While Ms Mackay was hesitant to single out any particular efforts due to the wonderful contributions from all involved, there was a special appreciation for Heather Telford who handmade almost 300 individual items, including clothes, quilts and doll sets in equally beautiful gift bags and stockings throughout the year. She also made items for another Rotary initiative, Wheelchairs for Kids.

Anchor chief executive Heidi Tucker got up

next to speak and said her mission was to give attendees an insight into what makes their efforts so special and show just how important the presents are to families in need.

“Sarah, a single mother with four children who all deal with different disabilities, they were plunged into homelessness after experiencing significant family violence… I see them at our Christmas party every year and I watch the children growing up and I know that I’ve watched them growing up in unstable housing and not their forever home but the children receive presents from you all and in particular, the nine-year-old daughter has really taken to the doll and pram she receivedand she thanks you all very much for that,” she said.

“We have a dad who supports his three primary school-aged children and they received board games and puzzles, he said that Christmas is a really hard time for them as they don’t have any family around them to support them but the presents help the children to be able to play and laugh and create really great family memories.

“There’s a family of five who are facing eviction and homelessness right before Christmas and the parents didn’t know how they were possibly going to be able to afford a private rental, let alone to be able to put Christmas presents under the tree but for this family, a bag of gifts for each of the three young children allowed the mother to provide a normal Christmas.”

Anchor and the Lilydale Proactive Policing Unit have been long-time recipients of the gifts from The Wishing Tree but as the initiative has grown, more and more organisations have been supported, including Anglicare, Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service, Oonah Aboriginal Health and Community Services, Uniting, Shop 16 in Mooroolbark, Safe Steps, food items for the the Community Cupboard at Lakeside Kindergarten and Child Care Centre and the Moroolbark Police and Lilydale Police domestic violence room.

Leading Senior Constable of the Lilydale Proactive Policing Unit Luke Egginton said many of the disadvantaged families they engage with are often experiencing negative, stressful, or traumatic circumstances and being able to connect with them in a positive and meaningful way is vital for strengthening the relationship between police and the community.

“Seeing the incredible generosity and kind-

ness from our community each year is truly something special, policing can take a toll on mental health and projects like this give officers the chance to do something positive and uplifting,” he said.

“When Anne and Gerry (van Horick) mentioned there were a few more gifts again than last year, again, Kate and I underestimated what that meant, and arriving at their home and seeing the sheer volume of toys left both Kate and I speechless again, the generosity shown by the local community and local businesses was absolutely remarkable.”

The police distributed gifts through Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Corporation, Uniting, Boorndawan Aboriginal Healing Service, Holy Fools’ Felix House, Each, the Lilydale Motor Inn, community housing residents, Montrose Community Cupboard, local caravan parks, local schools and individual families known to police.

Evelyn MP Bridget Vallence said the Wishing Tree is a legacy for Anne and Gerry van Horick for the community.

“I know for rotarians, it’s about service above self, and rotarians in true fashion are serving our community, they don’t always look for praise, they love volunteering, they love making their community a better place and you’ve done absolutely that, Ann and Gerry, and all of the rotarians,” she said.

“It’s so wonderful that we’re all able to gather those gifts and donate those gifts so that young people can experience the joy of Christmas because it is a joyous time, and even if they are on hard times and it’s challenging, they get to have that joy.”

The 2025 Wishing Tree is a bittersweet one as Anne and Gerry van Horick are set to step down from leading the initiative for the first time since its inception, though they were awarded a certificate of recognition for their efforts. They will still be involved, but it won’t be their garage stocked to the brim with presents in 2026.

Director of Crisis Response and Residential Services at Safe Steps Wendy Duff also got up to say a few words at late notice, sharing how the presidents made their way from Lilydale to their office in North Melbourne to be distributed statewide to families fleeing family violence.

The event was concluded by handing out certificates to all the businesses and organisations who contributed.

A perfect week in paradise

By Lucy Waldron

THE moment the Save the Date landed in the mailbox, I knew this wasn’t going to be just another wedding, it was going to be an adventure. Printed in simple, bold letters was the location: Koh Tao, Thailand.

A destination wedding. A celebration in paradise.

For my cousin Jamie and his partner Hope, this was more than just a ceremony. It was a chance to bring together family and friends from the US, Argentina, and Australia for a week on a tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand, a place where time felt slower and joy came easily.

I imagined warm breezes, barefoot evenings, and the sound of the ocean in the background. And from the moment we arrived, Koh Tao delivered exactly that, and so much more.

Our first taste of island life came, quite literally, in a Thai cooking class. Hosted by Thai Cooking with Joy, we learned how a handful of humble ingredients could create flavours that lingered long after the plates were cleared.

The star of the class? Spring rolls. What looked simple turned into a hilarious test of rolling skills. Surrounded by the scent of sizzling garlic and an ocean view stretching to the horizon, it became one of those rare moments you want to bottle up forever.

The festivities officially kicked off with a welcome party. We’d spent the afternoon carefully perfecting hair and makeup, only to climb into the island’s version of a taxi: the back of a Ute.

Within minutes, curls unravelled, makeup melted, and any illusions of glamour were left on the roadside.

But it didn’t matter. Everyone arrived equally windswept, and somehow, that made it perfect. Under warm air and soft lights, conversations flowed, laughter echoed, and the night blurred into something quietly beautiful.

If the welcome party broke the ice, the Queens Cabaret melted it entirely. Drag queens lit up the stage with sequins, power ballads, and pure joy, a celebration of music and queer expression that had everyone on their feet.

It became one of the week’s most talked-about moments. If you ever visit Koh Tao, add this to your must-do list.

The next day brought calm seas and slow magic. We boarded a boat and drifted around the island’s reefs, snorkelling through crystal-clear water. Koh Tao, meaning “Turtle Island,” lived up to its name, we spotted a turtle gliding lazily beneath us, unbothered by its human audience.

There were also three baby blacktip reef sharks, darting through coral gardens as schools of colourful fish swirled around us.

Then came the big day. The wedding opened with a downpour, the kind that makes the world hold its breath. And just minutes before Hope walked down the aisle, the rain eased and the sun spilled across the shore.

With the ocean as a backdrop and loved ones gathered close, Jamie and Hope said, “I do.” It felt

cinematic, like the island itself had conspired to set the scene.

“Having our wedding celebrations on Koh Tao was a dream come true,” Hope said.

“Due to our families being from different countries, we decided to invite 60 of our closest

friends and family to our favourite little island in Thailand.

“Seeing everyone we love explore and enjoy Koh Tao was so special, and I am so grateful that everyone made the long journey to Thailand to be with us.”

For Hope and Jamie, the week was overwhelming in the best way possible.

“When you looked around and realised all these amazing people are here because of Jaime and I, we felt so loved and supported and were so happy to see everyone relaxed and on holiday mode,” Hope said.

The celebration stretched long into the night, shoes abandoned, music loud, laughter louder. The next day was slow and sun-drenched, spent lazing on a nearby island, letting the hours stretch like soft linen.

But Thailand had one last plot twist. A storm rolled in just as we left the island, turning our little boat ride into something straight out of an action movie.

Waves crashed, the wind howled, and we clung to the sides, laughing through the chaos. By the time we reached land, we were soaked, windswept, and grinning like fools.

Leaving Koh Tao was unexpectedly emotional. Teary hugs, promises to meet again, that quiet ache that comes from saying goodbye to something truly special.

A wedding had brought us together, but the island gave us so much more, shared adventures, new friendships, and the kind of memories that only happen when you’re far from home and fully in the moment.

Koh Tao, you were paradise.

Wilderness and wild history

Long before you set foot on its black sand beaches, rugged South Georgia announces itself with a cacophony of wildlife sounds—thousands of penguins calling and massive elephant seals bellowing along the shore. Often called the Galápagos of the Southern Ocean, this sub-Antarctic island delivers nature on an extraordinary scale.

Where else can you stand before 250,000 breeding king penguins while elephant seals crowd the beach, with albatrosses overhead and snow-capped peaks rising inland?

A wildlife sanctuary unlike any other Wildlife defines South Georgia. Shorelines are blanketed with penguins—kings, gentoos, macaronis, and more—that jostle for space among fur seals and southern elephant seals. In mid-October and early November, the drama intensifies as male elephant seals battle for breeding rights.

Offshore, petrels, prions, and albatrosses wheel overhead, creating a birder’s paradise.

Inland, glacier-carved landscapes, and hidden coves host macaroni penguins on steep, rugged cliffs. Every Zodiac landing with the Quark Expeditions team reveals another scene of rich biodiversity—an unfiltered look at one of the world’s most fertile breeding grounds for sub-Antarctic wildlife.

Walking in Shackleton’s footsteps South Georgia is equally rich in history, and Quark Expeditions’ experts bring that legacy to life. This remote island marked the end of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary 1916 expedition after his desperate open-boat voyage from Elephant Island. At Grytviken, one of the first Southern Ocean whaling stations, travellers visit Shackleton’s grave, where it’s tradition to raise a toast to the explorer’s memory.

For the especially adventurous, select voyages

offer the chance to hike the final stretch of Shackleton’s route to the Stromness whaling station, retracing his heroic footsteps.

Why travel with Quark Expeditions

Quark Expeditions has been polar-obsessed since 1991, when we became the first operator to take commercial travellers to the North Pole.

Polar is all we do, and no other operator can say that. Our expedition team is the most seasoned and respected in the industry—and the largest in polar travel—which means guests get off the ship faster and more often. From Zodiacs and kayaks to helicopters, hiking, camping, biking and cultural immersion, we offer more ways to explore than anyone else.

Choose the South Georgia itinerary that’s right for you

Quark Expeditions offers a range of immersive South Georgia itineraries that enable you to explore other Antarctic regions on the same trip: an 18-day South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula: Penguin Safari; 20-day Penguins of the Far South: Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica; 20-day Falkland Islands and South Georgia: Wildlife Adventure, with an unprecedented six full days exploring South Georgia; and the 23-day Epic Antarctica: The Falklands, South Georgia and Crossing the Circle.

Get ready for the most unforgettable polar adventure imaginable.

SPAIN & PORTUGAL DISCOVERY

Barcelona to Lisbon or vice versa

Discover Lisbon, Portugal’s vibrant capital, known for its colourful streets and neighbourhoods. Immerse yourself with visits to Seville, Málaga and the Alhambra Palace.

8 DAYS • 3 COUNTRIES • 6 GUIDED TOURS SET SAIL • NOV 2026; FEB, APR-JUN, SEP-DEC 2027; JAN-JUN, SEP 2028

From $5,095pp in Veranda Stateroom

From $6,295pp in Penthouse Veranda

SPAIN, PORTUGAL & THE MEDITERRANEAN

Lisbon to Rome or vice versa

Circumnavigate the Iberian Peninsula, calling at Andalusian gems. Visit Barcelona and the Sagrada Familía.

15 DAYS • 6 COUNTRIES • 11 GUIDED TOURS SET SAIL • NOV 2026; JAN-JUN, SEP-DEC 2027; JAN-JUN, SEP 2028

From $8,495pp in Veranda Stateroom

From $10,295pp in Penthouse Veranda

GRAND MEDITERRANEAN

Istanbul to Lisbon or vice versa

Embark on a grand voyage across the Mediterranean to visit iconic cities and uncover the heritage of civilisations. Trace the French Riviera and circumnavigate Italy’s boot.

36 DAYS

From $33,295pp in Veranda Stateroom

From $40,795pp in Penthouse Veranda

No kids, voted world’s best

Private veranda stateroom

Nordic spa facilities

Shore excursions

Choice of 8 dining options

Wi-Fi & gratuities

Wine & beer served with lunch & dinner

24-hour room service

Newest small ship fleet

Women’s Day events

By Callum Ludwig

International Women’s Day (IWD) is coming up on Sunday 8 March, with a pair of free local events to celebrate it.

An exhibition and panel discussion with artist Ali Griffin will be held on Thursday 5 March at the Arts Centre in Warburton, while 3MDR Mountain District Radio is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a live broadcast at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum (YRRM) in Lilydale on the day itself.

Ali Griffin said the exhibition features tall, larger than life-sized portraits of local ‘elder’ women from our own community.

“They engage you to literally look up, each portrait grows out of deep conversations and interviews, and are made to not only honour the sitter, but to show younger women that they can look forward to this time in their lives, the portraits include silhouettes of elder bodies, as a way of illustrating that no matter your body, style, shape or colour, we can be proud of them,” she said.

“The inspiration came from noticing how casually the word ‘elderly’ is used, and how much diminishment sits inside it, I wanted to cross out the ‘ly’ and reclaim the word elder.

“Across cultures, elders are wisdom keepers, leaders, story carriers so why have we stripped that reverence away from women, ELDERHOOD is my attempt to restore it, and create a ‘hood’ of elders.”

This exhibition ‘Pause in Transition: The Elderhood Project’ is part of Ms Griffin’s ongoing body

of work which came from questions that wouldn’t leave her alone about the experience of women ‘when care responsibilities change, work falls away, bodies shift, and experience begins to reorganise itself as knowing’

Ms Griffin said she hopes people walk out thinking differently about older women, and consider them to be ‘elders’

“I hope younger people are inspired to go home and ask the older women in their lives for their opinions, I hope older women feel a little taller, a little more visible, a little more powerful and feel comfortable to step into their own power,” she said.

“If visitors leave feeling curious instead of dismissive, respectful instead of indifferent, and aware that ageing is not a decline but a deepening, then I’ve done my job.

The panel discussion inside the exhibition will feature the portrait sitters, First Nations elder Aunty Merilyn Duff and Ms Griffin, held from 6pm with light drinks and refreshments provided.

Ms Griffin said older women are one of the most underrepresented groups in visual culture, yet these are women who have raised families, built businesses, led communities, survived enormous change and carry extraordinary resilience.

“They should be celebrated, honoured, elevated, seen and revered, art shapes how we see the world, if we don’t see older women represented with scale, dignity and complexity, we subconsciously absorb the message that they don’t matter,” she said.

“ELDERHOOD challenges that narrative, it says ‘Look again’ , look properly, there is power here.

“Everyone probably has an elder in their lives but they may not look at them that way, I think it’s time to start seeing the value in our older women, and men, I know we’ll all benefit from what they’ve learned.”

The exhibition has been supported by the local community, including local youth organisations like The MISFIT Project.

On International Women’s Day, the 3MDR exhibition will open from 10am at the YRRM, with festivities lasting from 1am to 4pm.

3MDR station manager Nat Grant said the broadcast is a wonderfully vibrant way to celebrate live music and community voices in the Yarra Ranges.

“International Women’s Day provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women and gender-diverse people, particularly those whose voices are often underrepresented in mainstream media and culture,” they said.

“It’s about acknowledging both the progress that has been made and the work still needed to achieve gender equality — whether that’s greater representation, respect, opportunity, or visibility.

“Whether your readers tune in on their radio, listen online, or come along in person, this broadcast is a celebration of community, connection and culture, it’s inclusive, uplifting and reflective of the many ways women contribute to our local

Animals of war remembered in Mt Evelyn

War Animal Remembrance Day is usually commemorated annually in Australia on 24 February, with events held across the country to honour the service and sacrifice of animals in war and peacekeeping.

The Mt Evelyn RSL hosted an event on Saturday 28 February at 11am in the memorial gardens, with attendees and their animal companions in attendance.

Animals have served as messengers (pigeons), transport (horses, mules, camels), detectors (dogs), and companions, with over 9 million animals estimated to have died in World War I alone.

Dogs continue to serve in explosive detection, search and rescue, and veteran support roles in the defence forces.

Chris Thiele and Iain Townsley led the service, with perfro-

mances from a piper and bugler.

Doves With Love performed a dove release during the minute’s silences.

One attendee attended in a World War One uniform representing Private John Simpson Fitzpatrick, 3rd Field Ambulance, who, with his donkey Murphy, transported soldiers from Anzac Cove to casualty clearing stations on the beaches.

Mr Townsley recited the poem ‘The Unseen Battalion’: They wore no medals, carried no gun, but followed their masters to the sun.

Through mud-soaked trenches and fire-swept air, the loyal, the brave, they were always there.

With silent sacrifice, they gave their best, the horse, the hound, at the final test.

creative life.”

The broadcast will feature live sets from Hannah Schmidli and Beck Sian from 2 – 4pm YRRM exhibitions curator Maddie Reece and museum engagement coordinator Mel Hartigan said hosting 3MDR on IWD is a great way to celebrate the success of their anniversary exhibition ON AIR: Broadcasting Local Legends.

“3MDR have been championing diversity on their airwaves since the station started in the late 1980s and this event continues that tradition.

“This event is important to the Museum, as it not only highlights the dedicated individuals that have made 3MDR an institution for the last four decades, but also showcases their achievements, community support and grass roots origins. Fundamentally it ties deeply into the YRRM’s ethos in closing the gender recognition gap.

“As an organisation who deals with a past that is highly focussed on ‘his’-tory, events such as this help us to keep pushing for women’s rights and recognition and begin to write a new timeline that is inclusive for all genders and cultures.”

RSVP is required to secure a spot for both events:

yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Explore-Yarra-Ranges/ Events/Pause-in-Transition-The-Elderhood-Project. yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Explore-Yarra-Ranges/Events/ON-AIR-3MDR-International-Womens-Day-Broadcast.

Wings of the pigeon through gunfire flew, carrying messages, faithful and true.

Camels and donkeys, in the desert’s glare, carried the burden, bearing the care.

They didn’t choose this, they did not know why, Yet under the smoke-filled, war-torn sky,

They stood by their mates until the end,

Our most devoted, obedient friend.

Now in the quiet, when the poppies bloom, We remember them in the shadowed gloom.

Their service, their courage, forever we trust,

For they too were warriors, now in the dust.

The animals of war - Lest We Forget.

Repower’s success

By Shamsiya Hussainpoor

After drawing a strong crowd in 2025, the Repower Festival is returning to the Yarra Ranges, and last year’s attendee, Emerald resident Julian Soo, said it is well worth the visit.

The festival will be held on Sunday, 22 March from 10am to 4pm at the Lilydale Civic Centre at 15 Anderson Street, Lilydale, following what organisers estimate was a turnout of more than 500 people at last year’s inaugural event.

Mr Soo moved to Emerald about 18 months ago and decided to check out the inaugural festival while figuring out how to make his home cheaper to run, more environmentally friendly and better prepared for the kind of power outages hills residents know all too well.

“When I moved to Emerald, I was looking at ways to make my house more environmentally friendly, to lower my energy bills, and also to make it more resilient if there were any power outages,” he said.

Despite working in the climate change industry, Mr Soo said he did not feel particularly confident about electrifying his own home before attending.

“Probably about a four,” he said, rating his confidence out of 10.

“I knew a little bit about which technologies were available, but I didn’t know how to pull it all together.”

Although he works in large-scale climate initiatives, applying that knowledge at home was another matter.

“I kind of had an idea about some of the larger trends, but I didn’t fully understand how that translated into changes that you’d make at home,” he said.

Living in the hills added another layer of urgency, with many neighbours relying on diesel generators during outages, Mr Soo and his family were concerned about what would happen if the power went out for days at a time.

“From a resilience perspective, it’s very important that you think about this stuff,” he said.

What the festival provided, he said, was clarity.

“You often hear about different offers and deals and technologies but it can be quite confusing to know what’s my pathway forward,” Mr Soo said.

“The most useful thing that I came out with was I knew exactly how I wanted to do it going forward, and I knew roughly how long it would take.”

Rather than contacting suppliers one by one, the event allowed him to speak to multiple providers in one place, as well as organisations such as Solar Victoria, which helped him understand different perspectives before making decisions.

“I think I spoke to almost all the suppliers there,” he said.

on 22 March 2026.

One of the more surprising things he learnt was that installing a battery does not necessarily require rooftop solar.

“Most people think that they go together but if you want to just install a battery, which you charge up from the grid during the day and then run off at night, that’s perfectly okay,” Mr Soo said.

Since making the switch, the difference at home has been noticeable.

“We have very, very consistent power bills each month, which don’t change. Gas bill went down dramatically,” he said.

“When the power goes out, we don’t even notice it. It just switches directly to battery.”

“The only way that I know that there’s been a power outage is because I hear my neighbours powering up their generators.”

He said without attending the festival, he would be years behind where he is now.

“It gave me the confidence and the pathway forward. If I hadn’t gone I would have had to do a lot of research, and I would have felt a lot of trepidation about making the investments that I have,” Mr Soo said.

His message to those unsure about heading along this year is simple.

“There’s no obligation to do any of this stuff, but you’ll definitely come out learning a few things about the changes you could make to your house over the next few years,” he said.

“You’ll probably have a chance just to see some cool technologies.”

Burrinja Fest’s good vibes

By Tanya Steele

Tucked away in Upwey, the hills got their dancing shoes on for Burrinja Fest over the weekend.

The cultural centre was alive with people, upstairs and down, with musical acts, workshops, food and drinks and more on Saturday 28 February.

Music Producer at Burrinja, Ben Langdon said Burrinja were so excited to launch the event this year.

“We hope to watch it become a go-to annual event for our community and everyone who visits,” he said.

The live music cranked all day, starting with the dulcet delights of Hannah Schmidl, followed by sets from Rebellious Bird, Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo and finished with high-energy grooves from the Headphones Jones crew.

Local artist and art educator Rain White guided attendees through a art workshop exploring still-life collage and Gabby Willmott held a zen drawing session teaching people to use line drawing.

Bringing together dance and music, Celtic Links Inc held a workshop upstairs with local Irish dance group Victorian Irish Dance Academy, accompanied by live music from the newly formed band Wood Duck leading a ceili dance or two for people to join in on.

Vendors from Killik held a pop up for locals and the on site Satiate Cafe staff kept the food coming and radio station volunteers from 3MDR 97.1FM were on site to do live crosses on the radio, still celebrating their 40th year and locals got to try their hand at creating voice recordings on the vibe from the day.

Local Fairy Poppy had a steady line for face painting for young and old alike, and people were spotted wandering through the groundbreaking Revisions exhibition to take a quiet moment.

Langdon said when the Irish dancing finished upstairs and patrons flowed down into the theatre for Tim and Mana, he knew they had a dance party on their hands.

“Kids and adults jumped around blissfully for the next two hours,” he said.

“It filled me with such joy.”

Importance of Wills

Why it is important to know about your options when it comes to Wills, Powers of Attorney and medical-decision making documents.

Putting your affairs in order might not be the easiest topic to think about, but it’s one of the most important.

No matter your age or situation, understanding options around Wills, Powers of Attorney and medical decision-making documents is crucial.

These legal documents help to ensure that rights and wishes are respected and loved ones are protected, giving valuable peace of mind. Here’s why it matters:

Your wishes are followed:

A valid Will helps to ensure your property is distributed the way you want, rather than being guided by default government rules. Without a will, your assets may go to people you didn’t intend, sometimes leading to family stress and/or disputes.

Finances and personal matters are managed by someone you have chosen:

An Enduring Power of Attorney gives you the option to choose who will make your day-to-day decisions if you lose capacity to do so yourself. This includes choosing where you live and who you see, and managing your finances and other assets.

Your chosen Attorneys could be people you know and trust (e.g. family or friends), or professional services.

Medical care choices are respected:

Appointing a Medical Treatment Decision Mak-

Riveting!

Send Help Starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien MA15+

4.75/5

Send Help is a riveting, devilishly funny survival thriller film directed by dark comedy veteran Sam Raimi.

Driven corporate strategist Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams), who is constantly devalued and belittled by her employers, washes up on a remote island after a plane crash with her jerk boss Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien).

Linda thrives and grows more assertive as she puts her survival skills to use, with McAdams as a tough-as-nails, sometimes scary yet deeply endearing lead, and O’Brien is so entertainingly detestable as Bradley.

The film conjures an almost idyllic atmosphere from its beautifully-shot island setting, but an intense current of desperation and resentment from Bradley, and the eerie sense that not all is as it seems, keep us on our toes, yielding crackling dialogue and several tense set-pieces.

The tightly-paced plot also has some really subtle, well-seeded details for the ingeniously twisted finale.

Send Help’s island is a macabre microcosm of how women often have to work so hard to prove themselves to sexist men who underestimate and undervalue them, but one scene may go a little too far (and no, it’s not the surgery scene you’ve probably heard about online).

This moment involving innocents somewhat dented my sympathy for Linda, but it’s supposed to challenge and unsettle you.

After all, this scene – and the film as a whole–takesLinda’shard-foughtself-worth and agency to a gnarly extreme.

By the way, the marked tonal and venue change in the climax may be jarring for some viewers, but I had no problem with it, as it was so fun and well-executed.

A taut, immensely entertaining survival thriller with a remarkable lead performance fromRachelMcAdams,SendHelpisplaying in most Victorian cinemas.

- Seth Lukas Hynes

Legal matters

Anita Koochew Eastern Community Legal Centre

er allows you to nominate someone you trust to make decisions about medical treatment on your behalf, and an Advance Care Directive is a document that states your values and preferences regarding future medical treatment.

An Advance Care Directive can support your Decision Maker and health professionals to make informed choices that are guided by your wishes if you lose capacity to make those decisions for yourself.

Helps prevent family conflict:

Clear, legally binding documents minimise misunderstanding and ease the burden on loved ones during already stressful periods.

Stay in control:

By making these plans early, you decide what happens to your finances, your personal matters and your medical decisions.

Without these documents, decisions may be deferred to courts or tribunals who may have limited insights into your personal circumstances

CARTOON

and wishes.

Taking time to prepare these documents isn’t just a legal task, it’s an act of self-care. It protects the things that are important to you, supports you and your family’s well being, and provides clarity and peace of mind when it matters most.

It may also help to reduce the risk of your rights and wishes being ignored in the future.

Many people delay making a Will, a Power of Attorney and their medical decision-making documents because they think it’s complicated, expensive and doesn’t apply to them, or it’s uncomfortable/taboo to discuss, but getting started is easier than you might think.

ECLC offers regular free information sessions on Wills, Powers of Attorney and medical decision-making documents.

These sessions help community members understand their rights and options, and guide participants through the process step by step. Sessions are available both online and in-person across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

To find out more and/or register for an upcoming session, visit eclc.org.au/wills.

ECLC provides free legal help to people who live, work, or study in the region, offering services that are caring, accessible, and culturally respectful.

For an appointment, call 1300 32 52 00 or use the online appointment request form eclc.org. au/help.

Please note ECLC does not assist people with the making of their Powers of Attorney or Wills.

Irish history celebrated

The Round

Ireland – The Voyage

From the producers of Celtic Illusion comes a powerful new theatrical experience in Ireland: The Voyage.

An epic celebration of Ireland’s history, heart, and heritage brought to life through authentic voices, live music, and world-class Irish dance.

Emotional, exhilarating, and deeply immersive, Ireland: The Voyage invites audiences to feel the pulse of a nation – its triumphs, its tragedies, its music and its unbreakable spirit, in a live experience they’ll never forget.

Season: Friday 6 March at 7.30pm.

Paul Tabone Salutes Andrea Bocelli

Starring international tenor Paul Ettore Tabone, his spectacular concert celebrates the soaring beauty and emotional power of the music made famous by Andrea Bocelli.

With his golden voice and commanding stage presence, Tabone delivers an evening of elegance, passion, and unforgettable music.

Described by the BBC as “Australia’s own Andrea Bocello”, Tabone has become one of the world’s most exciting tenors.

His international career spans London’s West End and Broadway appearances at the Sydney Opera house, The National Opera Bucharest, also Teatro Carlo Felice, and beyond.

He is widely recognised for his record breaking 1999 performance in The Phantom of the Opera on London’s West End.

Season: Friday 13 March at 2pm.

Gem coplayers

Open Stage Nights

Welcome one and all to Gemco’s ongoing Open Night Stage.

A very dark fantasy novel

Hosted by Carol, the popular open stages has been running for many decades.

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

Enjoy music, poetry, singing and monologues or anything.

Season: 7 March From 7pm – 10.30pm. Lilydale Athenaeum theatre The Female of the Species.

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 warping her mother’s mind with her best-selling book.

Chaos ensues leading to a comic but tense encounter.

Margot’s daughter, her son-in-law, her publisher and a taxi a taxi driver also arrives 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 Greer.

Season: 23 April – 9 May. Kemp’s

PASSION FOR PROSE

Alchemised, by American author SenLinYu, is the winner of the 2025 GoodReads Choice Award for Readers’ Favourite Debut Novel, based on more than 165,000 votes.

This reviewer was not among those voters, but felt intrigued enough by all the praises out there to take a plunge into this 1030-page brick of a book.

And it was a richly rewarding read.

The story is a brilliant and masterful illustration of an elaborate yet terrifying civil war where the protagonist Helena Marino once served as a healer for the Resistance.

Now the war has ended, with the country ruled by necromancers, Helena finds herself imprisoned, interrogated and tortured for information about the possible re-emergence of Resistance fighters.

Trouble is, Helena’s memories have been erased by magic, and her captors are trying everything imaginable and utterly despicable to uncover the secrets in her head.

Eventually she is handed over to The High Reeve, the thoroughly ruthless and ultra-efficient mass murderer Kaine Ferron, himself an accomplished necromancer.

The story is definitely not for the fainthearted.

Consider the fact that the author has drawn inspiration from the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), readers can imagine how depictions of the battles are full of ghastly details.

On one side is the Order of the Eternal Flames, whose followers are convinced they are invincible as long as they remain faithful and virtuous.

Helena’s struggle to fit in and the sacrifices she makes to ensure the Order’s survival are the most heart-wrenching part of the story.

On the other side are the necromancers, who reanimate those enemies they have slaughtered as their own soldiers.

The atrocities they commit are brutal, vicious and entirely gruesome, and the detailed descriptions of the various types of dark magic and their horrific, devastating consequences are absolutely mind-blowing.

However, despite it being darkly macabre, the story explores the great lengths one is willing to go to protect their loved ones.

More importantly, it sheds considerable light on the terrible and long-lasting trauma that war can inflict on individuals and communities, both emotionally and psychologically – and not just those involved in frontline fighting but also those unsung heroes who work tirelessly in field hospitals.

Meanwhile, the story tackles such multifaceted problems such as power struggles and corruption in politics, as well as the systemic oppression and exploitation of women.

In the latter case, not only are women’s voices silenced, their work undervalued and their contributions ignored, but their agency and legacy are also denied.

This adds another layer of dread and misery to the already deeply upsetting tale that is Helena’s life.

Do NOT read this story if you are squeamish.

But, if you are into complex three-dimensional characters, thrillingly intense actions, mind-boggling magic systems and unflinchingly extensive investigations of the impact of war, then you have to read Alchemised.

CHARMING 1920’S HOME WITH COTTAGE

TIMELESS 1920’S CHARM IN THE HEART OF EMERALD WITH SEPARATE COTTAGE

POSITIONED in the heart of Emerald and dating back to the 1920s, this character weatherboard home is a true Hills treasurebeautifully preserved, thoughtfully updated, and presented to perfection, all set on over 1 acre of useable space.

Just a short stroll to town, schools, and public transport, the home combines timeless charm, everyday convenience and undeniable street appeal. Cottage gardens frame the home, while a meandering boardwalk guides you to the welcoming front verandah - the perfect place to relax and watch the world go by.

Step inside and fall in love with the soaring high ceilings and original features that define this stunning residence, including a charming open fireplace, classic sash windows, and rich hardwood floors.

The home offers three spacious bedrooms, one with an extra study space, highlighted by a generous master suite complete with walk-in robe and full ensuite. In addition there is a gorgeous separate self-contained cottage, offering a bedroom, living space, and ensuite - ideal for guests, extended family, or potential additional income.

The freshly updated kitchen is simply magnificent, featuring stainless steel appliances, stone benchtops, and an abundance of cupboard and bench spacedesigned to impress and built for functionality. Ideal for family living, the home provides two separate living zones: a formal lounge at the front of the home and a second spacious living area at the rear adjoining bedrooms two and three and it own private balcony - perfect for children or teenagers seeking their own retreat.

Year-round comfort is assured with mains gas ducted heating, ducted cooling for the warmer months.

Outdoors, entertaining is effortless with a large covered balcony overlooking the fully fenced rear yard, complete with a generous flat lawn area for children and pets to enjoy.

For tradies, hobbyists, or those needing storage, the 6m x 5m shed with concrete floor and power is a standout feature, and with dual driveway access, bringing in trailers, boats, or trucks is effortless.

This is truly one of the Hills’ special homes - rich in history, full of heart, and ready for its next chapter.

Call us and inspect today. ●

HOME FOCUS

FLAT, SUNNY AND SET IN A STUNNING LOCATION

NESTLED in the heart of the enchanting Kallista village, 1 Anderson Street presents a rare opportunity to secure a complete family lifestyle package in one of the Dandenong Ranges’ most picturesque settings. Positioned on an impressive 1,966sqm (approx.) flat, sunny allotment in a quiet no-through road, and just moments from world-class walking trails, this beautiful residence delivers space, comfort and timeless charm in equal measure. Warm and welcoming, the home opens to a generous front lounge where a crackling wood fire and rich bamboo flooring create an inviting ambience for relaxed family living. Privacy pocket doors enhance functionality, while the seamless flow of floorboards throughout adds cohesion and warmth.

The stunning main bedroom is privately positioned and bathed in natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows. Complete with a walk-in robe, enviable ensuite, split system heating and cooling, and ceiling fan, it offers a peaceful retreat for parents.

At the rear, expansive open plan living and dining is framed by double-glazed windows and doors that capture tranquil views of the deck and lush gardens beyond. The gourmet kitchen is a true centrepiece, boasting a 5-burner gas range, farmhouse sink, butcher block benchtops, and breakfast bar a space designed for effortless entertaining and everyday family connection.

Large windows throughout the home invite in an abundance of natural light, ensuring amazing sun and warmth year-round. Seamless indoor-outdoor flow leads to a substantial covered wrap-around deck the perfect setting for entertaining, relaxing with a morning coffee, or hosting family gatherings while enjoying the peaceful garden surrounds in every season.

Accommodation is thoughtfully tailored for growing families, with three additional bedrooms, a luxurious main bathroom featuring a deep soaker tub, a guest powder room, and a cleverly designed updated laundry with abundant storage. Attic storage with ladder access further enhances practicality and ensures every inch of the home is well utilised. There is also an 8kw solar system as an added convenience.

Outdoors, the landscaped grounds are equally impressive. An open lawn area, charming hen house, single garage with single covered recreational vehicle parking, and second gated driveway ensure flexibility for vehicles, hobbies, and lifestyle needs. The sparkling inground swimming pool is a

INCREDIBLE UPWEY SOUTH LIVING

PERFECTLY positioned in the tightly held and highly sought-after Upwey South pocket, 13A Bayview Avenue delivers lifestyle, flexibility and comfort in one impressive package. With a peaceful, leafy outlook and easy access to local schools, parklands, public transport and the vibrant Upwey township, this is a location families absolutely love.

Designed with versatility in mind, the home offers a flexible layout ideal for growing families or those seeking extra space. The opportunities are endless with the lower section of the house as a Home Office / Teenagers Retreat or Man-Cave with all the hard work already done providing separation and privacy while still being connected to the heart of the home.

Upstairs, the light-filled open plan kitchen, living and dining area forms the true hub of the home. The kitchen is perfectly positioned to overlook the living space with SS cooktop,

rangehood and dishwasher, creating an easy flow for everyday family life and effortless entertaining. Year-round comfort is ensured with ducted heating, split system air conditioning and ceiling fans.

Stepping outside, you’ll find a fantastic undercover decking area ideal for year-round gatherings, weekend BBQs or simply relaxing while enjoying the peaceful surrounds. The fully fenced backyard offers security for children and pets, along with plenty of space to enjoy.

Additional features include 2 separate carports and plenty of off-street parking perfect for other vehicles, trailers or caravans with excellent accessibility.

Homes in this prized Upwey South location are always in strong demand. Combining flexible living zones, great outdoor entertaining and a family-friendly setting, 13A Bayview Avenue is an opportunity not to be missed.

FLAT LAND, DAM VIEWS, 1940’S ART DECO CHARM

POSITIONED in the very heart of Menzies Creek, 8 Menzies Road is a rare offering — perfectly flat 1,963m² land paired with sweeping views across Cardinia Dam.

In the Hills, level land of this size is gold. Here, it provides the ideal canvas to extend, renovate or create your forever home (Subject to Council Approval), all while enjoying a breathtaking natural outlook. Watch world famous Puffing Billy pass by your back fence.

The residence itself proudly reflects its 1940s Art Deco origins. Decorative ceilings, elegant proportions and beautiful timber floors speak to a time of enduring craftsmanship. Large picture windows draw in garden greenery, while the sun filled multipurpose room creates a space to create your own office, craft room, or play room.

The current floorplan comprises two bedrooms and one bathroom, with defined living and dining zones connected to a central kitchen. A classic fireplace anchors the living space, adding warmth and character, while the home’s original features offer the perfect foundation for thoughtful restoration or contemporary enhancement.

Outside, the expansive, level grounds are framed by established trees and garden beds, offering privacy, usability and space rarely found in this location. Whether you envision a substantial extension, landscaped outdoor entertaining zones, or simply room for children and pets to roam freely, the potential here is exceptional.

With easy access to local cafes in Emerald and Belgrave, the lifestyle is as appealing as the land itself. Just 10 minutes from Belgrave Train Station and easy access to the M1 and M3 freeways.

A tightly held position.

A flat, near half-acre.

Views of Cardinia Dam extending to Mornington Peninsula and Port Phillip Bay.

An extraordinary opportunity to honour the past while building something remarkable for the future. ●

5

4

3

LANAMAHER 0408535075

EASY LIVING IN PEACEFUL COCKATOO

SET on 837sqm in a quiet Cockatoo setting, just moments from town and local schools, this solid three-bedroom brick home offers relaxed living in a location that simply makes sense.

An undercover front verandah welcomes you inside to a spacious, carpeted lounge and dining zone filled with natural light from large windows. A split system and gas ducted heating throughout ensure year-round comfort, whether it’s crisp Hills mornings or warm summer afternoons.

The kitchen is well-equipped for daily living, featuring a gas stovetop, dishwasher, generous pantry, and excellent storage options to keep everything neatly tucked away.

Down the hallway, three bedrooms—each with built-in robes—are serviced by a central family bathroom with a separate toilet, making the layout practical for families or guests. Outside, the fully fenced yard offers space for children and pets, with 2 garden sheds and single carport rounding out the package. A solid, easy-care home in a quiet location — ready to move straight in and enjoy, with room to personalise over time.

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!

Seton5privateacreswithtwospring-fedcreeks,thisremarkablefour-bedroomhomeisanoff-grid retreatlikenoother.Ahorseshoedrivewayleadstoawideverandahembracingsweepingviews. Inside,soaringceilings,exposedbeamsandtimberfloorsframetheopen-planloungeanddining withwoodfire,ceilingfanandbararea.Thekitchenblendsrusticcharmwithfunction,offering mahoganyandblackwoodbenches,walk-inpantry,hiddenfridge,dishwasher,gas/electriccooking andanIrishStanleyslowcombustionstove.Themasterincludesawalk-throughrobeandensuitestylebathroom,whileupstairstwofurtherbedroomsandduallivingzonescapturetreetopviews. Sustainabilityshineswitha48vsolarsystem,generatorbackupandmultipleheating/coolingoptions. Withunder-housestorage,a6mx6mcarportandtotalprivacy,thisisnotjustahome—it’salifestyle.

CharmingHomeinaTranquilGardenSetting.

Setonalmostone-thirdofanacre,thischarmingdouble-storeybrickhomeofferspeacefulliving surroundedbybeautiful,bird-filledgardens.Awideundercoververandahwrapsaroundthreesides, creatinginvitingoutdoorspacestosit,relax&enjoythenaturalsetting.Inside,9ftceilings,polished floorboards,gasductedheating&double-hungwindowsenhancethehome’swelcomingfeel. Thecentraltimberkitchenincludesanislandbench,greatstorage,adishwasher,walloven&gas stovetop,flowingtobothformal&informallivingareas.Upstairs,theprivatemastersuitefeaturesa walk-inrobe,ensuite&studynook,whiletwoadditionalbedroomswithtriplerobesshareacentral bathroom.Outside,thefullyfencedyardisidealforchildren&pets,withanundercoverentertaining area,circulardriveway,remotedoublegarage&highcarportperfectforacaravanorboat.

$1,350,000-$1,470,000

ABotanicalWonderlandSurroundingaTrulyUniqueHome. Thisextraordinaryresidenceisararemasterpiece,shapedbydecadesofcraftsmanshipandset withinbreathtakingstorybookgardensonnearly1.5acres.Everydetailreflectstimelessartistry— fromcorbelsandtessellatedtilestoleadlight,bluestonefeatures,andsoaringceilings.Atitsheart, acircularbluestone-and-glassconservatoryinvitesyoutopauseandtakeinthelushgardenviews. Twoprivatewingsincludeamainsuitewithwalk-inrobe,ensuite,anddeck,plusaguestsuitewithits ownensuite.Aformalloungewithopenfireplace,elegantdiningroom,officewithJarrahcabinetry, andagranite-toppedkitchencaterbeautifullytodailylivingandentertaining.Additionalspaces includearumpus,cellar/workshop,studio,secondgarage,and5kWsolar.Despiteitsserenesetting, thehomeisjustmomentsfromEmerald’scharmingvillageandPuffingBilly.

AaronDay M 0407365994

Spanning40gentlyundulatingacres,thissun-filledruralholdingdeliversspace,watersecurity& seriouspotential.Awindingcreek,3dams&avaluable2-megalitrewaterlicenceprovidearocksolidfoundationforlifestyleliving,livestockorfuturevision.Elevatedpointsacrossthelandcapture sweeping360-degreeviews,creatingthosepostcardmomentswherethecountrysiderollsawayin everydirection.Atthecentresitsaneat&original2-bedroomhome,comfortablenow&readyfor renovation,extensionorreinventionovertime.Practicalinfrastructureincludesamachineryshed, garage&establishedcattlerace&yards,makingthepropertyimmediatelyusableforfarmingor hobbystock.Withsunnypaddocks,naturalwatersources&multipleaccesspoints,everythingisin placeforeasyruralliving. 189SwalesRoadMacclesfield$1,750,000-$1,900,000

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.

1 Spawn, similar to caviar (3)

A person obsessed with themselves (10)

Sweet egg and milk dessert (7)

Convenient (9)

Parasitic plant (4)

Sent off (10)

Small island (4)

Cosy retreat (4) 20 Articles (10) 23 Sham (4)

Islands west of Central America (9)

Feeling (7) 28 Against the law (7)

Dishonest (10)

Period of 24 hours (3)

1 Answering (10)

Daydreamers; jailbreakers (9)

Declared (9) 5 Hidden treasure (5)

Water rise (4)

S in the NATO phonetic alphabet (6)

Privately (10)

16 Exaction (9)

18 Rummaged (9)

21 Debris (6)

22 Interval (6)

24 Scent (5)

25 Waterway (5)

26 Great Barrier – (4)

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural nouns ending in “s”.

18 words: Good 27 words: Very good 36 words: Excellent Today’s Aim:

3

SODA TEAS WEEP

5 LETTERS AFOOT AILED ARIAS ASSET AWAKE BALED BELLS BERRY BLUED BREAK CARGO DENTS DRESS DUSKY EBONY ELOPE ERODE EXILE EXPEL FELON FENCE FORTE

SPORT

One team through to finals

After five months of the cut and thrust of the regular cricket season, for four of the six senior teams at Mt Evelyn, it all came down to the last day cricket to see if they would advance to finals action. For one team the wait hasn’t ended.

For the Community Bank – Mt Evelyn 1st XI, the 2025/26 season couldn’t come to an end any sooner after the grind of a tough season. Entering the season after taking out the Stuart Newey Plate premiership, hopes were high that the team would continue to develop and push for a finals position. What would play out would be far from expectations. Inconsistent form, missed opportunities in winning positions, injuries and absences would plague the team and when the final ball of the season was bowled, the team would find themselves at the foot of the table and on their way back to Stuart Newey Plate for the 2026/27 season.

After day one of their clash against Bayswater Park, the Sharks had the upper hand finishing the day at 2/71 chasing Mt Evelyn’s total of 182. The Sharks were also in the thick of their own battle to clinch a finals position and they begun the day cautiously as on the surface, a win was all that was required to secure their finals position. Malinga De Silva and Dasun Seneviratnha would out together a testing opening spell, but wickets would be hard to come by despite the moderate run rate. Just 46 runs came off the first 20 overs, but the Sharks would be unperturbed as no wickets would fall, and there was plenty of time to chase the remaining runs. A change of bowler would break the monotonous run as Darcy Fraser would make the breakthrough. The Sharks would continue their grind towards victory. For those following the finals calculations, word soon filtered in that Wonga Park were securing the most unlikely victory against East Ringwood, and the Sharks grasp of a top four position was tenuous at best, and urgent action was required. With victory, the Sharks and the Parkers would remain even on points with the Parkers having the slight advantage on percentage. With the calculators out, the Bayswater Park brains trust had decided that quick wickets would be their only chance of pushing into the top four. Some said ten wickets for around 70 runs would do the trick. So, upon rushing to first innings points with seven wickets in hand, the Sharks promptly declared and set about a last minute clutch at a finals position. The Bayswater Park bowlers would fight tooth and nail for their wickets, but they would find the Mounters batsmen hard to breakdown as they fought for pride in the last overs of their season played out. Opener Jesse Fraser would add the scoring power with a run-a-ball 40, whilst the rest of his partners would absorb deliveries and time to deny the Sharks. When stumps were drawn, the Mounters has fought their way to 4/95, no effect on the game, but a terminal effect on Bayswater Park’s finals chances.

So, it’s back to the drawing board for the 1st XI as they return to Stuart Newey Plate which will present a tougher challenge than it did twelve months ago with the grading structure going through some changes in the lead up to next sea-

son. It will start with a strong review of the systems on and off the field and then some shrewd recruitment will be needed to improve the squad.

For the Professionals Outer East 2nd XI it was just a matter of capitalising on their dominance on the first day against Montrose for them to secure their place in the top four. Sitting at 1/93 in reply to Montrose’s total of 139, the goal was to pass the total with minimal fuss. That is how things would transpire as Alex Brisbane-Flynn’s patient unbeaten innings of 32 would be complemented by the fast scoring Mike Mawson as the only blip on the radar would be the early wicket of Luke Jones for 39. In the end, the impressive eight wicket victory would be the ideal tune up for the 2nd XI in their quest to go a couple of steps further this season than they did last season. The 2nd XI have been quietly going about their business, and but for a few slip ups during the season, they could’ve put themselves in position to host a Semi Final, but they’ll have to travel to Wandin to take on a strong Bulldogs unit. The Mounters have finally put together a strong outfit with all players on deck with a youthful bowling attack complemented with an experienced and explosive batting line up. The team looks well set to have a big crack at this season’s finals. It’s wait and see time for the Rhead Group 3rd XI after they couldn’t quite muster enough points out of their game against South Warrandyte despite getting close. The Mounters took the risk to declare their first innings with South Warrandyte just 30 runs in arrears, but the brave declaration enabled them to secure the points on day one. The advantage was somewhat stifled by the position of other games, and the fact that weather wouldn’t intervene on day two. So, it was left to the Mounters to chase outright points to ensure they would be there next week. The task was made a little easier by the fact that the Hawks only had eight eligible batsmen for the second day. What panned out was nothing but simple for the Mounters who couldn’t catch a break in their quest for an early dismissal of their opponents. A dogged Hawks outfit would not only absorb time, but they would add vital runs courtesy of a game breaking century from Adam Johnson. The

Barkers open with a cup win

By Peter Stephenson

Mooroolbark Soccer Club’s competitive season began on Friday night with a first trip to Noble Park’s Ross Reserve since 2011. An energy-sapping humid night saw the Division 2 Barkers take on Division 4 Springvale City in round 2 of the Dockerty Cup. Barkers gave debuts to Josh Cauteruccio, Hugo Lindsay-Geyer and Georgi Spasov, with Charlie Cunningham and Wahid Mahdawi set to debut off the bench.

Barkers had an early scare on 4 minutes when a City corner from the left saw a close-range header beaten away by keeper Vladi Velikin. Barkers replied 3 minutes later when a cross from the left saw Ryan Smith run into space to head wide. City were looking dangerous on the left wing with Justin Eiman proving a handful for Lindsay-Geyer, but the debutant was holding his own against the speedy winger.

Barkers’ next chance came on 20 minutes, when Ross Clark, who was getting through a ton of work, sprayed the ball out to the left. The ball was worked to the other side of the box, and came back in for Smith, whose low shot curled away from the far post. Barkers were now playing their way into the game, and Tristan Walker crossed low from the right for Spasov, who was

just beaten to the ball by a defender. On the half hour, Spasov neatly flicked the ball to Clark, who shot wide. Well you know where this is going. After a good period where Barkers were on top, we lost the ball in midfield due to an underhit pass. The ball was sent down the wing to Eiman, and though Danny Aye provided some resistance, Eiman crossed in for Daniel Bailey, who flicked the ball into the net from a narrow angle – 1-0 Springvale after 32 minutes.

Barkers were unfazed and a few minutes later, Micheal Pezzano found Christian Porcaro on the left, who delivered a lovely cross to the far post, which was cleared under pressure with Spasov lurking. As City mounted their next attack, Lindsay Geyer was yellow-carded for cuddling Eiman, but this was a brief respite for City. Back came Barkers, and a corner from the right saw Walker hit a first-time shot which was well parried by keeper Angelo Iokamidis. Then came the breakthrough. In the final minute of the half, another corner from the right was sent to the far post, where Smith leapt high to head the ball home for 1-1. Half-time came with the scores level at 1-1. City began well, but Barkers played themselves into the game with some neat football.

The second half began with Clark bursting

Mounters would eventually dismiss the Hawks for 219. Alex Whiting the pick of the bowlers with 3/60.

This left the Mounters with the unlikely task of chasing 183 off 13 overs to secure outright, but possibly enough time to gather enough runs to boost their percentage enough to still lock in a place in the finals. The Mounters would put their best foot forward by smacking 2/112 off the remaining overs courtesy of brisk unbeaten 81 run partnership between Cambell Finch (58) and Sam Van Hoogstraten (40). What does it mean for finals? Heathwood dismantled Kilsyth to secure third place on the ladder, whilst Mooroolbark’s surprise victory against Warrandyte moved them level with the Mounters to leave it with the bean counters to decide who makes it through with percentage on a knife’s edge.

The Hop Hen Brewing 4th XI have been brave all season, no more than in their day one efforts against top of the table St Andrews. The game was evenly poised after both team’s had their first split with St Andrew’s slightly in front of the contest at 5/111 against the Mounters 4/92. St Andrew’s would bat on and courtesy of a fine century from opener Dwayne Paisley and some late order firepower, the Saints would extend their score to an imposing 296. Campbell Manser (4/43) and Robbie Wilson (3/56) would be the pick of the Mt Evelyn bowlers, but the task ahead for their batsmen looked ominous.

The Mounters would battle on bravely and wouldn’t go down without a fight. Lachie Robertson (58) and Connor Hartman (42) would steadily continue their partnership and showed great leadership for their young team. Unfortunately, neither batsmen could continue on to give the innings the flourish it required, and despite a quick fire unbeaten 29 from Craig Steele, the Mounters would be completely out classed by a more accomplished St Andrew’s line up and fell 66 runs short when they were bowled out for 230. A great effort by the Mounters, but still some way from the competition’s best. Both teams won’t have long to show what they’ve learnt from the contest, and what they need to put in place, as they will face off in the Semi Finals next week. A

tough assignment for the Mounters, but one they will relish after a hard fought effort through the regular season.

Despite some excellent results across the season, the Lilydale Tyres 5th XI still required a win against Lusatia Park if they were to finish in the top four, and after day one, it was any one’s game the Tigers would resume on 4/214 in reply to Mt Evelyn’s 4/235. The Mounters would have the better of the return on day two as they were able to dismiss the Tigers short of their allotted overs which would ultimately stymy their eventual total. Paul Flavel would turn in a bowling effort only few can claim as he captured all six second day wickets to finish with the remarkable figures of 7/55 to put the brakes on Lusatia’s thoughts on extending the score well beyond 300. Lusatia Park would be bowled out for 295, on the surface a big score, but considering the scores posted on the bottom ground since Christmas, nowhere near enough.

With Craig Kenins still at the wicket, not enough it proved to be despite some wobbly moments for the Mounters. Kenins would continue his momentous innings to remain unmoved throughout to post a masterful 172 to lead his team to a three wicket win, and more importantly, finals action. Kenins innings featured 27 fours and 2 sixes and came off just 133 balls. A double century beckoned had victory not been secured so soon. What lays ahead for the 5th XI in their pursuit of back-to-back premierships lies in the formidable form of Boronia who coughed up top spot with a loss in the final round of the season. The Mounters will sense a weakness and with be buoyed by a full strength team and some excellent form behind them.

It was the end of a long grind for the Flowtec 6th XI as a weary, young outfit as they finished their season with a road trip to Wonga Park. As they have all season, the young Mt Evelyn bowlers would lead from the front, and they would be rewarded with wickets after finding them hard to come by throughout the season. Jacob Glover (1/30) would lead from the front with the new ball, whilst Elisha Whitelaw (3/21) and Liam Glover (2/26) would take his lead as they put the Mounters in a strong position reducing the Parkers to 5/82 and when the lively Princely Emmanuel, who was returning after a long cricket lay off, nipped a couple of wickets, the Mounters had the Parkers looking down the barrel of being dismissed before their overs were up. Some late order hitting from the Parkers avoided any last round blushes, and their score of 9/242 would be an excellent result after their trials and tribulations throughout the innings. Despite things going slightly awry at the end, the Mounters would still be buoyed by the fact they pushed the finals bound Parkers throughout.

Unfortunately for the Mounters, the resistance with the bat wouldn’t match the bowling efforts as they would be bundled out for a disappointing total of 65. Liam Glover and Jordan Emmanuel would show resilience with the bat, but their efforts would gather significant scoring and the Mounters tough season would end in less than glorious circumstances.

through the middle to lay off for Aye, who jinked across the top of the box before hitting a low shot wide. Then Cauteruccio won the ball in midfield, sent it out to the right, and it was crossed in for Spasov, who flicked the ball past the keeper, but a defender was on hand to save the day.

City couldn’t hold back the Barkers tide. Aye found Porcaro on the left, who crossed low for Spasov, who laid back for Clark to hit a blistering shot high into the net to give Barkers a 2-1 lead on 58 minutes. On the hour, Clark returned the favour, finding Spasov in space, but he hit the ball wide. Next it was Aye, who won a header, then hit a long shot wide. Then a gorgeous long ball found Walker, who was stopped by the onrushing keeper.

Barkers now made 3 substitutions, and it was Cunningham who began making a real nuisance of himself up front. He won a double header in midfield, then played out to Clark, who cut inside and hit a curling shot past the post. Then Cauteruccio hit an absolute fizzer narrowly wide. Next some drama. With 9 minutes left. Clark was clear but was pulled down on the edge of the box by Nathaniel Daher, who was sent off. Cauteruccio drove the free kick into the wall, before Cunningham freed Clark, who brought a good block out of the keeper. With 4 minutes left, City

almost equalised when a corner was cleared to the edge of the box, and a looping shot hit the bar. Barkers were stung into a lethal reply, and some good football found Anthony Di Crea , who slipped the ball to Clark, and he flicked the ball into the corner of the net for his second, and 3-1 Barkers in the 88th minute. City now got frustrated, and Anderson Kamara flattened a Barker off the ball – red card, City down to nine men. From the restart, Cunningham outpaced a sleepy defender but was thwarted by the keeper. The cherry on the cake of a fine performance came three minutes into stoppage time when Di Crea laid the ball back for Cauteruccio, who hit a beautiful first-time shot low into the corner of the net for 4-1. Full-time: Springvale City 1-4 Mooroolbark. Barkers took a while to get going tonight, but when they did, were too good for City. There was good football and some encouraging displays from the new players, as well as Pezzano – how has this boy played only 3 senior games? Lindsay Geyer battled well, Spasov and Cunningham were both a handful, Cauteruccio looked classy, and Clark worked non-stop. Barkers advance to the 3 rd round, with the draw to take place on March 2, and the ties to be played on the weekend of March 13-15.

SPORT

Maiden century for Beard

By Les Hutchings

Kilsyth Cricket Club report - First XI: Kilsyth’s First XI resumed their final game for the season in a two-day match against Vermont at Pinks Reserve chasing Vermont’s 8/372cc off 80 overs.

After 3.2 overs, Kilsyth lost an early wicket to be 1/8, and then the second wicket fell with the score on 31 after 7.4 overs.

Opening bowler Mitch Rickarby captured both wickets.

Then Mackenzie Scott-Thomas and Jack Childs added 47 for the third wicket before Scott-Thomas was bowled by Rickarby in the 18th over for a scintillating 51 off 43 balls, including nine boundaries.

At drinks, Kilsyth were 3/79 off 20 overs with Jack Childs on 10*.

After the score had reached 100, Kolitha Hapuarachchi was the fourth wicket to fall, caught at short mid-wicket by Cameron Clark off the bowling of Thomas Mummery for 10 off 22 balls (2 fours).

This brought Kilsyth Captain Andy Solomons to the crease and just when he had started to increase the tempo with three boundaries, he was caught and bowled by Mitchell Kohne for 15 off 22 balls, to see the Redbacks now 5/127 after 34.3 overs. It was soon 6/133 and then 7/133, when Jack Childs, who had batted well, was caught at mid-wicket by Cameron Clark for 41 off 97 balls (6 fours), giving Mitch Rickarby his fourth wicket.

A 52-run eighth wicket partnership between Isuru Umesh and Nuwan Sampath lifted the score to 185 when Sampath was bowled by Mummery for 18 off 38 balls.

Another quick wicket, LBW to spinner Zane Gelsi, saw Kilsyth slump to 9/186 before a last wicket partnership of 41 between Lahiru Randeepa and Isuru Umesh enabled the Redbacks to reach 227 all out from 57.2 overs.

Umesh top scored with an attractive 62 off 70 balls (9 fours and 1 six), whilst Randeepa remained 8*.

For Vermont, Mitch Rickarby took the bowling honours with 4/50 off 16 overs (5 maidens), Mitchell Kohne 2/36 off 11 overs (2 maidens), Zane Gelsi 2/50 off 15.2 overs (2 maidens), and Thomas Mummery 2/54 off 11 overs (1 maiden).

With 22 overs remaining in the day’s play, Vermont enforced the follow-on.

Kilsyth were 1/18 off 2.2 overs after Andy Solomons was adjudged LBW to Mitch Rickarby for 16 off 10 balls (1 four and 1 six).

Then the Redbacks lost another wicket, bowled Rickarby, to be 2/23 after 4.1 overs.

A promising third wicket partnership of 37 between Mackenzie Scott-Thomas and Jack Childs came to an end when Scott-Thomas was LBW to Zane Gelsi for 16 off 32 balls (1 four) in the 15th over. It soon became 4/66 when Jack Childs was caught at mid-off by Ethan Walker for 19 off 39 balls (3 fours) from the bowling of Tyson Hyams. After Gelsi claimed the third LBW of the innings, Kilsyth were 5/80 off 18.1 overs and when stumps were drawn, the Redbacks were 5/95 with Lahiru Randeepa 14* off 15 balls (1 four and 1 six), and Pasan Ganegoda 11* off 14 balls (2 fours).

Mitch Rickarby captured 2/10 off 5 overs (2 maidens) to give him six wickets for the match, whilst Zane Gelsi took 2/37 off 5 overs, and Tyson Hyams 1/18 off 7 overs (2 maidens).

Second XI:

The Second XI continued their match against Lusatia Park First XI at Woori Yallock Reserve. Last week Kilsyth were all out for 124 and Lusatia Park were 3/87 off 26 overs at stumps on Day 1 with Lucas Parker 34* and Sumant Gupta 10*. Upon resumption, Lusatia Park lost Lucas Park-

er in the third over of the day for 35 off 69 balls (6 fours), to be 4/91.

Then, on the last ball of the same over, Sumant Gupta was run out for 13 off 12 balls (2 fours) and Lusatia were now 5/99.

In the next over, Jamie Tooth took a wicket (clean bowled) and Lusatia Park were suddenly 6/99.

However, they steadied and after losing their seventh wicket, caught by Max Wills off the bowling of Justin Smith, they immediately declared at 7/127 off 32.5 overs with Andrew Van Der Vlugt 22* off 12 balls (5 fours).

For Kilsyth, Captain Justin Smith took 2/24 off 6.5 overs (3 maidens), Ryan Tooth 2/41 off 10 overs (1 maiden), Rhys Kearney 1/12 off 4 overs (1 maiden), and Joshua Bock 1/15 off 2 overs.

In their second innings, Kilsyth lost early wickets to be 1/4, 2/11 and 3/11 with opening bowler Adam Dunn claiming all three wickets.

It was 4/32 when Kyan Harper was dismissed for 13 off 9 balls (3 fours).

This brought Will Beard to the crease to join Daniel Caton and they shared a fifth wicket partnership of 147.

The partnership came to an end when Daniel Caton was dismissed for 68 off 165 balls, including 12 fours.

Will Beard went on to score a magnificent 115 off 157 balls (17 fours and 1 six), his first maiden senior century.

In the end, Kilsyth finished on 7/256 off 73 overs.

Others to make useful contributions were U16 player Joshua Bock, who scored 17 off 43 balls (3 fours), and Ryan Tooth 23* off 34 balls (3 fours).

For Lusatia Park, Adam Dunn captured 3/34 off 10overs(3maidens),TerryBennett2/31off15overs (6 maidens), Chris Reynolds 1/20 off 5 overs, and Tyson Gaskett 1/59 off 15 overs (2 maidens).

Wicket keeper Sumant Gupta took three catches whilst Timothy Diggins took two.

In the Third XI two-day match against Warranwood at Roy Baldwin Reserve, Kilsyth set about chasing Warranwood’s massive score of 7/342cc.

On the first ball of the second day, the Redbacks lost a wicket to be 1/0.

However, Jarrod McPhee and Robert Hutchings then added 68 for the second wicket before McPhee was caught behind for 37 off 46 balls (6 fours and 1 six) on the first ball of the 13th over.

Another good partnership between Hutchings and Matt Harper, 49 off 47 balls (7 fours and 1 six), saw Kilsyth reach 3/134 off 26.4 overs.

At the half-way mark after 40 overs, the score was 3/192 and the Redbacks were on track to chase down the huge target.

However, when the score had reached 210 in the 45 th over, Captain Robert Hutchings was caught by Matthew Rooks off the bowling of Harvey McLeod for a patient 60 off 126 balls (8 fours).

At that stage Mark Unternahrer was on 32* and the pair had added 76 for the fourth wicket.

After another wicket in the same over, it became 5/210 from 45 overs. Mark Unternahrer, who had peeled off four centuries in his last four innings, was the next wicket to fall for 33 off 51 balls (5 fours) and Kilsyth were now 6/212 after 46 overs.

A promising seventh wicket partnership of 31 in 6 overs ended in an unfortunate run out which saw Kilsyth 7/243 off 52 overs.

When the score had reached 7/299 in the 63rd over, Kilsyth needed 44 off 17.3 overs with three wickets in hand.

However, it was at this point that Michael Sturt was dismissed for 32 off 38 balls (4 fours and 1 six).

Then Paul Doughty picked up his second wicket in the same over and the Redbacks were now 9/299 off 63 overs.

The end came quickly when Steve Galea was out for a well-made 40 off 57 balls (4 fours and 2 sixes) andKilsythwerealloutfor302from63.5overs.Even

Cat is chasing the pigeons...

Round five of the Eastern Suburbs +55 Senior pennant was played at the Yering Meadows golf club. A darker than usual morning and roadworks altered normal travel plans. Drivers negotiated hills, narrow roads and headlight glare to arrive on time. Managers yawning and sipping coffee as the troops rolled up. Green fees were exchanged for maps and score cards. Last weeks substitute managers moved back to being just players. The mild and still morning was in contrast to the advertised showers and overcast. No dew to dampen socks as the fellows practiced putting. A few swung lustily in the nets. A couple more honed their skills on chipping green. Playing shows how much was actually learned. After all the practice and friendly banter, play began. On time again at

7.30. The Nursery course was in excellent condition. The fairways were well covered and let the balls run easily. Sometimes extra distance was gained and other times the extra run and slope had the ball in a hazard. A few kangaroos dotted the course. They may have arrived from Eastern or Heritage where there are thousands.

Yering Meadows has undertaken a few cosmetic changes in the past months. Tea tree scrub around paths and tee areas has given the course an open look and pleasant views. Many bunkers have been removed and replaced with grass. A more enjoyable but no less testing layout for a golf game. Water hazards remain, though presently not as full or forbidding as they will be. Several

though the team lost, it was a good effort overall. Consequently, Kilsyth finished fourth on the home and away ladder and will play top team Warrandyte in the Semi Final next weekend.

The multiple wicket takers for Warranwood were Paul Doughty, 2/13 off 3 overs, Jai Hayes 2/33 off 9.5 overs, and Harvey McLeod 2/44 off 7 overs (1 maiden).

Fourth XI:

The Fourth XI continued their split innings twoday match against Heathwood Third XI at Ringwood Secondary College.

On Day 1, Kilsyth batted first and were 8/48 after the first split of 36 overs.

On Day 2 Heathwood resumed their innings on 2/86.

The Redbacks fought back well to have Heathwood 8/156 after 65 overs.

However, they eventually declared at 9/206 off 71.5 overs.

The chief run getters were Tierney Reid 52* retired (3 fours), Riley McDowell 49 (1 four), Kasun Weerasinghe 31* (2 fours) and Josh Steen 28 (2 sixes).

For Kilsyth, Matt Young took 2/32 off 15 overs (5 maidens), Brodie Goodwin 2/42 off 14 overs (1 maiden), Jordan Relf 2/10 off 9 overs (1 maiden), Louis Potter 2/28 off 7 overs, and Shaun Goodwin 1/14 off 8 overs (2 maidens).

Resuming on 8/48, Kilsyth were dismissed for 63.

For Heathwood, Richard Gordon took 2/2 off 5 overs (4 maidens), Patrick Danaher 3/19 off 16 overs (8 maidens), Gayan Udayakantha 2/8 off 4 overs, Josh Steen 1/3 off 5.1 overs (2 maidens), and Harshana Rajakaruna 1/13 off 9 overs (3 maidens),

Fifth XI:

The Fifth XI played Bayswater Park Third XI in their final one-day match for the season at Elizabeth Bridge Reserve.

Kilsyth won the toss and elected to bat but collapsed to be all out for 57 in 18 overs.

Only Daniel Coppens reached double figures with the bat, scoring 27 off 26 balls (5 fours).

There were also 5 ducks in the innings.

For Bayswater Park, Ryan Toye took 3/4 off 4 overs, Peter Colosimo 3/5 off 4 overs (1 maiden), Ashton Eagles 3/17 off 4 overs (1 maiden), and Chris Robbins 1/4 off 2 overs (1 maiden).

In reply, Bayswater Park had little trouble chasingdownthetarget,scoring2/59off7overswithMichael Robbins scoring 27 off 20 balls (5 fours), and Martin Nellin 15 off 14 balls (2 fours).

The wicket takers for Kilsyth were junior players Ryder Pahi 1/10 and Isaac Coppens 1/6, both off 1 over each.

Women’s First XI:

On Sunday, the Women’s First XI played a oneday Elimination Final match against Belgrave at Alan Smith Oval, Pinks Reserve in the B Grade competition.

new balls had swimming lessons from which they did not recover.

As the temperature and humidity took toll the error rate rose. Twenty one of forty eight contests went the whole eighteen holes. Seven of those were squared. The biggest win on the day was 7 and 5 by Terry Payne of Heritage followed by Dave Rogers 6 and 4 from Gardiners Run. John Cassar from Gardiners Run didn’t win his match going down 4 and 2. John did have bragging rites and was acknowledged during presentations.

JOHN CASSAR ACED his shot on the 12th hole. HOLE IN ONE. Something all golfers dream of achieving. He did it, now you try.

The top teams, both from Box Hill (the pigeons) are being chased by (the cats) a big bunch

Belgrave won the toss and elected to bowl. Kilsyth lost on comparative over rate.

Belgrave’s Chloe Harris claimed the first wicket (LBW) on the second ball of her second over and Kilsyth were 1/11 off 2.2 overs.

When opener Belinda Hutchings was caught and bowled by Jess Walker for 16 off 31 balls (2 fours), the Redbacks were 2/34 off 10.5 overs. It was soon 3/34 when Jess Walker claimed her second wicket (LBW).

From there, Kilsyth lost regular wickets: 4/48, 5/55, 6/55, 7/55 and 8/69 off 26 overs when Tegan Unternahrer was caught behind by ‘keeper Yvonne Pleydell off the bowling of Kayla Jaremczuk for 28 off 70 balls (3 fours).

It was 9/73 when Pleydell took her third catch behind the stumps, this time off the bowling of Kirsten Bindley.

A Club record last wicket partnership of 30 between Nicole Woolhouse, 16 off 38 balls (1 four), and Nisansala Hettiarachchi 8* off 20 balls, gave Kilsyth a final score of 103 to defend.

For Belgrave, Gabby Weston took 2/7 off 4 overs (1 maiden), Gigi Collins 2/8 off 3 overs, Jess Walker 2/12 off 7 overs (2 maidens), Kirsten Bindley 2/15 off 4.4 overs, Kayla Jaremczuk 1/3 off 2 overs (1 maiden), and Chloe Harris 1/10 off 3 overs.

After the tea break, Belgrave began the run chase.

The first ball was despatched to the square leg boundary but Lecia Baldry’s second ball claimed the first wicket (clean bowled).

So, Belgrave were 1/4 after two balls in a dramatic start to their innings.

Ishleen Lamba and Jess Walker then took the score to 33 before Walker was bowled by Lecia Baldry for 12 off 17 balls (2 fours) in the seventh over.

Medium pacer Sarah Gibbs claimed the third wicket, caught by sister Serena Gibbs at short mid-wicket to see Belgrave 3/38 after 11 overs. Rain was falling but play continued and the Kilsyth bowlers found the ball difficult to grip.

After 9 runs were scored off the first four balls of the 16th over, the game was stopped due to the rain at 4.50pm with Belgrave 3/52 off 15.4 overs with Ishleen Lamba 26* and Gigi Collins 5*.

After a break of about 15 minutes, the match was recommenced with rain still falling.

Once the minimum 18 overs had been bowled to constitute a match, the game was again stopped due to the rain at 5.17pm. At that stage Belgrave were 4/64 off 18 overs. Itwasnotrecommencedagainuntil6.16pmand play then continued until the cut-off time of 6.40pm when Belgrave were 6/81 from 24 overs.

Ishleen Lamba top scored with 36 off 70 balls (4 fours) and Chloe Harris was 13* off 24 balls. For Kilsyth, Lecia Baldry captured 3/15 off 6 overs and Sarah Gibbs 3/19 off 6 overs (1 maiden).

of teams equally placed to snatch the lead. Only two rounds remain for the season. Box Hill gold having lost for the first time is in danger of losing its crown. Box Hill green maintains the mean machine style not losing so far. The struggle for top spot is on in earnest now. Cats or Pidgeon’s who wins?

Results this week:

■Gold group. Churchill/Waverley 5 def Gardiners Run 3. Yering 6 def Eastern 2. Heritage 4 ½ def Box Hill 3 ½

■Green group, Eastern 5 def Yering 3. Churchill/ Waverley 5 ½ def Gardiners Run 2 ½ Box Hill 5 ½ def Heritage 2 ½ Play well. David Waters

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