Star Weekly - Sunbury Macedon Ranges - 14th April 2026

The mate you need

Sunbury youth Harley Elliott is back with a new fundraiser, this time raising money for anti-bullying charity Dolly’s Dream.

Alongside running 60km this month, Harley will also host Make Some Mates Day, an event for kids in Sunbury struggling to make friends or experiencing bullying a space to find some new friends.

Find out more about his fundraising efforts on page five.

10, continues to run for a new cause. (Damjan

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VCAT permit fight

By Georgia Tacey

Macedon Ranges council has said it would have refused a permit for a new childcare centre in Gisborne – but the proposal has already been appealed above council’s jurisdiction.

A planning application for a new childcare centre in Howey Street has been appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) after council did not make a decision on the application in the prescribed timeframe. At the 25 March council meeting, councillors unanimously voted to not

support the proposal at VCAT, and said if council was still the responsible authority on the permit, it would not have been approved.

Council’s stance follows significant public objection to the proposal, with 64 residents opposing the project when it was advertised to the public.

Council said the proposal would have been rejected for a number of planning scheme inconsistencies, including the building design, the height and style of fencing and the existing or desired future character of the area.

The scale and intensity of the use of

the building will not maintain township character and is not in a suitable location, according to council.

Council also said the proposal fails to provide enough car parking spaces, and will have impacts to road usage due to the increased number of vehicles resulting in traffic congestion and the lack of continuous public footpaths.

Cr Jennifer Anderson said she thanked the community for the feedback submitted to show the true usage of Howey Street.

“We’re not saying no to childcare, they justhavetobeintherightlocation.Youhave to have the right amenities. We really value

our neighbourhood character,” she said. “I think it’s really important that people that are considering childcare centres really do consider sites appropriately, designs, size, and that is what would appear to have not been considered in this application.”

Cr Rob Guthrie said the high number of objections showed how unwanted this proposal was.

“This is a very lovely part of old Gisborne, no footpaths, no curb and channel, and beautiful street trees and that must be preserved,” he said.

The matter will go to VCAT in July.

Ranges budget shake-up

By Georgia Tacey

Macedon Ranges council has cancelled four projects as part of its capital works program among a number of mid-year budget changes.

Adopted at the 25 March council meeting,thebudgetshake-uphasremoved projects council says it won’t be able to complete this financial year. Council has also identified several that may need to carry over to the next budget and added in some projects it can achieve this financial year.

The projects removed include the DaylesfordtoHangingRockRailTrail,with $467,000 returned to the budget, as council said the project requires further scoping

and funding from the state government.

A further $100,000 will be returned for the Kyneton Town Hall Reimagined project, as council said it also requires further scoping and funding contributions from other levels of government.

Council also cancelled two projects that required loans to be drawn up, including the replacement of the boiler at the Gisborne Aquatic Centre which needs further scoping.

TheKynetonLandfillBiofilterprojectwas recommended to be cancelled, as council saidadditionalworkisbeingundertakento explore options that satisfy Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) requirements andtheprojectwillneedtowaituntilthat’s done.

As such, the loan of $787,000 won’t be drawn up.

Council also removed a further three projects, but replaced them with projects council said was ready to proceed.

The Burke and Wills Track project in Baynton was removed, a Three Chain Road, Carlsruhe project was removed, and Noonan Grove in Woodend was removed, totalling $2.67 million in funding.

These were replaced with Swinburne Avenue, Gisborne, Boundary Road, Gisborne, and Gisborne Aquatics Centre Energy Analysis, for a total of $1.2 million.

A further $15,000 was also added to the Gisborne Fields Landscape Plan, and an additional $40,000 was transferred from Community Facilities – West Reserve to

Glenn marks four decades of service

Woodend paramedic Glenn Palmer recentlycelebrated40yearsofservicetothe community and Ambulance Victoria.

Mr Palmer started his career in his hometown of Swan Hill where he spent the first eight years of his career, before a short-term paramedic reliever position opened at Woodend.

“I applied and was rostered to one week of shifts, but before I headed down, they advertised the permanent position,” he said.

He applied and was offered the role, with his first week of shifts turning into 32 years and counting living and working in Woodend, which he said was a big change for him and his wife Bev.

“Woodend was a two-officer branch, but weworkedonourownassingleresponders. We used to work 10 eight-hour days then have four days off. But of those 10 days, for seven nights you were on-call,” Mr Palmer said.

“Back in those days, I’d come home on-call and if the phone rang and it was one of Bev’s family, I’d have to tell her ‘don’t talk for too long’. Our landline was the only waytheambulancedispatcherscouldgetin contact with me. We didn’t have the pagers orradioswehavenow.Itwasveryrestrictive for my family.”

Across four decades in ambulance, Mr Palmer has seen significant change and much of what stands out most is from his early days in Woodend.

“Back then, you did almost everything on your own. You’d transport people that you wouldn’t think about transporting on your own now. It was a very different time,” he said.

“When I first started in Woodend, there was no freeway bypass, so all the traffic went through the middle of town on a 100km/h road with two lanes in each direction. Particularly in the winters, there’dbesevenoreighthead-oncollisions. I was often responding on my own, and the back-up would be another single responder 10 or 20 minutes away.”

After 40 years, Mr Palmer said he knows he’s close to the end of his career,

To help others and serve the community is what I joined for and is what I’m proud to have done - Glenn Palmer

Woodend paramedic Glenn Palmer. (Supplied) but said he continues to love to serve his community.

“To help others and serve the community

fund the Woodend Kindergarten Gate and Fence project.

Nine projects were identified as carry forward, with potential inclusion in the next budget.

Cr Jennifer Anderson said it’s important to look at what projects aren’t tracking.

“We need all the money to do projects that we need to do now,” Cr Anderson said.

“We can’t really afford to be putting something aside for something that might happen down the track, and I say this particularly in reference to Noonan Grove because this has been a process that’s been going on for quite some time.” She said that project won’t be complete by the end of this budget, with more scoping work to be done.

YOUR SAY

Men without a shed I write regarding Star Weekly’s story

‘Glimmer of hope’ which appeared on the front page of the 7 April edition.

The fact that several years ago, when the men requested the Sutherlands Road site, an ethical sympathetic council would have known the anguish the men were going through losing their shed, through no fault of their own, and would have moved a motion to alter the ‘current zoning’ to allow a men’s shed to be erected on the Recreation Reserve after all, a men’s shed gives its members a social space to connect, learn and engage in activities. It’s called recreation.

As it is, the landlocked site suggested (which will take until November to realise) is ludicrous. I wonder how and who in the planning department came up with this idea? Are there any services available on that site?

Importantly, the shed will not be visible to the community!

The suggested access via the Catholic Church is a time bomb. They only have to close and sell their property, and oh dear, no access!

Who has the power to control the council which led to this decision?

Councils are in place to support their communities, I’m afraid this council has failed abominably in this regard.

In utter disgust,

HAVE YOUR SAY

Christine Clark, Riddells Creek

StarWeeklywelcomes letters to the editor as well as comments and story tips on our websites and Facebook pages.

Post: Corner Thomsons Road and Keilor Park Drive, Keilor Park, 3042

Email: westletters@starweekly.com.au Web: starweekly.com.au

is what I joined for and is what I’m proud to have done in the Macedon Ranges and Swan Hill.”

Ranges club benefits from an all abilities grant

A Macedon Ranges sporting club has benefited from the Regional All Abilities Participation Grant.

Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas announced that Hanging Rock Cricket Club will receive a grant which will strengthen and expand on and off the field opportunities for people with disability.

The club received a grant of $7425, which will go towards purchasing protective gear and a portable ramp.

Ms Thomas congratulated the club on

receiving the grant.

“We’re delighted to support more programs that open up more all-abilities opportunities for Victorians – as instructors, coaches, volunteers or administrators,” she said.

“This initiative creates inclusive spaces where people with disability can not only participate, but kick start new opportunities to learn and excel in a range of roles in the sports they love.”

The Regional All Abilities Participation

Grants provides funding of up to $25,000 to boost access, inclusion and participation.

The grants program helps more people with disability benefit from the physical, social and mental health advantages of sport and active recreation.

The grants are part of the state government’s $40 million All Abilities Sport Fund, which removes barriers for people with disability to get involved in sport and recreation in regional Victoria.

Details: sport.vic.gov.au

Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly

Speed reduction proposed

By Georgia Tacey

Macedon Ranges council will consider a proposal to reduce the speed limit at the Three Chain Road intersection at its April meeting.

Director assets and operations Dom Testoni confirmed that council will provide an update on its investigation into the Three Chain Road/Dons Road/Egans Lane intersection in Newham at the 22 April council meeting.

He said this would include the latest on investigations, actions and advocacy efforts, and could confirm it includes a recommendation from council to the Department of Transport and Planning to lower the speed

limit along the section of Three Chain Road immediately surrounding the intersection to 80km/h.

Currently, the speed limit on Three Chain Road is 100km/h going into the intersection.

In March, council commissioned an independent road safety audit at the notorious intersection following a crash that killed a Kyneton man and seriously injured a Malmsbury man.

Residents living along the intersection have called for improvements for a number of years after witnessing multiple accidents and near misses.

Newham resident Kerri Ritchie was pleased to hear council taking action on the

situation.

“We do welcome the news, but we just want to make sure that the changes are in the best interests of the community that lives along that road and uses it,” she said.

Ms Ritchie said the amount of b-double trucks travelling along the road remains her top concern.

“There’s nowhere for the trucks to pull off the road on Three Chain. A lot of them pull off into our school bus zones,” she said.

“There’s so many pot holes and wear and tear. It’s a council road and we just hope that they continue to look at the entire road.

“We hope the process can move quickly from here.”

Smart students realise robotics dream

Four youths from Global Village Learning recently returned from competing at a national robotics competition.

The four teenagers were the second smallest group joining the First Robotics Southern Cross Regional Competition in Sydney, all competing for the very first time.

TeamcaptainIansaidhefirstheardabout the First Robotics competitions through a friend, and set up a robotics team at the Gisborne school to compete in competitions.

He said his friend was part of a robotics team in Bayswater, with the team lending the four boys their first robot to compete with.

“They lent us a robot, but we had to finish [building it] and then we used it to compete in the Melbourne Robotics Tournament,” Ian said.

“From there, we applied for grants, and did all sorts of things to get to the Southern Cross Regional Competition.

“We competed there and it was awesome to see everything that was going on and all the teamwork.

“It was great to see all the teamwork and when we had a problem or when we had a part that was missing, lots of teams would help us out so that everybody can compete and it was really great to see that.”

Ms Ritchie said there’s still other issues at the intersection she hopes council will address and act on, including the school bus stop at the intersection which local children use daily.

“Every week this is delayed, you still have all of these children along Three Chain Road, waiting to board buses in a 100km/h zone, often in heavy fog,” she said.

“Long term, we do have to look at the speed limit for that whole road, that’s what we believe, but we’re happy with this as a starting point.”

The recommendation will need to pass the chamber before a formal request is submitted to DTP.

Speeding drivers caught in Ranges

More than 30 speeding drivers were caught across the Easter long weekend in the Macedon Ranges.

During Operation Nexus, a major five-day road safety police operation, 32 speeding offences were recorded across the Ranges. Police detected four unregistered vehicles and three drink drivers.

In Hume, police caught five disqualified drivers between Thursday 2 and Monday 6 April. Police issued four infringement notices for disobeying signs and signals, pulled up three unlicensed drivers and detected five drivers speeding.

Across the state, police recorded 7,500 traffic offences during Operation Nexus, with almost half of those for speeding.

Road Policing Acting Assistant Commissioner Justin Goldsmith said it was a busy weekend for officers and police would remain active throughout the school holidays.

Ian said while the group didn’t place high, he was very happy with everything they were able to achieve as such a small group.

The school’s tech coordinator Pat Daly, who helped mentor the group, was very proud to see what they were able to achieve.

“Some of the other teams they were up against have got corporate sponsorships, they’ve got up to 90 team members … then you’ve got these four young men that are going in for the entire thing,” he said.

“They’ve been the driving force and to even get there, to get to Sydney was amazing.”

“Ultimately, all traffic penalties are completely avoidable if motorists stick to the rules,” he said.

“With school holidays underway in Victoria, motorists will see police remaining highly visible and enforcing on the state’s roads over the coming weeks, and should expect to be tested anywhere, anytime.”

Family’s reel contribution

Operating from the 1920s through the 1970s, the Sunshine Picture Theatre served as a vibrant entertainment hub for locals in Melbourne’s west. For many years, the Kirby family operated the theatre, with son Roc Kirby later going on to found Village Roadshow. Sam Porter got in touch with the Sunshine Historical Society to explore the Kirby family’s legacy, the early film industry, and residents’ cherished memories of the theatre.

Brimbank resident Shaun Crosbie said he still holds fond, if hazy, memories of attending Sunshine Picture Theatre as a boy.

His strongest recollections are of watching cartoon serials at the theatre –episodesoffilmsshowninweeklysegments – from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s.

“Each week the serial invariably ended with the hero, generally in the white hat, in mortal danger of being run over by a train, hanging by his fingers dangling over a cliff or frantically pursuing a runaway coach heading for a cliff”, he said.

“You had to come back next week to see what eventuated.”

It was during the ‘golden years’ of film and cinemas were rapidly expanding to suburban districts around Melbourne post-World War II.

The western film genre was also surging in popularity.

“The stars I can remember are Hopalong Cassidy, Tim Holt, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the Lone Ranger although I think their horses were more important”, Shaun said.

“The best part of the Saturday afternoon outing would be if you had a few pence [left] over to buy, on the way home, some liquoriceblocksor,evenbetter,somepotato cakes wrapped in the daily newspaper”.

It was thanks to a man named George Kirby that Shaun holds such cherished childhood memories of the theatre.

A Sunshine Advocate article published in 1938 described how George Kirby and his family came to the working class region in Melbourne’s west seven years earlier, taking over the management of Sunshine Picture Theatre.

“... Which at the time was about to close altogether so bad were the conditions in Sunshine”, the article read.

“However, by dint of hard work and sacrifice, the family weathered the depression and the last few years has witnessed a steady improvement in the popularity of the theatre”.

The article detailed a grand reopening of the theatre attended by a large crowd of locals after George oversaw major renovations of the building.

“The renovations reflect great credit on Mr G. Kirby, who has shown by his enterprise and energy the confidence he has in Sunshine”, the article stated.

George was also heavily involved with the community.

According to the article, he served as president of the Druids Cricket Club and as senior vice-president of the cricket association, while also being active in cross-country and the local football club.

“His theatre has always given cheerfully in the cause of charity”, the Advocate article read.

FollowingthesuccessofSunshinePicture Theatre, George would later open cinemas in Altona, Bacchus Marsh, Sorrento and the Roxy Theatre in Maidstone.

Among the locals who attended the theatre in Sunshine were the late Kevin and Florence Wanders.

Their daughters Prue Wanders and Kym Parker (neé Wanders) recall their parents reminiscing about the theatre while courting as a young couple in the early 1950s.

“We always heard stories from mum and dad”, Prue said. “Mum and dad always said that Mrs Kirby would stand there and check their mouths before they went in, for chewing gum, so no one would put chewing gum under the seat”.

Kym said the whole of Hampshire Road was a social hub at the time.

“It was quite a busy part of Sunshine acrosstherebecausetherewastheMasonic Hallonthecornerwheretheyusedtogofor dancing”, she said.

“When [the theatre] was up and running they used to allow community groups to go in there at no charge.

“A few doors down was the church. That’s where mum and dad got married in 1955. They were together 67 years”.

Prue described a community that “used to have a ball” dancing at the Masonic Hall before heading to the theatre.

“I think everyone back then was hardworking and it wasn’t a rich community. That was their fun, going out together and having a good time. That was their life”, she said.

In his book, ‘On With the Show’, author John Cain interviewed Roc Kirby, the son of George.

Roc said he saw the Sunshine Picture Theatre as ‘establishing’ his father, mostly because it was a lot more successful than the first theatre he opened in Parkdale.

In the book, Cain mentioned how the whole family helped out at the Sunshine business.

Roc, who attended Sunshine Technical School at the time, got his start in the industry by selling candy bar items in the theatre aisles, and later learnt how to operate the projector.

Following the success of his other theatres,GeorgeformedtheKirbyTheatres company, appointing Roc as director, the book explained.

The young director would go on to open a franchise network of ‘Village Drive-In’ theatres throughout Melbourne, including in Sunshine and Brooklyn, and eventually

establish the Village Roadshow company.

Long-time Sunshine resident and real estate agent Richard Popczyk was another regular at the Sunshine Picture Theatre.

While his memories are fuzzy he does remember getting up to a bit of mischief with his friends.

“It was interesting because the picture theatre was elevated so it sloped down. We used to take [jaffa balls] out of the bag and watch them roll down to the front. It was just a fun thing”, he said.

“To me, in that age, the only thing you could go to was the pictures. There was no TV to my knowledge then. It was always exciting to go to the movies”.

The Sunshine Picture Theatre continued operating until the 1970s.

Richard crossed paths with the building againinthemid-1990sasarealestateagent auctioning off the site.

The building was later purchased by property investor Kevin Wanders who renovated the building into offices with his daughter Prue.

“Dad sold the theatre in 2005 to Centre Com and they’ve had it ever since”, Kym said.

The sisters reflected on their parents’ fond memories of Sunshine and the former theatre, a building which Heritage Council Victoria described as “a relatively well-preserved pre-WWII cinema” of “historical, architectural and social significance to the City of Brimbank“.

“We would spend many weekends just around the table, having a cup of tea and talking about the good old times”, Kym said.

Prue added: “I would’ve loved to have seen the clothes and the dancing and the cars. It would’ve been an awesome era to be in”.

Reserve masterplan adopted

By Georgia Tacey

Macedon Ranges council has finally adopted a masterplan for Woodend Racecourse Reserve following three years of work and councillor backlash.

Adopted at the 25 March council meeting, not all councillors were fully in support of the masterplan, which outlines the future use and projects of the reserve that was once home to horse races but now is utilised by multiple sporting groups.

The main point of contention was the inclusion of a rectangular sporting pitch for soccer, which Cr Alison Joseph had concerns with it conflicting with the equestrian uses.

“I’m concerned that its actually located on top of the Woodend Pony Club’s main arena,andcutsofftheaccesstothoseyards,” she said.

“The pony club has also previously provided feedback that having a soccer pitch, football pitch in close proximity to their activities when they’ve got horses could be a safety hazard.”

Cr Joseph said the sporting pitch was in conflict with the shire’s Sports and Active Recreation Strategy (2018-2028).

She said the strategy notes that there are no additional venues or clubs proposed for the duration of the strategy, and only rec-

ommends monitoring the need in Woodend for a soccer pitch.

Cr Joseph also said there were already seven soccer pitches across the shire.

“We are now proposing to incorporate a rectangular soccer pitch into the racecourse reserve despite that being contrary to our own sports strategy,” she said.

The inclusion of the rectangular pitch was brought to council through a petition received following the first round of community consultation in 2024, which council resolved to consider its development within the masterplan development.

Cr Janet Pearce, who said she originally moved the petition in September 2024, said

Warm up with Woodend Winter Arts fest

Australia’s longest-running winter arts festival returns in June. Woodend Winter Arts Festival will offer a four-day program of music, performance, words and ideas in the heart of the Macedon Ranges.

Over four days, from June 5–8 June, Woodend transforms into an intimate cultural hub, hosting world-class musicians and leading thinkers across captivating performances, conversations and screenings. The 2026 program spans classical and contemporary performance, family events, opera, theatre and powerful conversations.

More than 90 artists will appear in venues throughout the village – from the soaring acoustics of St Ambrose Church to

the intimacy of St Ambrose Hall next door – offering audiences the rare chance to experience exceptional talent up close.

This year’s program opens with an electrifying jazz concert from the Chris Johnstone/ Mat Jodrell Quartet, setting the tone for a weekend rich with musical discovery.

Attendees can look forward to exceptional performances across classical, contemporary, opera, theatre and family programming. Highlights include Coady Green’s dramatic pairing of Liszt and Linda Kouvaras sonatas; one of the first Australian performances of Paul Wiancko’s acclaimed LIFT by Affinity Quartet; and the long-awaited return of Monteverdi’s

monumental 1610 Vespers by Ensemble Gombert and Accademia Arcadia conducted by John O’Donnell, who will also direct a performance of Bach’s Musical Offering.

Pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska will pair with one of Australia’s most lauded composersElenaKats-Chernin,traversing the wondrous catalogue of Kats-Chernin’s music. Cislowska will also provide a masterclass event for school-aged pianists. Families can immerse themselves in the magical world of Scheherazade and the 1001 Nights, performed by Inventi Ensemble. ickets are on sale now. To view WWAF’s full program of events visit: woodendwinterartsfestival.org.au

New paramedics on the job saving lives in the Macedon Ranges

Two new paramedics have arrived in the Macedon Ranges.

Ambulance Victoria has just welcomed its first intake of new paramedic recruits for 2026, with 20 graduate ambulance paramedics starting their careers on 30 March and set to be on the road on 27 April.

Of the 20, six were placed in metropolitan Melbourne while 14 were placed across regional Victoria, including two for the Loddon Mallee region.

The new paramedics will be based in Gisborne and Woodend.

Ambulance Victoria executive director quality and clinical innovation Dr Tegwyn McManamny welcomed the new recruits.

“Working as a paramedic is an extraordinarily unique experience. Very few jobs will have such a profound and deep impact on peoples’ lives,” Dr McManamny said.

“Our paramedics, first responders, volunteers and support staff are our greatest strength. It is through them that we lead the way in patient care, including the nation’s best cardiac arrest survival rates.

“We now have more than 5,600 on-

it proved the need for the multi-use pitch.

“We did say with the (Sports and Active Recreation) Strategy, that we would look and monitor the demand, and I think that it was very clear there is a lot of demand at the moment with some sports at the reserve,” she said.

All councillors expect Cr Joseph supported the masterplan.

Alongside the pitch, other proposed works and upgrades at the reserve include a potential site for the Woodend Mens Shed, two additional basketball courts, a new playspace, and improvements to changing facilities and toilets to boost inclusion for female sports.

Making mates with brave young Harley

After experiencing bullying himself, Harley Elliott wants to make sure no more kids feel alone with his new fundraiser and event.

The 10-year-old from Sunbury is doing a new fundraiser for April, doubling his goals from 2025.

Last year, he ran 30km over April to raise money for the White Ribbon Foundation, and this year he’s set to hit 60km for a new cause close to his heart.

Harley’s raising money for Dolly’s Dream, an anti-bullying charity, by running and also hosting a special event.

Harley will also host Make Some Mates Day in Sunbury, an event for kids to come together who may be struggling to make friends or have experienced bullying themselves.

“I chose Dolly’s Dream to help because in the past, I got bullied quite badly,” Harley said.

“When I was in grade two, things got so bad that I didn’t want to go to school. I didn’t feel safe and I had trouble dealing with making friends.

“I had a lot of help from some good teachers, family and some kids at school who stuck up for me.”

Harley said he doesn’t want any kid to feel like they’re alone.

“I am hosting Make Some Mates Day for kids who have been through what I have, or have had trouble making friends,” he said.

“I want them to know that I’ll be there for anyone who needs a friend.”

Make Some Mates Day will be held from 4.30-6.30pm at the Sunbury Youth Centre on Thursday 16 April.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, with food provided.

Donate: https://tinyurl.com/mr3zyr6z

road paramedics delivering the very best life-saving care, everywhere, and it’s great to see more joining our ranks.”

Having completed their university degree, all new graduates start at Ambulance Victoria with a comprehensive four-week induction and training program, giving them the ‘real world’ skills they need to hit the road alongside experienced paramedics.

During this induction, recruits learn vital skills such as safely moving and loading patients to prevent injuries and safely driving ambulance vehicles.

Park takeover investigated

By Georgia Tacey

A Macedon Ranges councillor wants council to take over responsibility for a state government-owned asset.

Cr Daniel Young successfully moved a notice of motion for council officers to prepare a report on how the shire can take over the ongoing management of the Lancefield Park Precinct.

Currently, the park is owned by the state government, and managed by a volunteer committee of management appointed by the state government.

As part of the report, council will investigate the current governance and management arrangements for the park, the estimated ongoing budget required, and if council needs to undertake any capital works on the site taking into account the current conditions of the precinct.

Cr Young said this would not lock council into taking over management of the site, but will investigate if it may be a possibility.

He said he and other councillors have had conversations about the management of the precinct.

“I think one of the main things that has

been brought to me from members of the community is a matter of equity,” he said.

“It’s fairly well recognised by people that council does manage other places in the shire, and we contribute quite a bit to the upkeep and use of similar types of public land, that open space around the shire.

“There is a feeling that Lancefield doesn’t havethatflowofassistancecomingtothem.”

Cr Young said council already provides support, which he called a “token amount”

“What’s missing is there’s a disconnect between our contribution there and our role and responsibility and authority over it,” he said.

CWA creatives showcase their handiwork

Country Women’s Association (CWA) groups across the Macedon Ranges are uniting for a special autumn exhibition.

CWA Central Highlands is hosting its Creative Arts Exhibition, showcasing members from all 13 branches and their creations throughout the year.

Over two days, the hall will be packed with a mix of art, craft, preserves and home cooking, as CWA creatives come together to celebrate what they’ve been working on.

CWA board director Amanda Millar welcomed the community to come

down to the event.

“This will be a fantastic event, showcasing the best art, craft and cooking skills from Sunbury and the wider Central HighlandsGroupofbranches,”shesaid.“I look forward to attending this every year, and of course I make sure I have a scone andacuppawithafriendwhileI’mthere.”

Once you browse through the displays, you can also enjoy a homemade lunch or relax with a cuppa and scone at the cosy cafe corner.

You can also purchase goods on the day, including the popular craft de-stash

stall for bargain craft supplies, or take home some preserves made by local CWA members.

The CWA Central Highlands Group Creative Arts Exhibition will be held over 18 and 19 April at the Lancefield Mechanics Institute.

On Saturday 18 April, it will be open from 10am-4pm, and on Sunday 19 April it will be open from 10am-3pm.

An awards ceremony will be held at 11am on Saturday.

Entry to the exhibition is $5 for adults, with kids under 16 free.

Cr Daniel Scanlon said the Lancefield ParkPrecinctistheonlyrecreationreservein the shire that was managed by a committee of management.

“If you spoke to the people in Lancefield, they’d probably think we are the managers there,” he said.

While Cr Alison Joseph ultimately voted for the motion, she said she was concerned about the costs associated with taking over management, if council chose to do so.

The report will come back to council within three months.

Innovation group established

Macedon Ranges council will establish an advisory Innovation Working Group.

The new group, which will form part of the councillor briefing program, will be a space where councillors can test ideas and help improve customer experience, transparency, organisationwide efficiencies and more.

The working group will be a low-cost model that will also help drive new ideas, including how council can improve as well as undertake strategic problemsolving across council services.

The working group was endorsed at the 25 March council meeting, and mayor Kate Kendall said she hopes the working group will find new efficiencies for council.

“It provides a space to test ideas before they’re developed into formal proposals, and also with the goodwill and collaboration of external experts, many of whom are often willing to share knowledge at no cost,” she said.

“This is a low-cost, high value innovation model for ratepayers, and the working group ensures initiatives are structured, targeted and outcome driven.”

Cr Daniel Young hopes the working group will find ways for council to save money.

“The notion that has come up time and time again from councillors is about innovative ways to save money … so to have the inference of this committee, we’re looking at ways in which we can be more efficient and give value back to the ratepayers,” he said.

The working group will not be a decision-making body, and only operate as a discussion and exploration group between councillors, the chief executive officer and officers.

Council to fix dangerous paths

Hume council will draw up maps of every footpath and cycling trail across the municipality to identify and fix dangerous and disconnected pathways.

Councillor Steve Gagen’s motion to map each suburb’s pathways was passed at the 23 March council meeting. He said the motion was inspired by community ideas for improved walkability and connection heard at the 10 March council meeting.

“[Hume is] a beautiful city with many lovely open spaces and delightful walking trailsandcyclingbutthereisaproblem.Many of these paths and trails are discontinuous, they don’t actually go anywhere,” Cr Gagen said.

Cr Naim Kurt said many suburbs across Hume are not walkable or connected to each other.

“Many of our even established suburbs simply don’t have paths which connect

them,” Cr Kurt said. “For Cambridge Gardens in Atwood, there is no path down Mickleham Road connecting that suburb to Westmeadows and down to Gladstone Park Shopping Centre.

“People west of Mickleham Road simply cannot access the shopping precinct on the east of Mickleham Road because there’s no footpath that connects them there.

“In Jacana Valley there’s only one one path network going up there, there’s another path network which is completely overgrown and not sustainable, not manageable, not walkable as well.”

After the maps are drawn, council officers will develop solutions to fix disconnected paths and report on the costs and benefits of removing these gaps. Council will also liaise with external stakeholders like Melbourne Water and the state government to find ways of solving connectivity issues.

Sunbury Lions are back

The first new members of the Lions Club of Sunbury have been inducted.

On Thursday 26 March, Lions District

Governor Samantha Wu welcomed four new members into the club.

The new members – Andrew Wyllie, David Ohuche, Christine Hocking and Marg Healy – will be working to make the localcommunityawarethattheclubisback and is available to assist the community in any way possible.

Sunbury Lions disbanded in April 2023 after the previous members decided to resign, leaving Sunbury without a Lions Club for the past three years.

Guiding Lion Gerry Monaghan has been advocating to restart the club for Sunbury since 2025, hosting a number of meetings in Sunbury to gain interest in the group.

With the four new members inducted, Mr Monaghan said he hopes this will encourage more people around Sunbury to express interest in the club.

He said Lions do a lot to help out communities, with local Lions clubs recently assisting in bushfire recovery in nearby Harcourt.

Sunbury Lions will also have the backing ofthe74otherclubsinthedistrict,whowill be there to guide them as the group gets its footing in the local community.

The club plans to meet regularly to plan projects and activities within the Sunbury community.

The club is continuing to look for more members to join, and can be reached via email for more information.

Details: sunbury@lions201v1-4.org.au

Briefs

Coaches replace trains

Coaches will replace evening trains on the Bendigo Line as V/Line undertakes maintenance works later this month. From Sunday 19 April until Wednesday 22 April, coaches will replace evening trains for the entire journey. On 19 April, coaches will replace trains from 7.30pm to last service from Bendigo, and from 8.30pm to last service from Southern Cross. From 20 April to 22 April, coaches will replace trains from 9pm to last service from Bendigo, and from 8.30pm to last service from Southern Cross. Passengers should allow for an additional 60 minutes of travel time to their journey.

Police warning

Police are reminding farmers and rural communities across Macedon Ranges to remain vigilant around fuel storage. Police said while they haven’t noticed a rise in fuel thefts, the rising cost of fuel could tempt opportunists, especially in farming communities. Patrols will be increased in rural areas and police will take a firm stance against anyone found on properties without authority. Farmers should secure tanks with strong locks and anti-siphon devices. Police suggest installing CCTV cameras to monitor storage areas. FOR

Ranges Star Weekly @starweeklynews @star_weekly

Tempers flare in the dairy

Williamstown amateur historian Barb McNeill is Star Weekly’s history columnist. This week she tells the tale of family fisticuffs which played out on the streets of Altona.

In the 1920s, “boarding out” was the forerunner of today’s fostering of children. Enlightened minds of the time considered it more humane to place needy youngsters in private homes where families could care for them in return for a government subsidy, rather than placing themincold,impersonalstateorphanages.

Unfortunately, there was some stigma attached to the parents, but these children hadnotbeenheartlesslyabandoned.

It frequently occurred that their parents had suffered injuries or illness which prevented them from caring for their offspring. Sadly, there were cases of foster parents abusing their charges, but on the whole, the scheme seems to have worked quitewell.

On Friday 3 June, 1927, Mrs Elizabeth GroomeofBayviewStreet,Altona,boarded a train at Flinders Street and noticed two women, Mrs Violet Malloy and Mrs Nancy Groome, both residents of Bayview Street, sitting in a carriage. She poked her head inside, to all appearances to enjoy a friendly chat. This innocuous action would culminate in fisticuffs and charges ofassaultbeingheardbythelong-suffering WilliamstownCourt.

A friendly chat never eventuated. As Elizabeth knew, Mrs Malloy’s daughter, Irene, had been boarded out. She mentioned this to Mrs Malloy, and although her exact words have been lost in time, they were considered vulgar, hurtful and offensive, ending with a suggestion of continuing the conversation at Seaholme. Mrs Malloy coldly informed Elizabeth that she had no intention of conversing with her at Seaholme, or anywhere else, for that matter.Elizabethcouldjustgoandboilher head.

Hostilities resumed after the ladies alighted at Altona. In the late afternoon, Elizabeth brought a jug to be filled with milk at Groomes’ Dairy in Bayview Street, and then loitered around Nancy’s front gate. Nancy immediately went for the jugular.

“Why did you say such horrible things to Violet?”

Then, remembering something that had rankled in Malloy and Groome bosoms for several months, she continued, “It was you who wrote that letter to Smith’s Weekly about Altona kids being boarded out, wasn’tit?Yougavetheminformationabout localchildrenunderthecareoftheWelfare Department!”

Elizabeth shrilly denied ever writing to thescandalsheetanddenouncedhersister –in-lawasaliar.

Nancythenscreamedfortheirrespective mother- in- law, Mrs Eliza Groome, who convenientlylivednextdoor,tocometoher aid and assistance. The old lady hobbled overasfastasageandrheumatismallowed. She immediately found herself on the receivingendofElizabeth’sacidtongue.

Alerted by his mother’s screams of outrage, another Groome came at the gallop,ThiswasNancy’shusband,Edward, owner of the dairy and no fan of his sister-in-law.

Emboldened by his wife’s tearful pleas, Edward asserted his masculine authority and ordered Elizabeth off the premises. Never one to submit to bossy males, Elizabeth loudly let Bayview Street know her views on the matter. She would leave

when she wanted to, and not before, so there.

Edward started to reply, but Elizabeth caught him off guard with the jug, which waswieldedwithdevastatingeffect.

Wham! With a howl of agony, Edward found his arm hanging limply, and swore thatitwasbroken.

Nancy leapt to her husband’s assistance bygivinghersister-in-lawadecentshiner.

Elizabeth counter-attacked by choking Nancy,hurlingmilkatEdwardandpouring theremainderoverhissputteringwife.

A hair-pulling match ensued between the two women, greatly entertaining the neighbourhood.

As usual, word reached police ears and the boys in blue hurried to break up the melee before someone was seriously injured.

On 14 June, Elizabeth Groome, charged with using insulting words in public and with assaulting Edward and Nancy Groome, appeared before the Bench of the WilliamstownCourt.

Edward swore that Elizabeth had used profanelanguagetohismother.

Nancy Groome and Mrs Malloy swore that Elizabeth had used loud, hurtful languageinthetrain.

As defendant, Elizabeth denied all accusations.Shehadmerelyenquiredafter Irene’s health, she explained to the Bench. Thechargesweredismissed.

Elizabeth chalked up a tactical victory and prepared for another with her charges againstNancyandEdwardGroome.

Hector MacLean, the beloved Williamstown doctor, stated that he had attended Elizabeth after the brawl, and her black eye and bruises were consistent with anassault.

These, she informed the court, had been caused by Edward throttling her whilst Nancypunchedherintheface.

She now suffered alarming fainting fits as a direct result of this brutality, and any Groome who claimed otherwise was perjuringthemselves.

The Groomes waited anxiously, accompanied by eager crowds of Altona well-wishers, who squeezed into the court house and interjected with many helpful suggestionstotheunappreciativeBench.

The Court chose to ignore Elizabeth’s version,withGeorgeGunn,J.P.,makingthe tart observation that these long-standing family grievances were better settled privately, rather than turning his court houseintoa viciouspublicarena,complete

withnoisyaudience.

Greatly relieved when the Court found in their favour, fining Elizabeth one pound on each charge of assaulting the dairyman and his wife with three guineas costs, the Groomesjubilantlyleftthecourthouse. They had been vindicated, and their troublesome sister-in-law given her come-uppance;itwastimetoenjoyaquick celebration before returning to their cows andmilkingsheds

But if Edward Groome, still nursing his bruised arm and punctured masculine pride thought that this was the end of familydramas,hewaswrong.

On Sunday 2October, his seven-year-old son, Francis, scared the daylights out of everyone when he found human remains inBayviewStreet.

With a possible culprit in mind, Edward immediatelyinformedthepolice.

Constables Smedley and Cooper dug up armbonesandaskull,whichweretakento theWilliamstownmorgue.

Regrettably for Edward and his family, this was not a homicide which could be pinned onto the nasty Elizabeth Groome. Forensic examination proved that the skeleton was Aboriginal and had lain there foratleast150years.

Coming soon to Sunbury

Discover a brand-new community designed for low maintenance living, modern home designs and a vibrant, connected lifestyle.

Located in Sunbury, this exciting new community, spaces and the freedom to live the way you want.

features and exclusive launch updates.

Register your interest today by calling 1800 135 010 or scan the QR code.

Learn more

Potential to free up money

Low maintenance living Own your own home Keep any capital gains

Vegelicious awards launch

A month-long celebration of vegetarian and plant-basedfoodhaslaunchedinKyneton.

The Edgy Veg Awards are back throughout April with restaurants across the Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander shires turning vegy with plant-focused dishes to tempt the tastebuds.

At the sold-out launch event on 25 March at Fook Shing in Kyneton, more than 40 guests pack the restaurant to celebrate the awards’ fifth year, with the restaurant serving its competitionentry.

Across the Ranges and beyond, restaurants will vie for the coveted title of the Most VegeliciousDish–allvotedbyyou.

The full details of participating restaurants areavailableonlineatedgyvegawards.com.au

FROM THE ARCHIVES

35 years ago 16 April, 1991

Copies of the Department and Environment’s long-awaited draft review of car trials in state forests have finallysurfaced-aweekafteranoutcry by environmentalists over the latest rallyintheWombatForest.

Star Weekly looks back through the pages of our predecessors

20 years ago 18 April, 2006

Sunbury is often referred to as the birthplaceoftheAshes,buttheaverage Australian could be forgiven for not knowing where this cricket tradition began.

15 years ago 12 April, 2011

A Sunbury bully victim’s lawyers have describedthestategovernment’stough new move against workplace bullies as awelcomedevelopment.

10 years ago 12 April, 2016

A Sunbury flying instructor who died when a light plane crashed and exploded into flames in a paddock near Lancefield on Saturday morning has been remembered as a great teacher andtrueprofessional.

Hume council workers strike

By Georgia Tacey and Courtney Black

Across Hume kerbside waste bins were not collected, public litter bins were left full and parks were not mowed as council workers walked off the job on Tuesday 7 April.

About 70 workers, members of the Australian Services Union (ASU), undertook protected industrial action for 24 hours, halting waste collection across Hume and nearby Merri-bek and Darebin councils.

Strike action was also taken in Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Yarra, Melbourne and Greater Dandenong councils.

In Hume, council said the strike has affected residents in Sunbury, Greenvale, Roxburgh Park, Meadow Heights, Coolaroo, parts of Yuroke, Dallas and Diggers Rest, with red bin collections disrupted.

The ASU warned of further industrial action if members’ demands for a pay rise are

not met.

The union is seeking a 10 per cent pay rise. Negotiations have stalled between the ASU and the eight councils.

ASU branch secretary for Victoria and Tasmania Tash Wark warned that while workers would return to work on Wednesday 8 April, the union would not rule out further full or partial strikes for the rest of the week or beyond.

“Today is a 24 hour stoppage, but our members have resolved to continue taking decisive action for the foreseeable future until a meaningful, real wage increase is secured,” she said.

“Council workers have watched their wages go backwards for over five years. Taking this action is a last resort, but they cannot continue to subsidise council budgets while their own families struggle to keep up with soaring inflation.”

Ms Wark said industrial action could escalate to include bans on mowing and street cleansing, and workers would enact ongoing work bans that will affect service delivery for the foreseeable future.

“This campaign will continue until a meaningful pay rise is secured, and further strikes, both partial and full, remain on the table for the rest of this week and beyond,” she said.

All eight councils issued a joint statement on the situation, saying, “While we acknowledge the legal right of the ASU to take protected industrial action, these actions affect our communities, which is regrettable.”

“We are keeping our communities informed on how any industrial action may affect them.

“We ask our communities for their patience and we will continue to negotiate in good faith with all unions representing our

staff.”

Ms Wark disputed that the councils were negotiating in good faith.

“Negotiations with these councils have been substantially delayed since the Fair Work Commission granted authorisation in December,” she said.

“It is hard to accept a ’good faith’ argument when workers have endured real wage cuts for the better part of a decade and are yet to receive an offer that simply allows them to keep up with the cost of living.”

The first bargaining meeting between the eight councils and the union was held on 24 March.

Hume residents can now also sign up to receive updates about waste service disruptions, including when red bins will be collected.

Sign up: hume.vic.gov.au/bin-disruptions-sign-up

Striking council workers sorry bins were not emptied

By Courtney Black

A Hume council worker who has cleaned up dumped rubbish for five years said he and his colleagues had no choice but to take industrial action this month amid stalled wage negotiations.

Brendan Luker was one of 70 Hume council workers who walked off the job on Tuesday 7 April as part of the wider Australian Services Union (ASU) campaign for wage increases for workers at eight councils.

As part of the industrial action, household bins were not collected.

Mr Luker said the 100 striking workers from Hume, Merri-Bek and Darebin councils were apologetic towards residents whose bins were left unemptied.

“We don’t mean to affect your services and we didn’t want it to come to this point,” Mr Luker said.

“We don’t want [residents] to feel like our actions are punishing them because they’re the ones we serve every day.”

MrLukersaidtheunionmembersdecided to strike because Hume council “snowballed” pay negotiations for 18 months.

“It wasn’t until two weeks ago that they actually sat at the table and negotiated with us.”

The first bargaining meeting between the councils and the union was held on 24 March after being approved by Fair Work in late December.

Mr Luker said council workers are fighting for a 10 per cent wage increase, not to get rich but to match inflation.

“We’re about 12 to 14 per cent behind inflation,” he said.

“The cost of living is just getting crazy. I know it’s affecting everyone, but it’s getting out of control.

“We’re not trying to get more wealthy, we’re just trying to stay on top of things and keep even.”

He said ongoing cost-of-living pressures has pushed council labourers to move into the private industry.

“We’re skilled workers and we’re just worried that it’s going to get to a point

where we’re going to have to go where the money is.”

Despite the dispute, he said he enjoys his job and takes pride in the work.

“It sounds like a dirty job, but actually it’s so rewarding when you’ve cleaned up a street, picked up all that rubbish and done good for the community.”

He said it is up to the council to take negotiations seriously and ensure services continue as normal.

While workers have returned following the strike, Mr Luker said partial industrial

action will continue.

“There’s some bans on certain roads where we’re not going to be picking up organics, like green waste,” he said.

In a joint statement with Merri-bek, Darebin, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Yarra, Melbourne and Greater Dandenong councils, Hume council said the disruption to residents is regrettable.

“We ask our communities for their patience and we will continue to negotiate in good faith with all unions representing our staff,” the statement said.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Anzac Day

Bulla will commemorate Anzac Day with a morning ceremony at 8.30am on Saturday 25 April. The service will take place at the Cenotaph, Corner Green Street and Bulla Road, Bulla. Light refreshments will be served after the service.

Heather McKenzie, 0417 510 558

Chamber Poets Woodend

The next Chamber Poets Woodend will take place on Saturday 18 April at the Woodend RSL. Guest poets, live music, open readings, bar and snacks. $10 at the door.

Sunbury Family History and Heritage Society

The April meeting of the Sunbury Family History and Heritage Society will be held on Thursday 15th April 2026 at 1.30pm in the Multi-purpose room at the Sunbury Seniors Hub, 8 O’Shanassy Street, Sunbury. Steve Reilly will be the guest speaker and he will be talking on the Establishment of the Sunbury Fire Service. Everyone is welcome.

Young Voices of Macedon

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

Yoga in Sunbury Yoga classes at Sunbury Neighbourhood House focus on supporting participants to slow down and move well. Special attention is given to mindful awareness of movement that builds strength in a healthy and safe way, Monday and Friday mornings. www.sunburyhouse.com.au or 9740 6978

Hume Men’s Shed

The Hume Men’s Shed (Sunbury) is a non for profit organisation, meeting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 158 Evans Street, Sunbury. The group caters for men be it carpentry, welding, metal work, gardening or just to chat. sunburymensshed.com or 0438 677 425

Jacksons Creek Combined Probus

The club meets on the second Monday of each month at the Sunbury Bowling Club at 10am. This friendly group of men and

women enjoy outings and meetings each month and twice yearly trips away staying in cabins and caravans. Visitors and new members are warmly welcomed Doug, 5428 3317 or Teresa, 0417 373 006

Craft and conversation

Head down to the Sunbury Library on Mondays at noon for the craft and conversation group. The program is free and open to people aged 15 years and older. https://bit.ly/39BIu2O

Toastmasters

Sunbury and Macedon Ranges

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

Friends of Woodlands Historic Park

Help preserve Woodlands Historic Park and learn about its history by joining the Friends of Woodlands Historic Park. The group consists of volunteers, working

one day each month in the park, on projects including plant propagation and revegetation, weed removal, litter control and other activities. Some members may also work in the park on projects at other times. Becoming a member of the group is easy and free, and is open to like-minded people who want to take positive action to maintain our environment. You must be 18 or older and enjoy outdoor activities. The Friends group meets on the first Saturday of each month at the Parks Victoria depot off Somerton Road, Greenvale. Bevan, 0468 469 514 or bevan@keepemail.com

Art group

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

Colin Robinson, 0407 426 252

Shuttles and pickleballs

Macedon Ranges Badminton Club is inviting residents to come and play badminton, or pickleball, or both at Macedon Community

Centre. Badminton is played on Tuesdays from 7.30pm and Thursdays at 9.30am. Pickleball is played on Mondays at 6.30pm, Wednesdays at 10.15am and on Tuesday from 10am at the Romsey Recreation Centre.

David, 0419 589 425 or macedonrangesbadminton@gmail.com

Community. Connect. Create. If you are needing support or looking for a social group to join, you can visit Community. Connect. Create, which is an online resource listing support and community groups in the Macedon Ranges. If you would like your group listed or would like to work to help this project grow please email: fiona@communityconnectcreate. com.au Communityconnectcreate.com.au

Kyneton Badminton Club

Kyneton Badminton Club is a welcoming, fun and social group that plays on Mondays, at 7pm at the Kyneton Toyota Sports and Aquatic Centre, Victoria Street. All skill levels are welcome. kynetonbc@gmail.com

Sunbury Macedon Ranges

Masonic Lodge

Meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month at 7pm, 73 Main Street, Romsey. New members welcome. Paul, 0479 127 476 or Rob, 0428 260 647

Rotary club

The Sunbury Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at the Ball Court Hotel, 60 Macedon Street, Sunbury, from 7pm. sunburyrotary@gmail.com

Sunbury Ladies Probus Club

The Sunbury Ladies Probus Club meets at 9.45am on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Sunbury Football Social Club rooms. Pat, 0433 789 754 or Sylvia, 0417 170 142

Sunbury Combined Probus Club

The Sunbury Combined Probus Club meets every fourth Thursday of the month at the Sunbury Bowling Club at 10.30am. Jo, 0410 834 272

Sunbury Men’s Probus Club

Join the Probus Club of Sunbury on the first Wednesday of the month at the Sunbury Bowling club at 10.15am. It’s a friendly men’s group open to visitors and new members, with a number of great events held each month.

Lindsay Brown, 0405 177 478

Woodend veteran set to

A Woodend local and former Australian Army sniper will share his story at the Mount Macedon Anzac Day dawn service.

Sergeant Joel Forster served 20 years in the army with the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), deploying to East Timor, Afghanistan and the Philippines.

Now living in Woodend with his young family, Joel said Anzac Day goes beyond medals and marching, and is instead about remembering and honouring the people.

“I’ve seen a lot of good guys break. Kind of towards the end it started to happen a lot more,” he said.

“Guys that were absolutely great at their job, incredibly mentally robust, resilient. Something would happen, it would be the final straw, and you’d see them change and become a completely different person.”

As a sniper, Joel operated in some of the most high-risk and isolated roles in the modern battlefield, responsible for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and precision engagement in volatile environments.

One memory that he said remains etched in his mind, was when he responded to a young Afghan schoolgirl who was attacked with acid by the Taliban on her walk to school.

“We responded by going there in force and putting an outer cordon on the school. We got the message out to the locals that we were staying at the school all day. We wanted the girls to know that they could come to school safely,” he said.

“I can proudly say that for at least one day we made it safe and hopefully changed someone’s life for at least a day.”

Mount Macedon Anzac Day dawn service committee president Leona Latcham said Joel’s story gives an important voice to

Australia’s younger veterans.

“Joel’s story reminds us that the legacy of service and sacrifice is not just distant history, it lives within our own community to this day and will continue to do so,” she said.

The dawn service will start at 6am at the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross.

Free town bus services will run from Gisborne, Woodend, Sunbury, Kyneton, Riddells Creek, Lancefield and Romsey, with bookings required online.

Free shuttle buses with no bookings needed will run from Tony Clarke Reserve in Macedon from 4.15am, as roads to the cross are closed to public traffic for safety. Parking is available at Tony Clarke Reserve.

Attendees are encouraged to dress warmly and bring a torch and water bottle. A sausage sizzle and tea/coffee will be available, with a gold coin donation appreciated.

Details and bookings: mtmacedondawnservice.org

Out and about

Each week Star Weekly photographers are out and about capturing events and people across the western and northern suburbs.

Honour the Anzacs

Each month, Stephanie Martinez will share an exciting craft project designed to inspireandsparkcreativity.

Stephanie starred in the first season of Making It on Network 10, where she discovered and ignited her passion for crafting.

JoinStephanieassheexplorestheendless possibilities of crafting and turn everyday materialsintosomethingextraordinary.

This month, Stephanie is creating an Anzacpoppybrooch.

Anzac poppy brooch

Materials Red glitter foam sheet Green glitter foam sheet

Safety pin

Black button

Equipment

Template

Scissors

Hot glue gun

Step 1: Using the template, cut out all pieces from the glitter foam sheets.

Step 2: Place one red poppy on top of the other, turning it slightly so the petals sit between each other. Glue them together in the centre.

Step 3: Fold each petal into the centre and glue down. Glue the black button in the centre of the poppy. Glue the green leaf to the back of the poppy.

Step 4: Glue a safety pin to the back of the poppy.

Dive into comedy circus fun

Rub-a-dub-dub this school holidays with the silly splashing circus performance The Splash Test Dummies.

This comedic aquatic-themed circus is diving into South Morang on April 14 and The Dummies are set to drown their audience in tears of laughter. The Dummies will roll out their towels at Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre

(PRACC) ready for an aquatic adventure from bathtubs to beaches.

This circus includes classic slapstick comedy as The Dummies stumble and tumble across the stage. It is jam packed with 70 minutes of stunts that will shock you, dazzling acrobatics and thrilling juggling acts.

The Dummies have been making

waves around the world and have toured for over a decade. They have performed in large festivals and local venues across the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, United States, New Zealand and now Australia. The group has won awards at the world’s largest arts festivals including the Adelaide Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe. Grab your flippers and snorkels and

The Ranges in full colour this autumn

The Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival returns throughout April for a monthlong celebration of food, wine, nature and creativity.

Spanning nine picturesque villages, the festival invites visitors and residents to slow down, explore and experience the region at its autumn best.

People can take part in a variety of experiences: from farmers and artisans markets, to guided walks, foraging, workshops and exhibitions.

Open gardens across the region, including those on the renowned Mount Macedon Autumn Garden Trail, offer a chance to experience the season’s colour at its peak, while wellness activities such

as meditation and forest bathing provide opportunities to connect with nature.

At the heart of this year’s festival is an extensive line-up of food and drink experiences, including the much-loved Pie & Tart Trail with more than 50 savoury and sweet creations on offer across the region.

For those looking to sip and sample, the popular Tipple Trail returns, showcasing more than 35 venues.

In 2026, the festival will also introduce a closing night celebration.

Mayor Kate Kendall said the festival offers something for everyone.

“Withsomanyeventstakingplaceright across our towns and villages, the Autumn Festival makes it easy to get involved –

whether that’s visiting a local market, joiningaworkshoporfollowingoneofour signature food and drink trails,” she said. “Importantly, you don’t have to travel far to enjoy the festival. With rising fuel costs, and free public transport across Victoria in April, we’re encouraging people to plan local outings or take advantage of accessible train services to explore the region in a relaxed and affordable way.”

Visitors are encouraged to pick up a festival map and passport from locations across the region and collect stamps along the way for the chance to win the Ultimate Autumn Festival Competition.

Details: visitmacedonranges.com/autumn-festival

Enjoy a cheeky challenge at Bacchus Marsh’s Royal Hotel

Whether you’re a seasoned artist, or can barely draw a stick figure after a couple of wines, you’ll be in safe and slightly sassy hands at Drag, Paint and Sip as it makes its way to Bacchus Marsh’s Royal Hotel on Saturday 23 May.

Drag, Paint and Sip is the fabulously fun event hosted by the iconic duo Terry Dactyl and Sabrina Chevrier, who have teamed up to deliver a night of colour, camp, and a little controlled chaos. The event will guide participants in creating their very own cheeky artwork, topped off with a glitter-paint coating, all while they sip, giggle and enjoy live drag

performances throughout the show.

Chevrier said this is the pair’s first time joining forces to mix entertainment, creativity, and a good dose of fun and laughter into one jam-packed event.

“While people usually attend my workshops for a more transformational women’s experience, this one is intentionally a little more lighthearted and will be open to people of all genders,” she said.

“Terry brings the entertainment, the humour, and the sass. I bring the creative element, guiding you through a painting experience that’s easy, fun, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

get ready to dive into The Splash Test Dummies circus at 11am on April 14. This circus includes loud sounds, flashing lights and interactive elements, and it is suitable for ages 5 and up. Tickets are available to purchase online.

Details: https://www.pracc.com.au/ Whats-On/PRACC-Program/SplashTest-Dummies

HALO hits a high note

Bowery Theatre will be filled with powerful vocals, ethereal harmonies and palpable energy this month as the HALO vocal ensemble presents its HALO & Friends concert in Brimbank.

Ensemble founder and musical director Liona Tatafu said HALO was formed about seven years ago and consists of members who are all close friends.

“It’s our first original show. We’re taking on a new direction,” she said.

“Everyone’s going to be seeing the new HALO and hearing all our original music.”

The show will comprise 12 performers, many of whom are from the western suburbs, with the evening being emceed by rapper Strictly D.T.

“He always keeps things light and funny,” Tatafu said.

Some of the ensemble’s musical inspirations include Tori Kelly, Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin.

“It’s very much gospel, soul…lyrical, funky, upbeat vibes,” Tatafu said.

“Vocally, it’s very harmony heavy.”

She said ensemble members love working together to develop layered harmonies and musical arrangements.

“[The audience] is going to feel it too with the words of love and community,” she said.

“I’d definitely love to encourage the audience to get up and dance. Be prepared to sing and cry, all the emotions. It’s gonna be super fun.”

The HALO & Friends concert will run from 6.30pm to 10pm on Saturday 18 April at Bowery Theatre, 33 Princess Street, St Albans.

All painting supplies are provided on the day, with a step-by-step guided session giving participants their very own canvas masterpiece to take home, all set to the tune of Terry Daktyl’s glorious drag performances.

“We’re really excited to bring this to life and share a night that’s all about fun, expression, and not overthinking it,” Chevrier said.

“We are a lot of things, but boring isn’t one of them!”

Get your tickets at: https://www. eventbrite.com.au/e/drag-paint-sipbacchus-marsh-tickets-1985038733287.

“It’s community, it’s family, it’s love, it’s unity. It’s just bringing people together,” Tatafu said.

The event is only for people aged 18 and over.

Ticket prices and more info: creativebrimbank.com.au

SPORTS QUIZ

1. Which winter sport consists of cross-country skate skiing and rifle shooting?

2. Is a riposte a defensive or offensive move in fencing?

3. Nestory Irankunda plays what position for the Socceroos?

4. Italy officially missed out on a 2026 World Cup slot after losing to which country?

5. Who is the current men’s world No.1 tennis player?

6. ‘Enforcer’ is a term used in which sport?

7. Ryan Corr stars in which 2015 romcom with an AFL term as the title?

Which team nickname is shared by an AFL team and Philadelphia’s NFL team?

NBL player Bryce Cotton recently became the fourth person to score how many points in a single season?

The Newcastle Northstars are a team in which league?

How many nations will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament?

12. How many AFL teams are based in states other than Victoria?

13. Australian rugby union coach Mick Byrne has ended his two-year tenure in charge of which country’s national team?

14. Which Australian pop icon will perform at this year’s AFL grand final?

15. Which Italian F1 driver leads the drivers’ championship after the first three rounds?

16. Which cricketing state stunned Victoria in the Sheffield Shield final to claim its second consecutive title?

17. And which fast-bowling allrounder was player of the match, scoring a half-century and taking six wickets?

18. Which high-speed field sport often described as the ‘fastest game on grass’ originated in Ireland?

19. How many Australian Opens has tennis legend Novak Djokovic won?

20. British-born Williams F1 driver Alex Albon races under which country’s flag?

21. Which two teams featured in the NBL 2026 Grand Final Series?

22.NRL player Tui Kamikamica plays for which club?

23. English cricketers Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell were recently let off with a warning after a nightclub incident in which country?

24. Which Matildas star recently signed a $10 million deal with Adidas?

25. Which sponsor is the premier partner of the AFL?

26. Which US state will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final?

27. The Tour of Flanders road race is held annually in which country?

28. James Warburton recently stepped down as the CEO of which Australian sporting competition?

29. Tiger Woods recently turned down the captaincy of the US team in which golfing tournament?

30.Who is the current captain of the Port Adelaide Power?

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal rows and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

ACROSS

1 Melodious (7)

5 Sketch (7)

9 Agile (9)

10 Spanish for 'coast' (5)

11 Greek god of music, poetry, etc. (6)

12 Person who deserts a party to join another one (8)

14 Electronic novels (1-5)

15 Teaching period (4)

19 Slender support (4)

20 Dog with a curly coat (6)

24 Stressed (8)

25 Japanese robe (6)

27 'Well done!' (5)

28 Childish (9) 29 Ritual (7) 30 Unity (7)

1 Zany (6) 2 Church caretaker (6) 3 Scientific workrooms  (coll) (4,4) 4 Be ominously close (4) 5 Discourse (10)

6 Go up; climb (6)

7 Put back (8)

8 Interim period (8)

13 Intricateness (10)

16 A major city in Türkiye (8)

17 Trader (8)

18 League (8)

21 Situated within the building (6)

22 Beginner (6)

23 Roy or Ginger (6)

26 Curly hairdo (4)

Today’s Aim:

9 words: Good 14 words: Very good 19 words: Excellent

once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural nouns ending in “s”. C E E D A D C E N

3 LETTERS

1 Along with Edmund Hillary, who was the first person to climb Mount Everest?

2 Where is the world's largest desert located?

3 True or false: hippos are unable to swim?

4 Who wrote the screenplay for Rocky?

5 What is the bestselling girl group of all time?

6 Name the spacecraft that carried the first astronauts to the moon.

7 Which is smaller: a virus particle or a bacterial cell?

8 What character does John Travolta (pictured) play in the 1977 film SaturdayNight Fever?

9 In what year was Earth Day first celebrated?

10 What name is singer and actor Stefani Germanotta better known by?

Huge news in big SUV dept

By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring

It’s not so long ago that the first Hyundai topped the $70,000 mark.

The 2015 Genesis was good, but would buyers be prepared to pay that much for a Korean car, everyone wondered?

FastforwardandwenowhaveGWM’sfirst vehicle to pass this milestone – its flagship Tank 500 Ultra PHEV seven-seat off-roader. And once again we find ourselves pondering whether buyers will stump up this sort of money to buy a Chinese vehicle this time.

In its defence, the large SUV is a substantial offering with plenty to offer those in the market for a large, luxurious wagon with some real off-road capability.

Styling Tank 500 shares its body on frame underpinnings with GWM’s Cannon Alpha utility.

There are two powertrains and three grades from which to choose, all of them hybrids of one sort of another.

The range kicks off with the Ultra HEV, a conventional petrol-electric hybrid priced from$73,990.It’sfollowedbytheVantaHEV from $75,990 and finally the plug-in Ultra PHEV, the subject of our review priced from $77,990 – all prices are driveaway.

HEV versions are self-charging hybrids and come with seven seats, while the PHEV is a five-seater that can be plugged in and charged, and operate in fully electric mode to further reduce fuel consumption.

Both of the hybrid setups are based on a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.

Also of note, the Tank 500 is a real 4WD, withtorqueondemandall-wheeldrive,dual range transmission and plenty of ground clearance for tackling the rough stuff

So, while it might sound expensive, it stacksupprettywellagainstthecompetition which includes the likes of Toyota’s Prado, the Ford Everest and Pajero Sport etc.

The styling is big, boofy and conservative with chunky tyres and lashings of chrome trim in evidence plus an aggressively styled radiator grille that would not look out of place on the front of a Ram pickup.

TheTankisobviouslytargetedattheolder cashed-up age group who like their shiny toys and are prepared to pay for them.

Ditto the cabin fitout which has a plush, heavily-upholstered look with wood trim and an inset instrument panel, rather than the more common minimalist approach. The old folks will love it.

They won’t love the heavy tailgate with its spare wheel however which requires quite a bit of effort to operate at times.

Not sure what the tailgate icon on the key fob is either because that sucker ain’t going anywhere, especially if you’re parked on a hill.

ThePHEVisexceptionallywell-equipped, with three-zone climate air, Nappa leather-accented trim, power-adjust front seats that are heated, cooled and provide massage, plus a second row with its own climate controls and power folding function, a power-adjust heated steering wheel, plus three digital displays including head-up display and a panoramic sunroof.

Highlights include the GWM app which provides remote access, a classy dashboard timepiece that spins to the correct time when the car opens, kid-pleasing side steps that pop-out automatically on approach and touchscreen controls for the little ones to fiddle with that are incorporated in the rear, fold-down centre armrest.

It lets passengers control the radio, climate settings, ambient lighting, and seat comfort features.

Watch out parents.

Other features include LED lights, hands-free auto parking, auto high beam, traffic sign recognition, auto lights and wipers, front and rear parking sensors and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Tank 500 is covered by a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty, seven years roadside assistance and seven years capped price servicing, plus eight years on the high voltage battery pack.

Infotainment

Infotainment consists of a 14.6-inch centre touchscreen, with Bluetooth, built-in navigation,AM/FMandDAB+digitalradio, wired and unwired Apple CarPlay and AndroidAutoplus12-speakerInfinityaudio with active noise cancellation.

Head-up display is also fitted and comes intoviewoccasionallyifyouhappentowear polarised sunglasses. Why can’t they spend the time to fix this issue?

There’s USB A and C ports front and back, as well as 12-volt outlets front and back, but no 12-volt outlet in the rear for powering a car fridge.

Wireless phone charging is also provided and another USB port near the rear vision mirror to power a dash cam.

Safety

Tank 500 scores a full five stars for safety in crash tests.

A sophisticated safety lineup includes seven airbags, with a centre airbag that provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes, plus a 360-degree camera with overhead transparent mode.

Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car,VulnerableRoadUser,Junction & Crossing, Backover and Head-On) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist(LKA),lanedeparturewarning(LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advancedspeedassistancesystem(SAS)are standard.

Engines/transmissions

Providing the motivation is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, together with a 120kW electric motor and 37kWh battery that delivers a combined 300kW of power and 750Nm of torque, the latter from a low 1750 rpm.

The nine-speed transmission with paddle shifters is reported to be China’s first longitudinal nine-speed hydraulic automatic transmission.

Driving

Justshyof5.1metresinlengthandweighing close to three tonnes (2820kg), the Tank 500 is no shrinking violet.

But it gets moving surprisingly quickly for a big feller, especially the PHEV with a 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds.

Overseas there’s also a version with two electric motors and a larger 59kWh battery that produces 635kW and a staggering 1195Nm of torque. Bring it on baby!

A 150kW electric motor is integrated into the9HATtransmissionandsitsbetweenthe engine and gearbox, which is described as a P2layout.A37.1kWhbatteryisplacedatthe rear of the chassis.

As well as the ability to operate in high and low range, driving modes include: Eco, Normal, Sports, Snow, Sand, Rock, Mud, Auto, Expert. Not sure what the last one is about.

There are also three levels of adjustment for the steering plus adjustable regenerative braking.

With a 70-litre tank, it takes standard unleaded and offers combined fuel consumption of 2.1L/100km if you keep the batterycharged(andthisoneisnotiddlerso some commitment is required).

The just-drive-it brigade can expect 8.4L/100km or more. Energy consumption meanwhile is a heavy 27.2kWh/100km, so it’s going to eat through the charge fairly quickly.

A fully charged battery will deliver a pure electric range of up to 120km (NEDC).

The PHEV can be charged from 30-80 per cent charge with a 50kW DC fast charger in 24 minutes, while 15-100 per cent with an AC charger takes some six hours and 30 minutes.

Remember that’s not a full charge, but if youinstallaWallboxathomeyoucanexpect it to be ready to go again in the morning.

The PHEV also offers Vehicle-to-Load capability which means it can be used to power AC accessories.

Brakedtowingcapacityacrosstherangeis 3000kgandasyoucanseeitpacksafull-size spare on the swing tailgate (which will be a bugger to get off in the event of a flat).

Cargo capacity is 1400 litres with the rear seats folded or 640 litres with them in use, with an artificially high luggage floor to accommodate the batteries.

OntheroadtheTankisquickoffthemark, but can be difficult to off the line cleanly, with even a dab touch of the accelerator delivering a jerky response.

Ridequalityisnotbadbutcouldbebetter, and we are not aware whether this vehicle has been put through GWM’s Australian tuning program.

If it has, it’s nowhere as good as the H6 PHEV that we drove recently.

The weight of the vehicle helps offset jar and rebound and on well-formed roads.

Push too hard however and this same weight will lead to oversteer in corners,

which causes the back to step out. In terms of off-road ability, the figures suggest it could be a contender.

There’s under-body protection, dual range four-wheel drive, ground clearance of 224mm and a wading depth of 800mm, which all bode well, along with locking front, centre and rear differentials.

Retaining mechanical linkages allows power to be sent directly to a single wheel if needed, ensuring traction even in the roughest conditions.

Approach angle is 30 degrees, departure angle is 24 degrees and breakover 22 degrees.

Tank Turn Assist allows the vehicle to performatight,pivotingturnbylockingthe rear wheels while the front wheels steer in the opposite direction.

This enables the vehicle to manoeuvre easily in narrow spaces, enhancing its off-road capabilities.

But the proof is in the pudding, so let’s see Great Wall tackle Beer O’Clock Hill as it did with the smaller Tank 300 – then it will have something to crow about.

You can select between EV, HEV and Intelligent hybrid modes. EV prioritises the battery,HEVseesitoperateasaconventional hybrid and Intelligent is described as the ideal option for long-distance commutes. Experimentation showed it favoured the petrol engine.

HEV proved to be the preferred mode. Sitting at 100km/h on flat motorway for more than 30km saw the vehicle use hardly any fuel or battery.

We clocked up 750km in our week behind the wheel of the Tank 500, with an average 8.8L/100km fuel consumption and 6.0kWh/100km of energy consumption, but no composite figure.

After 515km and with 15 per cent battery and a range of 155km remaining, we opted to recharge the battery using an AC charger which took four hours and 40 minutes.

The first time we plugged it in the vehicle failed to start charging and it was necessary to remove and reinsert the plug a couple of times before it got going, confirming it was indeed charging. Good thing we checked. Once it had finished charging it was reluctant to go into Drive and it was necessary to turn the car off and one a couple of times.

A tab on the scrollable info screen reveals the car had 845km of EV range and 2314km of fuel range, but these figures actually represent the distance travelled by the car in entirety. Moreover, you have to dive into the centre touchscreen to keep tabs on the remaining combined range.

Other idiosyncrasies include the indicators which often fail to cancel, poor AM radio reception and it took us some time to work out how to activate blind spot warnings, which turns out to be associated with something called Smart Dodge. And we never did discover how to reduce the distance to the car in front with the adaptive cruise control engaged.

Summing up

The Tank 500 PHEV is surprisingly likeable, offering a heady mix of luxury and off-road ability in a hi-tech package. It’s good buying now but we’d opt to watch and act, to wait and see where GWM takes this model which probably won’t take long given the rapid evolution of Chinese vehicles.

Once upon a time it took car makers years to test and evaluate new models, but these days it seems to have contracted to mere months.

Buyersthemselvesappeartohavebecome part of the test phase. Don’t you think?

Wet weather for football

Bombers have fresh look

By Tara Murray

It might be a slightly different Riddell this Riddell District Football League season, but there’s plenty excitement at the club.

After winning a second straight premiership last year, the Bombers have had a number of premiership stars depart.

There’s also been a coaching change with Matt Darby stepping into the coaching hot seat.

Darby said it had been a really good off season.

“There’s been a bit of changeover of the list from the last few years,” he said. “It’s a little bit different but exciting for the club

freshen up and go again.

“From last year there’s about 10-11 changes. We should be good and we have done enough work.”

Darby said they had tried to attract local players back to the club and would have a big focus ot building from within.

“There’s a few younger guys coming through the under-19s who have played a couple of games,” Darby said.

“They will have a bit more opportunity in the next 12 months. We want to have that growth from within and we don’t want to recruit externally all the time.

“They will take the club forward and we want to get them involved as much as we

can as they are the future.”

As well as having a focus on the next generation, the Bombers have added some other pieces.

Nathan Hrovat and Mark Kovacevic are the two biggest names the club has bought in with both bringing plenty of experience.

A few guys have crossed from Gisborne, with the club having spoken to them previously.

Darby said they felt they still had a good core group that they could base the game around.

“While there’s still 10 new players, 12 have played in the past two grand finals and we’ve got experience around the team.

“We’ve freshened everything up and feel like we’re in a good spot but you don’t know until the first game.”

The Bombers had a bye in the opening round, which was played across two weekends.

Darby said while it was annoying having to sit and wait while the others played, there wasn’t much they could do about it.

The start to the season then doesn’t get much bigger for the Bombers.

“Round one we’ve got Diggers [Rest] and then Macedon,” he said.

“Two big games to test and see where we are at and hopefully set us up for a big season.”

Upul Fernando claims the Sullivan Medal

By Tara Murray

Sunbury United’s Upul Fernando showed age is no barrier after claiming the Gisborne and District Cricket Association’s Sullivan Medal.

Fernando, who is in his 50s, was crowned the competition’s best player in the McIntyre Cup at the recent awards night.

He polled 18 votes to win the medal, finishing five clear of Woodend premiership captain Marcus Stewart and Macedon’s Cameron Clayton.

Fernando missed the awards as he was travelling overseas, giving him a nice surprise when he landed in Sri Lanka.

“It was honestly a bit surreal,” he told Star Weekly.

“You never really go into a season expectingsomethinglikethat,sowhenIfoundout, it was a mix of surprise and gratitude.

“It’s a really nice recognition, especially considering the quality of players in the competition.”

Fernando said he wasn’t expecting to claim the top honour.

He made 649 runs for the season at an average of 59, which was the second highest

average in the top grade.

“I just focus on contributing to the team each week, so individual awards aren’t something I think about too much,” Fernando said.

“That said, I was pretty happy with how the season went overall.

“More importantly, I felt like I was able to play my role and help the team, which is what matters most to me.”

Fernando said his love of the game keeps him coming back each year.

He has been involved at Sunbury United for a number of years.

“Cricket has been a huge part of my life for a long time, and I still enjoy the challenge, the competition, and being around the group,” he said.

“Keeping active and involved is important to me, and as long as I’m still contributing and enjoying it, I’ll keep coming back.”

Fernando said Sunbury United had been like home to him and the people at the club were really special.

He said there was a real sense of community.

“Everyone is welcoming, and it’s a great environment to be part of,” he said. “That

kind of culture makes it easy to stick around and give your best each season.”

In the association social media post it hinted that Fernando might be looking at retiring.

He said at this stage that he wouldn’t continue on due to work and his body starting to tire.

“I’m still enjoying my cricket as coach,” he said.

“Anything for the club, I’m there to help. Sunbury United is my family.”

Fernandowasnamedcaptainoftheteam of the year.

Also named in the team were Gisborne’s Riley and Jarryd Vernon, Woodend’s Stewart, Thomas Robson, Josh and Daniel Eastley, Rupertswood’s Matthew Twentyman, Kevin Barker and Rhys Berry, Macedon’s Clayton and Romsey’s Taylor Stevenson.

In other awards, Riley Vernon claimed the batting award, while Robson won the bowling award and Jarryd Vernon the aggregate award.

In other awards, Eastern Hill’s Benjamin Bryant claimed the Johnstone Shield aggregate player while Riddell’s Peter Cashen won the Jensen Shield aggregate award.

Roos sneak home

The Sunbury Kangaroos won a low scoring affair it their season opener against Roxburgh Park on Saturday in the Essendon District Football League division 2 competition. It was tough conditions at Boardman Reserve with rain and wind causing havoc. Roxburgh Park got the better of the starts and led by nine points at quarter time and three at the main break.

It was two goals apiece in the third quarter as the Kangaroos were able to take a five point lead in the final quarter. The Kangaroos came home strongly but couldn’t make the most of their dominance as they kicked 2.5 in the final quarter.

It was still enough to come away with a 7.15 (57)-6.6 (42) win.

Mitch Streiff kicked four goals for the Kangaroos in the win, with Connor Hamilton and Rhylee Lofts named their best.

While the Kangaroos were able to start with a win, East Sunbury fell short against Hadfield.

After trailing at quarter time by one point, the Hawks kicked four goals to one in the second quarter to open up a bit of a break.

Another four goals in the third quarter gave the Hawks a 29-point heading into the final quarter.

While the Thunder was able to win the final quarter, it wasn’t able to peg the score back enough, losing 11.9 (75)-7.10 (52). Brendan Fevola kicked two goals for the Thunder, while Robbie Gray was best on ground in his debut for the club.

In division 1, Rupertswood put out a solid show against Oak Park in its return to the division. A 27-6 first quarter would be the difference between the two sides, with the Kangaroos winning 13.11 (89)-9.10 (64).

Luke Sultana and Fraser Phelan-Smith were named the Sharks’ best.

Hawks stick to their task

By Tara Murray

It’s business as usual for Woodend-Hesket in the Riddell District Netball League.

The three-time reigning premiers have kept most of their squad together and are set for another strong season as they go for a rare four-peat.

Hawks’ coach Ty Coppinger said not much changes for them and how they approach the season.

“There’s always external noise,” she said. “For us it’s about focusing on what we can control and go week by week.

“Any team can beat you on the day.

“We’re fine tuning what we need to improve and we’re not resting on three pre-

mierships.

“That is now in the past, we are focusing on the now.

“We want to solidify what we want to do as a team and it’s business as usual.”

Coppinger said there was always plenty of anticipation heading into round one and it was extra special starting the season on Good Friday.

She said there were plenty of new faces across the club and it was good to see them gel on court after a big off season.

Coppinger said there was a real good vibe among the group.

The Hawks A-grade side had three new faces on court in their Good Friday win against Kyneton.

It was the Hawks who controlled the game as they came away with a 59-42 win.

The biggest signing for the Hawks is that of former Super Suncorp netball Kaylia Stanton.

Stanton shot 46 goals in her Hawks debut.

Coppinger said Stanton would be a full time player and it was nice to be on the same team as her for once, not against her.

“It’s nice to have her join us at Woodend,” she said. “The girls are super excited to have her and she’s a great addition to the team and the club.

“We’re looking to build on what we did last year. Kaylia with her knowledge and experience makes everyone better around her.

Thunder breaks through for exciting win

By Tara Murray

It was a win that was a couple of seasons in the making for East Sunbury in the Essendon District Football League women’s competition.

After not winning a game in its first two seasons, the Thunder needed just one game into the division 1 season to break the drought.

The Thunder not only got the win against the Sunbury Lions, it kicked its highest score.

Neither side scored in the first quarter before the Thunder kicked 4.5 in the second quarter to open the match up.

It maintained that lead heading into the final quarter before finishing off with another two goals as it won, 6.12 (48)-1.1 (7).

Thunder coach Mark Hourigan said it was a massive reward for the playing group.

“It was more exciting for the girls,” he said. “Transitioning through second division and obviously playing those seasons without a win.

“To see the smiles on those faces to finally get that win was exciting to see.”

Hourgian said they were a bit apprehen-

sive heading into the season with division 1 and 2 combining.

He said the group felt they were up for the challenge and have shown that early on.

A practice match win also did the confidence wonders.

“We are hoping to be competitive,” he said. “We want people to start to respect East Sunbury as a women’s program.

“The practice match was a good hit out and not many had played together before. It showed we had the ability to match it with other teams.”

Hourgian said the Lions made the game a lot tougher than the scoreboard showed and they had a lot of respect for the club.

With the game under control late in the piece, the playing group was able to enjoy the moment.

“There were tears and smiles on their faces,” he said.

“It was just exciting to see. It was more aboutrewardingthemforallthehardwork.”

Ruby Taranto kicked four goals for the Thunder in her debut for the club.

Molly Connell along with Mariam and Charrouf Habib were named the side’s best.

“She’s invaluable as a person as well.”

Holly Doricic, a Woodend local, returns to netball after a few years off, while Ava Stephens has joined the club from Ballarat.

Both took to the court on Good Friday.

Coppinger said they also fitted in perfectly and were good people to have around the club.

The Hawks had the weekend off after playing on Good Friday.

Coppinger said it was frustrating with a stop-start to the season but they would use it as a good opportunity to reset and refine a few things across the squad.

The Hawks face Wallan in round two.

Lions’

close loss

The Sunbury Lions were over ran by Darley on the football field, while an understrength A-grade side was well beaten in the Ballarat Football Netball League on Saturday.

Darley hosted the Lions in senior football and A-grade netball grand final matches to start the season and the Devils again came out on top.

On the football field, the match was a thriller with the Devils continuing to be the Lions bogey side.

The Devils led at each of the breaks but were never able to break away from the Lions with the margin just three points at the final break.

Sunbury took the lead in the last quarter and led until the dying minutes when the Devils were able to come over the top.

Taranto was a late signing for the Thunder having originally set to play with Keilor this season.

She is another Thunder junior, with Hourgian saying they fought hard to get her.

With Sophia Iosifidis, who has been in the leadership group the last two seasons, to come back this week there’s more depth to come for the Thunder.

For the Lions, Hayley Parke and Karla Tentonello were named their best.

Hourigan said while they’ve ticked the first box in getting the win, they aren’t getting ahead of themselves.

They face Westmeadows this week.

“It’s exciting times ahead,” he said. “It ones step at a time and we just want to get better every week.

Elsewhere, Gisborne and the Sunbury Kangaroos both started their seasons with wins.

The Bulldogs started the season with a division 2 grand final rematch with Taylors Lakes, winning 9.13 (67)-1.0 (6) win.

The Sunbury Kangaroos and Roxburgh Park were the last teams in action in round one with the Kangaroos too strong as they won, 9.9 (63)-3.5 (23).

The Lions had the margin out to 17 points before Darley kicked the last three goals of the game to win, 10.10 (70)-10.8 (68).

Harry Power and Zachary Stevens kicked two goals each for the Lions. The pair were named the Lions best along with Jake Egan.

In the A-grade netball, the Devils controlled the game from start to finish.

They led by nine goals at quarter time and were able to extend that at every break in a 70-37 loss for the Lions.

The loss was the Lions worst since they reformed their A-grade netball program.

Caitlin Hill shot 30 goals for the Lions. It isn’t all gloom for the Lions with at least six players to come back into the side in the coming weeks, with several players missing due to various national championships being held.

Sunbury will face Redan in round two in the battle of the Lions on Saturday.

Dogs still keen on move

Gisborne’s long term future could be at risk if the club is unsuccessful at moving away from the Bendigo Football Netball League.

The club announced it would be holding a special general meeting later this month, with a move to the Ballarat Football Netball League on the agenda.

Bulldogs members voted to move from the Bendigo Football Netball League last year, with Ballarat clubs supporting the move.

The Bendigo league voiced its objection to the move, which was supported by AFL Victoria, resulting in the Bulldogs staying put for another season.

Bulldogs’ president Tony Brancatisano said nothing has changed from last season. “We will not survive,” he said. “We start-

ed the process again four or five weeks ago and will have the special general meeting at the end of the month.”

Brancatisano said a change of board at the Bendigo league had been good for them, with the new board saying it let them go at the end of this season.

He said the Bendigo league was looking to move the competition possibly north with inclusions of teams like Moama.

For Gisborne, it would mean its players in the first matches having to get up at 5am to get to Moama, if it was to stay.

“That is not viable,” Brancatisano said. “We’ve been told that AFL Victoria will let us go, so we will see what happens.”

Brancatisano said both football and netball numbers had taken a hit due to staying

in the Bendigo league.

He said there were players on permits and some playing over age in their under-18s to just get a side up, while players from the under-17 netball team were playing multiple games.

“They don’t want to travel up to Bendigo,” he said.

“We want more games locally and the Ballarat league provides us with that.

“We could have recruited two or three players had we been in the Ballarat league, but they didn’t want to come to the Bendigo league.”

Brancatisano said the club would love to win some premierships this season to possibly finish their time in the league on a high.

“It’s not the end of the world either,” he

Woodburn’s clean sweep at awards night

By Tara Murray

Gisborne’s Brianna Woodburn scooped the pool at the Gisborne and District Cricket Association awards night.

The Dragons captain-coach claimed a second straight women’s most valuable player award while also winning the batting and bowling awards.

Woodburn won with 23 votes to finish four ahead of Wallan’s Megan Farrell. It’s a second straight season that Farrell has finished second behind Woodburn.

To top it off, Woodburn was named captain of the team of the year.

Woodburn said she had plenty of support from across the board when all the awards were announced.

“I felt a bit silly to be honest,” she said. “Obviously I had a good year, even better year with the bat last season.

“To back it up this season as well with the bowling, it’s pretty cool.

“Meganhotonmytailagain,can’tcomplain about that and it was a good night,

“Honoured to be in the team of the year and have the honour of being captain, it was a good night.”

Woodburn said her past two seasons were different.

She said while she didn’t reach the heights with the bat as she did last season, her average of 183 was still really good.

Woodburn also took 14 wickets.

“Individually it was a pretty well rounded year,” Woodburn said.

“I did say to Megan at one point that I would happily swap medals with her.

“Being a team sport the goal is always on the team accolades not the individual ones

“Next season I’m looking to go one step further again with the team.”

Woodburn said her coaching had helped her improve and enjoy her game more the past few seasons.

She said the club environment was a big thing as well.

“I feel like everything that you do, if you enjoy it more, you’re going to perform to a higher level and that’s well and truly been reflected in how I went individually and the team went as well.”

Bacchus Marsh’s Sarah Bamford, Emily Kennedy and Kim Bessell, Gisborne’s Ruby Watts and Ninna Harbinson, Lancefield’s Nat Jeffrey, Luzanne de Kock, Macedon’s Kim Riley and Amy Miles, and Wallan’s Kia Montgomery and Farrell make up the rest of the team of the year.

Woodburn said Watts’ value in the competition is well known in all facets of the game.

She said she hoped Harbinson would take some confidence out of being named in the team and she felt she was one of the best bowlers in the competition.

Woodburn said after making the grand final this season, they were keen to go one better next year.

“Prettytoughtogodownwitheightballs remaining,” she said. “It was a good game

said. “It’s about kids playing football, netball and women’s footy. Whatever happens, happens.”

Meanwhile on Saturday, Gisborne’s senior men’s footballers lost a thriller to South Bendigo.

The lead changed throughout the match with the Bulldogs trailing by 16 points at the final break.

Despite having 10 scoring shots in the final quarter, the Bulldogs lost, 12.19 (91)13.11 (89).

Pat McKenna, who kicked five goals, was named the Bulldogs best.

In the A-grade netball, Gisborne got its first win of the season, beating South Bendigo, 47-40.

Sports shorts

RDFL

Diggers Rest and Wallan sent early messages in the Riddell District Football League opening round. The Burras were on the road against Melton South and were able to come away with a 15.24 (114)-6.3 (39) win. Callum Moore kicked eight goals for the Burras in a best on ground performance in his debut for the club. Also making his debut for the club was former AFL player Oleg Markov, who was also named among the best. Wallan was able to come away with a big 16.12 (108)-4.13 (37) against a new look Melton Centrals side. In the other match, Romey beat Lancefield, 10.13 (73)-6.8 (44).

RDNL

Lancefield started the Riddell District Netball League season in strong form with a big win against Romsey on Saturday. The Tigers jumped out of the blocks and led by 10 goals at quarter time and it set the tone for the rest of the match. The Tigers were able to build on the way to a 56-30 win. Shanae Brundell shot 32 goals for the Tigers. In other matches, Diggers Rest beat Melton South, 65-29, while Wallan was too strong for Melton Centrals, winning 59-41.

FV

Sunbury United continued its good start to the FV state league 3 north-west season with a big win against the Heidelberg Eagles on Friday night. Alex Dimond scored twice in the first half to give Sunbury the lead at the break. Sunbury was able to seal the win with a third goal in the 94th minute, winning 3-0. In FV state league 7 north-west, Gisborne made it two wins in a row.

Big V

The Sunbury Jets were able to hold off a fast finishing Melbourne University in the Big V men’s championship competition on Saturday night. The Jets led all night in the clash but Melbourne University was able to finish the better of the two teams. It came too late, with the Jets winning, 100-95.

and funny how in cricket, little moments can end up being really big moments.

“I think every time we play Wallan it’s a close game and looking forward to continuing that rivalry. “

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