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Tuesday, 16 June, 2026

FTG resident warns of close call

Montrose memorial gums to go on

Outer East girls make history

Real estate liftout inside

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A Star News Group Publication

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Brave mum on the world stage By Shamsiya Hussainpoor Many locals know Katie McDonald as a familiar face at school and kinder drop-offs in Upper Ferntree Gully, or training locally. But in just days, the 37-year-old mother of two will compete against the world’s best after qualifying for the HYROX World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden on 19 June. A former Upwey High School student, Ms McDonald once competed for Victoria in cross country, athletics and triathlon before moving into marathons and ultramarathons. In 2020 she discovered she carried the BRCA2 gene mutation, and in 2024 earlystage breast cancer was detected through screening, leading to surgery and recovery. Six months after surgery she returned to training at Fit For Life gym in Upper Ferntree Gully and later qualified for the world stage after winning her age group in Brisbane. “If you’ve got a goal, there’s no reason why you can’t achieve it,” she said. To read the full story, turn to page 8

Katie McDonald was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024. (Supplied)

A lasting legacy A lifetime of dedication by one woman is set to be the centrepoint of upcoming celebration of the 80th anniversary for Monbulk’s RSL, as they make plans to honour her life in the form of a statue. Jeannie Gunn is remembered by the members of the RSL as ‘the greatest lady who ever entered Monbulk’ and during her life was a huge supportive force to soldiers and their families throughout the township during and after both world wars. “You’ve got this woman who, for 50 years, dedicated herself to the ex-service people of

Monbulk, and certainly to this club; she gave a lot of assistance and support,” historian Anthony McAleer said. “So this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Monbulk RSL, and as an 80th anniversary project, we want to organise a statue of Mrs Gunn. We want it as a memorial and a tribute, we want it as a public work of art, and we want it as a tourist attraction,” he said. While most people know Mrs Aeneas Gunn OBE as the author of We of the Never Never, a

statue of Jeannie Gunn come to fruition. The first meeting of the new sub-committee will take place on Saturday 20 June at 11am at the Monbulk RSL clubrooms in Main Street. “We would love representation of the various groups in Monbulk, but if anyone is interested in being involved, who has some skills in that, we would encourage them to come along,” said Mr McAleer.

book inspired by her time in the Northern Territory, Mr McAleer said she truly dedicated so much of her life to the people of Monbulk. “It’s at the point now where this generation is probably the last that knows the story of Mrs Gunn, there’s a lot of people that aren’t aware of what she did for this township and we want generations now and to come to know all about what Mrs Gunn did,” he said. Monbulk RSL would like to establish a subcommittee to help manage project and see a