Tuesday, 26 May, 2026
Greens pick candidate for Evelyn
WAL work up a sweat along Yarra River
Wandin Rotary celebrate the arts
See Real Estate liftout inside
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A Star News Group Publication
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‘Tears of joy’ By Oliver Winn When the Alpine Hotel were selected as finalists for the Australian Hotels Association Victoria’s (AHA Vic) 2026 State Awards for Excellence, 20 staff members put on their best clothes, did their hair and makeup, and headed for the big smoke. As they sat at their table during the awards night, a bubble of excitement and nervousness grew among them, threatening to burst at any moment. That energy turned to pure elation when the Alpine Hotel was announced winners of the Best Casual Dining category for metropolitan Melbourne. Alpine Hotel co-owner Anthony Northwood said when they won, the staff were “buzzing with pride”. “There were tears of joy, it was incredible,” Mr Northwood said. “It’s a real reflection on the whole group and they were just chuffed all night.” The pub beat out some of Melbourne’s finest hospitality establishments, marking a major win for the Warburton township. Read more on page 7
There was plenty of backslapping and squealing from the staff as they won the award. (AHA Vic)
Ambos amped up Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics and first responders are getting to patients needing lifesaving care faster as hospital clearing times across the state continue to improve. Across the outer east, response times decreased and ambulances were able to deliver care quicker in a positive development for the state’s emergency services. In the Yarra Ranges, 57.2 per cent of the 1913 Code 1 incidents were responded to within 15 minutes, with an average response time of 16 minutes and 54 seconds.
This is an improvement from the same time last year (54.7 per cent of 2012 incidents, 17 minutes and 19 seconds) and the previous quarter (53.9 per cent of 2031 incidents, 17 minutes and 40 seconds). AV Executive Director Regional Operations Michael Georgiou said between January and March 2026, the average response time to the most critical Code 1 cases was 12 seconds faster than the previous three months. “The quicker response times are thanks to the incredible efforts of our hard-working crews who
are clearing hospital more than five minutes faster than a year ago,” Mr Georgiou said. “When we leave hospital faster, we can get back out into the community faster – and that means better outcomes for patients facing critical life-threatening emergencies.” The statewide average clearing time has dropped from 31.8 minutes between January and March 2025 to 26.4 minutes between January and March 2026. Introduced last year, the Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care are
improving hospital handover times across the state. “We are working closely with hospitals, emergency services and government partners to apply the Standards and keep patients moving through the system as quickly as possible,” Mr Georgiou said. Paramedics are also getting back on the road sooner with the median ED transfer time now just 25 minutes. Read more on page 2
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