4 FEBRUARY, 2025
Twins’ time to learn Roxburgh Park twins Mansaanjh and Samarveer are among five sets of twins starting school at Hume Anglican Grammar this year. Mansaanjh and Samarveer will start prep at the school’s Kalkallo campus on Thursday, February 6. The school will also welcome two sets of twins to its secondary school at its Donnybrook campus and two sets of twins – one in prep and the other in high school – to its Mount Ridley campus. Dad Dildeep Kaler said Mansaanjh and Samarveer, who turned turned five at the end of January, were looking forward to their big day. “They are very excited,” he said, “Maybe once they start they will be nervous because they are in separate classes. “We wanted them to be separate so they are not as dependent on each other.” Mr Kaler said was feeling relaxed about the pair starting their educational journey. “I’m very happy – excited – to see them starting school,” he said.
Mansaanjh and Samarveer will start prep at Hume Anglican Grammar this week. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 454793_05
Moves against McLindon By Laura Michell Ten Whittlesea councillors are pushing for mayor Aidan McLindon to face internal arbitration over alleged breaches of the Model Councillor Code of Conduct. The councillors are due to hold an unscheduled council meeting on Tuesday, February 4 – which will be closed to the public as it has been designated confidential – to discuss the potential breaches of the code by Cr McLindon. The Model Code of Conduct sets out the standards for the behaviour and responsibilities of councillors across the state.
Leaked council meeting papers seen by Star Weekly, reveal that councillors Blair Colwell and Deb Gunn intend to move an urgent business motion alleging Cr McLindon breached the code on more than one occasion in the media and in social media posts in the lead up to and during his candidacy for the Werribee state by-election. “This urgent business motion cannot safely or conveniently be considered at the next scheduled council meeting due to the nature of the behaviour of the mayor, Cr McLindon, escalating, in part due to his candidacy for the Werribee by-election,” the motion states. As reported by Star Weekly, Cr McLindon – who was elected as Whittlesea’s mayor
on November 19 – is contesting the seat of Werribee following the resignation of long-serving MP Tim Pallas. After initially declaring that he would not stand down as mayor during the by-election campaign, Cr McLindon is currently on personal leave from council. The motion asks council to make an urgent formal application within 24 hours of Tuesday’s meeting for an internal arbitration process. It also asks that deputy mayor Daniela Zinni write to Local Government Minister Melissa Horne on behalf of the 10 councillors – Colwell, Gunn, Zinni, Christine Stow, David Lenberg, Lawrie Cox, Nic Brooks, Martin
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Taylor, Stevan Kozmevski and Jarrod Lappin – requesting the arbitration be expedited. Cr McLindon said he intends to attend Tuesday’s meeting despite his leave of absence from council. He has labelled the allegations as a “political witch hunt”. The unscheduled council meeting comes as more than 700 people signed a petition calling for Cr McLindon to resign as mayor. The petition, started by long-term Whittlesea resident Troy Steans, claims locals have lost faith in Cr McLindon’s ability to carry out his duties as mayor. Continued page 8