Laurimar goalless under Friday night lights

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May 12, 2026

Laurimar goalless under Friday night lights

THE WINLESS start to the season for Laurimar’s women continued in round 5, going down by three goals to Diamond Creek in cold conditions.

Hosting the second of three Friday night fixtures for the season at Laurimar Reserve, the Power held the early ascendancy, matching the intensity of the Creekers who were coming off the bye.

The usual suspects Tara Dyer and Sarah Campbell were clearly the best players on the ground in the first quarter, but the home side couldn’t capitalise in their forward 50 entries.

The Power trailed at the first break by seven points after a late major to the visitors, and the scoreboard stayed much the same through the middle quarters of the game.

They got on the board with a behind to Rai Chambers in the final quarter, but didn’t put any further damage on the scoreboard as Diamond Creek kicked another to seal a handy win.

Aside from Dyer and Campbell, Rebecca Liversidge played well to put together one of her best games for the season, while Brittany Zahra, Lara Hecker and Courtney Dark also fought hard and were named in the Power’s best.

Laurimar has the bye next week before travelling up Plenty Road the following Sunday to play Whittlesea, who had a bye of their own at the weekend.

The Eagles will host Wallan when they return to the field this week and will be hoping to extend their unbeaten start to the season against the Magpies.

Business award nominations open

The North Central Review

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May 12, 2026

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ENTRIES for the 2026 Macedon Ranges Business Excellence Awards are now being accepted.

Categories include the Young Achiever, People’s Choice Award and various others related to excellence in specific fields that recognise local businesses for their outstanding service, innovation, professionalism and products.

This year’s celebrations will also include the introduction of the new Business Excellence Awards Hall of Fame, recognising the long-term contribution of businesses that have won the same category for three consecutive awards.

The awards are held every two years interchanging with the Community Choice Awards to highlight the important role businesses play in creating local jobs and supporting community activities.

Kerrie’s own Josh’s Rainbow Eggs will continue their role as the naming sponsor for the event, which they have done since 2021.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council Mayor Kate Kendall said: “Local businesses are at the heart of the community. They provide so much to the community and provide services that we rely on. They employ local people, sponsor local sporting clubs, events and community groups. These awards are a way of our community saying thank you and celebrating those contributions.”

Award categories include Young Achiever, People’s Choice Awardand the big prize of the Business of the Year Award.

The self-nomination period ends on July 10, but applications will be received through until the middle of August. Finalists will be announced in October, and winners will be formally announced at the Awards Gala Dinner on November 27.

To find out more about the Business Excellence Awards, visit mrsc.vic.gov.au/business-awards

Finalists named for awards

The North Central Review

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May 12, 2026

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THE City of Whittlesea has named finalists for the 2026 Business Awards, with the field reflecting the diversity, innovation, and strength of the municipality’s thriving business community.

The awards celebrate the achievements and impact of local enterprises that have demonstrated excellence across various areas. Representing a wide range of industries, finalists have been selected for each of the following six award categories:

In customer service, the finalists are Funfields Themepark, Lashes On Point, Whittlesea Physiotherapy and Clinical Pilates, and Whole Health Osteopathy.

Finalists in the Innovation and enterprise category are Eifers, IntelliTrac, Nexist and RapidMap.

In the sustainability and environment category, the finalists are Big Group Hug, Bygen, Green Power Solutions and Heidelberg Materials.

The community contribution category finalists are Aalora Care, Find Your Way North, Oneway Lebanese Bakery and Repurpose It.

Diversity and inclusion finalists are All Ability Dental, Araluen Chancez Cafes, and Costa.

The small business category finalists are Beauty By Dua, Hair By I, Ladies That Lift and Rebalance Chinese Medicine.

Mayor Lawrie Cox said supporting local businesses to thrive is one of council’s key priorities.

“The City of Whittlesea Business Awards provide a terrific opportunity to highlight the stories, successes, and spirit of our amazing local businesses and to celebrate our local business community,” Cr Cox said.

Winners will be announced on Thursday, June 25, at the Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre in South Morang.

For more information, contact business@whittlesea.vic.gov.au

A Brilliant meeting for Probus

The North Central Review

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May 12, 2026

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THE May meeting at The Combined Probus Club of Whittlesea was addressed by Peter Brilliant – a former Victoria Police detective who now works as a private consultant in industry-based crime prevention such as drug-affected workers.

He joined Victoria Police in 1976 at 20 years of age and progressed through various squads and locations until around 1987 when he was selected to become a member of the Major Crime Squad.

The Victoria Police Major Crime Squad (MCS) was an active unit tasked with tackling serious and complex crimes across Victoria, primarily focusing on homicides, organised crime and drug operations, using specialised tactics – both overt and covert.

The Assistant Commissioner of Crime was the determinant that an event was a major crime. Such cases revolved around the top 10 criminals in the state who may be involved in crimes that would normally be in the domain of local criminal investigation branches or even specialised squads.

Crimes that would be given to MCS to investigate were all adult escapers either from police cells or actual jails, high value aggravated burglaries or shootings involving police. Kidnappings or extortions were generally given straight over to MCS.

Mr Brilliant displayed the squad’s logo the bottom line of which was the Latin words nusquam abscondere. Basic translation is nowhere to hide. This was a message to the criminal fraternity but the message was also reflected in the office. Like any group of Australian workers nicknames were allocated. The one in keeping was a member called torch who “would not go out”.

The logo graphically depicts what Mr Brilliant called the MCS tools of trade. The shotgun, a sledgehammer and handcuffs.

In the sub-set of kidnapping Mr Brilliant reflected on Mr Cruel, an unidentified Australian serial child rapist who attacked three girls in the northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is also the prime suspect in the 1991 abduction and murder of a fourth girl, Karmein Chan.

Mr Brilliant described Mr Cruel as highly intelligent. He meticulously planned each attack, conducted surveillance on the victims and their families, ensured he left no forensic traces, protected his identity by covering his face at all times and left red herrings to divert family and/or police attention. Mr Brilliant believes he knows Mr Cruel’s identity but is missing the final evidence.

Several anecdotes about criminal and police behaviours kept the audience enthralled. One easy capture was the result of inept criminals. They had broken into a building and removed a safe. In attempts to open it, the safe was rolled onto its side. When MCS arrived at the scene they noticed blood on the floor from under the safe. The blood was from a finger that had been severed in moving the safe.

Unlucky was the man with the missing digit because his fingerprint remained at the scene of the crime.

Mr Brilliant was giving character references for many of our infamous criminals when the time ran out and his exciting presentation came to an end. He did explain a particular trait of Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read and claimed that the Kane brothers were very dangerous clients.

With that information members applauded him while he was given a small token of appreciation.

Twilight races slated for Seymour

The North Central Review

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May 12, 2026

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THE Seymour Racing Club (SRC) has released its 2026/27 race dates, headlined by the introduction of twilight racing across three meetings for the first time in the club’s history.

The new season marks a significant evolution in the club’s offering, with twilight meetings scheduled across November, December and January, delivering a fresh race-day experience for members, participants and racegoers during the summer months.

SRC Chief Executive Chris Martin said the addition of twilight racing represents an exciting step forward for the club.

“Introducing twilight racing across three meetings is a major milestone for Seymour,” he said.

“It provides a different style of race day experience, particularly across the warmer months, and allows us to further engage with our community and racing fans in a more relaxed, social setting.”

The 2026/27 calendar also features a strong line-up of marquee events, continuing to anchor the club’s season.

The bet365 Seymour Cup remains the club’s flagship race day, while the Godolphin Puckapunyal Cup continues to grow as a unique and significant fixture celebrating the region’s strong community and military connections.

Key community race days also return, including the ever-popular Christmas Party Race Day, which will now be run under twilight conditions, and the Kids Day Out, delivering a family-friendly experience during the festive period.

“These feature race days remain the cornerstone of our season,” Mr Martin said.

“We’re proud of the balance we’ve built between high-quality racing and community-focused events, and the addition of twilight meetings only strengthens that offering.”

Mr Martin said the club’s continued investment in infrastructure and race-day experience has positioned Seymour strongly for the future.

“With the introduction of twilight racing and a strong calendar of feature meetings, we’re confident the 2026/27 season will be one of our best yet,” he said.

The twilight meetings will be held on November 12, December 17 and January 14.

Interleague moves made

The North Central Review

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May 12, 2026

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Selection for interleague football is ramping up, with Broadford and Seymour players selected in initial squads for the Bendigo Football Netball League and the Goulburn Valley Football League respectively.

The Bendigo Football Netball League will be taking on the Ovens and Murray Football Netball League on Saturday, May 23 at the Queen Elizabeth Oval, with four training sessions starting from last Wednesday.

Broadford have three players represented in the squad, with Louis Thompson, Sebastian Morris and Jaiden Magor all selected in the 53-player squad.

Bendigo coach Simon Rosa said there was a competitive feel about the overall squad.

“The depth of talent across the BFNL continues to grow, and that made selection incredibly challenging in the best possible way,” he said.

“This squad gives us a strong foundation to build from, with a great mix of experience, leadership and players who are ready to take the next step at interleague level.

“We’re looking forward to getting the group together, setting our standards early and building a team that represents the league with pride.”

Meanwhile, the Goulburn Valley Football League is gearing up for a July 11 date with the Victorian Amateur Football Association at Elsternwick Park, with two Seymour players making the leadership group.

Lions co-coach Jack Murphy has been selected, as has current leading goalkicker Riley Mason, in a five-man leadership group alongside Benalla’s Nick Warnock and ex-AFL talents Callum Brown and Sam Reid.

Letters to the Editor – May 12, 2026

The North Central Review

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May 12, 2026

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Energy dilemma

In watching the Chanel Seven Spotlight report The Green Dream, which investigated the environmental and human costs of Australia’s renewable energy transition, I was stunned by the amount of arable land that the Victorian Government has mapped for Renewable Energy Zones.

According to the program, it is 8 per cent of Victoria. In trying to grasp what this meant, I googled the following ‘Starting in Melbourne and heading north, in a mile-wide corridor, how far would I be able to go to cover the 1.88 million hectares that is the equivalent of 8% of Victoria?’ The answer was to the northern tip of Greenland in the Arctic Circle.

This is frightening when you consider most of the land designated for renewable energy zones is farmland and that the government recently passed a land seizure provision that gives AusNet and VicGrid the power to compulsorily acquire farmland for transmission line easements before environmental impact statements have been completed.

There is no doubt we have an energy dilemma. In August 2008, the then Minerals & Petroleum Division, Department of Primary Industries (DPI), issued a document titled ‘Our Coal Our Future – Future opportunities for brown coal’ and it concluded the following: “Coal is abundant, affordable, available and reliable and is vital to the world’s sustainable energy needs”.

So I went looking for information about Victoria’s brown coal. Victoria has 430 billion tonnes of coal, the second largest coal deposit in the world and of this, 33 billion tonnes has been identified as economically viable – located under only 10-20 metres of overburden, making it some of the lowest cost coal mining in the world. At our current rate of usage, 33 billion tonnes could last 500 years.

The DPI document went on to say, “With coal being integral to Victoria’s economy, the use of drying, gasification and liquefaction technologies will enable the state’s brown coal to be used to produce key commodities such as diesel, urea, petrochemicals and hydrogen, as well as exportable coal, and in so doing substitute for the conventional feedstocks such as oil, gas and black coal.

“With support from the Victorian Government, these technologies as well as carbon capture and storage opportunities can open direct export markets for the state, whilst ensuring reduced carbon emissions to meet the global greenhouse gas challenge.”

I also learnt that coal derived diesel produces cleaner emissions.

Our race to renewables is at significant human cost elsewhere in the world. The Spotlight story highlighted the use of child labour in Congolese mines extracting essential minerals used in the production of renewable energy infrastructure. Renewables also have significant recurring costs. Renewable energy infrastructure has a finite life. Batteries, in a utility-scale solar farm, generally last between 10 to 15 years before they need to be replaced, while solar panels may last 25 years before having to be disposed of as e-waste.

While we are actively supporting a move away from fossil fuels, we are also ignoring the technological advances that could see reduced carbon emissions from the mining of our coal. This in effect is depriving future generations of the wealth we could generate. Isn’t it about time we started using our mineral, coal and natural gas wealth for the benefit of Australians?

And more importantly protect the natural environment and farmland essential for food security.

Victoria is Australia’s food bowl, producing 62 per cent of the nation’s milk, 40 per cent of its vegetables and 23 per cent of Australia’s gross agriculture production. We need to be protecting farmland, rather than decimating and disfiguring it for renewable energy infrastructure.

Julie Ann Ashley

Member of Protect Our Farms

Priority seating

AS A disabled person I agree entirely with SB of Wallan’s comments (in May 5 letters).

I would like to add that luggage, bicycles etc. in the wheelchair spaces is another major problem. This has been compounded by conductors never sending passengers with such items to the correct door (on VLocitys).

Phillip Chandler

Broadford

Sulky Snippets with Len Baker – May 12, 2026

Len Baker

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May 12, 2026

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AN even eight-race card on a cold wintery night at Kilmore last Thursday, May 7 saw some interesting racing and Bolinda/Darraweit trainer Alexandra Hurley’s speedy 7YO Peak-Bras Dhonneur gelding Massif Central bred and raced by the Hurley family chalked up his fourth victory in 58 outings by taking the 1690 metre Broadstead Kilmore Trotters Mobile.

With regular reinsman Triston Larsen in the sulky, Massif Central showed his usual gate speed from barrier five to lead virtually throughout and refusing to give in scored by 1.4 metres in a punishing finish over Paya Del Carmen which trailed from the pole. The mile rate was 2.03.

Little Tedey (four pegs from inside the second line) flashed home along the sprint lane for third a nose away. His winning margins are never great, however his will to defy all challengers are.

No doubt Kilmore must be Derrinal (Heathcote) trainer/driver Glen Bull’s favourite track as he rarely ever goes home from the venue without a winner and on this occasion, it was bold front runner Treacherous Times who snared the 1690 metre OKRFM Pace.

Brilliantly away from gate five, Treacherous Times led all of the way to register a 1.4 metres margin over a death-seating Freak Out which stuck on well in a 1.58.1 mile rate. Midnite Desire (three pegs from inside the second line) used the sprint lane for third a head away.

Veteran Doreen breeder/owner/trainer John Yeomans combined with Kialla’s Tasmyn Potter to land the Pacing For Pink Month Of May 4YO & Older Maiden Pace over 2180 metres with Hello Possums, a 4YO daughter of Art Major and Red Hot Rita.

Settling at the tail of the field from the extreme draw, Diamondontherocks led from gate two for David Miles after causing a false start at the first attempt.

Going forward three wide in the last lap, Hello Possums gained a three wide trail home in the last lap on the back of Loubell (one/two from gate three second line) and Woodville Silver (one/three from gate four second line) before moving into the race swiftly three wide on the final bend and finishing best to prevail by a head from Woodville Flyer in a 2.00.5 mile rate. Diamondontherocks was third a neck away.

Monegeetta trainer/driver David Miles snared the MC Labour 4YO & Older Maiden Trotters Mobile in a 2.01.8 mile rate with Victree Vic, a 4Y0 gelded son of Volstead and Sweet Pretense.

Settling on the back of the leader Desert Royal (gate three), Victree Vic was taken away from the inside to race uncovered at the bell to outstay his rivals and score from Gym Queen (four pegs from gate two on the second line) – one/one last lap which chased hard to go down by three metres. Desert Royale held third albeit 25.6 metres away.

The 2180 metre Kilmore Ford Trotters Mobile saw Arcadia South trainer Jamie Egan successful with 6YO Majestic Son-Catchya Maya mare Paris Jamilla.

Raced by Jamie and partner Bec Dudley, Paris Jamilla driven by Nathan Jack settled three back in the moving line from gate two on the second line as Straight To The Top led from gate five.

Moving up stylishly three-wide in the last lap, Paris Jamilla appeared to lose momentum and drop out before rallying on turning after gaining a late split to gain the day by a neck over Calabasas (extreme draw) and Majestic Charma which had raced uncovered from gate four finishing a half neck back in a thrilling finish. The mile rate was 2.03.1.

Long-time Cranbourne-based Jayne Davies who has prepared hundreds of winners over the years including the 1995 (Christchurch) Inter Dominion winner Golden Reign in partnership with Noel Alexander, was victorious in the 2180 metre Coulter Legal Pace with lightly raced Tall Dark Stranger-Vouvray Beach colt Sols Me Name.

Raced by long time stable client John McLeish, Sols Me Name, driven by James Herbertson, was having his seventh race start and after settling three back in the moving line from inside the second row was set alight racing for the bell to park outside the pacemaker Zoom Zoom Boom (gate four).

Cruising to the front running into the final bend, Sols Me Name coasted to the wire 5.9 metres in advance of A Lot Like Jeannie (gate six) which ran home nicely from mid-field. Zoom Zoom Boom held third 1.5 metres away. The mile rate was 1.58.8.

Marong co-trainers Terry and Jacinta-Allan Gange raced and trained 8YO Changeover-Jokeka gelding Bullapark Beno to land the C&M Build Group Trotters Mobile over 1690 metres giving ‘Herbie’ another winner on the program.

Starting solo on the second line, Bullapark Beno was off and running at the bell to race exposed outside the speedy leader Piesridingshotgun (gate five) for the last lap before doing his best to defeat the pacemaker by a neck in a 2.00.1 mile rate. Dels Destiny three pegs from outside the front line ran home along the sprint lane for third 1.6 metres back.

The 1690 metre Picklebet “Get Your Pickle On” Trotters Mobile concluded the evening with Junortoun trainer/driver Ashley Manton successful aboard the family’s home bred 6YO Majestic Son-Prettygirl Lassie gelding Prettyboy Harry.

Going forward from outside the front line to cross The Preacher (gate four) which had crossed Hillwinsome (gate two), Prettyboy Harry who relishes the front running role ran his rivals ragged to greet the judge 4.6 metres clear of The Preacher in a 2.01 mile rate. Hillwinsome (three pegs) held third 2.9 metres back.

Kilmore races again on May 21.