Local Swifties ‘Ready For It’: Eras Tour countdown
Featured image: It’s anything but a ‘Cruel Summer’ for Mitchell Swifties lucky enough to have their hands on tickets to pop megastar Taylor Swift’s sold-out Eras Tour at the ‘G this weekend. The numerous fans who didn’t snag tickets, including Wallan Swifties Ruby, Mia and Miranda, are shaking it off with other exciting plans to partake in the fun.
The artist of the decade, an independent trailblazer and a champion of girlhood – love her or hate her, there’s no denying the sheer inspiration and impact that megastar Taylor Swift has on her millions of diehard fans.
Mitchell and Whittlesea Swifties lucky enough to have secured coveted tickets to Swift’s Eras Tour are counting down to the ‘once in a lifetime event’ set for the Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG, this weekend.
The singer’s three Melbourne shows sold out in just hours in June last year.
It was ‘Death By A Thousand Cuts’ for Swifties unable to secure seats, each up against Ticketeck site crashes, scams and thousands of other fans pursuing tickets.
Shaking It Off
It was down to bad luck for Wallan’s Ruby, 12, Mia, 12, and Miranda, 9, who, despite trying every avenue, could not secure Tay-Tay tickets.
Mum and family friend Sarah Brewer, who is also president of local charity group Love in Action, has committed to braving this weekend’s city crowds with the girls so they can at least be ‘in the atmosphere’.
“To be 12, to not be able to go and see your favourite performer when it’s on every radio station, every TV, everyone’s talking about it – at least they feel part of it,” Ms Brewer said.
“I’m just proud of them – the fact that they don’t have tickets at the moment, but they’re not sulking, they’re like ‘what can we do to make it better?’”
“These three work very hard for the community, so it’ll be nice just to see them have some fun.”
Bursting with positivity despite their misfortune, the girls will be taking their 52 (and counting) friendship bracelets to trade with other unlucky fans – a concert tradition inspired by Swift’s lyric ‘make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it’.
“Taylor’s not just a singer to us – she’s an inspiration,” Ruby said.
“I don’t care if we don’t see her, just as long as we’re still there,” Mia said.
Wildest Dreams come true
City of Whittlesea’s ‘Dad of the Year’ may just go to Matthew Narduzzo-Nolan, who hitched It’s A Love Story VIP tickets for himself and 13-year-old daughter Maddison, valued at a combined $966.
For Mr Narduzzo-Nolan, who has been a fan since the singer’s country releases, Swift is more than just a singer: she is a role model for his young daughter.
“[She’s demonstrated] the sort of strength for young women to show that they can achieve everything they want to and be able to do it themselves,” he said.
The Mernda father said the tussle for Tay-Tay tickets was “the most stressful thing”, first losing tickets when the site crashed after seven hours of queuing.
The announcement of a third Melbourne show gave him one last chance to secure tickets.
“I went in there, saw how much it was and went ‘this is going to be your birthday present for the next year or two’.”
“When we got them, Maddison was screaming and crying and couldn’t believe that we’d actually got them.”
Singin’ in a big old city
Beveridge’s Jesse Morvan will be five weeks postpartum when she heads to Sydney with her two younger sisters to see Swift live.
Baby Jenson will be making the trip to Sydney to stay with family while his mum and aunties take to the Eras Tour.
“As soon as she confirmed she was coming to Australia, we knew we would do almost anything to get tickets,” Ms Morvan said.
“They were $150 per person more than our budget, but it was still a no-brainer.”
Eras Tour hits MelbourneHaving loved Swift since her 2010 country album Speak Now, Ms Morvan said it’s the singer’s intelligent songwriting that she admires most.
“It was her song ‘Mean’ that got me really into her music. I was getting bullied in high school, and it really resonated with me and got me through that year and beyond,” she said.
Haters gonna hate
While coming under the scrutiny of those struggling to grasp the reasons behind her influence, Swift continues to champion independence with the takeback of her music from former record label Big Machine Records, pioneer for strength in girlhood and uplift fans of all ages with tracks from her 14 albums.
Wallan residents ‘fighting for answers’ after homes flooded in sewage
Being awoken by sewage gurgling up through drains, flooding a home with foul-smelling liquid destroying everything seems unimaginable.
But this was a reality for some Wallan residents on early January 8.
Joel Michael was in Queensland when a phone call from his mother-in-law at 2.30am informed the family of multiple SES calls for assistance in their court.
“Immediate dread came across us both. [She] attended our house and informed us the house was again under sewage water which was again emanating from the shower drains,” he said.
“We were crushed, knowing what the process was ahead of us.”
Immediately changing flights at significant cost, Mr Michael headed home to ensure cleanup was done to prevent his children returning home to ‘what upset them so much the first time’.
“The smell was horrendous…I spent the rest of the day and night cleaning and calculating the loss of contents, this time Christmas presents were destroyed as well,” he said.
The home previously flooded with sewage October 13, 2022.
“At the time I was at work. My wife and children – then six and seven – were at home,” he said.
“They were panicked not knowing what to do to stop the sewage emanating from the shower. They frantically tried to salvage toys and personal items.”
SES attended the site removing an IS cap at the rear of the property, relieving pressure through the house but destroying the backyard.
Youi insurance covered the first incident classed as a ‘catastrophic incident’ quickly. Reclassification has slowed the process the second time.
The family sought emergency accommodation both times.
Extensive damage and content loss totalled about $100,000 each flood.
“My children really struggled with the constant changes and instability of the situation – their schooling was affected for most of 2023. My daughter has now been diagnosed with anxiety because of the incident. She’s only seven,” Mr Michael said.
Mr Michael thanked Federal Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell for his support.
“He ensured we received emergency funding and was prompt and supportive to our needs,” he said.
Mary* awoke to flooding at 2am on January 8.
“We could just hear gurgling noises and bubbling noises,” she said.
“My partner got up and noticed bubbles coming out of the ensuite toilet and I went to check on my daughter who is afraid of storms.
“As I walked out, I noticed half of my loungeroom, the kitchen, the hallway and the bathroom were flooded.
“It was coming up through the toilet so there was a mixture of stormwater and sewage…there was a little bit of poo and things. It was disgusting.”
Mary was ‘overwhelmed’ and used her wet/dry vacuum and bleach to attempt to decontaminate.
After the 2022 flood a Yarra Valley Water, YVW, assessor visited Mr Michael’s property stating a YVW pump broke under the deluge of rain, agreeing to pay his excess without admitting blame.
The same assessor visited his home on January 8 however stating the pump did not break, placing blame on Mitchell Shire Council citing overflowing stormwater entering the sewer lines as the cause.
Council refuted this to Mr Michael blaming YVW.
YVW acknowledge a broken pump was identified as the cause however said this was inaccurate with no pump failure at the Wallan Treatment Plant site reported during the flood events.
YVW acting general manager of distribution services Natalie Foeng encouraged affected residents to get in contact.
“We’re sorry some residents have experienced wastewater spills as a result of January’s severe wet weather and we’re encouraging anyone who’s been impacted to get in touch,” she said.
“Unfortunately, severe weather events put significant pressure on our sewer system’s capacity, which is not designed to withstand extreme circumstances such as a one in 20-year storm.
“We’re working directly with impacted customers, and we’re planning several upgrade projects to increase the local sewer network’s capacity for higher sewer flows in the longer term.”
After the second flood the YVW loss adjustor offered to pay Mr Michael’s excess and fix backyard damage through a landscaper.
He heard from the landscaper once and never again.
Mr Michael also requested a formal investigation into the problem and information to compliance with a 2014 report.
“I asked what investigation or works they had completed since the first incident to ensure this didn’t happen again and I asked what the cause of the event was at the time,” he said.
“I was met with legal talk and refusal to answer my questions without an approved Freedom of Information application. I just want to know what the issue is so it can be fixed so this doesn’t happen again.
“Our greatest worry now, aside from identifying the issue, is the possibility of diminuition of property value.
“Since the incident I have not slept much, balancing full-time work, family commitments and fighting for answers.
“I feel like I’m going up against City Hall by myself.”
Initially YVW told Mary they would not cover her excess as they were not at fault however after continuous contact and informing YVW about multiple properties flooding, she was told they would review her claim.
She is currently trying to find permanent accommodation for her family of five.
Anyone impacted by sewer overflows can contact YVW on their 24-hour number 13 27 62.
*not her real name
No movement at the station: V/Line advises significant disruptions
V/LINE has announced significant disruptions to its train services on Mondays and Fridays from this week due to rolling planned industrial action.
Rail Tram and Bus Union members employed by V/Line will take protected industrial action in the form of a work stoppage between 3am and 7am yesterday then Friday 16, Monday 19 and Friday 23 February.
No V/Line trains will run during the stoppage and significant delays are expected throughout the morning as trains get back into position and gradually resume the normal timetable.
A very limited coach replacement service will run for essential journeys with delays of two hours are expected. Replacement coaches will not stop at Metro train stations. Passengers who need to travel should expect significant delays and plan their day accordingly. Passengers with accessibility needs are encouraged to call 1800 800 007 before travelling so we can provide the best possible service for their journey.
A schedule of the first trains to return on each line will be published on the V/Line and PTV websites.
Metropolitan, freight and the Sydney-Melbourne XPT train services will still operate during planned industrial action.
Public transport information is available at ptv.vic.gov.au, the PTV mobile app or on the V/Line website or mobile app.
Single rep wards planned for the City of Whittlesea
City of Whittlesea underwent an electoral structure view and is awaiting the Minister for Local Government’s decision.
The Minister will decide whether to accept the recommendation with any changes published in the Government Gazette and expected to apply at the next council general election in October 2024.
As required under Victoria’s Local Government Act 2020, City of Whittlesea will adopt a single-councillor ward structure.
The panel – Frank Vincent AO, Liz Williams, and electoral commissioner Sven Bluemmel – considered appropriate number of councillors and wards, location of boundaries and ward names.
The report was finalised Wednesday, December 20 following information sessions and public submissions.
Currently City of Whittlesea is divided into three wards with 11 councillors – one ward with three councillors and two wards with four each.
Three models were submitted for consideration.
Liberal Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Evan Mulholland and Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Region Wendy Lovell penned a joint submission disagreeing with the large North Ward stating future growth was underestimated.
“Subsequently the population increase in Donnybrook alone will take the proposed North Ward across all three models’ boundary up to around 16,668 electors/residents,” they said.
“[Our] recommendation to the Whittlesea Electoral Representation Advisory Panel is to carefully consider the population growth of the northern half of the City of Whittlesea, contrasted to the established parts, in which very little growth is happening.”
Doreen resident Kim Kotas also said the North Ward should be divided due to population growth.
“This modelling fails to take into account the population growth between now and October 2024,” she said.
“At the October 2024 elections, these boundaries must leave as much room for growth as possible, whilst remaining compliant with the Act to ensure that through 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 the Donnybrook, Whittlesea and Mernda areas are not grossly underrepresented as population projections expect.
“As such the committee should break up North Ward and recognise the former North Ward as it was at the 2016 council election, is not an accurate blueprint for future ward boundaries.”
The two other submissions received supported model one.
Wollert resident Lawrie Cox said it aligned most communities of interest.
“The North Ward is a consistent model across the three proposals and gives the population required as a predominately rural area,” he said.
“The inclusion of Donnybrook enables significant future population growth.
“The area of Mernda would be better to include [in] the area west of Sackville Street across to the Darebin Creek as the pocket is remote from the proposed Kirrip Ward.”
John Fry also said model one achieved keeping communities together.
“The boundaries for North, Mernda and Painted Hills Wards in model one seem the most logically consistent from a local perspective, given the legislative restrictions imposed by the process the panel was operating under when dealing with a growth corridor,” he said.
Mr Fry supported the naming of wards with Aboriginal names however, believed this should occur after community consultation.
“In relation to the naming of the Wards there are a number that have a history and a logical reason to them for example Mernda and Morgan,” Mr Fry said.
“On the other hand, Ganbu Gulinj and Kirrip wards have no such history.
“Whilst they seem to be based on new community centre names, these have very little status in the community, and I question the community consultation in relation to their naming by council.
“At this stage I would suggest more generic geographic names, but with a recommendation that council conducts proper consultation with the effected communities to come up with Aboriginal names that resonate with the community for the following election.”
Mr Cox proposed initially naming Kirrip ‘Darebin’ and Ganbu Gulinj ‘Merri’ based on the creeks in those areas.
“I do support the changing of all ward names into the future to Aboriginal identified names but after consideration and community input rather than through this review,” he said.
Fundraiser for Kilmore father after cancer diagnosis
A fundraiser has been set up for a Kilmore father who was given up to a year to live following a cancer diagnosis.
Stuart Armstrong first fell ill in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, when he began losing weight and struggled to keep food down.
He went through six months of various unsuccessful treatments before cancer cells were identified in a gastroscopy, which was later diagnosed as stomach cancer.
After treatment with chemotherapy, Mr Armstrong underwent a procedure to remove his stomach and replace it with an artificial substitute – leading to signs of improvement after a lengthy recovery during the pandemic.
In recent months, however, he began to decline again and after multiple hospital visits it was found that the cancer had returned, only this time having completely enveloped the new stomach and effectively shut it down.
Now forced to live with a feeding tube, Mr Armstrong’s wife Lynn has continued to work full-time to support him and their two young children Grace and Hunter.
Family friend Jo Ostwald, who set up the fundraiser, said the situation was ‘pretty brutal’.
“They’re just ordinary, hard-working people and no one expects this kind of thing to happen, but in the midst of it you’ve got two kids, school fees, mortgage … you just want to help in some way,” she said.
“The most practical way to help is to relieve some financial stress just to give Stuart a bit of peace of mind.”
With a general goal of $50,000, Ms Ostwald hoped the fundraiser would help alleviate some pressure over the coming months.
“I’m hoping they get enough money that Lynn might be able to take time off work, they’ve just got to keep going and they’ve got a supportive family and everything, but it’s just how it is,” she said.
Now undergoing chemo and immunotherapy, Ms Armstrong, nee Watt, said she hoped her husband would at least show small signs of improvement, such as being able to drink again, soon.
She was, however, thankful for the support from her children’s two schools – Assumption College and Upper Plenty Primary School.
“This has obviously been tougher, coming back when you first get the news and having to tell your children. It’s not easy,” she said.
“Just even dealing with the little things, lots of decisions might have to be made that you think you’d never have to do.”
Ms Armstrong said she was grateful for Ms Ostwald’s efforts in organising the fundraiser, as it would allow her to take time off work to care for Mr Armstrong.
“It’s amazing, she’s just been amazing through it all and my whole friend group have, they’ve all gathered and made sure that someone checks in every week,” she said.
“I know I’m not alone with this, I know people go through it with their kids and everyone. The support from everyone is what helps and people have been amazing.
“You really see the best people in the world when something happens, … not everyone can offer financial support, but a lot of people offer emotional support or they’re willing to cook you a meal. It’s a beautiful thing.”
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New principal starts at Assumption College Kilmore
New principal of Assumption College Kilmore, ACK, Paul Finneran is more than excited to bring ‘hope’ to the school’s learning environment.
Mr Finneran commenced at the start of term one, taking over from Kate Fogarty who stepped down at the end of last year after nine years to become executive director of Catholic Education Diocese, Sandhurst.
Mr Finneran, former principal of St Paul’s Catholic College Greystanes in Sydney, said the school community had been wonderful while he had been settling into his new role.
“The community’s been very welcoming, I feel like they’ve embraced me,” he said.
“I’m really big on knowing the story of others story and Assumption has a really long and storied tradition that’s well known across the country really, not just Victoria.
“So, I’m excited about what I can contribute to the Assumption story, but I feel already that people want to share their story with me. The welcome has been enormous.”
In harmony with the school’s values and opportunities, Mr Finneran said his focus this year was building capacity and setting high expectations.
“It’s about setting the highest expectations possible and trying to continue the great work the previous college principal, Kate Fogarty, did – it’s also about continuing to build a palpable sense of community that is welcoming to all and that is inclusive,” he said.
“High expectations and building capacity are really important focuses for us.
“These focuses are deliberately generic because we can apply them to all aspects of school life and I think that we want to set the bar high, and we want our students to experience success and achieve the best results.”
Before ACK, Mr Finneran was in various senior positions at Catholic schools across Victoria and New South Wales, contributing to the Catholic education system for the past 30 years.
“We want to set the bar high, and we want our students to experience success and achieve the best results.”
Paul Finneran
Principal ACK
Mr Finneran said he is big on hope, presence, and authenticity – key values he is set to add to the ACK community and the school’s long enduring story.
“I think what’s important as an educator is that people feel valued – what we really want to give our students is voice, confidence and agency,” he said.
While the campus is growing each year, with currently under 1500 students starting this year, Mr Finneran said he would take the time to assess and interrogate the physical needs of the school, including sport and education buildings.
“I am very honoured and humbled to be appointed principal and I look forward to contributing to and sharing our Assumption story not just with our community but also the broader community because I think we’re an important piece of the Kilmore area,” he said.
ACK is inviting all prospective students and their families to its Open Evening at Assumption College on March 18.
The evening is an opportunity for ACK to showcase its innovative MyMAP program, the diverse range of subjects on offer and the many co-curricular opportunities available to future students of the college.
GDCA: Tradition rekindled for historic rivals
Kilmore and Broadford have reinstated the historic Freddie Baines Shield as both clubs have reunited since joining the Gisborne and District Cricket Association, GDCA, with Broadford taking home the honours on this occasion.
Over both weekends of the two-day clash at Kilmore, club stalwarts Brett Buttler and Chris ‘Doona’ Nolan spoke about the importance of preserving history and remembering those who paved the way for the two clubs.
Freddie Baines was a prominent figure in both communities, participating across both clubs and serving as Kilmore’s president until his death in 1991.
The most recent iteration of the shield named in his honour was a hard-fought contest in which Broadford came out on top 10/220 to 10/207.
Kevin Craddock was awarded player of the match thanks to his massive 96 runs, while Broadford’s Braden Hickey and Taylor Shell impressed with 60 runs and five wickets respectively.
Broadford coach Gareth Sharp also performed well to make 41 runs, while Elliot Frendo was Kilmore’s leading bowler with three wickets.
Craddock’s award and Broadford’s victory mean there is now a trophy in the hands of both clubs once again.
This weekend, Kilmore will travel to play Eynesbury while Broadford will host last-placed Riddell.
Elsewhere, Wallan is yet to overcome the shaky start to its 2024 Johnstone Shield challenge as it fell short in a home match against East Sunbury at the weekend.
The two-day match started with the Thunder batting, in which it racked up a score of 10/173 despite some touch-and-go moments that, at one point, had it on the back foot at around 7/60.
Wallan’s bowling on the day was headed by three wickets from Ryan Bonner and the chase of 173 seemed within reach when play got underway on Saturday.
The home side, however, was unable to make a sizeable impression with any batting partnerships and lost heavy hitters like captain Bryan Vance early on, leaving Wallan to fall short on 10/146.
Coach Steve Bell said the match had started well for Wallan but quickly swung the other way.
“The first day got off to a pretty good start bowling, where we got a few early wickets and had them in a bit of trouble … but credit to them, they fought back really well,” he said.
“To get 170 from the position they were in was a good effort, and then on Saturday they just bowled well all day and were very consistent, they definitely deserved the win out of the two teams.”
Top scorers for Wallan were Matt Clayton and Chris Vecchie on 34 apiece, however East Sunbury’s Lachlan Wilkins held back the charge with five wickets and 35 runs conceded.
Bell said Wallan’s batting needed to shift from relying on one or two players to make large run counts, especially as the side continued to slip down the ladder after strong results from other teams.
“There’s a few other players that probably need to step up and we can’t keep relying on [Vance] in particular,” he said.
“It’s now put us in a position where we could finish anywhere from top to fifth, we could even miss finals. The next two games are very big for us … we just need to work hard for the rest of the year.”
“One more win will guarantee us finals, but we could get two wins and hopefully finish top two to get a home final.”
Wallan will this weekend travel to play Aintree – two of the closest-matched sides on the Johnstone Shield ladder at the moment.
McIntyre Cup
Another dominant performance means Romsey has taken the top spot from Gisborne on the McIntyre Cup ladder.
The two sides are in a league of their own after round 12 of the competition, both sitting on 10 wins and no losses after multiple scheduled clashes were abandoned due to wet weather.
Nothing got in the way of Romsey at the weekend, however, as it sent seventh-placed Rupertswood packing after a comfortable victory.
With Romsey finishing the first day on 9/444 and making 5/114 on the second, Rupertswood had a mountain to climb for the victory but ultimately fell short on 10/191.
Romsey’s efforts were spearheaded by massive totals from Matthew Milne and captain Ben Way on 119 and 128 respectively, while Jamie Taylor and Aaron and Daniel Paterson each took two wickets on Saturday.
Romsey will host third-placed Sunbury United this weekend – the two sides separated by more than 20 points on the ladder.
Seymour’s Lighthorse Park faces new era
More visitors are set to enjoy Seymour’s iconic Australian Light Horse Memorial Park, with a major upgrade of the historical attraction now complete.
The upgraded park now features new walking trails, picnic shelters, park furniture and educational signs to make sure more visitors can extend their stay and learn about the park’s rich history.
With important upgrades to car parking, roads and access into and around the park now complete, it’s easier than ever for families and friends to explore this historic attraction.
Formerly known as Seymour Camp, the Park’s significant military history will continue to be remembered for years to come. From a light horse training ground pre-Federation to a base camp in the Second World War, thousands of Australian diggers have trained and rested on the Park’s lands.
The Park spans 150 hectares of idyllic countryside east of Seymour’s town centre, with Anzac Hill, the Park’s highest point, offering 360-degree views of the ranges and surrounding countryside. The Australian Light Horse Memorial Park is a popular spot for daytrippers enjoying the 90-minute drive from Melbourne.
A $405,000 investment in regional tourism infrastructure projects is helping attract more visitors to Victoria’s regions, creating more jobs and building a strong regional economy.