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Love in Action call for donations ahead of ‘unprecedented’ Christmas demand

November 13, 2023

Mitchell Shire-based workplaces are being encouraged to organise donations and fundraising drives to assist charity organisation Love in Action, who is gearing up for its busiest festive season yet.

The Wallan and Broadford-based groups are expecting to support hundreds of families with food, presents and love this Christmas.

Both groups have called for donations now, so they can be organised to cater for the growing demand for assistance.

Unprecedented demand

Last year, the Love in Action Wallan team supplied Christmas hampers to between 150 and 200 families, double what they had supplied in previous years.

But the rate of families requiring help in the Mitchell Shire has risen again, particularly after the Reserve Bank of Australia increased the interest rates for the fifth time this year to 4.35 per cent.

President Sarah Brewer said there were 200 families as of last week that would need help this Christmas, with that number expected to increase.

“There’s a very good chance that we’ll be doing close to 250 hampers this year, which terrifies us, but excites us at the same time,” she said.

“This is the hardest year that we’ve ever had – this is unprecedented.”

Love in Action Wallan will once again distribute hampers to families in need in the Mitchell Shire, each including presents for children, Christmas treats, essential foods, toiletries, and other festive gifts.

Community members can support Love in Action through fundraising at workplaces and donating products.

The organisation needs advent calendars, Christmas chocolates, cakes and puddings, bonbons, flour, sugar, sauces, pasta and gifts for teenagers.

“People are awesome at buying really cute things for children, but we have a lot of teenagers on our books, and they don’t get as many donated presents in,” Ms Brewer said.

“We want to put a smile on everyone’s face on Christmas morning.”

Donations can be placed in trolleys at Coles Wallan and Kilmore, LJ Hooker Wallan and Vento Cafe in Wallan.

Volunteers will begin packing the hampers on December 1.

“Pretty much from the hours of 9am in the morning to 9pm at night, we’ll have a 12-hour rotating roster of volunteers to be packing and delivering,” Ms Brewer said.

“We just really want to thank the community – we cannot do what we do and to the level of what we do it without people that donate throughout the year into our trolleys, or they sponsor families at Christmas.”

Community members who don’t have time to shop but are still willing to give can donate to Love in Action Wallan’s bank account.

Its details are: Account name: Love in Action Wallan; BSB: 633000; Account number: 192 510 311.

People can contact Love in Action Wallan on 0436 457 154 or by emailing loveinactionwallan@gmail.com.

Donations needed in Broadford

Love in Action Broadford is also gearing up for a busy Christmas season, planning multiple initiatives to support families in need.

The Broadford team is collecting presents for mothers, fathers and children.

Giving trees with tickets of children’s age and appropriate gifts in line with their interests are available at Broadford Living and Learning Centre, Bendigo Bank Kilmore and Broadford, the Country Soul Café in Broadford and the Anglican Church in Kilmore.

The team also plan to distribute 50 hampers of food and Christmas goodies, but due to inflation, Love in Action Broadford is more reliant this year than ever on the support and donations from the community.

The team is in need of frozen turkeys, pavlovas, Christmas puddings, Christmas stockings, chocolate, tins of ham, bonbons, soft drinks, shortbread, tins of biscuits, Zooper Doopers and other speciality Christmas items. People can leave their donations at Broadford Living and Learning Centre.

Founder Barbara Radford said the team were also raffling two Christmas baskets full of goodies at Kilmore and Broadford’s Coles and Woolworths.

“We appreciate what’s come in already, which is mainly from Facebook and a lot of people I don’t know,” she said.

People can also donate directly to Love in Action Broadford’s bank account to help fund the initiatives. Its details are: Account name: Love in Action Broadford; BSB: 633 000; Account number: 1611 32725.

People can contact Love in Action Broadford on 0473 845 808.

Record entries for ‘Art Beyond the Divide’

The North Central Review

November 13, 2023

Record entries for ‘Art Beyond the Divide’

Seymour and District Art Society’s Art Beyond the Divide exhibition has this year attracted its largest entry of artworks.

One of the region’s most well-loved art shows, the Art Beyond the Divide exhibition is organised by volunteer artists and supporters, focusing on promoting regional art and visual arts practice to the community.

The annual exhibition is at Wine X Sam, Anzac Avenue, Seymour, from November 24 to 26.

Showcasing artwork from local, regional and metro artists in a variety of styles and media, the exhibition also offers participating artists more than $5000 in prize money.

Society president Terri MacDonald said Art Beyond the Divide took the artwork out of the gallery and celebrated the diverse range of artistic talent in the region.

Dr MacDonald said there was considerable excitement building with this year’s show, and a record entry of artworks.

“We are very pleased with the support from artists and the local community, with most of our wonderful sponsors back for this year’s exhibition,” she said.

“We have a panel of well-respected judges who are also arts practitioners awarding works year, but most importantly, the public is welcome to come along, look at the wonderful works and consider purchasing some local art, directly from the artists.”

The exhibition has faced considerable difficulties over the years, including cancelled shows during COVID lockdowns, and the Seymour floods on the eve of the opening of the exhibition last year resulted in its postponement and a second opening several weeks later.

“With the ups and downs of the last few years, the Art Beyond the Divide exhibition has given us a focus, both in terms of our own arts practice as well as a way to encourage the wider community to become more involved in visual arts,” Dr MacDonald said.

“The exhibition is open to anyone, from professional artists through to beginners and students.

“For many, it’s a great first step in getting their artworks out in public and sharing their creative vision.

“It’s also a great opportunity to highlight the wide range of fantastic artistic talent in our own region.

“With all artworks in the exhibition for sale, people are sure to find that one of a kind artwork they like either for themselves or as gifts.

“Given the record number of artworks entered there is sure to be something there to suit all tastes and budgets.”

Opening night for the exhibition is on Friday, November 24, starting at 7pm, with tickets available at the door at $25 per adult.

The show will continue over the weekend with a gold coin donation entry and will finish at 3pm on Sunday, November 26.

All money generated by the exhibition goes to supporting the work of the society, which will soon reopen its Old Courthouse gallery following repairs and restorations resulting from last year’s floods.

Get a head start during National Recycling Week

Pam Kiriakidis

November 13, 2023

Epping’s resource recovery business Repurpose It is helping residents across Melbourne’s north to get on top of recycling in time for National Recycling Week.

Repurpose It, a company that collects recovered resources from residential and commercial areas across the City of Whittlesea and Hume, has big plans for residents within the municipalities, including Mitchell Shire by next year, to become greener.

The company takes residents’ food organics and garden organics, FOGO, into its composting facility, where food waste is transformed into high-grade compost.

Across the City of Whittlesea, it is estimated that 60 per cent of residents have access to a FOGO bin.

Repurpose It chief executive George Hatzimanolis said the FOGO bins were starting to have an impact on landfill diversion, but the objective for the next three years was for more residents to make use of the new system.

“Traditionally that was a green waste bin, and then now the roll out with FOGO, that was known as garden organics, and then now FOGO,” he said.

“The major difference is there is obviously the ability for residents to divert their food waste into their garden bin, that will get picked up on a bimonthly roster depending on the municipality that they’re in.

“We have seen a slight increase in the overall budget of organic waste, which is an indication that the food organic waste is being diverted from landfill from the general waste bins and ending up in the FOGO bin.

“But ultimately it’s still relatively new, and we’d like to see 100 per cent of the residents in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, especially the municipalities that we work in Whittlesea and Hume, and in the future, the Mitchell Shire.”

For residents wanting a head start in recycling, Mr Hatzimanolis suggested to think about their actions when it came to food waste.

“In terms of the actual FOGO and getting the most out of that service, there are some simple things at home around just being conscious around the separation of food scraps for example,” he said.

“Ultimately, we want to produce less waste and I think that should always remain at the top of the hierarchy in terms of the circular economy and doing better by an environment is to generate less waste.

“We hope with people having to put a little bit more effort into how they separate their food scraps, that they start to notice actually how much food waste they’re producing.”

In other ways to increase environmental awareness, the company released an educational series that discusses how the community can participate in the circular economy.

Filmed in the City of Whittlesea, the online series ‘Living with Purpose’ is hosted by celebrity gardener Jamie Durie and walks through the journey that household and commercial waste takes, from unusable scraps to repurposed materials to be used in the community.

“We’ve highlighted some of the work we’ve done in our local gardens … in donating compost produced out of diverting food and garden organics and kerbside recycling back to the community gardens to grow new food,” Mr Hatzimanolis said.

Mr Hatzimanolis said there were plans to create more educational programs across Melbourne’s north, especially for the younger generations.

For more information on Repurpose It and its online series, visit www.repurposeit.com.au.

Seymour skateboarder drops in for award

Grace Frost

November 7, 2023

Seymour’s ‘skateboard dude’ Jayden Sheridan has landed a nomination for Young Australian of the Year in recognition of his work to found not-for-profit youth group Gnarly Neighbours.

Mr Sheridan quickly became Seymour’s ‘king of the kids’ after starting Gnarly Neighbours in 2021.

Between 150 to 200 children and young people each week flock to the youth groups’ free skateboarding sessions to learn about the sport and engage in safe risk-taking behaviour – providing an outlet and positive mentorship for many who otherwise would go without.

At the heart of Gnarly Neighbours is Mr Sheridan’s drive to address disadvantage in Seymour and shape the town into a better environment for young people.

A troubled childhood in Seymour and bad influences led Mr Sheridan down the ‘wrong path’ when he was in his early teens.

“When school life didn’t work out for me and I couldn’t be at home, the skate park was kind of my safe place, my sanctuary,” Mr Sheridan said.

“But growing up, there wasn’t always positive role models at the skate park, so that kind of led me to go from trouble to getting into trouble.”

Trouble with the police and drug use took focus in his formative years.

“I was just angry at the world,” Mr Sheridan said.

But at 17, his life took a turn.

“I found out that I was gonna be a father,” Mr Sheridan said.

“I promised as soon as I found out that my child wasn’t going to have the same upbringing as me. I turned my life around for him.”

Mr Sheridan credits his son, Brooklyn, now 10 years old, as being the catalyst for Gnarly Neighbours.

He said he was eager to ‘change the town’ when he moved back to Seymour from Melbourne before the pandemic to address disadvantage and ‘bridge the gap of socio-economic boundaries’.

“I hit the ground running when I moved back and started taking six boards down to the park and just offering to teach people to skate, and then all of a sudden it just exploded and I needed to get more boards.”

The Seymour community were quick to rally around Mr Sheridan and his team with funding for equipment the organisation needed to operate.

To this day, every workshop Gnarly Neighbours hosts is free of charge.

“We don’t like the idea of kids having to miss out because they might not be fortunate enough,” Mr Sheridan said.

Gnarly Neighbours hosts sessions in Puckapunyal, Seymour and Nagambie four times a week and attends schools up to three times a week, with plans to expand further in the coming years.

Mr Sheridan said he was ‘stoked’ to receive the nomination, but maintained that he didn’t need the win.

“What I’m going to do with just the nomination in itself is going to be enough,” he said.

“I do want to use this to help get us the support we need for the kids and continue to drive it and grow it so it can help a lot more other people.”

Mr Sheridan said he was enjoying celebrating the nomination with the community who continued to support him.

Mr Sheridan is one of four nominated for the award in Victoria.

The Victorian recipient will be announced at 6.45pm on November 14.

The recipient will progress to the next level of judging and go in the running for the national title of Young Australian of the Year.

Gnarly Neighbours has been recognised as a Public Benevolent Institution, PBI, and is endorsed as a deductible gift recipient.

People can donate to Gnarly Neighbours at www.gnarlyneighbours.com.au.

Roads in ruin: Community cries for change

Max Davies

November 7, 2023

Roads in ruin: Community cries for change

Roads in the region have reached a crisis point – major routes are pockmarked with holes, surfaces are deteriorating and crumbling, and motorists are forced to dodge and weave their way along daily commutes.

Roads in the Mitchell Shire and surrounds have deteriorated as a result of increased traffic and a lack of maintenance funding.

The situation was exacerbated by extreme wet weather in late 2022 that caused further damage to road surfaces and left some areas in need of a near-full reconstruction.

In a poll posted on the Review’s Facebook page last week, more than 600 people unanimously voted the quality of roads in the Mitchell Shire had ‘gotten worse’ in the last year.

Northern Highway entering Kilmore — The surface of the Northern Highway heading into Kilmore from the south has been crumbling since the June 2021 storm.

The famous Wallan Botanical Gardens – a tree and flowers that were also planted in a major pothole on the Northern Highway near the intersection of William Street earlier this year – as well as statewide radio coverage on 3AW last month have further highlighted the issue in the shire.

In Wallan, where roads like Watson Street, William Street and the main thoroughfare of High Street feature in the worst of half-hearted maintenance in Mitchell Shire’s south, residents have needed to stay especially alert to avoid damage to their wheels and tyres.

To combat the issue, speed limits on roads, that would have otherwise been 80 or 100 kilometres an hour, have been reduced to as low as 40km/h, enforced by temporary ‘road work’ signs – albeit with no actual work taking place.

Wallan resident Chris Xuereb voiced his concerns and called for change with an online petition.

“I’m reasonably new to the area, I’ve only been living in Wallan for close to two years now and in that time frame, I have gone through two sets of tyres,” he said.

“I’ve had to get my punctures repaired three times as well on top of that, it’s just not safe in general. I have seen people get into accidents based on that.

“People have tried [petitions] before but it’s plateaued, and they just never did anything about it. I’m not going to stop.”

Vehicles are forced to cross a double white line to avoid a pothole on the council-managed Kilmore East Road.

In the petition’s description – which can be viewed at bit.ly/3tXcSi8 – Mr Xuereb called for immediate pothole repair, regular road maintenance, transparency and accountability, community engagement, and long-term infrastructure investment.

Mr Xuereb conceded his petition would likely not result in the changes he had hoped for but intended to ‘make enough of a noise about it’ that something might be done in the future.

The majority of the region’s worst roads – including Watson Street, Kilmore’s Sydney Street, and Epping-Kilmore Road – fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transport and Planning, DTP, formerly known as VicRoads.

The DTP failed to respond to the Review’s request for comment despite several prompts in the past fortnight.

However, Labor Member for Kalkallo Ros Spence said there was no doubt the condition of Watson Street had deteriorated.

“Since becoming the Member for Kalkallo in November 2022, Watson Street has been raised with me several times by residents frustrated by the state of the road,” she said.

“I continue to share these concerns with the Minister for Roads as a priority for repairs.”

Ms Spence said unprecedented rainfall across Victoria last year had caused a significant amount of damage to the road network.

“This year, the Victorian Government is rolling out a $770 million road maintenance blitz,” she said.

“This will deliver the repairs that are needed right across our regional road network.”

Elderly woman finds decapitated deer at her Whittlesea property

Grace Frost

November 7, 2023

Elderly woman finds decapitated deer at her Whittlesea property

Content warning: The photographs and descriptions in the following article may be disturbing to some readers.

An elderly woman in palliative care has been afraid after finding a decapitated deer on her Whittlesea property, with numerous authorities unable to assist her.

Nancy, who preferred not to give her surname, spotted an animal on its back when travelling down her driveway in mid-October.

“As I got closer, all I could see was blood on the mutilated body of the large animal. It became clear that the animal had been decapitated in a very brutal way,” Nancy said.

“My family and I had seen the big buck wandering around my property for many years. It did no harm to us or my land.”

Nancy with deer Whittlesea — Nancy found a decapitated deer at her Whittlesea property, allegedly hunted illegally.

The 84-year-old widow said she was ‘immediately alarmed’ the deer had been stalked illegally on her property, near a major road and her neighbours’ trotting horses.

Licenced hunters suggested the buck had been shot with a high-powered rifle in close proximity to her home.

“These hunters would have needed to go over my fence and travel hundreds of metres through my private property and past my home to stalk and shoot the animal in my front yard,” Nancy said.

“They did not have my permission to do so, and I have been made to feel very unsafe.”

Nancy, who has late-stage cancer, contacted authorities for help, but each ‘passed the buck’ and bounced her complaint off, unable to assist with the animal carcass decaying at her property.

She first phoned Whittlesea Police Station three times when she spotted the deer, but no one answered.

She then rang the non-emergency police phone line, who connected her to triple zero, and was told to call Whittlesea Police Station again.

When Whittlesea Police Station answered, Nancy was told police officers could not help her and directed her to contact City of Whittlesea council.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said a sergeant had encouraged Nancy to call her back should council be unable to assist with the buck.

Though Nancy said a sergeant had assured her they would follow up, but did not do so.

Council told Nancy it only removed animals from public land, not private, and told her she should call Wildlife Victoria.

Wildlife Victoria could not assist as the deer was not native, due to Sambar deer being regarded as a pest animal in Australia, and told Nancy to call the RSPCA.

But the RSPCA was unable to help as the disposal of animal carcasses is not a service it provides.

Nancy said the RSPCA told her that it was her responsibility to bury the carcass.

An RSPCA spokesperson acknowledged how distressing the situation was for Nancy, and understood the ‘confusion and frustration regarding the complexity of this situation’.

“I have been left exhausted and distressed by this incident, and disappointed at the lack of help available,” Nancy said.

“I don’t think that it’s fair that I’m now left with the decaying animal in my front yard, and the whole situation has made me very sad and afraid that this will continue to happen more often.”

Whittlesea police have since visited Nancy at her home to discuss the incident and encouraged her to call if she felt unsafe.

Police will also begin conducting patrols of the area.

But the deer still remains at Nancy’s Whittlesea property three weeks on, headless and maggot-infested.

Authorities have said the removal will most likely need to be an act of charity.

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Region ready for Remembrance Day

The North Central Review

November 7, 2023

The region will pause for a minute of silence to commemorate Remembrance Day on Saturday, in recognition of Australia’s servicemen and women.

While Saturday marks the 105th anniversary of the end of World War One, commemorations will also acknowledge those who died in the line of duty in other wars and conflicts.

The Remembrance Day services, organised by the Returned and Services League, RSL, sub-branches, will allow Australians to honour veterans and those currently serving.

Kilmore Wallan RSL sub-branch will conduct two services, one at the Kilmore cenotaph at Hudson Park in Kilmore and another at Hadfield Park in Wallan, both commencing at 10.30am.

Romsey Lancefield RSL sub-branch will also host a service at 11am at the Lancefield cenotaph on High Street, Lancefield.

Broadford RSL sub-branch will host its service at Memorial Park at High Street, Broadford, commencing at 10.50am. Refreshments will be served at the back deck of the RSL at 27 Murchison St after the service should people wish to attend.

Seymour RSL sub-branch will host a service at the Seymour District Memorial Hospital gates at Brettoneux Street at 10.30am.

All-Australian honours for Jankovski

Grace Frost

November 7, 2023

Chintin’s Ben Jankovski has earnt All-Australian honours following his performance at the Wheelchair AFL National Championships last week.

Jankovski, who joined Wallan’s Adam Georgelin in the Victoria Country side, said he did not expect the All-Australian honour.

“It’s one of the biggest achievements that I’ve made in my football career so far. It’s something I’ve never thought I’d really be acknowledged for,” Jankovski said.

“It just comes down to my hard work and effort I’ve put in over the years.”

Jankovski and Georgelin went head-to-head with Australia’s best wheelchair footballers to secure Victoria Country fourth place in division one of the competition.

Heated matches took place at the State Netball and Hockey Centre at Parkville, where five players from each team play on basketball courts.

Players handball instead of kicking the football, underarm throw instead of handballing and score by handballing through smaller versions of AFL goalposts.

Nine teams competed in the championships’s 15-minute games to determine divisions in the competition.

Jankovski, Vic Country’s vice-captain, said the pressure to secure a place in the prized division one was ’quite daunting’.

But the fear was put to rest after his team won against South Australia in its last game to cement a spot in the top competition, which Jankovski described as a ‘really big achievement’.

In the first round, Vic Country scored a convincing 90-21 win over Queensland.

But round two snapped the team back to a harsh reality, defeated by South Australia 69 to 35.

With one win and one loss, Vic Country next defeated its Victorian counterparts Vic Metro – which went on to win the grand final – in a close 34-39 match.

Desperate to prove themselves deserving of a medal, Vic Country struggled against a fierce Western Australian side, going down 65-45.

In the play-off for third place against South Australia, Vic Country scored two goals in the first minute of the action but could not contain powerhouse Jamie Smyth who dominated play with four goals in the first quarter.

Georgelin solidified himself as a critical player, with the Essendon player slowing the speed of play to assess the best moves forward.

Jankovski’s agility and ability to move to the ball pushed Vic Country to make a scoreboard impact, but it wasn’t enough to keep South Australia at bay.

A huge 53-point third quarter by South Australia was the pivotal point of the game, keeping Vic Country from the coveted bronze medal.

Vic Country fought out the match and scored 22 points in the final quarter but eventually went down by 54 points, the final score 128 to 74.

“They lifted their game a little bit more and became more offensively attacking, put a little bit more pressure on us and we weren’t able to hold on for the four quarters, unfortunately,” Jankovski said.

“Obviously, we’re really, really proud of our efforts. Top four is great finish.”

Watch the final match between Vic Country and South Australia on Kayo here from 1:25:00.

Also captain of the Collingwood Wheelchair AFL team, Jankovski acknowledged and congratulated his Collingwood teammates for their efforts in the tournament.

Jankovski and Georgelin will take a break before returning to play for Wheelchair AFL next season.

Record Whittlesea Show concludes

Max Davies

November 7, 2023

This year’s Whittlesea Show was bigger and better than ever, with record numbers of visitors attending for a weekend of entertainment and fun.

Hosted by Whittlesea Agricultural Society, the show’s attractions featured a range of animals and livestock, shows and displays on the main oval, arts and crafts, live music and games for people of all ages to enjoy.

An estimated 10,000 people attended on Saturday, along with 13,000 on Sunday to record the highest-ever numbers for the show.

show 2 — Blake Meyer finished in the runner-up spot in Saturday’s 350 millimetre Victorian Standing Block Championship.

show 4 — Blake Meyer finished in the runner-up spot in Saturday’s 350 millimetre Victorian Standing Block Championship.

Society president Erica Hawke said everything came together to make the show a success.

“We were blessed with beautiful weather, which was fantastic, and the crowd and patrons were wonderful as well,” she said.

“We had great support from our sponsors and exhibitors, the grounds were looking beautiful, and everything just came together to create a beautiful atmosphere for everybody who was there.”

Among the most popular attractions were the new pedal tractor challenge and the Royal Flying Doctors simulator, as well as Eroni’s Circus that kept visitors coming back for more.

There were also a range of competitions for horses and livestock, as well as the woodchop that featured Romsey name Blake Meyer, who finished runner-up, and crowned a new Victorian State Champion for the next 12 months.

Community services like police, Country Fire Authority and State Emergency Services volunteers were on hand across the weekend to give people the chance to ask questions and find out what happens behind the scenes.

show 5 — Owners had the opportunity to put their finest cattle on display, which were also judged and awarded by an independent adjudicator.

show 6 — Owners had the opportunity to put their finest cattle on display, which were also judged and awarded by an independent adjudicator.

“In general, we had an absolutely fantastic weekend and we thank all of the patrons, supporters, and everyone that helped us to put it on,” Ms Hawke said.

Whittlesea Agricultural Society’s next event is the Community Christmas Tree Extravaganza, which will be at the administration building from December 8 to 23.

There will be opportunities for the community to decorate a Christmas tree and take photos with Santa.

The Christmas Festival is also planned for December 16, featuring a market and Christmas Carols on the grounds of the society.

Undefeated streak continues at Wallan

Max Davies

November 7, 2023

Wallan’s undefeated season in Gisborne District Cricket Association’s Johnstone Shield continues after taking home an important win over Broadford at the weekend.

Electing to send the competition newcomers into bat, Wallan – with the help of four wickets from Todd Keenan – worked through Broadford’s batting line-up in 36.4 overs, leaving itself to chase down 123 runs.

Once again headed by captain Bryan Vance with an unbeaten 53, Wallan racked up 127 runs to comfortably surpass the hosts – the final scores 6/127 to 123.

Wallan coach Steve Bell said the team had to adapt to playing on turf at Harley Hammond Reserve but was happy to come away with the win.

“I think we adapted reasonably well, some of us may have found it a bit challenging but overall we handled it well,” he said.

“We expected a tough game against Broadford being second on the ladder, but I thought we did well.

“Our bowlers bowled well with the conditions. Overall it was good to get a win on turf against the second-place team and continue the good start to the season that we’ve had.”

Wallan’s Matthew Clayton on strike at Broadford on Saturday.

Keenan’s four wickets was a standout for Wallan, which alongside two from young gun Kavindu Ratnayake, helped contain the likes of Broadford’s Mitchell Collier, Jeremy Bradshaw and Braden Hickey, who managed a combined total of 43 runs.

Broadford’s Taylor Shell took three wickets but had no response for Vance, who backed up his 123 not out from the previous round to maintain his superb record this season – he’s still yet to go out in four matches.

“Bryan once again led the way for us, he’s probably had the most experience on the turf pitches of us all and the whole innings that he did was handy for us,” Bell said.

“We all love watching him bat and he’s definitely one of the better batters in the comp, and to see him do it on turf as well was great to watch.

“I thought [Ratnayake] bowled very well, he’s a young 16-year-old kid in his second game in the ones with us and in both games he’s done really well.”

Round six this weekend will be the first of the two-day matches for the season, with Wallan set to host Eynesbury as the competition gears up for the new format.

“We’re excited for the two days, and we’re playing a club that I don’t think any of us have ever played against before,” Bell said.

“They seem to be tracking well, sitting around the middle, so it’ll be interesting to see how we go.”

In the Johnstone Shield seconds competition, Wallan was also victorious over Broadford while Kilmore took home a win in an away match against Rupertswood.

Broadford will travel to face East Sunbury for its first two-day match this weekend, while Kilmore’s firsts will return from a bye to play away against Riddell in a bottom-of-the-ladder clash.

McIntyre Cup

Romsey has remained one of the two untouchable teams at the peak of McIntyre Cup competition, taking out a dominant victory after hosts Diggers Rest Bulla Village were bowled out for 47.

Electing to bat first, Romsey racked up 8/200 runs in 45 overs with Matthew Milne and Corey Day scoring 54 and 47 respectively, backed up by respectable efforts of 29 for Tim Dale and 22 not out from Aaron Paterson.

Diggers Rest’s innings were a landslide of wickets, as Jamie Taylor and Daniel Paterson ripped through the batting order, taking five and four wickets respectively, knocking out all batsmen in just 19.5 overs.

The result keeps Romsey at the top of the ladder, equal with Gisborne after the latter’s victory over Woodend at the weekend – both sides undefeated in five matches so far.

The McIntyre’s seconds match-up was also a success for Romsey on Saturday, with an easy victory over Diggers Rest, 0/38 to 10/37.

Diggers Rest chose to bat first and scored 37 runs before they were all out in 32.2 overs as Jack Rees collected a bag of wickets by taking five.

Romsey was able to surpass the total in just three overs, with Jack Thorsen’s unbeaten 22 and Sean Day scoring 10 not out.

The first of the two-day matches this weekend will feature Romsey’s firsts at home against Macedon, while key rivals Gisborne will face Rupertswood.

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