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Extra caution for grassfires after fire on Broadford-Kilmore Road 

Lauren Duffy
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Extra caution for grassfires after fire on Broadford-Kilmore Road 

KILMORE fire brigade is encouraging residents to take extra precautions against grassfires after several Country Fire Authority, CFA, brigades extinguished a fast-moving fire at a property on Broadford-Kilmore Road last month.

CFA crews from Kilmore, Broadford, Glenaroua, Clonbinane and Wandong worked together to contain a fire to five acres, brought under control in 20 minutes thanks to tankers and a helicopter.

Paramedics were called to attend to two people who suffered smoke inhalation at the fire.

The fire was believed to be caused by heat from the exhaust of a vehicle travelling in long grass on a January 27, a day where temperatures reached the mid-20s.

Kilmore Fire Brigade captain Hayden Dally said even when temperatures were not considered high, people should still be careful driving in long and dry grass.

“We are in the fire period – people still need to be aware driving around in dry paddocks that things like this can happen. They need to take extra caution,” he said.

“Just because the temperature is not 30 degrees, or even 20 or 15 degrees, the wind might be coming from the south and that can still create [a grassfire].”

Mr Dally advised residents to carry a water source to minimise the risk of grassfires while driving in paddocks.

“If they’re out in a paddock, make sure they’ve got a water source with them, whether it be water fire extinguishers … if they can carry that, that’s absolutely a great thing,” he said.

“If they don’t need to drive in the long grass or in dry grass, then avoid it.”

Kilmore Fire Brigade welcomes all residents to attend an information session on private units at 10am this Sunday, at Kilmore Fire Station, located in Conway Street, Kilmore.

Eagles fly past Broadford in grand final rematch

Lauren Duffy
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Eagles fly past Broadford in grand final rematch

BROADFORD came up just short of a memorable victory against reigning premier Eastern Hill in a rematch of last year’s Seymour District Cricket Association grand final in Seymour on Saturday.

The Eagles, playing on their adopted home ground of Bennett Oval while finishing touches are put on the flood-affected Kings Park, won the toss and chose to bat, but were soon without opener Dallas Bergowicz, who was caught behind off the bowling of Broadford skipper Taylor Shell.

Shell struck again soon after to remove fellow Eastern Hill opener Brayden Speechley after Riley Nolan claimed the scalp of Ben Bryant, leaving the Eagles 3/29.

After Oliver Bryant, 3, also failed to last long at the crease after being bowled by Nolan, the tide began to turn, with skipper Seamus Feery, 20, and Brayden Avola, 14, providing middle-order stability.

Eastern Hill again looked in trouble when Matthew Collard, 5, Daniel O’Sullivan, 3, and Tim Rudd-Schmidt, 2, fell in quick succession, but tailenders Fraser Lewis, 12, and Jake Sutherland, 10 not out, pushed the home side’s total to triple figures at 114, giving the bowling attack something to defend.

Braden Hickey, 3/10, and Jeremy Bradshaw, 3/22, were Broadford’s best bowlers, with Shell and Nolan claiming two wickets apiece.

Broadford looked well on its way in the early run chase as openers Connor Stute and Hickey put on a 24-run stand.

But Stute’s dismissal for 13, caught and bowled by Ben Bryant, and Hickey’s 14 after a leg-before-wicket decision going the way of Eastern Hill’s Sutherland, sparked a mini collapse.

Broadford soon lost Mitch Collier, 4, and Sean Baker, duck, to be 4/34.

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Broadford’s bowling attack found success against the reigning premiers, dismissing them for 114. ​

Nolan’s hard-fought 20 and 32 from Rod Jackson seemed to have turned the match back in favour of Broadford, but the pair fell in quick succession to Bryant and Rudd-Schmidt respectively, leaving the visitors still 27 runs short of victory with only three wickets in hand.

While Shell, 10, and Bradshaw, 8, did their best to secure the win with a 15-run partnership, their dismissals within a few balls of each other all but ended the innings as Michael Mirabella, duck, was the last wicket to fall with Broadford on 108, seven runs short of victory.

Rudd-Schmidt’s 3/22 was the best bowling performance for Eastern Hill, while Ben Bryant finished with 3/25 and Sutherland and Avola claimed two wickets each.

With Tallarook claiming a relatively straightforward 44-run victory against Yea Tigers, spearheaded by opener Ben Tarran’s 64 runs and 3/34 from Xavier Arandt, the ladder remained unchanged, with Eastern Hill in first place, Tallarook second, Broadford third, Seymour fourth and Yea Tigers last.

Tallarook and Broadford will meet at Tallarook Recreation Reserve this weekend, while Seymour will play Eastern Hill in a cross-town match-up at Chittick Park. Yea Tigers have a bye.

WR (2023-01-31)

The North Central Review
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WR (2023-01-31)

NCR (2023-01-31)

The North Central Review
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NCR (2023-01-31)

Showdown set for Panthers and Blasters

Lauren Duffy
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Showdown set for Panthers and Blasters

By Colin MacGillivray

A MITCHELL Shire showdown is set for this weekend’s Country Basketball League north-east division semi-finals, with Seymour’s men to host Wallan in a rematch of the final regular season game at the weekend.

The Blasters and Panthers met on Seymour’s home court on Saturday night, with the Blasters downing the visitors 77-67.

Seymour played a near-flawless first half to establish an 18-point lead, but the game was soured by a knee injury to star Blasters forward Keenan Gorski.

“Our first half was really good. It was one of the best halves of basketball we’ve played this season defensively and offensively,” Blasters coach Craig Hockley said.

“Unfortunately we had an injury to Keenan Gorski right on the half-time buzzer. It looks like he’s done something to his knee. We’re waiting for some results to come back, but it looks like he’ll be out for the rest of the finals series unfortunately.

“The second half was a bit flat for our guys after that. We were a little bit down on our performance from the first half, but we had a good lead at half time and it enabled us to still win.”

Forward Tyler Best shouldered the scoring load in the absence of Gorski, finishing with a game-high 27 points.

Best has scored 99 points in the past four games, and Hockley said he would be key to the Blasters’ finals campaign.

“In the last month Tyler has really stepped up. He’s shooting the ball well, whereas early in the season he was probably a bit hesitant shooting,” Hockley said.

“Now he’s really looking for his shot and has a scoring mentality rather than a passing mentality, which is good.”

Hockley said bench player Harry Stones and guard Abraham Solano would also be called on to shoulder a greater scoring load in the finals.

He said he expected both teams to make adjustments between the final game of the regular season and Saturday nights’ semi-final at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre.

“We’ll be looking for the bench guys to step up and contribute a little bit more, because Keenan averages about 20 [points] a game. We’ll need to spread the load a little bit,” he said.

“[Wallan has] had a look at us and we’ve had a look at them, so both teams will probably make some adjustments and try a few different things.”

Wallan’s hopes of an upset win will rest on the shoulders of leading scorers Ryan Philippe and Luke Liesegang, who were held relatively quiet at the weekend and scored a combined 30 points.

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seymour v wallan 2

Wallan and Seymour’s women will also play semi-finals this weekend, with Seymour to host the Albury Cougars while Wallan will be away to minor premier Wodonga Lady Wolves.The two sides played a thrilling contest on Saturday, with Seymour erasing a 19-point half-time deficit to win 72-66.

Big games from Ruby Pantisano, 14 points, Kaitlyn Bickerton, 13, and Carley Cranston, 11, looked to have put the Panthers in a winning position, but another huge game from Blaster Tayha Watkins – who topped 30 points for the fifth time this season – led a stirring comeback.

The Blasters outscored the visitors 23-6 in the final quarter to cap off the win, securing a second-place finish in the process.

The win meant the Blasters avoided the powerful Lady Wolves, who lost only one game this season, in the semi-finals.

Seymour’s women will host Albury at 5.30pm on Saturday, with the men taking on Wallan at 7.30pm.

Mitchell Shire Weekly Police News: January 31, 2023

Lauren Duffy
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Mitchell Shire Weekly Police News: January 31, 2023

Fatality near Broadford

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal crash near Broadford on Friday.

It is understood a man, 73, was driving along Broadford-Glenaroua Road, north of Broadford, when he left the road and crashed into a tree about 12.10pm.

The man died at the scene.

Paramedics attended the singe-vehicle crash, treating the single occupant.

Broadford and Kilmore fire brigades, Kilmore State Emergency Service, and police also attended the crash, closing the Broadford-Glenaroua Road for a period of time.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

Burglaries

Between January 19 and 29, unknown offenders gained entry to a property in Dudley Street, Wallan, forcing entry through the front door and criminally damaging the inside of the property.

A cat is missing from the property, as well as an electric black scooter, valued at $699.

In a separate incident, unknown offenders forcefully gained entry to an industrial building in Freeway Drive, Wallan East, between January 20 and 23.

They gained entry to the building through the front personnel door and stole miscellaneous items from a pallet, including various cans of paint.

Car driving in grass sparks fire

A car driving in long grass in a paddock caused a fire at a property on the Kilmore-Broadford Road on Friday.

Brigades from Kilmore, Broadford and Wandong were called to the fire just after 4pm.

Paramedics were also called to treat the property owners for smoke inhalation.

The Country Fire Authority issued a warning earlier this month for Victorians to avoid driving vehicles, farm machinery, mowers and motorbikes through dry grass as conditions heat up and vegetation dries out.

ATM attempt

Unknown offenders gained access to Kilmore Village shopping centre at about 2.30am on Sunday.

The offenders cut a hole through a sliding door, putting their hand through to press an emergency open door button.

They then attempted to break open an ATM before an alarm was triggered, and they fled the scene.

Theft

Building materials were stolen from a site on Owl Avenue, Seymour, on January 25.

Unknown offenders stole about 12 sheets of reinforcement mesh and an unknown amount of steel.

It is believed the offenders would have needed to leave in a vehicle to be able to transport the amount of stolen goods.

Theft of plates

An unknown offender removed and stole the front and rear number plates affixed to a vehicle parked on Easey Road, Beveridge, at 1.53am on January 25.

Pyalong paramedic named Citizen of the Year

The North Central Review
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Pyalong paramedic named Citizen of the Year

By Colin MacGillivray

Pyalong paramedic Brian Moffatt credited a strong sense of community and a desire to help others after he was last week named Mitchell Shire Council’s Citizen of the Year at an Australia Day ceremony in Seymour.

Mr Moffatt received the award after coming to the aid of his neighbour Lloyd Robinson, who collapsed and went into cardiac arrest while working on his property in 2021.

Mr Moffatt responded through Ambulance Victoria’s GoodSAM app, providing life-saving first-aid while instructing bystanders to use his phone to alert CFA members that he required a defibrillator from the local fire station.

He used the defibrillator to restart Mr Robinson’s heart, which had stopped.

Mr Moffatt performed a welfare check on Mr Robinson’s partner Deb the following day and later coordinated fundraising efforts to purchase and install another defibrillator in town that could be easily accessed by the public.

Mr Moffatt said he was surprised to be named Mitchell Shire’s Citizen of the Year.

“I’m very humbled to be here when I think about the wonderful things that happen in our communities and the people who are involved,” he said.

“There are probably many people who are more deserving of the award than me.”

Mr Moffatt, who has worked as a paramedic for 18 years including 13 in rural Victoria, said he had always had a desire to help others where possible.

“If you’ve got the ability to help people out when they’re having a bad day – sometimes the worst day of their lives – then I think that’s a noble thing to do, and something that I thoroughly enjoy and get a lot of satisfaction out of,” he said.

“I think myself, [Lloyd] and his partner Deb have a permanent bond now. If I happen to pass him down the street or in the shops, it puts a smile on my face every time.”

Mr Moffatt said he was ‘very fortunate’ to be able to work as a paramedic.

“I was brought up in a family where helping others was a strong focus and I’d like to hope that we do the same with our family,” he said.

“Behind every first responder is a family that lives at home. My kids have grown up knowing that sometimes I just have to go if my pager goes off.

“The unsung hero of a first responder is their partner. I’m very lucky [my wife] has been behind me and supported me every step of the way.”

Several of Mr Moffatt’s Ambulance Victoria colleagues attended the Seymour ceremony where he was presented with his award.

He said it was emblematic of the caring nature of paramedics.

“It was really nice [that they turned up]. That was also unexpected, but it was good to have them around,” he said.

“I was very humbled to receive the award. It’s not something I strive for, but it was certainly appreciated.”

Wallan falls short in two-day thriller

Lauren Duffy
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Wallan falls short in two-day thriller

WALLAN came up four runs short in a thrilling run chase against Bacchus Marsh as the first round of the Gisborne and District Cricket Association’s McIntyre Cup two-day matches concluded on Saturday.

Playing at their Greenhill Reserve home, the Magpies were set a daunting task by the visiting Bulls, who batted throughout the first day to make 8/266 from their 80 overs.

Wallan’s run chase got off to the worst possible start on Saturday when opener Todd Keenan and first drop Hamish Mullavey-Clark each fell to the bowling of Bacchus Marsh’s Ian Spiteri without a run on the board.

But the Magpies dug their heels in, and new batsman Ryan Bonner partnered with remaining opener Kieran Atkin to steady the side with a 58-run partnership.

Bonner eventually fell for 20 runs, but Atkin and skipper Bryan Vance built what looked to be a match-turning stand of 76 for the fourth wicket.

Atkin’s innings of 89 included nine fours and three sixes, but he was brought undone short of a century by Brenton Payne.

Vance batted patiently on, notching an unbeaten 83 from 161 balls, but began to run out of partners as Spencer Whittingham, 25, Matthew Clayton, 13, Archie Moore, 16, and Ben Mullavey, duck, came and went.

Vance tried to retain the strike to protect tailender Campbell Fowler, but the team ran out of overs, finishing 8/263.

The loss saw Wallan drift to eighth on the McIntyre Cup ladder, two places outside the finals.

Romsey remains in finals contention despite dropping its two-day match against undefeated ladder leader Gisborne.

The Redbacks were defending a relatively meagre total of 134 after being bowled out on day one, but an early wicket just before the close of play gave the team hope.

But the loss of Wilhem Mackay proved little more than a blip on the radar for Gisborne, as opener Matthew Barake, 62, and middle-order batsman Michael Allen, 120, put on a batting masterclass.

Gisborne batted all day to finish 9/305, easily surpassing Romsey’s total.

Jake East, 4/71, and Chris Marienfeld, 3/75, were the lone bright spots in a Romsey bowling attack that struggled to silence the Gisborne bats.

Wallan and Romsey will both play away in the next round of two-day matches starting this weekend, with the Magpies to play Sunbury United and the Redbacks to take on Bacchus Marsh.

Johnstone Shield

Kilmore continued to shore up its credentials as a premiership contender in its first season in the Johnstone Shield competition, holding off Sunbury United to conclude its first two-day match.

The Blues were bowled out for 211 in the first innings but defended the total well after a worrying start.

Sunbury United’s Adam Tanner fell for just one run, but fellow opener Aaron Wright, 40, and David Falzon, 69, put on 95 for the second wicket.

Kilmore veteran Brett Buttler’s breakthrough for the wicket of Wright proved to be a match-turner, as he followed up with the wickets of Raees Alam, 5, Jarrod Bottomley, duck, and Falzon to account for the entire Hornets top order.

Buttler struck once more to remove Sunbury United captain Daniel Furnell, 15, while his son Josh Buttler picked up the wickets of tailenders Bradley Wilson, 16, Phillip Allen, 1, and Ben Falzon, 11, to have the Hornets all out for 173.

Brett Buttler finished with season-best figures of 6/49 while Josh had 3/44, with Blake Munari-O’Dwyer picking up the final wicket.

Kilmore will return home to host Aintree in a two-day match starting on Saturday.

Women

Kilmore took less than five overs to score a comprehensive victory against Aintree in the women’s competition on Saturday.

Aintree batted out its 20 overs to finish 4/62 after losing the toss and being sent in, but Taylah Logie, 26 not out, and Megan Farrell, 37 not out, guided Kilmore to a winning total without loss.

Logie also took 2/11 bowling to underline her importance to the team, which has a bye in the penultimate round of the season.

Lancefield Black defeated Macedon to retain its spot atop the ladder and will play Darley this weekend, while Lancefield Yellow will return from a bye to take on Aintree.

Outstanding police in the Mitchell Shire recognised

Lauren Duffy
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Outstanding police in the Mitchell Shire recognised

MITCHELL Shire police officers were among those recognised on Australia Day for their contributions locally and state-wide.

Sergeant Sydney Rudd-Schmidt of Seymour Prosecutions Unit was one of eight Victoria Police members presented with an Australian Police Medal.

Sgt Rudd-Schmidt, a 50-year member of Victoria Police, worked as a uniform officer in Melbourne, Euroa and Seymour across a 21-year span before being appointed officer-in-charge of Seymour prosecutions in 1994.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said Sgt Rudd-Schmidt’s ‘integrity and extensive knowledge of the law’ was integral in overseeing about 300 police informants across 25 units.

A long-service magistrate described Sgt Rudd-Schmidt as being on ‘an equal footing’ with any lawyer who was presented before them.

Mr Patton said Sgt Rudd-Schmidt and the other officers presented with medals were all worthy of recognition.

“These police go about their duties day in, day out without seeking recognition or acknowledgement,” he said.

“That is why it is all the more special to see them recognised in this way.

“Each has demonstrated commitment, passion and diligence in their chosen fields.

“There is no doubt they have made a difference in building the safety, trust and confidence of the Victorian community.”

Also awarded during the Rotary Club of Seymour’s celebrations was Leading Senior Constable Kat Mills, who was named Seymour’s Police Officer of the Year.

Sen Const Mills was presented with her award by Acting Inspector Damian Keegan.

New citizens embrace Mitchell Shire community

Lauren Duffy
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New citizens embrace Mitchell Shire community

By Colin MacGillivray

DOZENS of Mitchell Shire residents celebrated last week as they became official Australian citizens during Australia Day celebrations in Seymour.

Among the group of newly-minted residents were Robert and Grace Bayana, who were born in Zimbabwe and moved to Australia after 18 years of living in the United Kingdom.

Ms Bayana said her family enjoyed the ‘chilled out’ atmosphere of their new home, and were excited about the opportunities citizenship would present.

The couple both work as mental health nurses, and Ms Bayana said citizenship would allow them to further their studies.

“I like to study, and now I am able to get a HECS [Higher Education Contribution Scheme] loan. When I did my masters of mental health nursing I had to pay $18,000 up front because I couldn’t get a loan,” she said.

“Now if I want to pursue my PhD I can get a loan, and our kids can also choose the courses they want to do and they’re not limited by finances.”

The family initially moved to Bendigo but relocated to Beveridge after two years.

Ms Bayana said after some initial trepidation, the couple’s children had come to love Australia.

“Initially they didn’t want to move here, but a year ago [my daughter] said ‘mum that was the best decision’,” she said.

“Her friends in England see her having fun. The kids are happy.”

Mr Bayana said the Australian lifestyle suited his family.

“We’re happy and we’re excited,” he said.

“Everything is nice and relaxed. We love that.”

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