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Police call for assistance in hunt for bogus delivery man

January 31, 2023

Police are seeking public assistance to locate Mark Filiti following a series of bogus delivery-for-cash incidents across Victoria in the past two months.

Darebin Crime Investigation Unit detectives believe at least 17 victims have been targeted by a man claiming he requires cash up front to make a delivery between December 11 and January 21.

Some of the incidents have occurred in Broadford, Seymour and South Morang.

Police have been told in most of the incidents, the man attends a business or residence claiming he has a delivery of goods for them, but requires payment before he can give them their items.

He also tries to sell goods at bargain prices but requires payment up front.

Once victims hand over the cash, between $100 and $2500, the offender leaves, telling victim he is going to collect the items due for delivery or purchased, but he instead leaves the scene.

Investigators executed a search warrant at a Burnside Heights home on December 30 but are yet to make an arrest.

Police have now issued a warrant for Filiti.

The incidents include $450 taken from a café on High Street in Broadford and $850 from a gift store on Station Street in Seymour, both on January 21.

On January 15, $400 was taken from a fast-food outlet on Plenty Road in South Morang.

Other incidents include $1800 dollars from a woman at a private residence in St Albans; $200 from a bottle shop in Sydenham; $100 from a bakery in Flemington; $550 from a grocery store in Prahran; $450 from an ice cream store in Thornbury; $800 from a café in Thornbury; $2500 from a shop in Werribee; $300 from a bakery in Gisborne; $2000 from a fish and chip shop in Portarlington; $700 was taken from an ice cream shop in Dromana; $1300 from a fast-food outlet in Pakenham; $600 from a bottle shop in Briar Hill; and $500 from a café in Macleod.

The offender also attempted to sell discounted coffee to a café in Moolap but staff didn’t provide any cash.

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Mark Filiti following a series of bogus delivery-for-cash incidents across Victoria over the past two months.

Police ask anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

To read this week’s full police report, click here.

Exciting year ahead for Young Voices of Macedon

The North Central Review

January 30, 2023

Exciting year ahead for Young Voices of Macedon

Young Voices of Macedon is prepared for another year of learning, featuring choir groups for children who are interested in singing.

Under the direction of teachers Jess Demare, Peter Hagen and accompanist Cathy Hutchinson, participants looking to develop vocal and musicianship skills can learn songs from all genres, including classical, jazz, folk, popular, music theatre and opera traditions.

This year’s repertoire includes songs by Australian composer Paul Jarman and a new song cycle ‘The lost words’ by British choral conductor and composer James Burton.

Voice of Macedon’s highlights from last year include singing with the choir of the Anglican Parish of Gisborne, as well as members of the Australian Chambers Choir.

The first major performance for the year will be at the Choralfest at Montsalvat in May, with the first open rehearsal at Norma Richardson Hall, at15 Buckland Street Woodend, on Wednesday.

For more information about joining the choir, people can visit www.yvmacedon.org.au.

Yole on top at Kilmore trots

Lauren Duffy

January 30, 2023

By Len Baker

Ben Yole’s Kilmore satellite stable took the honors with a double during the 11-event card, both at a gigantic odds, at Kilmore’s harness meeting on Thursday.

Nine-year-old gelding Nifty Jolt was first to arrive in the Tellurian Wines Pace over 2180 metres paying odds of $41.

Driven by Ross Payne, Nifty Jolt ran home wide in the straight from midfield to blouse stablemate Mach Charm by a head, returning a mile rate of 2-00.3. Pinnacle Hope was third 5.6 metres away.

Seven-year-old mare Nicolescruiser, paying odds of $23, snared the 2180-metre Beraldo Coffee Pace with caretaker trainer Robbie Walters in the sulky.

Enjoying a cosy passage from gate three, trailing the leader Keayang Bieber, Nicolescruiser used the sprint lane to prevail by three metres over the pacemaker in a rate of 2-01.6.

Another stablemate Safe Jewels was third, a half head away after following the pair.

Bolinda’s Brent Lilley was successful with Captain Tom, a gelded son of Captaintreacherous and Heavens Trend, in the Grays Bendigo 3Y0 Maiden Pace over 1690 metres.

Driven by Chris Alford, Captain Tom, after trailing the leader Houston Street from the pole, used the sprint lane to win by 2.8 metres from a death-seating Rainbow Storm, with Houston Street wilting to finish third a metre back. The mile rate 1-58.9.

Romsey’s Chris Svanosio trained and reined four-year-old Captaintreacherous-Deal To The Left mare Norms Lady to land the Buds and Branches Florist Pace over 1690 metres.

Slowly out from the pole to settle three pegs, Norms Lady was eased away from the markers approaching the bell to race exposed for the final circuit.

She proved the better stayer on the night when defeating the pacemaker Arockatthepark by a head in a thrilling finish. Our Cheeky Devil wwas third a half neck back after using the sprint lane. The mile rate 1-56.4.

Bolinda owner/trainer Alison Alford would have been delighted when her gelding Grumpee led throughout to capture the Worlds Best Hoof Oil 3Y0 Trotters Mobile over 2180 metres.

A last start Ballarat winner, Grumpee, driven by Josh Duggan, after beginning brilliantly from outside the front line, was tackled strongly by the hot favourite Our Marvella, which had trailed from gate four before easing away from the inside in the final circuit only to gallop and lose all chance in the straight.

Claudys Secret was second 22.7 metres away, with Cee Are Seven third 30.3 metres back after being badly checked by the galloping Our Marvella. The mile rate 2-07.5.

The feature of the night was the 1690-metre $10,000 Jet Roofing Pace Final that saw Tatura trainer Craig Turnbull and reinswoman daughter Abbey victorious with beautifully-bred Always B Miki-Sabrina Bromac four-year-old mare My Sweet Sabrina in a rate of 1-54.

It was great to see Avenel’s David Aiken in the winners’ stall after lightly-raced six-year-old gelding Twixten scored in the 1690-metre Momentum Gaming Trotters Mobile.

Trained and reined by Aiken, Twixten settled three pegs from gate two before moving to race uncovered outside the leader Jessies Son in the last lap.

Doing only what he had to do, Twixton scored virtually untouched from Koogan along the sptint lane from five pegs, with Jessies Son holding down third. The margins 2.2 by 4.1 metres in a mile rate of 2-02.9.

Other winners on the night were Toolern Vale trainer Shane Hoban and long time buddy Graeme Wilson who landed the 2150-metre O’Brien Electrical Trotters Handicap with Easy Pickings; Strathfieldsaye trainer Julie Douglas’ Roll With Ron, with Jack Laugher in the sulky, won the MC Security Pace over 2180 metres; Kiwi-bred four-year-old Art On Fire was successful in the Carlton and United Breweries Pace over 1690 metres for popular Nanneella part-owner/trainer Col Godden and stable reinsman Josh Duggan; and Elmore trainer Keith Cotchin combined with Ryan Duffy aboard four-year-old Sassiness to land the C&M Build Group Pace over 1690 metres.

The next Kilmore harness races are on Sunday.

Kilmore Historical Society to reflect on 170 years of Catholic education

The North Central Review

January 30, 2023

Kilmore Historical Society to reflect on 170 years of Catholic education

With Kilmore having just ticked over 170 years of Catholic education, Kilmore Historical Society will mark the occasion with a presentation at its first meeting of 2023.

Society president Brian Clancy will reflect on the history of Catholic education in Kilmore at the society’s meeting on Tuesday, February 7.

For the first 20 years, the Catholic church had the support of government assistance, or state aid as it was more commonly known, but in 1872, the Victorian government cut all funding for the building of denominational schools and the salaries of their teachers.

Mr Clancy said Kilmore’s St Patrick’s parish faced a crisis, but its parish priest of the time, Father Michael Farrelly, with the backing of Archbishop James Goold, opted for Kilmore to ‘go it alone’.

This was the time when they recruited the Mercy Sisters and the Marist Brothers.

Mr Clancy will reflect on the challenges for Father Farrelly – not only in recruiting the nuns and brothers, but also in building them accommodation and classrooms.

The society is looking forward to another productive year with several projects nearing completion, including the upgrading of the Father McHugh film of the 1930s.

The February 7 meeting will start at 7.30pm at the Old Kilmore Post Office, and is open to the public to attend.

The society will be open again to the public on Thursday. Any enquiries, people can email kilmorehistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Road repairs on State Government agenda

Roads & Transport

The North Central Review

January 30, 2023

More than $2.3 million will be invested in major flood repairs across the Mitchell and Macedon shires as part of the second round of the State Government’s emergency repair blitz.

Following damage caused by floods in October last year, the second round will include Broadford-Flowerdale Road; Epping-Kilmore Road; Gisborne-Kilmore Road; Lancefield-Woodend Road; Melbourne-Lancefield Road; Seymour-Tooborac Road; and Sunbury-Riddells Creek Road.

Some sections of flood-damaged roads will be completely rebuilt, along with large-scale asphalt patching and resurfacing. Other projects will include landslip repairs, clearing debris from roadsides, drains and culverts and repairing structures affected by flooding.

The State Government will spend $41.3 million during the second round of the emergency repair blitz, with more than 460 individual projects across Victoria on their agenda.

Roads and Safety Minister Melissa Horne said floods and extreme rainfall had caused major damage to roads across the state.

“We are starting the first large-scale repairs in the north of the state, where we’ve seen some of the worst damage caused by these floods – our crews are working around the clock to make sure people and freight can keep moving safely on our roads,” she said.

Deadline nears for flood assistance

The North Central Review

January 30, 2023

The deadline for businesses to begin applications for financial assistance relating to the October floods is approaching on February 7.

Businesses must have applied for the $5000 Small Business Immediate Flood Relief Program by February 7 to be eligible for the Business and Community Sport Flood Recovery Grants stream, which provides further grants of up to $50,000 and has a cut-off date of May 1.

Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland encouraged businesses to come forward for assistance.

“The October floods devastated our region, and these grants exist to provide businesses a helping hand. I encourage everyone impacted to make the most of this assistance,” she said.

“I’ve been speaking to businesses across the region and many were not even aware assistance was available.

“In order to be eligible for assistance of up to $50,000 you must have applied for the initial $5000 grant by February 7.”

People can call Business Victoria on 13 22 15 or the Flood Recovery Helpline on 1800 560 760 for assistance with grant applications.

Mitchell Shire Council is also offering support through its emergency hub at Seymour Library from 9.30am to 4.30pm on weekdays.

for more information.

Riddells Creek BlazeAid camp assists in flood recovery

Max Davies

January 30, 2023

Riddells Creek BlazeAid camp assists in flood recovery

By Max Davies

BlazeAid has set up camp in Riddells Creek, with volunteers working to help clear debris and rebuild fences in surrounding areas following October’s floods.

Since setting up at Rowallan Scout Camp on January 6, BlazeAid has worked with community members and volunteers to assist farmers along Deep Creek in rebuilding and recovering from the floods.

Volunteers from the camp have so far travelled to areas such as Darraweit Guim last week, as well as Mickleham, Lancefield, Monegeetta and Romsey.

BlazeAid camp coordinator Graeme Allen said a priority of the camp was to rebuild fences on farming properties, as well as clean up any remaining debris.

“It’s basically [repairing] damage along Deep Creek. If it’s fencing that has been totally destroyed, we will rebuild it, or if it’s been knocked over we’ll pull it back and stand it up again,” he said.

“We’ll probably run the camp for five or six weeks, but it depends on the volunteer numbers and also the number of properties that need help. So far we’ve had 15 properties that have sought assistance.”

Last week’s work in Darraweit Guim was supported by volunteers from the Idlers 4WD Club, who often organise road trips to undertake recovery work in flood or fire affected areas across Victoria.

Multiple people work simultaneously in groups of four at various properties in the camp’s surrounding area, with some nearby residents also donating their time to assist.

Darraweit Guim property owner Martin Breen, who lost 1.6 kilometres of fencing during the floods, said he was grateful to receive help from BlazeAid and the camp volunteers.

“We’ve been connected with BlazeAid through some of the fires that were here in 2014 and way back in 2009, so we’ve got a link with them via emails and they notified us that they were in the area,” he said.

“We’re so grateful – we’d really be stuck without them. With the fires and now the floods it’s the same thing, you just can’t do it on your own.

“It’s not just me, it’s the whole family farm that’s been here for four generations, so we really appreciate these guys coming out to help.”

Mr Allen said the Riddells Creek camp was in need of volunteers and encouraged people from the nearby area to lend a hand where possible.

“At the moment we’ve got 12 volunteers in camp and we need some volunteers for next week because a lot of [the current volunteers] are leaving soon,” he said.

“I’m happy to have people for a day, a few days, a week or even longer.

“We provide all meals, all the safety equipment, all the tools, and insurance – they just need to let me know they’re coming to the camp and basically just turn up.”

For more information on the camp and to register as a volunteer, people can visit www.blazeaid.com.au/darraweit-guim-2023 or call Mr Allen on 0477 488 434.

Property owners are also encouraged to reach out by calling Mr Allen if they need assistance.

Call-out to for people to provide student accommodation, Seymour, Wallan

Lauren Duffy

January 30, 2023

Call-out to for people to provide student accommodation, Seymour, Wallan

GOTAFE is calling out for community members to provide short-term, low-cost accommodation for students while they study in the area.

Due to GOTAFE’s large geographic footprint and service area, students travel from all across Victoria to attend blocks of study at campuses, including at Seymour and Wallan, and need suitable accommodation.

GOTAFE director of student success Luke Falzon said the accommodation network would provide benefits for both students and hosts, providing students with affordable housing and allowing members of the community to earn extra money through leasing spare rooms.

“The accommodation network has been successful in Wangaratta for a number of years and we are looking at expanding the program around our campuses in Seymour, Wallan and Shepparton,” he said.

“We know these regions are facing significant housing shortages, so having more affordable accommodation options will enable GOTAFE to support more students and apprentices across Victoria to study in-demand fields and meet current workforce needs.”

GOTAFE offers more than 120 courses with 500 staff across 11 campuses, providing graduates the chance to enter the workforce after learning the skills that meet the needs of their regions.

Accommodation arrangements can be flexible, with some students staying at short-term accommodation for one week every six weeks according to their study plans.

Mr Falzon encouraged anyone with a spare room or granny flat to reach out to GOTAFE to talk about being added to their host register.

“Once you get added to our host register, GOTAFE staff will get in contact with you when a student requests accommodation for a block of study,” he said.

“As a host, you will be providing a valuable service to our students, helping them get the most out of their learning experience and providing a safe and supportive home away from home for them.”

Previous accommodation providers have often enjoyed having extra company around their homes, with many students keeping in touch and maintaining strong relationships with the people they lived with during their blocks of study.

Nominate for state sport awards

Lauren Duffy

January 30, 2023

Recognising and celebrating those who made an outstanding contribution to Victorian sport across all levels during the past calendar year, the Victorian Sport Awards is the night of nights for the state’s sporting community.

Presented by the State Government of Victoria and Vicsport, this year’s award will be on June 7 at Marvel Stadium, Docklands.

Acknowledging the full spectrum of Victorian sport across metropolitan and regional areas throughout the 2022 calendar year, the awards will honour a wide range of people from grassroots heroes to those who excelled at the Commonwealth Games and Winter Olympics.

Individual and team athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators, media personnel and the initiatives that ensured Victorians remained active will all be recognised, with 20 awards to be presented in total.

Of these, 19 awards will be open for nominations between February 6 and March 3.

Four finalists for each of those 19 awards will then be announced in April before the winners are revealed on June 7.

All finalists, family, friends, sporting organisations and clubs are invited to attend the awards and celebrate the successes of sport in Victoria.

Categories in the 2022 Victorian Sport Awards are as follows:

Southern Cross Trophies Coach of the Year; Gallagher Community Coach of the Year; Sports Accounting Australia Official of the Year; etrainu Community Official of the Year; AFL SportsReady Young Team of the Year; AED Authority Team of the Year; My Sport Live Community Sporting Event of the Year; Love the Game Community Sporting Club of the Year; GameDay Sports Administrator of the Year – Eunice Gill Award; Leasexpress Sport Initiative of the Year; Bunnings Trade Local Government Initiative of the Year; VALO Volunteer of the Year; VicHealth Active Recreation Initiative of the Year; Involve Masters Athlete of the Year; Rebel Young Athlete of the Year; View Melbourne Outstanding Media Coverage of Sport Award; Polytan Peter Norman Inclusion Award; Frank Wilkes Award; Kitty McEwan Award; and Victorian State Government Outstanding Contribution to Victorian Sport

For more information, visit vicsport.com.au/2022-victorian-sport-awards.

Bomb scare in Seymour

Lauren Duffy

January 30, 2023

The Victorian Police bomb response unit were in Seymour on Sunday, after reports of a suspicious package in a public toilets in Pollard Street.

Source: Facebook, Lizz Henzell

A Victoria Police spokesperson said police cordoned off an area in a car park bordering Anzac Avenue and Pollard Street to conduct a safety check just before 1.30pm.

The Bomb Response Unit deemed the area safe.

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