CLUB Mandalay will next week play host to the 2023 Melbourne Cup Tour as part of the trophy’s travels around Australia.
Having already visited several towns and cities such as Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, the cup will visit the Beveridge estate on September 21 and provide the community with an opportunity to get photos and hear stories about the history of the races.
Racing talent and 36-time Melbourne Cup race caller Greg Miles will be on site to answer questions and talk about his Melbourne Cup experience, along with other Victorian Racing Club representatives.
There will also be free children’s activities including pony rides, face painting and jumping castles for school holiday entertainment.
The cup will be on display from 2pm to 4pm next Thursday at Club Mandalay, located at 430-450 Mandalay Circuit, Beveridge.
Other Victorian locations planned for October include Macedon, Bendigo and Nagambie. For more information, visit vrc.com.au.
A highlight of Kilmore’s Sunday night harness meeting was the $10,000 Hip Pocket Workwear Pace taken out by Kialla trainer and driver Stephen Boyington’s five-year-old Night School.
Beginning swiftly from gate two, the Blissful Hall-The Charm School gelding had to be driven hard to cross polemarker Lorimermajor shortly after the start of the 1690-metre race, but once there, was rated to perfection.
Giving his rivals the slip on turning, Night School scored comfortably by 5.8 metres in a mile rate of 1-58.6 over Daylight At Dawn and Lorimer Major, which held third a half head away.
The Momentum Gaming 2Y0 Trotters Mobile over 2180 metres opened the night with victory going to Beeac trainer/driver Courtney Slater’s Majestic Son-Idle Lea colt Emmwallen on debut.
Easing off the back of the pacemaker approaching the home turn to lead on the final bend, Ewing dashed clear with Emmwallen, which had raced in the open along the back straight, in hot pursuit.
Finishing stylishly, Emmwallen scored by 2.3 metres over Ewing returning a mile rate of 2-02.7.
Manda Kyvalley, driven brilliantly by James Herbertson, came from the tail along the markers for third 3.2 metres back.
Consistent seven-year-old Modern Art-Illawong Joyful gelding Illawong Jovial landed the 2180-metre Worlds Best Hoof Oil Pace for Bulla part-owner/trainer James Elliot and youthful Melton reinsman Adrian Pace. The mile rate two minutes even.
Ingilston trainer Luke Tabone was in the winners’ stall when three-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven-Whatahottie colt Im Wesley led most of the way in the MC Security Pace for concessional reinspersons over 1690 metres, just lasting by a half neck from a death-seating Bettororworse. The mile rate 1-58.4.
Tasmanian-based Michael Laugher, who makes many trips to and from Victoria, was successful with Feel The Reign, an eight-year-old Mr Feelgood-Viking Beachgirl rig, in the second concessional drivers race – The Jet Roofing Pace over 1690 metres.
Driven by Blake Pace, Feel The Reign slotted in beautifully with Iamawingate flying out to lead from outside the front line.
Easing three wide on the home turn, Feel The Reign finished solidly to score by 2.8 metres from a death-seating Miss Hermes who was gallant in defeat, with Angus Indianna third 1.1 metres back. The mile rate 1-59.5.
Kiwi trainer Arna Donnelly, who trains out of Cambridge in the Waikato, joined forces with James Herbertson to snare the Broadstead Kilmore 3Y0 Trotters Mobile over 2180 metres with Virginia Clowers, a daughter of Creatine and Gina who was making her debut on Australian soil.
Allowed to balance from inside the second line to settle with most of the field ahead of her, Virginia Clowers joined the three-wide line three back in the last lap as Maori Franklin headed the three-wide train being trailed by Salski in the moving line.
Taken to the centre of the track, Virgina Clowers picked her rivals up in a stride or two, recording a runaway 2.6-metre victory over polemarker Lucid along the sprint lane, with Salski holding down third 3.9 metres away. The mile rate 2-03.7.
The squaregaiting events at Kilmore are always good the watch and the 2660-metre Georgina and Co. Trotters Handicap was a great spectacle going the way of Junortoun trainer Carla Innes-Goodrich, a former Wallan resident, with honest seven-year-old Wishing Stone-Broadacrossthebeam gelding Zarem.
Coming from a 30-metre backmark, Zarem, raced by Carla and husband Dean Goodrich, ran home impressively to gain the day by 4.1 metres from Watch And Act along the sprint lane returning a mile rate of 2-06.2. Baxter was third 1.1 metres away. It was Zarem’s 12th success in 107 outings.
It was a quinella to the Kilmore gang when the Ben Yole/Robbie Walters team landed the Garrards Horse and Hound – The Thirties Pace (1st heat) over 2180 metres with nine-year-old Village Jolt-My Lady Macray gelding Nifty Jolt driven by Taylor Ford.
Flying away from outside the front line to lead, Nifty Jolt couldn’t be caught and greeted the judge 1.7 metres clear of Safe Jewels, which trailed from the pole after using the sprint lane. Trumpys Legend was third 5.6 metres away after trailing the pair. The mile rate 2-01.2.
The stable brought up a double after seven-year-old Four Starzzz Shark-Illustrator entire Image Of Starzzz landed the second heat with Taylor Youl in the sulky.
In what was a great drive, Image Of Starzzz starting from gate three on the second row came off the inside in the straight on the first occasion to be off and running in the back straight to assume control from stablemate Ideal Investment.
Rated well, Image Of Starzzz had a metre to spare on the wire, accounting for Seemeshineyheels from the rear, with Kilmore hope Kitch Macray third 3.1 metres back for George Schembri. The mile rate 2-02.9.
Kilmore will host its next harness meeting this Thursday.
A PRESENTATION has taught year 12 students how the Bridge Inn Road Upgrade is protecting the area’s environment.
The Bridge Inn Road project team visited Doreen’s Plenty Valley Christian College to make the presentation in support of the school’s environmental science curriculum.
Students learned how the upgrade was minimising its environmental impacts and supporting sustainability through activities like air and water quality monitoring and the use of recycled materials.
The students’ learnings from the presentation will also contribute to their assessments.
Major Road Projects Victoria program director Adrian Furner said it was important to work with all members of the community.
“Working with the community to deliver the Bridge Inn Road Upgrade is an important part of our work,” he said.
“We thank Plenty Valley Christian College for the opportunity to share the upgrade’s environmental and sustainability values with the year 12 students as part of their studies.”
The school is part of the wider community in Doreen and Mernda and set to benefit from the Bridge Inn Road Upgrade.
The project is adding extra lanes in both directions between Plenty Road, Mernda, and Yan Yean Road, Doreen.
Other improvements include intersection upgrades, installation of safety barriers and construction of shared walking and cycling paths.
The upgrade is also building a new bridge over Plenty River and repurposing the existing 155-year-old heritage bridge as a dedicated walking and cycling path.
A Broadford man will focus on ensuring his children are set up for the future after winning $2.5 million in a TattsLotto draw.
The man had one of the eight division one winning entries in the September 2 Lotto draw 4395. Each winning entry pocketed $2.5 million.
He purchased his winning entry at Broadford Newsagency, but took a little longer to discover his newfound fortune as the winning entry was unregistered, which meant officials from The Lott had to wait for the man to check his ticket and contact them.
The now millionaire said his main priority was retiring and easing into a more relaxed lifestyle before paying off his children’s mortgages and preparing them for the future.
“Oh my god, this is unbelievable,” the man told an official from The Lott.
“I don’t know what to do though. I don’t know whether I should laugh or cry.
“We play most weeks and I’ve always gone with the philosophy that you have to be in it to win it.
“You never really expect it to happen though.
“I’m going to retire straight away, I think. I’ve had a good working life, but this has just made it that much easier to pull back and enjoy the rest of my life in a more relaxed manner.
“I’ll also pay off my kids’ mortgages. It’s tough out there at the moment and I can’t wait to be able to help them get ahead and prepare for the future.
“I’ve got no doubt this win is going to do some amazing things for a lot of people.”
Broadford Newsagency store manager Amber Lunn said she was ecstatic to have sold a second division one winning entry in less than a month.
“How exciting has this been Broadford Newsagency and the local community. Who would believe that we would sell another division one winning entry in less than a month,” she said.
“We’re always happy when we sell a division one winning entry because it truly changes our customers’ lives and we’re glad to be a part of that.
“Congratulations to our very fortunate winner and we wish them all the best. Hopefully we can keep this winning streak going.”
The winning numbers in TattsLotto draw 4395 on September 2 were 9, 37, 32, 41, 40 and 16, while the supplementary numbers were 26 and 30.
Broadford’s B Grade netballers broke a 14-year netball premiership drought for their club on Saturday, winning the Outer East Football Netball League, OEFNL, division two grand final.
The Kangaroos defeated Warburton Millgrove, who they had lost to in the first round of finals, by nine goals.
Smooth passages of play and great defence saw Broadford take a strong 14 to eight lead in the first quarter.
The Burras continued their chase, shrinking the margin to five goals at half-time but the Kangaroos pushed their lead out to 10 in the third quarter before winning 48 goals to 39.
Broadford had intense defensive pressure on court with turnovers in the midcourt, deflections in attack, and intercepts and rebounds in the defence end.
Kangaroos captain Ebony Heers, Rhiannon Bausch and Anita Morgan were brick walls in defence while Carina Mills and Hayley White provided great run through the midcourt.
Goal attack Cassie Zolnierczyk was awarded best player, combining well with leading goal shooter Toni Bootland.
B Grade coach Jaimie Hooper said her team was hungry for the win.
“From the moment the whistle went on Saturday, you could tell the girls weren’t going to go down without a fight and after securing a six goal lead at quarter time, I could feel their energy not wavering and I knew we had it,” she said.
“They truly deserved the win on Saturday.”
Hooper said the side was grateful for the support this season – particularly its loud crowd of supporters at Yarra Glen on Saturday.
“On behalf of B Grade we’re beyond proud to be able to bring it home,” she said.
“The girls have worked so hard on and off the court. The support they have shown to me as a coach and executive member, support to the whole netball department and the club has been above and beyond.
“Thank you to the supporters, sponsors and players for your continued support throughout the entire season.”
President Bonnie Welch said the win was shared by all club members.
“I’m very proud of Jaimie as the coach, the team officials, trainers and players involved in this win, however our motto has been ‘when one wins, we all win’. It’s a win for the whole club,” she said.
“This is for all the volunteers, committee, supports, sponsors and players associated with the Broadford Football Netball Club.
“It’s for those who came before us and those who have stuck by us and believed we could do it. We know who you are and can’t thank you enough for the unwavering support.
“I think it’s around 14 years since our last netball grand final win so this has been a long time coming particularly since we have played off in numerous final series, coming runners up last year. It’s extremely special for us all.”
League awards
Broadford Football Netball Club also had success at the OEFNL awards night last week, including back-to-back finalists in Best Conducted Club of the Year.
Broadford B Grade captain Ebony Heers won division two B Grade netball best and fairest, while teammate Toni Bootland won leading goal shooter with 598 goals in the home and away season.
Broadford’s winners at the Outer East Football Netball League division two awards night last week. From left, Ebony Heers won the B Grade best and fairest, Ally Black won the A Grade runner-up best and fairest and was named in the league’s team of the year and Toni Bootland was leading goal shooter for the league’s division two B Grade after shooting 598 goals in the home and away season.
Broadford A Grade netball captain Ally Black made the division two A Grade team of the year.
Despite missing several rounds due to injury, Black also won division two A Grade runner up best and fairest with 20 votes – five votes short of the winner.
Senior football captain Liam Lucas and vice captain Josh Delaney were selected in the division two team of the year.
Senior footballers Liam Lucas and Josh Delaney were named in the division two team of the year.
Delaney was placed in the back pocket averaging 23.5 disposals, 21.4 kicks, 6.4 marks, 2.4 intercept marks and 2.8 spoils this season.
Lucas was on the interchange averaging 27.5 disposals, 12 contested possessions, 8.1 marks, 5.3 clearances, 4.3 tackles and five score involvements this season.
Ms Welch said the night was a success for the club.
“It was fantastic to have success at the league awards night again including back-to-back finalists in Best Conducted Club,” she said.
“Not only winning in major categories, but we had players poll well across all football and netball grades.
“As a club we get around each other and ensure we strongly represent the club on these occasions, so it was awesome to celebrate the individual successes of players on the night too.”
HOPE is not lost for Wallan’s senior footballers despite their Riddell District Football Netball League semi-final loss to premiership favourites Diggers Rest on Saturday.
In a hotly-contested match that saw the lead switch multiple times the Magpies took a 22-point lead into halftime.
But the determined Burras clawed their way back to win by seven points in extended overtime.
The loss, however, was an encouraging sign for Wallan against a Diggers Rest side who has sat on top of the ladder for most of the season.
Wallan will now have a second chance to secure a grand final berth in this weekend’s preliminary final against Woodend-Hesket at Romsey.
The Magpies played Woodend-Hesket in the qualifying final the week before and won by seven points.
Assistant coach Spencer Mathieson said it was important to capitalise on Romsey Park’s ‘scoring end’ for the match and was ‘proud’ of how the team played.
“There was a scoring end and Diggers had it in the first quarter, we had a very good second quarter – I’d say to the scoring end – so that set us up for the lead. We had nine shots at goal, so we looked pretty dangerous,” he said.
“It was a great game, [I’m] pretty proud of how we played. Diggers came back, which we thought they probably would … and they just got us in the last half of extra time.”
Corey Viani was named among the best for the Magpies.
Among the standout performers in the rematch of round 14 were Brodie Gilchrist, Corey Viani, Todd Muldoon, Angus Love and Sean Morris, along with captain Michael Mannix who also scored three goals.
Mathieson said he was disappointed not to come away with the win but was confident in knowing the side had competed well.
“We knew we could compete with them but we just needed to make sure we got better for longer, which we were,” he said.
“When we played them last time, we fell away in the second half but this time we kept coming all day, which was really pleasing.
“We need to make sure we win this week to get another crack at them, but we’re pretty confident we’ll be able to put in a good performance [in the preliminary final].”
Matt Perri celebrates with Michael Mannix after the Magpies score a goal against Diggers Rest.
In contrasting fortunes, Wallan’s Reserves managed a strong result against the Burras in Saturday’s semi-final to secure a spot in the grand final.
However Romsey’s Reserves were eliminated from the finals by Woodend-Hesket, who will now face the Burras in this weekend’s preliminary final.
In the under 19.5 competition, Wallan ended Romsey’s season on Sunday and will now gear up to face Gisborne this weekend – the Giants themselves coming off a semi-final loss to Macedon on Saturday.
Woodend-Hesket rounded out the disappointing day for the Redbacks, bringing an end to what had been an impressive finals campaign for the underdog club.
Sunday’s match went down to the wire after Romsey took a strong early lead, however the match eventually finished 63 to 60 in favour of the Hawks, despite strong attacking play by Corey Pertzel and Jack Jedwab.
The Hawks’ win means they will face Wallan at Romsey Park in this Saturday’s preliminary final to determine who will face Diggers Rest in the grand final on September 17.
Netball
Sharing a similar fate to its football counterparts, Romsey’s season in the A Grade netball competition came to an end following its semi-final loss to Macedon.
Goalscoring efforts from the Redbacks – this week led by Hope Hamilton with 24 goals – were not enough to overcome Macedon who eventually took the win by 10 goals and now prepare to face Riddell this weekend.
The preliminary pair last met in round 12 of the A Grade competition, when the Bombers took the win by four goals.
In other netball action, Wallan’s under 19 side progressed to the preliminary finals after taking home a one-goal win over Melton Centrals on Sunday.
The result means the Magpies will play Riddell this weekend – the Bombers having lost to the Western Rams in Saturday’s semi-final by six goals.
Wallan was the victor by just one goal when it last met Riddell in the final round of the 2023 season.
THE Wallan Classic Vehicle Club is gearing up for its upcoming Show ‘n’ Shine and Swap Meet, set to be at Wallan Secondary College for the first time.
Scheduled for September 24, the club is expecting more than 300 classic cars of all shapes and sizes along with food trucks and coffee vans.
Club president Kerry Walton said he was excited for the upcoming event.
“It’s just going to be a great event, and it’s the first time ever that it’s going to be at the secondary college so we’re very excited with that. The school’s very positive about it,” he said.
“We just hope it’s going to be a beautiful day and we hope everyone will come down and check out the cars.”
The event was previously at Wallan’s Greenhill Reserve, however issues with weather and the bottom oval being waterlogged made planning difficult.
Wallan Classic Vehicle Club approached the college to use its sporting fields for this year’s show, which was agreed upon.
Wallan Secondary College principal Michael Ritchie said the event would mean a lot for the school and be a worthwhile community event.
“We’re all about how we can work with the community and enhance community vibe and feel, so we’re really keen to get involved,” he said.
“It’s the middle weekend of the school holidays, so it’s an opportunity for those that are around in the area to come down, have a look and maybe pick up a part or two for their own cars.”
Public entry on the day will be open from 9am to 3pm and cost is $5 per person, with children under 16 and show vehicles entering for free.
Show vehicle entry will be open from 8am to 10am, with swap meet sites available for $30. For swap meet enquiries, contact Kenny on 0466 061 764.
For all show enquiries, contact Mr Walton on 0417 766 555.
A ROMSEY community group has labelled the draft Romsey Structure Plan a ‘disgrace’ and called on the Macedon Ranges Shire Council to throw it ‘in the bin’.
Currently open for consultation until September 25, the draft Romsey Structure Plan aims to provide direction for the planning and development of the Romsey township and the immediate surrounds in regards to housing, employment, transport, community infrastructure and the natural environment until 2050.
The draft plan has now been open for consultation on multiple occasions, however community group Better Futures Romsey, BFR, is adamant that it has ‘no redeeming features’.
BFR member Hal Pritchard said the plan ignored the need for infrastructure upgrades before major housing developments.
“If you look at every other planning document this century, they all identify that Romsey has poor infrastructure. We should only have modest growth,” he said.
“We have no freeway, no high school, no train station, no health facilities, no industrial or commercial precinct.
“We have a wastewater management plant that is over capacity and we have some real structural issues in the middle of town.
“Everybody says we shouldn’t be developing, we shouldn’t be putting lots of houses in here and this plan plans to put lots of houses in here.”
BFR is currently developing its own plan and vision that it will present at a community meeting at the Romsey Community Hub, set for 11am on Saturday.
Mr Pritchard said the plan was not about spending money, but instead addressing the fundamental issues in Romsey.
The plan considers and proposes alternative measures for increasing housing density in the Romsey township, as well as assisting commercial, industry, small businesses and farmers.
“As it stands, Romsey is not appropriate for development. We need to stop, fix our issues, get things working properly and then we can have a plan for growing and developing it,” Mr Pritchard said.
“We’re not against putting in residential development, we just want to do it in a considered and thoughtful way with proper infrastructure.”
BFR has contacted Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Region Wendy Lovell to outline concerns that Romsey residents currently have no easy access to a major freeway or a designated train line to the city. Ms Lovell has sought information from the government on planned improvements for the residents of Romsey.
Mr Pritchard said BFR had attempted to secure details from Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas without success.
He said a key issue was the town’s boundaries, as previous plans for Romsey stated they did not have to move until 2036 – a notion that BFR maintains is the ‘correct stance’.
“Do not move our town boundary until you have the infrastructure in place,” he said.
“You can still increase the population by improving the density within the town boundary, it says that in previous plans and we’re quite okay with that.”
Mr Pritchard said councillors had acknowledged the plan had flaws while voting to release it for consultation earlier this month and encouraged residents to submit their feedback.
To view the draft Romsey Structure Plan, access information about the council’s upcoming drop-in sessions and workshops or submit feedback, people can visit mrsc.vic.gov.au/RSP.
To get in touch with BFR, join its Facebook group at or email bfromsey@gmail.com.
