Kilmore’s St Patrick’s Primary School is set to receive $25,000 of Federal Government funding to upgrade school infrastructure and equipment.
The school will purchase and upgrade information communications technology, ICT, equipment and repair its facilities with the money, which came through the latest round of the Schools Upgrade Fund – a $250 million commitment to improve school infrastructure across Australia.
Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said all local schools deserved quality infrastructure and equipment to help students achieve their best.
“The government is investing in a better and fairer education system and this is terrific news for our local schools with more to come,” he said.
“This is a great outcome and I’m happy that we can deliver this funding to much-needed projects for our local schools.”
All schools across Australia were invited to apply for the funding and projects were assessed by the Department of Education and selected based on necessity.
Schools could apply for grants of up to $25,000 to support improvements to facilities and learning environments.
Concerns about the potential impacts of proposed funding cuts and reform within community health were addressed when Shadow Minister for Health Georgie Crozier accompanied Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland to a visit at Nexus Primary Health.
Ms Cleeland said Ms Crozier visited last month to review issues in regional healthcare by meeting with service providers and hospitals.
“With an already stretched budget, further cuts to Nexus will undoubtedly result in poorer health outcomes for people in our region,” Ms Cleeland said.
“They do an incredible job with limited resources, delivering a stunningly broad range of services.”
Nexus Primary Health clinical manager Daniel Ciccosillo said Nexus was able to leverage off existing community connections to deliver services but was experiencing financial difficulties to continue at a local level within the acute sector.
“With indexation in state and federal funding not keeping up with inflation, wage increases, and cost of living, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain levels of service,” he said.
“As an indication of the costs that need to be incurred to service such a large area, Nexus spends nearly $25,000 per month just on travel for our community support workers, getting them from client to client.
“This cost is unavoidable due to the employment awards that community support workers are employed under – payment for travel time and travel kilometres.
“If this were to be factored entirely into the funding as suggested, the amount of units available to deliver to the community would be significantly reduced.”
Nexus managed to continue services during COVID, however, Mr Ciccosillo said it came at a ‘considerable cost’ for any sort of funding that was above and over funding agreements.
“Through COVID it was made abundantly clear that the expertise and resources within community health can adapt and respond to the changing needs of the community, in partnership with the tertiary health services, he said.
“We are now not able to continue providing those services over and above our funding agreements.”
As a result of funding not increasing, services such as domestic assistance and home maintenance were not accepting further referrals, with personal care likely to be impacted in the nearest future.
Mr Ciccosillo said the cost providing services over a large geographical area was crucial and not ‘appropriately considered’ within the unit prices provided by government bodies.
“National Disability Insurance Scheme, NDIS, have deemed it appropriate to provide a unit cost of nearly $200 for a service that Community Health, HACC or Commonwealth funding will only pay $110,” he said.
“Any cut to the funding that supports the underlying work in community health will reduce the ability to support any health campaign the faces the sector.
“One example is the ability for community health nurses supporting patients admitted to the Hospital in the Home program or who have been discharged home but require post-acute care services.
“Community health organisations are the fabric of the health network. “
The Northern Highway southbound entry ramp to the Hume Freeway at Wallan will be closed this week for night works.
The works started Sunday, May 21 and are planned to continue to Saturday, May 27.
The ramp will be open during the day and will close from 7pm until 5am each day.
Drivers can detour using Watson Street to the Wandong interchange to access the Hume Freeway.
During this closure, the northbound off ramp into Wallan will not be impacted.
The works are part of the State Government’s delivery of large-scale, long-term repairs on flood-affected roads across Victoria as part of the $165 million emergency road repair blitz.
Crews are working to repair the state’s most badly flood-damaged roads, along with key freight and travel routes.
The works include completely rebuilding the most badly-damaged sections of road, along with major asphalt patching, landslip repairs, drain and culvert cleaning, debris removal and more.
A LIVE concert in Seymour on May 27 will feature Australian music legends Vika and Linda Bull play in support of flood relief for the region.
Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Steve Dimopoulos last week announced the duo would headline the Seymour event with plans for additional concerts in Echuca, Tallarook, Mooroopna, Euroa and Rochester.
There is also an event planned for Tallarook later this year.
The concerts are part of a $1 million State Government program to stage live music events in flood-affected communities.
Sisters Vika and Linda Bull are a vocal duo who came to prominence as backup singers in Australian rock band The Black Sorrows before branching out on their own in the 1990s.
They will take the stage at The Prince in Seymour with support from Wallan-based country rock singer-songwriter Kaitlyn Thomas.
Kaitlyn Thomas is set to support Vika and Linda Bull at the Seymour concert.
The Live Music for Flood Recovery Program kicked off last year with concerts in Shepparton, Kerang and Wangaratta, ranging from small gigs in pubs with local musicians to large-scale festivals, big headline acts and community events.
Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said the concert would provide a boost to Seymour.
“In a tough year, this event means a lot to a community like Seymour. I can’t wait for Vika and Linda to hit the stage of The Prince, bringing the town to life, celebrating our resilience, and welcoming visitors from near and far for this special event,” she said.
Mr Dimopoulos said the concert would be a memorable one.
“Victorians are tough people and that’s why we want to deliver something special for communities that were affected by the floods to lift the spirits of locals and also deliver a boost to the economy,” he said.
“Over the coming months, music acts will take to local stages across Victoria. There will be memorable gigs for Victorians of all ages – plus plenty of reasons to take a road trip.”
More information about the Live Music for Flood Recovery Program and upcoming events is available at musicvictoria.com.au.
AFTER Broadford’s two-point victory against Yarra Junction on Saturday – only its second senior win in the past four years – there was one small concern on coach Jayden Welch’s mind.
“There were a fair few new boys who hadn’t sung the song before, but everyone knew it, so that was a positive,” he said.
Indeed, the Roos sang the club song with gusto after their 15.9 (99) to 14.13 (97) win at the Eagles’ home ground.
Broadford officially won one game last year when it beat Yea, but with both clubs struggling for player numbers, they merged for the remainder of the season.
Prior to that, the Roos’ last victory came against Lancefield in 2019, when the club was in the Riddell District Football Netball League.
Broadford’s Bryce Fleming kicked a goal minutes before the siren to give the Roos the lead, and ultimately win the match against Yarra Junction on Saturday. Photos: Jasmin Harris Photography
Broadford was made to earn its victory, with the Eagles looking likely to snatch the premiership points in the dying minutes.
While the Roos had led all day, they were unable to put Yarra Junction away on the scoreboard, and when the Eagles kicked back-to-back goals to take a four-point lead at the 29-minute mark of the final quarter, Broadford’s hopes looked dashed.
But at the ensuing centre ball-up, Broadford ruckman Dean Tydell, one of the Roos’ best on the day, thumped the ball forward and Jason Harris earned a free kick.
Harris kicked to a leading Bryce Fleming, who had his arms chopped by Yarra Junction defender Leiwyn Jones and was awarded a free kick 45 metres out on a tight angle.
With the game on the line, Fleming unleashed a huge drop punt that split the middle for his fourth goal of the day, putting Broadford in front.
The Roos then endured a frantic final few minutes that saw Eagles forward Josh Jones mark uncontested and line up for a game-winning goal, only to put his shot out on the full.
Thereafter, Broadford was able to force repeated stoppages and drain the clock, with the players celebrating wildly at the final siren. Welch paid tribute to his team for its response under pressure.
“When we got a little bit of breathing room, I thought the team backed off a little bit a times. We’d get in front and then they would get a couple of easy goals and we’d have to fight to build the lead back,” he said.
“I think we let our leads slip at time, but to the credit of our mob, once they pegged those goals back we locked on again and got back to how we were playing.
“At the end we had about three minutes of some pretty hectic football, but we were able to hold it in and keep the footy on our terms.” Welch praised Fleming for not only his cool set shot under pressure, but his work throughout the game.
“Bryce’s [last goal was] about 45 metres out on the boundary line. I’ve played a lot of footy at that ground and to kick a goal from there is very hard,” Welch said.
“His goal kicking was really on point, and he was good around the ground with his second and third efforts.
“He used his bodyweight well because he’s about six foot three, so he’s not the smallest person. Everywhere he played he was massive for us and made an impact.”
Among Broadford’s other standouts were defenders Adam Miles and Josh Delaney, captain Liam Lucas and onballer Braydon Hardstaff, but Welch said it had been a team effort.
“Everyone played their role well. There weren’t any passengers,” he said.
Welch himself was among the Roos’ best, kicking three goals including their penultimate major, but was self-effacing after the game.
“It was good to hit the scoreboard. It’s been a while since I’ve jagged a few, so I was probably due. It was good to contribute,” he said.
Club president Bonnie Cavanagh was overcome with pride after the game.
“I did the timekeeping, and the box was very tense as it was goal-for-goal in stages. A lot of stoppages in the final quarter,” she said.
“I will admit I did shed a tear. They have been working so hard for such a long time now.
“They were just on and everything clicked. They were hard at it, hungry, did the team things, and were so deserving of the win. Reward for effort.”
Broadford can rest up this weekend for a league bye, before facing ladder leader Warburton-Millgrove in another away game on May 27.
Welch said his team would need to process the emotion of the win quickly to be ready for the game.
“There were a lot of positives out of the win, but there’s still plenty of stuff we need to work on,” he said.
“We’ll get back to training and start working on those things and hopefully we can give them a good run.”
Netball
Broadford’s A Grade netballers played a thrilling match of their own on Saturday, downing Yarra Junction by one goal.
The Roos were behind 9-12 after one quarter, as the team struggled to generate scores, but a second-quarter change saw Renee Sari moved into goals alongside Kate Berger.
Sari finished with a match-high 26 goals, with Berger notching 12, with the duo helping the Roos to a six-point lead at half time.
The Eagles came storming back with a 14-goal third quarter to tie the game at 30, but Broadford defender Toni Bootland was able to combine well in defence with Megan Berger in a pivotal final term for the Roos, who went on to a 39-38 win.
Broadford sit on top the A Grade ladder, and the Roos will have an opportunity to move two games clear when they take on second-placed Warburton-Millgrove.
The undefeated Broadford B Grade easily accounted for the Eagles 57-22, with Toni Bootland again among the best players, this time at goal shooter, with 34 goals.
The Roos’ C Grade team produced a huge defensive effort to win 33-9, with Cavanagh scoring 19 goals to lead the side, while the 17 and under side won 16-12, with Ashlyn White, Grace Lauder and Evan O’Dell among the best players.
THE biggest upgrade to Wallan’s RB Robson Stadium in several years is underway, with an $850,000 facelift set to improve facilities for all user groups.
State Minister for Community Sport and Member for Kalkallo Ros Spence and Member for Yan Yean Lauren Kathage joined Mitchell Shire councillors, stadium officials and user groups last week to inspect the works.
Councillors voted unanimously last month to award a contract for the construction of unisex changerooms at the stadium, while the main basketball court has been resurfaced and new backboards are being installed.
Council contributed $360,000 for the project, with the State Government providing $480,000 through Sport and Recreation Victoria’s Local Community Sport and Recreation Projects Fund. The RB Robson Stadium committee of management and Wallan Basketball each contributed $5000.
The stadium houses Wallan Basketball, Birralee Gymnastics, Wallan and District Netball Association and Wallan Playgroup, and has seen burgeoning demand in recent years.
RB Robson Stadium committee of management president Jodie Cloke said the facility was at maximum capacity.
“With the growth in the area, enquiries have been through the roof. We can’t offer things like casual shooting at the moment – we’re turning people away for that,” she said.
“[The new changerooms have been] a long time coming. It was a lot of money we needed to make sure was spent in the right places.”
Wallan Basketball president Tracy Connors said the new changerooms would help accommodate the association’s representative teams on game days.
“Currently the stadium has two very old changerooms, one male and one female,” she said.
“Our Big V program regularly has double and triple header games, which require at least four changerooms.
“We currently utilise a small meeting room and the playgroup room as the alternate changerooms.
“Neither room has a bathroom or shower. The playgroup room has fire doors, which means that they cannot be covered and therefore our women’s teams are getting changed without the privacy they should be afforded. We place temporary screens up, but that is not appropriate for state-level competition.”
Ms Connors said the upgrade works would see the playgroup room converted into two changerooms and a referee rooms.
“Once those works are completed then the council and stadium management will arrange for the existing toilets and changerooms to be upgraded as well, which will then give all users more contemporary experience to the current one,” she said.
Ms Connors said increased junior participation rates had made the upgrades, as well as plans for a future new stadium in Wallan’s Greenhill Recreation Precinct, a necessity.
“Junior domestic basketball has increased by more than 15 per cent this winter season from last winter, and we saw the same growth in the previous summer season,” she said.
“As basketball continues to surge in popularity, along with the ongoing population growth, the number of basketball participants will continue to grow rapidly.
“It is these sorts of investments that are required to ensure that basketball, along with other court-based sports, have the necessary facilities as we all continue to grow, particularly in the southern end of Mitchell Shire.”
Ms Spence said the works would help accommodate more junior athletes.
“It’s great to have the appropriate facilities for people in Wallan to play basketball, where we know they want to play,” she said.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Fiona Stevens said the project was important to support Wallan’s growth until the Greenhill Recreation Precinct eventuated.
“More and more people are expected to call our shire home and we need to have the facilities to support them,” she said.
Funding for the Kilmore bypass and schools form part of Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland’s Mitchell Shire wish list ahead of the May 23 State Budget.
Among priority projects highlighted by Ms Cleeland are the Kilmore bypass, a new Kilmore SES building, upgrades to Seymour Football Netball Club’s facilities, and progress towards a new state secondary school in Kilmore, as well as funding for Seymour College and Broadford Secondary College.
Ms Cleeland said the Kilmore bypass was a matter of urgency for the town.
“Last year’s budget showed another year of delay in bypass progression, there is no excuse for this occurring again,” she said.
“For Labor to be standing here after eight years in government and to not have completed a business case or costed the bypass is distressing.”
Ms Cleeland said no additional land had been acquired for the bypass since the last update provided by the Department of Transport in June, 2022.
“The Andrews government is happy to progress metro infrastructure with no business cases and complete complex planning procedures in an incredibly short period of time when it suits their electoral needs,” she said.
“Kilmore has been waiting decades for action; every year of delay is adding to the problem and the costs associated with this crucial piece of work.”
Ms Cleeland also called for the government to fulfil its pledge to upgrade Kilmore’s SES facilities.
“The crew are having to knock back volunteers because they simply do not have the space or infrastructure to support new members,” she said.
“The Nationals made a commitment to fund this upgrade, which was matched by the government. Now we just need to see it confirmed in this month’s budget.”
Ms Cleeland said education investment was required across the shire.
“Kilmore remains without a public secondary school and the nearby Broadford Secondary had to turn away several families at the start of this year due to the school being so close to capacity,” she said.
“There is obvious demand for public secondary schooling in Kilmore. While Assumption is a fantastic school, not every family can afford to send their children there.”
Ms Cleeland also discussed the need for a final piece of funding to allow Seymour College to complete its rebuild.
“Seymour has a massive catchment area, and the school offers a great range of hands-on and technical learning options,” she said.
“The rebuild at Seymour has been an ongoing process for over a decade, and it’s time that this funding was allocated to the school.”
Ms Cleeland said Seymour Football Netball Club and other sporting groups like it were the ‘lifeblood’ of communities.
“It is essential that our sporting infrastructure matches the skills of our country athletes, as well as the dedication of the tireless volunteers that keep clubs running,” she said.
“Seymour Football Netball Club is in urgent need of an upgrade, with both the changerooms and function spaces needing improvements from their current, outdated facilities.
“Providing funding to improve these facilities means more participation, more spectators, and a boost for local economies.”
Overnight on May 6, unknown offenders stole a custom three-metre by two-metre tandem grey trailer from a property in Sugarloaf Creek Road.
The trailer was located about 30 metres from the gate.
The property gate was left secured with a chain and padlock by the victim on May 6. The trailer has no registration plates or VIN number.
Attempted burglaries and theft
Between 3.50am and 6am on May 9, unknown offenders committed a series of attempted burglaries and theft of a motor vehicle.
At about 3.50am the offenders attended a property in Halycon Bend, Beveridge.
They climbed the front fence, entering the garage via an unlocked door.
The victim heard a loud bang and entered the garage, observing two unknown offenders in the garage. The victim run out the front door to chase the offenders, who jumped into a black SUV and fled.
At about 4am an unknown offender jumped the front gate of a property in Vantage Green, Beveridge.
The offender ran down the side of the house, knocking over a pot plant and waking the victims.
At about 4.25am the same offender returned to the address and attempted to gain access to a white Ford Territory parked in the driveway, which was locked.
The offender then tried to open the front door of the premises, which was also locked. The offender then left the premises.
At about 4.06am, an unknown offender attempted to enter a garage in Bellview Crescent, Beveridge.
The garage door was locked so the offender the walked around the premises looking through doors and windows.
The offender left the premises and was collected by a white Toyota Prado.
At about 4.37am an unknown offender attended Zenith Road, Beveridge and attempted to open a parked vehicle’s passenger-side door.
The offender climbed a fence and tried to open the laundry door. The offender then climbed a fence entering a neighbouring property.
At about 5.40am an unknown offender attended a property at Golf Links Drive, Beveridge.
The offender attempted to open several doors and windows of the property.
The offender found an open door leading to the garage, which he entered.
Inside he stole the victim’s keys from the lounge room.
The offender opened the garage and left in the victim’s white Honda Accord, which is still missing. The offender also stole a bank card from another vehicle in the garage before leaving.
The offenders are described as males in their late teens to early 20s, Sudanese/African in appearance, wearing dark coloured hoodies, dark coloured trackpants and Nike shoes. One of the hoodies had a Nike symbol on it.
Anyone with information or CCTV footage is urged to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or contact their local police station.
KILMORE senior football coach Paul Derrick believes his young side’s self-belief will continue to grow after a stirring two-point road win against Heidelberg West at the weekend.
Despite entering the Northern Football Netball League division three clash as underdogs against the undefeated Hawks, the Blues played hard, committed football to emerge with a 7.16 (58) to 8.8 (56) win, with only inaccuracy in front of goals holding the team back from an even greater win.
With defender Liam Monaghan and forward Michael Fenech lost to injuries in the first half, Derrick said his team could have settled for an honourable loss, but showed grit as it fought on.
“After half time we were two men down, so we just put it on the boys that they’re fit, they’ve worked hard, and we deserve to win if they’re good enough,” he said.
“We asked them to keep plugging and to their credit they just kept hammering away.
“After being challenged in that third quarter anything could have happened, but to the boys’ credit they fought on.
“In the last quarter the scores were level with about 10 minutes to go and we kicked two behinds at the end of the quarter to win it.
“They’ve done the work since November, so we know they’re all fit. It was just about believing in themselves. Hopefully they’ve got that after the weekend.”
Behinds were a theme of the day, with full forward Aaron Speak’s lone goal belying his dominance inside Kilmore’s forward 50-metre arc.
Speak and fellow tall forward Grant Paxton each finished with single goals despite taking several impressive marks, with Ethan Derrick finishing as the Blues’ sole multiple-goal kicker with two.
Riley McLaughlin was outstanding for the Blues, earning plaudits from his coach.
“Riley Mclaughlin was best on ground to me by a mile. He won a lot of footy, played multiple positions and wasn’t beaten all day. He was fantastic for us,” Derrick said.
Also impressive were Caden Fitzpatrick, who showcased his outstanding athleticism in the ruck, and his brother Ethan, who took plenty of intercept marks across the half-back line.
Kilmore ruckman Caden Fitzpatrick shows off his impressive leap against Heidelberg West opponent Lachlan Evans.
Derrick also praised Kilmore’s experienced leaders, who he said were set a tone for the young players to match.
“The old heads like Leigh Irons, Mick Marrett, ‘Barto’ [Chris Barton] and Adam Milne were good,” he said.
“I reckon we had 12 to 15 guys who hadn’t played 15 senior games, so the more experience we can get into them, the better.
“The older heads are desperate for any success, so they keep lifting. Hopefully they drive it and we keep going.”
Kilmore co-captain Mick Marrett isn’t letting Heidelberg West’s Marcus Hill go anywhere.
With another road game against the dangerous Mernda looming this weekend, Derrick said he expected his side to continue its upward trajectory.
“In round one we had a game plan and didn’t execute it at all,” he said.
“In round two Kinglake kicked four [goals] in the last five minutes of the third quarter, which ended up being the final margin. I thought for 60 per cent of the game we played the way we wanted to.
“Reservoir was a good hit-out for us. There were still things we wanted to work on, but we executed 90 per cent of the time. On the weekend there were great signs for us.
“Mernda have had a great start to the year. On their home ground it won’t be an easy ask, but we’ll worry about how we play and hopefully get most of it right.”
Derrick said Fenech was likely to play after rolling his ankle at the weekend but the injured Monaghan would be assessed.
Also in line for selection are ruckman James Atkinson, who made his return from injury in the reserves at the weekend, and vice-captain Mick McCulloch.
Whittlesea
Whittlesea faces a tough task to avoid relegation to the NFNL’s second division after its most disappointing game of the season, failing to kick a goal until the third quarter as it lost 2.9 (21) to 20.23 (143) to Macleod.
Whittlesea’s Joshua Eid looks to handball with a Macleod opponent bearing down on him.
The Eagles had been competitive against a string of tough opponents to start the season, playing reigning premier Heidelberg, 2022 grand finalist Bundoora and current top-three sides Montmorency and Hurstbridge in the first four weeks.
Saturday’s game against the 1-3 Roos was seen as an opportunity for the Eagles to earn their first win, but the team was largely listless, kicking only five behinds in the first half and trailing by 79 points at the long break.
Former Essendon AFL player Michael Hurley ran riot with seven goals for Macleod, with Whittlesea’s sole majors for the game coming through Curtis Taplin and Harry Beattie in the third quarter.
Whittlesea captain Xavier Dimasi sends his team inside 50.
Defender Deakin Tennant and midfielders Mitch Andrews, Riley Carter and Taidhg Bland were named among Whittlesea’s best, but the team had few winners for the day.
The Eagles, now two-games clear on the bottom of the ladder, will return to Whittlesea Showgrounds on Saturday to host second-last West Preston-Lakeside.
