The North Central Racing Pigeon Club is excited to announce that local businesses can now register to sponsor a pigeon for the 2023 racing season, which officially commences in August.
More than 20 businesses sponsored a pigeon with the club last year, including The Logo Lady Wallan, Cafe 41 Wallan and Wallan Fish and Chips.
Pigeons are being bred currently for the upcoming season, with hopes the community will get involved in the sport of racing pigeons via sponsorship.
More than 20 businesses in the district sponsored a pigeon with The North Central Racing Pigeon Club last year.
Founding member of the Kilmore Invitational Racing Pigeon Club Charlie Grech said the racing was a great opportunity for businesses to be more involved in their community and connect with one another.
Sponsorships for the 2023 racing season, which is currently expected to consist of 10 rounds, are $200.
Businesses sponsoring a pigeon will feature in the Review’s sports results, as well as on local radio station, OKR FM.
To sponsor a pigeon, business owners can call Charlie Grech on 0418 174 478.
Wallan Bowls Club secured its sixth premiership in five years with an impressive win over Fitzroy Victoria in Saturday’s Northern Gateway Bowls Region division seven sectional grand final.
The win was just reward for the team, who for half the season either played short with one or two players missing, or had to rely on substitutes from other clubs to get a team on the field.
President Peter Glass said fortunately after the Christmas break, several players, earlier unavailable through illness or injury, returned to the playing field.
“To the players credit, morale remained high and despite the lack of player availability, the team managed to make the finals and go on to win the flag, and promotion to division six next season,” he said.
Mr Glass said anyone looking to be a part of the club’s foray into division three and six next season could contact the club on 0481 054 039.
A new City of Whittlesea council hub will be established in Whittlesea, giving greater access for residents to connect with several community services and council.
The hub will open in the former Westpac bank site in Church Street later this year – allowing residents to connect with council closer to home, rather than having to travel to the council office in South Morang.
Council customer service staff will be able to take cashless payments and conduct other services.
Chair administrator Lydia Wilson said council had supported the initiative to ensure residents in the northern part of the municipality did not have to drive to South Morang for council business.
“This hub will bring more of our services out to the farthest region of our municipality,” she said.
“We’re committed to making things easier for our residents to conduct business with us in-person as well as improving our digital offerings.
“We’re working through the detail of the range of services that we can offer from the centre and will update the community closer to the opening.”
While council is working on further details for the hub, residents can contact council via its website at www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au, by emailing info@whittlesea.vic.gov.au, or by calling 9217 2170.
Residents can also drop in to 25 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang for further information.
Westpac closed the branch on September 19 last year, citing a lack of customers requiring in-branch banking.
At the time, Westpac spokesperson said the closure of the Church Street premises would ‘complement how customers choose to bank’ and that the bank would expand its services to access via Bank@Post, telephone, mobile and virtual banking.
Following Westpac’s departure, Whittlesea Community House were given use of the building rent-free a month from owners Bryan and Miriam Matthews.
The pop-up drop-in facility was used to address specific issues that relate to community members experiencing isolation, homelessness and well-being support.
Services such as online banking, scam awareness and upcoming community events and courses were offered at the pop-up facility.
THE Kilmore Branch of the Partners of Veterans Australia is taking on the March On Challenge, aimed at raising funds for veterans and families through donations.
Branch members will take on the challenge of completing a 96-kilometre walk, representing the distance that Australian Diggers had to trek on the Kokoda Track.
Gwenda Parker, Lorraine Coleman, Josephine Bloomfield, Anne Robotham and Sue Meldrum will attempt to raise as much as possible in donations, which will go towards assisting veterans and families of the navy, army and air force.
For more information on the Kilmore Branch and the March On Challenge, people can contact Gwenda Parker on 0402 096 227 or neilparker6@bigpond.com.
The group hosts a morning coffee at 10.30am on the third Thursday of every month at Kilmore Soldiers Memorial Hall’s RSL Rooms. Any partner of a veteran is encouraged to attend.
Whittlesea Public Gardens in Lalor has officially opened its first completed stage of a multimillion project designed to create a recreational space for City of Whittlesea residents.
Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne, City of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson and Member for Thomastown Bronwyn Halfpenny officially opened the transformed park on February 15.
The multi-stage process has transformed the Barry Road community facility into a regional park, which now features a new playground comprising play towers, swings, slides, flying fox, rope climbing and in-ground trampoline.
Young users can access a new 400-metre learn-to-ride circuit, which includes roundabouts, speed bumps, intersections and crossings.
Visits to the new park are now more comfortable and safe, with new features such as picnic shelters, barbecues, seating, and solar lighting.
Ms Wilson said the redevelopment would support the needs of its surrounding communities for years to come.
“The Whittlesea Public Gardens have played an important role in the lives of Lalor and Thomastown residents for decades,” she said.
“But this redevelopment will transform the gardens into a regionally significant space where people of all ages and abilities can come to enjoy the outdoors.”
Ms Wilson said council was thankful for the $2 million contribution from the State Government under its Growing Suburbs Fund program, which complemented the council’s $2 million contribution.
She said stage two had secured a further $650,000 contribution from the Growing Suburbs Fund.
Construction on the second stage will start this year and feature a skate park, rock climbing wall, basketball courts, improved parking and more.
HORSE owners of all experience levels are being encouraged to attend a Healthy Land, Healthy Horses workshop in Beveridge on Saturday.
The workshop aims to assist horse owners to learn more about planning and changes for both management of their horses and the land.
The course has been designed with equine health, welfare and natural behaviour in mind, and will cover horse property layout, pasture management techniques, manure and worming management.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Fiona Stevens said the workshop would help support the strong equine industry in the shire and surrounds.
“There is a significant equine industry in the Hume, Whittlesea and Mitchell areas that we want to support,” she said.
“This workshop is a great opportunity to learn from an industry expert about how you can improve the lifestyle and care for your horse and at the same time have a higher awareness of impacts on the environment.”
Equine industry personality Stuart Meyers will present the workshop, visiting from England to tour Victoria and present at multiple different workshops in March and April.
The Healthy Land, Healthy Horses workshop will be at the Greater Beveridge Community Centre.
Tickets cost $25 and bookings are essential. For more information, people can visit www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/our-region/events/healthy-land-healthy-horses-workshop.
Organisers of Tallarook’s Boogie music festival are confident 2023 will be the event’s biggest year yet, with ticket sales for the Easter extravaganza now on sale.
There has been strong sales since the first round of tickets, on sale in January, have sold out and remaining tickets selling quickly.
However the festival faced a blow last week when the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, VCAT, upheld a Mitchell Shire Council decision regarding restrictions to the festival’s liquor licence and music.
There has been a long-running battle between festival organisers, council and a group of nearby residents in relation to permits for the festival, which takes place at Our Friends Farm, a property on the Tallarook Pyalong Road, at Tallarook.
Boogie bounced back in 2022 after successfully altering a council permit restricting noise at the property after 10pm, which had forced festival organisers to consider moving elsewhere.
Our Friends Farm owner Tanya El-Gamal said Boogie organisers had been hoping to this year relocate the ‘Hillbilly Disco’ to the outdoor amphitheatre.
But VCAT senior member Margaret Baird said in her findings there were relevant unanswered questions about the ‘amenity impacts’ of the amendments being requested.
“The impacts are not properly and/or fully documented and understood, and current permit conditions do not provide an acceptable means to overcome the deficiencies. The amendments are therefore not approved,” she said.
“It is not my task or role to consider whether the music festival itself has a social licence. The case is decided on the basis of whether the requested amendments are acceptable when assessed against the relevant matters set by the scheme.”
Organisers will press on with the April event, with the festival to be headlined by Australian pub rockers Private Function and soul/jazz collective Surprise Chef.
Ms El-Gamal said late-night entertainment would still proceed – a permit remains in place for an indoor disco until 3am.
“It’s good that the council removed the noise restrictions so we can operate at the normal level of music that is expected at a live music festival,” she said.
“It’s a shame the amendments sought to relocate the late night disco were refused as it was a logical response to the concerns raised by all parties, but we are a creative bunch and have a number of alternatives that will allow us to provide the late night entertainment for our patrons as permitted by the permit.”
Ms El-Gamal said there would be something for everyone on this year’s line-up.
“There’s lots of diversity on the music line-up with quite a few bands that we haven’t had before, so it will be good to see some fresh blood on the main stage,” she said.
“We love being able to support the return of live music after the blow the industry took through COVID.
“One of the festival organisers owns 1800 Lasagna in Melbourne, so the clubhouse will be turned into a pop-up 1800lasagna restaurant with live jazz bands playing on the indoor stage, followed by the infamous karaoke club where punters get to bring out their inner rock star.
“The Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday and the huge Boxwars action-packed show is always a huge hit with the kids so there’s lots of other fun family entertainment provided along side the three-day live music program.”
People can find out more about the festival and buy tickets by visiting www.boogie.net.au.
Mitchell Shire Council is celebrating International Women’s Day and reflecting on its own practices to promote and encourage gender inclusivity and opportunity.
International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world each year on March 8.
The day is a time to reflect on progress and to celebrate the courage and determination of the women who have changed history throughout, and those who will advance the issue into the future.
The theme for 2023 is ‘embrace equity’, which seeks to encourage people to talk about how to focus on better outcomes.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Fiona Stevens said equal opportunities were no longer enough and some purported equal opportunities could actually exclude women, rather than include them.
Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.
Whereas equity recognises that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.
“International Women’s Day is a time for celebrating the fantastic contributions by the women in our communities,” she said.
“These contributions sit beside partnerships with all other stakeholders who jointly aim to make our community more inclusive with equal and fair opportunities for all.
“However, progress still needs to be made. We all have a role to play and days like International Women’s Day are important to keep the discussion and focus moving, and to bring people together to reflect on the advancements we have made and how we will build upon this.
“Women are still very much an underutilised resource, and it is our loss if we don’t fully embrace their significant value to our community.”
Mitchell Shire Council is addressing both gender equity and equality through their Gender Equality Action Plan 2021 – 2025.
Council’s Gender Equality Action Plan aims to progress initiatives and outcomes in the organisation and also contribute to preventing gender-based violence in the community.
Council has also started undertaking Gender Impact Assessments via an app that is the first of its kind for a Victorian local government.
The app will greatly assist staff to plan for and create fairer policies, programs and services to help people have equal access to opportunities and resources within both the council organisation and the broader community.
Visit council’s website for more information about its Gender Equality Action Plan and how it is promoting community-led events.
Communities across Victoria will be able to have their voices heard through a state-wide inquiry into the state’s preparedness and response to last year’s floods.
The State Government’s Environment and Planning Committee will report on the preparedness and response to the October 2022 floods.
Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said the flood inquiry would have a broad remit.
“We’ve been able to establish this crucial inquiry which will look into causes and contributions to the floods and early warning systems,” she said.
“While towns like Murchison were able to plan for the rising Goulburn, in Seymour people were left with little warning time to prepare and evacuate.
“It’s evident there were serious issues with warning systems and projections.
“It’s critically important we also gain a better understanding of decisions around water catchment management and improve both decision making and communication processes.”
The inquiry will also investigate the ‘location, funding, maintenance and effectiveness of engineered structures, such as flood walls, rural levees and culverts, as a flood mitigation strategy.’
“With the evidence pointing towards flooding like this becoming more likely and variable, flood mitigation infrastructure is essential,” Ms Cleeland said.
“So many of our towns including Murchison, Seymour and Heathcote already have incredibly unaffordable flood insurance premiums.
“The October floods will only bump up these premiums further – the only way to bring these down is to look at what can be done to mitigate flooding and protect our towns.”
As the inquiry is established, more information will become publicly available.
“Local businesses need to be able to look to the future with confidence. This inquiry is essential – ensuring we learn from past mistakes and put plans in place for the future,” Ms Cleeland said.
BlazeAid has rolled into Seymour’s Chittick Park, setting up camp to assist property owners who are still working to recover from damage caused by October’s floods.
Opened on February 14 and operating out of Seymour Scout Hall, the camp is in need of volunteers who can spare any amount of time to work with the volunteers to assist at various properties across the Seymour district.
While work has been completed at four of the 10 properties that have registered for assistance so far, progress has slowed at the remaining six properties as volunteer numbers have declined in the past week.
First-time BlazeAid volunteer Jim Schaefer said he learned about the group through a friend who was also taking part in the Seymour camp.
“David [Hawkins] said to me ‘I’m on this thing called BlazeAid, we’re going to be in Seymour and we repair and replace fencing’,” he said.
“I looked it up online and thought I’d give it a go. I did some more research and some of the work they’re doing is not revolutionary, but it’s life changing.”
Mr Schaefer said it was his first time out building fences on a farm and was happy to be involved after driving his caravan to Seymour from his home in Mornington.
“For me, it’s unusual because I don’t have a livestock background,” he said.
“These [farmers] just don’t have the time or sometimes the energy, and some of these things are relatively minor jobs but they can’t get contractors to do it.”
Last week’s work took Mr Schaefer and a team of volunteers to a Paul Clemence’s Tallarook property, which had fencing on one of its livestock paddocks badly damaged during last year’s floods.
Mr Clemence said he had known about BlazeAid through the Black Saturday bushfires and other disasters, but did not know about the Seymour camp until he saw a post on the Tallarook Community Group on Facebook.
“We saw they were coming in, so we went to one of the rural stores and put in our expression of interest and eventually got contacted for an assessment,” he said.
“It takes a huge amount of work off. It’s normally just me out here by myself trying to do it all, I’ve got two young kids and so forth at school and I don’t get the time when we’re home, so it takes a huge amount of stress and workload off me as well.”
Property owner Paul Clemence, left, BlazeAid committee member Andrew Gibson and volunteer Graeme Allen put in a new fence post.
For properties to be registered for assistance, owners must first submit an expression of interest to BlazeAid before a camp coordinator visits the property to assess for work required and any potential risks.
Property owners will need to supply any materials required for works to be completed, including fence posts and wire.
Volunteers can set up tents or caravans at the camp, and are provided with full support and training, as well as safety briefings and meals every day.
Mr Schaefer encouraged anyone interested to try volunteering with BlazeAid.
“There are already a lot of people in the community who volunteer for a whole stack of things like hospital visits, Rotary and Lions,” Mr Schaefer said.
“You need to be fairly fit, and you need to have the energy to dig and put in fencing posts. I would think anyone under the age of 70 would be ideal and you can choose how long you stay, you can do it for a day or a week or whatever suits you.
“I’d say just investigate it, they’re really nice people that are professionally run and you’re giving back to the community.”
For more information or to register as a volunteer, people can email seymour@blazeaid.com.au or call the camp coordinators on 0484 942 753.
