St Mary’s Whittlesea hockey team prepares for state championships

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September 6, 2022

St Mary’s Whittlesea hockey team prepares for state championships

By Pam Kiriakidis

The grade six hockey boys’ team at St Mary’s Primary School in Whittlesea are driven to take on state level at Footscray Park on September 8.

The team, consisting of 11 boys, progressed from regional to district games and are now representing the Bridge Inn North District for state title against three other schools from across Victoria.

Physical education leader Joe Ciavarella and coach Jessica Verzin have watched the team progress, achieving their goals at a high level.

“It is a big achievement for a small school with 250 kids out in Whittlesea to get that far,” Mr Ciavarella said.

He highlighted the school’s sport culture was a huge factor, teaching values for students to adopt in training and games.

“It’s something I am very proud of, I think as a small school we pride ourselves on the values that we carry in terms of sport, not only we try really hard in terms of training, but we put a lot of time and effort into teamwork and showing that value of respect and sportsmanship with the other schools,” he said.

Mr Ciavarella said the grade six boys embraced the blue and yellow colours with pride, stepping up their game to prepare for the next big games in a few days.

“They are over the moon. They don’t need much encouragement these particular group of boys, they’re always pushing us for more training, I know next week we have three trainings after school that we’re going to be doing, so they’re willing to put in the time,” Mr Ciavarella said.
To prepare for the big day, the team used their connections at the Greensborough Hockey Club who have been helpful to the team’s training.

“They have been amazing with the relationship with our school in terms of providing us with equipment and facilities whenever we need and coaches to progress the kids,” Mr Ciavarella said.

Mr Ciavarella said coach Jessica Verzin had been an asset to the team, wielding her knowledge of hockey to assemble the team.
The school’s parents have also helped, cheering on the students at at each game.

“Our school has a good community backing, so a lot of parents come to watch. I know with the regional event, most of the parents were up there getting involved,” he said.

Last year, the boys in the grade below achieved state level, however due to COVID, games were not able to be played.

Mr Ciavarella said this time round there was an even greater sense of excitement.

“We had to do it all over again and play again, and its an even better feeling,” he said.

The following students in the team include captain Kade Coulthard, Lachlan Bird, Leevi Tasevski, Paddy Skehan, Morgan McDonald, Kaydin O’Connor, Kaydan Cox, Angus Howe, James Maher, Ethan Draper, and Will Varley.

City of Whittlesea showcasing early years activities

Lauren Duffy

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September 6, 2022

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City of Whittlesea showcasing early years activities

After being online for the past two years, the City of Whittlesea’s Bringing Up Kids Expo returns in-person on Wednesday for families and children to learn about early education facilities.

Families can meet with early childhood associations while children can enjoy fun activities such as art, craft, kinetic sand play and storytelling.

On Thursday, council will also host a kindergarten open night, starting from 5.30pm for parents, carers, families, and children to inspect various kindergartens and facilities.

The State Government recently announced free kindergarten as part of an early education reform.

Council staff will also be present to assist with information about all programs and advice on applying for kindergarten.

City of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson said the events offered families to learn what was available locally.

“As we welcome a growing number of families to the City of Whittlesea each year, we are committed to providing access to local facilities and programs which can support children to thrive in life,” she said.

“Having events like the Bringing Up Kids Expo and the Kindergarten Open Night provides parents, carers and families with young children with the opportunity to see what’s on offer in their local community.”

The expo will be at Barry Road Community Activity Centre, Thomastown, from 10am to 1pm on Wednesday.

The kindergarten open night requires no booking, and to find the nearest kindergarten or to find more about the kindergarten open night visit www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/kinder.

Volunteering opportunities at Big Group Hug Bundoora

Lauren Duffy

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September 6, 2022

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Volunteering opportunities at Big Group Hug Bundoora

Big Group Hug will next week host a volunteer information evening to share volunteer opportunities with the organisation.

The evening will provide a chance for the public to see how the operation runs, meet chief executive Bernadene Voss, and hear from a recipient of the group’s support on the impact that Big Group Hug and its volunteers have made on her life.

A range of volunteering opportunities are available with Big Group Hug, including at one of its warehouses or remotely.

Big Group Hug volunteer manager Francesca Ligabo said volunteering with the group would provide a chance to meet new people with similar interests and gain work experience, all while helping families who are doing it tough.

“By becoming a volunteer with Big Group Hug you will not only help a great cause, but you will also become part of a tight-knit and supporting community – in fact, our volunteers often refer to us as their ‘BGH family’,” she said.

“Volunteers are an invaluable resource and are involved in all aspects of our operations. We offer a range of both in-person and remote opportunities and I’m sure that you’ll find just the right fit for your skills and schedule.”

Big Group Hug is a not-for-profit organisation based in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. A key goal is ensuring that all children receive the best start in life and allowing communities the ability to give less fortunate families a ‘big group hug’ and support in times of need.

Big Group Hug also aims to support the circular economy and build a sustainable future by encouraging the upcycling, recycling, and rehoming of preloved items to reduce landfill and the environmental damage caused by waste.

Volunteering provides an opportunity for people to give back to their community while also reinforcing a personal sense of satisfaction and purpose.

Big Group Hug encourages anyone interested to bring a friend or family member to the volunteer information evening to learn about volunteering with the group and potentially sign up to make a change in the community.

The volunteer information evening will be from 6.30pm to 8.30pm on Tuesday, September 13 at Big Group Hug’s Bundoora headquarters at 5/19 Enterprise Drive.

To register for the event, people can visit events.humanitix.com/volunteer-information-night-big-group-hug.

For more information on Big Group Hug and its operations, visit www.biggrouphug.org.

Teaching trade skills in Moranding

Max Davies

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September 6, 2022

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By Max Davies

The Central Ranges Local Learning and Employment Network, LLEN, has hosted a series of workshops aimed at giving secondary school students an opportunity to learn trade skills.

Run by registered builder Jason Perry on his property in Moranding, the workshops have allowed students to work together to build two wooden picnic tables – all while learning building and carpentry skills and gaining hands-on experience to help provide work placement opportunities.

Central Ranges LLEN worked with builder Jason Perry to give students hands-on experience with building and carpentry.

Central Ranges LLEN engagement officer Lexi Economou said the workshops were created to help students with trade employment difficulties after graduating high school.

“Across the Mitchell Shire and the central ranges region, young people are finding it harder and harder to gain access to hands-on experience with qualified tradesmen, so this has come about because of that,” she said.

“Over the five weeks they have looked at going through anything from handling certain equipment and tools to the assembly and final preparation, so they’ve gone through all the different phases of constructing things and gaining skills and learning things along the way.”

The 10 students, a majority from Seymour College, have an interest in learning a trade and while Mr Perry’s workshop has focused on skills relating to building and carpentry, the workshops have provided knowledge and experience to help find employment in any preferred trade.

Darcie Donovan stains the table to prepare it for use.

“There aren’t that many opportunities out there for them, and it’s particularly important for them to work in a safe environment and safely learn about everything,” Ms Economou said.

Ms Economou also noted the female participants in the group and said it was good to see a mix of students interested in learning a trade.
Central Ranges LLEN two years ago ran a similar program, where the group made a table that was donated to the Salvation Army in Seymour.

Mr Perry said he was happy to be able to help teach students important skills to help them get involved with a trade.

“[The students] needed to get up hours for work experience, so I semi-volunteered to help out and took Fridays off from work to start teaching,” he said.

“They had no skills with power saws or planers or anything like that so I’ve just educated them how to use tools safely and taught them the best way to do things and the little tricks of the trade that most people wouldn’t be able to tell them.”

Central Ranges LLEN is looking to continue hosting the workshop into the future, with the group hoping the two tables built this year can be donated to the community.

Broadford Roos a success despite grand final defeats

Lauren Duffy

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September 6, 2022

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Broadford Roos a success despite grand final defeats

By Colin MacGillivray

While the Outer East division two A and B Grade netball premiership cups might not have Broadford’s name etched on them this year, the Roos are still winners in the eyes of all associated with the club.

Broadford’s season of success on the netball court ended without a premiership, with the A Grade team losing 34-49 to Warburton-Millgrove and B Grade succumbing to Powelltown 31-39 on Sunday, but offered plenty of hope for the future.

Amanda Rothwell, an A Grade player and B Grade coach, said the fact that all four Broadford netball sides reached preliminary finals in 2022 was a sign of impending success.

She said she was proud of the way the A and B Grade sides fought against their opponents.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t our day, but that’s what can happen when you come up against two teams that were undefeated. They were the best in the comp all season for a reason,” she said.

“All we wanted to do was make each other proud, make the town proud and work for one another.”

Rothwell, who was named in the A Grade team of the year alongside Broadford centre Ally Black at the league awards night last week, said the grand final was hard-fought from the start.

“It was tight in the first quarter and it was a very physical game all the way through,” she said.

“Unfortunately in the last quarter [the score] blew out a little bit, but I don’t feel like that represented the whole game.”

With Ash Chapman named an assistant coach in the league’s A Grade team of the year, Natalie Fletcher finishing runner-up in the B Grade best and fairest count, and 17 and under players Leah O’Dell, Leah Toomey and Cassie Zolnierczyk finishing as best and fairest, runner-up and leading goal scorer respectively, Rothwell said the Roos had talent across the board.

“We’re so proud of our 17 and unders, because at the end of the day they are the future of the club,” she said.

“For them to have such a good season and for them to be recognised on that level is so important for us and our future growth.”

Rothwell, who is Broadford’s secretary in addition to her roles as player and coach, said the club was focused on continuing to grow the success of its netball program while returning to a standalone football team in 2023 after combining with Yea this year.

“In the football we had our captain Liam Lucas in the team of the year, as well as equal runner-up in the best and fairest, and through our amalgamation with Yea we also had Ben Wilsmore in the team of the year,” she said.

“As a secretary, player and a coach, I’m so proud of the club and how far we’ve come this year.

“Obviously we have faced our challenges in the football department, but we were able to work through that and find a great solution with Yea, [and] we were really proud of our netballers to all make prelim finals.

“Watch out for next year, because we’re going to be coming strong.”

Beware of bird swooping season

Lauren Duffy

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September 6, 2022

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Spring is here, which means native birds are breeding and swooping season has arrived – and Victorians are urged to remain safe.

Many parts of Australia experience bird swooping this time of the year, where native birds, specifically magpies and masked lapwings are present in rural areas, towns, and residential areas.

Mitchell Shire Council Mayor Bill Chisholm said bird swooping could be an issue in the shire during the breeding season.

“They can swoop in urban and rural areas, in parks and gardens, along bike tracks and in school yards, or anywhere that birds are nesting,” he said.

There is a sign warning of swooping birds at Broadford’s Memorial Park.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council have been advised of swooping behaviour at the Romsey skate park, installing a sign at the site to warn users.

Director assets and operations Shane Walden said there was no specific location for bird swooping, however when council was notified by residents they could choose to install signs, depending on the location.

“Typically, council will place signs in higher-use areas such as parks, reserves and playgrounds rather than informal trails and tracks,” he said.

He advised residents to not upset or interfere with the birds, as it contributed to the idea that people were a threat and might increase swooping behaviour.

Native wildlife is protected under the law and its illegal to harass native birds.

“Walk or ride a different way; the bird won’t swoop for long, so it won’t be a permanent change,” Mr Walden said.

City of Whittlesea director environment and infrastructure Debbie Wood said swooping behaviour was known to occur in Whittlesea during October and November.

She said residents needed to inform the council of incidents to install warning signs in locations that were necessary.

“Magpies tend to attack or swoop when they feel threatened, so we encourage people to avoid interfering with magpie nests or eggs and if possible, avoid walking through known swooping locations,” she said.

Ms Wood advised residents to wear protective clothing that might minimise negative interactions between swooping birds and people.

“It is also recommended to wear a hat to deter magpies and to protect you from a strike and to keep an eye on any birds that may swoop,” she said.

“If swooped, the best option is to wave the hat or a stick to cause the magpie to retreat.”

Residents are encouraged to visit https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/managing-wildlife/swooping-birds to register swooping birds.

The Victorian Swooping Bird map shows where people have been mainly swooped during the spring season.

Mitchell Shire Council recommended residents visit the Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning, DELWP, website for tips about how to protect themselves.

Westpac Whittlesea branch to close

Lauren Duffy

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September 6, 2022

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Westpac’s Whittlesea branch will close its doors on September 19 due to a lack of customers requiring in-branch banking.

Westpac says the closure of the Church Street premises will ‘complement how customers choose to bank’.

A Westpac spokesperson said the bank was investing in services that aligned with more than five million digitally-active customers, resulting in a difficult decision to leave a branch location.

The bank will expand its services to access via Bank@Post, telephone, mobile and virtual banking.

Customers will be directed to other services to continue their banking, and people who are new to digital banking and may require assistance to make the transition, will be assisted.

The spokesperson suggested customers bank at South Morang branch, located 18 kilometres away, or visit Whittlesea Post Shop, 80 metres away to access the same cash services.

There is also a Westpac ATM located in Mernda.

The spokesperson said the bank would support their customers and employees, with a ‘robust process in place to assist employees to find new opportunities within Westpac Group’.

City of Whittlesea Nature Stewards program now open

Lauren Duffy

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September 6, 2022

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City of Whittlesea Nature Stewards program now open

Outdoors Victoria has opened applications for the City of Whittlesea Nature Stewards spring program to introduce nature skills to residents.

The event, from September 17 to December 3, is a 10-week program aimed to equip participants with skills and knowledge to help the natural environment.

Nature Stewards experts guide participants in a range of topics including local ecosystems, plant names and caring for native animals.

Field trips will also be part of the process, exploring in bushland areas, such as Quarry Hills Parkland, to teach practical techniques and offer quality experience that may lead to future volunteer roles and opportunities.

Nature Stewards participant Ben Marshall said the experience was not what he had expected, as the program took participants on a journey with like-minded people.

“I wasn’t expecting the breadth of backgrounds, age groups and areas of interest for my fellow group members,” he said.

“Everyone had something to add to the discussion and the group leaders were absolutely fantastic. I know that we’ll all see each other again.”

The course navigates through many topics, including Aboriginal natural history, fire strategies, citizen science and water quality, with the helping hand of guest lecturers and teachers who have experience in specific areas.

Mr Marshall said the program benefited the community, taking the next step to be part of the land’s changes.

“I believe that most of us value the natural world and love being part of it. But not many of us take the next step to find out how to better protect our environment, advocate for our world and take action,” he said.

He said he could not wait to watch more people involved in volunteering and meet more Nature Stewards graduates like himself.

“It’s hard to imagine a better return on investment than a program like this one. One curious, trained and passionate Nature Stewards graduate has an impact far greater than their one pair of hands,” Mr Marshall said.

The program is open to anyone over the age of 18, however preference is currently given to residents of the City of Whittlesea.

Applications close on Friday. To apply, visit www.outdoorsvictoria.org.au/nature-stewards.

Wandong art show returns

Lauren Duffy

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September 6, 2022

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WANDONG’S Three Brushes Studio will this Sunday host an art exhibition, showing off more than 140 artworks created by its students.

The studio’s first art show last year featured about 100 works made mostly by children, however student numbers having since grown to more than 120 children and 20 adults.

This year will feature two new categories: the people’s choice award, giving visitors the opportunity to vote on their favourite pieces from the exhibition; and the all-abilities section.

Three Brushes owner and teacher Sharon Delaney said the show had grown from last year, with more community groups involved and students returning in higher age groups.

“We’ve had help from Kilmore Art Society who has provided prize packs for budding artists who need help with supplies, and Officeworks have also provided art packs as prizes,” she said.

“It just shows how therapeutic art can be and how important it is for people, especially kids, to be involved in art.”

This year’s exhibition will include a barbecue by the Wandong-Heathcote Junction community group, with tea and coffee also available for visitors.

Judges for this year include Kilmore Art Society member Cheryl Eve, Wandong Primary School teacher Robyn Beer and artist Helen Syngaris.

The exhibition will be from 10am to 2pm on Sunday, at the Wandong Hall, at the corner of Rail Street and Wandong Avenue. Entry is free.

For more information on the studio and the exhibition, people can call Ms Delaney on 0409 131 663.

New system simplifies fire danger ratings

Lauren Duffy

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September 6, 2022

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New system simplifies fire danger ratings

FIRE danger ratings in Victoria have changed, bringing them in line with the Australian Fire Danger Rating System now current across every state and territory in the country.

Fire danger ratings provide information on the likelihood of a fire so people can take action to protect themselves and others.

The higher the rating, the more dangerous fire conditions are and the more difficult fires are to stop if they begin.

The new system came after one of Australia’s largest community surveys found a majority of Australians did not understand the previous fire danger rating system.

Victorian emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said the new fire danger ratings system was based on community feedback.

The new system includes four colour-coded levels and plain language that provides clear advice on what action communities need to take at each level.

Mr Crisp said the new system was based on modern technology and research that improved emergency services’ ability to accurately predict fire behaviour and potential community threats. He said the previous system was more than 60 years old.

“The new fire danger rating system means that no matter where you live in Victoria or Australia, the same system will be in place. This is particularly important for our border communities and travellers,” he said.

Under the new system, emergency services can provide more specific advice to local communities so they can make more informed decisions about their own safety.

As part of the changeover to the new system, all fire danger rating signs across Victoria will be covered by a sticker promoting the new four-rating system while emergency services roll out replacement signs, which will be installed from this month.

Country Fire Authority, CFA, chief officer Jason Heffernan said the objective was for Victorians to better understand what actions to take at each fire danger level.

“That’s why this new system will be reduced to just four simple ratings and use clear recommendations for how to protect yourself according to your bushfire risk,” he said.

“The new system will measure local fire danger using improved science and a wider range of fire behaviour models to better represent the variety of Australian vegetation.”

People can access up-to-date fire danger ratings and other emergency information on the VicEmergency website emergency.vic.gov.au and the VicEmergency app.