Back-to-back metro wins for Howley
By ‘Pegs’
KYNETON trainer Liam Howley’s Virtuous Circle has nearly already recouped half of his $360,000 price after only three starts.
The New Zealand-bred three-year-old son of Almanzor and She Is Striving made it back-to-back metro wins in taking out the $150,000 Hugh-Wallace-Smith Handicap over 1500 metres at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Paying $26, Virtuous Circle gave former New South Wales rider Blaike McDougall the first of two winners on the program.
Virtuous Circle never left the rails from barrier one to get up and defeat Castillian, $4.80, by a short-half-head with the Blake Shinn mount Proscenium Arch, a $2.90 favourite, a similar margin away third.
Howley turned the colt out for a spell after taking out the $130,000 Mornington Guineas in March, starting at odds of $61.
A purchase at the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Howley said he was lucky when he had to sell off the shares.
“I got some really good people in. Some good clients, my mum and dad, and friends of the family,” he said.
“I’d like to think he’s a (Caulfield) Guineas horse but otherwise I thought 2000 metres might be in his hitting zone. Maybe 2400, so maybe he’s a Derby horse.”
Howley said the colt would have his next start in the Stutt Stakes at The Valley on Friday, September 23.
“He’s pulled up well and we’ll make a plan after that race,” he said.
Howley said he was so impressed with his developing purchase last year that he purchased his full brother at the sales this year for $220,000.
First for Sims
Kilmore trainer Jacqui Sims saddled-up her first winner at Sportsbet-Pakenham Synthetic last Monday.
Giving the young trainer a big thrill, Sims was successful with Ambalac, from $14 to $10, in taking out the Sportsbet Bet With Mates Maiden Plate over 2200 metres.
Having only his fourth start, the five-year-old gelded son of Americain and Andronica was ridden by Teo Nugent.
Drawing the second outside barrier, the gelding was trapped six wide on the turn out of the straight and Nugent had no option but to snag his mount back to last.
Prior to the home turn, the gelding was pulled out, again five wide, and kept plugging away in the straight to record an impressive win over Madam Maythem, $4.20, by three quarters of a length with the $2.50 favourite, Steak Knives, a neck away third.
Bred by Kilmore residents June Fletcher and local vet Dr Anita Burke and her partner Peter Lane, the trio race the gelding with the trainer and other stable clients including Melbourne Cup-winning owner Colleen Bamford.
Sims said the horse was quite immature in the early days.
“I’m so proud of him,” she said.
“I only do this as a hobby. I learnt the ropes from district trainers Barry Goodwin and Peter Morgan.”
Sims said the gelding would have his next run on the turf at Bendigo on September 8 in a rating 64 over 2400 metres.
Ambalac had a minor placing on the Pakenham synthetic prior to his win. The gelding is also Super VOBIS qualified giving the breeders/owners an added bonus.
Patience rewarded
Seymour trainer Stephen Brown had to wait for Egyptian Wonder’s 20th start to receive a winner’s cheque from him.
The Desert King five-year-old gelding was most impressive in taking out the $37,500 MBCM Strata Specialists Maiden Plate over 2100 metres at Echuca on Thursday.
Ridden by Harry Coffey, the gelding defeated Kaciga, $10, by four and a half lengths with Guido a further one and a half lengths away, third.
Brown said Egyptian Wonder loved the heavy nine type of surface.
“He really doesn’t like the hard track,” he said.
“It was a good ride by Harry. He’s good value – a couple of wins from three rides for us.”
Egyptian Wonder had seven minor placings prior to his win.
Horse of Year
The 2021 bet365 Kilmore Cup winner Hi Stranger was voted the 2021-22 Country Horse of the Year at a gala function witnessed by more than 650 guests at Docklands on Saturday night.
The Shane Fliedner-trained Bendigonian was also runner-up in the Bendigo Golden Mile
Spreading a message of hope in Mernda
By Max Davies
Students at Ivanhoe Grammar’s Plenty Campus were last week treated to an afternoon of singing and dancing, presented by a touring group who spread a message of hope to Victorian youth.
The Hope Tour visited schools in the region through a collaboration between community service groups in the municipalities of Whittlesea, Darebin, Banyule and Mitchell Shire – designed to remind young people there are things worth fighting for and to be resilient.
Chris Sebastian, winner of The Voice Australia in 2020, has also been a prominent figure on this year’s Hope Tour, performing a series of cover songs and encouraging students to participate and support the music through percussive stomps and claps.
Community group Kulture Break also play a major role in the shows, performing dances from a wide range of styles while officers from Mernda Police Station attended and at times joined the crowd.
The tour was also supported by Victoria Police, with Inspector Daniel Jamison working closely with Hope Tour organisers to try and shift the perception of police to a more positive image.
He said it was important to bring together a range of support services for young people to learn about, including police.
“I’ve always said for my police officers that my goal was always that they’d be able to go down the street and one of the kids would say ‘hello Joe, how are you going’ or they can say ‘g’day Johnny how are you’, rather than people looking at police and going ‘I don’t want to talk to them’,” he said.
“It’s a negative interaction, so I’m trying to turn the tables and make it a more positive thing.”
Mr Jamison said the Hope Tour was a good opportunity for police to partner with support services to provide a positive message and support a positive interaction, while also creating a lasting impression on the students.
The tour has performed across Victoria, visiting schools in Bendigo, Geelong and Glen Waverley before two shows in Mernda on Friday.
Mr Jamison said it was important for students to make connections with police in their area at a young age as it was the best opportunity to make a lasting positive image.
“I’ve been very focused on getting the local police involved from the area where the school is, so it’s not police coming from outside, it’s police who work in those areas who would have the opportunity to deal with issues if they come up in the area,” he said.
“They’re the ones having the interactions with the kids, because they’re the ones that need to build the relationships.
“If we can have a positive interaction with kids at this [age], they’re going to take that positive interaction with them into the years ahead.”
The Hope Tour is financially supported by anonymous philanthropic givers from several church communities, who asked to remain anonymous to keep the focus on supporting young people through resilience.
The concept is also supported by various community groups and Mernda Primary School chaplain and Wellbeing Community Support Network co-founder Chantelle Olafsen.
Ms Olafsen said she was grateful for the support she received in bringing community groups together, particularly from Mernda Primary School.
“The principal Janet Hamer has been really encouraging me to work with police and through the school environment into the community, which has been really good,” she said.
“It wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for her.”
The Hope Tour is a free event for schools to host, with organisers looking to continue the positive experience for the rest of the tour and build on the total audience of about 1000 students in Mernda.
Name a top priority for City of Whittlesea
The City of Whittlesea is asking people who live and work in the area for their views on what council should prioritise for next year’s Budget and Community Plan Action Plan.
Residents can complete a survey on council’s website and allocate points according to their top priority.
Council is also inviting people to talk to council representatives in person at pop-up sites in their neighbourhoods during the next month.
Administrator Peita Duncan said council wanted to receive feedback from the community before the planning process.
“We want to have clear insight into local priorities to help us shape the conversation around what should be our priorities in 2023-24,” she said.
“We know our community outlined their key priorities back when we developed the Community Plan 2021-2025 but much has changed since then.
“We want to know that we’re on track and that we are giving our community the chance to help shape their local area.”
People can find out more and have their say at engage.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/shapewhittlesea.
The first stage of consultation closes on September 4.
Wallan quarry decision still clouded
By Colin MacGillivray
OPPONENTS of a quarry proposed south of Wallan have again voiced their frustrations at the opacity of the planning process after a government spokesperson was unable to confirm who would make the final call on the project.
The quarry has been the subject of a years-long debate, with operator Conundrum Holdings arguing it would create jobs while delivering a source of basalt close to construction areas, while detractors including Mitchell Shire Council are worried about the economic and environmental effects of placing a quarry in a growth area.
Former Planning Minister Richard Wynne assumed authority for a final decision on whether the quarry would proceed after Conundrum launched a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, VCAT, challenge to council’s decision to deny a planning permit.
Mr Wynne later announced he would not recontest his seat at November’s state election and was replaced in the planning portfolio by Lizzie Blandthorn.
Quarry opponents assumed Ms Blandthorn would have the final say on the project, but earlier this month Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green suggested Ms Blandthorn could have a conflict of interest.
Ms Green met with representatives of council and the No Quarry for Beveridge/Wallan community group on August 10, listening to the concerns of attendees and attempting to answer their questions.
Ms Green said she believed Ms Blandthorn could have a conflict of interest on the quarry decision because of her brother’s role as a director of lobbying firm Hawker Britton.
Ms Blandthorn has recused herself from making decisions on cases in which Hawker Britton is involved, and Ms Green said she believed that included the quarry.
“[My understanding is that] Conundrum has been working with Hawker Britton and [Ms Blandthorn] won’t be making a decision – it will be another minister,” Ms Green said.
“My reading of it is that there is a public process that she will not be involved in making decisions around anything that Hawker Britton is involved in. It will be deferred to another minister, and my expectation would be that [Lily D’Ambrosio] would be the minister.”
But a spokesperson for Ms Blandthorn’s office said there had been no official ruling on whether the minister had a conflict of interest in the case of the quarry.
“The decision hasn’t come up to us yet,” she said.
“As decisions arise, they are then assessed and then a decision is made on whether there is a conflict [of interest]. If there is a conflict it goes to the alternate [minister].
“In this case there is no reason for us to believe there would be a need for the alternate minister. They have looked into it a little bit and they don’t believe that, but it will be assessed more thoroughly when the decision comes through.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, DELWP, said a decision on the quarry was not imminent, despite earlier suggestions from the government thst the final recommendation of a ministerial advisory committee would be presented to the relevant minister before the end of August.
“At this stage, the timing for a decision on the quarry has not been confirmed. Once a decision is due, the department will refer the decision to the appropriate minister,” the DELWP spokesperson said.
No Quarry for Beveridge/Wallan spokesperson James Cisco said group members were frustrated at being ‘kept in the dark’.
“The answer we’ve had the whole time is ‘you have to let the process play out’, but what we’re saying is that the process has been fundamentally unfair towards the community. We’ve been cut out – purposefully and tactically – at each chance for consultation,” he said.
“Any time we can get cut, we do get cut, and now we’ve had a thousand cuts and we’re at the end of the process wondering, ‘what happened? Where was our voice?’”
Conundrum Holdings declined to comment when approached by the Review.
The landowner of the location where the quarry is proposed is Wally Mott. He is also an owner of the Review.
Kilmore disappointed in football finals exit at hands of Old Eltham Collegians
By Colin MacGillivray
A PROMISING season for Kilmore’s senior footballers was cut short on Sunday when the Blues lost a disappointing semi-final against Old Eltham Collegians.
The Blues and Turtles had played a series of thrilling contests that went down to the wire across the past two seasons, but Old Eltham pulled away after half time on Sunday to snare a 12.6 (78) to 7.9 (51) victory, sending Kilmore tumbling from the finals race.
Playing at Whittlesea Showgrounds, the Blues trailed by only 10 points at half time with the same number of scoring shots as their opponents.
But Old Eltham opened up a gap that the Blues were unable to claw back, booting five goals to two after the long break.
Turtles forward Nick Milne stole the show with six goals, while Kilmore half forward Michael Fenech was his side’s only multiple-goal kicker with two.
Brothers Chris and Ciaran Barton were standouts for the Blues, working hard through the midfield, while James Atkinson gave good service in the ruck, but the team was ultimately overwhelmed.
With the club’s reserves and under 19s also losing their semi-finals by less than a kick, Kilmore president Paul Maher said it had been a disappointing day.
“The senior team being eliminated is a great disappointment. Our aim was to win a final, and the big picture was to win a premiership, so to dip out without winning a final is extremely disappointing,” he said.
“The boys fought hard, and unfortunately Eltham was too good on the day.
“We’re proud of their efforts. They never gave in, and unfortunately we just didn’t come home with a win. We were still well in it at three-quarter time, but we couldn’t convert.”
Maher said Kilmore remained in a strong position as it prepared for a changing of the guard, with senior coach Nathan Phillips last week announcing his intention to step down after six years at the helm.
With Maher also stepping down as president, he said fresh leadership would reinvigorate the Blues.
“Paul Derrick was recently named as our new senior coach for the 2023 season. Paul has a wealth of experience, having previously been a senior coach at both Roxburgh Park and Mernda,” Maher said.
“He’s got his two boys Ethan and Bailey playing in the seniors at the club.
“He’s got a lot of contacts in the football community and a great knowledge of football, so we’re confident we’ll continue to be successful and take that next step next year and get that elusive premiership.”
Maher said there could be ‘a couple of retirements’ from the senior playing list but said he expected the majority of the team to return next season.
“We’re already on the front foot and we’ll be looking at recruiting. We’ve got a bunch of young players coming through the ranks, but we won’t be remaining stagnant – we’ll be sourcing players we think can take us to the next level,” he said.
Maher thanked Phillips for his service as coach.
“It’s been a huge sacrifice for him and his family and he’s done a sensational job to help turn the playing fortunes of the club around,” he said.
“I sincerely thank him for those efforts, and also those of his family.
“I also haven’t had anyone put their hand up to take on the presidency yet, so I’d like to remind people that we’re still looking for a president for the 2023 season.”
People interested in the Kilmore presidency can call Maher on 0415 754 324.
Wet Kilmore track suits local trainers
By Len Baker
Kilmore’s nine event card was run on a rain-affected track last Tuesday, featuring victories to local area trainers Robbie Walters, in charge of the Ben Yole’s Tasmanian team, and Bolinda’s Brent Lilley.
Nine-year-old American Ideal-Lombo Glad Rags gelding Ideal Investment with ex-Tasmanian reinsman Jack Laugher in the sulky landed the 1690-metre C and M Build Group Pace.
The gelding was restrained from inside the second line as the start was effected to settle at the tail as Kilmore-trained Silky Smooth Express led from gate three.
Going forward three wide solo in the last lap, Ideal Investment sustained a long run to prevail by a neck over the leader, which had every chance, with Illawong Phoenix third a half neck away. The mile rate 2:02.3.
Stable concessional reinsman Brent Murphy, driving filly Itz Bull Speed Ahead for Lilley in the Momentum Gaming Pace over 2180 metres, destroyed most quaddie punters after winning at odds of $34.
Taken back from gate four to possie four back in the moving line as Our Kinky Boots led from gate two, Itz Bull Speed Ahead finished best to account for the fast-finishing Jaxon Beach from the tail by 1.6 metres in a mile rate of 2:03.4. Rainbowsend was third, 2.4 metres back.
‘Lil’ was to bring up a double after three-year-old Wishing Stone-Exit gelding Tripod defeated his older rivals in the TAB Trotters Handicap over 2150 metres.
Raced by Kilmore’s Julie Mifsud and driven by husband Aussie, Tripod angled to be one/one on the final bend before running home stoutly to prevail by 6.9 metres from Eva Image in a rate of 2:07.1. Di Li ran her usual honest race for third, 1.4 metres away, after racing parked and striding clear in the last lap.
Mount Cottrell trainer Jeremy Quinlan snared the Beraldo Coffee Pace over 1690 metres with Our Cheeky Devil, a five-year-old gelded son of Shadow Play and Riverside Oakes.
Other winners were Cranbourne part-owner/trainer Terry Howard with gelding Rosanna Rebel to land the Jet Roofing 2Y0 Vicbred Pace over 1690 metres; Longlea trainer John McDermott scoring with mare Waikare Colleen in the 1690 metre New Life Laser Therapy Trotters Mobile; and Miners Rest owner/trainer Nick Edwards combining with Heathcote’s Shannon O’Sullivan to capture the MC Security Trotters Mobile over 1690 metres with La Bella Figura.
Strathfieldsaye’s Julie Douglas and stable driver Ellen Tormey snared a double with Didshedoit taking out the Grays Bendigo Pace over 2180 metres and ex-Kiwi four-year-old gelding Golfo Paradiso in the Carlton and United Breweries Pace over the same trip.
Kilmore harness races will return on Thursday, August 25.
Nominate now for 2023 community awards
MITCHELL Shire Council’s Australia Day committee is calling for nominations ahead of the 2023 Australia Day Awards and Citizenship Ceremony.
The Rotary Club of Seymour will host the council’s ceremony, which recognises and celebrates the community contributions of individuals and organisations, as well as new Australian citizens.
Anyone can nominate an individual or group they believe deserves recognition for community service.
The five award categories for 2023 are: Access and Inclusion; Citizen of the Year; Young Citizen of the Year; Online or Community Event of the Year; and Community Group of the Year.
The Access and Inclusion award recognises people with or without disability working in a voluntary capacity to improve access and inclusion for people with disability in Mitchell Shire.
Citizen of the Year celebrates Mitchell Shire residents over the age of 25 who have either made a noteworthy contribution during 2022 and/or given outstanding service to the local community during several years, while Young Citizen of the Year recognises the same contributions for people aged 25 or under.
Online or Community Event of the Year is bestowed upon a community organisation or group that staged a noteworthy event in 2022, including an online event.
Community Group of the Year goes to a group that contributed exceptional service to the local community during 2022 or across several years.
Mayor Bill Chisholm said Mitchell Shire was a great place to live because of the community contributions of many unpaid volunteers.
“Rarely do our local community champions get a chance to stand in the spotlight and be thanked for the unpaid work they do that our whole society relies on,” he said.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to say thanks to a group or an individual for the effort they put in to make our shire what it is.”
People should include information on how the individual or a group fits the selection criteria, their dedication or service, achievements and demonstrated excellence as part of a nomination.
Full details for each award category, including selection criteria, are online at www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/nominate.
People requiring a hard copy nomination form or assistance can call council on 5734 6200.
Nominations close at 9am on October 26.
Mitchell Shire Council blasts VCAT decision
By Colin MacGillivray
Mitchell Shire councillors last week delivered a withering assessment of a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, VCAT, decision to grant a permit for an 18-dwelling subdivision on Kilmore’s Tootle Street, labelling the decision ‘sickening’.
Council refused a planning permit application for the development at 45-47 Tootle Street in February on the grounds that it represented overdevelopment and was ‘not congruent with the other buildings around it’ in the words of Cr Nathan Clark.
The developer challenged council’s decision at VCAT in June, with tribunal member Kerrie Birtwistle last month overturning the council verdict and granting a permit.
Ms Birtwistle found the proposal was an orderly planning outcome because the site had appropriate access to public transport, provided an acceptable response to the established neighbourhood character and there was no specific policy preventing infill development at the site.
Cr Clark was dismayed at Ms Birtwistle’s decision and said it would result in a development that was badly out of keeping with the surrounding neighbourhood.
“In the absence of policy, we have best practice; in the absence of best practice, we have common sense; and in the absence of common sense, we have terrible decisions like this,” he said.
“Infill development is commonly misunderstood to be gentrification … and this is not that – this is densification. Densification is a necessity in metropolitan Melbourne to address our record levels of population growth, not in the peri-urban towns and rural areas around Melbourne.
“The two blocks currently have … similar density to the neighbouring properties of what is traditionally a low-density residential [area]. The density of housing that’s … been granted here sees that density increase by 900 per cent.”
Cr Clark said the development flew in the face of the State Government’s desire to create ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ across Victoria.
“The experts at the Victorian Planning Authority tell us to improve liveability we need to create 20-minute neighbourhoods. The … concept is all giving people the ability to meet most of their daily needs within a 20-minute return walk from home.
“According to Google Maps, the … return walk from home is 128 minutes for a resident who lives in this development. If they want to walk up to Woolies and back to grab some milk, they’re looking at a two-hour return trip.”
Cr Fiona Stevens encouraged the community to read council’s report on the outcome in the agenda for the August council meeting.
“We as members of the community hear from our community many times about their dissatisfaction with a number of planning outcomes,” she said.
Cr Stevens said it would be good for the community to understand that the council didn’t always agree with the VCAT outcomes.
“We fight the fight where we can to the best of our ability,’ she said.
“We believe we take strong arguments to VCAT and our staff represent us well, but when you get decisions like [this] you just shake your head and wonder why we bother.
“[It] is just so disappointing that it’s sickening.”
People can read Ms Birtwistle’s decision by visiting www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/vic/VCAT/2022/797.html.
Partly because of the VCAT decision, Cr Louise Bannister called for council officers to complete studies of the neighbourhood characters of Kilmore, Broadford and Seymour.
In a notice of motion at the meeting, Cr Bannister called for the studies to be completed by December 2023.
“We find ourselves having to defend our decisions on developments we believe are not appropriate for areas within our townships, one of which was spoken of tonight,” she said.
“This is [about] getting them behind us as evidence and as a backup so when we are taken to VCAT for refusing developments that do not match our neighbourhood character, we can bring to them this evidence that shows very clearly why they don’t.
“It is an important set of data, because we’re going to get more and more developments come to us and we need to have that evidence to support our decisions going forward.”
Cr Stevens said neighbourhood character studies should have been completed years ago.
“The neighbourhood character study has not been done, and it needs to be done to complement and tidy up the references made to neighbourhood character in [town] structure plans,” she said.
“It was clearly identified when these structure plans were being done that this piece of work needed to be done, and it hasn’t been done. It’s time we got it done.
“It’s very concerning that in the notes on this document … it says it’s going to take a significant budget allocation and is likely to take several years to prepare and implement into the Mitchell Planning Scheme, which is another document that comes into play.”
The Review offered VCAT officials an opportunity to respond to the councillors’ comments, but a spokesperson said they were unable to comment on individual cases.
Wallan Panthers with bright future despite Big V finals exit
By Colin MacGillivray
WALLAN fell short of a Big V men’s division two grand final, with the Panthers bundled out of their semi-final series against Gippsland United on Saturday.
The Panthers entered Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Centre needing a win on Saturday to force a decisive game three in the series, which would have been on Sunday, but were outplayed from the opening tip in a 65-106 loss.
In contrast to their competitive game one loss at Wallan, which coach Tim Annett termed one of their best performances of the season, the Panthers were outclassed all over the court.
Centre Arcaim Lallemand was again in early foul trouble, and despite finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds, also had a team-high seven turnovers.
Guard Abraham Solano, who emerged as one of the division’s best shooters this season, went scoreless on only three shot attempts, and no Panther other than Lallemand registered double figures on the score sheet.
Wallan finished the game shooting only 34 per cent from the field, turned the ball over 24 times and was comprehensively outrebounded.
“We saved our worst game for the year until the most important game, so it was a really disappointing finish,” Annett said.
“We had plans going into the match about how we were going to change things up a little bit, and they just came out of the blocks really switched on, and we were a little bit off our game early.
“Their defense was probably the best I’ve seen any team play this year in the first quarter in particular.
“We were outplayed and outworked. We had 11 rebounds in total at half time, which is not the standard we like to bring. We looked half the team we’ve been all year.”
Despite a disappointing end to the season, Annett, who has re-signed as coach for 2023, said there was plenty of reason for optimism at Wallan.
“We definitely had ups and downs during the season, but we’ve accomplished being the first Wallan team to win a Big V final and make our way into the semis, where we gained valuable experience,” he said.
“Hopefully going forward we maintain some of these guys together and add a few more pieces to it and go one step better next year.”
With Lallemand named on a shortlist for the division’s All Star Five and most valuable player honours and Tyler Best in the top three for Youth Player of the Year – along with youth league division two women’s player Olivia Dalmau earning a spot in her league’s All Star Five – Annett said Wallan was stocked with plenty of talent.
“As a club we’ve taken massive steps forward, both on the court and off the court,” he said.
“I think the quality of people and players we’ve got there now is showing that in the next few years we can really be a powerhouse club and keep building on what we’ve got.
“If you’ve got strong senior programs that filters down through the junior programs as well. We’re about providing that clear pathway where we can show our juniors that there are steps for them to progress through and play seniors for the club.
“We’re trying to bring in the right people, which we’ve started to do, and I think we’ll reap the benefits going forward.”