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Mitchell Shire Council in a bid for sporting grants

The North Central Review
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Mitchell Shire Council in a bid for sporting grants

A NEW $800,000 sports pavilion at Wallan Secondary College, a $250,000 improvement to Riding Develops Abilities’ Kings Park facilities in Seymour and a $226,000 lighting project at Seymour Tennis Complex are at the top of a Mitchell Shire Council sports grants wishlist.

Council last week voted to submit applications to Sport and Recreation Victoria’s Local Sports Infrastructure Fund, LSIF, and Country Football Netball Program, CFNP.

The $27 million LSIF funds projects in the categories of indoor stadiums and aquatics facilities, female-friendly facilities, community sports lighting, community facilities and planning.

The $5 million CFNP assists grassroots country football and netball clubs.

Apart from the college pavilion, riding facilities and tennis lighting applications, council will also bid for a $160,000 upgrade to Wallan’s Greenhill Recreation Reserve main oval and a $70,000 Mitchell Open Space Strategy review.

Cr Louise Bannister said the grants programs represented ‘a great opportunity for council to take advantage of grant money and get some much-needed facilities in our shire’.

She said the Riding Develops Abilities – formerly Riding for the Disabled Association of Victoria – grant application could have a huge impact for people with disabilities across Mitchell Shire.

“We had that group speak to us at the budget submission and the work they do is fantastic,” she said.

“It’s really positive, community-centred work, and fingers crossed we get the funding for it.

“It’s groups like those that make Mitchell Shire what we are.”

Cr Fiona Stevens said the Wallan Secondary College pavilion would include female-friendly facilities.

Of the projects, Mitchell Shire would contribute $266,667 to the Wallan Secondary College pavilion, $75,334 to the Seymour tennis lighting project, $83,334 to Riding Develops Abilities, $40,000 to the open space strategy review and $53,334 to the Greenhill Recreation Reserve upgrades.

Cr Rhonda Sanderson said grants would play a vital role in ensuring Mitchell Shire was able to provide adequate sporting facilities to residents.

“We need to try to apply for as many grants as possible,” she said.

“We’ve got a current population around 50,000 people that will be increasing to about 90,000 by 2030, which is a fairly steep increase.

“We just couldn’t supply all the sport and recreational facilities that our community needs without government grants.”

Mixed results for Broadford bowlers

The North Central Review
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Mixed results for Broadford bowlers

BROADFORD Bowling Club continues to find its feet in the Highlands Saturday Pennant, recording a loss and win in its division one and two side’s matches respectively in round five.

Up against ladder leaders Macedon, Broadford Bowling Club president Jim Hinchcliffe said it was a great win by the division two side, which had only one rink fall to the visitors, securing a 69 to 53 shot win.

Rink two collected Broadford’s best score for the day, winning 33 shots to 12, while rink one were 23 to 16 shot victors. Rink three, which chased all day, just couldn’t do enough to catch its opponents, going down 25 shots to 13.

“We’ve now had two really good weeks in a row and things are going really well in the second division,” he said.

Division one played close games, with none of the three rinks losing by more than eight shots.

Rink two had a closet margin against its opponents in Kyneton losing 22 to 16 shots. Rinks one and three weren’t far behind, falling to 24 to 16 shots and 25 to 18 shots respectively, for an overall team deficit, 71 to 50.

Hinchcliffe said he was pleased with the way the club was settling into the Highlands competition, and looked forward to what was approaching in the rest of the season.

“We’re competitive but just not clicking yet. We might have to make a few changes to our players to start seeing some more results,” he said.

“There are still lots of clubs that we haven’t played yet and face those challenges.

“The green was full and it was good to see so much activity both from the players and from those attending.”

Kilmore were less successful, with all three of its sides suffering defeats.

Division one were handed a 69 to 50 shot loss to the hands of Trentham, division two fell short 63 to 58 shots to Kyneton Golf, while division three suffered Kilmore’s biggest loss, 72 to 50 to Romsey.

Broadford and Kilmore’s division one sides will face off each other this weekend in Kilmore, while Broadford’s division two will travel to Kyneton, Kilmore’s division two will host Gisborne and Kilmore’s division three to travel to Diggers Rest.

Broadford cricket blitz continues against old rivals Kilmore

The North Central Review
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Broadford cricket blitz continues against old rivals Kilmore

BROADFORD continued its hot start to the Seymour District Cricket Association A Grade competition, downing 2020-21 grand finalist Kilmore for its third straight win.

Kilmore elected to bat after winning the toss at home, but instantly struck trouble when opener Ryan Cumberland was removed for a duck by Broadford skipper Taylor Shell.

Shell pounced again soon after to claim the wicket of Kilmore wicket keeper Jacob Walton, batting at number three, and the home side was reeling at 2/6.

Blues captain Josh Buttler and Dale Tassone rescued the innings with a 46-run partnership before Tassone was brought undone by Jeremy Bradshaw.

Buttler batted on with Ben Dawson, but after Shell had him caught behind, the side struggled, losing its final seven wickets for 49 runs, to be all out for 132.

Buttler (32), Tassone (27) and Dawson (25) were the only Kilmore batsmen to reach double figures, with Shell (4/35) the pick of the Broadford attack and Mitch Collier (4/24) helping clean up the Kilmore tail.

Broadford got off to an ideal start in its run chase, with openers Riley Mason and Gareth Sharp putting on 49 runs before Mason was trapped leg before wicket by Buttler for 39.

Sharp continued to bat with Ash Wood, who was run out for 17, before eventually falling to Buttler for 27.

By that stage the damage was done, with Collier’s 29 at number four helping guide Broadford to a six-wicket win in only 27 overs.

Buttler could hold his head high in defeat, claiming 3/46 to be the only Kilmore wicket taker, while Cumberland bowled two maidens in a three-over spell.

Eastern Hill proved too strong for Tallarook, with Ben Bryant’s 95 helping the home side set a target of 8/181 for the visiting Rookers.

Tallarook’s run chase was in trouble early when Corey Jones fell for a duck, but captain Lachie Watts rescued the innings with a solo effort of 73.

Tallarook reached 4/125 before Watts was bowled by Bryant, who added 5/8 to his near-century with the bat in a dominant man-of-the-match performance.

With Watts gone, the tail was soon swept away, adding only 12 more runs for the final five wickets to fall 45 runs short of victory.

Reigning premiers Yea Tigers continued their early-season form slump, losing by three wickets to Seymour after only mustering 107 runs with the bat.

The Tigers will face a near must-win scenario in a grand final rematch against Kilmore on Saturday at Kilmore Cricket Ground, while Broadford will host Eastern Hill in a top-of-the-table clash and Tallarook will face Seymour at Chittick Park.

Wallan Cricket Club continues to dominate McIntyre Cup

The North Central Review
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Wallan Cricket Club continues to dominate McIntyre Cup

By Tricia Mifsud

WALLAN Cricket Club’s impressive debut in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup competition continued at the weekend, with the Magpies holding onto a four-run victory over Rupertswood.

Playing at Greenhill Reserve on Saturday, Wallan’s coach and captain Steve Bell won the toss and elected to bat first.

Bell said his side chose to give youngster Bailey Fowler a chance to open, alongside all-rounder Ryan Bonner, who later cemented Wallan’s win with the ball – producing an unstoppable 4/17 off nine overs.

“We gave Bailey a chance opening the batting as we needed to fill the spot in, and he did very well for a young kid and was able to score 14 runs,” Bell said.

“[Bailey opened with] Ryan who is one of the blokes that you can put anywhere and he just gets the job done. He was about to get us out of trouble after a slow start bowling, and when he needs to do that, that’s when he bowls his best.”

Bryan Vance again performed for Wallan, hitting a convincing 68.

“He continues to lead the way and set an example for the others, and especially the younger batters. He did really well on Saturday,” Bell said.

Rupertswood in no way made the task easy for Wallan, taking the game to the end.

The visitors got off to a quick start with the bat, scoring 0/40 in the first six overs.

Bowling duo Harkanwar Singh and Hamish Mullavey-Clark were brought on to bowl, and although neither was able to take a wicket, they significantly slowed Rupertswood’s batting down, proving crucial during that final over.

Bell bowled out Keegan Guy for a duck on the third ball of the final over.

Bell also noted the performance of 14-year-old Beau Fowler, who retired with 101 not out in his division three match against Hanging Rock on Saturday.

His impressive performances have caught the eyes of Bell and the McIntyre Cup side, which is itching for Beau to make his debut in the top tier side.

“He’s got such a bright future ahead of him in cricket, and when he’s ready, we definitely want to give him that opportunity in the top side,” he said.

Romsey were defeated by Bacchus Marsh, after failing to perform with the bat.

Only Matthew Milne and Sean Day were able to record double digit figures, scoring 39 and 15 respectively, to contribute to Romsey’s 100 run total.

Bacchus Marsh had the job done in the 27th over, with Samuel Lalor scoring an unbeaten 35, Brenton Payne 27 not out and Nicholas Strangio 29, to win by seven wickets.

Wallan will travel to play East Sunbury on Saturday at John McMahon Reserve, which Bell said could be another winnable match for the Magpies, while Romsey will play away to Gisborne at Gardiner Reserve.

“We’ve been able to win the first three games, but the competition keeps growing each week. The game this weekend is another winnable game for us,” he said.

“No one really expected us to perform like this; the young kids particularly were a bit cautious about moving up.

“It’s definitely surprised us, but it’s given the team a lot of confidence.”

Country Basketball League: Seymour blasts Mansfield

The North Central Review
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Country Basketball League: Seymour blasts Mansfield

By Colin MacGillivray

SEYMOUR Blasters men’s coach Craig Hockley believes his side has scope for improvement despite a convincing win against competition newcomer Mansfield in round two of the Country Basketball League.

The Blasters defeated the Eagles 70-52 behind a stellar defensive effort to remain undefeated.

After leading by only three points at quarter time, the Blasters smothered Mansfield to allow only nine points in the second quarter, extending their lead at every break in the 18-point win.

Tyler Best led all scorers with 15 points while Jordan Hockley showed touch from the outside on his way to 13 and Keenan Gorski added 12.

Captain Robbie Sartori only scored four points, but received plaudits from his coach for a strong effort on the defensive end.

“They contributed offensively and the four of them all played really good defence,” Hockley said.

“Defensively we’re doing a really good job because of our willingness as a group to commit to it.

“Offensively we still had good patches and bad patches, and we’re struggling to get together.

“We understand that offensively we’re going to struggle a little bit at the moment while we get a couple of new guys in and get the mix right there and they start to gel together.”

Hockley said the Blasters would face a challenge in a double-header weekend in round three, playing the ladder-leading Benalla Breakers at home at 8pm on Saturday before travelling to take on the Wangaratta Warriors at 2pm on Sunday.

The Wallan Panthers bounced back from a round-one loss to Seymour with an 81-71 win against Wodonga Wolves at RB Robson Stadium on Sunday.

The Panthers were red hot in the first quarter, outscoring the Wolves 31-15 and withstanding all of Wodonga’s comeback attempts to win by 10 points.

For the second straight week it was Ryan Philippe leading the way with 23 points, while Cameron Creasey contributed a handy 20.

The Panthers also have a double-header this weekend, playing Mansfield at home at 7pm on Saturday before hitting the road to take on the Myrtleford Saints at 2pm on Sunday.

Wallan’s women are coming off the high of a come-from-behind two-point win against Wodonga, beating the Wolves 79-77 on Sunday.

Wallan trailed by nine points at half time, but turned things around through Carley Cranston and Kaitlyn Wakartschuk, who combined for 43 points and five three-pointers.

Down by 10 points with only six minutes left, the Panthers went on a run, taking the lead for the first time after a Cranston steal and layup.

The Wolves had a chance to tie the game, running an inbounds play underneath their basket with two seconds left, but a baseline jump shot bounced off the front of the rim, sealing Wallan’s victory.

The Panthers will face Myrtleford on the road at 12pm on Sunday, while Seymour’s women will return to action with a home game against Benalla at 6pm on Saturday at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre.

Kilmore bypass part of Mitchell Shire agenda

The North Central Review
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Kilmore bypass part of Mitchell Shire agenda

WITH the state election less than a year away, Mitchell Shire councillors have resolved to redouble advocacy efforts to progress the Kilmore bypass project.

At council’s November meeting, councillors noted the lack of progress on the bypass project during the past four years, despite the project being ‘shovel-ready’.

Cr Annie Goble moved that council develop ‘a rigorous advocacy approach … to further advance the project over the next 12 to 18 months’ – dovetailing with the lead-up to and aftermath of the state election.

“The State Government made an announcement in 2017, and since then in the big-picture stuff, very little has happened,” she said.

“The State Government has committed piddling amounts of funding for the planning of and land acquisition for the bypass. However, sufficient money to complete the purchase and construct the bypass are yet to be committed.

“This needs to be done immediately for the safety and amenity of the community of Kilmore, and for the truck drivers to give them a safe, predictable and ultimately faster path north of Kilmore.”

The State Government committed $12 million in November 2020 for the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of the Northern Highway and Wandong Road, which would serve as an entry point to the bypass.

No construction has been undertaken since the funding announcement, and the northern alignment of the bypass route is yet to be finalised.

In April this year Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said Regional Roads Victoria was in the process of preparing planning approvals for the roundabout project.

Cr Nathan Clark said it was frustrating to watch heavy traffic move through the centre of Kilmore carrying materials for other infrastructure projects across the Victoria.

“Watching the infrastructure that goes into building the level crossings and giant rail bridges in Melbourne on gigantic trucks that cart huge spans right through the middle of Kilmore, disrupting traffic and the lives of people living there – they could drive around the town if there was a bypass,” he said.

“This is shovel-ready. We’ve been ready to go for too many years now – since before I moved here.”

Cr Fiona Stevens said she understood the frustration of Mitchell Shire residents, but it was often misdirected at council instead of the State Government and Regional Roads Victoria.

“We can’t do it without the community. They have to come on board with us – not misdirect their frustrations towards us, but stand beside us in advocating for this,” she said.

“Kilmore is suffering. We’re trying to beautify the street, bring businesses into the street and spruce Kilmore up, but there will always be a bad taste in our mouths until this bypass goes through.”

Cr Louise Bannister said the councillors were themselves frustrated.

“I think if we wouldn’t get done for trespassing we’d all go out there now and start digging it and putting it in ourselves,” she said.

Whittlesea businesses uniting to celebrate Christmas

The North Central Review
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Whittlesea businesses uniting to celebrate Christmas

More than 50 businesses and community groups will have their decorated Christmas trees on display as part of the Whittlesea Agricultural Society’s inaugural Christmas Tree Extravaganza event.

Starting Friday, members of the community are invited to the society’s administration building at Whittlesea Showgrounds, and for a gold coin donation, immerse themselves in a Christmas wonderland where the trees and other Christmas-themed displays will be on show.

Whittlesea Agricultural Society president and event organiser Erica Hawke said she had the idea to host a Christmas event for quite some time, and was delighted to see the display come to life.

“I’ve had this idea for years and I would speak to people and ask them where would be a good place to host it. I ended up putting the idea to the society and they said yes to hosting it here,” she said.

“Now that it is being set up, people are coming in and really fascinated by the whole project.”

Having young children herself, Ms Hawke saw the need to be able to offer a Christmas event that was family-friendly in both distance to travel and having appropriate opening hours.

“Kids can’t stay up long enough to see Christmas lights at night. We will be open from midday, and the lights in here will be dimmed so all the Christmas lights light up the room,” she said.

Ms Hawke and the society would like to thank all those who contributed to setting up the event, and for the community coming on board and donating items to ensure the building had been turned into the wonderland she envisioned.

The Christmas Tree Extravaganza will be on display at the Whittlesea Agricultural Society administration building, enter gate one, McPhees Road, Whittlesea, from Friday, until December 23 and will be open from noon to 9pm daily.

People are reminded the event will follow COVID-19 guidelines and they will need to show proof of vaccination and check-in to attend.

Private group bookings and sensory sessions are also available.

To find out more, people can call 9716 2835 or email info@whittleseashow.org.au.

Mitchell Shire concerns over proposed quarry persist

The North Central Review
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By Colin MacGillivray

UPDATE: THE Victorian Planning Authority will host a drop-in information and feedback session on the quarry tomorrow (December 9) from 11am to 1pm at the Greater Beveridge Community Centre, corner of Lithgow Street and, Mandalay Circuit.

For more information on the session, people can visit engage.vic.gov.au/beveridgenorthwest or email David.Housden@vpa.vic.gov.au.

The session is free to attend and no bookings are required.

PREVIOUSLY: MITCHELL Shire Council has reiterated its belief that a ministerial advisory committee’s power to scrap plans for a quarry south of Wallan is limited after a spokesperson for Planning Minister Richard Wynne denied the project was a ‘done deal’.

As reported in last week’s edition of the Review, the spokesperson said the terms of reference guiding the ministerial advisory committee – which will make a final recommendation to Mr Wynne regarding the quarry – did ‘not remove the committee’s ability to recommend that the quarry does not proceed’.

But Cr Rob Eldridge said the terms of reference clearly limited the scope of the committee.

“The terms of reference established by the Minister for Planning direct the advisory committee to consider how, not whether, the quarry can be incorporated into the new suburb by the [Beveridge North West Precinct Structure Plan],” he said.

“But, for the people of Beveridge and Wallan, the issue is not whether the quarry is appropriately included within the Beveridge North West PSP, but whether it should be included at all.

“The terms of reference try to direct the advisory committee to ignore certain key considerations such as whether a quarry should be permitted and whether there is a net community benefit in allowing it.

“The material on public exhibition has not provided any information about the permit application. People are being asked to comment on something that has not been provided or properly explained.

“This is truly disheartening for our community and is a very disappointing approach to take.”

A letter sent to some Wallan households by the Victorian Planning Authority, VPA, outlines the scope of the proposed changes to the PSP was limited to reflecting an independent planning panel’s recommendations and ‘considering how these will be accommodated within the [PSP]’.

The letter stated:

“In 2020, an independent planning panel considered in detail the arguments for, and against, planning for a quarry in the [Beveridge North West] precinct.

“The panel found that a quarry should be planned for. Therefore, the VPA’s changes to the plan and engagement with the community are limited to considering how (not if) the draft PSP and associated planning scheme amendment documents appropriately reflect the panel’s recommendations.”

Quarry operator Conundrum Holdings’ managing director Ron Kerr said the planning panel’s decision should be adhered to.

“Conundrum continues to follow the recommendations made by an independent planning panel and trusts the planning process of Victoria as it has done since 2015,” he said.

“It urges the council to do the same and to not lose sight of its overarching purpose to act as a responsible authority.”

• The landowner of the location where the quarry is proposed is Wally Mott. He is also an owner of the Review.

Broadford students lending a helping hand at Christmas

The North Central Review
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Broadford students lending a helping hand at Christmas

By Colin MacGillivray

BROADFORD Primary School students are lending a helping hand to less fortunate community members this Christmas, making a large food donation to charity Love in Action.

Students raised $376 with a free-dress day at school last month, and four grade six leaders took the money to IGA Broadford to pick out a range of Christmas treats including chocolates, chips and bon bons.

The school also placed donation boxes in every classroom for students to donate non-perishable food items, and will present all the food to Love in Action this week.

Love in Action is a community group that helps vulnerable families across the Mitchell Shire with support in the way of food and household supplies.

Broadford Primary School captain Charlie Warren said it felt good to be able to help other members of the community.

“We did it last year as well. We came up with the idea as a group,” he said.

“It means people who need help and can’t afford to have their own Christmas will get something.”

Broadford Primary School teacher Kate Edwards said the students had shown great leadership in organising the donation.

“We only did the donation [boxes] last year, and this year the students thought it would be a good idea to raise some more money and buy some things themselves,” she said.

“Everyone got on board and $376 was an amazing result for a gold coin donation. They got really excited about it and they promoted it.

“We’ve had such a tough year, but in this last term they’ve all jumped on board.

“I hope that it will continue and become a new tradition, because I love it – I think it’s awesome.”

Love in Action Broadford founder Barb Radford said the donations would be gratefully received.

“Rather than just having them give us the money, we thought it would be good if the kids chose the goods themselves,” she said.

“That way they actually get to see what their fundraising is doing.

“They’ve done such a great job, and it’s all about teaching the kids responsibility.”

Work to start clearing a Wallan-to-Kilmore rail trail begins

The North Central Review
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Work to start clearing a Wallan-to-Kilmore rail trail begins

HIDDEN away for more than 50 years, a section of the former Heathcote Junction-to-Bendigo railway line was revealed when 32 volunteers came together for a working bee on November 21 to clear a pathway along a 1.2km section.

The working bee’s aim was to uncover a section of former railway line as a start to creating an off-road trail between Wallan and Kilmore, with volunteers clearing falling timber and cleaning up weeds and plant growth.

The former railway easement is situated at the top of the Great Dividing Range, and was locked away for more than half a century to allow remnant native tree and plant species to survive.

Members from the Mitchell Bicycle Users Group, MBUG, the Wallan Environment Group, the Merri Creek Management Committee, the Friends of the Bendigo-Kilmore Rail Trail, cycling associates of Wheelhouse Bikes, and a Rail Trails Australia representative from Melbourne came together for the working bee, with Mitchell Shire representatives also paying a visit.

Friends of the Bendigo-Kilmore Rail Trail group’s spokesperson Lindsay Clay said the work conducted had created a basic trail.

He said Mitchell Shire Council was negotiating a lease from VicTrack, so the land could be permanently used for recreational purposes.

“This is a fantastic development, but it’s only the start,” he said.

“If Mitchell Shire were to also lease a similar tract of land closer to Kilmore, it would enable the community-minded people here to very quickly create a basic trail all the way from Wallan to Kilmore without impacting on any privately owned land.

“Bearing in mind the lack of recreational facilities in this rapidly growing area, this can only be of great overall benefit to the local community.”  

One crew started at the Arkells Lane end of the trail while the other volunteers started at the Hidden Valley end.

MBUG president Pauline Duff said volunteers used rakes and their hands to clear the trail of sticks, fallen timber and debris up to the cutting near the Leslie Station site, while others started at the site and worked towards Arkells Lane.

“It was a great turnout in excellent working conditions and it was good to see the involvement of so many locals working together with people from outside the area,” she said.

“These groups were brought together with a single purpose of making this trail a reality for use by anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Thanks to all those who selflessly gave up their time and energy on the day.”

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