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Kyneton children get creative

The North Central Review
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Kyneton children get creative

KYNETON Town Hall will facilitate KTH Kids’ next creative endeavour of ‘windcrafting’ as children of the Macedon Ranges are invited to spend their school holidays exploring wind power.

KTH Kids group will be immersing themselves in play combining art, science, and design to explore the creative potential of wind power.

Children will work alongside artists Jo Mott and Sandra Long in a COVID-safe environment where they will make their own toys to take home, using a mix of recycled and found materials in their creation.

The artists will lead children the process of making and decorating a range of wind toys including twirlers, spinners, pinwheels, swallows, eagles, fantails, and more.

There are also pre-made toys and sculptural elements available for children to use in their works – inspiring imaginations to delve into the unknown.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s director of planning and environment Angela Hughes said the KTH Kids program engaged children in quality, educational, and innovative ways, with activities to keep their young minds thinking, creating, and connecting.

“Windcrafting provides hands-on activities and play experiences that develop curiosity, active thinking and communication skills in young children, as well as lasting memories,” Ms Hughes said.

The program is aimed at primary school-aged children, however younger children are able to participate with assistance from a parent or guardian.

Registration is required in advance via the online ticketing platform and a fee of $12.50 for the workshop will cover materials provided in the workshop.

More information is available at mrsc.vic.gov.au/arts-workshops.

Helping energy-inefficient homes

The North Central Review
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Helping energy-inefficient homes

A MACEDON Ranges Sustainability Group project will aim to combat the disadvantages people of a low socio-economic status face while living in less energy-efficient housing.

The MRSG Healthy Homes Project inception was based on a report by retired Federal Government accredited energy auditor Bob Evans, called ‘Australian Children and Elderly Living in Poverty – the Hard Cold Facts’.

The report aims to educate communities on the stressors inflicted on people living in an inefficiently-energized home and the simple ways in which they can improve their standard of living.

The Australian Council of Social Services identified people of a low income living in less energy-efficient housing with inefficient appliances were more likely to experience adverse health and wellbeing impacts due to higher energy costs.

Mr Evans’ study in the Macedon Ranges demonstrated several simple energy-saving improvements could be made, resulting in at least a 30 per cent reduction of overall usage, and if these changes were not made people living in poverty would die as a result.

The study was commissioned by Christian Business Men Australia (CBMA) Macedon Ranges, who worked with Mr Evans to educate people on how poverty goes hand-in-hand with the cold causing avoidable deaths.

Mr Evans said the number of deaths by cold were alarming in a country like Australia and he believed most Australians would be shocked by his findings.

“Because housing represents a major fixed cost for those living in poverty, only the lowest priced accommodation is within their budget,” Mr Evans said.

“Spending on necessities such as food, clothing, medicinal treatment and winter heating are severely impacted.

“Children deprived of adequate food, clothes and other items can reduce their engagement with school due to hunger, shame and social marginalization.

“This in turn impacts on their education and job prospects, thus making the poverty cycle self-perpetuating.”

Solutions offered by the group include draught reduction, double glazing, use of curtains, more efficient heating systems, and the installation of insulation.

CBMA hope it will receive funding to conduct winter energy audits of about 20 to 25 homes in the Macedon Ranges.

The study also highlighted the positive effects correct indoor temperatures had on a person’s comfort and health and wellbeing.

MRSG is calling on welfare agencies, churches, schools, food banks, and other community groups to refer people who might be living in an energy-inefficient home to the project organisers.

After a referral is made, an audit of the home will take place to determine which residents or families are most in need of support – specific energy improvements will be implemented at no cost to the occupant.

Energy-efficient housing does not only benefit the occupants of the home but also the broader community through improvements to the region’s lower cost housing stock, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions through lower energy consumption.

The group are also calling on project sponsors and volunteers who can provide goods, services, or donations to support the project.

To find out more information or to volunteer, contact project leaders Bob Evans at evansrgw@bigpond.com or James Mackenzie at james.mackenzie@mrsg.org.au.

Musicians awarded for online contest

The North Central Review
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Musicians awarded for online contest

WINNERS of the Macedon Ranges 2020 Battle of the Bandwidth competition – renamed in line with COVID-19 restrictions forcing the activity online – are being recognised for their talent.

The competition encourages young people aged between 12 and 25 to showcase their musical talent, this time around while being in lockdown due to the pandemic.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council awarded first place to solo artist Sage Roadknight who will represent the Macedon Ranges in the FReeZa Push Start Regional Battle of the Bands heat this year.

Second place was awarded to folk artist Lavinia, while solo artist Bridget Bourke and rapper Kreeper placed equal third.

The event, organised by council’s Music In The Sticks (MITS) program, provides opportunities for young people in the shire to develop skills and experience in a range of areas, and received a large number of entries from solo artists, duos, and bands.

Participants develop several skills including in event management, sound and lighting, photography and film, publicity and management, live and studio recording, sound production, and hospitality.

MITS will be hosted again this year and new participants are always welcome – contact organiser Nat for more details on 0439 642 192.

Hit and run leaves father in serious condition

The North Central Review
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Hit and run leaves father in serious condition

A DOREEN family is appealing for public assistance with both the information about their father’s hit and run incident and a call for financial support to assist.

Motorcyclist Nick Topia, 55, was left with serious injuries on January 1 following a hit and run in Deer Park.

Police have been told the driver of a silver SUV, possibly a Ford Territory, was travelling north on Station Road, between Ballarat Road and Tilburn Road, when they attempted an illegal U-turn and struck the rider about 10.50am.

Mr Topia, of Albanvale, sustained severe leg injuries after being dragged about 100 metres by the SUV and was transported to hospital where he underwent surgery.

The driver of the SUV failed to stop after the incident and was seen reversing and fleeing the scene northbound.

Police believe the vehicle may have had two female occupants at the time of the incident.

Anyone with information or dash cam footage of the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an anonymous report online.

Mr Topia’s daughter Tiffany Topia, of Doreen, started a fundraising page to support her father financially as he recovers from his injuries.

Ms Topia is a key contributor to Whittlesea Wellbeing Network Facebook group, which helps connect isolated and vulnerable people with community support.

She said her father was placed in a medically-induced coma to help his body heal from the trauma of the crash.

“He is out of the coma, we have all spoken to him like nothing happened,” Tiffany wrote.

“My dad is a humble man, kind, gentle, giving and all-round good guy. Our family is struggling to come to terms with how someone could do this to our dad.

“Our reason for doing the fundraiser is because we know the road is going to be a long one for our dad, who being the dad and pappa he is, he can’t keep still. Unfortunately, at this time…the bills won’t stop.

“We are asking if anyone wants to donate, any bit helps, we appreciate all the well wishes and prayers for our much-loved dad and pappa.”

Anyone wanting to donate to support Mr Topia can visit bit.ly/3nPlU8d

Charger sparks Doreen blaze

The North Central Review
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Charger sparks Doreen blaze

COUNTRY Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria crews from across Melbourne’s northern and eastern suburbs aided Doreen CFA members at a fire at a Doreen property last month.

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The bed where an overheated charging device is believed to have started a house fire in Doreen last month.

The two-storey townhouse near McDonald’s Doreen caught fire after 5pm on December 27.

A pumper tanker from Doreen CFA was first to respond to the fire, with significant smoke issuing from the roof of the property.

A tanker, ultralight tanker and field command vehicle also attended the blaze, while the brigade received backup from CFA units in Yarrambat, Eltham and Bayswater, as well as Fire Rescue Victoria and Ambulance Victoria.

A CFA spokesperson said the fire was quickly brought under control.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, but firefighters believe the blaze was caused by an overheated charging device left on a bed.

An occupant of the property was home when the fire started and quickly called triple zero. No injuries were reported.

Whittlesea detectives investigate deception offences

The North Central Review
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Whittlesea detectives investigate deception offences

WHITTLESEA Crime Investigation Unit detectives are investigating several alleged deception offences across Melbourne’s northern suburbs in September.

On September 8, a man called a commercial business on Woolsley Place in Thomastown and placed an order for a large amount of specialty clothing, valued at almost $2000, using stolen credit card information.

About 40 minutes after placing the order, the man arrived at the store in a black Mercedes sedan to collect it.

He was dressed in a grey t-shirt, dark pants and was wearing work boots.

The man was also wearing a distinctive white hard hat with the name ‘Mick’ on the back of it.

Police have released CCTV footage of the man in the hope someone recognises him and contacts investigators.

Similar orders were placed using the same stolen credit card details at businesses in Craigieburn, Preston, Tullamarine, Laverton North, Brooklyn, Niddrie, Campbellfield and Thomastown between September 8 and 10.

Police believed at least $15,000 in stock was stolen from the businesses.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

Whittlesea council dates set for 2021

The North Central Review
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Whittlesea council dates set for 2021

THE City of Whittlesea will return to in-person council meetings at its South Morang chambers in February after administrators approved the 2021 meeting schedule.

The first meeting of the new year will be on Tuesday, February 2 at 6.30pm at the council chambers.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, most of this year’s council meetings have been conducted virtually and livestreamed, with broadcasts of meetings available to rewatch.

Chair administrator Lydia Wilson said the return to a 6.30pm start time was a signal that council hoped community participation could resume in the new year.

“We hope to be able to resume face-to-face meetings in the council chamber in the new year, conditional on any COVID-19 restrictions at that time,” she said.

“It’s our aim to conduct two council meetings in community venues next year – the venues to be determined – together with the opportunity for direct interaction with residents and ratepayers by way of a community forum meeting prior to the council meeting.”

Administrator Peita Duncan said she was excited to have more face-to-face contact with the community.

“It’s fair to say that the administrators are very pleased that we’re going to be back in the chamber, but more importantly that we will be conducting two meetings in the community and meeting our ratepayers and everyone that lives in the City of Whittlesea,” she said.

“We’re very excited about this prospect, and we look forward to seeing you some time next year.”
People can view a full list of council’s 2021 meeting dates by visiting www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/about-us/council/council-meetings

Network seeks support

The North Central Review
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Network seeks support

By Colin MacGillivray

THE organisers of an online network linking City of Whittlesea residents to charities and support services are searching for assistance to keep the program running.

The Whittlesea Community Support Network is the brainchild of former Mernda Primary School chaplain Chantelle Olafsen and has helped hundreds of community members find support during the COVID-19 pandemic through a Facebook group.

Ms Olafsen started the network for the Mernda Primary School community as part of her chaplain role, but saw demand for support services was widespread and expanded the program to the broader Whittlesea community.

“It started as a school support network but then we went online and it became available not only to the school but to the rest of the community as well,” she said.

“We’ve been working with Mernda police and were able to connect them into our school, as well as with things like community pantries and support groups, so it’s been a win-win for everyone.

“People will be sent everywhere, and one organisation won’t know what another organisation is doing. Our goal has been to get all the organisations in the area to be part of this network and we then know who does what.

“We can stop people being sent all over the place, and we’re able to know exactly what services to refer people to depending on what their needs are.”

Ms Olafsen was recently informed her chaplain role at the primary school would no longer be supported by the Federal Government, leaving her long-term role within the support network uncertain.

Mernda Police Station Senior Sergeant Daniel Jamison, who coordinates the network along with Ms Olafsen, said the news was a blow.

“Chantelle was a critical component to the success of it, so we’re a little bit disappointed the funding isn’t there,” he said.

“She not only fulfilled her role as a chaplain within the school, she fulfilled a role as a community connector and really linked in with all of the other groups and brought everyone together, which is what you need to make a support network a success.

“Not having that position funded anymore has created a gap in that area. [The network] can continue, but it’s not going to continue at the same level of engagement as if we had that person in place.”

Sen Sgt Jamison said police would continue to provide logistical support to charities and volunteer groups such as food-relief agency Encompass Care, but the group would search for a replacement for Ms Olafsen’s role.

“At the moment Chantelle is still doing that work on her own time on a voluntary-basis because she sees the value in it and doesn’t want to let it go. She still wants to bring that value into the community, but it’s not a viable long-term solution for us,” he said.

“We are looking for an opportunity where we can get someone to step into that role as the community connector – someone who is willing to build those relationships.

“It has only been a recent change, so we don’t have a solution or an outcome at this stage.

“We want to reassure the Whittlesea community that we are there to support them and the support from the group will be ongoing, but we’re looking for that person to be the community connector and bring the support services together.

“I’d love to keep Chantelle in the role if possible, because she has been amazing, and we would not have achieved what we have without her in the position.

“Ideally it has to be someone with experience and who has those connections. That’s the benefit of Chantelle – because she was in that chaplaincy role, you naturally build connections with support services. She had the links and the contacts to be able to to influence and bring people together.”

Sen Sgt Jamison said the group was open to exploring avenues to secure financial backing for Ms Olafsen to continue her role in the support network, including the potential to apply for funding from the City of Whittlesea.

Ms Olafsen said she hoped to be able to continue with the network.

“We’ve got a lot of plans around early intervention in schools that we don’t want to abandon, but at the moment that’s all up in the air,” she said.

“There were a few new initiatives that we were planning on putting into place, but it’s a bit tricky at the moment.”

He said even if Ms Olafsen was not able to continue co-ordinating the group, she had left a legacy to build on.

“I’d like to thank Chantelle, and Mernda Primary School for allowing Chantelle the time and the opportunity to build the network and support the community the way she has,” he said.

“What she ended up doing was outside of the school network and she was bringing the whole Whittlesea community together and supporting them, but the school backed her.

“On behalf of police in the Whittlesea service area, we are extremely grateful for everything she’s been able to achieve.”

Animal cruelty dismay

The North Central Review
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Animal cruelty dismay


By Steph McNicol

WILDLIFE Victoria volunteers have expressed their disappointment after having to euthanise a kangaroo shot with arrows in Macedon Ranges Shire on New Year’s Day.

Police contacted Wildlife Victoria after the kangaroo was spotted in a reserve in a suburban area of Gisborne, with two arrows piercing its body and several deep cuts to its right arm and leg.

Wildlife Victoria rescue volunteer Glenn said the kangaroo had fallen into a creek and managed to crawl onto land where it suffered until rescuers could attend.

“The Gisborne police got in contact with Wildlife Victoria about the roo being seen with arrows, and we got called out to meet police on site,” Glenn said.

“When we arrived on scene, we found him lying on the grass with two arrows protruding out of his body and we had to assess the wounds.

“The police thought we may have been able to save it, so we tranquilised him to assess the severity, but when we looked at the wounds, they were too severe for us to save him.

“He had multiple deep lacerations on his right arm and leg, and right under the spine on the other side, because when it tried to run away the arrow had torn shreds off its arm and leg.”

The volunteers were left with no choice but to euthanise the kangaroo.

Glenn said calls to Wildlife Victoria regarding kangaroos being shot were regular, and he was concerned it had become easier for people to access weaponry to do so.

“If you were to put into Google ‘arrow attacks on roos’, there are a lot of articles. It happens every year, we get called out to numerous cases and we’re generally not able to save them,” he said.

“We’ve seen kangaroos with their jaws shot off, or legs shot off, they have bullet holes if they’ve been shot with small-calibre firearms, and they feel helpless, so they lie down and hope someone finds them.

“This kangaroo was shot with arrows in a residential area. Anyone can go out and buy a bow and arrows and don’t need a licence.

“They have access to lethal hunting tips, it’s completely legal, and there are no records of who purchases them.

“Now our government is also endorsing kangaroos pet food trials, which means there are more getting shot.”

Glenn said people witnessing animal cruelty, especially to wildlife, should call police or their local ranger and inform authorities with as many details as possible – footage of the occurrence would be helpful.

“We get a lot of dog attacks as well, especially during COVID-19, because people were out walking their dogs more,” he said.

“I’ve called a ranger when I watched someone let their dog off a lead to chase and kill a kangaroo.

“Our rescuers are already dealing with dramatic scenes daily when kangaroos get hit by cars.

“Now they’re being shot with arrows and guns and bitten by dogs. Our wildlife deserves better than this.”

Anyone who witnesses an act of animal cruelty on wildlife is urged to call police, or contact Wildlife Victoria on 8400 7300.

Name change for hospital

The North Central Review
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Name change for hospital

The Kilmore District Hospital will now be known as Kilmore District Health, in a move designed to better represent the breadth of services it offers.

The name change forms part of Kilmore District Health’s goals for the next five years, set out in its 2021-25 strategic plan.

Through the plan, the health service outlines its purpose of providing safe, quality, accessible care and a dynamic place to work and learn, and its vision for better health and wellbeing for the community.

A new logo is also included in the rebranding, with a series of blocks forming a cross inspired by the hospital’s iconic bluestone building.

Former chief executive Sue Race, who left Kilmore District Health shortly after the plan was launched at its annual general meeting, said the plan was produced entirely in-house, which created a sense of ownership throughout the organisation.

“Our previous strategic plan was quite out of date and needed a complete refresh so we started from the ground up and conducted extensive consultation with our community, including the people we care for, our workforce, our doctors, partner agencies and our board of directors,” she said.

“We consulted for about a year, we did it all in-house, we didn’t use a consultant and wrote the plan ourselves.

“We’re really connected to it, the board has a high level of ownership because they were involved every step of the way and we involved our staff so there’s a high level of ownership there as well, and they have a good understanding of what the plan is for the next five years.

“It’s something I’ve been working on for a long time and it’s really important to set the hospital up for the next five years and provide a general guide where the board and senior leadership can translate the community’s needs into a plan of action to continue to develop the services we need to meet community needs.”

Kilmore District Health board chair Kathryn Harris said the organisation had provided health care to the community for more than 165 years.

“Our organisation is one of the biggest employers of staff in the shire, with more than 400 people, from full-time to casual employment,” she said.

“We are so much more than a hospital and have embraced that in our new name. This update better reflects the breadth of services we provide and the range of people we serve.

“Our new strategic plan looks ahead to the next five years with all its challenges and exciting potential. It is our hope and intention that in five years, our district will have a healthier community.”

To view the plan, visit kilmoredistricthealth.org.au/strategic-plan.

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