It was a long night for Whittlesea Pacers’ women’s team as they were on the wrong end of a 100-62 drubbing by McKinnon Cougars on Saturday night.
The Pacers might have suffered an even greater loss, with Dani Reinwald out with a lower leg injury.
Coach Damon Lowery said Reinwald was severely limited going into the game.
“She shouldn’t have played a second but she’s such a warrior. That’s one of my big guns gone so that makes it very difficult,” he said.
“How do you replace the leading rebounder? How do you replace 18 and 18? You can’t. All I can do is ask the other girls to step up.
“It makes it hard when Dani’s cleaning the glass on both ends and we have the top three teams to finish the season.”
The Cougars went wire-to-wire in the win, going out to a 15-point lead after the first period.
McKinnon doubled its lead by half-time and pushed it out to 38 points through three periods.
Whittlesea stopped the bleeding in the fourth period, but it was too late.
McKinnon outrebounded Whittlesea 48-36, leading to 17 second chance points and 40 points in the paint.
Rachel Bell led the Pacers with 33 points, but she was their only scorer in double-digits.
Whittlesea lose star forward
Wallan win back-to-back
By Jackson Russell
Wallan Panthers men scored back-to-back wins in Big V games on the weekend.
The Panthers started with a 95-88 win over RMIT Redbacks at home Saturday night and followed up with a 92-85 win over Maccabi Warriors in Hawthorn on Sunday.
Import Trace Cureton looks to be hitting his stride, with 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the win over RMIT and a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double against Maccabi.
Besides a momentary blip early in the first and third quarters, the Panthers led all night against RMIT.
The Panthers won the game from outside taking half of their shots and making 15-39 (.385) from three-point land as a team despite shooting a lesser rate from two-point territory.
Brock Carter dominated the paint, pulling down 18 boards to go with 13 points.
It was a similar story on Sunday as Wallan took the lead midway through the first period and didn’t look back.
While the hot shooting didn’t continue, going 8-34 (.235) as a team on three-pointers, the Panthers pushed the ball inside.
The Panthers out-rebounded the Warriors 59-43 and scored 46 points in the paint thanks to Carter’s 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Coach Carey Paps said it was a good weekend all-round for the Panthers.
“It was pretty well balanced, we didn’t rely on our threes,” he said.
“Brock was big in both games, I had to rest him a bit on Saturday once we got comfortable. It was a good luxury to get some minutes into some of the other guys.
“One thing we’ve improved is our defence and we’ve managed to stop teams. I think we’re taking a bit more responsibility and the players are more accountable.”
The Panthers are now 13-7 and sixth on the ladder after three straight wins and host Pakenham on Saturday night.
“We just have to keep going and try to get off sixth spot,” Paps said.
“The next month is very crucial, we can’t afford to drop too many. If we get one more win, we might secure ourselves in finals but we just want to keep pushing.”
Sweating for a cause
Totally Fit Gym’s trainers were put through their paces to help one of their members raise money for a cause close to his heart.
When Dave Maskell’s daughter Jenna was diagnosed with brain cancer at just three years old, the Wallan gym was more than happy to help him raise money.
Totally Fit Gym owner Kieran Atkin said he thought the gym could use its reach to do something more.
“We came up with the Train the Trainers concept where members of the gym could bid for the right to train our trainers with all the money raised going to the Brain Cancer Foundation,” he said.
“We’ve raised $850 so far so it was really pleasing. We have some really generous members and word got around we were having a bit of fun with it, with myself and Tom dressing up.”
Mr Atkin was put through a high-intensity cardio session while trainers Jess Duncan and Tom O’Dwyer-Richards were pitted against each other in a 45-minute challenge.
Jenna, now five, is in remission and going to school.
Mr Maskell said the support from the community had been fantastic.
“It’s the second year we’ve been raising money for Cure Brain Cancer Foundation so I’m hoping to smash our record from last year which was $3700. We’re pretty close with nearly $3000 but I’m hoping to get $5000,” he said.
To donate, visit www.curebraincancer.org.au/my-fundraising/11517/chasing-double-rainbows-for-jj or Totally Fit Gym’s Facebook page.
Kinglake supermarket reopens
By Jackson Russell
Kinglake finally has its supermarket back with the opening of Kinglake Community Foodworks on Wednesday.
Owners Dora and Geoff Kordos, along with their children Evan, Peter and Alex, have been working on reopening the store since a previous owner closed the store late last year.
Ms Kordos said her family originally built the supermarket 22 years ago so it was good to open in Kinglake again.
“People were literally dancing in the shop. It was amazing, it was surreal to see. It was actually like a carnival in there,” she said.
“It means everything to the people of Kinglake. It’s become their central meeting place again.
“There were people everywhere some were saying they’d never been so excited to be in a supermarket before.”
Staying true to the family heritage in the town, the store has photos on display of the supermarket from its opening day 22 years ago as well as from the old general store which the family previously owned.
Ms Kordos said it was a long and exciting project and a lot of thought had gone into it.
“We’ve tried to cater to a varied demographic. We’re doing a lot of niche products with health and local products,” she said.
“It’s all brand new state-of-the-art equipment. We’ve got a 50kW solar system with panels all over the roof, we’ve got energy efficient refrigeration system and everything is behind doors so there’s no open refrigeration.”
Ms Kordos said she hoped the new supermarket would help reinvigorate the town.
“We hope to service the community’s needs and make it a central place and it’ll reinvigorate the town and it’ll become what it used to be. A lot of the other businesses are reporting that they’re busier now too,” she said.
“It means everything, judging by people’s reactions. It’s almost like a basic human right to be able to do your food shopping.”
Property prices continue to rise
Property prices in the Mitchell Shire continue to increase, bucking the downward trend of metropolitan Melbourne.
Mitchell’s average lot price was $294,000 over the past three months to May increased from $285,000 from the previous three months to February 2019.
RPM Real Estate, a Melbourne-based firm, analyses property sales data from various regions, particularly Melbourne’s growth areas.
Director Rod Anderson said Mitchell’s three per cent increase was is in contrast to other Melbourne growth corridors, which fell by two per cent over the same period.
“The average lot size in Mitchell has remained steady over this period at 463 square metres. This is in comparison to the Melbourne land size of 400 square metres over the three months to May,” he said.
“While land sales have been traditionally modest in Mitchell, they have remained steady over the past 12 months with 47 sales recorded in the past three months.
Mr Anderson said the Mitchell Shire remained the smallest of the growth fronts with an average contribution of three per cent of the total sales recorded in the Melbourne/ Geelong land market.
“This share is likely to increase on the back of increasing unaffordable house and land through the Hume and Whittlesea corridors, along with the desire of many buyer groups, including first home buyers and expanding families, looking for the peri-urban lifestyle which the Mitchell Shire offers in spades,” he said.
“Urban and rural lifestyles within a comfortable commuting distance to Melbourne are becoming more and more desired which has increased the interest in the Mitchell Shire.”
Mr Anderson said established transport links, through public transport and the major Hume Freeway, were making Mitchell Shire an attractive option to buyers.
“The general buyer profile of the area is a first home buyer or upgrader couple, likely with children or soon to start a family. This will drive demand for medium to large lots and dwellings,” he said.
“However, some demand for smaller lot types that fit three-bedroom dwellings is also apparent.
“It is likely some buyers already live in the area, either privately renting and seeking their first home, or looking to upgrade to a larger dwelling.”
Waste dumped in Beveridge
A large amount of industrial waste dumped on a roadside south of Beveridge could cost ratepayers more than $30,000 to clean up.
Mitchell Shire Council is treating the material dumped in Donovans Lane, south of Beveridge, as asbestos and is calling on the community to help identify those responsible for dumping the rubbish.
Police and Environment Protection Authority Victoria have been notified, and the matter is being investigated.
An accredited removalist will clean up the site, and alternative access arrangements are in place for nearby properties.
Council will continue to monitor the site and take any extra action as needed.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Bill Chisholm said wet weather had helped to contain the pile, and it posed no threat to the community as long as it remained undisturbed.
“Incidents like this are a huge cost burden for council. This is unfair on our community, and we will be doing everything in our power to find the culprit,” he said.
“We’re disappointed that someone would do this in our local area and in our community.
“It not only has a huge monetary impact on council’s budget, but it impacts our environment and the health and safety of our residents and visitors.”
Cr Chisholm said illegal dumping would not be tolerated and offenders would be dealt with appropriately.
“Unfortunately, considering the isolated nature of the road in which it occurred, it is possible they will try this again, either on this site or in other places,” he said.
“We’re asking the community to be vigilant and take notice of anything unusual. If you see something that isn’t quite right, please report it.”
People with any information can call council on 5734 6200.
Hospital takes over community bus
Mitchell Shire’s community bus will now be administered by The Kilmore and District Hospital with the aim to be used on a more regualr basis.
The Kilmore and Wallan branches of Bendigo Bank donated the bus to the Mitchell Shire Council three years ago, to allow community groups to use the service.
The Kilmore and District Hospital plans to use the bus on a regular basis to transport residents of its Dianella Hostel.
A council spokesperson said insurance and administration requirements had seen a relatively low use of the bus by community groups.
“Council has been in regular discussions with community bus owners NorCen Financial Services Limited – who represent the Kilmore and District Community Bank and Wallan and District Community Bank branches – to discuss ways to make the best use of the bus for the community,” the spokesperson said.
“This is a good outcome which will fill a much-needed gap in our community.”
NorCen Financial Services director David Wheeler said the bus had travelled a total of 30,000km in three years.
“[The bus] had only been out 50 days of well over 1000 so we thought the bus was being underutilised while being managed by council so we looked for an alternative use that could keep the bus in the shire but get it out and about more,” he said.
“The hospital often has to hire a bus to transport residents from Dianella so we thought we’d kill two birds with one stone and take the bus from council and give it to the hospital.
“It should be able to save the hospital money without inconveniencing the few community groups who used it.”
The Kilmore and District Hospital chief executive Sue Race said the hospital intended to open up the bus’ availability to the rest of the community.
“We’re very appreciative of Bendigo Bank giving us the bus but we’re exploring how we can make the bus available to the wider community and we hope to have a plan in place by the end of the year,” she said.
Wallan Panthers president Gary O’Brien said the club had only learnt of the community bus in the past 12 months and used it to transport players from its senior teams to their games across the state.
“With the older age groups, we make it a road trip because it’s hard for people to drive long distances and take the court ready to play,” he said.
“We were shocked when we weren’t able to use it anymore. Our under 18s are playing Western Port in Tyabb and we had plans to use to bus but now everyone will have to drive themselves.
“The shock of it was there was no consultation, we thought we would be a frequent user because we just cottoned on to it but all of a sudden we couldn’t use it.”
Looking for the next leaders
By Jackson Russell
Youth in the Yan Yean electorate are being encouraged to have their say and join the Yan Yean Youth Advisory Council.
Applications are now open for the council, which focuses on the voices and priorities of young people across Mitchell Shire, the City of Whittlesea and the City of Nillumbik.
The council is a new initiative in the electorate that will provide young people, aged 15 to 24, with a platform to explore and share their opinions and ideas, while actively engaging with the decision-making process to represent the interest of their peers.
The council will meet bi-monthly with Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green to discuss local issues, learn about the parliamentary system and processes, and determine their priorities and projects for the year ahead.
Yan Yean youth advisor Kobe Hay spearheaded the program and said he wanted to provide a platform for young people to be engaged in the community.
“We realised, and Ms Green realised, the important contribution young people can and do make to their community,” he said.
Mr Hay said mental health was one of the biggest issues troubling youth in the electorate.
“We’ve seen in our area, especially from the Black Saturday affected areas, the lingering effects on children who weren’t even born at that time,” he said.
“Then it’s just tackling local issues like protecting the environment and things youth care about and will affect them now and in the future.”
Mr Hay reached out to Tanner O’Mara, a 15-year-old Mernda resident, to be the first member of the youth advisory council.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to get engaged with people my age in the community that I can talk about issues with and who could all play a bigger role in politics than we do currently,” Mr O’Mara said.
“Part of the purpose of this is to give young people a way into politics and give them a voice to spearhead the issues they want to talk about.”
As part of the program, participants will also engage with community leaders and visit Parliament House.
Council members will be selected following an application process, where candidates are invited to submit their application in writing or via video.
“We want as many people to apply from ages 15-24 who want to give it a good crack. It’s our first time doing it to so we’re new to it but we want to really see how they want to take charge of an issue,” Mr Hay said.
“We’re also going to contact schools and they can refer interested students to us, whether they are leaders at their school or those really interested in a particular issue or just want to be more engaged in their community.”
Gun-wielding offender attempts car-jacking
By Evelyn Leckie
A YOUNG mother was followed to her Wallan home by a gun-weidling offender over the weekend, where the man allegedly attempted to take her car, with her niece in the back seat.
The Wallan resident said she believed if her partner had not stepped in, the gunman would have taken her eight-year-old niece and car.
“It was really scary, I’d never seen a gun before until that moment,” the woman told Channel 7 news.
The 22-year-old was driving back from a Wallan takeaway pizza store on High Street on Saturday night when she noticed a dark coloured SUV driving closely behind with its lights off.
“They’ve pulled up in front of my house, and the guy from the back seat has jumped out of his car and run towards me with a gun and he said ‘move, get out of the way, get on the floor,’” she said.
“I was like, please don’t – my niece is still in the car.”
The mother said as the gunman turned around to see her niece in the backseat, her partner ripped the man from the car.
After a brief scuffle, the gunman fled the scene in the SUV.
The mother’s car was towed from her Bridgewater Parkway home in Newbridge Estate for forensic testing as the gunman was not wearing gloves at the time.
Sergeant Bob Derrett told the North Central Review the gunman was travelling in a stolen dark Honda SUV.
“We know the stolen car was travelling around the Wallan area, a short time before the attack, possibly in Hidden Valley,” Sgt Derrett said.
“If anyone saw a dark Honda SUV acting suspiciously on Saturday around the Wallan or Hidden Valley area from 5 to 10pm please call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.”
The attacker was described as being around 170cm tall, Caucasian with brown eyes, brown hair and a solid build.
He was wearing a black tracksuit with a red shirt at the time of the incident.
Seymour family granted residency
By Eden Hynninen
After facing imminent deportation, Seymour’s Christine and Tony Hyde, and son Darragh, can remain living Australia after being given a ministerial reprieve.
Three-year-old Darragh had previously been classified by the Federal Government as a “burden” on the health system for having Cystic Fibrosis.
After a four-year battle with immigration, the Irish family received the welcomed news from a journalist who was the first tell the family on Friday.
“The journalist rang me and said the decision had come through and they wanted me to clarify it, but I had no idea,” Ms Hyde said.
“So we rang our lawyer who later confirmed we just received our permanent residency.
“I lost it, I tried to ring Tony but couldn’t get through because he was working. His company had a number for emergencies so I called it and told him to come home.
“It’s taken some time to sink in. Even now, it’s done but is it done?
“I don’t even know what to do, we’ve had four years of limbo and worry and now its drama free. I don’t even know what that life is like anymore.”
The family thanked the community and members of parliament who have supported them through the lengthy process.
“We’re just amazed by the support we’ve received and are really grateful,” she said.
“We were down the supermarket yesterday and so many people came up to us saying they are so delighted. The Seymour community are wonderful and have always stopped by to check in on us.”
Mr Hyde said he had received messages from people apologising for what they had to go through.
“Damian Drum and Rob Mitchell were great in this process, Drum came to visit us,” he said.
The couple first applied for permanent residency in 2015 but a mandatory medical assessment of Darragh confirming he had Cystic Fibrosis threw their plans into chaos.
Ms Hyde said a special medication had changed Darragh’s life in the past 18 months, meaning less mucus in his lungs, which made him less prone to infections.
“We provided a good honest letter from a specialist that actually looked at him – no medical officer from the government has ever looked at Darragh,” she said.
“We get this fantastic, glowing letter saying how well he is and then the government contradict them and deny the application. Three times we had to get the same letter written before they would change their mind.”
The Hyde’s said they understood why the government had a hard stance on immigration, but believe the criteria should change.
“When we did apply back then we got a first round invitation. It was like a kick in the teeth when they’re like ‘hey come, we want you type of people and your skill, we need it’ and then all of a sudden they’re like ‘you’ve got a sick child we don’t want you anymore’,” Mr Hyde said.
“If you’ve applied and are eligible for permanent residency before having a child and you’re pregnant throughout that time while you wait, they shouldn’t include the unborn child – that’s unfair.
“Who’s to say that while we submit an application that one of us gets sick? You don’t know what’s around the corner – four years is a long time, something could happen to anyone.”
They also noted the lengthy delay in making a decision, and the expense.
“They knew about this for four years – they all said you need to go through the process. It needs to be faster, we’ve spent over $20,000 on expenses,” Mr Hyde said.