Maarifest in the sun

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December 16, 2025

THE International Maarif Schools of Australia Kilmore campus held its inaugural festival on Saturday with education, culture and global connections in the spotlight.

The excitement was tangible with a jumping castle and animal farm for the young and young at heart to enjoy.

A market alley featuring educational resources, clothing, jewellery and accessories populated the school grounds, and the food trucks complemented the festival with fragrant street foods to purchase.

Mahmut Mustafa, President of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, spoke to the North Central Review: “The holidays begin and we want to be all together with our families and our students and our supporters in the community and this feel of being together is very important for us”.

“On the other side we are a very new school here in the town and it’s a joyful day for us,” he said.

On the school’s 2026 opening for Years 7 and 8 students Mr Mustafa said: “We are waiting [for the] licence for high school and we are hoping there is no problem and next year we will welcome our high school students”.

Major award for excellence

Jo Kubeil

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December 16, 2025

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A WANDONG family is in the spotlight for sporting achievements with the support of the Aussie Athlete Fund who provide tools to lessen the costs of competition for athletes.

Glenn and Kristy Macdonald are proud of their children Mackenzie, 15 and Jackson 13 who are excelling in sport.

Mackenzie has won two national taekwondo championships and several international medals this year.

Meanwhile, Jackson returned from Spain last Wednesday after three months of training and motorcycle racing where he achieved impressive results, finished in the top 15 of the MIR Finetwork Series.

“Glenn and I took turns to accompany Jackson on that overseas trip” Mrs Macdonald said.

Jackson returned home to the news that he has achieved a Media Excellence Award for his outstanding website, social media and newspaper presence.

Kristy and Mackenzie accepted the award on his behalf.

The next exciting chapter was also celebrated with both Macdonald siblings promoted to the prestigious Elevate program where 32 athletes are guided through a masterclass learning program.

“It is an incredible opportunity,” Mrs Macdonald said.

“And it helps us as a family to navigate this journey together.

“The program will support us with continued fundraising tools and mentorship from experts.

“It’s the whole package, we are learning about the business of sport and how to equip them to compete at an elite level and succeed in life.

“They have each received a $5K award for their promotion to Elevate32, with Jackson receiving an additional $5K as the recipient of Media Excellence. This will help us immensely to kick off their 2026 seasons.”

AAF founder Nat Cook is a five-time Olympian in beach volleyball and founded the fund to help create a sustainable athlete economy.

“The Aussie athlete fund provides fundraising education, networking with business leaders and skills to flourish outside of sport,” she said.

All staff at North Central Review join all family and friends, saying: Congratulations to Jackson.

Share your top attractions

Jo Kubeil

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December 16, 2025

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REGIONAL tourism facilitates a bevy of employment and lifestyle opportunities as the State Government announced its record $40 billion visitor economy earlier this year.

Greater Shepparton, Strathbogie and Mitchell Shire Local Government Authorities (LGAs) merged to become Goulburn Region Tourism (GRT). They invited industry leaders at the heart of the Goulburn visitor experience to share their feedback.

Chief Executive Jane Lovell said the survey received 380 responses which have helped guide its intention to grow its tourism economy from $337 million to $500 million per year by 2030.

“The Goulburn region has all of the most sought-after things interstate visitors are looking for – nature experiences, unique towns and villages, scenic drives, great dining experiences, and history and heritage,” she said.

“Our job is to spread the word and grow the visitor economy, and our new digital platform is being specifically designed to do that.”

Working alongside Ms Lovell, Louise Bannister is marketing and industry lead and since 2020 Ms Bannister has championed the voices of her community as a Mitchell Shire Councillor, Deputy Mayor (2022-23) and Mayor (2023-24.)

“I’m at the fun end of this project [building the website,]” she said.

“I want to hear from people, no matter how big or small their potential tourism opportunity is.

“What we feel is unique about our region is its diverse offerings and the local stories … we can only add them if the locals are happy to share.”

To make sure the richness of its assets including hiking tracks, nature experiences, unique towns, scenic drives, great dining experiences and history and heritage are included on its website, GRT invites all residents to share their favourite places and activities with its team.

“The current website is an interim one. Our new digital presence will be completely different to anything any other tourism board has done in Victoria,” Ms Bannister said.

“We are doing something no other tourism body has done with their digital presence before.”

The GRT brand will be launched in autumn 2026 and in between contributions can be emailed to marketinglouise@goulburnregiontourism.com

Zonta says Yes to Evie Birks

Jo Kubeil

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December 16, 2025

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THE inaugural Zonta Club of Mitchell study grant has been awarded to Broadford Secondary School student Evie Birks.

The club has 14 members who say no to violence against women and girls and yes to advancing equality and education opportunities for all Year 10 girls with aspirations to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Previously the study grant recipient was randomly selected by its members. However, this year students were asked to self-nominate and then meet with three local Zonta members on their inaugural interview panel.

Evie learnt about the opportunity via the school compass portal and applied for the $1000 study grant to assist her with senior school studies.

“I really want to go to university and study a bachelor of commerce and I’m not sure what to major in, maybe marketing,” she said.

“It is important that everyone gets the opportunity to learn about STEM. Lots of STEM is very male dominated I’d say, so the more women in there the better.

“There is equal opportunity [here at school]. I can take the same subjects as anyone, and I have the same opportunities.

“Equal opportunity can be limited for women in sporting clubs as certain age groups only have men’s teams.

“I really like Zonta as a club, I like their goals, their values and everything they try to do in the community.”

Evie will buy a new laptop to start her VCE journey.

In Evie’s eyes, sportspeople that role model good behaviours are Kathy Freeman, Ash Barty and Issac Heeney.

“They are powerful, have done really well for themselves and I respect them.

“My mum is one of my main role models, too. She is in a male-dominated field in her work and she does really well … she is a wine maker.”

Proud moment for Sam Matthews

Jo Kubeil

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December 16, 2025

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WHEN the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) results were released last Thursday Sam Matthews was thrilled with a ranking of 95.6 per cent across all Victorian Education Certificate recipients.

Universities use the ranking to give preference to students choosing tertiary studies, as places are limited.

Sam, Hazel Glen College student at Doreen, said he is following in his sister’s footsteps: “I’ve always looked up to her in that way; she is the only one in my family who has been to university”.

Sam used an online calculator to help predict his ATAR; “You put in your SAC [School-Assessed Coursework) scores and also what you think you got in the exam, and you can put in your study scores as well. It’s pretty accurate I suppose”.

“I’ve wanted to do something in the field of science since I was alive,” he said.

“I’ve always been into chemistry, but I recently started to gain a huge appreciation for psychological science as well.”

Sam shared three study tips: “The most impactful thing I did was to act like I was the teacher. When I learnt something really interesting, I would come home and try to teach it to my parents, much to their dismay”.

Sam used an educational online interactive quiz resource Kahoot in a similar fashion. “Number three was to always get feedback. Whether it be from teachers, classmates or online.”

On self-care, Sam said: “While study is important, you are also very important, and you need to take care of yourself. The best way to do that is to give yourself the break you need”.

Sam said in his free time he does coding, creative writing or reading; “A good next step is to look for work. I’m not confined by school hours anymore”.

Assistant Principal for Year 11 and 12 students Michael Rogneda said: “Samuel’s results make us proud, and he has been diligent in the way he has approached his studies”.

“In Year 11 he did unit 3 and 4 general maths and did really well – a lot of students who got a high ATAR would have done that.”

Also, in the high percentile for Assumption College, Annabel Clark wowed her family and friends with a Dux score of 94.75 and St Mary’s College Seymour’s Xavier Sinkeler, 92.7 per cent.

Wallan Secondary College student Vedant Bandlish is Dux with 91.15 per cent and at Broadford Secondary College Harry Anderson scored 89 per cent.

Whittlesea Secondary College student William Murray recorded its highest ATAR. At Seymour College, Isabelle Kemp, has the top score. However, the students are reserving their rights to keep their ranking private.

Pet of the week

The North Central Review

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December 16, 2025

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OUR VIP is Sampson, a two-year-old Smithfield who belongs to the Macdonald family from Wandong.

He likes to swim and jump as you can see in the photograph. Did you know that the breed is a cousin to the Red Heeler Cattle Dog?

Thank you for Mackenzie and Jackson for sharing your photo.

Do you own a Very Important Pet? – Email us their best picture to news@ncreview.com.au with their name and town, or hand in a photo to our reception staff at 3/87 Sydney Street, Kilmore.