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Contemplating mindfulness

MENTAL HEALTH

MINDFULNESS is a term that has been bandied around a lot lately.

I thought a good positive way to start the column for this year is to look at mindfulness and how it can work in everybody’s life, young or old.

At its core, mindfulness is about attention.

In our busy lives and hectic minds, we tend to constantly multitask across worries of the past, needs of the present, and concerns about the future.

This causes anxiety and stress for many of us.

Underneath that mental chatter, there can be calm, and mindfulness aims to get us there.

For others who experience periods of disassociation, it can be helpful.

Disassociation is when one feels disconnected from thoughts, feelings, and identity.

I refer to it as a “movie-set” day.

The world feels unreal and out of sync, and you feel detached from others and yourself.

Dissociation can range from mild brief moments to a quite severe disorder.

I find it is quite a common experience for neurodivergent people with ADHD and Autism for chunks of time.

It is almost like the brain is giving you a break which is ok for a little, but not all the time.

Mindfulness is about using attention to bring you back to the moment if your brain is running too fast or is experiencing a sense of disconnection.

Different experts discuss it in various ways, including the four Cs, five steps, and the five Rs.

Pushing all those categories aside, I like the notion of three core elements:

  • Intention: Consciously deciding to be mindful in a moment.
  • Attention: Focusing very specifically on a moment and all the aspects of your interaction with it — sensations, your thoughts, and your environment.
  • Attitude: Being non-judgemental and curious about the experience.

Mindfulness doesn’t need to be viewed as a hugely complicated meditation process.

It can be incorporated into our daily experiences to reduce stress, reconnect with ourselves and our environment, and become more positive and grateful.

So how do we do it?

Simple mindfulness activities

Breath: We have been told to breathe deeply so often we begin to get annoyed with the idea.

However, whether we are anxious or angry, breathing exercises have been shown to help slow our systems away from Fight or Flight mode.

For my clients, I teach them a method I developed called finger breathing.

It uses a combination of touch across each finger followed by circular breathing patterns.

The sequence helps to keep them in the moment and their bodies and slow their systems down.

Mindfulness breathing can also be as simple as sitting with your hand on your stomach and just noticing the movements and sensations of breathing in and out.

The more we practice these activities, the more our body recognises what it needs to do — which, in this case, is to slow down and connect. 

Eating: Mindful eating can be especially useful for people who tend to disconnect from what they are putting in their mouths.

Mindful eating can also slow the eating process, allowing our bodies to better alert us when full.

Mindful eating involves closing your eyes and tasting the food, noticing its texture, flavours, and smells and how it activates different parts of your tongue.

We chew slowly and intentionally, focusing on all the sensations associated with what we are eating.

Walking: Walking is actually a complicated set of movements that our bodies naturally perform for most of us.

The length of steps, the balance, the placement of heel to toe, and when the next leg starts its movement.

If we pay close attention, there are a lot of sensations across the body.

Mindful walking can take place out in nature, where we focus not just on what is occurring in the body but also on the environment.

Alternatively, it can occur on your walk to the bathroom first thing in the morning.

Focus on how your body moves, how the floor feels under your feet, and the ambient temperature of the house.

Move slowly so you can absorb all the elements you are experiencing.

Anywhere and everywhere

You can incorporate mindfulness into almost any activity, even daily tasks like washing the dishes or watering the garden.

Naturally, our brains, especially the busy ones, will eventually try and take back the reins to multitask again.

That is ok.

Let the thought pass without judgment and then refocus.

Over time, you will find that you can go for longer periods of mindfulness.

Overall, mindfulness can be as big or as little as you want.

I always say to start small, and then you can work it up as you want to.

That achievement of our calm and centred self allows us to deal with the hectic world better.

We are more present and positive to those around us, strengthening our relationships.

We connect with our current reality if we are struggling to.

So, next time you feel stressed, find regular times to practice mindfulness, and you will reap the benefits.

Until next time, folks!

Natalie Rinehart
Young Person & Family Counsellor/ Life Coach, Author
youthlifecoach.com.au
youthlifecoach@healthpriorities.com.au
0425 735 106

Pottery Expo celebrates 25 years

WHERE HAS the time gone?

From its small beginnings in 2001

at the site where the Warrandyte playground wonguim wilam stands, we now host over 100 potters from around Australia and beyond, on our natural village green bordered by the Yarra river and the pub.

The Pottery Expo returns on Saturday, February 22, and Sunday, February 23.

Over the past 25 years, Warrandyte has welcomed ceramic artists from every state in Australia and from France, UK, New Zealand and India.

Our visitors also make long journeys to be part of this special weekend.

We are so fortunate to live in this supportive Warrandyte community, who, along with the local businesses and service groups, have always been so generous helping to build the event to become the biggest ceramics fair in Australia.

There have been potters and other artists living in Warrandyte for many generations.

The community continues to appreciate and encourage the arts, valuing the opportunity to showcase the work of artists often hidden in their studios.

This year our guest artists are from the International Academy of Ceramics, representing Australian and New Zealand ceramics globally.

There will be an exhibition of their work, where visitors will be able to meet the artists and then hear about their practices at the talks held in the activities marquee.

Northcote Pottery will present the Pottery Throw Down on Sunday morning, a fun competition testing participants’ pottery skills.

Live and local bands will be performing all weekend.

Bring friends and family to meet the potters, buy some fabulous pieces, play with clay, see the demonstrations and enjoy food from local cafes, on site.

Parking is always tricky in Warrandyte, we encourage visitors to catch the bus [the 906 bus stops at the Pottery Expo entrance] or walk along the river.

There will be a two-minute pick-up spot at the Webb Street entry point, to pick up pottery purchases and for disabled visitors.

Please see the website for further details, including the map, exhibitors’ details and the weekend program potteryexpo.com

On social media at Instagram: thepotteryexpo or Facebook: The Pottery Expo

The Pottery Expo thanks Manningham Council for their sponsorship through their Community Grant, and our own many pottery-loving volunteers.

Bushfires remind us to heed CFA advice

THE RECENT fires across the state, including the Grampians and the Bass Coast are a timely reminder to Warrandyte residents to take bushfire seriously.

Locally, firefighters had a great save when 35 crews and aircraft turned out to get a fire in Christmas Hills under control.

The fire had started from sparks from a grinder.

Crews from all over the area worked well into the night and spent the following days making sure that it had been fully extinguished and would not spread any further.

Research CFA reminded residents via social media to be vigilent:

“It’s a good eye-opener to how dry the fuels are at the moment, even late in the day on a day that wasn’t too hot or windy, fires can easily start and take off out of control!”

Over on the Bass Coast, a Gurdies local had a close escape as he watched the fire arrive at his doorstep.

He is urging everyone to listen to the advice of authorities and leave early when it comes to bushfires.

Glenn Skrobalak was at his home in the Gurdies on December 20, 2024, when, what was a small bushfire, started to unexpectedly intensify and head towards his home and property following a south-westerly wind change.

People were advised to evacuate the area, but despite having a bag packed ready to go, Glenn decided to stay – a decision he says he now regrets.

“My initial thought was to stay and defend the property and I probably regret that now.

“Seeing how severe it was and how fast it came I don’t think I would be doing that again,” Glenn said

“I thought I was well and truly capable having been in other high-pressure situations and handled them well, but this was totally different.

“I was just exhausted.

“I can work all day outside, but seven minutes of that I had well and truly had enough,” he said.

It was at that point Corinella CFA captain David Cox and Kernot-Grantville CFA Lieutenant Andrew Blackney were driving past, as part of the fire response at the time.

Despite not having a truck David saw Glenn standing in his property ‘looking panicked’ and swooped in to help.

“We could see Glenn just standing out there by himself, we could see the panic starting to come and I said ‘we have to go and help him’.

“Anyone out there that day would have done the same thing – it’s just our instinct.”

David approached Glenn and using Glenn’s fire pump and hose got to work fighting off spot fires and defending the property.

Glenn said watching David work was incredible and it really opened his eyes to how much skill is involved in fighting a fire.

“I never would have thought to do the things that he was doing,” Glenn said.

“I have never experienced a bushfire before and I was just so overwhelmed by how incredibly trained David and the CFA crews were and when the situation changes how quickly they react to it.

“I really do believe he [David] stopped it from not only engulfing our place but all of our neighbours.

“I don’t really have words to describe how grateful we are.”

A short time later the Glen Alvie brigade was able to get some appliances into Glenn’s property and completely tackle the fire.

Both Glenn and David said this incident highlighted the importance of listening to advice and leaving early.

“We would rather people are not there, it does hinder our firefighting abilities,” David said.

“Things can be replaced, but imagine never getting to hug your loved ones again, imagine never being able to see them again.”

Glenn said he was extremely grateful for the work of David and the other firefighters that day.

“Don’t stay, it’s not worth it,” he said.

“I chose to stay, and I won’t be doing that again.

“Take off and you can hope for the best but at least you will be safe.”

Tips for leaving early:

  • On a Catastrophic day, leaving high risk bushfire areas the night before or early in the morning is the safest option.
  • You can go to family or friends in a low fire risk area, a shopping complex, library or another community building in a low-risk area.
  • Plan your route and ensure your car has enough petrol so you don’t need to stop.

Read more about leaving early at cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/before-and-during-a-fire/leave-early.

 

Photos: CFA MEDIA, ROBYN ADAMS and TRIS DEWEY, CHRISTMAS HILLS FIRE BRIGADE

 

Twenty years on, the tsunami recovery continues

ON BOXING Day 2004 the Indian Ocean region experienced one of the deadliest disasters in recorded history.

A 9.1 magnitude eruption caused waves up to 30 metres high to crash violently into a swathe of countries encircling the region.

The Boxing Day Tsunami killed about 230,000 and displaced many more.

The tragedy prompted a huge international emergency response.

In the immediate aftermath, the Australian civil response saw tens of millions of dollars of relief funding pour into the region, as well as practical assistance from Australia’s military.

Army Engineer Don Hughes, now a Warrandyte local, was deployed to the recovery effort and was on the ground in Banda Aceh, providing practical support to those who had lost everything.

Don Hughes was part of the team deployed to Sumatra by Tasmanian Environmental Services to assist in restoring sanitation.

His team leader, Rob Patterson, provides a vivid account:

“The initial focus for the team was on providing basic sanitation facilities in a village some 80 kilometres from Banda Aceh.

A traditional fishing village, the fishermen were all at sea when the Tsunami struck.

They all survived as they were well out to sea away from the Tsunami.

The Tsunami struck the village on a Sunday morning.

The women and children were mostly on the beach.

Some 15 minutes before the Tsunami struck, the sea waters suddenly receded.

Fish were stranded and trapped in rock pools and shallows, which encouraged the villagers to rush into the tide pools to gather the fish.

The village owned six elephants that provided work as required.

When the waters receded, these elephants had a sixth sense of the impending danger. The elephants broke their chains and headed for higher ground.

Miraculously, on their way to higher ground two of the elephants seized a child each to take them to safety. The children’s screams however, alerted their mothers who thought the elephants had gone mad.

Sixteen women and children chased the elephants onto higher ground before the 10-metre Tsunami struck the shore.

Sadly, the village population after the Tsunami was the 700 fishermen who had been at sea, and only the 16 women and children saved by the elephants.

The rest had perished!”

With the village decimated and traumatised, international aid agencies had erected temporary tented accommodation and basic (long-drop) pit toilet facilities.

These measures were rapidly needing an upgrade.

Part of the solution required to prevent fly-borne disease from long-drop toilets, was to install a lightweight, easily constructed, septic-tank system.

Utilising sewerage grade liners and basic plumbing fittings it replicated the function of a standard Australian septic tank based on the age old anaerobic process.

An Australian standard ground absorption trench completed the treatment.

This simply installed Field Septic Tank system broke down the effluent safely and therefore protected the village from further disease.

Instinctively, the people of the village could see the benefit and set about installing their new sanitation facilities. Young Indonesian civil engineering students helped supervise, following the age-old humanitarian assistance adage: “do not just give a person a fish – teach them how to fish!”

It became a restorative exercise in rebuilding a community.

Ride for recovery

Now commemorating the 20th anniversary of this devastating event, the recovery phase of this disaster continues. Around 470 kilometres of Indian Ocean separates the devastated towns of Banda Aceh and Khao Lak, but the impact of the wave was of a similar scale.

Over 4,000 people were killed in Khao Lak alone.

Warrandyte resident, Nicola Hart, has contributed to the ongoing recovery by participating in the Hands Across the Water 800km bike ride over eight days, with 48 riders from Australia, New Zealand, UK, Italy and Dubai, from the sleepy resort town of Petchaburi to Khao Lak in January.

She said riding into the Baan Tharn Namchai home there was a mix of emotions.

This home was the first built following the devastating Boxing Day Tsunami.

It was a response from Australian Peter Baines, who was in Thailand identifying bodies when he witnessed 32 Thai orphans sheltering in a tent.

Nicola recounted that these children survived the initial Tsunami, but unlike adults, did not know how to begin to find the assistance they desperately needed.

So Peter began Hands Across the Water to give them that immediate help, but quickly realised there was an ongoing need for children who either had no family, or had families who could not afford to provide for them.

Hands Across the Water “gives children a life of choice, rather than chance” and currently supports 350 children that have no known carers, would otherwise be forced into exploitative employment options and would not have the chance to be educated.

Nicola sponsors two children who live in one of the Hands’ homes.

She said she decided to support Hands Across the Water after hearing about a young girl who had sought refuge with Hands after her older sister was sold into prostitution by her parents – for $10 – fearing her fate would be the same.

Nicola said the Ride to Provide wasn’t just a cycling event, it was a celebration of two decades of unwavering commitment to transforming the lives of children in need.

“It was an opportunity to honour the past, embrace the present and look ahead to a future filled with hope and happiness.

We were honoured to be joined on the ride by three survivors of the Tsunami and two other riders who were involved in the relief efforts following the Tsunami.”

If you wish to donate to Nicola’s fundraising effort visit handsacrossthewater.org.au/fundraisers/nicolahart/rtp-20th.

All donations of $2 or more are 100 per cent tax deductible.

Photos: Supplied

Council seeks community input on park plans

MANNINGHAM Council have a series of park projects they are seeking feedback on across the municipality.
Council sought community input for a new Masterplan for Stinton’s reserve, however with only a couple of weeks from the announcement to the close of this round of consultation, this survey has already closed.
Council says the Masterplan will guide the future use, development and upgrade of facilities within the reserve over the next 20 years.
Stintons Reserve currently accommodates a wide range of user groups with varying needs, including:

  • Park Orchards BMX Club
  • Park Orchards Cricket Club
  • Park Orchards Senior Football and Netball Club
  • Park Orchards Junior Football Club
  • Doncaster Baseball Club
  • Warrandyte Cricket Club
  • Manningham Greyhound Slipping Track

Manningham Mayor, Councillor Carli Lange, said Stintons Reserve is an important local reserve for sport, recreation and dog exercise activities in Park Orchards.
The resultant Masterplan will be released for public consultation and community feedback next year.
For more information visit yoursaymanningham.vic.gov.au/ stintons-reserve-masterplan.

Dog parks
Warrandyte Reserve

There is also a proposed upgrade of the northern oval at Warrandyte Reserve, which Council says will improve facilities for the community, as well as for dogs and their owners.
Manningham Mayor, Councillor Carli Lange, said Warrandyte Reserve is a hub for the local community in Warrandyte and popular with dog owners.
“Warrandyte Reserve is enjoyed by many local sports and recreation groups, residents, dogs and their owners.
“We’re proposing some dog-friendly improvements within the reserve and want to hear your feedback on our concept plan by August 12,” Cr Lange said.
Many people have already taken to social media to voice their opinions on the proposal for a dog park at the northern (little) oval at Warrandyte Reserve.
One commenter, Doreen Burge, noted that Manningham’s ovals are already all off-leash for dogs when there is no organised sporting activity taking place.
“The little oval is not suitable for a dog park — it’s nowhere near big enough…
Warrandyte area has very few off-leash areas, it is only the ovals and a couple of tiny pocket parks plus one unfenced path that runs alongside a busy road!
The one area — Husseys Lane Reserve — large enough for a proper walk and a good run for active dogs has literally no parking.
Council is simply being lazy and unimaginative in nominating the little oval for a dog park.
By all means fully fence it so dog owners can safely practise their dogs’ recall there (AND pick up their dogs’ poo), but don’t imagine it’s a viable solution for a dog park.
The one dog park Manningham has provided (Aranga Reserve) is unbelievably popular and successful.
We need at least two more like it in Manningham, then maybe dog owners won’t have to all congregate in one or two places.
Greater Bendigo — population roughly the size of Manningham — has at least three large (10 acres+) fully fenced dog parks with facilities.
So Manningham please be more proactive in providing proper facilities for your many dog-owning residents … who pay significant dog registration fees.
We need better!”

Council’s proposed upgrades include improvements to the path network between both ovals, a new shelter at the northern oval with seating and storage facility built in, a new drinking fountain with dog tap and bowl, improved fencing to allow easier access into the ovals, and improved drainage and ground condition of the northern oval for better year-round use.
The proposed improvements at Warrandyte Reserve are supported by the Victorian Government’s New and Upgraded Dog Parks Program.
To see what’s proposed, find out more and have your say, visit yoursay.manningham.vic.gov.au/ warrandyte-reserve-upgrade.

Burgundy Reserve

Similarly, Manningham Council is planning an upgrade at Burgundy Reserve in Doncaster and is seeking community feedback until 12 August.
The proposal includes: an upgraded playspace and shelter, a new public toilet, and a series of improvements to enhance the reserve for dogs and their owners.
The concept plan includes a relocated and upgraded fenced playspace, an upgraded shelter, a new two-cubicle public toilet, a new shared path connecting Cellar Way to Burgundy Drive, new path lighting, new chain mesh fencing along Burgundy Drive, new seats around the oval, a new drinking fountain with a dog bowl, path realignment and upgrade for more passive recreation opportunities, and additional landscaping and trees across the site.
The playspace, shelter upgrade, and the new public toilet, are planned as part of Council’s capital works program, scheduled to be completed over the next two years.
“We know many residents use this well-loved space to spend time with their dogs, and as part of the upgrade, we are proposing some dog-friendly improvements, including a new path, shelter and drinking fountain,” Cr Lange said.
“I encourage everyone to find out more, view the concept plan and have your say on what’s proposed for Burgundy Reserve in Doncaster,” Cr Lange said.
You can find out more and have your say by visiting yoursay.manningham. vic.gov.au/burgundy-reserveupgrade.
Consultation on the two dog park proposals closes on Monday, August 12, 2024.

Our homegrown Olympians

FOR PARIS 2024, over 460 athletes will represent Australia across 33 sports.
More than half of that contingent are women.
Australia is also expected to have approximately 160 athletes competing in 16 sports for the Paralympics (August 28 – September 8).
Of the 740+ Australians striving for gold this summer, a handful you may be able to call neighbours.
Across Manningham and Nillumbik, six athletes will compete in either the Olympics or Paralympics in Paris:

Abbey Caldwell: Warrandyte’s very own Abbey Caldwell is running in the Women’s 800-metre athletics event, and as we go to print she is toeing the line in the Semi-Final.
Abbey has had a stellar season so far and won bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Stephanie Ratcliffe: The 23-year-old from Doncaster East and part of Doncaster Athletics Club, Stephanie will be competing in the Hammer Throw.
Stephanie recalls the beginning of her journey into athletics:

“I remember Dad taking me to the Doncaster track one Saturday morning to watch little athletics, and straight away, I told him I wanted to try it.
I was very disappointed when he told me I had to wait another year before I could start because I was too young!
I started athletics when I was five at Doncaster Little Athletics Club.”

She decided to specialise in the Hammer Throw at 16, and in 2023, she broke the Australian record, set by Bronwyn Eagles in 2003, by nearly two metres – throwing 73.11 metres.

Laura Paeglis: Yan Yean local, Laura is a member of Diamond Valley Archers.
While Laura was knocked out in her elimination round on August 1, she first made headlines by setting the highest score (640) by an Australian woman since the current 72-arrow ranking round format began in 1996.
Laura said this about shooting in her Olympic debut:

“I had so much fun out there.
I improved throughout the day and I think that’s the thing to really focus on.
It’s totally different to anything I’ve ever shot in any shooting conditions.
So going out there and actually learning from mistakes was good.
Getting better towards the end was really great, and I’m pretty proud of that,”

Tim Anderson: From Eltham, competed in Canoe Slalom and, in his Olympic debut, finished 7th overall.

“I am really happy with the way I conduct myself.
My paddling was really nice.
I made a few mistakes, but it’s pretty rare that you don’t make a mistake at some point in your Olympic campaign, especially in the final.”

Mitchell Iles: From Hurstbridge, Mitchell competed in Shooting: Men’s Trap.
Mitchell finished 9th in his qualification round.

Looking ahead to the Paralympics At the Paris Paralympics, Lina Lei will again represent Australia in Table Tennis.
Lei is a bit of a medal magnet, claiming her first Paralympic gold medal in Athens in 2004 for China.
Born with a deficiency in her right lower leg, Lei kept her self-confessed sweet tooth at bay to remain a force in her sport between 2006 and 2014, winning every gold medal up for grabs at Paralympic level and at World Para Championships, a truly extraordinary run of success.
Following the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Lei moved to Australia and was selected to represent her new nation for the first time at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, winning gold for Australia and ending a 37-year gold medal drought for Australia.

In Archery, 31-year-old Patrick French of Diamond Valley Archers will make his Paralympic debut.

Council starts consultation with community groups on Warrandyte infrastructure review

LATE LAST year, Manningham Council released its latest Community Infrastructure Plan (CIP), which, in part, prioritised an investigation of community infrastructure within Warrandyte.
As reported in the September 2023 Warrandyte Diary, the CIP singled out Warrandyte for a review to determine if the community’s needs are being met and the potential of creating a new community hub.
Council says it will now engage local community groups to help plan the future direction of community facilities in Warrandyte.
Engagement will commence in July as part of the Warrandyte Community Facilities Review — a key project under Manningham’s CIP.
Manningham Mayor Carli Lange said Council is looking for future improvements to community facilities that will better support local services and connectivity for residents.
“Last year’s consultation on the CIP highlighted the need for a holistic review into the provision of community facilities in Warrandyte.
“With an increasing demand for services, we need to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to support community needs,” Cr Lange said.
She said the Community Facilities Review will help guide future investment into community facilities in Warrandyte.
“During the consultation, community groups will provide information on their usage, needs, and expectations of facilities.
“They will also share ideas for future services and buildings, including opportunities for partnerships and facilities sharing.
“We want to better understand the needs, priorities, and aspirations of our local community groups.
“These discussions will guide the preparation of our draft recommendations, which will be shared with the broader community for further feedback early next year,” Cr Lange said.
Community groups and services will be contacted directly to participate in the consultation.
If you haven’t heard from Council by the end of July and would like to participate, please contact Council via Your Say Manningham. The final plan will be presented to Council for endorsement in 2025.
For further information, go to yoursay.manningham.vic.gov.au/ warrandyte-community-facilitiesreview.

Walter Magilton: A life’s journey in art

WALTER MAGILTON has been an artist for 80 years.
And that life in art is about to be celebrated in an exhibition at Montsalvat’s Long Gallery.
Walter sat down with the Diary editor, SANDI MILLER, to discuss his journey from farmhouse to gallery.
“This exhibition is a survey of my life as an artist.
It’s got some very early work I did as a kid, it’s got a lot of sculpture, it’s got some gold and silversmithing, and wood-turning.
I’ve been involved in printmaking, all sorts of paintings, and all sorts of subjects.
And it certainly has some recent work and some other big paintings.
There will be two glass-top cabinets — one will hold artefacts and some of the jewellery I made, and the other will hold cuttings.
I’m showing some of my early work, which is not necessarily my best work because people will say ‘gee Walter never knew you were that bad’ — but everyone has to start somewhere, and this is my journey.
A survey, you know, of my life.
It’s certainly blowing my own trumpet; there’s no doubt about that, but this will probably be my swan song.
I will continue to paint, but I’m 90 now; all sorts of things are catching up on me.”

Early life

Walter said his earliest work, which will be included in the forthcoming retrospective, was exhibited in Melbourne Town Hall in 1946 when he was 11.
He was the son of a dairy farmer and a student at the Cowley’s Creek school near Camperdown.
He said that sometimes there were only about 10 kids there — “it really was a bush school.”
His teacher, Lou Evans, talked his parents into sending Walter and his brother to Carey Grammar, where they each became boarders for a time.
“In those days, when it came to art, there was no art department at all, but Lou was now a teacher at Carey and became like a godfather to me.
“We remained friends for 65 years.
“He took a shine to me as a young artist and introduced me to artist quality materials, proper brushes, proper paints — otherwise, I was using kid stuff.
“So, I’ve often said, I would not have become an artist if it hadn’t been for Lou Evans.”
Walter said he struggled academically at Carey because his country school arithmetic didn’t prepare him for algebra, geometry, or trigonometry.
“The maths teacher cut me to shreds, and I just never caught up.
“In the other classes, I was a happy medium, but I had no motivation; I was going to be a farmer’s son.
“When I came home, I spent the next two or three years farming with my father and brother.
“I’d go out and paint, but I had no lessons, and I had lots of other interests: motorbikes, model aircraft, youth group, and church.
“But Dad came to me one day, and it was the best thing he ever said to me — he said, ‘Walter, your heart doesn’t seem to be in farming — have a think about it, and if you want to train for something I will pay for your training — if it doesn’t work out, you can come back on the farm’ .
“For the first time in my life, I had a serious think about what I wanted to do.
“I was friends with a primary school teacher, and he seemed to have so much time.
“Well, if I was a primary teacher, I could go out painting on the weekends, so I went back to school.”
He went and completed his high school as a boarder at Geelong High.
“I often say I was probably the first mature-age student because I was 18 or 19, I had a moustache, I had a motorbike — and they didn’t always insist I wore my school cap.
“Now, my results just went up because I knew where I was going.
“I had a very dear old man as an art teacher who was totally hopeless, but I was his golden-haired boy because I went out on weekends painting watercolours — he’d never had a student do that.”
After graduating, Walter went to Geelong Teachers College.
“Late in the summer, I got a notification there was a vacancy in the teachers’ college art and craft course, did I want it?
“Did I ever?!
“That just opened my life up.
“I couldn’t get enough of it.
“I used to go out there at night to do extra classes.
“I just lived a couple of blocks from the old National Gallery School, which is now the public library and took life drawing classes with the likes of Charles Bush.”
He said he worked hard and got very good results.
“Not because I was particularly good at anything, but I worked hard at everything.”
He said his studies eventually were in gold and silversmithing and sculpture, his main instructor was Lenton Parr.
“It should be a household name, but he got too involved in administration, art schools, and things, but he was a superb sculptor.”
While Walter said he enjoyed his studies, in those days he didn’t see himself as an artist.
“I saw myself as an art teacher and had 27 years with the education department.”
Walter resigned as a teacher a few years before retirement to focus on his art.

A booming arts career

“I did a few projects with architects in Melbourne.
“Each one was different, and I thought, ‘well, I’m going to be working in bronze, so I’ve got to learn about that’, and ‘I’m going to be working fibreglass, so I’ll learn about that’ .
“Around that time, I produced a sculpture at Carey Grammar—a big bronze portrait of William Carey.
“I was then approached by a big mining firm to do a sculptural panel for them.
“Then they said, ‘we want you to make something for the wall of the boardroom’ , and in my naivety, I spent a lot of time working on that and going into meetings discussing, without ever putting in a sort of charge as I went along.
“Then I got a phone call saying, ‘look, things are tough, we decided not to go ahead’ .
“Well, that hit me very, very hard.
“I thought ‘bugger it all, I think I’ll see if I can paint’.
“So, I got out my oil paints. “I think I used a coal chisel to clean the pallet and a hammer to soften my brushes and things like that had been dormant for so long because of all the years I was teaching.
“I was worn out on the weekends — my creativity was used up in class teaching students.
“I enjoyed it.
“I’ve got no complaints about that, and I had other things to do on weekends: my family, my church, the MJ Car Club, and sailing.
A return to painting Walter said in 1974 that he had planned to paint an old settlers’ cottage near present day Donvale Christian College.
“All covered in blackberries, very romantic, I thought that would make a great subject”.
But he discovered they had bulldozed the building a week before.
“It had taken a lot of courage to break the ice to even go out after all these years.
“It was easy to put the things away again for a while, but then I went to an old cottage in Port Campbell and started to paint.
“Gee, I couldn’t stop!
“It was like setting a match to a barbeque.”
Around this time,
Walter and his first wife Alison moved to Warrandyte.
“We started to look around. “
I missed out on a property over at Eltham for about four or five acres with an orchard and an old house, which must have been on the market for about 10 minutes.
“It got me thinking, and I kept coming back to Warrandyte.
“We looked and looked and looked, and I had to turn a lot of places down; they were on a steep hill, and you couldn’t use the land.
“About the fourth agent, I said, ‘are there any other places?’ and we had a look in the map.
“‘There’s two-thirds of an acre here, with a riverfront and a creek front and only one neighbour.’
“‘Give me three minutes while I ring my wife.’
“It was just what I wanted,” he said.
For more than 50 years, he continued to paint and teach in the home studio they built in Warrandyte, and more than 400 students have attended his classes.
As prolific as he is talented, he has held many solo and group exhibitions in various Australian capital cities and five in England and has won many awards for his work, including Best of Show.
He has been asked to judge many art shows, act as an art critic, and demonstrate to art societies.
He is a versatile artist who works with various subjects — portraits, landscapes, still life — and in various media, including oil, watercolour, gouache, and pastel.
He said some artistic highlights include designing windows for the Warrandyte Uniting Church.
“I didn’t make it, but I designed every piece of glass and numbered it, and we had two local women and one of my students put it together.
“An anonymous donor gave money so we could afford the very best glass because some glass colours are very expensive.
“It was a fantastic project, and I’m very proud of the design.”

Painting Jags

He said he also had a commission from Bib Stillwell’s Silverstone Motors for a series of five large paintings of Jaguar cars in action.
“I did five paintings for him, but Bib never realised how much work and research went into each piece.
“I said there’s two I want to do, one racing at Le Mans in twilight when the lights are coming on, but there’s still enough daylight to see the tents and the crowd, and one is the fabulous era in England where they brought out the big Jags and raced them door handle to door handle, with some of the top drivers of the time, Stirling Moss and racing Jags.
“And I said, I want to do it in the wet, so you got the reflections, spray, and all sorts of stuff.
“The Albert Park one was set in 1956, the birth of television, so I had to research what the loudspeakers looked like those days, what the breakdown truck and the ambulance looked like, and what the early television cameras looked like.
“I painted myself in that one because I was actually there, and occasionally, I took a bit of artistic liberty and changed some of the signage.”
But he said the amount of research that went into each one was just enormous.
“I said to Bib, they’re going to be absolutely anatomically correct because they are going to be looked at by car buffs, and Lord help me if I don’t have the correct number of rivets, and they’re also going to be looked at by artists, so in terms of composition and perspective they have to work as paintings.
“People have asked if they were copies of photographs — don’t insult me!
“There’s a whole lot to create in that composition; they’re all very authentic — we know the make of each car, we know the driver, and there is a great deal of authenticity.”

Forthcoming exhibition

Walter’s forthcoming exhibition highlights selected works from his extensive career as a professional artist and art teacher.
The collection includes oils, watercolours, gouache, prints, sculptures, and pieces of gold and silver smithing.
The exhibition will be opened by Eltham artist and good friend of Walter, Chris White.
“Chris and I have a sort of joke — if Chris and I go to a Rotary kind of exhibition, the best I can possibly do is come second.
“But there have been times when I’ve knocked Chris off, and he’s knocked me off, but we’re very good friends, and we have a lot of respect for each work and have similar ideas as to what is good painting and good composition.”
Opening night is Thursday, July 24, at the Long Gallery, Montsalvat and Walter will host a “Walk and Talk” on Saturday, August 3, and Sunday, August 4.
The exhibition runs until the end of August.

Which Way Warrandyte?

GOLDFIELDS Plaza, Colin Avenue, and Melbourne Hill Road shops could grow to up to four storeys according to Manningham Council’s new concept design for its Neighbourhood Activity Centres (NACs), which could help meet the municipality’s housing shortfall.

As the reality of significant population increase and a lack of housing/infrastructure to meet it looms across Australia, government at every level is looking at ways to deal with the short-term and long-term implications.

With the population in Manningham expected to increase to more than 140,000 in the next 12 years, Manningham is faced with the challenge of building 8,000 new homes to accommodate an additional 18,000 people.

One option the Council is investigating is the development of Neighbourhood Activity Centres (NACs) as a way of introducing additional housing in urban/suburban shopping centres.

Council has identified nine NACs:

  • Bulleen Plaza
  • Donburn
  • Doncaster East Village (Devon Plaza)
  • Jackson Court
  • Macedon Square/Plaza
  • Park Orchards
  • Templestowe Village
  • Tunstall Square
  • Warrandyte Goldfields

Manningham Mayor Carli Lange said: “We want to hear from the community on how we can best accommodate growth and development while ensuring that our activity centres and surrounding neighbourhoods maintain their liveability.

“If youÕre a resident, chances are you regularly visit at least one of our vibrant activity centres across the municipality.

“We want to ensure that they continue to provide desirable destinations for people to live, shop, work and play — offering a range of retail, office and business opportunities, housing, community and education facilities, said Cr Lange.

With the final endorsement of the Activity Centre Design Guidelines not happening until mid-2025, the initial stage of community consultation is via a survey on the project’s dedicated Your Say page.

The survey is open until June 16, and users of activity centres across Manningham are encouraged to participate.

However, as per the nature of these surveys, the questions are agree/disagree statements regarding the extent of aspects outlined in the Concept Designs, and any genuine feedback/impression about design concepts — within the survey — is limited to about 350 words.

The concept for the NACs covers objectives under six key themes: Building height, residential interface, architectural presentation, public realm, sustainability, and access and car parking.

Of particular note is the proposal to allow buildings of up to four storeys in the Goldfields precinct.

Warrandyte Community Association (WCA) President Terry Tovey said the Concept Design requires careful consideration.

“It shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand and could, if handled sensitively, help address the shortage of diverse and affordable accommodation in Warrandyte and Melbourne.

However, as with all planning matters, the devil is in the detail.

Firstly, what footprint are we talking about for this activity centre?

Beyond this, Council’s discussion paper identifies three other themes, including design quality, neighbourhood character, and housing choice, that is, diversity and affordability.

What capacity does Council really have to influence design quality?

What capacity does Council have to influence diversity and choice in housing?

Does Council have any useful role in ensuring that any development incorporates some social housing?

And how would Council ensure that the activity centre has some design coherence and liveability and does not end up as a barren, over-developed blight driven by private developer interests rather than community needs and interests?

European cities manage medium-density development that focuses on community amenity, and quality design.

That’s what we could aim for here, but I feel that is not what we will get.

The WCA intends to engage Council on all these issues and encourages everyone to read the discussion paper and to make their views known.

Manningham’s housing strategy to date has been thoughtful and strategic, and we should conduct a sensible dialogue with Council to assist it in meeting targets imposed by the State Government while protecting the neighbourhood character, amenity and special environmental qualities of Warrandyte.

Of course, what isn’t addressed in any of this is whether rapid population growth is in Melbourne’s or Australia’s best interests.”

It is also worth noting Park Orchards is also proposed to allow up to a maximum of four storeys in its NAC.

The Diary contacted Manningham Council for more specifics about the concept design for the Goldfields precinct, particularly the perceived impact that four storeys would have on amenity.

Manningham Council Director City Planning, Andrew McMaster, provided this response:

“Manningham Council recognises that each neighbourhood activity centre has its own unique and valued character.

They also play an important role in meeting a range of daily needs for our communities as places where people can meet and socialise.

The Design Concepts identify that Goldfields Plaza Shopping Centre in Warrandyte has the capacity to accommodate developments up to four storeys in height.

However, the height in areas where a new development is adjacent to an existing residential development will be lower to protect nearby amenity.

A key objective of the Design Concepts is that all built form is based on the principles of good design and sustainability.

These concepts build on the objectives of the Manningham Liveable City Strategy 2040, endorsed by Council in 2022.

Importantly, they also seek to protect the amenity of the area through a range of requirements, including:

  • maintaining sunlight to footpaths and the public realm
  • active frontages and awnings to provide weather protection
  • internal spaces that are usable, functional, and have a high degree of amenity.

The current consultation phase seeks community views on a range of Activity Centre Design Concepts.

Feedback received will help inform the preparation of the draft Activity Centre Design Guidelines, which will be exhibited in early 2025 for further community feedback.”

Be sure to have your say on the future of the Goldfields precinct at yoursay.manningham.vic.gov.au/activity-centre-design-guidelines.

Manningham Council’s Manningham Activity Centre Built Form and Context Analysis, March 2024, which is available to download from the Your Say page, details the specific footprint of each of these activity centres.

They gave up their tomorrows for our today

ONE OF THE largest crowds in recent times gathered at the Warrandyte RSL this Anzac Day to commemorate our fallen service men and women.

The March, this year led by Jim Pleasance stepped off from Whipstick Gully towards the Warrandyte Memorial Gardens.

Older veterans were given the dignity of a seat in a former army 110 Land Rover, provided by, and driven by Justin Welander.

Marching veterans were joined by dignitaries, CFA, Scouts, sporting groups, schools and community members who this year numbered in the hundreds.

The March this year culminated in a flyover by four PC21 RAAF aircraft on their way to the skies above the March at the Melbourne Shrine.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, where 3,200 Australians took to the beaches of Normandy.

RSL President David Ryan told those assembled that Anzac Day holds a sacred place in the hearts of all Australians and New Zealanders, as we pay homage to the invincible spirit of our Anzacs who forged a legacy of sacrifice and resilience on the shores of Gallipoli over 100 years ago.

Their unwavering dedication to duty and their profound sense of camaraderie serve as guiding beacons for us all, inspiring to uphold the values of mateship, courage and sacrifice in our own lives.

The service also reflected on the discovery last year of the sunken Japanese transport ship Montevideo Maru, which was sunk in 1942 in the South China Sea, with more than 1,000 Australian Prisoners of War on board, the worst maritime disaster in Australian history.

A sobering speech from Member for Menzies and Afghanistan Veteran, Keith Wolahan MP vividly depicted the loss of life from war.

Imagining standing on the field of an empty MCG with its 100,000 seat capacity, Mr Wolahan took us through the casualties list of each war from World War I until the most recent casualties in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Timor.

“As young Australians lose their lives in conflict you will see on some days, one or two seats fill up, on some days a few rows, and in some devastating days, whole stands fill.

On April 25, 1915, 620 Australians will take their seats before you.

By the end of the Gallipolli campaign, 8,141 — one-third of the Olympic stand.

In Fromelles on July 19, 1916, 1,917 Australians will take their seats in a 24-hour period — more than the people standing here — in 24 hours.

In the Battle of the Somme, in the space of a few weeks, 6,800 will take a seat before you — half of the Ponsford Stand.

A few months later, the second half of the Ponsford stand will be filled by those 6,800 who lost their lives at Pozieres, in Bullecourt, 2,000 lose their lives.

In Passchendaele from, the end of July through the middle of October 1917, 12,000 young Australians will lose their lives.

Before you 61,000 seats have filled just from WWI, from a population of five million.

We don t need to be a computer to know that that means there wasn t a family left untouched by that tragedy.

A few decades passed and some of the young boys who stood next to their dad or their granddad at the memorials like this are now serving in uniform in World War II.

749 will take their seat from Tobruk, 1,789 from the full of Singapore — and 7,000 as Prisons of War, who will die later.

On July 1, 1942, the sinking of the Montevideo Maru, 50 rows of the MCG.

And on March 23, 1945, nine will take a seat nine who never came back from an RAAF Liberator aircraft and one of those was William Flanagan from Warrandyte.

In Bomber Command 3,500 Australians were killed, and just under another 3,000 from El Almain, 625 from Kokoda.

At the end of World War II, The MCG, every seat, and all the standing room, is now full, with the additional 39,657 who died in that conflict.

And as we continue on through many other conflicts, those who die won t have room to sit down and they will have to move out onto the grass and the boundary in front of you.

In Korea 340 — 53 from the Battle of Kapyong alone.

From Vietnam 523 — 17 in one battle at Long Tan, 25 from the Battle of Coral-Balmoral.

And as we move through other conflicts, we will see 47 take their seats from Afghanistan, where a friend of mine from Doncaster, Greg Sher, who takes his seat on January 4, 2009, as well, Marcus Case who takes his seat on May 30, 2011, and is buried across the river in the Eltham Cemetery.

So right now, at this moment in time you were looking at 103,021 with an average age of just 19 or 20.

Lest we forget who you were, lest we forget what you did, lest we forget that you gave up all your tomorrows, so we can have our today.

But the other part of Anzac Day is just as important.

It s not about gratitude and memory.

It is about looking forward to the lives we want to live, to the country we want to build.

And when you do that, you wonder about their memories of home.

I know that their memory was a happy one, because it was a place called Australia.

And for many, it was a place called Warrandyte.

And that is a place that stood for something it still does.

A place that we will dedicate ourselves to be one that is worthy of their memory, worthy of their sacrifice and if required, one that is worth fighting for.”

Photos Bill McAuley and Anna Maree

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Community input on housing strategy

MELBOURNE’S population is growing, currently topping 5.3 million; it is predicted to surpass 6M by 2035 and 8M by 2051.

This surge in population is a significant factor in the current housing crisis, causing housing affordability to be at a generational low.

In September 2023, the Victorian Government released Victoria’s Housing Statement: The decade ahead 2024–2034, setting a target to build 800,000 homes in Victoria over the next decade.

For those living in green wedge townships like Warrandyte, the ever-present spectre of suburban encroachment is more real than ever.

However, thankfully, both state and local governments are working to protect the green wedge by establishing high-density centres around shopping precincts and main roads.

As reported in the March M&N Bulletin, the State Government also released the Green Wedge and Agricultural Land Action Plan in mid-March, aiming to enshrine planning protections in planning policy.

At its March 26 meeting, Council endorsed the Manningham Residential Discussion Paper (March 2024) to be put out for community consultation in April and May.

Councillors discussed the municipality’s unique range of urban and leafy suburbs, rural lifestyle areas and vibrant activity centres.

However, with the population expected to increase by more than 18,000 in the next 12 years, more than 8,000 new homes will be needed in Manningham.

Today, most of the population in Manningham live in single detached homes.

As the community changes, Council says it will need to plan for a range of homes catering to varying needs and different life stages.

Councillors heard how the location of future housing also needs to be carefully planned to support the affordability, sustainability, and character of Manningham’s suburbs.

Cr Geoff Gough spoke to the endorsement motion.

“There are a lots of issues in where we should build, and this is what the discussion paper [addresses] — where we should put high density, at what height we should do it, how dense it should be.

“But the thing that is going to hit local government is the absolute cost of extra infrastructure, because that infrastructure is going to be put onto ratepayers and local government to build that infrastructure.

“We know we have already got pressures on sporting grounds and things, we already know we are way behind with roads, and we have huge drainage problems, but when it comes to more intense development, it is going to put huge issues onto Council that we have to make provision for into the future.

“We do have a residential strategy, but the state government in recent times have moved in a number of policy areas, which have thrown up a number of questions that we are going to have to address into the future.

“This document is going to go out to public consultation, and we are going to do a revised residential strategy.”

The first stage in developing the new residential strategy is the preparation of the Manningham Residential Discussion Paper, which identifies four themes to underpin Manningham’s housing future:

  • Location and connectedness
  • Housing design quality
  • Neighbourhood character
  • Housing choice, diversity and affordability

Mayor of Manningham Carli Lange told the meeting these themes would set the foundation for how growth is managed and how Council and community can work together to achieve desired outcomes for all.

A survey has been prepared as part of the engagement activities and will seek community feedback on current and future housing needs of the existing neighbourhood character precincts.

  • Council will also be seeking feedback on its draft Neighbourhood Character Study, which has identified nine neighbourhood character precincts:
  • Garden Court 1: Doncaster East, Templestowe Lower and Wonga Park (south)
  • Garden Court 2: Matthew’s subdivision, Tindals Road Donvale
  • Garden Suburban: Bulleen, Doncaster, Doncaster East and Lower Templestowe
  • Infill/Contemporary: Main roads — Doncaster Road, Manningham Road, Williamsons Road
  • Remnant Bush Low Density: Donvale, Park Orchards, Wonga Park, Warrandyte, Templestowe
  • Exotic Bush Low Density: Wembley Gardens, Donvale
  • Templestowe Low Density: Templestowe, Lower Templestowe
  • Warrandyte Bush Garden: Warrandyte
  • Rural Lifestyle: Warrandyte South, Donvale, Park Orchards, Wonga Park, and isolated pockets of Templestowe and Lower Templestowe

Cr Anna Chen told the meeting the existing 2012 Manningham Residential Strategy and associated planning controls have been generally successful in meeting the municipality’s housing growth objectives.

In particular, the strategy has been instrumental in directing higher-density housing to the preferred locations, namely along main roads and surrounding activity centres.

“We have to be mindful that since then, the State Government has implemented several new city-shaping infrastructure projects across Melbourne — the Big Build, which includes the Eastern Freeway upgrade and the North East Link.

“Last year, the Victorian Government released the Housing strategy, it introduced streamlined pathways for housing related assessments including a greater ministerial role, which means the minister can intervene if she wishes.”

Council will hold Stage 1 consultation on the Residential Discussion Paper, which is proposed for six weeks from April 8 to May 19 via Your Say Manningham: yoursay.Manningham.vic/gov.au/residential-strategy.

Ringwood identified as Activity Centre

Building more homes up — not just out — in established suburbs is one of many initiatives outlined in the Housing Statement.

Communities across 10 established Melbourne suburban centres are being given a chance to have their say on the State Government’s plans to build more homes close to jobs, transport, and public services.

Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny said, “As part of our landmark Housing Statement, we’re enabling 60,000 more homes to be built across established suburbs, ensuring more Victorians have access to affordable housing close to services, jobs and transport.”

Ringwood was one of the initial 10 suburban centres chosen for their potential to accommodate more homes while ensuring access to amenities.

The Ringwood Activity Centre is between the Ringwood Bypass and the train line, including Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood Square Shopping Centre, Realm, Ringwood Lake Park, and surrounding shops, parks, and municipal buildings.

The project is reviewing building heights and design rules for the Ringwood Activity Centre to allow for more, good-quality homes to be built in the area.

This project will build on the City of Maroondah’s existing work for Ringwood, including the Ringwood Major Activity Centre (MAC) Master Plan.

Insights from Maroondah Council’s existing work, new input from Council, and community engagement will inform the development of clear new rules for the area.

“We’re working with local councils to guide investment in the things that matter to you, like improved streets, parks and community infrastructure,” the Minister said.

As plans for the Activity Centres develop, she said the Government will work closely with communities and councils to review design requirements and building heights.

Residents are encouraged to have their say on what they love most about their area to help shape the future of their communities.

Victoria is the fastest-growing state in the country, so these changes are crucial to accommodate Melbourne’s growing population, which is set to be the size of London’s by the 2050s.

“We want to hear from communities on how best we can accommodate more housing choices while ensuring their suburbs maintain their liveability,” said Ms Kilkenny.”

Feedback will also guide investment in the things a thriving, liveable, and growing suburb needs, such as community facilities, public spaces, and parks.

For more information, visit vpa.vic.gov.au/metropolitan/activity-centres.

Dennis Clarke named 2023 Manningham Citizen of the Year

Manningham Council has announced its 2023 Manningham Civic awardees who go above and beyond for our community through volunteer or paid work.
The Civic Awards, held in September each year, shine light on the incredible and selfless people in Manningham who give so much of themselves to the community without expecting anything in return.
To the award recipients, helping others and volunteering their time comes from a deeper sense of purpose.
“It’s what we are born to do.
It’s what life is all about.
“Nothing in this world gives more of a sense of achievement,” says Dennis Clarke, Manningham Citizen of the Year.
Manningham’s Mayor Cr Deirdre Diamante attended the award ceremony last month and thanked the winners for their service to the community.
“Manningham is home to remarkable people who go above and beyond for our community.
“I feel privileged to recognise and celebrate their achievements on behalf of Manningham and to share their inspiring stories,” Cr Diamante said.
The five category winners are:

Citizen of the Year
Dennis Clarke

Dennis is a pillar within the community through his work with Doncaster RSL as the Senior Vice President, Secretary of RAEME Vietnam Southern Chapter (previously Inaugural President), Anzac and Poppy Appeals, active participant of committees such as VVAA Box Hill Committee, ALPGA, VACC, RACV and more.
As well as the many hours volunteering and working for committees, Dennis spends time calling other Vietnam veterans, talking to them, checking in on their mental health and making sure that they are okay.
Though he considers himself extremely lucky, Dennis’ own traumatic experiences from the Vietnam War influenced his sense of purpose to unite, acknowledge and take care of others with similar experiences.
Dennis championed mental health for war veterans before awareness was prevalent in society. His compassion for people who are struggling and his determination to help those in need is an example of how important Dennis is to the RSL community and Manningham more broadly.
Dot Haynes OAM, Doncaster RSL Secretary, told the Bulletin, “Dennis does so much for so many and is a high achiever for the members and community.
“Doing maintenance when there is no one around at the Doncaster RSL as well as initiating some of our events, especially ensuring our ANZAC, Remembrance and Vietnam services and Appeals get much support from others as well.

Doreen Stoves Volunteer of the Year
Frank Johnston

Frank has been volunteering for Manningham organisations for over 30 years.
He has dedicated himself to those groups including, Manningham Uniting Church, LinC Manningham Inc., MannaCare nursing home, Outback Links, Blaze Aid and planting trees for the Tree Project.
Janet van Leerdam, a fellow LinC Manningham Inc., member, nominated Frank for the award.
“Frank is a selfless person who has been giving to others for many years, especially since retirement.”

Sports Volunteer of the Year
Caroline Clarkson

Caroline has devoted her energy to the Committee of Doncaster Dolphins Masters Swimming club in various roles such as, club Registrar, Recorder, Secretary and President.

Community Organisation of the Year
LinC Manningham Inc

LinC Manningham Inc. is a community organisation made up of volunteers from various Christian churches within Manningham.
It provides house cleaning, social support to new migrants and women affected by domestic violence, home cooked meals, decluttering homes, gardening, goods from Eastern Emergency Relief, or even the little things like taking clients out for a coffee or to do their shopping.

Young Volunteer of the Year
Shin Thant (Berry) Eain

Berry is committed to making a difference and is determined to bridge the gap between local and international students within her school and also wider community.
Berry is an incredible role model to her peers and an advocate for student voice.
“As a young teenager and a female student (in Myanmar), I never had the privilege to explore concepts like human rights and democracy.
“I intend to grasp any opportunity that is presented to me and make the most out of my experience here as a proud international student by volunteering and helping those who may experience the same circumstances as me,” Berry said when describing her inspiration.

Highly Commended Community Organisation
Doncaster Junior Football Club

DJFL fosters the importance of sportsmanship, diversity, teamwork and pride in local community whilst also consistently working towards a community culture that enriches friendships and fosters joy in sport.
“Hundreds, if not thousands, of children have transitioned through the club over its 50 plus year history.
“Each child has brought with them an extended family who have visited and contributed to the club culture.
“All of them have benefited from the club’s environment and in turn the community it has created,” Michelle Taylor, who nominated the club, said.
Manningham Council is exceptionally proud to have such outstanding local heroes and recognises their invaluable contributions to the local community.

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Gathering Circle takes shape at wonguim wilam

VISITORS TO wonguim wilam will notice a stunning new installation, with the completion of a Gathering Circle as the first part of an Indigenous art installation at the riverside park.
The work, by prominent Melbourne-based fine artist, muralist and creative, Simone Thomson, will be installed this year and includes an entrance sculpture and Gathering Circle.
This new addition highlights the significance of the area to Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people and reflects the preservation of culture.
“The Gathering Circle is a place where community comes to connect with one another.
“This is how our oral history has been passed on for thousands of generations,” said Simone.
The gathering circle takes advantage of sightline across to the Birrarung and is three metres in diameter, to invite the community to come together.
Edged by stone seating the gathering circle is organic in form and features Simone’s intricate design in stone and paint, mirroring the natural palette of the surrounding environment and reflecting on themes of country, culture and community.
A sculpture will be installed during the summer months, making up the second part of Simone’s artwork at wonguim wilam.
Simone is a Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Yorta-Yorta Traditional Owner through her mother, and her art is inspired by her, “spiritual connection to Country and the rich colours and textures of the earth and sky”.
Simone said, “In the Aboriginal way, the Gathering Circle or meeting place is a place where community comes to connect with one another, to sit down and discuss cultural business and family matters and to learn and share stories.”
“This is how our oral history has been passed on for thousands of generations — by facing one another with respect and hearing our songlines and men’s and women’s business from our Elders, our knowledge holders and leaders who are our teachers.”
Simone added that the Gathering Circle would represent the importance of community and the preservation of cultural practices significant to the oldest continuous culture on Earth.
“It will be a place of reflection on country and offer a peaceful connection to the lands and waterways in which it sits along the beautiful Birrarung, the river of mist and shadows.”
Manningham Mayor, Cr Deirdre Diamante, touched on the significance of stories to public art.
“When it comes to public art, it’s so important that we consider the works’ appearance within the context of what inspired it and the story it is telling.
“Through the Gathering Circle, Simone is extending the whole community an open invitation to come together, connect and reflect on the incredible cultural significance of Warrandyte.
“This art is also functional and immersive, providing a special place for residents and visitors to do just that,” the Mayor added.
The entrance sculpture will be in the form of a boomerang to be installed in the coming months.
It will be situated at the entrance of the park and standing tall from hand carved cedar pine, the boomerang sculpture will welcome all visitors to wonguim wilam while also acting as an invitation to return as visitors depart.

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Photos: CHARLIE KINROSS

Council conducted the commission in consultation with Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
Find out more about the work at www.manningham.vic.gov.au/news/wonguim-wilam-public-art-commission.

Premiership win for WNC Kangaroos

IN A THRILLING finish to the season, the Warrandyte Netball Club (WNC) U13 Kangaroos came back from a five-goal deficit in the final quarter to win the Section 1 Grand Final by just two points.
Saturday, June 17, was Grand Final Day for the Manningham Netball Autumn competition and the culmination of 11 regular season rounds (12 rounds for the U9s and U11s who do not play finals) and two rounds of finals.
Although WNC had six teams compete in the semi-finals two weeks earlier, only the Kangaroos made it to the Grand Final.
The WNC U13 Wallabies, U15 Emus and Lyrebirds, Open A/B Kestrels and Open C Eagles had all played well during the season to reach the finals but lost to stronger teams in their semis.
Club glory rested with the Kangaroos, up against top-of-the-ladder Eltham Panthers Stars.
The Stars were undefeated in the regular season, with the Kangaroos’ only three losses being against the Stars.
At three-quarter time, the Kangaroos were trailing by three goals.
Kangaroos’ coach Amy Graham had spent the season building her team’s belief in themselves and their teammates, knowing this was just as important as developing their fitness and technical skills.
The Kangaroos had had a far-from-ideal lead-up to the final, with one of their key players suffering a season-ending knee injury during a mothers-and-daughters social game a few weeks earlier.
They had also had a disrupted final week, having to move their training session to Andersons Creek Primary School due to the media presence at Warrandyte Reserve.
It was now-or-never in the final quarter, and after such a disruptive run-up to the final, it would have been easy, and perhaps expected, for the team to drop their heads and console themselves with second place and another loss to a team that had already beaten them three times during the regular season.
Instead, the Kangaroos dug deep, held their nerve, and shot seven consecutive goals in eight minutes to emerge victorious with a final score of 17–15.
Congratulations to the Kangaroos for their stunning win, and commiserations to the Stars, whose disappointment mirrored the Kangaroos’ excitement.
The two teams had a great rivalry during the Autumn season, which will no doubt be continued during the Spring season.
Thank you to all the volunteers who help run the club, from the coaches, team managers, committee members, and everyone who helps at our functions and social events.
Thank you also to Warrandyte Community Bank for supporting our club and “Project Reconnect”, which has helped our community of players and families reconnect and return to the club after several years of COVID-related disruption.
Although our team numbers are still down from pre-COVID, they are up from a year ago, and we have two new Open teams starting next season, with one playing in the social competition on Tuesday evenings and the other playing in the regular competition on Saturday afternoons.
To the WNC community — we hope you enjoyed the season break and we look forward to seeing you at training.

Glamour, sparkle and firefighters

THE DIAMOND of the Warrandyte social calendar, Fireball, is less than one month away.
This grass-roots gala event is coming home, offering a chance for valued guests to don their sparkliest frocks or their most dashing duds for a night of glitz, glamour, great food, and amazing entertainment, right on your doorstep.
Love is in the air for our volunteer firefighters, the place to be is Bramleigh Estate, and the night of nights is July 29, when the who’s-who of our amazing community will be Strictly Fireball.
Prepare to immerse yourself in an evening of splendour as you step into the beautiful Bramleigh Estate.
Throughout the night, guests will be treated to an uplifting array of entertainment, carefully curated to ensure an enjoyable, inspiring, and enchanting evening.
Prepare to be mesmerised by breathtaking live performances, from talented musicians and dancers.
No gala ball is complete without a delectable culinary experience.
Bramleigh’s expert chef has meticulously crafted a four-course menu that will tantalise your taste buds.
Savour the sumptuous flavours of gourmet cuisine, indulge in delightful desserts and raise a glass to toast the power of community.
All food, drinks, and entertainment are included in the ticket price.
The evening will feature various opportunities to further contribute and support the cause that lies at the heart of the ball.
Returning guests will be familiar with the event’s champagne bar; this year, featuring delicious Pommery Champagne and offers all purchasers an opportunity to win a diamond valued at $5,000.
Don’t miss out.
Secure your tickets now to ensure your place at the gala ball of the year.
They really are the hottest tickets in town.
Ticket sales will not only grant access to an unforgettable evening but also contribute directly to fundraising efforts.
Visit Fireball Warrandyte’s website, www.fireball.org.au, to secure tickets and obtain further information about the event.
Please note, ticket availability may be limited, and it is encouraged to act swiftly to secure a spot.
Fireball is the local Fundraising Gala Ball of the year, where elegance meets philanthropy, and together, we can make a real difference.
Let’s make this evening one to remember.

FOGO commences in Manningham

DID YOU KNOW, on average, 56 per cent of the waste in our red-lidded bin is food waste?
Until now, the contents of our red-lid bins have been going to landfill, where all that food waste is released into the atmosphere as the harmful greenhouse gas methane as it decomposes.
Manningham Council is working towards a greener future by reducing food waste from residential garbage bins and diverting food waste from landfill through the Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) waste collection initiative.
This will help the government meet climate change emission reduction targets. Manningham’s FOGO service is now in effect.
Rachelle Quattrocchi, Director of City Services at Manningham Council, told the Diary that all Victorian Councils will introduce FOGO services by 2030 to assist in achieving the State Government target of diverting 80 per cent of waste from landfill by that year.
“Locally, removing food waste from residential garbage bins in Manningham will divert up to 20,000 tonnes per year from landfill — that’s enough waste to fill the outdoor pool at Aquarena 40 times,” she said.
She said when food waste breaks down in landfill, it creates methane, a greenhouse gas which is 23 times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. “Additionally, Australia’s landfill space is almost at capacity, and the cost of disposing of waste in landfill is continually increasing.
“Our focus is to collaborate with the community and provide information to assist residents with the introduction of FOGO,” she said.
By now, every household should have received a FOGO starter kit consisting of a kitchen caddy, a year’s supply (150) of compostable liners, and a new collection calendar.
The plastic-free compostable liners are Australian-certified and are actually made of vegetables.
They are very handy and should be used to help you collect and carry your household food scraps.
From May 2024, Council plans to provide each household with an annual resupply of compostable liners, which will be available to collect from Manningham Civic Centre or the Council Depot.
Remember, only lime green compostable liners with certified symbols of AS 4736 and AS 5810 are allowed to be placed into your FOGO bin.
If households run out before the annual resupply, major supermarkets sell alternatives such as the My Eco Bag brand, which sells a 36-litre, 25-pack for around $10. The FOGO Caddy is designed to be placed in your kitchen, and then, once full, the liner bags can be put into your existing, green-lidded bin, which, as of July 3, is now your FOGO bin.
The food and garden waste will be processed at Bio Gro, an organics facility in Dandenong, turning your organic waste into hi-grade compost, which will be used in farms and gardens across Victoria.
The rollout of the FOGO service also means changing how often bins are collected; the green-lidded FOGO bin will be collected weekly, while the red-lidded bin will be collected fortnightly, rotating collection with the yellow-lidded bins.
Ms Quattrocchi said Council will be tracking how the program is going, through weekly bin audits, to determine if more education is needed.
“Reducing waste to landfill will help us achieve net zero emissions for the organisation’s operations by 2028 and net zero community emissions by 2035,” she said.

What can go in the FOGO bin?

The rule of thumb is if you can eat it and grow it in the ground, you can put it in your FOGO bin.
For example:

  • fruit and vegetables
  • meat and bones
  • seafood
  • eggs and dairy
  • bread and pasta
  • rice and cereal
  • tissues and paper towel
  • shredded paper
  • garden waste
What cannot go in your FOGO bin?

Anything that is not compostable and will not be able to be processed, which includes:

  • food packaging
  • plastic wrapping
  • stickers
  • rubber bands
  • tins
  • biodegradable products
  • clam and oyster shells
  • liquids, fats, greases and oils
  • treated or painted timber and building materials
  • animal waste,
  • cat litter
  • vacuum dust
  • tea bags

Because some tea bags are made with metal staples, plastic, and nylons, they must be cut open with only the tea leaves allowed to go into the FOGO bin.

No change for businesses

Ms Quattrocchi told the Diary, all businesses with a Council commercial waste service will remain on a weekly red-lidded bin collection.
She said collection for business is incorporated within the waste collection of public litter bins which include those at activity centres and bus stops.
Currently, FOGO is not being rolled out for commercial properties.

Will the council charge residents higher rates?

The answer is no, as FOGO will be part of the annual waste service charge.
According to council modelling, the savings made by diverting 40 to 80 per cent of food waste from landfill will account for the cost of the FOGO service, so there should be no additional waste charge for FOGO.
However, households may need to upsize one or all of their bins due to the change in how waste is collected and processed; details of this and the costs involved can be found on Manningham Council’s website.
For households with two or more children under four — who may be impacted due to the necessity to dispose of used nappies, Council offers discounted bin upsizing options saving eligible households around $168 per year.
Details of this scheme and information about Manningham’s waste service, in general, can be found at manningham.vic.gov.au/waste-and-recycling.
Ms Quattrocchi said Council is using a variety of measures to help achieve its corporate and community emission targets, including:

  • Advocating for improved public transport
  • Promoting solar and other energy-saving measures for residents and businesses
  • Investing in water-sensitive urban planning, design, and drainage solutions
  • Harvesting stormwater for open-space irrigation
  • Improving how Council responds to extreme weather emergencies and providing support to vulnerable residents
  • Increasing the number of energy-efficient LED streetlights in Manningham
  • Supporting the rollout of electric vehicle infrastructure
  • Partnering with the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO) for wind-powered grid electricity and the Northern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (NAGA).
See the FOGO process in action

Readers who are interested in exactly what happens to their food and garden waste are invited to see for themselves on one of Manningham Council’s tours of the Bio Gro facility.
Tours start and end at Manningham Civic Centre, with a bus to transport those attending to the facility based in Dandenong South.
The next tour is currently scheduled for Tuesday, August 8.
For more information and to book your spot on the tour, visit manningham.vic.gov.au/events/fogo-tours-see-bio-gro-organics-facility.

Warrandyte Netball Club supports breast cancer fundraiser

MANNINGHAM Netball courts in Templestowe turned pink to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA).
On May 13, Warrandyte Netball Club (WNC) was excited to take part in the day organised by East Doncaster Netball Club, where players and spectators were encouraged to wear some pink and donate a gold coin to help support a worthy cause.
The highlight of the day was the mothers and daughter games, where girls ranging in age from seven to 17 teamed up with their mothers to play against teams from other clubs.
After halftime, the tables were turned and daughters from both teams combined to take on the mothers.
This led to far more competitive games, and although no-one was keeping score, the daughters made it very clear when they scored a goal against their mother.
Although it was Mother’s Day the next day, the daughters refused to show any mercy during the games and took full advantage of their own youthful enthusiasm and fitness.
WNC was proud to field four of the eight teams, showing great club spirit and commitment and having a lot of fun at the same time.
The club won the award for “Club with most participants” as well as some of the “Prettiest in pink”, “Most spectacular goal”, and “Best defender” awards that were given to players from each game.
The games re-awakened the competitive spirit in some mothers who are now looking to take up the sport once again and play either on a Tuesday evening or Saturday afternoon.
If you might be interested in joining a team, please email registrar@warrandytenetball.org to register your interest.
The day was a great fundraising success with over $3,000 being raised for BCNA.
Thank you to everyone who turned out to support the day, and we are looking forward to next year’s event.

Climate change threatens platypus in your river

Photo Melinda Casey

Photo Melinda Casey

HOW MANY of us have wandered down to the Yarra, Birrarung River in Warrandyte in search of the ever-elusive platypus?
We know they call this special part of the world home, but these cherished creatures are under threat.
From habitat loss and urbanisation to pollution and climate change, our platypus friends face numerous challenges.
Keep reading as we explore the dangers they confront and discover the urgent actions needed to safeguard their existence in the heart of the Yarra, Birrarung River.
Human activities such as damming upstream, excessive water extraction and alterations to the riverÕs flow disrupt the delicate balance necessary for the platypus to thrive.
These changes reduce water quality, impacting the availability of the platypusÕs favourite prey, including crustaceans, insects, and small fish.
Moreover, sediment accumulation, nutrient runoff, and invasive species further degrade their habitat, making it increasingly challenging for these captivating creatures to find suitable shelter, construct their burrows, and rear their young along the banks of the Yarra, Birrarung River.
Humans are also masters of pollution.
Industrial and agricultural activities and urbanisation introduce toxic chemicals such as pesticides, fertilisers, heavy metals, and plastics into our waterways.
Unfortunately, these pollutants contaminate the platypusÕs vital food sources, leading to long-term health problems and reproductive complications.
Chemical contaminants can accumulate in their bodies, compromising their immune systems and can result in untimely deaths.
The ingestion of plastic debris, mistaken for food, poses a severe risk, causing blockages in their digestive systems and leaving them vulnerable to starvation.
In the ever-changing landscape along the Yarra, Birrarung River, our platypus companions also face a heartbreaking loss of their precious homes.
Deforestation, land clearing, and rapid urban development encroach upon their habitats, leaving fewer places for them to forage, nest, and raise their young.
The loss of vegetation along the riverbanks exacerbates the situation, contributing to increased water temperature, bank erosion, and instability.
This combination threatens their survival, as the platypus population becomes fragmented, and their genetic diversity diminishes.
The encroachment of human activities takes a toll, leaving these remarkable creatures vulnerable to environmental changes and the outbreak of diseases within the heart of the Yarra, Birrarung River.
And on top of everything else, there is climate change.
Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns disrupt the delicate equilibrium of their habitat.
Heatwaves and altered weather patterns make it difficult for platypuses to regulate their body temperature, leading to stress and reduced reproductive success.
Extreme weather events like droughts and floods wreak havoc on their homes, washing away nesting burrows and leaving individuals displaced.
These environmental disruptions pose immense challenges to the platypus population, straining their ability to adapt and survive amidst the changing climate along the Yarra, Birrarung.
So, despite all these threats, how can we help?
Reduce pollution by properly disposing of waste.
Participate in local clean-up events to remove litter and plastics from the river.
Follow fishing regulations, use barbless hooks, and release non-target species promptly.
Join local conservation groups such as the Friends of Warrandyte State Park, volunteer for platypus monitoring programs, and contribute to fundraising efforts of organisations that protect our waterways.
Advocate for urgent action on climate change.
Maintain healthy riverbanks by minimising disturbance and avoiding activities that contribute to erosion along the river corridor.
Spread the word about the importance of platypus conservation within the community.
By actively engaging in these actions, we can all contribute to the long-term conservation of the platypus in the Yarra, Birrarung River and ensure their survival for future generations.
Charlotte Sterrett is a member of WarrandyteCAN a local climate change action group that campaigns for positive changes to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Find WarrandyteCAN on Facebook for more information

Even if you are little, you can do a lot!

WHS presents Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical

WARRANDYTE High School’s Matilda will captivate an eager audience with high energy dance numbers, catchy songs, and a wonderful production.
On stage for four performances, from June 16-18, this is one production not to be missed.
Living with unappreciative and uncaring parents, Matilda Wormwood (played by Sophie Dibb) is sent to an excessively olde-worlde school – Crunchem Hall.
Armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, Matilda dares to take a stand at this cruel and oppressive school, with miraculous results.
With the help of a kind hearted teacher, Miss Jenny Honey (played by Rhianna Cummings and Amber Gedge), Matilda uses her telekinetic abilities to settle the score after her tyrannical headmistress, Miss Agatha Trunchbull, brutally bullies her and her fellow students.
The diabolically evil Miss Trunchbull is superbly played by Curtis Konynenburg.
Bullies, however, can’t take on people who put up a fight.
The audience will be taken on a heroic journey of intrigue and wonderment as justice is restored.
Highlighting the senses, the visual glamour of the production will bedazzle an audience with sets and lighting by Gavin D Andrew, music by Tim Minchin, and an all-star cast from Warrandyte High School.
An array of fun effects has been added with pigtails being thrown around, magical chalk writing on black boards, and students (in particular, Bruce Bogtrotter played by Stephanie Lawry) being forced to eat whole Scrumdiddely chocolate cakes in three minutes.
The costume department, under Jho Suckling and Lilli Rose Lawrence, help showcase the fun, raucous and exciting characters with a smorgasbord of wonderful garments.
Keep an eye open for the injection of genuinely sourced local garments in When I Grow Up, a song that sees the young children looking at themselves in the mirror reflecting their grown-up selves.
See if you can guess what they become from just what they are wearing.
It is a truly touching moment in the show.
The overall student cast is superb.

Miss Honey, played alternately by Rihanna Cummings and Amber Gedge, is a heartening character and the epitome of the teacher we all wish we had.
Miss Honey is the only role which has been “doubled”.
Not because of any COVID protocols but simply because they both just suited the role perfectly.
Rhianna said “the production has been a lot of hard work but it’s worth it”.
As Matilda, Sophie Dibb, in Year 7, found herself in the title role in her first year at high school.
In this massive role, her beautiful singing voice, willingness to work hard and an innate cheekiness, makes her the ideal hero of this production.
“I feel lucky that I get to experience being part of such a great community and that I am able to be involved in this really fun performance in Year 7.
“I have worked very hard and I am excited to get the show on the road, and I really hope others will enjoy it as much as I do,” Sophie said.
Matilda Wormwood’s parents are truly horrible.
The audience will be teetering on the edge of their seats whether to laugh out loud, or just boo them off stage.
Playing the horrible Mr and Mrs Wormwood, Amber Robertson and Chloe Minogue, were both sceptical.
“We didn’t even like each other’s characters, but being part of this production has formed a new-found friendship.”
The hilariously evil Miss Trunchbull is superbly played by Curtis Konynenburg.
His wonderful blend of comic timing and portrayal of tyrannical brutality is reason alone to experience this production.
Bringing together this fine cast and ensemble is Director Gavin D Andrew.
Gavin said, “Matilda is an absolutely inspirational and fun show to direct.
“Roald Dahl can start off and then slowly (and often without you realising it) enter a heightened reality that if you sat and thought about it – couldn’t really happen – but somehow in a Dahl story it does.”
Gavin added, “Dahl makes a clear distinction between the heroes and villains and always makes sure the villains get their just desserts.”
A wonderful production is not just about a superb cast and a timeless story.
Gavin was quick to point out the enormity of the production encompassing not only the technical aspects of the show.
Broader support is required by not only students, parents and teachers and staff of the school, but also tentacles reaching into and strengthening relationships with the Warrandyte community.
Warrandyte High School uses its home advantage well.
“Having their own theatre is an absolute blessing,” said Gavin.
“It greatly assists with all aspects of the show, allowing students for example, to develop skills in lighting and audio over the course of the production.
“Many schools can spend thousands on these aspects of a production.”
Great support from parents turning up at working bees, handing out flyers or helping with hair and make up greatly enhances the overall production.
The plethora of support provided by school staff and teachers underpins and enhances the production in both a practical and magical way.
Lisa White, an art teacher, along with her band of students make regular visits to the theatre and keep adding to the fun and playfulness of the set.
Linga Naidoo, another teacher at the school specialising in woodwork, has been creating the foundation of the set along with some fun props that greatly assist in telling the story.
Gavin said, “Working closely with Jake Newton, Linga Naidoo and Lisa White has been an absolute joy for me.
“Even just walking into reception and the warm greetings from Bev, Anne and Sandra is always a lovely way to start a day.”
“Principal Rachel Lynch has been wonderfully supportive and even the intrepid groundskeeper, Bucky, seems to appear from nowhere whenever I need rescuing from a blown fuse or other calamity.”
Overall, an enthralling production not to be missed.
Well done Warrandyte High School.
For tickets, head to: trybooking.com/events/landing/1052960.

State Budget makes good on Election promises

LABOR CANDIDATE Naomi Oakley made an election commitment before the 2022 State Election to provide $300,000 for new cricket nets for Warrandyte Cricket Club, which has been honoured in the State Budget 2022/23.
Despite Ms Oakley not being successful in her bid for the seat of Warrandyte, and even before the spectre of the Warrandyte byelection was on the cards, MPs for North East Metropolitan Region, Sonja Terpstra and Sean Leane attended the Warrandyte Cricket Club on Budget Day to deliver on that commitment.
She said this will mean that the club can continue to be a place that members and the broader community can stay active and engaged.
“The Andrews Government recognises the importance of community sport,” she told the club executive at the announcement.
“I know you guys do a great job here, you play such an important role and I know this club is an amazing club, how you engage with everyone.
“The sense of community and pride is amazing, so we couldn’t be happier to be delivering that promise,” she said.
Club President Royce Jaksic said last season the club fielded nine Senior sides, 16 Juniors, Over 40s, Over 50s, Over 60s and Over 70s, as well as Women’s and Girls’ teams.
“We’re the largest club in the RDCA, which is amazing because we’re a pretty small community when you think about it,” Mr Jaksic said.
He said next season there were plans for an all-abilities side.
He said the current nets are a health and safety issue as they intrude into the playing field.
“If there’s a game going on out in the centre, particularly cricket, and we’ve got people training, if a six gets hit, someone’s going to get killed,” he said.
He said it is also an issue during the cross over between cricket and football seasons.
A major concern is children can climb on top of the existing cages.
Mr Jasic said the new nets would be designed to make that “impossible”.
Mr Leane said: “The Labor Andrews Government understands that local sporting clubs are at the heart of so many communities.
“It’s why we’re funding upgrades to the Warrandyte Cricket Club.”

Upgrade for dog parks

Ms Terpstra and Mr Leane also announced the Budget was providing funding for upgrading the dog parks at Stiggants Reserve, Warrandyte.
A spokesperson from Ms Terpstra’s office said the announcement was about providing funding, the details of the park “still to be hashed out”.
“They’ll likely be run and maintained by council, with details of the build and requirements to be negotiated, including individual funding amounts”.
He said Stiggants was marked for funding as it is known to be popular with local dog owners.
Exactly what that will look like is still up for speculation, as Manningham Council currently has no plans to make changes to Stiggants Reserve.
Manningham’s Director City Planning, Duncan Turner told the Diary, Council was pleased to see the recent State Budget allocation to upgrade up to 22 dog parks.
“We understand Lawford Reserve Doncaster and Stiggants Reserve Warrandyte are on the list, but we have no further details about the funding,” he said.

Park Orchards Community House

Ms Terpstra and Mr Leane also announced a funding for Park Orchards Community House & Learning Centre a budget allocation of $60,000 to go towards important upgrades to their learning centre.
Ms Terpstra said: “Everyone in Park Orchards knows the community house and learning centre and how they have been serving our community for years.
“I’m proud to give back to those who have given so much to us.”