Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) Otway district manager David Roberts said the burn would begin today (Friday) or early next week, depending on weather conditions.

It will be the first ever planned burn for the reserve and follows on from the devastating 2018 St Patrick’s Day fires which destroyed the northern rim of the volcanic crater.

Initially scheduled for April last year, the burn was delayed until after the busy Easter holiday season and then delayed further due to earlier than usual heavy rainfall.

A rescheduled burn date set for the following spring was also delayed, due to drier conditions than expected.

Mr Roberts said undergrowth at the North Beach area flourished after the 2018 fires for a number of reasons.

“Firstly, there was a sudden flush of nutrients in the soil,” he said.

“The fire burnt through the tree canopy as well, which let a lot more sun through which spurred on growth.

“Another factor is the fact that North Beach is at the bottom of the water line – water from the higher slopes naturally runs down there.”

The post fire conditions meant native species bounced back readily, as well as introduced weeds.

The burn-off is planned to take place between the dirt road that circumnavigates the lake around North Beach and the lake’s edge.

Mr Roberts said the result was a mix of natives and weeds, with tall grasses dominating.

“Our aim is to get the area lit, clear the grassy area up and patrol it,” he said.

“The burn will be less severe in heat intensity than the St Patrick’s Day fire and burn the lower fuels, such as grasses, leaf litter and small branches about the size of a human finger.

“We will start the fire at one end and work our way across the slope, taking care not to impact on the revegetation work that has previously taken place there.”

The low, slow moving burn is expected to give native animals an opportunity to move away from the fire, either up the North Beach hill or onto private property.

DELWP staff carried out preparatory works at the reserve last week.

“Our team was clearing trees around the road edge so there would be no risk of trees falling over vehicles, or of the fire jumping across the road,” Mr Roberts said.

“We will be working with the local CFA during the burn as well.”

Winners with nett 37.5 were Ruth Skene, Jeanette Lambell and visitor Emma Hitchings.

Marg White, Doreen Horan with their guest  Jo Lillie finished runners-up with nett 38.5.

Gusting winds made nearest the pins hard to come by, but newcomer Lauren McLennan was closest on both the 9th and 17th greens. 

The club is hosting a coaching clinic with professional Craig Bonney from Warrnambool on Wednesday, March 18 from 3.45pm to 5.45pm.

Anyone who wishes to attend the clinic or who would like to give golf a go can contact women’s captain Liz Fry on 0412 660 395. 

Next week the new season opens with a stroke round for the monthly medal, putting competition and first silver spoon of the year. 

Presentations will be made after golf, match committee is on duty.

The club’s division one campaign ended in stunning fashion on Saturday, with Golf knocking over top side Simpson 104-94 to avoid relegation.

It capped off a magnificent fightback from a club that has at times endured inconsistency, unavailability and poor form, particularly early this season, with Golf’s four rink win over Colac City a fortnight ago effectively keeping their season alive.

President John Molan said his side could hardly believe how the final month of the year played out as they battled with Winchelsea to avoid the wooden spoon.

“I’ve never seen 16 blokes happier after winning a game of bowls and finishing second last,” he said.

“It was an amazing day and it was well-fought out right to the end. We came away with two rinks and the other two were very close, but the 14 points got us over the line.

“Winch unfortunately only got four and you have to feel sorry for them because absolutely it could have been us. We won two out of our last three and Winch comfortably beat us in between (our wins).”

Molan said he could not be prouder of his club’s effort to avoid relegation after conceding his side dug themselves a hole early in the year.

“It was touch and go all year,” he said.

“We won three early on and then we lost seven in a row after that which put us in a precarious position but to the club’s credit we knuckled down.

“We knew we had to win on Saturday, everybody concentrated for the full three or four hours and put some very good bowls in and we got away with it.”

The manner in which they beat off relegation is also to be noted, with Golf dismantling two of the division’s well-fancied sides.

Not many expected Golf to get close to both City or Simpson, let alone beat them, which made their effort even sweeter.

Molan said the results showed his side was capable of being a strong performer in the top flight in the future.

However, he admitted his side had a key improvement area they needed to address in the off-season if they are to extend their stay next year. 

“To beat City and Simpson in the last three rounds was very satisfying,” he said.

“It just shows we are a division one team on our day and staying in division one probably helps us attract new players to our club rather than having them come across to play division two.

“If we can do that and get them around us, we can hopefully forge our way up the ladder.

“The other thing is we need to learn to win away from home. We won five games and all of them have been at home, so we’ve just got to learn to adapt to greens outside our club.”

Meanwhile Golf’s division three side qualified for the finals but what position they finished was yet to be determined when the Camperdown Chronicle went to print due to an appeal which was heard last night.

The club was appealing a decision by the division to strip the side of 16 points following their round three win over Camperdown after the executive determined Golf had breached infringement 1.5 of the division’s rules and conditions – clubs playing unregistered, under or over qualified players will be treated as having forfeited.

Molan said the club had done its due diligence in registering the player and was disappointed with the decision and lodged an appeal to receive the points.

He said the appeal was only being heard now after correspondence between the division and his club took longer than expected to be received.

If the points are reinstated, Golf will move into second on the ladder and receive a double chance for the finals which start this Saturday.

Itemised through modern-day eDNA testing techniques, the creek was found to have 11 different fish species, four amphibians, 18 birds, 16 mammals and one reptile living within its waters or the immediate surrounds.

The Lismore Land Protection Group (LLPG) was behind the test project, enlisting the help of Derrinallum P-12 College students and interested volunteers to take about 90 water samples over an 80 kilometre stretch of the creek from Darlington in the south to Skipton in the north.

LLPG co-ordinator Rod Eldridge said three samples from 30 different sites about two kilometres apart were taken.

“The process involved forcing the water samples through a set of filters and then using those filters to match against a central DNA database of thousands of species,” he said.

“DNA has been collected from the hair, faeces and urine of all the different species in the database and scanned against the DNA found in our water samples.”

Mr Eldridge said platypuses were found at 13 different sites.

“We’re pretty pleased with that finding because the decline in platypuses is becoming a concern throughout New South Wales because of the ongoing drought and their numbers are also declining in the Yarra Ranges,” he said.

“The eDNA sampling showed they seem to be more prevalent around the more grassy riparian areas, with overhanging foliage.”

Seven sites also confirmed the presence of native water rats, concentrated predominately around the Darlington end.

Mr Eldridge said four species of native frog were identified along the entire river, including the growling grass frog, southern banjo frog, spotted marsh frog and Sudell’s frog.

“In terms of native fish, a few isolated populations of dwarf galaxis were identified, although flathead gudgeons were common right along the whole creek,” he said.

“Small populations of variegated pygmy perch were also found, though, because they are not know to be in this area, they are probably more likely to be Yarra pygmy perch.

“Small long neck turtles were also identified for the whole length of the creek.”

Mr Eldridge said the eDNA results would give a baseline for future long-term monitoring.

“The findings also mean future surveys can better pinpoint the areas to find particular species,” he said.

“We can also start to look at the data and compare the particular characteristics of the creek, such as whether it is more grassy with overhanging trees, to better understand where specific species are found.

“Up until now we would only get this kind of data through specific field surveys targeting specific species, and that is time consuming and expensive work with limited results.

“The eDNA method is much quicker, more cost effective and gives much more sweeping results.”

 As expected the water sampling also revealed the presence of cows, dogs, cats, kangaroos, possoms, sheep and rabbits in the area.

Surprise results also revealed a small number of readings for Sambar deer and pigs.

Mr Eldridge said a second survey would be taken towards the end of August, with volunteers invited to join in.

Interested people can contact the Lismore Land Protection Group office on 5596 2384.

A total of 18 athletes from the Camperdown Little Athletics Centre were in attendance, returning with 37 medals comprising 11 gold, 14 silver and 12 bronze. 

Importantly, 17 of these athletes achieved personal best results in at least one event, with a total of 38 PBs recorded over the weekend.

Event winners automatically qualified for the state championships to be held in Melbourne next month with eight Camperdown members locking themselves in.

Camperdown Little Athletics Centre secretary Kathy Hallyburton said the weekend proved to be a successful one for local competitors.

“This is a fantastic result for the club and is the largest number of athletes that have qualified for states for several years,” she said.

“The club is very proud of its athletes not only for the great results, but also for the manner in which they competed and supported each other.”

Those to qualify directly into the state championships are Dermot Conheady (1100m walk), Charlie Leishman (400m), Emily Darcy (long jump), Milla Darcy (200m), Ruby Darcy (high jump, triple jump), Nellie Sadler (1500m walk, shot put), Elsie Sinnott (long jump, triple jump) and Ruby Conheady (90m hurdles).

Further athletes may yet qualify based on results from around the state which will be determined early next week.

A long-term patient of the Camperdown hospital, Mr Mather suffers with glioblastoma (more commonly known as Locked In Syndrome) and while being fully alert and cognitive, is unable to communicate verbally and has limited use of his limbs.

Hospital manager Janine Dureau-Finn said Shaun’s abilities varied from day to day.

“Sometimes Shaun can say single words, but relies more on texting,” she said.

“Up until now he has been communicating with nursing staff by blinking his eyes and using a spelling board, there has also been a lot of charades-type communicating between he and the nursing staff.”

Ms Dureau-Finn said the Camperdown Lions Club had covered the $580 cost of a predictable communication app and a Bluetooth switch for Shaun’s iPad.

“It means he can communicate through social media networks better,” she said.

“It’s a text based app and has a voice generating component so it can speak for him, making it much easier to communicate with nursing staff and his family and friends.”

The Lions club was thanked for its support.

The side, which takes on Colac City (3) at Colac Bowling Club in the elimination final, is preparing to play their fourth consecutive finals series.  

Skipper Marg Stephens said her side was “pleased to be there but also lucky to be there” after they endured an indifferent campaign this year.

They managed to hold onto fourth spot following a narrow win over Colac (4) last Tuesday, finishing the year with a 6-6 record after earlier winning five of their first six matches. 

“It’s been a very stop and start season, we had three weeks before Christmas where we didn’t play which made it hard and we had entirely different weather before Christmas and then again after Christmas,” she said.

“It’s been a very different year as far as the weather and everything and on the green we’ve been blowing hot and cold.

“We played well last week so we need to come in and play really week again this week. We really need to play good bowls to win.”

Stephens conceded favouritism will head the way of City after they defeated Golf by 16 shots in their most recent clash two weeks ago.

She said City’s strength was their ability to draw shots to the head, but added if her side was to secure victory they needed to produce a more consistent and well-rounded effort.

“Each week is different but they’re probably a bit better at drawing in than us,” she said.

“So we just need to draw in better and consistency is also probably the key to it (winning).

“We need a fast start but we need to be up the whole day (with our effort), that’s what we need to do instead of going up and down a bit - we tend to wave up and down during the day.

“And if we can put pressure on them that would ideal but they’re a very organised team. We’ll just see what happens, we’ll be trying our best.” 

In total, the avenue boasts 540 elm trees, 250 of which are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

According to the tender documents, information obtained from the tree condition assessment will be used to meet risk requirements in the avenue into the future and to possibly form a long-term avenue management strategy.

The tender document calls for: 

• condition assessments, including vigour, trunk and main branch condition, pest and disease
• a safe useful life expectancy assessment for 
• each tree
• identification of works needed currently and in the longer-term
• tree dimensions (height and width)
• maturity health and structure
• photo at the time of assessment
• links to council’s existing tree identification mapping.

“All pruning required is to be carried out in a sensitive manner with the structural integrity of the tree not to be compromised,” the tender document stipulates.

“It is expected that the shape of the trees are consistent in shape as would be expected for an avenue of trees.”

Types of pruning flagged for the works include deadwooding, selective pruning, general crown maintenance and load reduction.

Elm tree removals are not on the current tender, but will be considered on a case-by-case basis, should they be recommended as a result of the assessment.

“The elm trees form part of the fabric of Camperdown and are therefore subject to high levels of interest from the community,” according to the tender document.

“The full extent of works will be clarified with the successful contractor dependent upon tendered prices and budget constraints.

“Council reserves the right to award some of these works this financial year and some further works in the 2020-2021 financial year, from prices submitted under this quotation.”

The successful contractor will be required to undertake a pre-works inception meeting with Corangamite Shire environment and emergency manager Lyall Bond who will oversee the project and potentially a community interest group to discuss expectations and specific site issues with the works to be undertaken.

Corangamite Shire Council will accept tenders until Wednesday, March 4, with a view to have pruning works finished by the end of April.

Detective Sergeant Andy Raven said the alleged thief targeted houses under construction on Bowyer Street in November and Bowen Street and Meiklejohn Street in December, along with a building site on Park Road, also in December.

“We had some great work carried out by some nearby residents to one of the properties who saw the man enter and leave and took a photo of the vehicle he was in,” he said.

“Combined with forensic analysis, we were able to identify the offender who was remanded in custody.

“He was also identified as being involved in similar offending on construction properties in the Geelong, Point Cook and Altona areas.”

Det Sgt Raven said the man was arrested in Geelong and would face the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on a date to be set in relation to various charges of theft.

“He had been taking things like tap ware, bathroom fittings, door handles and the like,” he said.

One hundred and twenty golfers took to the Camperdown Golf Club for the occasion which raises money for the Stillbirth Foundation. 

Co-ordinators Darren and Samantha Fox were thrilled the support they received on what was a great day.

“We still had the full field but we also had the community support with friends and family and with obviously the prizes and stuff donated by businesses as well,” Samantha said.

“It was up there again with everything we could possibly imagine.”

The pair did not have the final figures on the amount raised when the Camperdown Chronicle went to print.

However by their own estimates they believe close to $8000 would have been raised, taking grand total close to $34,000.

“Before this event I think we had raised over $26,000 since we did the first event in 2016,” Samantha said.

“We’re still waiting on numbers but it should be around $8000 depending on those final costs which would take it up to about $34,000.

“It’s pretty remarkable and it’s a lot of work but when you look at what you’re building on each year and to now say you’re looking somewhere in the vicinity of $34,000 that’s gone towards a charity and research, it’s a pretty good effort.”

Samantha said this year’s event also highlighted just how much the awareness of stillbirth had grown within the local community.

“I think apart from the dollar value that has come out of it, the awareness within the local community and even the greater community has grown,” Samantha said.

“It’s also giving people that have had the tragedy of stillbirth in their lives the ability to be a part of a day which gives them the opportunity to talk about it freely, which they don’t get day-to-day.

“That’s something we noticed this year that’s a bit more paramount.”

The day again had a fitting result, with former Camperdown local Chris White’s team beating a team featuring his father Allan and brother Jay on a countback.

Chris played with Dave Holscher, Adam McCosh and Matt Conheady, with the quartet recording a score of 56 3/8 points to narrowly win from Allan, Jay, Stephen Sinnott and Murray Lucas who recorded 56 6/8 points.

Darren said it was good to have strong participation for the golf but added the day’s play was not the main focus of the event.

“There were some pretty good teams in amongst the field and there was a pretty good mixture (of players) again,” he said.

“There was a few that had not played before that played this year and that’s the same (as other years). You’ve probably got a bit of a core there with golfers being local and travellers that are playing.

“But then there is still that group, maybe 25 per cent of people that are not necessarily regulars and they’re getting in and having a go which is still part of what we want the day to be about; it’s not just about golf.

“We want the participation to not just be about prizes and money and stuff like that, it’s about people enjoying a day and being able to at least feel free on that day to talk about stillbirth and how it might have affected them.”

The Fox family said they would now take the time to reflect on the success of the event before starting to consider how to run next year’s day and were thankful for the helping hands received from a large team of volunteers this time around.

“We’re probably looking at gauging that commitment from those people as well because we don’t do it all our own, there’s a big team that goes into it,” Samantha said.

“And we’ll see what we can do differently and whether we need to change it up. We’re certainly looking at that, if we need to change it up and if next year is completely different, it might be.”

Results: 1st Chris White, Dave Holscher, Adam McCosh and Matt Conheady 56⅜, 2nd Algie White, Steve Sinnott, Justin White and Murray Lucas 56¾, 3rd Ian Urquhart, Nick Welsh, Greg Welsh and Greg McGlade, 4th Mel Fox, Andrea Hughes, Sam Walsh and Jamie Horan.

Nearest the pins: David Thomas and Leanne McMahon (2nd), David Absolom (9th), Nick Welsh and Maree Finlay (15th) and Andrew Keane and Margaret White (17th); best approach shots Chris

White (7th) and Phil Beasley (16th).

Longest putt: Chris Farmer (9th) and Gerard Gill (18th).

Straightest drive: Greg Welsh, longest drive: David Absolom and Marg White.

The Pike Street clubrooms have been refurbished with 100 new conference chairs, 15 new tables and another 30 fold-up chairs.

Club president Alan Fleming said the furniture was of a high quality, sturdy and comfortable.

“The chairs we had were purchased second-hand 15 years ago from South West Healthcare and had become unstable,” he said.

“The new chairs are much safer and provide a much more inviting facility to encourage the return of elderly veterans and their families, as well as new younger members.”

Mr Fleming said the new furniture would also encourage more groups and individuals to hire the clubrooms for their functions.

The folding chairs will also provide additional seating at functions if needed and give added comfort to elderly club members when attending off-site ceremonies such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day held at Camperdown’s war memorial on Manifold Street.

The $14,000 grant follows on from a $35,000 State Government grant awarded to the club late last year to rewire the clubrooms, install air conditioners, repair the roof, upgrade the toilets and extend a rear storage shed.

“We’re thrilled to secure the funding and are looking forward to completing the works,” Mr Fleming said.

“There’s a lot going on at the Camperdown RSL, so it would be great to see more people get involved.”

The club’s extensive military display is open to the public on the first Sunday of each month from 10am until 3pm (or by appointment on 0439 229 606) and the hall is available for hire by contacting 5593 2562.

“Locals can also research the military involvement of their own family members at the clubrooms,” Mr Fleming said.

“We have a lot of resources available to us.”

Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm, with new members invited to attend.

The third year skipper was disappointed with his side’s mental approach to what he said was an important contest, admitting “we got out of jail” with a one wicket victory.

The Lakers almost made a meal of what should have been an easy triumph, having dismissed Simpson for 105 at S.A. Wright Oval.

But the run chase almost ended in disaster, with Camperdown stumbling from 4/39 to7/90 then 9/104 before Simon Richardson hit the winning runs in the 34th over.

“It was a good result in the end but we probably shouldn’t have let it get that close,” Fisher said.

“We didn’t turn up with the right mindset, we were just a little bit lethargic and our intensity just wasn’t there from the start.”

Fisher said he was quick to observe the flatness within his side and said it took a long time for them to turn their effort.

He credited Henry Moyle (3/29) and Shaluka Silva (2/14) for kick-starting the change, with Moyle taking two wickets in deliveries and Silva constantly applying pressure from the opposite end.

“I just noticed that we weren’t switched on, even before the game in our warm up. And then we went on to bowl 33 wides, our sundries total was massive,” he said.

“But we started to clean up a bit in the second half of our bowling innings. Just before drinks until we bowled them out was a lot cleaner as opposed to how it started.

“We got a wicket at one stage and we spoke about it mid pitch and said we had to get right on top of it which we did.”

While his side was able to clean up its bowling effort, Fisher said his side once again dropped away mentally once it started its batting innings.

But he said he was relieved his players did enough to come away with the points after it looked like they may have fallen just short.

“We just lost wickets in clumps,” he said.

“We’d start to build a good partnership but then we’d lose two or three wickets at a time.

“And we kept losing the bloke who had spent a bit of time at the crease every time, we always ended up with two fresh batsmen at the crease.

“The overs weren’t really a factor and we only ended up getting home by one wicket which isn’t great but a win’s a win.” 

The victory pushed Camperdown from fifth into third, 12 points clear of Bookaar, Cobden and Noorat who are all on equal points.

The Lakers are set to take on Cobden at Cobden Recreation Reserve this Saturday before they meet Bookaar the following week in a period Fisher said was season-defining.

He said his side was ready to take on those two clubs but added improvement to the mental side of their game was needed.

“We spoke about that if we turn up the same way we did we’re probably really going to struggle to put wins on the board,” Fisher said.

“The next two weeks are probably two of the most crucial of our season but I feel we’ve done the body of work to be really competitive and to get wins against those sides.”

A win over the Knights will push Camperdown ever so closer to ending their finals hiatus, an outcome Fisher said he was aware of.

“It’s pretty critical for us to beat a team that is 12 points behind us as it currently sits,” he said.

“To be able to put 24 points in between us with two weeks to go is pretty handy and is going to go a long way to us making that final four.”

Eleven turbines have been constructed as part of the $560 million project with a further two nearing completion.

Tilt Renewables executive general manager Clayton Delmarter said another 16 turbines are currently under construction with installation of the bottom two of five tower sections complete.

“Construction is back in full swing for 2020, now with more than a quarter of the project’s turbines either finished or under construction,” he said.

“Tower sections and turbine components continue to be delivered from Portland and Geelong.

“On site 56 turbine foundations have been poured, 16 more excavations are complete and steel fixing is under way at multiple locations. More than 44 kilometres of access track has been completed and 36.2 kilometres of cable trenched and backfilled.”

The turbines stand at 189 metres high to the tip of the blade, and have a rotor diameter of 150 metres, making them the largest rotors anywhere in Australia.

The wind farm will include 80 turbines connected to the national electricity market via a 38 kilometre 220kV overhead transmission line to the Mortlake gas fired power station.

The transmission line and new 500/200kV Blue Gums substation were also recently completed.

Mr Delmarter said the completion of the two major pieces of infrastructure is a significant milestone for the project.

“Pre-energisation testing is under way ahead of the commencement of turbine commissioning in the coming weeks,” he said.

The turbines are expected to be operational by late 2020.

Regionally acclaimed artist Jimmi Buscombe, known for his image of ‘Gutsy the Wombat’ in Warrnambool, finished preparation works on the tower midweek and is now busy applying the final design.

“I’ve always had painting a silo or tower on my radar of things to do so I threw my hat in the ring for this one,” he said.

“I was short-listed from about 30 artists and, after pitching our ideas to a selection panel, I got a phone call to say I had been chosen.

“I was pretty surprised and really excited.”

Mr Buscombe said he was “notoriously scared of heights”, which added another challenge for him with the tower project.

“As you can imagine there are all sorts of legal requirements you have to meet to work at such heights, and I was more than happy to complete them in the interests of safety,” he said.

“It will be worth it though, people will be able to see the brolgas as they come along the Hamilton Highway into Lismore.

“Not everyone goes to visit galleries, so this is a great way to bring art out into the public for everyone to enjoy.”

The artwork is also hoped to entice people to stop in Lismore and has already been included on the Australian Silo Art Trail Facebook site; which has about 150,000 followers.

“Hopefully the tower will be a real boost for Lismore and bring people to the town,” Mr Buscombe said.

“It’s located at the entrance to the town’s golf club which also has the Fairway Coffee and Eatery cafe, which means people can come here and have something to eat while they enjoy the art – it will be the perfect stop for people on long journeys.”

With a GoPro camera filming the mural’s progress, people can view the work as it develops on Mr Buscombe’s Facebook page and Instagram account.

“Otherwise they can come along themselves and watch me at work,” he said.

The mural is expected to take from three to four weeks to complete.

Mr Buscombe’s portfolio of mural works include of 17 yellow tail black cockatoos near the Warrnambool Post Office, a girl walking through the wall of the McKillop Family Services and smaller works at Camperdown’s St Patrick’s Primary School and Terang’s St Thomas’ Primary School.

St Patrick’s Primary School saw 39 new students walk through their gates for the year, who will be under the guidance of teachers Michael Saunders, Pru Darcy, Alison Kenna and Sharna Anderson.

Principal Michael McKenzie said transition programs between kinder and school last year, meant most students settled in well.

“There were very few tears, although the enormity of the day did overwhelm a couple of the youngsters,” he said.

“It was really good to see the excitement in the students for their first day of school and of the parents, and even grandparents who came along.

“We even had grandparents who had travelled down from Kilmore so they wouldn’t miss their grandchild’s first day of school.”

Camperdown College welcomed 27 new Preps in two separate classes headed by Kathryn Edwards and Polly Smith.

“Some of the students were feeling a little nervous about embarking on this new adventure, but they were excited all the same to get started on their learning journey,” Ms Edwards said.

“The day was filled with many firsts, including using their brand new pencils, crayons and textas to colour in their First Day of School badge.”

“The students also met their Year 6 buddies for lunch and were introduced to the junior campus during the school assembly.

Lismore Primary School welcomed five new Preps to the school.

The students were all smiles on day one eager to explore their new classroom and spend some time getting to know their classmates and teacher Mrs Narelle Evans,” Principal Jessica Kattwinkel said.

“The transition from kindergarten to school was smooth, with the foundation students having spent many hours at Lismore Primary School prior to starting this year.”

Derrinallum P-12 College welcomed four new students to the school.

Principal Caitlyn Fitzgerald said the youngsters had “loads of personality and spunk” and would be taught by Liz Harrison.

“They have started very well and are loving school,” she said.

“All four have settled in, made new friends and are getting to know the ropes quickly.”

A Helping Hand, a new community platform currently being developed that aims to help others in local communities, has teamed up with Cricket Victoria to run a Corangamite Cricket Blast Pilot program.

Their partnership will allow children in Grades 3 and 4 to participate in a Woolworths Cricket Blast program free of charge, which will be held as a trial in Camperdown across a four week period starting on Monday.

The sessions will be held once a week, with the first two being staged at Camperdown College’s Brooke Street campus, while the last two will be held at St Patrick’s Primary School.

A Helping Hand is a community program that aims to connect local communities, in particular vulnerable and disadvantaged families and children.

They are working with local schools to remove barriers such as participation, travel, and clothing costs for children participating in sport.

The pilot is hoped to become a successful and sustainable community program that enables all families and children of all ages to participate in their communities without those barriers.

Interested children can register for the program via https://www.playcricket.com.au/club-finder/club-details?Id=32119, with all participants to also receive a personalised cap and t-shirt as part of their registration.

Representatives from the two organisations met with South Beach Foreshore Committee of Management representatives on Tuesday to discuss design plans for a new ramp.

Committee member Philip Russell said the meeting followed on from design recommendations handed down by consultants BMT Eastern Australia Pty Ltd.

“We’re ecstatic the Corangamite Shire Council has gotten right behind the project,” he said.

“We’ve been quite determined to get the best possible outcome and have engaged with all the stakeholders along with a series of experts and have taken all that feedback on board.

“To now be able to sit down with council and discuss the next steps to getting the job done is great.”

Corangamite Shire manager facilities and recreation Jarrod Woff said the South Beach Foreshore Committee had done a “terrific job, with a significant amount of work being undertaken to develop concept designs for the boat ramp”.

“The proactive approach of the committee to develop this project will benefit lake users in the future and council looks forward to working with the committee to deliver the next stage of this project.”

The Department of Transport provided $25,000 in funding through Better Boating Victoria last year for consultants to come up with concept plans for a new boat ramp.

Located at the lake’s South Beach reserve, the boat ramp is barely usable due to a constant decrease in water levels.

The Thornton Street-based club lost ground in the race for a top four spot on Saturday, going down to second-placed side Cobden 95-75 in wet conditions.

They fell to sixth on the ladder, 10 points outside the top four after Colac City upset ladder leader Simpson.

“Obviously we wanted to play and try get a result but it wasn’t the result we did want,” Brewer said.

“We’ve got no option now, I don’t know what the other results were (when interviewed), a couple of them will only be half points, so they’ll only get five points anyway for a wash-out.

“But we’ve just got to pretty much win the next three games to be any chance. We’ve just got to go from there and see how we go.”

As misty rain and heavy showers fell throughout the afternoon, Brewer conceded his side failed to adapt to the conditions better than their opposition.

Geoff Roney, Peter Hassett, Lud Gungl and skipper Luke Wright were the home side’s sole rink team to relish the wet weather and win their contest, with the quartet downing Graeme Fitzgerald 20-15.

The remaining three rinks did not fare well, with Kelvin Rundle’s four suffering a 25-20 loss to Damian Riches while Brewer’s rink was well held by Peter Richardson’s in a 24-17 defeat.

But the biggest damage came on Mark McDonald’s rink. His team endured a horror start, dropping a seven on the second end, in their eventual 31-18 loss to Ben Robertson.

“We’re used to a wide-drawing green, but it was pretty heavy today (Saturday),” Brewer said.

“It was a totally different ball game in terms of playing the bowls, so it probably took a few of our players out the game I reckon.

“And they just adapted better than what we did, as simple as that. I mean they’re second on the ladder for a reason and are going along well.

“They were just too good.”

Brewer said the three rink losses would be assessed by the club’s selection panel as they aimed to find the right balance for their final three matches.

“Obviously we have a couple of things to look at on a couple of rinks,” he said.

“I don’t know what they’re (the selectors) going to do going forward but I wouldn’t have thought there would be too many changes.

“It will just be a matter of trying to swap a couple of people around to try and get something to click but we’ve just got to come out and win next week, simple as that.”

Camperdown will favour its chances of returning to the winners’ list this weekend, with the side to face a sliding Colac Central (eighth).

However, they must overcome some mental demons to do so, with the match set to be played at Central on a carpet surface.

Camperdown recently struggled on the change of surface, with the club losing by 20 shots on their last trip to face a Colac-based side a fortnight ago. 

But Brewer said his side would be making a bigger effort to better prepare for the weekend’s contest.

“We’ll be making an effort to get down there early next week,” he said.

“We’ll try and get ourselves ready and have a few ends in the morning before lunch but we’ve just got to come out and win as simple as that.

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the Winchelsea-Central result...but anyone can beat anyone so it’s up to us I suppose in the end.

“We’ll see how we go.”

Such was the support from the Derrinallum district community that two B-double loads and five single loads of hay will be transported to Rosedale this Sunday for distribution.

“We were watching coverage of the fires and the devastation they caused on the news about a month ago and Lisa said ‘I think we should do something – everyone around here has had a pretty good year’,” Mr McLennan said.

“Lisa runs Farm Assist Stock Handling and I have my own trucking company, so between us we pretty much know everyone.

“We thought if everyone donated two bales, we should end up with quite a lot.

“What followed was far more incredible than that.”

One farmer near Skipton donated 150 bales in one hit, another near Derrinallum donated 21 big squares, while most other donations were either six or 12 bales or rolls.

“We didn’t have to ask anyone, they were all ringing us wanting to drop hay off,” Mr McLennan said.

“I ended up just leaving a tractor in my yard for them to come when they could and unload it themselves.

“We ended up with about 160 tonne of hay, which at an average price of $300 a tonne adds up to about $48,000 worth of hay.”

A lot of people also made cash donations to the Lismore BP service station to cover the cost of fuel for the trip.

Mr McLennan said the trucks were loaded and ready to go, with some of the donated hay left over ready for a second trip in a few months’ time.

“We know there will be an initial rush to help the people in Gippsland, but they’ll be needing help for a long time yet,” he said.

“Their seed bank has probably been burnt and they’ll have to reseed their pastures, which all takes time.

“If people can still donate hay, we’ll take it and put it towards another trip.

“A couple of bales here and there doesn’t mean much to us at this end, but it will mean a lot in Gippsland in terms of keeping stock alive.”

With three of Mr McLennan’s own trucks dedicated to the trip, owner-drivers from Derrinallum, Terang, Beaufort and Skipton have volunteered their trucks for the trip.

The group plans to set off at 5am Sunday (stocked up with lunches prepared by the Lismore and Derrinallum CWA) so they can all return home in time that night to load up ready for work as usual the next day.

Mr McLennan thanked everyone involved for their donations and support.

“This community is incredible – they’ve really made this happen,” he said.

That’s the amount of time that has elapsed between winners for local horse trainer Denis Daffy, who returned to the winners’ stall in style last Sunday.

The veteran horseman trained his first winner since August 2016 at Great Western when gelding Fabian’s Spirit saluted in a 1210 metre benchmark 58 event.

It’s been a long time coming for the Weerite local, who has been toiling away with just the one horse this season.

“It was good to get another one after so long,” Daffy said.

“It was a pretty good effort by the horse (on Sunday).

“He had to carry top weight of 63.5 kilograms but he carried it well and it was a beautiful ride by Harry Coffey.”

Sent out as the equal third favourite with the bookies for the event, Fabian’s Spirit swooped home in the final stages to beat Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s highly fancied Rich and Rare and Symon Wilde’s Havashout.

After settling at the tail of the field following the jump, Coffey was able to get the gelding into a nice rhythm, with the pair starting to make their move with 400 metres to go.

Coffey took the horse to the outside of the field as they rounded the home turn, asking for an effort as they straightened.

His question was answer as the horse responded immediately, and quickly chased after Rich and Rare and Havashout, catching them in the shadows of the post to record victory.

Daffy said he could not fault the ride of Coffey, with the horse’s victory also marking its first since joining Daffy’s stable in November.

“I felt Harry did a wonderful job to settle him because he usually pulls in his races,” he said. 

“Harry got him to settle well and then he used his brains a fair bit and kept him out wide so that he didn’t get an interrupted run.

“It was a good ride.”

Alongside crediting Coffey, Daffy also thanked Brian Lawlor for his work in helping solve the foot troubles plaguing the horse when it arrived at his stable.

Daffy said it was also great to win for owners Cliff Justin and granddaughter Harriet Place, thanking the pair for their support.

He is now preparing to find suitable future races for Fabian’s Spirit, which is likely to carry high weights unless the horse steps up to benchmark 70 class.

Regardless, he has nominated the gelding for two races at Warrnambool next Tuesday, although they are both in a lower grade.

“The only worry is that he was a 65 rater (entering the race) but when we looked yesterday morning (Tuesday) he had gone back up to a 69,” Daffy said.

“That makes it a little bit hard to place him well here (in the country) but he might go to Warrnambool next week.

“The trouble is though, one is too short and the other is too long.

“One is 1100 metres and the other is 1400 but we’re hoping to stretch him out (to 1400). I’ll figure it out in the next few days.”

Meanwhile, fellow trainer Clint Marshall has nominated his horses My Psychiatrist and Sunday Night Tea for races at Warrnambool’s meeting.

My Psychiatrist is entered to run for the second time since resuming in benchmark 64 event over 2000 metres, while Sunday Night Tea is a chance to begin its campaign in the 1100 metre benchmark 64 handicap.
 

Mr Harry is planning to head to the BlazeAid Corryong camp in the last week of February to volunteer his services to help rebuild fences.

“I just thought there might be other people around the district who have a bit of time free that might want to come along as well,” he said.

“It would be great to get a convoy together and make a decent impact.”

A Chocolyn resident, Mr Harry said while everyone felt for the current bushfire victims, not everyone was in a position to donate money to the cause.  

“There’s so much devastation across so many areas; there’s huge amounts of rebuild and recovery for those people to get through,” he said.

“Being part of BlazeAid’s a great way that we can directly help those people on the ground doing it so tough.

“Being a farming district, a lot of people around here would have the skills and expertise that they’re crying out for to help with fencing and other on-farm activities.”

Volunteers must have their own caravan, camper or tents and stay free of charge at the BlazeAid base camp where they are also provided with meals.

The camp co-ordinator then directs the volunteers to various farms to carry out clean-up and fencing works throughout their stay.

Mr Harry said he loosely planned to head to the Corryong base camp in the last week of February, but would reassess the timing depending on whether other people volunteered to join him and what time frames suited them.

“Whether people only go for a few days or go for longer, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity for locals, whether they were affected by the St Patrick’s Day fires or not to put a bit back and help others out.

“I think there would be something really special about going as a group to do something so worthwhile.

“And if people can’t go but still want to do something to help, they can head into Country Road Farm Supplies in Camperdown and buy a fence post or a roll of wire and we’ll take it up with us.”

Interested people are asked to contact Mr Harry on 0429 302 056.

The 13:05 Southern Cross to Warrnambool train will not run this afternoon due to a rail equipment fault at Camperdown. Customers are advised to board replacement coaches to complete their journey. pic.twitter.com/TJpTfMGoKU

— V/Line Geelong Line (@vline_geelong) January 24, 2020

Detective Senior Constable Craig Wastell of the Warrnambool Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) said the attack took place at a Lawrence Street residence at about 10pm.

“The victims heard noises out the front of their house and the son went out to investigate,” he said.

“He approached the three men and has been struck with a weapon to the head and to the body.

“His mother then came out and tried to assist her son and was then assaulted by the three males as well.”

Det Snr Const Wastell said the elderly woman went back into the house and called Triple Zero for assistance. The offenders had left the scene.

Cobden and Port Campbell police members attended and the two victims were conveyed to the Camperdown hospital where they received stitches and remained overnight awaiting further tests and scans.

“Both the victims said they did not know the offenders or what may have triggered the attack,” Dr Snr Const Wastell said.

“I attended the victims at the hospital and the residence where I carried out forensic examinations. It did not appear that the offenders had tried to enter the house.

“It was dark at the time of the incident so the victims have not been able to provide a description of the three offenders or of what they were wearing.”

Det Snr Constable Wastell appealed to the wider public for information.

“Someone may have noticed the trio walking around, or a strange car in the neighbourhood – they may even have their own security cameras which may have captured something useful,” he said.

“I urge anyone who may have information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Warrnambool CIU on 5560 1333.”

The 16 year-old claimed victory in the A grade division of Geelong Cycling Club’s summer criterium series staged in Belmont on Tuesday night.

In just his second start with the club, McDonald led home a quality field which featured three American athletes who are in the country training over the southern hemisphere summer as part of the Triathlon Gold program.

McDonald said he was pleased with the result, which saw him go one better than in his previous start with the series where he finished runner-up.

“It’s about a 1.5 kilometre course and you race for 40 minutes plus three laps,” he said.

“We covered about 28.5 k’s for the night and averaged around 39kph.

“There were about 10 of us in the field and my aim at the start was just to stay close to the front and keep out of trouble.”

He managed to do just that, but the race did not come without its challenges throughout.

“With a couple of laps to go the pace went up, but I just shut down all attacks and tried to keep things so the race would finish in a sprint,” McDonald said.

“Coming to the finish, the guy who was leading peeled away and it sort of opened up and I just went for home on the sprint.”

McDonald went on to win by around 20 metres ahead of American Clayton Hutchins.

It capped off a big week for the Camperdown local, who rode off the scratch mark in last Thursday’s annual Saul Pasque Memorial.

The trial expands the drug testing program to one-person stations and will also include Harrow, Lake Bolac, Wycheproof, Manangatang, Edenhope and Stanhope.

Until now, roadside drug testing was only led by specialist units, including state and local highway patrol units, the Heavy Vehicle Unit, and the Road Policing Drug and Alcohol Section (RPDAS).

Western region Superintendent Peter Greaney said there was opportunity to reallocate a number of drug tests to the one-person stations.

“We were extremely keen to be part of this trial,” Supt Greaney said.

“Regional areas across Victoria unfortunately tend to be over-represented when it comes to serious injury and fatal collisions, and the sad reality is that drugs and alcohol are often underlying factors.

“If this expansion means more police officers can help take even one drug driver off our roads, that’s already a huge win for our region.”

The trial is expected to run until March 30, 2020, however it may be expanded further and to other areas depending on the results.

Supt Greaney said the initiative would hopefully influence motorist attitudes and deter people from making poor decisions behind the wheel.

“Drivers can expect to be pulled over for a roadside drug test at any place and any time, so be warned – if you take drugs and drive, you will be caught,” he said.

Lismore SES unit controller Colin Pickering said the “superstorm” occurred at about 7.20pm, with hailstones the size of marbles pelting the town.

“The force of the wind and hailstones was so great that it’s shredded a lot of the elms in the main street,” he said.

“We were called out to attend 14 houses, but there were a heap more that were damaged, with the owners mopping up themselves.

“The biggest problem seemed to be that the hailstones clogged up people’s gutterings, which then caused interior floodings, especially on houses that had centre valleys.

“There were a lot of smashed windows around the town, a verandah was smashed and the roof of a pergola completely collapsed under the weight.”

Mr Pickering said a supermarket and a local cafe both experienced water inundation and were in the process of cleaning up.

“There would have been three to four inches of sludge over the roads that was a mixture of ice from the hail and all the leaves,” he said.

“It was incredible to see.”

Despite the icy sludge on the town’s roads and several fallen trees, no car accidents were reported.

Mr Pickering said the Lismore SES had two units working through until about midnight to secure households.

“It was a very isolated storm.  I live about eight kilometres west of Derrinallum and we got about two drops of rain, Lismore and Mingay didn’t get the hail, but got between 30mm and 40mm of rain and Berrybank only got one or two millimetres,” he said.

Mount Elephant Hotel Motel proprietor Glenn Parkin said the hail storm lasted for about 45 minutes.

“It started with a big clap of thunder and then hail the size of marbles were hitting the ground,” he said.

“It was unrelenting, it just didn’t let up.

“It sounded like there were 100 people jumping on our roof.  We couldn’t hear each other talk.

“The ice at the front door ended up being about 18 inches deep and there’s still about six inches sitting there today (Monday morning).”

Mr Parkin said most trees in the town had been stripped of their leaves, with several trees completely uprooted.

“The wind was incredibly powerful,” he said.

“If you tried to open the door, the wind just pushed it back on you.

“One of the gutters on the hotel has been completely ripped off, all the plants have been stripped and there is water all over the place – we’re still cleaning up now.”

Lismore Fire Brigade member and local photographer Sally Patterson said the day was full of extremes.

“We’d spent the earlier part of the day burning a fire break along the Hamilton Highway almost through until Darlington,” she said.

“Then, as the lightning came through, we were called to Foxhow and Lower Darlington Road for fire incidents.

“They were quickly extinguished when the rain came.

“We also were called to a house on Main Street in Derrinallum that was smouldering because the moisture got in.”

Mrs Patterson said driving into Derrinallum was “astonishing”.

“It was like a winter wonderland,” she said.

The Camperdown Turf Club’s annual race meeting was sensationally transferred to Terang just hours before the first race after stewards found wet sections on Camperdown’s track during an inspection on Friday evening.

However, the move failed to deter punters, who attended in their droves to see Street Sheik and Rawiller comfortably win the day’s feature event.

The pair were sent out as the bookies’ elect for the event and they delivered with ease, kicking clear in the final furlong to win by 3.25 lengths from Under Oath and Royal Performance.

Rawiller was thrilled with the victory and post race he recognised the role the Camperdown Turf Club has played in his decorated career as a jockey.

“Obviously I’ve ridden a lot of winners at Camperdown, it’s a shame it was moved to Terang with the circumstances of the weather but it’s been synonymous in my racing since I started as an apprentice,” he said.

“So to be here 25 years later I’m happy to be riding a cup winner again.”

Rawiller felt the race unfolded perfectly for his horse, with the pair finding a midfield position after the barriers opened as Life of Waldo and Rondalago set the early pace.

The winning combination sat three wide with cover until the 600 metre mark, with Rawiller asking the horse to present itself as they headed towards the home turn.

Shortly after straightening, Rawiller found room on the outside and waited patiently until the 250 metre mark to unleash the horse’s winning assault.

Street Sheik quickened immediately when let go and put a three length gap on her rivals, storming home to comfortably record its fifth career win at its 23rd start.

Rawiller said he was thrilled with the run of Street Sheik, admitting the quality of his horse helped him win the cup. 

“Absolutely I was on the best horse in the race but you’ve still got to give them the run,” he said.

“We had a nice economical run, after the first furlong he might have overraced a little bit, but once he got his rhythm it was just a matter of holding things together and he went when I let him go.”

The win capped off an up and down day for Rawiller, who finished with a fourth, a third, a second and an eighth from his remaining rides.

“To be honest before this race my first two rides were very unlucky and then my horse (Christo Maniac) that ran second had his chance,” he said.

“It’s frustrating when you have top weight of 60 and the other horse that beat us had a couple of kilos less and we got beaten by a short margin so that was probably the difference.

“But it always puts a smile on your face when you win the cup then (after an unlucky day).”

Locally trained horses My Psychiatrist and Rondalago were both part of the field, with the former dead heating for eighth for Clint Marshall while the latter finished at the tail of the field.

With marquees and umbrella packages already erected in readiness for the next day’s racing, two wet patches in the course proper saw officials render the course ‘unraceable’ at about 8pm Friday.

Camperdown Turf Club president Laurie Hickey said the main issue was a circle measuring about 20 metres in diameter at the track’s finishing line.

“The stewards walked the course at about 7pm and used a probe to check the track, which was going into the earth about 200 millimetres,” he said.

“When they got to the finishing line, the probe sunk about 400 millimetres into a wet patch. That was it; we were told the track was too unsafe to race on.”

Mr Hickey said the stewards had advised the previous week the track was too hard and suggested doubling the watering regime from two hour intervals to four hour intervals.

“What’s happened is that the wind has gotten up and blown the water back, so that the area between two sprinklers was crossing over and getting a double dose,” he said.

“It was a huge disappointment at the time, but what followed was unbelievable, truly inspiring.”

Rather than abandon the meeting completely, the committee agreed to relocate the entire event to the Terang Racecourse and immediately set about making the move.

“We had to move all the umbrella packages, the refrigeration, everything, to Terang,” Mr Hickey said.

“As word got around about what had happened, we had a flotilla of locals turning up of their own accord with utes and trailers offering to help us.

“It was incredible community spirit and really makes you understand what a magnificent community Camperdown is.”

Committee members and volunteers worked through until about 11.30pm to relocate the infrastructure and were back on course at 6am to finalise the minor details.

Mr Hickey said the show of support from racegoers was also “incredible”.

“Compared to last year’s race meeting, we were only 14 patrons down,” he said.

“We absolutely thank everyone who supported us, who filled up their cars and made the trip over.

“We had perfect weather, the Fashions on the Field were of a really high calibre, the racing was of a high standard and the atmosphere on the day was very friendly and relaxed.”

Mr Hickey thanked the Terang and District Racing Club for its support, ‘No Fuss Events’ for relocating the umbrella packages and all the volunteers and patrons who supported the event.

Skipton was the first to be blanketed in smoke on Monday, with towns further south covered in the thick layer throughout Tuesday and Wednesday.

The phenomenon prompted a State Government warning for residents across the district to monitor their health, remain indoors if possible and switch air conditioners to ‘recycle’ or ‘recirculate’.

While the smoky conditions have eased, further incidents have not been ruled out.

The Camperdown Turf Club’s feature race meeting has attracted 12 runners and four emergencies for their 1600 metre event starting at 4.46pm.

Among the runners is locally trained mare My Psychiatrist from Clint Marshall’s stable, while Geoff Daffy’s star Rondalago is first emergency on the field.

Top weight for the event is Matt Cumani’s Wetakemanhattan, with Patrick Payne’s Street Sheik, Glenn Thornton’s Life of Waldo and George Osborne’s Gasworx among the runners.

Last year’s winning trainer Ciaron Maher and David Eustace are hoping to go back-to-back with Think Bleue, while Matthew Williams’ Our Bottino is hoping to add to its 2017 triumph.

Rounding out the field is Richard Wilson’s Pickelhaube, Terry and Karina O’Sullivan’s Revlis, Daniel Bowman’s Manhattan Arch, Henry Dwyer’s Under Oath and Lindsey Smith’s Royal Perofrmance.

Pat McKenna’s Tea Tales is second emergency by Rondalago.

Camperdown Turf Club president Laurie Hickey said the club was thrilled to have assembled a quality field for their once-a-year event.

“We’ve been well recognised for the surface we prepare, which is reflected in the quality of horses in the field,” he said.

“The cup will be a ripper and of course we hope that both our locally trained horses get a run and if they both do they’ll be carrying the weight of the region.

“Geoff’s always had a good success here over the years and we’re really hoping Clint may be able to win his first Camperdown Cup.

“Their work will be cut out though because of the other trainers bringing high profile horses along such as the Maher-Eustace stable, who will be trying to back up their win from last year with Here to There.”

Hickey said the two key aspects of the cup – its 1600 metre distance and prize money worth $45,000 – gave “everyone a chance to win a country cup that they might not win elsewhere”.

“It’s a pretty unique point that we have a 1600 metre race that is open to a wide range of horses,” he said.

Hickey said the remainder of the card, which features three maidens and four restricted races, had attracted good numbers.

He said the trainers and their horses should enjoy the surface, which he believes will be in good condition for the meeting.

“It’s great to see some of the trainers returning again and because of their support we are able to provide high quality fields,” he said.

“One hundred and seven entries is a good field for our small club.

“We’ll be continually watering the track up until the meeting so we expect to have a good track for the day,”

“The long, wide straight, I think it’s 380 metres, gives every horse the opportunity to stake its claim.”

The day will kick off with the 2200 metre Skybow Bulk Haulage 0-58 handicap at 1pm, while the last race, the Colac Toyota benchmark 64 handicap will close the meeting at 5.26pm.

Hickey said the club thanked their loyal sponsors for the continued support, adding he hopes all racegoers enjoy the event. 

“We wish everyone all the best of luck and hopefully those with an astute eye can tip a winner on the card,” he said.

The Thornton Street-based club produced two big, albeit timely, performances to defeat top side Simpson 99-89 on Saturday and arch rival Camperdown Golf 96-80 the following day.

The wins have the side holding third position for the time being, with the remainder of the division to play out the round this Saturday.

President Matthew Brewer said the results were “very pleasing”, particularly in the sense that they will keep the side in the top four barring a full rink and overall win by Colac next weekend.

“Especially to beat Simpson yesterday and then to back it up and beat Golf today (Sunday) was good,” he said.

“Because there is nothing in it between third, fourth, fifth and sixth on the ladder, to hold that position we just have to keep winning.

“We were very pleased, it definitely keeps us in the hunt.”

Brewer said Camperdown’s next four weeks would be season-defining with matches against Colac, Cobden, Colac Central and Apollo Bay ahead of them.

They finish with a home match against eighth placed Lorne.

“I’m not sure whether we’ve got four or five games after this but every one is crucial,” he said.

“As I said Colac City and Colac are right behind us, so it’s just a matter of winning. We’ve just got to keep winning pretty much to hold that fourth spot.

“We can’t do anymore than win, that’s all we’ve got to do, so it’s just the overall result (we’re worried about).

“We had a couple of rinks down yesterday (Saturday) and a couple down today (Sunday) but just as long as we’re getting the overall result, that’s all that matters.”

Kelvin Rundle (25-21) and Luke Wright (37-16) recorded victories over Peter Inglis and Rob Methven to lead the side to victory over Simpson.

“We knew Simpson were going to come out pretty hard because I think they’ve only lost two games and we’ve beaten them both times,” Brewer said.

“We knew they would be looking for payback yesterday (Saturday) and it was pretty tricky conditions but it was good to get away with the win.”

Rundle made it a weekend double with a 30-15 win over Craig Skene setting up the club’s win over Golf, with Brewer’s 26-19 victory over Kev Conheady also helping the cause.

“We spoke before today (Sunday) because Golf gave us a fair touch up last time. We were in front and they ran over the top of us so we really emphasised that before we came out,” Brewer said.

“We really concentrated on that and we had a good lead (throughout the day). It was really good to get the result.”

Camperdown will break for the Camperdown races this weekend and will resume with a road trip to face reigning premier Colac on January 25.

The side will be eager to atone for their seven shot round three defeat to the same side but will have to overcome the challenge of doing so on their opponent’s home green.

“We have next week off but I think we have Colac at Colac after that which is a pretty big game,” Brewer said.

“They’ll be very hard to beat down there, they always are and are never to be underestimated but we’ve got to go away from home and win now.

“We’ve played two in a row here (at Camperdown) so it’s just a matter of backing it up when we go away next time.”

In the lower grades, Camperdown’s division two side suffered a 92-86 defeat to Cressy, while the division three team recorded a 123-75 win over Colac City (4).

“Division two just went down by six shots to Cressy which was a good effort because we had a heap out,” Brewer said. 

“And division three had a massive win so everything is going along alright.”

The third annual Camperdown Car and Bike Show was hailed a success with everything from a stretch Dodge to a Craig Lowndes special on show.

Organising committee member Andrew Searle said the quality of cars and bikes entered was “extremely high”.

“We were expecting more cars to turn up, but the wet Friday before the event and Saturday morning being very overcast would have kept a few entries away,” he said.

“There were also some other competing events on the same day this year, such as the show ‘n’ shines at both Ballarat and Geelong.

“The Camperdown show is also always on the same weekend as the Port Fairy one, but they tend to complement each other with our show ‘n’ shine on Saturday and Port Fairy’s on Sunday.

“We gained a few hot rods that were heading to Port Fairy the next day and they gained a few cars from here as well.”

Mr Searle said a number of regular car show enthusiasts commented on the “outstanding quality” of cars in the Camperdown show as well as the bikes.

Noted entries included a bright green 1936 Hot Rod four-door sedan (winner of the Promoters Award), a 1000 horsepower 1957 black Chevrolet, a recently restored 1987 Kenworth truck and a 1998 Indian motorbike (voted Best Original Bike).

“The reputation of this event is certainly growing and we think that in the years to come it will become one of the top five to eight car shows in the state,” Mr Searle said.

“We think we’ve made the right decision in coming to Camperdown – people kept commenting on how the treed avenue and the facades of the heritage buildings really added to the look of the event.

“Staging the cruise around the main avenue was also popular with onlookers, who really appreciated the chance to see the cars actually being driven.”

The show’s relaxed atmosphere was something Mr Searle said was another factor which contributed to its success, with people happy to wander around the cars at their own leisure.

“It was also good to see so many retailers open for the day and that visitors to the town were taking the opportunity to check the shops out,” he said.

“We know we bring people into the town and to see the businesses do well adds to the event’s overall success.”

Mr Searle thanked the Corangamite Shire Council, Camperdown Lions and Rotary clubs, the retailers and the wider community for their continued support.

A percentage of the overall profits will be donated to fire relief efforts along with a local-based cause yet to be determined.

The Thornton Street-based club resumes its season with a home double header, hosting top side Simpson on Saturday and cross-town rivals Camperdown Golf on Sunday.

The club enter both clashes in fourth position, although the division’s results may have potential ramifications for the side.

Two losses could put them back among the chasing pack, while split results will keep them in the mix for a finals berth.

Helping their cause is matches between Colac Central (fifth) and Colac (sixth) this weekend, while next week Colac City (seventh) plays Central, Apollo Bay (third) runs into Simpson and Colac tackles Cobden (second).

Searle, one of Camperdown’s four skippers, said his side would “like to win both games” but knows they will have their work cut out for them.

“Simpson will be a tough ask, we beat them earlier this year and before that we only beat them by a shot or two the last time we played here (at Camperdown) so that will be a very close game,” he said.

“And with Golf, we’d like to think we can win that but they did beat us by 20 shots or so (10) in round two so we’ll be wary of both sides that’s for sure.”

Camperdown worked hard in the rounds prior to the mid-season break, winning three of their last four to return to the top four following a shaky start.

Searle said his side was desperate to avoid a repeat of their start to the year, wanting to cement their position in the top half of the ladder.

“We’d like to stay in there or at least maintain close contact,” he said.

“I think it’s only a point between third, fourth, fifth and sixth, so it’ll be game to game (our focus) and we just have to keep winning to stay there.

“But as I said, Simpson won’t be easy, they’re a good side and against Golf, we always match up well against each other regardless of where both sides are on the ladder.”

Searle considers the Tigers to be one of the division’s best teams this season and is keen to see how his side performs against them in their return match.

Camperdown won their first encounter by 21 shots but knows tomorrow’s clash will be a much-closer affair.

“I think they’ve only lost the one game, we got them on the first game, but they’re on top of the ladder so I rate them really highly,” he said.

“You never know what will happen now that everyone has played a full round, it’ll be an interesting game and we’re looking forward to it.”

As for Golf, Searle said his side knew they would be in for a battle as is tradition against their arch rival.

He said the club was eager to atone for their loss earlier in the season and wanted to be more consistent across the green.

“We had a couple of rinks go down badly that day but credit to Golf, they played well,” Searle said.

“You can’t afford to have a couple of rinks go down by 10 to 12 shots but we’ll be more competitive this time.

“Don’t get me wrong, Golf bowled really well last time but hopefully we can reverse the result this time around.”
 

Organisers have reminded locals and visitors that both Manifold Street and its service road will be closed for the event between Brooke Street and Cressy Street throughout tomorrow’s (Saturday’s) Show ‘n’ Shine.

A detour for through traffic will be in place along Cressy Street and Old Geelong Road.

Organiser Andrew Searle said more categories had been introduced this year including trucks and, to encourage younger enthusiasts, lowrider bicycles and karts with 90cc engines.

“With the way the phone is ringing I expect we’ll get more entries than last year,” he said.

“We’ve had an increased amount of calls this year and are expecting more than 500 vehicles attending Saturday’s Show ‘n’ Shine.”

The day will also include about 30 car-related stallholders.

Mr Searle said no food traders had been invited to ensure existing local traders had a successful day.

“We’re really happy to work with the Corangamite Shire and local businesses – they’ve been fantastic for us and we’re grateful for their support,” he said.

“This is potentially turning into a large show which will benefit the community and businesses.”

Shire mayor Neil Trotter said the show was one of 14 events the council supported through its Events and Festivals Grants program.

“This type of event adds to the vibrant lifestyle of our shire and attracts visitors who contribute to the local economy by buying food, fuel and accommodation while they are here,” he said.

“I’d like to invite everyone across the region to come down and enjoy this great family-friendly event.”

The 23 year-old broke through for his first club championship 12 months to the day he lost in the 2018 final of the same event.

He rebounded from a two shot defeat against Mark McDonald in 2018 to defeat Len Searle to win the 2019 final.

Wright, a skipper in the club’s division one side, said he was thrilled to win his maiden singles title.

“It was a lot of hard work, especially the final it was quite warm so I’m pretty glad,” he said.

“I suppose I wanted to make sure getting so close last year that I would give it my best shot this year so I was glad to get over the line this time.”

The match, which was played in 36 degree heat in late December, saw Wright make an early break on Searle.

He shot out to a 9-3 lead before Searle fought his way back into the contest with an 11-5 run, levelling the match at 14 shots apiece.

No sooner than Searle had levelled, Wright kicked clear again, with a three shot break pushing the scoreline to 17-14 in his favour.

Searle claimed a shot on the next end to cut the deficit back to two before another three shots took Wright out to a 20-15 advantage.

From that point, Wright upped the ante, adding one, two and one over the next three ends to get within one shot of victory.

Wright was then forced to wait a couple of ends with Searle claiming two shots to narrow the margin back to seven before the leader finally landed two shots to score a 26-17 win.

Wright said he was thrilled with his effort, with he and Searle both enduring their own struggles with the green’s slower pace early in their match.

“I found my weight coming back this way (towards the clubhouse) and I started winning a few ends towards the clubhouse,” he said.

“I don’t know what it was but we were both struggling early but I found my weight in the last few ends and pulled away so that was good.”

Wright’s victory has qualified him for Corangamite Bowls Division’s Champion of Champions event which starts next Sunday at Colac Bowling Club.

He is scheduled to play Winchelsea’s Rhys Jeffs in his first match, with the winners progressing through to the quarter-finals of the event which runs over two days (January 19 and 26).

“It’ll be good to test myself against all of the other clubs’ best (bowlers) so we’ll see how we go but it should be alright,” Wright said.

Wright is also hopeful his recent singles win can transfer into the club’s pennant campaign, with the side currently fourth on the ladder.

They have a home double header against Simpson and Camperdown Golf this weekend, with wins in both contests vital to the side’s finals hopes.

“It would be good to (carry my form) because in pennant in a couple of weeks (this weekend) we’re playing a double header, and we need to keep winning so hopefully I can keep up my form,” Wright said.

The Camperdown-based transport operator is adamant the gesture should not be viewed as anything else.

“I’ve been delivering hay to a farmer at Bemboka since 2003 and we’ve become pretty good mates along the way,” Mr Sadler said.

“So when he was burnt out in the recent fires I wanted to do something to help him out and taking up some hay seemed like the obvious thing.”

The ‘drop deck’ loads will include 68 rolls and 16 squares of hay – some of it Mr Sadler’s and some of it donated by local farmers from Leslie Manor, Terang, Camperdown and Lake Bolac.

Mr Sadler said once delivered the hay will be divided among his friend and his immediate neighbours.

“My mate’s house was spared in the blaze, but he lost all his fencing, most of the farm’s machinery, shedding and all his hay,” he said.

“His neighbours are in a similar situation – so it’s good to be able to help them out.”

Mr Sadler and his family know full well the ongoing loss fires cause, having lost his own pasture and fencing to the St Patrick’s Day fires in 2018.

“It was a bit different for us though,” he said.

“Our fire happened on the very last hot day of the summer season – it rained a few days later and within a couple of weeks there was green grass again.

“The current fires aren’t like that.  They’ve come at the start of summer, they’re already in the grip of drought and they got months of hot and dry weather to come before there’ll be any sign of green grass.

“They’ve got a lot to get through.”

Mr Sadler said he is happy to accept donations of dog food, electric fence equipment, rolls of wire, gloves and bottled water to include in the two loads.

Locals are welcome to leave items at Country Road Farm Supplies on Bowen Street in Camperdown or make a cash donation at the store which will be used to purchase items for the appeal.

“We’ll just poke the items in amongst the hay on the trucks and take it down that way,” Mr Sadler said.

“I know two truckloads of hay aren’t really going to change much – it’s more of a good will gesture to the people in their time of need.

“I’ll probably round up another couple of loads of hay to take up in the coming weeks too – so if people want to help, they still can.”

Carols organiser Toby McKenzie said the community carols were a “resounding success”, with more than 350 people coming together at the Theatre Royal for the annual Christmas tradition.

 “The atmosphere was fantastic and we appreciate the work of our wonderful performers and crew in making Carols a great celebration for our community,” he said.

“Feedback is very important to us and we encourage everyone to let us know what they thought and give ideas on things we can work on for future events”.

Lakes and Craters Band secretary Bernie Dunn thanked everyone who went along to support the event.

“The flow of the evening was great and we all had a great time,” he said.

Feedback for the Camperdown Carols can be lodged online at camperdowntheatrecompany.com.au or via email to publicityctc@gmail.com.

The evening program was a joint effort of the Camperdown Theatre Company and Lakes and Craters Band.

This popular event honours the memory of a remarkable lady who was not only a founding member of the club and ladies champion a record 15 times, but served as club secretary for 42 years from 1957-1999.

Astrid Holm had an outstanding golfing record, winning many championship events at regional and state level. 

This year 25 teams played 4BBB with the best score counted on each hole. 

There were visitors from throughout the district and travelling from as far as Ballarat, Hamilton, Ocean Grove and Apollo Bay.

Winners were a local team of Gabby Gill, Gayle Gill, Doreen Horan and Leah Cheeseman with 54 points. 

Finishing runners-up with 51 points were locals Marg White and Terri Sinnott, combining with Warrnambool players Di Martina and Catriona Porter. 

In third place with 50 points was a team anchored by local Jeanette Lambell who was joined by Cobden trio Jeannine White, Kate Parlour and Evelyn Boyd.

Next best with 49 points was Louise Morse, Carol McPherson, Annette McPhail and Claire Norman from Warrnambool. 

Lynne Newton (Timboon) was nearest the pin on the second hole, Alison Walsh (Timboon) claimed the ninth, Catriona Porter (Warrnambool) took out the 15th and Gwenda Malseed (East Framlingham) was closest on the 17th. 

Terri Sinnott provided a special trophy for the closest third shot to the green on the 13th hole in honour of Friday the 13th. 

Barb Stinchcombe from Colac claimed the prize and a birdie when her third shot made its way into the cup.

Meanwhile, the final ladies event of the calendar year at Camperdown was held on the lakeside course on Wednesday.

The stableford competition was followed by the traditional Christmas luncheon and break-up.

It took a three-way countback to decide the placings, as Marg White (22) emerged victorious with 23 points, Vicki Fitzgerald (20) was runner-up and Gayle Gill finished third.

Gayle did however collect nearest the pin on the 15th, Gabby Gill was closest on the 17th green and Marg White had the best second shot to the par four 16th hole. 

Balls down the line went to Marg White, Vicki Fitzgerald, Gayle Gill with 23 points, Chris Farmer 22 points, as well as Liz Fry, Doreen Horan and Melissa Fox who all carded 21 points. 

Ladies golf will resume at Camperdown with a stroke round for the monthly medal on Wednesday, January 8. Chris Farmer is on duty.

The Thornton Street-based club had double reason to celebrate, with the side’s 87-84 win lifting them into fourth spot on the ladder as the division paused its season for the festive period.

It capped off a stunning four week turnaround for the club, whose year was on the brink of collapsing following three successive defeats from rounds two to four.

But the club eventually rediscovered its winning form and embarked on a campaign to win the majority, if not all of its last five games to end the first half of the season.

They ticked off that box by winning three of their last four games after the bye, returning to the top four after finding themselves as low as eighth in the earlier rounds. 

President Matthew Brewer said he was “very pleased” with his side’s win and their resurgence, which has given their finals hopes a massive boost.

“As I said four weeks ago we were hoping we’d win three out of our last four (before Christmas) and that’s what we’ve achieved,” he said.

“As a group that’s what we spoke about (after the bye) and coming home we were looking at the results still expecting to be fifth but as it turned out we snuck into the four which worked out well.

“Now we’ve got to win games (after the break) to stay in the there, we want to give ourselves a chance to be in the four at the end of the year.”

The match was a close affair which saw both sides trade the lead throughout the day as neither could capitalise on the game’s ascendency.

The margin “never got out further than 10 shots either way all day” but it was a couple of handy late ends that swung the contest Camperdown’s way.

Brewer said his and Luke Wright’s rinks both finished their matches together, with Camperdown holding a one shot lead at the time the pair started the last end.

A four on Brewer’s rink helped ease the pressure on Wright, with the latter eventually securing a 25-21 victory over Jason Armstrong despite Brewer’s 24-23 loss to Ray Thompson.

Mark McDonald then ticked off Camperdown’s victory with a 21-17 win over Jay Hawker while Len Searle was unlucky to close out the encounter with a 22-18 defeat to Rhys Jeffs.

The result has restored belief and confidence levels at Camperdown, who have experienced an up-and-down start to the year.

The side sits fourth, one point behind Apollo Bay (third), who similarly to Camperdown, have turned around their fortunes over the past month.

Brewer said the club was happy to again be inside the top four given the closeness of the season.

He said his side knew the importance of Saturday’s result but felt Winchelsea’s pain given the Blues lost what turned out to be another missed winning opportunity.

“It was really important for us to win on Saturday because we’d lost a few games to lower sides but we’d also won games against a few of the top sides,” he said.

“We went into Saturday knowing that as a group (of our form against lower sides) but it turned to be a really good game, it was just unfortunate for Winchelsea.

“They’re getting pretty hungry for a win at the moment, they’ve got a pretty good side but they’ve unfortunately been on the raw end of the deal (so far).

“I think the majority of their games have been under 10 shots but as I keep saying, it’s been bloody even all year.”

Camperdown will return to competition with a home double header against Simpson and Camperdown Golf on January 11 and 12.

In the lower grades, Camperdown recorded a 111-77 win over Derrinallum in division two, while the club won easily 166-44 against Lismore/Derrinallum in division three.

“Division two and three both had good wins so it was a good week for the club,” Brewer said.

A Camperdown Business Network (CBN) initiative, the festivities included 20 participating businesses and six sponsors.

CBN member Michelle Elijah said it was great to see plenty of locals milling about the streets catching up with each other and getting some Christmas shopping done.

“There was a really great atmosphere, especially Saturday and that lingered through until the afternoon,” she said.

“The treasure hunt was a success once again.  We had about 125 entries and the kids and their parents were having a ball going into the participating stores and finding all the bits and pieces.

“It was awesome fun and the looks on the kids’ faces who went home with the prizes was priceless.”

Treasure hunt winners included Brody Lamber (remote control car from Autopro), Imogen Donlan (gingerbread house from Loaf n Lounge), Archie Rees (unicorn from CBN) and Milla Raven (unicorn from CBN).

Ms Elijah said Santa and his elves were also a popular stop for free photos, while the Lions Club merry-go-round and a jumping castle were also popular. 

“The day well and truly achieved the aim of getting people down the street and shopping locally,” she said.

“People are often surprised at just how much cool stuff is available locally for Christmas.

“And if they didn’t buy something while they were here on the weekend, chances are they’ve picked up a few ideas and will be back in the coming days to pick up a gift or two.

“All the participating shop owners are really happy with how everything went, so we’ll keep building to make the festival even better year after year.”

WHEN Pat Brooks talks about her five decades as a teacher, her whole face lights up with delight.

Notching up 50 years in the classroom this year, she has decided to call it a day and will officially retire as the kids walk out of the classroom for the last time this year.

With stints at Koroit, Caramut, North Essendon and Port Fairy in her early years, Mrs Brooks eventually signed on with St Patrick’s Primary School in Camperdown where she notched up 43 years of service.

“I have absolutely loved every minute of it,” she said.

“I love interacting with the children and the staff.

“St Pat’s has been like a second family for me – I’m going to miss it terribly.”

Her ethos remains the same today as it did the day she started – to help each and every child reach their full potential and do the best they could.

“Not every child is going to be a brain surgeon, but they can all still achieve great things in life and be the best person they can be,” Mrs Brooks said.

“Everyone learns in different ways, so a big part of teaching is to zero in on the best way for each child and then provide lots of encouragement.”

Stepping into St Patrick’s for the first time in 1976, Mrs Brooks typically had 40 children in her classes – a ratio that has since levelled out at about 20 children.

“In the early days it was still ‘talk and chalk’ in the classroom but technology has changed everything and information and resources are so much easier to access now,” she said.

“I used to stand in front of the students and talk all day and they’d rarely move from their seats. These days they have a lot more freedom.”

In recent years Mrs Brooks has specifically been involved with ‘boost’ classes for students struggling academically and those who are excelling and need added tuition.

Her years of teaching have seen her hold most leadership roles at the school along with a stint as the overall maths co-ordinator.

“There have been a lot of funny moments too,” Mrs Brooks said.  

“I’ll never forget in the early years we invited the kids to bring their pets to be blessed as part of the Feast Day for St Francis of Assisi – there were dogs, cats, goldfish in bowls, even a horse.  It was pandemonium – we never did that again!

“There was also the time when one of the students said his cat had followed him to school, so I was asked to walk back home with him to take the cat back.  We ended up walking around and around the streets until he finally "fessed up that it wasn’t his cat and he didn’t know where it lived.”

St Patrick’s principal Michael McKenzie said Mrs Brooks’ contribution to the school had been enormous – both in terms of the years given and the quality of her teaching.

“She’s always been able to adapt her game to what’s required and that’s a sign of a great teacher,” he said.

“She has taught all year levels – probably thousands of kids over the years – and has been a huge asset to this school.”

Mr McKenzie said the school had officially recognised her efforts in 2014 when an entire wing of the school was named after her.

“Pat will always be in our thoughts – we’re really going to miss her,” he said.

For Sale by Deadline: Friday 10 January

OPEN HOUSE  Saturday 14 December THIS SATURDAY 11-11:20am

RAY WHITE RURAL CAMPERDOWN   128 Manifold Street, Camperdown  5593 1188

Davina Pickles 0409 139 341
Milton Parlour 0409 833 043

AUCTION:  Saturday 21 December 11am

OPEN HOUSE: Saturday 14 December THIS SATURDAY 10:30-10:50am

RAY WHITE RURAL CAMPERDOWN    128 Manifold Street, Camperdown  5593 1188

Davina Pickles  0409 139 341
Alistair Tune  0407 832 227 

The son of Lady Chopin produced a bold effort to win for the second time in his career in a benchmark 58 1400 metre event at Terang on Wednesday.

Wilson said the five year-old gelding was an honest horse that had been “a bit stiff in a few of his races” leading up to his win.

He said a second last start and a fifth the start before had the horse primed for victory, with Campo finally producing the goods as it recorded a “good, honest win”.

“He’s been unlucky in a few and has had to put up with a bad draw quite often so he was a bit stiff not to have won another race or two,” Wilson said.

“He’s only ever finished beyond fifth once in his life, so he’s been very consistent really.

“He’s been building to it sort of and he only just got there in the end but that’s all you have to do.”

Victorious jockey Dylan Dunn continued his unbeaten affiliation with Campo, with the hoop helping the gelding record it’s second win after piloting it to its maiden win at Colac in December last year some 10 starts ago.

Dunn proved to make the winning move shortly after the jump, with the pair pushing up to the lead from barrier eight.

They were headed by home track specialist Peg Leg Ben for the majority of the race but shortly upon straightening Campo and Dunn opened up a gap on the field.

The pair held a one length lead for the majority of the home straight, with Dunn doing enough in the last 100 metres to secure victory on a tiring horse.

They held off Numerate and No New Tricks by a long neck in a winning time of one minute and 24.02 seconds.   

Wilson said Dunn made the winning move early in the race after they had planned for the horse to sit just off the pace. 

“We thought Peg Leg Ben would lead and that we’d slot in there (behind the leaders) somewhere,” he said.

“But he began very well and he (Dylan) had to go forward, otherwise he would have been stuck three or four wide.

“He elected to go forward which proved to be the right thing to do.”

The win was a timely result for Campo’s connections which include Wilson, his good friend Ross Inglis, Bernadette Taylor and the Ayneff Syndicate made up of working connections to Inglis.

But it was even sweeter for the Couldn’t Be Happier Syndicate from Terang who purchased a share in Campo on Monday after one of the horse’s original owners sold his share.

Wilson said the Couldn’t Be Happier Syndicate had been a great supporter of the stable, with the group also owning a half share of Rondalago.

He said the stable was thrilled to enjoy more success with the group and Campo’s fellow connections following Rondalago’s win in November.

“They were very happy the boys and girls,” Wilson said.

“There’s about 12 in the syndicate and he’s paid for himself first up (for them) which is pretty lucky.

“They’re all lovely people and are passionate about their horses.

“They’re great to deal with and as owners they take the good with the bad.”

Wilson said the stable would now look to take Campo through his classes around the district and would target ideal races once they have a better idea of what Campo’s rating is.

He said the horse was well placed to continue running at the 1400 metre distance although there will be considerations to the horse running over a mile (1600 metres) or over six furlongs (1200 metres).

“Johnny Allen reckons he’ll get a mile and he has ran it before and I think he will get over it (again) but I think 1400 at the moment is ideal for him,” Wilson said.

“It takes the pressure off him a bit because they go pretty hard in the 1200 and Dylan told the Terang boys he thinks he’s a 1200 metre horse but 1400 is ideal for him at the moment.”

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released this week, the number of dwellings approved is up 16.7 per cent on the previous year, which saw 12 new houses approved for the town.

Economic and Market Development Advisers director Michael Emerson said Camperdown’s strong growth in new housing was in direct contrast to Victoria as a whole, which recorded a drop of 8.3 per cent.

“Up until June 2019, Melbourne and wider Victoria have been struggling in terms of new housing figures,” he said.

“But Camperdown’s micro-economic climate appears to have been somewhat insulated and is doing pretty well in comparison.

“Another significant factor is that the value of the actual houses being built is continuing to climb as well.”

According to the ABS, the value of new houses being built in Camperdown rose from $300,700 in 2017/18 to $365,500 in 2018/19.

The growth in building approval value was equivalent to an 18.6 per cent increase, well ahead of Victoria as a whole, which recorded a 5.1 per cent increase.

“While the ABS data does not go into further detail, anecdotal evidence suggests people are building bigger houses or are fitting them out with better quality fixtures and fittings,” Mr Emerson said.

“Either way, the increase means people have enough confidence in Camperdown to build more houses and to build more expensive houses in the town.

“People simply wouldn’t do that if they thought the town was in decline.”

ABS figures also showed a strong increase in the level of overall development for Camperdown for the last financial year, including everything from new houses and renovations to commercial fit-outs.

The total value of all the building approvals issued for the town in the 12 months to June 2019 showed an increase of 27.5 per cent when compared to the previous year. 

According to the figures, the total value of building approvals was $7.3 million, compared to $5.7 million for the same time last year.

Once again, Mr Emerson said the sharp increase was in complete contrast to building approval values recorded for Victoria as a whole, which were down 13.2 per cent.

“When you look at the figures for Melbourne and Victoria for the same period, we are definitely bucking the trend,” Mr Emerson said.

“I think there are a number of drivers for the strong increase – the growth of the agricultural sector being a major one.

“The dairy industry has lifted and beef and lamb prices are quite strong.”

Mr Emerson said tourism growth was another factor, which was evident in continued low vacancy rates of local accommodation.

“The flow-on from wind farm developments to Camperdown’s north is also having an impact,” he said.

“I also think initiatives such as the Corangamite Shire’s facade funding program have also contributed in terms of beautifying the town, its heritage aspects and making it more appealing to visitors and to people looking to move into the area.

“These latest figures are a great result for Camperdown and show that people and businesses are making investments here, which is a great sign for the future.”

The Pelicans skittled hosts Terang for just 99 on turf, largely thanks to a three wicket haul from Tim Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald picked up three of the Goats’ top five scalps to finish with figures of 3/16 from 10 overs.

Opening bowler Fraser Lucas picked up Terang skipper Liam Geary cheap early on as he proved economical in finishing with 2/14 off 10.

Dom Cunningham (1/11) and Charlie Lucas (1/15) also chimed in with the ball.

In reply, the Pelicans lost Fitzgerald without scoring before fellow opener Eddie Lucas formed a number of solid partnerships.

He remained unbeaten on 64 as the Pelicans chased down the target in the 30th over to win by six wickets.

Bookaar is third on the ladder ahead of this Saturday’s home fixture against Noorat at Camperdown Showgrounds.

The Pelicans’ division three side continued its unbeaten start to the season with a four wicket triumph at Boorcan Recreation Reserve.

Batting first, the Dragons made 9/91 as Nick Jones (3/14), Johnny Hooper (2/13) and Zach Sinnott (2/14) were the main destroyers with the ball.

Opening bowler Greg Teal also proved instrumental in the result, finishing with 1/8 off his eight overs, which included four maidens.

Jones was just as damaging with the bat, as he remained unbeaten at the crease with 37 as Bookaar chased down the target in 26 overs.

Taj Merrett (20) was the only other Pelican to reach double figures.

Next up, Bookaar will travel to take on Woorndoo this weekend.

The 18 year-old from Camperdown recently earned a call-up to the Under 21 Australian Country team that is set to tour Malaysia in January.

A member of Ballarat-based WestVic Hockey Club, Vagg earned selection after playing in WestVic’s Vic League 1 firsts and reserves teams.

A defensive midfielder, Vagg played eight firsts games early in the season but was in and out of the side before he eventually found his place in the reserves. 

Once settled, he helped the reserves reach the grand final but his team lost the decider 4-3 to Yarra Valley.

His performances throughout the season also caught the eye of Vic Country scouts, who invited him to train with the squad earlier in the year.

It was through this training that Vagg eventually came into contention for the Australian Country side having initially missed selection for the squad.

But a stroke of good luck saw him lifted into the side following the withdrawal of another player.

“Normally you go through a tournament process but one of the team members (that was originally picked) pulled out,” Vagg said.

“The four coaches came together (following the withdrawal) and my name was at the top of the list.

“It’s a huge privilege and a great opportunity to be selected and it’s a big step (forward) in my game because it’s something new to me and something I’ve never done before.”

Vagg’s selection will be the first time he has represented his country.

He said he wanted to use the experience to hone his game.

“It’s a huge honour to be given the opportunity to wear our (country’s) colours,” he said.

“I hope to get some wins over there but also to gain plenty of personal development playing a much higher level over there than I’m used to.”

The step up to the international level is going to be one of many surprises for Vagg.

He said he did not know too much about what to expect before he heads over there, although some advice from a team-mate has given him some idea.

“One of my mates, Lachlan Hansford, played in the same team last year and he said it’s a lot quicker to what we play back here because we play together,” Vagg said.

“He said it was a lot quicker and they’re a lot bigger so everything is going to be next level I guess.”

Nonetheless Vagg said he believes he is ready for the challenge international hockey presents.

“It’ll be a challenge at the start but I feel I got picked for a reason so that will give me confidence when I get over there,” he said.

“I’m comfortable adapting to the higher level.”

If he does find it difficult, he will have plenty of familiar faces to go to for guidance.

He will tour with Hansford and a couple of other players he knows from his home club WestVic and from playing for Vic Country.

“There’s a couple of others there that I did a little bit of training with at Vic Country earlier in the season,” Vagg said.

“It’ll make everything easier and make me more comfortable when I get over there, especially having played with them the last few years.”

In Malaysia, the Australian Country team will play eight games against local teams including SS Sukma and SS Sabah Sports.

Vagg said between games and training sessions, the team would visit the sites of the Asian country.

“I know we do a lot of tourist stuff as well as play games over there,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to getting over there and experience a different country and culture.”

Vagg’s parents Sharon and Ian will join him on the trip.

A Uniting Church initiative the lunch was the eleventh to be staged and was as festive as ever with Christmas carols, bonbons and spot prizes adding to the fun.

Reverend Frank Tuppin said the lunch brought people from all walks of life together.

“That’s the most wonderful thing, to see everyone come together and enjoy a beautiful meal together in such a happy atmosphere,” he said.

“It’s a really joyful celebration – exactly what Christmas should be.”

Along with a long list of individuals, the lunch also welcomed groups from Cooinda, Wellways, Merindah Lodge and Camperdown Community House.

“I especially thank and applaud all the volunteers and groups that make this day happen, and who help with the community lunches held right throughout the year,” Rev Tuppin said.

“I also thank the Corangamite Shire Council which provided funding to continue the community Christmas lunch and to buy new tables.

“I wish everyone a peaceful and safe Christmas, especially those who are bereaved, those who are by themselves and those who are missing someone special.

“I also remind everyone that they will be most welcome at any of Camperdown’s church services on Christmas Day.”

The Pelicans, who produced a disciplined bowling display to rout the Lakers for 78, were forced to endure some nervous moments in the run chase at Camperdown Showgrounds.

The Pelicans had made a strong start reaching 0/29 before the Lakers struck through Kasun Niranjana (4/19).

The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper turned leg spinner dragged his side back into the contest with three wickets while Simon Richardson chipped in another as the Pelicans slumped to 4/36.

That brought Pelicans skipper Simon Baker to the crease, with the veteran first seeing two wickets fall before he constructed the match-winning 23 run stand with Shaun Moloney to see his side over the line in the 33rd over.

Baker finished 26 not out at the crease after Tim Fitzgerald (15) and Eddie Lucas (15) got the home side off to a fast start.

He said his side was pleased to record a good win, which lifted them to fifth on the ladder and just percentage outside the top four.

“We probably thought it would be a bit more of a high scoring game because both teams have been scoring well this year,” Baker said.

“There is a bit of an unknown with them given their new players so it was good to keep them to that score and then pass them.

“We still had close to 20 overs to bat which was good.”

Of his side’s batting performance, Baker said there were times in any innings the Pelicans would need to be aware of momentum swings.

“But we gave a couple of guys opportunities up the order and that didn’t work this week,” he said.

“We’ll look at giving them a go at another time but with those tricky, low totals, you go out there with confidence and make a couple of mistakes and a couple of early wickets fall and the pressure is right on you.

“But it was good we were able to steady in the end.”

Earlier, Bookaar ripped through Camperdown’s top order to have the Lakers on the back foot at 5/38.

Niranjana (38) was the only batsman to offer any real resistance as the wickets fell around him, with the Pelicans eventually dismissing the visitors for 78 in the 39th over.

Jye McLaughlin (15) and Richardson (11) were the only others to reach double figures, with Louis Darcy (2/6), Deiter McDonald (2/15) and Fraser Lucas (2/20) sharing the bulk of the wickets for Bookaar.

Baker said he was thrilled with another consistent bowling effort from his side.

“We just made sure we pitched the ball up and made them play along the ground and restricted the boundary ball again with the ground being a bit longer still,” he said.

“Our bowling has been our strength this year, everyone is bowling consistently and making the batsmen earn their runs.”

Bookaar is now setting its sights on a top four clash with Terang at Terang Turf this Saturday, with the Goats almost pulling off a remarkable run chase against Cobden on Saturday night.

The Goats fell five runs short of a sub 250 score, with Baker admitting his side would be wary of Terang’s improved batting strength.

He said the Pelicans would enter the clash expecting to post another victory, with their line-up to be strengthened by the return of a number of players for the must-win clash.

“I think we’ve got one of the best bowling attacks in the league so if we bowl the way we have been, we should be okay,” Baker said.

“But coming up to Christmas we really need to be thereabouts with the top four.”

Camperdown will meet Heytesbury Rebels at S.A. Wright Oval.

Both health campuses adopted the Corangamite Shire’s Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection system and used the matter for on-site composting and use in their gardens.

SWH environmental sustainability officer Elvira Hewson said the system reduced the amount of organic materials going into landfill or down incinerators.

“FOGO provides a fantastic means of diverting a great resource from landfill and with local compositing facilities, the entire recycling pathway is very transparent,” she said.

“By diverting the FOGO to council green waste and on-site compositing we’ve saved a great deal of time and money by not needing to unblock drains and repair the food mulcher.

“We no longer have to purchase compost and the clippings from the large lawns on-site are also composted.”

Ms Hewson said the compost produced was used to condition and improve soil in flower and vegetable garden beds.

SWH Camperdown maintenance services manager Les Harrison said the maintenance and catering teams at the Camperdown hospital were to be congratulated for demonstrating leadership and excellence by working together for mutual benefit and for helping to lower the health service’s environmental impact.

Four year-old gelding Fabian’s Spirit, a winner of three races from 12 career starts, joined Daffy earlier this month after Harriet Place selected the horse for her grandfather.

“He came from (Ciaron) Maher and (David) Eustace (in Ballarat),” Daffy said.

“Harriet knew we were on the lookout, she hunted around and found him, so she went up and had a look and bought him.”

Harriet’s input in the acquisition of Fabian’s Spirit is just another key role she plays in Daffy’s operation.

She is a valued member of his team and spends many an hour at the stables helping her grandfather.

She also plays a big part on race day as a strapper when they venture to meetings, although she is often playfully reminded by her mother Bernadette about one particular feat.

Bernadette will jibe Harriet about the time she strapped three winners at the one meeting, with her daughter still yet to register a win since she started helping her grandfather.

Nonetheless, Daffy said he was hopeful he could share some success with his granddaughter in the future.

He said Harriet had her own ambitions to enjoy a career in the racing industry, a dream she is currently working towards.

“She’ll come in when she has time, each day she calls in and sees us, mainly seeing Dianne (my wife),” Daffy said.

“She’s a big part of the stable, she’s always stuck with me and she is great at the races.

“She’d like to be a steward, she’s wanted to be a steward since she was that high (pointing to his hip) but it’s quite hard to get into that job.

“They only have two or three and generally an ex-jockey or that will get it.”

Fabian’s Spirit recently trialled at Terang over 850 metres and Daffy said his aim with the horse was to “just to win a few races around the bush if we can or one will do, whatever we can”.

The horse has been nominated to make its debut for its new trainer in a benchmark 64 1200 metre event next week having last run on November 4 at Ballarat.

“It will most likely be at Hamilton on the third of December,” Daffy said.

“Because he’s a 66 rater, he’s probably not quite good enough for a 70 and he’s got to carry too much weight if he came back to a 64 but he’s probably going to go to a 64.”

Geoff Daffy and Clint Marshall have also nominated horses for races at Hamilton.

Daffy has nominated Campo for two benchmark 58s over 1100 and 1400 metres while Marshall has entered Americain Typhoon in a 1600 metre maiden plate.

Acceptances for Hamilton’s meeting close at 9am this morning.

Taking in the Warrnambool Base Hospital, Camperdown hospital, Merindah Lodge, Lismore Community Centre and McArthur Community Centre, the health service topped the awards for ‘medium’ sized healthcare providers.

The awards are staged by the Department of Health and Human Services and are now in their 15th year.

Four categories are awarded, being for primary, small, medium and large health care providers, with each judged against stringent assessment criteria.

SWH chief executive officer Craig Fraser says the recognition is the result of a total team effort, where 1550 employees, 332 registered volunteers, the board of directors, the executive team and the health service’s auxiliaries, donors and supporters committed to providing the best consumer experiences possible.

“It is fantastic acknowledgement for the entire South West Healthcare team to be recognised against 21 other health care agencies,” he said.

“It highlights the dedication and commitment of our entire workforce to achieving the ultimate goal of improving the health and health care outcomes of communities in our south west region.

“I’m very proud of the care our teams provide, particularly given the challenges experienced in recent years due to increasing levels of service demand.”

He said the health service aimed to provide high quality care “close to home” while expanding the services it offered.

“We provide more specialist medical services than any other region our size in Australia,” Mr Fraser said.

“This ensures more people access care when they need it.

“We’re humbled to receive this prestigious award and we won’t rest on our laurels.”

South West Healthcare notched up a busy 2018/19, with highlights including:

• 14th consecutive year of record patient throughput;
• A 7.2 per cent increase in in-patients;
• A 6.4 per cent increase in ambulance arrivals;
• A 12.3 per cent increase in surgeries performed;
• Exceeded activity targets;
• Reduced elective surgery wait lists;
• Continued strong financial performance;
• Completion of a business case for a Warrnambool Base Hospital redevelopment;
• Securing $1.49m in funding to build a new Portland Community Mental Health facility;
• Installation of 1300 solar panels to reduce electricity usage by eight per cent;
• Starting a $460,000 refurbishment of Merindah Lodge; and
• Achieving the highest influenza-vaccinated workforce (95.5 per cent) of all Victorian health services employing 800-3000 staff.

“We will continue to improve in providing great care whilst also ensuring our consumers and patients have a very positive experience,” Mr Fraser said.

Senior Constable Tony McLachlan of Camperdown Police said the woman had intended to move her Mitsubishi Lancer to wash it at her Wilson Street home, when her slipper became caught on the accelerator pedal.

“She has reached down to try and free the slipper and the accelerator has engaged and the car has shot across the road at a fair speed,” he said.

“The vehicle has gone into a resident’s driveway directly across the road, where it has connected with a car in the driveway and the neighbour’s front fence.

“The vehicle has then gone through the fence, spun around a bit and ended up on the front verandah of the home.”

Camperdown SES Unit controller Colin Brian said the front fence was damaged along with a couple of rose bushes, two verandah poles, the front door and a front window.

“The occupant of the damaged house was not home at the time of the incident, which occurred at about 5pm,” he said.

“The impact made an incredible sound and was heard across the neighbourhood.

“It was quite incredible where the car came to a stop and that more damage wasn’t done.”

SES members cleared debris from the site, put pole braces under the verandah, boarded up the damaged front door and put plastic over the broken window.

Snr Const McLachlan said the driver of the vehicle was taken to the Camperdown hospital for a precautionary check and released a short time later.

In other news, Mr Brian advised three members of the Camperdown SES travelled to Princetown on Sunday to join the search for a missing British male who had been camping in the area with friends.

A further four Camperdown members joined the search yesterday (Monday). SES members from Cobden, Terang, Port Campbell, Colac, Port Fairy, Corio, Warrnambool, Otways and Heywood have also been part of the search.

The Bulls recorded their fourth successive win of 2019/20 with a comfortable seven wicket win over the Steamrollers at Pomborneit.

The home side easily chased down the visitors’ target of 9/202, needing just 36 overs to pass the required score.

Bowling first, Pomborneit had Noorat on the ropes at 4/53 after Brad Hillman, Clinton Place and Lahiru Fernando ripped through the Steamrollers’ top order.

But the batting side quickly recovered, with Gus Bourke (82) and English import Rory Baker (26) joining for a 79 run stand to take the Steamrollers beyond 130.

Handy contributions from Martin Wynd (30) and Nick Kenna (19 not out) then pushed Noorat beyond 200 as they completed their innings.

Tim Place (3/26) finished as the pick of the bowlers with three scalps, with Hillman (2/19) and Tharaka Sendanayake (2/25) also claiming multiple wickets.

The Bulls then made light work of the run chase as Tim Place (70) and Dave Murphy (61) combined for a 133 run partnership for the opening wicket.

They laid the platform for their team-mates, with Lahiru Fernando (30 not out) continuing his blazing start to the year while Tom Place (15 not out) chipped in with a handy cameo.

Skipper Grant Place (four) was the unlucky batsman to miss double figures as the Bulls stormed to victory.

In division two, Pomborneit suffered a 136 run loss to Simpson as they were skittled for 49 in their run chase.

The Tigers had posted a healthy score of 7/185 from their 40 overs with Wes Lenehan (2/20) and Luke Lenehan (2/24) the leading wicket-takers.

However six ducks in the Bulls’ innings did their chances of winning no favours, with Luke Reynolds (21) and Mark McInnes (14) the only Pomborneit batsmen to reach double figures.

And in division three, Pomborneit went down to Camperdown by 31 runs.

The Bulls were bowled out for 152 in pursuit of the Lakers’ 7/183.

Stephen Hill (72 not out) top scored for Pomborneit and Tony Evans made a handy 26, while six of the seven Bulls bowlers all took a wicket apiece.

In this weekend’s matches, division one has the bye, division two hosts Cobden and division three faces Simpson at Simpson Recreation Reserve.

Camperdown father and son painting combo Ron and Paul Cameron will sever business ties for the day when they square off against each other in a bowls match.

Ron will play for Camperdown, while Paul will represent Apollo Bay in the two clubs’ division one Corangamite Bowls Division clash at Camperdown Bowling Club.

It will be the fourth time the pair has faced each other on separate teams, but the first since 2017/18 after Paul returned from Premier League outfit Ocean Grove ahead of this season.

Speaking to the Camperdown Chronicle earlier this week, the pair revealed their relationship had remained normal in the build-up to the match but would likely change once they step foot on the bowling green.

They are both looking forward to the challenge of facing the other and are both hoping their respective rinks come across each other although they had differing versions of how many times they had previously faced each other.

Paul said they had never played each other but his memory was quickly refreshed by his father, who reminded him they had played two rink matches partly due to some mischievous behaviour.

“I rigged it,” Ron said.

“I went and saw the managers for the day (in 2015/16) and I said ‘listen put Chompa (Paul) and I (together) and they went yeah no worries and both agreed’.

“So the first time we played, we played a draw down at Apollo Bay (2015/16) and the second time (16/17) I think Paul won by four or five shots.”

While Ron may not be able to rig the draw this time around, he knows the encounter is a “very important” game for his club.

The two sides are locked in a battle with a number of others for fourth spot, with Camperdown (fifth) and Apollo Bay (sixth) currently nipping at the heels of fourth-placed Colac City.

“It’s like the previous game before the break, well we had to win that otherwise you’d nearly say the season was over for us in terms of making the finals,” Ron said.

“But at the moment that fourth spot is up for grabs between two or three clubs so it is a very important game.

“Not only for us but also Apollo Bay as well, so we’ll be giving it our best shot.”

Paul, who is currently in his second stint at the Wolves following years at Camperdown Golf, Camperdown and Ocean Grove, said he had fitted back into familiar surroundings quickly.

He said so far Apollo Bay had not started the way they had hoped but added it had been a “better start” on the previous year.

“I think they only won one game before Christmas last year but were getting beaten by four or five shots, three shots or one shot,” Paul said.

“We’ve got a couple of wins on the board so hopefully we can get another three or four on the board before Christmas because it’s a shorter round this year, there’s only 16 rounds instead of 18.

“There’s only a few games after Christmas so if you haven’t got those wins on the board before Christmas you’ll be struggling to make the four.”

Camperdown will enter the match with a slight advantage given will be played on their home green but Paul said Apollo Bay had done well on their recent trips to Thornton Street’s smaller and well-paced synthetic green.

“Usually we travel pretty good coming down here so we should line up alright but it depends on who draws who,” Paul said.

“You never know (how it will go) until you get too serious and work out what’s going on and what your game plan is and that.

“It just depends because some skippers like short ends, some like long ends. Some are more aggressive bowlers while some just like to draw more.”

As for Ron, he said the emphasis on limiting Paul’s influence as skipper would be up to Camperdown’s “leads and seconds to get in there first and to try and dominate from the word go”.

“If you can get them in there (the head) early then all of a sudden the pressure does go on the thirds and the skips then if the front end can get in there,” Ron said.

“That’ll be one way they’ll be trying to stem Chompa’s rink but it’ll all happen on the day.

‘It’s like any sport though. If things run for you, you make your own luck a bit too because there is a bit of luck involved in bowls.

“If you have that little bird (of luck) on your shoulder it can make a hell of a difference at the end of the day.”

Both players are hoping for improving weather conditions when the clash gets under way at 1pm following weeks of cold and wet weather.

Paul is also hoping the stars align when the managers draw the rinks and his quartet eventually faces Ron’s, which is skippered by Mark McDonald.

There’s a personal motivation behind his desire to face his old man, who has never lost any of the three singles matches he’s played against his son.

“I enjoy the clashes we have against each other and we sort of step our bowls up another level when we play each other,” Paul said.

“We sort of save them for each other and it’s always been like that since I started at Golf. I can’t beat him in the singles so I’ll try and beat him in the pennant.”

While the singles bragging rights may well and truly be with the Cameron head honcho, one thing for certain is that drinks will no doubt be on tomorrow’s loser.

V/Line Camperdown team members Melissa Lukin, Wes Bramwell and Mariah Smyth have pulled out all stops to spread the Christmas cheer.

The trio has decked out the foyer and bookings office with purple and white decorations (in keeping with V/Line colours) in ‘white Christmas’ style and have set up an oversized Santa and his reindeers on the platform to greet arrivals and departures.

The group also chipped in their individual talents to create a photo board of Santa arriving on the train for the town’s youngsters.

“Kids love trains and we love seeing the kids here enjoying themselves,” Ms Lukin said.

“The photo board will add to the fun with kids and their parents able to take their own photos with Santa chugging down the track.”

As per last year, the station staff are also staging a Christmas hamper collection appeal, with items to be donated to the Camperdown St Vincent de Paul centre.

“Christmas can be a pretty expensive time for families, so we’re keen to ease that burden a little bit,” Ms Lukin said.

“Non-perishable items would be welcome, but we’re particularly keen for people to donate anything Christmassy like table decorations, bonbons, sweet treats and condiments.

“They’re the sort of items that families might go without if they’re feeling the financial strain.”

Other stations along the line will also act as collection centres as will Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station, with all goods coming to Camperdown for distribution.

Kids also have the chance to win one of three prize packs containing wooden train sets, various toys and lots of lollies.

All they have to do is pick up a colouring-in competition entry, colour it in and return it to the station by Friday, December 20. V/Line’s Warrnambool line manager will judge the best entries with the winners announced on Monday, December 23.

“It’s great to be a part of the wider community and we’d love for people to pop in and see all the decorations and join in the fun with the photo board and the colouring competition,” Ms Lukin said.

“I guess it’s our way of keeping our station a vibrant part of the Camperdown community.

“Christmas is a time for communities to come together and rally around each other and we really wanted to be a part of that.”

The station is open to the public between 6.15am and 7pm weekdays for people to view the decorations, pick up a colouring-in entry and to have their photos taken with the photo board.

The Pelicans, who were playing their first match in weeks, produced a disciplined bowling display to restrict the Rebels’ batting prowess en route to a seven wicket win.

They then made easy work of the run chase at the Camperdown Showgrounds, losing just three wickets as they passed the required target in the 30th over.

Pelicans skipper Simon Baker said his side was thrilled to open its account following an extended stint on the sidelines.

“It was just good to get a game in and to get our first win on the board,” he said.

“Everyone was a bit rusty, you could tell by the way both sides started the game, they looked a bit rusty too but it was a short and sweet game.

“There wasn’t a lot of runs involved.”

Bookaar was forced to bowl first but controlled the Rebels’ innings as they claimed early wickets and limited the visitors output from the get-go.

The visitors found it tough to punish the Pelicans, with Heytesbury finding it tough to build a sizeable total as they finished their 50 overs at 7/119.

Fraser Lucas (3/26) and Tim Fitzgerald (2/24) both took multiple wickets while Baker (1/18) and Deiter McDonald (1/24) chimed in with one apiece to complete the innings.

“Our tight bowling at the start set it up for us,” Baker said.

“We didn’t bowl too many short, we just pitched it up and made them hit it along the ground which made it harder for them to score.

“We made them take ones and twos, we gave them nothing to hit aerially with the ground being a bit longer than it normally is.”

With the bat, Pelican openers Tim Fitzgerald (48) and Eddie Lucas (46) combined for an 83 run stand to effectively seal the game before Zach Sinnott (16 not out) chipped in with a handy cameo to finish the match.

“They (Heytesbury) probably just bowled a bit too short and the boys took advantage of that and rotated the strike well,” Baker said.

“It wasn’t much to chase, so once we had a few good overs in it was over really being a small total.”

The win lifted Bookaar to fifth on the ladder, with the Pelicans only percentage outside the top four.

They will be eager to continue their push up the table this week, but will have a task on their hands with Bookaar set to host powerhouse Mortlake at Camperdown Showgrounds this Saturday.

Baker said the Pelicans were looking forward to taking on the Cats but admitted the contest “is a bit of an unknown really” for his side given both clubs are still trying to hit peak form.

“We only have a couple of games under our belts, obviously we had one last week with a month off in between, so we’ll just try to play to our strengths,” he said.

“We just want to make sure we get a good game under our belts and get some continuity in our cricket.”

Sergeant Cameron Ross of Camperdown Police said the two vehicle incident involved a black Jeep and a white Peugeot.

“Both vehicles were travelling towards Colac when the incident occurred at about 10am,” he said.

“The Peugeot was travelling behind the Jeep, but was obviously too close because when the Jeep braked because of traffic, the Peugeot slammed into the back of it.

“The Peugeot has then caught alight, although at this stage we don’t know the exact reason why.”

Sgt Ross said the driver of the Peugeot, a 19 year-old Camperdown man, was unlicensed while the vehicle was unregistered and did not have registration plates.

“There were also a 17 year-old female and a 15 year-old male travelling in the vehicle,” he said.

“All three escaped from the car when it caught alight and there were no injuries.

“The driver of the Jeep was a 34 year-old Warrnambool woman who had her toddler in the rear seat. Neither of the occupants were injured.”

Both cars came to a stop facing opposite directions.

Local Country Fire Authority units extinguished the Peugeot fire.

Sgt Ross said the highway was closed in both directions for between 30 and 40 minutes and both vehicles were towed from the scene.

“Investigations are continuing,” he said.

The Lakers are quietly confident the 29 year-old wicketkeeper-batsman can help them end a seven year finals hiatus in South West Cricket’s top grade.

Niranjana arrived on Australian soil last weekend and will line up for his club debut against Simpson tomorrow (Saturday).

He comes to Camperdown with first class experience from Army Sport Club in his native country, featuring for his club in 21 first class, List A and Twenty20 matches.

Niranjana has a simple goal for his maiden Aussie summer, wanting to help the Lakers back into the finals.

He said he wanted to play a key role for the Lakers both on and off-field, adding his first class experience would help him with the mental side of the Lakers’ matches.

“I expect to bat throughout the innings and I want to be a good wicketkeeper for the Camperdown Cricket Club,” Niranjana said.

“I want to get everyone together as a tight-knit group in the hope of us winning more matches.

“I want to give 100 per cent to us taking out the championship (premiership) this year.”

Niranjana said he had settled in well to his new surroundings and said he cannot wait to make lifelong memories with a new group of friends.

“I’d just like to have a good time this season with everyone,” he said.

“So far my time in Australia has been good and the people around here have really welcomed me.”

Camperdown president Jordan Riches said the club was looking forward to unveiling Niranjana against the Tigers.

He said his addition, along with that of Shaluka Silva’s, would strengthen the Lakers’ line-up.

“He fills a void we’ve been missing as an aggressive opening bat and as a keeper,” Riches said.

“He’ll bring a lot of experience to our young guys, they both will, which will be really beneficial for their development.

“Seeing the impact Shaluka has had in one game, we’re hopeful Kasun can have a similar impact.

“His arrival will allow us to field a full strength team this weekend, so hopefully we can cap off his debut with a win.”

The Lakers are looking to put their first win of the season on the board in a year riddled with wash-outs in the clash at S.A. Wright Oval.

Riches said his side was unsure how Simpson would play given they had yet to feature this season.

“I guess we have to come in thinking we can win so we have to make sure we play our best cricket,” Riches said.

“Knowing we nearly knocked off one of the top teams last week we feel we can take it up to anyone.

“We specifically need to win this week given the wash outs, we need those important early wins.”

But he backed in his players to get the job done following an encouraging performance against Pomborneit last weekend.

“We had a good start getting three quick ones (wickets) but Lahiru Fernando and Tom Place put on a pretty good partnership,” Riches said.

“We thought if we could break that partnership we could really open them up but Larry batted fantastically.

“We batted well too I thought, Sarge (Craig Sargeant) got us off to a good start along with Harry Sumner and Shaluka chipped in with 40 in the middle of the innings.

“Knowing we took it up to the reigning premiers, we’re confident we can take it up to anyone.”

Flags fluttered in a gentle breeze while blood-red poppies adorned small white crosses bearing the names of every local soldier who had paid the supreme sacrifice in battle.

Camperdown Returned Services League president Alan Fleming told the gathering the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month marked exactly 101 years since the guns fell silent in World War I.

“In all 17 million people lost their lives in World War I. Another 21 million were wounded,” he said.

“Our focus today is not limited to World War I, our thoughts are with all those who have served or are still serving and their families who have silently supported them throughout the years.”

Mr Fleming said it was encouraging to have students from all four Camperdown schools involved in the remembrance ceremony.

The students carried out readings, recited the Ode to the Fallen and carried wreaths to the base of the town’s war memorial on behalf the Korean, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as well as their own schools.

Mr Fleming thanked everyone who attended and reminded veterans of help and support available through the Veterans’ Hub in Warrnambool.

He said civilians could continue to help veterans by attending future Remembrance Day and Anzac Day services, buying poppies to support both the veterans and their families, creating a list of veterans residing in the district and by joining support organisations.

The Bulls were forced to battle intermittent delays, slow over rates and time restrictions as wet and cold weather once again impacted games across the South West competition.

Regardless, they were able to handle the stop-start nature of the game with no issues as they went on to retain the Graham Hillman Shield with a 39 run win.

“It was a really handy win,” Place said.

“Considering the other results and other wash-outs, it proved to be a pretty important win that put us six points clear at the top of the ladder.”

The game, which was moved from Camperdown to Pomborneit, saw the Bulls post a total of 8/219 despite Place opting to declare his innings five overs early.

It proved to be the right move after Lahiru Fernando compiled his maiden century for the club, finishing with 104 off 100 balls, while Tom Place chipped in with 40 in a support role to set up a healthy target

In reply, Camperdown made a fast start to the innings through former Bull Craig Sargeant, who made 51 off 80 balls before his dismissal swung the momentum back in favour of the home side.

Pomborneit was then able to restrict the Lakers despite the best efforts of Harry Sumner (47) and import Shaluka Silva (44), with the visitors finishing their 50 overs 8/179.

Grant Place praised Fernando and Tom Place for their fourth wicket partnership of 112 which proved crucial in the result.

“We weren’t in great trouble but if that hadn’t have happened it would have made things interesting,” he said.

“I say he (Fernando) wouldn’t have played a bad shot, he timed everything well and the only chance he would have given, which may have been only one, would have been once he passed 50.

“He hit the ball into the gaps, he hit it over the top and he just placed the ball into the right areas.

“It’s as well as I’ve seen him bat since he’s been at Pombo.”

Place said the partnership underlined a big improvement in the Bulls’ batting performance but also highlighted the need for more refinement from his players.

“We still have two, three or four guys, myself included, that could do with some time in the middle,” he said.

“But it was good to see a couple of guys make a good partnership. Everyone else looked pretty good but Larry and Tom showed everyone how to go about it (building an innings).”

Place also praised his bowlers for holding their nerve following Sargeant’s quick start.

“Sarge came out hard as he usually does and got a few away – there was a heavy breeze at one end and any ball that was hit up in the air just sailed over the rope,” he said.

“So he got them off to a pretty good start but once we tightened the screws through the middle, we pushed the run rate out to nine or 10.

“After that we were able to push through as quickly as we could (at the end) before time was up on us.”

The Bulls are now set to take on Terang this Sunday at Terang Turf, while Camperdown will host Simpson at S.A. Wright Oval.

A total of 80,000 fish were released into the lake last Wednesday, the biggest individual stocking in the lake’s known history.

The release was made up of 30,000 chinook salmon fingerlings and 50,000 rainbow fingerlings.

Camperdown Angling Club secretary Dave Ritchie said the fish had come from the Fisheries Victoria Snobs Creek hatchery.

“It’s a really welcome boost for the lake after the disappointment of the fish kill which occurred at the lake last April,” he said.

“The fishing has been extremely poor since the fish kill.

“This injection of fingerlings is hoped to compensate for the losses sustained during the fish kill.”

Mr Ritchie said angling club members met with Fisheries Victoria representatives late last month to discuss the state of the lake and what action to take.

“The consensus was to use the fingerlings from Snobs Creek and to do so before the weather got too hot,” he said.

Weighing an average of three grams each, the fingerlings were expected to reach about two kilograms in 12 months.

“It’s a great boost for the lake and Camperdown as a whole,” he said.

“Both Lake Bullen Merri and Lake Purrumbete are known far and wide for their trout which draws anglers to the town.

“There are a lot of businesses in Camperdown which directly benefit from the fishery.”

A further 20,000 chinook salmon have also been scheduled for release into Lake Purrumbete.

The Lakers this week unveiled import Shaluka Silva, a left-handed middle order bat and left arm orthodox bowler with first class experience from Sri Lanka.

The 24 year-old is set to embark on his maiden Aussie summer and said “it’s good to be in Camperdown to play for the Lakers this time around.”

He said he was looking forward to playing in a competitive league and helping push the Lakers back into finals contention after they finished fifth last season.

“I just hope to play good cricket and share my experience and everything (on the field) and beyond the boundary too with the guys,” he said.

“I just hope to make (help) the Lakers into the final this time around, this is one of the main targets I want to achieve this summer.

“I felt that this is a good league and they are playing in division one but I just wanted to play competitive cricket..

“That’s why I chose Camperdown and Jordan (Riches) and (Steve) Fisher the coach, they’ve been patient with me and gave me the idea (of coming over) so I just want to be here and I want to continue my cricket here.”

Silva comes to Camperdown with a glittering cricket CV, having been a promising school and underage cricketer in his homeland.

He eventually graduated to first class level joining Bloomfield Cricket Club, the same club where Pomborneit’s Lahiru Fernando plays, but spent two years unable to crack the first XI before he decided to transfer to Colombo Cricket Club.

At Colombo, he finally made his first class debut against Nondescripts in 2016 and his List A debut in 2017, playing a handful of games in both formats before he returned to Bloomfield in 2018.

At Bloomfield, he again played more first-class and List A cricket, while he made his Twenty20 debut this year before he decided to come to Australia and play for the Lakers.

Silva said he was hoping to use his first class experience to help his new team-mates improve as cricketers during his stint at Camperdown.

He said he also wanted to enjoy the off-field aspect of his new team, admitting “it’s going to be a very good experience for my life”.

“I just want to bring my first class experience and just get the guys up to a good level (of cricket) because we want to achieve something this time around,” Silva said.

“I just prefer to do everything (I can) and give my everything to the cricket and share all my experience with them.

“I’m having a good time so far in Australia and all the boys are very good at the cricket club, there are a lot of good people here.

“It’s nice to come to here. I think it’s not a bad decision, it’s one of the good decisions of my life, so hopefully we can be good friends and be a good cricket team throughout the year.”

President Jordan Riches said the club was thrilled to have Silva on board and revealed he was set to be joined by another Sri Lankan Kasun Niranjana, in the coming weeks.

He said the pair would strengthen the Lakers’ line-up, particularly in areas they felt they were lacking depth in.

“We were a couple of quality players last year off the top four, so hopefully these two can push us into the finals,” he said.

“Shaluka’s going to fit in very well, he’s a very good player and we also have another one coming, Kasun Niranjana, he’s a wicketkeeper-opening batter.

“Shaluka is an unreal player, he’s a very good spinner, he has a lot of experience and he is a very good left-hand bat too.

“They kind of fill the spots we need. We needed an opening bat and we needed a keeper too since we lost Lucas and with Shaluka being a spinner and middle-order bat it’s going to fill the spots we needed to fill.”

Riches said the Lakers were looking forward to unleashing Silva in tomorrow’s clash with Pomborneit.

“We have had two sessions with him and we already know how good he is,” he said.

“So we just want to show the league how good he is and see how it goes from there.”

Sergeant Cameron Ross of Camperdown Police said two drink drivers were among the driving offences detected.

“The remaining penalties mostly related to speeding,” he said.

“About 500 Preliminary Breath Tests were conducted throughout the shire over the five day period.

“When you consider that we targeted the Princes Highway, Hamilton Highway and the Great Ocean Road the number of drink drivers detected was not too high, but of course anyone drink driving is unacceptable.”

Sgt Ross said Operation Furlong had been staged over several years and police made particular efforts to be more visible over long weekends.

“I think drivers are realising that police will be out and about at these high traffic times,” he said.

Golf registered their second win of the season on home turf, winning three rinks en route to a 121-81 victory.

Skippers Glenn Winsall (24-17), Craig Skene (34-19) and Ross Fleming (36-16) ensured Golf walked away with 16 points, while Kev Conheady suffered a narrow 29-27 loss.

President John Molan said the result was very pleasing.

“We led nearly all day, we had some slow starts, well our rink had a slow start but we went into afternoon tea 20 shots up (overall),” he said.

“They fought back a little bit afterwards (in the second half of play) but we were able to pull away again.

“It was a very good performance.”

Molan went so far as to say the win was “definitely” their most comprehensive of the year, with his side coming within one end of taking home full points for the first time this season.

Conheady was the unlucky skip to go down while his quartet was holding the match after Winsall’s rink fought back from a 14-4 deficit to win to secure his victory and Fleming and Skene easily won their matches.

“Kev was two shots up with one end to play but he did a four so it could have quite easily been four rinks, but it was a very even performance across all four rinks,” Molan said.

“The other pleasing thing is division three won again, which was good.

“Their performances are putting pressure on the guys up in division one (which is good for the club).”

The victory has Golf primed for a showdown with Colac City (1) this weekend before the division heads into the statewide bye the following week.

Molan said his side was eyeing off another win, this time on City’s home green, adding “we normally go well down there so have to continue that”.

A win would send them into the bye in touch with the top four and boasting a 3-2 record from five games, a start Molan said “we’d be very pleased with”.

“If you look at the ladder, only (Colac) Central is undefeated but we’re sitting two and two and a lot of other clubs are also two and two and even though we’re seventh, we’re only a couple of points outside the four,” he said.

“As I have said before, we had a tough start playing Cobden, Apollo Bay and Camperdown – three teams everyone thought would finish high up.

“Then with Lorne and us, we probably both expected to finish mid-range so beating them keeps us above them with Lorne coming into division one for the first time in I think five years someone said.

“At two and two, we’re pretty pleased with that but we have to keep building on it. If we can get over City, we’re three and two and sitting really nicely and then we have Winch at home (after the bye).”

Meanwhile, Camperdown’s season could go from bad to worse this weekend, with the side set to meet the division’s pacesetter following their 99-85 loss to Cobden.

The Thornton Street-based club is set to welcome Colac Central in what is a must-win for the side following a run of three successive defeats.

There were few positives to come out of the loss to the Cockatoos, with Len Searle the only skipper who recorded a rink win.

He won his contest 37-14 to keep his side in the match following big losses to Matthew Brewer (36-19) and Luke Wright (31-13), while Mark McDonald narrowly lost his rink 18-16.

Facility chief executive officer Claire Schmierer said a resident was keen on taking a trike ride, so Great Ocean Road Trike Trips operators were invited to visit.

“It didn’t take long for word to spread and for other clients to get in on the action,” she said.

“It was a fantastic day for the residents, even those that didn’t take a ride because they lined the path and clapped and cheered as the others took off.”

Mrs Schmierer said the rides provided a great opportunity for residents to reminisce about their own years of bike riding when younger.

“It also provided plenty of excitement for them and the great feeling of conquering fears to complete a challenge,” she said.

About a dozen residents took up the challenge accompanied by a staff member and enjoyed rides up Park Avenue between the town’s twin crater lakes.

“Dale and Colin, who rode the two bikes were sensational with our residents and we really thank them for their support,” Ms Schmierer said.

After a promising win against Simpson in the first round, Camperdown has suffered narrow defeats to Camperdown Golf and Colac in its past two outings.

Those results have left the side precariously placed in sixth position with a 1-2 record and nine points adrift of the top four after three rounds.

Gungl said his side was disappointed with its finishing in its past two matches, citing the “last 10 ends” had been problematic in the losses.

He said Camperdown needed to ensure it maintained a consistent mental effort more regularly in a bid to turn around its form.

“We’ve been in with a winning chance in the last 10 ends the last two weeks but we’ve bowled ourselves out of it a little bit,” Gungl said.

“We have to (make sure we) play the whole 25 ends on each of the rinks because it’s probably more a concentration thing than anything else.

“We’ve just got to focus harder and play for the whole game not 90 per cent of it.”

Camperdown is set to travel over Reservoir Hill to play Cobden tomorrow, with the Cockatoos also looking to bounce back from defeat last weekend.

They sit inside the top four after they opened the season with victories over Golf and Colac (1) before they fell to Colac Central (1).

Gungl said Camperdown would need to produce a big effort to knock over the Cockatoos.

“We’ll have to be at our very best because they’re a very good side,” he said.

“We’ve got to perform to a high standard, because if we lose this one it’s going to be tough to push for finals being a shorter year and all.

“We really need to hold our own early and then build on that as the game goes on.”

Gungl, who plays in Luke Wright’s rink, said alongside a victory over Cobden, he wanted his team to win their own match having had a draw and two narrow losses to open the season.

“There’s definitely no doubt about that one (a rink win),” he said

Elders Camperdown real estate manager Rob Rickard confirmed this week the sale had taken place before the property was officially advertised on the market.

“I can confirm the property has been sold by Elders Camperdown for an undisclosed amount to a Melbourne family,” he said.

“The homestead itself, magnificent gardens and historic outbuildings that surround the homestead were a major attraction for the purchaser.

“It’s my understanding that Talindert will continue as a private residence and the farm workings will remain much the same.”

Mr Rickard said the homestead was just over 200 squares in size, with 15 bedrooms and 1700 acres of prime farming land which was suitable for dairying, beef, sheep and cropping.

Talindert Homestead was built in 1890 for James C. Manifold MLC, the son of district pioneer John Manifold, after the historic Manifold family property ‘Purrumbete’ was subdivided in four separate holdings.

The homestead then passed to Sir Thomas Chester Manifold and, on his death, to his daughter Sally Emanuel.

The two storey building was extended to include 33 bedrooms in 1907 and is described as a ‘stucco and brick mansion’.

“I was pleased that it was sold to Australian ownership and I believe the vendors would be as well,” Mr Rickard said.

“The owners were very taken by Camperdown as a town, along with the local lakes and craters and the beautiful rural scenery around the district.

“They are excited to be moving to Camperdown and keen to embrace the town and everything it has to offer.”

Mr Rickard said the Talindert Homestead sale followed on from the recent sales of Timboon House on the outskirts of Camperdown and Rosebank Homestead in Terang.

“Both properties were sold to international interests,” he said.

“It’s just amazing where buyers are coming from for some of these magnificent properties in the Western District with the support of the Elders network which taps into high net worth individuals in our capital cities as well as international buyers.

“This district is an untapped part of the world.”

The Thornton Street-based club tasted defeat for the second successive week, this time at home 103-96, following a strong opening round victory over Simpson.

Brewer said his side needs a “couple of wins” following two losses playing in wet, cold and windy conditions over the past fortnight.

“We’ve got to win the early games being a shorter year, so definitely (we need to start winning),” he said.

“I’m not sure who we play next week, it might be Cobden, so they’re going to be pretty hard to beat.

“They went down last night (Friday night) to Colac Central (1) only by eight or nine shots (11).

“All the games are close, it’s a pretty even competition and anyone can beat anyone. It’s just a matter of putting it all together.”

Brewer said alongside early victories, his side especially needed to win its home games.

“That’s the crucial thing and we spoke about it before today (Saturday),” he said.

“We have to really win our home games, that’s the key.”

With play stopping multiple times for rain, Camperdown and Colac (1) both adapted to a slower green, as an enthralling contest ensued.

Just two shots separated the pair with 20 ends left to play across all rinks, with both sides trading the lead before the visitors pulled away late.

They secured an overall win alongside two rink victories, with Jeff Turner defeating Luke Wright 22-16 and Dan Donovan beating Len Searle 29-16.

Brewer said “probably once again it was the numbers” that worked against his side in the defeat after he defeated John Nelson 29-21 and Mark McDonald won against John Finn 35-31 to give Camperdown four points.

“There were some massive scores and some big numbers of sevens, fours and fives both ways,”he said.

“As I have said, if you cut half of them down, nine, 10 shots is nothing but that’s something we’ve really got to work on.

“There are a couple of rinks doing that and probably three rinks doing it today, ours was probably the closest of the lot, there was never any massive numbers.

“But we’ll soldier on and see what happens.”

Meanwhile, Camperdown Golf pushed highly fancied opponent Apollo Bay (1) for the majority of its contest, but went down 100-83 at Apollo Bay.

Kev Conheady was the only skipper to secure points for Golf, drawing his contest 19-19, while Glenn Winsall (26-21), Ross Fleming (29-23) and Craig Skene (26-20) all suffered narrow defeats.

In the other games, Colac Central (1) defeated Cobden (1) 92-83, Simpson (1) beat Lorne (1) 98-71 and Colac City (1) won against Winchelsea (1) 118-82.

Festival committee member Simon Buccheri said even though the majority of outside events planned for the avenue had to be relocated indoors at the Theatre Royal, feedback was still “fantastic”.

“We had people here from as far away as Gippsland, Adelaide, New South Wales and even Perth and nobody was disappointed with the festival,” he said.

“It’s a great testament to the quality of local talent we have and of this community to band together and soldier on despite the challenges of the weather.”

Mr Buccheri said one example of community resilience was the need to make a completely new outdoor dance floor at the last minute.

“The one that arrived at about 4pm on the Friday was not entirely smooth, making it a bit of a safety hazard for the dancers,” he said.

“We were there fussing around and members of the community passing by pitched in and helped us build a new one there and then. We had a completely new one built in a couple of hours.

“It was absolutely awesome, and that level of community input and resilience continued through the whole weekend.”

Festival committee member Sara Napier said local sponsorship was a huge highlight from the weekend.

“We had about $50,000 in local sponsorship, including a grant from the Corangamite Shire, which is amazing for a community our size,” she said.

“We were really mindful about getting visitors into our local shops and I think we achieved that.

“The number of food vans was limited to three, so all the town’s eateries and hotels were really busy with people ducking in for a bite.”

Overall, the event is estimated to have generated about $300,000 in outside income for the town.

Ms Napier said the dance competition was a major highlight of the weekend, with the Victorian Rock ‘n’ Roll Dance Association keen to stage another one next year.

“The dance lessons were also strongly supported and the Young Elvis competition was a nice addition too,” she said.

“But overall, I think the fact that most of the musicians were from the local area is something we can be very proud of.

“The festival really is a great way to showcase just how much talent we have locally and to celebrate and share it.”

Mr Buccheri said the intention was to build on this year’s success.

“There was so much wonderful feedback that we’re becoming known on the rock and roll calendar, so that’s a great position to be in,” he said.

“This town lends itself to a vintage and retro festival like this and with the level of community support, we’re sure it will continue to grow.”

Kerr, the 2018 champion, posted scores of 75, 72, 79 and 78 for a total of 304 to win the club’s top honour by 16 shots from Tom Moran (320), Darren Fox (322) and David Absolom (328).

He said he was thrilled to go back-to-back.

“It’s a great achievement,” Kerr said.

“It’s something I think I said at the end of last year, was to go back-to-back in a club championships.

“I said I wanted to have good scores and I actually did have four good scores across the four rounds.

“The course played ridiculously tough just with the conditions we had but Foxy (Fox) and his team did a great job to have it in playable condition considering the weather.”

Kerr said his putting was “the key to winning championships”, with his efforts with the short stick over the opening two rounds putting him in a winning position.

“I can’t fault the greens because I putted well over the first two rounds, I think had I 46, 47 putts which helped down the later end of the (last) two rounds because I had built up a 12 shot lead,” he said.

“I can thank that (being 12 shots ahead) due to my putting I suppose and making a few putts here and there.”

Kerr said he would spend time basking in his achievements but called out his fellow club-mates to continue to support their club following strong numbers across the three weeks of the championships.

“It’s just about enjoying it and doing what we can to support the Camperdown Golf Club. To have as many players as we did across the championships was great,” he said.

“It would be good if we could keep getting those numbers and members to come because that means more competitions on Saturdays and guest days to come I suppose.”

In B grade, David Regan produced a stunning final round to turn a five shot deficit into victory.

Regan trailed Bernie Sinnott entering the final round but flipped the leader board on its head with an 81, his best score of the championships.

Sinnott shot a 91 in the last round, with the pair swapping places, with Regan (349) triumphing over Sinnott (354) in the end by five shots.

Rick Bailey (358) was four shots further back in third, with Luke Clarke (359) one shot back in fourth.

Regan, who snared his maiden club championship, said he was surprised to win.

“Spike (Sinnott) is pretty hard to beat and he was five or six ahead on Sunday morning but I managed to claw a couple back and I hit an 81 which wasn’t too bad,” he said.

“It was pretty tough conditions right across the championships so my scores were alright but the best day was the last day which worked out well.”

And in C grade, Norm Tonks endured a tense battle with Dale Evans to secure his first club championship following an interesting play-off.

The pair entered the final round tied for the lead and both shot 96s for a score of 387 before they headed back out for a three hole play-off.

However, Tonks revealed he and Evans had initially started their play-off hole on the wrong holes, and had played through two before they were forced to restart their play-off on the 10th, 17th and 18th.

In effect, they played five holes before Tonks secured victory, which was a win he said had felt like a long time coming.

He said despite the tense nature of the play-off, the pair was able to have a laugh about what transpired.

“It’s pretty exciting for me,” Tonks said.

“It just proves that if you hang (the club) around long enough, you’re a chance (of winning one).

“It was good to play Dale, he was really enjoyable to play with and it was pretty easy for us (the play-off).

“We were both joking about it and we enjoyed it. Even with the five holes it was still pretty even, it was just very, very tight.”

The club will present their champions and other awards at their presentation night this evening.

The third annual Rock the Clock Festival got under way last night – with a new expanded program of music, dance, fashion, cars, markets and activities running though until Sunday night.

Organising committee founding member Glen Bernoth said pre-festival ticket sales had exceeded expectations and the festival’s growth this year was already guaranteed.

“From the moment we released the early bird ticket sales in June, we have enjoyed really strong sales and to have twice as many sold as the same time last year is rewarding for our hard-working

committee and our army of amazing volunteers,” he said.

“Accommodation in and around Camperdown has been snapped up, local eateries and the pubs are preparing for a busy weekend and our community is ready to welcome hundreds of visitors.

“The growing support from businesses sponsoring the event also demonstrates the collective commitment of the Camperdown community to make sure the town maintains an events calendar.”

Mr Bernoth said nearly 20 bands underlined a busy program, including Zydeco Jump, Palomino III (QLD), The Fender Benders, Kid James Trio, Kieron McDonald & The Westernairs, Robyn & The Rancheros, Rachael Brady & The Moonshine Special (NSW), The Pete Daffy Band, The Devil Women From Mars, Chonk (swing band), Sheena & The Big Cats, Tommy Collins & The Lucky Strikes, Moonee Valley Drifters, The Led Sleds (SA), Loose Cannons, The Ladybugs and the Lakes & Craters Band.

“There’s a lot of free entertainment on the clock tower stage and in the street, but most of the drawcard events are indoors at the Theatre Royal complex and in the pubs which protects the festival from weather and gives patrons confidence to travel great distances to be here,” he said.

“Our committee is excited with some new additions to the program this year, including a Bike and Car Show ‘n’ Shine, Rock the Clock Legend Variety and Talent Competition and a state level dance competition in conjunction with the Victorian Rock‘n’Roll Dance Association.

“There’s even an Under 25s Elvis Competition organised by the Corangamite Youth Council, which should be fun and it has been great to have their involvement throughout the planning for 2019.”

For more information or to purchase your weekend pass visit the festival website www.rocktheclock.com.au.

Held for the third time last week, businesses and their staff took the opportunity to once again dress up in spooky costumes while holding a one day sale.

The day once again created plenty of talk, providing retailers with an opportunity to show a different side to business within the town.

Betta Home Living manager Jacinta Lee, who dressed up for the third year, said the annual event was growing.

“It was quiet in the morning but in the afternoon it got busy. I was happy with our sales” she said.

“We had a lot of people coming in looking (at us dressed up) and realising what was going but some others we had to explain it too.

“But mostly the reaction was good and people were having fun with you.”

Benallacks Sport proprietor Andrew Benallack also had a mixed business day but he said he was pleased with the response from his fellow retailers in participating in the sale.

He said it had been a difficult year for traders from a business perspective but he added it was great to see them taking a chance on creating trade.

“It (the day) reminds people we’re here and that business can still be done,” he said.

“The great irony is the day itself might not be successful but the days following can make up for any perceived losses.

“We had a lot of enquiries on what we advertised even though they were all not overly sold.”

Camperdown WellNest Centre owner Ramute Stepanavicius also said she had mixed responses to people being aware of what was on.

She said one customer thought it was Halloween, while others knew exactly what Friday the 13th was.

Mrs Stepanavicius said her trade was similar to most days but she said she enjoyed participating even though she opted not to dress up.

Instead she put props throughout her shop and sold gluten free shortbread bat cookies to mark the sale.

“I’m all for community events and doing anything we can to stimulate interest in the town,” she said.

“Perhaps the actual day wasn’t very significant in people being aware of what was on but I’d definitely do it again.

“As I said anything I can do to participate in or stimulate awareness in the town is good.”

The Lakes Complex-based club ended a losing streak which dates back to 2015 against cross town rivals Camperdown, recovering from a slow start to storm home and win Saturday’s Camperdown derby 99-89.

President John Molan said his side was thrilled to regain the prestigious silverware on what was a red letter day for his club.

“It was a very pleasing effort,” he said.

“We were behind most of the day and it was only in the last 10 to 12 ends that we got in front and then hung on.

“There was a great feeling around the club when I left on Saturday night, there was a lot of blokes smiling.”

Both sides were forced to battle the elements throughout the day, with rain bringing a stop to play on three occasions while bowlers also had to deal with gusty winds.

Despite the difficult conditions, the standard of bowls remaining a high quality as a close contest from start to finish developed and little separated the two rivals across the four rinks of play.

Golf skippers Glenn Winsall and Craig Skene were engaged in tight battles with Camperdown president Matthew Brewer and his counterpart Len Searle for almost the entirety of their 25 end contests.

Brewer and Searle did enough late to snare four points for Camperdown with 21-20 and 21-19 wins respectively, but Golf was able to claim the remaining four points and overall honours on Kev Conheady’s and Ross Fleming’s rinks.

Conheady clawed his way back from a deficit against Luke Wright to win 33-28, while Fleming controlled proceedings in his 27-19 victory against Mark McDonald.

“Rossy paved the way for us, he won by eight (which was good) and Kev picked up a four on the last end to win by five,” Molan said.

“Glenn and Craig only went down by a shot or two, but they were all very close games.”

Brewer lamented his side’s inability to finish the contest strongly after it was evenly poised throughout the day.

“We were in front at different stages, it may have only been by four or five shots but they finished too well for us overall,” he said.

“Luke Wright had a fair lead but Kev Conheady ran over the top of them, they played well as did Rossy Fleming, they were the two rinks for them (that was the difference in the result).

“They were just too strong for us late and we didn’t finish off like we did last week which was disappointing.”

Brewer said Camperdown’s performance highlighted “a few things to work on” for his side, particularly in the number of shots they were conceding on some ends.

“One rink dropped five fours and a three, so that’s 23 shots, which is big numbers in division one,” he said.

“You only have to halve that and you win the game, so there are a few things to work on there.

“But Lenny Searle had a good win and I had a good battle with Glenn Winsall so we were happy to win at least two rinks.”

In the lower grades, Camperdown’s division two side was beaten 111-85 by Colac Central (2) while their division three side was defeated 102-69 by Cobden (3).

Golf’s division three side triumphed 110-87 over Colac (4), a result Molan was thoroughly pleased with.

“Division three are undefeated and on top of the ladder, which shows we have some depth this year,” he said.

“We have a lot of good bowlers in division three.”

Lines have been strung on the station’s lattice towers and commissioning tests are continuing.

Work is also continuing to fit smaller 132kV lines at the station, with various parts of the terminal to be ‘switched on’ over the coming weeks.

According to official updates, 23 turbines are now fully installed of the 149 turbine project, with a further 20 at ‘pre-install’ stage.

The Lakes Complex-based club ended a losing streak which dates back to 2015 against cross town rivals Camperdown, recovering from a slow start to storm home and win Saturday’s Camperdown derby 99-89.

President John Molan said his side was thrilled to regain the prestigious silverware on what was a red letter day for his club.

“It was a very pleasing effort,” he said.

“We were behind most of the day and it was only in the last 10 to 12 ends that we got in front and then hung on.

“There was a great feeling around the club when I left on Saturday night, there was a lot of blokes smiling.”

Both sides were forced to battle the elements throughout the day, with rain bringing a stop to play on three occasions while bowlers also had to deal with gusty winds.

Despite the difficult conditions, the standard of bowls remaining a high quality as a close contest from start to finish developed and little separated the two rivals across the four rinks of play.

Golf skippers Glenn Winsall and Craig Skene were engaged in tight battles with Camperdown president Matthew Brewer and his counterpart Len Searle for almost the entirety of their 25 end contests.

Brewer and Searle did enough late to snare four points for Camperdown with 21-20 and 21-19 wins respectively, but Golf was able to claim the remaining four points and overall honours on Kev Conheady’s and Ross Fleming’s rinks.

Conheady clawed his way back from a deficit against Luke Wright to win 33-28, while Fleming controlled proceedings in his 27-19 victory against Mark McDonald.

“Rossy paved the way for us, he won by eight (which was good) and Kev picked up a four on the last end to win by five,” Molan said.

“Glenn and Craig only went down by a shot or two, but they were all very close games.”

Brewer lamented his side’s inability to finish the contest strongly after it was evenly poised throughout the day.

“We were in front at different stages, it may have only been by four or five shots but they finished too well for us overall,” he said.

“Luke Wright had a fair lead but Kev Conheady ran over the top of them, they played well as did Rossy Fleming, they were the two rinks for them (that was the difference in the result).

“They were just too strong for us late and we didn’t finish off like we did last week which was disappointing.”

Brewer said Camperdown’s performance highlighted “a few things to work on” for his side, particularly in the number of shots they were conceding on some ends.

“One rink dropped five fours and a three, so that’s 23 shots, which is big numbers in division one,” he said.

“You only have to halve that and you win the game, so there are a few things to work on there.

“But Lenny Searle had a good win and I had a good battle with Glenn Winsall so we were happy to win at least two rinks.”

In the lower grades, Camperdown’s division two side was beaten 111-85 by Colac Central (2) while their division three side was defeated 102-69 by Cobden (3).

Golf’s division three side triumphed 110-87 over Colac (4), a result Molan was thoroughly pleased with.

“Division three are undefeated and on top of the ladder, which shows we have some depth this year,” he said.

“We have a lot of good bowlers in division three.”

Lines have been strung on the station’s lattice towers and commissioning tests are continuing.

Work is also continuing to fit smaller 132kV lines at the station, with various parts of the terminal to be ‘switched on’ over the coming weeks.

According to official updates, 23 turbines are now fully installed of the 149 turbine project, with a further 20 at ‘pre-install’ stage.

The two Camperdown-based clubs will add another chapter to their fierce rivalry when they meet for the first time this Corangamite Bowls Division pennant season at Camperdown Golf Club.

Camperdown president Matthew Brewer said his side was looking forward to the clash, adding there was no bigger game on the calendar for either club.

“It’s been a pretty big rivalry the last few years,” he said.

“Years ago there were 10 of us that left Golf and went to Camperdown and it’s sort of been a pretty big rivalry since then.

“The year we left Golf (2011/12) we made the finals and had to play them in the first final and we got over them in that and went onto win the grand final so it was a pretty big year for us.

“The rivalry is pretty big, each and every one of us likes to have the bragging rights being in the same town as each other.”

Golf president John Molan agreed with Brewer’s sentiments and said there was “definitely” no sweeter win for his club.

“There is a fair bit of rivalry out there but once we’re finished we all sit down and drink together,” he said.

“It’s always nice to beat Camperdown, they’ve done it to us for a while now so hopefully Saturday is the day.”

Camperdown defeated Golf in both home and away matches last season, but Brewer is expecting his opponents to put up a competitive showing on their home track this time around.

“We always have competitive games with them being cross town rivals,” he said.

“They have Craig Skene back as skipper, he had last season off and they have a new bloke (Paul Richards) from Lismore and Peter Burke has gone back up there.

“They’re always competitive at home, and although it’s not a danger game in any aspect, we have to follow up our win last Saturday.”

Molan said his side would need strong efforts across the board to secure victory given Camperdown has had their measure in recent years.

“They have had the wood on us as of late but once again I think on paper we match up pretty well with Camperdown,” he said.

“We have four good skips as have they but it’ll depend on the leads and the others to outperform them.”

The two sides enter the clash in contrasting form, with Camperdown coming off a 21 shot victory over Simpson while Golf is looking to bounce back from a 27 shot loss to Cobden.

Golf’s chances will boosted by the return of a key player, with Glenn Winsall set to play his first game of the season.

“He was probably our best skipper last year so it’ll be good to have him back,” Molan said.

Camperdown will enter the contest unchanged, with selectors opting to stick with last weekend’s winning rinks.

“Maria Van Someren was a late withdrawal last week and Ray Bourke came in for her but there’s no changes for this week,” Brewer said.

Molan encouraged the local community to brave the predicted elements and watch the two rivals go head-to-head when tomorrow’s match starts at 1pm.

Camperdown, Cobden and Terang police units were called out at 1.50am last Sunday, October 13 after a blue station wagon was reported as being driven erratically between Geelong and Colac.

Senior Constable Paul Marsland of Camperdown Police said a Colac police officer identified the vehicle as it passed through Colac, but did not attempt to intercept it due to the speed and erratic way it was travelling.

“We were then notified,” he said.

“However, before we made contact with the vehicle, it appears the front left tyre has disintegrated.

“The offender has continued to drive the vehicle and eventually turned off the highway up a siding near the Weerite roadworks.”

The vehicle, which did not have licence plates, was then driven into a deep spoon drain, after which the offender fled the scene and the vehicle erupted in flames.

Snr Const Marsland said evidence gathered since indicated the offender attended two rural properties east of Camperdown.

“The culprit left two notes apologising for any trouble caused,” he said.

“The first was a handwritten note pinned to a front door, the second was written with his finger in dust on the windscreen of a Gator farm vehicle.”

Snr Constable Marsland said investigations were continuing.

Anyone who may have witnessed the event or knows any information relating to it, or who has become aware of activity on their property during the early hours of last Sunday are asked to contact Camperdown Police on 5593 1000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The Bulls, who hosted Cobden in the opening match, successfully defended a paltry total of 90 on the back of Hillman’s efforts with the ball.

The opening bowler claimed figures of 5/12 from 8.4 overs, which included the key scalps of Kappy McCann (one) and Johno Benallack (zero).

Bulls skipper Grant Place said Hillman was able to save the Bulls with the ball following their failures at the crease.

“He bowled unbelievably well,” he said.

“He’s been bowling really well the last couple of weeks, I had a net session against him during the week and he bowled as well as he ever has when I’ve faced him.

“It’s good going for someone at his age now, he’s still sending them through nicely.”

Hillman’s five wicket haul followed on from top scores of 15 from Tom Doolan and 13 from Dave Murphy in the first innings.

The pair along with Clinton Place (10) was able to push the Bulls just shy of three figures, with Grant Place pleased to walk away with a win having defended their low total.

“I suppose these early games where you underperform and still find a way to win those close games are really good wins,” he said.

“One, two or three games like that where you underperform with the bat or ball and you don’t get the (right) result can prove costly later in the year when its tight for points with other clubs.

“Early wins are always important.”

He said the Bulls “were happy with 50 per cent of our game” but conceded their batting effort certainly left a lot to be desired.

“Our bowling and fielding was unbelievably good, we were sharper in the field and tighter with our bowling than we were at times last year,” Place said.

“But the batting was fairly rusty to say the least.

“It wasn’t 10 blokes throwing their wicket away or anything, we just kept losing wickets (regularly).

“I’m not sure if we were leaving enough balls or maybe we went in with too much of an attacking mindset or whether we were in a bit of a hurry maybe (that was causing wickets to fall).”

Place said Tom Place also bowled well despite going wicketless in the absence of Lahiru Fernando with Tharaka Sendanayake (3/19) reaping the rewards of Tom Place’s efforts.

In the lower grades, Pomborneit recorded strong victories in low scoring affairs, downing Cobden in division two and Mortlake in division three.

The Bulls made 8/85 batting first in the division two game and bowled the Knights out for 58 to secure a 27 run victory.

Wes Lenehan (41 not out) and Luke Lenehan (4/23) led the way with bat and ball while Tayla Reynolds (2/10) and Daniel Lenehan (2/12) also performed well.

In division three, the Bulls easily chased down the Cats’ total of 76, passing the target without the loss of a wicket.

Matthew Richardson (48 not out) and Brent Noonan (27 not out) both finished unbeaten at the crease after Hunter Reynolds (3/14), Stephen Walters (2/7) and Daniel Missen (2/8) had earlier ripped though Mortlake’s batting line-up.

The Bulls will face Ecklin (Pomborneit) and Terang (Terang No.2 Oval) respectively next weekend.

The locomotive, along with nine heritage carriages and a diesel engine was scheduled to pass through Camperdown at about 12.30pm, but was half an hour late.

Organiser and train enthusiast Eddie White said the diesel engine was added to the service to provide extra power, but had failed.

“It didn’t work at all between Melbourne and Camperdown, but once we got to Camperdown, all it took was a five cent plastic cable tie to get out of trouble,” he said.

Locals gathered on the platform and along the north side of the station tracks to view the train, which rolled into town sounding its trademark whistle amid a ball of steam.

Other locals lined the tracks along the way, with many stopping at crossings to film the train as it passed by.

“People were up on the hills waving, at the crossings, it was just fantastic to see,’ Mr White said.

“Everyone loves the old trains and it’s a real treat to have this one back on the line again.”

After leaving Camperdown, the steam train gathered momentum to take on a 1960s Ag-Cat biplane in a race to Allansford, adding to the journey’s fun.

“The plane had quite a big tailwind so the pilot ended up using quite a lot of fuel trying to hold it back so it would be a bit closer to the train,” Mr White said.

“In the end, the plane was starting to run low on fuel, so it just had to take off and well and truly beat us into Allansford.

“It was great to have the plane be a part of the day and we were able to live stream from both the train and the plane as the race unfolded, which was great.”

The R711 dated back to 1951, while the S-Class diesel engine dated back to 1961 and the nine carriages dated from 1936 to 1956.

Two hundred and seventy passengers made the trip from Melbourne or Geelong through to Warrnambool, with a further 600 locals enjoying return shuttle trips to Allansford.

“Steamrail Victoria ran this trip and are very happy with how it went,” Mr White said.

“The train’s definitely a talking point now, and something people really look forward to.

“We’ve already started talks about running another visit next year and are even thinking about making it for a full weekend, with the passengers put up in accommodation and offered a selection of tours or activities to enjoy.”

Mr White thanked everyone who turned out to support the train and wave to the passengers as the service passed through.

“It’s great to see everyone enjoy the train – we couldn’t ask for more,” he said.

The 18 year-old is set to represent Victoria in the One Netball Marie Little Shield in Brisbane from October 12 to 14.

The three-day competition provides women with an intellectual disability the chance to compete and represent their state or territory at a national level.

For the first time, the shield is being included as part of the INAS Global Games, the world’s largest sporting event for athletes with intellectual impairment, which is being held in Brisbane from October 12 to 19.

Daffy earned selection in the Victorian side following two try-outs in July, with the selection panel naming 10 players and four development players in their squad of 14.

She has been travelling to Melbourne every three weeks of a month since those try-outs for training under the watchful eye of head coach Naomi Linossier and her assistant, Adelaide Thunderbird Emma Ryde at the State Netball and Hockey Centre.

Daffy said she was hoping to play a key role for her team when competition gets under way.

“I’m excited and nervous,” she said.

“I’m hoping we have a strong team and I’m hoping to do well.

“I’m mainly a goal attack, I’m usually shooting goals so I think I’ll be playing mainly goals up there but I might get swapped to the mid-court a bit too.”

Daffy’s rise to represent her state, which started two and a half years (2017) ago when she began playing in the Warrnambool Stingers mixed netball program.

She was then selected in the Western Region’s All-Abilities team at the Netball Victoria State Titles for the same year, which laid the foundations for her path to state selection this year.

“I guess it all started when I tried out for states (titles) two years ago,” Daffy said.

“We didn’t win a game and then last year we got a silver.

“We only lost two games, one was obviously the grand final and the other we lost to the same team again earlier (in the tournament).”

Daffy will fly with the team to Brisbane today, with her mum Danni and older sister Bec set to be courtside for her games.

New South Wales are the defending champions of the event, which will be held at the Queensland State Netball Centre.

En route from the Port of Geelong to a Mortlake wind farm substation, the superload was being transported with five prime movers when it suffered a breakdown at Bostocks Creek.

An unnamed source said the load was trying to reach the peak of the Bostocks Creek hill when the breakdown occurred at about 3am.

“We’ve transported a superload along this stretch before and did not have any troubles, but this time the road was slippery and made it a lot harder to get traction,” he said.

“Two attempts were made and on the second attempt we almost made it to the top when traction broke, and that’s when one of the trucks was damaged.”

The truck reportedly suffered a broken ‘joey box’, which is a device used to increase the number of gears available.

The superload subsequently came to a complete stop on the Camperdown-Cobden Road adjacent to the Pekins Road intersection.

The damaged prime mover was removed from the superload and a replacement prime mover was sent from Geelong along with a heavy duty tow truck.

Both lanes of the Camperdown-Cobden Road were closed for the duration of the breakdown, with traffic diverted along Naroghid Road and Cross Forest Road.

The superload eventually continued its journey and arrived at Mortlake at about 3pm.

Initially planned to complete its journey in three overnight stints, the unforeseen breakdown saw the superload complete the last leg to Mortlake throughout Wednesday afternoon at a speed of 25 kilometres per hour, with motorists warned of delays along the Princes Highway, McKinnons Bridge Road and Terang-Mortlake Road.

Senior football: best and fairest winner Jason Robinson, runner-up Luke Mahony, Ray Russell Memorial most determined Luke O’Neil, most improved Charlie Lucas, best first year player Bayley

Thompson, coach’s award Billy Arnold, players’ player award Luke Mahony.

Reserves football: best and fairest winner Devon Coates, runner-up Wayne Loader, most determined Charlie Brett, coach’s award Daniel Hickey.

Under 18 football: best and fairest winner Zach Sinnott, runner-up Toby Kent, most improved Harry Sumner, most determined Jack Helmore, most consistent Ethan Coates, coach’s award Archie McBean.

Open netball: best and fairest winner Jess Cameron, runner-up Emma Wright, coach’s award Caitlin Hall.

Division one netball: best and fairest winner Georgia Vick, runner-up Tracey Baker, coach’s award Sophie Swayn.

Division two netball: best and fairest winner Jess Van den Eynde, runners-up Kayla Hallyburton and Sarah McInnes, coach’s award Georgia Lucas.

Division three netball: best and fairest winner Kelly Howard, runner-up Rachel Mungean, coach’s award Bern Bellman.

17 and under netball: best and fairest winner Molly Hedrick, runner-up Olivia Maskell, Tracey Sheehan Memorial most determined Ava Nolan, coach’s award Sarah Delwig.

15 and under netball: best and fairest winner Mary Place, runner-up Ruby Conheady, coach’s award Tahli Kent.

13 and under netball: best and fairest winner Sophie Conheady, runner-up Eliza O’Neil, coach’s award Georgia Dalton.

The best club person award went to Michael Hassett for his contribution to both Saturday and Sunday competitions throughout the season.

The Lex Scally Memorial award for services to the netball fraternity was presented to Mel Van den Eynde.

Craft activities, singing, dancing and giant lawn games will all be on offer at the clock tower as part of the town’s annual ‘Life in the Avenue’ event.

A combined initiative of Camperdown Mental Health (CMH), Camperdown Rotary and Camperdown Community House, the event is designed to get people out and about and involved in life.

South West Healthcare health promotions officer Alexandra Bell said the event coincides with Mental Health Week.

“A big part of maintaining good mental health is to be active, connected to the wider community and to have fun,” she said.

“There’s so much on offer for people to enjoy in and around Camperdown and this event is a great opportunity for people to find something that interests them.”

Kicking off at 11am on Thursday, October 10, the event will run through until 2pm and includes activities such as yoga, singing with the Tone Deaf Choir, face painting, giant bubbles and a drumbeat demonstration along with a range of display stalls and guest speakers.

Giant lawn games will also feature, with oversized versions of Connect Four, Jenga and ten pin bowling.

Camperdown Rotary will also man a barbecue to raise funds for the organisation’s ‘Lift the Lid on Mental Illness’ initiative, which has contributed nearly $800,000 to 50 scholarships for careers in mental health areas.

“The whole day will be a great chance for people to find an activity they’re interested in and where it is offered,” Ms Bell said.

“Being connected in the community and being involved in different social outlets and having fun is a great way to promote mental wellbeing and preventing illness.

“The idea is for people to enjoy themselves and lead happy lives.”

Ms Bell said one in four people will experience mental illness in their lifetimes.

The ‘Life in the Avenue’ event will also encourage people to take stock of their own mental health and to consider making a Mental Health Plan.

“It is also an opportunity for people to find out what mental health services are located locally and how to access them,” Ms Bell said.

She said Camperdown Mental Health, which specialises in mental health, is located at 64 Scott Street and open between 9.30am and 4pm.

People can just walk in off the street and seek help if they are feeling unwell, or they can visit a GP and seek a referral.

People in distress can also call the 24 hour helpline on 1800 808 284.

The ‘Life in the Avenue’ event will run in conjunction with a calendar of ‘come and try’ events across Camperdown this week, including fitness sessions, yoga, story time, therapeutic art and a mental health and wellbeing workshop. Dates and times can be found on South West Healthcare’s Facebook page.

Four new light towers, each with two lights, were installed on courts seven, eight and nine last month ahead of the new seasons starting next week.

Their installation means all nine courts can now be used at night-time, a move Gordon hopes will attract new teams and former players back to tennis.

The competitions have been popular since their inception, with 11 men’s, four ladies and six mixed teams playing in the February to April season earlier this year.

Gordon is hoping those numbers increase in the future.

“We put them in to attract players,” he said.

“It’s not only for the men, it’s for the ladies and the mixed as well.

“They don’t have quite the numbers (of the men), but the (new) lights are to encourage more people to play.

“There were a lot that dropped out because of the late nights but whether it works or not (attract players), we have to wait and see.”

The decision to add lights to the remaining courts was one that was under consideration by the committee for a long time.

The association had often enjoyed strong seasons over the years, but after finding they were losing numbers due to the late nights, the committee decided it was time to see if they could find a way to get them back.

“We’ve been discussing it for a few years but initially we didn’t do anything and then we decided to do it after we were finding people were dropping away because it was getting too late,” Gordon said.

“We thought getting them in would get a few more up there because before our nights were sometimes finishing around 11pm but hopefully now they’ll finish around 9.30pm.

“That was the main reason.”

The decision saw the committee self fund the $48,000 project, which Gordon said was “a pretty big commitment” but one they were proud of.

They initially tried to install them straight after their most recent season but the wet weather forced them to wait until the start of September.

They got their first look at the lights in the cover of darkness last week and were immediately impressed with the result.

“There is a bit more shadow because they are newer and brighter than the other lights but they were really good,” Gordon said.

“We found you’d probably get the odd glare but you get that with the others anyway.”

The association’s new seasons kick off next Tuesday with the men’s competition, with ladies and mixed to follow on Wednesday and Thursday.

Competitions will run for eight weeks until early December and start at 7.30pm on each of their respective nights.

Cost to play is $70 for the season which covers all fees and insurances.

Gordon said any players wanting more information or to have a hit or submit a team could contact Donna Watts on 0409 535 547 or himself on 0408 948 225.

Camperdown Compost looks set to continue to grow with a planning application to expand operations at its Blind Creek Road processing facility now before the Corangamite Shire Council and a works approval application before the Environment Protection Authority for consideration.

A ‘drop-in’ information session has been set for Monday, October 14 at the Killara Centre in Camperdown where officers from both organisations will be in attendance.

Located about 10 kilometres west of Camperdown, the 2.3 hectare site has been used as a composting facility since the late 1990s.

The facility is currently licensed to process up to 24,000 tonnes or organic waste annually, which results in about 10,000 tonnes of finished compost which is then used for agricultural uses, landscaping and commercial composts.

According to the applications, the processing facility accepts hard green wastes, municipal green wastes, animal effluent, grease trap effluent, food and beverage processing wastes, industrial wash and inert sludges and slurries.

The planning application seeks to expand operations to 35,000 tonnes of incoming waste annually and upgrade the operations to include a concrete force aerated floor.

If approved, the site would add additional waste categories of commercial food waste, tannery and wool scouring wastes, category C soils and stormwater contaminated with oil or hydrocarbons.

Twelve windrows of waste would be located on the aerated floor and turned mechanically on a regular basis to maintain optimum temperatures for the composting process.

The aerated floor has been designed to speed up the entire composting process and reduce the amount of methane gas and carbon dioxide released, reducing odour.

A number of newly built office buildings and storage sheds are also included in the proposal along with separate storage dams for compost leachate and stormwater.

The proposal would also see the addition of a two-metre-high mesh fence covered in a green creeper and a six-metre-wide landscaping strip with trees growing between five and eight metres in height.

The estimated cost of the entire project is $2.5 million.

Camperdown Compost chief executive officer Nick Routson said the company had spent a number of years researching the best technology for the upgrade.

“We are working with Compost Systems in Austria, who have designed and built over 20 similar systems through Europe and South America,” he said.

“This is their first project in Australia.

“Sustainability Victoria has also acknowledged the importance of the facility and has contributed $500,000 towards the upgrade.”

Mr Routson said the composting area would not get any bigger.

“We’re also adding some area to the front of the site to get our trucks off the road and to allow for some vegetative screening around the site,” he said.

The planning application can be viewed at the Corangamite Shire offices in Camperdown or online at www.corangamite.vic.gov.au/Property/Planning/Statutory-Planning/View-current-planning-applications-on-notice. Submissions will be accepted until the close of business on Wednesday, October 23.

Interested people can find out more about the project and how to make a submission at the ‘drop-in’ session which will be held from 4pm until 7.30pm.

Indi Cameron and Ned Molan, who play domestic basketball with the Camperdown association and represent Colac at squad level, were chosen among Country Victoria’s top 240 players from statewide skills sessions which ultimately resulted in Jamboree selection.

The camp is recognised as the first step in BVC’s elite pathways program.

For Indi, she said it was a thoroughly worthwhile experience.

“I really enjoyed it,” she said.

“It was good to get the chance to keep improving my basketball.”

Indi represented the ‘Troopers’ team, winning two of their five games across the week.

“We won two, lost two and drew one game,” she said.

“We finished pretty well, we won our third game and fifth game of the week.

“We learnt a new play that I haven’t used before as well.”

Indi said it was a rewarding time spent getting to know her team-mates.

“I had played against some of the girls before and knew some others from Jamboree tryouts,” Indi said.

“It was good to get to know them better and become friends with them.”

Meanwhile for Ned, he believes the Jamboree will be beneficial for his basketball moving forward.

“We learnt a lot of new stuff, like five-out offence and one pass away cuts,” he said.

“It was a totally new experience with new players.

“Probably meeting all the new kids was the best part.”

His side also played five games and undertook three, one-hour training sessions throughout the competition.

“We interacted pretty well from the first time we met,” Ned said.

“Our first training on the Saturday was good, we got used to how everyone played.”

Ned hit the court under the guidance of coach Brad Dennis from the Melton Basketball Association.

“We sort of played five minutes on and five minutes off most the time, but our combinations changed from game to game,” he said.

“We lost a couple by three and four points and our biggest loss was only 11, so we were pretty competitive.

“We went down by three to the team which went through its five games undefeated.”

Despite his ‘Sundowners’ team winning just one of its games, Ned enjoyed plenty of highlights on the court, which included scoring 14 points in his side’s win in the last game of their campaign.

Member for Wannon Dan Tehan took the honour of opening stage one of the Theatre’s redevelopment, which saw $216,000 spent improving the historic venue’s sound and lighting capabilities.

The Federal Government provided $108,000 from the Building Better Regions Fund and the State Government $50,000 from the Stronger Regional Communities Plan.

The Corangamite Shire Council, Camperdown Theatre Company, Mercy Regional College and St Patrick’s Primary School all contributed to the remaining costs of the project.

Representatives of those groups and Member for Western Victoria Beverley McArthur were present at the opening.

The improvements included a new sound system, sound absorption treatments, stage traps for various audio and lighting connections and a remote retractable lighting bar at the front of house.

Mr Tehan said the project would have flow-on benefits increasing the number and type of arts and cultural offerings in Camperdown and the ability to market the venue for conferences and events.

He said it was wonderful to see the difference in the building having been at the venue to announce the proposed upgrades 12 months ago.

“This is a wonderful outcome for the Camperdown community, with the completed project providing the installation of new sound systems, sound absorption treatments, front of house lighting, helping to return this multi-use venue to its former glory,” he said.

“What this means for the Camperdown community is increased performances at the theatre leading to economic benefits and jobs for both the town and the region.”

Councillor Jo Beard welcomed Mr Tehan and thanked the Federal Government for investing in quality entertainment and cultural events for shire residents.

“Since it opened in 1928 the theatre has been part of the cultural lifeblood of the area, hosting plays, movies and dances,” she said.

“It’s an essential part of major events like the annual Robert Burns Scottish Festival and Rock the Clock Festival and Corangamite Film Festival. In recent months we’ve had Co-Opera’s production of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni and Camperdown Theatre Company’s Spamalot.

“This month there are school holiday movies and in a few weeks James Blundell will play here as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival so, for a long time, this theatre has played a massive role in the cultural life of the shire.”

Cr Beard said the modernisation works would help the Theatre Royal attract more professional touring productions.

“With this new state-of-the-art equipment, the theatre will be capable of holding really high-quality productions that people would otherwise have to leave the shire to see,” she said.

“When audiences have dinner before the show, and maybe stay for the night, there are significant economic flow-on benefits for the community, on top of the social and entertainment value.”

Cr Beard also thanked the theatre’s school and community users for their contributions and congratulated them on their sustained efforts over many years.

In an additional project, the hardwood floorboards were replaced as part of council’s 2018/2019 capital works program, ensuring a new lease on life for the grand old building.

Drivers were forced to contend with varying weather conditions across the two-day event, with each entrant given the opportunity to make seven runs to the top of the mount.

Class winners:

Formula Libre – up to 1300cc: David Mahon (Dallara F394) 28.12 seconds;

Formula Libre – 1301-2000cc: Michael Barker (Hayward 06 – VHC) 28.96 seconds;

Formula Libre – 2001cc and over: Fred Galli (SYGA-CGA) 33.36 seconds;

Formula Vee: Harold Roberts (Elfin 500) 40.61 seconds;

Sports Cars – 2WD Clubman up to 1600cc: Colin Newitt (Locost) 37.60 seconds;

Sports Cars – 2WD up to 2000cc: Sarah Pfeiffer (Mallock U2 mk21) 35.81 seconds;

Sports Cars – 2WD 2001-3000cc: Hugh Feggans (Porsche 911) 36.81 seconds;

Sports Cars – 2WD 3001cc and over: John Elliott (Renault Alpine GTA Turbo) 46.64 seconds;

Prod Sports – 2B and 2F up to 2000cc: Kevin Mackrell (Datsun 260Z) 30.66 seconds;

Prod Sports – 2B and 2F – 2001-3000cc: Michael Goossens (Toyota Mr2) 36.84 seconds;

Sports Sedans – 2WD up to 1600cc: Darren Odgers (Morris Mini Cooper S) 36.47 seconds;

Sports Sedans – 2WD 1601-2000cc: Bradley De Luca (Nissan Exa) 35.08 seconds;

Sports Sedans – 2WD 2001cc and over: Steve Grinstead (Holden VL Commodore) 34.08 seconds;

Sports Sedans – 4WD: Russell McKenzie (Nissan Pulsar GTI-R) 36.59 seconds;

Time attack: James Callahan (Mitsubishi Evo VI) 33.99 seconds;

Improved Production – 2WD up to 1600cc: Ian Grinter (Morris Cooper) 36.67 seconds;

Improved Production – 2WD 1601-2000cc: Mark Baldwin (Honda Civic EG) 33.56 seconds;

Improved Production – 2WD 2001-3000cc: Frank Bradley (Mini R56 Turbo) 39.55 seconds;

Improved Production – 2WD 3001cc and over: Christopher Brooksby (Ford Falcon AU XR8) 34.87 seconds;

Improved Production – 4WD: David Harris (Subaru WRX) 33.80 seconds;

Historic – Group N up to 2000cc: Steven Weymouth-Wilson (Morris Cooper S) 36.62 seconds;

Historic – Group N 2001cc and over: Peter Thompson (Holden EH) 42.44 seconds;

Non Championship/Non Log Book: Keith McElroy (Subaru WRX) 34.61 seconds.

Normally held by the Camperdown Pastoral and Agricultural Society, this year’s show will see Corangamite Arts help with the running of the arts and homecrafts competitions.

Camperdown Pastoral and Agricultural Society vice president Cheryl McMahon said show organisers are thrilled to have Corangamite Arts on board.

“The theme of the show is together we are community,” she said.

“It’s all about groups in Camperdown working together, and we have the Bookaar Cricket Club, Corangamite Arts, Camperdown Poultry Club, Camperdown Homing Pigeon Club, dog walkers and the Men’s Shed (here at the showgrounds).

“We’re really concentrating on building communication between the groups and all working together and we’re hoping that then extends out to the wider community.

“Corangamite Arts are becoming involved with the arts and homecrafts section of the show which is strengthening that connection.”

Corangamite Arts president Robin B said the group is delighted to come on board.

“We’re delighted to have the arts and homecrafts section in our shed and to be a part of the show,” she said.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to come in and see our shed and to see the amazing work our members do.”

This year’s arts and homecrafts section includes the following categories:

• Cookery, produce, preserves, jams and eggs;
• Horticultural;
• Handicrafts;
• Ultimate wool challenge;
• Painting and drawing;
• Photography;
• Upcycle/recycle challenge;
• Junior cooking and craft;
• Schools artwork; and
• Give it a Go.

All sections have various rules and regulations, which can be found within the show schedule, which is available at the Camperdown Authorised Newsagency, Camperdown Post Office and Courthouse Camperdown or online at www.camperdownshowgrounds.com.au.

Mrs McMahon encouraged everybody to think about putting something in any section ahead of entries closing on October 4.

She said entries can then be dropped off on Thursday, October 10 and Friday, October 11 ahead of the show on Saturday, October 12.

Ms B said Corangamite Arts will also hold an arts and homecrafts trade stall at the show as well as raffles, while she said new members would also be encouraged to join on the day.

In other show news, Mrs McMahon said preparations are progressing well, with the committee meeting every week ahead of their big day.

Another large field of competitors is expected for the event according to Ballarat Light Car Club secretary Wayne Drew.

“We are looking at having around the 60 car mark at this stage,” he said.

“There will be everything from historics through to minis to more modern purpose-built racecars.

“There will be a range of classes competing with both sedans and open wheelers, front and rear wheel drive cars as well as cars with front, mid and rear mounted engines.

“One of the more exciting cars to see that is totally different would be the Datsun 260Z of Kevin Mackrell.”

Drew believes the fact that a number of classes remain wide open in terms of the state championship points battle should make for an intriguing weekend of competition.

“One of the good things heading into the final round is that there’s still a lot of drivers in contention for their respective overall points score,” he said.

“We’re hoping for good weather as some of the cars like the Formula Libre’s can get off the mark very handily, but in the rain obviously they have to contend with wheel spin and the like.

“It’s the same for everybody no matter the conditions, but hopefully it stays relatively dry.”

Drew said the majority of entrants enjoy coming to Camperdown, with the 803-metre Mount Leura layout being one of just two circuits to host multiple rounds of the series.

“It’s quite a nice hill climb really,” he said.

“The start is relatively flat then it takes you to a series of left and right turns into a double apex before you reach a straight stretch which is referred to as ‘the shelf’.

“Then you arrive at the cutting where there’s walls both sides and makes it pretty narrow with no run-off, followed by a short burst to the finish line.

“Despite looking relatively simple, the circuit certainly poses its challenges.”

Drew has encouraged members of the local community to visit the precinct this weekend in order to get up close and personal with all the action.

“We value and like to have interaction with the community for all our events,” he said.

“We’ve had a local bobcat operator put in a new return lane for this weekend, there’s going to be a local school selling raffle tickets and a few other community organisations helping out across the weekend.

“The public are welcome to inspect the cars up close and be standing right there when the cars launch off the start line.”

For those new to the sport, Drew best described the event as a “drag race with corners”.

“I guess what makes this form of motorsport unique is that you’re racing against the clock, so it means you have to be on it from the start to the finish,” Drew said.

“As a driver, there’s no time for lapses and just thinking you’ll make up for a mistake on the next lap.”

Drivers are expected to contest between six and seven runs up the mount across the weekend.

“We’ll be looking at two to three runs per car on Saturday dependant on how many turn up, then more than likely another four runs per driver on Sunday,” Drew said.

Of the locals set to climb the mount this weekend, Camperdown’s Leigh Ball will be among the field driving his Mini, as well as grandfather Geoff competing in his Datsun.

On track action will commence from 1.30pm Saturday and 10am on Sunday.

The signs, which leads visitors on a trail through the town, were installed at Deep Lake, the recreation reserve and under the elms in the main street.

The discovery trail will take visitors to local features including Mount Elephant, Deep Lake, churches, the stone wall trail and the Derrinallum Cemetery.

Further stops such as the Derrinallum Bowling Club, Derrinallum P-12 College, Derrinallum gateway signs, Derrinallum Recreation Reserve, the war memorial among others are also a part of the trail.

Derrinallum Progress Association vice president Gordon Fisher said he was thrilled with the finished product and added the signs would be a welcome addition to the town.

“It (the project) came up very, very well,” he said.

“I’m quite relieved it is finally up.”

Corangamite Shire councillor Lesley Brown said she hoped users would take the chance to explore and learn something of the history of the area.

“There’s a lot of history in the town with the stone walls and early settlement, so this will help interact some of that information,” she said.

“Hopefully it will guide visitors on a tour around the town.”

Cr Brown said users would be able to walk most of the trail but could also drive or bike ride to the various stops.

Mr Fisher said the progress association wanted to thank the following businesses and people for their help with the project:

• Corangamite Shire for supporting the project;
• The community working group for their advice;
• Chris Esh, Rob Rickard- Elders Real Estate;
• Derrinallum and Lismore History Group, Gary Poole and Jo Pocklington for the images and text; and
• Darcy McGlade of Diamer Signs Timboon for design and fabrication.

The Magpies under 18.5 footballers bowed out in the preliminary final after suffering a second defeat in the space of three weeks at the hands of Portland.

Camperdown had found it a difficult assignment to get the better of Portland all season and that continued on the weekend, with the Tigers defeating the Magpies for the fourth time at Friendly Societies Park.

The Tigers held an early lead, kicking two goals to one in the opening term before both sides booted two goals apiece in the second quarter.

Holding a 10 point half-time lead, the Tigers started to kick away in the third quarter, piling on five goals to Camperdown’s three as the margin grew to 22 points at the last change.

Portland then produced a resolute defensive effort in the last quarter, kicking two goals and keeping Camperdown goalless as they recorded an 11.10 (76) to 6.7 (43) victory.

Toby Kent finished off a strong season with a best on ground performance, while Hamish Sinnott (one goal) was also impressive.

Archie Rial was influential for his side, Archie McBean and Jordan Loader were both solid in defence and captain Zach Sinnott was again consistent in the midfield.

Luke Bone finished as the Magpies top goal scorer with two, while Angus Gordon, Zavier Mungean and Sid Bradshaw each kicked one apiece.

The losses bring a close to the Magpies season, with the club to hold its presentation night on October 4.

The Magpies progressed to the preliminary final following a 7.6 (48) to 3.8 (26) victory over the Blues, with the side now set to meet qualifying final nemesis Portland at Friendly Societies Park tomorrow.

The two sides will clash for the fourth time this season, with Portland holding a mental edge over the Magpies having won their previous three encounters.

But Lucas is confident Camperdown can reverse the result on the Tigers this time on the back of their win over the Blues.

“The boys were pretty excited (after the win) but at the same time we kept a lid on it because we knew we have bigger fish to fry this week,” he said.

“They’re excited by the challenge, we know we can match it with the best if we put up a good four quarter effort.

“The boys are looking forward to going in as underdogs and hopefully knocking them off.”

The qualifying final saw Camperdown lead for the entire first half at Hamilton’s Melville Oval, before the Tigers produced a stunning third term.

They got on top in the midfield and capitalised on their opportunities, kicking six unanswered goals to open up a three goal lead at the last break.

The Tigers then kicked four goals to two in the last quarter to run out 34 point victors, with Lucas expecting the midfield to once again prove the key to both sides’ chances.

“They have some really handy midfielders with senior experience as have we,” he said.

“So if we can get on top in there and get it into our forwards then that should hold us in good stead to get the result.”

The lure of a grand final berth is also “absolutely” motivating Lucas’ charges to turn the tables on the Tigers, with Camperdown searching for its first grand final appearance in the under 18.5s since 2010.

“The boys know they have a big challenge ahead of them and they know there is a lot on the line, it’s why you play footy to play in grand finals,” Lucas said.

“If we can come with the right mindset that we can knock them off and play our brand of footy for four quarters then we can get the result we’re after and we’ll be off to the big dance.”

Woolworths Camperdown store manager Glen Cooney has long pushed for the lighting in the car park to be upgraded to improve customer security after a number of the lights failed to work properly.

On Monday, his wish was finally granted, with work beginning on a three-stage upgrade which will overhaul the store’s car park.

“It was so dark, I think we only had two of 12 lights working, so that was the main reason why I pushed it, because of customer safety,” Mr Cooney said.

“Some of the stages will be lighting, some will be the removal of trees and the replanting of native trees.

“The last stage will be re-asphalting the entire car park.”

The first stage of the works will see six existing light towers replaced with six new LED light towers installed at the east and west ends of the car park.

Mr Cooney said the first stage works are expected to be completed by next Friday “all going well”, with each stage split to minimise disruption for customers.

He said there had currently been “no impact to trade” and minimal impact on customers using the car park since temporary fencing was erected last Friday.

The time frame for the remaining two stages is currently unknown and will be decided by the owner, Kipava Administrators Pty Ltd, who is funding the works.

Stage one of the project is being carried out by Steve Lee-Archer from Stemi Services Pty Ltd and GreenCon.

Three teams- open netball, 15 and under netball and under 18.5 football – took part in semi final action across Saturday and Sunday at Camperdown and Mortlake respectively.

The open netball side bowed of the finals race after a loss to Koroit on Sunday, while the under 18.5 footballers moved onto the preliminary final after accounting for Warrnambool.

The 15 and under side lost their match to Hamilton Kangaroos but kept their season alive with the luxury of a double chance after winning their qualifying final a week earlier.

The open netball side could not sustain a strong first half performance as it fell to Koroit 43-33 in the first semi-final.

The Magpies started strongly, applying plenty of defensive pressure and capitalising on their attacking opportunities to take an 11-8 lead into quarter time.

The Saints hit back in the second term, quickly erasing the Magpies’ lead to level the contest at 18 goals apiece at half time.

Koroit was able to then work its way to the front in the third quarter but a persistent effort from the Magpies ensured they could push no more than two goals clear.

The Saints took a 31-29 buffer into the final change, before finally breaking the game open in the last quarter, with 12 goals to four in the final term seeing them run out 10 goal victors.

Caitlin Hall was awarded Camperdown’s best player for a strong performance at wing defence, while Emma Wright signed off in style, finishing among the best players in her final netball match.

Amanda Gilbert also continued her impressive season, shooting 23 goals to be the side’s third best player.

Meanwhile, the under 18.5s progressed to Saturday’s preliminary final after producing a gritty second half to secure a 7.6 (48) to 3.8 (26) triumph over Warrnambool in wet and slippery conditions.

The first half was an even affair as both sides kicked three goals apiece before the Magpies pushed clear in the third term.

They kicked two unanswered goals to enter the last change 11 points clear, before they kicked a further two goals in the final term to secure victory.

Zach Sinnott was named best on ground in the midfield, while Archie McBean, Hamish Sinnott, Nelson Loader, Luke Ball and Toby Kent also performed strongly.

Byron Loader, Hamish Sinnott and Zavier Mungean all kicked two goals each, while Zach Sinnott kicked one.

The Magpies will now progress onto the preliminary final this Saturday, where they will face Portland at South Warrnambool’s Friendly Societies Park.

The 15 and under netballers will also front up for the preliminary final after they suffered a 33-31 loss to Hamilton Kangaroos in the second semi-final.

The Magpies controlled terms for the first half of the match bursting out of the blocks to hold an 8-6 lead at quarter time.

Both sides scored seven goals apiece in the second term as Camperdown remained 15-13 ahead at half-time before Hamilton lifted in the third quarter.

They outscored the Magpies 12-9 to edge one goal clear at the final change and then ensured they held off any late charge from Camperdown, shooting eight goals to the Magpies’ seven to secure a two goal win.

Jaimie Castledine (20 goals) was named best on court for Camperdown, while Chloe Vick and Tahli Kent also played well.

The Magpies will now face North Warrnambool this weekend for a spot in the grand final.

The group ventured to the Glenfyne Hall to discover more about the history of the rail trail from Pat and Ric Robertson, but ended up receiving a firsthand account of the trail’s past from two group members.

Lenny Fahey and George Arnott spent many years working on the line, Lenny as the driver and George as his fireman, on the steam trains that ran from Camperdown to Timboon.

DNC co-ordinator Maureen Crameri said the pair captivated the group with tales and memories of their time working together.

She said they spoke about the history of the rail trail and the line as they knew it.

“The rest of the group was really entertained and interested by it. The other members would also chip in with their own input because they knew some of the identities they were talking about,” Mrs Crameri said.

“And Pat and Ric were also really keen to hear their stories so it would expand their knowledge of the rail trail.”

The visit was then followed by lunch at Lake Edge Cafe.

The men’s social group aims to give retired men over the age of 65 the chance to develop a strong social network and remain connected to their community by visiting local places
of interest.

They hold outings every first and third Thursday of the month between February and December, visiting places including the Geelong Football Club, Koroit’s Bega Factory and Model Aeroplane Club, Timboon Cheese Factory, Warrnambool’s Community Gardens and Matthew Craven’s Ecklin trotting complex.

Mrs Crameri said the group was quickly growing in popularity.

“It’s growing by word of mouth because the fellas’ enjoy it and then they tell their mates about it which is the best thing about the group,” she said.

“It’s a really valuable group to have because there doesn’t seem to be another group in the area meeting that need for retired men.

“They just look forward to each month and they all look forward to getting together and seeing each other again.

“And if they come across something they think the rest of the group would like to do, they let us know, so it’s member driven really.”

For more information on the men’s social group, contact David Newman Centre on 5593 7364.

The two sides are set to meet in the Hampden league’s first semi-final at Camperdown’s Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval.

It will be the third clash of the season for the pair, which split their two home and away encounters.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge for us,” Richardson said.

“They’re obviously a great side being last year’s premiers but I have full belief in the girls that we can match them.

“But as I have said numerous times this year we have to play four good quarters if we want to come away with the win.”

When describing the Saints, Richardson said they boasted an impressive attack line and experienced defensive pairing that held them in good stead on the court.

“But to be honest, it’s all across the court really,” she said.

“In defence they have Emily Batt and Kasey Owen then there is Emily-Rose Finnigan in the mid-court and Nell Mitchell in attack so they have plenty of experience.

“They’re just a great side and the youth around them complements their experience well.”

The two sides enter the semi-final on the back of contrasting results, with Koroit beaten by Warrnambool in the qualifying final last weekend, while Camperdown defeated North Warrnambool in the elimination final.

Richardson said her side’s victory had given them added belief that they could find a way to win when things go against them.

She said the Magpies were “up and down” throughout the contest but were able to steady late in the contest to secure an important win.

“I knew it was going to be a really tough game against North, it always is and I knew that it would come down to the last quarter,” Richardson said.

“But I wasn’t sure just how close it would get, it wasn’t until the last five minutes we knew for sure, so to come away with a five goal win I’m really happy with that.

“It gives us plenty of confidence also in knowing that we were up and down during the game and that we can bounce back from that which I think is a real positive for us.

“And I think that continued belief that we’ve gained from our second half (of the year) is also helping us each week.”

In the other open netball match for the weekend, Cobden will face Warrnambool, with the winner of the Saints-Magpies clash to face the loser from that game.

Meanwhile, Camperdown’s 15 and under netballers will have the chance to secure a grand final berth when they face Hamilton Kangaroos in the second semi-final tomorrow.

The two sides are set to meet for the third time this season at Mortlake’s D.C. Farran Oval.

The Kangaroos hold a slight mental edge on the Magpies, having won the two home and away encounters by 11 and five goals respectively, although Camperdown enters the contest full of confidence following a strong qualifying final victory.

The windows of the church building and accompanying hall have been repaired, restoring them to their original condition.

Robert Rusev of Robert Rusev Stained Glass started the project in January last year and completed it Thursday, repairing about 40 windows ranging from 87 to 118 years old.

He said roughly nine weeks of work was completed on-site, while many hours were spent fixing windows at his Melbourne base.

“An inspection took place and a condition report was submitted with the planned intent to conserve the windows,” Mr Rusev said.

“These windows hadn’t been repaired since installation, they are original windows that had not been touched and they were in pretty bad shape.

“Quite a few were excavated to the work bench for repair and consolidation.

“The windows have been brought back to a point in which the vibrancy of colours has been brought back and transparency of glass has been renewed.”

Mr Rusev said most of the work had been done on the inside of the buildings and included thoroughly cleaning the inside and outside of the windows, repairing and rebuilding vents and consolidating saddle bars and tie wires.

He said work also included re-cementing and sealing windows from the weather and rain, with the project expected to give the windows longevity.

“The way we operate is on a cyclic maintenance program over 20 to 30 years,” Mr Rusev said.

“If that is maintained, intervention will be minimised and all we’ll be doing is sealing and weather proofing windows (on a regular basis).”

Uniting Church co-ordinator of building projects Colin Hayman said fundraising for the project started five years ago.

He said the church funded part of the costs, with the rest covered by a grant from the Uniting Church head office along with donations from philanthropic trusts.

Mr Hayman said the church was thrilled with the finished product.

“Before they were obviously very dull and faded and dirt and grime had built up over the years,” he said.

“But now they have been done you can really see the difference in them, it is really noticeable in the ones that don’t have pictures in them.

“The church is very happy with them and the fundraising people are ecstatic.”

The Magpies defeated North Warrnambool 37-32 in the do-or-die contest at Koroit’s Victoria Park, reeling in a three goal three quarter time deficit to prevail.

The opening quarter saw both sides go goal-for-goal as the Eagles entered the first break in front.

Camperdown then responded quickly in the second term, outscoring the Eagles 11-7 to take a three goal buffer into half-time.

The Eagles then hit back in the third quarter, erasing the Magpies’ margin and establishing a three goal lead of their own as the game entered the final term.

Camperdown’s pressure lifted in the final 15 minutes, with a resolute defensive effort ensuring North Warrnambool struggled to score as the Magpies piled on 11 goals to three to run out five goal victors.

Tracey Baker was named best on court in the triumph, alongside Amanda Gilbert and Emma Wright.

Gilbert led the goal scorers with 23, while Jess Cameron and Krystal Baker chipped in with 12 and two respectively.

The Magpies will now face the Saints on their home court this Sunday, with the first semi-finals to be held at Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval.

Meanwhile, the reserves’ season came to an end after it suffered a 12.12 (84) to 5.9 (39) defeat in its elimination final against Hamilton Kangaroos.

The side failed to make the most of the wind in the opening quarter, with Hamilton kicking two goals to one to lead by four points at the first break.

They then pushed their lead into double figures in the second term, with three goals to two seeing the Kangaroos enter the second half 13 points ahead.

Both sides kicked two goals apiece in the third quarter as the Kangaroos remained 11 points clear at the final change.

The Kangaroos then finished with five unanswered goals in the last term to progress on to the semi finals with a 45 point win.

Dave Young was named best on ground for the side, while Eddie Lucas, Tyler Mungean, Andrew Raven, Daniel Hickey and Charlie Brett all played well.

On Saturday, the under 18.5s suffered a second quarter fadeout as they fell to a 13.7 (85) to 8.3 (51) defeat to Portland in the qualifying final at Melville Oval.

The Magpies started the match strongly, kicking the first four goals of the game with the aid of the breeze to hold an 18 point lead at quarter time.

They then managed to square the second quarter with the Tigers, both sides kicking two goals apiece as Camperdown remained 17 points ahead at the main break.

The resumption of play saw the game change quickly, with Portland adding three goals to reduce the margin to one point.

They then capitalised on another forward entry to hit the front, before two late goals saw them enter the final change 18 points ahead.

The Tigers kicked the first two goals of the last quarter to effectively seal their victory, with both sides kicking two goals apiece late in the term as Portland ran out 34 point victors.

Luke Ball was named Camperdown’s best player alongside Charlie Conheady, Ethan Coates, Hamish Sinnott and Harry Sumner.

The Magpies will now face Warrnambool in the first semi-final this Sunday.

The news was a lot better on the netball court, with the 15 and under netballers progressing to the second semi-final with a hard fought 34-29 victory over North Warrnambool.

A fast start put the Magpies in front early, with the side taking a 13-7 lead into the first change.

They continued to hold the ascendency through the second term, outscoring the Eagles by one to be seven goals ahead at half time.

The second half was then a close affair but the Magpies still maintained control of the contest and prevailed by five goals despite being outscored 16-14.

Ruby Conheady was named best on court for Camperdown, while Mary Place led the goal shooters with 18.

Camperdown will now face Hamilton Kangaroos for a spot in the grand final at Mortlake’s D.C. Farran Oval this Saturday.

The school received a visit from Geelong Football Club’s Next Generation Academy (NGA), which ran its Healthy Heroes initiative for the school’s Grade 3 and 4 students and its LEAP program for the Grade 5 pupils.

Healthy Heroes is an interactive education program which encourages and inspires students to take positive action to protect and enhance their own health and wellbeing.

The LEAP program is a skills-based clinic focusing on the fundamental skills of Australian rules football.

It also aims to develop teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills through a number of engaging games and activities.

The two sessions, which lasted an hour, were run by Geelong’s NGA coaches.

The Magpies were dealt a 58-39 defeat last Saturday, a result Richardson said was disappointing.

“Cobden are on top for a reason and are a quality side so it was a good opportunity to play them,” she said.

“Hopefully we get to meet them again in the finals series and build on what we learnt from the weekend.”

Richardson said the loss identified several areas the Magpies needed to improve ahead of their elimination final clash with North Warrnambool on Sunday at Koroit’s Victoria Park.

“We need to trust each other more and give the ball off a little quicker,” she said.

“Their (Cobden’s) goalies are very accurate and we probably needed to work a bit harder to stop it getting into the ring and into their hands as easy as it did.

“We probably just needed a bit more intensity across the court, which is something we need to have this week.”

The Magpies and Eagles are set to meet for the third time this season, with the two sides splitting their home and away contests one apiece.

Richardson said her side would take plenty of confidence into the clash on the back of their recent form and their one goal win over the same opponent in round 13.

“We’re all super excited to take on North Warrnambool,” she said.

“We’re definitely in with a chance, but they’re a tough side (to play) so we need to make sure our intensity is up.

“We can’t afford to have lapses at any moment against these top sides playing finals and that will be our biggest test, making sure our intensity is up for 15 minutes of every quarter.

“We also have to make sure we’re sticking to our game plan and not getting sucked into what they’re doing.”

Richardson said the Magpies would also need to ensure their full court defensive pressure was high against the Eagles given they had a strong attack line.

“Their goalies are super accurate and they also make a contest all over the court,” she said.

“We can’t go in (to a contest) at 80 per cent, we have to give 100 per cent or more because they’re a quality side and they know each other well.

“We can’t just come in thinking it’s going to happen because it’s going to be one of our hardest games this year.”

Meanwhile, the 15 and under netball side commence its finals campaign against North Warrnambool in the qualifying final on Saturday.

The two sides split their home and away clashes, with the Eagles winning the most recent encounter in round 12 by seven goals.

Ironically, that was the same margin as Camperdown’s round four win, with the clash at Hamilton’s Melville Oval expected to be a close affair.

Mortlake Leading Senior Constable Justin Rasmussen said the accident happened at about 8.15am.

“The Holden sedan was driven by a 30 year-old woman with her husband and four month- old child on board,” he said.

“She suffered a medical condition which caused her to accelerate into the rear of a tractor and farm machinery.

“All of the people (in the car) were conveyed to hospital.”

Country Fire Authority, Ambulance and State Emergency Service (SES) personnel attended the scene.

Ldg Snr Const Rasmussen said police investigations were ongoing.

In other police news, an unknown offender attempted to gain access to a Camperdown business earlier this week.

Leading Senior Constable Shannon Kavanagh of Warrnambool Police said an unknown person attempted to enter Connell Family Chiropractic Centre sometime between 6pm Monday night and 7.30am Tuesday morning.

The offender was alleged to have tried to jemmy the front door of the business open, but was unsuccessful in their attempt to gain access to the premises.

Ldg Snr Const Kavanagh said police have appealed to anyone with any information or who saw any suspicious people loitering around the premises to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or the Warrnambool Crime Investigation Unit on 5560 1116.

Ldg Snr Const Kavanagh said the break-in attempt was also another reminder for businesses to secure their premises at the end of each working day.

The Magpies were beaten by arch rivals Cobden 8.5 (55) to 6.17 (53) in a thriller at Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval.

Cobden, with the aid of a strong breeze, burst out of the blocks in the opening quarter, kicking five unanswered goals to hold a 29 point lead at the first break.

The Magpies responded quickly in the second term, and while able to kick multiple goals, they wasted a number of opportunities.

They ended up kicking 4.9 to Cobden’s 1.2 for the term, with the Bombers entering the main break four points clear.

Rain at the start of the third quarter turned the match into a game of inches and several repeat stoppages.

But it was the Bombers who made the most of their chances, kicking two goals to Camperdown’s two behinds to carry a 17 point lead into the last quarter.

Camperdown launched a charge in the final quarter, kicking two goals to get the margin back under six points, but could not find a match winner in the dying stages as the Bombers held on for victory.

Magpies coach Jack Williams said inaccuracy was once again one of his side’s problems in the loss.

“It was disappointing again not to get the win,” he said.

“Our inaccuracy the last couple of weeks has really hurt us and on Saturday we were on top the whole second half.

“But we had some easy shots that didn’t go through that proved to be the difference at the end of the game.”

Williams said it was evident in the rooms post game that the playing group was disappointed to finish with back-to-back losses.

“I’m sure everyone is hurting on the inside with how we finished but there was still some good signs there,” he said.

“It’s just the little things like inaccuracy and skill errors that have hurt us.

“But if you saw them after the game you could see they care about winning games and how successful they want the club to be.”

Williams said he wanted his players to channel that feeling and use it to “really launch into pre-season and round one next year”.

“Nobody wants to have that feeling and hopefully that just gives us extra motivation to get better next year because everyone wants to be playing finals,” he said.

“In that sense it should burn in everyone’s minds and it should give everyone the drive to put in a big pre-season.”

Meanwhile, the reserves and under 18.5s endured mixed results ahead of their finals campaigns this weekend.

The reserves suffered an 11.5 (71) to 4.3 (27) loss, while the under 18.5s triumphed 8.6 (54) to 2.4 (16).

The under 18.5s will kick off their finals series on Saturday in the qualifying final against Portland at Hamilton’s Melville Oval, while the reserves play Hamilton Kangaroos on Sunday in the elimination final at Koroit’s Victoria Park.

The group was headed to the Marong Picnic, an annual event that attracts more than 400 veteran, vintage and classic cars.

Members drove roadsters, tourers, a sedan and a coupe from makers including Hudson, Oldsmobile, Ford, Essex and Buick.

Kellie Kempton last week stepped down from the secretary role after 25 years of service.

She commenced in the position as a fresh faced 17 year-old, and through the birth of three children and a major health scare last year, has missed just two seasons whilst living in Warrnambool after completing her high school education.

“It all started when Karen Burgin (Brown) and I decided we were going to enter a team in the ladies comp, so we rocked up to the AGM as each team needed two representatives,” Kempton said.

“Her and I went along and it was a similar situation to now, that everybody who was on the committee had been there a long time and they were looking for some fresh blood, so we put our hands up as 17 year-olds and I’ve pretty much been secretary ever since.”

The long-time servant of the night netball competition has seen many changes over the last quarter of a century including many which she helped to pioneer.

The association was based out of the Theatre Royal complex for the first half of Kempton’s journey, a time she recalls fondly.

“I remember down at the theatre stadium we would have to start our ladies comp at 6pm and we’d still be there well after 10pm just trying to get matches in because we only had one court,” she said.

“We used to get teams from all around the district and it really was a big deal back in those days.

“We were also running a junior competition, so there were some long nights and it really was quite time consuming, but I did it because I loved it.”

Kempton also played a major role in fundraising for the Camperdown Community Stadium in Frederick Street, which saw the netball association contribute a total of $9000 throughout 2003 and 2004.

“I was on the working committee for the stadium as well at that time and whatever money we raised via netball went into that,” she said.

“That’s probably one of the highlights from my time, being able to be involved in giving the community a good home for indoor sports.

“That, and we also donated $1000 to Jake Noonan last year when he got selected in the Australian 23 and under team for the first time to help with his expenses as he’s been a long-time player and umpire with our association.”

Kempton introduced mixed netball once the new stadium opened, a competition which flourished for the first decade.

“The first year I organised a mixed competition we had 12 teams, which was terrific,” she said.

“We really had quite a strong competition for a number of years, usually with about eight teams.”

The mixed competition lives on today in somewhat of a revised format, while the ladies’ competition wound up in 2017.

“I was always worried that when I stepped down it would fold, but I think with the introduction of Rock Up Netball (a joint initiative of Netball Victoria and VicHealth) it has breathed new life into the association,” Kempton said.

“We were really struggling for numbers the last few years in all competitions which ultimately saw the ladies’ comp fold.

“But this Rock Up Netball is really just a social competition, where you turn up and we play music on court during the games and the emphasis is really just on having fun.”

In 2015, Kempton was presented with life membership and also received a gold bracelet for 20 years of service to the association, however those who have been involved with night netball in Camperdown know that her legacy will carry on for much longer.

Kempton has been there through the highs and the lows, but leaves content with her contribution.

She has served as secretary alongside president Tanya Fleming since 2003, with Kelly Howard acting as treasurer for the majority of that period, with the trio all opting to move on from their posts as of this week.

Kempton said the decision to walk away was not easy, but after seeing so many people who were willing to fill the role during the recent annual general meeting, believes she has left the association in good hands.

“It has been 27 years since it all started,” she said.

“I just thought the time was right.

“I’m not playing anymore, just umpiring and that’s something I probably don’t need to be dedicated to anymore either.

“I’ve been contemplating it for the last few years and since we are really financially stable, I just thought now’s the time to hand it over.”

The auxiliary will stage its 'A Spring Catalogue' exhibition at the St Paul’s Anglican Church hall next weekend.

An annual must on the local calendar, the exhibition will launch on Friday, August 30 at 7pm, and will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1.

Curator of the Warrnambool Art Gallery Ren Gregoric, an artist and conservator of art in his own right, will open the show.

The opening will include live music from the Camperdown College string quartet as well as drinks and nibbles at a cost of $50 per person.

Coffee, tea and nibbles will be available on the Saturday and Sunday for an entry fee of $5 per person.

Distributors David Bradshaw, John Taylor, Doug Kane and Andrew Miller will showcase works including oils, watercolours, sketches, and more.

Featured artists include Yvonne Cohen, Charles Blackman and Michael Schmidt, while works from Robert Ulmann and William Coleman will also be displayed.

Auxiliary spokesperson Lois Dupleix encouraged locals to come along and enjoy a “fun night with great food”.

She said the show will have works available for purchase at reasonable prices.

“It’s been quite a traditional thing to have here in Camperdown and we’re really enjoying a younger generation coming along each year,” she said.

“The diversity of art, it really covers everyone’s tastes, from traditional art to the more upbeat.”

A percentage of sales and entry from the weekend will go towards a portable ultrasound valued at $10,000 for the Camperdown hospital.

Tickets for the opening can be purchased via https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=526935&.

The 20 year-old has been living in Asheville, North Carolina since May training as part of the Triathlon Gold program headed up by Australian mentor Jarrod Evans.

The program is based out of the University of North Carolina’s Asheville campus under the tutelage of Evans, who was head coach for the USA men’s triathlon team at the Rio Olympics, and has also included a body of work with world renowned running instructor Bobby McGee.

“Living and training in Asheville has been fantastic,” McDonald said.

“Not only is the terrain ideal, the daily performance environment keeps it very enjoyable and competitive.

“The training has certainly been a step up from what I had been doing in prior months and it’s nice to be back at a high level now that my body is able to endure the load.

“We have been consistently training over 20 hours per week, with the biggest week so far being just a touch over 30 hours.”

What was initially planned as a three month exercise has now evolved into something more.

Originally slated to contest five races across North America, McDonald has so far completed events in Canadian cities Montreal and Magog, while also making his first start on African soil.

McDonald travelled to Larache, Morocco to take part in the African Triathlon Union sanctioned African Cup as he pursued additional world ranking points.

His best finish of the tour has been a sixth place result in Magog, to go along with a pair of 21st placings.

“The Morocco and Canada events provided a great opportunity for me to be reintroduced to the international standard of racing,” he said.

“Overall I was pleased with the results, but I’ll be certainly seeking better placings come September.”

Next up racing wise, McDonald heads west from his North Carolina base to Avon, Colorado where he will compete in Major League Triathlon competition early next month as part of the North Carolina Gliders squad for both individual and relay events.

Following this stop, attention then turns to the Asian circuit as the southern hemisphere season ramps up.

“From Denver (Colorado) I will fly straight to Japan to race the following two weekends at Asian Cup level,” he said.

“Building world ranking points will be high on the agenda, as well as improving on small components from my previous races.

“After these events, I will head to Thailand for a two-week training camp in preparation for my final race in Hong Kong in mid-October.”

McDonald is due back on home soil following the Hong Kong event, and in time for the start of the Australian season.

“After this intensive racing stint I’ll be taking a break at home for a couple of weeks,” he said.

“It will be nice to relax a little and catch up with my family and friends.

“Then it will be back into training to prepare for key Australian events in February-March, with some local racing in Melbourne commencing early December.”

The couple celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary for 60 years of marriage on Thursday, August 14 but wanted to keep their celebrations under wraps.

They spent the evening with their three children, grandchildren and great grand children.

“The kids wanted to do something for it but we didn’t want to go out so we just had pizzas and garlic bread here and we got the cards out,” Gwen said.

“It was lovely.”

The pair have been inseparable since they first met in Heywood in 1955 when Gwen was 17 and Ted was 18, beginning a two year courtship which was followed by their engagement at 19 and 20 and then marriage in 1959 at 21 and 22.

“Ted used to come around and see my brothers and I was the only daughter,” Gwen said.

“We went together for 18 months then we got engaged and then two years after we got married.

“But I always told him he never came to see my brothers, he always came to see me.”

Following their wedding day, the pair built a life in Heywood over the next decade, with Ted working at the cheese factory and building a house for the pair to start their family.

Three children – Pauline, Sharon and Brad – followed before they made the decision to uproot their lives to call Camperdown home.

“In 1969, Ted got a phone call from Alan Skene asking if he wanted to come and work at the Camperdown factory because Heywood was closing,” Gwen said.

“I cried to myself the whole way down because I didn’t know a soul but anyway we’ll have been here 50 years at Christmas time.”

Gwen said the pair had enjoyed a “lovely life together”, adding they were both thrilled to spend 60 years married, revealing it was a special milestone for both of their families.

“We think it’s wonderful,” she said.

“We feel very privileged because no one in our family has done it.

“We’re the first in both of our families to make it to 60 years.”

Ted said their loyalty and honesty to each other was what made their bond extremely strong.

He added although they had their disagreements over the years, they rarely argued and shared a similar mindset when it came to money.

“I think we’ve got through with our honesty and without arguing about money,” Ted said.

“We’ve always shared our money, that’s been the main thing.”

The local trainer, who trains from his Camperdown-Lismore Road property, produced a remarkable feat earlier this week, training five different winners from five races in three days.

His run of luck started at Sandown on Sunday, when he trained a treble before it continued on Wednesday with a double.

“I’ve had a brilliant run,” Brewer said.

“I’ve only got six dogs in work and I’ve had five of them win for me.

“I don’t think I’ve ever won as many races so quickly.

“It’s been good but it’s out of the box really.”

Maximum Brew (grade 5 heat, 595 metres), Master Cosmic (grade 5, 515 metres) and Bob’s Brew (grade 5, 515 metres) were the three that saluted at Sandown.

“I entered one in Melbourne, Maximum Brew, he’s a handy dog but I was lucky enough to get in with the other two,” Brewer said.

“They all got handy draws and I was bloody lucky enough to get three of them (wins).

“The first win was probably lucky, he (Master Cosmic) only won by a head but the second (Maximum Brew) I gave him a real good chance because he loves the rails and he won it.

“And the third, I gave him (Bob’s Brew) a chance when the field dropped away, he’s not good with too many around him but he won well.”

Brewer’s winning run then continued at Geelong, with One Brew (grade 5 T3, 400 metres) triumphing while Cosmic Brew (restricted, 400 metres) produced a barnstorming run home to make it five wins on the trot.

“I thought I had a good chance with One Brew and Cosmic Brew, she came from last and went around them and just got up in the last stride,” Brewer said.

Brewer said he was proud of his recent run of victories, which he said was his best period in his long distinguished training career.

He has been able to enjoy the success with his family and friends, getting them involved in the ownership of the dogs after breeding and rearing.

He said the dogs had then delivered a fruitful return for all involved.

“I bred two litters and finished with nine dogs and they’ve all won races,” Brewer said.

“I think it’s 31 races (I’ve won) between nine dogs and we’ve had I think 25 seconds and 25 thirds so I’ve had a pretty good run.”

The racing season was set to continue last night for Brewer, with Maximum Brew again fronting up at Sandown.

While unsure of his chances, Brewer said he was hopeful his winning form does not dry up anytime soon, wanting to finish the season strongly.

So far he has enjoyed a strong year, winning “quite a few races” to receive a return on his investment spent on upgrades at his place for training.

“I’ve spent a lot of money doing up yards at home and I put a freezer in but I’ve probably got all my money back and a bit more,” Brewer said.

“But I’m hoping to get a few more winners out of them yet.

“Maximum Brew is probably the best of them and hopefully he wins a couple more for me in Melbourne.

“He’s good enough to do it.”

The group of 10 Year 9 to 11 French students took part in the weeklong trip to immerse themselves in the French language and New Caledonian culture during the recent school holidays.

French teacher Chamon Vogels said the trip allowed the students to use their French language skills in real settings and situations.

“There was a definite need for an immersion opportunity for our French students so they could live and breathe French culture and language,” she said.

“We knew there was some interest from students wanting to utilise and extend their French in an authentic context, so we were so pleased that we could offer this to students who were undertaking further French study at middle and senior school levels.”

Mrs Vogels restarted the school’s language program six years ago after a former language teacher retired.

Having studied French in secondary school, she had a keen interest in teaching the language and completed a French language tertiary qualification to bring back the language program to the school.

Mrs Vogels said the trip included a range of new experiences for the students, including attending a school and living with local host families in pairs.

“For the majority of students it was their first time on an international flight, so that was an experience in itself in applying for passports, changing money into Central Pacific Francs, and leaving the safety of Australian home soil,” she said.

“There simply is no better way in developing language skills further by experiencing daily life in a French speaking country.

“It’s an academically rigorous subject to study, so it is a great opportunity for our students to utilise and build on the French they have as well as be rewarded for their hard work in the downtime.”

Other highlights of the trip included a trip on the Tchou Tchou Train sightseeing trek to learn about the indigenous Kanak history, completing a grocery shopping expedition and swimming with sea turtles and tropical fish.

Mrs Vogels said incorporating trips such as the New Caledonian trip was an integral part of broadening the students’ horizons and highlighting the importance of learning another language.

“Language and culture is an important part of the school curriculum,” she said.

“It helps students understand how others live in the world and makes them more culturally aware.

“The cognitive benefits include improved memory, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, enhanced concentration, ability to multitask and better listening skills.”

The Magpies braved wet conditions to record a 9.8 (62) to 6.7 (43) victory, their first since a 70 point triumph in round nine over arch-rivals Cobden.

Co-coach Neville Swayn said the win was a good reward for his players after coming close in several of their prior games.

“You take away the Terang game in which we were poor, but the last four or five weeks we always felt we were playing good footy against good sides without winning,” he said.

“We had our opportunities but we just couldn’t get over the line, so it’s (the win) probably a reward for the boys.”

Camperdown kicked the only goal of the opening quarter before the Roosters hit back in the second, with scores deadlocked at the main break.

The home side then took control of the contest shortly after half-time, kicking five goals to two to open up a 23 point lead at the final change.

The Roosters mounted a challenge at the start of the last term with two quick majors reducing the margin to 11 points.

But late goals to Will Rowbottom and Tim Fitzgerald pushed the Magpies lead back out to 23 points with the hosts then holding firm in the final minutes to prevail by 19 points.

Swayn was pleased with the Magpies’ performance, which he said was “more consistent” against the Roosters.

He said regular lapses had often impacted his side in their games but their ability to control it was what had been hurting them in their past games.

“After a tight first quarter, we had the breeze but we didn’t utilise it, we were really happy with how we controlled the game against the breeze in the second quarter,” Swayn said.

“We then got away in the third quarter, we kicked five goals, but they came at us at the start of the last and then we responded which was pleasing.”

The win kept the Magpies clear of the bottom three sides in seventh, with the side to finish with winnable games against Portland this weekend and Cobden the following week.

Swayn said Camperdown would not underestimate the Tigers’ capabilities in their clash at Hanlon Park this Saturday.

He said the Magpies knew they would have quite the challenge ahead of them on the back of two hour trip to Portland.

“They’re obviously going to be a better side at home compared to what they were when we played at Camperdown, so we’ve got to change our mindset a little bit off the back of a good win,” Swayn said.

“We’ve still got to be prepared to work hard, it’s going to be a good test for the group but hopefully we can string together two wins in a row and work towards finishing the year off on a good note.”

Meanwhile, the reserves and under 18.5s both suffered losses in their respective matches with South Warrnambool.

The reserves went down 13.16 (94) to 4.1 (25) against the second placed Roosters.

Camperdown remains in fifth position on the ladder, eight points and a good deal of percentage clear of Portland with just two games remaining.

They will go up against the side challenging them for the last finals berth in round 17, with victory at Hanlon Park sewing up a top five finish.

The under 18.5s lost 3.8 (26) to 3.4 (22) in a top of the table clash.

South Warrnambool turned the tables from the round seven result earlier this year thanks to a strong final term.

Camperdown was in control of the game at three quarter time holding an 11 point lead, however the Roosters kept the home side scoreless during the final stanza to move six points clear at the top of the ladder.

The Magpies can lock up second position this weekend with a win over the third placed Tigers guaranteeing a double chance in finals.

The town’s Boer War Memorial is being restored after eagle-eyed citizens discovered several elements of the memorial’s soldier statue were missing.

The Corangamite Shire, along with Heritage Victoria, Heritage Architects and the Camperdown Returned and Services League (RSL) have since been working together to restore the memorial to its original glory.

The scope of works for the memorial includes:

• Re-carving and installation of missing elements of the soldier on the memorial including the gun muzzle, gun strap, trigger guard and bayonet holder;
• Re-forming the wreath elements at the base of the soldier’s feet;
• Re-mortaring/pointing of the pedestal; and
• Cleaning of biological growth and staining on the monument.

Stonemason David Williams completed the restoration works on the replacement of the missing components to the statue’s rifle muzzle, strap, trigger guard and bayonet holder.

The project that took several hours to complete, but was months in the making, with Mr Williams taking moulds for the missing elements before Anzac Day.

The works were made possible after the Camperdown RSL received grant funding under the ‘Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour Grants Program’, with the project being auspiced by the Corangamite Shire.

Works to re-form the wreath, clean the biological growth and re-point the pedestal are due to be completed in the coming weeks.

Archie Stevenson and his supplier dog Labrador, Leo, are currently participating in PawGust, a Guide Dog Australia initiative that challenges dog owners and their four legged friends to walk for about 30 minutes each day across August.

As part of PawGust, participants are asked to find financial donations of ‘supPawt’ in return, with a goal target of $1.4 million helping the organisation put more than 700 dogs through training and to provide several other services.

Mr Stevenson who is 95 per cent blind requires Leo, a trained guide dog, to help him be mobile in his day-to-day life.

He said Leo was one of the only guide dogs in town and had helped him maintain independence since he became his trusted companion a little more than 18 months ago.

“It’s not quite my lifeline but he helps me exercise,” he said.

“I’m getting mobility that I don’t normally get, independent mobility is the best way to put it.

“I think he’s the first dog in 30 years that anyone can remember in town, no one can remember anyone having a guide dog.”

Mr Stevenson, who is participating in the initiative for the first time, said his motivation for taking part was quite simple.

“It’s Australianism isn’t it?” he said.

“If it wasn’t for people doing this, it wouldn’t happen would it. But I’m all in favour of this.

“It’s comparatively simple doing half an hour a day because I normally do 10,000 steps a day which works out to be 20 kilometres a week.

“And there’s no big deal in him doing it either, he’s a very fit dog and he’s well known in town.”

Mr Stevenson said supporting the cause would ensure those already visually impaired were able to acces trained dogs.

“You never know when you’re going to lose your sight but that’s why it’s important the supplier dogs are there,” he said.

Mr Stevenson and Leo, along with wife Susan, have walked 34,311 paws or 19 kilometres and have raised $352 at a check on Tuesday this week since starting the initiative.

The $352 easily surpassed their initial target of $290 but they now hope to raise as much as they can and walk 100 kilometres by the end of the month.

“I would think we should do that,” Mr Stevenson said.

Anyone wishing to donate to Mr Stevenson’s PawGust campaign can do so via this link www.pawgust.com.au/fundraisers/susanstevenson/pawgust.

CAMPERDOWN’S open netball side has set up a mouth-watering clash with South Warrnambool tomorrow after easily defeating Hamilton Kangaroos last Saturday.

The Magpies moved into the top five after downing the Kangaroos 64-35 at Melville Oval, with fifth spot up for grabs in their clash against the Roosters.

Coach Brooke Richardson said there was plenty to like about her side’s performance in what was a “good win”.

She said the Magpies showed improvement in their ability to maintain their performance for the game’s duration, something that had been an issue throughout the season.

“We were really able to put the pressure on up the court to cause turnovers and intercepts so I was really happy with that,” she said.

“Our main focus was on playing four very strong quarters, so we were setting ourselves a goal each quarter to achieve and trying to remain focussed for 15 minutes.

“We shot 14 goals in the first, 16 in the second, 16 in the third and finished with 13 in the last which was good.

“In previous games it’s been the second or third quarter we’ve lost our heads and let other sides back in, whereas this time it was the second and third quarters we pulled away which was good.”

The first quarter was a close affair between the two sides, before the Magpies started to pull away in the game’s middle periods.

They built a sizeable lead and continued to run away with the match, as Amanda Gilbert (40 goals) and Jess Cameron (24) combined well in the absence of Krystal Baker in the goal circle.

Up the other end Emma Wright and Caitlin Hall were both influential with the pair preventing numerous Hamilton attacks as the Magpies secured a 29 goal win.

“We were only up by two at quarter time so at that stage I was thinking it was going to be quite tough,” Richardson said.

“But in the second quarter we ran away 16-8 and in the third 16-7 and that came from our pressure all over the court which was fantastic and also great shooting from the girls.

“I think they only missed one goal in the second and then Amanda missed two and Jess missed one in the third, but they had a really good shooting percentage which was good.”

The Magpies are now setting themselves for a showdown with South Warrnambool, with the victor to move a step closer to securing a finals berth.

But Richardson said the Magpies must avoid a repeat of their performance in their early season loss to the same side if they are to come away with the four points.

“We know it’s going to be really tough, they’re a very good side,” she said.

“Last time we were up by three at quarter time and then down by nine at half-time so we can’t afford to do that this time.

“We’ll go in focussing on our game and making sure we’re not getting distracted by what they’re doing for four quarters.

“The last couple of weeks have been a good lead-up to this weekend which is exciting for the girls.”

The club staged their feature event of 2019, the Brian Best Memorial annual show, receiving 425 entries from 42 exhibitors from as far as Tantanoola in South Australia and Bungaree, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria.

Secretary Clayton Horspole said organisers were rapt with how the day unfolded after they received 70 more entries than last year.

He said it was a great reward for the club to achieve higher numbers given they have “slowly been revamping their building over the last five years”.

“It’s the best show we’ve had in the last five years with the numbers in terms of the pens,” Mr Horspole said.

“We’ve been building for five years with the shed, we’ve been realigning walls, we’ve built new pens and it’s now got new lighting and a roof.

“It’s great for the club to get a lot of reward for the effort we’ve put into the building and the pens.”

Mr Horspole said the show featured 12 different sections of judging including standard and bantam breed, soft and hard feather and light and heavy categories, which were adjudicated by Western Australian Shane McNamara and Geelong’s Stephen Legge.

“When judging them we get back to preparation and bird types,” he said.

“Then you get into eye colour, feather colour, if they are a lace bird then we judge their lacing and then there is the condition of the bird as well.

“It was a very, very high standard of exhibition fowl and the two judges were very complimentary of the exhibitors to breed the fowl to type and to then present the birds.”

Teesdale’s Ian Nash took out the top prize, winning the Brian Best Memorial Award for champion bird of the show with his black bantam leghorn pullet.

Other award winners included:

• Champion standard heavy, soft feather – Isalene Steynberg;
• Champion standard light, soft feather – Kevin Smith;
• Champion standard heavy, hard feather – Stewart McLaren;
• Champion standard light, hard feather – Ian Nash;
• Champion bantam heavy, soft feather – Ian Nash;
• Champion bantam light, soft feather – Ian Nash;
• Champion bantam heavy, hard feather – Paul Burgess;
• Champion bantam light, hard feather Kevin Smith;
• Champion junior – Jacob Canning;
• Reserve champion junior – Hamish Bishop;
• Champion waterfowl – Karingal Poultry; and
• Reserve champion waterfowl – Michelle Young.

Mr Horspole said the club was grateful for the support of their major sponsor Reid Stockfeeds.

The club’s next auction will be held on August 15 with any enquiries regarding the auction or anyone wishing to learn more about the poultry club encouraged to contact Clayton Horspole on 0428 931 369.

Needing to win to remain in the hunt for a spot in the top five, the Magpies once again presented a strong challenge but could not capitalise on their opportunities in the 11.9 (75) to 7.12 (54) defeat.

The loss has now closed the door entirely on any finals hopes, with the Magpies falling 16 points behind fifth placed South Warrnambool with three games to play.

Despite the disappointment of losing, the Magpies again showed plenty of promise but were unable to sustain their performance throughout the contest.

They appeared to start the better of the two sides although they conceded the opening goal, with three late majors seeing the Magpies take a six point lead into quarter time.

The break appeared to halt the Magpies’ momentum in the second quarter however, as the Kangaroos kicked four unanswered goals to open up an 18 point break at half-time.

The Magpies were quick to respond when the second half resumed, with a couple of early goals putting them within 10 points.

But again Hamilton was quick to respond, with two late majors pushing their lead out to 27 points, the biggest of the game, at the final break.

The Magpies made a late charge in the final quarter but could not convert their opportunities, kicking several behinds as they dominated the first 20 minutes of the term.

But another late goal to Hamilton killed Camperdown’s hopes as the home side prevailed by 21 points at the final siren.

Will Rowbottom was named best on ground for Camperdown after working tirelessly in the ruck, while Luke Mahony was once again strong through the midfield.

Billy Arnold and Jason Robinson were both solid in defence for the visitors, while Matt Field provided plenty of run on the wing.

Bayley Thompson led the goal kickers with two, with Mahony, Rowbottom, Field, Eddie Lucas and Mitch Danahay all kicking singles.

The Magpies now have games against the Roosters, Portland (away) and Cobden (home) to finish the season.

Meanwhile, the reserves suffered a 40 point loss against the Kangaroos in what was a likely elimination final preview.

The home side’s win was set up in the opening quarter, with the Kangaroos keeping Camperdown goalless as they opened up a 19 point buffer.

That margin remained for the next three quarters, before four goals to one in the final term saw Hamilton triumph 11.8 (74) to 5.4 (34).

Dave Young continued his stellar season with a best afield display, while Devon Coates, Isaac Stephens, Luke Ball and Zavier Mungean also played well.

And the under 18.5s will play for top spot against the Roosters this weekend after they narrowly defeated Hamilton.

The home side got an early jump on the Magpies, kicking four goals to two in the opening term but the visitors hit back in the last three quarters.

They kicked three goals to one during that time to score a narrow 5.10 (40) to 5.8 (38) win, their 13th of the year.

Sid Bradshaw, Zach Sinnott, Jordan Loader, Toby Kent, Ethan Coates and Luke Ball were the best players.

The trailer was passed on to the club from the Bannockburn SES unit, which had updated their equipment.

Camperdown SES controller Colin Brian said the trailer allowed the unit to spread its resources further during times of emergency.

“Previously we only had a rescue truck and a small storm damage trailer,” he said.

“That meant we had to take both the truck and the small trailer to attend things like fallen trees or damaged houses due to storms.

“However, if a road accident occurred at the same time, which often happens during storms, we’d have to unhitch the trailer and attend the accident in the rescue truck.”

Mr Brian said the new storm damage trailer meant the unit could leave the rescue truck at its headquarters.

“That means if we get a call out for a road rescue at the same time as a call out for storm damage, we can attend both incidents at once,” he said.

“Because we still have our original smaller storm damage trailer, we can attend two incidents at the same time.”

Camperdown’s SES unit meets at its Bowyer Street headquarters every Monday night from 7pm. New members are welcome to attend.

The Magpies made a strong start en route to a 37-27 victory at Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval, moving into sixth place on percentage in the process.

Magpies coach Brooke Richardson said the win “was a good result” for her side but she admitted they missed a chance to close the gap on fifth placed Terang Mortlake.

“We had a really good start but I was a little bit disappointed we didn’t carry that through and finish off with more of a percentage booster,” she said.

“But it was good to come away with the four points.”

The Magpies strung together successive victories for the second time this season, having only won two games in a row between rounds five and six earlier this year.

Richardson said it was good to secure consecutive wins, adding it was the perfect antidote for her side ahead of a big last month of the season.

“Back-to-back wins is definitely good but Port Fairy beat Terang Mortlake the week before and were coming in with a little bit of confidence so to come away with the win I was very happy,” she said.

“It was a good morale booster for the girls leading into some tough games in the end of the year.”

The Magpies are now set for a twilight game this weekend against Hamilton Kangaroos, with that match to get under way at 5.15pm at Melville Oval.

Richardson said the change in times would be no issue for her side, but she said Camperdown would need to be wary of the home side, which pushed Terang Mortlake last weekend.

“We can’t go in expecting to win, we have to play, as I say, four strong quarters because they have some quality players and they look to be hitting form at the end of the year,” she said.

“We can’t afford to drop a game at all and we just can’t expect it to just happen.”

Richardson said she expected the game to ebb and flow throughout the night but added building consistency with their four quarters efforts would also be a key theme in their performance.

“I think every game you will have lapses, that is always going to happen, but for us to be switched on to that and to get the game back on our terms will be important for us,” she said.

Meanwhile, the day’s remaining games saw Camperdown come away with two wins and four losses.

Division one lost 57-27 despite the best efforts of Caitlyn Fitzgerald, Tahli Kent and Mary Place.

Division two fell away in the second half of their 40-27 defeat with Georgia Lucas and Jess Van den Eynde named in the best players.

The division three side put up a competitive showing despite losing 39-31, with Cally O’Shannessy, Shelby Gristede and Kelly Howard the standouts.

The 17 and under girls were outclassed by a stronger Seagulls opponent, with Olivia Maskell, Molly Hedrick and Ava Nolan the top players in the 50-14 defeat.

The 15 and under team recorded a strong 42-14 win, with Ruby Conheady, Holly Swayn and Mary Place leading the side to victory.

And the 13 and under outfit also triumphed in their contest, with Chelsea Duynhoven, Georgia Dalton and Indi Cameron helping them to a 32-20 win.

Measuring about 1.5 metres, the python was curled up inside the backpack which had been stashed in shrubbery.

Camperdown Police Leading Senior Constable Don Camilleri said an overnight incident had occurred at the business.

“We were called back when it was discovered the person involved had left the backpack behind,” he said.

“The business operators had looked inside the backpack and found the python.

“It was curled up inside and was very, very cold, to the point where we weren’t sure if it was still alive or not.”

Ldg Snr Const Camilleri said local enquiries were made and the snake’s carer was located.

The snake was taken to the local veterinarians for a health check and immediate care.

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning wildlife officers were informed of the incident.

“Further enquiries are currently being undertaken in relation to the matter,” Ldg Snr Const Camilleri said.

Williams, who missed for the second week, said the Magpies would rue a missed opportunity after suffering a 13.13 (91) to 10.16 (76) defeat and South Warrnambool was beaten by Cobden.

A victory would have moved Camperdown eight points adrift of the Roosters in seventh position ahead of a block of winnable games to finish the year.

But Williams has now conceded almost everything has to fall perfectly for his side to grab an unlikely finals berth.

“We’d have to have everything go our way, not just with our results but with the other games too,” he said.

“Obviously with South losing on the weekend, that makes our loss massive because if we had have won we’d only be a game outside the five.

“All we can do really is try and win our last four games and put our best foot forward to sneak in.

“Hopefully we have everything else fall into place, but we definitely haven’t closed the door on it though.”

The Magpies had multiple chances to secure their victory against the Seagulls, with several shots in the last quarter missing as they made a charge for victory.

Also compounding their woes was nine behinds in the second quarter when the visitors were a man down, with the hosts entering the main break two points behind when they should have been comfortably ahead.

“It’s obviously disappointing again considering we again got so close and didn’t get the job done,” Williams said.

“But like I said after the game, we’re getting close to winning these games, we just need to iron a few things out with our skills and accuracy in front of goals.

“We had our chances in the last quarter but we just couldn’t put in on the scoreboard and that proved the difference in the end.”

Williams said there were a number of standout performers for the Magpies but added he could not fault anyone for their efforts.

“Luke Mahony was a standout with his pressure and second and third efforts around the ball,” he said.

“I thought our back line stood out all day, like Billy Arnold and Luke O’Neil (were good), Bayley Thompson was good on the wing using his pace to his advantage and Will Rowbottom was solid in the ruck too.

“But all across the board there wasn’t anyone that didn’t play their role which was pleasing.”

Camperdown is now set for a road trip to Hamilton to play the Kangaroos in a night game, with that match presenting the Magpies with a last ditch bid to keep their finals hopes alive.

Williams said winning the contest was extremely important for his side but knows they must adjust their preparations to do so.

“We’ll have to change our routine a little bit and make sure we’re not moping around during the day but obviously the importance of this week is to get a win for starters and then boost our percentage,” he said.

“We’re not only looking to win, we want to get that percentage up to give us that chance of potentially playing finals.”

Meanwhile the reserves and under 18.5s continued their charges towards finals football, with both sides registering impressive victories.

The reserves kept the Seagulls goalless in the opening quarter en route to their 11.7 (73) to 3.4 (22) win, with Jake O’Flynn kicking three majors to lead his side to victory.

He was well supported by James Henry, who was best on ground, Dave Young, Devon Coates, Isaac Stephens, Chris Dendle and Daniel Hickey.

And the under 18.5s recorded a healthy 26.13 (169) to 1.8 (14) victory against an undermanned Port Fairy outfit.

Henry Hocking (six goals), Zach Sinnott (four) and Keiran Coburn (four) led the goal kickers and were named in the best players alongside Josh Place, Harry Sumner and Toby Kent.

Science teacher Paula Atkins said three hatched chickens and a dozen fertilised eggs had arrived at the school at the start of the week, with two to three hatching each day.

“The kids and staff alike have all been very excited with the project and are really interested in their progress,” she said.

“It’s been a great way to teach the students about everything from life cycles and the ‘farm to table’ process to animal classification.

“Even though we have a lot of farm kids here, they don’t always see something coming to life.”

Ms Atkins said a number of the chicks had hatched within an hour, while others had taken up to 15 hours to free themselves from their shells.

“Every single student from Prep through to Grade 6 has been totally absorbed, so it’s been a great teaching tool,” she said.

A number of the chickens are set to stay at the school with a coop being built, to ensure the students can continue to see the life cycle of the chickens’ progress.

The remaining chickens will be adopted out to various staff members who already have chickens at home.

The Magpies produced a stunning effort to keep their finals chances alive, defeating perennial finalist North Warrnambool by a goal at Bushfield, having downed Koroit last month.

Coach Brooke Richardson said the victory was huge for her club.

“I think especially coming off the previous week where we had the lead and then lost it was really important to hold on to the lead we had and win,” she said.

“It was just a really important win.”

Asked what the players would derive from the win, Richardson said it would give her side plenty of belief knowing that if they all pulled together for the same cause anything was possible.

“The weekend was the first time we’ve had everyone with Jess (Cameron) and Normie (Emma Wright) in the team and we were able to play a really good team game,” she said.

“If someone was tired, we could swap them knowing that whoever came on would do just as good a job for us.

“No one played for themselves, everyone played for each other and our want for it (the win) and our fight for it was huge.”

The first half was an even affair with both sides entering the main break on 17 goals apiece before the Magpies gained control.

They shot 13 goals to nine in the third term to open up a handy four goal lead at three quarter time before the Eagles made a late charge in the final 15 minutes.

They erased the Magpies’ advantage to create one of their own with the game seemingly in the balance over the final minutes, before the visitors again nudged ahead to score a 39-38 victory.

“Again that team effort and performance was massive, with two minutes to go we were a goal down but we were able to keep up the pressure to get that back and go ahead,” Richardson said.

“It was a tough game for four quarters and another positive out of it was last week we played two good quarters and two not so good quarters, whereas this week we played four consistent quarters which was exciting.”

Camperdown had numerous contributors across the court but Amanda Clark (24 goals), Wright and Grace Lucas earned the coach’s praise for their performances.

“Amanda was good in goals, they had really good defenders but she was important for us,” Richardson said.

“Emma in goal keeper played a good game, they have a good side all over the court but particularly their shooters, I don’t know how many goals Victoria Grundy shot but Emma did a good job on her.

“And Grace had a really good and hard game in the centre but it was another week where it was hard to single out best players.”

The win sets up the Magpies for another showdown this weekend, this time against Port Fairy.

Richardson said she wanted to see her side become more consistent during the contest, given they had beaten some of the teams above them but faltered against the clubs around them.

“But again the same as last week, playing four consistent quarters is important,” she said.

“We have to play for the team and for each other for 60 minutes of hard and focussed netball.

“It’ll be a huge game, they’re coming off a good win over Terang Mortlake and have been playing well lately so they’ll be coming in with a lot of confidence.

“Even though we won last time we can’t go in thinking that will happen again.”

Likewise the moment Cobden’s Tania Rowan heard her charges find their voices and yell ‘NO’ with force and conviction.

The two women have just returned from the Dominican Republic as part of a newly established program of The 4North Project which aims to stamp out sexual violence against women.

“I have been friends with Matt Gewirtz and Tyler Lagalo, the founders of The 4North Project, for years through my interest in martial arts,” Ms Rowan said.

“When they asked me to establish an empowerment and self protection program for young women, I jumped at the chance.

“The Dominican Republic is known to have one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world.”

Ms Rowan soon realised to create a change in the attitudes of the country’s youth, a similar program needed to be established for the boys of the tiny nation and enlisted the group’s founders to lead the way.

The project snowballed even further when Ms O’Neill, a Camperdown-based health officer, joined the team with a view to carrying out much needed health checks in the local villages.

Eventually, eight volunteers from across Australia had pooled their expertise and were heading to the Domican Republic to “make a real difference”.

“We were hoping to have 30 kids a day attend our sessions, but ended up with 55 to 60,” Ms Rowan said.

“Initially, the girls were quite timid in their approaches to the martial arts, protecting themselves and in saying ‘no’, but by the end of the week they were so much more confident in protecting themselves and their screams of ‘NO’ were strong, forceful and very loud.

“It was amazing to see the girls’ confidence and self-esteem grow and to see them slowly realise that they don’t have to be victims, that they can say ‘no’, and that ‘no’ really does mean ‘no’.

“It was like they had just been given permission to use their voices.”

Mr Gewirtz and Mr Lagalo were joined by Kyl Reber to deliver the boys’ program, which used martial arts to help defend women under attack, and achieved similar success.

“They explained to the boys that one day they would become men, that strong men made for strong communities and that strong men looked after their women,” Ms
Rowan said.

“In a country where women are very submissive, it was a concept the boys had never heard before.

“One boy in particular was so grateful for the insight and said he’d never been shown there was another way to treat women.”

Ms O’Neill spent her days carrying out general health checks in the community, providing first aid training and distributing first aid kits.

“There was a huge range of issues, from serious heart problems right through to basic malnutrition,” she said.

“Poor teeth and eyesight were particularly prevalent.”

Armed with about 100 sets of ‘off-the-rack’ glasses of the -3 through to the +3 variety, Mrs O’Neill gave them to young and old alike.

“To make such a difference in someone’s life is incredible,” she said.

“To see how successful Tania’s empowerment program was and to be able to make a difference health wise was incredible, rewarding, overwhelming, exciting . . . there is no one word to describe it.

“The 4North Project was absolutely amazing and the locals fully embraced it.”

Three school principals have since taken the program concepts on board and young female and male leaders were inducted to continue the good work.

Ms Rowan and Ms O’Neill now plan to return next year to build on the work started.

Locals can show their support by donating ‘off-the-rack’ glasses to the project at Camperdown’s Manifold Place, making a cash contribution online at www.4north.org or by purchasing handmade bracelets made in neighbouring Haiti, which are available at Excuse Me fashion in Camperdown.

Every $30 raised from the bracelet sales is used to fully fund a child for a year at school, including books and food.

Other volunteers who made the trip to the Dominican Republic as part of the project were Matthew Ball, Dianne Taylor (dancing) and Aaron Williams (basketball).

The phrase 4North reflects the four ideals of Education, Sustainability, Empowerment and Security, while ‘north’ symbolises moving forward.

The Magpies produced one of their best performances of the season to push the ladder leading Eagles to the brink of defeat in the 12.12 (84) to 10.9 (69) loss.

Co-coach Neville Swayn said the result was very disappointing but admitted he could not be prouder of his players’ efforts.

“For what we had planned during the week, the boys executed it well but to be in a winning position against the top side and not go on with it was really disappointing,” he said.

“But on the flip side, Jack and I are really proud of the effort the boys put out across the four quarters, it was just a few execution points that let us down.”

The opening quarter saw both sides trade goals at Bushfield, with the Magpies taking a seven point lead into quarter time.

The Eagles then responded by kicking three unanswered goals in the second term to move 12 points ahead before the Magpies again returned to the lead in the third quarter.

They kicked three goals to the Eagles’ one to hold a one point advantage at the final change before Camperdown kicked the opening two goals of the last quarter to push 13 points ahead.

They controlled the game despite the Eagles constantly threatening to score and with 15 minutes to go, the Magpies still remained 11 points ahead before the Eagles’ continual forward advances were finally rewarded.

They kicked a goal to bring the margin back to five points before simple errors while in control of the contest in the last 10 minutes cost the Magpies, coughing up three late majors to fall by 15 points.

“It was just a turnover or two late that resulted in a goal that you can’t afford to do against the top sides,” Swayn said.

Despite the disappointment, Swayn said he could find plenty of positives from the performance.

He was pleased his side was able to put together a consistent effort for the first time in a number of weeks.

“For what we planned to do during the week and to then maintain it for four quarters was the biggest positive,” he said.

“Where we have had lapses in probably the last month, we’ve been working hard to fix that, but I thought on Saturday it was definitely a lot better.”

Luke Mahony was named the Magpies’ best following a strong performance in the midfield, while Jason Robinson, Matt Field, Luke O’Neil, Riley Arnold and Will Lord also performed well.

The loss has put the Magpies 12 points outside the top five in seventh with five games to play ahead of another big clash with Port Fairy at Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval this Saturday.

Swayn said his side was poor in its early season clash against the Seagulls at Port Fairy but had since been tracking positively ahead of the contest.

“Without getting the wins on the board, we feel we are taking steps forward so we’ll be giving ourselves every chance to get a result this week,” he said.

Meanwhile, the reserves fell to their fifth loss of the season, going down to the Eagles 12.17 (89) to 3.4 (22).

Isaac Stephens was named best afield for the side, while Wayne Loader, Chris Dendle, Dave Young, Byron Loader and Devon Coates were also prominent.

The loss kept the side fifth on the ladder, 12 points clear of Warrnambool.

And the under 18.5s won their fifth successive match, beating the Eagles 15.4 (94) to 7.7 (49).

Hamish Sinnott (three goals) and Zach Sinnott (four) both performed strongly, while Sid Bradshaw, Hayden Brett, Toby Kent and Luke Bone were also standouts in the victory.

The side remains second on the ladder.

An Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) report released last week confirmed a $370 million upgrade of existing transmission lines and the development of new lines would be undertaken.

“Western Victoria is experiencing significant committed renewable generation development, with large amounts of additional generation expected to be operational in the near term,” the AEMO’s Western Victorian Renewable Integration report stated.

“Around 2000 megawatts (MW) of committed new renewable generation will be built, or is undergoing commissioning, in the western Victoria region by 2020.

“AEMO projects that a further 3000MW of new generation will be constructed in the region by 2025, and a further 1000MW of new generation will be constructed by 2030, based on proposed new connections in the region and the announced increase to the Victorian Government’s Victorian Renewable Energy Target.”

Under the plan to upgrade transmission lines, the 220kV lines stretching from Moorabool to Terang and onto Ballarat would be boosted to carry 10 per cent more power.

A new terminal station would also be built at North Ballarat, which would then be connected to an existing single circuit 220kV line to Bendigo and a newly constructed double circuit transmission line to Bulgana (Waubra).

A new double circuit 500kV line would also be constructed between Ballarat and a terminal station at Sydenham in Melbourne.

Ultimately the improvements are expected to allow for an increased flow of power from Victoria’s newly constructed renewable energy developments to New South Wales.

Tenders have already been called for to deliver the design, construction, operation and ownership of the new infrastructure.

“AEMO has identified that there is insufficient capacity within existing transmission infrastructure in western Victoria to enable the amount of existing and proposed generation in this region to efficiently dispatch electricity,” the report stated.

“Without adequate capacity, generators connecting to this part of the network will become increasingly constrained, limiting the ability for existing and new generators to export power to the network.”

Upgrades to the Moorabool/Terang/Ballarat line were scheduled to be completed by 2021, with the remaining works set to be completed by 2025.

The improvement works are expected to reduce network congestion and result in more efficient connection and dispatch of generation in the region.

“This will deliver key market benefits including fuel and capital cost savings and improvement capacity of the existing Victoria to New South Wales interconnector,” the report said.

“The project will also facilitate the establishment of major hubs for wind and solar energy in the region, by strengthening transmission corridors to cost-effectively transport large quantities of renewable energy to consumers.

“This will have spin-off benefits to communities in western Victoria through employment, economic, training and broader regional development opportunities.”

The transmission lines will also improve the Victoria to New South Wales interconnector export capacity, resulting in higher export of new renewable generation.

The exact routes of the proposed new transmission lines are as yet unknown and would be confirmed during the design phase of the project.

Interested people can access AEMO’s full ‘Western Victorian Renewable Integration Report’ at www.aemo.com.au/-/media/Files/Electricity/NEM/Planning_and_Forecasting/Victorian_Transmission/2019/PACR/Western-Victoria-RIT-T-PACR.pdf.

The Magpies played strongly in the first and last quarters but fell away in the middle periods of their 34-30 loss to the Blues at Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval.

Coach Brooke Richardson said it was a tough loss to swallow given their promising start.

“We had a really good start and finish but we just let ourselves down in the second and third quarters,” she said.

“I feel it is the same thing I am saying every time, that we can’t afford to not to play four strong quarters each week, because that’s what let us down on Saturday.”

After bursting out of the blocks to hold a seven goal lead at the first change, the Magpies fell away in the second quarter as the Blues lifted their intensity.

The visitors were able to quickly erase the home side’s advantage and established their own, which they then held for the remainder of the contest.

Richardson said the Magpies crumbled under the Blues’ intimidating approach in the game’s middle quarters, which allowed the visitors to take control.

“They really lifted their intensity and I’m not sure of the right word but they were very much in our faces, they were very physical and loud on the court,” she said.

“We probably should have done the same but we didn’t, we probably just let that get to us a little bit more than we should have.”

On the flip side, Richardson said she was pleased with her side’s effort in the quarters they played well but again lamented an inability to sustain it.

“Starting the game really strongly is something we’ve been able to do well all year but it’s just sustaining that and lifting when we need to that hurts us,” she said.

“But we had some great flows of play from one end to other in the first quarter and our pressure was also really good in those two quarters.”

Richardson said young trio Caitlin Hall, Grace Lucas and Krystal Baker were the side’s standout performers in the defeat.

“Caity played a really strong game at wing defence, she was always a steady option for our attackers and played a really strong defensive game,” she said.

“Grace had a tough day at the office, she played wing attack and had a physical opponent but did very well to bounce off that pressure and keep going.

“And Krystal was good in attack and shot very well from her opportunities.”

The loss left Camperdown in seventh position on the ladder, four points adrift of the top five ahead of a trip to North Warrnambool to face the second placed Eagles tomorrow.

The Magpies will be boosted by the return of Jess Cameron, who has missed the past three games due to an overseas trip, with Richardson excited to have her back at her disposal.

She said her inclusion gives the side greater flexibility on the court, but added the Magpies need to produce a consistent performance to down the highly fancied Eagles.

“I feel that we have a lot of options up our sleeve now with Jess back, she is very versatile and can play anywhere on the court,” Richardson said.

“That is something we might look at doing now with Normie (Emma Wright) back, it allows us to try different things up the court.

“We have to play four strong quarters and we’ll make any changes we need to quicker.

“We can’t afford to wait and see how things go particularly with Terang Mortlake now a game up.”

The 40-bed aged care facility achieved three years’ accreditation after undergoing a rigorous three-day inspection process as part of Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission requirements.

Sunnyside House chief executive officer Claire Schmierer said the facility had been assessed against four overall standards and 44 outcomes.

“Achieving accreditation means the residents, their families and the wider community can be assured that Sunnyside House is providing a high level of care,” she said.

“It’s also a great way for us to assess how we are performing and to take on board any suggestions for improvement.”

Two auditors visited the facility and used a method known as ‘triangulation’ for their assessment, which included observing day to day functions, interviews with residents, staff and family members as well as checking documentation.

“I’m pleased to say Sunnyside House achieved ratings of either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in all aspects,” Ms Schmierer said.

“The auditors made particular comment about the facility’s cleanliness, the quality of the food and how the staff interacted with residents throughout meal times.

“They were also impressed with our gardens, the fact that residents’ clothes are ironed, and our staffing levels, which are better than at most other facilities.”

Areas suggested for improvement included the existence of a floor ‘lip’ on all the external sliding doors and giving staff 60 days’ notice rather than 30 of the need for police check refreshers.

“It is a major thing to be audited as thoroughly as this, so it’s great to know that we are maintaining high standards,” Ms Schmierer said.

“It really is a great testament to our staff, who regularly go over and above in caring for our residents.

“They also work together wonderfully as a team and are rightly proud of the facility.

“We also have great community support, which makes a huge difference.”

The three-year accreditation was secured until July 2022.

Ms Schmierer said Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission auditors would continue to conduct unannounced visits to the facility over the next three years.

The Magpies fell to the Blues for the second time of the season, this time a 17.8 (110) to 8.8 (56) defeat in scrappy conditions at Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval.

“Our effort was really solid throughout the day, it was just the lapses where we let ourselves down,” Swayn said.

“It was mainly in the last five to seven minutes of the first three quarters where Warrnambool scored most of their goals but there was some good signs shown.

“We scored heavily in the second quarter and our effort in the last quarter when the game was gone was encouraging, we really fought the game out well in the end.”

The Blues made all the early running with the advantage of a breeze to the northern end, kicking six unanswered goals to lead by 37 points at the first change.

But Camperdown quickly showed it was not a spent force at the start of the second quarter, kicking five goals to one to reduce the margin to two goals 10 minutes in.

Just as the home side appeared to have all the momentum the visitors took it away from them, with four late goals, including a contentious one, pushing the margin back out to 34 points at half time.

The Blues continued to control proceedings in the second half and extended their lead to 62 points at the final change before a mostly even last term saw the Magpies finish 54 points in arrears.

Jason Robinson was best on ground across half back once again for Camperdown, while Luke O’Neil and Riley Arnold also performed strongly.

Luke Mahony, Will Lord and Charlie Lucas were also standout contributors while Eddie Lucas kicked two goals on what was a tough day.

The loss was another blow to the Magpies’ finals hopes, with the side falling to seventh on the ladder, still two games out of fifth spot.

Swayn said his side still believed it could play in September despite tough games upcoming against top side North Warrnambool and fourth placed Port Fairy.

“It’s still mathematically possible and while that is we’ll endeavour to win every game that we can,” he said.

Meanwhile, the September campaigns for the reserves and under 18.5s gained traction with both sides recording strong wins.

The reserves fell to fifth on percentage but moved eight points clear of the Blues following their 11.6 (72) to 4.11 (35) victory.

Tim Fitzgerald (two goals) made a strong return from injury to be named the side’s best player, while Wayne Loader, Chris Dendle, Dave Young, Daniel Hickey and Isaac Stephens (three) played well.

The team will also face a tough test against the Eagles this weekend, who are undefeated on top of the ladder.

And the under 18.5s kept Warrnambool goalless in the first half as they scored a 10.9 (69) to 3.4 (22) triumph.

Zach Sinnott (three goals) was best on ground after returning from the seniors, while Ethan Coates, Toby Kent, Keiran Coburn, Sid Bradshaw and Archie McBean were also among the best players.

The Magpies’ victory kept them in second on percentage, two points off top side South Warrnambool ahead of their clash with the fourth placed Eagles.

At about 12noon last Friday, police believe a Subaru SUV carrying a trailer of stones and green waste lost control travelling west along the Princes Highway, causing a head-on collision with a Hyundai sedan travelling east.

“The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be established and the investigation remains ongoing,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“The Princes Highway was closed in both directions at the time.”

Three paramedic units attended the scene to treat the victims of the collision for a range of injuries.

“A woman in her 20s was taken to Geelong University Public Hospital in a stable condition with arm and chest injuries,” an Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said.

“A man in his 20s was flown by the air ambulance helicopter to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition with injuries to his pelvis and abdomen.

“A second man in his 20s was taken to Warrnambool Public Hospital in a stable condition with minor injuries. A fourth person was also taken to Warrnambool Public Hospital.”

Anyone who witnessed the collision or who has dash cam footage are encouraged to contact Camperdown Police on 5593 1000, Terang Police on 5592 1058 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

In another incident, Camperdown Police Leading Senior Constable Andy Gottliebsen said a single-vehicle collision involving a silver Toyota sedan occurred at about 4.30pm on Sunday on Vaggs Road at Cobrico.

“It was super windy, combined with the wet conditions, the driver slipped off the edge of the road,” he said.

After crashing the vehicle into a roadside fence, paramedics transferred the driver, a woman aged in her 40s, and a single passenger to the Camperdown hospital for a basic health check.

The Magpies are currently in the middle of a four team race with South Warrnambool, Terang Mortlake and Port Fairy for what is likely to be the last finals berth.

But Lucas is confident her side will emerge as the team that finishes fifth having landed one of the upsets of the year before the bye, defeating reigning premier Koroit by five goals.

She said that victory was a massive morale boost for her team and proved the Magpies were on the right track following inconsistent performances in the opening 10 games.

“The first half of the season was a bit of a roller coaster for everyone, we’ve certainly experienced that with some of the wins and losses we’ve had,” Lucas said.

“We’re sitting sixth with three other teams, which is very exciting to see because our team wasn’t where it was when we started, we’ve grown stronger especially after the Koroit game.

“It shows anything can happen but it does come down to the day I guess and to us mentally pushing out those four quarters because we have shown we can do it.

“We’ve got a few tough games coming up, no game is easy, but I definitely think we can make finals.”

This weekend’s matches could see ladder positions potentially change as the top four sides all face challengers sitting fifth to eighth.

The Magpies host fourth placed Warrnambool, Port Fairy meets top side Cobden, Terang Mortlake plays North Warrnambool (second) and South Warrnambool faces Koroit (third) in what will be an important round for almost every club.

Lucas is expecting a highly contested clash against the Blues, with her side keen to turn around its loss to the same opponent in round three.

She said the Magpies entered the game expecting to secure victory on that occasion but instead received “one of the biggest learning curves” for the year.

“I don’t think we really gave them much (respect) at that time and they’ve now shown over the season that they’re very much in it,” she said.

However, she said her team was not going to take the Blues as lightly this time and said their intensity levels would play a key part in determining the result.

“We spoke about it during our break that our intensity is our number one thing, that we have to be flat out from the first whistle and playing as hard we can,” Lucas said.

“We need to make sure we get the lead from the first whistle and making sure we aren’t chasing tail, we have to play smart netball and not fall into their game.”

Lucas is also hopeful she can play a key part in the contest having returned to the Magpies this year from Ballarat league club Sebastopol.

She said she “loved” being back at her home club among new and old faces after a two year hiatus and feels she is playing her part for her team each week.

“I like to think I’ve been playing a consistent game,” Lucas said.

“I don’t like to think I’ve been outstanding, but I do like to think I’ve been playing my role as has everyone else.”

Simultaneous flag raising ceremonies took place at Mount Leura and Mount Elephant reserves, which both attracted strong crowds of supporters.

Gunditjmara elder Brett Clark performed a welcome to country and smoking ceremony at Mount Leura, while Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council past chair Eleanor Burke officiated at Mount Elephant.

Mount Leura and Mount Sugarloaf Management Committee secretary Frances Grundy said the raising of the aboriginal flag then followed to resounding applause and cheers.

“A real highlight of the Camperdown celebrations were performances by the Ngatanwarr Kaaweeyn Dancers,” she said.

“The dancers ranged from toddler age through to about 15 and really added to the whole celebratory atmosphere of the day, performing three different ‘creative story’ dances.”

About 80 locals attended Mount Leura’s celebrations, including Corangamite Shire mayor Neil Trotter, Cr Ruth Gstrein and Cr Helen Durant.

Attendees then enjoyed a shared lunch.

“It’s the third year we have celebrated NAIDOC Week at the two reserves and the community involvement is growing every year,” Ms Grundy said.

“It’s our way of paying respect to indigenous culture and recognising that all the volcanic cones in this area were very significant to the indigenous population.

“Indigenous people were here when Leura, Sugarloaf, Elephant and all the other mounts on the volcanic plains were formed, which is really incredible to think of.”

Afternoon celebrations saw Mr Clark and Ngatanwarr Kaaweyn Dancers move on to The Courthouse Camperdown for similar NAIDOC Week activities.

School children were also catered for with indigenous art, dance, boomerang pairing and Nature Play activities offered at the courthouse on Wednesday.

The workshops will take place again today (Friday), from 10am until 2pm, followed with the launch of indigenous artist Tinika Clifford’s exhibition at 6pm.

Mount Elephant Community Management Committee member Val Lang said just over 30 people attended the Derrinallum celebrations, which also included displays in the local library and history rooms.

“Elenour Burke was our guest speaker and she gave a great insight into the history of NAIDOC Week and its development over the last 40 odd years,” she said.

“She also touched on the current state of the treaty talks and what it would mean to her personally to have a treaty in place.”

Attendees then enjoyed morning tea.

“While it was a low-key celebration it was a very pleasant way to celebrate NAIDOC Week,” Mrs Lang said.

“We also had someone comment that it was lovely to be part of a national event at a local level, which was nice to hear.”

But to do it at one of England’s most historic and prestigious sporting events is “another day’s work” for former Camperdown local Will Keough.

The 23 year-old, who went to Mercy Regional College, is currently working among tennis’ elite as a sports trainer at Wimbledon, one of the sport’s four Grand Slams.

He is on deck every day to tape, massage and needle the players and attend to their other problems, with his main focus on their “prehab and rehab”.

Keough commenced his role for the tournament at Wimbledon’s June qualifying event at Roehampton, an experience he said was “quite different to Australia where everything is done in the same place”.

For years, Wimbledon has held its qualifiers away from its main venue of play to preserve the grass courts for the main draw, an experience he said was quite different.

But it gave him the perfect grounding for the tournament proper, with qualifying finishing just days before the opening round of matches.

Keough has been extremely busy since, working every day to help prepare and refresh the sport’s biggest names for some of the most important matches of their careers.

“I generally start at seven in the morning and don’t finish until 10.30 (at night) so they are quite long days,” he said.

“As for the players, I can’t disclose who I’m working with while the tournament is on but I can say I’m working with some of the greatest players of all time and some up and coming (stars).

“I’m also working with most of the Aussies, being over here together we generally gravitate towards each other.”

The chance to work with the world’s best is not lost on Keough, who admits he has to pinch himself each day he steps foot onto the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon.

He has long been an avid follower of tennis, so working at one of the sport’s four Grand Slams is an experience he said he had only ever dreamt of.

“For me it’s just another day at work but I’ve really enjoyed the experience and to do it at Wimbledon is quite a special thing to do and something I really have to pinch myself about,” he said.

“I’ve always had an interest in tennis, I may not have been too good at it but I can remember running around the complex back in the junior days so I’ve always followed it.

“In my eyes I see Wimbledon as such a prestigious and special event, so to be working over here while it is on is something I’m really grateful to be doing.

“It’s quite special with its history and its prestige so to be working at this event, as I said I really have to pinch myself because it is so special and it’s been quite enjoyable.”

Keough’s road to working at the fabled event is quite the tale.

The expat uprooted his life in Melbourne about 18 months ago to move to London to live and work abroad.

Upon his arrival, he started to build his new life by placing his résumé online and with some employment agencies.

Several interviews for prospective jobs did lead to employment but eventually he secured a position at a mental health and behavioural school as a sports psychologist.

After beginning his new role last year he “completely forgot” his résumés were still in the system until he unexpectedly received a call out of the blue earlier this year.

As he explains, it was a call he is glad he took, with the interview process opening up more doors than he originally anticipated.

“At the start of this year I had someone from the All England Club ask me to go in for an interview,” Keough said.

“So I went through the interview process and that and then originally they offered me the job for just Roehampton.

“But after a few more interviews and then after they checked out my work in Melbourne and a few other things, they ended up re-offering me my position and extended my contact for the main draw and post draw.”

Keough’s luck left him thrilled and with the opportunity of a lifetime, one he has since taken with both hands.

While he still has quite of a lot of tennis left, the tournament is only at the round of 16 stage, to attend to, he said once it was finished it was likely he would return to his sports psychologist role.

But he revealed there is potential for his work in tennis to grow, admitting he is holding out hope that a full-time career in the sport is only just around the corner.

“The experience has opened up quite a few doors and I’m not getting ahead of myself but hopefully a few opportunities will hopefully come out of it,” Keough said.

“I’m hoping there’s a future in tennis, not just over here but also on the tour but I kind of have to buckle in and wait and see what happens over the next few months.”

However, if nothing is to come of his Wimbledon experience, Keough said he is content to have lived out one of his dreams.

He said he would forever live with the memories many others will never experience, such as stepping foot onto the hallowed turf of centre court as well as working with the sport’s elite.

“Being able to step onto the hallowed turf is something I’ll always remember and I’ll always really appreciate,” Keough said.

“If this is to be my last tennis tournament then I’ll be forever grateful to have done it at such a special place.”

“It was very successful. There were sold out events,” she said.

“The gala dinner was a great success and we had to tell people we were sold out.”

Mrs O’Flynn said refreshing the format helped revive the festival.

“The purpose of refreshing the festival for the committee was a focus on offering an opportunity for the community to experience Scottish culture,” she said.

“Our charter was to keep everything as affordable and accessible as possible.

“It was very well supported and we’re grateful.”

From the prose of Scotland’s favourite bard and lively Celtic tunes to the twirl of tartan and taste of shortbread, all things Scottish were celebrated in Camperdown over the weekend.

Activities were held to include the wider community, with sessions including Camperdown’s school community.

Primary school and secondary school students helped create an atmosphere in Camperdown, with artwork displayed in the township.

Delgado’s Coffee Bar and Restaurant and the Hampden Hotel also joined the fun with live entertainment.

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Camperdown’s iconic clock tower was open to climb, while visitors were welcomed to view the interior of the Masonic Lodge and wander through the town’s heritage museum to view displays of notable local Scots and various Scottish kilts.

A program of four speakers offered insights ranging from local Scottish connections and the immigrant food experience of early settlers to the many faces of Robert Burns himself.

A strong focus on young musicians this year paid off, according to Mrs O’Flynn.

“People were just blown away with the talent of the acts,” she said.

“Many of the young people in the bands were locals.”

Mrs O’Flynn paid tribute to sponsors of the community run event.

“The Corangamite Shire Council gave us $5000 seed funding and in-kind support,” she said.

“We were able to secure substantial philanthropic funding which was wonderful.

“Ticket sales were good. We’re in a very strong financial position.”

CAMPERDOWN’S open netball side pulled off its best win of the Hampden league season last Saturday.

The Magpies braved tough conditions to down reigning premier Koroit 31-26 at Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval.

Coach Brooke Richardson could not hide her delight at defeating the Saints, which was the first time Camperdown had topped a side above them on the ladder all season.

They had beaten sixth placed Terang Mortlake, although that match was played in the opening round.

Richardson said her side’s performance could not have come at a more opportune time and said the importance of the win over Koroit was signified by its current situation.

The Magpies are one of four sides currently fighting it out for what is likely to be the final berth in the top five, and a loss against the Saints would have severely dented Camperdown’s chance.

However, the victory has kept them on equal points with South Warrnambool, the Bloods and Port Fairy, with the Magpies, Roosters and Seagulls joining Terang Mortlake on five wins after the Bloods lost to fourth placed Warrnambool.

“It was just what we needed at the right time, I’m a happy coach,” Richardson said.

The Magpies victory was set up in the ‘premiership quarter’, with the home side surging ahead in the third term having fought its way to the lead after trailing early.

Camperdown led by two goals at half-time but steadily grew its lead out to five at the final change, a margin they then successfully defended in the last term.

“Against a quality side like Koroit, five or six goals is nothing, so for us to continue to get goals and keep our lead in the last quarter was great,” Richardson said.

“It gives us a really big confidence boost and shows that we can (beat the better sides) and that we are good enough to do it.

“I was also really proud of the goalies and their shooting in the conditions, particularly in the last quarter.”

Richardson said the return of Emma Wright was also timely for her side with Jess Cameron still overseas, as the defender played a key role on one of the Saints star goalies.

Her inclusion, along with the Magpies ability to handle both the Saints pressure and the weather were some of the aspects of the performance that pleased the first year mentor.

“Emma Wright could not have come back at a better time,” Richardson said.

“I was really pleased with how she went against Nell Mitchell, she really negated her while everyone else within the team also played their role which was good.

“And considering the conditions, we had to be calm and composed with the ball because not only did we have the pressure of Koroit, we also had pressure of the weather against us.

“So I was really pleased with how we looked after the ball and all the one percenters we did.”

The win holds the Magpies in good stead for some big games after the bye, beginning with a bumper clash against Warrnambool on July 13.

Following the Blues fixture is games against North Warrnambool and Port Fairy, with Richardson wanting her players to carry the belief gained from its most recent triumph into those encounters.

“All the games that are left are big games,” she said

“I may have mentioned this last week, but we need to win some of the games we shouldn’t and that’s what happened on Saturday.

“For us to have that under our belts and to know that we can do it will help us in those games to come.”

Country Fire Authority (CFA) Camperdown officer Mick Brebner said brigade members were called to the fire, on the corner of Park Lane and Park Road (opposite the caravan park), at about 2.20am.

“The call came from a young mother in Camperdown who had just finished feeding her baby and saw the glow of the fire from her window,” he said.

“By the time we arrived it was an inferno – the whole structure had pretty much collapsed.

“There was really nothing left that could be saved, so our job was really just to put out what we could.”

Mr Brebner said the house had probably been burning for a number of hours before it was noticed.

“It was a conite structure, which tends to hold the flames and the heat in,” he said.

“There aren’t really any walkers around at that hour to notice anything, so it quite possibly had been burning for a quite a long while.”

Two CFA units from Camperdown and Cobden attended the blaze along with single units from Chocolyn and Bostocks Creek.

The house remains continued to smoulder throughout the day, along with an attached garage which was also destroyed.

A 1994 Holden Capri was almost unrecognisable with its roof caved in, tyres burnt to the rims and hub caps melted.

A water tank with one side completely melted was also an indicator of the fire’s intensity.

Property owners Tom Newling and Jo Duynhoven were not home at the time.

“Tom had just spent a few days at the house tidying up and mowing and had come back home to Geelong,” she said.

“We got the call saying the house was gone and couldn’t believe it.

“It’s a bit overwhelming, standing here and staring at what’s left.”

Ms Duynhoven said their own belongings were in Geelong, but being the Newling’s family home, a lot of family antiques had been destroyed in the blaze.

The house previously survived last year’s St Patrick’s Day fires, one of which burnt a portion of the Lake Bullen Merri and Lake Gnotuk foreshores.

Warrnambool’s Crime Investigation Unit and CFA fire investigators inspected the scene and concluded an electrical fault was the likely cause of the blaze.

The Magpies were downed by reigning premier Koroit 11.11 (77) to 4.5 (29) in miserable conditions at Mahony’s Transport Leura Oval.

Heavy downpours throughout the opening quarter turned the ground to mud and left large puddles on the wing, but it was the travelling Saints outfit that was more effective in the poor weather.

They kept the Magpies goalless in the first term, kicking five late goals to enter quarter time 36 points ahead, after the first 10 minutes of the match was a stalemate.

That margin proved to be decisive as the rain set in, with goals limited from both sides for the remainder of the game.

Koroit kicked two majors to Camperdown’s one in the second quarter to enter half-time 38 points ahead, and then extended that margin to 50 points by the final change after booting two unanswered goals in the third quarter.

Both teams kicked two goals each in the final term, with the Saints eventually running out 48 point victors.

Charlie Lucas continued his strong season for Camperdown with another best on ground performance, while Luke Clarke played his best game for the year.

Luke O’Neil was good across half-back, recruit Will Lord performed well across half-forward and the midfield, Will Rowbottom battled manfully in the ruck and Mitch Danahay was solid in his 150th game.

The loss left the Magpies in sixth position with a 4-7 record still eight points outside of the top five ahead of the bye.

Camperdown’s next match will be a home game against Warrnambool on July 13.

Meanwhile, the reserves suffered a narrow 4.6 (30) to 3.3 (21) defeat after being overrun in the final quarter.

The Magpies kept the Saints goalless in the first half but could not stop them from surging in the second, as the visitors kicked four goals to one en route to a nine point success.

Jake O’Flynn was named best on ground in the defeat alongside Josh Place, Jack Helmore, Zavier Mungean, Dave Young and Isaac Stephens.

Camperdown still rose to fourth on the ladder despite the defeat following Hamilton’s big loss against South Warrnambool.

The under 18.5s 13.13 (91) to 1.4 (10) victory was set up by a dominant second quarter.

The Magpies kicked six unanswered majors after being held goalless in the opening term.

They added a further seven for the game to record a comfortable win and remain second on the ladder.

Hamish Sinnott was best afield, while Toby Kent, Archie Rial (four goals), Jack Helmore and Archie McBean all played well.

Joining James H. Monk Real Estate (now operating as Ray White Real Estate) in 1987, Mr Gleeson officially retired this month and took a nostalgic look at how the town had developed and grown over his 32 years in the profession.

“Average three-bedroom houses were selling for between $25,000 and $28,000 when I started – it’s nothing to get $300,000 for them now,” he said.

“Farms were a lot smaller too – about 160 to 180 acres – and had the basic setup of 12 a side swing-over herringbone dairies.

“Getting loans was also easier – we’d send someone down to the State Bank and the manager would ring back about 20 minutes later to say the loan had been approved.”

Mr Gleeson said not long after he started, farmers began buying out their neighbours’ properties as they retired and the farms grew bigger and bigger.

“Banks were encouraging farmers to buy up because the government had set a guaranteed wool price, which offered great long-term security,” he said.

“But as happens, the wool price dropped and times were suddenly pretty tough.

“The only thing that saved a lot of those farmers was that there was also a drop in interest rates.”

The early 90s saw tough times for the real estate business with a widespread economic downturn under way, but the 2000s and beyond picked up and saw Camperdown flourish.

“Suddenly Camperdown was on the radar for retirees – people from the city or coastal areas that were fed up with the congestion and hustle and bustle,” Mr Gleeson said.

“It is staggering how many people came into our office and said they’d been driving through Camperdown for years and always thought they would retire here.

“I can remember one January where I sold 13 investment properties to people from Melbourne, all initially looking to retire on the coast but finding it too expensive.

“It hasn’t stopped since – from then on Camperdown has just grown and grown.”

Mr Gleeson said the rezoning and opening up of land parcels in the Park Lane area saw a huge expansion to the town’s boundaries.

Developer Art Wigell’s Lake View Estate housing development followed, with developer Geoff Daffy’s Kilmaley Street subdivision finalised soon after.

“We auctioned all the Park Lane development which sold really well, with the investors then subdividing the parcels into smaller lots,” he said.

“You look up that hill now and there are so many houses – it’s a whole new part of Camperdown.

“There are also only a few lots left in the other two developments, which just shows you how much and how quickly Camperdown has grown.

“We’re at the point where another estate needs to open up and the Corangamite Shire Council is looking into that at the moment.”

First employed with James ‘Jimmy’ Monk, Mr Gleeson took over the business with fellow agent and business partner Daryl O’Donohue in 1999.

Mr O’Donohue’s retirement in 2005 saw Mr Gleeson then take on the business as a sole entity – a situation which remained in place until he on-sold the business to current owner Davina Pickles, though he remained on staff.

“It’s been a great career, one that I’ve really enjoyed,” he said.

“I got as much enjoyment out of selling houses to the little battlers as I did from the big $800,000-$900,000 sales, and it was great seeing the excitement that comes with the first home buyers.

“In some cases, because I used to sell cars earlier on in my working life, I’ve dealt with some families for three and even four generations and that’s pretty rewarding in itself.”

Mr Gleeson said real estate was a seven-day-a-week job with regular phone calls into the evening and thanked his family for their support and understanding throughout his journey.

“I’m looking forward to a lot of relaxation now, pottering around at home and taking off with (my wife) Vicki on some fun caravanning adventures,” he said.

“I will always have an interest in the local property market though and will be happy to consult for any interested vendors and buyers.”

The two sides played out a highly contested and physical affair at Terang Recreation Reserve, with the home side producing a second half surge to storm to a 49-37 victory.

Coach Brooke Richardson said the loss was very disappointing for her side, which blooded a new combination for the encounter.

The Magpies hit the court with a different line-up as Tracey Baker joined daughters Chelsea and Krystal in the starting seven, while Sophie Swayn made her open debut in the absence of Jess Cameron.

The changes had a positive effect early in the contest with the Magpies controlling the scoreboard throughout the opening term before the Bloods levelled the scores at half-time.

The home side established a two-goal lead by three quarter time, before surging away in the final term as the Magpies faltered.

Richardson said it was disappointing that her side could not finish the match strongly, but admitted she was partly at fault for the fade-out.

“To let them run away with it is the hardest part I think and I take responsibility for that in terms of the changes that needed to be made,” she said.

“I should have changed a few things heading into the last quarter, but in the end it looked like they were harder at the ball.

“We were within one or two in the last quarter and then they went and we just watched them (get away) instead of regrouping.”

The loss was a golden chance missed by the Magpies to cement itself inside the top five, but instead they surrendered their position to the Bloods.

The Magpies fell two spots to seventh as Terang Mortlake moved four points clear in fifth, while South Warrnambool rose to sixth despite losing to Port Fairy.

The Seagulls joined the Magpies and Roosters among the chasing pack seeking the last berth in this year’s finals.

“We could have won so it was disappointing, but fortunately for us it’s just Terang Mortlake ahead of us (on points) because South Warrnambool lost their match,” Richardson said.

“Now it’s us, South and Port Fairy all on the same points, so we’re going to have to win the games people don’t think we’re going to if we’re going to get our toe in the door.”

The Magpies will get an opportunity to prove Richardson’s point, with a clash against reigning premier Koroit awaiting them tomorrow.

While many will tip the highly fancied Saints to win the encounter, Richardson is confident her side can come away with victory.

However, the Magpie mentor said her side has “to play four strong quarters” if they were to do so against a “really good” Saints outfit.

“I think I say that every week, but we really have to do that this week,” Richardson said.

In the other matches last weekend, division one lost 39-23, division two went down 41-34 and division three won 28-27.

The 17 and under side was defeated 43-23, the 15 and under team triumphed 46-23 and the 13 and under outfit was beaten 41-25.

“I started working with the Hampden Shire in 1973 and just a few years later we had a shocking drought,” he said.

“I was working at a slaughter pit on Country Boundary Road where cattle from right across the district were being brought to be put down.

“It was heartbreaking and it went on for weeks – thousands of perfectly good cattle being shot and bulldozed into the pit.

“I remember seeing a truckload of black Angus cattle come through from Derrinallum – there was nothing wrong with them, but farmers were only getting $1 a head for them at the saleyards when the shire was giving $10 a head.”

The damage to the shire’s road network after the 2011 floods is also etched in Mr Reilly’s memory.

“The north of the shire was particularly bad – we’ve only just finished our flood recovery works now,” he said.

“The flood was so forceful, it was scouring the drains, big chunks of bridges were washed away as well as some fairly large culverts.

“It was devastating stuff, but a lot of work has been done to mitigate the risk since then with bigger drains and culverts put in place.”

Mr Reilly will put in his last day at the office today (Friday), officially retiring after 46 years on the job.

Starting as a surveyor’s assistant with the Hampden Shire, he then became a grader driver, worked in backhoes, returned to graders and then drove a Mac truck carting road making material.

“That first tractor I had was weird little thing – you had to stand up in it to see where you were going while you were driving it,” Mr Reilly said.

“The machinery now is so much bigger and better – we’ve definitely come a long way.”

By the time council amalgamations occurred in 1994 (which saw the Hampden and Heytesbury shires combine with the Town of Camperdown to form the current Corangamite Shire), Mr Reilly was foreman of maintenance and construction with the Hampden Shire.

“Amalgamations were a scary time for the workers, especially those in the 50 to 55 age bracket, because nobody knew who would still have a job and who wouldn’t,” he said.

“Everyone had to re-apply for their jobs again.

“I was lucky enough to secure the ‘team leader role’, which had a pretty big portfolio covering parks and gardens, maintenance, prima seals and reseals.”

Bringing roads in the south up to standard was the first focus of Mr Reilly’s new role.

The ‘quick fix’ solution saw roads ripped up, mixed with concrete and then resealed.

“In the first year alone we sealed 40 kilometres of road, whereas we currently average out at about 15 kilometres of reseal each year,” he said.

“It was a huge job, but it had to be done.”

In more recent years, Mr Reilly has served as the Corangamite Shire’s road inspector, assessing the different roads according to their class and checking on the effectiveness of signage, drainage and road surfaces.

Any issues are logged into the computer, which then triggers a works crew to repair it within a set number of days.

“I think a highlight for me has been to see how much the roads have improved over the years,” Mr Reilly said.

“When I started we had a budget of $70,000 a year for gravel roads, now we have a budget of $1.5 million and that means we can keep up the maintenance, which means the roads can last for years.”

Clocking off for the last time today, Mr Reilly said he has “absolutely loved” his job and appreciated the opportunities local government had given him.

“I’ve made some great friends over the journey and not just workers, the ratepayers as well,” he said.

Mr Reilly now plans to enjoy more time with his wife Jan, grandkids, continue his involvement with the local football club and travel.

The Magpies came crashing back to earth following strong victories over Portland and Cobden, upset by the Bloods 12.7 (79) to 8.16 (64) at Terang Recreation Reserve.

The loss was a golden opportunity missed for last season’s grand finalist, who fell eight points adrift of the top five.

Camperdown had made the early running and kicked two goals in the first four minutes before the Bloods hit back, booting four of the last five goals of the term to hold a six point quarter time lead.

The second quarter began with the Magpies repeatedly peppering the goals, but remained unable to convert its opportunities before co-coach Jack Williams slotted his second goal to put Camperdown ahead.

Neither team could hit the scoreboard for the next five minutes before the Bloods again closed the quarter strongly, kicking four of the last five majors to enter half-time two goals clear.

Terang Mortlake then surged further ahead in the third quarter, kicking three unanswered goals to push the lead out to 30 points before Will Rowbottom kicked his first to reduce the margin at the final change.

The Bloods entered the last term with a 21 point lead but the Magpies pressed strongly in the early stages, with Charlie Lucas kicking his second and Will Lord converting to cut the deficit to just 10 points at the 15 minute mark.

Camperdown then controlled proceedings for the next 10 minutes but were unable to find a target inside 50, with a resolute Bloods defence thwarting several forward presses.

A chase down tackle in front of Camperdown’s goal with minutes remaining went unrewarded which led to the Bloods picking up the crumbs and transitioning the ball out of defence to Daniel Kenna inside their forward line.

He duly stepped up to convert the match-winning goal as Terang Mortlake held steady to record a 15 point victory.

Charlie Lucas was named Camperdown’s best player following a strong performance in the midfield, while Fraser Lucas, Rowbottom, Jason Robinson, Williams and Matt Field were also among the better players.

The Magpies now face a tough run of games, with a match this weekend against Koroit to be followed by clashes with Warrnambool, North Warrnambool and Port Fairy.

The day’s other two football games saw Camperdown record strong victories, with the reserves and under 18.5s triumphing by 55 and 127 points respectively.

The reserves’ win was crucial to its finals hopes, with the side pushing eight points clear in fifth position.

They dominated play from the outset but could not reward themselves in front of goal, kicking 7.15 to the Bloods 0.2.

Dave Young was best afield in the win alongside Jake Clissold, Eddie Lucas, Jake O’Flynn, Charlie Brett and Devon Coates, while Grant Place led the goal kickers with three.

The under 18.5s moved into second position on the ladder after its win and now sits just two points adrift of top side South Warrnambool.

The Magpies were never headed despite also kicking inaccurately, with Jack Helmore the side’s best player.

Zavier Mungean (five goals) was also prominent as was Lachie Stephenson, Archie Rial, Toby Kent and Hamish Sinnott.

Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosia, member for Buninyong Michaela Settle, Corangamite Shire mayor Neil Trotter and Golden Plains Shire mayor Owan Sharkey were onsite to officially launch the project which is expected to generate enough energy to power around 138,000 homes.

Mr Andrews said the $276 million project, to be built by Global Power Generation (Naturgy Energy Group), will boost renewable energy supply, as Victoria moves towards the Labor Government’s renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2030.

“The 180-megawatt wind farm will provide a major boost to the local economy, delivering 213 construction jobs and 24 apprenticeships, with wind turbine assembly set to recommence in Australia for the first time in ten years,” he said.

“The brand-new Vestas Renewable Energy Hub on the former Ford site in Geelong will build the turbines for the project, which will be underpinned by 64 per cent local content under the Labor Government’s Victorian Industry Participation Policy.”

To support ongoing turbine maintenance, wind turbine technician training will also be delivered at Ballarat’s Federation University as part of the Ballarat Renewable Training Centre.

Mr Andrews said the Berrybank Wind Farm was made possible through the Labor Government’s Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) reverse auction, which will see more than 900 MW of new clean energy developed – almost 45 percent more generation capacity than anticipated – helping to drive down energy prices for Victorian families.

Together, the projects approved under the reverse auction will generate over $1.1 billion in economic investment and create more than 900 jobs, including 270 apprenticeships and traineeships in regional Victoria.

The VRET 2025 target of 40 per cent is expected to drive around $7.2 billion of investment and create more than 10,000 jobs.

“Victoria is the renewable energy capital of our nation and thanks to this investment, we’ve put Western Vitoria right at the centre – this is great for jobs and great four our state,’ Mr Andrews said.

“Whether it’s the VRET or our Solar Homes Program, we’re driving down the energy costs for families, supporting local businesses and creating thousands of jobs.”

The Berrybank Wind Farm is expected to start operations in late 2020.

Cr Trotter said the wind farm would have flow-on economic effects for both the Corangamite and Golden Plains shires, including increased trade for local businesses.

He also highlighted the wind farm’s previous commitment to provide $1.5 million to support 15 community projects in the Corangamite Shire.

“It’s great to see Global Power Generation demonstrating corporate citizenship and inveting in the future of our shire,” Cr Trotter said.

“In addition, council and Global Power Generation are working to establish a community development fund which will provide $48,000 a year for community groups.

Council will call for grant applications on an annual basis from 2021 with a committee now being formed to oversee the allocations.

Cr Trotter said a community engagement committee has also been established to provide open discussion between the developer, the community, Corangamite Shire and Golden Plains Shire during construction and once the wind farm is operating.

The Magpies mentor said her team, which is currently sixth, will be likely fighting with Terang Mortlake (fifth) and South Warrnambool (seventh) for the final spot in the top five once the second half of the season gets underway this weekend.

The three clubs each have 4-5 records and are separated only by percentage, but all sit eight points adrift of fourth placed Warrnambool, a gap which gives the Blues some handy breathing space ahead of the final nine rounds.

“I think some of it will be out of our control in terms of other teams like South Warrnambool and Terang Mortlake,” Richardson said.

“But I think heading into the next half of the season we are coming in stronger.

“We don’t have to try new things because we’ve already done that, so I feel we can be stronger playing teams we’ve already lost to.

“We just have to get our toe in the door really, that’s our goal.”

The Magpies had its hands on fifth position before last week’s match against Cobden, but relinquished the spot after losing.

However, Richardson walked away from last week’s 52-40 defeat with plenty of positives, but conceded a slow start ultimately proved costly.

“Even though we did come away with a loss, I was quite pleased with our ability to adapt during the game,” she said.

“Quite often throughout the match there were injuries so there were a lot of breaks, but I was really pleased we were able to transition and fill spots well and maintain our momentum.

“We lost the first quarter by eight but we were able to match it with them for the rest of the game.

“Our starts in previous weeks have been good but last week it wasn’t which was unfortunate, but there are a lot of positives to take out of it heading into this week.”

Richardson is pleased with how well her players have gelled to date, and said that was the biggest positive of the year thus far.

She said her side had been able to build strong connections in the face of regular changes to their combinations and was pleased with how they had all adapted.

“Our ability, if we have had to, to make changes has been quite seamless and we have made really strong connections,” she said.

“Obviously against every team you can tweak things to make it better but the girls have been really good when they have been moved around.

“They’ve all been able to make strong connections with the people around them which has been good.”

Richardson also highlighted the performance of new recruits Jess Cameron and Amanda Gilbert, as well as the returning Grace Lucas.

“Our newbie’s, Jess and Amanda, have fitted in really well and have played some big roles for us,” she said.

“And the likes of Grace, she plays with a lot of grit and determination and has been great to watch.”

With nine games to play, Richardson said her side would need to make improvements in a couple of areas if it was to eventually claim the final spot in the five.

She said their defensive pressure and intensity needs to rise, and that remains the key to the Magpies producing strong performances.

“I think our defensive pressure and intensity can lift and again that has to be for four whole quarters,” she said.

“That’s a big one for me because I think everything bounces off that.”

Camperdown gets its opportunity to land a blow on fellow finals fancy Terang Mortlake this weekend, with a Magpies’ win tomorrow at Terang Recreation Reserve potentially enabling them to reclaim fifth position.

Leading Senior Constable Shannon Kavenagh of Warrnambool’s Crime Scene Services Unit said the break-in was discovered at 7.15am Tuesday when a staff member arrived at the premises.

“The offender or offenders have gained entry by forcing the front door and appear to have headed straight for the till,” she said.

“When they discovered the till was empty, it was ripped from the countertop and thrown onto the floor.

“The offenders have then ransacked the hair salon and made off with a large amount of haircare products.”

Ldg Snr Const Kavenagh said the burglary was likely to have occurred between about 11pm Monday and 7am Tuesday.

“We are calling for public support to help catch the culprits,” she said.

“Somebody may have been out on a walk or driving by and noticed some suspicious activity or people loitering in a suspicious manner.

“We also ask nearby businesses to check their CCTV footage for anything that might be of help.”

Crime Scene Services investigators attended the scene and dusted the business for fingerprints and checked for other vital clues.

Hair Supreme proprietor Jenna Spaull said no cash was kept on the premises.

“They have taken quite a lot of specialised product though, and a couple of hairdryers as well, which adds up to about $4000 in value,” she said.

Stolen product brands included Moroccan Oil, Evo and Olaplex.

“I have had this shop for seven years and was working here before that since I left school and we have never had an incident like this,” she said.

“It’s a horrible feeling and very disappointing – you work so hard and then someone comes along and does this.

“It could have been worse though – they didn’t smash windows or mirrors or do any other physical damage.”

The business was forced to close for most of the day to cleanup and reopened later in the day.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Camperdown Police on 5593 1000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Ldg Snr Const Kavenagh also asked the public to keep an eye out on social media and ‘buy/swap/sell’ sites for haircare products that may be a result of the burglary.

The Magpies stunned the Bombers early in the round nine clash and were never headed from quarter time onwards as they strolled to a comfortable 19.15 (129) to 8.11 (59) win.

Co-coach Jack Williams was thrilled with his side’s victory after they finished without a bench in the final term.

“Obviously we were pretty happy with the result in the end because we were a bit undermanned late in the game,” he said.

“We really did the damage in the first three quarters and that helped us get the job done.”

The Magpies started the game with a flurry of forward 50 entries but could not capitalise on their work, kicking 4.8 to two behinds after dominating play in the opening term.

They again continued to control the game in the second term and were more accurate on the scoreboard as both sides kicked multiple goals to see the Magpies remain 36 points ahead at half-time.

Camperdown then produced its most damaging football of the day in the third quarter, putting the game well and truly away as they kicked nine goals to two to extend the margin to a comfortable 76 points.

The final term saw the Bombers finish the stronger of the two sides as they outscored the Magpies three goals to two, but the damage was done earlier in the contest as Camperdown cruised to a 70 point victory.

Williams was pleased with his side’s effort, and said the high amount of pressure they applied on the Bombers early was the catalyst.

“We spoke before the game about having pressure up around the forward line and in the midfield and it was really good early,” he said.

“We kicked a few points early but once we straightened up we really got on top of them.”

Williams was named as one of the Magpies best after he kicked seven goals up forward, while Tim Fitzgerald, Bayley Thompson and Fraser Lucas all kicked three majors apiece in the team’s 19 goal haul.

Lucas also featured in the best players with the playing mentor, who also praised the likes of Josh Bone, Charlie Lucas, Luke Mahony and Jason Robinson for their performances.

Williams said debutant Zach Sinnott also played well in his first senior game among a strong team performance.

“Fraser was good again, Josh was really good in the midfield and Charlie was a standout too,” he said.

“Luke presented well all day and Jason was good again too in the back line.

“But all over the board you couldn’t really pick out a best player, everyone did their part which was really good.

“Hopefully that gives the boys a lot more confidence heading into the games coming up against the stronger sides.”

Meanwhile, Camperdown’s reserves and under 18.5 sides made it a clean sweep of victories in the football after both recorded comprehensive wins.

The reserves cruised to a 12.18 (90) to 2.3 (15) triumph, with co-captain Dan Hickey named best on ground.

He was well supported by Mitch Gristede, Grant Place, Charlie Brett, Tom Place and Jake Clissold.

Grant Place, Tom Place and Eddie Lucas led the goal kickers, with the trio all kicking three each.

The reserves are currently locked in fifth position on the ladder, four points and 35.76 per cent ahead of sixth placed Portland.

And the under 18.5s scored an 11.12 (78) to 3.2 (20) win, with midfielder Luke Ball best afield.

Josh Place, Zavier Mungean (three goals), Toby Kent and Archie McBean also performed strongly to feature in the Magpies best.

The side sits third on the ladder with a 7-2 record, two points adrift of leaders South Warrnambool and are 31.43 per cent clear of fourth placed Portland.

Close friends Sarah Dunn and Tracey Telford were behind the event, which was held during the Hampden Football League’s Camperdown and Cobden clash at Cobden on Saturday.

After raising about $30,000 at the inaugural event at Camperdown last year, the increased total this year proved an emotional outcome for the pair.

“The whole day was totally amazing,” Mrs Dunn said.

“Hundreds of people turned up for the fun and there was an incredible atmosphere with plenty of laughs and cheering on.

“To have so many people come out and support the Big Freeze was absolutely wonderful.”

The Big Freeze saw 10 local identities, dressed in a range of costumes, plunge into a pool of water filled with 1200 kilograms of ice.

Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Neptune, Jon Snow of Game of Thrones fame, American president Donald Trump and even a rubber ducky were among the sliders to hit the icy water.

Mrs Dunn said each participant raised funding towards the cause, in some cases more than $3000 each.

“The sliders did an incredible job raising so much money,” she said.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id="117" gal_title="1806 Big Freeze"]

“The two football clubs also made generous donations and there were quite a lot of raffles as well.

“We also pre-sold 600 Big Freeze beanies, but could have easily sold another 200-300 more.

“It was great to raise so much money for the Fight Motor Neurone Disease charity, but just as important was raising awareness of the disease.”

Including this year’s funding tally, Mrs Dunn and Ms Telford have raised just over $100,000 for the cause.

“We started with raffles and other fundraising five years ago,” Mrs Dunn said.

“When we first started there was absolutely no hope for anyone diagnosed with MND, a disease where sufferers lose all control of their bodies and are likely to die within a couple of years.

“Now, thanks to all the funding raised for research, there is a drug being trialled that slows the progressiveness of the disease substantially.

“It’s a great advancement and gives us hope that a cure will one day be discovered.”

The two organisers gave special thanks to Clark Rubber, Maddens Lawyers and Bendigo Bank (Camperdown and Cobden) as the event’s major sponsors and Cobden’s Kooler Dairy for providing the ice.

Big Freeze participants included:

• Hampden League president Tim Mason;
• Cobden identity Clinton Baulch;
• 3YB Hampden League broadcaster Trent Hill;
• Coast FM ‘Mornings with Monkey’ identity Lachlan Rooke;
• Camperdown Football Netball Club identities Gary O’Neil, Berni Sinnott and Peter Reilly;
• Cobden Football Netball Club president Darren Mounsey and member Kerry McGlade; and
• The Clark Rubber rubber duck.
• “It was a fantastic day full of hope and we thank everyone for coming along and supporting it,” Mrs Dunn said.

The Magpies bounced back from a loss to South Warrnambool seven days prior with a stunning first half which paved the way for its 20.12 (132) to 11.5 (71) triumph.

After opening the match with four goals to two the Magpies blew the Tigers away in the second term, kicking 10 goals, including seven in the last 10 minutes, to hold a 76 point lead at half-time.

The Tigers hit back in the third quarter kicking five goals, including four in the first 10 minutes, but Camperdown was able to respond late to keep the margin at 69 points at the final change.

The last term saw the Tigers again chip away at the margin, with the visitors kicking four goals to two, but the Magpies had already done enough to record a 61 point win.

Camperdown coach Nev Swayn was pleased with the victory but said there are still problems his side needed to address.

“It was a really good response coming off the week before,” he said.

“We set it up in the first half, we really dominated the second quarter with 10 goals to set the game up for ourselves.

“But our first 10 minutes of the third quarter were a little bit off, we had another lapse, but they are things we’ve addressed and will continue to work on.”

Swayn was thrilled with all 21 of his players executing their roles to expectation, but reserved higher praise for several members who he said had stand-out games.

He said Billy Arnold was the team’s best player, while Fraser Lucas, Tim Fitzgerald, Bayley Thompson and Riley Arnold also performed strongly.

“Billy did a super job down back on some tall opponents,” Swayn said.

“Fraser’s ball use was terrific and Tim kicked five and was a great target for us.

“Bayley was really lively up forward and Riley has really started to hit his straps on the wing and I was pleased with how he played.”

The victory now sees the Magpies entering tomorrow’s clash against arch rival Cobden with momentum, but Swayn said his side was not taking the Bombers lightly despite its 1-7 record.

“It’s one of those games, no matter where either side on the ladder is, that is always a good and tough encounter,” he said.

“It’s just important for us to back up our win from last week and stay focussed on the job at hand.”

In last weekend’s other games, Camperdown’s reserves recorded their fourth win of the season, defeating the Tigers 13.14 (92) to 4.4 (28).

Zavier Mungean was named best on ground, while Grant Place, Brad Hillman, Eddie Lucas, Tyler Mungean and Mitch Gristede were also named among the best.

The side currently sits fifth on the ladder.

The under 18.5s were dealt just their second loss for the season, going down to Portland 9.7 (61) to 8.3 (51).

Jack Helmore, Luke Ball, Zach Sinnott, Toby Kent and Byron Loader were the team’s best performers.

The side remains third on the ladder.

In a nod to memorable children’s books and films, the critters included Otto, the bright orange gold fish that could not stop eating, a penguin from Happy Feet fame and, fittingly, the Very Hungry Caterpillar which notches up its 50th year in print this year.

A rainbow fish also features along with a goggle eyes octopus, a curly haired child and a network of colourful spiders and webs.

Local textile artist Monique Pope is behind the ‘yarn bomb’, which exploded on Manifold Street early Sunday morning in line with International Yarn Bombing Day.

“This is the seventh year in a row I’ve done the yarn bomb and I’m still doing it for the very same reasons – to cheer up the gloomy winter and make people smile,” she said.

“I’ve had some great feedback, so it’s still bringing joy to people and that’s really satisfying.

“Someone even left a ‘Post It’ note sticker on one of the pieces saying how much they loved it.

“Facebook has also gone a bit crazy with it – so it’s great to know all the work is being appreciated.”

Mrs Pope said each critter or creature took about a week to make.

“I don’t have a pattern for any of them, I just make it up as I go,” she said.

“I managed to get 10 creatures finished and then Carol Eagle (a friend and fellow textile artist) jumped on board and crotched the bobbly spiders and webs that have been included.”

Mrs Pope said she learned to crochet at about eight years-old when she was camping with family in the middle of nowhere without power.

She has pursued the craft ever since and stepped up as a textile artist eight years ago.

Now in its seventh year, Mrs Pope’s art installations began when the street’s historic bollards were adorned with crocheted beanies, while the following year involved a major project at the civic square with colourful yarn covering chairs and light posts, while year three saw yarn bombed pushbikes make an appearance.

Year four saw 53 clusters of tiny ‘fairy’ mushrooms pop up, while elm tree wraps appeared in year five and 25 sets of plump crochet birds were perched on park benches last year.

Mrs Pope said she already had decided on themes for the next two years and would get to work soon on creating the necessary pieces.

She thanked Mrs Eagle for her support and the locals who donated wool for the bombings.

The Magpies started the game the better of the two sides and held a handy buffer at the first break, but was completely wiped off the court in a stunning second term resurgence from the Roosters that paved the way for them to post a comfortable 51-35 victory.

Coach Brooke Richardson said the result was disappointing but gave her side an opportunity to continue to fix its most glaring issue.

“We started really well but had a bad second quarter, they obviously lifted in the second quarter and we weren’t able to go with them and you can’t really let opposition sides get away like that,” she said.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game, we knew South were a good side going into it but to start off really well and not sustain that was disappointing but also an area for us to work on.”

Despite the second quarter collapse, Camperdown was able to limit the damage in after half-time and prevent the lead from blowing out further.

Richardson was pleased with that and found several positives to walk away with, but said their defensive pressure needed to become more consistent across the court.

“In the second half we didn’t let the margin blow out and we were able to adjust which was pleasing,” she said.

“Both of our shooters shot well and our feeds into the ring were good too and we were able to bring it out of defence when we wanted too.

“We just dropped our defensive pressure (after quarter time), so we need to apply that for four quarters.”

Caitlin Hall earned best on court honours for a “really good defensive game” at wing defence, while Jess Cameron and Amanda Gilbert (23 goals) also played strong games at opposite ends of the court.

Camperdown’s loss was an opportunity missed to keep the gap close between them and the top five, but they have a chance to make amends when they face bottom side Portland tomorrow.

Richardson is wary of how the Tigers are tracking despite their failure to register a victory said her side cannot afford to give them opportunities or they will find themselves playing catch up, pointing out Portland’s scoring capability.

She said the focus would be on their intensity and defensive pressure and sticking to their game plan and structures.

“I think we can’t go into it expecting to win because when a team is shooting that many goals it shows they are still playing good netball (despite being winless),” Richardson said.

“We have to work hard for it, this isn’t going to be easy and because they are on the bottom of the ladder we can’t underestimate them.

“If we don’t have strong performances across each quarter that will allow them opportunities and we can’t afford to give them opportunities so it’s important we sustain our intensity and pressure.”

In the other matches, division one triumphed 51-45, division two lost 33-29 and division three drew 25-25.

The 17 and under side was defeated 86-15, the 15 and under side was beaten 32-30 and the 13 and under side went down 32-19.

All the transmission towers have now been installed along a 70 kilometre route from the wind farm, located north of Skipton, to a new terminal station located five kilometres south of Lismore.

Traffic control measures will be in place on the Hamilton Highway over the next two weeks as the helicopter stringing takes place overhead. Delays of up to 10 minutes for motorists are expected.

The Magpies took a 17 point lead into the last term but were unable to defend their advantage as the Roosters surged to a 13.7 (85) to 8.14 (62) win in the latter stages.

Camperdown made the most of a slight breeze in the opening term, with Riley Arnold, Luke Mahony, Jacob Mahony and Bayley Thompson all hitting the scoreboard to help their side to a 20 point quarter time lead.

They continued to hold the ascendency early into the second quarter and thwarted a number of South Warrnambool’s attacking forays before the Roosters eventually found a way through the Magpies defence.

The home side finished the quarter with four unanswered goals to carry their own six point advantage into the main break.

The third quarter was a replica of the opening term, with the Magpies again controlling the majority of play.

However, inaccurate kicking would eventually prove costly, with the Magpies’ repeat entries going unrewarded as the visitors kicked 3.6 to one behind.

That kept South Warrnambool within reach at the final change as co-coaches Neville Swayn and Jack Williams implored their troops to run out the game strongly.

The Magpies controlled play in the first five minutes of the last quarter, but could not convert on the scoreboard despite ample opportunities.

The wind was then taken out of their sails shortly after, as the Roosters went from one end to the other from a kick in to score a goal, which they followed up with two more majors in the space of two minutes.

That reduced Camperdown’s lead to just one point and although Jacob Mahony pushed the margin back out to seven points a minute later, the Roosters continued to respond.

Another three quick goals erased the Magpies lead entirely and put the advantage in favour of the home side, who sealed the result with a further two majors which saw them run out 23 point winners.

Despite the defeat, Camperdown still had several solid contributors with Josh Bone, Luke O’Neil, Locky Bone, Fraser Lucas, Jacob Mahony (three goals) and Mitch Danahay named the best players.

The loss now puts the Magpies 12 points outside the top five with a 2-5 record ahead of fixtures against Portland and Cobden to round out the first half of the year.

It is likely they will be without Matt Field for those matches, with the wingman sustaining a recurrence of a hamstring injury in the third quarter.

Camperdown’s reserves went down to the unbeaten Roosters 12.14 (86) to 4.2 (26) as Charlie Brett and Devon Coates impressed in their return from the senior line-up.

Meanwhile, the under 18.5s knocked over the previously undefeated Roosters, scoring a 6.11 (47) to 2.6 (18) victory.

Hamish Sinnott was named best on ground following a three goal performance.

Beetroot dip coupled with warm Turkish bread, lamb koftas served with a yoghurt garlic sauce, crusted chicken fingers and a lemon/almond poppy seed cake all featured along with a refreshing drop of a sparkling pomegranate, peppermint and lime mocktail.

The evening followed on from a two-day ‘Creating an Appetite for Life’ master-class hospital cook Andrea Burkett completed under the guidance of TV cooking favourite Maggie Beer.

As one of only 30 applicants to be accepted, Ms Burkett said the workshop was a “great opportunity and well worthwhile”.

“There were some fantastic guest speakers who took us through all aspects of healthy cooking for aging people and how to make food more appealing,” she said.

“The biggest message was to use really fresh foods that are full of colour and flavour.

“There was also a great section on adopting a ‘soil to the plate’ approach, which means growing vegetables onsite at aged-care facilities and getting the residents involved in the process so they are using their hands and their minds and are a keeping busy.”

Ms Burkett said the master-class also involved a ‘mystery box’ styled cooking challenge with Maggie Beer herself.

“She was really encouraging and enthusiastic about everything we were doing,” she said.

“Maggie was just like she is on TV (Channel 33’s ‘The Cook and The Chef’), very bubbly but still down to earth.

“The whole class was a great experience and it’s great to be using some of her recipes now to share with our residents.”

The Magpies notched up their second straight victory with a 50-36 win at Leura Oval, with coach Brooke Richardson “really, really happy” with the result.

“Especially having two wins in a row now, it’s really good for the girls’ confidence,” she said.

“Hopefully we can carry our good form into this weekend against South.”

The Magpies led the contest from start to finish, capitalising on a strong opening to come away with a 14 goal win.

“We just had a really solid start, we were up by 10 at quarter time and we just built on that,” Richardson said.

“After quarter time they made a few changes that helped them but it didn’t deter us at all.”

Richardson said the highlights of her side’s performance were again the growth in confidence within each other and within their connections.

She said it was little things such as working out feeds and movements in the goal circle that were getting better each week that was helping her side produce more consistent netball.

“We’ve shown that the last two weeks and hopefully coming into a big game this weekend we can continue that,” she said.

Attacking pair Amanda Gilbert and Krystal Baker were named the side’s best players alongside Grace Lucas but Richardson said overall she was happy with the team’s performance.

“I gave my best to Amanda and Krystal, they’re obviously our goalies, but their connection and their relationship is getting stronger and stronger and better and better each week,” she said.

“And Grace Lucas was also in the best at wing attack with her drives and feeds into the goalies.

“But it was a really tough week (to pick the best), I could have given it to anybody because it was a really good team performance.”

The Magpies are now turning their attention to a clash the Roosters tomorrow, with the victor set to cement themselves in fifth position.

Richardson said the contest would give her side a better understanding of where it sits within the competition and said they would need to produce another strong effort to secure victory.

She said they would be solely focussed on the things they can control rather than their opponents but are not underestimating South’s capabilities, knowing all too well how good they can be on their day.

“We’ll be focussing on us and taking the things from last week and working on them at training,” she said.

“We want to continue to build on our intensity for four weeks and we’re sort of worrying about ourselves more than anything but it’ll be a good indication of where we’re at definitely.

“Over the last couple of years, South have been a pretty strong side so we’ll have to play at our best and play four strong quarters if we’re going to come away with a win.”

In last Saturday’s other matches, Camperdown felt the full wrath of the Kangaroos, who won the remaining six encounters.

Division one put in a competitive performance but was unable to get over the line, going down 46-39 despite the best efforts of Tracey Baker, Narelle Marsden and Georgia Vick.

Division two was well beaten 40-26 with Jess Van den Eynde, Sarah McInnes and Georgia Lucas named the side’s best.

The division three side suffered a 38-17 defeat, with Kelly Howard, Alex Smith and Bernie Bellman all performing strongly.

In the 17 and under contest, the Kangaroos cruised to an easy 66-17 victory, with Molly Hedrick, Olivia Maskell and Maggie Conheady solid for Camperdown.

The 15 and under team was dealt its first loss of the season, going down 36-25 despite strong games from Matilda Pollard, Mary Place and Ruby Conheady.

And in the 13 and under match, Hamilton triumphed 21-15, with Eliza O’Neil, Indi Cameron and Sophie Conheady named the Magpies’ top three performers.

Leading Senior Constable Adam Johnston and Leading Senior Constable Andy Gottliebsen have signed on for 18 months at the station.

Ldg Snr Const Johnston has made the move after serving at the Colac Police Station for the past few years.

“Before that I was at Geelong where I spent time both on general duties and in a team specifically targeting liquor licensing regulations in pubs, clubs and wineries,” he said.

“Earlier on in my career, I spent three years at Corio and about seven years at Colac.”

Ldg Snr Const Gottliebsen has made the move to Camperdown after serving at the Warrnambool station for the past 12 years.

Both officers are keen to familiarise themselves with the local community and surrounding district.Leading Senior Constables Adam Johnston and Andy Gottliebsen have signed on with the Camperdown Police for the next 18 months.

A GRITTY win over Hamilton Kangaroos is hoped to build Camperdown’s belief according to co-coach Jack Williams.

The Magpies snapped a four game losing streak with an 8.14 (62) to 7.12 (54) victory, which the playing mentor said “gives us a lot more confidence” after a tough run of games.

“Obviously the last month or so hasn’t been great particularly on the scoreboard,” Williams said.

“I think blokes may have dropped their head a bit and possibly, I don’t know, may have started to think it might be a long season so it’s good to get the win on the board.

“Hopefully it gives us some confidence and hopefully we can now string another couple together over the next couple of weeks.”

Camperdown’s first half proved to be the difference in the end, with the Magpies kicking six goals to one up to half-time to carry a 36 point lead into the main break.

They continued to hold their ascendency until halfway through the third term, with the Kangaroos eventually finding an avenue to goal after kicking several behinds.

They kicked three majors late in the quarter to reduce the margin to 13 points at the final change and then added another goal courtesy of a 50 metre penalty to open the last quarter.

Camperdown responded shortly after to push their advantage back out to 13 points, but it was almost immediately brought back to seven with the Kangaroos the beneficiary of a goal from another 50 metre penalty.

The next 10 minutes saw neither side able to score before Locky Bone put the Magpies 13 points up again after he converted a running shot from 45 metres out on a tight angle.

Hamilton continued to press hard late in the match and kicked their third goal of the quarter before the Magpies held on in the final stages to record an eight point victory.

“I thought in the first half we really stuck to our game plan with the way Hamilton set up,” Williams said.

“With the wet weather, they probably thought we’d kick long down the line but instead we hit up our shorts which they didn’t expect so that was good to see.

“In the third quarter we fell away a bit which was disappointing but it was good to finish off in the end and hold on to the last siren and get the win.”

Williams praised the impact of Luke Mahony and Fraser Lucas early, while he said James Byrne, Jason Robinson, Luke O’Neil and Josh Bone also played well.

“Luke Mahony’s first half was pretty good, he’s sort of getting back into some good fitness now and is starting to get into the midfield which is good because we’re really damaging with him in there,” he said.

“Fraser Lucas’ whole game was good but early on he got a lot of it and was really clean.

“James Byrne in his first game, he really held his own and was clean underfoot, Jason Robinson was good again.

“Luke O’Neil was good in his job on Josh Pepper and Josh Bone is having a good year too and he was pretty solid in the guts and up forward.”

The Magpies are now preparing for an away clash with third placed South Warrnambool, with Williams keen to see the Magpies build on their victory.

He said they would again focus on playing to their game plan regardless of the conditions with the aim of adding a third win to their tally.

“I just want to see that confidence in the boys again,” he said.

“Everyone knows the game plan and to hit up at the footy because it catches the opposition off-guard so hopefully that’s a focus for us.”

In the reserves, Hamilton proved to be too strong after half-time, with the visitors prevailing 7.10 (52) to 4.2 (26).

Wayne Loader, Chris Dendle, Byron Loader, Jordan Loader, Ben Hutson and Eddie Lucas were the side’s best players.

And the under 18.5s continued their strong start to the year with a 10.10 (70) to 4.4 (28) win.

Josh Place, Hamish Sinnott, Byron Loader, Archie Rial and Isaac Fowler all performed well and were the team’s best.

An Australia Post spokesperson said the slate roof was being completely replaced, the roof structure repaired and the fascia and eave lines repaired as necessary.

“The roofs are being replaced because after more than 100 years the slates have become extremely brittle and are breaking down and are in need of replacement,” he said.

“The roof is being replaced with materials ‘like for like’.

“The majority of the roof was originally Welsh slate and it is being replaced with Welsh slate.

“This is a very specialised trade and the contractor being used is one of the best in the field.”

Combined Roofing Australia contractor Stephen Tapping said the refurbishing would take about six weeks to complete.

“The existing slate was definitely past its use-by date – they were flaking into pieces as they were being removed,” he said.

“It’s a pretty labour intensive job, with every single slate shingle having to be nailed into place.”

The upgrade works will also include restoration of a ‘standing seam’ lead roof which is also evident on the building.

“This is also very highly specialised work,” the spokesperson said.

A ‘standing seam’ roof is made of panels which feature a thin rib and wide tray and are usually made of zinc, steel, lead or copper.

The works will be topped off with a fresh coat of paint for both the interior and exterior.

Australia Post is covering the full cost of the work and has worked with heritage advisors throughout the planning phase.

The spokesperson said the repair work would “help return it to its mid-century splendour”.

According to architectural researcher Alan Willingham in the commissioned work “Camperdown – A Heritage Study’, the Camperdown post office is one of the oldest established postal and telecommunications buildings still standing in Victoria.

“It is one of the earliest public buildings in Camperdown, being erected within 10 years of settlement of the new township at Mount Leura,” he said.

Though first built in 1863, major alterations and a two storey addition was added in 1909.

The 17 year-old, who is currently representing the Greater Western Victoria Rebels in the NAB League, will have the opportunity to pull on the Big V in upcoming games at the championships, which kick off on June 1.

Mahony was one of five Rebels selected in the squad and will be joined by another Western District resident, with Terang Mortlake’s Isaac Wareham also picked.

He said he was “very privileged to make it” after earlier eyeing off selection and said he was thrilled to receive the chance to play with and against some of the nation’s best underage footballers.

“You come into a footy season wanting to play the highest footy you can and wanting to make the elite squads, so I did want to make it and I’m glad I have now,” Mahony said.

“There are a lot of good players getting around at the moment and I just feel good to be one of those to get selected but there’s still a lot of work to go.”

The championships will consist of four games for Vic Country, with their opening match against Vic Metro to be played at the MCG, before they head interstate to clash with the Allies in Launceston on June 9.

They then round out the championships with matches against South Australia at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium on June 28 and Western Australia on July 3 at Marvel Stadium.

Mahony said he was looking forward to playing on elite AFL venues.

“They’re the best grounds in the country and you want to play on them but I suppose Mars Stadium in Ballarat is top standard at the moment so it won’t be much different,” he said.

“But just (playing on) the stadiums and the feeling of being on an AFL arena will be really surreal.”

Preparations for the opening round will commence this Sunday, with the squad to play a trial game against the Allies at IKON Park.

Mahony is likely to play as a tall midfielder throughout the championships when picked and said selection will likely be based on performances in the trial game and NAB League matches.

He admitted he is set to enter the championships on the back of some good recent form, having produced a break-out game two weeks ago for the Rebels against the Northern Knights.

On that occasion, he kicked three goals and had 20 possessions to be named among the Rebels’ best.

“I started the year off a bit shaky but then a few rounds in I got a bit better and I’m just slowly building,” Mahony said.